A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

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https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Phu...10&pub_date=20210701150000&seq_num=9&si=44594

Phuket welcomes 1st quarantine-free tourists in more than a year
Thailand experiment begins with arrival of Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi

Phuket gives a water cannon salute to the first plane arriving with foreign tourists who do not have to be quarantined as the Thai tourist island on July 1 begins a crucial experiment to rescue its economy. © Reuters
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerJuly 1, 2021 14:09 JST

BANGKOK -- Thailand's ambitious quarantine-free tourism experiment began on Thursday morning as an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi carrying fully vaccinated passengers landed at Phuket's airport.

After clearing immigration, the visitors were taken straight to their accommodations, where they will undergo PCR testing for COVID-19. If negative results come back, those tourists will be free to roam the entire island.

A Qatar Airways flight from Doha, an El Al Israel Airlines jetliner from Tel Aviv, and a Singapore Airlines plane from the city-state are scheduled to arrive later on Thursday. The four flights are to drop off a total of 249 passengers, according to the Thai government.

"Today is the day we have been waiting for," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told local officers welcoming him as he arrived at Phuket airport to observe the reopening. "I am pleased to come to meet all of you," he added.

The prime minister's visit reflects the importance of the Phuket sandbox experiment. The Thai government intends to use the island as a steppingstone, with tourists gradually allowed to land in other spots as the country methodically reopens to vaccinated international tourists. Plans are for a full reopening by mid-October.

Koh Samui, a touristy island in the Gulf of Thailand and roughly 250 km northeast of Phuket, is scheduled to reopen on July 15.

A beachfront area in Phuket on June 29, 2021. The Thai government was slow to finalize details of the sandbox, so the experiment begins with only a trickle of tourists. © Reuters

A tourism recovery is key to salvaging the Thai economy, now suffering through a coronavirus-induced crisis. Tourism and related businesses used to account for 20% of the country's gross domestic product. Without international arrivals, Southeast Asia's second largest economy in 2020 shrank 6.1%.

On June 23, the Bank of Thailand lowered its economic outlook for 2021 to 1% from 3%, while also downwardly adjusting its 2022 forecast to 3.9% from 4.7%, as an ongoing third COVID wave is expected to reduce the number of tourists the country can accommodate.

The tourists who began arriving on Thursday will not have to spend a day in quarantine if they fulfill certain requirements, one of which is that they be fully inoculated for at least 14 days before their departure with a vaccine registered with Thailand's Ministry of Public Health or approved by the World Health Organization.

A vaccine certificate must be presented as proof. A negative PCR test result received no more than 72 hours before departure and insurance for COVID-19 expenses with minimum coverage of $100,000 are also required. Visitors must arrive on a direct flight from a low- to medium-risk country as categorized by Thailand's Ministry of Public Health.

Tourists entering via the sandbox can continue on to another destination in the kingdom only after spending at least 14 nights in Phuket. They also must undergo three PCR tests at their own expense, first upon arrival, then on Day 6 or 7, and finally on Day 12 or 13. All tests must come back negative.

According to government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri, bookings made with six commercial airlines suggest that 11,894 tourists and 426 flights will arrive in July under the Phuket sandbox scheme. The expected tourist and flight totals for Thursday show the program getting off to a slow start.

Local reports attribute the quiet reopening to the government's delay in finalizing the scheme. The sandbox received final cabinet approval on June 22, with details only enacted on Tuesday, when they were spelled out in the Thai government's Royal Gazette public journal.

A measurable number of potential visitors from Europe and the U.S. had to postpone or cancel visits as relevant embassies or consulates for those long-haul travelers failed to issue the required certificates of entry in time due to Thailand's late enactment of the details, according to the reports.

The experiment comes with risks. The Thai government has prepared contingencies to delay or cancel the sandbox if it detects 90 confirmed cases per week, transmissions across three districts and six subdistricts, or an occurrence of untraceable super spreads. A halt would also be triggered if an uncontrollable superspreader situation results in 80% or more of the island's hospital beds being occupied.

Bangla walking street, which used to be a popular nighttime hangout in Patong Beach, is dark on June 30, 2021. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)

Locals have mixed feelings about the reopening. Representatives of domestic and international hotel chains are projecting confidence in their ability to safely serve incoming tourists, while proprietors of and workers at small local shops harbor low expectations. "Chances for the reopening to be successful are only 10 out of 100," said a 45-year-old server named Jeab at a noodle restaurant in Mueang Phuket district. "People are still afraid of the coronavirus."

The island itself might have become less attractive to some travelers as many restaurants and shops have closed their doors for good. Pubs and bars are not allowed to operate under current regulations meant to control the pandemic. Bangla walking street, one of the busiest nightlife districts on popular Patong Beach pre-COVID, was virtually empty on Wednesday, with few places open.

 

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Yet another half baked ruling? What about motorways, and other gateways?

 

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Outcry over vaccine shortages​

Anutin says government has no responsiblity for drawing up contracts for mRNA shots
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 3 JUL 2021 AT 04:00
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AstraZeneca vaccine syringes are prepared for people being vaccinated at Bang Sue Grand Station on June 21. (Reuters photo)

The government has come under fire over its failure to procure sufficient Covid-19 vaccines as the number of new cases continued to soar, with more than 6,000 cases and 61 fatalities confirmed on Friday.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said that the number of new cases is expected to rise further next week.
Boon Vanasin, chairman of the Thonburi Healthcare Group, on Friday said the government's purchase of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines was slow because it did not sign contracts with manufacturers.

During a Channel 3 interview, Dr Boon said he wondered why other Asean countries, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, had already procured these types of vaccines, but Thailand did not have a single dose.

Dr Boon said he contacted people he knew at both Moderna and Pfizer who told him that Thailand did not have contracts signed to purchase the vaccines.

Intensive bed mission: Tech support staff set up a system in an ICU unit at the field hospital located in Bangkok’s 11th Military Circle in Laksi district to tackle a shortage of beds for Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms. The field hospital, which began operations yesterday, has 120 beds for Covid-19 patients in the ‘yellow’ group and 58 beds for the patients in the ‘red’ group. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)

"I want the government to explain why the purchase of mRNA vaccines was slow. We don't have the vaccines even though the mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer are the most effective with few side effects," Dr Boon added.
He said that the Thonburi Hospital was ready to buy 50 million vaccine doses from the two producers in October last year, but they would not sell Covid-19 vaccines directly to private companies.

Dr Boon said that the government was waiting for vaccines from only one manufacturer, AstraZeneca, and now the rising demand for the vaccines has far outstripped the company's production.

In response, the government chose to buy Sinovac vaccines but the vaccines' quality was not as good as that of mRNA vaccines, Dr Boon said.
"The government has been too complacent despite medical experts' warnings about the highly contagious new variants of the virus," he added.
Responding to the criticism, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the government and the ministry had no duty to draw up contracts to buy the mRNA vaccines in question or make payments in advance.
Private hospitals must make purchase agreements with the manufacturers and inform the ministry of the number of vaccine doses they want to buy, Mr Anutin said, adding the ministry will act only as a go-between.

Mr Anutin dismissed as untrue criticism that the ministry had dragged its feet over the purchase of the vaccines for several months.
"Personally, I want vaccines from all manufacturers to arrive in Thailand as quickly as possible," Mr Anutin said.
Regarding the progress in the purchase of Pfizer vaccines, he said a purchase must follow proper procedures and the terms of the agreement must be studied carefully. Vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are expected to arrive in the fourth quarter, he added.
Gen Natthapol Nakpanich, head of the CCSA's operation centre, said the number of infections is expected to continue to rise next week due to the activities and movement of the general public.

Asked if the government could manage if daily new cases reach 10,000, Gen Natthapol said that preparations have already been made to increase the number of beds for patients.
Patients with less serious symptoms may also be allowed to self-quarantine at home, though a system must be put in place to take care of these patients at home first, he said.

With collaboration between the government, the private sector and communities, the crisis is expected to be brought under control, he said, adding that 10 million vaccine doses will also arrive this month.
However, Gen Natthapol said that the government will not impose additional restrictions to curb the surge in Covid-19, even if the death toll and infection rates increase.
"There will be no need for more restrictions because we do not want to increase the burden on the people," he said before a CCSA meeting.
Existing measures are adequate for the government to handle the situation, said Gen Natthapol, who is also the secretary-general of the National Security Council.
The CCSA was in close contact with the Public Health Ministry on how to best handle the rapid spread of the disease, he said.
Gen Natthapol said speeding up the rate of vaccinations and strict enforcement of the existing regulations, for both people and businesses, was needed.
The daily number of fatalities rose to new record highs on three consecutive days, from 53 reported on Wednesday to 57 on Thursday and 61 on Friday.
There were also 6,087 new coronavirus infections reported, up from 5,533 on Thursday and 4,786 on Wednesday.

Boon: Questions Sinovac's efficacy

 

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New Cases

Thailand 5,877 ( -59)
Prison 39 ( -255 )
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Total 5,916 ( -314)

Deaths 44 ( +3 )

 

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VIRUS SURGE PROMPTS CONCERN OVER ICUS, VACCINE SUPPLY​

By
Associated Press
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July 3, 2021 11:11 am
https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php...rge-prompts-concern-over-icus-vaccine-supply/

A health worker prepares equipment in a field hospital for COVID-19 patients at the 11th Army Region base in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, July 2, 2021. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP

BANGKOK (AP) — Health authorities in Thailand reported over 6,200 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, setting a record for a third straight day, as concerns mounted over shortages of treatment facilities and vaccine supplies.
Officials also reported 41 deaths, bringing the total to 2,181.
Around 90% of Thailand’s over 271,000 reported coronavirus cases and 95% of the deaths have been recorded during a surge that began in early April. There were 992 deaths in June, more than 15 times Thailand’s total for all of 2020.
The number of patients in ICUs and on ventilators has risen nationwide over the past two weeks.

The government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration said 39% of the new cases reported were in Bangkok, 25% in neighboring provinces and 36% in the other 71 provinces. Center deputy spokesperson Apisamai Srirangsan said Bangkok authorities must urgently set up isolation stations to separate infected people in their local communities and add beds for treatment of serious cases.

Health workers add a mobile x-ray machine at field hospital for COVID-19 patients at the 11th Army Region base in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, July 2, 2021. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
Critics since the beginning of the year have charged that the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has failed to secure timely and adequate vaccine supplies, and efforts to obtain more have proceeded slowly.
Experts at a Health Ministry briefing on Friday painted a grim picture of how to prioritize who gets vaccinated.
Epidemiologist Kamnuan Ungchoosak said the arrival of the delta variant of the virus, believed to be more contagious, could push the number of deaths up to 1,400 in July and more in coming months.
He said 80% of the deaths are among the elderly and people with chronic diseases, and if they are vaccinated it could significantly reduce the death rate while also lowering the demand for ICU beds. Around 10% of elderly and infirm patients die, while the rate for those age 20-40 is less than 0.1%, he said.

A health worker prepares equipment in a field hospital for COVID-19 patients at the 11th Army Region base in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, July 2, 2021. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
But at the same time, significant outbreaks are occurring among other groups, including people in construction worker camps and restaurant workers, who also need to be vaccinated, he said.
“We currently have closed the camps and businesses, but the number of cases is not declining and the economy is bad. But if we focus on old people and those who have chronic diseases, we might not have to shut down the businesses and the bed demands from these two groups will also decline,” Kamnuan said.
Prayuth has targeted mid-October for opening up the country to vaccinated visitors from abroad without quarantines.
Sopon Mekthon, chairman of the government’s subcommittee on COVID-19 vaccine management, said only 2 million of about 16 million old and infirm people have received vaccines.

Workers install a sink at field hospital for COVID-19 patients at the 11th Army Region base in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, July 2, 2021. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
Nakorn Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Institute, said a Thai company, Siam BioScience, was supposed to provide the country with 10 million doses a month of the locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine, but that has been cut to 5-6 million doses. The company, owned by Thailand’s king, reportedly has had production problems. It also has contracts to provide vaccines to other countries.
He said Thailand is trying to negotiate with other producers to fill the gap. So far, Thailand has only used vaccines from AstraZeneca and China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm, although the government says it has agreements to also buy from Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
Story: Chalida Ekvittayavechnukul

 

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New Cases

Thailand 6,082 ( +205)
Prison 84 ( +45 )
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Total 6,166 ( +250)

Deaths 50 ( +6 )

 

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https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailan...explosion-at-chemical-factory-in-samut-prakan

Huge explosion at chemical factory in Samut Prakan
published : 5 Jul 2021 at 09:53 writer: Online Reporters

An explosion and fire levels Ming Dih Chemical Co factory in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan on Monday morning. (Photo: Poh Teck Tung Khamrop 51 Foundation via @fm91trafficpro Twitter account๗

SAMUT PRAKAN: A huge explosion and fire destroyed a factory producing plastic foam and caused extensive damage to surrounding communities in Bang Phli district early Monday morning

Twenty-one people were injured, according to early media reports.

The explosion occurred about 2.50am at the Ming Dih Chemical Co factory in Soi King Kaew 21 at Moo 15 village in tambon Rachathewa.

There were five or six warehouses in the factory compound, where 50 tonnes of chemicals were stored.

The explosion was followed by a massive fire which engulfed the entire factory and caused extensive damage to buildings and houses within in a one-kilometre radius.

More than 30 fire engines from the Rachathewa tambon administration organisation and other local administrations were rushed to the scene.

The fire was finally declared under control around dawn. Black smoke continued to rise above the gutted ruins.

The cause of the explosion was unknown.

 

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PM Prayut self-isolating after selfie with Covid-positive business leader​

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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been self-isolating since returning from Phuket where he was pictured beside a business leader who later tested positive for Covid-19.​

Prayut was pictured in a selfie posted by Veerasak Pisanuwong, president of Surin’s Chamber of Commerce, at the Phuket “sandbox” opening ceremony on July 1.

Veerasak announced on Sunday that he took a swab test at Surin Hospital in the morning and the result came back positive at 4.30pm.
He was then admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Monday that Prayut will continue to perform his duties from home and monitor the Covid-19 situation closely.
"The prime minister also asked citizens to strictly adhere to DMHTT practices, namely distancing, mask-wearing, hand washing, testing and ThaiChana check-in, even if they have been vaccinated," he said.

Published : July 05, 2021
By : The Nation

 

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New Cases

Thailand 6,464 ( +1,081)
Prison 55 ( +18 )
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Total 6,519 ( +1,099)

Deaths 54 ( -3 )

 

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Home cooked dinner this evening



Simple dinner

 

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BREAKING NEWS - RECORD CASES & DEATHS

New Cases

Thailand 6,990 ( +526)
Prison 68 ( +13 )
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Total 7,058 ( +539)

Deaths 75 ( +21 )

 

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Thailand's full reopening in doubt with 10-fold surge in Covid-19​

Thailand has struggled to stem the pandemic after its initial success to combat the virus last year.PHOTO: AFP


BANGKOK (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS)- Thailand risks missing its target of fully reopening the country in about 100 days as it resists the harsh measures needed to contain the deadliest wave of Covid-19 infections.

The spread of the Delta variant nationwide and low rate of vaccinations mean that new cases and fatalities will continue to spike, according to health experts.
Thailand reported on Thursday (July 8) 75 new deaths from the coronavirus, a new daily record, bringing the total number of fatalities in the South-east Asian country to 2,462 since the pandemic started last year.

The country’s Covid-19 task force also reported 7,058 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections to 308,230.
Meanwhile, hospitals have already run out of beds for critically ill patients after a 10-fold surge in infections since early April. That has forced authorities to open temporary treatment facilities and even convert some hotels into hospitals.
Thailand, the first country outside China to report a Covid-19 infection, has struggled to stem the pandemic after its initial success to combat the virus last year, when it imposed a hard lockdown.

But that crippled its all-important tourism industry and plunged the economy into its worst performance in more than two decades. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha wants to avoid further damage to jobs and industries, and is now pushing for an early reopening.
With the more contagious Delta variant, first detected in India, now sweeping through the region, there is growing pressure on leaders to impose tighter measures.

Any further dithering may lead to the crisis worsening in Thailand, according to Dr Anan Jongkaewwattana, an expert in molecular virology and director of the research unit at the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.
"A strict lockdown is the only way out," Bangkok-based Dr Anan said. "It might hurt the economy now, but things will be better in the long run once we can contain the spread."

 

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https://www.thaienquirer.com/29550/dear-mr-prayut-it-is-time-for-you-to-resign/

Opinion: Dear Mr Prayut, it is time for you to resign

By
Cod Satrusayang
July 8, 2021

Dear Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha,

I am writing to you to ask that you resign and do what is best for the country. You have been in power now for seven long years and have professed to love this land dearly and deeply. But your time in power has not helped the people or raised their standard of living.

You have not returned happiness to the people, you have taken it away.

You took power by force and took our voices away from us and gave it to drug dealers and corrupt generals including your brother. Your deputy prime minister sleeps through important meetings, the people you have chosen to surround yourself with are unable to offer you frank advice or tell you the truth. You have people around you too scared to tell you how poor a job you are doing.

And this was before the pandemic hit.

Now during a time of national emergency, you have proven incapable of making the right decisions and being brave enough to do what is good for the country. You are killing the people you serve and hurting the country you say that you love.

Mr Prime Minister, it is time for you to resign.

You have shown that you are intellectually incapable, lacking in courage, and morally unfit to serve as our leader.

You have placed the wellbeing of corporations over the wellbeing of your own people. You have arrested and jailed the young and the future of this country. You have smiled and joked while the people around you died.

You are not fit to be our leader.

We understand that it is not ideal to change leaders in the middle of a national emergency and for the most part this is true.

But your rule cannot go on any longer because it has proven so disastrous over the course of the last few months.

The prime minister’s chair is currently a vacant one, just step away and enjoy your millions in peace. Leave.

Sincerely,

CS.

 

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Lockdown (in so many words)

New restrictions likely, to keep people at home
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 8 JUL 2021 AT 15:09

Dr Apisamai Srirangson, a spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, explains the Public Health Ministry's proposal to limit people's movements, in a broadcast from Government House on Thursday. (Screenshot)

The Public Health Ministry has proposed stricter measures to encourage people to stay home and not leave their province, to more effectively stem the spread of Covid-19.
The ministry's proposal to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration would see limits on inter-provincial movements and changes to shopping and public transport hours.
"The principle is to limit the movement of people out of their locality and ban interprovincial movements. Officials should set up checkpoints to reduce interprovincial movements," Apisamai Srirangson, a spokeswoman for the CCSA, said on Thursday.

The Public Health Ministry also proposed the maximum use of working from home for both the government and private sectors.

Businesses would be asked to change their operating hours to discourage people from going out, she said.
"This refers to department stores and the likes, to convenience stores and night-shift markets and eateries. Public transport hours would be adjusted accordingly," Dr Apisamai said.

The Public Health Ministry made the proposals as new daily Covid-19 cases, already high in Greater Bangkok, soar in the provinces, both within and outside construction workers' camps.

The operations committee of CCSA was of the view that opening hours of stores, including hardware shops, should be changed while ensuring that people would have continuous access to consumer products, food and tools to ensure their safety, she said.
"The Public Health Ministry did not mention any lockdown measure, but discussed changes to the operating hours of businesses and services in specific areas and provinces," Dr Apisamai said.

No decision had been made, she said.
The CCSA would consider the proposals at its meeting on Friday morning, Dr Apisamai said.

 

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Shopping frenzy as people stock up ahead of possible lockdown​

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People in Greater Bangkok flocked to supermarkets on Thursday to stock up on food and basic necessities to prepare for a possible lockdown.​

The shopping frenzy was sparked by the Public Health Ministry’s proposal that provinces under maximum and strict control be put under lockdown for 14 days.
Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan have been listed as areas under maximum strict control since May 15.