A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

[Froggy]

Sunday night went to a "teochew porridge style" type of eatery in Pattaya.

Duck

Minced pork with black olives

Yellow chive with tofu

Oyster with deep fried flour

Vege with crispy pork

Comfort food to end the day

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Fo...1&pub_date=20220817190000&seq_num=26&si=44594

PTT ready to bring plant-based meat treats to its gas stations
Thai oil company challenges country's food majors with soy nuggets and gyoza

PTT expects Thai consumers to be uniquely open to vegan meat products. (Photo by Kosuke Inoue)
KOSUKE INOUE, Nikkei staff writerAugust 17, 2022 11:46 JST

BANGKOK -- Pui, a company worker, was surprised late last month when she tried chicken-like soy nuggets for the first time at a Bangkok shop specializing in plant-derived foods.

Even though the nuggets do not contain chicken, they "perfectly re-create the juicy feel and flavor" of the chicken-based counterparts, the 32-year-old said.

The shop, alt.Eatery, is run by Thailand's largest energy company, PTT, whose business heavily relies on fossil fuels. It has operations spanning oil and gas exploration, electricity generation, petrochemicals and gas stations. But it has been expanding into other sectors as it strives to break free of its fossil fuel dependence and now intends to put alt.Eaterys in some of its many roadside gas station complexes.

Thailand is an attractive market for meat-like products due to its large Buddhist population and a number of other factors, including a newfound awareness about maintaining health brought on by the pandemic, executives at the state-run oil company believe.

PTT announced its plan to enter the plant-based meat market last year. It partnered with a Thai alternative meat company to set up a joint venture and launch the alt.Eatery chain three months ago. The shop's menu includes soy nuggets at 89 baht ($2.51) and gyoza dumplings at 99 baht.

Think tank Krungthai Compass estimates the size of the market for these meats will grow to 45 billion baht by 2024, up 60% from 28 billion baht in 2019.

It expects plant-derived meat to have a better chance at catching on in Thailand than elsewhere in Southeast Asia due to a combination of the country's large Buddhist population and its many vegetarians.

Some 90% of Thais are Buddhist. Some strict practitioners of the religion avoid consuming red meat but are often open to substitute products.

In addition, ethnic Chinese residents of Thailand celebrate an annual vegetarian week, Tesagan Gin Je, which has an economic impact that is estimated to exceed $75 million.

PTT, which announced its plan to start selling alternative meat products in 2021, opened its first alt.Eatery in May. (Photo by Kosuke Inoue)

The impact of COVID-19 also factors into PTT's expectations. In Thailand, many people who are working from home worry that they are putting on weight. As a result, many are watching what they eat and are saying no to fatty meats.

This is in addition to a growing environmental awareness that has prompted an increasing number of young people to reduce their meat consumption.

Energy operations currently account for 90% of PTT's business. Its joint venture partner will operate the plant-based meat factories, and the initial target is for 3,000 tons of annual output.

Currently, only one alt.Eatery exists, but plans call for adding 10 more outlets every year.

That's where PTT and its gas station-centered complexes come in. The company already operates about 4,000 eateries, including popular Cafe Amazon coffee shops. PTT now plans to put alt.Eatery outlets in these roadside malls, expecting the faux meat treats to attract even more traffic.

Charoen Pokphand Group, the country's largest conglomerate, and some of Thailand's major food companies, including Thai Union Group, already sell plant-based meat products. Thai Nippon Foods, a subsidiary of Japan's NH Foods, introduced plant-based sausages in July.

Technology injects these modern meats with flavors and juices similar to the real thing. But all the processing makes them more expensive than what they are trying to replace.

Due to all the competition from established food makers with production expertise and mass-production facilities, PTT's new venture might be forced into a price war in which survival depends on sacrificing profits.

 

[Froggy]

The breakfast spread at the Renaissance Hotel in Pattaya was pretty awesome:

Short video of hotel


Breakfast spread


Pork porridge

Noodle

Western breakfast

 

[Froggy]

Driving to the Suvarnabhimbi Aiport tonight

Happy to see many passengers checking in seems like on track to normalcy

Short holiday so packing light

3 hours early so hit the bar of course

Nice wonton soup

At the gate, seems like a full flight to Paris tonight

This 777-300ER looks a little out dated

Will update more in the holiday section when arrived

 

[Dr Christopher Cheok C S]

Thailand's Report - 18% of the 301 teens (13-18) analyzed had an abnormal electrocardiogram, or EKG after receiving their second dose of Pfizer, 3.5% of males developed myopericarditis or subclinical myocarditis

EKG - abnormal electrocardiogram

 

[dredd]

Thailand's Report - 18% of the 301 teens (13-18) analyzed had an abnormal electrocardiogram, or EKG after receiving their second dose of Pfizer, 3.5% of males developed myopericarditis or subclinical myocarditis

EKG - abnormal electrocardiogram

Reuters fact check this to be false reporting. Yet another misinformation peddled by the medical deliveryman.

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-heart-teens-vaccine-idUSL1N2ZT2B5

 

[Froggy]

So this is how Bangkok look like at night from above

Didn't have stomach for "dinner" at 1am right after flight took off so watched some comedy and then slept and woke up for breakfast before arrival

for the trip in Paris visit link here - https://www.sammyboy.com/threads/short-trip-to-france.269524/post-3668288

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Tu...1&pub_date=20220822123000&seq_num=14&si=44594

Thailand king's elite 'Red Rim' officers enter the spotlight
Flag officers expected to move into key positions in September promotions

General Apirat Kongsompong, Thailand's outgoing army chief, and his successor, General Narongpan Jitkaewthae, at the handover ceremony in 2020. © Reuters
MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR, Asia regional correspondentAugust 20, 2022 18:01 JST

BANGKOK -- As Thailand's military officers await their fate in annual promotions, the fortunes of the elite "Red Rim" corps within the armed forces, the country's most powerful political institution, appear secure.

Military insiders expect prominent officers among this new corps, a 2017 innovation by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, will have influential slots in the top-heavy military, which has an estimated 1,750 generals, admirals and air marshals commanding 335,000 active military personnel. The U.S. military, by contrast, has just over 880 flag officers.

The anticipated step up for the Red Rim flag officers in the annual September promotions that take effect in October, is poised to add to their glow as the who's who in the rising top brass.

Besides Gen. Narongphan Jitkaewthae, the current commander of the army due to finish his three-year term in September 2023, their numbers include Gen. Jaoroenchai Hintao, the assistant army commander, and Gen. Suksan Nongbualuang, commander of the First Army Region, which is headquartered in Bangkok. They feature in a list of 12 Red Rim flag officers in key command positions.

Not surprisingly, the significance of these elite troops, who get their name from the red collar on the white T-shirts they sport, has not been lost on political insiders and seasoned security analysts. After all, Thailand's armed forces have a record of deep factionalism and military-class loyalties -- networks that have often played a part in the country's 13 military coups -- and nine failures -- since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired general and former junta leader himself, still leads Southeast Asia's second largest economy. As army chief, Prayuth staged the most recent coup in 2014, toppling an elected caretaker government. He had commanded the Queen's Guard, a corps of elite troops who had dominated the key military promotions for over a decade. These troops are part of the 2nd Infantry Division, also dubbed the Eastern Tigers, and are based in the province of Prachinburi, east of Bangkok.

Their traditional rivals are the more storied King's Guard, drawn from the Bangkok-based 1st Infantry Division, who called the shots for decades. The prospects of the King's Guard regaining the dominant position improved after the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October 2016. Two King's Guards, the hawkish Gen. Apirat Kongsompong (2018-2020) and the quieter Gen. Narongphan (2020-2023), became army chief. Apirat, a palace favorite like Narongphan, was also a Red Rim officer.

Bangkok-based diplomats have taken note of the emerging axis within the influential military, the guarantor of political power in the country, under Vajiralongkorn, himself a military veteran of the King's Guard. The monarch set this tone by unveiling plans to redeploy troops in the capital to come under his personal royal security force 904, a well-trained Praetorian Guard of some 7,000 soldiers. Brought under this new security architecture for exclusive royal service are squads from the 1st Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Regiment and the 4th Cavalry Battalion -- previously the frontline troops to stage coups.

"The king currently has at least three layers of troops under his network," said Supalak Ganjanakhundee, a seasoned political observer and author of "A Soldier King," a recently published book about the position of the military in the present reign. That includes senior officers of the elite 904 corps, "his private royal army [that includes the] 1st and 11th Infantry Regiments, and troops being placed within the royal guard units under jurisdiction of the ... army, navy and air force," Supalak told Nikkei Asia.

Security analysts reckon that the selection of Red Rim troops, who have to undergo a special three-month military training course, suggested a nod by the palace on two fronts: Specially trained candidates enjoying an edge for promotions during the annual promotions and a push for military unity within the ranks.

"Officers from any unit or faction can enter the [Red Rim] program and after graduation [they] can claim a connection to the palace as Royal 904 soldiers," said Paul Chambers, an expert on Thai national security issues at Naresuan University in northern Thailand. "Passing the program makes them much more competitive candidates for the top-most army and armed forces postings."

The Red Rim corps provides the monarch an avenue to unify the deeply factionalized military, added Supalak. "The main objective of creating the Red Rims is to unite all factions within the armed forces and for them to [be] loyal to the monarch only."

That is mirrored in the profiles of the ranking Red Rim officers. They are a mix of flag officers from both the Queen's Guard and King's Guard factions. Gen. Jaroenchai, an emerging frontrunner to become the future army chief, hails from the Queen's Guard.

Yet this royal blueprint for military unity will come under scrutiny. As a Bangkok-based diplomat put it: "Factionalism in the Thai military is very deep and is rooted in many years of fraternal bonding in the barracks."

Chambers concurs: "It is necessary to examine sub-factions [of the King's Guard and Queen's Guard] under the umbrella of the Red Rims," he said, given that generals from the Queen's Guard, which dominated the army chief position for years, including Prayuth, are poised to make a comeback.

"The interesting phenomenon now is that the Queen's Guard is placed to take the position of the army commander into the foreseeable future," said Chambers.

 

[Dr Christopher Cheok C S]

an estimated 1,750 generals, admirals and air marshals commanding 335,000 active military personnel.

one general per 20 soldiers, my goodness!

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tr...1&pub_date=20220829123000&seq_num=20&si=44594

Thai tourism eyes Indian weddings as Chinese spending dries up
One couple from Hong Kong last year spent $12.5m in four days

This Indian bride had her wedding ceremony and celebrations on a picturesque beach on the famous Thai resort island of Phuket. (Photo courtesy of Thai-Indian Wedding Association)
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerAugust 27, 2022 14:30 JST

BANGKOK -- Thailand is gearing up to cater to a big-spending tourist niche it thinks can help make up for still-grounded Chinese travelers now that the country has fully reopened to international holidaymakers.

The key to helping the tourist-reliant economy start thriving again, officials believe, is to attract Indian wedding parties.

Indian visitors are already playing a role in boosting Thailand's tourism-related industries, with 337,282 having landed during the first seven months of this year. That includes an average of 4,000 per day since July 1, when Thailand fully reopened its borders to international travelers after more than two years of strict COVID-19 restrictions, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

"Indian tourists are the priority this year," TAT Deputy Gov. Tanes Petsuwan said. "We are already getting strong demand, and they are happy to spend here in Thailand."

As a result, Tanes said, the TAT has held roadshows in several Indian cities, particularly to promote "our capacity to organize big events such as weddings."

Thailand's economy has grown fragile during the pandemic. Before COVID, the spending of international tourists accounted for 18% of the country's gross domestic product.

In 2019, the year before the virus, Thailand welcomed 39.7 million foreign tourists. Of them, 10.9 million were Chinese, who are now hindered from traveling abroad by President Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy.

Knowing that 27% of your best customers are all but stuck at home explains why the TAT is excited for the industry to start planning wedding parties for wealthy Indians.

Thailand has been adopting parts of Indian culture for centuries, particularly Buddhism and Hindu traditions. The Thai-India Wedding Association (TIWA) expects this history, as well as Thai aesthetics, hospitality and cuisine, to go a long way toward making Thailand attractive to young Indian lovebirds.

"Their wedding is the high point of every Indian's life," TIWA President Ram Sachdev told Nikkei Asia. "It is the uniting of beliefs, aspirations, culture and time-honored tradition."

Each year, around 150 Indian couples come to Thailand to get married, mostly along a beach in Phuket, Hua Hin, Cha-am or Pattaya, according to the TAT.

In 2022, the authority expects Thailand to host as many as 400 Indian wedding parties and welcome a total of 500,000 Indian tourists.

Indian weddings can go on for a week, but the TAT says the country can expect even more spending as guests at these lavish celebrations stay longer to travel around Thailand. In all, the TAT expects Indian wedding parties to generate up to 22.5 billion baht ($627.8 million) in tourism revenue.

To attract more weddings, the TAT has brought key Indian and Thai wedding planners, event organizers and tour operators to roadshows it has organized in several Indian cities since early this year.

However, TIWA President Ram thinks the TAT's approach is too narrow.

"Affluent Indian wedding couples are in every corner of the world," he said, "so we should not promote [these events] only in Indian cities."

He also said Thailand should make sure to market to very wealthy families, noting that one Indian couple from Hong Kong last year spent $12.5 million on a four-day celebration in Thailand. "We should focus on quality," Ram said, "not only on quantity."

Ratchitar Thanakulphandilok, who has been planning Thai weddings for two decades now, told Nikkei that the Indian wedding ritual is sacred, and must be done correctly and with authenticity.

"We need to work closely with Indian wedding planners, who normally bring their own Brahmin priest to conduct the Hindu ritual," she said. The Thai organizers then handle the presentation -- decorations, flowers, cuisine.

The Indian families who pay for weddings in Thailand usually charter jetliners to carry anywhere from 200 to 300 participants and guests. In addition, they often reserve entire five-star hotels for three to seven days of rituals, celebrations and parties, said Ratchitar, who was organizing around 20 Indian weddings a year before the pandemic.

"I think Thailand's reputation is very strong in regard to hospitality, its skillful flower works, decorations and food," Ratchitar said. "The young Indian lovers who tie the knot here are always impressed. It would be good to further promote this, to generate more tourism revenue, which would be good for the whole Thai economy."

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/S...1&pub_date=20220901123000&seq_num=17&si=44594

Thailand monsoon floods threaten to disrupt supply chains
Manufacturers consider exodus to Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia

A flood gate along the edge of the Chao Phraya River in the historic city of Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Aug. 29. (Photo by Yohei Muramatsu)
YOHEI MURAMATSU, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 1, 2022 01:42 JST

BANGKOK -- Thailand's monsoon season has shifted into high gear, flooding rivers and inundating farmland as foreign companies brace for the damage to reach industrial parks.

In the historic city of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a 2.5 meter flood gate was installed in late August at Buddhist temple Wat Chaiwattanaram, which sits on the bank of Chao Phraya River. The water appeared near its crest.

"Water levels rise every year. They will increase even more starting in September," said a guard at the temple.

Thailand's rainy season begins in June, and flood risks increase in September and October as the season winds down. The country has recorded more than 60 river overflows in the past 50 years.

Foreign businesses, a major pillar of the country's economic growth, have already begun to avoid Thailand due to rising wages, opting for Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Heightened flood risks may lead to more companies leaving.

Roughly 350 sq. kilometers of rice paddies in the northeastern agricultural region, were flooded as of late August, government satellite images show. A large dam on the Chao Phraya River still has ample storage capacity compared with the severe flooding of 2011. But sustained heavy rainfall could cause flood damage to industrial and urban areas.

The flooding in 2011 caused damaged to the facilities of about 800 companies, including Japanese manufacturers, resulting in $35 billion in losses.

A Honda Motor factory was so severely damaged that it took six months to reopen. A Toyota Motor assembly plant was spared damage but supply disruptions forced the automaker to suspend or cut production, including in nearby countries.

"Major flood risks remain," said Masahiro Hayashi, a risk consultant at Tokio Marine Safety Insurance (Thailand).

Major industrial parks have built floodgates and installed other measures, but flood draining efforts by the government have been delayed, due in part to repeated periods of political instability. Even if industrial estates are protected, inundation in the surrounding areas would cut off supply chains.

The challenge is even more complicated by the peculiarities of the Chao Phraya. It has an extensive drainage basin while the elevation at Ayutthaya is only 2 meters higher than Bangkok, about 100 km downstream. This prevents floodwater from receding quickly, and flooding lasted several months in 2011.

"Compared with neighboring nations in Southeast Asia, river flooding risks are exceptionally high," Hayashi said.

 

[Leongsam]

Reuters fact check this to be false reporting. Yet another misinformation peddled by the medical deliveryman.

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-heart-teens-vaccine-idUSL1N2ZT2B5

Reuters? You mean the news organisation associated with Pfizer?

 

[dredd]

Reuters? You mean the news organisation associated with Pfizer?

Going by overall credibility, I would trust information from reuters more than I would the news pulled out from all the crazy sources out there.

Look, anyone can come up with "sensational" news with no scientific basis just to garner support. I could say the vaccines will cause one to be gay, dress the article up nicely with fictitious shit data, and it would be lapped up by the morons here who would regurgitate the lie out here.

Thankfully, not all of us are morons and idiots who buy into shit.

 

[Leongsam]

Going by overall credibility, I would trust information from reuters more than I would the news pulled out from all the crazy sources out there.

Look, anyone can come up with "sensational" news with no scientific basis just to garner support. I could say the vaccines will cause one to be gay, dress the article up nicely with fictitious shit data, and it would be lapped up by the morons here who would regurgitate the lie out here.

Thankfully, not all of us are morons and idiots who buy into shit.

I fully agree that the risk of vaccines is low. The problem though is that because billions of doses have been administered it stil works out to a relatively large number of deaths amongst young adults who are at very low risk from Covid.

The shots should be given only to the elderly and the vulnerable. The intentions may have been noble but the strategy has been flawed.

 

[Froggy]

Cheeky question - where can you get tomyam seafood soup with Singapore chicken rice and a nice gin tonic all in one meal?

I’m not joking there’s a heaven like this somewhere



The Singapore Airlines Lounge in the Suvarnabhimbi Airport had just opened last week after more than 2 years. Really missed this wonderful lounge.

So here it is my chicken rice with tomyam and gin tonic

Finally boarding

 

[Froggy]

So the Singapore Airlines lounge in Suvarnabhimbi Airport is finally opened since 14th this month.

 

[rotikosong]

That SQ lounge is the best in BKK. I also whack the ondeh2 and kueh lapis until they have to top up many times. Laksa not every time have so heng if I find it. I wonder if they have retained their staff. I always say hello to the guy John.

The EVA lounge is a close second.

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Th...1&pub_date=20220922190000&seq_num=23&si=44594

Thailand, Cambodia maritime border talks resume after hiatus
Bangkok, Phnom Penh seek new energy resources to ease import costs

Thailand and Cambodia reached a basic agreement in 2001 to jointly develop the area where their claims overlap, but it has remained undeveloped since then. © Reuters
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 22, 2022 14:27 JST

BANGKOK -- Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to resume talks on their overlapping claims in waters in the Gulf of Thailand after years of silence, as they look to ease the pain of higher energy costs by developing new oil and gas resources.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said last week that the government has assigned the Foreign Ministry the lead role in setting up talks between the two countries to conclude the deal and start producing oil and gas from the area.

"If we start talking now and conclude the deal quickly, I think we can start producing oil and gas soon because all the infrastructure is already there," Supattanapong said. "This is good timing to start the talks, which will benefit both Thailand and Cambodia."

The overlapping claims cover around 26,000 sq. kilometers in an area that is widely believed to hold significant oil and natural gas reserves as it is located between the Erawan and Bongkot gas fields, operated by Thailand.

Those fields have supplied gas to Thailand since the 1980s but are nearly exhausted, forcing the country to import liquefied natural gas and look for new resources to meet demand.

Surging global oil and gas prices triggered by the Russia's invasion of Ukraine have also prompted Cambodia to look for domestic oil and gas resources, encouraging the country to resume talks with Thailand.

Thailand and Cambodia reached a basic agreement in 2001 to jointly develop the area where their claims overlap, temporarily setting aside the maritime boundary issue. Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's prime minister at the time, tried to take advantage of his close relationship with his Cambodian counterpart to promote the project, but it was unfinished when Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup.

In late 2019, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to open negotiations for a third time. But the talks have remained in limbo due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue was mentioned again in December last year, during the 11th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation in Phnom Penh, but the two countries made no progress at that time.

"The negotiations have been set for sure, but no one knows when the two countries can seal the deal. It may take years, like when we negotiated with Malaysia," said a senior Thai official.

Thailand also had a long-running maritime boundary dispute with Malaysia. The two countries began talks on the issue in 1979, which were finally concluded in 1990 when the two countries set up the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area.

The area, which produces around 800 million cubic feet per day, which is split evenly between the two countries.
Read Next

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Pi...1&pub_date=20220921190000&seq_num=20&si=44594

Bangkok governor battles floods, red tape to attract investment
Chadchart Sittipunt says ambitions still local despite calls to aim higher

Newly elected Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt prays at a shrine inside Bangkok Metropolitan City Hall on June 1. © Reuters
FRANCESCA REGALADO, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 21, 2022 12:16 JST

BANGKOK -- On a rainy Wednesday in August, Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt woke up at 4 a.m. for his daily run. Sukhumvit Road was still quiet and devoid of its usual congestion, but a fellow early riser heckled the governor on his plan to remove the city's sidewalk vendors.

Chadchart, a civil engineer by training, sees it as a problem of supply and demand. Bangkok would be unrecognizable without the food stalls that provide cheap eats for workers and tourists. But space is a limited resource, and the governor has proposed designating certain alleys for vendors and creating more hawker centers.

"Some people are happy and some are not happy, and we have to listen to both of them," Chadchart, 56, told Nikkei Asia in an exclusive interview. "I'd rather listen to the unhappy ones so we can make improvements."

Residents of a city as sprawling and populous as Bangkok can grow accustomed to rarely seeing -- let alone interacting with -- their leaders. Chadchart's landslide victory in June was due in part to this unusually personal approach, which fed into a 200-point policy platform and a savvy social media campaign run by a young team of digital natives and political neophytes.

Running as an independent in the first gubernatorial election since Thailand's 2014 coup, his win sent a message to national parties that voters will be hungry for change by the time a general election, due by next year, rolls around.

"Our task is not only to manage the city but also to restore trust, confidence and hope in the democratic system," he told an investors forum hosted by the Stock Exchange of Thailand last month.

Leading a metropolis can serve as a springboard for politicians seeking national office. Rodrigo Duterte was mayor of the Philippines' most populous southern city for two decades. Indonesia's Joko Widodo, who served two years as governor of Jakarta before becoming president, is now building a new capital to relieve Jakarta's congestion.

But Chadchart is digging into the city where he was born and raised, focusing his four-year term on making Bangkok more livable for its 10.9 million residents -- and for the foreign nationals he hopes to attract as Asian capitals vie for international talent and capital.

"We are, in fact, just a labor market. If the city wins, the private sector also wins," he told Nikkei Asia.

That will require disrupting the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA), streamlining processes and eliminating the red tape and corruption that burdens businesses in the capital. His young staff of social activists, digital freelancers and former journalists, including the 32-year-old deputy governor, Sanon Wangsangbun, are primed for this disruption.

Days after taking office, Chadchart introduced a crowdsourcing app to speed up the authority's response to neighborhood problems, such as damaged sidewalks and dangling electrical wires. The curiously named Traffy Fondue received 20,000 complaints on the first day and has since had 130,000. Over 70,000 have been resolved so far, the governor claims.

"You don't need to know the governor to have your problems fixed," he said.

Weeks later, the BMA launched the Open Bangkok data project, allowing the public to see all city budgets, contracts and permits.

"Corruption is caused by the asymmetry of information. The government has all the information about procuring and budgeting, and the people don't," Chadchart said. Thailand's score on Transparency International's corruption index has fallen since 2014 -- from 38 out of 100, to 35 in 2021.

Bangkok's popular Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt often draws crowds of selfie-seeking fans. (Photo by Francesca Regalado)

A political stalemate at the national level has contributed to Chadchart's strong performance at the polls. Chadchart won all of Bangkok's 50 districts, with voters supporting him regardless of their parliament member's party affiliation.

"I'm not a career politician. Right now, I'm the governor of Bangkok, and I have fun doing it," he said. "If you run for national office, you have to join a political party, and I don't have fun doing that."

But Chadchart was once affiliated with the Pheu Thai party, which is now the opposition. The civil engineer and university lecturer got his start in politics as transportation minister under former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. When Yingluck was deposed in a military coup in 2014, Chadchart and other cabinet members were hooded, handcuffed and detained for days.

That experience made Chadchart hesitant to enter the gubernatorial race, he said. But he added that he holds no grudge against the coup's instigators, who remain the ruling party eight years later. He says he has a "respectful" relationship with Prayuth Chan-ocha, who was prime minister until a Constitutional Court suspended him in August while it rules on his term limit.

Chadchart will need the ruling party's cooperation to stimulate private investment, and to address Bangkok's perennial issues of road congestion and flooding. An unusually heavy monsoon season will be the first major test for Chadchart, who has spent his Sundays visiting communities near the city's overwhelmed canals.

On a recent outing to Bang Khen, a district between Don Mueang Airport and a flood-control canal, residents showed their flooded homes to the governor -- and to the cameras that trail after him. Even more people stopped him to take selfies. He once attracted a three-hour selfie queue while picking up his laptop from a repair shop. Even his son and his twin brother, a doctor, have become local celebrities.

Critics have called him out for spending time on photo opportunities instead of fixing the city's problems, but Chadchart sees it as an opportunity for people to air their concerns. "They need someone to empathize with them," he said. "You can't do that if you stay in the office."

His 200-point platform has also been derided by critics, who say the BMA has neither the budget nor the people to enact it. Chadchart said he plans to enlist the private sector to take responsibility for their own communities, reducing budgetary pressure on the BMA. The governor convened a committee of private businesses for this purpose last month, a first for the city.

Chadchart's name has entered national polls on who should be Thailand's next prime minister. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 36-year-old daughter of Pheu Thai founder Thaksin, topped a June poll by the National Institute of Development Administration. Third was Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the progressive Move Forward Party. Prayuth placed fourth and Chadchart seventh.

The governor says his policies for Bangkok are realistic, without falling anywhere on Thailand's political spectrum.

"People lose hope in the system, whether they're progressive or conservative," he said. "I think we have to bring faith and trust and hope back to the system. And then, in the long term, things will change."

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tr...=4&pub_date=20220921085958&seq_num=8&si=44594

Sony's Aquaverse set for Thai debut as Paramount eyes Bali theme park
Southeast Asia's growing population and incomes draw overseas players

The Columbia Pictures Aquaverse set to open in Thailand will have attractions featuring content from film franchises such as "Hotel Transylvania." (Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures Aquaverse)
KOYA JIBIKI, KOSUKE INOUE and KEIICHI FURUKAWA, Nikkei staff writersSeptember 21, 2022 03:43 JST

JAKARTA/BANGKOK/TOKYO -- Sony Pictures Entertainment will open a water park in Thailand next month while Paramount Pictures plans to build one of Southeast Asia's largest theme parks in the Indonesian island resort of Bali, as the companies seek to tap the region's growing middle-class demand.

The Columbia Pictures Aquaverse is set to debut Oct. 12 near the popular Thai resort city of Pattaya, parent Sony Pictures announced last Thursday. The theme and water park, spanning 56,000 square meters, had been scheduled to open in October last year, but the pandemic and other factors pushed back the date.

The Aquaverse will be managed by Thai developer Amazon Falls, with the multiple water attractions themed after hit titles such as "Hotel Transylvania" and "Ghostbusters."

The attraction is due expand to 160,000 sq. meters within a few years and there are plans to add indoor attractions harnessing virtual reality and metaverse technology.

Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Anthony Vinciquerra said at an investor meeting in May that the so-called location business is largely experimental, and the company does not intend to recreate another Disneyworld or Universal Studios. Unlike Walt Disney Co., it has no plans at this time to directly manage theme parks.

Sony Pictures' aim is to license its library of content, which is a high-margin undertaking in itself, Vinciquerra added.

Japanese parent Sony Group has issued a long-term goal of directly connecting with "1 billion people interested in entertainment." With Asia as a particularly promising market due to its population growth, the group will monitor the Aquaverse's progress and determine the feasibility of building similar attractions globally.

In August, Paramount announced it is partnering with Indonesian resort developer Kios Ria Kreasi to build a theme park in Bali. Measuring 570,000 sq. meters, the site would be among the largest theme parks in Southeast Asia. Bali hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 10 for a new highway that will connect the western and central parts of the country, with Paramount executives in attendance.

Paramount plans to open a portion of the site to visitors in 2025.

"We believe that the beauty of Bali, combined with integrated resort hotels and a Paramount theme park, will create a magnificent entertainment project that all of Indonesia can be proud of," said Ty Granaroli, Paramount Global's executive vice president of themed entertainment and experiences.

The group's portfolio of content includes global successes such as the "Top Gun" and "Mission Impossible" franchises, as well as kids' favorites like "Spongebob Squarepants."

Indonesia's past record with entertainment attractions has been mostly defined by small sites run by local operators, with few projects launched by major overseas players. The market was not seen as a profitable target for investment considering the low average income.

But in recent years, incomes have grown along with the economy, and a middle class with spare cash to spend on entertainment has started to emerge.

Indonesia's per-capita gross domestic product was about $3,900 in 2020, climbing by more than 20% over a decade, according to the International Monetary Fund. The figure for Thailand topped $7,000, giving the nation upper-middle income status.

Foreign tourists are also a key target market, which is why Sony and Paramount are locating theme parks near resort spots. With COVID-19 infections heading toward manageable levels, tourists are expected to return in droves to getaways. Capturing part of that demand would be a boon for the theme parks.

Representatives from Paramount and Indonesian developer Kios Ria Kreasi sign a theme park agreement in Los Angeles in late July. (Photo courtesy of Kios Ria Kreasi)

In other Asian countries, the openings of large theme parks have tracked gains in income levels. Tokyo Disneyland, for example, opened in 1983 when Japan's per-capita GDP was about $10,000. Shanghai Disneyland opened its doors in 2016 when China's per capita GDP was in the $8,000 range, with that measure believed to be above $10,000 in urban areas.

In Thailand and Indonesia, the per-capita GDPs in urban areas appears to be around $10,000 as well.

However, it remains to be seen whether the theme parks will turn out the way the two Hollywood studios plan. While large theme parks perform well at drawing tourists from neighboring countries, they also risk losing visitors to a rival site.

A prime example was Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in 2005 and struggled to turn a profit. After Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016, the Hong Kong counterpart lost traffic and slumped further.

And if existing theme parks undertake major renovation projects in response to the new attractions, Sony and Paramount may not realize their ambitions.

Infrastructure development presents another thorny issue. In late August, there were reports that the planned highway that would run near Paramount's Bali theme park is facing delays. Considering past cases involving local companies, Paramount cannot rule out lengthy postponements or outright cancellations of construction projects.