Off to a shaky start
Two weeks after the country reopened, the private sector is seeing signs of a tourism recovery despite lower-than-expected arrivals of international tourists. "Thailand is the first country in Asean to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated international travellers without quarantine. Mr Thaneth stressed the importance of spurring domestic tourism for economic recovery. With more group tours being arranged for the upcoming high season, he expects the local tourism sector will start to turn a corner. Based on information from Nov 1-10, Aerothai has serviced a total of 9,919 flights: 2,243 international flights, 6,651 domestic flights and 1,025 flights across the country's airspace.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 14, 2021 06:21 UTC
7,079 new Covid cases, 47 new deaths
7,079 new Covid cases, 47 new deathsA tourist takes photos of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha as the country allows fully vaccinated travellers to enter the kingdom. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)Thailand logged 7,079 new Covid-19 cases and 47 new fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Sunday morning. On Saturday, 6,917 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 1,989,547 Covid-19 patients, 1,875,420 of whom have recovered to date. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 2,018,410 Covid-19 cases, with 1,902,846 complete recoveries so far.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 14, 2021 04:50 UTC
Delhi shuts schools as pollution 'emergency' looms
Delhi shuts schools as pollution 'emergency' loomsCommuters make their way along a busy road under heavily smoggy conditions in New Delhi. NEW DELHI: Authorities in New Delhi announced Saturday a one-week closure of schools as the Indian capital's pollution control body warned of a looming health emergency due to smog. On Saturday, levels of PM 2.5 particles -- the smallest and most harmful, which can enter the bloodstream -- topped 300 on the air quality index. It added the poor air quality would likely run until at least November 18 due to "low winds with calm conditions during the night". Earlier on Saturday, the Supreme Court suggested imposing a pollution lockdown on Delhi to help with the air quality crisis.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 14, 2021 01:07 UTC
Policeman and wife charged with drug dealing
Pol Snr Sgt Maj Pairat Yotmek and his wife, Chalermporn Sukhumthong, are shown with the crystal methamphetamine and guns seized from their house in Phunphin district of Surat Thani. (Photo: Border Patrol Police Company 417)SURAT THANI: A police officer and his wife have been arrested on charges of selling illicit drugs after crystal methamphetamine were seized from their house in Phunphin district of this southern province. Pol Snr Sgt Maj Pairat Yotmek, 52, attached to the Phunphin police station, was dismissed from the force pending a fact-finding investigation into his alleged involvement in the drug trade, Pol Maj Gen Sathit Phonphinit, chief of Surat Thani police, said on Saturday. Seized from the house were 900 grammes of crystal methamphetamine and three guns. The couple have been charged with colluding to possess illicit drugs with intent to sell and possessing weapons without permission.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 13, 2021 14:20 UTC
11.11 shopping fest a major success in Thailand
11.11 shopping fest a major success in ThailandA shopper browses products on Lazada's website. Major e-commerce players Lazada, Shopee and JD Central saw significant growth in transactions at their 11.11 shopping festival this year, driven by new digital customers and heavy promotions to stimulate spending. Of the 59 million internet users in Thailand, 42 million have become digital consumers defined as those engaged in online transactions, according to the Thailand E-commerce Association. According to Lazada, the number of new users at the 11.11 festival in 2021 rose 120% compared to last year's event. Shopee, which operates in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, noted that 11 million items were sold within the first five minutes of the 11.11 festival across the region.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 13, 2021 12:52 UTC
Chinese city locks down thousands of students
(CNSPhoto via Reuters)Tens of thousands of university students are under lockdown on their campuses in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian, which is battling the biggest flareup in the country’s current Covid-19 outbreak, according to the Dushikuaibao newspaper. Two universities in Zhuanghe in Dalian have imposed the curbs since the port city discovered Covid cases on Nov 4, the report said, citing students. With more than 1,000 locally transmitted infections spread across 21 provinces, the current outbreak is the broadest flare-up since the virus first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019. Dalian has become the country’s latest hotspot, reporting 40 local cases on Saturday out of the 57 new infections added nationwide. The country has fully vaccinated 1.07 billion people, and 49 million have received booster shots, according the National Health Commission.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 13, 2021 12:12 UTC
Foreign tourists return to Vietnam
Vaccinated Korean and Japanese visitors are the first in 20 monthsA worker carries coconut palm branches on the grounds of a resort in Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province. (AFP File Photo)The first international tourists have touched down in Vietnam almost 20 months after the country closed its borders to contain the coronavirus. Foreign tourists seeking to enter Vietnam must show Covid-19 vaccination certificates and negative pre-departure coronavirus test results. Vietnam was widely praised for its handling of the pandemic last year, with only dozens of known coronavirus cases. Vietnam has since clocked more than a million infections and almost 23,000 deaths, as it scrambles to secure enough vaccines for its 100 million people.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 13, 2021 10:29 UTC
Dutch enter first partial lockdown of winter
(AFP Photo)Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced Western Europe’s first partial lockdown of the winter, with at least three weeks of Covid curbs on restaurants, shops and sporting events. Cases have soared since the Dutch government lifted most Covid measures less than two months ago on Sept 25, reaching a record level of more than 16,000 on Thursday and Friday. (AFP Photo)Several European countries are reimposing restrictions in a bid to curb the worrying rise in Covid cases. The same is not true of Eastern European countries, he added. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Western Europe’s first partial lockdown of the winter, with at least three weeks of Covid curbs on restaurants, shops and sporting events.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 13, 2021 09:07 UTC
Reopening delayed for nightclubs, bars
(Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)Night entertainment venues nationwide remain shut until at least mid-January, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). The new tentative reopening date was set for Jan 16 and only for some areas, depending on the Covid-19 situation. "We need time from Nov 15 to Jan 15 to prepare for the reopening," Dr Taweesilp said. Operators of the night entertainment venues have been asking the government to lift the alcohol ban in 17 tourism provinces and to allow pubs, bars and karaokes nationwide to reopen on Dec 1. Dr Taweesilp said on Friday the Covid task force remained worried that the reopening of night entertainment businesses could lead to more infections if no appropriate measures had been in place.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 12, 2021 21:34 UTC
First rhino horn NFT sold at auction in South Africa
First rhino horn NFT sold at auction in South AfricaRhinos in Africa are slaughtered by poachers for their horns, which are smuggled to Asia where they are highly prized for traditional and medicinal purposes. CAPE TOWN: A digital replica of a rhino horn sold at an auction in South Africa late Thursday, as conservationists tapped into the craze for NFTs to raise money to protect real rhinos. "If worst-case scenario, if rhinos go into complete disarray then I would still own a rhino horn, because the NFT is a token of the physical rhino horn," he told AFP. It's legal to trade in real rhino horns within South Africa, but in this case, the original horn is locked away for safekeeping. Poachers killed at least 249 rhinos in South Africa during the first six months of the year -- 83 more than in the first half of 2020.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 12, 2021 11:47 UTC
Prayut mulls easing Covid travel rules
(Reuters photo)The government is considering replacing the RT-PCR test with other screening methods for vaccinated tourists under the Test & Go scheme, and easing high-risk close contact (HRC) rules which force airplane passengers who had sat near Covid-19 patients to undergo mandatory quarantine. Mr Yuthasak said the CCSA will also consider easing current HRC rules which force those who sit two rows in front of or two rows behind infected passengers on a plane to be relocated to quarantine facilities. As of Nov 9, 28 travellers had been detected with coronavirus, out of 28,021 arrivals. Mrs Marisa said some hotels have started to look for more convenient methods by taking guests to drive-thru testing before checking them into the hotel. The proposed new screening measure, which requires no waiting period, would provide more opportunities for hotels everywhere as tourists could travel directly to their preferred destination.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 12, 2021 03:43 UTC
MRTA readies bidding for for Purple Line extension
MRTA readies bidding for for Purple Line extensionThe northern section of the Purple Line is operational and the bidding for the southern extension is planned. (Bangkok Post photo)The Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) is gearing up to invite companies to submit a tender for the extension of the Purple Line electric rail services, which will connect Tao Poon and Rat Burana. The process will be carried out under International Competitive Bidding (ICB) procedures, and bid envelopes can be purchased until Dec 24, the MRTA said. The decision to start the bidding process was taken after the MRTA assessed the public's opinion on the project, as well as recommendations from the Comptroller General's Department. The project, which will see the Purple Line extended by 23 kilometres, is worth 78 billion baht.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 12, 2021 03:23 UTC
Exiled activists sent back
Exiled activists sent backTwo activists arrested in Thailand have been deported back to Cambodia, a source at the Immigration Bureau said yesterday. The source confirmed that Voeun Veasna and Voeung Samnang, two exiled political activists from the banned political opposition in Cambodia, were apprehended and sent back to their home country, as per reports. Thai authorities apprehended the activists while they were returning to their apartment on Nov 8 and repatriated them, Radio Free Asia (RFA) said earlier. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen previously ordered Voeun Veasna's arrest due to a poem he wrote criticising the country's leader as a traitor. It is unfortunate today that they have already sent them back," Oeur Narith told RFA.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 12, 2021 02:49 UTC
THAI seeks B25bn loan, expands cargo flights by 30 routes
THAI seeks B25bn loan, expands cargo flights by 30 routesA Thai Airways International plane departs Suvarnabhumi airport. (Bangkok Post file photo)Thai Airways International (THAI) is expected to seek 25 billion baht in loans to boost its financial liquidity as the airline expands its cargo flight services to a further 30 routes from now until March next year. Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said the airline's business rehabilitation plan administrators recently met Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to report about the plan. Therefore, the airline may need a loan of only 25 billion baht to boost its financial liquidity, instead of an initially estimated 50 billion baht, Mr Arkhom said. Nond Kalinta, the airline's vice president for commercial affairs, said the company will provide cargo flight services on 30 routes covering Asia, Europe and Australia, in line with the airline's winter flight schedule between Oct 21 and March 26.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 12, 2021 02:31 UTC
Dogs to help inmates return to society
Dogs to help inmates return to societyYoung beagles will play an important role in a pilot project for dog-assisted therapy that the Justice Ministry has organised to help inmates ease their depression and anxiety by raising and bonding with dogs. (Photo courtesy of Justice Ministry)The Justice Ministry will allow inmates in four prisons to raise dogs, as part of a pilot project aimed at reducing anxiety, depression and other antisocial behaviour among convicts. The department is working with animal associations and shelters to seek out dogs for the project, the minister said. Inmates will also be briefed by a veterinarian on how to handle a dog and look after it. If the project is well received, it will be expanded to other correctional facilities in the country, the minister said.
Source:Bangkok Post
November 12, 2021 02:27 UTC