US pledges to help deter trafficking
Speaking after a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon on Thursday, the US ambassador said Washington stands ready to support Thailand in the ranking elevation, as requested by Gen Prawit. They discussed various topics during the meeting and the TIP report was one of them. Gen Prawit said he has already seen the TIP Report 2020, in which Thailand remains on Tier 2. According to the report, the government of Thailand does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts. However, it did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas, said the report.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 23:03 UTC
Cabinet reshuffle looms
Pornprom SatrabhayaA cabinet reshuffle looms after the resignation from the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) of three cabinet ministers, including the finance minister. The resignations will spark jockeying for cabinet seat quotas, with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha confirming on Thursday that a reshuffle will be necessary, though cabinet ministers who have performed well will be allowed to stay on. "A cabinet reshuffle can take place any time from now on. Mr Uttama, Mr Sontirat and Mr Suvit will remain as cabinet ministers for now, he added. "A decision to reshuffle the cabinet rests with the prime minister," Mr Uttama said, adding he has no plan to set up a new party.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 23:03 UTC
'Survival Team' set up for Thai Airways
'Survival Team' set up for Thai AirwaysActing THAI president Chansin TreenuchagronA so-called "Survival Team" has been formed to work out a business plan for Thai Airways International (THAI) to support the debt rehabilitation of the carrier, according to a source at the airline. Acting THAI president Chansin Treenuchagron has ordered the team to get up and running. The Survival Team is in charge of producing a business plan, effective from July 9 to Oct 31. The source said the team will be headed by Chai Eamsiri, vice-president for Petroleum, Corporate Insurance and Aviation Environment. The team will be advised by executive vice-presidents for commerce, corporate strategy and sustainable development, operations, and the technical department.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 12:56 UTC
Now is the time to go study at Switzerland’s top hospitality institutions
Now is the time to go study at Switzerland’s top hospitality institutionsHumans' love for exploration and novelty has created millions of jobs in the tourism industry around the world. As it is world-renown for hospitality and the luxury management industry, Switzerland is the perfect destination for your hospitality studies. Glion and Les Roches, two top-three worldwide institutions for hospitality management, can be the right answer for you. Now the chance to go study at Glion and Les Roches is easier to take advantage of than ever. One such well-qualified and professional educational counsellor is Ekthana Education Services which offers comprehensive services to get students into world class institutions in hospitality management as well as arts and design.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 09:22 UTC
'Little Tuscany' closes down as Khao Yai tourism struggles
'Little Tuscany' closes down as Khao Yai tourism strugglesPalio Khao Yai is quiet as it temporarily closes its door until new investors take over the property. After opening in 2009, Palio Khao Yai quickly became a popular landmark for visitors to take photos, shop and eat in "little Tuscany". (Video by Jetjaras Na Ranong)The official hoped tourism packages launched this month by the Tourism and Sports Ministry will woo more people to travel to local destinations, including Khao Yai, to revitalise the slumping tourism sector. But he still believed other businesses near Khao Yai would survive, due to its proximity to Bangkok, only about 200 kilometres distant. A new motorway from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima and the planned high-speed train connecting the two cities would make visits to visit Khao Yai more convenient, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 07:41 UTC
Botanist battles lockdown to save Andean garden paradise
Botanist battles lockdown to save Andean garden paradiseBotanist Alberto Gomez cleans a lake at his botanical garden in Quindio, ColombiaCALARCá, Colombia: When the coronavirus pandemic swept through Colombia in March, forcing a national lockdown, Alberto Gomez decided he would sit it out amid the lush green foliage of his botanical garden and tend to his plants. Far from his family in the capital Bogota, and with his 30 staff members in lockdown, Gomez is striving alone to keep his life's work from being swallowed up by the voracious Andean forest. A lawyer by profession, the law allowed him to provide for his family as he built up his botanical garden over decades. As president of Colombia's National Network of Botanical Gardens of Colombia, Gomez says he feels an enormous weight of responsibility. In his lockdown paradise, his mind swarms with ideas for new projects for his park as he awaits the return of tourists.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 07:18 UTC
Uttama, Sontirat, others quit Palang Pracharath
Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana gestures to Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong, with Korbsak Futrakul in the background, during their press conference to step down from the Palang Pracharath Party at Centara Grand Ladprao Hotel on Thursday. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)Three cabinet ministers announced their resignation from the Palang Pracharath Party on Thursday, including the finance minister, and with party quotas in play a cabinet reshuffle now seems certain. Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana, Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong and Higher Education, Science and Innovations Minister Suvit Maesincee said they were leaving the party that leads the government coalition. (continues below)Uttama Savanayana (centre) leads Korbsak Futrakul (left), Sontirat Sontijirawong (second right) and Suvit Maesincee to the press conference. "A decision to reshuffle the cabinet is for the prime minister to make," Mr Uttama told a press conference.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 07:07 UTC
US army delegation arrives, tested for Covid-19
US army delegation arrives, tested for Covid-19US army chief-of-staff Gen James McConville has a nasal swab taken for testing for Covid-19 after he arrived at Wing 6 in Bangkok on Thursday morning. (Army photo)United States army chief-of-staff Gen James McConville arrived on Thursday for a two-day visit, and he and his delegation were tested for coronavirus disease. The delegation arrived on a US plane at Wing 6, at Don Mueang airport, at 10.15am. It is the first official visit by a foreign delegation since the government began phased lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. On Wednesday, Gen McConville and his staff were in Singapore, where they tested negative for Covid-19.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 07:07 UTC
More returnees from Mideast infected
More returnees from Mideast infectedActivists gather at the Civil Court in Bangkok on Thursday, seeking an order that the government use normal laws to control Covid-19 instead of the executive emergency decree. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)The government on Thursday reported five more cases of new coronavirus disease, all quarantined returnees. The four new cases were people working abroad who returned from the United Arab Emirates on July 2. So far, 1,223 Thais have returned from the UAE and 21 of them had contracted the disease; 800 people returned from Egypt, and seven of them were infected. Globally, Covid-19 cases rose by 214,892 to 12.16 million with 552,029 deaths, up by 3,428.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 05:26 UTC
Thursday: more returnees infected | Bangkok Post: learning
(Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)The government on Thursday reported five more cases of new coronavirus disease, all quarantined returnees. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, also said the country had now been free of new local Covid-19 infection for 45 days. They were quarantined in Bangkok and Chon Buri province and tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, but showed no symptoms. He tested positive for the disease the same day. So far, 1,223 Thais have returned from the UAE and 21 of them had the disease; 800 people returned from Egypt, and seven of them were infected.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 05:26 UTC
TAT Launches “Amazing Thai Tay Competition 2020”
TAT Launches “Amazing Thai Tay Competition 2020”The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Central Region in partnership with Thai Smile Airways, AirAsia, Nok Air, AVIS Rent A Car Thailand, dtac, Canon, KEEN, RyoiReview and Forever-Young.asia are holding the “Amazing Thai Tay Competition 2020” to promote tourism under the concept “Thailand is beautiful everywhere, in every style”. The Amazing Thai Tay Competition will present inspirational travel ideas from the select finalists who represent 10 types of tourists. The competition begins in July 2020 and the winners will be revealed on August 20, 2020. Mr. Apichai Chatchalermkit added “The TAT strongly hopes that the travel stories from 50 teams as part of the Amazing Thai Tay Competition 2020 together with the special discount deals will catalyse domestic travel to these five select regions in Thailand. It will also inspire and build confidence for more travel in Thailand throughout the remainder of the year and into 2021.”
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 04:41 UTC
Announcement: Extension of recruitment of Governor of the Bank of Thailand
Announcement: Extension of recruitment of Governor of the Bank of ThailandThe Selection Committee for Governor of the Bank of Thailand announced on 25 June 2020 that the deadline for submitting the application form is extended to 10th July 2020. Candidates must be capable and knowledgeable in economics, banking and finance, and have expertise and experience pertinent to the governorship of the Bank of Thailand. Candidates must not have any prohibited characteristic or disqualification as prescribed in the announcement of the Selection Committee for Governor of the Bank of Thailand, published on 22nd May 2020. 2.2 Candidates must have knowledge and understanding of monetary policy, financial institution policy and payment system policy. Please find the announcement of the Selection Committee at http://www.mof.go.th, http://www.fpo.go.th, and http://www.bot.or.th.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 04:30 UTC
Is it safe or even possible to get pregnant with Covid-19 still running around?
Is it safe or even possible to get pregnant with Covid-19 still running around? The Excellent IVF Center at Thonburi Bamrungmuang Hospital is asked such questions every day. And the answer is ‘yes!’Is it safe to have an IVF treatment when there are no COVID-19 vaccines yet? “The COVID-19 pandemic, which has dragged on for over half a year now, has affected decisions to enter parenthood in many families,” observes Pawan Limvorapitux, M.D., a doctor at Excellent IVF Center, Thonburi Bamrungmuang Hospital. In tandem, Excellent IVF Center helps ensure that their health is optimal through diet, vitamin supplements and essential pre-pregnancy medications and vaccines.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 04:07 UTC
Australia suspends extradition, offers skilled HK citizens visas
Australia suspends extradition, offers skilled HK citizens visasA worker removes a red curtain from the plaque outside the new Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong, temporarily set up at the Metropark Hotel, on Wednesday. (Photo: Bloomberg)SYDNEY: Australia is suspending its extradition agreement with Hong Kong and will give skilled migrants from the city five-year visas with a pathway to permanent residence, after China imposed sweeping national security legislation on the financial hub. Morrison said Australia had formally notified Hong Kong and advised Chinese authorities. Australia said earlier Thursday that its citizens in Hong Kong were at an increased risk of detention, saying the security law could be interpreted broadly. Beijing has also been irked by Payne’s statements against Hong Kong’s new national security law, which she labelled “deeply” concerning, following criticism from other foreign governments including the US and UK.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 03:56 UTC
No US base in Thailand: Apirat | Bangkok Post: learning
Army chief Apirat KongsompongArmy chief Apirat Kongsompong has denied the US is looking to set up a military base on Thai soil. However, Gen Apirat said US troops have left behind some of their military equipment used during exercises in Thailand. Meanwhile, Gen Apirat also defended a two-day visit by a delegation led by US army chief-of-staff James McConville which starts today. The delegation will be the first group of foreigners to officially visit Thailand since the country began lifting Covid-19 restrictions in phases. Gen McConville will meet Gen Apirat and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today and tomorrow.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 09, 2020 03:44 UTC