Gay Bangkok

From Khaosod Engish Chuan Savoey is located 207 Silom road. It’s a 20 seconds walk from BTS Sala Daeng Station Exit 2. It opens everyday from 8.30am to 3.30pm, except Sunday. BANGKOK — Egg noodles with roasted pork and dumpling is one of the most popular Chinese foods that have gone ‘native’ in Thailand for a long time. It’s a common enough dish, but few mastered it throughout the test of time. One of those lucky few is Chuan Savoey on Bangkok’s busy Silom Road. They have been selling the dish for over 40 years, seeing Silom grow from a sleepy orchard area into the bustling financial district. Three brothers and a sister now run the place with half a …

From CNBC Hotelier discusses changes in Thailand's tourism sector post-virus Deepak Ohri, CEO of lebua Hotels and Resorts, says the average stay in Bangkok is likely to increase from 1.8 days to around 2.3 days after the coronavirus pandemic. He also weighs in on how New Zealand and India managed the health crisis. To view interview https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/06/23/hotelier-discusses-changes-in-thailands-tourism-sector-post-virus.html

Timing is everything. From Business Insider Siam Premium Outlets Bangkok Announces Opening BANGKOK, June 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Siam Premium Outlets® Bangkok, today celebrated its opening to mark the arrival of Thailand's first Premium Outlets®, bringing the world's most popular brand of outlet shopping to the Bangkok area, located only 15 minutes away from the international Suvarnabhumi Airport, easily accessible from Bangkok-Chonburi Motorway No.7 route, km. 23, exit 5, Lat Krabang. The center will join the family of Simon Premium Outlets properties around the world that represent some of the most iconic shopping destinations for residents and…

I had a recent trip to eat a nice meal at Siam Brasserie. We practiced social distancing and had an amazing meal. This is one of the best meals I have had in Bangkok. They have a wide variety of items and we had 7 courses. I can't eat that much but I especially enjoyed the Green Curry and the Ribs. The dining experience was delightful! https://www.siambrasserie.com/ Address : 3477 Rama 9 Road, Suan Luang, Bangkok 10250

From The Thaiger MP proposes legalising prostitution, sex toys to lower rape cases An MP of the Thai Civilised Party MP yesterday proposed make prostitution and adult toys legal in Thailand, to help stem what appears to be a rising tide of rape cases in the country. Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, one of Thailand’s wealthiest politicians is an adviser and a member of a House committee assigned to to tackle the problem of rape in the country. The idea has been floated and debated for years at the highest level of government but has always been shot down by conservative politicians. Mongkolkit says he plans on formally bringing up the idea again to the committee an…

From The Thaiger Shopping centre operator Central Retail Corporation has bought 100% of Family Mart, one of Thailand’s major convenience store chains, as it “moves forward to develop a new business model to cater to modern consumers”. CRC’s chief executive officer says the acquisition will strengthen Central’s hold on the food market and convenience store business in Thailand, which is burgeoning. Since 2012, CRC has partnered with Japan Family Mart with its subsidiary SFM Holdings holding a 50.65% stake and Robinson Plc holding a 0.35% stake in Central Family Mart Ltd, the local operator of the Family Mart chain in Thailand. Yesterday’s acquisition saw CRC snap…

From Bangkok Post State of emergency likely to end June 30 The government has set July 1 for the lift of all business and activity lockdowns ordered earlier to cope with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), said the National Security Council chief. These include interprovincial and international travel, as well as the end of emergency decree and curfew. NSC secretary-general Gen Somsak Rungsita said on Thursday that the lift of restrictions would be a complete reopening of the country. Officials would next month prepare measures for the reopening. "Authorities will have serious discussions because after the emergency decree ends, other laws wi…

From Bangkok Post With its "fortune hanging in the balance", the chief of Thai AirAsia (TAA) says it may merge with another low-cost carrier (LCC) to clamp down on pricing wars once flights eventually resume in the country. If Thailand does not resume tourism activities by July, TAA's chairman said next year the company would begin laying off employees, downsizing the company and its fleet to keep its business alive. Local aviation has suffered considerably over the past few months because of the Covid-19 pandemic and government restrictions on international and domestic air travel, including the total shutdown of Phuket's airport. Some 40% of TAA's re…

From Bangkok Post Fake Thai Chana websites phish for personal data The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has warned that fraudulent websites bearing the name of the government's Thai Chana platform are trying to steal personal information from shoppers. The government launched www.thaichana.com and the QR code for use when people enter and leave stores and shopping centres as some businesses were given the green light to reopen on May 17. Shops are encouraged to register with the website and customers are required to scan the displayed QR code with their mobile phone as they enter and leave the premises. It was created to monitor…

From Bangkok Post Line app has come under criticism after its recent update includes a new feature that shows which Line Official Accounts (OA) users are following as well as users' followers for others to see. OA is commonly used by brands and businesses to stay connected with Line users. Dr Nawanan Theera-Ampornpunt, a newly appointed member of the Personal Data Protection Committee, told the Bangkok Post Line's latest update conflicts with the "privacy by design" principle. Line did not inform users of the app or update them about new features, he said, noting the app was updated several days ago. If this affects only small groups, that would…

From Reuters BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand’s central bank unexpectedly cut its benchmark interest rate for a third time in six months on Wednesday, taking it to a record low as a virus spreading from China puts further pressure on the struggling economy. The Bank of Thailand’s (BOT) monetary policy committee voted unanimously to cut the one-day repurchase rate THCBIR=ECI by 25 basis point to a fresh record low of 1.0%, the lowest in Asia outside of Japan. “The Committee viewed that the Thai economy would expand at a slower rate in 2020 than previously forecasted and much further below its potential,” the MPC said in a statement. The virus outbreak, a dr…

From Khaosod English BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s flag carrier Thai Airways International will file a plan for restructuring its business with the Central Bankruptcy Court, a government spokeswoman said Monday. Narumon Pinyosinwat said the plan submitted by the State Enterprise Policy Office to salvage the airline will be submitted Tuesday to for Cabinet approval. She said she had no details of the plan. Thai Airways had been suffering financially even before the coronavirus crisis brought travel and tourism in the country to a near standstill. The airline initially sought a 54 billion baht ($1.7 billion) bailout loan from the government. There is specula…

From MSN As Thailand's tourist economy suffers a near-total shutdown from travel restrictions due to the new coronavirus, employees in the industry have been forced to improvise to make ends meet. Air purser Kosit Rattanasopon, 37, has traded in his cabin crew uniform for a delivery driver's jacket, stylishly ferrying food around Bangkok on his Ducati motorbike since the Thai airline he works for grounded all flights. Kosit makes about 1,000 baht ($31.13) per day, just enough to support his father and sister, who also cook boxed meals to sell online. "I know things will not be the same again for at least another year, so I will have to keep doing this,…

From Bangkok Post Medical tourism drop hits Bumrungrad Hospital Bumrungrad Hospital Plc said the plunge in medical tourists traveling to Thailand amid the coronavirus pandemic has squeezed its business, as the majority of the health-care operator’s revenue typically comes from international patients. “The Covid-19 crisis is a very tough test for all businesses,” Chief Executive Officer Artirat Charukitpipat said in a written interview on Monday. “More than 50% of our patients used to come from overseas. They’ve now disappeared. The most important question is how we will get over this crisis. At Bumrungrad, agility runs in our blood. We have great staff, and …

From Coconuts Bangkok Only 250 passengers per train To keep people at arm’s length or more aboard the BTS Skytrain, transportation authorities today ordered train capacity cut by three-quarters. After Tuesday morning’s breakdown created worrying scenes of packed platforms and bogies that drew criticism from commuters unable to practice social distancing, the Transport Ministry today said only 250 rather than 1,000 passengers would be allowed to board each train of four cars. “Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we must practice social distancing, therefore we cannot pack all 1,000 people into a single train,” Chaiwat Tongkamkoon, permanent transport secretar…

From The Nation Air force provides anti-covid barriers for use in taxis The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has designed and presented special barriers to five taxi fleets in Bangkok for use in preventing the spread of the coronavirus disease between the driver and passengers in the backseat. The RTAF made the initial barriers, which can be easily installed and removed without the need for modications to the vehicle. The barriers are intended to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 disease virus and boost the confidence of both passengers and drivers. A team of aeronautical engineers prepared the blueprint and have given it to the taxi fleet operators, so t…

From Coconuts Bangkok Gone is its nauseating traffic, and empty are its malls. Rows of fashionable bars lie shuttered, there’s a hush over normally chaotic Chinatown, and the monitor lizards and ravens have Lumphini Park all to themselves. Digital billboards carry on like nothing is amiss in contrast to the ghostly CentralWorld mall behind them. Along mall row, in front of Siam Paragon, taxis queue for no one and nearly empty buses parade by on schedule. But one place that seems to defy all that, or any sense of crisis, is the capital’s Khlong Toei Market. Continues with video in English narration https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/life-goes-on-at-b…

From Bangkok Post TAT expects 16m international tourists Thailand is likely to close this year with only 16 million international tourists and 60 million domestic trips, far below the pre-coronavirus targets of 40 million and 172 million respectively, according to Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The estimates have the country losing almost 24 million tourists and 1.9 trillion baht in revenue compared with last year, which saw arrivals soar to 39.8 million and revenue climb to 1.93 trillion baht. "This revised forecast assumes tourism activities can resume in May, with the outbreak in Thailand levelling off while overseas infections subside," said T…

From Reuters Thailand approves $3 billion in relief measures to ease virus impact BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand’s cabinet approved 98.7 billion baht ($3 billion) in relief measures on Tuesday to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, which is driving the country towards recession. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy could lose more than $40 billion and up to 10 million jobs due to the pandemic. The government agreed to increase the number of workers receiving cash handouts to 14 million from 9 million, deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek told Reuters. That will increase its total handout by 75 billion baht. Each worker…

From Bangkok Post S&P Global Ratings has revised its outlook on Thailand to stable from positive on Covid-9 uncertainty, with a possible downgrade given persistently sluggish economic recovery. The firm, however, affirms the country’s BBB+ long-term and A-2 short-term foreign currency sovereign credit ratings. “We are revising our outlook on Thailand to stable from positive due to our expectations of slower political adjustments under the economic and social uncertainties associated with the Covid-19 outbreak,” said S&P Global Ratings. “We expect Thailand’s political transition under the elected government to be delayed during the Covid-19 outb…

From Bangkok Post Thailand and the United States on Wednesday discussed “proactive” economic, trade and investment cooperation, which will be crucial for salvaging the economy in the aftermath of the new coronavirus pandemic. The discussion was carried out between Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Michael George DeSombre, the new US ambassador to Thailand, during the latter’s visit to introduce himself to Gen Prayut at Government House. The ambassador praised the Thai government for its success in implementing effective measures to bring down the number of new Covid-19 infections. Both sides expressed their gratitude towards the Thai-US active coop…

From Architectural Digest ....of World-Renowned Hotel Designer Whimsical, wild, and wacky are but a few words that most aptly describe Bill Bensley’s unique design aesthetic and the exceptional hotels born from it. Credited with upping the ante on Southeast Asia’s hospitality design, he is one of the most intriguing artists in the field today. For the past 27 years, he and his husband’s Bangkok home, Baan Botanica, has been the canvas for his next five-star hotel, restaurant, garden, or spa. “Our house is constantly under renovation and I’m constantly experimenting with new things,” says Bensley. “If we screw up at home, that’s fine, but if we screw up wit…

From The Nation New service hours as curfew takes effect Train operators in Bangkok have adjusted their service hours after the government declared a curfew on Thursday (April 2), ordering suspension of all public transport nationwide from 9.30pm to 4am from April 3 until further notice. Bangkok Mass Transit System Pcl, operator of BTS Skytrain, said on Thursday (April 2) that all BTS stations on the Sukhumvit and Silom lines would be open until 9.30pm starting Friday (April 3) until further notice. For further information, contact Customer Service Centre on 02-617-6000. Meanwhile, Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand and Bangkok Expressway and Met…

Excerpted from Bloomberg News The Bank of Thailand is seeking to backstop market stability after a jump in bond yields stoked concerns that stresses are building up. The monetary authority pledged late Friday to ensure sufficient liquidity for markets to function well as it unveiled an emergency interest-rate cut to counter the economic shock of the coronavirus outbreak. “We have been running down international reserves and providing baht liquidity to facilitate the normal functioning of the financial market,” Bank of Thailand Assistant Governor Chantavarn Sucharitakul said in an email. The coronavirus crisis has created funding stresses across the wor…

Excerpted from Coconuts Bangkok A representative of the Chatuchak Weekend Market said today that extensive efforts have been made to clean and disinfect the sprawling site where everything from live animals and food to furniture and clothing is sold, which on peak weekends draws more than 100,000 shoppers. “We know it’s tough, but the market’s team disinfects the market every day,” the admin of the market’s Facebook page wrote in reply to inquiries. “Rest assured that our market is free from the virus, and we’ll fight this together.” On Tuesday, the government ordered all entertainment venues including bars along with schools, gyms, massage parlors, large e…