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Gaybutton said: "The only thing that counts is what Thailand is gonna do and when they're going to do it, regardless whether their decisions make sense to us." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While I agree that's accurate, I'm reminded that "they" are politicians. Like politicians everywhere, they are influenced by public opinion. What they say today should not be confused with what they are inclined to say--or do--tomorrow or next week or next month. This is the greatest challenge the country has faced since the financial crisis of 1997. The swelling ranks of the unemployed and underemployed, coupled with graduating students with little hope of finding a job, creates political forces any politician can ill afford to ignore. What has changed in the 23 years since the last crisis is the emergence of social media. Ideas and opinions get circulated instantly among a younger and disenchanted audience. No one should underestimate their potential to influence the behavior of government. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From The Nation UTCC predicts 9.4% GDP contraction, up to Bt3trn in losses The Covid-19 outbreak has punched a Bt2-trillion hole in the Thai economy, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), which has cut its projection for this year’s GDP to a 9.4 per cent contraction. The coronavirus outbreak has already cost Thai economy Bt2.1 trillion, which could rise to Bt3 trillion if the economy does not recover in the second half of the year, said Thanawat Polvichai, rector at UTCC. The university has almost doubled its projection of economic contraction in 2020 from 4.9 per cent to 9.4 per cent, said Thanawat, who is also chief adviser to the Centre for Economic and Business Forecasting at the UTCC. The pandemic has severely impacted tourism, hotels, restaurants, trade, logistics and entertainment worth about Bt1.5 trillion. Meanwhile manufacturing and exports have taken a Bt500-billion hit. Drought has caused extra damage worth Bt76 billion, he said ====================================================================================== From Bangkok Post Hotels urged to end dual pricing scheme The Tourism and Sports Ministry is encouraging hotels in Thailand to offer fair packages to expatriates, avoiding price discrimination as the country aims to attract 2 million foreign residents to travel more domestically. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister, said the ministry urged expatriate associations to travel domestically instead of going abroad, as they may face back-to-back 14-day quarantines when arriving at other destinations and then upon returning to Thailand. The idea has received some positive feedback from expatriates, but points of concern remain regarding local sentiment towards foreigners during the outbreak and overpriced accommodations. He said the Tourism Authority of Thailand is working with hoteliers and the Tourism Council of Thailand to ensure expatriates will receive the same hotel rates as locals.

From The Nation Thailand lifts barriers for more foreigners Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said on Monday (August 3) that more types of foreigners will be allowed to return to Thailand, such as: • Foreigners who hold a residential permit as well as their spouse and children; • Foreigners who hold a work permit and their spouse and children, as well as migrant workers who hold official documents allowing them to stay and work in Thailand; • Foreigners granted entry under special agreements, such as Thailand Elite cardholders. These groups are required to follow the Public Health Ministry’s measures strictly and spend 14 days at an alternative state quarantine site. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand confirmed these measures. ====================================================================================== From ThiaVisa News and Bangkok Insight Thailand must welcome back Chinese tourists now says leading tourism chief A leading tourism chief has said that it is time Thailand opens up again to foreign tourists and Chinese tourists in particular. The pandemic has left the Chinese largely friendless around the world and it's time that Thailand's "special relationship" with the Chinese was resumed. But it is also time that the Thais get more of their hands on the tourism dollar and not let cash seep out of the country. Surawat Akaraworamat, the secretary general of the Tourism Council of Thailand and vice president of ATTA was speaking at a seminar about Thai tourism and the economy. He said that if Thailand opened up its airspace the Chinese would come in good numbers. There was no need for a high level of marketing. They know very well about Thailand and would flood back in. Surawat said it was time for those in tourism areas to be asked their opinions about reopening the country. But Surawat said it was time for the Thais to review how to ensure that more tourism revenue stays in the country and does not flow abroad. He was referring to companies - many of them Chinese owned or owned in Thailand through proxies - who are involved in organising group tours. Much of the money ends up abroad and not in the hands of Thais. This needs to be addressed, he said at the seminar, particularly in the booking of accommodation.

From Reuters Philippines to reimpose stricter coronavirus lockdown in capital as cases spike MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will reimpose a stricter coronavirus lockdown in and around the capital for two weeks from Tuesday, authorities said on Sunday, as the country struggles to contain infections that have jumped to more than 100,000 cases. President Rodrigo Duterte has approved placing Metro Manila and nearby provinces such as Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan under so-called “Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine” (MECQ) until Aug. 18, his spokesman Harry Roque told reporters. Some businesses and public transport are expected to be closed in the capital, which is currently under the less restrictive General Community Quarantine classification. Work and quarantine passes will also be required, as authorities seek to restrict movements. Duterte’s move came after 80 local groups representing 80,000 doctors and a million nurses called for tighter controls, saying the country was losing the fight against the coronavirus. “I have heard you. Don’t lose hope. We are aware that you are tired,” Duterte said late on Sunday, addressing the medical frontliners during a televised speech after meeting cabinet members and his coronavirus task force.

From Manila Times Coronavirus infections in the Philippines surged past 100,000 on Sunday in a troubling milestone after medical groups declared that the country was waging “a losing battle” against the virus and asked President Rodrigo Duterte to reimpose a lockdown in Metro Manila. The Department of Health (DoH) reported a record-high daily tally of 5,032, bringing the total confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) case s in the country to 103,185, including more than 2,000 deaths. The Philippines has the second most cases in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and has had more infections than China, where the pandemic began late last year. Duterte eased a tough virus lockdown in Metro Manila — a city of more than 12 million people — on June 1 after the economy shrank slightly in the first quarter, its first contraction in more than two decades. After shopping malls and workplaces were partially reopened and limited public transport was allowed, infections spiked sharply with increased virus testing. More than 50,000 infections were reported in less than four weeks, and leading hospitals began warning that their coronavirus wards were fast being overwhelmed to capacity again as they were when cases soared alarmingly in April. After the President further relaxed quarantine restrictions and allowed more businesses — including gyms, internet cafes and tattoo shops — to reopen, leaders of nearly 100 medical organizations held an online news conference on Saturday and warned that the health system might collapse as many medical personnel could fall ill or resign out of fear, fatigue or poor working conditions. “Our healthcare workers are burnt out with the seemingly endless number of patients trooping to our hospitals,” the member-groups of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) on Saturday appealed to Malacañang in a letter to President Duterte, which they read at a news conference. They pleaded for the President to reimpose a lockdown in Manila from August 1 to 15 to give health workers “a time out” and allow the government to recalibrate its response to the months-long pandemic. “We are waging a losing battle against Covid-19 and we need to draw up a consolidated, definitive plan of action,” said the groups, which represent more than a million nurses, doctors and other medical personnel.

From The Nation Rental condos priced at under Bt15,000 a month are seeing over 20 per cent growth while there is a big drop in demand for rental units priced at above Bt25,000, an industry executive said. Wathayut Thongphorm, managing director at Primo Service Solution, a subsidiary of Origin Property, said that the rental condominium market is growing in the price range of Bt10,000-Bt15,000 per month while condos in the range of Bt25,000 to Bt150,000 per month are seeing significant drop in customers. “Rental condos priced lower than Bt15,000 per month are growing at over 20 per cent, especially in the BTS-MRT zones,” he said. “The reason behind this is financial institutions' loan-to-value regulations, which limit the loans granted to each buyer. When people cannot get loan to buy property, they go for rental options instead.” “In contrast, luxury rental condos in the range of Bt25,000 to Bt150,000 per month are suffering from a drop in customers, as their main target groups are foreign travellers and executives of multinational companies, who are not able to enter Thailand at the moment due to the Covid-19 lockdown measures,” Wathayut added. “Sales of units in this sector have plummeted by more than 50 per cent, prompting some property owners to drop their prices by 20 to 30 per cent to attract other groups of customers.” Wathayut said that an estimate of 40 condominium projects under its management showed that the return on investment (ROI) on condos in the range of Bt10,000-Bt15,000 per month could rise to 4-5 per cent in the second half of 2020, while the ROI of luxury condos could fall from 5 per cent to 3 per cent in the same period. “It could be the second quarter of 2021 before foreigners are allowed into the country and this segment jumps back up again,” he said.

Sponsored by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, this event will be carried on the club's Facebook page (see link below) on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 beginning at 7p.m. Bangkok time. The program should also be available on demand followimg the live broadcast. Two of the most familiar faces for expats and foreign media in Thailand during the lockdown period were Richard Barrow, a long-time resident of Bangkok and inveterate Tweeter, and Natapanu Nopakun, of Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who conducted regular English-language briefings for foreign media on behalf of the CCSA (Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration). For many in the foreign community, they have become a familiar and trusted source of information and commentary on efforts to contain Covid-19 and the impact of the lockdown. In this free-wheeling discussion, they will give personal perspectives on the challenges of engaging with media and the public in this period, and insights into the high and low points of maintaining a constant flow of information during an unprecedented public health crisis. They will be joined by correspondents May Wong, CNA (Channel News Asia) Thailand bureau chief and senior Indochina correspondent, and Gwen Robinson, FCCT president and editor-at-large of Nikkei Asian Review, who reported on pandemic-related issues. https://www.facebook.com/events/292467982067797/ ============================================================= Richard Barrow is a British expat living in Thailand for twenty-five years who has been blogging about life and travel in Thailand since 1998. http://www.richardbarrow.com/

Were any of the Vietnam waiters around? Can't imagine Freshboys without them.

Việt Nam recorded its first COVID-19-related death today, a 70-year-old man with a number of underlying conditions. The patient died of a heart attack at Huế Central Hospital in Thừa Thiên Huế Province, where he was being treated for coronavirus. Singapore reported 396 new COVID-19 cases today, with three infections in the community, the Ministry of Health said in a preliminary update. The vast majority of the new cases are work permit holders staying in foreign worker dormitories. A spokesman for the Thai Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration warned today that with burgeoning Covid-19 infection rates overseas, Thailand also could not expect to remain permanently free of new local community infection. Authorities could only hope to prolong the infection-free period as long as possible, and then cope effectively with any outbreak as it occurs. It's becoming increasingly clear that the virus will continue to re-emerge even in countries that initially followed the most aggressive measures to suppress it. Vietnam, like Thailand, promoted local tourism as a way of compensating for the lack of foreigners. A popular beach resort, Danang was among the locations to benefit most from the effort that brought locals from all over Vietnam to enjoy its attractions. Not surprising, in retrospect, that latent cases would emerge there. Because Vietnam has acted immediately and aggressively, it stands a good chance of stemming the new outbreak. Nevertheless it's a stark reminder that the virus will be with us longer than we care to think about. There's no free lunch.

From The Thaiger Key witness in the Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya case dies in motorbike incident One of the key witnesses of the 2012 hit and run incident, involving Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, died this morning as a result of a motorbike incident in Chiang Mai. He was one of two main witnesses identified by police in the case. The incident happened this morning just after 2am in the main city area of Chiang Mai, involving 2 motorbikes. Both riders were injured in the collision, sustaining serious injuries. But 40 year old Jaruchart Martthong was later pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital. Police claim that CCTV footage shows that Jaruchart tried to overtake a second motorbike, lost control and crashed. Alcohol was found in blood samples of both drivers, according to a police statement. The name of the other driver involved in the incident has not been released at this time. Jaruchart Martthong was from Chiang Rai and identified by police as one of two key by-standers who witnessed the hit-and-run collision involving “Boss” Yoovidhya, grandson of Chalerm Yoovidhya, the co-founder of energy drink empire Red Bull. 47 year old policeman Wichian Klanprasert was riding his motorbike on September 3, 2012 in Thong Lor Bangkok, when the Ferrari, driven by Boss, collided into the back of his bike and dragged him around 100 metres along the road. Boss eventually admitted to be driving the car at the time after the Yoovidhya family’s chauffeur initially claimed he was driving the Ferrari. Last week, it came to light that the Office of the Attorney General decided to drop the ‘reckless driving, causing death‘ charges in the case. One of the main reasons behind the charges being dropped was the alleged testimony of Jaruchart and a second major witness, who is still alive. The man’s death comes in the middle of a reassessment by a team of prosecutors who have been reviewing the decision by the office of the Attorney General to drop charges against Boss. The committee said the findings of the review would be published by August 4. Jaruchart’s death could significantly impact the case at this time as his testimony will not be able to tested in court or questioned by investigators. His testimony alleged that Boss was not speeding during the incident, contradicting the earlier forensic evidence and investigations at the scene of the accident.

From Vietnam.net Bars, club, and cinemas have been suspended in Hanoi, Thua Thien-Hue and Dak Lak provinces for virus prevention after Danang outbreak. Ngo Van Quy, vice chairman of Hanoi People's Committee, said the risk in Hanoi was still low. The city authorities are searching for people that have made contact with the two new patients who returned from Danang. In the meantime, Hanoi authorities will suspend religious, cultural and sports events with large crowds. Online meetings are encouraged. Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung also asked to suspend bars and fairs from July 29. The people's committees in Thua Thien-Hue and Dak Lak provinces issued an urgent document about Covid-19 prevention and control as Hue City is adjacent to Danang while a new case has been detected in Dak Lak. Phan Ngoc Tho, chairman of Thua Thien-Hue Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, asked everyone to maintain prevention rules such as wearing face masks and washing hands regularly. Starting from July 30, bars, clubs, cinemas, massage parlours will be suspended. Crowded events will also be suspended until new notice. The provincial authorities also asked the public to scale down the scope of their weddings or funerals. Besides special cases, all people who go to Thua Thien-Hue from outbreak areas must be quarantined. Communal authorities and police must review the people who come from outbreak areas after July 10.

From The Thaiger All foreigners will have to serve 14 day quarantine “in the foreseeable future” – Minister Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Pipat Ratchakitprakan, is reassuring Thais by explaining that all foreigners, regardless of their status or origins, will have to serve a mandatory 14 day quarantine, at least “in the foreseeable future”. Thailand officials are currently prepares phase six of the re-opening of the country, loosening the restrictions imposed in April when the country closed its borders and went into a ‘lockdown’. The next phase, posed for introduction in early August, will allow migrant workers, film production crews and Thailand Elite Visa holders to return to the country amongst other categories that have previously been approved for a return to the country. The Minister’s comments follow announcements yesterday that Vietnam is ‘evacuating’ 80,000 people from the central coastal city of Da Nang after a new cluster of community spread cases and the accelerating rise of new cases across parts of the world, notably, India, Russia, US, South American countries and South Africa. And small 2nd waves that have arisen in places like Singapore, Japan, Spain, Hong Kong and Australia. Thailand has recorded no locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 for over 2 months. But it does continue to identify newly infected Thai repatriates who have flown back from overseas. All are being identified whilst serving their 14 day quarantine. His comments also pour cold water on the proposed “travel bubbles” indicating that they will be shelved until later this year, if they’re introduced at all. The Thai government, under the leadership of the Covid-19 Centre for Situation Administration, has shown itself to be extremely risk-averse when it comes to its ongoing handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and has publicly said it is putting public health ahead of reviving its economy.

Other than plans already in the works announced last week to bring certain categories of foreigners back, expecting any change before next year is optimistic. Travel bubbles (corridors or whatever term you care to apply) are unlikely to succeed. The conditions on which they're based can change in a heartbeat and international air carriers can't build capacity on a shaky basis like that. Thailand also has another issue lurking in the background. There's a segment of those who run the country that want it once and for all transformed into a destination for the affluent like Dubai. They tired of welcoming the hoi polloi from around the world and seek a giant makeover. The virus breaths life into the dream but it's a scheme destined to fail because it can't provide the employment for the masses of citizens of of work. The current 14-day quarantine requirements won't attract many comers unless they plan an extended stay of 45 days or more. I'd be watching Vietnam and how it handles the new outbreak of community transmissions in the resort city of Da Nang.where 15 cases have been uncovered. No ASEAN country has enjoyed greater success in suppressing Covid and how it responds now could well become a blueprint of how Thailand may react when the virus reappears in local transmission there. From The Associated Press and MSN Vietnam locks down its 3rd-largest city as virus cases grow HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam on Tuesday locked down its third-largest city for two weeks after 15 cases of COVID-19 were found in a hospital, the government said. The new cases in the central city of Da Nang are the first confirmed to be locally transmitted in the country in over three months. Public transport into and out of Da Nang was canceled. Over the weekend, thousands of mostly Vietnamese tourists cut short their summer holidays in the popular beach destination. The lockdown has dealt a hard blow to the city’ tourism industry, which was just being revived after earlier coronavirus cases mostly subsided at the end of April. Hotel guests quickly ended their stays and canceled upcoming trips upon the news of the first case, one hotelier said on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. “Our hotel is now empty,” the hotelier said. “But we had to help our guests leave the city when they still had the opportunity yesterday.” Da Nang beaches, which host some 50,000 people a day, are now closed. Only security personnel were seen on the beaches Tuesday as they patrolled to ensure no one was gathering. Authorities estimated several thousand people would be stranded by the transportation shutdown and asked hotels to shelter them. “We did not want to rush to the airport to leave the city because of the risk of being in a crowded place. So we are now stuck here,” said Lien Nguyen, who is traveling with her family of four for their summer vacation. On Sunday, the government ordered unessential business to close and required people to practice social distancing in the city of 1.1 million people. All 15 cases in the new outbreak are patients and health workers at Da Nang hospital. With the new infections, Vietnam has reported 431 cases of COVID-19 without a death. It had recorded no local transmissions of the virus since April, with all new cases coming from overseas. Vietnam on Tuesday dispatched an aircraft to Equatorial Guinea to repatriate 129 workers who have COVID-19, the health ministry said.

From CNN China reports its highest number of local Covid-19 infections since March China recorded 57 local Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the highest number the country has seen since it brought the coronavirus largely under control in March, according to figures released by the National Health Commission on Monday. Among the locally transmitted cases, 41 were found in the far western region of Xinjiang, where the coronavirus resurfaced on July 15 after nearly five months of no new cases. The remaining cases were discovered in the country's northeast, including 14 in Liaoning province and two in Jilin province. Sunday's figure is the highest number of local infections the country has reported since March 6, surpassing the daily spikes during a coronavirus outbreak in Beijing last month. ===================================== From Reuters Vietnam goes on coronavirus alert after first local infection in 100 days HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam was back on high alert for the coronavirus on Saturday after medical officials in the central city of Danang detected the country’s first locally transmitted case for three months. Vietnam has imposed strict quarantine measures and carried out an aggressive and widespread testing programme during the pandemic, keeping its total tally of reported infections to just 417, with no deaths. It had reported no locally transmitted infections for 100 days until Friday, when the Health Ministry said a 57-year-old man from Danang, a tourist hot spot, had tested positive. State media reported late Saturday that the man was in critical condition, and specialised doctors had flown from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang to treat him. Authorities said 50 people the patient came into contact with have been isolated. The ministry said 103 people connected to the patient were tested for the virus but all returned negative results. It said more than 11,800 people are being quarantined throughout the country, including 147 at hospitals.

From Bangkok Post New witnesses key to charges being dropped New specialist and motorist witnesses who made statements that Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya did not drive his Ferrari over the speed limit and that the policeman who was killed abruptly cut in front of his vehicle are the key factors which convinced prosecutors to drop charges against the Red Bull scion. In a leaked document outlining public prosecutors' reasoning for their decision to drop the charge against Mr Vorayuth of reckless driving causing death, information from the new witnesses was given more weight than previous evidence, including forensic results. The document said Nate Naksuk, chief justice of the Department of Appealate Litigation in his capacity as acting attorney-general, signed the order to drop the charge. After the statute of limitations of three charges expired, the National Legislative Assembly's committee on justice and police affairs petitioned the Office of Attorney-General (OAG) for a fair investigation over the last charge, prompting the attorney-general to step in. Mr Nate reviewed the investigation results and came to the conclusion the new evidence presented enough grounds to revoke the previous indictment order. Based on a statement given by a police major who initially examined the speed the suspect's Ferrari was travelling at -- an average of 177 kilometres per hour at the time of the hit-and-run -- the margin for error was 17km/h. The speed was beyond the legal limit of 80km/h and this led prosecutors to determine that Mr Voratyuth was driving recklessly and indicted him on the charge of reckless driving causing death of which the statute of limitation would last until 2027. Two new specialist witnesses, police majors, inspected the damage to the Ferrari and the victim's motorcycle, compared it to other accidents, and agreed the Ferrari could not have been travelling at 170km/h at the at the time of the crash and was not exceeding 80km/h. Another specialist who is a university engineering lecturer was brought in to calculate the speed of both vehicles involved in the crash in 2017. He told investigators the Ferrari was likely travelling at 76.175km/h. In December last year, two other witnesses were interviewed. They told investigators they were driving behind the suspect and the victim just before the accident happened. The victim was travelling at no more than 20km/h [as shown in CCTV footage] while Mr Vorayuth was driving between 50-60km/h. The statements from these two witnesses echoed those of the specialist witnesses, leading investigators to conclude the Ferrari was travelling at under 80km/h in the far-right lane. Prior to the crash, the victim's motorcycle, which was in the far-left lane, abruptly changed lanes. One of the witnesses who was driving a pickup truck at the middle lane had to brake and managed to swerve to the left to avoid hitting the motorcycle. According to his statement, the motorcycle then changed lanes and cut in front of the Ferrari in the far-right lane, causing the Ferrari to crash into the motorcycle. Prosecutors said the crash was a "force majeure" and that "the victim's reckless driving contributed to the crash". The prosecutors concluded the crash was not caused by reckless driving on the part of the suspect and the suspect did not commit an offence under Section 291 of the Criminal Code. The decision reversed the prosecutors's earlier decision to indict. The family of the victim reached a compensation agreement with the suspect.

From Bangkok Post Anti-govt protests continue in provinces Anti-government demonstrations by students and other young people were held in several provinces outside Bangkok on Saturday. Protesters called for a House dissolution, an end to intimidation of the people and the rewriting of the constitution. In Kanchanaburi, at about 5.40pm a group of about 50 young people comprising secondary school and university students in this western border province gathered at an open ground on Lak Muang road in Muang district. The protesters held aloft placards and banners with messages attacking the government and military dictatorship. They called for the House of Representatives to be dissolved to make way for a new election, for the government to stop all forms of intimidation of the people and for the constitution to be rewritten. The demonstration was peaceful. About 50 police and military personnel were deployed to ensure law and order. At 6pm, the demonstrators sang the national anthem and flashed the trademark three-finger sign with their hands. They yelled, "Down with dictatorship. Long live democracy" three times before dispersing. In Samut Prakan, near Bangkok, at about 5pm a group of students and people gathered at the open ground in front of the city tower in Muang district. Student leaders took turns on a stage to call for a House dissolution and for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign. At 7pm the protesters switched on the lights of their mobile phones and flashed the symbolic three-finger sign before ending the demonstration. In Phetchabun, at about 6pm about 10 youths staged a brief gathering in front of the clock tower in Lom Sak district of this central northern province to voice the same demands.

From The Irrawaddy and Global Voices Out of work, out of options: Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand scrape by during COVID-19 Migrant workers at this construction camp work for a Chinese company but their pay has been docked and is always late. They don’t want to make any claims against their employer because they are afraid they will get fired. If they are thrown out of the job, they won’t be able to find other work and won’t be able to return home because borders are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Chiang Mai, Thailand, March 2020. Photo and caption by Jittrapon Kaicome/The Irrawaddy --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article by Jittrapon Kaicome is from The Irrawaddy, an independent news website in Myanmar, edited and republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement. With the decline in the Thai and worldwide economy, businesses and factories have closed and migrant workers have been among the first people laid off. As Thailand has entered the worst economic recession in its history, migrants who normally work for daily wages are facing tough times. After Thailand announced an Emergency Decree to control the outbreak of COVID-19 in late March, the country closed its borders, leaving millions of migrant workers stranded in the country. Some workers were later able to head back across into Myanmar but many are still in Thailand, trapped without jobs and few options to help them get by. Myanmar migrant workers in northern Thailand are among them. These workers are also faced with the challenge of overcoming local language barriers. Many lack the technical and computer skills to access useful information and guidance or support. They have limited rights to access government social welfare schemes, including those intended to help people through the coronavirus crisis. Their lives hang on uncertainties. Along the Thailand-Myanmar border in Tak Province, villages went into lockdown and the crisis forced migrant workers from Myanmar to abandon their farms, becoming largely dependent on food handouts. They said the amount of rice handed out wasn’t enough to feed them, lasting only around three days. Twenty-six-year-old migrant worker Cho Zin Win said: "The villagers have come to buy sacks of rice on credit five times already, and it will take at least a year for them to pay back the installments." In the city of Chiang Mai (located northeast of Thailand) during lockdown, it became a common sight to see people, a mixture of local people and migrant workers, lining up for food handouts. A visit to one of the construction camps in Chiang Mai showed that business closures have forced the wives of construction workers out of their jobs as housekeepers at hotels, while only a few of their husbands have been hired. Some families have less than 1,000 baht left (US$32.08), but they still have to bear the burden of expenses and debts. By July, restrictions on businesses were lifted and most businesses reopened. But with the economic collapse brought by the coronavirus crisis, businesses are still unable to hire back many of their workers. Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers in the country—if not more—are still unemployed and many are unable to adapt to the economy’s “new normal.” Continues with photos https://globalvoices.org/2020/07/22/out-of-work-out-of-options-myanmar-migrant-workers-in-thailand-scrape-by-during-covid-19/

I have a rave for Singapore Airlines. My flight for BKK in June was cancelled. Received full refund back into my credit card account last week.

From The Nation Migrant labour from neighbouring countries now allowed to return The Ministry of Labour has been given the nod to allow migrant labour into the country and it has clarified on the guidelines. Department of Employment director-general Suchat Pornchaiwiseskul said that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Wednesday had approved bringing foreign labourers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to work as per the Department’s proposal. CCSA has approved two groups of foreign workers: ▪︎ 69,235 foreign workers who have work permits and work visas who have requested a re-entry visa to return to the country and have not returned; ▪︎ 42,168 foreign workers who do not have a work permit and visa but whose employers have submitted a demand letter to the country of origin. Both groups of foreign workers must obtain a certificate that facilitates entry into the Kingdom and a medical certificate (Fit to Travel). In the case of a foreign worker with a re-entry visa and a work permit, after Immigration provides them an entry permit and visa, the foreign workers must undergo Covid-19 examination at the Disease Control checkpoint immediately and must be quarantined for 14 days at Alternate Local Quarantine (ALQ).In the case of foreign workers who do not yet have a work permit submitted by the employer for re-entry, once the immigration checkpoint has checked the immigration permit, the workers must be tested for Covid-19 and undergo six health check-ups, buy a two-year health insurance (in case they do not have social security) or three months of health insurance (in case they have social security) and spend 14 days in ALQ. During quarantine period, there will be training to give knowledge about regulations and living in Thailand to foreigners before starting work. Upon the expiration of 14 days in quarantine, the visa will be granted by the Immigration officer. When both groups of migrant workers have been quarantined as required and no infection is found, employers can accept foreign workers to work including reporting to the provincial employment office in the area. Cambodian workers are allowed to travel via Sa Kaeo province, Lao nationals via Nong Khai and Mukdahan provinces, Myanmar via Tak and Ranong provinces while Vietnamese workers must come by air and arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Employers and entrepreneurs are responsible for the cost of Covid-19 testing and the 14-day quarantine, approximately Bt13,200 to Bt19,300 per foreign worker, said Suchat.

After reading numerous news sources daily for several years I have yet to find any single site that offers a more objective and concise report than that offered by the Thai Enquirer. a publication the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT). Issued Monday through Friday in a newsletter format, the report presents unbiased coverage all aspects of major national news, particularly economic, political, military and current events, in a style reminiscent of The Economist. It also provides English language versions of select articles published in Thai language media. Selecting the "HOME" tab allows readers to view some articles in a more traditional media format, including special reports and commentary pieces. https://www.thaienquirer.com/category/news-summary/

From Bangkok Post Five select groups of foreigners and migrant workers are expected to be allowed to enter the country as the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will consider the 6th phase of Covid-19 easing this week. However, although the country has been free of local transmissions for 55 days, an opinion survey issued yesterday showed that public sentiment was still against plans to open the doors to foreigners. The CCSA spokesman said on Sunday that a committee assigned to consider the easing of Covid-19 restrictions has discussed the 6th phase of relaxation and the issue will be tabled to a full meeting of the CCSA this week. The relaxation will cover migrant workers in the construction business and food export industry, foreign visitors who organise trade exhibitions, foreign visitors in film production crews, and foreign travellers who are members of the Thailand Elite Card scheme, he said. He insisted the government still gives top priority to public health safety, while keeping the economy functioning is of secondary importance. Effective disease control measures will restore public confidence, he said. ======================================================================================================= From Bangkok Post Foreign inmates should teach English in prisons: Minister Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin suggested the Corrections Department could consider using foreign inmates to teach English to fellow prisoners to supplement their occupational training. Mr Somsak floated the idea on Monday when he and Labour Minister M.R. Chatu Mongol Sonakul signed an agreement to step up cooperation between the Justice and Labour ministries to address the problem of ex-convict unemployment. M.R. Chatu Mongol said that under the agreement, the Employment and Skill Development departments of the Labour Ministry will provide training courses in various occupations for inmates before they are released and issue them a certificate to convince business operators to hire them. The Labour Ministry is also looking for employers, both inside and outside the country, to accept trained inmates who suit their requirements, he said. M.R. Chatu Mongol said the two ministries are already cooperating to provide skills training for inmates. In 2019, 8,084 inmates received occupational training and 70-80% of them found jobs after being released. In 2020, the two ministries aim to train 1,840 inmates for jobs that are in demand, such as construction workers, carpenters and electricians. Mr Somsak said the Corrections Department is responsible for selecting inmates for training. Between 20,000-30,000 inmates have been targeted. Those seeking jobs abroad need to learn English or other languages used in countries where jobs are available, he said. As there are now about 2,000 foreign inmates in prisons, the Corrections Department has been assigned to select some of them with potential to teach English to other inmates.

From the BBC The greatest summer novels ever written It’s a season when normal rules are suspended and the temperature rises in more ways than one. So it’s no surprise that it inspires heady literature, writes Neil Armstrong. Novelist Meg Rosoff has an indelible memory from a summer in the early 1970s. She was 16 and on holiday with her family on Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. She had met a boy who was also spending summer on the island, and she was mad about him. “He would just show up and then we would go off at night to these completely deserted beaches,” recalls Rosoff. “It was the most romantic thing in the entire world. I remember us swimming late one night and then lying on our backs on the sand afterwards looking up at the sky which was suddenly full of shooting stars. It was the Perseid meteor shower, which happens every year, though I didn’t know it then. It just seemed like our personal miracle.” Elements of the experience found their way into her new book, The Great Godden, a coming-of-age love story which spans a summer holiday in England, and is being marketed as a “summer novel”. There might not be a special section for the classic summer novel in bookshops but there should be because, although its precise lineaments are slightly hazy, like something seen in the distance on a dog day in August, it’s definitely identifiable as a distinct genre, characterised by particular tropes. For a book to be a classic summer novel, key plot points must occur during that season. If it’s a long, hot summer – the sort of summer no-one thought would ever end, the sort of summer during which time seems to stand still – so much the better. Because that’s the sort of summer during which the usual rules are suspended. People do things they wouldn’t normally do. All bets are off. Ideally, there will be a love story – maybe young love, maybe unrequited – and possibly a sexual awakening. There is often a loss of innocence. There should be a feeling of transition; one part of life’s journey is coming to an end. Nothing will ever be the same again. Often there is a sense of unreality, “the feeling of being in a dream” as Rumer Godden said of the real-life experience that inspired her classic of the genre, The Greengage Summer. And sometimes the story is told in the form of a recollection. The narrator is looking back with a twinge of wistfulness on the events of a summer long ago, the effects of which might still be rippling out. “I think the main appeal for this kind of novel lies in its ability to play into readers’ nostalgia,” says Waterstones fiction buyer, Bea Carvalho. “Most readers can relate to a long, lonely school break, a family holiday, or a summer romance.” A summer novel doesn’t necessarily need all of these factors but it does need some. Examples might include LP Hartley’s The Go-Between, Alan Garner’s The Owl Service, or JL Carr’s A Month in the Country. “A classic example that springs to mind is André Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name which displays all of the tropes: the beautiful summer setting, the sexual awakening, the brilliant sense of nostalgia,” says Carvalho. Ian McEwan’s Atonement – heavily influenced by The Go-Between – sneaks in because of its first part, set on an oppressively sultry day in the middle of a heatwave. Five all-time summer classics The Go-Between by LP Hartley In this mid-century British classic, the narrator remembers the hot, golden childhood summer, spent at his schoolmate’s family estate, when he helped facilitate an illicit romance. The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden Two teenaged sisters of an English family holidaying in France fall in with a charming Englishman who is especially interested in the older of the pair. The Owl Service by Alan Garner An ancient myth threatens to repeat itself as cultures clash and adolescent tensions reach boiling point in a secluded Welsh valley. The Magus by John Fowles An arrogant English teacher working on a Greek island is caught up in an elaborate, theatrical game – or is it a psychological experiment? Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead “There was summer, and then there was the rest of the time.” It’s 1985, and awkward, 15-year-old Benji is on vacation in the Hamptons, and intent on reinventing himself. Continues with photos https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200717-what-makes-a-great-summer-novel

From Bangkok Post Donations pour in for jobless man in Pattaya PATTAYA: Donations and public sympathy have poured in for a Si Sa Ket man who was down to his last five baht after losing his job in Pattaya because of the coronavirus outbreak. Now, Sarawut “Ton” Wongthee, 22, has almost 90,000 baht in his bank account and a job at a factory in Rayong. Mr Sarawut on Saturday thanked all the people who had helped him overcome the hardship he was facing, including the local reporters whose stories caught the public’s attention. He said the cash donations — 89,281 baht as of Saturday — were very high and he did not want to accept any more. There were other people suffering hardship during the coronavirus outbreak and they needed help, he added. “This amount is enough for me and I don’t want to receive any more. However, people keep transferring money to me. There are other people who are still facing tough lives. Foundations and hospitals are also affected by the coronavirus outbreak,” he said. Mr Sarawut spent some of the donations to rent a room, sent some money to his family in Si Sa Ket, and gave some to alleviate the hardship of friends who were made jobless during the lockdown. He also set aside 10,000 baht for needy people to get food at a stall in Pattaya that offered dishes at 20 baht each, and another 9,000 baht for the Baan Khu Ja child welfare foundation. He is now looking forward to going to work in Rayong as Thai International Labour Co has given him a job at its factory. Mr Sarawut earlier worked at a pub on the Pattaya Walking Street in South Pattaya. After entertainment venues were closed to prevent the spread of the virus, he and many others became jobless. He later earned a living by renting mats to visitors at Pattaya beach to make ends meet. But when Pattaya closed all its beaches as part of its coronavirus containment drive, that job also disappeared. Mr Sarawut spent weeks looking in vain for work in the resort town and took shelter in a deserted bar when his money ran out. He had been left with only five baht and had to beg for food from people when a reporter learned of his plight. Sarawut Wongthee (in grey T-shirt) talks to a food vendor in Pattaya. He has set aside 10,000 baht of the donated money he received to provide free food to people in need. (Photo by Chaiyot Pupattanapong)

From The Nation Too-tight virus policy is strangling economy, experts warn Thailand should overcome concern of a second wave of Covid-19 and instead relax restrictions on foreign investors and tourists in order to shore up its falling economy, say a prominent investor and leading economist. “We should not worry too much about the threat of a second wave of infections, since the first wave of Covid-19 is generating far fewer cases compared with other countries,” prominent local investor Niwes Hemvachiravarakorn said on Thursday. Thailand has implemented tight safety measures to combat the virus, but the Covid-19 issue has two dimensions – disease control and economic activities, he said. Thailand may need to accept a low level of cases and develop a system to handle this, he said, referring to the absence of local infections for more than 50 days and only a handful of daily imported cases. He suggested Thailand’s hot weather may be helping to keep the infection rate low, while Thais know now how to protect themselves as almost everyone wears a face mask in public. Niwes warned that fear of a second-wave contagion was discouraging people from resuming business activities, resulting in a slower economic recovery. In Vietnam, public life is almost back to normal, with even large gatherings for sports events now permitted, he added. Somchai Jitsuchon, research director at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), is also pushing for resumption of more economic activities. Thailand should learn how to live with a few daily Covid cases, because policies aimed at eradicating the virus completely were having a high economic cost, he said on Facebook. Income from foreign investment and tourism represents about 20 per cent of Thailand’s annual GDP, the economist noted. The government should focus on the “trace, test and isolate (TTI)” policy so that foreigners can be gradually welcomed back to the country, he added. =============================================================================================== From Bangkok Post Tourists will trickle back 'once a virus cure is found' The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) is predicting the hard-hit tourism sector will start to recover once a Covid-19 vaccine is rolled out late next year. Kirida Bhaopichitr, the Institute's research director for International Research and Advisory Service, was speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) and addressed the notion that people were overreacting to the pandemic. She said that in the first phase of the tourism recovery most visitors were likely to come from China and Asean as it was cheaper to travel within the region and it was also more friendly to them. "We can expect more Chinese tourists in the post-Covid-19 world," she told a forum titled "Thailand's post-Covid-19 economy and the most vulnerable". According to the TDRI, domestic tourism was already recovering but would not return to the pre-Covid-19 level [6% of GDP] due to safety and financial concerns. At the same time, international tourism had dropped from 12% of GDP to zero. Jonathan Head, BBC Southeast Asia correspondent and FCCT vice president, asked panellists about the level of public fear, which he said "has gone beyond anything else I have ever seen in other countries". He also remarked on what he characterised as the government's draconian measures, including turning its back on mass tourism and even putting off travel bubbles, despite the fact that it had managed to curb the spread of the virus well.

The following graphic appeared in an article about medical tourism. It describes protocol for "bubble tourists" who are not referenced in the article but appear slated to begin entry in September. From The Nation Medical tourism package will go ahead, but under strict control Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said on Thursday (July 16) that Thailand’s medical tourism and wellness programmes will go ahead despite the discovery of two Covid-19 cases this week. The Public Health Ministry is scheduled to announce a list of hospitals that pass its criteria next week, and the first group of medical tourists will land in Thailand in the next two weeks. The spokesman said this programme will be operated under strict guidelines, such as ensuring general patients are safe and visitors are not allowed to enter public spaces. The visitors, arriving under a special visa, will be provided with massage and spa services, fitness programmes, healthy meals and herbal products. According to an announcement on July 3, more than 1,700 medical tourists have registered for the programme. The first batch will come from 17 countries, including Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, China, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. These tourists will only be allowed to travel around Thailand once their 14-day quarantine and treatment has been completed. Medical tourists who test positive for Covid-19 will be treated for the virus in special areas prepared for foreigners at private hospitals. Medical tourists will undergo Covid-19 tests three times: before departing for Thailand, upon arrival and before returning home. Only medical tourists travelling by air will be granted entry into Thailand, and they must all have a certificate of entry from a Thai embassy. =============================================================================================================== From Bangkok Post No more SSO payout for jobless subscribers The board of the Social Security Office (SSO) has opposed extending its relief compensation scheme to subscribers made jobless as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a board member. The members of the board, chaired by labour permanent secretary Suthee Sukosol, voiced their opposition at a meeting on Tuesday. They did not want the compensation, drawn from the Social Security Fund (SSF), extended to assist jobless subscribers until the end of the year, as requested by Labour Minister MR Chatu Mongol Sonakul. The SSO had sought additional financial assistance for its 86,128 members who worked less than 26 days before losing jobs. The law limits the office from compensating such workers at 62% of daily wages, which for most is less than 5,000 baht a month. According to the board, the SSF finished paying the compensation three months ago. The compensation had been paid out to allow the employers time to revive their businesses and get back on their feet before they can rehire workers.

From CNBC Taiwan, which has been prepared for a pandemic since SARS, has stood out for its effective response to Covid-19 When Catherine Chou arrived in Taipei after flying from Los Angeles, authorities told her she would need to quarantine for two weeks. For Chou, a citizen, that meant booking herself into a hotel at her own expense, although subsidies are available and the government has paid stipends for some stays. When she first arrived, she got a welcome package including dish soap, nail clippers and laundry detergent. Food was delivered to her doorstep. Several times a day, a representative of the local district’s office phoned her to check in and thank her for doing her part. She’s now almost wrapped up her hotel room stay. Once she’s officially cleared of Covid-19, she’ll be free to go. After living in the U.S., which is still partially closed in various states, she’s looking forward to simple pleasures like visiting her family at home or sitting in a coffee shop with a good book. Taiwan allowed many of its restaurants and bars to reopen in May. “We have this phrase in Taiwan that roughly translates to, ‘This is your country, and it’s up to you to save it,’” she said. “I’m really glad that they’re taking this quarantine seriously.” As of June 22, some business travelers from countries deemed low-risk (the U.S. is not among them) have been exempt from the stringent quarantine. That marks a change in policy from late January, when Taiwan ramped up travel restrictions and set up a home quarantine system using geofencing technology. That helped limit the spread of Covid-19, and Taiwan now has one of the lowest coronavirus death counts in the world. Moreover, visitors who wish to remain on tourist visas have been allowed to without needing to do a visa run every 90 days, said Erin Hale, a journalist based in Taipei. “Taiwan is close to China and could have been a total disaster,” said Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, author of a new book about the best health care systems around the world. “So I see their lack of cases as a truly amazing result.” A clear plan and no exceptions “Taiwan’s population is more than 23 million people — and they have 451 cases with only seven deaths,” said Tsung-Mei Cheng, a health policy research analyst at Princeton University. “That shows how successful they have been at both prevention and control.” Cheng said the key lesson for the rest of the world is that leadership matters. She noted that Taiwan’s government had a strong plan — one that had been in place since the SARS scare of 2003 — for managing a pandemic. And there were no exceptions to the rules. “They have professionals running the show,” she said. “These are people who have trained for years for this.” Taiwan has been excluded from the World Health Organization because China claims Taiwan as its province with no right to its own diplomatic representation on the global stage and in international organizations. As a result, health officials say they were left out of receiving firsthand information on the coronavirus outbreak. William Hsiao, emeritus professor of economics in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, praised Taiwan for its effective early action, noting that health officials had developed a careful advance warning system for diseases around the world. If Taiwan had been a member of the WHO, he said, it might have been able to share its precautions with the organization and help other countries more easily. But it was still able to move forward with a concrete and effective plan of its own. “There was easy access to almost free and rapid testing centers,” said Han Jin, founder of a start-up in Taiwan called LucidPix. “At every building, including restaurants, gyms and offices, they check your temperature — and you cannot enter without face masks.” There’s also enforcement for those who don’t follow the rules. There are huge fines if people are caught not wearing masks in designated areas, such as the subway, and for breaking quarantine. Social pressure also plays a part. Jin said that it’s become part of the culture in Taiwan to name and shame those who are not wearing masks in the subway or are breaking quarantine early. Those who do so might see their face pop up on a social media app. Continues with photos https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/15/how-taiwan-beat-the-coronavirus.html