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From Bangkok Post SIA extends most flight suspensions to June 30 SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has said it will cancel most of its flights until the end of June. The announcement comes just four days after it said it would extend its near-shutdown until the end of May. About 96% of scheduled flights will be cancelled, and the airline will fly only to 15 cities in that period, it said in a statement on its website. They include six Southeast Asian cities, Tokyo, London and Los Angeles. Out of SIA Group’s fleet of approximately 200 aircraft, only about 10 are now in operation to serve a limited passenger network. Singapore confirmed an additional 618 coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the city-state’s total to more than 12,600. A majority of the cases have occurred in dormitories that house foreign labourers. =================================================================================================== Thailand logs 53 new cases The government on Saturday reported one Covid-19 death and 53 new infections — 42 of them migrant workers in Songkhla — bringing the total to 2,907 and fatalities to 51. The death was a 48-year-old Thai man who had been in contact with a previously reported case. His brother worked at an entertainment place and was infected, Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Saturday. The 53 new cases were the most reported in a single day since April 9. Forty-two of them were migrants who had been detained at the immigration centre in Songkhla for illegal entry. They were from Myanmar (34), Vietnam (3), Malaysia (2), Yemen (1), Cambodia (1) and India (1). The infections were discovered during active case finding.

From South China Morning Post Beijing could face Asean’s wrath over ‘naming and claiming’ of South China Sea features China’s naming of, and effectively claiming, 80 geographical features in the disputed South China Sea might be a breach of international law, and could trigger a backlash from its Southeast Asian neighbours, analysts have warned. Over the weekend, Beijing gave names to 25 islands, shoals and reefs, and 55 undersea mountains and ridges. The last time it made such a move was in 1983, when it identified 287 features in the region where several nations hold competing territorial claims. While it is perfectly acceptable for countries and marine scientists to give names to geographical features, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea states that nations cannot claim sovereignty over an underwater feature unless it is within 12 nautical miles of a land feature. The 80 topographical formations identified by Beijing over the weekend comprised 10 sandbars and two small reefs in the Paracel Island chain that were previously unnamed, 13 smaller reefs, described as “features”, around West Reef, which is currently occupied by Vietnam, and 55 underwater features spread across theSouth China Sea. Despite the rival views of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and others, Beijing has repeatedly asserted its claim to about 90 per cent of the sea, which is one of the world’s busiest trade routes and has huge geopolitical significance. Over the past six years, it has sought to bolster that claim by creating several artificial islands and developing infrastructure for possible military use, much to the consternation of the international community.

From CNN The wild story behind Lonely Planet's first Thailand guidebook By Joe Cummings Editor's Note — Joe Cummings created the very first Lonely Planet Thailand guide, which was published in the early 1980s. As the famous travel brand begins shuttering its offices, Cummings reflects on his decades-spanning career as a guidebook writer. (CNN) — The recent news that Lonely Planet Publications was shutting down its production offices in Melbourne and London almost entirely, and totally eliminating its widely admired magazine and all non-guidebook titles, didn't take me completely by surprise. With planes grounded, borders closed and people staying home all over the world in response to the Covid-19 health crisis, any business associated with travel and tourism is on its knees at this point. Still, having been a Lonely Planet guidebook author for 25 years, I feel it. I watched the company grow from a fledgling two-person start-up in the 1970s to an empire with more than 500 office staff on four continents. In the 1990s, when I was visiting LP's headquarters in Melbourne two or three times a year, a steady climb in sales and production forced the company to shift to a larger location three times. Thus for me, and I'm sure for many others who grew up hopping the globe with dog-eared guidebooks close at hand, the closure of Lonely Planet's original headquarters signals the end of an era. In my life, that era kicked off when I first read "Southeast Asia on a Shoestring" while on my way to work in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1977. Nicknamed "the yellow bible" by its legion of devotees, the rustic guide was written by the UK's Tony Wheeler, who together with his Irish wife Maureen, created their DIY imprint four years earlier after finishing an overland journey from London across Asia to Australia. Their stapled-together "Across Asia on the Cheap," complete with hand-drawn maps, sold 1,500 copies on street corners down under. Each chapter was devoted to a different country in Southeast Asia, and although the info was skimpy, and the maps barely usable, I was nevertheless impressed that someone had actually done it. Born to a traveling military family who lived in Europe, I was used to the "F" guides -- Fodor's, Fielding and Frommer's -- which for the most part stuck to well-trod itineraries in Europe, North America and Japan. Established during the early post-WWII era, these guides were geared towards people like my parents, who carried bulky suitcases and traveled by private car. Writing about how to travel in developing countries via local bus and train, Lonely Planet was very underground by comparison, for the time. When I finished my assignment in Thailand and was preparing to travel home by way of India and Nepal, I checked Bangkok bookshops to see if Lonely Planet had published anything more on these countries other than brief chapters in their out-of-print "Across Asia on the Cheap." There was nothing available on either place yet, but while browsing the shelves, I discovered just-released Lonely Planet titles on Myanmar and Sri Lanka. I bought both, and read them cover-to-cover while traveling through the subcontinent (I didn't actually visit either country till later, as a Lonely Planet author on assignment). Avoiding culturally insulated travel Back in the States, I started writing for The Asia Record, a San Francisco-area newspaper dedicated to Southeast Asian affairs in the wake of the US-Vietnam War and fall of Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. I also enrolled in a master's program at the University of California at Berkeley, where I wrote a thesis on tourism as seen through the eyes of communist insurgencies in Thailand and Malaysia. One day in late 1980, I sat down, fed a blue aerogram into my electric typewriter, wrote out a proposal for a "Lonely Planet Thailand" guide, and mailed it directly to Tony Wheeler. Within a few weeks, Tony wrote back and said that coincidentally he was looking for someone to do a guide on Thailand, and since LP was expanding, he didn't have time to do one himself. At his request, I sent him a writing sample that followed the Sri Lanka guide template and focused on Ko Sichang, an island off the coast of Sri Racha that I'd visited several times while living in Bangkok in the late '70s. As far as I knew, no one had ever published anything about the island in English before. Tony's second response came quickly, offering $9,000 to create the first edition of Thailand -- a travel survival kit. I had to pay my own air fare and expenses, but as it turned out I simultaneously received a paid fellowship from Berkeley to carry out field studies, so I rolled the two projects into one trip during the spring of 1981. I hit the ground running. It was an exciting moment for me, since the book I was researching would become the first English-language guide devoted entirely to Thailand since "Guide to Bangkok with Notes on Siam," published by the State Railway of Siam in 1928. Although there were a couple of French and German guides, they were very much geared towards hiring your own car and driver and staying in first-class hotels along the way, much like Fodor's and other mainstream guides. Continues at https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/joe-cummings-lonely-planet-thailand/index.html

Flying in Covid19 airspace -- Articles in various Thai media begin to provide insight into what flying will be like, domestically at least. According to one report, no international carriers have expressed interest in resuming flight to date. From The Nation Domestic flights resume May with strict conditions If provinces where tourist destinations are located start lifting their restrictions next month, then airlines will be allowed to resume domestic flight services but only under strict conditions. So far, Air Asia is the only airline that has indicated it will resume flights on May 1, while Lion Air has said it will wait for the government’s decision on whether or not to extend the state of emergency. Some government officials have signalled that a few restrictions may be eased though the state of emergency may be extended beyond April 30. ====================================================================================================== From Khaosod English Domestic Flight Fares May Increase By 80% BANGKOK — As domestic commercial flights are set to resume in May, ticket prices could nearly double following the Thai Civil Aviation Authority’s new regulations for fare calculations. Chula Sukmanop, director of the aviation regulator, said domestic airlines will be allowed to charge up almost twice the fare implemented prior to the coronavirus pandemic, since many seats will be left empty to ensure physical distancing. Prior to the outbreak, domestic low-cost airlines usually charged no more than 5 baht per kilometer for a flight within the kingdom. But the new regulation will permit them to charge up to 9.40, approximately an 80 percent increase.

From The Nation Flights back to normal by Oct 2021, says AOT Airports of Thailand (AOT) expects the volume of flights to return to normal by October 2021, AOT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn announced on Thursday (April 23). AOT’s management team forecasts that in fiscal year 2020 (October 2019 to September 2020) Thai airports will see about 493,800 flights and about 66.58 million passengers. “Total flights and passengers will drop by 44.9 per cent and 53.1 per cent, respectively, due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Nitinai said. “The forecast was made by considering that recovery of the aviation business is dependent on the recovery of destination countries. Meanwhile, Thailand’s important destination countries are countries in the Asia-Pacific region which account for over 80 per cent of our travel.” He expects domestic flights to recover before international services, since the latter are dependent on countries’ moves to contain the spread of Covid-19 and how long it takes to develop antiviral drugs or vaccines. “If the Covid-19 situation is brought under control in countries worldwide, the economy in Thailand and other major countries will recover, while traffic volume will return to normal in October 2021,” he said. ========================================================================================================== From The Thaiger Thailand names 5 more ASEAN countries as ‘high risk’, 4 are border nations A Ministry of Public Health announcement yesterday, signed by Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and published in the Royal Gazette, claims the Covid-19 situation in 5 nearby countries is escalating. Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Myanmar have now been added to the list of countries and territories considered as high risk areas for infection. On March 6, Thailand had named four countries: China (including Hong Kong and Macau), South Korea, Italy and Iran, as being high risk areas for Covid-19 infection, though Hong Kong and South Korea have contained their outbreaks admirably. Somehow the recent surge in cases in Singapore, which has doubled its number of active cases in just six days, escaped the Minister’s attention. The island state now has 10,141 cases making it the highest number of cases in South east Asia. The announcement makes the re-opening of borders with the neighbouring countries for trade and travel unlikely in the short-term. It would also make a resumption of flights to and from these countries unlikely to begin again soon.

From Bangkok Post Jobless queue for food in Bangkok Bangkok saw long lines of unemployed people waiting for free food as the pandemic destroys the economy and the government struggles to respond. Some 27 million workers -- who lost their jobs in the tourism, entertainment, food and service sectors -- have applied for a monthly cash handout from the government, though only half have received approval. Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha has also issued conflicting information on how long the government can afford to give people 5,000 baht a month. Volunteers and charity groups have been collecting and distributing food around the city. "The government hasn't helped me with anything," said Chare Kunwong, a 46-year-old masseur. He stood in line alongside hundreds on Wednesday in Bangkok, waiting to receive food donations of rice, noodles, milk and curry packets. "If I wait for the government's aid then I'll be dead first," he told AFP. An hour north of Bangkok in Pathum Thani province, a growing number of locals are fishing in a canal in the hopes of easing food shortages, Thai media reported. Angry scenes have erupted at the finance ministry in recent days, as protesters demanded answers on being shut out of the government's cash handout scheme. Thailand's export- and tourism-reliant economy is forecast to see a contraction of 6.7% this year, its lowest GDP figures since 1998.

From Reuters Vietnam to Ease Nationwide Coronavirus Lockdown HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam, which has reported under 300 cases of coronavirus and no deaths since the first infections were detected in January, said on Wednesday it would start lifting tough movement restrictions as most of Southeast Asia remained in lockdown. No provinces in Vietnam were now seen as "highly prone" to the pandemic, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in a statement, although some non-essential businesses will remain closed. Vietnam has won plaudits for appearing to contain the virus despite being less wealthy than other places seen as relatively successful such as South Korea and Taiwan. It has reported no new infections for nearly a week. It has used a combination of the mass quarantine of tens of thousands, contact-tracing and testing to successfully contain relatively small clusters of COVID-19 outbreaks. Hanoi may have also gleaned crucial early information from China. On Wednesday, U.S. cybersecurity firm FireEye said Vietnamese state-backed hackers had attempted to break into organisations at the centre of Beijing's efforts to contain the outbreak, days before the first international COVID-19 cases were reported. It also took other early measures. One day after the first two cases were detected in Vietnam, Hanoi suspended flights to China's Wuhan, where the outbreak started. Days later, Vietnam closed its porous 1,400-km (870-mile) border with China to all but essential trade and travel and, by March, made the wearing of masks in public places mandatory nationwide. Vietnam, which in 2003 became the first country outside China to be infected by the SARS epidemic, also has by far the largest ratio of testing to confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world. According to data published by Vietnam's health ministry on Wednesday, Vietnam has carried out 180,067 tests and detected just 268 cases, 83% of whom it says have recovered. There The figures are equivalent to nearly 672 tests for every one detected case, according to the Our World in Data website. The next highest, Taiwan, has conducted 132.1 tests for every case, the data showed. Communist-ruled and traditionally secretive Vietnam has made much of its data public. REGIONAL MEASURES Movement restrictions remain across most of Southeast Asia, where the virus has killed more than 1,200 people and infected more than 33,000. Singapore, which initially managed to contain the outbreak but has been hit by a swell in cases in migrant worker dormitories, has extended a partial lockdown by four weeks until June 1. In Thailand, where a state of emergency is due to expire at the end of April, the health ministry has proposed that lockdown measures be lifted in provinces where no coronavirus cases have been reported for two weeks. Malaysia has not yet decided whether to extend or lift social distancing measures, but a senior minister said on Wednesday that the government would explore the idea of allowing people who had left urban areas to return. In Indonesia, which with 653 deaths has reported the highest number in the region, the capital Jakarta said it would extend social distancing measures to May 22. Not all of Vietnam will have social distancing measures lifted, state media said. A town of 7,600 people in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang was locked down near the border with China after one case was detected there this month.

From Khaosod English Gov’t Extends Foreigners’ Stay to July 31, Halts 90-Day Report BANGKOK — The government on Tuesday approved another round of automatic visa extension for foreigners residing in Thailand, this time for a further three months. Government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat said the Cabinet agreed with the plan proposed by the Immigration Bureau to permit foreigners whose visas had expired since March 26 to stay further until July 31 without having to apply for an extension at immigration offices. “The outbreak of COVID-19 in Thailand and other countries remains unresolved,” Naruemon said. “If we don’t extend permission to stay, foreigners would have to come to see immigration officers. It would cause overcrowding and risk of infection.” Naruemon said the 90-day report requirement is also suspended. The government granted a similar extension earlier this month, allowing stranded foreigners to stay without legal repercussions until April 30. The move came after widespread complaints of overcrowding and risk of coronavirus infection at immigration offices across the country.

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 receives 15,000 baht. The government will also cut or waive electricity bills worth 23.7 billion baht for 22 million households. The government has announced a series of steps worth billions of dollars to limit the impact of the outbreak. It plans to borrow 1 trillion baht to finance the measures. Thailand has a total of 2,811 cases and 48 deaths.

From The Thiager Visa amnesty for foreigners extended to July 30 Thailand’s cabinet has approved a second automatic visa extension for foreigners for three more months. The extended amnesty is a bid to prevent long queues at immigration centres around the country. Narumon Pinyosinwat, spokeswoman for the Thai government, says they want to stem the spread of the coronavirus and avoid foreigners having to wait in lines and threaten their own health and the health of immigration officials. “Foreigners whose visas had expired since March 26 will be permitted to stay until July 30 without having to apply for an extension.” Thailand has has recorded 2,811 coronavirus cases and 48 fatalities. 19 new cases were announced today as the trend in new cases continues to drop.

From The Nation Plan to lift some restrictions The Public Health Ministry has come up with a plan on lifting restrictions on some businesses in 32 provinces, which will be submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) for consideration. Kamnuan Ungchusak, an adviser to the public health minister on the Covid-19 outbreak, said at a meeting with related agencies, it was agreed that the measures should be relaxed slowly so people’s lives and businesses can return to normal. However, he said, some measures should remain in place such as screening arrivals from overseas and quarantining them for 14 days. Also, he said, provinces should keep a close lookout for new infections and monitor crowded areas, while laboratory tests should never be slackened. “People should also continue wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and refraining from assembly to cut down on the risk of new cases,” Kamnuan said. Meanwhile, there are seven to 10 million people who have lost their jobs and health officials believe that some leniency based on the level of risk in different areas should be granted to businesses. However, some businesses such as entertainment venues, pubs, bars, karaoke clubs, massage parlours and boxing stadiums should remain closed until the outbreak ends. As of April 14, no new cases were reported in 32 provinces for over two weeks, hence some restrictions will be relaxed in these provinces from May 1, while life in other provinces may return to normal by mid-May. However, businesses in the the provinces of Bangkok, Chonburi, Nonthaburi, Phuket, Samut Prakan, Pattani and Yala – where new cases are constantly being found – may start operating from the beginning of June. As for department stores, operators will be required to screen each shopper for temperature, limit the number of shoppers and the time they spend in the store, not allow queues in the toilets, collect customer data and desist from holding sales promotion events. It is believed that parks will be the first to be reopened, provided people agree to exercise on their own and not in a group. Schools that are planning to reopen in July will have to make plans to adapt to the situation, especially in terms of the space between each student’s desk.

I think we agree on more than we disagree on what you say above. Especially agree about DeGaulle and Dien Bien Phu. But a few clarifying points are in order: 1. Roosevelt truly found himself between a rock and a hard place. He knew he had to make his intentions to help Britain palatable to the majority of Americans who still detested the trench warfare casualties of the first war. 2. Without the USSR, America, the UK and other allies would have suffered much greater losses if America hadn't sent supplies to Russia in its darkest days. Damned if you do; damned if you don't. 2. Yes, it was good for both Europe and the US that the region not be left in tatters. There's much to be said for enlightened self interest. Sine we've touched on leadership in one way or another in these posts, I take this opportunity to point to an article in the April 20th issue of The New Yorker. It's about the guy who's the most respected individual in America at this moment. Dr. Tony Fauci is the subject of a profile piece that chronicles not only his steady and forthright leadership in the cause of defeating Covid19, but also sheds light on his pioneering work to help save millions from the scourge of HIV AIDS. He credits Larry Kramer and other activists (once his avowed enemies in the early days of that crisis) for helping enlighten him and change the course of the war on that disease. If there was ever a guy I think we can all appreciate for his leadership, here is that man: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/20/how-anthony-fauci-became-americas-doctor

Oh, Pete, you can try to can cherry pick statistics and manipulate facts but you can't hide your intentions. You and others here have used the "per 100,000" or "per million" representations of infections and death rates before because they present a comparable and standardized comparison between countries. And in fact, the UK has twice the death rate per million as the US. I think that's very sad but nonetheless true. And you conveniently ignore that the US began sending aid to Britain before Pearl Harbor in the form of destroyer naval vessels and aircraft. And you completely forget that American merchant vessels were carrying supplies to the UK before Pearl and the losses they sustained were horrific. And that civilian pilots from the US were flying British fighters alongside your countrymen before Pearl. NATO was designed to provide a shared cost of defending much of Europe and North America with a potent defense against future Russian--or other--intervention. Over time, however, European nations began cutting back on military spending and the burden fell inevitably on the US. We can argue the pros and cons of NATO in the 21st century but unfortunately there no substitute for it ready to roll out. And there are none on the drawing boards. We're all stuck with it. As to whether or not the US will make good on its commitment, I agree there are no iron clad guarantees but you have to admit it has a pretty good track record in such matters. And who else can you turn to except the two powers you mostly distrust (Russia and China)? And you're right, of course about China eyeing just about every nation south of its borders as potential expansion territory. If the US didn't cooperate with some other SE Asian countries and nations, who can provide a creditable moment of pause? On the whole, America has been a very good friend to Europe before and after WWII. It didn't forget it's allies--and enemies--in post war Europe. The Marshall Plan provided great aid in helping the region get back on its feet. Just as others are proud to be citizens of their homeland at this moment in time, I don't shrink away from being proud to be an American. The current administration won't rule forever. I

Or move to Vietnam where it's legal to make it

Some of these photos are hard to look at. But they show that you don't have to travel too far outside of Pattaya to find poverty and life on the edge. From Pattaya Mail Thai villagers receive care and benevolence during extremely difficult times Anucha Intasorn, chief of Sattahip District, 30 kms from Pattaya, reached into his own pocket to buy rice, eggs, water and dried food for 300 families struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus shutdown. Teams spread out across the district to distribute the food to grateful families, many of whom are suffering from all the closures due to the coronavirus outbreak. Continues with photos https://www.pattayamail.com/featured/thai-villagers-receive-care-and-benevolence-during-extremely-difficult-times-295897

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 TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn. "The industry needs to watch the situation closely before commencing business."

There's no denying that the US made more than its share of mistakes in SE Asia over time. And there's no denying that international diplomacy has suffered under this administration. But there's also no denying if Russia moves on any member of NATO (which includes Canada), it will be the US that they will be counting on to do much of the heavy lifting. South Korea and Japan have even a greater reliance on America if China or North Korea should attack. And as China expands is claims in the waters bordering the Philippines, Vietnam and other SE Asian nations, who do you think they'd turn to if push came to shove. America bashing is currently in vogue and everyone's free to take a swing. But first consider where you live and who you can really count on when the chips are down.

Pete, you'll never get over your hard on for anything American because you had to ask the US to twice save your island from two world wars. You conveniently forget your country's many take overs of other counties when it was busy building its empire upon which the sun would never set. And you choose to put out of mind the atrocities committed on those who opposed British rule. Get over it. The US will always be the first to come to the UK's side when shit hits the fan again.

Extracted from South China Morning Post Coronavirus gives Vietnam, Cambodia a chance to boost ties with Washington and Beijing For the Southeast Asian neighbours who share a bitter past, the coronavirus pandemic has provided opportunities to cement allegiances that have a bearing on great power rivalry in our region. Cambodia is China’s staunchest ally in Southeast Asia. Beijing has kept it close with economic, political and military support. It is the only Asean country to be a dialogue partner to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a China-led security-plus organisation involving mostly Central and Eurasian countries. Relations with the West went downhill in 2017 when the ruling party accused foreign powers of sponsoring a “colour revolution” and the country’s high court dissolved the main opposition party. The European Union’s removal of preferential tariffs for Cambodian clothing and footwear exports earlier this year has hit hard. Last year, 43 per cent of the country’s foreign direct investment came from China. Growing affinity with China manifested in how Cambodia reacted differently when Covid-19 first surfaced in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. Unlike many of its Southeast Asian neighbours, it did not institute travel restrictions against China and did not repatriate its citizens from the city, telling them to stay and show solidarity with their hosts. Vietnam, on the other hand, became a new addition to the US-led Quad-Plus countries. The 4+3 (US, Japan, Australia, India + South Korea, New Zealand and Vietnam) grouping aims to coordinate the fight against the coronavirus and plan for economic recovery in its aftermath. The inclusion of Hanoi brings Southeast Asian representation to a club dominated by major powers bent on countering China’s growing influence and challenge to regional order. As this year’s Asean chair, Vietnam also joined the US in issuing a joint statement to counter the pandemic after a high-level inter-agency video conference on April 6. This belated US effort, six weeks after the Asean-China Special Foreign Ministers Meeting on Covid-19 held in Laos, announced Washington’s entry in extending help to regional countries struck by the outbreak. Meanwhile, the great power contest in the South China Sea has continued. In late January and mid-March, the US conducted its first and second freedom of navigation operations. The US Navy also conducted Expeditionary Strike Force operations in the semi-enclosed sea, followed by live-fire missile drills in the adjacent Philippine Sea. Beijing also announced the completion of two newly-built “research stations” on its artificial islands astride the strategic waterway. Early this month, the alleged sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by a Chinese coastguard vessel off the contested Paracels drew sharp US and Vietnamese criticism and a statement of concern and solidarity from the Philippines. Further Western pressure can push Cambodia towards China, while Beijing’s continued incursions in the South China Sea may compel Vietnam to expand security ties with the US. But while Cambodia is dangerously becoming too dependent on China, Vietnam’s modest defence capacity and fast-growing economy provides it some legroom as it navigates relations with major powers. Although China is Vietnam’s top import source, the US is its top export market. Hanoi’s efforts to diversify its investors are also paying off. Last year, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore were its top investors, followed by Japan and China. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3080125/coronavirus-mike-pompeo-urges-china-full-transparency-call-top

Channel News Asia reports that of Singapore's 4,427 cases, more than 2,600 can be traced to migrant worker dormitories. A record of 942 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Singapore as of noon on Saturday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a media release. The "vast majority" of these are work permit holders living in foreign worker dormitories, it said. Of the new cases, 14 are Singaporeans and permanent residents, as the ministry noted that the number of local cases continues to decline. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-new-cases-singapore-942-apr-18-dormitories-12655240

Well I agree that the future is impenetrable, Thailand sounds like a country preparing to emerge from the doldrums of isolation. Air Asia announced today it will begin some domestic service in Thailand May 1. The government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration stressed yesterday that 29 provinces have been free of new cases for two weeks. Its spokesman says guidelines for a “new normal” are being drafted amid talks of a gradual reopening of business around the country. He said the government is pleased with the dropping number of new cases and is considering relaxing restrictions, though people can not ignore “good practices” such as social distancing, wearing a mask and washing hands regularly. The Bangkok Post reports that Phuket province (that has the second-highest total of infections in the country after Bangkok) reported no new Covid-19 infections on Saturday as seven more infected patients have fully recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The Post also said today that 33 new local cases were logged nation wide but there were no new deaths. Thailand has only 0.7 deaths per million population, compared to hardest hit countries like Belgium (477), Spain (428), Italy (376), France (278), UK (219), Netherlands (200), Switzerland (157), Sweden (137), US (113) and Ireland (109). According to Khaosod English, the PM has appointed 23 senate members to a Committee on Tourism. Fifteen are military officers turned senators.

From Coconuts Bangkok 44 ‘low-risk’ Thai provinces could reopen in May, no plans for mass testing: official Forty-four Thai provinces where no new cases have been confirmed in the past two weeks could see restrictions lifted as soon as May 1, a health official said Friday. Without naming those provinces, Tanarak Plipat of the Disease Control Department said they could see restrictions lifted on travel and business operations as part of a staggered reopening of the kingdom based on perceived vulnerability. “We have now more than 44 provinces that haven’t reported any cases in the last 14 days,” Tanarak told the BBC’s Jonathan Head in an interview streamed online by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand. “Those provinces may start to relax the rules a little bit first.” He said provinces would be assessed low or high risk, with the latter likely to “be reopened later.” According to his department’s online tracking tool, provinces with no cases reported in the past two weeks include Chiang Rai, Kanchanaburi, Lopburi, Sukhothai and Buriram. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/44-low-risk-thai-provinces-could-reopen-in-may-no-mass-testing-planned-official/ =========================================================================================== From The Nation 28 new cases offer more proof Covid-19 curve flattening in Thailand Thailand’s total number of Covid-19 patients rose to 2,700 with 28 new cases confirmed over a 24-hour period, while one more person died, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Friday (April 17). He said the number on Friday was the same as on Monday, the lowest in weeks. He added that 964 Covid-19 patients remained in hospitals, the first time it had gone under 1,000 in weeks, leaving many patient beds available. Over the last nine days, the average number of new cases has stayed at around 34. However, the government and the private sector have discussed reopening businesses, such as hairdressing salons and department stores. Taweesin said the shops could open, but there will have to be restrictions on the number of clients and wearing of mask must be mandatory.

From South China Morning Post Cathay Pacific to lay off nearly 300 cabin crew in US, calling bases in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles ‘no longer viable’ Cathay Pacific will lay off almost 300 employees in the United States and close its cabin crew bases there, in its biggest cutback of employees during the coronavirus pandemic Cathay has virtually grounded all passenger services, operating 3 per cent of its schedule in April and May, with just two flights a week to Los Angeles instead of the about 120 it would usually fly weekly to the US. Hong Kong’s flag carrier will also furlough 129 pilots in Australia and 72 in Britain with similar plans under consideration in the US and Canada for cockpit crew. The airline’s Australian Airbus pilots would be stood down from May 1 until June 30 and, similarly with London-based Boeing pilots, the company said it would seek to put aircrew on job protection schemes involving the respective government paying a portion of a worker’s salary per month. ============================================================================================================================ From Bangkok Post China virus epicentre Wuhan raises death toll 50% WUHAN (CHINA) - China's coronavirus ground-zero city of Wuhan on Friday admitted missteps in tallying its death toll, and abruptly raised the count by 50 percent following growing world doubts about Chinese transparency. The United States has led the charge in questioning China's handling of the pandemic and how much information it has really shared with the international community since the virus emerged late last year. Authorities in Wuhan initially tried to cover up the outbreak, punishing doctors who had raised the alarm online in December, and there have been questions about the government's recording of infections as it repeatedly changed its counting criteria at the peak of the outbreak. Wuhan's epidemic control headquarters said in a social media posting on Friday that it had added 1,290 deaths to the tally in Wuhan, which has suffered the vast majority of China's fatalities from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. That brings the total number of deaths in the city to 3,869. But the city government only added 325 cases, raising the city's total number of infections to 50,333. China has come under increasing pressure over the coronavirus pandemic from Western powers, with Washington raising doubts about Chinese transparency and probing whether the virus actually originated in a Wuhan laboratory. "We'll have to ask the hard questions about how it came about and how it couldn't have been stopped earlier," British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron told the Financial Times it would be "naive" to think China had handled the pandemic well, adding: "There are clearly things that have happened that we don't know about."

From The Thaiager Migrant workers in Thailand can now stay until November 30 Yesterday the Thai government officially announced a blanket extension for the country’s migrant labourers. They will now be permitted to stay until November 30 this year and will be exempted from any sort of overstay penalty. Government Spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat says that the government has backed the Ministry of Labour’s review of the Cabinet resolution on March 24 on the period of leniency for migrant labourers and their dependents. “The migrant labourers can temporarily stay in the Kingdom until November 30.” “They can use the list of migrant employment requirements issued by the Department of Employment and the current work permit.” This has become an issue as most borders remain closed off from other countries due to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. Most migrant workers come from nearby countries like Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar and many of these workers are employed in the construction and fishing industries which is still mostly functional during the current crisis. =========================================================================================== Thai-Malaysian border set to open this weekend The Thai-Malaysian border is set to reopen this weekend to assist the struggling rubber trade, causing locals to express concern that a spike in new Covid 19 cases could result in Thailand because of the move. Security officials, however, are assuring the public that intensive screening measures are in place in anticipation of the re-opening. Commander of the Fourth Army Region, Lt Gen Pornsak said all agencies in the southern border provinces and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre have set up a task force to screen people entering into Thailand in preparation at the checkpoint. Officers anticipate around 800 people per day to cross the border and are ready to keep everyone safe under the “manageable levels”.

From Bangkok Post Prayut: B5,000 to be paid for three months Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has made an about-turn, saying the government will hand out the 5,000-baht aid for three months as planned earlier. The premier apologised on Thursday for the “miscommunication” on the previous day. On Wednesday he said the government would have money for only a month’s worth of the handout, leading to an uproar among applicants. On Thursday, he said the government would make sure the aid was paid for three months. “If the situation improves after that period, there’s no need for the government to find more money since people could work normally. “But if the situation drags on, we will have to consider finding more money.”