Vaccine passport skullduggery highlighted in Pattaya - Pattaya Mail

Vaccine passport skullduggery highlighted in Pattaya

Pattaya MailMarch 30, 2021

The faking of medical certification is a serious issue as world travel reopens.

With coronavirus vaccination currently unavailable to foreigners in Thailand and other non-priority groups, fraudsters and conmen are readily crowding the security breaches. Pattaya Mail has been informed of two Pattaya expats who fell victim to scams. It's very doubtful they are the only cases.



Harold G, a 66 year-old retiree, said he received a phone call purporting to come from a well-known hospital in Pattaya inviting him to jump the queue in the coming rush to be immunized. "I was told that I could have a choice of vaccines including the one-shot Johnson and Johnson which had already been approved by the Thai health ministry."

A fake Russian vaccine passport available on the dark web.

John was then advised that a one-off payment of 25,000 baht would secure not only the vaccination certificate but a later incorporation into the latest digital passport. That would be necessary anyway because the immigration bureau would be making such security measures compulsory from early next year for visa renewal. The immigration authorities, by the way, have not made any such suggestion.

The expat Brit then gave the phone scammer his credit card details. His card was used to transfer 35,000 baht to a furniture store in the Philippines, but no further information has been forthcoming about his hoped-for certification.

ร้านทอง TMK Gold ต้นมะขามช่างทอง

visit tmkgold.com/ to learn more

He reported the affair to the local police and received a written report in Thai. An officer on duty said the incoming phone call was from a "dead" number, perhaps a theft, and added that telephone marketing scams are a worldwide problem for all.

With vaccine demand outstripping supply, organized crime steps forward.

Frank M, a 58 year-old American with a Thai wife, said he had investigated the internet dark web and discovered hundreds of sites offering to certify more or less any coronavirus vaccine for around US$600. He said he had obtained a certificate within minutes for the AstraZeneca vaccine, duly stamped and dated with a fake signature from a Pattaya medical consultant.



Pattaya Mail spoke to local computer guru Kevin Smythe who confirmed that the dark web sells absolutely anything, illegal or not. "The desire for customers to be anonymous is attractive to many, but there is absolutely no comeback or security concerning the purchase." He added that the production of fake documentation is a serious problem in Pattaya, as instanced by the recent arrest of Russians and Chinese offering for sale fake income letters to obtain annual visas and overseas driving licences.

Marion Quigley, spokeswoman for Passport Health Trust, said that even digital vaccine passports which provide multi-layered security on a mobile phone using QR codes, sometimes with facial or fingerprint recognition, were suspect. "The problem with any vaccine passports is that they focus only on the individual's current status. They don't tell you if that particular vaccinated person has immunity against future disease and for how long.  They don't tell you if that individual is resistant to new strains, and whether he or she can pass the infection to third parties."

ร้านทอง TMK Gold ต้นมะขามช่างทอง

visit tmkgold.com/ to learn more

With Thailand due to reduce and abolish quarantine for vaccinated visitors in a staged adoption starting with Phuket in three months' time, the stakes could not be higher. The prime minister last month ordered the foreign ministry to carry out an international review of the whole subject.  Let's hope it is truly comprehensive and coming soon. 

30/3



Covid-19 Outbreak at another Market in Bangkok - NNT





 

Paphamon Arayasukawat

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has found Covid-19 spread from two vendors at a wet market in Saphan Sung district to five family members early this month.

 

CCSA assistant spokesperson Dr. Apisamai Srirangson said on Monday that the disease was first confirmed in a male meat vendor, 39, at the market. The native of Klong Sam Wa district sourced meat in nearby Pathum Thani province.

 

According to Dr Apisamai, the vendor started developing symptoms on March 11 and his test came back positive on March 18. He transmitted the disease to his 37-year-old wife who is also a meat vendor in Saphan Sung. The wife tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday and was asymptomatic.

 

She said another case in Saphan Sung is a woman, 57, who sold lottery tickets near the meat vendor. She had symptoms on March 17 and tested positive on March 22. She transmitted the disease to four family members.

 

 

Some advice for holidaymakers heading to Thailand - The Nation

Some advice for holidaymakers heading to Thailand

National

Mar 30. 2021

By THE NATION

Thailand has decided to reduce its mandatory quarantine period for foreign arrivals from 14 days to 10 days from Wednesdayonwards.

The quarantine period will be further reduced to just seven days for travellers who have been inoculated against Covid-19. 

However, travellers from high-risk countries will still be required to quarantine for 14 days. 

Meanwhile, the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) decided on March 26 to launch the Phuket "tourism sandbox" for vaccinated tourists from July 1 as proposed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said tourists who can verify they have been inoculated against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into Phuket and move around freely without having to quarantine.

Similar schemes will be applied to other destinations such as Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phang Nga and Surat Thani later, once more people have been vaccinated and preventive measures are put in place.

The government also plans to completely remove quarantine measures for foreign arrivals from October 1, by which time a large number of Thais should be vaccinated. 

But before the country completely opens, here is some advice for people planning to holiday in Thailand: 

UPDATE for foreigners wishing to enter Thailand - Richard Barrows



Thailand loses 1.45 million tourism jobs from pandemic: tourism group - Reuters



 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand has lost about 1.45 million tourism jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, including 400,000 in the first quarter, a private tourism group said on Monday, as the country gets ready to reopen to visitors to try to rescue the struggling sector.

 

Tourism is a key driver of Thailand's growth, typically accounting for 11-12% of gross domestic product. The group says there were 4.5 million tourism jobs before the pandemic, from a workforce of about 38 million people.

 

The country could see 3 million foreign tourist arrivals this year under plans to waive quarantine for visitors vaccinated against COVID-19 in some parts of the country later this year, Vichit Prakobgoson, vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, told a briefing.

 

From July, inoculated tourists will be allowed to visit Phuket without the mandatory two-week quarantine, and from October Pattaya, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, Phang Nga and Krabi.

 

The projection is in line with the central bank's estimate but far below the 6.5 million tourists projected by the government's Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

 

"The TAT's target this year definitely won't be met. From our work plans, there should be 3 million," Vichit said.

 

"But if Bangkok is included in the reopening, it's possible to have 6 million people," he added.

 

Thailand's strict entry requirements have helped keep coronavirus infections relatively low, but have devastated tourism.

 

Last year, there were only 6.7 million foreign tourists, down from nearly 40 million in 2019 who spent 1.91 trillion baht ($61.24 billion).

 

Vichit projected spending by foreign tourists would be 156 billion baht ($5 billion) this year.

 

For Phuket alone, the group expects two million foreign visitors to spend 105 billion baht between July and December, he said.

 

The tourism council had urged the government to start travel bubbles from April with other countries and to issue clear guidelines for "vaccine passports" to attract more travellers, he said.

 

 

Thai tourism industry to focus on safety, cleanliness, sustainability and not taking advantage of tourists - Thai Visa

Thai tourism industry to focus on safety, cleanliness, sustainability and not taking advantage of tourists

 
 
 
 

---

By webfact, 
25 minutes ago in Thailand News

  ShareFollowers1



29/3



RECAP: Thailand discovers 58 domestic infections among 77 new Covid-19 daily cases with one additional death in past 24 hours - Pattaya News

RECAP: Thailand discovers 58 domestic infections among 77 new Covid-19 daily cases with one additional death in past 24 hours

Sunday, 28 March 2021, 13:48

National –

Thailand discovered 58 domestic infections among a total of 77 new Covid-19 Coronavirus daily cases with one additional death in the past 24 hours, the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced this morning, March 28th.

Thailand's 94th Covid-19 fatality was a 75-year-old Thai bedridden woman from Bangkok with underlying health conditions of thyroid disease, high blood lipids, and a pituitary tumor. She was reportedly in close contact with four family members who all previously tested positive for the virus.

The patient was suffering from suspicious symptoms of high fever, coughing, and tiredness on March 23rd. She sought a Covid-19 test at a local hospital and was confirmed with a Covid-19 infection. However, her condition became worse and she was pronounced dead on March 27th.

Regarding the domestic infections, 32 of them were walk-in/hospital cases, including contact tracing, that were confirmed in Bangkok with 20, Samut Sakhon with 7, Samut Prakan with 3, and Pathum Thani with 2. Most of them were Thai nationals with slight symptoms.

The other 26 local infections were reported during proactive case finding in local communities, particularly in local markets, factories, migrant worker's dormitories, and immigration detention in Bangkok with 12, Samut Sakhon with 9, Samut Prakan with 2, Nonthaburi with 2, and Ratchaburi with 1. Most of them are asymptomatic. All of them are being isolated in quarantined areas under the supervision of public health officials with no public exposure.

As of today, 103 people fully recovered in the past 24 hours and have been released from field hospitals and quarantine centers. Thailand has now reached a total of 28,734 cases with 27,239 recoveries and a total of 94 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

28/3



Antique Map of Bangkok 1920 by Imperial Japanese Government Railways.



Phuket's chance to start afresh - Bangkok Post

Phuket's chance to start afresh

March 28, 2021

With the prime minister today expected to announce plans for the reopening of Phuket to foreign tourists in July and the kingdom hoping to regain its crown as one of the most visited and desirable holiday and travel destinations in the world, there is understandable concern over the move.

Indeed, after sheltering so successfully from the storm ripping the rest of the world asunder for so long, December's outbreak in Samut Sakhon was a timely reminder that Covid-19 will spare no territory if given the chance.

Nevertheless, that outbreak has not turned into the full-scale disaster endured by many nations over the past 15 months or so since the first reports of the virus, and the holistic nature of Thailand's community networks has once again shone in a bottom-up effort to locate, isolate and treat the infected.

From July 1, the Phuket "Sandbox" will see tourists who want to join the proposed quarantine-free programme required to show a vaccine certificate, vaccine passport or International Air Transport Association (IATA) travel pass to prove they have had the inoculation and pose no risk of transmission. In the run-up to that date, mandatory quarantine will also begin to be cut, first to 10 days then a week for those who have had jabs.

However, foreign tourists are still required to take a PCR test at the airport and activate the ThailandPlus tracing app while in Phuket, according to the plan.

So much of Thailand's economy is geared towards the revenue brought in by its tourist industry that the current shutdown cannot be indefinite. The swift emergence of vaccines that are reported to be effective in preventing the spread of the disease coupled with the excellent reputation of the Thai healthcare network (its community volunteers, as well as its doctors, nurses and professional staff), mean there is little reason not to pursue reopening, albeit with all due caution.

If this is to be a rebirth, of sorts, for the island province of Phuket, which has been brought to its knees by an external force of nature, then perhaps there is also a wider significance to this chance to start afresh that should not go unremarked on.

For years, the island has been allowed to not only become overly reliant on the income of its foreign guests, but has also forged an unfortunate reputation for offering the kind of cut-and-shut Thai experience many in the nation are keen to move away from. Indeed, the first taste of this beautiful country many have had was coughing up the exorbitant taxi fare to their hotel that the island's passenger vehicle cartel is tacitly allowed to charge by state authorities with a vested interest.

Viral clips of Grab drivers and riders being accosted by members of the local ranks have been especially prevalent in the province as there is zero competition in the sector and outright hostility towards anyone who dares to challenge that.

It is a dark side of the island that has also included accusations of mistreatment at its zoo and various other animal attractions.

Much of what Phuket represents is emblematic of a broader conundrum faced by Thai tourism in general. Catering to the lowest common denominator is often the way to the quickest baht. Sex, booze, performing animals, sun and good Thai food has for many Europeans become their more exotic Asian equivalent of a jaunt to Spain's Benidorm or Magaluf. Favourable exchange rates and an arrival-to-return-flight-home mollycoddling by those making a living in the tourism sector, whether legitimately or otherwise, brought in around 500 billion baht to the island's economy each year prior to the pandemic.

And now we've seen at what cost that came. Without depth, there can be no substance, and the island's economy crumpled like a paper serviette at a beachside eatery. Now is the time for residents and business operators in the province to not only cautiously welcome back their foreign friends with all the prescribed safety measures in place, but also for them to consider ways to diversify and develop revenue streams not so dependent on the foreign buck.

So, in this sandbox it will soon be playtime once again, let's hope that those in the industry and local government realise that there's no reason that frivolous fun can't be combined with a richer, more varied portfolio of businesses and enterprises. These may include hosting more domestic and international events, developing its culinary scene, promoting the arts and cultural attractions of the area, as well as encouraging longer-term stayers such as international students and retirees.

Before then over 900,000 doses of vaccine are set to be administered to those in the province in the hope of achieving general immunity to Covid-19. Let's hope that this colossal effort also includes a dose of reality and the island doesn't slip back into some of its less savoury habits as soon as the tourist money comes rolling back in.

Govt eyes 30m jabs by August - Bangkok Post

Govt eyes 30m jabs by August

The Public Health Ministry has unveiled a plan to progressively roll out almost 30 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine across all 77 provinces by August.

The plan adds to the more than 100,000 people in the target groups already inoculated in the national vaccination programme, according to Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC).

The department chief said the next phase of vaccination began this month with 300,000 people earmarked for the jab. The vaccination timetable will continue until August when the last 10 million doses will be provided.

The priority is at-risk groups of people who make up 10.4 million of the 28.1 million candidates for vaccination during that time.

The vaccine distribution plan also involves identifying and entrusting 4,000 clinics and medical facilities to deliver the jabs nationwide with the number of provinces receiving the jabs increasing from 13 this month to all 77 next month.

"Indeed, the inoculations hinge on the amount of vaccines made available.

"We can only operate within our capability to meet these targets. We will distribute as many of the vaccines as we possibly can," Dr Opas said.

As for the first phase from Feb 28 to March 25, altogether 136,190 doses have been administered so far. Of these, 121,392 were first doses and the rest were receiving their second of the two required jabs.

"The numbers of people being vaccinated and health facilities offering the service will increase in the coming months. This is vital for fast and effective vaccine distribution and coverage," he said.

Meanwhile, the quarantine period for international arrivals will shrink from 14 to 10 days next month, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). However, the revised quarantine is not applicable to nationals of countries with rampant infections by highly-contagious variants of Covid-19. In these cases, the standard 14-day quarantine period still applies.

Dr Opas said the department is keeping watch on the South African variant now affecting South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana and Tanzania.

Updates of quarantine information are relayed to the Foreign Affairs Ministry for dissemination and for announcement on the DDC website every fortnight.

Dr Opas said that even though about 500 million doses have been administered to people worldwide, Covid-19 transmission rates remain high in some countries. For example, Brazil recently reported a single-day jump of almost 100,000 new cases despite its rollout of 17 million doses of vaccine to 5% of the population.

"It goes to show that vaccines alone can't protect people from the disease," he said.

Health precautions and protection measures such as the wearing of face masks, frequent hand washing and social distancing must still be practised, Dr Opas said. Also yesterday, the Department of Health Service Support (DHSS) warned people not to fall for false advertisements offering Covid-19 vaccinations for a fee that were being shared on the Line chat application. The Line group chat was created by the so-called "Qinsong Group" claiming it has vaccines with a 100% efficacy for sale. 

Phuket reopening without quarantine still poses many unanswered questions - Pattaya Mail

Phuket reopening without quarantine still poses many unanswered questions

Pattaya MailMarch 27, 2021

Digital passport technology is getting more and more sophisticated.

The news that Thailand will allow vaccinated foreign tourists to holiday on Phuket Island without undergoing any quarantine has raised spirits across the board. The Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), chaired by the prime minister, approved the business suggestion on March 26. The starting date for the so-called "Phuket Sandbox" is July 1, with a more general aspiration to open up all Thailand on the same basis from October.



However, the devil is in the detail where he always lurks. The program assumes that 70 percent of Phuket residents will themselves have been vaccinated in time for the new arrivals.

That's about 477,000 Thai citizens. The idea here is to establish herd immunity prior to the tourist avalanche. Almost a million doses have been promised to arrive in Phuket in the near future, with two injections required for each individual. Keep your fingers crossed about the optimistic time-scales here.

Passengers wait with their mobiles at the ready.

The policy isn't quite through the bureaucracy yet as it has to be endorsed by the whole Thai Cabinet as well as by the CESA. Hopefully, the affirmation will be swift. But Cabinet members might cause a delay by asking if the vaccinated tourists will have a free run of the island or will be "limited on the trail" as recently suggested by the Thai tourist ministry.

Other question marks might be the detail about a Covid test to be taken at the Thai airport, or the reliability of requiring the tourists to activate the Thailand Plus tracing app. The problem with apps is that they can be switched off.

The projected Phuket arrivals will need to show a vaccination certificate, a vaccine passport or an International Air Transport Association (IATA) travel pass. The trouble with hand-carried vaccination certificates is that they are easily faked and available from unscrupulous vendors on the internet, particularly the dark web. Vaccination passports are in their infancy and by no means universally accepted because of concerns about cybersecurity and data privacy.

Ethiopian Airlines, one of Africa's leading carriers, is currently piloting the IATA travel pass.

The IATA travel pass, a new system to validate and authenticate all country requirements about Covid, whilst providing the individual traveller with a digital certificate, is not yet fully operational. The second functionality will be launched in April. The current version can be found on iOS and Play Store. Use of the IATA technology assumes very detailed coordination between governments, airlines and vaccination centres.



A final factor to be considered is the bureaucracy for potential international vacationers to Phuket. Presumably, they will still need to register online (like all other potential visitors) with the local Thai embassy and present the voluminous paperwork for the mandatory certificate of entry.

One assumes too that even vaccinated applicants will need to provide a Covid-free test within 72 hours of anticipated departure. There is also the question of possible health insurance and whether it would be Covid-specific or general health or both or neither. These details will eventually appear on embassy websites, one assumes, but that will take weeks.

Thai government sources are confident that the quarantine-free scheme at Phuket will bring an extra 100,000 visitors and produce 30 billion baht in much-needed revenue. Before that can happen, a great deal of missing detail has to be inked in. And July 1 is only three months away.