Ministry of Public Health official Kiatphoom Wongjarit admitted that a special team had been sent to Phuket after infections on the sandbox island hit 200 a day.
He blamed the infections on migrant workers who have come into the province to work causing the spread in communities where they live.
He was quick to point out that foreign tourists were NOT to blame as they are tested before arrival and during their stay.
He said out of 30,000 visitors under the Phuket sandbox reopening only 89 had tested positive for Covid-19.
The special team will be focusing their efforts on restoring confidence of Phuket residents and foreign tourists who were not expecting their holiday island to have Covid.
They will also be ensuring that the elderly, pregnant women, those with underlying health conditions as well as the migrant workers get vaccinated.
Chonburi new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 rise to 973 with 12 deaths
Highlights:
973 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Chonburi today
889 people recovered and were released from medical care
12 new deaths
The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 973 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today with 12 new deaths, September 16th.
This makes a total of 76,817 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 13,609 people still under medical care/supervision, and with a total of 541 recorded deaths in Chonburi since the start of this recent round of infections in early April. The details on yesterday's 12 new deaths were not given, which is standard for the health department.
Additionally, 889 people were also released and recovered yesterday in Chonburi. 62,667 people in total have now been released from medical care and recovered in Chonburi since this current wave of Covid-19 began.
The district-level new cases were as follows today:
Mueang Chonburi 226, Si Racha 241, Banglamung (Pattaya) 124, Panat Nikhom 55, Sattahip 119, Ban Bueang 99, Pan Thong 43, ฺBor Thong 4, Ko Chan 16, Nong Yai 4, Koh Sichang 1, and 41 transferred from other provinces for medical care.
The details on the cases are as follows:
Cluster, military conscripts in Sattahip, 38 cases
Cluster, soldiers area in Sattahip, 9 cases
Cluster, TR Insulation company in Sattahip, 9 cases
Cluster, Mitsubishi Motor company in Si Racha, 9 cases
Cluster, TIP Metal Industries company in Si Racha, 10 cases
Cluster, Yamata Polymer company in Si Racha, 8 cases
Cluster, Acushnet Footjoy company in Si Racha, 6 cases
Cluster, Thai Jurong Engineering company in Ban Bueng, 11 cases
Cluster, Kasem Engineering & Consultant company in Ban Bueng, 6 cases
Cluster, Hongfa Technology company in Ban Bueng, 6 cases
Cluster, Sheng Thai Brassware company in Koh Chan, 5 cases
Cluster, Chian Chang Machine company in Mueang Chonburi, 4 cases
Cluster, Copacabana Jomtien company in Banglamung, 4 cases
A risky occupation, meeting a lot of people, 32 cases
3 medical staff
Many establishments in Rayong Province brought to Chonburi for medical care, 35 cases
Back from risky area in Rayong – 2 cases, Kanchanaburi – 1 case, Trat – 1 case, and Bangkok – 1 case
Close contacts of confirmed patients in the family – 297 cases, in workplaces – 190 cases, close friends – 15 cases, and joined parties, 8 cases
Close contacts of confirmed patients (under investigation), 69 cases
195 cases are under investigation in general as to the cause of the disease
A total of 1,067 close contact searches were received today, and 302 proactive search reports are pending.
There are currently clusters of outbreaks in 72 establishments and five markets, 10 construction worker camps, and four communities.
Postpone countrys reopening to November 1, Siriraj Hospital prof advises
Thailand is not ready to reopen the country on October 1 as the Covid-19 vaccination rate has not yet reached a safe level, Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, Siriraj Hospital's dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said on Wednesday, suggesting that the reopening be postponed to November 1.
Prasit said his main concern was that another new virus variant could possibly emerge at any time, making current vaccines ineffective.
Compared with other countries, it would be too quick if Thailand were to reopen on October 1, he said, as the vaccination rate should first exceed 70 per cent of the population.
Only 38 per cent of the country has been vaccinated so far with a first dose and just 18 per cent have received the second dose, the dean pointed out.
"The government should wait for one more month to ensure that the country is ready to reopen for tourists. We have learnt from the Phuket Sandbox programme that people who have been fully vaccinated can still get infected and spread the disease. I also strongly suggest not to lift quarantine measures in the meantime," Prasit said.
"Medical personnel will also be required to continue their duties after this long period of hard work. If there was another outbreak, patient beds would be inadequate, and we have to avoid that," he warned.
"Whoever makes the decision will need to be responsible for it. My only hope for now is that there would be no further virus mutations which could affect vaccine efficiency," he added.
Visitors are seen at the Grand Palace. Thailand prepares to open more cities for tourists. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered various ministries to speed up preparations for boosting tourism while keeping in mind pandemic restrictions.
The order comes as a medical expert raised concerns over the possibility of the healthcare system having to battle with another outbreak if the government insists on reopening the tourism industry as early as Oct 1.
Gen Prayut on Wednesday assigned the Tourism and Sports, Public Health and Interior ministries to prepare for a rise in both Thai and foreign tourists in the fourth quarter of this year, known as the high tourism season, said Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
Dr Taweesilp was speaking after a meeting of the CCSA chaired by the prime minister.
The ministries were instructed to find areas with the potential to be a part of the government's new tourism reopening programme called "Covid-free Tourist Area Sandbox", similar to the Phuket Sandbox programme, he said.
Dr Taweesilp said ideal candidates for the tourism programme include islands and areas with an airport, which would also have in place Covid-19 prevention and control measures.
The pilot phase of the new tourism promotion programme will begin in October, when five provinces -- Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi and Chon Buri -- are due to reopen for tourism, he said.
Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean of Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, meanwhile, cautioned the country is not fully ready to reopen given its low Covid-19 vaccination coverage.
Dr Prasit suggested the government should take into account a lesson learned by Phuket after piloting its Phuket Sandbox programme and the fact that even fully vaccinated people can still catch the coronavirus and spread it. "It will be worrying to lift the Covid-19 quarantine when the country reopens its tourism on Oct 1, while only 38% of the population has received one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine and only 18% of the people have had two shots of the vaccine," he said.
"In fact, it would be better off if we will keep waiting for another month to ensure the country is really ready." Some businesses are also thought to be concerned about the effects on tourism confidence of opening the country too early.
Meanwhile, Kiattiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary for public health, said a disease control team has been sent to Phuket to assist local health authorities to contain Covid-19 after the province began recording 200 plus cases of Covid-19 daily.
"The overall effectiveness of Phuket's Covid-19 vaccination is also being assessed to determine whether a booster shot will be needed," Dr Kiattiphum said.
Thai Tourism Minister and Bangkok Governor state Bangkok will be ready to welcome vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine from October 15th
Bangkok, Thailand-
The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, held a meeting with Bangkok Governor Asawin Kwanmuang and relevant Tourism Authority of Thailand officials today, discussing proposals to open Bangkok to vaccinated foreign tourists in October.
First, TPN media wants to stress this is still a proposal and not "set in stone", although is moving forward quickly and is due to be presented to relevant agencies this Friday and next week for further approval. We won't be covering the proposal in detail in this article, however, You can read more about the current proposal by clicking here.
The proposal, aimed for October 1st, also covers Chonburi (Sattahip and Pattaya specifically), Hua Hin, Cha-am, and Chiang Mai. These four will be, according to Minister Phiphat, ready to welcome foreign-vaccinated tourists as part of the One SOP proposal from October 1st. Bangkok, however, has asked for a little more time and appears to have been granted it.
According to a joint press conference by both Phiphat and Asawin this afternoon, Bangkok will need until October 15th to reach 70% vaccinated in all districts of Bangkok. The original plan considered limiting tourists to only certain districts in Bangkok, however, that appears to now be scratched and all districts in Bangkok will be proposed to be open as part of the One SOP measures.
TPN media will closely follow and cover the planned meetings where approval for the proposals and specific details and regulations around the plan are expected to be reviewed this weekend. We stress that right now the One SOP proposal is still only a proposal and not finalized.
In essence, the proposal would be similar to the Phuket Sandbox program, giving foreign-vaccinated tourists freedom of movement, although only in a specific area for fourteen days. There would still be regulations and rules, such as a COE to enter, mandatory insurance, staying at a SHA+ hotel, allowing tracking via mobile applications, and regular Covid-19 testing, but like Phuket, the tourist could go anywhere in the zone and not be tied into specific tour groups or limited "approved" locations. The plan for Bangkok in particular is seen as potentially boosting the business trip sector significantly.
Part of the proposal is also including the new areas as part of a 7×7 program so that after 7 days in a "zone" the visitor could visit another area for their next 7 days and after fourteen days would have freedom of movement in the country, although would still need to follow individual provincial rules and restrictions.
Ministry of Tourism pushing for October reopening but some officials apprehensive
The Minister of Tourism Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn is pushing for an October 1 reopening for Bangkok and surrounding provinces even as officials remain apprehensive due to high infection numbers and the ongoing pandemic, a senior health official told Thai Enquirer on Wednesday.
Phipat told reporters on Tuesday that the country was still on course to open up Bangkok to foreign tourists via the sandbox model by October 1.
Under the plan, Bangkok and surrounding provinces will be opened to vaccinated tourists who can travel freely between Bangkok and other sandbox'ed provinces including Phuket and Samui.
Phipat said it was imperative that the country opens up to save the economy and he said he has the blessing of health minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
However, senior health officials within the Ministry of Public Health told Thai Enquirer that there has been push back against the October 1 date as the country's Covid-19 recovery trajectory was still precarious.
"If we are irresponsible the numbers could still shoot back up, that is why we have to manage the reopening carefully and only when we're sure that the right number of people are vaccinated," the source said.
According to the source, the advisers and doctors inside the ministry are asking Phipat and the cabinet to postpone the reopening and consider a November 1 date instead.
"We would be a lot more comfortable pushing the date by just one month to November 1 where we would be sure that those that want a vaccine in Bangkok would have received at least one dose," the source said.
Krabi imposes partial lockdown from Sep 15, Phi Phi Island closure extended
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Thailand's Krabi province has imposed a lockdown, effective from tomorrow (September 15th), after a cluster of COVID-19 infections was discovered.
84 new infections have been reported over the past two days, raising the province's cumulative total to 2,459, while 842 are still receiving treatment.
According to the announcement, by Krabi's Provincial Health Office, those travelling into Krabi must be fully vaccinated or have been inoculated with one dose of AstraZeneca for at least 14 days and must test negative for COVID-19.
Dining-in at restaurants in Krabi is allowed at only 25% of seating capacity with no alcohol served, no air-conditioners and they must close at 8pm. Restaurants in Klong Tom and Nuea Khlong districts can only offer takeaway services.
Shopping centres must close at 8pm, with no promotional activities allowed. Convenience stores can open from 5am to 8pm, while gaming and internet cafes, as well as massage parlours, gyms, fitness centres and sports stadia must close. Schools will remain closed and students must attend online classes. Public transport can be offered from 4am to 8pm, as the curfew will be in place from 9pm to 4am. No gatherings of more than 5 people are allowed.
The provincial health office also agreed to extend the closure of Phi Phi Islands for domestic visitors for another seven days, until September 24th.
Tourists under the "Phuket Sandbox 7+7" scheme can, however, still enter the islands after staying in Phuket for seven days. Tourists who wish to enter must show their certificate proving that they are fully vaccinated and have tested negative for COVID-19 using a RT-PCR test.
This means domestic travellers and other groups are banned from entering the islands, unless they receive approval from disease control officials.
Thai citizens are already raking in millions of baht from home using this "wealth loophole" - but is it legitimate?
Thaksin Shinawatra comes out with new secret investment that's making hundreds of people in Thailand very rich.
(Channel 3 News) - Thai billionaire and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has made a name for himself as a brash straight-talker who doesn't mind being honest about how he makes his money.
Last week, he appeared on Timeline Sutchichai Yoon and announced a new "wealth loophole" which he says can transform anyone into a millionaire within 3-4 months. Shinawatra urged everyone in Thailand to jump on this amazing opportunity before the big banks shut it down for good.
And sure enough, minutes after the interview was over, Kasikorn Bank called to stop Shinawatra interview from being aired - it was already too late.
Here's exactly what happened:
The Timeline host Sutchichai Yoon invited Shinawatra on the show to share any tips he had on building wealth and the young entrepreneur dropped a bomb:
"What's made me successful is jumping into new opportunies quickly - without any hesitation. And right now, my number one money-maker is a new cryptocurrency auto-trading program called Bitcoin Loophole. It's the single biggest opportunity I've seen in my entire lifetime to build a small fortune fast. I urge everyone to check this out before the banks shut it down."
The Timeline host Sutchichai Yoon was left in disbelief as Shinawatra pulled out his phone and showed viewers how much money he's making through this new money-making program that now has everyone in Thailand whispering.
The segment ran out of time before Shinawatra could elaborate, so we got an exclusive interview with the man himself to learn more about this controversial opportunity.
"You may have heard about this new cryptocurrency investment platform called Bitcoin Loophole that's helping regular people in Thailand, Asia and North America build fortunes overnight. You may be skeptical because it sounds too good to be true."
Shinawatra continues:
"I get that because I thought the same thing when a trusted friend told me about it. But after seeing with my own eyes how much money he was making, I had to try it for myself.
I'm glad I tried it because it was some of the biggest and easiest money I've ever made. I'm talking hundreds of thousands of baht a day on autopilot. it's literally the fastest way to make a windfall of cash right now. And it's not going to last for much longer when more and more people find out about it. Or when banks shut it down for good."
The idea behind Bitcoin Loophole is straightforward: To allow the average person to cash in on the cryptocurrency boom which is still the most lucrative investment of the 21st century, despite what most people think.
Although Bitcoin price has dropped from it's all time high of ฿600,000 ($20,000 USD) per Bitcoin, traders are still making a killing. Why? Because there are thousands of other cryptocurrencies besides Bitcoin that being traded for huge profits on a daily basis.
Some of these cryptocurrencies include Ripple, Ethereum, Monero, Zcash and Ripple and they are still making returns of over 10,000% and higher for ordinary people in Thailand.
Bitcoin Loophole lets you profit from all of these cryptocurrencies, even in a bear market. It uses artifical intelligence (AI) to automatically handle long and short selling for you so you can make money around the clock, even while you sleep.
Bitcoin Loophole is backed by some of the smartest tech minds to ever exist. Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Bill Gates just to name a few.
Bill Gates and Richard Branson discuss Bitcoin Loophole at CES 2019.
These tech geniuses have built multi-billion companies on solving complex issues like online payments, computing, and transportation. Now, they're tackling on the global problem of wealth inequality by letting anyone - no matter how rich or poor they are - make enough money to enjoy a happy and fulfilling life.
"We're seeing hard economic times, and this is the solution people have been waiting for. Never in history have we had such an amazing opportunity that ordinary people can easily take advantage of to generate tremendous wealth in such a short time.
Some people are hesitant to try this because it's so different. And that's because the big banks are trying to cover this up! The big banks are actively creating propaganda and calling cryptocurrencies and platform like Bitcoin Loophole a scam. Why? They are worried their corporate profits will shrink once their customers know how to create massive wealth themselves.
The truth is, cryptocurrency is the revolution of our lifetime and anyone who does not jump on this opportunity is missing out. I've already received angry calls and threats from big financial corporations because I'm bring this technology to people's attention. But screw them. People in Thailand are already starting to know the truth and it's only a matter of time before more and more do.
I'm sharing this because I've also received hundreds of emails from people thanking me for sharing this secret. My favorite one is from a young man who bought his little brother his dream car - a Ferrari 488 Pista using the cash he made from Bitcoin Loophole. This platform is truly making the lives of everyone in the world a little better."
Tadthon Niratpattanasai used the profits he earned from Bitcoin Loophole to buy his little brother his dream car. What an inspiring way to use wealth for good!
Our senior editors wouldn't let us to publish the interview with Thaksin Shinawatra until we verified that Bitcoin Loophole is a legitimate make-money-from-home opportunity. Our corporate leadership did not want us releasing any information that could potentially cause citizens of Thailand to lose their hard-earned money.
So our editorial team tested Bitcoin Loophole to make sure it actually works like Shinawatra described. One of our online editors, Kwanchai Paphatphong, volunteered to risk his own money and test out Bitcoin Loophole.
Kwanchai is a 53-year-old father of 2 girls whose wife lost her job last year due to illness. He admitted he was struggling financially and this investment opportunity could be the answer.
Kwanchai's family was struggling to make ends meet and hoped that Bitcoin Loophole could relieve his the financial pressure, so he decided to test the system and report his results
Kwanchai reports:
"At first, when I heard the interview with Shinawatra , I thought he was joking. Making money from home is only a dream. I decided to try it anyway given my financial circumstances- and for the sake of good journalism.
I watched an introductory video about the platform and then signed up. The video seemed to be over-promising but I put my skepticism aside. Within a few hours, I received a call from my personal investor. He answered all questions and doubts I had, and assured me I was going to make money. Period.
My personal investor even promised that if I lose even a single dime, he would promptly refund my ฿10000 ($300 USD) deposit. That's how confident he was this was going to change my life. Now that's customer service beyond anything I've seen and no wonder banks are scared.
Once I received access to the platform, I deposited my initial investment of ฿10000 ($300 USD) That's about is what my family spends on junk food every month, so I decided to stop taking us to fast food for a month. Now we can be healthy, plus have the opportunity to get rich.
The Bitcoin Loophole system itself is a cryptocurrency auto-trading platform. The software uses advanced AI algorithms and machine learning to predict exactlywhen cryptocurrencies will go up and down. Then it will automatically buy and sell for you around the clock. Technology has already made our lives easier in every possible way, so why not use it to make more money as well?"
"Within 1 hour of depositing ฿10000 ($300 USD), the software started trading for me. To be honest, I was nervous it would lose all of my money. And sure enough, my first trade was a ฿800 ($25 USD) loss!
I felt my throat close up. I thought I had been scammed. I was even ready to call my personal investor and ask for my money back. But then I remembered what my he told me earlier on our call: The algorithm is right about 80-89% of the time. You're not going to win EVERY trade, but you'll win enough and be profitable overall.
So I let the software keep trading for me and watched it closely. The next trade was profitable! Only ฿600 ($19 USD) but it was still something. Then the next trade was ฿1600 ($51 USD) profit. Then ฿700 ($22 USD) profit, making a total profit of ฿2100 ($67 USD). And this was all under 5 minutes!
Soon I started scooping up cash like ice-cream and I couldn't believe my eyes. Every time I refreshed the screen, my profits grew higher and higher. I felt like I was on drugs because this was such an exciting rush.
Everytime I refreshed my trading dashboard, my profits grew higher and higher. It was such an exciting rush!
Now I know why Thaksin Shinawatra is in a good mood all the time. And why the big banks don't want people anywhere near this wealth loophole. By the end of the day, I had made over ฿23800 ($754 USD) in profit, not bad from a starting investment of ฿10000 ($300 USD)! I was so excited I barely got any sleep.
The next day was Tuesday and I had to go back to work. To be honest (and don't tell my boss this), it was hard to focus on my job knowing the Bitcoin Loopholesoftware was making me money.
I snuck out to the bathroom a few times to check my profits, and they kept stacking up (with a small loss here and there). At the end of the day, before I put my kids to sleep, my account balance showed ฿42,500 ($1,349 USD). That's more than I earn in a WEEK at my regular job!
By the end of the week, I made a total of ฿167,303 ($5,349 USD). I withdrew exactly ฿142,400 ($4,500 USD) and re-invested the rest. Within 2 days I received my first cheque in the mail- for exactly ฿142,400. I couldn't believe this was real life!"
Kwanchai received a cheque for ฿4,500 ($142,400) for his first two weeks of using Bitcoin Loophole
Kwanchai continues:
"Now, I am consistently making an additional ฿22,000 to ฿47,000 ($700-$1500 USD) per day thanks to Bitcoin Loophole. Now, the money just gets deposited into my bank account every few days. Just a few clicks and I received my funds within 24-48 hours. Everytime the transfer hits my checking account, I have to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
Luckily, I LOVE my job here because I get to bring people important news stories (like this one) otherwise I would have quit by now. I did, however, plan a vacation for my family to Bali Indonesia to celebrate being out of debt and finally having my family's finances back on track!
This wouldn't be possible without Mr. Shinawatra's generosity and sharing his secret live on television. And I'm happy I took the risk to try Bitcoin Loopholemyself. My wife is happier than ever and my kids' toy cupboard is well stocked.
My co-workers are kicking themselves they didn't sign up two weeks ago like I did. But soon, our entire office signed up (including my boss) and they are calling me a "hero" for trying this."
To get started, you only need your computer, smartphone, or tablet with internet access. You don't need any specific skills other than knowing how to use a computer and browsing the internet. You don't need any technology or cryptocurrency experience because the software and your personal investor guarantees you make a profit.
Another perk of this program is you get to start when you want. You can make your own schedule- whether that's 5 hours a week or 50 hours a week. Just start the auto-trading software when you wish, and you can pause whenever you want (I don't know why you ever would though).
To save our reader's time and double check the 's functionality, Kwanchai kindly created a guide to getting started on the system.
The first thing you see is a video showing off the power of Bitcoin Loophole . The advertising is big and bold and in your face, but it is an American product and that's how they do things. Anyway, you simply submit your name and email address next to the video to get started right away.
(Tip: Even if you don't decide to invest any money, I recommend signing up nowbecause it's free and registrations for Thailand residents could end at any moment)
Next up, you're asked to fund your account. As I was navigating the deposit page, my mobile rang. It was an international number so I was hesitant to answer but then I realised it was obviously from.
Sure enough, it was my own personal account manager. His service was great. He took me through the entire funding process. They accept all major credit cards like Visa, MasterCard and American Express. I went ahead and deposited the minimum amount which is $300 USD or ฿10000.
Once funded, I navigated to the "Auto-Trader" section of software, set the trade amount to the recommended ฿1600 ($50 USD and enabled it). The software started making trades at a rapid rate and I was concerned at first but let it do its thing.
"Everyone wants to be rich but no one knows how to do it. Well, is the opportunity of a lifetime to build a fortune that will allow you to live the life you truly desire. It will NOT be around forever, so do not miss out." - Thaksin Shinawatra
We just receivied news that as of today (Wednesday, September 15, 2021) almost all positions are filled up for Thailand residents. Bitcoin Loophole can only accept a limited number of total users to keep the profit per user is high. As of right now, there are still (37) spots left, so hurry up and sign up now to secure your spot.
The Thai Cabinet has agreed the framework of a new visa policy which has been under consideration by government committees for most of 2021. The general idea is to lure well-heeled foreigners to have a base in the kingdom whilst enjoying a number of perks which include a 10 yearpermission to stay, the end of 90-day reporting, an attractive income tax structure and owning land outright. However, the devil – or devils – lurk in the detail. As always.
One of the eligible groups are "wealthy" retirees who are described as over 50 years and with an annual income of US$40,000, or US$250,000 in government bonds or ownership of real estate to the latter amount. At present retiree rules are very different. Ownership of property or of government assets doesn't count, whilst the income rule is 800,000 baht in the bank or in foreign income shipped in monthly. That equates to only about US$25,000 and can sometimes be avoided if a friend loans you the cash.
The immediate question is whether current retirees will have to move to the new regulations or whether they will be protected on the rules as they are. It is possible, though by no means certain, that they will be "grandfathered", that is able to retain one year renewable extensions of stay but without any of the new perks promised for the wealthier group. An earlier government statement last June suggested that comprehensive insurance, as well as Covid-related, would be required for "all" retirement-based visas and extensions of stay issued by Thai embassies abroad and by the immigration bureau here. Lots of detail still to come on those issues.
The Cabinet decision also seeks to encourage migration by rich foreigners – basically those with assets worth one million dollars US – by linking a ten year visa to an automatic work permit and a special-reduced income tax rate for those working in the Eastern Economic Corridor which is currently based in the Rayong area. These ideas seem to be based on the current four-year Smart visa for hi-tech experts and some digital nomads which does not anyway require a work permit or the 90 days reporting. Although not well known, the Smart visa has already broken new visa ground.
The government says it is now committed to allowing "some" rich foreigners to own freehold land. This is likely to mean a newly-built house on specially-agreed estates with the proviso that the dwelling is bought directly from the developer. This perk was publicized as a possibility last June when it was suggested that some Elite visa holders might qualify provided they kept on investing over a five year period. But the most recent Cabinet statement doesn't mention Elite.
The overall aim is to boost the Thai economy and the Thai treasury by attracting one million or so wealthy foreigners to stay long-term without the traditional downsides. The proposals will appeal mostly to Chinese and other Asian investors who already dominate the foreign-bought condo market and the multi-billion (in any currency) import and export complex dominated by the Eastern Economic Corridor. The English-speaking, social media keyboard warriors are already ridiculing the idea that Thailand can attract hundreds of thousands of really wealthy guys and gals. However, the proposals are not primarily aimed at the current expat population.
The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand has told the Thai media that he plans to ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to consider letting foreign visitors to Thailand take just one RT-PCR test.
At the moment the costs can be as high as 15,000 baht for three tests though in reports elsewhere on ASEAN NOW it has been said that this will be reduced to 8,000 baht to reduce the financial burden.
Yutthsak Suphasorn wants the CCSA to mandate just one test for all the reopening schemes from the Phuket Sandbox to others in places like Samui, and upcoming areas from October 1st namely Bangkok, Pattaya, Cha-Am, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai.
