Proposal would allow foreigners in Thailand to own 1 rai of land - but there’s a 40 million baht catch - Hua Hin Today

Proposal would allow foreigners in Thailand to own 1 rai of land – but there's a 40 million baht catch

July 12, 2022

A pool villa in Pattaya. File Photo. fokke baarssen / shutterstock

A proposal being drafted by the Interior Ministry would see foreigners in Thailand allowed to own up to 1 rai of land for residential purposes.

However, foreign buyers would be required to invest 40 million baht in Thailand for a period of three years in order to be eligible for land ownership.

The move was announced by Deputy Interior Minister Nipon Boonyamanee on Monday, who said a proposal will be put before Cabinet for approval.

Mr Nipon explained how the ministry is exploring ways to stimulate real estate sales among foreign business people with high spending power.

He said the real estate markets in places such Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chonburi, Phuket and Chiang Mai could benefit from the move.

Mr Nipon said that compared to other countries, the price of real estate in Thailand is not high and that the proposal, if approved, would help to stimulate the economy.

In addition, Mr Nipon said the ministry aims to reduce the transfer and mortgage fees to 0.01 percent for properties which cost more than 3 million baht.

A further study will then be carried out to ascertain whether a reduction on transfer and mortgage fees will be implemented for properties costing between 10 million and 20 million baht.

The news comes after Thailand recently launched a new visa aimed at attracting foreigners with high spending power.

Earlier this month, the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI) confirmed that applications for its new Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa will open from September 1.

The 10 year visa aims to attract foreigners of "high potential" to live and work in Thailand.

"This new visa program is expected to attract new foreign residents, technologies and talents contributing to domestic spending and investment while supporting economic growth.

"The Thai government has set the target of attracting one million wealthy or talented foreign residents into the country over the next five years", the website reads.

The 10 year LTR visas will be offered across four categories: Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners, Work-from-Thailand Professionals, and Highly-Skilled Professionals.

The BOI says the LTR visas will make living in Thailand long term "easier and less bureaucratic".

🔴 #COVID19 update on Wednesday ⬆️ 2,391 new cases ⬆️ 25 deaths ⬆️ 24,082 active cases ⬇️ 776 serious cases. TNR / Richard Barrow



What exactly are the religious holidays being celebrated over the next two days? We take a look at the important dates here in advance of the five day holiday. The Pattaya News

Five-day-long weekend approaching in Thailand to celebrate two major Buddhist holidays, starting Wednesday

Nop MeechukhunTuesday, 12 July 2022, 14:33

PHOTO: Thairath

National –

Starting tomorrow, Thailand will have a five-day-long weekend as two Buddhist holidays are approaching on July 13th for Asanha Bucha Day and the 14th for the beginning of the Buddhist Lent while the 15th was announced by the government as a special holiday.

Asanha Bucha Day is celebrated annually on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month as it was the day when the Buddha held his first teaching, known as the four noble truths, after his enlightenment to his first five disciples 2,500 years ago.

Buddhist Lent begins on the day after Asahna Bucha and marks the beginning of the three–month period where all monks should not travel and stay in a particular place or their temple, where they can shelter from the sun, storms, and rain, for study and meditation.

Similar to other major Buddhist public holidays, most Thai Buddhists will traditionally offer alms to monks in the early morning and will visit temples to listen to sermons in the evening. They also perform a ritual practice known as the candle ceremony (Wien Tien) where they walk clockwise three times around the temple's stupa carrying candles and flowers.

Five major Buddhist precepts are also practiced on the day. They are (1) not harming living things; (2) not taking what is not given; (3) refraining from sexual misconduct; (4) avoiding telling lies or participating in gossip; (5) abstaining from alcoholic drinks and recreational drugs.

And of course, a ban on the sale of alcohol in stores and restaurants is implemented during the Buddhist holidays, as well as the closure of all pubs and bars in the country.

Government offices like Immigration will also be closed.

🔴 #COVID19 update on Tuesday ⬇️ 1,679 new cases ⬇️ 23 deaths ⬇️ 23,617 active cases ⬆️ 788 serious cases. TNR / Richard Barrow

Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences has issued a report about the spread of BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants, saying that most of the detected cases have so far been in Bangkok but are expected to spread out the other 76 provinces. The director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, Dr Supakit Sirilak, says that the two sub-variants – BA.4 and BA.5 – have been confirmed in 75% of the infected arrivals. | Thaiger

BA.4 & BA.5 in Bangkok "will spread to the provinces" – Department of Medical Sciences

By 

Tim Newton

Tuesday, July 12, 2022 07:36

Thailand's Department of Medical Sciences has issued a report about the spread of BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants, saying that most of the detected cases have so far been in Bangkok but are expected to spread out the other 76 provinces.

The director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, Dr Supakit Sirilak, says that the two sub-variants – BA.4 and BA.5 – have been confirmed in 75% of the infected arrivals. In Bangkok testing, 72% of cases were the two latest sub-variants, in the provinces it was only 34.7% of cases at the moment.

Speaking about the possibilities of the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants causing more severe illness, Dr Supakit noted that 72% of cases, of those had been properly examined, had mild symptoms. But in patients currently suffering serious lung inflammation, using ventilators, people in critical condition or those who died, the two sub-variants were confirmed with 77% of the patients.

In recent reports from the WHO, who have admitted that the BA.4 and BA.5 are already sub-variants of concern, the issues of immune escape (so that natural or vaccine-assisted immunity were ineffective), and increased transmissibility were reasons for health authorities to

In the US, the sub-variant BA.5 is now accounting for nearly 54% of the country's Covid cases as of last Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A similar subvariant, BA.4, makes up 17% more. David Montefiori, a professor at the Human Vaccine Institute at Duke University Medical Center, says that the two subvariants "also appear to evade protection from vaccines and previous infections more easily than most of their predecessors".

Health authorities, in many countries currently watching the rising new infection numbers, are warning that new variants can reinfect even those with some form of antibody immunity "in a matter of weeks".

Western Australia's chief health officer Andrew Robertson says… "They (new variants) seem to be able to evade the protection from either having had a previous infection with BA2 or having had a vaccine.

The latest UK Government figures show that coronavirus cases in England had risen by 26.5% in the past 7 days to 139,272 infections, prompting the UK Health Security Agency to remind people to ensure they have had any vaccines that they are eligible for and to follow Covid-safe practices such as regular hand washing.

Back in Bangkok, Dr Supakit says… "it had not been concluded that BA.4 and BA.5 caused severe symptoms."

The Department of Medical Sciences and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration are now conducting more specific examinations of affected patients so that there would be enough data to reach a conclusion.

Meanwhile, in Cyprus, the island is reintroducing mandatory face mask rules as a new wave of Covid sweeps the country. The rules will come into effect tomorrow across the whole island as the Cypriot government attempts to tackle rising infection numbers. It comes after rules were relaxed over a month ago, however, the country recorded 10,879 new Covid cases in the week ending July 1.



The Royal Gazette today, July 11th, has announced the Public Health Ministry’s announcement of declaring monkeypox as a contagious disease that must be monitored in Thailand. Pattaya News

Monkeypox listed as contagious disease that must be monitored in Thailand, Royal Gazette announces today

Nop MeechukhunMonday, 11 July 2022, 17:15

PHOTO: Thairath

National –

The Royal Gazette today, July 11th, has announced the Public Health Ministry's announcement of declaring monkeypox as a contagious disease that must be monitored in Thailand.

As of Monday, the Royal Gazette published the announcement of the Ministry of Public Health titled Names and Significant Symptoms of Communicable Diseases to Be Monitored (No. 2) B.E. 2565.

The announcement stated that it is expedient to declare Monkeypox as a communicable disease that must be monitored under the Communicable Disease Act B.E. 2558 (2015) for the purpose of surveillance, prevention, and control of the communicable disease in Thailand.

This Notification, issued on July 8th, will come into force from the day following the date of its publication in the Government Gazette or from July 9th onwards.

The government has set criteria for tightening measures to contain the spread of the virus. - More than 4,000 people are hospitalised daily. - The number of patients on ventilators increases to 400-500 per day. - The number of deaths exceeds 40 per day. Bangkok Post



People flock to Bang Sue Grand Station on Monday to be vaccinated or receive booster shots against Covid-19 as the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron are spreading fast. Photos | Apichart Jinakul. Bangkok Post



The Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has asked the public to wear masks at all times, even outdoors, and get a booster before traveling during the long holiday this week.- The Pattaya News

Thai Public Health Ministry encourages public to receive booster vaccination before traveling during long holiday this week

Nop MeechukhunMonday, 11 July 2022, 20:32

National –

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health encourages the public to receive a booster vaccination before traveling during the long holiday this week.

Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that during this upcoming long holiday, from Wednesday 13th to Sunday the 17th, there may be an increased risk of Covid-19 infections in many areas, therefore, the Ministry would like to encourage the public to get vaccinated at vaccination centers, Provincial Health Offices, and public hospitals nationwide before traveling.

Anutin also reiterated that taking at least three doses or more would reduce severe symptoms and the chance of a fatality when being infected, especially among elders and people with health conditions.

As the country is already reopened, if people are still responsible and wearing a mask when traveling, then there should not be problems that could affect public health as a whole, Anutin added.

PHOTO: INN News

He stressed: "Infections..if there is a party, reopening of pubs and bars, gatherings of a large group of people, music festivals, or outdoor cinemas with preventive measures, then the situation can be controlled. We emphasize cases with severe symptoms because it is very important."

"During this holiday, people should continue to tighten self-protection procedures to reduce the risk of infection by keeping their social distance, regularly washing their hands, and wearing masks at all times when in public spaces and outdoors. If you are at risk or have any suspicious symptoms, self-administration with ATK is recommended. Moreover, people are encouraged to get vaccinated and receive booster shots to increase immunity." Anutin concluded.

BA.2.75 Omicron sub-variant causing "concern" for authorities in SE Asia | Thaiger

 BA.2.75 Omicron sub-variant causing "concern" for authorities in SE Asia

By 

Tim Newton

Monday, July 11, 2022 12:09

The UN and the World Health Organisation is actively following a new sub-lineage designated BA.2.75, another variant of the Omicron derivative of Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2 ).

It was first detected in India and has since been found in 10 other countries. The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Ghebreyesus, noted that new Covid-19 infections, globally, have increased nearly 30% over the past two weeks.

"In Europe and America, BA.4 and BA.5 are driving waves. In countries like India a new sub-lineage of BA.2.75 has also been detected, which we're following."

WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan says that there has clearly been the emergence of a sub-variant that is being called the BA.2.75.

"There are still limited sequences available of the sub-variant to analyse but this sub-variant seems to have a few mutations on the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein."

"It's still too early to know if this sub-variant has properties of additional immune evasion or indeed of being more clinically severe. We don't know that."

The scientist noted that the WHO is now actively tracking BA.2.75 and the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution is "constantly looking at the data from around the world".

Speaking about the general spread of the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants, Soumya Swaminathannoted that cases in SE Asia showed an increasing trend since early June.

"Over 157,000 new cases reported, a 20% increase as compared to the previous week. 5 of 10 countries, for which data are available, shows increases in the number of new cases of 20% or greater."

Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh are showing notable increases where immune escape and an increased transmissibility are causing concern.

WHO Covid-19 Incident Manager Abdi Mahamud says people should be careful not to assume that the coronavirus pandemic is over.

"Now is not the time to declare that the pandemic is over… and the virus has a lot of force left."

"Whether it is the BA.4 or BA.5 or BA.2.75, the virus will continue. It does what it does good… and people and communities must continue to wear masks, avoid crowds and ensure that the most vulnerable and high-risk population is protected. "



Thais set to pay record five baht a unit in new electricity charges from September. Daily News reported that the cost of electricity was set to break through the 5 baht a unit barrier for the first time. Electrical authorities pointed to the high cost of gas used to generate electricity. Daily News

Daily News Thai Caption: Electricity set to cost 5 baht/unit

 

Daily News reported that the cost of electricity was set to break through the 5 baht a unit barrier for the first time. 

 

Electrical authorities pointed to the high cost of gas used to generate electricity.

 

They quoted sources at the Energy Regulatory Commission as saying that the FT rate was possibly about to change from September to December meaning that the rate per unit would border on 5 baht in the last four months of the year.

 

The FT rate - that is used to calculate charges - will be announced for the end of the year at the end of July.

 

The main problem is the rising cost of imported gas used to supplement natural gas extracted from the Gulf of Thailand. 

National carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) is refurbishing five planes slated for decommissioning in a bid to expand its fleet ahead of the high season this year. The planes set to undergo an overhaul include three Airbus A330s and two Boeing 777-200s, Nond Kalinta, THAI’s executive vice president for commercial, said on Sunday. He added that these planes will be used for routes with high demand like South Korea, Singapore and Japan. The Nation

THAI overhauls retired planes expand fleet for high season

National carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) is refurbishing five planes slated for decommissioning in a bid to expand its fleet ahead of the high season this year.

THAI also believes it will generate up to 80 billion baht in revenue now that foreigners have started returning to Thailand.

The planes set to undergo an overhaul include three Airbus A330s and two Boeing 777-200s, Nond Kalinta, THAI's executive vice president for commercial, said on Sunday. He added that these planes will be used for routes with high demand like South Korea, Singapore and Japan.

"We believe this year's high season will see the highest number of passengers in the last two years. The airline expects 4.48 million passengers for the whole year and a total income of 80 billion baht thanks to the lifting of travel restrictions for foreigners since July 1," he said. "Next year, we expect the number of passengers to rise to 9.18 million and total income to 129 billion baht."

Nond added that the airline industry is recovering very fast after being hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic for two years.

"For THAI, the average cabin factor is now at 70-80 per cent, with European markets having the highest cabin factor at 90 per cent. The advance booking rate in July is now at 60 per cent and is rising continually," he said. "Average passengers of THAI and Thai Smile in June this year jumped to 12,568 and 12,257 persons per day, respectively, compared to an average of 269 and 4,929 persons per day recorded between April and October 2021."

Nond said THAI will increase flight frequency and destinations in the first and second quarters of 2023, introducing more flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Melbourne, London, Jakarta, Dhaka, Frankfurt, Taipei, Singapore, Copenhagen, Munich and Zurich.

In the third quarter, the airline will add more flights to Jakarta, Taipei, Singapore, Copenhagen, Munich, Zurich and Seoul.

THAI also recorded 2.1 billion baht income from cargo transport in May, jumping 41 per cent compared to the same period of 2019.



🔴 #COVID19 update on Monday ⬇️ 1,811 new cases ⬆️ 24 deaths ⬇️ 24,076 active cases ⬆️ 786 serious cases. TNR / Richard Barrow



Proposal to waive visa fees for foreign tourists to Thailand. TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the proposal, which would see visa fees waived until the end of the year, will be put forward at an upcoming meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).- Hua Hin Today

Proposal to waive visa fees for foreign tourists to Thailand

July 10, 2022

File photo

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TA) is set to propose the waiving of visa fees for foreign tourists to Thailand.

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the proposal, which would see visa fees waived until the end of the year, will be put forward at an upcoming meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

The move would help boost tourism and promote increased spending from foreign tourists.

Mr Yuthasak said that waiving the visa fees would offer a further boost in tourism revenue following the suspension of the Thailand Pass registration system on July 1.

The proposal is for the 1,000 baht visa fee and the 2,000 baht fee for Visa on Arrival to be waived until Dec 31.

TAT will also request the period of stay for tourist visas be extended from 30 days to 45 days, and from 15 days to 45 days for Visa on Arrival.

Mr. Yuthasak said that if the visa fees are waived, tourists will have more money to spend in Thailand.

In particular, the waiving of the visa fees would provide more spending opportunities for Indian tourists who come with their families.

"If they do not have to pay the 8,000-10,000 baht in visa fees per group, they will be able to spend more money in Thailand," Mr. Yuthasak said.

Despite the proposal being put forward by TAT, the waiving of any visa fees would require collaboration from multiple agencies.

This is because normal visa applications are handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whereas VoA is handled by the Immigration Office.

Indian tourists continue to top arrivals from overseas

Meanwhile, the Tourism and Sports Ministry has reported that Indians continue to account for the highest number of foreign arrivals to Thailand this year.

Between Jan 1 to July 6, 249,466 Indians had arrived in Thailand.

Mr. Yuthasak said that following the cancellation of the Thailand Pass, approximately 38,000 to 40,000 tourists per day are expected to arrive in Thailand in July.

TAT anticipates 1 million foreign tourists to arrive in Thailand per month between July and September and 1.5 million foreign tourists per month from October to December.

Schools to Stay Open Amid COVID Spike. Several schools have already started reviving online classes to help stem the spread of infection among students. NNT

 

by Natthaphon Sangpolsi

    

BANGKOK (NNT) - Authorities have assured that schools will remain open even as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise among students.

 

Schools officially reopened on May 17, after which there were increased reports of students contracting the coronavirus. Although case numbers eventually started falling again, they saw a renewed surge last month.

 

According to Supat Champathong, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education, there are currently no plans to close any schools, adding that physical classes are still considered the best learning environment for students.

 

He has nevertheless called on schools to stringently enforce health safety measures, including wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing hands, keeping classrooms properly ventilated and performing temperature screenings.

 

Several schools have already started reviving online classes to help stem the spread of infection among students.

🔴 #COVID19 update on Sunday ⬇️ 2,004 new cases ⬆️ 22 deaths ⬇️ 24,557 active cases ⬆️ 772 serious cases. TNR - Richard Barrow



The Department of Medical Services says that more than half of all Covid-19 infections in Thailand are now the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants. The department also forecasts the number of infections may rise to 30,000 a day. Bangkok Post

More than half of all Covid cases sub-variants

The Department of Medical Services says that more than half of all Covid-19 infections in Thailand are now the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants. The department also forecasts the number of infections may rise to 30,000 a day.

Dr Natthaphong Wongwiwat, deputy director-general of the department, yesterday said a projected 20,000 to 30,000 new infections per day is based on cases confirmed by RT-PCR and antigen testing, he said.

A total of 5,407 cases were reported yesterday, according to figures published by the Department of Disease Control (DDC).

The number of patients suffering from severe Covid-19 was about 1,000, slightly higher than previously, he said.

Dr Natthaphong said although the number of new infections rose, the number of severe Covid-19 cases wasn't very high and only a small number required treatment in hospital.

As to the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron, they are now are responsible for about half of all new infections in the country, most of which were found in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, he said.

The sub-variants are expected to take between two weeks and one month to become the predominate infection type in the country, eventually accounting for about 90% of all cases.

Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, chief of the Thai Red Cross's Emerging Infectious Diseases Health Science Centre, meanwhile urged the Ministry of Public Health to switch back to reporting the actual number of new Covid-19 infections daily instead of reporting only the number of infected patients who require hospitalisation.

"No one isn't going to blame the ministry if the actual number becomes tens of thousands or even 100,000 a day as that is what's happening around the world," he said. "The benefit of reporting the actual number of infections is the public will be well informed about the real situation and be careful."

On Friday Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said the average number of new Covid-19 cases per day reported by the DDC was currently 29,000.

Phuket DDPM calls for people to register on disaster alert app. Observer Namom Thoongpoh, who studied Geophysics/Seismology at Uppsala University in Sweden, this morning marked that the area had experienced 343 tremors since Monday (July 4)... Phuket News

Phuket DDPM calls for people to register on disaster alert app

PHUKET: The Phuket branch of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) is calling for people to register on a national disaster alert app for mobile phones so they can instantly receive warnings of any impending tsunami.

disasterstourismSafety
By The Phuket News

Saturday 9 July 2022, 03:31PM

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Observer Namom Thoongpoh, who studied Geophysics/Seismology at Uppsala University in Sweden, this morning marked that the area had experienced 343 tremors since Monday (July 4), Image: Namom Thoongpoh

« »

The DDPM-Phuket office, instead of issuing its own notice, shared a notice issued by the Phang Nga branch of the Public Relations Department this morning (July 9).

Of note, Phuket-based authorities have yet to issue any of their own notices calling for people to register on the app, despite marking the series of underwater earthquakes that struck off the Andman and Nicobar Islands, some 550km northwest of Phuket, earlier this week.

The app, called "Thai Disaster Alert", is available on Google Play and Apple's App Store.

The app has been in beta testing since Feb 1 this year.

The app functions are available in English, but the alerts and warnings are posted in Thai only. A translation app will translate the alerts and warnings into clear enough English to be understood.

On registering, people are asked to enter whether they are male or female, and their date of birth. They are also asked to select three provinces for which they want to receive instant notifications. Users are also asked to switch on location sharing.

"The operation of the application 'THAI DISASTER ALERT' will notify when the province that the user has selected has a forecast of a disaster. The system will send a warning message to the user immediately in the form of a notification message on the smartphone screen which users can read a brief summary," the DDPM notice issued this morning explained.

"But if you want to know the details more clearly, you can click to see details of the alarm notification in the various menus of the application," it added.

"The system will keep an alert notification for users to view warning notifications issued in the past along with a menu that shows a map of Thailand for any areas at risk of disaster.

"If the user wants to change the province to receive notifications for, they are able to access those areas at any time. 

"In addition, there is also a menu that shows hotline numbers of various agencies to facilitate contact in the event of an emergency or disaster in the area as well," the notice explained.

TREMOR SWARM SLOWING

The number of mild tremors occurring southeast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has slowed over the past two days, according to the non-government Phuket Earthquake Monitoring and Surveillance Center, which also goes by the name 'Phuket SOS' (see here).

The earthquake and tsunami watchdog at last report marked a 4.5 magnitude earthquake striking at a depth of 10km some 525km northwest of Phuket at 4:34am today (July 9).

However, Namom Thoongpoh, an observer who studied Geophysics/Seismology at Uppsala University in Sweden, this morning marked that the area had experienced 343 tremors since Monday (July 4), with 80% of the tremors recorded at 4-5M in strength.

PLAYING READY

Phuket officials this week, at the order of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) in Bangkok, began testing the sirens on the 19 tsunami-warning towers on the island by playing the national anthem at 8ameach day.

The NDWC is responsible for the maintenance of the two tsunami-warning buoys that Thailand has contributed to the Indian Ocean tsunami-warning netwrok. Both buoys are currently not functioning.

Station 23461, installed in the Andaman Sea approximately 340km from Phuket, stopped transmitting data on June 9.

Station 23401, installed in the Indian Ocean a distance of 965km west of Phuket, was discovered on Oct 22 last year to have slipped its mounting and had stopped transmitting data. 

Thailand denies tsunami rumors in southern provinces. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the Meteorological Department have confirmed that their tsunami warning system remained effective despite damaged tsunami-warning buoys.- Pattaya Mail

Thailand denies tsunami rumors in southern provinces

Pattaya MailJuly 9, 2022

Boontham Lertsukheekasem, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, and Chomparee Chompurat, director-general of the Meteorological Department, on Wednesday held an urgent press conference in response to repeated quakes in the Andaman Sea, rumors about a tsunami threat to provinces facing the Andaman Sea and concerns among local people and tourists.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the Meteorological Department have confirmed that their tsunami warning system remained effective despite damaged tsunami-warning buoys.

Boontham Lertsukheekasem, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, and Chomparee Chompurat, director-general of the Meteorological Department, on Wednesday held an urgent press conference in response to repeated quakes in the Andaman Sea, rumors about a tsunami threat to provinces facing the Andaman Sea and concerns among local people and tourists.

They said that frequent earthquakes in the Andaman Sea from July 4 to 6 were tremors and did not cause a tsunami.

However, officials concerned were not reckless and were monitoring closely earthquakes and waves, the directors-general said.

Although two tsunami-warning buoys of Thailand were detached from their moorings, Thailand could still depend on the warning systems of nearby countries, they said.

A tsunami could emerge only if there was an earthquake with the magnitudes of 7.8 and over and existing warning systems could detect such quakes, they said.

The National Disaster Warning Center operated around the clock and people who would go on vacation during long holidays in the middle of this month could rest assured that officials were always ready to issue warnings and recommend evacuation when that was necessary, both directors-general said. (TNA)

🔴 #COVID19 update on Saturday ⬇️ 2,084 new cases ⬇️ 15 deaths ⬇️ 24,734 active cases ⬇️ 754 serious cases. TNR / Richard Barrow