Half a million young people seeking jobs prefer admin to tourism. Nearly 10 times more people are searching for admin jobs than travel industry jobs. | Thaiger

Half a million young people seeking jobs prefer admin to tourism

By 

Neill Fronde 

Wednesday, August 3, 2022 14:38

The Employers' Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry released a new report analysing job applications on JobThai.com this past month revealing some interesting statistics about what jobs people want and where. Young job applicants – and there are around 490,000 to 510,000 of them who recently graduated and now entering the workforce – are eschewing the glitz and glamour of tourism work and opting for the stability of administrative and office jobs instead.

The analysis looked at applications from 2 million job hunters on the popular employment website and found that 29.7% of people applied for administrative work, compared to just 3.63% who were interested in tourism jobs. Factory work was second most popular and jobs like accounting, technicians, logistics and engineering ranked highly as well.

Most sought-after jobs

• 29.70% administrative work
• 16.00% factory work
• 10.10% accounting
• 10.10% technicians
• 9.85% shipping, import and export
• 9.59% engineering
• 9.31% retailing
• 8.33% human resources
• 8.28% customer services and call centres
• 6.77% marketing
• 5.82% IT, electronics and computer software
• 3.63% hotels, restaurants, spas, tour guides

About 75% of the people job-hunting between the ages of 20 and 30 years old have a bachelor's degree or higher, but there were also many unskilled labourers looking for work, while the market seeks skilled workers.

Just over half of the searches on JobThai.com were for jobs around Thailand's capital, with the 50.8% in Greater Bangkok more than the 15.8% in the Eastern Economic Corridor, 12.4% in the Northeast, 8.31% in the North, 7.76% in Central Thailand and 4.73% in the South all combined.

Most sought-after job locations

The economy still has a ways to go before it fully recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic when nearly half a million people lost their jobs in the first wave of Covid. A survey in June of 300 countries showed that 52.6% had to downsize their staffing and 36.8% laid off employees. Only 15.8% of businesses reported hiring new staff.

Tourism was particularly affected and EconThai says there are still not enough international tourists to allow a full economic recovery this year. Travel restrictions have eased and the country is fully reopened, but it will take time for tourists to return in greater numbers anywhere close to what they were pre-pandemic. Only then will the economy be likely to fully recover.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

THAILAND’S DANGEROUS ROAD STATUS CONFIRMED – AGAIN! - The Zutobi, which is a driver’s education portal website that publishes a new score annually, has reported that Thailand scored badly on five different factors to rank it on second on the list of most dangerous nations to drive in. The factors were estimated road death rates, maximum motorway speed limits, seat-belt wearing rates, alcohol-related deaths, and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits. Royal Coast Review

THAILAND'S DANGEROUS ROAD STATUS CONFIRMED – AGAIN!

August 2, 2022

The Zutobi, which is a driver's education portal website that publishes a new score annually, has reported that Thailand scored badly on five different factors to rank it on second on the list of most dangerous nations to drive in.

The factors were estimated road death rates, maximum motorway speed limits, seat-belt wearing rates, alcohol-related deaths, and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits.

The world's safest countries for driving this year have seen little change from the previous year. For the second year in a row, Norway is the safest country in the world for driving, while runners up Iceland and Estonia ranked in last year's top five safest countries.

Switzerland rose into the top ten countries with the safest roads, up three places from last year.

The most dangerous countries for driving have remained consistent since last year, with the three most dangerous seeing no change. 

Zutobi ranked Thailand in second spot behind South Africa. The United States was third.

The full report and complete country rankings can be seen at https://zutobi.com/static/assets/the-worlds-safest-roads/common/safest-roads-zutobi-2021.pdf

What can be done to avoid road accidents and unnecessary road fatalities?

Zutobi says that first of all drivers should be aware of the main reasons accidents occur – by narrowing the list down to the major reasons, drivers can also focus specifically on not making those mistakes.

Major reasons include speeding, distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, and lack of scanning, among other things. Government awareness campaigns can also help educate drivers to avoid these behaviors.

Second, drivers also need to have proper knowledge of driving safety practices and the rules of the road before beginning to drive. A good way of attaining a proper foundation is by reading driving theory and doing practice tests.

Thailand saw a total of 32,190 road accidents in 2020 and 2021, mostly involving pickups, according to the Transport Ministry.

According to the Ministry of Transport's Data Catalogue, motorcycles did not cause the most accidents as many assumed, however the Ministry information does not relate to injuries or fatalities.   

Most accidents that happened in 2020 and 2021 involved pickup trucks (37 per cent), followed by a category of private and public vehicles (27 per cent).

Key interesting statistics from the ministry's Data Catalogue include:

Types of vehicles in accidents:

– Pickups (37%)

– Private and public vehicles (27%)

– Motorcycles (20%)

– Trucks with at least 10 wheels (8%)

– Six-wheel trucks (6%)

– Vans (2%)

Types of roads where most accidents happened:

– Straight-ahead roads without slope (70%)

– Curves without slope (13%)

– Curves with slope (8%)

– Bridges to commercial venues (3%)

– Intersections (1%)

Types of accidents:

– Overturning on or skidding off straight-ahead roads (43%)

– Rear crash (31%)

– Overturning or skidding off curved roads (13%)

– Head-on crashes (5%)

– Crashing into traffic barriers (4%)

– Crashing at intersections (2%)

– Hitting pedestrians (2%)

Causes of accidents:

– Violation of speed limit (78%)

– Being cut in front by pedestrians, vehicles or animals (8%)

– Falling asleep behind wheel (4%)

– Drunk driving (3%)

– Violations of traffic lights or signs or vehicles malfunctioning (2%)

– Unlawfully overtaking other vehicles, not allowing vehicles on main road to pass first, or not familiar with roads (1%).

Third monkeypox case in Thailand confirmed. The Nation

Third monkeypox case in Thailand confirmed

He said the tourist was a 25-year-old man who entered Thailand on July 18 to visit Phuket.

The provincial administration will report the detailed timeline of the German tourist to the DCD as soon as possible in a bid to find and monitor all people who came into close contact with him.

Opas said that shortly after the tourist entered Thailand, he developed symptoms, so the DCD believed he contracted the virus before entering the country.

The man had visited Thailand several times earlier, the DCD chief added.

Health officials are trying to locate all the people who had been in close contact with the German tourist to monitor their condition. So far, none of the identified persons known to have been in close contact with him have tested positive.

Opas said those who come in close contact with monkeypox patients must be monitored for 21 days, during which they do not have to be quarantined but should not touch or be in close contact with others.

He noted that all the three confirmed cases so far are men.

"This is in line with World Health Organisation data that 98 per cent of the patients are homosexual men," he said.

The two other confirmed patients detected in Thailand are a Nigerian man and a Thai man, Opas added.



🇹🇭 THAI NEWS REPORTS: #COVID19 on Wednesday ⬆️ 2,432 new cases in hospital ⬆️ 32 deaths ⬇️ 21,940 active cases ⬆️ 917 serious cases. Richard barrow / TNR





Another foreign monkeypox fugitive flees Thailand. Belgian man suspected to be infected with monkeypox allegedly flees Thailand | Thaiger

Belgian man suspected to be infected with monkeypox allegedly flees Thailand

By 

leah

Tuesday, August 2, 2022 10:07

On Thursday, Thailand recorded its second case of monkeypox. The second case, a Thai man in Bangkok, suspects he caught the virus from a Belgian man who he had close relations with. However, the Ministry of Health suspects the Belgian man has already fled Thailand.

A total of 18 people in contact with the Thai man all tested negative for the monkeypox virus. However, the Thai man says he suspects that a Belgian man he had sex with is the source of his infection. Officials have tried to track down the Belgian man to test him for the virus, but they can't find him. He is suspected to have left the country already, said the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong.

Thailand's first case of monkeypox, recorded in a 27 year old Nigerian man in Phuket on July 18, also fled Thailand and was arrested in Phomh Penh, Cambodia on July 23. Health officials tested 50 at-risk people who were in contact with the man, who all tested negative for the virus.

"Most cases of monkeypox found in Asia so far were found in men who had a history of having close relations with foreign men," said Dr. Opas. Dr. Opas wants to reassure the public not to be fearful of catching the virus, which is only transmitted through very close contact. Sex is a certain risk factor, said the doctor. The Department of Disease Control suggests avoiding monkeypox by not having sexual relations with strangers, said Dr. Opas.

Due to monkeypox's low transmissibility rate, only certain target groups – such as high-risk groups and frontline healthcare workers – need to be vaccinated against the virus, not all Thai people, said Dr. Opas. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) announced that Thailand will receive 1000 doses of the smallpox vaccine from America this month, which are effective against monkeypox.

If Thailand did face a monkeypox outbreak and didn't have enough imported vaccines, Thailand's population can be vaccinated using Thailand's 40 year old stock of smallpox vaccines, which are still safe to use and 85% effective against preventing monkeypox, according to Thailand's Department of Medical Sciences.

SOURCE: KhaoSod



New public assembly ban imposed in Thailand to contain COVID-19 | Thai PBS World

New public assembly ban imposed in Thailand to contain COVID-19

views  326

An announcement has been issued by Chief of Thailand's defence forces, Gen. Chalermpol Srisawat, in his capacity as the chief officer in charge of solving emergency situations related to security affairs, and published in the Royal Gazette yesterday, banning unauthorised public assemblies and gatherings in the wake of clusters COVID-19 infections resulting in a rising number of hospitalisations, severe cases and fatalities, despite more people getting their vaccine booster doses.  

The move is in line with and complementary to the State of Emergency, in place since March 2020 and extended for the 19th time to the end of September 2022. Despite calls by pro-democracy and rights groups for the Emergency Decree and related bans to be scrapped, claiming that the restrictions have been used to suppress political movements and freedom of expression, the Decree remains and is expected to stay until at least November, when Thailand hosts the 2022 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit.

Under the terms of this edict, police can seek help from the military to enforce the ban and anyone who violates it is liable to two years imprisonment and/or a fine of 40,000 baht if convicted. Gatherings are allowed only when permission isgranted by authorities concerned.

The announcement claims that the ban is in line with the government's policy of transiting to a post-pandemic period, to reopen the country and to drive the economy, in parallel with strict compliance with safety measures.

Besides public assemblies and gatherings, which present arisk of spreading the disease, other acts and activities, which are "deemed" to increase the hardships of the people or of contributing to the spread of the disease are also prohibited.

The announcement allows a window for public assemblies or gatherings to be organised under conditions stipulated in the Public Assembly Act. One of the conditions is that the organiser must notify the local police 24 hours in advance ofthe event.

On June 24th, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt designated seven locations in Bangkok in which public assemblies and gatherings can be held, on the condition that the organiser notifies the district office 24 hours in advance,so officials can make preparations, including the provision ofconveniences and security arrangements.

The seven locations are Lan Khon Mueang at City Hall, the Thai-Japanese Youth Centre in Din Daeng, a public space under the Ratchavibha Bridge, the car park in front of Phra Khanong District Office, the 72nd Anniversary Stadium in Min Buri, Chalerm Phrakiat Stadium in Thung Khru and Monthon Phirom Park in Taling Chan district.

Thailand's COVID-19 hospitalised rate is reported to be just below 2,000 a day, with the number of mild and asymptomatic cases self-isolating at home at least 10 times higher. About 53.5 million people have received at least two doses of vaccine, almost 31 million of whom already jabbed with booster shots.



Heavy rains have been battering various parts of Thailand and are expected to continue into August. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation announced today that 38 provinces in the Kingdom are under flash flood warnings all this week. The warning is in place until August 10. The Thaiger

Heavy rains have been battering various parts of Thailand and are expected to continue into August. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation announced today that 38 provinces in the Kingdom are under flash flood warnings all this week.

The flash flood warnings from heavy rains are in effect in the North, Northeast, Central, East and South regions of the country. A strong southwestern monsoon is sprawled across the area, stretching all the way from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand, crossing the entirety of the country.

The Disaster Department is suggesting everyone keep a close eye on developing weather reports, and for those living near bodies of water such as rivers and reservoirs, the department urges them to watch the water levels closely to avoid being caught unprepared for a flash flood.

Should an emergency arise, 1784 is the 24-hour hotline for the DDPM, and they can also be reached by the LINE app on the account @1784DDPM.

Below is a list by region of the provinces under warning about the potential for a flash flood:

REGION	PROVINCES
NORTH	Tak Mae Hong Son Chiang Mai Chiang Rai Nan Uttaradit Phitsanulok Phetchabun
NORTHEAST	Loei Nong Khai Sakon Nakhon Bueng Kan Mukdahan Nakhon Phanom Chaiyaphum Khon Kaen Roi Et Yasothon Nakhon Ratchasima Ubon Ratchathani
CENTRAL	Kanchanaburi Lopburi Pathum Thani Nonthaburi Samut Prakan Nakhon Nayok
EAST	Prachinburi Rayong Chanthaburi Trat
SOUTH	Prachuap Khiri Khan Chumphon Surat Thani Nakhon Si Thammarat Phatthalung Ranong Phang Nga Trang

🔴 #COVID19 update on Tuesday ⬇️ 1,843 new cases in hospital ⬆️ 27 deaths ⬇️ 22,012 active cases ⬆️ 916 serious cases. Richard Barrow / TNR





Pilot must explain why passengers were kept aboard damaged plane. The captain of the Nok Air flight that slid off the runway at Chiang Rai airport will be summoned by regulators to explain why passengers were kept on board the aircraft for about an hour after the accident. Bangkok Post

Pilot must explain why passengers were kept aboard damaged plane

Rescuers and medics help passengers leave the crashed Nok Air plane after it slid off the runway at Mae Fah Luang international airport in Chiang Rai on Saturday. (Photo from Warangkhana Wongchai Facebook account)

The captain of the Nok Air flight that slid off the runway at Chiang Rai airport will be summoned by regulators to explain why passengers were kept on board the aircraft for about an hour after the accident.

Suttipong Kongpool, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), said on Monday that the chief pilot of flight DD108 will be ordered to defend the decision.

"The rationale behind the decision is what the CAAT needs to hear from the captain," Mr Suttipong told the "Inside Thailand" news programme.

The Don Mueang-Chiang Rai flight with 164 passengers and six crew slid off the runway and its undercarriage collapsed as it landed in heavy rain at Mae Fah Luang in the northern province on Saturday night. There were no injuries.

The captain turned off the engines of the 737-800 Boeing aircraft after the accident, leaving the passenger cabin in darkness and without air conditioning.

The passengers were then told to stay on board until buses arranged by the airline arrived to take them to the terminal.

After about an hour fewer than 20 passengers had left by vans. The remaining passengers started complaining about the stuffy conditions in the cabin, the lack of fresh air causing breathing problems and the possible dangers of staying in their seats in the dark.

In a video taken by a passenger in the cabin, a woman crew member was heard trying to calm down the angry passengers and telling them to remain seated. She said, "Passengers are not allowed on runways."

The passengers insisted on leaving the plane and the captain eventually permitted one of the eight emergency exit doors to be opened so they could disembark on a slide.

Under international aviation protocols, all passengers must be evacuated from the aircraft within 90 seconds of a serious incident, according to the CAAT chief. But the evacuation rules were also flexible,  depending on the circumstances and safety of the passengers and aircraft, he said.

"The captain is the one who makes the decision on evacuation after assessing the situation, including external factors,"  Mr Suttipong said.

The CAAT chief also said passengers were allowed to stand on runways in case of emergency, although they were off limits in normal circumstances.

It was not known whether the captain was a man or a woman.

Mr Suttipong said the aviation regulator would not be quick to blame the chief pilot for the slow evacuation  that kept most passengers inside the aircraft without sufficient air to breathe. Heavy rain and the need to wait for the buses could be among the reasons for the decision, he said.

Nok Air has also not explained the decision. 

Nok Air chief executive Wutthiphum Jurangkool told the Stock Exchange of Thailand in a filing on Monday that the airline was in compliance with all aviation safety guidelines to ensure the safety of all passengers. The airline would investigate the accident, he said.

Mae Fah Luang airport management said on Monday the airport strictly followed emergency procedures after the accident on Saturday night. This included the quick dispatch of fire engines to the aircraft and the closure of the runway for the safety of other airplanes.

The airport remains closed until Wednesday, while the Boeing jet is removed and the runway examined for damage.



WEEKLY UPDATE: Tested positive using ATK outside of hospital: 😷 24-30 July: 201,554 people - average of 28,793/day 😷 17-23 July: 204,615 people - average of 29,230/day 😷 10-16 July: 143,827 people - average of 20,546/day. TNR





🔴 #COVID19 update on Monday ⬆️ 2,108 new cases in hospital ⬇️ 19 deaths ⬇️ 22,710 active cases ⬇️ 879 serious cases. Richard Barrow / TNR





Officials step up monkeypox screening. The Public Health Ministry is ramping up the screening of air travellers from countries reporting a spread of monkeypox to step up precautions against the disease. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the screening is being conducted at airports and targets travellers from outbreak countries. Bangkok Post

Officials step up monkeypox screening

Anutin: Curb risky sexual behaviour

The Public Health Ministry is ramping up the screening of air travellers from countries reporting a spread of monkeypox to step up precautions against the disease.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the screening is being conducted at airports and targets travellers from outbreak countries.

He said monkeypox is not a serious disease and it is not highly transmissible without direct contact with bodily fluids or lesions or prolonged contact with an infected person.

Generally, most patients are able to recover at home, he said.

Health authorities are doubling efforts to educate the public about the disease and enhance vigilance and investigative measures, he said.

Since the disease is transmitted via close physical contact, having multiple sex partners can increase the infection risk, he said.

According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox cases are increasing among men who have sex with other men.

Homosexual and bisexual men are advised to limit the number of sexual partners to protect themselves and help slow the virus' transmission, it said.

"Monkeypox can be avoided if we take precautions and abstain from risky sexual behaviour," Mr Anutin said.

The minister added that monkeypox vaccines will initially be kept for immunisation of frontline healthcare workers first.

Dr Sopon Iamsirithaworn, deputy director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the department has told quarantine offices at international airports across the country to step up the screening of arrivals from countries where monkeypox outbreaks are taking place.

As of Friday, a total of 2,389 arrivals from Europe and 138 from Africa were screened and no suspected cases of infection were detected, Dr Sopon said.

He also provided an update on the two monkeypox cases detected in Thailand so far.

The first is a 27-year-old Nigerian national confirmed to have the disease on July 18 in Phuket. He later fled the kingdom to Cambodia on July 21 before being arrested in Phnom Penh.

More than 50 people who came into contact with the man while he was in Phuket have been tracked and no new infections have been detected, Dr Sopon said.

The second confirmed case, which has nothing to with the Nigerian man, involves a 47-year-old Thai who is being treated at Vajira Hospital, Dr Sopon said.

The man told health authorities he had sex with a foreign man and began developing symptoms on July 15, Dr Sopon said.

Authorities are looking for the foreign man, he said.

Health authorities also collected samples from 17 people who came in contact with the patient for lab tests on Friday, he said.

Results of 16 of them came back negative yesterday while the result of the other was pending, he said.

All are subjected to 21 days of quarantine, Dr Sopon said.

                                



🔴 #COVID19 update on Sunday ⬇️ 1,664 new cases in hospital ⬇️ 26 deaths ⬇️ 23,161 active cases ⬆️ 925 serious cases. Richard Barrow / TNR



Beware! Blocking an ambulance carries heavier penalty than you think. As a patient died recently after a driver blocked the ambulance's way, a warning was issued that if a driver's action is the direct cause of death he/she may face murder charge. - Thai Newsroom

Beware! Blocking an ambulance carries heavier penalty than you think

July 30, 2022  TNR Staff

MOTORISTS should be careful to give way to an ambulance as not doing so and this leading to the patient dying could lead to a murder charge under Section 79 of the Land Traffic Act, TV Channel 7 said today (July 30).

The warning was issued after a young woman driving on the far right lane of a road blocked an ambulance's way with this leading to the patient being rushed to the hospital dying.

Crime Suppression Division police had on December 5, 2018 published a warning about such obstruction leading to a murder charge under the headline, "Intentionally not dodging an ambulance carrying a patient. Beware of murder charge!!"

According to this law, drivers upon seeing an ambulance on duty with the siren and flashing lights on must allow the vehicle to pass first. Failure to do so is punishable by a fine of not more than 500 baht.

Drivers face more serious charges if their action is a "direct cause" leading to the patient in the ambulance dying. They are then liable for committing a negligent offence leading to another person's death or acting with the intent of causing another person's death.

Section 79 of the Land Traffic Act states the following on how the public must conduct themselves upon seeing an ambulance:

– Pedestrians must stop and move close to the edge of the road or walk to the nearest safe zone or the road shoulder;

– Drivers must stop or park their vehicle on the left edge of the road. If there is a bus lane on the far left, you must stop or park the car next to the bus lane. However they must not stop or park their vehicle at an intersection;

– Drivers or animal caretakers must control the animal and stop beside the road but not stop at the intersection. They must control the animal as soon as practically possible and take appropriate precautions as the case may be.

An intoxicated man has lost both his legs after he fell asleep on a railway track before being run over by a train in Banglamung this afternoon (July 30th). Pattaya News



Banglamung –

An intoxicated man has lost both his legs after he fell asleep on a railway track before being run over by a train in Banglamung this afternoon (July 30^th).

The Nongprue Police was notified of the incident at 4:30 P.M. at a railway in Nongprue. They and the Pattaya News team arrived at the scene to find the intoxicated man aged around 40 who was still alive near the railway. His name was withheld. He was crying with pain due to having both of his legs amputated by the train near the knee. The man and his legs were rushed to a local hospital. Nearby, police found an empty bottle of Thai whisky.

Train staffers said they were informed from the train driver that something was lying on the railway which at first they thought was similar to a log. The train was unable to stop the impact in time to avoid hitting the intoxicated man.

Nongprue police believe the man had passed out drunk earlier in the day with his legs partially on the railway track.

As of press time the man was expected to survive and was in emergency surgery at a local hospital.

Don't drop guard, Health Dept warns - More people have eased up on personal Covid-19 prevention measures despite the increasing number of daily cases, according to the Health Department. Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, its director-general, on Friday said the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants have sparked a surge in daily cases. However, a department survey found that there was a drop in personal preventive measures this month when compared to figures seen in May. Bangkok Post

Don't drop guard, Health Dept warns

More people have eased up on personal Covid-19 prevention measures despite the increasing number of daily cases, according to the Health Department.

Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, its director-general, on Friday said the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants have sparked a surge in daily cases.

However, a department survey found that there was a drop in personal preventive measures this month when compared to figures seen in May.

A total of 74.1% of respondents said they still regularly wash their hands, a drop from 82% in May, it said. Meanwhile, 78.6% continued to maintain social distancing this month as opposed to 84.6% in May, it said.

Dr Suwanchai said universal prevention measures are still needed to avoid being infected by Covid-19.

There were 37 more Covid-19 fatalities and 2,480 new cases in hospitals across the kingdom on Thursday, according to a Public Health Ministry report on Friday. The kingdom recorded 32 fatalities and 1,902 new cases on Wednesday, it added.

To handle the increase in daily cases, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) is offering treatment options for Covid-19 patients, including telemedicine.

On Monday, the NHSO held an online event to promote the move.

Atthaporn Limpanyalert, NHSO deputy secretary-general, on that day said the telemedicine service will offer self-treatment programmes for patients.

Meanwhile, the MorDee and Good Doctor mobile apps will provide the remote delivery of healthcare services for qualified patients in Bangkok and its five adjacent provinces, he said.

Dr Sudhichai Chokitchai, a supervisor at Good Doctor Technology Thailand, said the app has helped take care of about 8,000 Covid-19 patients as it guarantees diagnosis and prescriptions from doctors.

"Telehealth or telemedicine can connect physicians to remote patients without travel costs and [the technology] is time-saving," he said.

However, patients over 60 years old, those with underlying diseases and pregnant women must consult medical staff at hospitals for a more detailed diagnosis, he said.

Adipat Chaichanasakul, managing director of the MorDee app, said it welcomes anyone with health insurance and NHSO patients.

It also provides treatment services for other ailments that do not require a hospital visit, including high blood pressure and diabetes, he said.

"Thailand needs telehealth businesses as the doctor ratio is only 0.81 per 1,000 people," he said. "This service will help patients contact doctors at an affordable price."

😱😱😱😱😱😱👎👎👎👎👎 On a recent radio interview with Pattaya’s 103 station, British ambassador Mark Gooding pinpointed the lack of medical insurance by Brits as his biggest takeaway from his tour of the city. The point has been hammered home for 20 years by the UK government, yet above half of all international visitors (not just Brits) are uninsured according to surveys. It’s human nature, of course, to think “the worse won’t happen to me” but there are many reasons for the reality that Brits alone ran up unpaid hospital bills of 300 million baht (8 million pounds) annually prior to the pandemic.- Pattaya Mail

Medical insurance is a complex business Mr Ambassador

Barry KenyonJuly 30, 2022

Only the most expensive forms of medical insurance will guarantee stays in the intensive care unit.

On a recent radio interview with Pattaya's 103 station, British ambassador Mark Gooding pinpointed the lack of medical insurance by Brits as his biggest takeaway from his tour of the city. The point has been hammered home for 20 years by the UK government, yet above half of all international visitors (not just Brits) are uninsured according to surveys. It's human nature, of course, to think "the worse won't happen to me" but there are many reasons for the reality that Brits alone ran up unpaid hospital bills of 300 million baht (8 million pounds) annually prior to the pandemic. That's according to a report in The Nation newspaper which referenced only state hospitals and omitted the private sector which rarely offers treatment anyway without a copper-bottom guarantee.



The first problem is definitional. Mr Gooding advised all visitors to Thailand to buy "travel insurance", though he is obviously aware that expats or non-tourists likely won't be covered if they are not based in the home country of departure. Medical Billing Advocates, an international watchdog leader, state that one in seven of all medical insurance claims are denied or rejected. They point out that the confusion between travel insurance, covering some but not all holiday mishaps, and comprehensive medical cover is a common cause of misunderstanding. Several recent cases of sick Brits appealing for crowd-funded donations to get them back to the UK for an emergency operation have been tourists who had not read the small print in policy documentation.

Thai authorities during the pandemic made matters murky by insisting all visitors had medical insurance – it started at US$50,000 but ended up at US$10,000 prior to cancellation – but then stating it could be restricted to Covid only illness. In the ensuing confusion, some international visitors failed to appreciate that a traffic accident was not Covid-related, whilst several companies went bust because of the pressure of coronavirus claims. Whilst there were undoubtedly some good policies out there, the cheapest ones claiming a month's cover for a few pounds were worthless and designed only to survive the nod-and-a-wink Thailand Pass entry bureaucracy. There were even policies claiming to be comprehensive, but in reality only offering cremation benefit, and even then requiring documentary evidence of being Covid-free on initially entering the country.



Then we come to the expats. Many on one year extensions of stay, retirement or marriage, turn to agents for help because they lack cash in the bank or income to cover 800,000 or 400,000 baht respectively. The cash-strapped are unlikely to have the funds for comprehensive hospitalization and will simply hope for the best. It is known that a main reason for self-repatriation is fear of falling seriously ill in Thailand. But the only visas currently requiring medical insurance are one type of retirement visa and extension of stay (O/A) and the yet-to-start 10 year LTR or Long Term Resident Visa. There many alternative options without any insurance requirement at all, including the O retirement option and the Elite visa. The latter is seen by many observers as the safest bet because it guarantees multiple-entry for between five and 20 years.

Finally, there are the elderly and the super-aged. Insurance companies prefer customers who won't make a claim so issues like gerontocracy, pre-existing conditions and high cholesterol in a medical report are distancing strategies like no other. So these expats must either sit tight and hope the grim reaper strikes quickly, or pay through the nose, or self-insure. Interestingly, the Thai Cabinet has now authorized self-insurance as a concept, though how it will be implemented by Thai immigration offices, if at all, is not yet crystal clear. Expat residence in Thailand is never much different. Whilst it is platitudinous to go on repeating "get insurance", it is equally important to recall the legal concept Caveat Emptor. Buyer Beware!

Aeroflot set to resume flights to Phuket. Hope is being regained that Thai tourism can attract 1 million Russian tourists this year as Aeroflot will resume direct flights to Phuket this winter after a pause of several months due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said Aeroflot has confirmed the resumption of the Moscow to Phuket service in the winter schedule, starting from Oct 30 with a daily service, reports the Bangkok Post.

Aeroflot set to resume flights to Phuket

BANGKOK: Hope is being regained that Thai tourism can attract 1 million Russian tourists this year as Aeroflot will resume direct flights to Phuket this winter after a pause of several months due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said Aeroflot has confirmed the resumption of the Moscow to Phuket service in the winter schedule, starting from Oct 30 with a daily service, reports the Bangkok Post.

Aeroflot and several other Russian carriers suspended flights to the island since March this year.

As of July 26, the number of Russian visitors to Thailand stood at 76,739. Most entered the country during the first quarter before Russia's invasion of Ukraine escalated, which prompted the European Union (EU) to impose aviation sanctions against Russia.

"In discussions with tour operators focusing on this market, they are confident about demand to Thailand. The only problem is the lack of connectivity. If Aeroflot can resume direct services as planned, while more airlines could follow in the next few months, we can still anticipate an influx of tourists in the final quarter," said Mr Yuthasak.

He said many airlines from Thailand, such as Thai Airways and Thai AirAsia X, were interested in operating this route to replace Russian carriers, but due to sanctions from European countries, technical assistance such as maintenance and shipments of spare parts were also banned over the past few months, as well as insurance that would not provide coverage in such circumstances.

However, the EU on July 27 announced an exemption for the sharing of technical information in the framework of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which includes any technical support related to repairs, development, manufacture, assembly, testing, maintenance, or any other technical services.

Mr Yuthasak said it has to clarify with related authorities again how this revised sanction from the EU could make any changes to the current aviation situation regarding Russia.

The number of international tourists to Thailand this year tallied 3.12mn between Jan 1 and July 26.

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said only 10% of 1,600 ATTA members are able to restart their businesses at present.

Most of them have to shift from the Chinese and Russian markets to India and Malaysia, which were the top markets with 381,542 and 322,079 arrivals, respectively, as of July 26.

"Most tour operators remain closed, particularly 400 companies that previously focused on the Chinese market. However, as the outlook for the upcoming high season is promising, we have to prepare for resumption by restarting business matching in popular destinations like Phuket this month," said Mr Sisdivachr.

ATTA will lead 170 tour operators to Phuket to have business matching with 70-80 local hotels this weekend.

He said tour operators and hotels have to work together to gauge the tourism demand in the final quarter and prepare their services to avoid a supply shortage as most hotels in Phuket have been shuttered for over two years.

🔴 #COVID19 update on Saturday ⬇️ 1,962 new cases in hospital ⬇️ 32 deaths ⬇️ 24,323 active cases ⬆️ 920 serious cases. Richard Barrow / TNR