Firemen put out the fire at the Mountain B pub in Sattahip district, Chon Buri province, on Aug 5, 2022. (Photo: @sawangrojana Sattahip rescue Facebook)
CHON BURI: The death toll from a fire at Mountain B pub in Sattahip district rose to 18, as one more seriously injured victim was pronounced dead on Friday night.
Siriwan "Mind'' Wongsuk, 17, of Sattahip district, succumbed to her injuries at Thammasat University Hospital in Pathum Thani province at 9.14pm.
Her elder sister Sawaros Wongsuk, 27, said Siriwan had been transferred to the hospital two days after the inferno. Her younger sister had been on ventilator and did not respond to treatment on Friday. Siriwan died peacefully on Friday night, said Ms Sawaros.
The teenager had gone to Mountain B with two other friends on Aug 5. One of her friends, Phromporn Phoolsawat, 18, died at the fire-gutted pub. Siriwan sustained serious injuries and her other friend, 18, managed to escape the fire, according to Ms Sawaros.
The family would bring Sriwan's body for funeral rites at Wat Ransisunthorn in Sattahip.
The nightclub caught fire about 1am. Thirteen people died at the blaze scene, and many were injured.
Now, 28 injured people remain at hospitals, with 11 seriously hurt with extensive burns and dependent on ventilators.
Dr Yong Poovorawan of Chulalongkorn University said Covid-19 Omicron cases will peak in the rainy season along with other respiratory diseases before starting to fall in September. The wave would subside further in October, in time for the reopening of schools.
However, it was impossible to tell the true number of Omicron cases because most had no symptoms, he added.
Yong also pointed out that vaccines cannot prevent infection but they do reduce the severity of the disease. He cited the US, where the infection rate has stayed level but the number of severely ill Covid patients has fallen.
He said that while previous infection offered natural immunity, hybrid immunity from also getting vaccinated gave more protection.
Meanwhile, the focus of efforts to combat Covid-19 had shifted from vaccine research to identifying how many people in Thailand are infected. Yong said that if 70-80 per cent of the population has already been infected with Omicron, the next dose could be administered next year or when a new variant emerges. Meanwhile, booster jabs were expensive so should be targeted at vulnerable groups.
Looking further ahead to how Thailand can control Covid-19 in the future, Yong said the country had spent a huge amount of money on vaccines in the hope of halting its spread but this was futile. He said Thailand would have to rely on its own knowledge rather than following other countries' disease-control policies.
Yong said his team would research the infection rate in each age group by checking Covid antibodies from samples of the population in one province. He is currently seeking funding for this project, which is awaiting official approval. Yong said the sampling project was urgently needed as part of Thailand's long-term plan to control Covid-19.
Thailand's hotel-based COVID-19 isolation facilities to be phased out from September
views 97
Beginning September 1st, all hotel-based COVID-19 isolation services will be phased out and private and state hospitals will get direct access to supplies of antiviral medication, as the country is transitioning into a post-pandemic period.
Prof. Dr. Udom Kachinthorn, chairman of the national reform committee on public health said today (Thursday) that both private and state hospitals can claim refunds from the government for the drugs prescribed to COVID -19 patients.
He said that, as COVID-19 is to be re-classified as an "infectious disease under watch", instead of a "dangerous infectious disease" on October 1st, pharmacies should have access to antiviral drugs as well, pending an announcement to be issued by the Thai Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), adding that drug stores can dispense the medications to patients, but they need a doctor's prescription to prevent misuse.
TFDA Secretary-General Paisarn Dunkum said that they are working on a drug dispensing system, to be applied to pharmacies, under which they can dispense the drugs on doctor's prescription and they must keep a record of the drugs dispensed.
Dr. Tharet Karatnairawiwong, director-general of Health Service Support Department, assured the public that the phasing out of the hotel-based isolation facilities will not impact the increasing number of COVID-19 patients in Bangkok, as Thailand has already passed pandemic stage.
The number of hotel based isolation facilities has already dropped substantially in the past several months, due to the improving situation.
A ministerial regulation is expected to be issued shortly before September 1st.
Several thousand new COVID-19 infections, found using rapid antigen tests, are being reported nationwide each day, but most of them are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms which do not require hospitalisation.
We reported this week that The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is set to propose extending the length of stay for tourist visas and visa on arrival (VOA) to a maximum of 45 days.
According to TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn, a proposal will be presented to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) at a meeting due to be held on August 19.
The proposal will call for the period of stay for tourist visas to be extended from the current 30 days to a maximum of 45 days, while the period of stay for visa on arrival extended from 15 days to a maximum of 45 days.
The extension would be effective from the date of approval and run through to December 31, 2022.
Of course, the idea is that the longer they stay the more money they will spend.
But surely if they really want to encourage tourism, why not increase tourist visas to longer periods and why limit it to December when the supposed high season still has 4 months to run.
Tourist visas or visas on arrival .....it is still confusing at the moment, so hopefully they will make it all clear soon.
Vietnam is proposing expanded visas
Over in Vietnam, their tourism minister was reported on Monday to have proposed expanding visa exemption for tourists from the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India to boost sector recovery.
He also suggested the government consider simplifying immigration procedures to attract foreign tourists as Vietnam reopened after over two years of border closure, he said in a report submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Tuesday.
Tax Cuts too
The minister is also proposed extending tax cuts to tourism businesses until the end of 2023 to help them recover after the pandemic crisis.
Though Vietnam reopened tourism and lifted most Covid restrictions, Hung said travel firms and those working in the tourism industry are grappling with difficulties and have not really benefited directly from current policies.
The country welcomed 954,000 foreign arrivals in the first seven months this year, up nine times year-on-year.
Singapore
According to online information, the period of stay permitted is at the discretion of the Immigration Officer upon arrival at the Singapore Changi Airport. It is normally between 14 to 30 days.
There is strictly no extension of visa validity or change of visa type.
However, you can submit a fresh application upon the expiry or upon utilisation of your current visa. But please note that each visa application is assessed on its own merits.
SE Asia is competitive
Bottom line is Thailand is competing with Vietnam, Singapore and Cambodia and other countries in the region, so they need to make it easy for tourists to come here.
Make the entry simple for passport holders and they should be able to decide whether they want a 30, 60 or even a 90-tourist visa on arrival.
Even with flexible return tickets there should not be an issue.
The idea of tax cuts for the tourist industry could potentially be a life safer for many small Thai businesses, especially those attractions that still have daily running costs whether one tourist or 50 arrive to say go on an elephant trek or safari.
Bottom line is the TAT and government should have offered these longer visas long ago, but better late than never.
People need to plan holidays in advance so the sooner the Government confirms any new regulations the better, then travel agents around the world can start confirming their clients' bookings.
Another Mountain B fire victim died at Chonburi Hospital, raising the death toll to 16 people, while 16 of the 30 hospitalized victims are hanging onto a respiratory machine.
The Chonburi Provincial Public Relations Office has announced today, August 10th, the death of Mr. Sittichai Ouilert, 23, at Chonburi Hospital, bringing the Mountain B fire death toll to 16 people.
Mr. Sittichai passed away around 4:21 PM yesterday, August 9th, due to his severe injuries. 16 of the 30 hospitalized victims remain intubated while 9 patients have fortunately been discharged so far and are making a good recovery.
2022 could be the year that Thai Airways returns to operational profitability as the Minister of Finance reveals that state banks will provide any required facilities for the flag carrier as it currently plays a strategically important role in flying in foreign tourists to the kingdom while now on target to complete its business rehabilitation plan early by 2024.
Thai Airways shares could be traded again on the kingdom's Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) sooner than expected after Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith revealed on Monday that the airline could be on course to exit its bankruptcy rehabilitation plan as early as 2024 as the airline benefits from a stronger than expected recovery being seen in foreign tourism and its role in flying European passengers into Thailand since the beginning of 2022.
Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisith (right centre) revealed on Monday that Thailand state banks will facilitate the financial requirements of Thai Airways as its operating performance has improved due to cost-cutting and efficiency measures and surging passenger numbers on flights as the airline focuses on flying passengers in from Europe and other key markets to assist the country's accelerating foreign tourism recovery.
Thai Airways appears to be benefiting from the foreign tourism recovery underway in the kingdom with passenger numbers reported to have risen by over 600% since the beginning of the year.
On Monday, the Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, long seen as a friend of the national carrier within the cabinet and his ministry, told Bloomberg that a stronger operating performance by the airline this year had left it in a position where it now only required ฿13 billion of loan funding as part of its recovery plans hammered out with the Bankruptcy Court in Bangkok in June last year.
Airline rebuffed last year by key Finance Ministry officials as it sought ฿25 billion in loan funding
At the beginning of 2022, this was set at ฿25 billion and had earlier drawn a negative response from top officials in the Ministry of Finance itself in particular form Director of the Public Debt Management Office, Patricia Mongkhonvanit who argued, in November last year, that it was inappropriate as the airline was no longer a state enterprise.
In May 2020, the then failing airline filed for bankruptcy after the government reduced its shareholding below 50% and afterwards spent no less than 13 months trying to work out a survival plan acceptable to both the Bankruptcy Court and its creditors with repeated requests for additional time.
On Monday, Mr Arkhom said it now looked like the airline, flying high this year, may emerge from its bankruptcy process up to a year earlier, in 2024, and that state banks would be able to facilitate its borrowing requirements going forward.
Airline recorded a net profit for 2021, first since 2012 with once-off gains and subsidiary profits although it made an operating loss of ฿19.7 billion
The airline began to return to profitability last year posting an ฿11.1 billion net profit for the first six months of 2021 in August last year which was achieved through once-off gains as the airline still posted an operating loss, for the full 12 months of 2021, coming in at ฿19.7 billion although the airlines' subsidiaries and debt restructuring activity generated it a net gain of ฿81.5 billion leaving it altogether with a net profit on its books of ฿55.1 billion for 2021.
This was the first profit for the firm since 2012.
The airline survived during 2021 on the revenue generated from its cargo and postal services business which accounted for ฿10 billion of its total revenue in 2021 which was ฿23.747 billion.
Passengers number in 2022 are up over 600% and still rising as airline takes advantage of rising demand
However, all is changed for the better this year with passenger numbers in recent months climbing to over 13,000 per day from a modest 2,000 a day at the start of the year as Thai Airways focused its passenger flight services on providing access to Thailand for passengers from Europe with flights serving London, Paris, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Zurich and other Scandinavian airports while the airline has recently opened up flights from India while also reopening its flights to Australia as well as Singapore and Malaysia.
The national carrier is also working with partner airlines as it flies into and out of Doha and Dubai while, at home, its subsidiary airline, Thai Smile, is operating and expanding its schedule of internal flights including from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Roi-Et and Trang with regular flights from Don Mueang airport to Chiang Mai.
The airline is proving itself to be strategically important to the kingdom this year as other international airlines have been slow to resume their full range of services into Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and other Thai international airports due to resource constraints and a surprisingly strong rebound in demand for international air travel leaving airlines struggling to flight airport-based staff.
International airlines slow to take up their slots at Thai airports after the kingdom fully reopened
British Airways, at the end of July, announced that it would not be resuming its regular flights from London to Bangkok as the UK carrier decided to prioritise its flights into Singapore on which there is superior demand for business class seats.
Recently, the Airports of Thailand (AOT) President, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, revealed the current number of flight connections to Thailand is only running at 33% of pre-pandemic levels with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, suggesting that at least 55% of the pre-pandemic level of seats is needed this year for the kingdom to achieve its full potential as it targets more than 10 million visitors for the year.
At the same time, Thai Airways is reported to be organising regular charter flights from the United Kingdom in association with UK travel agents from the end of this year to fulfil strong demand in that market among prospective tourists to Thailand.
Up to mid-May 2022, 85,926 UK foreign tourists had entered Thailand with the figure currently projected to be over 120,000 arrivals making it the country the second largest market up to that point.
On Monday, Minister Arkhom told Bloomberg that the European market was currently the most profitable for the airline.
Airline will not return to its status as a state enterprise with the government aiming for a 40% stake
Nevertheless, although the minister was upbeat about the airline's prospects, he made it clear that the Thai government does not seek to bring it into the fold again as a state enterprise suggesting that a 40% shareholding by the government would be an optimum arrangement to keep the carrier competitive after its reorganisation plan is complete.
That plan saw the airline cutting costs last year by a whopping ฿40.396 billion or 48.2% that an operating level coming in at ฿43.449 billion for the year.
This year with even greater efficiencies within both its passenger business and its cargo operation despite elevated fuel costs, the airline is expected to see a more profitable performance on rising passenger numbers and fare prices.
This has meant that as well as cutting its borrowing or loan requirements, the airline will be able to achieve its business targets under the rehabilitation plan a year ahead of schedule by 2024 with Minister Arkhom, on Monday, also suggesting the company's suspension of its shares from May 2021 on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) may be lifted earlier than the current projected date given of 2025.
Govt to lower Covid to same disease category as influenza
A boy waits his turn to receive a Covid-19 jab at the Central Westgate shopping mall in Nonthaburi on Aug 4, 2022. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
Thailand will downgrade Covid-19 from a "dangerous" communicable disease to one that "needs monitoring" starting from October, as the country's virus situation has started to stabilise, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
The move, which will remove Covid-19 from the same category as plague and smallpox to the same level as influenza and dengue, is to reflect the reality of the situation in the country, said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
The move reflects Thailand's health-system readiness, availability of treatments and "appropriate self-protection behaviour" of people around the country, Mr Anutin said in a statement. The government will also adjust the country's post-pandemic management plan to allow private hospitals to start directly procuring antiviral drugs "soon", rather than going through government channels, he said.
Authorities said last week that the country should start seeing a decline in severe Covid-19 cases and deaths by mid-August. The government on July 1 lifted virtually all travel restrictions and an outdoor mask mandate.
