Thai cabinet approves 45-day stay for tourists entitled to visa exemption and 30 days with Visa on Arrival
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The cabinet approved an edict of the Interior Ministry today (Tuesday) extending the period of stay, from 30 to 45 days, for tourists from countries and territories entitled to visa exemptions and from 15 to 30 days for those eligible for a Visa on Arrival.
The extension is, however, only temporary, from October 1st until end of March next year, to coincide with the traditionally tourism high season in Thailand, when more tourists, especially from Europe and the US, are expected to escape the cold weather and head to Thailand.
Currently, though, most foreign arrivals in Thailand are from Malaysia and India.
The extension of stays confirms the decision of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration in late August, based on the proposal of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The cabinet also decided to remove COVID-19 from the list of forbidden diseases among foreign visitors, making it possible for foreigners infected with COVID-19 to enter Thailand.
According to Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri, about five million foreign tourists have arrived in Thailand so far this year, including about one million this month alone.
The Thai government has set a target of welcoming at least 10 million foreign arrivals this year.
Foreigners infected with COVID-19 can visit Thailand
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Foreign visitors to Thailand who are infected with COVID-19 will no longer be barred from entering, following a decision by the cabinet today (Monday) to delete COVID-19 from a list of forbidden diseases in foreign visitors, said Deputy Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek.
The new measure will take effect once it is announced in the Royal Gazette.
She said, however, that foreigners afflicted with leprosy, tuberculosis in a dangerous stage, elephantiasis with clear symptoms, third stage syphilis and diseases associated with drug abuse will still be barred from entering the country.
Foreigners who are afflicted with these diseases, or chronic alcoholism, will be forbidden from taking residence in the country.
CCSA Eyes New Tourism Measures In Light Of Improving Covid Situation
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will meet on Friday to evaluate the situation and discuss measures to promote tourism now that there is a decline in confirmed Covid-19 cases.
Deputy government spokesperson Trisulee Trisaranakul said on Tuesday that the CCSA expects more foreign arrivals during the high season (November to March) and believes measures must be implemented as early as October to ensure all sectors are ready for the influx.
Trisulee added that the Covid-19 situation in Thailand is continuously improving, with the number of confirmed patients being below the 1,000 mark for most of last week, except for Wednesday and Thursday, which saw 1,321 and 1,125 confirmed patients respectively. Covid-related deaths too have dropped to about 10 to 15 people daily. On Tuesday, Thailand recorded 774 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 15 deaths.
Earlier, in a bid to boost tourism the CCSA had greenlighted a scheme allowing visitors to stay longer. The scheme, which lasts from October 1 to March 31, will extend visa-on-arrival for visitors from 18 countries from 15 days to 30 days. Also, visitors from 50 countries who currently get a 30-day stamp under the visa exemption scheme will be able to stay for 45 days.
"More measures will be discussed on Friday to promote tourism as well as prevent infections brought in by visitors," Traisulee said.
Back in August, then-premier General Prayut Chan-o-cha had announced that the Emergency Decree would be lifted from October 1 and the CCSA dissolved in response to the improving outbreak situation.
As of October 1, Covid-19 is expected to be officially downgraded from "dangerous communicable disease" to "communicable disease under surveillance".
The 2015 Communicable Disease Act will be the governing law to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak instead of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations, which has been in place since March 24, 2020.
The embattled national carrier – Thai Airways International Plc (THAI), has come out to say that it was starting to see a turnaround of its business as passenger traffic starts to revive, after 2-years of restricted travel.
THAI came out to say that its performance during the course of this year and next is set to witness a turnaround as its load factor has seen a sharp increase.
"The trend for the remaining 2 quarters is expected to be better than the target," Chai Iamsiri, the head of finance and accounting for the embattled airline said during the presentation at the 'Opportunity Day' at the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET).
He added that for the time being the continued decline in oil prices has also helped the airline keep its costs lower.
Chai said that THAI was expecting around 4.5 million passengers during the course of this year and an average cabin factor of 80-82%. During the 2ndquarter of 2022 the airline had seen just over 2 million passengers and a cabin factor of about 60.3%, while it is expected that during the rest of the year, the trend of transportation and passengers will continue to improve.
As for the company's ongoing rehabilitation from the bankruptcy, Chai said that the hope was that the revised plan would be approved by the courts within October this year.
The rehabilitation plan administrator has submitted to the official receiver. It is expected that the Central Bankruptcy Court will summon the plan administrator to clarify on September 21-22. If there is no problem, it is expected that the Court will have an order approving the plan to be revised according to the resolution of the meeting of creditors within the first or second week of October 2022.
After that, the debt restructuring process will begin. And convert debt to equity including increasing capital in the future.
As for the capital raising, it will take place at the appropriate time for the capital markets to be able to absorb the funding. The shareholding of the Ministry of Finance would be diluted to 34% from about 44.8% and there will be a debt-to-equity swap for the creditors. The offering price would also be around 2.52 to 2.54 Baht a share.
The company expects to exit its rehabilitation plan by the end of 2024 and expects positive earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and capital base would be back in the black.
Chai said that the global airline industry is not set to return to profitability up until next year after the Covid-19 induced lockdowns left the industry with more than US$ 140 billion in losses to the entire airline industry across the world.
Once this is done, it would be positive for the airline and for the shareholders and creditors because currently THAI is indebted with more about 140 billion Baht to various creditors.
Brace yourself. Bangkok will witness strong rains this week, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.
The department issued an official statement stating that high precipitation should be expected all across Southeast Asia due to high-pressure cold winds from China. So expect torrential rains and thunderstorms in various parts of the kingdom, including Bangkok, for the entire week. The wettest day for Bangkok will reportedly be on 21 September.
Chatchawan Jaksuwong
Heavy rains pose a huge threat to Bangkok, which sits on river basins (the lowest part is only 1.5 meters above sea level) and sees high chances of flooding. Last week, different parts of the city were heavily submerged—the worst flooding in many years—causing cars to get stuck on the roads and leaving thousands of commuters stranded on their way home.
And looking further ahead, it doesn't seem like the monsoon season will be over anytime soon. Weather forecast sites reveal it will likely be raining until at least the end of September.
Chatchawan JaksuwongHeavy rain hits Bangkok
If the rains are preventing you from going home, why not visit a nearby bar and enjoy a drink or two until the skies clear. Check out our list of best bars to visit when it rains.
Nong Nooch Director Kampol Tansajja seems amused as H.E. Arman Issetov carries a humongous sea coconut freshly cut from a tree.
Kazakhstan's ambassador to Thailand helped plant rare "sea coconut" trees at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, which cut open seven precious coconut costing up to 200,000 baht.
H.E. Arman Issetov joined Nong Nooch Director Kampol Tansajja at the Sept. 18 ceremony to halve the giant coconut with two concentric shells. Each half was the size of a monk's alms bowl. The double-shelled coconut is so rare, it sells for 200,000 baht on the street. Single-shell sea coconuts go for half that.
Kampol and H.E. Arman Issetov jointly planted the first of the garden's sea coconut seedlings in its World Palm Garden. The trees themselves cost 500,000 baht. The sea coconut is a kind of palm native to the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean. Nong Nooch has 36 sea coconut trees in all.
The sea coconut got its name from ancient French sailors who found them floating in the ocean, far from any trees. The early navigators believed that the trees must be under the sea while others called them fruit that fell from heaven.
The largest sea coconuts ever found weigh 20 kilograms each. The fruit takes seven years to ripen. Trees take a year to root and won't produce fruit for more than 20 years.
H.E. Arman Issetov watches closely as Kampol Tansajja peels one of the rare double coconuts.
Kampol Tansajja and Arman Issetov jointly planted the first of the garden's sea coconut seedlings in its World Palm Garden.
Bisons guard the precious sea coconut tree which is enclosed in a fence to keep it safe.
Get 300 baht off domestic flights in the Land of Smiles under the project "Discounts All Over the Sky, Fly All Over Thailand." The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Airlines Association jointly launched the special offer in the hopes of stimulating the economy through domestic tourism this high season.
Six airlines joined the scheme to offer 300 baht discounts on 5 hundred thousand seats on flights taking off before the end of the year. Book before October 10 to get 300 baht off any flight between November 1 – December 31, 2022. Each booking is eligible for one 300 baht discount.
The participating airlines include Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai Smile, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai VietJet.
Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Yuthasak Supasorn announced the offer yesterday. He said…
"The Covid-19 pandemic over the past three years has continuously affected the aviation business. Airlines were forced to halt operations on many domestic flights. The pandemic impacted the economic stability and employment in the aviation industry."
Yuthasak said the special offer will help the TAT to fulfill their goal for Thailand's tourism industry to generate 1.5 trillion baht before the end of the year. The goal is just 50% of the revenue generated by the tourism industry in 2019 in pre-pandemic Thailand, according to the TAT.
The TAT governor added that Thailand's aviation business is recovering from the pandemic well and is heading in the right direction. He said the removal of the Thailand Pass was an important factor in stimulating air travel for both Thais and foreigners.
Anutin slams call to re-list cannabis as narcotic plant
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday slammed the proposal to re-list some parts of the cannabis plant as a narcotic, saying there is no evidence of improper use of cannabis under existing laws as claimed by the policy's critics.
He made the comment in response to a petition on Change.org signed by 1,363 doctors which called on the government to scrap the policy decriminalising cannabis use and possession, citing the lack of controls to prevent its recreational use and abuse by children and minors.
Instead, Mr Anutin said the ministry is willing to explain any concern expressed by the group. The minister pointed out that current rules on cannabis use are set up with medical users in mind.
"The law doesn't support other uses beyond [medical use]. There are rules which prevent cannabis smoking in public, and sales are restricted to individuals over the age of 20," he said.
"Re-listing cannabis [as a narcotic] is ridiculous, and we won't do it because we have come so far. We haven't seen any negative impact that is beyond our control."
He expressed his confidence that the parliament won't reject the ministry's cannabis bill again once the lawmakers' concerns are addressed.
On an unrelated note, Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha, who accompanied Mr Anutin, said he has no problems working with the Bhumjaithai leader. The Democrat politician said the party has yet to explain the reason for its objection to the cannabis bill.
Mr Yutthasak, centre, and Mr Puttipong at the seminar organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand at TAT's headquarters.
Despite the ongoing resumption of more international flights to Thailand, visitors' spending is forecast to be lower than expected.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said recovery of the sector is gaining momentum in terms of numbers, with the country expected to see a total of 6 million international visitors by the end of September and then an extra 1.5 million tourists a month in the final quarter.
By the end of the year, overall inbound numbers might hover at around 10 million following a resumption of international flights that could reach more than 50% of pre-pandemic levels.
"Earlier, we were worried about the lack of seat capacity. Even though this obstacle still remains, there is a sign of improvement as more international airlines have confirmed their winter schedules to Thailand," said Mr Yuthasak.
However, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports recently revised down its target for revenue to 1.08 trillion baht, from 1.2 trillion baht, which was the third time it had to downgrade the forecast due to weaker purchasing power.
At the beginning of the year, the ministry set its target at 1.5 trillion baht.
Mr Yuthasak said the agency has worked with many local and international airlines to bring more long-haul flights to Thailand.
Last week, it held talks with Taiwan's EVA Air to ensure more flight connections to Bangkok via Taipei as the airline is planning to add more destinations to Europe, alongside its pre-existing Vienna route.
Tour agencies targeting the Russian market will also fly chartered flights from Russia to Thailand, starting from three flights per week this winter.
Meanwhile, the TAT has rolled out a stimulus campaign with six local airlines to stimulate domestic revenue of at least 2 billion baht, in addition to providing a 300-baht airfare booking subsidy. Privileges covering 500,000 visitors have been prepared for this scheme.
Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, president of Bangkok Airways and the Airlines Association of Thailand, said flights from both local and international carriers are expected to fully recover by the end of next year.
However, routes and frequencies might be different from pre-pandemic schedules as airlines have to adjust their plans to cater to changes in demand.
Mr Puttipong said there were more positive signs as Bangkok Airways itself has started to renegotiate with 26-27 codeshare-partnered airlines to resume services to Thailand after connections were paused for two years.
Mr Yutthasak, left, and Mr Puttipong at the seminar organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand at TAT headquarters.
"The aviation trend has slightly changed. There are more enquiries from tourists in Asia and Europe to fly direct to tourism destinations such as Phuket," he said.
Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, head of commercial operations at Thai Lion Air, said international flights could resume more slowly than domestic routes, of which the airline has resumed all destinations covered prior to the pandemic.
The sluggish recovery is mainly attributed to various entry restrictions that remain in place in some countries, such as Japan and Taiwan.
Thai Lion Air currently has only three international routes: Jakarta, Mumbai, and Singapore.
"We have to prioritise domestic routes by adding more frequency. The outlook for the domestic market looks promising with the average load factor expected to hit 80%," Ms Nuntaporn said.
Thailand has lowered its level of Monkeypox surveillance after the average patient rate has decreased to two patients per month.
Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, revealed on Monday, September 19th, that the Public Health Ministry had established an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) following the WHO's announcement, declaring Monkeypox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and the EOC had been monitoring the Monkeypox cases in Thailand since.
According to the global surveillance of Monkeypox, new infections around the world is decreasing significantly, from the highest in August of about 1,000 cases per day to an average of 580 per day in September.
In Thailand, a total of 8 Monkeypox infections were found during the past four months or an average of two patients per month. Most of them had a history of having multiple sexual partners. Three of them had a history of showing symptoms before returning to Thailand. The disease investigation among high-risk contacts of the infections also showed no further infection transmission.
Therefore, the EOC has lowered its level of the Monkeypox surveillance operation from the ministerial level to the department level. However, Dr. Opas stressed that Monkeypox is still a contagious disease that requires surveillance. When a suspect infection is found, the disease control department must conduct reports and investigations as they had done in the past.
"According to the analysis of the number of laboratory tests, it was found that there were patients who conducted the disease tests at the laboratories but their results were not reported to the Department of Disease Control. Therefore, we'd like to ask both public and private hospitals nationwide to report any suspected cases to actively and effectively intensify the surveillance process of the disease," the Director-General concluded.
Second Omicron BA.2.75.2 sub-variant case detected in Thailand
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The Centre for Medical Genomics of the Faculty of Medicines at Ramathibodi Hospital has reported Thailand's second confirmed case of the Omicron BA.2.75.2 sub-variant infection in a Thai woman.
The centre said that the BA.2.75.2 sub-variant is five times more transmissible than the BA.5 sub-variant and four times faster than the BA.4.6 variant and is immune evasive to all treatments, including Long Acting Antibody (LAAB) or Evusheld.
The centre said, however, that there is no cause for panic as the sub-variant has been found in 464 cases worldwide so far, including two cases in Thailand, citing information from GISAID.
The centre did warn that people must not drop their guard, failing that the BA.2.75.2 sub-variant may replace BA.4.6 and BA.5, currently the dominant sub-variants.
The centre stressed the importance of sequencing all COVID-19 viruses within 24-48 hours, to determine whether they are Delta or Omicron and to identify which Omicron sub-variant they are, such as BA.2. BA.4, BA.4.6, BA.5, BA2.75 or BA.2.75.1 or BA.2.75.2, so treatments in the future will be more specifically targeted at certain sub-variants.
According to the World Health Organisation, the new Omicron variant, BA.2.75.2, is spreading rapidly in India and has been detected in many other countries, although their numbers are small.
Geographic distribution of BA.2.75.2 is as follows: India, 143 cases; US, 112 cases; Singapore, 43 cases; Australia, 20 cases; South Korea, 20 cases; Austria, 19 cases; Japan, 18 cases; Israel, 13 cases; Britain, 13 cases; Canada, irusi13 cases; and Germany, 8 cases.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has revealed a plan to declare six severely flooded areas in Lat Krabang district disaster zones, allowing affected residents to receive relief from government agencies.
According to the deputy governor of Bangkok, Tavida Kamolvej, the subdistricts of Lat Krabang, Klong Song Tonnun, Klong Sam Prawet, Khum Thong, Thap Yao, and Lam Plathieo are expected to be declared disaster zones before the government financial support can be provided.
As the BMA and other government organizations struggle to drain floodwater from Lat Krabang, Tavida reported that the extended flooding continues to affect at least 20,767 residents from 10,300 households and as many as 1,322 rai of agricultural land.
Chadchart stated that the BMA has placed sandbags along local canals to prevent excess water from entering neighborhoods. Despite recent days of severe downpours, he reported that the flood situation in as much as 80 percent of Bangkok had improved.
The BMA chief noted that the agency is now in talks with the Royal Irrigation Department over a project to build a new drainage system that would allow water runoff from the Pasak and Chao Phraya rivers to circumvent Bangkok's existing drainage network. The drainage project would replace the present floodway in eastern Bangkok, which is no longer functioning properly due to the obstruction of its flood-draining path by many housing developments.
As the project requires time to implement, the BMA is now contemplating the construction of a new 20-kilometer water tunnel to enable the direct drainage of excess water from eastern Bangkok into the Gulf of Thailand.
A huge volume of rainwater draining off from Muang district in Nakhon Ratchasima flows into tambon Chan-ad in Non Sung district through the Lam Chiang Krai river on Friday. (Photo: Prasit Tangprasert)
Heavy rain is forecast to continue in provinces in all regions, including Bangkok, from Saturday into Wednesday, with flash floods and overflows expected in high-risk areas.
The Meteorological Department on Friday said another high-pressure system from China will extend into upper Laos and upper Vietnam between Sept 17 and 21, This will cause a monsoon trough to move down and lie across the North, Central and Northeast of Thailand. The southwest monsoon prevailing over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand will strengthen.
These conditions are expected to bring heavy to heavy rain with sometimes gusty winds to hit the North, Northeast and Central Plains, including Bangkok and its vicinity, the East and the South.
Residents of those area should make appropriate preparations. Accumulated rainwater may cause flash flooding and watercourses to overflow, particularly near foothills and in low-lying areas.
On Sept 17, affected areas are likely to be seven provinces in the North (Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Tak, Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit and Phetchabun), 12 provinces in the Northeast (Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Roi Et, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani), and four provinces in the East (Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat).
Between Sept 18 and 19, likely affected areas are 12 provinces in the North (Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phrae, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phichit, Phetchabun, Kamphaeng Phet and Tak), 15 provinces in the Northeast (Loei, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Udon Thani, Yasothon, Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et, Amnat Charoen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Udon Thani), five provinces in the Central Pains (Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Kanchanaburi, Lop Buri and Saraburi), Bangkok and its vicinity, all provinces in the East (Chachoengsao, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat) and five provinces in the South (Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Surat Thani, Ranong and Phangnga).
Between Sept 20 and 21, affected areas are 15 provinces in the North (Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phayao, Nan, Phrae, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phichit, Phetchabun, Kamphaeng Phet and Tak), 20 provinces in the Northeast (Loei, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Yasothon, Kalasin, Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et, Amnat Charoen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani), nine provinces in the Central Plains (Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Suphan Buri, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Lop Buri, Saraburi, Ayutthaya and Samut Sakhon), Bangkok and its vicinity, and all provinces in the East.
Waves up to 1-2 metres high are forecast for the upper Andaman Sea and the upper Gulf of Thailand, and more than 2 metres high during thundershowers. All boats should proceed with caution.
