Police in the Thai capital Bangkok have changed their approach to catching DUI offenders this Songkran holiday, that begins later this week.
Motorists may also be lucky to get some chicken essence at checkpoints.
Pol Maj-Gen Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek noted at a ceremony on Monday at the New Southern Bus Station that 12 midnight checkpoints had proved inadequate.
Studies has shown that Thais were getting drunk all day during Songkran.
So for this year the alcohol and drug checkpoints - nearly 100 of them - would be set up from NOON.
A total of 4,000 officers have been mobilized to cover outward bound journeys, 11 big events in the capital and 100 smaller ones and the checkpoints.
Picture: Siam Rath
Of the 100 checkpoints a few were looking for non-helmet wearing, red light transgressors and people speeding.
But nearly 100 were on the lookout for drunk and drugged up drivers, reported Siam Rath.
First priority for the moblization plans of the RTP, Land Transport Department and related agencies was to look after the travelling public at Mo Chit, Don Muang airport and the southern terminal.
Hundreds have been given tasks at those transport hubs for the outgoing Songkran traffic starting tomorrow and the incoming beginning on Sunday.
Picture: Siam Rath
Siam Rath's story was accompanied by a picture of police with an unidentified foreigner. This advertised that 100,000 bottles of Brands Chicken Essence would be handed out free at Songkran.
The handing out of the chicken essence at checkpoints became a much commented upon thread on Thaivisa prior to the pandemic.
Airline industry blames rising costs for expensive airfares, is this true?
Bob Scott1 hour ago
Picture courtesy of Executive Traveller.
Expensive airfares look set to stay for the foreseeable future according to the airline industry.
The industry is trotting out the usual excuses that the recent spike in expensive ticket prices is attributed to a rise in operational costs, including surging fuel pricesand other factors.
Nok Air CEO, Wutthiphum Jurangkool, cited a surge in prices for aviation supply chain items due to the pandemic, such as spare parts and aircraft insurance.
Wutthiphum also pointed to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war causing a spike in jet fuel prices, which typically accounts for around 30% of overall operations.
Other major expenses include longer aircraft leasing contracts of three to four years. While older fleets may have lower leasing rates, they require higher maintenance costs, which contributes to the overall increase in operational expenses, Bangkok Post reported.
Recently, there has been a public outcry over high domestic airfare prices, such as a 7,595 baht ticket from Bangkok to Trang compared to a 4,200 baht ticket for the same date from Singapore.
Wutthiphum said that during peak holiday periods, airfares typically increase due to high demand, causing an imbalance in traffic and prompting airlines to adjust prices to control costs.
In response to public concerns, the Thai Transport Minister, Saksayam Chidchob, has requested that airlines cooperate to maintain prices. As a result, the average airfare during the upcoming Songkran holiday and low season has been revised down to levels seen in 2019.
Fuel prices and otheroperational costs may haverisen in recent years but there are ways for airlines tokeep air prices down and they are rarely challenged about it in the media.
Airlines could have moreefficient aircraft in their fleet,reduce overhead costs, andutilise new technology toenhance the customerexperience. Additionally,airlines can offer discountson certain routes to enticecustomers to fly with them,as well as offer loyaltyprograms and rewards totheir frequent customers.
According to Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, the head of commercial operations at Thai Lion Air, the airline has already set a limit on domestic airfares that is lower than the maximum amount permitted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), at 9.4 baht per kilometre.
During the Songkran holiday period, it is common for airfares to increase more than usual due to high demand from locals booking trips in advance to visit their hometowns, while tourists book tickets to travel to the South for a summer holiday.
Nuntaporn said that airlines have recently submitted their pricing plans to the CAAT and can demonstrate that their dynamic pricing strategies are consistent with market forces, which is a standard practice in the aviation industry in other countries, especially when there are limited seats available for passengers to purchase.
She said…
"The upcoming Songkran holiday will be the first time in three years that things have gone back to normal, so most passengers planned and booked their tickets in advance. Our load factor in this period soared above 80%. It's usual for those who want to purchase with a short lead time to face higher airfares."
Making airfares cheaper will encourage tourism and help the Thai economy recover from three barren Covid-19 pandemic years. If airlines continue to be greedy a full economic recovery will take longer than predicted. Time for government intervention.
FILE - Dancers wearing face shields dance inside a bar at Patpong nightlife and sex trade district in Bangkok, July 9, 2020.
From the rows of massage parlors, pulsing night clubs and rowdy bars of Thailand's gaudy red-light districts, the country's billion-dollar sex trade operates all but in the open.
Technically, the sex they sell is illegal, but a new government-led plan aims to change that. It calls for repealing the 1996 Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act, which makes most sex work a crime, and replacing it with a new law, the Protection of Sex Work Act, affirming the rights of sex workers and their places of business to sell sex.
The bill's proponents hope it will help the country's sex workers — estimated to number anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 — ply their trade more safely and earn higher wages. Opponents fear it will leave many sex workers exploited by middlemen and trafficking gangs, and clash with the country's values and traditions.
"The law is now out of date," said Jintana Janbumrung, director-general of the Department of Women's Affairs and Family Development, which is spearheading the reform effort.
By giving sex workers legal status, she said, "they can be workers who have access to the same welfare as other occupations, whose rights will not be violated, who will not be exploited by their clients or sex business operators [and have] a better quality of life."
To help craft the bill, her department hired Narong Jaiharn, an associate professor at Thailand's Thammasat Law School, and held a series of public hearings across the country.
While getting paid for sex is not illegal in and of itself in Thailand, he said, soliciting and advertising paid sex is. So is running a business where sex is for sale, he added, putting much of the country's sex industry outside the law.
Repealing the 1996 law would make all that legal. The new law drafted to replace it, though, would require the clubs, bars and parlors where sex is sold to apply for a special license.
The goal is to make sex work safer.
"Sex workers are afraid of the police because it is illegal," Narong said. "If they inform that they [were] assault by someone, the police ask them ... where [were you] assault and why you go there?"
If the draft bill were made law, he added, "sex workers can tell the police that this is legal work and during their work they have been assault by the client."
With legal status, Narong said, sex workers could also sign binding contracts subject to the country's labor laws with the licensed businesses selling their services. The bill would give the country's labor courts express jurisdiction to settle disputes over any contracts and agreements between those businesses and their sex workers.
FILE - Members of SWING (Service Members in Group) Foundation, an organization for the empowerment of sex workers in Thailand, perform for members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies during Pride March in Bangkok on June 5, 2022.
That is a welcome prospect to Mai in northern Thailand's Chiang Mai city, where the sex trade thrives steps away from the quaint holy temples of the city's cloistered old town, a popular stop on the country's tourist trail.
Now 37, she started selling sex 10 years ago after a string of low-paid jobs picking crops, bussing tables and cleaning hotels, anything to help support her family but nothing that paid as well as sex work.
"People have to work to make a living, just like everyone else," she said. "Right now I take care of my father. My mother passed away some years ago, and my brother and sister have grown up. I used to support them too."
She said most of the other sex workers she knows are also parents.
If her work were legal, Mai said the bar she works out of would not have to skim her wages to pay the bribes so local authorities will turn a blind eye. She said she could also get the bar to fix her wages at a guaranteed rate that would not rise or fall at the owner's whim, as they do now.
"If I gain weight, or if I can't get the customer to buy more drinks, the bar makes its own rules to cut my wages. Those rules would be against the law, but since sex work is illegal, the bar takes advantage," she said.
With labor laws on the sex workers' side, she added, "we could get paid fairly and we would be just like other workers in other jobs."
Opponents
Sanphasit Koompraphant, a former director of Thailand's nongovernment Center for the Protection of Children's Rights Foundation, said licensing businesses to sell sex, as the bill proposes, would still amount to the commercial exploitation of sex workers and land the country afoul of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which it ratified in 1985.
He said Thais should have the right to sell their own sex on their own behalf, but that he worries that entrenching the system of middlemen who now run much of the industry will also keep sex workers from earning their fair share of the profits. Without stepped-up law enforcement, he said he worries too that arming bars and clubs with government licenses to sell sex could make it easier for sex traffickers, who force people into the industry, to hide their crimes in the guise of a legal business.
Sanphasit said the government should be doing more to draw people away from or out of the sex trade, rather than formally endorsing an industry he believes is bred by, and breeds, other social ills.
"This group of women will have very serious ... physical health and mental health problems, which means that we have to pay a lot of money to treat them. And moreover they will create more problems of family conflict and it will affect to Thai development," he said. "It means we have to spend a lot of money to solve not only ... the health problem, but including social problem and family problem too."
Narong said some who came to the public hearings he held also complained that legalizing or decriminalizing sex work would run counter to Thai culture.
Whether the bill the government has now drafted becomes law will be up to a new administration and parliament. The National Assembly was dissolved last month in preparation for elections on May 14.
The major parties in the race have said little or nothing about the issue so far. Still, Surang Janyam, a sex workers' rights advocate who runs a group called Service Workers in Group, or SWING, said she remains optimistic about change.
After nearly 30 years of urging a succession of administrations to decriminalize the industry, to no avail, she said she believes the odds of some progress are at least growing.
"Because sex work [has] a lot of stigma, not a lot of the people [want] to come out to say, oh, I support. But if we look [at] the last five years, six years, I see the trend is better," she said. "The support by the government ... is more than in the past."
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Transport Ministry to proceed with a five-point plan to tackle the soaring prices of air tickets in the short and long term.
Deputy Transport Minister Atirat Ratanasate said the ministry has informed the prime minister of the measures taken and those in the pipeline to address the substantial hikes, which is due to the surge in demand after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has looked into the causes and factors and developed its five-point plan to deal with the issue that has frustrated passengers, affecting the tourism industry.
Gen Prayut has told the ministry to proceed with the plan and instructed the CAAT to keep tabs on domestic airfares and urge people to plan their trips in advance for more affordable air tickets, he said.
The CAAT has proposed five measures, including increasing ground handling capacity, relaxing rules to create flexibility for airlines, and considering a subsidy programme.
According to the aviation regulator, limited ground-handling capacity causes airlines to limit flights, so more ground-handling operators should be allowed.
Positive incentives should be introduced to encourage airlines to return their flight slots as early as possible if they cannot operate the flights so that the slots can be reallocated, officials said.
Airlines are operating with a limited number of aircraft, so related rules could be eased to enable them to procure more aircraft to solve the seat capacity problem, the CAAT said.
The CAAT suggests airlines should be given more flexibility regarding maintenance work carried out in other countries. When aircraft are serviced, the airlines' flight capacity is reduced.
As a long-term measure, laws should be improved to promote investment in maintenance centres to serve the country's growing airline business.
One short-term measure is to allow Thai-registered airlines to be serviced at the facility run by Thai Airways International.
Air tickets on certain routes are expensive due to low market demand or the service being provided by a single operator. The higher the airfares, the lower the demand.
The government should consider a subsidy policy for airlines that operate flights to less popular destinations.
The measure would drive demand and make these airports more attractive for investors, officials said.
A jet takes off at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan province. Somchai Poomlard
Airlines are expecting higher airfares than usual during the upcoming low season as oil cartel Opec and its allies announced production cuts.
Opec plans to lower oil production by 1.16 million barrels per day, starting next month, which has led to a surge in prices.
Pinyot Pibulsonggram, head of commercial at Thai Vietjet, said the situation could affect ticket prices in the market during the next 3-6 months, with the low tourism season typically between June and September.
Airfares could potentially become more pricey than during the cool season and the upcoming Songkran holiday, as airlines downgraded ticket prices for those periods because of lower fuel surcharges, he said.
Mr Pinyot said fuel prices typically comprise a large portion of airlines' operational costs, around 20-30%.
Airlines should evaluate their operations and seek methods to offset fluctuating fuel prices, he said.
For example, Mr Pinyot said Thai Vietjet's strategy is to gain higher passenger volumes during the low season to maintain airfares and keep the airline competitive in the market.
The average load factor should run above 85%, exceeding the usual low season rate of 80%, he said.
Increasing flight capacity to draw more inbound foreign tourists is crucial as the strategy can help drive Thailand's economy, said Mr Pinyot.
For the Songkran holiday, Thai Vietjet registered positive bookings from both international and domestic passengers, he said.
Thai Vietjet's most active international routes are direct flights to Japan, which have an 80% load factor.
Domestic routes to southern Thailand, led by Phuket and Krabi, had the strongest load factor of 85%.
However, flights to Chiang Mai and destinations affected by PM2.5 air pollution received fewer guests than usual, said Mr Pinyot.
Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that prior to Opec's announcement, fuel prices and airfares were lower as flight capacities were ramping up.
If fuel prices continue to rise, airfares might become unaffordable for tourists, said Mr Yuthasak.
He said the tourism industry needs more flight frequencies as increasing revenue from passengers could offset high fuel prices.
The TAT expects to welcome at least 25 million foreign visitors this year.
TAT eyes B18bn revenue from nationwide Songkran events
BANGKOK: Thailand's tourism authority has announced a plan to organise Songkran celebrations across the country and the agency now anticipates B18 billion in revenue from both Thai and foreign tourists traveling during the festival.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said a total of 3.8 million trips are expected to be made by Thai people during the Thai New Year, plus 300,000 trips by foreign tourists.
Highlight events for this year's festival include the Yen Tua La Maha Songkran event and the International Amazing Splash 2023 event in Bangkok, which will be taking place at Soi Chulalongkorn 5 on Apr 13-15, reports NNT.
The TAT will also be holding Water Festival 2023 events in several locations across the country between Apr 13-16.
Several temples in Bangkok such as Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and Wat Rakhang will be holding traditional activities for the Thai New Year, alongside major events at Tha Maharaj, Iconsiam shopping mall, and Asiatique.
Many provinces will have their key events organised, such as at the Old House of Chiang Mai, Ban Chiang World Heritage Cultural Square in Udon Thani, the Andamanda water park in Phuket, and a traditional Songkran event in Phra Pradaeng district of Samut Prakan, which will be taking place on Apr 21-23.
Throughout the entire festival, the TAT will be working closely with the Tourist Police Bureau to enforce safety measures to boost confidence among both domestic and international visitors.
Blockerad artikel men budskapet framgår…"Passagerer på nogle af Finnairs langdistanceflyvninger vil opleve, at de fremover tilbydes færre måltider, må undvære champagne eller kigge langt efter en pude. I SAS Go indføres tillæg for specialmad på langdistanceruter."
Finnair og SAS skærer ned på service på langruter
Passagerer på nogle af Finnairs langdistanceflyvninger vil opleve, at de fremover tilbydes færre måltider, må undvære champagne eller kigge langt efter en pude. I SAS Go indføres tillæg for specialmad på langdistanceruter.
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Swede arrested in Chon Buri for overstaying visa by more than 7 years
By
Peter Roche
It's like there is some competition to see how long you can stay in Thailand without a valid visa.
Now, a Swedish man has been arrested in the south of the Chon Buri province by the Immigration Bureau for overstaying his visa by more than seven years. 50 year old Lennart Alexander was apprehended at a rented property in the Si Racha district of Chon Buri after his landlady reported him to the authorities.
The Swedish man had initially arrived in Thailand via Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on January 7, 2016. However, he failed to leave the country before the expiry of his visa and ended up staying for 2,610 days, just over seven years.
The arrest followed a complaint from Alexander's landlady, who alleged that he had duped several people in the community by claiming to be a millionaire from Sweden who had come to Thailand to start a new business. He even showed her his bank account to prove he had several million baht in savings.
Problem is, he never paid any rent to her and also borrowed money from other people in the area. He claimed that he needed the money for business investments, but instead, he used it for his day-to-day expenses.
The landlady realised that the Swede was not a rich businessman and decided to file a complaint with the police. As per Thai immigration laws, overstaying in Thailand for more than one year results in a ten-year ban from entering the country and a fine of 20,000 baht. Depending on the case you could also find yourself spending time in the Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok.
Currently, Alexander has only been charged for overstaying, and the charges for his deceitful actions were not reported.
The authorities have advised foreign nationals to adhere to the immigration laws of Thailand and leave the country before their visas expire. Anyone found violating the immigration laws will face legal consequences.
Thaksin Shinawatra - AKA P' Tony to his many followers on Facebook live broadcasts under the CareTalk brand - was at his rhetorical best in his latest broadcast, notes ASEAN NOW.
Banners on the broadcast clearly stated that he would be back two days after the general election that takes place on May 14th.
The banner said "see you very soon after the election - May 16th", reported Siam Rath.
Thaksin - a fugitive from Thai justice but a former leader who hopes his party can sweep to power and inspire his triumphant return to Thailand - said that his country was in a "black hole of misery".
Everyone of his followers must go to the polls and vote to end this.
He called for a landslide victory so that control of the future could be guaranteed for the good of the people and democracy.
He called the election "historic" as he urged his voters to return a better quality of life.
With better law and order, human rights and above all the return of democracy.
Everyone had been telling him that had been sorely lacking in most of the last decade.
Bangkok makes pact with Moscow to collaborate on 6 aspects
Bangkok and Moscow signed a joint development pact in a ceremony at City Hall on Friday. Signing the memorandum of understanding were deputy Bangkok governor Jakkapan Phiewngam and Moscow City Government Minister Sergey Cheremin, who is also in charge of Moscow's Department for External Economic and International Relations.
Bangkok makes pact with Moscow to collaborate on 6 aspects
The MoU says the two cities will cooperate and exchange experiences in six aspects from 2023 to 2025, as follows:
• Trade and economy: Promoting entrepreneurship and supporting local businesses in international trade with other cities, especially in the digital economy and e-commerce.
• Smart city, innovation and transport: Both cities have agreed to exchange solutions on the smart city initiative, including the development of education, innovation and public transport system. This includes the promotion of innovative modes of transport using clean, alternative energy.
• Sustainable development and environment: This aspect covers topics such as urban environment protection, pollution control, waste management, recycling and the development of green spaces.
• Social protection and healthcare: Bangkok and Moscow will jointly promote sustainable improvement of the quality of life of people in vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, the underprivileged and disabled persons. This will also cover comprehensive healthcare services at primary health units and at hospitals across the city.
• Education and sports: The two cities agreed to organise training and field trips for teachers, students and education personnel to promote education and physical activities. This also includes the holding of friendly sports events between the two cities.
• Culture and tourism: The two cities will host cultural events that will see Thai and Russian artists putting up shows in either city. The cities will also host a series of exhibitions with stage performances as part of festivals in a bid to boost tourism.
Public Brawl Involving Bang Saen Teenagers Terrifies Tourists
A public brawl on Bang Saen Beach that involved around 20 teenagers terrified tourists Thursday night, March 30th.
Local media reported that two groups of more than 20 teenage boys were involved in a violent fight at a crowded tourist spot on Bang Saen Beach in the Saen Suk area around midnight Thursday night/Friday morning.
Both groups used kitchen utensils and wooden sticks that they grabbed from nearby shops to attack each other while shouting and cursing. This caused panic among tourists who subsequently fled the area out of fear for their safety, and some even recorded video clips of the incident.
Local reporters went to the scene yesterday morning, March 31st, to investigate the incident and met with Ek, a Thai shopkeeper who was present during the fight.
He explained that two groups of teenagers on motorcycles met and started taunting each other. ฺฺBoth sides then used various items from nearby shops as weapons, including a crowbar, causing damage to many shops near the beach.
Ek stated that this kind of incident happened frequently and it seemed that they had no fear of the law.
Meanwhile, Saensuk police are reportedly investigating the incident.
As the Thai Summer approaches, both citizens and travelers are at a higher risk of heatstroke.
So what happens to your body when you suffer from heatstroke, and what are the ways in preventing it? Let's take a closer look at the warning signs.
What is heatstroke?
The human body temperature is maintained within a narrow range by balancing heat from the body and the environment (around 36 to 37.5 degrees Celsius, which varies throughout the day). Evaporation of sweat from the body is the main mechanism in reducing excessive heat.
Heatstroke is caused by failure of thermoregulation (the maintenance of a constant body temperature). Due to the high body temperatures which occur, there is a risk of serious injury.
There are 2 types of heatstroke:
1) Classical Heatstroke or Non-Exertional Heatstroke (NEHS): This type occurs mostly in the elderly who have chronic medical illnesses, making them vulnerable to hot environments and dehydration.
As well, in persons of any age, this type could occur due to the use of certain prescription medications or recreational drugs (e.g. alcohol) which impairs how the body controls temperature.
2) Exertional Heatstroke (EHS): This type occurs in younger people, athletes, and military recruits who engage in heavy exercise in hot temperatures and high humidity environments.
Symptoms of heatstroke
Heatstroke doesn't happen as soon as you step outside into hot weather. Instead, it occurs after prolonged exposure to high temperatures or exerting yourself during physical activity in high temperatures.
As your body temperature rises, you may begin to feel dizzy, weak, and nauseated. When the temperature keeps climbing, you will become disoriented. Sometimes odd behavior may occur in the form of slurred speech, agitation, or hallucinations. In the worst case scenario, you may experience a seizure or go into a coma.
Your skin may be very warm to the touch, look red or flushed, and can either be moist or dry. These symptoms indicate that you might not be properly hydrated, and that the body is unable to cool itself down.
The main indicator of severe heatstroke and what leads to serious bodily injury is when your body's internal temperature increases to 40⁰C (104⁰F) or higher.
Dangers of heatstroke
Heatstroke is a major concern throughout the Thai summer. After lengthy exposure to heat and the sun without proper access to shade or water, your body will become dehydrated and eventually overheat. The associated dangers of this include brain and heart damage, as well as other harmful effects to the kidneys, muscles, and liver.
It's imperative that a heatstroke a victim receives proper medical treatment as soon as possible. The goal of the treatment is to reduce the victim's internal body temperature. Treatment by evaporative cooling is effective and easily performed by misting the skin with lukewarm water, and then evaporating the water using a fan.
Another method that is less commonly used is to put ice packs around the armpits, neck, back, and groin.
If treatment isn't immediately provided, serious, and sometimes irreversible complications can occur. As well, the longer a victim goes without treatment, the chances of death dramatically increase.
Tips in avoiding heatstroke
The good news is that heatstroke can be avoided in high temperatures by following these simple suggestions:
Staying properly hydrated allows your body to cool off naturally through sweating. Drinking plenty of water is the best option – and it's best to stay away from alcoholic or sugary drinks. Lightweight clothing, that isn't too tight, will also allow your body to cool properly.
Be cautious if you have an increased risk of heatstroke. Remember that certain medications may affect the body's ability to cool off or regulate temperature properly. Additionally, if you have not spent much time in the hot weather, and your body has not become acclimated to the high temperatures, you are more susceptible to heatstroke than someone who is already accustomed to the heat.
Don't over exert yourself during the hottest part of the day. Instead, opt for doing the most labor-intensive tasks in the early morning or late evening, when the temperature is cooler. Also, never ever sit or leave someone sitting in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked and the vehicle is parked in the shade. The car's internal temperature can become very hot very quickly.
Thailand's economy to grow 3.6 pct in 2023: World Bank
BANGKOK, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank expected Thailand's economy to grow 3.6 percent year on year in 2023, accelerating from 2.6percent in 2022, supported by domestic consumption, tourism recovery and pent-up demand in China.
The faster growth will come from stronger domestic private consumption and revival of tourism, the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Chief Economist Aaditya Mattoo said at a virtual press conference Friday, when the bank released its latest East Asia and the Pacific Economic Update report.
Thailand's tourist arrivals are projected to increase to 27 million in 2023, reaching 68 percent of the pre-pandemic level, and are expected to accelerate and surpass the pre-pandemic level by 2024, according to the bank.
However, Thailand's goods exports in U.S. dollar-denominated terms are expected to contract in 2023, due to slowing global growth, Mattoo said.
Mattoo said though the Southeast Asian country's inflation remains higher than the target range, the inflation pressures have eased.
He warned about domestic challenges such as rising household debt levels, rapid aging, low capital investment accumulation and declining export competitiveness, which may limit Thailand's potential growth, and advised deepening reforms, especially in the service sector.
To ensure sustainable development, Kiatipong Ariyapruchya, the World Bank's senior economist for Thailand, said besides maintaining fiscal stability and sustainability, Thailand must further open up the service sector, increase investment for climate adaptation and enhance social protection for the aged and poor.
In the latest East Asia and the Pacific Economic Update, the World Bank said economic performance across the region, while robust, could be held back this year by slowing global growth, elevated commodity prices and tightening financial conditions.
The bank expected growth in East Asia and the Pacific region to accelerate to 5.1 percent in 2023 from 3.5 percent in 2022, according to the report.
Looking forward, the World Bank urged the region to implement structural, macro-financial and climate-related reforms to address the problems of slowing productivity growth and scars from the pandemic, even as it faces up to the major challenges of deglobalization, aging and climate change.
A large group of Chinese nationals who fled China due to fears of persecution for their faith were arrested in Pattaya this week for overstaying their visas, a common crackdown in Thailand that normally leads to immediate deportation, but this case has captured major international media attention.
The total of 63 Chinese nationals, which includes 35 children, were arrested Thursday, March 30th, 2023 in the Pattaya area following what Chonburi Immigration said was a tip from a concerned citizen. Activists working on behalf of the detained group claim the informant was working with the Chinese government in an attempt to bring the group back to China, where activist groups claim the large group of Chinese christians could face a variety of harsh penalties.
The group are members of the China Shenzen Holy Reformed Church, more commonly known globally and in the United States as the Mayflower Church. They fled China in 2019 to avoid what they said was imminent persecution, originally going to South Korea, but later fled South Korea to Thailand in 2022 after alleged political pressure from the Chinese government to return them to China increased and Korea refused to grant them asylum. The group claimed there was immense political pressure behind the scenes to deny their asylum requests.
All 63 members of the church are on overstay, according to Col. Tawee Kutthalaeng, chief of the Nong Prue police station. However, Col. Tawee stated that the children have not been charged and for the time being the 28 adults paid a fine on Friday, March 31st, and have been temporarily released under supervision while Thai authorities determine the next steps. Col. Tawee also attempted to calm fears from activists and others that Thailand would deport the group to China, saying that wasn't the plan.
Thailand does not have an agreement with the 1951 UN refugee convention and attempted refugee cases often make the news in Thailand, with activist groups often trying to pressure Thailand despite not signing the convention to not deport people to their home countries if they could face possible mistreatment, torture, or persecution for their beliefs.
Thailand not being a signatory to the UN treaties does have advantages though, it means that Thailand is not party to the refugee treaties, and so individual groups and agencies—rather than the government alone—can directly process and determine refugee cases on an individual basis. This is also a major reason refugees flee to Thailand as the steps to be able to be sent elsewhere are often less bureaucratic.
Deana Brown, who is an American and is the founder of a Texas-based organization called Freedom Seekers International, has been working directly with the group attempting to get them passage to Tyler, Texas in the United States and to help them start a new life.
Brown told associated media that the group respected Thailand's laws and had no intention to cause trouble. However, the group were unable to extend their visas due to a current restriction on Chinese nationals that requires them to first have a check with the Chinese embassy before any visa renewal.
This additional step was put in place as an ongoing crackdown in Thailand for several months now as Thai law enforcement combats illegal Chinese grey businesses and crime. According to Brown, however, the extra step makes it impossible for the group to renew their visas because the moment they entered the Chinese embassy they would be detained and deported and subject to possible persecution.
The Chinese embassy has not released any official statements on the situation as of press time.
USCIRF, Freedom Seekers International, and several other groups are currently working on a solution for the 63 Chinese Mayflower members to attempt to get them to the United States while at the same time pleading with Thai authorities not to deport the group to China.
For now, urgent work continues behind the scenes with the Chinese christians while relevant agencies and groups work on the next steps.
The Pattaya News notes that Christianity is not illegal in China and has expanded significantly since the 1980s. Critics, however, claim that it is tightly controlled by the Chinese government and groups must be politically vetted and follow tough rules set by the Chinese government that discourage veering from any official messages or directions. Essentially, the Mayflower group fled this central direction, wanting to be able to practice their freedom of religion and expression without government oversight.
The situation of the stranded Chinese group has driven major international media attention in both America and China with a variety of diverse and passionate opinions on what should happen to the group.
Members of the detained Chinese Christian Group leave the Nongprue police station on Friday, March 31st, 2023.
Bank customers who want to transfer more than 50,000 baht electronically from their bank accounts are required to have their faces scanned to confirm their banking transactions, under a new set of measures imposed by the Bank of Thailand to protect bank customers from online thieves.
Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput has issued an order instructing all financial institutions, including commercial banks, to upgrade their banking systems to cope with increasing online theft from customers' bank accounts.
Managers of all financial institutions and all providers of electronic money transfer services, which are not financial institutions, are to report to the central bank their systems for dealing with bank transaction thefts and they must meet the minimum standard set by the central bank.
The new measures also include the requirement for all banks to tighten up the process for the opening of new bank accounts.
Financial institutions and banks are required to develop their banking systems to be capable of detecting irregularities in transactions around the clock. If an irregularity is detected, the bank in question must notify the customer within one hour of the detection and to report an update on the case within one working day.
For a bank customer who has money deducted from their bank account through a debit card in a transaction which they did not conduct, the bank must refund the customer in full amount within five days. In case of a credit card, the bank cannot ask for payment from the customer for a transaction that they did not conduct.
