Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Thai PM will consider waiving quarantine for vaccinated visitors to Phuket

The Thai PM says he’s willing to consider a call from the Phuket business community to allow vaccinated foreigners to bypass quarantine. Prayut Chan-o-cha says in order to compete with other countries popular with tourists, Phuket plans to re-open fully to vaccinated foreigners from July, meaning the government must make sure the country’s vaccine rollout is on track.
“The point is how we can we ensure the safety (of this re-opening programme). Phuket, for instance, has proposed that vaccinated tourists should be exempted from the mandatory quarantine. Well, if possible, I’m ready to take care of that.”
From tomorrow, the mandatory 14-day quarantine period will be halved for vaccinated foreigners visiting the 6 tourism provinces of Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Surat Thani (Koh Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai. From July, vaccinated tourists visiting Phuket will not have to quarantine at all, provided the government succeeds in its ambition to vaccinate 70% of the island’s population before July 1.
The Bangkok Post reports that the PM has called for a digital platform to be created to register all foreign tourists. Speaking after yesterday’s cabinet meeting, he said such a platform is also being created to manage the country’s vaccine rollout. The Finance Ministry is working with Krungthai Bank to develop a system to record the allocation of vaccines, which is being handled by the Public Health Ministry.
Referring to recent clusters of Covid-19 at wet markets in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces, the PM says every market in Thailand must strictly follow disease prevention measures, including regular temperature checks and the wearing of face masks for both workers and customers.
Meanwhile, Bangkok’s deputy governor, Sophon Phisutthiwong, who heads up the government’s Covid-19 task force, says each district office in the capital has been ordered to check markets to ensure they comply with ventilation and hygiene requirements.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Investigations of Covid-19 infected elite rule-breakers demanded

Investigations are being demanded by a corruption watchdog into Thai politicians infected with Covid-19 after allegedly attending venues in the Thong Lor entertainment venues in Bangkok that have now emerged as the ground zero for the Coronavirus third wave in the Kingdom.
The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand are being asked to investigate the latest Covid-19 outbreak, noting in a Facebook post that the second wave was also linked to illegal activities, spreading through illegal migrants and other visiting gambling dens. This third wave is also angering those who see the wealthy elite and powerful politicians frequenting high-end bars and not following Covid-19 safety protocols.
Mana Nimitmongkol, secretary-general of ACT argues that the ministers visiting these clubs did not behave “ethically”, and it’s part of a larger problem. He is pushing for legal action against not only club owners, but against police, public health officials, and even the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for failing to enforce laws to protect against Covid-19.
Investigations into whether the code of ethics had been violated were requested to be carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Ombudsman and the committee on ethical standards.
As entertainment venues have been ordered closed for at least 2 weeks, Mana proposes that along with restrictions, a hotline to report rule-breakers should be set up, and all people should be held to the same standard without exception.
The president of the Rural Doctors Society agreed, saying that especially important is the need for Covid-19 infected public officials to disclose their personal timelines to reassure the public and assist in contract tracing. It is feared that little or no action will be taken to investigate and punish powerful rulebreakers.
One controversial infection was that of Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, rumoured to be infected from Thong Lor nightclubs, but later shown to be in another province at the time. The entertainment venue outbreak was not completely innocent though, as details emerged that the minister’s infection was in fact passed to him via an aide who had frequented clubs in Thong Lor.
Chuvit Kamolvisit, a former massage parlour owner turned activist, has been outspoken on the issue, calling for investigations into high-society VIP clubs like Krystal Club and Emerald Club, who allegedly flaunted restrictions and ended up with dozens of Covid-19 infected staff members.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau chief had said that legal action was pending against these clubs for the virus spreading.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Chiang Mai
Tourism officials slash Songkran travel expectations by half

The TAT, ever the optimists regarding anything tourism related, even domestic tourism, predict that the Bangkok clusters that have emerged in the week before the Songkran break could reduce traffic and spending by up to half.
Today the CCSA is reporting 789 new infections and one additional death. 522 were local infections, mostly walk-ins to Bangkok hospitals, 259 were discovered through track and tracing. The remaining 8 were found in quarantine from overseas arrivals. In Phuket, another 17 cases have been reported today, taking the island’s week total to 43.
GRAPH: Worldometer figures for Thailand, up to April 9
A 68 year old man from Nakhon Pathom province died on April 4 but wasn’t reported until today. The CCSA report that he died from Covid and “complications”. 33 other former patients have recovered and been discharged.
Last week the TAT estimated 3.2 million domestic trips would circulate 12 billion baht for the Thai economy. But the Tourism Authority has now slashed their estimates by half after hotels, airlines and bus companies reported mass cancellations in the last few days. Other provinces are reporting less than 20% cancellations. Although this weekend will see a lot of travel, Songkran doesn’t formally start until next Tuesday and the TAT expect there could be additional fallout as travellers decide to have a staycation for Songkran instead heading home.
Bangkok Post reports that 70% of travellers to Prachuap Khiri Khan and Hua Hin have already cancelled hotel bookings. Similar cancellations have been reported in Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai. Many other provinces, particularly in the north east and north, are also enforcing quarantine on arrivals or additional paperwork to try and protect their provinces from any of the Bangkok clusters.
8 north eastern provinces rare now requiring 10 or 14 day quarantine periods for anyone arriving from areas where new clusters have been reported. Chiang Mai provincial officials say that tourists from Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi – basically Bangkok and surrounding provinces – must complete a 14 day mandatory quarantine or conduct a test for Covid when they arrive.
The reality is that the travel and quarantine changes are outstripping the ability to communicate them all. Anyone crossing into other provinces in the next few day, especially if you’re travelling from Bangkok and surrounding provincial ‘red zones’ can expect some additional paperwork or a Covid test. Or even quarantine.
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Protests
Attendance on the wane for Thai democracy protests

While protesters against the Thai government are continuing as they have for endless months, attendance is lessening in the face of crackdowns, coups and Covid-19. The throngs of 10,000 plus protesters, mostly energetic youth, that waved The Hunger Games 3 finger salute and demanded change in Thailand last summer have thinned to a few thousand or less these days.
The government isn’t in the clear yet though, as the protester’s calls to replace the current government, lessen the power of the Thai monarchy, and draw up a new constitution are still popular ideas. But a number of factors are causing protester size and vigour to wane.
The second wave of Covid in December quickly curbed the daily demonstrations for fear of spreading the virus. After that, the coup in Myanmar on February 1 has brought massive protests with international attention shifting to the growing humanitarian crisis just across the border. On top of the pandemic and the Burmese coup, the Thai government has taken a much more hardline approach to protesters in recent months.
Police began fighting back against mass demonstrations, dispersing crowds with water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. And after 2 years of leniency, the government has begun prosecuting people under the strict lèse-majesté laws, where offending the monarchy can carry harsh punishment including a jail sentence of up to 15 years.
Anon Nampa, a human-rights lawyer, and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, a student activist, have already been arrested under this law and held without bail. Arrests like these have been demoralising for the pro-democracy movement, and have scared away a lot of Thai protesters. Many have shifted focus to more immediate efforts to demand the release of the detained protest leaders.
Even with the crowds shrinking, the protests have already brought about change, bringing once unspeakable conversations into the national conversation, and keeping pressure on Thailand’s leaders. Opposition is growing, with efforts to push no-confidence votes and amendments to the constitution being constantly proposed and advocated.
SOURCE: The Economist
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John Brown
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 10:39 am
Who is this “Phuket business community” and what is their claim to representative legitimacy based on? Are they anyone other than the tourism lobbyists peddling their money motives on the The Thaiger’s pages? Have the vast majority of Phuket’s SME entrepreneurs even been consulted?
Even if all the vaccines work as well as claimed (don’t make me laugh), the continued infection and transmission rates would still be ludicrous. Do you put out a forest fire by putting out 90% of it then calling it a day??
Pandemics rage when selfish businessmen lobby politicians to ignore the science and pretend we can’t get to zero “BeCaUsE tHe EcOnOmY”, and sit-at-home sheep who can’t do math regurgitate their drivel. You think the disease won’t eventually reach you and your family and kill you and them just like it’s doing the poor and vulnerable now?
God you people are so stupid.
Fred glue
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 10:52 am
It would be good too go too Thailand, no flights out of Australia yet. If it gets the all clear be prepared too
have 18-months too two years money in your bank account. Anything can happen.
Even if you are going for 2-3 weeks. What I said last week about n.s.w Australia that our privileges have come
come too us, ( everything open) well it looks like we are going back into lockdown.
I foreget that person’s name that said the nanny will take your privileges away, looks like it is going too happen
You was right & I was wrong, sorry about that….
Bill
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 6:03 pm
huff glue much?
mike
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 7:20 pm
I know what you mean, Fred. I don’t know who said that too, but too much has been said by too few too too many and now no one knows what’s going on anymore.
zig
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 8:00 pm
so if you enter Phuket and not Q..are you allowed to travel to other parts of the country?
MaMaJanes
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 10:41 pm
There aren’t any commercial international flights into Phuket nor the 6 tourism provinces, look like this plan only good for charter flights?
Issan John
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 11:52 pm
“God you people are so stupid.”
That’s a bit strong, John B 😯
Very true, possibly, depending on who you’re referring to, but still a bit strong 😂 😂 😂
Andrew Whyte
Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 11:48 am
Money is what pays for the hospitals, schools, roading and education. Without money life ceases. How can people on Thailand survive without tourist dollars not like the Thai government is offering to pay welfare. International travel lock downs caused a 22% spike in the Thai suicide rate.