Thailand
The etiquette of gift-giving in Thailand

During this festive period, whether to mark Christmas or the start of a new – and hopefully brighter – year, you may want to offer a gift to your Thai friends. Alternatively, it may be the birthday of a Thai friend, or you may have been invited to their home. What are the rules? Below is a short guide to gift-giving etiquette in the Land of Smiles.
Gift-giving customs in Thailand
If invited to the home of a Thai friend, you are not obliged to bring a gift, but it is polite to do so, and the gesture will always be appreciated. Thais give gifts to express gratitude, respect, appreciation, and kindness, and the tradition of gift-giving is a serious business in the Kingdom. Be aware however, that the gift may not be opened in your presence as this is usually done in private. As very few Thais celebrate Christmas, you would not be expected to give a gift at this time of year, although doing so will always raise a smile of gratitude!
Ostentatious gifts that cost a lot have the potential to make someone feel uncomfortable and they may even refuse to accept your offering. It’s advisable therefore to opt for smaller, more reasonably-priced gifts, such as chocolates, fruit, or flowers. Family members will often gift cash, particularly at weddings.
Things to do when giving or receiving gifts in Thailand
As with many other things in Thailand, superstition dictates a lot of the customs around gift-giving. Wrap your gift in a bright colour; gold or yellow are considered particularly auspicious choices. You should only choose red if the gift is for a Chinese Thai. Feel free to decorate your gift with extra touches such as ribbons and bows. The number 3 is considered lucky in Thailand, so people will often give gifts in groups of 3. As with many other things, such as handling money, always use your right hand to give or accept a gift.
What not to do
Don’t wrap your offering in blue, green or black; these colours are reserved for mourning. Similarly, avoid giving carnations or marigolds as these flowers are used at funerals. When opening a gift, be careful how you handle the wrapping – ripping the paper is considered rude.
Giving gifts in a business environment
You will notice a plethora of gift baskets on display in supermarkets around this time of year. Thai companies will usually send such offerings to their customers to mark the New Year holiday. Business associates often give each other gifts during this period too.
Other times of gift-giving in Thailand
Birthdays
Weddings
Major life events
Children’s Day in January
Chinese New Year in January/February
Thai New Year/Songkran in April
Mother’s Day in August
Father’s Day in December
SOURCE: Unique Gifter
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Thailand
Hotels and restaurants raided, 50 arrested for allegedly cheating “We Travel Together” subsidy scheme

Several hotels and restaurants in Phuket and Chaiyaphum were raided this morning and 50 people were arrested for allegedly stealing from the government subsidy scheme “We Travel Together.” The scheme was launched to help businesses that were financially hit by the lack of tourists during the Covid-19 pandemic and to stimulate the battered economy.
Last month, the Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn filed a criminal complaint against 312 hotels and 202 shops for allegedly cheating the scheme which covered 40% of room rates and offered e-vouchers. Instead of lowering prices to draw in more travellers, some hoteliers and restaurateurs allegedly raised their prices to get more subsidies.
This morning, police arrested 38 people in Chaiyaphum and 12 people in Phuket suspected of cheating the subsidy scheme. Suspects, including hotel and restaurant operators, face charges ranging from fraud and false identification to misusing electronic cards and adding fraudulent information to the computer system.
Nation Thailand says the verification system for the scheme was not stringent and people were able to register fake hotels and list fake bookings. Some hotel operators recorded higher prices for rooms to get a bigger payoff from the government.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Thailand
27 migrants allegedly disguised as monks arrested on illegal entry charges, Bangkok abbot under investigation

Immigration police arrested 27 Cambodians for allegedly entering Thailand illegally and impersonating Buddhist monks. Police say the migrants allegedly disguised themselves as Buddhist monks at Wat Talom in Bangkok’s Phasi Charoen district. The temple’s abbot is also under investigation for allegedly assisting and hiding illegal migrants.
Police searched the temple after receiving a tip that hundreds of monks lived in crowded rooms, conditions that officials worry could lead to a cluster of Covid-19 infections.
“We received a tip-off that the temple had several hundred monks living in a crowded space that could become a hotspot for Covid-19… People also reported that some monks from this temple were selling food they received from the public in the morning to merchants at nearby markets for reselling.”
Police asked for identification documents from the more than 200 migrants at the temple. 181 monks from Myanmar, India, Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh had proper documents, but police say 27 Cambodians had no identification documents. The 27 Cambodians were arrested and charged with illegally entering the country and impersonating Buddhist monks.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Thailand
Phuket eases restrictions, bars back to late-night hours

Things are getting back to normal in Phuket. The provincial government eased disease control restrictions, allowing restaurants, bars and entertainment venues to go back to their normal operating hours – no more midnight closure order – and lifting the late-night alcohol ban.
While bars can now stay open late and serve alcohol after midnight, dancing is prohibited and venues cannot serve alcohol in containers that will be shared among groups of people.
The Phuket Communicable Disease Committee agreed to ease the restrictions yesterday and an order allowing late-night hours and alcohol sales was posted today by the Phuket’s Public Relations Department.
“As the Covid-19 situation in Phuket has improved that there are no more Covid-19 infections found, the committee agreed to cancel the late-night alcohol ban in order to revive the economy of Phuket.”
All businesses related to gathering activities are warned to follow the Covid-19 preventive measures.
SOURCE: Phuket News
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Andreasbkk
Friday, December 25, 2020 at 6:27 pm
Well first of all,to give presents in general is nice.
But, if I go before Christmas to many shops, and see all the cookies, towels, cups in a box and other boring stuff, I do prefer to skip it at all.
I my culture, we really consider about the person, and what would make the person happy.
But when I see the most products, guess by shops as presents. OMG
No thank you.
Richard
Saturday, December 26, 2020 at 11:23 am
Clearly these rules are not followed Country wide
chris
Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 10:55 am
what’s important here is that the farang know the etiquette…the thais, not so much.
chris
Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 11:00 am
the etiquette of gift giving is to ignore the fact that the Thais have no etiquette in receiving gifts.
and that’s no joke.