Thai Airways is not at risk of shutting down and recent news reports about the airline’s situation were “misinterpreted”, the beleaguered carrier’s president insisted on Wednesday. The statement appeared to directly contradict remarks he made to high-ranking THAI staff in a speech on Tuesday.

He said the remarks were to encourage staff to make an earnest effort to ensure the struggling airline’s rehabilitation plan succeeds, and were “misinterpreted” as meaning the airline faced possible closure.

He rejected the possibility of the flag carrier closing down, but admitted battling stiff competition, especially from low-cost carriers.

With competition in the industry becoming fiercer, he said he had stressed the importance and urgent need to overcome obstacles facing the airline.

THAI staff were urged to heed how competitive the airline industry has become in all areas, including low-cost carrier competition, air fare promotions, and “cutthroat” route competition in some markets.

“THAI confirms it is perfectly capable to perform exceptionally amid tough airline competition,” he said in a statement issued by the airline.

“In an era when customers have so many offers to hand amid fierce airline competition, employees were asked to join forces and work to beat the competition for the inevitable achievement of improved operational results,” according to the statement.

He also dismissed media reports that the airline planned to stop flying to four destinations in the Asean region, saying THAI has no plan to drop any routes.

THAI is the national carrier and a state enterprise under the Transport Ministry. In the first half of this year, the airline posted a loss of 6.44 billion baht, raising its accumulated loss to 280 billion baht.

SOURCE: bangkokpost.com

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The government will extend the waiver of visa-on-arrival fees for another six months to boost the number of foreign tourists entering the Kingdom.

A government spokesperson announced on Tuesday (October 22) that the Cabinet had approved a six-month extension to the exemption until the end of April next year.

The visa fee waiver was implemented in November last year and due to expire by the end of this month.

Waiving the 2,000 baht fee has led to a 120% increase in tourist arrivals despite costing the government 10.76 billion baht in lost revenue.

However, that loss was insignificant when compared to the added 144.73 billion baht in tourist spending, the spokeperson said. The move is part of the government’s measures to boost the local economy, including incentives for domestic tourists, soft loans and reductions in mortgage and transaction fees for the property sector.

In a related move, the government has also agreed to quadruple the quota for Australians entering Thailand on Work and Holiday Visas (WHV) from 500 to 2,000 per year.

The Cabinet also allocated 19 billion baht to spur local tourism, of which 10 billion is a contingency fund for the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

SOURCE: nationthailand.com

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The National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC) resolved on Tuesday October 22 to ban the import, sale and use of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos in Thailand from December 1.

Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, a vocal supporter of the ban, hailed the resolution, saying the “heroic act” of the committee will be inscribed in the history of Thailand. He maintains that the ban on the three chemicals is not a political issue and his Bhumjaithai party did not politicize the issue for its own benefit, adding that as of December 1, possession of any of the three substances will be illegal.

26 of the 29 members of the NHSC attended the meeting, three of whom opted out of the vote over concerns of conflicts of interest arising from their close connections with the chemical industry.

Before the vote, the committee “considered reports from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, assuring the availability of alternative chemicals, and from the Public Health Ministry regarding the health risks posed by the three chemicals and the monitoring of residues of the substances in farm produce,” according to Thai PBS World.

Unlike previous votes by the committee, which were conducted behind closed doors, the Tuesday’s vote was open and transparent.

Meanwhile, the Rak Mae Klong group, which opposes the complete ban, has threatened to lodge a petition with the Administrative Court, demanding an injunction to suspend the December 1 enforcement of the ban. The group’s leader, Mrs. Anchulee Lam-amnuayporn, said that they will go to the Administrative Court on October 28.

SOURCE: thaipbsworld.com

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