Thailand News Today | Foreign tourists swarm into Thailand

NEW LAW ALLOWS HOMEBREWING FOR THAIS – BUT WITH LIMITS Thailand news

Is Thailand set to see a microbrewery renaissance? New regulations are coming
into effect today that open the door for small distilleries and breweries. The new regulations outline rules that loosen restrictions on small
breweries and even allow home alcohol distilling for personal use. The
regulation was published in The Royal Gazette last night and is effective
immediately.
The new measures aim to improve quality control to ensure that large and small
liquor producers follow acceptable standards. They also improve tax
collection for alcohol producers. The new decree was proposed by the Ministry of
Finance to amend the 2017 rules was approved by the Cabinet yesterday
morning.
Now, microbreweries and small liquor distillation operations will be allowed to
compete with the big guys, opening the door to independent brewers in an open
the market for beer and alcohol. Breweries that have between seven and 50 employees
and are producing output using machinery between five and 50 horsepower will be
allowed to produce and sell beer and alcohol under the new regulations.
Previously, small community liquor producers were only allowed to have seven workers and machinery that ran on a maximum of five
horsepower. There are caveats, however, that the liquor manufacturers must have
held a liquor license for at least a year and have no offenses recorded under the
excise law. Any violations must have been cleared for at least one year before
small community operations can expand to 50 employees and large machinery.
Beer brewing will also see restrictions lifted, with the previous minimum of
100,000 liters a year output being repealed. Microbreweries can produce up to one
million liters per year, now with no minimum. According to Thai Newsroom, large breweries are required to
produce at least 10 million litres per year and have a minimum of 10 million baht minimum in
registered capital.
This opens the opportunity for small producers and microbreweries to compete if
their machinery and equipment follow public health laws and environmental and
official standards.
Finally, the new loosened restrictions will allow people to obtain a non-
commercial liquor production license. That license permits them to produce up to
200 litres of alcohol per year for home use. The license will be granted to
qualifying people over the age of 20, if they have large enough facilities to safely
produce alcohol. Using other licensed facilities to produce their liquor is strictly
banned, and environmental and alcohol consumption safety rules must be
followed. Thailand news

Foreign tourists swarm into Thailand

Immigration officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok are struggling to cope
with the crescendo of foreign tourists flooding Thailand. Pictures of the
jampacked airport taken on Sunday, October 20, reveal a promising outlook for
Thailand’s tourist High Season runs from November to April.
Between 1 pm-5 pm on Sunday, 76 flights landed on the airport’s runway, an
average of 20 flights per hour. An average of 3,000 – 4,000 foreign tourists per
hour passed through immigration that day, according to the Spokesperson for the
Immigration Bureau Mj Gen Choengron Rimphadee. It is by far the busiest the
airport has been since before the pandemic.
To ensure that arrivals did not have to wait longer than one hour at immigration, all
immigration booths were staffed, and officers spent no longer than 45 seconds
checking the passport data, visa status, personal biometric data, and blacklist status
of each arrival.
Commander of Immigration Division 2 Pol Maj Gen Montree Pancharoen said that
although immigration officers are quick, they still do a thorough job of ensuring that
foreign criminals posing as tourists do not slip through the net and into the
kingdom ahead of the APEC summit in Bangkok later this month, which will be
attended by several world leaders.
In preparation for High Season, the airport increased the number of immigration
booths from 92 to 112. During busy hours, every booth will be staffed, said the
officer.
The Spokesperson said the airport is capable of checking in around 6,500
passengers per hour without compromising security.
Staff from Airports of Thailand (AOT) helps the immigration process run smoothly
by lining up passengers and helping them prepare their documents before going
through immigration checks.
Currently, Suvarnabhumi Airport is welcoming an average of 45,000 to 50,000
people every day, and the airport only expects figures to increase.

The mythological Naga serpent is now a Thai national emblem

The cabinet decided on Tuesday to designate the Naga, a mythological serpent in
Hindu and Buddhist folklore, as a national emblem in the category of mythological
creatures and part of Thailand’s “soft power” to promote the creative economy,
according to Deputy Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek.
She said that the cabinet hopes that this symbolic designation will encourage Thai
people to study the history, cultures, and identities of Thailand and drive the
creative economy, which will add economic value and generate revenues for the
country.
She said that the Naga, a semi-divine race of half-human, half-serpent creatures,
have been part of Thai culture and way of life for time immemorial, as manifested
by the presence of ubiquitous statues and decorations of the supernatural being in
art, various religious rituals, temples, and traditional festivals.
One event which assures the Naga remains popular is the Naga fireball
phenomenon. Each year, at the end of the Buddhist Lent in October, huge crowds
gather along the Mekong River to witness fireballs shooting out of
the river and into the sky. Many locals believe these fireballs are released by the
Naga from the depths of the river.
Rachada said that the National Culture Commission had assigned the Fine Arts
Department to draft the prototype image of the Naga, which, according to legend,
has four families who have interactions with Buddhism, Hinduism and the
Monarchy.
According to the Ministry of Culture, she said that there are 157 countries
worldwide that have mythological creatures in their national iconography.
China, for instance, has the Panda as its national creature, with the dragon as its
mythological creature. In contrast, Indonesia has the Komodo dragon as its national
creature and the Garuda as the mythological creature. Greece has the dolphin and
the Phoenix as its national and mythological creatures, respectively.

Stunning natural scenery on newly reopened Krabi islands Thailand news

Nature looks stunning on several islands in Krabi that reopened on October 15
after being closed for restoration for several months. The Mu Ko Lanta National
Park comprises several islands which boast breathtaking beaches, waterfalls,
and other natural wonders.
Since the park reopened, staff have continued conservation efforts. A few days
after the reopening, park officials held an event to release aquatic marine animals
back into nature.
Earlier this month, nature lovers were treated to the rare sight of waterfalls
cascading down the mountains at Koh Rok, one of the island groups of the park.
Waterfalls are pretty rare to the site and can be found during the rainy season of
Thailand from May to the end of October.
Moo Koh Lanta National Park is a must-visit as it features many white beaches,
trails, islands, coral reefs, vistas, and magnificent caves. Last week, the park’s Facebook page posted photos of the park’s diverse, colorful
bird species. These include the park’s emerald doves, doves with green feathers.
You can go kayaking and explore limestone karsts and sea-level caverns on Ko Talabeng.
Snorkelers and scuba divers alike flock to the smaller islands for diving. The coral
reefs around the islands are home to some of the Andaman Sea’s most spectacular
tropical marine life. Thailand news

Naked Brit in Koh Samui wants everyone to “meet with God” Thailand news

A naked British tourist in Koh Samui reportedly has some strange goals for the
world. Koh Samui police found the man in the sea at Baan Mae Nam Beach over
the Halloween weekend.
Boat operators struggled to help get the man out of the water, and the man even
grabbed one operator, shoved him under the water, and tried to drown him.
The police then jumped into the water to force the man of the boat operator. They
had to use a rope to tie the man up.
Captain Aroon Moosikim from the Surat Thani Immigration Office told The
Phuket Express that the man was 30 years old and in Thailand on a tourist visa. He
said the man was staying at a nearby resort. Captain Aroon said…
“He said he joined a party but cannot remember anything else.
He also said he wants to bring everyone to meet with god.”
The tourist had reportedly bothered others staying at his hotel and had problems
sleeping. He was found bipolar and addicted to marijuana, which was found
in his room, Thai media reported.
Police plan to charge the man with public indecency. Thailand news

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