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High-income tourists to return next year despite K-shaped recovery: TDRI (nationthailand.com)

High-income tourists to return next year despite K-shaped recovery: TDRI

NationalNov 27. 2020Somkiat Tangkitvanich 

By THE NATION

Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), says the global economy is recovering in a K-shaped trend, meaning some countries are recovering fast while others spiral downwards despite the discovery of Covid-19 vaccines.

“TDRI estimates the global economy will contract by 4.4 per cent on average [this year], with China growing fastest thanks to its effective outbreak management and strong economic structure,” Somkiat told a seminar titled “Global and Thai economy after Covid-19”. And while Covid-19 was not the deadliest disease, it is the biggest threat to the global economy since the 2008 global depression, he added.

“A Covid-19 vaccine should be available by mid-2021, with pre-orders now surpassing 3 billion doses,” he said.

“The arrival of vaccines will enable Thailand and other countries to open for tourism. We calculate the first group of tourists to visit Thailand will be high-earners, as they will be among the first to obtain the vaccine commercially,” he added.

Although Thailand had successfully contained the outbreak, resulting in only 60 domestic deaths, the country still needed to improve in other aspects, Somkiat said.

“The World Economic Forum reported that Thailand is still suffering from wealth distribution issues where development is only occurring in the Central region and rarely in rural areas,” he said. “This has resulted in economic disparity and lack of progress in technology and innovation at regional levels.”

He prescribed three ways to improve the Thai government’s efficiency – eradicating corruption, reforming laws and regulations, and improving government services.

“Thailand has large tax revenues as well as natural resources to support national development. But corruption, legal obstacles and lack of efficiency in government services have hindered both short- and long-term development.”

He said Thailand should learn from Estonia, which has been leaping forward after the government applied digital technology to all its services, enabling citizens to complete any government-related transaction using only an ID card.

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Rescued hornbill succumbs to injuries (nationthailand.com)

Rescued hornbill succumbs to injuries

NationalNov 27. 2020

By THE NATION

An injured hornbill found on Koh Chang island on November 19 succumbed to its injuries on Thursday night at a veterinary in Chonburi province.

Veterinarian Jadet Siridamrong said the bird died at around 10pm even though the team at Nuern Plub Warn Hospital tried to help it with an aspirator.

The bird had been found injured near Khiripetch Waterfall and was believed to have been shot. It arrived at the hospital on November 21.

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Endangered clouded leopard spotted in Si Sa Ket (nationthailand.com)

Endangered clouded leopard spotted in Si Sa Ket

NationalNov 27. 2020Photo credit: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation 

By The Nation

A clouded leopard was spotted in Si Sa Ket’s Kaban Krabai field for the first time in more than two decades, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said on its Facebook page on Friday.

Photo credit: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation

Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn, director of the Protected Areas Regional Office 9, said Phanom Dong Rak Wildlife Sanctuary’s patrol officers also found images of hog deer, barking deer, hog badger, leopard cat, Asian wild dog, fox, coal-billed ground cuckoo and Malayan Night Heron taken by camera traps on Wednesday.

He said after officers released wild animals like pheasants, deer and peacocks in the field in 2015, the number of predatory animals such as foxes and leopard cats had increased, adding that the clouded leopard was an endangered species in Thailand.

“This shows that the officers’ efforts of strictly surveying the area and taking good care of animals has paid off,” he said.

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Eco-friendly electric boats go on stream on Bangkok canal from today (nationthailand.com)

Eco-friendly electric boats go on stream on Bangkok canal from today

NationalNov 27. 2020

By The Nation

Electric passenger boats opened for public service on the Phadung Krung Kasem canal route in Bangkok after the opening ceremony at 9am on Friday.

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang welcomed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who joined the opening ceremony of the first eco-friendly passenger boats in Thailand at the Hua Lamphong pier.

The governor said that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration prioritised the development of transportation to encourage more Bangkok residents to use public transportation.

Seven electric vehicles are expected to replace diesel engine boats, as they produce less noise and pollution. The boat can carry 30 passengers.

They are available from 6am to 7pm and there will be no charge for six months. The fee in the future will be only Bt10.

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High waves bring deluge of foreign waste to Nakhon Si Thammarat beach (nationthailand.com)

High waves bring deluge of foreign waste to Nakhon Si Thammarat beach

NationalNov 27. 2020

By The NationTwo-metre waves in the Gulf of Thailand have forced fishermen in Nakhon Si Thammarat province to evacuate the area while foreign waste is being swept ashore.

Locals have found lots of waste washed up on the beach in Hua Sai district. The labels on the waste showed that they were not products from Thailand, but from neighbouring countries.

They said the storm usually brought the waste matter to the beach every year, resulting in degeneration of the environment in a place which was a tourist attraction.

They said that there was no appropriate management by the local officials despite repeatedly facing the waste issue.

Oil spill is another problem that the locals are concerned about, as it has damaged the ecosystem of the beach in the past, but there was no organisation taking responsibility.

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19 returnees, mostly Thai, test positive in state quarantine (nationthailand.com)

19 returnees, mostly Thai, test positive in state quarantine

NationalNov 27. 2020

By The NationThe Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 19 new cases in state quarantine facilities over a 24-hour period on Friday.

Most of the new cases are Thais returning from Europe and Middle East.

Of the new cases, three were returnees from the US, namely two Thai men aged 30 and 75, and a 61-year-old American national, who checked into a state quarantine hotel in Bangkok on November 14.

They tested positive between November 24 and 25. The 75-year-old man was found to be a repeat case, as he had been infected once before on October 28.

The fourth case was a 27-year-old Thai businesswoman, who had flown back from the United Kingdom and checked into a quarantine hotel in Bangkok on November 16. She tested positive on November 24 and had fever, sore throat and headache.

A 30-year-old chef who returned from Luxembourg on November 19 and checked into a quarantine hotel in Bangkok tested positive on November 24.

A 40-year-old mother and her three children – sons aged five and 10 and daughter aged 12 – arrived from Saudi Arabia on November 20 and checked into a state quarantine facility in Chonburi, where they tested positive on November 24.

Two Indian nationals, a 32-year-old salaryman and a 44-year-old engineer, arrived on November 11 and checked into a quarantine hotel in Bangkok, where they tested positive on November 23.

A 31-year-old Thai masseuse returned from Sweden on November 12 and checked into a state quarantine hotel, where she tested positive on November 24 and was found to be suffering from a fever, sore throat and headache.

Two Thai women, aged 26 and 52, flew back from Germany on November 14 and checked into a state quarantine facility in Chonburi, where they tested positive on November 25.

A 42-year-old Italian programmer, who landed in Thailand on November 16 after taking a connecting flight from the United Arab Emirates, tested positive on November 21 at an alternative quarantine hotel in Bangkok.

A 69-year-old Omani businessman who arrived on November 19 and went alternative state quarantine hotel in Samut Prakan tested positive for virus on November 24.

Two 37-year-old Thai women, one a masseuse and the other a businesswoman, returned from Georgia on November 21 and checked into a state quarantine facility in Chonburi. They were found positive on November 24.

A 41-year-old Thai returned from Poland on November 21 and went to state quarantine facility in Chonburi, where he tested positive on November 25.

Meanwhile, two earlier patients have recovered and discharged.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 3,961 (1,000 in state quarantine), 111 of whom are in hospital and 3,790 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains unchanged at 60.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Friday, the total number of confirmed cases worldwide has hit 61.3 million (up by 540,802). Of them, 42.39 million have recovered, while 17.47 million are active cases (104,903 in severe condition) and 1.44 million have died (up by 10,953).

Thailand ranks 151st for most cases in the world, while the US tops the list with 13.25 million, followed by India 9.3 million, Brazil 6.2 million, Russia 2.19 million and France 2.18 million.

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Visitors to Songkhla beaches warned of high waves (nationthailand.com)

Visitors to Songkhla beaches warned of high waves

NationalNov 27. 2020

By The Nation

Warning signs have been put up on Laem Samila and Chalatat beaches in the Muang district of Songkhla province, prohibiting tourists and locals from getting into the waters as waves were getting higher.

Songkhla Municipality had to implement the measure after the northeast monsoon created extreme weather and big waves.

A report by the Thailand Meteorological Department at 5am on Friday said that Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces would face heavy rain from Friday to Saturday.

The height of waves in the lower parts of the Gulf of Thailand was about 2-3 metres and the department has urged seafarers to travel with caution.

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People pulled out of sinking car just in time (nationthailand.com)

People pulled out of sinking car just in time

NationalNov 27. 2020

By The Nation

Rescuers managed to rescue passengers that had fallen into a canal running alongside the Phitsanulok-Nakhon Sawan Road early on Friday.

The incident was reported just after midnight and the rescue team arrived to find the front half of the car submerged in water. They immediately pulled four people out of the sinking car, but one passenger was unconscious and it took a while to drag him out.

The unconscious passenger was then sent to Naresuan University Hospital for treatment.

The cause of the accident is still unknown though police have launched an investigation.

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Heavy rain leaves most of Songkhla inundated (nationthailand.com)

Heavy rain leaves most of Songkhla inundated

NationalNov 27. 2020

By The Nation

Continuous heavy rain from 5.30am on Friday has left many places in Songkhla province under as much as 30 centimetres of water.

The water logging has cut off many roads, causing serious traffic jams and blocking access to various commercial and residential areas.

Small vehicles were not able to use roads in Hat Yai district, while police, highway officials and volunteer rescuers did their best to help.

Officials were also looking for new routes as the drainage system was not able to clear the floods in time.

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Lumpini Park to get a major facelift before its 100th birthday (nationthailand.com)

Lumpini Park to get a major facelift before its 100th birthday

NationalNov 27. 2020

By The Nation

Bangkok’s Lumpini Park is undergoing a major facelift for its 100th birthday in 2025, with the first phase of the renovation scheduled to be completed next year.

Governor Asawin Kwanmuang said on Thursday that Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has come up with a plan to renovate Lumpini Park.

The facelift will be divided into three phases. The first is to improve all infrastructure and utilities such as pipelines and underground drainage in the park by 2021. This phase will also include a renovation of the lighting system, footpaths and buildings.

Phase 2 will cover the creation of different learning areas, while Phase 3 will include the development unused areas.

Famous landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom is working on the concept and design of the park, which will be implemented once the opinions of those who use the service and the nearby private sector is collected. BMA said it wants every sector to have a hand in the improvement of the park.

“Lumpini Park has not been renovated for decades, and now there are up to 10,000 people using the park daily and some 15,000 on the weekends. Plus, many important events are held at the park, such as Red Cross fairs, walking and running events as well as various club gatherings. Several areas in the park have fallen into disrepair, while many areas have been left undeveloped,” Asawin added.