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First Chinese group expected in time for Year of the Ox under travel bubble

NationalNov 06. 2020Phipat Ratchakitprakarn 

By The Nation

The Tourism and Sports Ministry will discuss the option of building a travel bubble for Chinese tourists with the Chinese Embassy, with the aim of drawing visitors from 22 provinces in China that have been free of Covid-19 for more than 150 days.

The travel bubble involves opening cities to exchange tourists without the necessity for isolation.

Tourism and Sports Minister Phipat Ratchakitprakarn said the ministry will cooperate with the Public Health Ministry before proposing the idea to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration and the Cabinet.

He expects the Cabinet to approve the proposal before January 1, while the ministry expects the first group of Chinese tourists to arrive under the new arrangement during Chinese New Year in February.

“Once the Cabinet approves the idea, the ministry will discuss the option with the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, while the Foreign Ministry will discuss the plan with its Chinese counterpart. After that, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will discuss the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping,” he added.

Meanwhile, he said, the Scandinavian group that was expected to arrive under the Special Tourist Visa will not arrive this month because the country is under a second lockdown.

“However, government and private agencies will continue promoting tourism,” he said, adding that the ministry has called on tourism operators in Phuket to use their customer database and invite people to visit Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Thailand Longstay Company have also been told to help.

“Hence, we expect the number of foreign arrivals in Thailand this year to stand at 6.8 million, though the second lockdown in Europe is making it tough to draw tourists to Thailand,” he added.

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THAI puts 34 aircraft up for sale in bid to survive

NationalNov 06. 2020

By The Nation

Thai Airways International (THAI) has decided to sell 34 passenger airplanes, including Boeing 747s and B777-300s, to survive the financial crisis.

The airline listed the airplanes at its www.thaiaircrafttrading.com website on Thursday, while potential buyers are invited to contact the airline via airplanesale@thaiairways.com.

Most of the aircraft have on average been used for more than 20 years and do not have insurance. THAI expects the aircraft to be sold by November 13.

The Bankruptcy Court approved a business rehabilitation plan for the airline, which has to come up with new strategies to solve the crisis.

THAI has already achieved some success from shifting its focus to the catering business and selling deep-fried dough via its Puff & Pie outlets.

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Nakhon Ratchasima’s flood crisis eases slowly, locals hope there is no more rain

NationalNov 06. 2020

By The Nation

The flood situation in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Phimai district is improving as water levels began dropping on Friday and some roads became serviceable again.

The water had dropped by 20 centimetres, though some areas near Chakkarat canal were still flooded.

The road outside the district office had cleared up, but the one outside the Phimai provincial administration organisation office was still under water.

Local officials arrived at work on boats, but believe the situation will improve provided there is no rain in the next couple of weeks.

The Phimai dam, however, is full beyond its capacity and needs to release water. Officials have prepared 20 water pumps to ensure residential areas are not flooded.

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Samui declared Covid free as French woman discharged from hospital

NationalNov 06. 2020

By THE NATION

The 57-year-old French tourist who tested positive for Covid-19 on October 21 has recovered and was discharged from Koh Samui Hospital in Surat Thani on Thursday.

She will, however, have to remain in quarantine at home for 30 days under the supervision of doctors.

Meanwhile, local officials showed up to hand her flowers as she was leaving the hospital, while a doctor said the woman had really recovered and the island was completely free of the “troublesome” Covid-19 virus.

The woman arrived in Thailand on September 30 with her husband and son. The family completed their 14-day mandatory quarantine in a hotel in Samut Prakan before leaving for Samui on October 15.

Then on October 21, the woman tested positive for Covid and the result was again confirmed by the Regional Medical Sciences Centre 11 in Surat Thani on October 22, when she was admitted to hospital. Her husband and son have tested negative to the virus.

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Five returnees test positive to Covid-19, death toll rises to 60

NationalNov 06. 2020

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported eight new cases in state quarantine facilities and one death over a 24-hour period on Friday.

All patients are returnees and most were asymptomatic, namely:

• A 68-year-old Swiss financial expert, who arrived on October 22 and checked into an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok where he tested positive on November 4.

• A 36-year-old Indian tailoring shop owner, who arrived on October 23 and checked into Bangkok alternative state quarantine, where he was found positive on November 4.

• A 56-year-old Thai woman who returned from Saudi Arabia on October 24 and tested positive in a Bangkok state quarantine hotel on November 3.

• A 41-year-old Thai masseuse who returned from Ukraine on October 31 and tested positive in a Bangkok state quarantine hotel on November 4.

• A 36-year-old Thai woman who returned from the Netherlands on October 31 and tested positive in a Bangkok state quarantine hotel on November 4. She had cough symptoms.

• Three Myanmar truck drivers, aged 28, 29 and 41, tested positive at the Thailand-Myanmar border checkpoint on October 26 and were returned to Myanmar for treatment.

Meanwhile, 16 other patients have recovered and been discharged, though a 66-year-old Thai national who returned from the United Kingdom on October 19 succumbed to the virus on Thursday. He had developed breathing difficulties on October 20 and needed a respirator. He took a swab test and was recognised as Covid-19 patient number 3,719 in Thailand. Personal health information shows he had type 2 diabetes and high-blood pressure.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 3,818 (866 in state quarantine), of whom 119 are in hospital and 3,639 have recovered. The death toll has risen to 60.

As of 10am, the number of confirmed cases globally according to Worldometer had increased by 604,248 to 49 million. Of them, 34.97 million have recovered, while 12.8 million are active cases (90,006 in severe condition) and 1.23 million died (with 8,712 new deaths).

Thailand ranks 149th among countries with most cases, though US still tops the list with 9.91 million patients, followed by India with 8.41 million, Brazil with 5.61 million, Russia 1.71 million and France 1.6 million.

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Baht strengthens to its highest against the dollar in over nine months

NationalNov 06. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 30.78 to the US dollar on Friday, strengthening from 30.88 at close on Thursday.The Thai currency is likely to move between 30.70 and 30.90 on Friday, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.

Amid the US election, the S&P 500 and Stoxx 600 increased by 1.9 and 1 per cent, respectively. The US Federal Open Market Committee approved a freeze in interest rate at zero to 0.25 per cent.

This approval could also freeze the Two- and Ten-Year Treasury yields at 0.14 and 0.76 per cent from the previous day.

At the same time, the US initial jobless claims announced this week decreased to 751,000 positions. Total claims were 7.2 million people.

In the financial market, the dollar fell by 1.1 per cent, while the dollar index reached its lowest level since October 21. This factor supported the gold price to $1,946 per ounce.

In Thailand, the baht in the short term strengthened in line with other Asian currencies. The 30.80 per US dollar on Friday morning was the strongest rate since January 28.

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Capital market wants new finance minister to tweak SSF regulations to woo investors

NationalNov 06. 2020

By The Nation

The Federation of Thai Capital Market Organisations (Fetco) will seek a change in Super Savings Funds (SSFs) regulations to attract more investors.

Fetco chairman Paiboon Nalinthrangkurn said the federation would listen to the new finance minister’s proposals to know if the government wanted to also use the capital market to enable economic recovery.

He said the Investor Confidence Index in the next three months was 61.27, down 9 per cent from the previous month and the lowest in eight months.

The SSF is a government-led initiative launched on April 1 that aims to encourage Thais to save and invest. They can claim a 30 per cent tax deduction on contributions, capped at Bt200,000 a year. They have to hold the investment for 10 years to avail of the tax benefit.

“Investors hope for economic growth, the government’s policy and fund flow, while they were worried about political unrest, the economic slowdown and the Covid-19 outbreak,” he explained.

“Meanwhile, investors were interested in food and beverage businesses but were not interested in the banking business.”

Thai Bond Market Association (ThaiBMA) executive vice president Ariya Tiranaprakit expected the Monetary Policy Committee to maintain the key interest rate at 0.5 per cent and launch measures to stimulate the economy during their meeting this month.

She added that the amount of bonds issued was currently Bt630 billion.

“We expect the amount of bonds issued to hit Bt700 billion, down from the expected Bt800 billion, as large companies have sought loans from commercial banks instead of issuing bonds,” she said.

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Police roll out new formats for traffic tickets

NationalNov 06. 2020

By THE NATIONMotorists can now pay their fines for traffic rule violations via branches of Krungthai Bank, KTB Netbank mobile application, or at the police station.

The Royal Gazette website on Thursday published a Royal Thai Police announcement about the new format that traffic police officers are enforcing from November 1.

The announcement stipulated that two new formats of traffic tickets will be issued by officers:

1. Traffic tickets issued to motorists by attaching them on the vehicle. The ticket will be 14.5 by 27 centimetres size, and each set will comprise four copies of different colours, as follows:

▪︎ White ticket, to be attached to the vehicle;

▪︎ Yellow ticket, to be submitted to the police station where the fine payment must be made;

▪︎ Pink ticket, to be submitted to the investigation officer;

▪︎ Blue ticket, to be kept as duplicate copy by police officer who issued the ticket.

2. Traffic tickets to be issued by mail will be be 21 by 29.7 centimetres in size and each set will comprise two copies. The first copy will be sent by mail to the driver or owner of the vehicle, while the second copy will be kept as duplicate copy by the police officer who issued the ticket.

“Motorists can pay the fine at all branches of Krungthai Bank or via KTB Netbank mobile application two days from the issuance date, or pay at the police station indicated in the ticket, which can be done immediately after receiving the ticket,” said the announcement. “If motorists believe that the ticket was issued by mistake, they must notify the investigation officer within 15 days and specify the reason, such as they are not the offender specified in the ticket, or did not drive or own the vehicle.”

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Body of teen biker suspected to have been pushed into Nakhon Ratchasima canal found

NationalNov 06. 2020Photo: Hook31 Pak Thong Chai 

By THE NATION

The dead body of a 16-year-old boy was found in an irrigation canal next to an ice factory in Nok Ork subdistrict of Nakhon Ratchasima province.

Pak Thong Chai Police Station were alerted to the case at 2.45pm on Thursday.

Officials fished out the body of the teenager later identified as Worawut Jibkrathok, a local of Choke Chai district. The deceased had multiple injuries all over the body. The body was sent to Pak Thong Chai hospital for autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Photo: Hook31 Pak Thong Chai

Police interviewed the deceased’s friend, who is also 16 years old and asked to remain anonymous. The teen told police that he and Worawut were returning home on November 3 on a motorcycle ridden by the deceased after their night out in Pak Thong Chai district. Suddenly a group of men riding motorcycles chased them down and pushed their bike into the irrigation canal. “After I fell in the canal I swam to the other bank and asked for help from local villagers who sent me to a hospital, while the plight of Worawut was unknown at the moment,” he said. “I called the police and rescue staff to help find him the next day.”

Police are interviewing witnesses to identify the suspects.

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Oil palm price hits highest level in three years due to lower output

NationalNov 06. 2020

By THE NATION

The price of oil palm has shot up to Bt7.30 to Bt7.50 per kg, which is the highest in the past three years, said Chayodom Suwanrattana, president of the Oil Palm Growers Association of Thailand.

“The reason behind the price hike is that oil palm output this year is lower than normal, while the demand is still high,” he said.

“In the past few years, oil palm price was only Bt2 to Bt3 per kg, as a result farmers who had no capital to buy fertilizers or expand their plantations had lower output in the following years.

“Farmers’ income has not increased much despite the higher price, as lower output has meant they have less oil palm to sell,” added Chayodom.

“We expect that after the new year, the price will gradually go down as more oil palm will reach the market by then.”