The baht opened at 29.89 to the US dollar on Tuesday, unchanged from Monday’s close.
The Thai currency is likely to move between 29.80 and 30, Krungthai market strategist Poon Panichpibool said.
The baht has still moved in a range, despite strengthening slightly from the dollar’s movement.
Poon advised investors to monitor foreign funds flow as a factor to affect the baht. Investors should focus on the auction of Thai Two-Year Treasury yield on Wednesday, which could support the baht’s value, he said.
Demand for Chinese assets would increase if the yuan strengthens and the Chinese capital market reopens after the Chinese New Year holidays, he said.
The market strategist said that overall the financial markets were in a risk-on state continually, amid investors’ hopes of an economic recovery.
The recovery signal can be seen from the distribution rate of Covid-19 vaccine in the US and UK, as well as the 13 per cent growth of the Japanese economy in the last quarter of 2020. The Nikkei 225 index rose by 1.9 per cent, touching a new high since 1990, Poon said.
In Europe, the FTSE index of the UK rose by over 2.5 per cent, after the increase in distribution rate of vaccine. The Stoxx 50 grew over 1 per cent.
In the commodities market, the crude oil price has still increased due to positive signals of economic recovery and the arctic blast in the US. Moreover, gold price decreased by 0.3 per cent to $1,818 (Bt54,300).
Krungthai Bank said on Monday that it had extended the registration period for the government’s cash handout campaign “RaoChana” (We Win) for people who do not own a smartphone to March 5 from the original deadline of February 25.
The decision was made after the first day of registration on Monday saw an overwhelming number of registrants at many of its branches.
Under the scheme, self-employed people, farmers and welfare cardholders whose savings do not exceed Bt500,000, will be given two monthly payments of Bt3,500 each in a bid to ease their financial burden during the Covid-19 crisis.
Online registration opened on January 29, while people who do not have internet access or a smartphone can register at Krungthai Bank nationwide, starting from February 15.
On Monday Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged the Finance Ministry to extend the registration period of the campaign for people who do not have a smartphone, after learning that Krungthai Bank branches nationwide were crowded with people waiting to register for benefits under the campaign, especially the elderly.
“With the deadline extended, there is no need to hurry, and crowd the branches, risking the spreading of Covid-19,” said the bank.
“You can register at any of the 1,023 branches of Krungthai Bank nationwide until March 5, while the bank has also set up additional registration booths at 871 locations, which can be checked at www.krungthai.com or telephone: 02-111-1144.”
KTB added that it would hire college students as temporary staff to facilitate registration in crowded areas, while queue cards will be issued as per maximum number of registrants each branch can handle each day. Those whose turn does not come on a particular day, can return the next day.
By THE NATIONA Cabinet meeting on Monday approved the wage range of 13 technical professions in three industrial groups, Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said.
As proposed by the Ministry of Labour’s National Wage Committee, these technical professions and their wages are:
Industrial technicians
– Lathing staff Bt460-Bt630 per day
– CNC machine operator Bt470-Bt675 per day
– Wirecut machine operator Bt480 per day
– Manual metal arc welder Bt465-Bt630 per day
Electrician, electronics and computer technicians
– Exterior electrician and telecom staff (microwave and satellite) Bt450 per day
– PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) staff Bt450-Bt540 per day
– Electrician for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) industry Bt440 per day
– Solar cell installer Bt450 per day
Mechanical technicians
– Forklift operator Bt430 per day
– Wheel alignment staff and motorcycle mechanic Bt415 per day
“The approved wage range will be effective within 90 days after it is announced in the Royal Gazette,” said Anucha.
A weak high-pressure covers the upper Northeast and the South China Sea while the southerly and the southeasterly winds prevail over the North, the lower Northeast, the Central and the East, the Thailand Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.
Cool weather with morning fog and isolated light rains are likely over upper Thailand. All vehicles should move with caution due to poor visibility, the department said.
Meanwhile, the weak northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf and the South, resulting in less rain in the South.
The department also said that during February 17-20, another strong high pressure from China will extend to cover upper Thailand and the South China Sea, brining isolated thundershowers with gusty winds to the areas, along with 2-4 degrees Celsius drop in temperature.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Cool weather with fog in the morning and isolated light rains; temperature lows of 15-20 degrees Celsius and highs of 32-37°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 6-14°C.
Northeast: Cool weather with fog in the morning and isolated light rains; temperature lows of 18-21°C, highs of 33-35°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-15°C.
Central: Cool weather with fog in the morning and isolated light rain; temperature lows of 21-23°C, highs of 34-36°C.
East: Fog in the morning with isolated light rains; temperature lows of 22-25°C, highs of 32-36°C; waves less than a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.
South (east coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 21-24°C, highs of 31-34°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 21-23°C, highs of 32-36°C; waves less than a metre high and a metre offshore.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Fog in the morning and isolated light rain; temperature lows of 23-27°C, highs of 33-35°C.
Kanchanaburi’s ‘soda fountain’ produces top-quality mineral water: DGR
NationalFeb 16. 2021Sakda Vicheansil, director-general of the Department of Groundwater Resources, enjoys a glass of filtered natural carbonated water from Kanchanaburi’s natural ‘soda fountain’.
By The Nation
The Department of Groundwater Resources (DGR) confirmed on Monday that the carbonated water from the recently discovered “soda fountain” in Kanchanaburi is drinkable and that the 500,000-cubic metre fountain may help ease drought problems in the area.
Sakda Vicheansil, DGR director-general, said the fountain in Huay Krajao district produces the same quality of mineral water like that found in renowned places in Germany and France. Hence, he said, DGR is getting ready to install a filter to reduce iron content, so people can consume the water straight from the source.
He said the department had submitted samples for laboratory tests and learned the water has no contaminants or toxic substances and can be freely consumed.
Tests also found that the minerals in the water match those present in other famous mineral water sources, including up to 2,500 milligrams per litre of bicarbonate, 1.5mg/litre of fluoride and high levels of natural iron which can be filtered out.
DGR is planning to put the area under the Groundwater Act 1977 and is also looking for ways of distributing the water to nearby villages experiencing drought. DGR also believes this will ease the problem of illegal drilling for groundwater.
He added that according to the Subdistrict Administration Organisation, the price of land near the “soda fountain” has shot up.
The number of foreign arrivals in Phuket went from an all-time high of over 5.3 million in 2019 to just over one million in 2020, marking a drop of 80 per cent as the airport remained closed to curb the spread of Covid-19, said Carlos Martinez, director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank Thailand.
As a result, hotel occupancy rates plummeted and some operators temporarily suspended operations, while others offered discounts and promotions for domestic visitors.
To offset the lack of foreign visitors, the government launched a plan on July 15 to encourage domestic travel, by providing a 40 per cent subsidy on hotel expenses and airfares. Despite that, domestic arrivals in Phuket was down by 64 per cent year-on-year in 2020.
Supply and Demand
Up to 24 per cent of luxury and upscale hotels are based on Patong beach, followed by 15 per cent in Karon, 14 per cent in Bang Tao, 13 per cent in Kata and 10 per cent in Kamala. In the second half of 2020, no luxury or upscale hotels in Phuket were open, with 22,824 hotel rooms unoccupied.
As international travel restrictions continued, the occupancy rate of luxury and upscale hotels in Phuket dropped further in the second half of the year to 14 per cent. The overall occupancy rate for 2020 fell 34 percentage points YoY to 26 per cent.
The temporary closure of the Phuket International airport from April to September 2020, resulted in the lowest level of hotel occupancy forcing some hotel operators to suspend their operations.
The average daily rate (ADR) of luxury and upscale hotels fell 7 per cent YoY to Bt3,750 – a record low over the past few years.
Outlook
Phuket has been one of the hardest-hit destinations in Thailand in 2020. In April, the government ordered temporary mass hotel closures as the province was hit by a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases. The Phuket International Airport reopened for domestic arrivals in June 2020, after a two-month closure due to the pandemic. In the second half of 2020, the airport only recorded 775,118 domestic passenger arrivals, a 57 per cent YoY decline. Also, the average length of stay of domestic tourists was less than half that of foreign tourists, averaging just 1.8 days, a weak contribution to hotel occupancy levels.
Overall, average occupancy rate for luxury and upscale hotels in Phuket is expected to remain below 25 per cent, and the ADR is expected to remain low in the first half of 2021.
The outlook for 2021 is not promising, as the second Covid-19 wave at the beginning of the year prompted the government to impose further travel restrictions. With the Chinese government still restricting departures, the hotel business in Phuket is expected to continue suffering.
A Government House source said the Cabinet recently approved a draft to repeal some laws that are either not applicable any more or overlap other laws.
The Council of State proposed seven laws that can be repealed, namely:
1940 Royal Thai Police Regulation and Operation of Gold Mining
Inconsistent with the protection of rights and freedoms of persons prescribed in the Constitution, which specifies methods for land expropriation and does not allow the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry power over gold mining as in the past.
1941 Electricity Business Promotion Act
The Energy Regulatory Commission has been established to oversee the electricity industry.
1945 Act on procedures against persons disseminating news that spoils goodwill between Thailand and other allies
This is covered by the 2019 National Intelligence Act.
1948 Act on unreasonable government trade
This law has never been practised. The current Public Administration Act controls and examines government procurement projects.
2005 CD Product Act
Only one case has been tried under this law since its introduction. Now there is a legal mechanism controlling the movement and use of CD manufacturing machinery as well as related copyright law.
1936 Act on Training of Certain Children and 1958 Act on Training of Certain Children (No 2)
Other codes such as the Child Protection Law and laws related to youth and family can be used instead.
The first shipment of China’s Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine will arrive in Thailand on February 24, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced on Monday.
He said the first batch of 200,000 doses will leave China on February 20.
They are expected to be the first Covid-19 vaccine to arrive in Thailand following a delay in shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine procured by the Thai government.
“After the vaccine arrives, the Department of Medical Sciences will conduct random quality checks before it is used for inoculation,” Anutin said.
He added that the Food and Drug Administration is poised to register the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use.
Sinovac said trials had shown around 50 per cent efficacy in preventing infection and 80 per cent efficacy in preventing cases requiring medical treatment.
Clubhouse, an exclusive social networking app, is suddenly all the rage among Thai netizens after Tesla billionaire Elon Musk was revealed to be a member.
Thai social media users are now eager to know more about Clubhouse – including how they can join. Luckily, Twitter user Yoware – or MCOT journalist Peerapol Anutarasot – has offered an “Introduction to Clubhouse” at his website.
The first thing to know is that Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio-chat app, launched in 2020 by software developers Alpha Exploration. Growing popularity saw the app valued at US$1 billion last month.
The application allows users to communicate with others by voice only, not messages or photos. Users can listen in and participate in chat rooms on topics such as technology, books, business and health.
Importantly, users’ voices cannot be recorded. Some have compared the application to old-style radio , Yoware said.
Clubhouse has gained popularity because it was launched during the Covid-19 when people are mostly staying home, he added. Its trendiness is also being driven by celebrity members such as Musk, Jared Leto, Kanye West – and the exiled Thai scholar Pavin Chachavalpongpun.
Exclusivity made the app even more attractive, said Yoware. New Clubhouse users must be invited to join by existing users, while the app is only available on new Apple gadgets. As of February, the application could only be used on an iPhone, iPad or iPad with an IOS of 13 or higher.
Sakda Vicheansil, director-general of the Department of Groundwater Resources, enjoys a glass of filtered natural carbonated water from Kanchanaburi’s natural ‘soda fountain’.
Phuket
Anutin Charnvirakul
