- January Hua Hin flight schedule/Six national parks to start e-ticketing from Saturday/IMF predicts a recession in Thailand/Economic chiefs promise brighter 2023 for Thailand despite gloomy world outlook/2023 positive for Thailand as EECO predicts full economic recovery/Agency to continue cost-of-living battle/Thailand’s property sector unfazed by inflation, expects a profitable 2023/‘7 dangerous days’ road toll rises to 218, 66 deaths on New Year’s Day/Nine Thais remain missing after casino blaze/
- Tourism: New Thailand international travel curbs to be announced Jan 5/What China sudden reopening could mean for Thailand/Elephants: Covid and ethics reshape Thailand’s tourism industry/Phuket tourism on road to recovery/Patong Beach cleared of 12 tons of trash in New Year cleanup/
- Thailand Experience: Life through the lens of a batik maker/
- Covid: Fewer Covid-19 hospitalizations, deaths during Christmas week/Experts urge end to Covid fear as Chinese gates swing open/Why China’s Covid wave is stirring fear/
- International: Airport Worker Killed By Being ‘Ingested Into The Engine’ Of Plane/Europe Sees ‘Unprecedented’ Winter Heat Wave As 2023 Begins/Floods In Philippines Leave 51 Dead/Moscow Says Ukrainian Rocket Strike Kills 63 Russian Troops/People Can Now Carry Guns Without A License In Half Of America’s States/
- Links: Calendar of events/airport schedule/90-day online report/driver’s license/Market Village and Bluport cinemas
Six national parks to start e-ticketing from Saturday
Six national parks will test e-ticketing from Saturday as an alternative to cash for tourists to pay entry fees, the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced on Monday.
The department said the e-tickets would be issued at Ao Phang Nga National Park, the Mu Ko Similan National Park, Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, Khao Yai National Park, Doi Inthanon National Park and Erawan National Park from Saturday in a pilot project.
The department said tourists can start buying e-tickets from Monday by using the QueQ app but the e-tickets can be showed to park officials at the entrance of the six national parks from Saturday onward. Continued …
IMF predicts a recession in Thailand
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts Thailand and Southeast Asian countries will suffer from recession this year along with the rest of the world.
Kristalina Georgieva said a third of the global economy will be in recession this year, including Thailand and Vietnam.
The Bulgarian economist reckons 2023 will be “tougher” than last year, as the United States, European Union, and China witness a slowdown of their economies. Continued …
Economic chiefs promise brighter 2023 for Thailand despite gloomy world outlook
Thailand may enjoy what appears to be a stronger and brighter economic recovery in 2023 than it felt in 2022, according to Bank of Thailand Gov. Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, who told an audience on Monday that GDP growth in 2023 will be driven primarily by foreign tourism, which has a broader and deeper impact on people’s pockets.
Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, at the same time, highlighted the determination of the present government facing an election this year to stick to a prudent course by reining in public spending, while also raising taxes to address the country’s chronic issues of an aging society and private debt levels that are too high. All this would be achieved against a backdrop of a darker world economy with rising interest rates and lower economic growth. Continued …
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2023 positive for Thailand as EECO predicts full economic recovery
The Thai economy should return to the pre-pandemic level by the middle of this year thanks to the recovery of the tourism sector and private consumption, the Eastern Economic Corridor Office (EECO) said.
The agency said on Monday that it believes the economy will expand by 3.8% this year.
“However, there is still the risk of declines in export due to rising production costs and high-interest rates,” EECO said. Continued …
Agency to continue cost-of-living battle
The Commerce Ministry vows to move ahead with plans to help reduce the cost of living for people this year despite inflationary pressure easing, as reflected by lower domestic prices of most products and services.
According to Internal Trade Department Director-general Wattanasak Sur-iam, the department is setting guidelines to manage product prices next year, focusing on continued requests to manufacturers to help maintain their product prices in order to alleviate the financial burden on consumers as the country’s economy recovers. Continued …
Thailand’s property sector unfazed by inflation, expects a profitable 2023
As many as 120,000 residential units are expected to be snapped up this year despite rising inflation, property firm Supalai said in its latest prediction.
Supalai Director Prasas Tangmatitam said that listed real-estate companies had sold 115,902 units last year compared to 75,364 in 2021. He said this was a clear indicator of the property market’s expansion.
Prasas reckoned that the sale of property had risen because home buyers in the 26-30 age group had not been affected by the economic fallout of the Covid-19 crisis. Continued …
‘7 dangerous days’ road toll rises to 218, 66 deaths on New Year’s Day
Road accidents on Sunday claimed 66 lives, bringing the total death toll in the first four of the so-called “7 dangerous days” to 218, the Road Safety Center announced on Monday.
Boontham Lertsukhikasem, director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department and secretary-general of the center, told the press that 478 road accidents had occurred on New Year’s Day on Sunday, in which 465 people were injured and 66 killed. Continued …
Nine Thais remain missing after casino blaze
Nine Thai nationals caught in the Cambodian hotel-casino blaze are still missing, Sa Kaeo authorities said on Monday.
The bodies of 19 Thai nationals who were killed by the blaze at the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino complex last week have been brought back to Thailand, said Thawatchai Boonsang, Aranyaprathet district’s senior deputy district chief and acting director of the Thai victims’ rescue operations center. Continued …
New Thailand international travel curbs to be announced Jan 5
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has announced that a Cabinet decision is expected on Jan. 5 about new regulations for anyone entering Thailand by land, sea and air.
At the moment, Thai immigration police do not require to see Covid vaccination records or insurance documentation from arrivals: the only check is occasional random inspection by health officials of anyone coughing and sweating or reported by an airline to look potentially sick.
The Beijing’s government’s abrupt cancellation of its zero-tolerance Covid policy and opening up of its borders has already led to several countries imposing extra health restrictions on passengers arriving from China. Continued …
What China sudden reopening could mean for Thailand
It was almost three years ago that the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization designated the outbreak a pandemic three months later and advised that steps be taken to stop the virus’s spread.
In these initial stages, China closed its borders, isolated people diagnosed with COVID-19, and implemented wide scale lockdowns when cases were found in the community.
As a result of the so-called zero-Covid strategy, the economy suffered and people became weary of the limitations and constant testing. Continued …
Elephants: Covid and ethics reshape Thailand’s tourism industry
As he ambles in for his annual health check, Kwanmueang’s size takes your breath away.
Nearly three meters high at the shoulder, weighing at least four tons, and with spectacular tusks that curve together until they almost touch, the 18-year-old Thai bull elephant is an imposing sight.
Yet, he and his keeper, or mahout, Sornsiri “Lek” Sapmak, are in trouble. Continued …
Phuket tourism on road to recovery
Having endured the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic for more than two years, Phuket’s tourism is bouncing back, welcoming more than 2.3 million visitors and raking in at least 127 billion baht in tourism revenue during the first ten months of 2022.
Business operators have high hopes that international tourist arrivals will continue to strengthen this year, while acknowledging it may take more than a year for the industry to fully recover.
For all its devastating impacts, the Covid-19 pandemic spurred the so-called “Phuket Sandbox”, a reopening model for international travelers, and made business operators, large and small, weather the crisis, learn about what it takes to adapt and rebuild their confidence. Continued …
Patong Beach cleared of 12 tons of trash in New Year cleanup
More than 12 tons of trash were cleared from Patong Beach Sunday as staff from Patong Municipality and volunteers cleaned up the debris left behind from the New Year countdown that saw thousands of people celebrate the New Year in Patong. Continued …
Life through the lens of a batik maker
Jantima Sukmetta, 52, gradually unfolds a batik fabric. It has distinguished colors of golden yellow and brown, the naturally dyed colors from turmeric and leaves of khonthi (beach vitex).
The khonthi plant is easily found along beaches in tambon Na Thap of Chana district in the southern province of Songkhla, where her Me-D Na Thap Batik Group is located.
“The cloth is specially designed because of the patterns initiated by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya and integrated with the identity of our province,” she said. Continued …
Fewer Covid-19 hospitalizations, deaths during Christmas week
As many as 2,111 Covid-19 patients were admitted to hospital and 75 succumbed in the last week of 2022, a drop from 2,900 admitted and 89 deaths the week before.
The Department of Disease Control (DDC) said on Monday that about 302 people per day had to be hospitalized for severe symptoms in the week of Dec. 25-31, compared to 414 daily average in the week of Dec. 18 to 24.
The average daily death rate from Covid in the week of Dec. 25-31 was 10, compared to 12 per day the previous week, the department added. Continued …
Experts urge end to Covid fear as Chinese gates swing open
Health experts are attempting to allay concern that new coronavirus strains in China may be imported into Thailand, saying they are less worrisome than the already dominant strain in Thailand.
They made the remarks with Chinese tourists expected to flock back to Thailand after Beijing reopens its borders on Sunday. Continued …
Why China’s Covid wave is stirring fear
China is experiencing a huge Covid-19 surge after years of hardline containment restrictions were dismantled last month.
A growing number of countries are worried about a lack of data and transparency surrounding China’s outbreak.
Here is why it is sparking concern: Continued …
Airport Worker Killed By Being ‘Ingested Into The Engine’ Of Plane
A ground crew worker at a regional Alabama (USA) airport was killed on Saturday by being sucked into the engine of a parked plane. The person, whose name has not been released, was “ingested into the engine” of an aircraft at Montgomery Regional Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board said. Continued …
Europe Sees ‘Unprecedented’ Winter Heat Wave As 2023 Begins
A historic winter heat wave sent temperatures soaring in parts of Europe over New Year’s weekend. Thousands of temperature records were broken on the continent from Saturday to Monday, and on New Year’s Day alone, at least seven countries experienced the warmest January weather on record. Continued …
Floods In Philippines Leave 51 Dead
Thousands of people in the Philippines remained in emergency shelters in the wake of devastating Christmas flooding, as the death toll climbed to 51 with 19 missing, authorities said Monday. Continued …
Moscow Says Ukrainian Rocket Strike Kills 63 Russian Troops
Ukrainian forces fired rockets at a facility in the eastern Donetsk region where Russian soldiers were stationed, killing 63 of them, Russia’s defense ministry said Monday, in one of the deadliest attacks on the Kremlin’s forces since the war began more than 10 months ago. Continued …
People Can Now Carry Guns Without A License In Half Of America’s States
Alabamians woke up Sunday with the right to carry a gun without a license. The change, implemented by a state law passed last year, marked a major milestone: half of America’s 50 states now allow people to carry handguns without first seeking a permit. Continued …
