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From Vietnam News THANH HÓA — Two people in central Thanh Hóa Province died on Wednesday morning after getting the Vero Cell COVID-19 vaccine while three others are being treated at a local hospital, the provincial Department of Health confirmed. They were inoculated on Tuesday. All of them are from Nông Cống District. On Tuesday, the district’s health centre organised the second doses of Vero Cell vaccine for workers and employees at Kim Việt Shoe Co., Ltd in Nông Cống Town Industrial Complex. All people who registered for the vaccination underwent health screening by local medical workers and were advised about the kind of vaccine they would be vaccinated with as well as possible reactions. During the vaccination, local medical workers found some people with reactions after injection. Five of them had serious symptoms and were diagnosed with anaphylaxis. They were immediately given emergency treatment at the site by medical workers of the districts’ General Hospital and then transferred to the provincial General Hospital for treatment. However, two died at 0.45am and 8.45am on Wednesday, respectively. Vero Cell COVID-19 Vaccine, Inactivated Vaccine was approved for emergency use in Việt Nam in early June. The vaccine is produced by China's Sinopharm. https://vietnamnews.vn/society/1085284/two-people-in-thanh-hoa-die-after-getting-covid-19-vaccine.html

From Richard Barrow Twitter site Immigration has just extended the deadline to apply for the special covid stamp based on being unable to travel. It now expires on 25th January 2022. However, there is a new clause that says officials must be stricter in order to make sure foreigners are not abusing the system.

This article (published today) presents different facts about the fate of Hua Lamphong that reflects what Day Dreamer posted above. From Thai Enquirer Thaksin calls for the preservation of Hua Lamphong station Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra took to social media late on Tuesday to talk about government policies related to old buildings and decry rapid urbanization at the cost of culture. Among the sites that needed to be preserved was Hua Lamphong station, which should become a hub of soft power. “I would definitely keep Hua Lamphong,” he said. “It is irreplaceable and invaluable…and it can be made to be even more valuable,” he said. Thaksin said it could be transformed into an exhibition hall for people from around the country to come and show their local wisdom, talents and products. “It can be transformed into a soft power hub,” he said. The train station, which was built in 1910, closed on Wednesday and all rail services moved to the new Bang Sue Grand Station. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said the ministry and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) have plans to redevelop the 121-rai station for commercial purposes by clearing it to make way for condominiums, hotels and malls. However, the main station’s architecture will be kept as a museum. The Fine Arts Department said last week that they will register the railway station as a official national heritage site to protect it from development plans. They have yet to say how much of the land should be conserved. Thaksin said the loss-making SRT should not only be thinking of selling the land to pay back their debts. The state-owned enterprise’s debt was over 100 billion baht in 2020. “Hua Lamphong should be given back as public property for people so that it can be used to promote knowledge, as a meeting center for the new generation and many other purposes…instead of just cutting it up and selling it as pieces.” https://www.thaienquirer.com/35246/thaksin-calls-for-the-preservation-of-hua-lamphong-station/

For those who'll be in Bangkok in the next month, you'll have a chance to see the 105-year-old landmark Hua Lamphong railroad station in its final days before service ends Dec. 23. For those not so lucky, you can view a video embedded in the following Bangkok Post article https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2219687/hua-lamphong-will-have-to-close

From Thai Enquirer Covid numbers not spiking three weeks after reopening It has been three weeks since the country reopened to vaccinated tourists and there has been no spike in the number of daily Covid cases, according to data released by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation (CCSA) on Tuesday. A total of 90,737 air passengers arrived between November 1 and 22. Of that, 118 or 0.13 per cent tested positive for Covid. From the total number of passengers, 69,809 went through the “Test & Go” procedure which is what the CCSA is calling the one-night quarantine and test period. This option is only available to vaccinated tourists from 63 designated countries and territories so far. The remaining 16,997 have entered tourist sandboxes or the “Blue Zone” in 17 destinations which comes with a seven days quarantine period within these destinations, 1,426 entered seven-day quarantine facilities and 2,505 entered 10-day quarantine facilities. At the same time, the daily number of Covid cases in the general Thai population (excluding cases found in prisons and imported cases) continued to decline from 7,049 confirmed cases on November 2 to 5,014 cases on November 23. The top ten nationals that have arrived between November 1 and 22 including 11,032 from the United States, 9,469 from Germany, 7,824 from the Netherlands, 4,354 from the United Kingdom, 3,984 from Japan, 3,677 from Russia, 3,350 from France, 3,255 from South Korea, 2,413 from the UAE and 2,317 from Israel. Despite the low numbers of infected arrivals and the continuous decline in the daily number of cases, Dr Apisamai Srirangsan, a deputy spokeswoman for the CCSA, said on Monday that some foreign tourists who came for business meetings within the tourist sandboxes were not following the Thai government’s Covid prevention guidelines, especially refusing to wear a facemask at a social gathering. She warned that a tourist who entered the tourist sandboxes could still be fined up to 20,000 baht if they refused to wear a face mask at a social gathering or a public space. https://www.thaienquirer.com/35219/covid-numbers-not-spiking-three-weeks-after-reopening/ ================================ From Bangkok Post Thailand orders 30m more Pfizer doses The cabinet on Tuesday approved a Department of Disease Control plan to buy 30 million more doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and expected a new generation of the vaccine that might be suitable for children, according to the government spokesman. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the cabinet endorsed the department's plan to sign its "Third Amendment to Manufacturing and Supply Agreement" with Pfizer. The Public Health Ministry proposed the plan to the cabinet on Tuesday. The newly amended agreement saw Thailand order a total of 60 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, he said.

You mean I can get paid for doing that?

From Richard Barrow Twitter site Over the last three weeks, 262,008 people have applied for #ThailandPass out of which 206,814 have received approval. So far, 33,303 applications were rejected. Many of these were rejected because they did not book a SHA+ hotel package that included RT-PCR test & hotel transfer.

Unless you're dealing with a hotel you have prior relationship with, agree that you're probably better off booking through trusted site like Agoda. You have more recourse if things go sour. You can also rely on appealing to credit card issuer if hotel fails to abide by terms of booking.

Those of us who buy sim cards on arrival will soon have fewer--if practically none--choices in the future. From Bangkok Post Telecom firms Total Access Communication Plc (DTAC) and True Corporation Plc have agreed to merge, to pursue new tech business and raise venture capital for startups. The merger plan was approved by their respective executive boards on Friday and their decisions forwarded to the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Monday. The two companies on Monday also signed a memorandum of understanding for an equal partnership to form a new merged firm to pursue tech business. The companies said that Citrine Global Company, a joint venture of Telenor Asia, the parent firm of DTAC, and Charoen Pokphand (CP) Holding, the parent firm of True, would make a conditional voluntary tender offer for all shares of the two firms - 5.09 baht per one share in True and 47.76 baht per one share in DTAC. Norway's Telenor and CP issued a separate joint statement, that both True and DTAC will enter into equal partnership to form a new tech firm that will pursue new tech businesses, create a digital ecosystem and set up a fund to support startups. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2219499/true-dtac-formally-announce-merger-plan

From Bangkok Post Some hotels deceiving travellers with Thailand Pass packages Some hotels are deceiving visitors from overseas, taking room reservations but omitting transport from the airport and Covid-testing, which means they must buy a new package on arrival or be rejected. Apisamai Srirangson, a spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Monday that some hotels misled visitors and booked them only for the room. The charge did not include a limousine service from the airport to the hotel or the RT-PCR Covid-19 test on arrival, even though both were required as conditions of entry on a Thailand Pass. However, the hotels gave misleading details, which were used by the applicant for QR approval for a Thailand Pass via the foreign ministry's web portal. On arrival they then had to buy a new package or be denied entry. Some hotels did not give refunds to visitors who then cancelled their room reservation and bought a package elsewhere, Dr Apisamai said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2219591/some-hotels-deceiving-travellers-with-thailand-pass-packages

I appreciate the good intentions of ex-pats living in Thailand who have been warning about the potential for disappointment if we arrive in the near future. But I'm at that age where I don't really know who many trips I have ahead. For me, the future is at hand. I last left Bangkok in March of 2020. I'm hoping to return in February--a month shy of a two-year absence. I can't account for ether what has happened during that period of what I will find when I arrive. The only thing I do have control over is the decision to remain home or to go. I don't need--or expect--it to be exactly the same place. What I need are the sights, sounds and--yes--smells of Bangkok. I want to be in a place where I'm free to be the myself. I first found that place nearly 20 years ago and I'm not ready to part with what has become a ritual for me. I'm grateful for those members--expat and tourist alike-- who have shared their Bangkok and Pattaya experiences with us. They showed us that it's still possible to enjoy yourself amid much tighter restrictions then we would now encounter. They helped keep hope alive. I think know about what Jim Morrison (The Doors, "Light My Fire") advised in 1967: The time to hesitate is through No time to wallow in the mire Try, now we can only lose And our love become a funeral pyre

From Pattaya Mail Entertainment venues ask government to speed up the reopening The National Security Council (NSC) has indicated that discussions will take place next week over relaxing Covid curbs on additional activities such as entertainment venues, bars, pubs, and karaoke places. The prime minister will then make a decision before December 1 whether the relaxation will be implemented. National Security Council chief Gen. Supoj Malaniyom said further assessment is required before entertainment venues, pubs, bars, and karaoke places can be allowed to open. He said the government was concerned for the businesses and the prime minister had been calling for the plights of all groups of businesses to be addressed. Gen. Supoj referred to requests from a group representing pubs, bars and musicians asking for the government to speed up the reopening of entertainment venues. Although entrepreneurs representing the group had asserted they were ready to adhere to COVID-19 prevention measures, the group was told that the situation did not favor a reopening of the venues on December 1. The plans and proposals submitted by the representatives will be presented to the prime minister. The NSC secretary-general said the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration will be evaluating the situation once more next week and will present its findings to the prime minister for consideration before December 1. Gen. Supoj added that the number of countries and territories whose nationals will be allowed to enter Thailand without quarantine will be re-evaluated on December 1, but a full lifting of restrictions in all provinces was not yet at hand. (NNT) https://www.pattayamail.com/coronavirus/entertainment-venues-in-thailand-ask-government-to-speed-up-the-reopening-380000

I don't see an any anti-gay intentions in the scheme to attract more tourists from India and the Middle East. The reverse may even factor into the decision. Gays from both locations don't have many ways to gather comfortably in their home countries and have been finding their way to Thailand in the same way way have. If the plan can attract more to Thailand it will increase diversity of tourists--gay and straight--and that can only be a good thing in the long run.

From Pattaya Mail Thai government to back gay rights bill By Barry Kenyon Following an expected ruling by the constitutional court which limits the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples, the government has agreed to speed up a draft law to protect all genders. Deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam pointed out the court ruling did include a suggestion that parliament could change section 1448 of the civil and commercial code which discriminated on the grounds of sexual orientation. Two stalled bills are currently within parliamentary committees. One would allow full gay marriage for gays and the other limits the legal protection to civil unions. Mr Wissanu’s announcement appears to support the second and more limited version. One of the main differences is that full gay marriage is required for same-sex partners to enjoy anti-discrimination rights in employment and pension legislation. Depending on the detail, Thailand is scheduled to be the first country in Asia to enshrine legal equality for gays. Taiwan is often quoted as the first nation to permit full gay equality, although there are restrictions. For instance, citizens cannot marry a foreigner. Depending on the drafting process and the enthusiasm of the government parties, a new law could see the light of day sometime next year. If a general election was called, that could create an indefinite delay. https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/thai-government-to-back-gay-rights-bill-379744

From Bangkok Post Govt explains delay in reopening entertainment venues The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has given two reasons for delaying the reopening of entertainment places, and said operators must improve disease control standards. Apisamai Srirangson, a spokeswoman for the CCSA, admitted on Friday that when the government postponed their reopening from December to Jan 16 the operators of entertainment venues were bitterly disappointed. One reason for the delay was that the country had not been able to bring the number of new daily Covid-19 cases to below 5,000 and fatalities continued at about 50 a day, she said. The other reason was the Public Health Ministry and local organisations said the operators of entertainment venues had not registered compliance with the Covid-19 control standard, known as Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration Plus (SHA+), Dr Apisamai said. The standard was mandatory for reopening, she said. "Please improve your premises ... Whether reopening will happen or not does not depend on the decision of CCSA, but on the readiness of the premises themselves," Dr Apisamai said. Covid-19 vaccination of staff of entertainment venues was among the criteria of the SHA+ standard. Details of the standard were available from the Department of Health, she said. Premises that met the standard would get an SHA+ sign from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Visitors would look for such signs at entertainment venues, Dr Apisamai said. Under the CCSA's plan, from Nov 16 to Jan 15 the Interior and Public Health ministries would enforce disease control and ventilation regulations and officials would evaluate the reopening readiness of entertainment places. From Jan 16 onwards, entertainment places would reopen only in high surveillance, surveillance and tourism pilot zones. Places that cause Covid-19 outbreaks would be closed. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2218367/govt-explains-delay-in-reopening-entertainment-venues

Sorry to see this. I've used Air Asia for border runs and short trips. They got you from A to B for unbeatable prices and friendly crews. From Bangkok Post Thai AirAsia lays off staff amid aviation woes Thai AirAsia (TAA) has announced mass layoffs and extended furloughs after struggling with the impact of the pandemic, despite the country's reopening on Nov 1. Tassapon Bijleveld, executive chairman of Asia Aviation (AAV), the largest shareholder of TAA, made the announcement to TAA's employees on Wednesday, indicating that the real situation in terms of the aviation outlook remains unstable, prompting the company to reduce its fleet size next year and consequently reduce its workforce to maintain financial stability over the long run. "Even though we've negotiated with suppliers and banks to help offload aircraft leasing costs, and we may get additional liquidity after restructuring this month, our balance sheet cannot be strong enough if those expenses still run. We have to permanently cut the fleet for at least two years or until international and domestic flights fully recover," Mr Tassapon said at the internal meeting. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2217999/thai-airasia-lays-off-staff-amid-aviation-woes

From Bangkok Post The cabinet has approved a new campaign called "Visit Thailand Year 2022" to promote tourism, while the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has established a committee to oversee pandemic-related obstacles for the industry. "The Tourism Authority of Thailand will oversee the campaign to draw foreign visitors to travel in Thailand using a budget drawn from both the government and private sector. The campaign will focus on Chiang Mai, Phuket, Nakhon Ratchasima and Ayutthaya," Mr Phiphat said. TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the goal of the campaign is to hit a hotel occupancy rate of 50% in targeted provinces. "We will focus on the Middle East and Indian markets in the coming year." https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2217323/new-2022-tourism-campaign-gets-nod

From The Thaiger / TTR Weekly Scoot announces new service between Singapore and London Gatwick via Bangkok Low-cost carrier Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has confirmed a new service between Singapore and London, via Bangkok. TTR Weekly reports that the new service will launch on December 16. The announcement means Scoot is the only low-cost airline offering non-stop flights between Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and London. The flight to Gatwick Airport will also be Scoot’s first service to the UK. Its parent company, Singapore Airlines, currently offers non-stop flights between Singapore and London Heathrow. Following its December 16 launch, the Scoot schedule to London Gatwick is expected to operate 3 times a week from March 2022 and frequency could increase further, subject to demand and regulatory approval. The low-cost carrier will use the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the Singapore – Gatwick route, offering seats in both Economy and ScootPlus, its premium cabin. Scoot currently has 20 Dreamliners in its fleet. The addition of the London Gatwick route means the low-cost carrier will be serving over 30 destinations from December 16, in a gradual return to the 68 cities it served prior to the pandemic. The low-cost airline currently offers daily flights between Singapore and Bangkok. https://thethaiger.com/news/regional/singapore/scoot-announces-new-service-between-singapore-and-london-gatwick-via-bangkok

From Channel News Asia TOKYO: In a major shift for a country long closed to immigrants, Japan is looking to allow foreigners in certain blue-collar jobs to stay indefinitely starting as early as the 2022 fiscal year, a justice ministry official said on Thursday (Nov 18). Under a law that took effect in 2019, a category of "specified skilled workers" in 14 sectors such as farming, construction and sanitation have been allowed to stay for up to five years, but without their family members. The government had been looking to ease those restrictions, which had been cited by companies as among reasons that they were hesitant to hire such help. If the revision takes effect, such workers - many from Vietnam and China - would be allowed to renew their visas indefinitely and bring their families with them, as the other category of more skilled foreigners are allowed to do now. Immigration has long been taboo in Japan as many prize ethnic homogeneity, but pressure has mounted to open up its borders due to an acute labour shortage given its dwindling and ageing population. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/japan-labour-blue-collar-jobs-foreigners-immigration-2321631

From Thai Enquirer When Thailand’s same sex marriage bill was blocked by a panel of Constitutional Court judges on Thursday, the LGBTIQ+ community was devastated. Many believed that the bill would finally be taken seriously. But the LGBTIQ+ community’s doubts were confirmed when the court judges dismissed it. Activists say the ruling signals that Thailand’s conservative elite is still not ready to offer them equal rights. Nattawut Buaprathum, deputy party leader of Move Forward Party, told Thai Enquirer that it seems like it’s still going to take more time. “The court ruled citing section 1448 of Thailand’s Civil and Commercial Code, that only marriage between men and women is constitutional,” Nattawut says. “But they also agreed that Thailand is becoming more diverse.”. Section 1448 under the constitution says that only men and women above the age of 17 are able to marry. https://www.thaienquirer.com/35105/lgbtiq-community-calls-for-greater-rights-as-same-sex-bill-denied/

From Bangkok Post Nearly a third of total job losses in five Asian countries were linked to tourism, with an estimated 1.6 million jobs lost, according to the International Labour Organization. Evidence from Brunei, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam showed that job losses in tourism-related sectors in 2020 were four times greater than in non-tourism industries, the United Nations labour agency said on Thursday. n Brunei, the tourism sector was hard hit, with employment and average working hours contracted by about 40% and 21% respectively. It was the country that saw the largest difference between employment losses in tourism and non-tourism related sectors. In Mongolia, tourism employment and average working hours contracted by about 17% and 13% respectively. In the Philippines, employment in the sector contracted by 28%, compared to an 8% loss in non-tourism related sectors. Workers in the tourism-related sector working zero hours per week rose two thousand-fold. In Thailand, average wages in the tourism sector decreased by 9.5% as workers moved into lower-paid jobs, while average working hours declined by 10%. In the first quarter of 2021, employment was below pre-Covid numbers in all tourism-related sub-sectors except for food and beverage serving activities. In Vietnam, average tourism wages fell by nearly 18%, with the decline for women employees even higher at almost 23%. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2217731/a-third-of-job-losses-in-asia-linked-to-tourism-ilo

Credit: Richard Barrow Twitter site

There's no shortage of helpful--and not so helpful--information out there on how to succeed in getting your Thai Pass successfully completed. Richard Barrow today posted that one of the reasons that some get instant approval for their vaccination certificate if they come from one of the 30 countries who share a PKI key (tools used to create and manage public keys for encryption, which is a common method of securing data transfers on the internet. PKI is built into all web browsers used today, and it helps secure public internet traffic). =============================== Border runs to return? Land borders are still closed to tourists. However, with the reopening of Cambodia, and hints that Thailand will re-open their land borders to more people, visa runs might be a possibility again. This, together with #ThailandReopening, might mean the end of the “visa amnesty”. Credit: Richard Barrow Twitter site