reader

The fares are already being impacted by higher fuel prices and longer routes but it doesn't seem to be tamping down demand. A random check for fares in June for JFK-BKK flights shows economy fares between $900 to $1500. Business class was in the $3600-$8500 range. However, more competitive promotional fares can be expected to pop up at any time. Capacity is gradually increasing. Aside from Qatar's planned addition of two daily 380 flights between Doha and Bangkok, ANA and JAL are boosting service from Tokyo. Singapore is running a 380 on its JFK-FRA-SIN route in addition to a non-stop JFK-SIN flight with additional connections to BKK. From London Heathrow, economy comes in between $600-$700 and business, $1800-$3000. Most come with excellent connecting times.

From The Thaiger Police arrest Thai OnlyFans star making ฿100K per month Police arrested a trans woman known as ‘Dreamy Dao’ for producing and disseminating pornographic content in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen on Tuesday. Dreamy Dao was making 100,000 baht every month by posting explicit content on the OnlyFans website. Khon Kaen police raided 20 year old Dreamy Dao’s room to find a large number of pornographic videos and 17 other items including filming equipment and props used in the production of explicit content. The police obtained an arrest warrant from Khon Kaen Provincial court on April 4 after a crime investigation unit discovered a Twitter page which Dreamy Dao used to advertise the explicit content. Police subscribed to the Twitter page “to collect evidence”. Dreamy Dao was arrested for making, producing, possessing and disseminating obscene pornographic content which is accessible to the general public. The OnlyFans star used a Twitter page with 120,110 followers and a Line group to advertise her OnlyFans content. Subscribers could pay a monthly subscription fee of 234 baht or a lifetime subscription fee of 590 baht to gain access to her pictures and videos. Dreamy’s content attracted 430 members in total. Dreamy Dao posted one pornographic clip every day. Dreamy Dao was studying at a vocational college in Roi Et province, but wasn’t studying on campus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so moved to Khon Kaen to look for friends and make an income. Dreamy Dao chose to make a living through OnlyFans, and made an impressive 100,000 baht per month. Dreamy Dao told police there was no one else involved in the operation. Police believe there are more people involved and said they will investigate further. Thai police began cracking down on OnlyFans content creators last year. Well-known creator Nong Khai Nao (Miss Bad Egg), who raked in one billion baht in a three month period, was arrested with her boyfriend last September. Whether posting explicit content should be illegal or not is a dividing issue in Thai society. The liberal argument is that OnlyFans creators can choose what kind content they post, can choose the price, and can do it from the safety of their homes. Netizens have criticised police for the crackdown and say they should be fighting ‘real crime’. Chief of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau Kanchai Khlaikhlueng compared arresting OnlyFans creators to killing a chicken in front of monkeys – a Thai saying which means punishing someone in order to deter others from doing the same. Kanchai wants to continue making an example out of OnlyFans creators to “uphold the good morale of Thailand”, he said.

If you're looking for guys in their early to mid 20's, try Freshboys. If you're looking for guys in their 40's, look in the on-line apps. Those who've been to BKK during the pandemic generally seem to agree that the town is what you make it. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you and you should have a fine trip. Don't forget to check out the massage shops and read the trip reports in this forum.

Sorry, Peter, but it's no joke. There are two methods of measuring flights: distance and duration, and both can change in accordance with variable wind aloft at cruising altitudes and overflight practices imposed by either the carrier or individual countries. In the article, that originated with Bloomberg, considered current, planned and suspended flights. Thanks for pointing out that CX regained the title by restarting it's JFK-HKG service but I believe that it's old route did indeed take advantage of the polar route when winds aloft were favorable. This was the same practice Singapore used on its JFK-SIN route (I've taken the flight four times and twice it took the polar routing and the other two times a Euro route). So on any given day, the actual longest flight--by either measure--can be swapped around by conditions at the moment. =================================== From AzioZone Qatar Airways Expands 2x Daily Airbus A380 Flights To Bangkok The A380 will shortly be used by Qatar Airways to fly to Bangkok, and it is currently available for booking. It comes after the Gulf airline announced that it will bring back four additional A380s, raising the total number of A380s to eight. Bangkok’s return was a foregone conclusion, aided by Thailand’s removal of the PCR requirement. Bangkok will join A380 service to London Heathrow and Paris CDG (both of which were reinstated late last year), as well as Sydney, where the double-decker quadjet will begin service on June 1st.

So it appears. Here's another "story" from the April 1st edition: Anutin apologizes for Covid-19 vaccine response, blames marijuana addiction Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul offered a public apology on April 1 for his health ministry’s lackluster response to acquiring vaccine in 2020 and 2021 and blamed his marijuana addiction for the mess. Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health came under intense criticism from the public and the opposition parties for its reliance on Chinese Sinovac vaccines and locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccines. Anutin said at the time that vaccine shortages in the United States and Europe were to blame for the slow pace of vaccine acquisition. But on April 1, Anutin admitted that the health ministry did not do a good enough job in acquiring vaccine. “I was really high the entire time, people kept bringing me weed,” the minister said with a shrug. Anutin who has championed the legalization of marijuana as part of his Bhumjai Thai Party’s platform added that he was unaware that his party was in a coalition with Prayut Chan-ocha. “Wait, we made that guy prime minister? Dude, that’s not cool,” the BJT leader said. Anutin said now that he was “off weed” he would be more coherent in meetings and decision making and promised that he would no longer just “fly around looking for food.”

From Richardbarow.com The infection rate of all travelers entering Thailand: November: 0.13% December: 0.45% January: 3.73% February: 2.25% March: 0.58% April: 0.25% (downward trend): - Test & Go: 0.21% - Sandbox: 0.63% - Quarantine: 2.29% Latest vaccination report for Thailand. The target population is 69,556,204. - 1st 80.0% - 2nd 72.4% - Boosters 34.4%

From AP BEIJING (AP) — China says it will back neighbor Myanmar “no matter how the situation changes,” in the latest show of unequivocal support for the ruling military that seized power last year. China “has always placed Myanmar in an important position in its neighborly diplomacy” and wants to “deepen exchanges and cooperation,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Myanmar counterpart Wunna Maung Lwin on Friday, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. Myanmar’s military, which ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, has continued to face popular resistance that amounts to what some U.N. experts have characterized as a civil war. The government is also facing genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

From The Thaiger Public Health Ministry plans to request new entry rules If the CCSA approves it, Thailand could have new entry rules starting on May 1. The new rules the Public Health Ministry plans to request are intended to revive the country’s crippled tourism economy,. The country’s Tourism and Sports Minister has also stated that his ministry will ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to consider further easing entry rules, such as replacing on-arrival RT-PCR tests with simpler and quicker antigen tests. He says the ministry is proposing that Thailand Pass registration be scrapped from June 1 – that would be a full month earlier than the published 4-step reopening plan published in March. The Tourism and Sports minister says test results would be certified, and visitors would be allowed freedom of movement instantly after getting a negative result at the airport, a major step forward from the current regime of testing. ======================= Malaysian drivers bewildered by Thailand Pass THOU SHALL NOT PASS. That’s the message some northern-bound Malaysian travelers received when they attempted to drive their cars into Thailand on yesterday morning, only to find they’d forgotten the most important thing: you STILL need to register for Thailand Pass. In advance. Thailand finally reopened its land border with Malaysia on April 1 for travelers by private transportation. But it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for those who forgot that the beleaguered Thailand Pass system is still in place — and you’re required to register before entering the country. Apparently, not many people got the memo. Little more than a hundred Malaysians had registered before the Sadao crossing in Songkhla province opened at 5 o’clock this morning, the Bangkok Post reported. According to local officials, some northern-bound Malaysians were confused to find that they couldn’t enter Thailand with simply a passport and proof of vaccination, like they could enter Singapore at their southern border starting the same day. Thailand customs officials reportedly turned away would-be travellers who had failed to sign up for the Thailand Pass system. In total, only 107 travel-ready Malaysians had jumped through all the right hoops to enter the Land of Smiles.

From The Nation The finance minister has revoked the business licences of Southeast Insurance and Thai Insurance after they failed to honour claims of more than THB18 billion from customers for Covid-19, the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) secretary-general, Suttipol Taweechaikarn, said on Friday. The revocation, made under the Non-Life Insurance Act with effect from Friday, was aimed at protecting the interest of both companies’ customers, he said. Suttipol explained that the two insurers had been given time to rectify financial issues stemming from their Covid insurance policies that promised lump-sum payments to those infected by the coronavirus. However, the shareholders of both insurance companies refused to increase their capital and insisted on discontinuing their business. Southeast Insurance still owes THB13.5 billion as Covid claims, while Thai Insurance owes THB4.6 billion, according to the OIC secretary-general. “As this matter threatens to affect the public interest, the OIC suggested that the finance minister make the decision to solve the problem,” Suttipol said on Friday. Both companies are not financially capable of continuing their insurance business, as they have failed to meet the legal requirements, he explained. The OIC would get the General Insurance Fund to supervise the liquidation and take care of both companies’ policyholders, according to Suttipol. Next Monday, the OIC will hold a meeting with 15 insurance firms about their possible takeover of the two insurers’ non-Covid policies and possible refund of the insurance premium, he said, adding that active Covid policies have been transferred to state-owned Dhipaya Insurance.

From Thai Enquirer Thai Enquirer would like to announce that our ownership group will be bought out by China Daily effective immediately on Friday. Beginning on Monday, Thai Enquirer will be folded into the China Daily family and will be rebranded as the Thailand Daily. We would like to thank our readers for their support for the last two years and hope you continue with us as we move forward into uncharted waters. With the backing of our new owners, Thai Enquirer will be able to cover Asian news for Asians more effectively. We would also like to apologize for our previous coverage of certain matters pertaining to Hong Kong and Xinjiang and state that nothing ever happens in either places. === From Wikipedia Thai Enquirer is an independent online media publication intended to "provide a mixture of in-depth reporting, political and cultural commentary, as well as highlights of fiction, prose, poetry, and humour." The website is focused on political and social issues in Thailand, but has also covered issues "in the broader region and the wider world, where we feel it necessary, prudent, or when a story demands telling. Named as one of the publications representing the future of Thai media, the Thai Enquirer first rose to prominence in late 2020 for its coverage of the pro-democracy protests in Thailand. The website went viral in June 2020 for its satirical coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests in the US with an article that was shared over 60,000 times.[4][5] It also drew attention for its mockery of Donald Trump's mispronunciation of Thailand, renaming itself as the "Thigh Enquirer" for a day. It currently has an online following of 44,032 followers on Facebook and 76,000 followers on Twitter.

I don't disagree, although I suspect it's the bib who are keeping the pants on the boys in some clubs while looking the other way in other, better financed ones. If the owners had their druthers, it would be different, I'm sure. What the owners need to do is something they've been perennially, inexplicably reluctant to do: adjust prices in relation to demand. 300-450 baht is a range that puts most locals out of contention. That may have worked when 35 million foreigners were arriving in BKK but certainly not today. The government also has to open the land borders to ASEAN neighbors, making it possible for the guys from the countries to again fill out the stages at places like Freshboys, Screwboys and the yet to reopen Lucky Boy that routinely offered 40-50 boys on weekend nights. Granted, that's something out of the control of the owners. But what's wholly within their control is the price of drinks and offs. If they can't succeed in bringing bodies in the door, their most important assets--the guys on the stage--can't make any anything, either. The formula to turn this around is to do whatever's necessary to coax in the customer. I remember sitting in Soi 4 late in the evening when the owners of Telephone and Balcony would dispatch waiters to the corner of Silom, carrying signs advertising 59 baht drink prices. They puled in passersby and persuaded current customers to order another. It also created a vibe. What if the Patpong bars did something like that, say 99 baht drinks for the last hour. It gives the guys who haven't been offed a second chance. That might create a similar vibe. Maybe Moonlight can still make it with the highest drink prices but they have always had its on unique type of vibe, one that got started when Babe and his peers raised the bar for top of the line boys performing in a real show. I ponied up the 400 and felt I got my money's worth. But it's clear that Patpong bars can't succeed in the current environment without innovating.

From Thai Enquirer Thailand will develop Phuket into a world-class medical tourism centre, after the success of the Phuket Sandbox programme in light of new travel trends during the Covid-19 era, the government said on Thursday. Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the Phuket Sandbox, the country’s pilot plan to welcome foreign visitors, has paved the way for the resort island to become a medical tourism hub in the future. “Phuket Sandbox is an excellent example of tourism working successfully alongside public health precautions,” said Thanakorn, adding that the programme has generated tourism income over 50 billion baht so far. The government is planning to establish a plaza in Phuket offering a wide range of medical services including elderly care, palliative care, and a rehabilitation center for both local and foreign visitors.

It's now official.... From The Thaiger Starting tomorrow, travellers entering Thailand will no longer need to take a PCR Covid-19 test before their flight, but visitors will still need to take a PCR test once they land. All travellers – vaccinated and unvaccinated – no longer need to take the pre-departure test, but requirements after entry vary depending on the scheme. To make travel a bit more convenient and entice more people to visit Thailand, the government’s Covid task force decided to scrap the requirement for a pre-departure test taken within 72 hours before take-off. The revised entry requirements were published in the Royal Gazette yesterday, making the new rules official. For those who are fully vaccinated and entering under the Test & Go scheme, a hotel must be booked for their first night in Thailand while they wait for the test results to come back, which can take up to a day. On the fifth day of their stay, travellers will need to take a self-administered rapid antigen test and report the results. Before flying to Thailand, travellers must apply for a Thailand Pass QR code through the official website run by the Department of Consular Affairs at https://tp.consular.go.th/. The Thai government is gradually easing entry requirements as the country prepares to transition from a pandemic to an endemic in the next several months. Thailand plans to declare Covid-19 an endemic by July 1, but the date could change if there is a spike in the infection rate following the Thai New Year, Songkran, on April 13.

it's becoming ever more evident that until test-and-go is totally scrapped and entertained venues free of restrictions, there won't be the number of tourists to support a 2019 version of Patpong. In the meantime, the operators of the clubs that choose to open should adopt some incentives to lure in the small number of would-be customers who are trickling back. In the same way hotels lower rates, bars should cut the price of drinks through a variety of promotions. Even in good times, many bars offered "happy hour" pricing or drink specials on mid-week nights. Here are some ideas that I believe might succeed in helping to improve the bottom line: Early bird 200 baht drinks for first hour every night 2-for-1 specials (per customer) Tuesdays through Thursdays Beer special of 100 baht beers on Tuesdays through Thursdays Off fee of 400 baht Tuesdays though Thursdays Last-minute weekend specials None of these are particularly new ideas. They've been used by bars and clubs around the globe and they frequently persuade undecided customers to give it a try.

I just checked again for the promised English version of the "PC-COVID" platform described in the above article. It does not appear to be available. Comments of some international users who've attempted to complete the Vietnamese version report numerous problems with the Android app.

From The Nation Tourism Ministry wants PCR tests for tourists scrapped from May 1 The Tourism and Sports Ministry will ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to cancel mandatory PCR testing for foreign tourists and replace them with ATK tests from May. Under the move, tourists would no longer face the expense of a PCR test and mandatory first night’s stay in an SHA+ hotel. “We expect the move to be approved and implemented from May 1 onward, provided that there is no surge in new infections and Covid-19 deaths during and after Songkran,” Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said. He added that the “acceptable” limit is 60,000 daily infections – including those who test positive via ATKs – and 100 fatalities. The ministry last week unveiled a plan to scrap the Thailand Pass requirement for incoming travellers from June 1 in a bid to boost tourist arrivals. Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said.

From Bloomberg News Cathay Pacific plans world's longest flight Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. plans to reroute its New York-Hong Kong service to avoid Russian airspace, in what would be the world’s longest commercial passenger flight by distance. The airline plans to fly from John F. Kennedy International Airport over the Atlantic Ocean, the U.K., southern Europe and central Asia, according to a memo to Cathay flight staff seen by Bloomberg News. The distance of 16,618 kilometers (10,326 miles) would surpass Singapore Airlines Ltd.’s New York service, which takes about 17-and-a-half hours to cover 15,349 kilometers, FlightRadar24 data show. The Cathay new flight will take about 17 hours. A spokeswoman for Cathay said Airbus SE’s A350-1000 is capable of operating the route, which would typically fly over the Arctic and through Russian airspace. Many Asian airlines are avoiding Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine.

From VN Express Vietjet has resumed its international route to Da Nang in central Vietnam from Bangkok, Thailand, boosting post-pandemic recovery of tourism and trade connectivity across the region. Passengers can now reserve a ticket to Bangkok with fares only from VND68,000 ($3) (excluding taxes and fees) at www.vietjetair.com. In addition, Vietjet offers complimentary pre-flight RT-PCR tests for its passengers on international services. The Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi International Airport) - Da Nang route is operated by Thai Vietjet with three round trip per week (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday). The flight time is around 1 hour and 40 minutes per leg. From Thailand to Vietnam, the flight takes off from Bangkok at 10:50 a.m. and lands in Da Nang at 12:30 p.m. In turn, the flight departs from Da Nang at 13:15 p.m. and arrives in Bangkok at 14:55 p.m. Vietjet also operates five flights per week between Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok with the frequency to be increased to daily flights as of April 12, including on the Hanoi - Bangkok route.

From The Thaiger Authorities in the north-eastern province of Surin say they will declare Covid endemic from April 1, adding that they will become the first province in Thailand to do so. With the central government seemingly taking its sweet time to lift restrictions and move to a “living with Covid” approach, Surin is going it alone. According to a Nation Thailand report, the Surin Information Office confirmed the move on its Facebook page over the weekend, encouraging all residents to get their booster vaccines if they haven’t already done so. The provincial administration says Surin has met all the criteria for declaring the virus endemic, which includes a death rate no higher than 0.5% No more than 3% of Covid patients require hospitalisation And at least 70% of the population have received 2 doses of a Covid-19 vaccine

From Channel News Asia NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar's junta will "annihilate" coup opponents, army chief Min Aung Hlaing said on Sunday (Mar 27) as the military staged a show of force on the anniversary of its bloodiest crackdown so far on democracy protests. The country has been in chaos since a putsch in February 2021, with more than 1,700 people killed in crackdowns on dissent, according to a local monitoring group. Presiding over an annual parade that showcased tanks, truck-mounted missiles, artillery and troops on horseback, Min Aung Hlaing told about 8,000 assembled security personnel that the army would not let up. The military will "no longer negotiate ... and annihilate until the end" groups fighting to overturn its rule, he said ahead of the Armed Forces Day procession in the army-built capital Naypyidaw.

According to the, Public Health Ministry just 56 (0.002%) of the 25,821 Covid-19 cases registered today were imported. Yet the government maintains that the destiny of "test-and-go" will ride on the outcome of how many cases they can blame on Songran.

I'll take the open weight-lifting area at Lumpini any day over the newest, Hermes-inspired gym opening in front of Central Word. The luxury brand best known more for pricey handbags wants to attract the well-heeled--as opposed to the necessarily well-built--to its pop-up fitness center at Central World. Who knows? It may prove an interesting distraction but I won't go expecting to see sweaty, shirtless young men pumping iron like those just down the road a bit. Photos courtesy of Hermès Thailand

From Pattaya Mail The advantage of polymer over paper is such that it does not absorb moisture and dirt while the polymer banknotes can last significant longer than paper banknotes. The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has launched the new 20 Baht polymer banknote. The 20 Baht polymer banknotes keep the same theme of design and features as the current 20 Baht paper banknotes in circulation. Advanced anti-counterfeit technologies are used to ensure that the new polymer banknotes are difficult to counterfeit, similar to the current banknotes. The additional security feature is the “clear windows”, which can be seen through from both sides. The lower clear window exhibits color-shifting from translucent yellow to red. For the visually impaired, the added feature is the small numeric “20” embossed numbers in the upper clear window, which can be easily touched and felt. The new 20 Baht polymer banknotes were issued today through all banks’ branches. The 20 Baht paper banknotes will remain legal tender. The initiative to change from paper to polymer for 20 Baht banknotes is to improve the quality: cleaner and more durable. As the 20 Baht is the most widely used denomination, it is therefore prone to being more worn out and soiled than other denominations, said the BOT in its statement.

From Bangkok Post The Test and Go scheme and Thailand Pass registration are expected to be scrapped by June 1 if there is no surge in infections or fatalities during the Songkran festival in April, says the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said Thai tourism has to move forward after opening the Phuket sandbox in July 2021. "Thailand started like a rabbit, running quickly last year as we reopened to visitors. We cannot let the country fall behind as many nations are opening borders and have fewer restrictions than us," Mr Phiphat said. Mr Phiphat said the upcoming Songkran holidays will be a critical test for further easing of rules. The number of daily cases, including results from ATK tests in April, has to remain stable. An acceptable rate might be 50,000-60,000 cases, while the fatality rate should stay below 100, he said. The viral caseload in April could lead to the cancellation of the Test and Go scheme and Thailand Pass from June 1, he said. Mr Phiphat said if the country fully reopens and returns to pre-pandemic norms, there would be no need to require RT-PCR test results from tourists. However, an ATK test should be administered the arrival day to maintain confidence locally and prevent uncertainty, he said.

I agree. The posted information should be viewed as informational but not gospel. I'm in the process of verifying requirements of two transit airports in different countries I pass through en route to BKK. I know others who doing the same thing but on different routing. Check, double check and confirm your understanding with the airline. And after that's done, don't let down your guard. Requirements can change at any time before departure. Check again five days out to be sure nothing has changed.