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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

From The Loyalty Lobby International Passengers who are in the process of leaving from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport will be impacted by renovation efforts on the security check and passport control zones. Airports of Thailand (AOT) has announced that they will close certain areas of the departure hall in order to facilitate the improvements over the next two months. Suvarnabhumi Airport will make over the security check and passport control Zones 1-2 on the fourth floor of its passenger terminal as part of the on-going works to further enhance service quality. The improvement at Thailand’s main air hub will be carried out between 15 November and 5 January 2022 in such a way that it will not affect departure international passengers, said Mr. Kittipong Kittikachorn, General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Under the improvement, the security check point and international departure passport check point Zone 1 (behind the Row A check-in counter) will serve first class and premium passengers, air crew and those in need of special assistance. On the other hand, the waiting area for passport check for international departure passenger at Zone 2 (Fast Track area) will be expanded. The renovation is due to start with Zone 1 that will be closed for service. Zone 2 will be closed for the improvement after works at Zone 1 are done and re-opened for service. Following the makeover of Zone 1, the number of passport check counters will be increased to 13, from six currently; the waiting area for passport check will jump to 348 square metres (SQM), from 80 SQM now; and the processing capability of passport checks boosted to 660 per hour from 232 people at the moment. However, during the renovation of the security checkpoint Zone 1, Royal First Class and Royal Silk Class passengers and air crew of Thai Airways International can make use of the Fast Track facility at Zone 2 instead temporarily. Mr Kittipong noted that the improvement of security check in the Fast Track area of Zone 2 is aimed at turning it entirely into a service area for security and passport control for only economy class passengers. Eight passport control counters will be added there to bring the total number to 28, while the waiting area for passport check for departure passengers in Zone 2 will be expanded by 260 SQM to 860 SQM to tackle congestion problems in the terminal. Suvarnabhumi has coordinated with all relevant units such as the Airline Operators Committee Thailand (AOC) and airlines about the renovations of Zone 1 and 2 which would take 52 days. It was agreed that the improvement should not affect the service of departure passengers because the areas will be gradually closed at a time and there are other areas set aside for the service. Meanwhile, the waiting area for security screening will be doubled to 114 SQM from 50 SQM now, with three X-ray machines being added to the two currently in operation. https://loyaltylobby.com/2021/11/15/bangkok-suvarnabhumi-airport-security-check-passport-control-renovation-through-january-5-2022/

From VN Express National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will operate its first regular direct flight to the U.S. on November 28, achieving a dream conceived nearly two decades ago. The flight will depart from HCMC in the evening and arrive at San Francisco 13 hours and 50 minutes later, CEO Le Hong Ha said at a press briefing Tuesday. The return flight will leave San Francisco on the evening of November 29 (U.S. time) and arrive in HCMC on December 1, 16 hours and 40 minutes later. The wide-body aircraft Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will be used for the direct flights. Initially, there will be two flights a week and this can be increased to seven when the pandemic situation is under control, Ha said. Vietnam Airlines thus becomes the first Vietnamese carrier to operate regular flight route to the U.S. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/companies/vietnam-airlines-direct-flight-to-us-takes-off-next-week-4386594.html

From Channel News Asia KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is aspiring to become the hepatitis C treatment hub for Asia, with promises of treatment at a fraction of current costs. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that Malaysia is poised to offer affordable and efficacious treatments for those infected with the virus. This is made possible as Malaysia is the first country in the world to be given conditional approval for the use of Ravidasvir in combination with Sofosbuvir to treat hepatitis C. “I hope Malaysia, launched today as a destination for Hep C treatment will offer those suffering from this disease access to more effective, accessible, and crucially more affordable solutions,” Mr Khairy said in a keynote address at a medical travel conference on Tuesday (Nov 16). A 12-week cost of treatment for hepatitis which in Malaysia could come up to RM356,000 (US$84,000), a factor that prohibits many from seeking treatment. Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said previously that it is possible to get a 12-week treatment using Ravidasvir and a generic version of Sofosbuvir at a cost of US$100 by getting it produced locally. The hepatitis C virus, which is transmitted through blood, can cause liver cirrhosis, scarring and cancer if untreated. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-hepatitis-c-medical-tourism-2316876

From Bangkok Post Myanmar will reopen its land borders with China and Thailand from next month due to improvements in its Covid-19 vaccination rate, its information ministry said on Tuesday. The reopening, for which no specific date was set, would be followed by resumption of air travel in the first quarter of next year, the ministry said in a statement. https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2216471/myanmar-to-reopen-land-borders-with-thailand-china-next-month

Richard Barrow published the following numbers for top 10 “countries of origin” for people flying to Thailand from 1-14 November. The figures do not distinguish how many entered under COE and those arriving on Thai Pass. 1 USA 7,999 2 UAE 7,935 3 Germany 5,648 4 United Kingdom 2,706 5 Japan 2,530 6 France 1,953 7 Russia 1,875 8 South Korea 1,729 9 Israel 1,532 10 Switzerland 1,507

From Yahoo News Did You Know All the 'Mean Girls' Guys Are Gay Now? mean-girls-Rajiv-Surendra There's no doubt that 2004 comedy Mean Girls defined a generation. Seventeen years after its release, the film is still quoted and meme'd to this day, cementing it as a staple of pop culture. And while it's certainly become a part of gay canon, a movie that impacted nearly every LGBTQ+ person of a certain age, did you know that the main three male characters in the film have all come out as gay? That news has gone viral over at Buzzfeed, who compiled the coming outs of each Mean Girls actor earlier this week. Since then, Franzese has been an important voice for LGBTQ+ rights and appeared on queer shows like Looking and RuPaul's Drag Race. Jonathan Bennett, who stole our hearts as the teen heartthrob Aaron Samuels, was reportedly outed by Julianne Hough later in 2014. He didn't come out as gay himself until 2017. Bennett has been embraced by the community and is currently married to his partner, Jaymes Vaughan. He even reprised his role as Aaron Samuels for a quick cameo in Ariana Grande's "thank u, next" music video. Following the success of Mean Girls, he moved to Munich, Germany. "What was easy for me is that I moved to a completely foreign country. I had complete anonymity there, which I think helped me come to terms with doing what I wanted. I didn’t need to be worried about what everyone else thought." We're so grateful to all the cast for making Mean Girls even gayer than it already was! https://news.yahoo.com/did-know-mean-girls-guys-181141066.html Daniel Franzese, who played Damian in the film, came out as gay in 2014.

From Bangkok Post Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said he would need a fourth shot of Covid-19 vaccine because he needs to attend a meeting abroad. The Bhumjaithai Party leader, 55, received two Sinovac shots in February and later an AstraZeneca shot as the booster. But since he needs to attend a World Health Organization meeting in Switzerland late this month, he said he would need another AstraZeneca shot to qualify for entry without quarantine. Mr Anutin told a meeting at the ministry on Thursday that Thailand could be the first country to start administering fourth shots. “Now that more countries have reopened, we may have to rethink our vaccination strategy. Not every country approves entry [without quarantine] of people who have been vaccinated with the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, or the mixed regimens recommended by the [Thai] government,” he said. The ministry earlier recommended a mix-and-match approach of vaccinations based on local research. Under it, Sinovac was picked as the first shot and AstraZeneca as the second. Another formula adopted later was AstraZeneca-Pfizer. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2214875/anutin-defends-his-fourth-covid-shot

You'll find scattered posts about open (and some closed) massage shops on the board over the past several months. Although there have been reports of some open in the Silom area, they appear more numerous the further out you go. The Saphan Kwai area (reachable by BTS) has been mentioned several times. Most are offering both on-site and off-site service, and I heard one report that a few are not charging an off fee. Totally Oz has posted about some of the offerings. Many shops have LINE accounts.

If you're considering a Tokyo connection, ANA and JAL have been providing reliable service prior to and after Nov. 1 opening.

Street dogs are a way of life for Istanbul 's residents, many of whom feed and support them.

Today's announcement that the opening of club venues will be delayed until Jan. 16 doesn't make any mention of some high-end club venues in the RCA (Royal City Avenue) area, which were reported to be already open in an earlier post in this thread. RCA is the epicenter of the hi-so clubbing scene, stretching from Rama 9 on one end to Phetchaburi Road on the other.

The Bangkok Post reports confirms the delay but contains some conflicting information. "CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the CCSA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha decided to defer by another month a plan to allow pubs, bars and karaokes to reopen on Dec 1. The new tentative reopening date was set for Jan 16 and only for some areas, depending on the Covid-19 situation." Later in the same article: "By Dec 1, we will also consider allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages in restaurants, as well as the reopening of entertainment venues under appropriate health precautions to support the revitalisation of the tourism and leisure sectors, especially during the new year period..." That seems to leave the door open for a mid-December opening but it's certainly nothing to hang you hat on, given the messaging that emerged from Friday's meeting. If I was already planning a trip prior to year's end I don't see anything here that would cause me to cancel. As others have mentioned, it's still going to be Bangkok regardless of what restrictions are actually in place when you arrive. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2214487/reopening-delayed-for-nightclubs-bars

Richard Barrow had an interview with Thai officials that shed light on some much debated issued concerning Thai Pass. Here are some excerpts: "I think the biggest improvement that they will be implementing soon is the ability to log in to check on your application status. Which will also give you the ability to download the QR Code once it has been released." "...there are some (vaccination) certificates that are challenging for them which is why it sometimes takes time. Particularly if someone uploaded an image that is not clear." "Another problem is the “date of arrival”. For many people, there should also be a date of departure as it might take them several days to reach Thailand. This then becomes a problem if their QR Code doesn’t arrive before their first flight. They recognise that as a problem and have noted it. The second problem is that some people might need to move their flight date for some reason. I think most of us thought that to do that we would have to apply again from the start. But that is not so. You can apparently still arrive as long as it is within 72 hours of that date." "...many people asked how far in advance can you apply for a Thailand Pass. Well, the good news is that there is no time limit. If you want to, you can apply now for a holiday to Thailand in say January next year. If you do that now, then you don’t need to worry about the QR Code arriving on time." "... like I have said many times already, don’t rush to come to Thailand. Certainly not during this transition period between the COE and Thailand Pass. But, if you can wait until, say December, then you will find it much easier." "...there will be a big CCSA meeting on Friday that will be reviewing the first two weeks of the reopening of the country and will discuss possible easing of some of the rules. I think next week, we might see the exemption age for vaccination certificates for the Test & Go program will be raised from under 12 to under 18. Another major change we might see next week, is the dropping of the rule to have a RT-PCR test within 72 hours of departure. This is because there is a growing number of countries that don’t actually have an option to have this test done. If it doesn’t happen next week, then I think we should see that happen by 1st December. The other thing they should be discussing is the list of approved countries and territories." ====================== There's additional discussion about the RT-PCR test and other issues of interest and I encourage readers considering a future trip to check out the post in full context at link below. https://www.getrevue.co/profile/richardbarrow/issues/latest-updates-about-the-thailand-pass-849676?via=twitter-card-webview

From Pride Bar website today Telephone Pub in Bangkok to rebrand as CIRCUS As the world recovers from Covid-19 LGBTQ venues and the Entertainment industry has suffered greatly. Unfortunately, one of the recent victims is the famous Telephone Pub in Silom Soi 4 Bangkok Thailand. Well known and loved by many over more then 34 years it was unable to reopen after the recent Covid related lockdowns in Thailand. Many of us have very fond memories of Telephone Pub. Some of us meet our friends and partners at this amazing venue. Telephone Pub became possibly one of the most famous in the LGBTQ community and friends. The team at Pride Management and Pride Bar and Restaurant have now taken over the venue in order to keep the location LGBTQ owned and operated. Unfortunately, as part of that arrangement the name was not able to be continued. The team at Pride Management who own Pride Bar and Restaurant are already well known for a LGBTQ Resort in Phuket. Most recently Pride Bar and Restaurant in Silom Soi 4 has been very successful and has been a strong support of the local community during the Covid pandemic that has seen many businesses closed. It was important to reopen as soon as possible to provide the local community with jobs and income so they too can recover from this difficult time. Khun Tai the manager from Telephone Pub will continue as an employee of the venue and we are very grateful for all his support. Past staff of Telephone Pub have now been invited back to work for Pride Management. While some are devastated by the loss of the name others feel that the time to refresh modernize and attract the next generation of customers has now come. Pride Management is pleased to announce that the new name has been chosen as “CIRCUS” and will show a fun modern exciting upgrade to this iconic location. The idea to come join the Circus and get away from the troubles from the last few years of this Covid 19 Pandemic and get the show back on the road. As many of us know change is inevitable. The local community has banded together to do all we can to revitalize and reopen Silom Soi 4 to be ready to welcome back tourists and locals in the coming weeks. With travel now becoming possible again the local community has seen many come back to support the local community and reconnect with friends that we have not seen for too long. We look forward to welcoming you to “CIRCUS “soon and the grand opening is due sometime in December 2021. https://pridethailand.com/news/telephonepub

From Pattaya Mail t’s all engines go again for Pattaya’s derelict tourism, with sports competitions and spectacle events planned from now until year-end. The Pattaya Music Festival resumes Nov. 12-13 with stages in Jomtien Beach and Nuay Beach on Koh Larn. December 3-4 shows will play out exclusively at Lan Po Public Park. The Dec. 10-11 finale weekend will have only one stage on Beach and Central roads. On Nov. 20-21, a three-on-three street basketball competition will post up at the Terminal 21 shopping mall. A week later will see the Pattaya International Fireworks Competition Nov. 27-28 and, a day later, the Rotary International Walk & Run for charity on the beach at Central Road. In December, the Pattaya Music Festival will take place over the long Dec. 10-13 weekend, lighting up stages Dec. 11-12. That same weekend, the 20th Pattaya Petanque Competition will be held Dec 10-12. The 13th Pattaya Cup Futsal Competition will take place Dec 18-23, the inaugural Thailand Grand Flight Championship Dec 19-20 and the annual Naklua Walk & Eat will open Dec. 19. It turns on weekends through Feb. 7 at the Naklua Old Market. Finally, Pattaya closes the year with King Taksin the Great Day on Dec. 28 and the Pattaya Countdown music festival Dec. 29-31 at Bali Hai Pier. https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/non-stop-events-planned-for-pattaya-through-year-end-378677

I'm not inclined to read too much into this until the matter is decided, reportedly on Friday. It appears to be as much about politics as it does public health. If the Dec. 1 reopening phase is actually scaled back, it throws into chaos the plans of many clubs that are now gearing up to open their doors. From Pattaya Mail Thailand to consider keeping bars, clubs closed through New Year The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday will consider a proposal to keep Thailand’s bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues closed through the new year, with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha admonishing operators not to be “selfish.” Thai media reported today that at the weekly Cabinet meeting, ministers discussed the idea of keeping entertainment businesses, including karaoke clubs and soapy massage parlors, shuttered until 2022 to prevent another major coronavirus outbreak over the holidays. Despite the holiday worries, the Cabinet moved forward with plans for five large regional new year’s “countdown” events. Previously, Prayut had told the nation that the resumption of alcohol sales in restaurants and the reopening of bars would be considered in December. The alcohol ban was lifted in parts or all of Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi and Phangnga provinces when they were designated “blue” tourism zones this month and 17 more blue zones likely will be announced for December. Bars, clubs and parlors appear to be another matter, however. Those who don’t have nefarious connections – such as the many straight-up watering holes on lower Sukhumvit Road and Khao San Road – remain closed. The same is true for nightclubs. Big nightspots in the RCA area or on Soi 11 continue to be shut down while Thai clubs with the aforementioned nefarious connections are back to normal, such as Top One in the Rachada area, which has bottle service, live bands and discos lights going nightly. https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/thailand-to-consider-keeping-bars-clubs-closed-through-new-year-378789

From Bangkok Post Authorities will set aside up to 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines for foreign workers as it prepares to welcome them back to the country to help ease a labour shortage, a government minister said on Wednesday. The government plans to allow workers from neighbouring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to re-enter the country beginning next month and fill up shortages in big exporting industries such as food and rubber production. Workers will be placed in a two-week quarantine and during that time the vaccines will be administered, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said. They will also be tested for Covid-19. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2213231/govt-offers-covid-19-vaccines-to-migrant-workers

A recent photo posted on the above Twitter account. Classic boy-next-doors; my favorite type. I'll take them any day of the week and twice on Sundays. And thinking back, I do believe I have.

This is not altogether a unique theme. The powers that be in Thailand made their case for attracting exclusively high-spending foreigners right up until the moment they realized that they weren't showing up in numbers sufficient to revive the economy. Now Indonesia believes it can get by with a fraction of the 17 million who arrived annually before the pandemic. Only time will tell. From Channel News Asia SINGAPORE: Indonesia is aiming for quality over quantity of tourists as it opens up after 18 tough months of closed borders and bumpy transitions into post-pandemic life, said Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno. Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is targeting only 2 million visitors in 2022, a sharp drop of nearly 90 per cent from its pre-pandemic figure of close on 17 million foreign tourists a year. Instead, the sprawling archipelago, known for its famous beaches and lush green landscapes, is focusing on the amount of time visitors stay in Indonesia and their impact on the environment. “This is the concept of personalise, customise, localise and smaller, much, much smaller in size tourism,” the minister said in an exclusive interview with CNA. “We want to improve the number of days that they are spending in Indonesia, the length of stay. We want to make sure not only a much better-quality spending but also the impact to environment. The 17 million plus numbers put a heavy tax on our environment. We’re moving into quality and sustainability type of tourism,” he explained. This radical shift comes as the pandemic calls into question the viability of mass travel and as the climate crisis pushes environmental concerns up the agenda. Tourism is one of the main sources of Indonesia’s foreign currency earnings – contributing close to 6 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product pre-pandemic. Two of Indonesia’s most popular tourist spots, Bali and the Riau islands, rolled out the welcome mat to foreign visitors from 19 countries last month as COVID-19 cases subsided in the country. However, the reopening has been plagued by few international flights and a mandatory quarantine still in force. The Indonesian tourism minister was more cautious about when such curbs will be lifted, emphasising that health concerns must still be the priority, although weekly reviews will be made based on the health data. He said chartered flights in Bali might be a possibility and scheduled flights would likely follow-up on that. “There’s a lot of demand for the live on boat quarantine, meaning that they arrive in Bali and they go straight to the boat ... They would be allowed to go into the dive sites and enjoy the open seas but within the premise of the boat,” he said. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-tourism-sandiaga-uno-conversation-bali-riau-2301211

From CNN The adventures of Boji, Istanbul’s traveling dog A street dog named Boji has become something of a celebrity in Istanbul, where he travels around the city on its ferries, trams and subway cars https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/10/travel/dog-istanbul-boji-cnnphotos/