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From The Thaiger Immigration launches online 90 day report system A new online system for 90-day checks with immigration has been launched by Thailand’s Immigration Bureau. Online 90-day reporting has been glitchy in the past… So let us know how it worked for you. A confirmation could come through hours after applying. And be sure to check the spam folder. You can register at https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/register/add Foreigners who are permitted to stay in Thailand for longer than three months are required to notify their local immigration office of their place of residence every 90 days. ============================== Richard Barrow reports that he has successfully used the new system.

From Richard Barrow Twitter site The Governor of the State Railway of Thailand has confirmed that the buildings of Bangkok Railway Station will not be destroyed or dismantled for sure.

From the BBC The Angkor Empire spanned much of modern-day Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam (Credit: Richard Sharrocks/Getty Images) Angkor Wat attracts millions of visitors a year, but most know little of the intricate and vast water system that fed the empire's rise and demise. Every April during Khmer New Year celebrations, Sophy Peng, her four siblings and parents make the pilgrimage to Cambodia's most sacred mountain, Phnom Kulen. As the birthplace of the mighty Angkor Empire, fabled Kulen's gentle slopes hold a special place in the hearts of locals. During religious festivals, Cambodians flock to its peak to be blessed by the same waters used to coronate kings since 802 AD. This was when empire founder Jayavarman II was washed with sacred water and declared a devaraja or God King, marking the start of the Angkor Empire. The empire went on to span much of modern-day Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, and house the world's largest pre-industrial urban hub – the city of Angkor. To immortalise this sacred spot that sits about 50km north of Siem Reap city, 1,000 lingas – a phallic symbol incarnation of the Hindu god Shiva – were carved into the riverbed at Kbal Spean, where water flows to the Angkor plains and into the Tonle Sap Lake. Even today, this water is regarded as sacred, and its power is believed to cure illnesses and bring luck. "This is a very special place for Cambodians; it's an important part of our history," said Peng. "Every year, my family visit Mount Kulen as part of our Khmer New Year rituals. We bring food donations to leave at the temple and pour water from Kbal Spean on us to bring good luck." Jayavarman II's spiritual blessing marked the start of the Angkor Empire's close relationship with water. However, it wasn't until the capital shifted south to Rolous and then to its final resting place for more than five centuries – Angkor – that master engineers were able to use their skills to create the intricate water system that fed the empire's rise and demise. "The plains of Angkor are ideal for an empire to flourish," explained Dan Penny, a researcher in the geosciences department at the University of Sydney who has extensively studied Angkor. "There are ample resources, such as good rice soil close to the Tonle Sap Lake. The lake is one of the world's most productive inland fisheries and Angkor is sitting right on the north shore of this enormous food bowl. Angkor grew to become a success on the back of these resources." In the 1950s and '60s, French archaeologist Bernard Philippe Groslier used aerial archaeology to reconstruct the layout of Angkor's ancient cities. This revealed its vast reach and the complexity of its water management network and led Groslier to dub Angkor the "Hydraulic City". Continues with photos https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20211201-angkor-asias-ancient-hydraulic-city

From Channel News Asia TOKYO: Japan on Thursday (Dec 2) reversed a ban on inbound flight reservations, revealing confusion between government agencies and the public over Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's strategy to keep out the Omicron coronavirus variant. On Monday, Japan's aviation bureau told airlines not to accept new reservations for December because of Omicron, two cases of which have been found in the country, but the abrupt announcement provoked worries among those aiming to return for year-end holidays. Kishida said the move caused confusion, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno added that the prime minister had asked the transport ministry, which oversees the airline industry, to keep in mind the needs of returning Japanese. "I understand the transport ministry has cancelled its instruction for the blanket suspension of new reservations and asked airlines anew to give sufficient consideration to the needs of returning Japanese nationals," Matsuno told a regular news conference. Airlines may take new reservations as long as the number of arrivals stays below a daily limit of 3,500, down from last month's figure of 5,000, a transport ministry official said. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/japan-ease-flight-ban-returning-citizens-omicron-covid19-2352841

From Bangkok Post About 94.6% of HIV-infected patients are receiving free anti-retroviral drugs under the universal healthcare coverage scheme, 77% of whom have no trace of the virus in their blood, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) said on Wednesday on World Aids Day. Of all the 305,493 people who are living with HIV/Aids and have registered under the healthcare scheme for treatment in the fiscal year ending Sept 30, 289,116 (94.6%) have been receiving anti-retroviral treatments, said Dr Jadej Thammathacharee, secretary-general of the NHSO. Of those HIV patients, 81% have cut their viral load by continuing their treatments and 77% now have no traces of HIV detected in their blood, he said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2225139/hiv-aids-policies-make-inroads

From Thai Enquirer Thai retail giants Central Group are set to buy the famous British luxury department store chain Selfridges, UK Media reported on Thursday. The deal, which is hoped by Selfridges ownership group to be completed before the end of the year, is believed to be worth some 4 billion pounds sterling (179.22 billion baht). The Times, which first reported the news, said that the terms of the acquisition by Central Group was agreed to in “the last few days.” Selfridges, which was founded in 1908 and an integral part of British popular culture, is owned by the Canada-based Weston family and runs 25 stores worldwide including its flagship store in London’s Oxford Street. https://www.thaienquirer.com/35471/central-group-to-buy-famous-department-store-chain-selfridges/

From Bangkok Post PM: No national lockdown, but bars probably won't reopen The government will not impose a national lockdown despite overseas concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19, but the closure of entertainment venues will likely be extended, the prime minister said on Thursday. Prayut Chan-o-cha said a nationwide closure was unnecessary. The government would cope by continuing to test arriving travellers for the new variant. "Harsh measures are not necessary. There are RT-PCR tests and quarantine is required pending test results," he said. The government needed to prioritise both public safety and the national economy. It was not easy to keep the balance. Under the circumstances, the government would delay its plan for antigen testing of arrivals instead of the RT-PCR tests, the prime minister said. In the interests of public health, the government might also have to further delay the reopening of pubs, bars and karaoke shops, he said. "We would like to wait and see for a month. In this matter, we must listen to doctors and health authorities," Gen Prayut said. "Enclosed venues where crowds gather and drink pose high risks. That will be put on hold. Assistance measures will be proposed to the cabinet soon," the prime minister said. When there is a new disease, there must be measures to cope with it, he added. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2225575/pm-no-national-lockdown-but-bars-probably-wont-reopen

There are numerous reasons why they can't be tracked. I recall reading at least a month ago that the tracking app did not work on some android phones, It's not a condition of arrival that you have a smart phone. That's why you're advised to have hard copies of all required documents. I'm not aware of any regulation that requires you to carry a phone although there may be some places where the app is required for entry. Maybe some turn their phone off or sim card expires. It's true, as pointed out above, that hotels are suppose to report arrivals of new guests but that system has never proven fool proof.

From Richard Barrow Twitter site During the month of November, 337,988 people applied for the Thailand Pass. So far, 268,799 people had their application approved and 41,456 were rejected for various reasons. 138,375 people received automatic approval #Thailand Arrivals + (people testing positive) 1. US 14,730 (0.14%) 2. Germany 12,099 (0.11%) 3. Netherlands 8,478 (0.08%) 4. UK 6,701 (0.31%) 5. Russia 5,307 (0.38%) 6. Japan 5,146 (0.06%) 7. South Korea 5,003 (0.04%) 8. France 4,741 (0.15%) 9. UAE 4,338 (0.25%) 10. Israel 4,035 (0.05%) ============================== The Thailand Pass website has just been updated. People can now apply for arrival dates after 15th December. Please note, the RT-PCR test on arrival is still compulsory The Thailand Pass website has just been updated. People can now apply for arrival dates after 15th December. Please note, the RT-PCR test on arrival is still compulsory. Apply: https://tp.consular.go.th FAQ: https://consular.mfa.go.th/th/content/thailand-pass-faqs-2 #Thailand

From Bangkok Post Untracked visitors from southern Africa asked to report for Covid tests The government is trying to trace 307 people who arrived from eight southern African countries hit by the latest Covid-19 "variant of concern", Omicron, and are still in the country. Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said on Wednesday that between Nov 15 and 27, 333 people arrived from the eight high-risk African countries. Three had already left, so 330 remained in Thailand but only 23 of them had been traced, he said. They had arrived from either South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Malawi, Eswatini or Lesotho. Of the 330 still here, 252 entered Thailand through the Sandbox programme, and only 11 of them had been traced. the other 78 people had entered the normal quarantine process and only 12 of them were traced. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2224955/untracked-visitors-from-southern-africa-asked-to-report-for-covid-tests ========================================== Most face mask brands fail quality test standards Only a fifth of 60 face mask brands available on the market passed Thai Industrial Standard quality tests, according to the Thailand Consumer Council (TCC). The result prompted the TCC to demand the Thai Industrial Standards Institute require that disposable face masks follow safety standard regulations, instead of this being done on a voluntary basis. The TCC in July randomly selected for testing 60 face mask brands including 14 kinds of disposable face masks, 27 brands of surgical face masks and 19 different N95 face masks. Testing involved assessing their quality based on filter efficiency of 0.1 micron and 0.3 micron, air permeability and pressure difference to find whether each mask complied with the standard. Dr Paiboon Choungthong, a committee member on products and services for the TCC, said that only three of 14 brands of disposable face masks passed the standard. They are LOC, Medicare Plus and Iris Ohyama. But the Iris Ohyama brand over-claimed the filter quality for 0.1 micron as the result showed its filter was only 97.47% efficient, not 99% as claimed. The following 11 brands failed to pass: Zion, Lepono, Bestsafe, I-Tec, 3M, Asproni, Fidens, Life Mask, Microtex, Lanzhi and Yamada. Regarding medical and surgical masks, only three of 27 brands passed. They are Nam Ah, Double A Care and TCH. The others that failed are: Next Health, Union Beef, Fidens (dark pink box), Live SEF, Welcare, Nice Mask, Topvalue Bestprice, Medimask, Betex, Fresh Plus (blue box), Kenkou, G lucky, Hyguard, Hi-Care, Fresh Plus (green box), Fresh Plus (blue box), KSG (dark green sachet), KF (sachet), Miss Med, Exta, KF (box), Watsons, Nice Mask (light green box) and Betex. For N95 masks, seven brands passed the test: Minicare, Snake Brand, One Care, 3M, Welcare Black Edition, Ease Mask Zero, and Pharmatex. The following six brands were not in line with the standard: Cuwin Mask, Cuwin Mask (True Shopping), Mini Care, Pharmatex, Nobel Mask, and Kowa. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2224511/most-face-mask-brands-fail-quality-test-standards

From Richard Barrow Twitter site This is a map of the MRT Yellow Line from Lat Phrao to Samrong which is a total of 30.4 kilometres. There are 23 stations. If everything goes to plan, it could be open for service by next year

From Khmer Times The Phnom Penh Capital Administration has announced the decision to reopen karaoke bar and discotheque businesses from today. According to this decision, the Phnom Penh Capital Administration has confirmed that the owner of the location or the owner of the karaoke bar and discotheque business need to assign the staff in front of the entrance and exit to inspect the vaccination card in accordance with the instructions of the Phnom Penh Capital Administration. They must always adhere to the “3 do’s and 3 don’t’s” measures of Prime Minister Hun Sen, in accordance with the SOP set by the Ministry of Tourism, guidelines of the relevant ministries and institutions and health safety measures, including strictly measuring the temperature, cleaning and spraying disinfectants. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50979874/phnom-penh-capital-hall-reverses-ban-on-high-risk-businesses-by-reopening-ktvs-bars-and-discotheques/

From Thai PBS World RT-PCR test requirement on arrival in Thailand to remain in place The RT-PCR COVID-19 test requirement upon arrival in Thailand will remain in place in light of the emergence of the new “Omicron” COVID-19 variant in many countries, the Thai cabinet announced today (Tuesday). This decision negates the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration’s announcement, issued last week, saying that antigen tests will be used from December 16th. The switch to antigen test kits (ATKs) was meant to reduce the waiting time for people arriving from specified countries, both Thai returnees and foreign visitors. The quarantine wait for fully vaccinated arrivals to get tested has, in fact, been about a day or half a day in a pre-booked certified hotel. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/rt-pcr-test-requirement-on-arrival-in-thailand-will-remain-in-place/

From Bangkok Post A recreation of a wetland habitat at the expanded Benjakitti Park in Bangkok. Varuth Hirunyatheb The extension of Benjakitti Forest Park in Klong Toey district will open to the public in February next year, according to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The expansion from its original area near Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Klong Toey will make it the first forest park to cover more than 300 rai in the capital. The area was formerly occupied by the Thai Tobacco Monopoly, before it donated the 453-rai plot in 1994 to serve as "the lungs of the city". One of the highlights of the park is the forest area which will become a source of study and way for students and the public to learn about nature and the ecosystems which support a biodiverse array of plant and animal species. Once fully open, there will be four ponds -- able to hold 128 million cubic metres of water -- and 7,155 trees, including freshwater swamp, evergreen and mangrove trees and Thai flowers. The park's route map will comprise natural footpaths of up to 5.8 km as well as a 2.8 km stretch designed for joggers and a 3.4 km for bicycle run. s well as a full museum, and accompanying buildings for indoor activities, there will be a recreation area and outdoor stage that can accommodate up to 15,000 people. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2223043/benjakitti-park-expansion-set-for-feb

As time passes and events threaten to overwhelm us, I believe the last best hope is for manufacturers of the most effective vaccines to greatly broaden the practice of granting licenses to local entities to produce the newest versions of the jab. It's understood that this would likewise require providing on-site expertise to enable many other nations to actually execute the necessary means of production and quality control. It would seem to be a task tailor made for the WHO. That, however, would require a remake of WHO's sense of mission. Instead of just casting a critical eye on what it views as obstacles to getting vaccines to poor and developing countries, it would need to refocus efforts on actually making it happen. In other words, it would need to pull together the logistical capacity of the world's industries and research centers and fuse them into a solution that knows no borders. ========================================= From Thai Enquirer Wave of online misinformation leads to vaccine hesitancy in Thailand’s refugee camps As Thailand struggles to control lingering cases of COVID in the north, many refugees along the Thai-Myanmar border are reluctant to be vaccinated. Misinformation is seeping into the camps. And now, local groups are rushing to spread the truth. Oo Reh has no intention of getting vaccinated. The 34-year-old Karreni refugee lives in ‘Camp 1,’ a refugee settlement a two hour drive from Mae Hong Son through dirt roads and rough terrain. It’s a place where tens of thousands have found themselves living after fleeing decades of conflict in neighboring Myanmar. At one end of Oo Reh’s sprawling camp, the sound of a loudspeaker system echoes in the distance. The voice announces basic instructions on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But for refugees like Oo Reh, the messaging is not convincing. Instead, he believes that vaccines are ineffective and dangerous. “More people say now that after you get the Covid-19 vaccine some people will die or become disabled,” Ooh Reh said. “So I do not feel comfortable receiving [the vaccine] and I worry for myself what will be the impact in the future if I do.” He added that Chinese made vaccines like Sinovac are particularly suspect, claiming that some in the camps are not interested in taking them anymore. Although vaccines are beginning to become available in the nine camps on the Thai side of the border where over 100,000 refugees currently live, Ooh Reh said he’s not alone in his skepticism. It’s unclear how widespread the vaccine hesitancy is in the camps, but health workers are working to combat the anti-vax disinformation that seems to have trickled in. Refugees in informal settlements are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 as the camps lack access to full medical facilities and services. General education is low, compounding the vaccine hesitancy. But health workers and organizations working in the camps are rushing to combat bad information with safe messaging. “There are different perceptions among the refugee community, some of them receive information from outside through their network or social media about the type of vaccines,” said Preeyalak Sataranon with International Rescue Committee (IRC), a humanitarian aid organization working in the nine camps. “The information they receive varies, for example, some believe one type of vaccine is better than another, or some receive myths about the vaccine’s side effects.” When the pandemic first hit in early 2020, refugees started to experience a range of vulnerabilities. She said that refugees saw restrictions of movement inside their own camps and that lockdown conditions led to limited supplies of basic amenities and food, creating negative impacts on their physical and mental health. “Some camps faced ongoing outbreaks and significant numbers of confirmed positive cases have been reported,” said Preeyalak. “Some of the refugees are not keen to cooperate in the surveillance and case detection because they are afraid of being quarantined and isolated.” Continues at https://www.thaienquirer.com/35383/wave-of-online-misinformation-leads-to-vaccine-hesitancy-in-thailands-refugee-camps/

Richard Barrow is dedicating his weekend to riding trains out of Hua Lamphong and Bang Sue. His posts are filled with great photos of the views and travel information. From Richard Barrow Twitter site "This afternoon I rode the new Red Line commuter train in #Bangkok. There are two lines so far that operate out of Bang Sue Grand Station. One to Taling Chan and the other to Rangsit. Most of the line is elevated as it leaves the city and so some great views."

Interesting piece of airline history. And this is one of those forums where more than a few members are old enough to recall--or even flown--Canadian Pacific. 🙂 In 1968, Canadian Pacific Air Lines was rebranded as CP Air. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company (renamed Canadian Pacific Limited in 1971) had decided to align the airline's name and "Multimark" design to that of its other subsidiaries, including CP Hotels, CP Ships, and CP Transport (CP Rail was spun off from the parent company later). The development of the great circle or polar route to the Far East from CP Air's Vancouver base would become one of the cornerstones of the airline. Having been renamed CP Air in 1968 with a new orange livery, the airline in 1986 reverted to its original name, Canadian Pacific Air Lines, with a new navy blue colour scheme and logo. This occurred shortly after the airline had taken over operations of Eastern Provincial Airways. This new incarnation, however, was short-lived. Less than a year later, in 1987, Canadian Pacific Air Lines was sold, along with Quebec's Nordair, to Calgary-based Pacific Western Airlines (PWA) for $300 million. PWA assumed the airline's debt of $600 million. In April 1987, PWA announced that the new name of the merged airline would be Canadian Airlines International. In 2000, Canadian Airlines was taken over by and merged into Air Canada. Bristol Britannia 314 "Empress of Rome" at Manchester Airport in 1965 Boeing 747, Boeing 737 and Boeing 727 in "Beautiful Orange" livery at Toronto International Airport in 1975 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Pacific_Air_Lines

From Bloomberg News Thailand is targeting newly-minted crypto millionaires to breathe life into its pandemic-battered tourism industry. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is working with the nation’s regulators and a local cryptocurrency exchange to pave the way for the acceptance of digital tokens for travel, according to its Governor Yuthasak Supasorn. That may help the tourism-reliant nation to recoup some of the $80 billion in lost revenue through the pandemic, he said. “There are people who have become wealthy from holding digital currencies and they may want to use the wealth they have accrued,” Yuthasak said in an interview on Thursday. “If they can use their currencies here without having to exchange it, or be faced with government taxes, then it would create convenience for them.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-28/thailand-lays-groundwork-for-crypto-tourism-to-revive-industry

Let me see if I can help. On Nov. 25, I inadvertently posted an article in this (the Gay Thailand forum) that I had intended to post in the Beer Bar forum. When I discovered my error a few minutes later, I had two options: leave it where it was or move the post to the Beer Bar. I chose the latter. So as not to leave readers wondering where the OP had gone, I wrote See Beer Bar CP Cuts flights in hopes that they would interpret this to mean that the post could now be found in the Beer Bar. I also counted on the revised headline "MOVED" would indicate that the OP had been moved. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Sorry for any confusion it may have caused. This happens from time to time. Since once a post it made, it cannot be deleted but only edited within one hour of posting.

From Pattaya Mail It was a large turnout for the Pattaya City Expats Club meeting on Wednesday, 24 November, for their first meeting since they were suspended last April due to the measures reinstituted to reduce Covid-19 infections due to another outbreak. The speaker was Darren McGarry from Key Visa on a topic of much interest to Expats in Pattaya, “The Latest Visa Challenges and Opportunities in Thailand.” Darren is from the UK and has been a Visa Agent in Thailand for over 17 years. He mentioned that he was the first Visa Agent to open an office in Pattaya and that his experience allows him to help Expats and others with their visa needs whether it be dealing with Thai Immigration matters or helping those that want to obtain a visa to visit other countries. He said one of the areas that tend to confuse retirees is the difference between a Non-Immigrant “O” Visa and a Non-Immigrant “O-A” Visa. He explained the difference noting the “O-A” Visa is specifically for retirees and is obtained from a Thai Embassy or Consulate in a person’s country of residence. A retiree can also enter Thailand using Visa Exempt or a Tourist Visa. Once in Thailand, they can apply for the “O” Visa from Thai Immigration for the purpose of retirement. In deciding which of these methods to use, a retiree needs to know that health insurance is required to obtain the “O-A” Visa and to obtain annual extensions of the permitted stay at Thai Immigration. If the retiree applies for the “O” Visa within Thailand, there is no requirement for health insurance for getting the Visa or for annual extensions of stay. Another issue he mentioned was added documentation “legalization” need for marriage certificates if a retiree’s spouse wanted to extend their stay without the need to have additional financial resources. Darren mentioned that the new requirement for those wanting to enter Thailand (Thailand Pass) can be confusing. Consequently, his company is preparing guidance that will be available to all by visiting their website at www.keyvisathailand.com. Darren also noted that many have express concern stories that Thai Immigration will require proof of Covid-19 vaccination for obtaining extensions of stay. This is fake news and is not being contemplated. https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/pattaya-city-expats-club-meets-again-visa-challenges-and-opportunities-in-thailand-380773

From The Thaiger Nightlife venues and bars told to keep closed Thailand’s nightlife cat and mouse game between authorities and desperate bar and nightlife businesses will continue until the middle of January 2022. Following deliberations from the CCSA yesterday, entertainment venues will have to keep their doors closed until at least January 16. To put an exclamation mark after the latest announcement, the Thai government has also extended the emergency decree until at least the end of January 2022. Thailand’s nightlife cat and mouse game between authorities and desperate bar and nightlife businesses will continue until the middle of January 2022. But the CCSA did admit that “the situation is very fluid” and that they could grant exemptions “under extenuating circumstances”. Bars in some of the country’s hot tourist zones, particularly in Phuket, have been openly flouting the rules in an effort to kick-start their businesses and put their staff back to work. Despite a month of petitions and social media campaigns for a December 1 reopening, Pattaya’s lucrative nightlife was dealt an expensive blow at the meeting with the original January 16 date rubber stamped. The CCSA spokesperson addressed the petitions made to the committee during the past week but said that “the National Security Council decided the risk of outbreaks is too high at present to bring the schedule forward, due to the limited ventilation and closer contact among densely packed customers at pubs and bars. “But if entertainment venues can fully cooperate with the government and show they are truly ready, it could be possible for them to reopen a bit earlier.” The petitions and lobbying has been led by Pattaya’s NightWish Group and other bars, and fully supported by the Pattaya Mayor and council officials who are aware of the damage the long term closures are having on the seaside town’s economy. Bryan Flowers, the head of the NightWish Group, says that they’re still hopeful there may be some leniency so that bars in Pattaya can enjoy what’s left of high season hope. “I am still hopeful we will see a turn around. With 70% of Thailand being vaccinated by December 1, I was expecting we could open in December. Local authorities were unofficially telling license owners December 10 we can open.” “There is a lot of anger from business owners and City Hall are frustrated being stuck in the middle. I think we are getting closer to breaking point, most guys arriving are leaving after 48 hours to go party in Bangkok or Phuket. We can just hope our staff and customers will come back to Pattaya again.” Meanwhile the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says that all public activities “must abide by Covid-free setting measures after being officially approved and that all patrons of a premises must be fully vaccinated. “The government is preparing to come up with more countermeasures against the virus.” He said that any entertainment venues that try and slip though the net, and reopen actively with customers will “face long suspensions”. But the CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin noted yesterday that dine-in services, with alcoholic drinks served, will be extended until 11pm and the venues will have to close at midnight. The Public Health Minister also clarified earlier remarks saying that people attending restaurants would need to show proof of vaccination or negative test results. But in practice there has been very little application of this rule. (The Thaiger has never been asked for such proof at any venue in and around either Phuket or Bangkok, except during check-ins at airports) https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/thailands-nightlife-venues-and-bars-told-to-keep-closed-until-january-16

From Reuters ANOI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Drugmakers Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and MSD, known as Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) in North America, have agreed to give licenses to firms in Vietnam to produce COVID-19 treatment pills, Vietnam's ministry of health said on Friday. The companies have sent letters of approval to the Drug Administration of Vietnam, the ministry said in a statement, for the production of Molnupiravir and Paxlovid pills. The ministry said Vietnam has so far used 250,000 Molnupiravir doses, with 72%-93% of recipients recovering after five days. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/vietnam-says-pfizer-msd-grant-its-firms-licenses-produce-covid-19-pills-2021-11-26/

Singapore Airlines is offering Black Friday fares of $549 economy and $3299 business from USA to BKK on select dates.

From Bangkok Post Thailand will no longer have a curfew starting next month after lifting the nighttime ban being enforced in the last remaining six provinces as part of the measures to revitalise the economy and tourism sector. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2222199/ccsa-ends-curfew-eases-more-curbs-to-bolster-tourism

From Channel News Asia HONG KONG: Cathay Pacific on Thursday (Nov 25) said it will slash passenger flights into Hong Kong next month as the city's strict travel curbs continue to keep international travellers away at a time when rivals are seeing their prospects improve. Hong Kong has maintained some of the world's harshest quarantine measures and travel restrictions during the pandemic, which has kept infections low but ensured a business hub that dubs itself "Asia's World City" has been cut off internationally for the past 20 months. The government has tied the city's fortunes to China's strict COVID-19 strategy and said normalisation of travel with the mainland must come before any reopening to the rest of the world. On Thursday, Cathay announced it was "cancelling a number of flights to Hong Kong" for December blaming "operational and travel restrictions that remain in place". As the peak holiday season approaches, the airline will convert around one-third of flights bound for Hong Kong to handle cargo, the South China Morning Post reported citing company sources. Outbound flights would remain untouched for now, with about 620 scheduled in December, the paper added. But it is especially vulnerable because it has no domestic market to fall back on and is based in an international finance hub that has embraced mainland China's "zero-COVID-19" plan. In contrast, rival Singapore Airlines is seeing flights and passenger numbers pick up as that city begins reopening to the outside world and switching to learning to live with the virus. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/cathay-pacific-cut-flights-hong-kong-covid19-rules-2338166