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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

See Beer Bar "CP cuts flights

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