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From Bangkok Post Ban on overseas entry to stay From Monday, there will be no night curfew, but strict controls under the emergency decree will continue to be enforced especially on entry into Thailand because Covid-19 is still present in other countries, a senior government spokesman announced on Friday. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said the curfew would be lifted on June 15 to allow local people to travel, because there had been no cases of local coronavirus infection for some time now. However, the emergency decree remains in effect and the government would maintain controls on all entry -- by land, water and air -- because all new Covid-19 patients were people returning from other countries, he said. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that when the fourth stage of relaxation takes effect from Monday, he hoped that it will reinvigorate the economy and more people will go back to work. "I have sympathy for people on low incomes. I believe they will earn more money after the lockdown easing on June 15. The government cannot afford to find money to look after people forever," the prime minister said.

From Khaosod English Officials Say Temples Can Deny Entry to Foreigners, Because Virus BANGKOK — A popular temple in Bangkok shut its doors to foreigners, including expats who have been residing in Thailand for years, citing anti-coronavirus precaution. “ONLY THAI PEOPLE, NOW NOT OPEN FOR FOREIGNERS,” announced a sign in front of Wat Pho, known internationally as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. The temple reopened on June 5 yet reserved entry to Thai nationals only, a gesture criticized as racial discrimination. “We aren’t ready for foreign visitors yet,” said a temple caretaker answering the phone Thursday. “We don’t know how long this will last.” When asked why Thais were allowed and not foreigners, he said that these were “the temple regulations.” Officials reached for comment said they considered the policy as legal. “COVID-19 is not stable yet. The temple can do it if they’re scared,” Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s deputy clerk Sompong Wiengkaew said. “It’s up to each temple what measures they want to implement.” Tourism ministry spokesman Narit Kanjanopas said that tourist destinations should wait for further clarification on allowing foreigners in. “Some temples smay allow but some may not; each temple can manage their own rules,” Narit said. But the rule left the expat community in Thailand seething with outrage since not every foreigner in Thailand is a tourist. Many also protested the measure treating non-Thais as potential virus carriers, since a significant number of foreigners have been inside the country and never left since the outbreak began. “Are you serious? Banning foreigners is extremely discriminatory and everyone is saying you are racist,” Facebook user Jason R. Hofer wrote in a comment to the temple’s announcement. “You cannot just assume someone has a disease because of their nationality.” British blogger and longtime expat Richard Barrow posted on Thursday that he had gone to Wat Pho to pay his respects, but was not allowed in despite having residence in Thailand. The temple also said that Thai visitors must wear masks before entering and have a temperature lower than 37.5. Only 30 visitors are allowed in at a time. But photos posted by the temple show dozens of monks seated together inside Wat Pho on June 3, when they held a ceremony celebrating Queen Suthida’s birthday. The historic temple wasn’t alone in maintaining a no-foreigner policy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Buses operated by The Transport Co., which resumed their inter-provincial services, also announced that they would not allow foreigners to board. The company said passengers must show their Thai ID cards for tracking virus purposes, and passports are not acceptable. Many other businesses and landmarks that reopened under “Phase 3” of coronavirus lockdown easing do not have problems with admitting foreigners, however. The Grand Palace, for instance, has been open to both Thais and foreigners since June 7, though the site still practices the “double pricing,” which charges non-Thai 500 baht for entry. Wat Arun or Temple of the Dawn, another landmark temple across the river, is also open to everyone regardless of their nationality. A temple caretaker who picked up the phone today said the temple has hygiene and social distancing measures in place, but group tours are not permitted at the moment due to overcrowding concerns. ==================================================================================================================================== From The Thaiger Transport Company resumes service, bans foreigners The wheels on the bus go round and round. But not for foreigners living in Thailand. It’s now official. If you’re a foreigner you won’t be allowed on intercity buses operated by the state owned Transport Company, under the auspices of the Thai Ministry of Transport. They announced today that foreigners are banned from its services due to the Emergency Decree. Although services have resumed on most of their routes across the country, foreign travellers are not allowed to board because they do not have Thai national ID cards. Well that’s the official excuse according to a service agent. Asked whether passports can be used instead, the agent said “no”. “It’s the company policy, sorry for any inconvenience.” The company also announced on its website that it reserves the right to book tickets for Thai nationals only, citing an unspecified clause of the Emergency Decree. Private operators Nakhonchai Air and Sombat Tour say foreigners are welcome on board. But Thaiger has had four messages in the past week saying they were unable to buy tickets or board Sombat Tour buses. This message from a New Zealand expat who tried to board a Sombat Tour bus last week. “I wanted to go and visit my friend in Bangkok and she went ahead and booked a ticket from Chiangmai to Bangkok. The next morning I got a call from the company saying foreigners are not allowed on the bus. I am deeply offended by this discrimination. I have been in Thailand well before Covid arrived. Does this mean I can’t travel on planes also?” The State Railway of Thailand says foreigners are also welcome to board long distance trains.

From South China Morning Post Which parts of Asia are easing coronavirus travel curbs? Most tourist hotspots in Asia remain out of bounds this summer as international travel remains restricted, but some countries including China are making special arrangements for business travellers. Even once mass travel does return, however, tourists won’t accept long coronavirus quarantines – but testing is likely to be part of the deal, on both ends of the trip. Here are the latest developments as of June 11: Continues with information on Australia/New Zealand, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3088575/which-parts-asia-are-easing-coronavirus-travel-curbs

From Channel News Asia Thailand's real estate market has been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For developers who relied heavily on Chinese buyers, Thailand's international flight ban means investors from China are almost non-existent. Meanwhile, developers are making their deals more attractive to entice local buyers. Our CNA correspondent May Wong reports from Bangkok. Continues with video https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/videos/thailand-s-property-market-hurt-by-covid-19-pandemic-video-12816658

From Taiwan News Taiwan to require all foreign visitors take PCR test TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After Taiwan opens its borders to travelers, they will be required to pass a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) before they will be allowed to enter the country, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced on Monday (June 8). During a press conference on Monday, Minister of Health and Welfare and CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said that when Taiwan eases its border controls, foreign visitors will be required to test negative in a PCR test before they can enter the country. In addition, after entering Taiwan, Chen said that they will also be subject to follow-up testing and self-health management measures, depending on the activities that they engage in while in the country. Some question the CECC's claim that the key to borders reopening is the wearing of masks by Taiwanese and argue that the key should be a better border testing system. Chen responded by saying that airport testing has its effectiveness, but cannot guarantee that 100 percent of people carrying the virus will be detected. Chen said whether looking at the experience of other countries or Taiwan, both are the same. Taiwan's quarantine staff spotted about 100 confirmed cases, but another 100 were discovered during home isolation, while others tested positive after completing their 14-day quarantine. The CECC head said that successful detection requires several layers of screening, and there is no way to succeed in epidemic prevention with a single method. Only careful inspection at all stages will ensure the prevention of the spread of the disease. "When foreigners want to open up [Taiwan's borders], they must test negative with the PCR test," said Chen, according to ETtoday. He said that CECC will not implement mass testing on Taiwanese entering the country from abroad because the government is obligated to treat them if they are infected. However, Chen said the government is not obligated to treat infected foreign travelers. He said that if sick foreign passengers are allowed to enter without screening, they could quickly start a local outbreak. In order to prevent foreign nationals from spreading the disease in Taiwan, Chen said that testing is a key line of defense that must be maintained at airports.

From MSN WHO official: Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus 'very rare' A top World Health Organization official on Monday said that it appears "very rare," for an asymptomatic person with coronavirus to transmit the virus to another person, a potential bit of good news in the fight against the virus. "From the data we have it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead for COVID-19, when asked about the issue at a press briefing. She noted the answer is not definitive. "We are constantly looking at this data and we're trying to get more information from countries to truly answer this question," she said. "It still appears to be rare that an asymptomatic individual actually transmits onward." She said the WHO has information reported by countries that have not been published in studies, finding that detailed contact tracing has not found significant spread from asymptomatic people. "We have a number of reports from countries who are doing very detailed contact tracing, they're following asymptomatic cases, they're following contacts, and they're not finding secondary transmission onward," Van Kerkhove said. "It's very rare. Much of that is not published in the literature." However, Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, expressed some skepticism of the WHO's claim and said he thinks asymptomatic transmission is, in fact, an important source of spread, and that some modeling shows as much as 40 to 60 percent of transmission is from people without symptoms. Jha said it's possible the WHO is making a distinction between asymptomatic spread and presymptomatic spread when someone eventually develops symptoms but spreads the virus before they do. If it is indeed true that asymptomatic spread of the virus is very rare, it would make it easier to contain the transmission, because there would be less worry about people unwittingly spreading the virus as they went about their lives without any symptoms. "If this turns out to be true it would be a game-changer, but I think it would be really important for us to know whether CDC concurs?" tweeted Peter Hotez, an infectious disease expert at Baylor University, in response to the WHO statement on Monday. Van Kerkhove said the focus should be on tracking the symptomatic cases. "If we actually followed all of the symptomatic cases, isolated those cases, followed the contacts, and quarantined those contacts, we would drastically reduce [transmission]," she said.

From Bangkok Post Bang Sue Central Station set to open next year More than 90% of work on Bang Sue Central Station is now complete. Once finished, it will be the largest and most modern railway station in Asean. After several decades of dormancy, Thailand's rail transport sector is entering a renaissance. In the capital city, 10 mass transit projects are under construction. Across the nation, major railway projects are also underway, including the 308-kilometre dual-track railway from Nakhon Ratchasima to Ubon Ratchathani. Many municipalities -- from Chiang Mai in the North to Phuket in the South -- are also pushing plans to build their own rail systems. However, none of these projects reflect Thailand's rail renaissance like Bang Sue Central Station, a "mega-station" that will replace the century-old Hua Lamphong Station as Bangkok's main rail hub. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) says Bang Sue Central Station will open in January 2021, along with the Red Line commuter rail. "Once completed, Bang Sue Central Station will be the largest railway station in Asean. All diesel train services which terminate at Hua Lamphong will eventually be moved here, and the old train station will be converted into a museum," SRT deputy director Worawut Mala told the Bangkok Post. Mr Worawut said the station will serve as a hub for rail transport, with platforms to accommodate diesel trains, electric commuter trains, as well as high-speed regional trains and the airport link between Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports. The 15-billion-baht station is being built on 2,325 rai of land owned by the SRT. As it is envisioned as a hub, the station will be equipped with maintenance depots for both diesel and electric trains. Public utilities will be located there, while an elevated walkway will connect the station to the new Mo Chit Bus Terminal. One of the highlights is a 186,030-square-metre (m²) memorial dedicated to King Rama V, known as the Father of Thai railroads. The king's statue will be surrounded by a 14,000m² pond with fountains. While the station itself is nearing completion, work on the memorial has yet to begin as it has to be approved by the Bureau of the Royal Household first. As such, it is unlikely the memorial will be completed in time for the station's opening. The station's main structure consists of a three-storey building, not including the underground car park and the mezzanine level. Once completed, the building will be over 596 metres long and 244 metres wide. With a total usable floor area of 274,192m², the station will have a total of 26 platforms. It will also have enough parking space for 1,624 cars -- which is important to commuters as the station will be connected to the MRT's Blue Line. "Ticketing windows, retail and food shops, waiting areas and the connection to the Blue Line will be located on the first floor," Mr Worawut said. Bang Sue Central Station will be a part of the SRT's Red Line suburban railways system. It will serve as the terminus of the 26km "Dark Red" service between Bang Sue and Rangsit, from which passengers can switch to the 15km "Light Red" service that runs to Taling Chan. By the end of the year, the government plans to find contractors to work on three extensions for the Red Line -- the 8.4km Rangsit-Thammasat Rangsit section, the 14km Taling Chan-Salaya section and the 8km section between Taling Chan and Siriraj Hospital. Combined, the contracts are estimated to be worth around 23.2 billion baht. Once operational, the Dark Red service on the Red Line will provide a rail link between the northern and southern parts of Bangkok, while the Light Red service will link the city's eastern outskirts with the west.

From South China Morning Post Coronavirus turns Teflon Thailand’s wealth gap into a economic chasm As Covid-19 eats into exports and tourism, the gap between rich and poor in one of the world’s most unequal countries is only getting wider With both the lower and middle classes now facing ruin, ‘Teflon’ Thailand’s reputation for weathering financial crises is feeling the heat like never before On a roadside in a mixed Bangkok neighbourhood stands a shiny metal box – a “Pantry of Sharing” – where the haves in one of the world’s least equal countries can leave food for the have-nots, the ranks of whom are bulging as the coronavirus lays waste to the Thai economy. Each day, maids from the grand mansions nearby drop off an inventory of essentials – eggs, noodles, milk, sugar and water, sometimes a bag of mangosteens or rambutans – charity for those suddenly jobless. Opposite the pantry, Sumarin Boonmee says her life has been pitched into uncertainty since she was put on unpaid leave from her job at a supermarket three months ago. “I have no idea when I can go back, so I am selling meat skewers here for a little income,” she says, tending to a tabletop grill. She is a member of the Leelanut community, a slum of day workers and stallholders living under corrugated roofs amid cluttered walkways beside a mucky canal. The community is flanked by wealth – gated villas, wood-panelled cafes, condos and high-end salons. It is a hangover from old Bangkok, before money poured in and breakneck development airbrushed most of the poor from prime areas of the city. There are millions of newly unemployed like Sumarin, according to the Thai government, which last Sunday secured a near-US$60 billion stimulus package – the largest in Thai history – to resuscitate an economy flatlined by the virus. Bangkok locked down in late March. It is stuttering back to life. But jobs have been shredded, especially for those who depend on daily wages or low-paid jobs as cleaners, motorbike drivers and security guards. At the pantries, most are embarrassed for being forced to turn to handouts. “I’m just taking enough for now, so that others have something too,” says Suthep, a 49-year-old truck driver, taking a red-bean bun and a carton of milk for his granddaughter. Thailand’s economy leans heavily on exports and tourism and has been cruelly exposed by the impact of the virus, which has closed international travel and shrunk global demand. Now the “Teflon Thailand” tag, earned for resilience through financial crises, disasters and cycles of political turmoil, is being tested like never before. There are now scores of pantries across Bangkok, lifelines for those in need but also rare connection points between the rich and the poor. The pantry at the Leelanut community is filled twice daily by an heir to a large sock company, who lives 100 metres along the road in a grand house. “My business has been hit hard by Covid. But I’m very lucky,” says Pinnarat Sethaporn, 51. “I really feel for those living hand-to-mouth at times like this.” But it is not just the poor who are facing ruin. Middle-class workers are losing their office jobs, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are bleeding cash, with knock-on effects on mortgage, car and school payments. Between six and seven per cent will be hacked off annual growth, according to an IMF estimate. The damage is already worse than the “Tom Yum Goong” crisis of 1997, when Thai banks overly leveraged with foreign debt collapsed, leading to a slump in the baht, white-collar redundancies and capital flight – problems that spread across the region and led to the Asian financial crisis. “This time, those who will be hit the hardest are the low and middle classes,” says Pavida Pananond, an academic at Thammasat Business School in Bangkok. “This crisis will further widen Thailand’s inequality.”

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From South China Morning Post How Cambodia’s floating hospitals are saving the lives of its poorest communities The Lake Clinic takes medical care offshore to 10,000 of those who make a meagre living on Tonlé Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia Tonlé Sap, in northern Cambodia, is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. During the May to October rainy season, it swells to six times its dry-season size, extending over 16,000 sq km – an area 200 times that of Hong Kong Island. Tonlé Sap has also long been one of the planet’s most produc­tive inland fisheries. More than a million people depend on the lake for their livelihood, and about 100,000 live in its vicinity. While many dwell in stilted villages on the lake’s flood­plain, the poorest huddle in floating communities on Tonlé Sap itself, sometimes hours from dry land. Their homes are often fragile, rain-leaking shacks cobbled together from woven reeds, scraps of plywood, tin sheets and tarpaulins, all lashed to wooden or bamboo rafts kept afloat on air-filled oil drums. They are among the most isolated communities in Cambodia, the vast majority relying on subsistence fishing for their survival. According to the World Health Organisation, Cambodia has just 1.7 doctors for every 10,000 people (Hong Kong has close to 20, according to government figures released last year). Floating communities on the lake have long had access to zero. American Jon Morgan first became troubled by the lack of health care on Tonlé Sap in the 1990s, after completing his master’s in public health at the University of Hawaii. Morgan, who went on to co-found the Angkor Hospital for Children, in nearby Siem Reap, noted the lake dwellers’ poverty, lack of education, poor nutrition and hygiene. Add to that the high fees for treatment, available only far from home, and it was a perfect storm of preventable diseases and treatable injuries that could ruin or end lives. “I thought, my God, this is a nightmare,” says Morgan, now 67. “Somebody has to do something.” His solution was The Lake Clinic – Cambodia (going, aptly, by the acronym TLC), which became a reality in 2007 and has grown in scope and ambition ever since. Through the years, TLC has provided more than 240,000 individual medical services to people living on Tonlé Sap, and today operates five “floating clinics” – four on the lake and one on the adjoining Stung Sen River – catering to more than 10,000 inhabitants in nine of the most underserved floating communities. With five doctors, two nurses, four midwives, a dental nurse and support staff, funded purely by private donations, TLC’s two home-grown medical teams each make a three-day trip into the field every week. They live and work on offshore facilities, providing free medical care and health education to the most forgotten people in one of Asia’s poorest countries. Continues with photos https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3087394/how-cambodias-floating-hospitals-are-saving

From Khaosod English Government says Cambodian workers should remain in Thailand during Covid-19 The director general of Thailand’s Employment Department, Suchart Phonchaiwisetkun, says Cambodian labourers should remain in Thailand while the fight against the Covid-19 goes on in the region. He was speaking following a meeting with the the Cambodian Ambassador, Ouk Sorphorn, where they discussed how Thailand would deal with its migrant workforce during the pandemic. According to a report in Nation Thailand, Suchart claims Cambodian workers wish to remain in Thailand and continue working, rather than returning to their home country. He says having them travel across the border now would not only cost money but could increase the risk of virus transmission. He adds that having them remain in Thailand provides reassurance to Thai business owners that they won’t have to deal with a shortage of workers, adding that the Cambodians themselves are in agreement. “The Cambodians agreed to the preliminary principles and want relevant agencies in Thailand and Cambodia to meet in a video conference later.”

From Reuters Thailand's one million health volunteers hailed as coronavirus heroes SALADANG, Thailand (Reuters) - Nearly every day, 77-year-old Surin Makradee goes door-to-door in her village in Thailand, visiting every home to check people’s temperatures in a routine repeated in communities across the country during the coronavirus pandemic. He said volunteers helped create greater participation in the health systems in subsequent decades and won praise during previous epidemics like the H5N1 bird flu in the mid-2000s. Their role, however, had become less prominent over the past 10 years - at least until the coronavirus emerged. “I consider people in the village my family. If I don’t educate them, they will not understand the risk of getting infected,” Surin said in her village of Saladang in Ang Thong province, about 90 km (55 miles) north of Bangkok She is a member of the Village Health Volunteers, a long-overlooked network of more than 1 million community workers dating back to a Cold War-era hearts-and-minds programme. The volunteers have been praised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “unsung heroes” in Thailand’s relatively successful efforts to fight the novel coronavirus. “Thailand’s village health volunteers are unsung heroes working to support the prevention, detection and reporting of COVID-19,” said Daniel Kertesz, WHO representative for Thailand, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus. Apart from the temperature checks, the front-line health volunteers help the government collect daily health information and watch for flare-ups in infections. Surin, who has been a volunteer for 38 years and does her rounds by motorcycle, said she is also responsible for monitoring people who have returned from other provinces and need to be in quarantine for 14 days. Created in 1977, the Village Health Volunteers were set up as part of government efforts to help rural communities at a time when communists insurgents roamed through many parts of the country. With basic health training, the volunteers help provide rudimentary care and initial diagnoses in areas that are often a long way from a clinic or hospital. “They were gatekeepers for people in the community to get to medical treatment, and this was important considering the limited resources of our health system,” said Chatichai Muksong, a historian at Srinakharinwirot University. ======================================================================================================== From Khaosod English Doctor Who Founded Rural Health Volunteer Network Dies at 92 BANGKOK — The doctor who pioneered a nationwide volunteer network that looks after local communities’s health well-being died on Tuesday at 92. Amorn Nonthasoot, a former health ministry perm-sec who established the program, known by Thai acronym Aor Sor Mor, died of gastrointestinal bleeding, Nakornping Hospital director Worachet Teacharak said. The network he founded is widely credited for containing the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand. Amorn dedicated much of his career to the development of the primary health care system in the country. Current health minister Anutin Charnvirakul posted a message of condolences for Amorn on Wednesday. After his graduation from Harvard University in 1962, Amorn piloted a network of health reporters to communicate healthy practices to rural communities. The idea was expanded into the Aor Sor Mor in 1977. The project has since grown to all regions nationwide. A total of 1.04 million volunteers have signed up to act as a middleman between rural residents and health officials, carrying out basic health outreach duties and more recently serving in the frontline against the coronavirus at community level.

From Thai Examiner Thailand begins herd immunity study Herd immunity study by Chulalongkorn University on a village in the Thung Yang Daeng district of southern Pattani. It comes, as around the world, people are beginning to question the response of governments and the huge economic loss caused by lockdown measures. Sweden’s singular approach has emerged as a source of increasing controversy while the role of the media and society itself is also in the spotlight. Thailand’s authorities have fared well in protecting the country against the Covid 19 virus but it is not yet clear how the kingdom will return to complete normality. The answer will be herd immunity whether this is achieved through a vaccine or by natural means. On Monday, it was revealed that Chulalongkorn University has commenced a herd immunity study centred on a small village in Pattani. This comes as the controversial approach taken by Sweden, which did not shut down its economy, begins to draw more strident critics and supporters as the world begins to weigh up whether it got it right or wrong in its reaction to this global pandemic. Even as Thailand is making impressive strides towards the development of the kingdom’s own vaccine against the Covid 19 virus with testing currently underway on monkeys, it is also pursuing another initiative based on the herd immunity theory. Details emerged on Monday of a small community-based study in a Pattani village located in the Thung Yang Daeng district in the southern part of the Muslim majority province. The important research is being led by Dr Wiput Phoolcharaen of Chulalongkorn University and is being called the ‘Pattani Model’ among those familiar with the project. The village being tested has a population of 1,070 people. Dr Wiput, on Monday, described it as the perfect sample site for his scientific study.

From Coconuts Bangkok COVID not spreading undetected, task force says, vowing vigilance Health officials today denied that the failure to detect new locally transmitted coronavirus infections means they aren’t trying hard enough. While announcing that the day’s only new case came from overseas, the outbreak task force said its limited testing that targets “likely” populations; such as medical workers, state officials and new prisoners; had come back negative in the last 32,500 people tested. “The ministry is on task to test 100,000 people classified in risky groups and areas, which began two weeks ago. So far over 32,000 people, or 32.56%, have been tested, and we haven’t found a positive case,” spokesperson Taweesilp Wisanuyothin said. Testing has never been widespread and officials have balked at the expense of expanding it outside of the narrow approach which they have given the muscular name “active case finding.” As segments of society reopen and public spaces fill again, “second wave” anxieties persist. That led to some skepticism after all of the new cases logged in the past couple weeks were only found in Thais returning from abroad. Today, it was a 32-year-old student back from Saudi Arabia, along with the report of one additional death. The student was diagnosed with the virus yesterday at a government quarantine facility in the southern province of Songkhla. She brought the number of known infections to 3,083 since January. The outbreak’s 58th domestic victim was an 80-year-old Thai Muslim infected along with hundreds of others at a religious gathering three months ago in Kuala Lumpur. Asked whether Songkran will happen in July after being postponed from April due to the outbreak, the spokesman played down expectations and said nothing would be official until at least Friday. “When I was asked yesterday if the Songkran holidays would be this July, what I said was if we do good today, it will predict our future,” Taweesilp said. “It will depend on the prime minister, so I can’t answer that”

From Bangkok Post Indonesia’s Lion Air, which suspended all of its scheduled domestic flights late last month, said it will remain grounded indefinitely -- including international services -- because of the impact coronavirus-related restrictions have had on travel. The carrier, whose slogan is “we make people fly”, is grounding its fleet from Friday, it said in a statement. Lion Air has 138 aircraft, according to a spokesperson, and a route network throughout Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. Its units Batik Air and Wings Air, which have a combined fleet of 140 planes, also won’t fly. Indonesia banned air travel from April 24 to try to limit the spread of coronavirus through the archipelago, where confirmed infections are now approaching 28,000 cases. Some exceptions have been made for essential travel for certain businesses and for family emergencies, and after passengers pass tests to show they aren’t infected with the disease. The pandemic has hit the Indonesian airline industry hard, with foreign visitor numbers slumping 87% in April from a year earlier. Flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia said in April that its first-quarter operating revenue could drop 33%, while AirAsia Indonesia warned its net income may plunge more than 75%, hurting its ability to repay debt.

From Washington Post Amid reopening, Singapore to create new housing for 60,000 migrant workers As Singapore took tentative steps to lift lockdown measures Tuesday, with some businesses opening their doors and some students back in the classroom, the country saw its first death among a migrant worker: a 51-year-old Chinese national, who was the 24th person confirmed to have died of covid-19 in Singapore since March. Singapore has confirmed more than 35,000 cases in a population of less than 6 million, a toll driven higher by outbreaks in crowded migrant-worker dormitories. The government pledged Tuesday to create less-dense housing for some 60,000 migrant workers before the end of the year, with more changes to come after that, in an effort to drive down the risk of infection, Reuters reported Tuesday. “The changes will be necessary to better protect the workers from widespread transmission, and to strengthen the resilience of the dormitories against pandemic risks,” Josephine Teo, the county’s manpower minister, told the South China Morning Post. Singapore has come under criticism for its treatment of migrants workers, who often face unequal conditions, advocates say. At any given time, the country is a temporary home to more than 300,000 foreign workers who live in dormitories, frequently with small, shared rooms holding 12 to 20 inhabitants. “[L]ow-wage migrant workers are the hidden backbone of our society,” Transient Workers Count Too, an advocacy group, wrote on its website.

From CNBC Thai hotels are offering luxury quarantine packages as an alternative to state-funded isolation Thailand is allowing five Bangkok hotels to offer luxury isolation packages as an alternative to the government-funded 14-day quarantine for returning travelers. International passenger flights have been banned from entering Thailand until the end of June, but the government has chartered flights to repatriate citizens who have been stranded abroad amid the coronavirus crisis. Anyone returning to the country is required to spend 14 days in state-designated quarantine facilities, most of which are hotels, with local media reporting that around 80,000 people have been quarantined to date. Now, the Thai government has approved five hotels in the capital to provide packages for anyone wanting to self-fund a more premium isolation period. Ranging from 32,000 Thai baht ($1,016) to 60,000 baht ($1,904) for a two-week stay, the resorts are offering perks like doctors’ consultations and meals to Thai citizens and expat workers who return to the kingdom from overseas. It’s currently unclear whether the offer will be extended to regular tourists when, and if, international passenger flights resume. Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok The 14-day “Health Watch” package offered by the Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort costs 50,000 baht and offers luxury accommodation in a single-occupancy “Wellness Suite.” As well as being provided with three meals a day, guests will receive an initial consultation with a doctor, daily health monitoring under a nurse’s supervision, “immune system enhancing supplements” and a Covid-19 test at the end of their stay. The package was initially only available until June 30, but has been extended until July 31. Qiu Hotel Bangkok’s Qiu Hotel is offering the most wallet-friendly package at 32,000 baht per person, which covers a 16-day, 15-night stay that includes three daily meals and a ride to and from the airport. Qiu’s package also includes two Covid-19 tests and round-the-clock access to ambulance services, hospital visits and video consultations with local doctors. The Idle Residence A two-week quarantine in the Idle Residence ranges from 50,000 baht for a superior room to 60,000 baht for a junior suite. The hotel has drafted in nurses from private health-care chain Samitivej Hospital to provide 24-hour care for guests in quarantine, and is also offering a “virtual hospital” to put them in touch with health-care professionals without going to a clinic. Grand Richmond Hotel The Grand Richmond is offering a 15-night quarantine package for 55,000 baht per person, with nurses from nearby Vibhavadi Hospital on 24-hour standby for guests. Guests will be put up in executive deluxe rooms on the 29th to 34th floors of the hotel, and are provided with three meals a day and a free minibar on their day of arrival. Royal Benja Hotel Quarantining at the Royal Benja comes with a price tag of 45,000 baht per person for a two-week stay. The hotel’s package includes three meals a day, discounted room service and a shuttle from the airport. Nurses will be on hand to care for guests in quarantine at the hotel, and the package also includes two Covid-19 tests as well as an ambulance service and video calls with local doctors.

....that I just needed something to make me smile. This video about a Filipino and his dog did it for me. At least they have each other. It also made me more aware that when I say I miss Thailand, what I'm really missing are moments of intimacy. And the older I get, that matters more than all the other reasons for wanting to return.

From The Thaiger Shopping centre operator Central Retail Corporation has bought 100% of Family Mart, one of Thailand’s major convenience store chains, as it “moves forward to develop a new business model to cater to modern consumers”. CRC’s chief executive officer says the acquisition will strengthen Central’s hold on the food market and convenience store business in Thailand, which is burgeoning. Since 2012, CRC has partnered with Japan Family Mart with its subsidiary SFM Holdings holding a 50.65% stake and Robinson Plc holding a 0.35% stake in Central Family Mart Ltd, the local operator of the Family Mart chain in Thailand. Yesterday’s acquisition saw CRC snap up the remaining 49% from the Japanese partner making it the sole owner of FamilyMart’s Thailand operations.

From Bloomberg News Japan is considering easing entry restrictions on people from Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand because of signs that novel coronavirus infections are declining in those countries, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing government officials. The government may relax the limits from as early as summer, the newspaper said Sunday. The visitors would be required to carry documentation showing that they had tested negative for the virus before leaving their countries, and would need to be re-tested when they arrive in Japan, according to the report.

Unfortunately--for me--it's not available to those 70 and over. Perhaps a Thai insurer will offer a policy that satisfies immigration requirements. Just one more uncertainty that makes planning just about impossible at this stage.

One of the entry requirements mentioned in the Thai Examiner link above reads: "There must be health insurance coverage for up to $100,000 and this cover must also include insurance against the Covid 19 virus. This coverage must be authenticated by a Thai official." Anyone have any information on this type of coverage that would be available for tourists? NOTE -- Allianz, one of the more popular travel insurance providers, has posted this notice on its website: IMPORTANT: Our travel protection plans generally do not cover losses related to COVID-19, including due to government-imposed travel bans or other travel restrictions related to COVID-19. We highly recommend that you DO NOT purchase a travel protection plan for such conditions.

This has much to do with the drop in demand for petroleum products used in transportation, energy and manufacturing since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. International oil purchases are generally settled in US dollars. In 2019, Thailand paid out $22.3 billion for imported oil. But consumption has slackened off significantly so there is a corresponding reduced need for imports and for dollars to pay for them. Thailand was the 13th largest importer, just behind Singapore and just ahead of Taiwan.

From Coconuts Bangkok Automated people movers designed in Canada and built in China will soon arrive to whisk passengers between commercial developments on the Chao Phraya River. The first of several Bombardier Innovia APM300s will arrive next month to service the Gold Line which will connect the BTS Silom Line to waterfront properties – namely the Iconsiam shopping mall, a city management firm announced yesterday. Though marketed as a monorail, the Gold Line will more resemble another retro-futurist Disney ride: the PeopleMover. Its three people movers, with two cars each, ride on wheels which follow a rubber track. Each train will hold about 140 passengers. When it launches in October, Thailand’s first operator-free train will run at a maximum 80kph. Manit Techaapichok of City Hall project management firm Krungthep Thanakom Co., said work completion was at a very specific “88%.” The cabinet approved the line in 2016 and expected it to be completed two years ago in time for the mall’s opening. Though criticized as a gift to developer Siam Piwat’s Iconsiam shopping mall outside the city’s master transportation plan, the developer underwrote its estimated THB3.8 billion cost. It will connect the existing BTS Krung Thon Buri to three new stations at Thonburi, Charoen Nakhon and Khlong San. A future expansion will close the loop by linking it up to the Purple Line.

One of the issues affecting foreigners seeking to get back to Thailand as soon as feasible is the "transit" status of connecting airports. Scanning through today's news came up with some information on Singapore and Hong Kong airports. However, the reports about both Singapore and Hong Kong are sketchy on details and it's uncertain if the new rules announced by Beijing will affect transit passenger traffic in Hong Kong. SINGAPORE From Reuters Singapore, a regional travel and tourism hub, will gradually allow travellers to transit through its Changi Airport from June 2, the city-state's aviation regulator said on Wednesday. Currently, foreign passengers may only transit through Singapore if they are on repatriation flights arranged by their governments. In March, visitors were banned from entering or transiting through the city-state to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. "This is part of Singapore's strategy to gradually re-open air transport to meet the needs of our economy and our people, whilst ensuring sufficient safeguards for safe travel," the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said. It said airlines should submit their proposals for transfer lanes, which will be evaluated taking into account aviation safety, public health considerations, as well as the health of passengers and air crew. Changi Airport, among the world's busiest last year, recorded 25,200 passenger movements in April, crashing 99.5% from the year ago. HONG KONG From South China Morning Post Transit through Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to and from mainland China will not be allowed in the first phase of opening up transfer travel in the city from June 1 as coronavirus measures are eased. Cathay Pacificconfirmed the restrictions after two sources said transport officials in Hong Kong had instructed the firm and Hong Kong Airlines that they could not fly transit passengers to the mainland in a meeting with company representatives earlier this week. “In this first phase, transiting to and from destinations in mainland China is not available,” Cathay said on its website. According to a third source at the meeting, officials explained that they did not want to overwhelm transit facilities, citing the need to slowly build up the airport’s capability otherwise it could not cope. China currently has the highest demand for air travel anywhere in the world. The Hong Kong administration earlier announced that transiting would be allowed at the airport starting from June, a move to relax travel restrictions imposed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. But no details had been unveiled. “Airlines have the utmost responsibilities in ensuring, at the point of check-in at the origin ports that the transit passengers will be accepted at the final destinations. It is the responsibility of the airlines to conduct all necessary verification at the origin ports,” the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) told carriers in a briefing on Friday. Airlines said they had been hit with a raft of other restrictions on transit passengers too. As part of HKIA opening up, any transit passengers with tickets sold before May 29 would not be accepted for travel, according to instructions from the AAHK, which runs the Asian megahub. Tickets could only be sold on the same booking by the same airline groups, such as Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon, but interline or code-share arrangements involving a foreign airline connecting onto a Cathay or Hong Kong Airlines service was not permitted. Also, passengers who have stopovers of more than eight hours in Hong Kong will not be permitted to travel, with the AAHK hoping to avoid the risk of contact and transmission of Covid-19 among passengers.