Jonathan Fairfield

Phuket Sandbox arrivals well short of TAT target The Tourism Authority of Thailand has been obliged to admit that once again their targets for the return of foreign tourism have been way off. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233842-phuket-sandbox-arrivals-well-short-of-tat-target/

American man arrested for rape of massage worker in Khon Kaen Image: Khon Kaen Link Police on Saturday (Oct 2) announced the arrest of an American man wanted for allegedly raping a 45 year old Thai woman in Khon Kaen on Monday. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233852-american-man-arrested-for-rape-of-massage-worker-in-khon-kaen/

American man arrested for rape of massage worker in Khon Kaen Image: Khon Kaen Link Police on Saturday (Oct 2) announced the arrest of an American man wanted for allegedly raping a 45 year old Thai woman in Khon Kaen on Monday. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233852-american-man-arrested-for-rape-of-massage-worker-in-khon-kaen/

Image: Khon Kaen Link Police on Saturday (Oct 2) announced the arrest of an American man wanted for allegedly raping a 45 year old Thai woman in Khon Kaen on Monday. The 37 year old man was arrested at a condominium on Sukhumvit Soi 3 in the Nana area of Bangkok. Police said the man also attempted to attack and rape a 12 year old girl in Khon Kaen on the same day he carried out the attack on the 45 year old woman. According to Thai language news site Khon Kaen Link, the suspect was taken to Immigration Police Headquarters for interrogation and is due to be transferred to Khon Kaen province for prosecution. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-10-02 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

It may differ from province to province but there is a general list of businesses/services that are open here: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233694-cinemas-reopen-in-thailand-just-don’t-expect-any-popcorn/

There is support in English. They've been really helpful with me on a problem I had with a return recently. [email protected] - try that, it's the email I've been contacting them on in English.

Is it Bangkok Bank app? I'm on iOS 15 and haven't been able to connect to mine all day either

Terry, get yourself off to Boots in Market Village and pick up Nivea Dry Impact. No more embarrassing sweat patches even in the hottest of hot weather.

FILE PHOTO: Philippine boxing icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao poses for photographers during a news conference with welterweight world title holder Lucas Matthysse (not pictured), for their upcoming WBA "regular" welterweight title fight, at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia April 20, 2018. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin/File Photo By Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines opens a week-long window on Friday for filing of candidacy for thousands of political posts, from the presidency down to town councillors, kicking off what is expected to be a hotly contested election in May next year. The process should put an end to months of speculation over who will vie to succeed firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte, 76, who under the constitution cannot seek reelection and will contest the vice presidency race instead. What is usually a festive event with big crowds will be more sober this year, with restrictions in place to fight one of Asia's deadliest COVID-19 epidemics. So far, just three contenders have declared their intention to run for president, the most famous, senator and newly retired Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso, a former actor, and Senator Panfilo Lacson, an ex police chief, have also confirmed they will run. But the spotlight will be on Sara Duterte-Carpio, the president's daughter, despite her ruling out running for higher office next year. Duterte-Carpio, 43, replaced her father as Davao City mayor when he became president, and she remains by far the most popular presidential prospect, according to successive opinion polls this year. Analysts say it is crucial her father's successor is a loyalist, to insulate him from potential legal action at home or by the International Criminal Court, over the thousands of state killings in his war on drugs since 2016. Critics say his interest in the vice presidency is also a self-preservation move. Duterte says his motivation is public service, not power. Vice president, Leni Robredo, who leads the opposition, is also being urged by supporters to run for the top post. "In the coming days, please pray with me so that our decision will be what is best for our country," she said. More than 60 million Filipinos will vote in May 2022 for a new president, vice president, and more than 18,000 lawmakers and local government officials. Candidates have until Oct. 8 to register, but withdrawals and substitutions are allowed until Nov. 15, leaving scope for last-minute changes of heart, like the 11th hour entry of Duterte for the 2016 election, which he won by a huge margin. (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty) -- © Copyright Reuters 2021-10-01

CCSA approves extension of Special Tourist Visa scheme until next October File photo The Special Tourist Visa scheme that allows tourists to stay up to 270 days in Thailand will be extended from 1st October this year until the end of September next year, reported Manager. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233255-ccsa-approves-extension-of-special-tourist-visa-scheme-until-next-october/

File photo The Special Tourist Visa scheme that allows tourists to stay up to 270 days in Thailand will be extended from 1st October this year until the end of September next year, reported Manager. Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin said that 5,609 STV tourists had already spent 1.243 billion baht in Thailand. Most had stayed 90 days. Some 90% had renewed for a second spell of 90 days and 60% of the original number had extended for a third spell of ninety days. Whether those would be able to continue renewing indefinitely or whether the year extension referred to new applicants was not made clear in the Manager story. Taweesin spoke of the people who had visited Thailand on yachts saying that 50 more vessels are booked to come to Thailand. Earlier 271 people on yachts had reportedly spent 291 million baht. Taweesin said that Monday's CCSA meeting chaired by PM Prayuth Chan-ocha also called on the DES Ministry to simplify online visa applications and procedures to attract more tourists. The doctor thanked the public for their efforts in the pandemic. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-09-28 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

British crypto trader mixed up in drugs and guns arrested in Hua Hin A British man, who was arrested earlier this year following firearms offences in Koh Samui, has been arrested in Hua Hin. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233254-british-crypto-trader-mixed-up-in-drugs-and-guns-arrested-in-hua-hin /

A British man, who was arrested earlier this year following firearms offences in Koh Samui, has been arrested in Hua Hin. The 33 year old man, who has previously been described as a wealthy cryptocurrency trader, allegedly went on a shooting spree while on board a speedboat in waters off Koh Samui. Police said the man, who was reportedly high on drugs, began firing from the speedboat in the direction of the Four Seasons Hotel on Koh Samui, sparking panic among people sitting on the adjacent beach. He was later arrested with police finding a 9mm Beretta pistol, 31 bullets and a revolver with 49 bullets inside his hotel room. It is not clear if he ever faced formal charges for the incident in Samui, which took place last February. On Monday, Immigration announced the man had recently been arrested at Hua Na Market in Hua Hin, Thai news site Naewna reported. Thai media said that the man was involved with a registered charity organisation and cryptocurrency when he was arrested. Thai media suggested he would be deported following his arrest in Hua Hin. -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-09-28 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Thailand to scrap quarantine for vaccinated visitors from Nov 1 BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will waive its mandatory quarantine requirement in Bangkok and nine regions from Nov. 1 to vaccinated arrivals, authorities said on Monday, as the country tries to boost its immunisation rate and revive its battered tourism sector. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233166-thailand-to-scrap-quarantine-for-vaccinated-visitors-from-nov-1/

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will waive its mandatory quarantine requirement in Bangkok and nine regions from Nov. 1 to vaccinated arrivals, authorities said on Monday, as the country tries to boost its immunisation rate and revive its battered tourism sector. The regions include popular tourist areas Chiang Mai, Phangnga, Krabi, Hua Hin, Pattaya, and Cha-am, and follow the successful reopening of Phuket and Samui islands to vaccinated people in pilot schemes since July. The country is keen to welcome back foreign visitors, after nearly 18 months of strict entry policies that contributed to a collapse in tourism, a key sector that drew 40 million visitors in 2019. Authorities will also reduce the quarantine time nationwide for visitors arriving from Oct. 1, the COVID-19 task force said, halving it to seven days for vaccinated arrivals, and cutting it to 10 days for those not inoculated. It will also further ease restrictions from Friday in 29 "dark red" provinces under maximum control, including Bangkok, to allow more businesses and activities to reopen, such as spas, libraries, cinemas, indoor sports venues and nail salons. The easing of measures come as the country tries to increase the rate of vaccinations, after initial supply shortages. Less than a third of the population has been inoculated so far. The task force also approved a plan to procure a combined 3.35 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, although no delivery timeframe was provided. Pending Cabinet approval, Thailand will seek to buy 2.79 million doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines and 165,000 AstraZeneca shots from Spain and 400,000 AstraZeneca doses sourced from Hungary, a spokesperson said. -- © Copyright Reuters 2021-09-27 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates (Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin Petty)

Thailand reports 12,353 new COVID-19 cases, 125 more deaths Image: Reuters file photo Thailand on Sunday recorded 12,353 new COVID-19 cases and 125 more fatalities from the pandemic in the past 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233013-thailand-reports-12353-new-covid-19-cases-125-more-deaths/

Image: Reuters file photo Thailand on Sunday recorded 12,353 new COVID-19 cases and 125 more fatalities from the pandemic in the past 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Public Health. An additional 14,305 new recoveries from the coronavirus epidemic were reported, while 3,324 COVID-19 patients remained in a critical condition, health officials said. Sunday's figures bring the total number of COVID-19 cases reported in Thailand since the start of the pandemic to 1.56 million and 16,268 deaths. The news comes as Thailand has begun accelerating the vaccine roll-out as it aims to reopen more tourist destinations, including Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai, to fully vaccinated foreign visitors. The reopening plan was postponed last week because the target regions' vaccination rate was lower than the required 70 percent threshold. Plans for parts of the country to reopen to vaccinated foreign tourists will go before the CCSA for approval later this week. As of Friday, Thailand has administered more than 48 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with less than 25 percent of its total population having been fully vaccinated. Also, on Friday, Thailand administered more than one million vaccines, the most vaccines administered in a single day since Thailand began its vaccination campaign. The Thai government aims to inoculate about 70 percent of its nearly 70 million population by the end of this year. Discover Cigna’s range of health insurance solutions created for expats and local nationals living in Thailand - click to view -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-09-26 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Thai authorities crackdown on scam texts BANGKOK (NNT) - The Ministry of a Digital Economy and Society, the telecom regulator, and the police are now cracking down on illegal gambling and loan scam websites, plus their SMS invitations sent to general phone users. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233009-thai-authorities-crackdown-on-scam-texts/

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Ministry of a Digital Economy and Society, the telecom regulator, and the police are now cracking down on illegal gambling and loan scam websites, plus their SMS invitations sent to general phone users. Involved parties are now asked to block these messages from being sent, or face punishment should the fail to do so. Deputy Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhanadirek says the government is addressing complaints from the public on the spread of text messages sent to mobile phone users by unknown senders, with links to gambling, scam, or pornographic websites. Many mobile phone users in Thailand have recently received the text messages without having signed up or subscribed to any of these services, causing much annoyance and concern over data privacy. Ms Rachada said those who send out these messages are considered punishable by law, as their action is considered an economic crime. She said these operations are considered especially damaging to low-income people, who are already affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 23 September, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has urged network providers to block the scam messages from being sent. The commission has also outlined punishments for any licensed telecom operators found involved in sending out these messages, starting with a formal warning, and leading to fines, license suspension, or termination and legal charges. The Ministry of a Digital Economy and Society has opened a center to receive complaints about illegal websites and texts, including online gambling. Members of the public can submit a link to such websites on the DESMonitor page on Facebook, or call the ministry’s 24-hour call center 1212. Information gathered by the center will then be forwarded to the police for further investigation, which could lead to the termination of such websites. The Royal Thai Police has warned that people involved in online gambling websites, from site managers, players, inviters, as well as those involved in websites offering illegal loans are considered violators of the law. They are encouraging the general public to report any activities or people related to these websites by calling the Police Cyber Taskforce’s 1599 hotline. The deputy government spokesperson said the government is concerned that the general public might fall victim to these scammers, leading to the loss of their money. She said people seeking to take out loans should contact a legitimate financial institution, or first check the status of pico-finance and nano-finance loan providers on www.1359.go.th first. Ms Rachada added that the Prime Minister has ordered related agencies to proactively suppress illegal websites, and cut down the cycles of gambling debt and informal debt. -- © Copyright NNT 2021-09-26 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Thailand’s August exports grow 8.9% BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand’s export sector has seen 8.93% year-on-year growth in August this year, with a slight slowdown as some manufacturing lines were closed, due to COVID-19 outbreaks. The Ministry of Commerce says the sector is growing well, despite some minor setbacks. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233008-thailand’s-august-exports-grow-89/

BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand’s export sector has seen 8.93% year-on-year growth in August this year, with a slight slowdown as some manufacturing lines were closed, due to COVID-19 outbreaks. The Ministry of Commerce says the sector is growing well, despite some minor setbacks. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit, announced that Thailand’s export sector in August 2021 had seen value of 21.98 billion US dollars reached, showing an 8.93% growth year-on-year. When compared to the figures from July, the sector has witnessed a slight slowdown in growth due to some setbacks under the COVID-19 pandemic, from partial or full closures of factories and disruptions to the logistics chain. The sector is still considered to be growing at a good rate. From January to August this year, Thailand’s gross exports are valued at 176.96 billion US dollars, showing 15.25% growth. With gross imports in the same period valued at 23.19 billion US dollars, Thailand has stacked up a 1.41 billion US dollar trade surplus, in the first 8 months of this year. According to the Ministry of Commerce, Thailand’s export growth is primarily fueled by the expansion of agricultural and agri-industrial exports at 23.6%, with more exports of rubber products; fresh, chilled, frozen, and processed fruit; palm oil; tapioca products; rice; and animal feed. The sector has seen growth in almost every market, with 16.2% growth in the US; 32.3% growth in China; 10% growth in Japan; 15.2% growth in ASEAN countries; 16.1% growth in EU countries, and 44.2% growth in India; with the exception of Australia, the UK, and CLMV countries where fewer goods were exported. The depreciated Thai baht in recent months has also increased the price competitiveness of products from Thailand, leading to higher sales. Full story: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG210925202310231 -- © Copyright NNT 2021-09-26 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

PM Prayut joins High-level Dialogue on Energy 2021 BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand’s Prime Minister has joined the United Nations’ High-level Dialogue on Energy via a video conference to the UN headquarters in New York, where he has emphasized Thailand’s progress towards clean energy and carbon neutrality. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233007-pm-prayut-joins-high-level-dialogue-on-energy-2021/

BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand’s Prime Minister has joined the United Nations’ High-level Dialogue on Energy via a video conference to the UN headquarters in New York, where he has emphasized Thailand’s progress towards clean energy and carbon neutrality. Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha today at 4 a.m. local time delivered a speech via video conference from Thailand to the United Nations’ High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE) 2021, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The Prime Minister’s speech has highlighted Thailand’s commitment to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and goals from the Paris Agreement on achieving sustainable economic development. In his speech, the Thai PM says Thailand is giving priority to energy transformation in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, as well as to achieve net-zero emissions, and to help maintain an increase in global temperature of no more than 1.5-2C, according to the Paris Agreement. The Thai PM said Thailand has implemented the Bio-Circular-Green Economy or BCG Economy model to strike a balance between economic development, social development, and environmental sustainability. To achieve the carbon neutrality goal, Thailand has been promoting the production and use of low-emission vehicles, with a goal of 30% of the entire vehicle production being electric by 2030. The High-level Dialogue on Energy 2021 is the first gathering of leaders in more than 40 years at the UN solely devoted to energy issues at the request of the UN General Assembly. The dialogue is aimed at accelerating achievement of SDG7 by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2050. -- © Copyright NNT 2021-09-26 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Fifty-nine people arrested at illegal birthday party in Bangkok, drugs also reportedly found Image: Daily News Thai Commando Police raided an illegal birthday party at a hotel in Bang Khen early this morning (September 25th) where they reported that they found 59 people who were arrested for allegedly violating the Emergency Decree rules to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1233006-fifty-nine-people-arrested-at-illegal-birthday-party-in-bangkok-drugs-also-reportedly-found/

Image: Daily News Thai Commando Police raided an illegal birthday party at a hotel in Bang Khen early this morning (September 25th) where they reported that they found 59 people who were arrested for allegedly violating the Emergency Decree rules to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. The raid at 1:30 A.M was at a hotel in Soi Ramintra 14 (Soi Maiyarap). The raid followed a phone tip being made to officers about the party from an anonymous citizen who was reportedly afraid the event could spread the Covid-19 coronavirus and felt they were protecting the health of the community by reporting the party. Officers arrived at the hotel and stated to the press that they found 59 people in a VIP suite which were 29 men and 30 women attending the party and playing loud music. There was also, according to police, alcohol being consumed. Under current Covid-19 rules, any sort of parties or social events, like birthdays, are against emergency decree rules. Gathering around alcohol with more than one person in maximum control zones like Bangkok is also considered a violation of multiple disease control orders and the decree. Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2021/09/25/fifty-nine-people-arrested-at-illegal-birthday-party-in-bangkok-drugs-also-reportedly-found/ -- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2021-09-26 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates