Sudarat says make Phuket Sandbox entry simpler - wants free testing and free Covid insurance for foreigners

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath reported that no sooner had veteran politician Sudarat Keyuraphan got back from a trip to the US she headed for Phuket with aides from the Thai Sang Thai political party.

 

There they met local leaders, business people and those from the tourism industry at the Phuket Boat Lagoon.

 

Also present were Thai Sang Thai senior members Pokin Palakun and Sitha Thiwaree.

 

Sudarat said that Phuket faced many obstacles in recovering from the pandemic.

 

But in the short term she said the island needed to attract foreign tourists and right now the Sandbox idea was far too complicated.

 

She said that when she got off the plane in the States there was free vaccine, no problems no hassles.

 

She wants the same for Phuket and in addition free insurance for foreigners and a far simpler  documentation process in place for the new year to help her Thai compatriots recover on the island. 

 

In the long term she said she wanted to see Phuket become a "Special Economic Tourism Zone"with its own separate rules.

 

She said it should become the "office of the world" and the "living room of the region".

 

Sitha echoed this saying Thai Sang Thai wanted to see Phuket attract digital nomads and foreign based workers to use it as their office and "work from Phuket".

 

Pokin praised himself for being on the board at the time of the expansion of the airport but claimed that 12 million capacity would not be enough per year in the future if he and his party's plans become reality. 

 

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[internationalism]

well, sandbox is going since july and that is the first reasonable attempt to upgrade it.

Now that atk tests are available and pretty cheap, they should be used instead of complicated pcr tests.

All travellers to thailand had already pcr before embarkation.

Up to now travellers had to pay 3-5k per pcr test, which is big earner for hospitals, because at wholesale they are for a fraction of this price, around 1500b.

Insurance offered by the governmental organisation is not cheap, with 1500-2500b per month (price depends on origin country), but again also here large profit is made. Some private insurers do flat rate to all 15k per year, so 1250b per month - and that includes taxes, profits, agents etc. If the government really wanted they could easily offer for half price - and cover it.

On average tourists spend 5k baht per day, mostly on services, not goods. So that small investment from the government would bring twice as much incomers as there are now.

 

also an interesting point, that pinkish political party is taking head on at phuket mafia-style political system, associated with the democrat party 

Edited October 9, 2021 by internationalism

[cclub75]

One idea : not "free" insurance (what does it mean ???), not "less" papers...

 

Instead, scrap the whole madness.

 

That's the only way Phuket, and the country, will "recover".

 

Enough of those fake "reopening" talks... with special requirements, rules, end other shenanigans.

 

You are open. Or not. You are closed. Or not.

 

This idea of "Schrödinger Cat" applied to tourism, open and closed at the same time, is absurd.

Edited October 9, 2021 by cclub75

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Sudarat said that Phuket faced many obstacles in recovering from the pandemic.

Starting with the sham quarantine rules.

[Destiny1990]

Yes simplify the process but that’s complicated here. Sell insurances at each airport no quarantines no pcr testing just proof of vaccination no face masks visa on arrival.

[alex8912]

After " living room of the region" she forgot " toilet of the Andaman" ????

[2long]

She appears to speak a lot of sense, as do most replying members/posters.

Let's hope this happens, and soon!

[Chad3000]

First there is a b300 proposal for years by sports Minister. TAT added b200 for a round 500. What does a family of four get for that? Nothing. Absolutely criminal.

 

That should include insurance while in country and all testing. I think when the Thais have to pay the tests things will change immediately.

 

Finally, mafia already well entrenched in hotel scam. I can see getting it down to three days but it will never be dropped. Dropped to three days but double the daily room rates. Monee monee moneeee.

 

All that paperwork is just a  fguking laff. Like the pol said...fly to States...welcome! If states can do it why not Thailand.

 

Global nomads. No, you'll just get cybercrooks and crims on the lam.

 

Why doesn't the government start taking better care of us?! Online 90 day broken, TM30 a mess, COE is a mess.

 

The vaccines don't even ward off the disease!

Edited October 9, 2021 by Chad3000

[Scrotobike]

Blah Blah tourists blah blah 

Just open up the bars

Then they will come

Dumb

[drand11]

I am enroute to thailand now for Sandbox:

Just charge a set fee for Insurance & Covid testing, paid by 1 payment on the COE site. Keep it SIMPLE! 

 

- On COE website, allow users to save data progressively. So many times I would input 95% of data,  have 1 problem, and LOSE all my prior inputted data. So frustrating. 

 

Qatar airlines: disaster! They expect travellers to resubmit all the same documents that were submitted at the COE website. They still think it is Phuket Sandbox 14 days!  I ARGUED  & ARGUED with Qatar airways for 1.5 hrs.  I had COE and PCR test, but they did not want me on the plane. Keep it simple,  tourists should show COE form & PCR ONLY. 

 

 

 

 

[sirineou]

Does she have any power, or is she simply pandering to the electorate to get some?

    The whole CoE for vaccinated people needs to be scrapped. Out of 0ver 10,000 daily infections less than 20 are coming from outside the country. 

[CLW]

How many times this digital nomad thing has been regurgitated several times from all political spectrums.

Nothing has been done yet, just talking but no actions. This is more interesting than a clown circus.....