Tour operators are urging the government to reopen the country to international tourists in July. This can be done by first allowing corona-free countries without the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Instead, a health certificate and a free corona rapid test on arrival should suffice.
Thai Airways International (THAI) has admitted that due to the debt restructuring, the airline is currently unable to reimburse its customers for unused airline tickets.
What direction will tourism in Thailand take? Fear still reigns in Thailand at the moment. But at some point they will have to make the switch there too. Trial balloons are released here and there, but there is little talk of a real plan for the future.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague has decided that the consular department of the Dutch embassy in Bangkok will be reopened for a number of services from 2 June.
The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) expects 14,4 million jobs to be lost in Thailand in the second and third quarters of this year due to the corona crisis and the ongoing drought.
Question to GP Maarten: Occasional diarrhoea
I sometimes suffer from diarrhea, but this also happens in Belgium. I then take 1 or 2 x some Carbobel, that's solved. I've been in Thailand for 8 months now, also thanks to that virus. My Thai girlfriend pays close attention to what food she prepares and how, but yes, sometimes things go wrong….
When I look around here in Thailand, not many Thais adhere to the 1,5 meter distance rule. Went to the market this morning, quite busy and everyone huddled together, no distance. Still, Thailand has few infections. That's why I wonder if Maurice de Hond is right that the 1,5 meter is nonsense?
Reader question: Tax return in Belgium
I have a question about tax returns in Belgium. I live and am registered in Thailand. My pension is paid in Belgium, where withholding tax, soc and solidarity contributions are also deducted.
On June 1, according to the National Security Council, which advises the government, the opening hours of shopping centers can be extended. The curfew can be shortened again by an hour. The condition is that the number of infections in Thailand remains low.
KLM still flies from Bangkok to Amsterdam. This happens 4 times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The plane departs Bangkok at 22.30:05.25 PM and arrives in Amsterdam at XNUMX:XNUMX AM.
A British tourist who allegedly threw his Thai wife off a balcony in Rayong last month and then fled during the police investigation has been apprehended, the immigration chief said.
A 'murder tree' in Thailand
Once, before the Covid period, I was walking near the Big C supermarket in the outskirts of Bangkok. My eyes fell on a tree that was just beginning to bloom. Almost the whole area was full of this tree.
Several restaurants in Pattaya have reopened
Several restaurants were allowed to reopen under certain conditions. But due to the strict hygiene requirements and the distances between the seats, which meant that families had to sit far apart, there was hardly any atmosphere and cosiness.
Do Thai entrepreneurs receive financial support from the government? Tourism has been flat for a while and it is not yet clear whether this will start again soon. Surely hotels, bus operators, bars and other sectors that depend on tourism are all going bankrupt now? Or do they have so much fat on the bones?
I find it strange. If I want to buy a house in Thailand, I only buy the house. I have to lease the land on which the house stands for 30 years. Is this correct?
Ideas for the post-corona era: basic income
We should already start thinking about whether we should implement changes in social events in order to prevent or better cope with a future crisis such as that of the current corona, or another crisis. I advocate for a basic income for everyone around the world. It is the most efficient, cheapest and most civilized way to fight poverty.
The military-backed government has extended Thailand's state of emergency for a second time, now until the end of June. This is very much against the wishes of the opposition who had called for the state of emergency to be lifted now that the number of new coronavirus infections has fallen sharply.