Headlines summary as of 16 September 2021

News

Newly confirmed case(s)	Total Cases	Patients under severe conditions and those using ventilators	Discharged from hospital	From 1 April, totally confirmed cases (third wave)	1st dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	3rd dose vaccine recipients (from 16 July)
13,897 (394 from prisons); (excluding ATK 1,768)	1,434,237 (last seven days: 95,687)	3,911/ 788	1,290,556 (+13,527)	1,405,374	28,085,202  (+ 316,107) BKK: 7,440,332 (+32,495)	617,550 (+ 975) BKK: 619,128 (+ 1,578)
Local transmission	From abroad	Being hospitalised/ in field-hospital/ quarantined	Confirmed cases in Bangkok	Death toll	Total vaccination (doses)	2nd dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	Average positive rate in the last seven days
13,494 [11,797 (get tested in hospital) + 1,697 (active case finding)]	9 (in SQ)	128,546 [87,363 in field hospital]	334,797 (+2,886)	14,953 (+188) (last seven days: 1,222)	42,477,514  (+830,413) BKK: 10,686,938 (+86,030)	13,773,184 (+ 512,728) BKK: 2,917,762 (+51,942)	16.08%

• The Tourism Minister discussed with the Bangkok Governor and has agreed that reopening to fully vaccinated and COVID-negative visitors from abroad, scheduled for October 15. The Bangkok Governor has indicated that Bangkok wants their city population rate at 70 percent first.—ThaiPBS World

• The Minister gave an interview this morning saying that he will consult with the CCSA and Public Health to ease alcoholic beverage when dine-in to attract more tourists.—Inside Thailand

• The Public Health permanent-secretary has vowed to inoculate 1 million doses on 24 September, Mahidol Day-the day the grand father of the King passed away. The top doctor said that the effort will be conducted for the royal merit making.—Public Health Ministry

Politics

• In his dramatic return to the main-ruling PPRP meeting, Thammanat, the party’s secretary-general who has been fallen from grace from the ministerial positions, said that at first he would like to resign from the party and set up his new political party. He also stressed that with General Prawit’s blessings, he would  continue working with the PPRP and that this will be his last political party.—Inside Thailand, Thai Rath
  • The former Election Commissioner and political commentator Somchai said that the appearance of Thammanat and Narumon (two figures who were removed from portfolio by the PM) at the PPRP meeting is a shocking development for the PM. He said the reasons that his order to remove the political campaigner from ministerial position does not work well as Thammanat has the majority in the PPRP executives and that General Prawit has decided to go against the PM. Somchai ended with a Thai proverb “There could be only one tiger in a cave”, signifying an even more intense conflicts between the PM and his big brother General Prawit.—Somchai Srisutthiyakorn

• A court in Thailand granted bail on Wednesday to four leaders (Panupong “Mike Rayong” Jadnok, Phromsorn “Fah” Weerathamjaree, Chartchai Kaedum and Nutchanon Pairoj) of an anti-government protest movement after more than a month in pre-trial detention. Pait ‘Penguin’ Chiwarak was released but was remanded on a different charge.—Reuters

• The Parliament has passed the first reading of the anti-torture and abduction bills with only one absent and one abstain.—
  • MPs have been debating on the first reading of the long-awaited legislation on torture, abductions. A draft bill designed to prevent and punish rogue state officials who abduct and torture suspects was initially approved by cabinet in 2016 but its progress stalled in the legislature. For anyone found guilty of torture and enforced disappearances, proposed punishments include hefty fines and jail terms of 5 to 15 years, increased to 10 to 25 years if the victim is severely injured and 15 to 30 years or life in the event of their death. The vote is expected to be on Thursday and the third reading is expected to be passed next year.—Reuters

ASEAN/ World

• A veteran media anchor at ThaiPBS interviewed six figures in Thai foreign affairs on the Thai diplomacy in the global context. The main figures included former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, former Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Surakiat Sathirathai, former Foreign Ministry secretary-general Sihasak Puengketkaew, Chairman of the PM Security Advisor Committee Panitan Wattanayagorn, Kiat Sittheeamorn, and veteran journalist Kavi Chongkittavorn.—ThaiPBS World

Questions	Interviewees
Abhisit	Surakiat	Sihasak	Panitarn	Kiat	Kavi
What should Thailand do to remain relevant in the global stage?	Thailand must have a stable domestic politics for it to be respectable.	Thai authorities lack the ‘shared vision’ on how the foreign affairs could help the country. Only with the same shared vision, can Thailand achieve foreign affairs success.	Thailand has been too domestic-oriented and has been missing in action from the ASEAN stage.	Foreign affairs should have participations from state apparatuses, private sectors and civi society.	There must be a big change in the foreign policy decision making process to be more proactive. Thailand must have a clear stance on every major power and regions.	Thailand must uphold internationally accepted standards-human rights and liberal trade regime and others.
What should be the Thai stance in the more contested global politics between the US and China?	Thailand must find a middle ground in the more intense US-Sino relations and must maintain its independent stance.	As cordial to both, Thailand can play a constructive roles with both the US and China. Thailand must make a clear relations with all major powers and must seize the strategic silence.	It is wise to take sides at certain occasions. Thailand must look at Singapore foreign policy stressing the importance of international competition for the smaller nations’ benefits.		It is a real challenge and Thailand must find a very well-balanced stance to take.	Thailand must remain neutral to secure an important negotiating power and should expand its relations to other extra-regional nations to gain more power.
What should the Thai government do in Myanmar crisis?	Thailand must build up its domestic legitimacy first before engaging with the regional affairs. Thailand must be more democratic before having a say in its regional affairs.	Thailand has the potential to influence the junta to hold a negotiation with all parties concerned. Despite upholding the non-interference principle, violence must not be tolerated.	Thailand should play a more assertive role in Myanmar. Despite the claim to play ‘discreet diplomacy’, it is unclear what the term mean?	N/A	N/A	N/A

Australia

• Thai media cited Reuters reporting that the announcement of the establishment of trilateral AUKUS pact (Australia-UK-the US) will also provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarine to cover the region with rising Chinese influence. The pact will also mean Australia must break the deal with the French ship builder Naval Group. US President said that this pact will mean that there will be a greater European engagement in the Into-Pacific region.—Manager, Nation TV, Daily News

• A senior representative of AFP official in Thailand attended the opening of Anti-trafficking centre at the Royal Police Headquarters in Bangkok.—Kom Chad Leuk

Economic

• Ministry of Finance will propose that the public debt ceiling be raised to 70 percent of GDP at their next Fiscal Policy committee meeting to be chaired by PM Prayut and Finance Minister Arkhom on 20 September, according to an anonymous source.  The proposal will be to raise the public debt ceiling to 70 percent of GDP for 10 years, during which time tax collection must be raised to 20 percent of GDP to boost state revenue, on the premise that GDP expand by 3-5 percent.  Economists and the Bank of Thailand alike voice support for the move since additional fiscal injection is essential to rehabilitate the economy from COVID-19.  Source:  Prachachat Turakij
• Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Center (SCB EIC) forecasted that Thailand’s economic recovery would be delayed until mid-2023 because of the prolonged pandemic outbreak.  SCB EIC has slashed the country’s GDP growth projection for 2021 from 0.9 to 0.7 percent due to subdued domestic consumption.  The number of tourist arrivals this year is also cut to 170,000 from 300,000 expected earlier.  SCB EIC pointed out that the economy’s output loss could be offset by the government borrowing an additional 500 billion – 1 trillion Baht to rehabilitate and reform the structure of the Thai economy.  Source:  Bangkok PostThai Rath
• Thai National Shippers Council is confident that Thai export this year can achieve a 10 percent YoY growth and even reach 14 percent growth in the best case scenario.  This would mark the highest growth rate in 10 years, with export value that reaches a historically high level of 254 – 263 billion USD.  However,  a number of factors could impede growth, such as shipping container shortage, high freight cost that increased by 4 times, micro-chip shortage in the electronic industry and COVID-19 infection of workers the manufacturing sector.  Source:  Thansettakij
• Speaking at an online seminar “From Recovery to Resilience: The Development Dimension”, Supachai Panitchpakdi, former secretary-general of the UNCTAD said the region needs to pursue the sufficiency economy principle of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej as one of the principles for resilient and inclusive growth with sufficient food, shelter, education and basic needs.  Supachai added it is time for Asia-Pacific countries to look at green economy development to tackle the imbalance between economic and non-economic development to create sustainability.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• A new joint venture company between PTT and multinational electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, a subsidiary of Taiwan’s FoxConn, will be established to develop a US$1-2 billion Electric Vehicle (EV) production facility in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).  The JV firm will be developed to develop a comprehensive supply chain for EV together with an R&D centre to promote Thailand as the production hub of EV in ASEAN.  The initial manufacturing target is set at 50,000 cars and will increase to 150,000 annually in the next stage.  Source:  Bangkok Post, MCOT
• Ministry of Tourism and Sports said the reopening of Bangkok will be delayed from 1 October to 15 October to ensure 70 percent of Bangkok residents is fully inoculated.  The quarantine-free entry via Bangkok will benefit the whole country, particularly with the 7+7 extension plan that will be implemented simultaneously.  This will allow tourists to stay in Bangkok for 7 days before travelling to another 8 provinces that are also in the pilot reopening programme.  Most will next week propose the reopening of five areas, including Bangkok, to the CCSA and CESA.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• Hotels in Phuket have benefitted from more than 524,000 paid room nights since its sandbox reopening 11 weeks ago, with the largest group of visitors coming from the United States.  As visitors were now required to spend only seven nights instead of 14 nights in Phuket and could then travel to Surat Thani, Phangnga or Krabi province, those three southern provinces also benefitted. They reported hotel occupancy of 7,135 room nights – 3,936 room nights in Surat Thani, 1,936 in Phangnga and 1,263 in Krabi.  Source:  Bangkok Post

Headlines summary as of 15 September 2021

News

Newly confirmed case(s)	Total Cases	Patients under severe conditions and those using ventilators	Discharged from hospital	From 1 April, totally confirmed cases (third wave)	1st dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	3rd dose vaccine recipients (from 16 July)
13,798 (451 from prisons); (excluding ATK 783)	1,420,340 (last seven days: 97,821)	3,994/ 806	1,277,029 (+14,133)	1,249,603	27,769,095  (+ 228,352) BKK: 7,407,837 (+36,334)	617,550 (+ 975) BKK: 187,274 (+1,219)
Local transmission	From abroad	Being hospitalised/ in field-hospital/ quarantined	Confirmed cases in Bangkok	Death toll	Total vaccination (doses)	2nd dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	Average positive rate in the last seven days
13,325 [12,117 (get tested in hospital) + 1,208 (active case finding)]	22 (in SQ)	128,546 [87,363 in field hospital]	331,911 (+2,772)	14,765(+144) (last seven days: 1,254)	41,647,101  (+ 694,076) BKK: 10,460,931 (+93,837)	13,260,456 (+ 464,749) BKK: 2,865,820 (+56,284)	17.72%

• The Transport Minister gave an interview this morning. He is going to meet with Bangkok Governor at 3 pm today to discuss Bangkok Sandbox. He said that the reopening of Bangkok will be by districts basis-potentially CBDs and the old town to attract tourists. The final say will be on the governor.
  • Based on his interview, here are the initial requirements:
    • The scheme will kick off on 1 October. 
    • The tourists must have Mor-Chana (tracking application) which will alert authority should the user left the designated area.
    • The tourists in Bangkok must have the RT-PCR results as negative to enjoy the travel scheme without any quarantine. While waiting for the result, the tourist must wait in their hotel rooms.
    • If there are 200 or more cases in Bangkok for 10 days straight, the authority will consider a step-up measures. 
    • No alcoholic beverage allowed when dine-in.
  • The Bangkok Sandbox is part of the scheme to reopen some areas in tourist provinces: Chiang Mai (Mueng, Mae Rim), Prachuab Kirikhan (Hua Hin), Chonburi (Pattaya and other districts) and Rayong (Cha-am).—Inside Thailand

• Chulabhorn Royal Academy which has been importing ‘alternative’ Sinophram vaccines is now set to import 8 million doses of Moderna vaccines and will open for the public registration in October.—Prachachat Turakij
• The prospect of flooding in Central Thailand is looming large as Chao Praya Dam is set to discharge water downstream. The Irrigation Department issued a warning saying that low-lying areas in Ayutthaya would initially be affected.—Bangkok Post

Politics

• In the highly-anticipated politically shaky main ruling PPRP meeting this morning, there have been various developments since last night:
  • Yesterday, the Deputy PM and PPRP leader General Prawit issued a letter appointing his general friend as the PPRP’s Strategic Chief. The appointment means that Justice Minister Somsak who has been siding with the PM in the latest censure debate is kicked out of the position in the party.—Inside Thailand
  • PPRP secretary-general Thammanat and the party treasurer Narumon participated in the party meeting. The two main PPRP figures were kicked off ministerial posts from their failed attempt to oust the PM in the last censure debate.—Krungthep Turakij
• In his Club House session yesterday, ousted and self-exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra dismissed the conspiracy which said that he had paid Thammanat 2 billions THB to oust the PM in the censure debate. The former PM also said that the PM order to strip Thammanat and Narumon will make the PM to pay higher price to get the PPRP vote for him in the upcoming Parliamentary sessions.—Krungthep Turakij
• It is reported that before the cabinet meeting yesterday, the PM held a meeting with other coalition party leaders while he said let’s get prepared for the next election next year.—Krungthep Turakij
• After the Parliament has passed the third reading of the Constitutional amendment motion, smaller political parties are set to petition the Constitutional Court this Friday to seek a ruling on the constitutionality of the constitutional amendment draft.-Khao Sod

Economic:

Cabinet’s Approval, 14 September 2021

Approved of tax deduction incentives to promote the private sector to purchase Antigen Test Kit to test their employees and staff.

Approved in principle the Long Term Resident (LTR) visa package.  The LTR gives 4 groups of foreigners the following benefits:

• A 10-year visa, also extended to their spouse and dependent
• Exemption from the 90-day visa reporting
• Exemption 4:1 labour quota (Thai: migrant labour)
• Allow them to own land/properties for up to 5 years (Cabinet has instructed interior Ministry to amend the law)
• Reduction of tariff on wine, alcoholic beverages and cigar for up to 5 years (Finance Ministry is instructed to revise the regulations)
• High-skilled professionals can pay the fixed income rate of 17 percent; a special rate that also applies to foreigners working in the Eastern Economic Corridor

Eligible LTR applicants and their requirements
Wealthy Global Citizen	Wealthy Pensioner	Work from Thailand Professional	Hi-Skilled Professionals
Required to make a minimum of 500,000 USD investment in Thai government bonds, real estate or though Foreign Direct Investment	Required to make a minimum of 250,000 USD investment in Thai government bonds, real estate or through Foreign Direct Investment	Must receive minimum earning of 80,000 USD annually in the past 2 years	Must receive minimum personal earning of 80,000 USD annually in the past 2 years
Minimum salary/pension of 80,000 USD annually in the past 2 years	Minimum pension of 40,000 USD annually	Minimum earning of 40,000 USD annually with Master’s Degree and above; or have received Series A3 with 5 year of working experience	Minimum earning of 40,000 USD annually with Master’s Degree and above; with 5 year of working experience in the targeted industries
Must possess assets worth a minimum of 1 million USD	Must have minimum pension of USD 80,000 annually if cannot invest in Thailand

• The cabinet has also instructed the Board of Investment to establish a one-stop-service center to facilitate LTR visa application.  The relevant ministries must update the progress to the cabinet in 90 days.

• The government expects the LTR package to attract 1 million foreigners to Thailand, generate 1 trillion Baht for the Thai economy and 800 billion Baht in investment, increase revenue from tax collection by 270 billion Baht.  Sources:  Bangkok Post Prachachat Turakij  Krungthep Turakij
• Tourism and Sports Minister confirmed that Bangkok, Chon Buri, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Chiang Mai will begin implementing their tourism reopening plans on 1 October as planned.  Some 21 other provinces will follow suit on 15 October.  Source:  Bangkok Post

Others

• Thailand’s national trade strategy from 2022 – 2027 should focus on upgrading existing export products and services in alignment with modern technology. The government needs to improve the business environment by reducing market dominance and regulations to facilitate ease of doing business for small and new operators, according to the study by Thammasat University’s Research and Consultancy Institute, hired by the Trade Policy and Strategy Office under the Commerce Ministry.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• The Bank of Thailand and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) prepare for cross-border business expansion under a bilateral Qualified ASEAN Bank (QAB) agreement, which is part of the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework, concluded in April 2019.  Banks in Thailand and Malaysia are invited to state their interest in being a QAB in Malaysia or Thailand.  A successful QAB candidate will enjoy market access and operational flexibility under the bilateral arrangement.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• Low-priced condos with attractive designs near job clusters or schools continue to be popular as price-sensitive demand is strong amid poor market sentiment, according to Colliers Thailand.  Demand for low-end condo units was on the rise during the first 8 months of 2021 as this segment has the largest base of real demand.  However, in the first half of 2021, new condo launches totaled 6,079 units; a YoY decrease of 14 percent.  Source:  Bangkok Post

Headlines summary as of 14 September 2021

News

Newly confirmed case(s)	Total Cases	Patients under severe conditions and those using ventilators	Discharged from hospital	From 1 April, totally confirmed cases (third wave)	1st dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	3rd dose vaccine recipients (from 16 July)
11,786 (271 from prisons); (excluding ATK 783)	1,406,542 (last seven days: 98,199)	4,080/ 818	1,262,896 (+14,738)	1,377,679	27,540,743  (+237,043) BKK: N/A	616,575 (+1,500) BKK: N/A
Local transmission	From abroad	Being hospitalised/ in field-hospital/ quarantined	Confirmed cases in Bangkok	Death toll	Total vaccination (doses)	2nd dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	Average positive rate in the last seven days
12,409 [11,232 (get tested in hospital) + 1,177 (active case finding)]	11 (in SQ)	129,025 [91,742 in field hospital]	329,139 (+2,788)	14,621 (+136) (last seven days: 1,338)	40,953,025  (+676,669) BKK: N/A	12,795,707 (+438,126) BKK: N/A	17.72%

• Japan said on Tuesday it will donate an additional 1.3 million AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan and other Asian neighbours, including 300,000 doses to Thailand.—Bangkok Post
• The MFA spokesperson gave an interview on the Japanese Embassy warning of the potential terrorism and suicide bombing in Thailand that he had reached out to the Thai Ambassador in Tokyo who said that more information is classified and that the content of the warning is the only information that can be made public.—Inside Thailand
  • The Police Chief has ordered the step-up measures in border control following the Tokyo warning of potential suicide bombing. The Police Chief has also ordered to toughen the protective measures for the VIPs and significant locations.—Thai News Agency
• The prospect of flooding in Central Thailand is looming large as Chao Praya Dam is set to discharge water downstream. The Irrigation Department issued a warning saying that low-lying areas in Ayutthaya would initially be affected.—Bangkok Post

Politics

• Tomorrow, the main ruling PPRP is going to hold its general meeting tomorrow. It is expected that there will be a big change in the PPRP executives.
  • The Justice Minister and one of the ‘three musketeers’ group siding with the PM during the last censure debate has affirmed that there will not be a change in the party secretary-general of the largest ruling party.—Krungthep Turakij
• The attorney-general has decided to press charges against the government whip and 86 other people on his allegation on futsal courts in Nakhon Ratchasrima to the Supreme Court. After this, the Supreme Court will set up a committee to decide whether to suspend all the alleged from political positions. The government whip was one of the so-called ‘Four-Deputies’ who was in a ploy to oust the PM during the latest censure debate.—Krungthep Turakij
• As the draft bill on Prevention & Suppression of Torture & Enforced Disappearances will be deliberated in the Parliament this week, European embassies are signalling their support on the positive development.—United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg
• Ousted and self-exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra has tweeted on his personal account saying that he is going reveal what are behind the scenes of the 2006 coup which dethroned him from power and the political future of the younger generations on Club House.—Naew Na
• The Natural Resource Minister and leader of the ruling Chatthai Pattana Party has come out to reaffirm the relations between the PM and Deputy PM Prawit remains cordial. The fourth largest ruling party leader also dismiss the possibility of a snap election.—Thai Rath
• After voting against the party resolution in the latest vote of no confidence, the largest Opposition Pheu Thai Party has expelled two MPs from party as a penalty. It is reported that the two MPs will go to side with ruling PPRP and Bhumjaithai Party.—Thai Rath
• Nine politicians from right wing Action Coalition for Thailand have decided to left the party to return to Democrat Party.—Thai Post This has posted a big question on the political power of Suthep Tuagsubun, former PDRC leader and Deputy PM who led the ACT Party to secure some MPs in the last election.—Inside Thailand

Analysis/opinion

• During the censure debate, the PM mentioned that there is someone who are claiming that the PM has fallen from the royal grace. Security forces reporter Sermsuk Kasitipradit posted on his social media that after the PM unprecedented order to strip Thammanat from ministerial position, it is a signal that the PM has still got the royal approval. The ‘purge’ against those who claimed that the PM is no longer favourable will not be limited to that of Thammanat.—Sermsuk Kasitipradit
• The upcoming restructuring in the PPRP is the greatest dilemma for the troika (the PM Prayuth, Deputy PM Prawit and Interior Minister Anupong). PPRP Secretary-General Thammant under Prawit is too risky to keep in the position as he might find a way to sabotage the PM in the next opportunity he got. Meanwhile, the only way to strip Thammant from the position might be to hurt Deputy PM Prawit badly.—Krungthep Turakij  

Economic

• The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) had attracted investment worth 1.6 trillion Baht in 3 years from 2018 – 2021, which is 94 percent of the 1.7 trillion Baht target set in its 5-year plan.  These consist of investments in infrastructure projects through PPP model and S-Curve industries.  As such, the investment target for the EEC has been raised to 2.5 trillion Baht for the next 5 years, through plans to draw investments to develop the digital hub EECd and aviation city EECa; the latter of which will include a sandbox area to help move Thailand into the top 10 in the Ease of Doing Business ranking.  A plan is also being drafted for the Eastern Fruit Corridor (EFC) from 2023 – 2027.  Sources:  Prachachart Turakij Krungthep Turakij
• Thailand is considering revising its re-opening model to adopt the One Standard Operating Procedure, One System (OSOS), which will scrap the mandatory quarantine and sealed routes for all pilot areas this year.  Instead, the OSOS will allow tourists to travel freely within designated areas, as well as reduce the price of the 3 RT-PCR tests by half.   The reopening plans for 5 areas – Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Cha-am and Bangkok will be submitted for CCSA’s consideration next week before they reopen on October 1.  Samui Plus will also shift to a quarantine-free destination.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• The Bank of Thailand (BOT), Thai Bankers’ Association and Siam Commercial Bank concurred that COVID-19 has made online banking service much more prevalent, noting that mobile-banking service and electronic payment transactions had increased sharply in the past 10 years.  BOT added that digital technology should be used to tackle household debt and enhance SMEs’ accessibility to loans, which would pave way for the nation’s sustainable economic growth.  BOT is also planning to test its Retail Central Bank Digital Currency in Q2 of 2022.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• The government is being urged to tackle water supplies to the farm sector in the northeastern region to promote bio-economy development in the North Eastern Economic Corridor (NEEC).  The NEEC, comprising Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima and Nong Khai, are expected to manufacture products using bio-economy principle to supply to the EEC and China.  Thailand should also capitalize on the high-speed rail between China and Laos (Vientiane), which will start operation in December this year.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Thailand’s household debt had surged from 80 percent of GDP at the end of 2020 to 90.5 percent in Q1 2021.Given the prolonged outbreak, TTB Bank projected that household debt could hit 93 percent of GDP by the end of 2021.TTB is also concerned about the quality of the debt, pointing out that the amount of debt that had entered the restructuring program amounts to around 11 percent of the GDP even if stage 3 debt remains low at 1 percent of GDP.  Household debt must be tackled swiftly, particularly because personal loan is seeing a high proportion of unsecured loan.  Source:  Matichon
• The Thailand-based Aussie Oil Depot company is rolling out a new petrol station franchise model from Australia under the brand ‘Aussie Oil’, to be launched in September.  The model requires an investment of 5 million Baht and comes equipped with minimart and professional training service.  Source:  Thansettakij

Headlines summary as of 13 September 2021

News

Newly confirmed case(s)	Total Cases	Patients under severe conditions and those using ventilators	Discharged from hospital	From 1 April, totally confirmed cases (third wave)	1st dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	3rd dose vaccine recipients (from 16 July)
12,583 (163 from prisons); (excluding ATK 6,436)	1,394,756 (last seven days: 100,234)	4,096/ 835	1,248,158 (+16,304)	1,365,893	27,303,700 (+109,213) BKK: 7,350,114	615,075 (+106) BKK: 184,874
Local transmission	From abroad	Being hospitalised/ in field-hospital/ quarantined	Confirmed cases in Bangkok	Death toll	Total vaccination (doses)	2nd dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	Average positive rate in the last seven days
12,409 [11,232 (get tested in hospital) + 1,177 (active case finding)]	11 (in SQ)	132,113 [161,577 in field hospital]	326,351 (+3,329)	14,485 (+132) (last seven days: 1,443)	40,276,356 (+215,889) BKK: 10,258,747	12,357,581 (+106,570) BKK: 2,723,759	18.03%

• The deputy PM and Public Health Minister said that on 29 September, there will be 2 million more of Pfizer vaccines reach the Kingdom. This is part of the overall ordered 30 million doses. The top public health official said that the authority is discussing on the reduction of quarantine days.—Khao Sod
• After the Chinese Embassy fierce Facebook post against the people who has been questioning the efficacy of the Chinese vaccines, a former Thai diplomat has argued that the post has went too far and might be read as a threat against the Thai people. The anti-Prayut vocal diplomat has also questioned the Foreign Minister who instead of protecting the Thai people from such threat, is reiterating the Chinese message.–Matichon
• On 12 September, the Japanese Embassy has sent out emails warning its citizen in Thailand of the high possibility of a terror attack and has warned their citizen to avoid crowded areas, tourist spots, and areas where there are connections to Japan or Western countries. The warning also outlined restaurants, mosques and churches.
  • The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has later outlined that the email was not only sent to Japanese nationals in Thailand, but all over the Southeast Asian region.–ThaiPBS, Nation Thailand

Politics

• After there was a blitz by the PM to remove Deputy Agriculture Minister and PPRP secretary-general and the Deputy Labour Minister and PPRP treasurer from ministerial positions on Thursday, there have been various developments since:
  • It is reported that the two PPRP main figures went to see Deputy PM and PPRP leader General Prawit calling for the party leader to strip them from position, so that they could seek out new party to work with. The party leader was reportedly advised against that and has asked them to help the party.–Matichon
  • It is argued that the PM might have an incentive to become the PPRP leader in a bid to consolidate his political capital in the next election.—Krungthep Turakij
  • It is reported that the PPRP has called for the meeting of its MPs at the Parliament on 15 September. The party leader is expected to join the meeting.—Thai Rath
  • With the two-minister gone, there have been speculations on who will fill in the vacant portfolios. Here are some of the speculations: The Nation Group executive editors have come up with this formula:

Name	From	To
Songsak Thongsri	Deputy Interior Minister	Deputy Public Health Minister
Sathit Pittutecha	Deputy Public Health Minister	Deputy Interior Minister
Chatchai Promlert	Interior secretary-general (retiring)	Deputy Interior Minister
Southern PPRP MPs	MPs	Deputy Labour Minister

• The Parliament has passed the third reading of the Constitutional Amendment to return to that of two-ballot system.
  • Of the total 467 MPs, 323 voted in favour, 23 against and 121 abstained. Of the total 225 senators, 149 voted in favour, 10 against, and 66 abstained. The bill will be forwarded for royal endorsement in 15 days.—Nation Thailand
  • This is unexpected for many political observers as it is seen as giving opposition Phue Thai a magic wand to compete in the electoral system they are competent of.–ThaiPBS
  • The Nation Group viewed however that this move is well-calculated with the ultimate aim of dwarf the progressive Move Forward Party to have more than 50 seats in the Parliament for the upcoming election.—Than Settakij
• NIDA Poll revealed the results of a public survey entitled “Political Possibilities of Big Three (Prawit Wongsuwan, Anupong Paochinda, and Prayut Chan-o-cha)”. Nearly one-thirds of those surveyed believed that this could be General Prayut Chan-o-chas last term as prime minister.—Nation Thailand

Economic

• Ministry of Finance (MOF) is working on plans to borrow an additional 72.3 billion Baht through government bonds and promissory notes by 30 September, which marks the end of Fiscal Year 2021.  With this additional borrowing, MOF would have borrowed 98 percent of the 1 trillion Baht loan as stiuplated by the executive decree.  Once borrowed, the loan must be disbursed by the end of the calendar year.   As for government’s recent 500 billion Baht loan, to date the MOF has borrowed 74 billion Baht.  Sources:  Thai Rath  Prachachart Turakij
• The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has categorised 10 export sectors into 4 groups based on the advantages they will gain from different stages of the global economy.  Of the 10 industries, food and auto exports will pick up with global economic recovery; home appliance and furniture will flourish with work-from-home guidelines; medical equipment and food supplement will rise with healthcare trends; and Thai handicrafts as well as cosmetic products will benefit from the pandemic.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• At the 53^rd ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting from 8-9 September, the Ministers agreed on a number of issues to boost the region’s post COVID-19 recovery.  These include the framework for BCG development, digitization plans and regional e-commerce plans, among others.  The Ministers also agreed to cement trade connections through ASEAN Single Window and each member agreed to expedite the internal processes of their respective country to ensure RCEP enforcement in January 2022.  Sources:  Manager Online Naew Na
• Ministry of Agriculture has designated Durian as a ‘special agricultural product’, aiming to promote it as the key fruit in upscaling green innovation in the agricultural sector.  The government has set sights on developing green and sustainable value chains for special agricultural products to help small scale farmers.  Durian is Thailand’s top agricultural product exports with 94.8 billion Baht in value; or 2.5% of GDP.  Its export grows at 40 percent each year.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• Somjai Phagaphasvivat, an independent political and economic analyst, urged the government to roll out a national strategic blueprint to address the changing economic structure such as technologies, geopolitics, global warming, health and inequality management.  For example, he suggested Thailand have a Covid-19 charter with ASEAN to prepare for future outbreaks.  Without a strategic blueprint, it could affect Thailand’s competitiveness in the next 5-10 years.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• Commerce Minister Jurin presided over the re-opening of Khao Lak district, Phang-Nga province on 12 September as part of the Andaman Sandbox model.  He also witnessed the signing of an MOU between the Public Health Ministry and 6 hotels in Khao Lak that will be developed into Andaman’s medical and wellness hub, which earn revenue of 1 trillion Baht for the country.  Source:  Matichon
• Chiang Mai’s reopening was scheduled for Oct 15, although the date may be delayed depending on the rate of Covid-19 infections nationwide.  Chiang Mai’s reopening sandbox model will be different from Phuket’s and Samui’s versions as the latter are islands.  For Chiang Mai, 3 tourism programmes are offered to foreign visitors.  A short visit of 5 days is for visitors who play golf; a medium-length visit is for to 14 days with an itinerary to see specific places in Chiang Mai.  A third type of visit is for people from the Phuket sandbox who have spent 6 days in Phuket and travel onward to Chiang Mai where they would tour for another 7 days.  Source:  Bangkok Post

Headlines summary as of 8 September 2021

News

Newly confirmed case(s)	Total Cases	Patients under severe conditions and those using ventilators	Discharged from hospital	From 1 April, totally confirmed cases (third wave)	1st dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	3rd dose vaccine recipients (from 16 July)
14,176 (506 from prisons); (excluding ATK 2,372)	1,322,519 (last seven days: 102,988)	4,387/ 960	1,166,364 (+16,769)	1,293,656	25,954,106 (+ 399,650) BKK: 7,240,270 (+13,278)	607,177 (+ 1,687) BKK: 177,707 (+1,051)
Local transmission	From abroad	Being hospitalised/ in field-hospital/ quarantined	Confirmed cases in Bangkok	Death toll	Total vaccination (doses)	2nd dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	Average tests in the last seven days
14,160 [11,940  (get tested in hospital) + 1,714 (active case finding)]	16 (in SQ)	142,644 [ 100,610 in field hospital]	309,071 (+3,691)	13,511 (+228) (last seven days: 1,670)	37,461,284 (+ 826,013) BKK:  9,872,041 (+ 59,238)	10,900,001 (+ 424,676) BKK: 2,454,064 (+44,909)	46,036

• The cabinet has approved around 4 billion THB to sort out 12 million more doses of Sinovac vaccines to supply the Thai-invented cocktail of Sinovac-Astrazeneca mixture. Thai Health authority has affirmed that the cocktail is highly effective against the delta variant.—Khao Sod

Politics

• Key figures in the main ruling PPRP have voiced their opinion in support of the former Police Chief Chakthip as the preferred candidate for the Bangkok Governor election. Deputy PPRP leader Paiboon said that the former Police Chief is a suitable candidate.–Matichon Wirat, the Government whip, said that despite the party is not going to file the party candidate, but he personally support Chakthip.—Inside Thailand
• On the month-long protracted confrontational Din Daeng intersection, yesterday saw an escalation of violence from the authority:
  • Deputy chief of Metropolitan Police calls “Talugas” protesters dangerous troublemakers and a danger to the public and has strictly enforce the law against the group.–ThaiPBSWorld
  • After there has been a widespread video of police using a truck hitting protestors at the intersection. Free Youth Movement, a protest group, said that the hit has made the protestor in critical condition and has called the government a murderer state. Later, the Metropolitan Police issued a press release dismissing the accusation saying that the protestor has just broken the clavicle.–Matichon
  • Piyarat Chongthep, the leader of protestor guard WeVo group has argued that as authority has begun to use the term ‘troublemakers’ and reclaim of area is troubling. The protest leader is saying that the language of the police is legitmising state violence.—Piyarat Chongthep
• Former Red Shirt leader Natthawut Saikrea who is leading a car mob group calling for the PM resignation posted on his Facebook that he has heard from his friend that the police will soon issue an arrest order.–Matichon He has cancelled today’s gathering for fear that the arrest might escalate the protest to turn violent.—Thai Rath
  • The group which has vowed to occupy the CBD Asoke intersection every day until the PM resigned are planning to step up their communication and protest strategies as they have seen lesser participants on weekdays. The main figure of the group is planning to hold a major protest on 19 September, the 15^th anniversary of the coup against former PM Thaksin.—Krungthep Turakij

• A high school student-led protest group ‘Bad Students’ has called for a campaign ‘skip online learning’ to reject the online teaching being applied in most schools across Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign which has turned viral on Twitter is calling for students to skip online classes, from today until Friday, in protest against the online teaching method which, it claims, is ineffective and discouraging.–ThaiPBSWorld
• The third reading of the Constitutional Amendment to return to that of two-ballot system and the ratio of constituency vis-à-vis party-list MPs will be change from 350:150 to 400:100 will be on 10 September. To pass, it requires more than half of the votes in both chambers, plus one-third Senators approval and plus 20 percent of Opposition parties MPs. Parties are starting to make their stance more rigid. Here’s the summary of what the party leader said so far.

• The Chinese Embassy Bangkok has posted on their Facebook on the virtual meeting between the Chinese ambassador-designate and former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva. The Chinese envoy thanked the former PM for his continual contribution to the Sino-Thai relations. Meanwhile, the former Democrat leader who vowed against PM Prayut in the last election expressed his gratitude towards China on their help in supplying the Covid vaccine in the time of the Kingdom needs.—Chinese Embassy Bangkok

Analysis/ opinion

• Two editors from Than Settakij and Krungthep Turakij have made their analyses on what will happen after the censure debate that has caused the PM and PPRP secretary-general to be in deep conflict.
  • The two editors argued that it is very likely that there will be a cabinet reshuffle. One possibility is that the Deputy PM and PPRP leader General Prawit will also take the Interior Minister portfolio. The Interior Minister who has been criticised from the PPRP MPs as not accommodating to the MPs’ needs will ascend to Deputy PM position. With this equation, there will be more ministers than the Constitution allows, the Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Don might be out of position as the veteran diplomat has been making clear that he wants to be out of cabinet due to health issues—Nation TV
  • The two editors also analysed separately that the optimal choice for the fallen from grace Thammanat might be to return to his political stronghold in the Northern province of Phayao and to build up new political alliance from scratch. Thammanat current position has less to least say in the government.—Than Settakij
• Olan Thinbangteow, lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science and Law at Burapha University analysed that no matter how much the PM piss PPRP secretary-general Thammanat, the PM has to make Thammanat his necessary political ally due to the MPs under his control. The political pundit argued that the power behind the PM and Thammanat is that of the same group and does not want to see the conflict between the two went beyond control. The focus will on how the PM could steer the administration through the intra and extra cracks of the coalition.–Matichon

Economic

Cabinet’s Decisions, 7 September 2021

• Approved an additional 16.96 billion Baht of cash handout for workers and businesses insured under Section 33 of the Social Security Act in dark-red provinces that are affected by the lockdown.  The payments will be made in September in a follow-up from the first round of handout in August.
  • Of the 16.96 billion Baht, some 16.1 billion Baht will be allocated to 194,600 employers and 3.53 million workers registered under Section 33 in 13 dark-red provinces.
  • The remaining 862.2 million Baht will go to 18,900 employers and 400,375 workers in 29 dark-red provinces who are new registrants to social security Section 33.
  • To date, the government has approved 34.01 billion Baht as cash handout for workers and businesses affected by the restrictions in 29 dark-red provinces.

• Approved extending the housing scheme for low-income earners to Dec 31, 2023 from the expiration date of December this year.  Cabinet also approved an additional 20 billion Baht in housing loans for low income earner through Government Savings Bank.  Sources:  Bangkok Post  Naew Na  Thai Post
• The Labour Ministry has extended the scheme to reduce employers’ and employees’ contributions to Social Security Fund for the next 3 months, effective from September to November 2021.  For those insured under Section 33, contributions of employers and employees are reduced to 2.5 percent of the employee’s monthly salary.  For the self-insured under Section 39, contribution is reduced to 235 Baht.  Source:  Post Today
• A joint survey by the Bank of Thailand and Thai Hotels Association (THA) on 234 hotels between 13-28 August found that 52 percent of the hotels are considering closing temporarily, while 9 percent would shut down permanently if the pandemic lasts longer than expected.  Some 58 percent of the hotels are reporting income of less than 10 percent of pre-COVID levels, while 17 percent earned 11-30 percent of their pre-COVID income.  THA also added around 65 percent of hotel operators have enough liquidity to survive for less than 3 months.  Furthermore, hotel occupancy rate nationwide in August was 10.6 percent; slightly higher than the July’s 9.6 percent.  Source:  Bangkok Post  Matichon
• Russia and Thailand must resume commercial flights to boost the number of Russian tourist arrival in Q4 this year, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). There is travel demand to Thailand, but there are currently no commercial direct flights serving Russian cities and Phuket.  Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat will discuss this matter with the Russian Ambassador to Thailand this week. TAT has set sight on attracting 500,000-700,000 Russian travellers in 2022.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• Businesses and communities in the resort town of Hua Hin are not ready to reopen in October as planned, fearing it could repeat the mistakes of the Phuket sandbox scheme.  Phuket reported many daily infections despite having stringent measures and should this occur in Hua Hin, it would drive away the domestic travellers who currently make up 75 percent of tourists.  Moreover, the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan shared a long borderline of over 200 km with Myanmar, which raises the chance of migrants illegally entering the town and spreading the virus.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• The National Shippers’ Council has raised its export growth forecast to 12 percent this year from the 6-7 percent projection made in May, buoyed by the global economic recovery and a return of economic activities in major trading partners such as the United States, China, the European Union (EU) and Japan.  Source:  Bangkok Post

Headlines summary as of 7 September 2021

News

Newly confirmed case(s)	Total Cases	Patients under severe conditions and those using ventilators	Discharged from hospital	From 1 April, totally confirmed cases (third wave)	1st dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	3rd dose vaccine recipients (from 16 July)
13,821 (518 from prisons); (excluding ATK 1,112)	1,308,343 (last seven days: 103,614)	4,487/ 985	1,149,595 (+17,284)	1,279,480	25,554,456 (+ 320,197) BKK: 7,214,303 (+18,573)	605,490  (+ 1,467 ) BKK: 176,287 (+736)
Local transmission	From abroad	Being hospitalised/ in field-hospital/ quarantined	Confirmed cases in Bangkok	Death toll	Total vaccination (doses)	2nd dose vaccine recipients (from 28 Feb)	Average tests in the last seven days
13,297 [11,994  (get tested in hospital) + 1,303 (active case finding)]	6 (in SQ)	145,465 [103,094 in field hospital]	305,380 (+3,997)	13,042 (+187) (last seven days: 1,694)	36,635,271 (+ 722,377) BKK:  9,787,096 (+ 69,099 )	10,475,325  (+ 400,713) BKK: 2,396,506 (+49,790)	48,646

• The Best Cities for a Workation 2021 ranked by a British website. Bangkok secured the best city for ‘workation’ and Phuket came at number 10 amongst 150 cities worldwide. The ranking measures monthly rent, drinks prices after work, wi-fi speed and interesting activities.—Krungthep Turakij
• Media sensation is now on the two famous monks who revolutionise the way they teach Buddhism spiced with gags and laughter. Their FB lives had the highest 200,000 views at its peak. The two monks have been talk-of-the-town. For supporter, the two monks are breathing life and vitality into dusty old religious teachings with the main audience of apparently atheist youngsters. But to more conservative critics, the two monks were seen as degrading the Buddhism. Social activist Srisuwan Janya was so outraged that he demanded the Sangha Supreme Council take action.–ThaiPBSWorld
• The Digital Economy has admitted that 16 million patient records (patient registration numbers, full names, home addresses, phone numbers, their doctors’ names, names of the hospitals and medical records) from the Public Health Ministry have been hacked and an investigation is underway.–ThaiPBSWorld

Politics

• The cabinet has approved the election of the sub-district representatives as proposed by the Interior Ministry. The Election Commission will decide the election date later.
  • It is reported that the authority will defer the BMA governor election to be as late as next March.—Inside Thailand
• After the censure debate which shake the unity of the troika (the PM, Deputy PM Prawit and Interior Minister Anupong) the most, the Deputy PM and main-ruling PPRP leader gave a brief interview this morning dismissing the reports that he has an aspiration to be the PM and that the PPRP secretary-general Thammanat will not resign from position.–Matichon
• The cabinet met physically for the first time in months and freshly after the censure debate. The gestures were monitored and interpreted:
  • Media saw that Interior Minister walked towards and shook hands with the Deputy Agriculture Minister. The latter was reportedly eyed to get the Interior Minister portfolio and had staged a ploy to vote against the PM in the censure debate in a bid to pressure the PM to reshuffle.–Matichon
  • The so-called ‘4Deputies’ group (Deputy Finance Minister Santi, Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat, Deputy Labour Minister Narumon and Deputy Transport Minister Athirat) seem to dissolve, as Santi was seen visiting the PM yesterday and did not meet with others in their group before the cabinet meeting as usual. The other three were seen visiting the Deputy PM and PPRP leader General Prawit before the cabinet meeting. The group apparently failed to execute the ploy to vote against the PM in the last censure debate.–Matichon
• The third reading of the Constitutional Amendment to return to that of two-ballot system and the ratio of constituency vis-à-vis party-list MPs will be change from 350:150 to 400:100 will be on 10 September. To pass, it requires more than half of the votes in both chambers, plus one-third Senators approval and plus 20 percent of Opposition parties MPs. Parties are starting to make their stance more rigid. Here’s the summary of what the party leader said so far.

Analysis/ opinion

• Krungthep Turakij viewed if the PPRP secretary-general is kicked out of position for his fail ploy in the censure debate will mean the move by the PPRP to push for the two ballot system will potentially fail. It is reported the PPRP figure has joined hands with the government whip and a Deputy PPRP leader to amend the electoral system to be back to two ballot system (constituency and party-list) as they believe that the PPRP will get the most MPs from the new system. There are two competing possibilities. One, with the failed ploy to pressure the PM, Thammanat and his two-ballot proposal might be shot down due to political distrust. And secondly, the troika will push for the two-ballot system as it is the only electoral system which will end the growth and political future of the progressive Move Forward Party.—Krungthep Turakij

Australia

• The Embassy post warning people of visa scams against the new planning Agricultural Visa Scheme has been featured in Thai media.—Daily News and Siam Rath

Economic

• Inflation in August contracted for the first time in 5 months, dropping by 0.02 percent YoY and 0.18 percent MoM due to government subsidies on tuition fee and utility bill discounts.  Energy prices as well as prices of selected farm products such as pork, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, were also lower compared to last year.  Thai Chamber of Commerce University attributed this to subdued domestic consumption resulting from the lockdown and curfew.  Commerce Ministry expects inflation in 2021 to average at 1.2 percent.  Source:  Khao Sod  Bangkok Post
• The Eastern Economic Corridor Office (EECO) is pinning hope on the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to replace tourism as Thailand’s economic growth driver.  For this, the EEC will need to boost Thailand’s GDP growth by 5 percent GDP and attract investment of 1.7 trillion Baht within year 2024.  Currently investment in the EEC averages at 300 billion Baht annually, with investment through Board of Investment in the first half of 2021 standing at 120 billion Baht.  Going forward, EEC will focus on drawing investments into sectors such as new generation automobile; 5G digital and electronics; medical & wellness and logistics.
• At the end of this year, EECO plans to stage roadshows to draw investments into U-Tapao’s  Eastern Aviation City and the MRO facilities.  The Eastern Aviation City is envisaged as a smart city that will contribute 260 billion Baht to GDP upon completion.  Constructions are set to begin for the high-speed rail as well as expansions for U-Tapao airport, Map Ta Phut seaport and Laem Chabang seaport.  Other key projects include the Smart Park, which was conceived to support 4 new S-Curve industries namely aviation & logistics; medical industry; robotics and digital industries.  The Smart Park is forecasted to generate 1.4 billion Baht per year and contribute 53 billion Baht to GDP.  Source:  Krungthep Turakij newspaper, 7 September 2021  Thansettakij
• Public Health Ministry eyes enhancing the medical facilities in the EEC to be on par with the facilities in Bangkok through PPP model, starting from next year.  Public Health Deputy Minister Sathit will also propose to the cabinet the idea of launching tourism sandbox in selected areas within the EEC zone.  Source:  Thansettakij
• The Investor Confidence Index (ICI) for August, which makes forecasts on market conditions for the next 3 months, surged by 124.3 percent from July and has entered ‘bullish’ territory, according to The Federation of Thai Capital Market Organisations (Fetco).  The rise is driven by investors’ trust in vaccine distribution that will curb the pandemic, followed by the prospect of an economic recovery and fund inflows.  FETCO expects Thailand’s GDP to grow by +0 to +0.5 percent this year and by +4 percent in 2022.  Moreover, the Thai Bond Market Association noted the Thai bond market has recorded a huge net inflow of 110 billion Baht so far this year.  Source:  Bangkok Post
• The Board of Investment (BOI) has approved incentives to support local vaccine development, encourage companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also enhanced the scheme for Electric Vehicles (EV).  BOI further reported that investments in energy generation businesses in the first half of 2021 totalled 198 projects, constituting 25 percent of all BOI’s project applications.  Their investment value tallied 120 billion Baht, or 31 percent of all investment value through the BOI.  Source:  Bangkok Post  Post Today
• Hua Hin’s reopening scheduled on 1 October aims to attract tourists arriving by commercial flights and private jets via Hua Hin airport.  The Hua Hin Recharge project covers an area of 86.3 square km between Hua Hin municipality and Nong Kae district.  It allows tourists to travel without quarantine once they receive negative test result upon arrival. The Recharge area can also receive tourists who spend the first 7 days of their trip in the Phuket Sandbox under the 7+7 extension scheme.  Furthermore, the Hong Kong-based aviation advisory company Phoenix Group recently signed an MoU with Hua Hin airport to develop the facility to accommodate more international direct flights.  Source:  Bangkok Post