Chiwit Thai

[Yamato]

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/drug-suspects-death-grips-thailand-with-tales-of-police-brutality-and-corruption

Drug suspect's death grips Thailand with tales of police brutality and corruption

 

The central figure in the case, besides the victim, is Police Colonel Thitisan Utthanaphon (left).PHOTO: EPA-EFE/ROYAL THAI POLICEPublished Aug 28, 2021, 8:09 pm SGT

 

BANGKOK - The death of a drug suspect who allegedly suffocated after police wrapped layers of plastic bags around his head during questioning has gripped Thailand, with reports emerging of police corruption, fast cars and unusual wealth.

 

The central figure in the case, besides the victim, is a senior police officer, Police Colonel Thitisan Utthanaphon, 39 - nicknamed "Joe Ferrari" for his penchant for sports cars.

 

The former Muang police station chief, who led the fatal interrogation, is now in custody after a two-day manhunt and has been sacked.

 

The case, which has triggered an uproar nationwide and intensified calls for overdue police reforms, arose because of a leaked video of the incident, which took place earlier this month at a Nakhon Sawan police station.

 

During a media conference on Thursday (Aug 26), National Police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk said the police would not protect wrongdoers even if they were members of the force.

 

"Everyone will be treated the same under the legal system. The police organisation must exist with people's trust," he said.

 

In an unprecedented move during the media conference, Col Thitisan was allowed to phone in and respond to questions from journalists for 15 minutes.

 

He admitted to mistreating the suspect but denied allegations of corruption. He said he had given orders for the interrogation tactics used on 24-year-old Jeerapong Thanapat, but said he "did not mean to kill" him.

 

"My intention was to get the information so I could destroy a drug business and protect the people of Nakhon Sawan. I made a mistake... I take sole responsibility," he said during the conference, comments which elicited more anger than sympathy online.

 

The leaked video, which was dated Aug 5, was reportedly filmed by a junior officer, and shows a group of officers wrapping plastic bags around the head of the suspect, who was arrested after he was found with 100,000 methamphetamine pills. It also shows the officers holding him down and beating him. They try to revive him when he becomes unresponsive.

 

Besides Col Thitisan, six other officers were arrested in relation to the death.

 

Local media alleged that Col Thitisan told his subordinates at the Nakhon Sawan police station to list the suspect's cause of death as a drug overdose.

 

The Bangkok Post, citing a whistleblower's complaint, said the suspect was also told to pay two million baht (S$83,000) for his release.

 

"As for (the alleged attempt to extort money), I swear by the amulet around my neck that I have never been involved in corruption," said Col Thitisan during Thursday's media conference.

 

But he went on the run in a Mini Cooper shortly after the video was released, said the Thai Enquirer. The former police chief turned himself in on Thursday in Chon Buri province, hundreds of kilometres from his station.

 

Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is now probing the former officer for abuse of authority and is looking into his lavish assets - which include a 60 million baht home as well as a collection of super cars. His salary was just 43,000 baht a month

 

On Wednesday, police raided his 86,000 sq ft house in the Klong Sam Wa district of Bangkok, and found 13 luxury cars. Local media reported that he owned dozens more, including a limited-edition Lamborghini Aventador valued at 47 million baht.

 

A source told the Bangkok Post that part of the former policeman's wealth came from trading edible bird's nest, a business he got into after meeting industry contacts in the course of drug suppression operations.

 

The video showed a man with a bag placed over his head while he was pinned down by four men. PHOTOS: SCREENGRAB FROM SITTRA/FACEBOOK

 

He also purportedly benefited from a Customs Department programme that rewards officers who assist in recovering illegally smuggled luxury cars with 40 per cent of the proceeds earned from the sale of each car, reported The Nation.

 

He helped in the confiscation of more than 300 illegal cars in the last 10 years, and could have earned up to 400 million baht in rewards.

 

The saga involving Col Thitisan has generated a storm, particularly among netizens and civil society, and the hashtag "Stop lying Joe" started trending the day after Thursday's media conference.

 

Some netizens drew comparisons with the death of Mr George Floyd, the African-American man who was murdered while in police custody in the United States. Mr Floyd's death sparked protests over racial injustice and police brutality in the United States.

 

Referring to the case in Thailand, Asia director at Human Rights Watch Brad Adams said that a prosecution fully independent of the Thai police was needed for "any hope of justice" for Mr Jeerapong.

 

"Successive Thai governments have a long history of failing to ensure accountability for even the most ghastly police abuses against people in custody," he said.

 

Public trust in the Thai justice system has also taken a hit over the years, especially after a long-drawn case involving the scion of the Red Bull energy drink empire who has yet to face up to fatal hit-and-run charges.

 

An investigation into the case showed that there was a conspiracy to shield Vorayuth Yoovidhya, also known by his nickname "Boss", from prosecution. An inquiry into the senior police officers, prosecutors, and investigators involved in the case is ongoing.

 

In the 2012 case, Vorayuth was accused of crashing his Ferrari into policeman Wichien Klanprasert and dragging the body of the victim for a distance before fleeing. Traces of alcohol and cocaine were found in Vorayuth's bloodstream, according to police.

 

An arrest warrant was eventually issued for him in April 2017, but by then he had fled abroad. The warrant was dropped in 2020, but following a public outcry, a new warrant was issued a month later.

 

Vorayuth is still on the run.

Edited August 29, 2021 by Yamato

[Yamato]

Field hospital raided after reports of Covid patients doing drugs, having group sex
Published on  Friday, August 27, 2021 17:29 By narisasethi

 

 

Police raided a field hospital in central Thailand after reports that the Covid-19 patients were doing drugs and having orgies. A staff member at the field hospital in Samut Prakan, just southwest of Bangkok, told police the patients engaging in group sex and getting into fights where some patients were injured.

 

Officers from the Internal Security Operations Command dressed in personal protective gear raided the Samut Pra Ruamjai 5 where around 1,000 patients infected with Covid-19 are being treated. No illegal drugs were found, but officers did find 23 cartons of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, which they say, were smuggled into the facility.

 

Officials reviewed surveillance camera footage. Male and female patients are seen going to each other’s wards. It also appeared that some were doing drugs, but the footage is not clear and the patients could not be identified.

[XianGe]

1 hour ago, Yamato said:

Field hospital raided after reports of Covid patients doing drugs, having group sex
Published on  Friday, August 27, 2021 17:29 By narisasethi

 

 

Police raided a field hospital in central Thailand after reports that the Covid-19 patients were doing drugs and having orgies. A staff member at the field hospital in Samut Prakan, just southwest of Bangkok, told police the patients engaging in group sex and getting into fights where some patients were injured.

 

Officers from the Internal Security Operations Command dressed in personal protective gear raided the Samut Pra Ruamjai 5 where around 1,000 patients infected with Covid-19 are being treated. No illegal drugs were found, but officers did find 23 cartons of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, which they say, were smuggled into the facility.

 

Officials reviewed surveillance camera footage. Male and female patients are seen going to each other’s wards. It also appeared that some were doing drugs, but the footage is not clear and the patients could not be identified.

Checking in to field hospital NAO!

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 15,972 ( -564 )

 

Deaths 256 ( -8 )

 

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

 

Total New Cases 14,666 ( -1,306 )

 

Deaths 190 ( -66 )

 

 

[Yamato]

 

 

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 14,802 ( +146 )

 

Deaths 252 ( +62 )

 

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 14,802 ( +146 )

 

Deaths 252 ( +62 )

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by Yamato

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 14,956 ( +154 )

 

Deaths 262 ( +10 )

 

 

[Yamato]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Pharmaceuticals/Thai-demand-for-medicinal-herb-surges-as-natural-COVID-treatment?utm_campaign=GL_coronavirus_latest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=10&pub_date=20210902150000&seq_num=10&si=44594

 

Thai demand for medicinal herb surges as natural COVID treatment
Government grants fah talai jone stamp of approval in bid to boost rural support

 

 A Thai prisoner cultivates fah talai jone. (Photo courtesy of Thailand's Ministry of Justice.)
MARIMI KISHIMOTO, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 2, 2021 10:10 JST

 

BANGKOK -- A medicinal herb in Thailand that has been used since antiquity to relieve cold symptoms is now being promoted by the government as a way to relieve symptoms in mild cases of COVID-19.

 

Demand is so high for fah talai jone, also known as green chiretta, that the asking price multiplied by a factor of 10 this year. The military-backed government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha sees the crop as a means to curb discontent in farming communities.

 

People have turned to the plant for centuries to treat the symptoms of respiratory tract infections and alleviate painful coughs. But experts warn that its effectiveness in treating coronavirus infections may be overstated.

 

The frenzy for the fah talai jone traces back to a prison study. Due to a shortage of Avigan, the flu medication used to treat coronavirus patients, prison officials began experimenting with the herb on inmates with mild cases of COVID.

 

Thailand's Ministry of Justice reported that most of the inmates given fah talai jone saw an improvement in symptoms, driving demand for the herb as a cheap therapeutic substitute.

 

Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, a state-run producer of herbal medicines, said its supplies of fah talai jone are not enough to meet the overwhelming demand. In August, Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin ordered prisons around the country to cultivate the plant.

 

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives came out with a scheme to plant fah talai jone in a 1,600-hectare plot of land in the Eastern Economic Corridor, a special economic zone east of Bangkok.

 

The market value for fah talai jone has risen to 500 baht (around $15) per kilogram from 50 baht in a span of roughly six months from the end of 2020, according to a research team at Kasetsart University in Bangkok.

 

The Ministry of Commerce said it will not move to control prices, citing the potential loss of incentive among farmers to grow the crop, which would put patients at a disadvantage.

 

The government looks to ameliorate the grievances among farmers by lifting their incomes. Rural areas represent the political base for the opposition Pheu Thai Party, a home for loyalists to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in a coup.

 

The Pheu Thai Party has recently joined forces with the anti-government protest movement led by college students, whose demands include the resignation of Prayut. In response, the government is looking to win broader support from the rural citizenry, who represent about 40% of Thailand's population.

 

Flagging shipments of rice, a crop for which Thailand used to be the world's top exporter, have also contributed to the government's push for new money-makers.

 

"Thai herbs could become a new cash crop," said Thamanat Prompow, deputy minister of agriculture and cooperatives. The Prayuth government has decriminalized medical marijuana and kratom as well, with an eye on possible commercial opportunities.

 

But critics say there is a lack of scientific evidence indicating that fah talai jone is effective against COVID-19, especially since it is usually given to patients with mild symptoms.

 

There needs to be more research and comparisons against control groups that never received the herb, a researcher at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok told the BBC.

Edited September 2, 2021 by Yamato

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 14,653 ( - 303 )

 

Deaths 271 ( + 9 )

 

 

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 15,947 ( +1,294 )

 

Deaths 257 ( -14 )

 

 

[Standing Birdy]

1 hour ago, Yamato said:

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 15,947 ( +1,294 )

 

Deaths 257 ( -14 )

 

 

Numbers seem to be trending down. Burning itself out or less test less case?

[Yamato]

On 9/4/2021 at 10:31 AM, Standing Birdy said:

Numbers seem to be trending down. Burning itself out or less test less case?

 

I always have doubt in those numbers. Should be higher like at least 3 times higher.

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 13,988 ( -1,464 )

 

Deaths 187 ( -37 )

 

 

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 13,821 ( -167 )

 

Deaths 241 ( +54 )

 

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Yamato

[Yamato]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Thailand-pushes-dream-of-land-bridge-to-boost-economy?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20210906123000&seq_num=2&si=44594

 

Thailand pushes dream of 'land bridge' to boost economy
Backers say it would cut shipping time by 2 days, but project faces backlash

 

Ranong Province is a candidate site for the proposed Thai land bridge. (Photo courtesy of Tourism Authority of Thailand)
YOHEI MURAMATSU, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 5, 2021 12:00 JST

 

BANGKOK -- The dream of a Thai land bridge, a transport route that would cross the Malay Peninsula to connect ports on either side, has surfaced again in Thailand. If it becomes a reality, a land bridge could cut shipping times by about two days, compared with the current shipping route through the Malacca Strait.

 

The idea of a trade route cutting across the peninsula dates back to the 17th century. Thailand's current government is looking to large public works projects to rejuvenate the economy. The proposed land bridge certainly qualifies, but the project has attracted criticism over huge cost and potential environmental damage.

 

Squint a bit and the map of Thailand looks like an elephant, with the Malay Peninsula that stretches to the south forming the nose. The narrowest part, the Kra Isthmus," is just 44 km across, with the Gulf of Thailand to the east and the Andaman Sea to the west.

 

Building a transport route from east to west across the isthmus would shorten the distance that cargo ships have to travel to carry goods between East Asia and the Middle East and Europe by about 1,200 km. At present, they must sail far to the south, to the Malacca Strait.

 

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in October 2020 ordered a feasibility study on the construction of a land bridge across the Kra Isthmus. The plan is to build ports for large cargo ships in the southern provinces of Ranong and Chumphon, linking the two ports, about 130 km apart, with railways, highways and oil pipelines.

 

 

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob stressed the importance of building a land bridge at a business seminar in June. "We will pave the way so that Thailand can become Southeast Asia's 'economic tiger cub' again," the minister said. He believes a land bridge would not only make the route through the Malacca Strait obsolete, but would also attract investment from foreign companies if a special economic zone is set up in the area.

 

The idea of digging a canal across the Malay Peninsula is an old one. One Thai king asked France to conduct a survey for a canal in 1677. Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat famous for making Egypt's Suez Canal a reality, also visited the Kra Isthmus in 1882. At the turn of this century, too, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's government conducted a feasibility study on a canal, but the project fell apart following the 2006 coup.

 

A canal would be hugely expensive, with the cost estimated at around $30 billion Connecting the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea would also be technically difficult: The two bodies of water differ by several meters in elevation.

 

A further complication is the Thai government's simmering conflict with Islamist militants along the border with Malaysia. There are concerns that a canal would cut Thailand in two, intensifying separatist sentiment among Thailand's mostly Muslim ethnic Malays.

 

For these reasons, the government is leaning toward a land bridge, which would be easier and cheaper to build than a canal. A senior member of the government's economic policy team said in October 2020 that building a canal is unrealistic and the focus should be on a land bridge.

 

As Thailand's fiscal condition worsens due to ballooning COVID-19 expenditures, the government hopes to attract investment from foreign governments and companies through the public-private partnerships.

 

In a report published in January, the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based think tank, said building a Thai land bridge would cost 60 billion baht ($1.85 billion), according to Thai government estimates, significantly less than a canal across the Kra Isthmus.

 

Yet the dream of a canal refuses to die. The Thai Canal Association, which is composed of military veterans and politicians, has lobbied the government for a canal, arguing that it would prop up the economy of southern Thailand.

 

"The land bridge has few advantages, as there is a need to transfer cargo to railways and trucks at the port," said Pradit Boonkerd, secretary-general of the association.

 

China is thought to be taking an interest in a Kra canal, as the country promotes its Belt and Road Initiative. If a canal is built, China would no longer have to send ships through the Straits of Malacca, where the U.S. has a strong presence, when importing crude oil from the Middle East. It would also make it easier for Chinese warships operating in the South China Sea to sail into the Indian Ocean.

 

Residents protest the Thai land bridge in Bangkok in December 2020. (Photo courtesy of the People's Network for Natural Resources and Environment Protection in Songkhla and Satun)

 

In 2015, it was reported that China and Thailand signed a memorandum regarding the building of a Kra canal, but both governments denied the report. The Thai Canal Association, which is conducting research with Chinese companies, is said to have close ties to Beijing.

 

Whether it is a land bridge or a canal, the scale of the project would be huge and impose environmental costs. The land bridge project has drawn protests from residents near the planned construction site. In December 2020, the People's Network for Natural Resources and Environment Protection in Songkhla and Satun, a citizens group, staged a sleep-in demonstration in Bangkok.

 

Somboon Khamheng, a coordinator of the group, says environmentally destructive economic stimulus measures are unnecessary, adding that residents depend on the area's natural resources to make their living.

 

Will Thailand's long-cherished dream come true? A Japanese government official is skeptical, saying he is not sure the project is worth the cost. Movement on the issue is expected by 2023, when the government's latest feasibility study is scheduled for completion.

Edited September 7, 2021 by Yamato

[socrates469bc]

17 minutes ago, Yamato said:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Thailand-pushes-dream-of-land-bridge-to-boost-economy?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20210906123000&seq_num=2&si=44594

 

Thailand pushes dream of 'land bridge' to boost economy
Backers say it would cut shipping time by 2 days, but project faces backlash

 

Ranong Province is a candidate site for the proposed Thai land bridge. (Photo courtesy of Tourism Authority of Thailand)
YOHEI MURAMATSU, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 5, 2021 12:00 JST

 

BANGKOK -- The dream of a Thai land bridge, a transport route that would cross the Malay Peninsula to connect ports on either side, has surfaced again in Thailand. If it becomes a reality, a land bridge could cut shipping times by about two days, compared with the current shipping route through the Malacca Strait.

 

The idea of a trade route cutting across the peninsula dates back to the 17th century. Thailand's current government is looking to large public works projects to rejuvenate the economy. The proposed land bridge certainly qualifies, but the project has attracted criticism over huge cost and potential environmental damage.

 

Squint a bit and the map of Thailand looks like an elephant, with the Malay Peninsula that stretches to the south forming the nose. The narrowest part, the Kra Isthmus," is just 44 km across, with the Gulf of Thailand to the east and the Andaman Sea to the west.

 

Building a transport route from east to west across the isthmus would shorten the distance that cargo ships have to travel to carry goods between East Asia and the Middle East and Europe by about 1,200 km. At present, they must sail far to the south, to the Malacca Strait.

 

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in October 2020 ordered a feasibility study on the construction of a land bridge across the Kra Isthmus. The plan is to build ports for large cargo ships in the southern provinces of Ranong and Chumphon, linking the two ports, about 130 km apart, with railways, highways and oil pipelines.

 

 

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob stressed the importance of building a land bridge at a business seminar in June. "We will pave the way so that Thailand can become Southeast Asia's 'economic tiger cub' again," the minister said. He believes a land bridge would not only make the route through the Malacca Strait obsolete, but would also attract investment from foreign companies if a special economic zone is set up in the area.

 

The idea of digging a canal across the Malay Peninsula is an old one. One Thai king asked France to conduct a survey for a canal in 1677. Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat famous for making Egypt's Suez Canal a reality, also visited the Kra Isthmus in 1882. At the turn of this century, too, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's government conducted a feasibility study on a canal, but the project fell apart following the 2006 coup.

 

A canal would be hugely expensive, with the cost estimated at around $30 billion Connecting the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea would also be technically difficult: The two bodies of water differ by several meters in elevation.

 

A further complication is the Thai government's simmering conflict with Islamist militants along the border with Malaysia. There are concerns that a canal would cut Thailand in two, intensifying separatist sentiment among Thailand's mostly Muslim ethnic Malays.

 

For these reasons, the government is leaning toward a land bridge, which would be easier and cheaper to build than a canal. A senior member of the government's economic policy team said in October 2020 that building a canal is unrealistic and the focus should be on a land bridge.

 

As Thailand's fiscal condition worsens due to ballooning COVID-19 expenditures, the government hopes to attract investment from foreign governments and companies through the public-private partnerships.

 

In a report published in January, the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based think tank, said building a Thai land bridge would cost 60 billion baht ($1.85 billion), according to Thai government estimates, significantly less than a canal across the Kra Isthmus.

 

Yet the dream of a canal refuses to die. The Thai Canal Association, which is composed of military veterans and politicians, has lobbied the government for a canal, arguing that it would prop up the economy of southern Thailand.

 

"The land bridge has few advantages, as there is a need to transfer cargo to railways and trucks at the port," said Pradit Boonkerd, secretary-general of the association.

 

China is thought to be taking an interest in a Kra canal, as the country promotes its Belt and Road Initiative. If a canal is built, China would no longer have to send ships through the Straits of Malacca, where the U.S. has a strong presence, when importing crude oil from the Middle East. It would also make it easier for Chinese warships operating in the South China Sea to sail into the Indian Ocean.

 

Residents protest the Thai land bridge in Bangkok in December 2020. (Photo courtesy of the People's Network for Natural Resources and Environment Protection in Songkhla and Satun)

 

In 2015, it was reported that China and Thailand signed a memorandum regarding the building of a Kra canal, but both governments denied the report. The Thai Canal Association, which is conducting research with Chinese companies, is said to have close ties to Beijing.

 

Whether it is a land bridge or a canal, the scale of the project would be huge and impose environmental costs. The land bridge project has drawn protests from residents near the planned construction site. In December 2020, the People's Network for Natural Resources and Environment Protection in Songkhla and Satun, a citizens group, staged a sleep-in demonstration in Bangkok.

 

Somboon Khamheng, a coordinator of the group, says environmentally destructive economic stimulus measures are unnecessary, adding that residents depend on the area's natural resources to make their living.

 

Will Thailand's long-cherished dream come true? A Japanese government official is skeptical, saying he is not sure the project is worth the cost. Movement on the issue is expected by 2023, when the government's latest feasibility study is scheduled for completion.

 

jin kumgong.

 

technically impossible since have to cut thru tenasserim range.

 

even if possible, the cost will be exhorbitant.

 

secondly, this will cut southern siamland into 2 and encourage muslim majority southern siam to seek independence.

 

so political suicide for any siam zheng hu.

 

wahahahahaha 

[Yamato]

Here's what the roads and highways of Bangkok looks like 2 hours into curfew. Just sharing. Hope you like the music too.

 

 

 

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 14,176 ( +355 )

 

Deaths 228 ( -13 )

 

 

[Yamato]

Cooked for myself a simple yet satisfying dinner last night

 

 

 

Spanish mackerel pan fried

 

Kailan

 

Dinner

[socrates469bc]

15 hours ago, Yamato said:

Here's what the roads and highways of Bangkok looks like 2 hours into curfew. Just sharing. Hope you like the music too.

 

 

 

 

never see pleon chit- nana area so quiet.

 

but it also means time to look into buying noble pleon chit liao.

 

wahahahahhaha

 

 

i think this developer really desperate liao.

 

drop price by almost 50% from 2018.

 

 

[Yamato]

Te best authentic Japanese restaurant I been in Bangkok - Zuru

 

The drink - sake

 

Starter Shiokara

 

The sashimi

 

 

Otoro

 

Kinky

 

Akagai

 

Uni

 

Grilled cuttlefish

 

Grilled fish head

 

Finally Chutoro sushi

 

Our meal

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Yamato

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 16,031 ( +1,855 )

 

Deaths 220 ( -8 )

 

 

[Yamato]

COVID cases in Thailand today:

 

Total New Cases 14,403 ( -1,628 )

 

Deaths 189 ( -31 )

 

 

[Yamato]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/Property/Chinese-bet-on-properties-in-Thailand-ahead-of-COVID-recovery?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20210909193000&seq_num=23&si=44594

 

Chinese bet on properties in Thailand ahead of COVID recovery
Hotels and land in Phuket and Pattaya at discounted prices lure investors

 

The resort city of Pattaya. Chinese are betting on Thai properties ahead of recovery from the pandemic, while prices are low.
JASON TAN, Contributing writerSeptember 9, 2021 18:08 JST

 

BANGKOK -- Thailand's raging pandemic has failed to deter aspiring Chinese entrepreneurs from starting businesses, with some even plowing money into acquiring hotels, property and land amid record-low prices.

 

This comes as the Southeast Asian country battles its worst outbreak yet, which hit a high of over 23,000 infections per day in mid-August. Recent cases have hovered around 15,000 a day.

 

"The most trying times will teach us more lessons than usual. ... Starting up a business is a process to accumulate experience," said Nancy Chen, who along with her husband rented a hotel on the resort island of Phuket in July.

 

"We are starting small, and this hotel business will help us explore before stepping our foot into the tourism industry," said the southern Fujian native, who is in her 30s.

 

Thailand has a sizable population of about 200,000 Chinese residents, according to industry estimates. They study, retire, work or run businesses, mostly catering to their mainland peers.

 

In 2019, about 11 million Chinese visited Thailand, more than from any other country.

 

As the coronavirus continues to rampage across Southeast Asia, the tourism authority in Thailand estimated in June that total foreign arrivals would plunge to 3 million this year, down from its forecast of 4 million in April, when the latest and most severe outbreak began.

 

While fewer Chinese dollars means making their business stay afloat is a tremendous challenge, some entrepreneurs are not calling it quits just yet. They say now is the best time to enter the market for bargains and get ready for when Thailand regains its pre-pandemic tourism crown.

 

Health workers at Phuket's airport as the resort island prepared to reopen to overseas tourists in July.   © Reuters

 

"This is a year not to rent or sell your property in Thailand, but one that is great to buy," said Li Ming, founder of realtor Ming Thai Inter in Bangkok. "Even if you make investments, don't expect to have immediate returns until at least 2022."

 

The 34-year-old, from Jiangxi Province, graduated from a Thai university in 2010. He stayed, married a Thai and set up a company to help Chinese buy and sell property locally.

 

Li and his wife have bagged a few bargains since late 2020: a 40% discounted landed property in the beach resort city of Pattaya, east of Bangkok; a 4 million baht ($123,200), 35-sq.-meter condo in the capital that fetched over 6 million baht only three years ago. He has just signed a deal to pocket a 10.5-rai (16,800-sq.-meter) plot of land in the Bangyai district of Nonthaburi Province -- half the selling price of adjacent land.

 

"I plan to develop the land into houses or factory warehouses. But it has to be done in a cautious manner because of the uncertainties amid COVID-19," he said.

 

In Thailand's post-pandemic recovery efforts, the authorities are considering dangling more perks, including a 10-year visa and letting high-net-worth foreign individuals buy land, which has long been prohibited. These rich people are each expected to invest at least half a million dollars in the country.

 

Phuket's Chen said that in pre-pandemic times, taking over the hotel would have cost her a nonrefundable transfer fee of 2 million baht.

 

"Now we struck a deal by signing a 10-year lease from the owner, paying a deposit of 500,000 baht and a fixed monthly rent of 60,000 baht for the first three years."

 

She said 18 rooms out of the 26 have now been rented out on a monthly basis, which covers her rent. She is upbeat that tourists will flock back to Phuket when international borders reopen in the future.

 

But not all are lucky.

 

Wendy He, who came to Thailand to teach Chinese in 2013, invested 1.5 million baht with her family to open a 300-sq.-meter Chinese restaurant, Kungfupot, in Chiang Mai's old town three years later.

 

The 30-year-old decided to shutter the shop this year after Chiang Mai, a top-three destination for Chinese visitors, had not brought her enough business to cover operational costs.

 

She still plans to stay on in the northern province and is in no rush to figure out the next step.

 

"I think the pandemic will not go away even next year," said the Yunnan native. "Those running a business here face greater challenges than ever. It's time for us to rethink our business strategies."

Edited September 10, 2021 by Yamato