2 05 2021
There’s a story at something called the Atlas Institute for International Affairs which sounds very 1960s and argues that militaries kept “fed” with taxpayer funds don’t intervene politically. This long discredited notion is in part based on work on Thailand. The fact that coups in Thailand bear no relationship to that military’s ability to grab loot from the taxpayer should alert the authors. Think of “self-coups,” coups against military leaders and other rightists, and, most recently, the coup against Yingluck Shinawatra, when spending on the military increased.
That said, there’s no doubt that Thai military leaders love kit and money. One graph in the Atlas story demonstrates how the military has benefited by sucking the taxpayer of the people’s money.
Association of Domestic Travel urges quick jabs
Lack of vaccinations hampers any tourism recovery effort
published : 1 May 2021 at 04:00 Local travellers wait for domestic flights at Don Mueang airport. The Tourism and Sports Ministry reported local tourists took 17.2 million domestic trips from January to March 2021.
The Association of Domestic Travel (ADT) is urging the government to hasten the vaccination programme and deliver on tourism stimulus after a collapse of the domestic travel segment.
Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, ADT president, said vaccinations represent the ultimate solution to prevent a future outbreak, which also supports the growth of domestic tourism.
He said it will take until June at the earliest to gradually rebuild travel confidence, assuming daily infections are less than 500 cases.
Private sector unsure on jab imports
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Business groups seek speedier vaccinations
published : 30 Apr 2021 at 05:33
9 A man receives the long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine which is administered by a health worker at Wat Nimman Noradee School in Phasicharoen district on April 12. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) will go ahead with its plan to import vaccines for companies which want to distribute them to employees, while the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) accepted that it might be too late for the private sector to procure vaccine supplies amid intense global demand.
A statement issued by TCC says the government can afford to buy enough vaccines for people, so the private sector does not need to acquire more and add financial burden to company budgets already affected by Covid-19 .
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The government has pledged to work closely with the private sector to speed up the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and achieve its target of providing 100 million Covid-19 vaccine shots to inoculate 50 million people by the end of the year.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha used a meeting with businessmen at Government House yesterday to stress that he and his ministers were committed to helping them acquire more vaccines. The prime minister was glad that the government will work with the private sector as they share a common aim of containing the outbreak of Covid-19 and restoring the economy to prepare for the reopening of the country, said government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri.
Economic impact: Two men lie on benches in front of a closed restaurant in Bangkok. Tourism-reliant Thailand’s plan to reopen its borders hinges on achieving herd immunity. AFP
BANGKOK: Thailand is reworking its vaccine strategy as a month-long soft lockdown to contain its worst wave of Covid-19 infections deepens an economic crisis and risks plans for reopening the crucial tourism industry.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha will meet today with industry groups, including the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Council of Thailand, to discuss ways to accelerate a vaccine rollout that so far has reached less than 1% of the population.