Passengers from China's Xiamen arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport on Jan. 9 after China reopens its borders. (Photo:Reuters)
Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand on January 9 rescinded apolicy announced recently requiring visitors to show proof ofCOVID-19 vaccination.
Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said requiringvisitors to show evidence of vaccination was inconvenient and a panel ofexperts had resolved that it was unnecessary as enough vaccinations had beenadministered globally.
Anutin added that visitors who have not vaccinated would also begranted entry without restriction.
The country's aviation authority on January 7announced the restrictions, effective on January 9, ahead of an expected deluge ofvisitors from China, where COVID-19 cases have surged.
One of Asia's most popular travel destinations,Thailand is enjoying an influx of tourists during its first peak season sincethe removal of tight entry restrictions last year.
In November, it recorded 1.75 million visitors,quadruple the number received for the whole of last year when flights andforeign arrivals were limited.
Anutin said Thailand was now expecting 7-10 millionChinese visitors, compared to an earlier estimate of 5 million.
Thailand's tourism authority is expecting arrivalnumbers to have exceeded 11.5 million this year, just over a quarter of therecord of nearly 40 million in pre-pandemic 2019, who spent about 1.91 trillionbaht (55.17 billion USD)./.
Thailand has seen its first confirmed case of the XAY.2 variant of COVID-19 but people close to the patient were not infected, the Thai Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Sciences said on January 6.
The government of Thailand is to spend 50 billion baht (1.5 billion USD) on the state welfare card scheme in fiscal 2023, according to Thai Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat.
According to Thai Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpacha, Thailand and Japan have agreed to establish a marine litter monitoring centre as part of their bilateral climate change cooperation.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Passengers from China's Xiamen arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport on Jan. 9 after China reopens its borders. (Photo:Reuters)
