Chadchart Sittipunt wins landslide victory in Bangkok governor election: Unofficial results.

 Mr. Sittipunt is a leader in the struggle "for the hearts of voters. The former Minister of Transport bypasses, according to the results of the preliminary counting of votes, the former governor of the capital, Mr. Asvwin and also other candidates.

 He calls on the opposition and the losing candidates to join forces so that "the city shines like a diamond." To do this, according to the leader of the gubernatorial race, he wants to implement, among other things, useful initiatives of other candidates.

 Mr. Sittipunt was born in Bangkok and he knows about many problems of the city. He also received an education at one of the most prestigious universities in the country, Chulalongkorn University.

 The transport problem of the capital is a well-known topic for the politician, at one time he served as the Minister of Transport of the kingdom.

 Also, Mr.Sittipunt is fond of sports, which may be expressed in the future in interesting urban sports and entertainment projects.

 It is to be hoped that the city will become more "friendly" for pedestrians and people with disabilities.

 I would like to see the expansion of sidewalks on some streets. Improving the quality of sidewalks. Elimination of obstacles in the form of trees, poles with lighting and signs standing in the middle of the sidewalk. I would like to add increased control over road users (mopeds moving on sidewalks or in the oncoming lane, cars that park at bus stops. Because of what, the bus is forced to pick up passengers in the middle of the roadway, etc.)

 In any case, may the new candidate succeed in everything he planned! And he, together with his team, will be able to achieve the "shine of the diamond" for the city of Angels.

Economists are warning the baht will weaken further throughout this month because of higher volatility in money and capital markets worldwide after the US Federal Reserve's hawkish benchmark interest rate hike.

Krungthai Compass, a research house under Krungthai Bank, forecasts the baht will dip to high-34 to mid-35 against the US dollar by the end of this month.

The baht depreciation is attributed to higher volatility of the global equity markets and digital assets, said Phacharaphot Nuntramas, chief economist of the research centre.

The Fed raised its benchmark interest rates by 75 basis points on June 15.

However, the baht is expected to stabilise after June for 3-6 months, then strengthen late this year.

A firmer baht to the greenback late this year would be supported by an improving current account, contributed from higher tourism income, said Krungthai Compass.

For the first half of 2022, foreign travellers should number around 1 million, before soaring to 5 million in the second half, said the research house.

"We expect foreign arrivals to contribute income of 50,000-60,000 baht each, making the country's tourism income roughly 300 billion baht this year," Mr Phacharaphot said.

In this scenario, Krungthai Compass assesses the baht would be firmer, above 35 to the dollar at the end of this year.

The Economic Intelligence Center (EIC), a research unit of Siam Commercial Bank, predicts the baht will continue to weaken to 34.5-35.5 to the dollar in the short term because of foreign capital outflows after the Fed increased its policy rate aggressively.

However, Thailand's tourism sector is expected to see a strong rebound in the second half this year and support the country's current account, as well as the baht, said the EIC.

The research centre estimates the baht will strengthen to 33.5-34.5 to the dollar at the end of this year.

The stronger baht would be supported by a Thai economic recovery and the country's current account would resume to a surplus position, said the EIC.

For the first half this year, Thailand's current account is expected to remain in deficit.

The EIC predicts the Fed will continue to increase its benchmark policy rate aggressively throughout the remainder of this year.

The Fed is expected to increase its policy rate by 75 basis points at its July meeting and 50 basis points in September, said the research house.

In November and December, the Fed Funds Rate is expected to increase another quarter-point per meeting, pushing the rate to a range of 3.25-3.5% at the end of this year, the EIC said in a report. (Bangkok Post)

Plastic River: Following the Waste That’s Choking the Chao Phraya

The Chao Phraya River is born from mountain streams in northern Thailand, flowing hundreds of kilometers south to the sea. By the time the river travels through Bangkok and empties into the Gulf of Thailand, it is carrying huge quantities of plastic waste – an estimated 4,000 metric tons every year, equal to the weight of 26 blue whales. The plastic clogs the river along its course, drastically impacting communities and the waterway’s ecology.

The Third Pole traveled from the Chao Phraya’s beginnings to the sea to explore what’s happening to one of Southeast Asia’s most important rivers.

The Chao Phraya starts at the confluence of the Ping and Nan rivers, which meet in Nakhon Sawan Province in the heart of Thailand. Although the river’s waters have already traveled half of the country’s length by this point, it is still relatively clean, flanked by villages and farms. 

The surrounding land is ideal for growing rice thanks to the river’s annual floods, which come with the monsoon from May to October and provide an ample supply of water and nutrients. In 2012, around 45 percent of land in the Chao Phraya River Basin was used for rice farming. Fruit orchards are also common. 

But even here in these rural upper reaches, plastics already make an appearance – the material is used extensively in agriculture across Thailand.

The floods that bring water and nutrients to crops along the Chao Phraya also draw agricultural and consumer plastics into the river. 

South of Nakhon Sawan, the Chao Phraya flows through the ancient city of Ayutthaya, which was the capital of Thailand until 1767. Built at the point where two other rivers join the Chao Phraya, the city is crisscrossed with canals, and traditional ways of life here are closely connected to the water. Seasonal flooding is expected, with homes along the waterways built on stilts to accommodate the higher water levels. But climate change and a range of other factors is intensifying rainfall, and severe flooding is a growing problem in the city.

As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ancient capital attracts tourists from around the globe, many of whom take boat tours to view its famous temples. Ratimaporn relies on these tourists to make a living.

As the Chao Phraya snakes through densely populated central Thailand and on to the country’s modern-day capital, Bangkok, the river is often treated as a catchall waste disposal unit. 

Much like Ayutthaya, Bangkok grew from a settlement built on canals that borrowed the waters of the Chao Phraya to form convenient transport routes. These canals remain a significant feature in today’s megacity, where 1,161 khlongs (the Thai name for these waterways) are lined with settlements, home to over 23,500, mainly low-income, households. Many of these canals are choked with plastic.

Many of the communities along Bangkok’s canals are hard to reach by road, making it difficult to access waste and other municipal services. Throwing waste directly into the water is an old habit that persists even though it is illegal and people could be fined.

Dumping in the river has long been the easy way to deal with household waste. But in the old days, this waste was organic. Today, everyday items come wrapped up in plastic – not just in Bangkok, but all over Thailand.

The TerraCycle Global Foundation, a project of the recycling company TerraCycle that aims to capture plastic waste along rivers and canals before it flows into the ocean. The foundation’s Lat Phrao clean-up project started in July 2020.

Mangroves grow along the last stretch of the Chao Phraya, perfectly adapted to the brackish water where the river meets the sea. At the mouth of the Chao Phraya, the muddy mangrove forests of Samut Prakan Province are covered in plastic, a testament to how much waste the river is carrying.By the time the Chao Phraya reaches the sea, a lot of the plastic waste it is carrying is too small to see, having been broken down into microplastics (defined as pieces smaller than five millimeters). 

In 2021, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources announced a collaboration with the nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup to tackle riverine plastic pollution in the Chao Phraya. The project  is deploying a vessel known as the Interceptor to collect plastic debris, as well as monitoring the flow of plastic waste through bottle-tagging and placing cameras on bridges along the river. 

https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2022/06/plastic-river-waste-thats-choking-chao-phraya/

Radisson Hotel Group commits to its owners and guests in Thailand with plans of 100 new signings by 2025

 Radisson Hotel Group is gearing up for the recovery of travel and hospitality in Thailand with plans to exponentially expand its portfolio by adding 100 hotels and resorts in the country by 2025. The new growth plans for Thailand represent part of the Group’s wider expansion strategy which targets the growth of its current portfolio of 400 properties to over 2,000 hotels and resorts in operation and development by 2025.  At present, Radisson Hotel Group has a collection of 6 properties in Thailand, with 4 hotels currently operating in Bangkok and two more in the pipeline in Phuket and Pattaya. 

This ambitious strategy will be driven by a dynamic business model that will be tailor-made to owners, and driven through a combination of organic growth, mergers and acquisitions, and master license agreements. With a defined brand architecture and segmentation, the Group leverages its collection of industry-leading brands including Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu and Radisson, while tapping into growing segments such as resorts and serviced apartments, with a focus on key business and leisure destinations that includes, Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui, as well as up-and-coming locations across the Kingdom of Thailand.

Radisson Hotel Group’s commitment to supporting the future of travel and hospitality in Thailand is reinforced by the launch of a dedicated business unit in Bangkok, which gives its Thai partners access to a team of on-the-ground experts that develops long standing relationships based on trust, responsibility and accountability.

 Thailand is now fully open to international visitors with no testing requirements or quarantine restrictions for fully vaccinated inbound travelers. Following this important step, the “Land of Smiles” is expected to experience a fast recovery as guests flock back to their favorite destinations. The Thai government estimates that the country will attract over 7 million international visitors in 2022. 

https://www.traveldailynews.asia/radisson-hotel-group-commits-to-its-owners-and-guests-in-th

It appears that the illegal takeover by St. Andrew's International School of public land in Sukhumvit 71 is coming to an end.

According to the publication Coconuts Bangkok:

St. Andrews must return public land, district official says

The deputy director of Bangkok’s Wattana district reiterated this morning that his office has ordered an international school to demolish structures built illegally on public land.

Deputy district director Chaiwat Rungsipanodorn told Coconuts that the demolition order issued late last year remained in force against St. Andrews International School, but he did not address questions about what if any work had been done to satisfy it, nor what steps his office was taking to enforce it.

Repeated calls and messages to St. Andrews and its UK-based owner Nord Anglia Education since last week have not been returned. On Monday, a representative said the school would send a statement. At around noon today, another rep said it was still coming.

Sansith Naothavorn, the area’s newly elected representative who visited the campus on his first day in office last week, said yesterday that he was still awaiting plans detailing the land encroachment issue before taking further action.

Mayta Lerttamrab, who has fought the school for years over the land which runs behind his home just off Pridi Banomyong Road

“The Wattana district hasn’t come to inspect anything new, and the school continues to occupy the public space as if nothing happens,” he said today in a message. “Instead of fixing anything, one member of the school’s staff has begun harassing/stalking me, and now I am concerned for my safety.” 

In November, the district office ordered the school to demolish facilities it said were built illegally on the land. A subsequent February letter from district office said it had filed a legal complaint against the school for not complying.

After this story was published, a school representative contacted Coconuts late Wednesday afternoon to acknowledge the school had built on public land and would relocate the buildings. But she disputed that it had been in public use for over five decades.

“The space hasn’t been a waterway since 1967,” said Sa, who refused to give her full name. 

She said the school was granted permits 21 years ago for land it did not believe were encroachments. She said the school had received approval from the Central Public Works Department after it filed military-made maps indicating the land was not public space.

Still, she said St. Andrews would “do everything that is right” to relocate the facilities.

“Yes it’s a public space, true, and we’ve received a letter from the Wattana District Office to relocate our buildings, and the school will correct its mistakes 100%, something that we have been doing all this time,” she added.

She could not say when or how that would be done.

“The school is not required to report what it has done or what it will do, but the district office knows,” Sa said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misattributed statements about 2001 land use permits to Watthana District Director Suchira when in fact they were made by the school.