PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

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PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

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"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
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Re: PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

Post by Gaybutton »

No surprise. This was expected and I'm glad he did it. I wish he had done it sooner, but I'm glad it's in effect now. At this point, no one knows how long the curfew will have to remain in effect.

Again, I see no reason to be out during those hours anyway considering nearly everything most people would want to go out for is closed.

Also, Thailand is now very strict about false information, information coming from unauthorized sources, and rumors. On this board only one person gets to decide whether a post, or part of a post, falls into any of those categories- me. Any such posts will be deleted. I can also tell you right now what my response will be if anyone's own post gets deleted and I receive any complaints about it - just two words. The first word is "Tough" . . .

Here are the details:
_____________________________________________

Nationwide night curfew starts Friday

April 2, 2020

All people in Thailand are banned from leaving home from 10pm to 4am starting Friday in the government’s latest move to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced the curfew on Thursday evening.

Exempted from the curfew are medical and banking personnel, as well as logistic workers handling consumer products, farm goods, pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and equipment, newspapers, petrol, postal parcels, or products to be imported or exported. Movements of people to quarantine places are also allowed.

Other exemptions are people working normal night shifts or those heading to or from airports with necessary documents stating the purposes, or officials working by the announcements or orders and those allowed by officials to leave the house on emergencies.

Violation will result in a jail term of not more than two years and/or a fine not more than 40,000 baht.

Existing curfew orders or announcements in any province with stricter requirements shall remain in effect.

For relief measures, Gen Prayut said three funds would be set up to help people affected by the mitigation measures.

Centres will be set up to distribute face masks. “I won’t let anyone hoard the product and take advantage of people during this difficult time,” he said.

More economic stimulus packages will be introduced such as financial aid, debt suspension, liquidity boost and debt restructuring.

In terms of disease mitigation, a centre will be set up to manage travel in and out of the kingdom with strict screening, quarantine and monitoring measures. Gen Prayut also sought cooperation in delaying entry to Thailand until April 15.

In terms of communication, a briefing will be held every day by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Unauthorised people will not be allowed to give interviews.

He again warned of the consequences of spreading fake news or sharing information from unknown sources.

He urged everyone to cooperate for the ultimate goal of “zero”.

Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, earlier explained the need for a curfew.

"Past measures have slowed the daily number of new infections but still fail to reduce it. From the start, we intend to gradually impose measures, from soft to harsh ones," he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... rts-friday
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Re: PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

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Could be a windfall for the B.I.B. :!:
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Re: PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

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Undaunted wrote: Thu Apr 02, 2020 8:30 pm Could be a windfall for the B.I.B. :!:
With ZERO tourists in Pattaya right now, the BIB have to be going broke.

Pattaya City should take advantage of this curfew to complete some of the road projects that normally create huge traffic jams. Managing these projects in the evening hours without any road traffic would make their jobs much easier, and at the same time, keep a few hundred construction workers earning a paycheck... :idea:
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Re: PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

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Public transport (in Bangkok) to stop at 9.30pm

3 Apr 2020

Public transport services in the Bangkok area have been ordered to end their daily operations by 9.30pm from Friday, when the nationwide night curfew starts.

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said public transport services would be closed from 9.30pm to 4am in accordance with the prime minister's declaration of a nationwide curfew from 10pm to 4am to curb the spread of coronavirus disease.

Pakapong Sirikantaramas, governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA), said closing at 9.30pm was suitable. Commuters would then have enough time to reach home by the time the 10pm curfew starts.

Surapong Laoha-Unya, executive director of Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTS), agreed with the 9.30pm stoppage time, and said the management of the company would discuss the measure with the Rail Department.

Suthep Panpeng, director-general of SRT Electric Train Co, said its Airport Rail Link service would start at the normal time, 5.30am, and the last daily trains would reach their end stations at Phaya Thai and Suvarnabhumi airport by 9.30pm.

Normal service hours were 6am-midnight for MRTA and BTS trains and 5.30am-midnight for Airport Rail Link.

Voravuth Mala, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said it had to stop long-distance trains on about 30 routes because they could not reach destinations before the curfew started.

Surachai Iamwachirakul, director-general of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, said its buses would reach their depots by 9pm.

The number of Bangkok bus passengers had fallen about 60% below normal figures, he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... -at-9-30pm
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Re: PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

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A 24 hour curfew may be imposed, depending on the situation. The two following articles mention only a very few details. If it happens, we'll know the details soon enough.
_____________________________________________________________

Prayut Says 24-Hour Curfew May Follow as 4 New Virus Deaths Reported

By Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

April 3, 2020

BANGKOK — The Prime Minister may impose a total lockdown order if the number of those infected and killed by the coronavirus do not drop within a week, a government spokeswoman said, even as four more people died of the virus.

Spokedwoman Naruemon Pinyosinwat said PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is “seriously considering” the drastic measure, which would bar anyone from leaving their home at all time, and his decision will be based on the pandemic numbers in the next seven days.

The news came as the figure of those infected increased by 103 to 1,978 and the number of those killed by the coronavirus and related health complications rose by four to 19 on Friday.

PM Prayut already called for a curfew to be imposed over the entire country starting tonight, from 10pm to 4am. Those who violate the curfew face an imprisonment of up to two years.

Naruemon said Prayut does not wish to impose harsh measures, but his decision depends on the level of the public’s cooperation in staying home and practicing social distancing.

Many on social media also question why the Prime Minister limited his curfew order to nighttime, instead of a round-the-clock ban as seen in some other countries hit by the coronavirus. Speculations include attempts to discourage people from partying or hanging out in a large group at night, and to deter crime amid growing unemployment.

When asked about the curfew, police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen said he is not best suited to answer.

“I think police may not be best suited to answer the questions. We will be waiting for orders from the government and the military as to what to do,” Kissana said.

Asadang Ruayjin, spokesman of the Department of Disease Control, also refused to explain the rationale of the curfew, saying the press should wait for the government’s daily briefing for any official comment.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics ... -reported/
_________________________________________________________________________

Thai Govt. – ‘Curfew’ can be around the clock if coronavirus situation is not improved

By Pattaya Mail

April 3, 2020

BANGKOK, April 3 – The government is urging people to minimize their travel to help curb the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but if they fail to cooperate, it can extend its curfew to be around the clock, government spokesperson Narumon Pinyosinwat said.

The spokesperson said that the government announced to impose the curfew from 10pm to 4am from April 3 onwards because its earlier measure to close places failed to stop people from gathering and risking COVID-19 contraction.

Some provincial governors had imposed such curfews by themselves and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha thought the measure should be expanded nationwide for effective disease control, Ms Narumon said.

“New COVID-19 cases are in three digits every day. The government did not want a harsh measure but it is necessary to reduce crowd gathering. In the coming week, if the number of new cases continues to rise, it is possible that the curfew will be extended to 24 hours a day,” she said.

“Do not leave home unless it is necessary. Work at home. Even if you are at home, you must keep distances. People do not cooperate fully with social distancing.”

Ms Narumon said the prime minister understood well that people of some occupations could not comply with the curfew, so they had to carry job confirmation letters from their organizations.

She referred to medical personnel, bank staff, workers transporting consumer products, farm products, drugs, medical supplies and equipment, newspaper and fuel, and those working night shifts.

The curfew also spared patients, she said. (TNA)

https://www.pattayamail.com/coronavirus ... ved-294111
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Re: PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

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Re: PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

Post by Dodger »

I'm not sure why anyone would bother reading PattayaOne to begin with.

If you read the news releases published by the major news outlets in Thailand pertaining to this very topic, they are very clear that this decision is simply an option and no plans to impose this have been made at this time. The other articles also make clear, that in the event a 24 hour curfew were to be imposed, there would be planned time slots where people could leave their homes to go shopping, etc. (see Bangkok Post, The Nation, etc)

In-other-words, PattayaOne, as always, feels it needs to induce a "shock factor" in their overly sensational articles.

Here's the last sentence in the PattayaOne article: "Those who leave their residences without permission will face a legal penalty." The author quoted this statement from a remark made by the government spokesperson, who was obviously intending for this to apply if in fact a 24 hour curfew was imposed. But the author didn't say that. Again, pure sensationalism. This author and the PattayaOne editor who screened this article should be fired.

The last thing people need now is more "shock". What they need are clear facts.
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Re: PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

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Dodger wrote: Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:21 am What they need are clear facts.
Why am I not holding my breath . . . ?
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Re: PM Declares Nationwide Curfew

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"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
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