On April 10th and April 11th, most provinces in Thailand banned the sale of alcohol during the (suspended) Songkran holidays to stem the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. The ban was later extended until April 30th. On May 1st, alcohol sales were officially banned nationwide until May 31st by an order of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, known as CCSA. But on May 1st evening, the Royal Gazette, the public journal and newspaper of record of Thailand, published an order saying that starting from May 3rd shops selling alcoholic beverages are allowed to open but consumption at the shop is banned. Please note, that provincial governors still have permission to strengthen orders. Obviously Chang and Singha, among the main sponsors of Prayut Chan-o-cha's coup d'état in 2014, successfully lobbied the resumption of alcohol sales. The province of Sa Kaeo has already extended the ban on alcohol until 31 May. In the meantime, Buri Ram, Chanthaburi, Lop Buri, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Phanom, Phetchaburi, Phitsanulok and Rayong also banned the sale of alcoholic beverages - including non-alcoholic beers(!) - but the period of the ban varies depending on the judgements of the governors.

On March 25th Thailand's Government announced that it will hand out 5'000 Baht per month in cash to temporary workers, contractors and the self-employed. Workers must be Thai nationals and register with either The Government Savings Bank of Bangkok, The Bank of Agriculture, Krungthai Bank or online on a dedicated website. The money will be provided for at least three months, from April through June. In the days following the announcement, more than 28 million Thais (out of a population of 70 million!) registered to receive the government's 5'000 Baht cash handouts. On April 7th, the Government announced that the 5'000-Baht cash relief program was extended to 6 months. On April 15th, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that the Government could only afford the April payment of the 5'000 Baht subsidy for about nine million people not covered by the social security scheme. On April 16th, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has offered a public apology for his 'miscommunication', which has caused widespread public confusion, over the 5'000 Baht monthly cash subsidy for people affected by business closures. It's obvious that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has made an about-turn, saying the government will hand out the 5'000-Baht aid for three months as planned earlier. Thailand's Finance Ministry later clarified that the handout period would be at least three months and that the six-month payment term was not guaranteed. The cash handout program was called No One Left Behind by Thailand's Government.

On May 1st AirAsia, Nok Air. Thai Lion Air and Thai Vietjet Air resumed domestic flights between Lampang, Tak's Mae Sot, Phitsanulok, Buri Ram, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Roi Et, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Trang, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Krabi and Don Mueang airport and Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. But on May 2nd Tawee Gasisam-ang, the director-general of the Department of Airports, announced that travellers landing at Phitsanulok, Buri Ram, Krabi, Trang, and Nakhon Phanom airports will be quarantined for 14 days at home with their families if they are local people, or in hotels. For Krabi airport vistiors must have a medical certificate from their point of embarkation that they are free from Covid-19. On the same day Thailand's Prime Minister, Dictator, Songwriter and a man of many words Prayut Chan-o-cha urged people to refrain from leaving their current province and going to other parts of Thailand unless the reason is essential. In an updated order the Dictator requests the people not to travel across provinces unless the journey was deemed for essential purposes. Moreover, travellers should be prepared for detailed checkpoints when entering other provinces and will need to comply with disease prevention measures. These measures may include requirement of a mandatory home quarantine for at least fourteen days and providing documentation to authorities that the travel one is undertaking is essential. On May 3rd, Thailand's Interior Ministry has issued an order for people returning to the provinces during the current long weekend to be kept under quarantine for 14 days! PS: As of May 4th Tak, Lampang, Roi Et, KhonKaen, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani, UbonRatchathani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Surat Thani are operating without quarantine requirements. But the following provinces require passengers to quarantine for 14 days on arrival: Phitsanulok, Buriram, Krabi, Trang, and Nakhon Phanom.

On May 3rd the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) issued a new order allowing Thailand's international airports to operate special international flights daily between 07:00 and 19:00. According to the CAAT regulation, all international airports, including Krabi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Samui, Surat Thani, Hat Yai and Hua Hin, are allowed to handle international flights with special status, e.g. those that repatriate foreigners or fly Thai nationals home. Phuket International Airport will continue to be shut to the public until May 15th but will permit landings and takeoffs of overseas repatriation flights. Thailand's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on May 15th overruled a reopening permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand for Phuket International Airport on 15 May. CCSA - headed by Thailand's Dictator - cites an increased Covid-19 risk due to a possible influx of visitors. We will keep you up-to-date. Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and U-Tapao, have remained closed to international flights.

Thailand's anti-drug agencies spend about 5.2 billion Baht each year cracking down on drug networks, with an average of 3.6 billion Baht being seized. While there are as many as 80'000 drug cases each year, less than 2'000 go to court. Tea money obviously solves the other cases.

Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the highly educated boss of Thailand's Tourism and Sports Ministry, is considering a tax of 300 Baht (or less) per person for foreign arrivals that could cover pandemic insurance, once inbound flights and tourism activities resume in the country. He announces that the tax would be collected once foreigners arrive by air, land or sea transport. He claims that the scheme is part of the Dictator's 20-year national strategic plan that requires government agencies to have recurring income to sustain and stabilise the national economy. A really clever idea to boost Thailand's tourism with a new tax. Let's hope Tourists will foil the Ministry's plan.

Ko Larn is a small but popular Thai island off the coast of Pattaya. The locals of Koh Larn were so afraid of Covid-19 that in a vote on March 24th they decided to temporarily close the island to all visitors, non-residents and foreigners. The island was officially closed on 28 March. Now the islanders are complaining about the negative effects of their self-imposed exile: Harm set, harm get

On May 3rd, Pattaya Police arrested a 24-year-old curfew breaker at about 23:00 on Naklua Road. He drove his motorcycle drunk at high speed and without a helmet. The police punished him by asking him to sing the Thai national anthem and apologize for his misconduct. A couple of hours earlier, Pattaya Police arrested an 80-year-old Frenchman and his friends for violating the beach ban. They had to pay the police 50'000 Baht as non-refundable bail, a fine of 2'000 Baht per person and a police service charge of 500 Baht each to be released! The Frenchman's passport was also confiscated. Note: As a foreigner you are obviously still a milk cow for Pattaya's police.

Thailand's national police chief Chakthip Chaijind made an unannounced visit at the Klong Dan police station to unravel an allegedly extortion by a suspected gang of criminals in police uniforms. The police chief was following up on a complaint lodged by the Help Crime Victims Club, who accused six policemen attached to Klong Dan and Bang Phli police stations of assaulting, torturing and extracting money from victims in exchange for not filing drug charges against them. As a result of the visit, the three most senior officers at Klong Dan station have been transferred to inactive posts at the provincial police headquarters and 24 hours later six policemen at Klong Dan and Bang Phli police stations, who worked either in the crime suppression unit or as investigators, were suspended from duty. Apparently there is extortion not only in Samut Prakam, but also in Pattaya.

Bangkok Post reports that three police officers from Provincial Police Region 8 are being probed after they were alleged to have made attempts to extort money from villagers in Surat Thani for 'illegal fishing'. 200 to 300 villagers encircled the extortionists until the former subdistrict chief of Thung Kong arrived to free the officers. Bangkok Post published an updated report about the incident. Bangkok Post publishes additional facts about the three extorting policemen. Bangkok Post reports that a number of people have been approaching hotel operators in the Pattaya, offering to ensure their properties are chosen for state quarantine if they pay them up to 40% of what the hotels will receive from the government.