This week: entry relaxations, trade deficit, actor death and a birthday surprise.
Travel rules eased
Foreign travellers to Thailand will not be required to take a pre-travel Covid-19 test
starting from April 1, but testing on arrival will continue.
People entering the country will be given an RT-PCR test on arrival, perform an antigen self-test on day 5 and be monitored at their hotel.
The Thai Hotels Association said scrapping the pre-arrival test might not be strong enough to attract tourists as there are many destinations with far fewer restrictions than Thailand.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry said the Test and Go scheme and Thailand Pass registration are expected to be scrapped by June 1 if there is no surge in infections or fatalities during the Songkran festival in April.
Thailand faces current account blowout
Thailand is heading for a rare back-to-back current-account deficit as the outlook for tourist arrivals becomes less rosy.
The flare-up in Covid cases globally, energy import bills ballooning and soaring oil prices have all soured the financial outlook.
Bank of Ayudhya Plc is predicting a shortfall of $4.6 billion this year, less than last year's $10.9 billion deficit.
The bank said Thailand’s status as a net oil importer is fueling a trade deficit and inflation, hampering chances of economic recovery.
Netflix actor dies in his sleep
Thai Netflix actor Papangkorn "Beam" Lerkchaleampote was found dead in his bed in Bangkok on Wednesday evening. He was 25.
Police have found no evidence of foul play, with one medical expert suggesting his death was likely to stem from sudden unexpected death syndrome.
Birthday gift for poor man's daughter goes viral
A young girl was set to eat her birthday meal alone because her father couldn't afford to pay for them both - until a generous restaurant owner intervened.
Staff at Rayong's Halo Shabu heard the father telling his daughter to eat alone alone because he did not have enough money to cover both of them. The daughter refused to have the meal unless they ate together.
As they went to leave the restaurant, the owner stopped them and asked them to enjoy the meal for free, adding a birthday cake to the celebration.
