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Govt mulls easing COVID curbs
Govt mulls easing COVID curbs
BANGKOK: The government will likely extend the emergency decree for another month as it weighs up when to ease the current restrictions and allow some businesses to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Nine tonnes of rice lands in Phuket in fish-exchange with sea gypsies
Nine tonnes of rice lands in Phuket in fish-exchange with sea gypsies
PHUKET: Nine tonnes of rice from Yasothorn arrived in Phuket today (Apr 20) on a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) C-130 Hercules under the campaign to exchange rice for dried fish supplied by sea gypsies along the Andaman coast.
PHUKET XTRA: VIDEO: Phuket to reopen April 30? Old shrine seen in dry reservoir! || April 20
PHUKET XTRA: VIDEO: Phuket to reopen April 30? Old shrine seen in dry reservoir! || April 20
PHUKET XTRA - April 20 || brought to you by PVCPhuket.com 27 new COVID cases in Thailand, 0 for Phuket |:| Phuket to reopen after April 30? |:| 12 curfew breakers arrested |:| TAT expects only 16mn tourist arrivals |:| Old shrine visible in dry reservoir Hosted by: JP Mestanza || #Phuket
Chalong Police check for COVID in death of Canadian man, 70
Chalong Police check for COVID in death of Canadian man, 70
PHUKET: Chalong Police are waiting for a post-mortem examination to confirm the cause of death of a 70-year-old Canadian man whose body was found in his rented apartment in Chalong on Saturday (Apr 18), and to determine whether man had contracted COVID-19.
Angels by your side
Angels by your side
The nationwide shutdown is almost a catastrophe for much of Thailand’s labour force, which has no financial guarantees. Phuket is especially dependent on tourism. Those who work as cleaning workers, tuk-tuk drivers, street vendors and scavengers, support themselves and the whole family on a meagre and unstable daily earnings every day.
Elephant kraal operators seek govt help
Elephant kraal operators seek govt help
BANGKOK: Representatives of elephant kraals throughout the country have asked the government for assistance to cushion the financial impact of the shutdown of their businesses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
China to lead Thailand tourism revival, say experts
China to lead Thailand tourism revival, say experts
BANGKOK: A comprehensive new survey of consumers in China’s first-tier cities has concluded that 53% of respondents would like to travel overseas within 2020. More so, the most popular months for trips abroad for the remainder of the year are August, October and December, report C9 Hotelworks and Delivering Asia Communications.
12 arrested in Rassada as Phuket curfew breakers hit more than 600
12 arrested in Rassada as Phuket curfew breakers hit more than 600
PHUKET: Twelve people were arrested in Rassada overnight for breaking the nationwide night curfew from 10pm to 4am, according to a report by the Department of Local Administration, Phuket Office filed earlier today (Apr 20).
Phuket officials report no new COVID-19 cases as Bang Tao checks steam ahead
Phuket officials report no new COVID-19 cases as Bang Tao checks steam ahead
PHUKET: The Phuket Communicable Disease Committee today (Apr 20) again reported zero new confirmed cases of people infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus as the door-to-door checks in Cherng Talay continue.
Surging power bills spark anger
Surging power bills spark anger
BANGKOK: Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong will meet power authorities urgently on Monday (Apr 20) to iron out growing complaints by households over unusually high electricity bills.
Australia calls for independent probe into global virus response
Australia calls for independent probe into global virus response
WORLD: Australia today (Apr 19) called for an independent investigation into the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the World Health Organization’s (WHO) handling of the crisis.
Government ‘not seeking donations’ from tycoons
Government ‘not seeking donations’ from tycoons
THAILAND: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is not seeking donations from tycoons - he merely wants to see cooperation in fighting the coronavirus outbreak and reviving the economy, say a deputy prime minister and the government spokeswoman.
Green Thoughts: Good vibrations and your garden
Green Thoughts: Good vibrations and your garden
“It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good…” While we are all confined to barracks, or, more pleasurably, to our own home in the tropics, the privation has, ironically, opened up a wonderful opportunity for us – the chance to appreciate our gardens anew. Beyond their walls, Mother Nature is herself enjoying a welcome respite from man’s incessant predations: less pollution, less plastic, less  pandemonium, fewer people. More opportunity for the planet’s besieged and threatened creatures to get their breath, maybe their lives back. But the garden is unique: a natural location where man’s presence is not only necessary, but invariably positive. A symbiotic arrangement. Not only is the gardener good for the garden, the garden is good for the gardener. Have you ever encountered an unhappy tiller of the soil? Not often, I would guess. From the time when mentally disturbed Egyptian royalty were prescribed soothing walks in palace parks, to the use of therapeutic gardening to assist World War One soldiers with nerves frayed by gunfire and mud, there has been a proven nexus between such “green” activities and improved physical and mental rates of recovery – including reduced stress, a keener sense of well-being, even increased self-esteem. In his 17th century poem “The Garden”,  Andrew Marvell famously described such immersion as trance-like: “annihilating all that’s made/ To a green thought in a green shade.” In fact, the natural world has long been lauded by writers able to empathise with its ‘good vibrations’. Thus the Romantic poet William Wordsworth writing more than two centuries ago: One impulse from a vernal woodShall teach us more of man,Of moral evil and of good,Than all the sages can. An extravagant claim. However, what he means is something all nature lovers and, one hopes, all gardeners believe in, the restorative and benevolent force of nature. In what is more a Buddhist than Christian “impulse”, the poet avers that walking in a wood where spring is springing is an enspiriting experience, a place where we feel a sense of kinship with other living things, in harmony with the universe. While few of us today nowadays enjoy such a bucolic existence, every gardener can testify to the therapeutic power of Mother Nature. If we cannot walk among the bluebells in a “vernal wood”, or marvel at a tropic lake ablaze with lotus blooms, where better to experience the presence of nature than in our own garden; smelling the earth after a freshening shower, inhaling the perfume from a jasmine flower , or listening to a chorus of cicadas. Personally, I experience another more mundane benefit – a sense of optimism and satisfaction at the very  thought of all that springing, magical growth that is silently happening beyond the house walls – buds opening, roots delving, leaving unfurling, seeds sprouting, flowers bursting into bloom. Come a new day, I venture out into a kaleidoscopic world, a living tapestry where everything has subtly changed. There is growing evidence [no pun intended] that gardening helps in other, measurable ways. In an increasingly urbanized world , the presence of plants, particularly trees and shrubs in our own borders or in nearby parks and communal gardens, enriches the very air we breathe. All photosynthesizing  plants act as a sink for potentially harmful carbon dioxide, sequestering the greenhouse gas, and releasing life-enhancing oxygen into the atmosphere. Just for the record, they also intercept harmful airborne particulates, save water through their roots and leaves, and prevent flooding. One study recently found that green plants prevented nearly a million cases of respiratory disease, and removed in one year an estimated 17 tons of atmospheric pollutants. Six leafy trees provides enough oxygen for one person. Who knows, they could be an unseen ally in the fight against Covid 19… And the nearer these plants are to human habitation, the greater their health-giving impact on people’s lives. Trees in your garden? An especial treasure. Nor are we the only beneficiaries  Shrubs and leafy trees provide cover and nesting areas for birds; your lily pond is home to frogs and fishes; the nectar of flowers is life-sustaining for butterflies and bees. In material terms, gardens increase property values and help pay the grocery bill. If you have a garden in Thailand, there is little excuse for not growing your own produce since most of the world’s edible fruits and vegetables thrive in this most fecund of environments. Your local market demonstrates what local growers can do. Are you doing likewise? The garden is a microcosm of the world at large – the natural world. Today, its ecological importance has never been greater- and is getting more and more so. As green spaces vanish everywhere, as habitats for wild creatures shrink and as man is increasingly confined to an unnatural existence in apartment or condominium , our gardens and even our pot-lined patios fulfill a crucial role – oases of greenery in our concrete jungles. Tend and nurture your garden, In so doing, you will be nurturing yourself. Patrick’s book ‘The Tropic Gardener’, the culmination of 13 years of writing about tropical plants and their cultivation in Phuket, is now available. Promotional price of B900, including post and packing. Dr Patrick Campbell can be contacted at his home Camelot, located at 59/84 Soi Saiyuan 13; Rawai; Phuket 83130. Tel:66 076613227 (land line), 0655012326 or 0857827551 (mobile).
Red Bull’s Horner says F1 owners would bail out struggling teams
Red Bull’s Horner says F1 owners would bail out struggling teams
FORMULA ONE: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes the prospect of losing a struggling team from the Formula One grid would be such an “enormous blow” that the sport’s owners would have to launch a financial bailout.
The Culinary Detective: Chefs during Lockdown
The Culinary Detective: Chefs during Lockdown
The current COVID-19 crisis has affected everyone across the globe and with sadly many losing loved ones, the impact of this tragedy will undoubtedly continue to be felt for some time to come. Navigating our way through this present danger whilst worrying about the health of our families coupled with the devastating economic consequences of loss of income is a mammoth challenge. In addition to these critical concerns, the restriction of enforced lockdown has created an exceptionally unique environment.
Thais return home from Malaysia as border reopens
Thais return home from Malaysia as border reopens
THAILAND: A total of 262 Thai workers who had been stranded in Malaysia returned home via five southern border checkpoints yesterday (Apr 18), the first day the checkpoints were reopened.
Phuket officials report no new COVID-19 cases
Phuket officials report no new COVID-19 cases
PHUKET: The Phuket Communicable Disease Committee today (Apr 19) announced zero confirmed cases of people infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Officials confirm all animals are being taken good care of as Phuket Zoo awaits closure.
Officials confirm all animals are being taken good care of as Phuket Zoo awaits closure.
PHUKET: Animals at Phuket Zoo are well looked after and have not been abandoned, contrary to reports on social media, claimed officials after an investigative inspection yesterday (Apr 17).
Phuket officials report zero new COVID-19 cases, total holds at 192
Phuket officials report zero new COVID-19 cases, total holds at 192
PHUKET: The Phuket Communicable Disease Committee today (Apr 18) announced zero new confirmed cases of people infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus.
COVID-19 active screening campaign tackles Bang Tao
COVID-19 active screening campaign tackles Bang Tao
PHUKET: Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana this morning (Apr 18) oversaw a ceremony to initiate the active COVID-19 screening campaign within the Bang Tao community.