Bangkok –
The Thai government opposition Pheu Thai Party urged the Thailand government to revoke the emergency decree after canceling the ‘Test&Go’ scheme as it did not potentially help curb the spread of Covid-19 but was rather imposed for political purposes, according to their statement.
Jakkaphon Tangsutthitham, Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Mai and Deputy Secretary-General for the party’s economic working group, said that the Prime Minister’s announcement to cancel RT-PCR testing for international arrivals in May was a good thing. They also suggested that the government should revoke all complicated measures for tourists, including the ‘land entry fee’ in further steps.
Moreover, the party also urged Prayut’s government to cancel the Emergency Decree when ‘Test&Go’ was officially canceled and the situation had returned to normal. According to their statement, the decree did not help prevent the spread of the coronavirus but the government rather imposed it to limit anti-government activities.
Jakkaphon said: “As the situation had returned to normal and (the emergency decree was) no longer needed, the emergency decree, therefore, should be repealed. Prayut shouldn’t think of it as a defense mechanism to control those who opposed his government because Thailand would lose its good image as the implementation of the decree meant that the country still had problems.”
Additionally, Prayut’s government must seek solutions to help tourism-related operators, especially hotel businesses, to get back in business which would stimulate local employment which was very problematic during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Jakkaphon.
The Pheu Thai party suggested the government provide soft loans, debt restructuring, reducing interest, reducing principal, and debt repayment for entrepreneurs so that they could continue their business and boost domestic tourism and the economy. A waiver of land and buildings tax should also be considered for hotel entrepreneurs for at least one year in order to allow them to restart their business and earn enough income to support their business in the long run.
The emergency decree, notes TPN, has been in place since April of 2020 and gives the Prime Minister and the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, extensive powers and control. It also suspends things like Pattaya’s special administrative zone status which previously allowed Pattaya’s nightlife economy to stay open until late in entertainment zones. Instead, matters like legal closing times are currently mandated at a national level.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=–=–=–=–==-
Need Covid-19 insurance for your next trip to Thailand? Click here.
Follow us on Facebook
Join us on LINE for breaking alerts!
