Thailand long awaits return of Chinese tourists: Thai tourism minister

STORY: Thailand long awaits return of Chinese tourists: Thai tourism minister DATELINE: Jan. 2, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:15 LOCATION: Bangkok CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. cutaways of Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn at a new year countdown event 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Thai): PHIPHAT RATCHAKITPRAKARN, Thailand's Tourism and Sports Minister 3. file of Chinese tourists in Thailand 4. various of Thai airport STORYLINE: As one of the many tourism-reliant countries, Thailand is looking forward to the return of Chinese tourists following China's recent announcement of easing restrictions on international flights. Thailand's Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said China's move to lift travel restrictions is long-awaited good news for Thailand. SOUNDBITE 1 (Thai): PHIPHAT RATCHAKITPRAKARN, Thailand's Tourism and Sports Minister "Thailand is a tourism destination favored by tourists from around the world including those from China. The people of Thailand are looking forward to the r

Lifelong promise from Mama Soraida to her elephant friends

STORY: Lifelong promise from Mama Soraida to her elephant friends DATELINE: Aug. 13, 2022 LENGTH: 00:03:19 LOCATION: Bangkok CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. cutaways of elephant hospital 2. Soraida Salwala and elephant 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SORAIDA SALWALA, Founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Hospital 4. hospital Staff taking care of Mosha (an elephant) 5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SORAIDA SALWALA, Founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Hospital 6. Soraida Salwala and elephant STORYLINE: Over two decades ago, an Asian elephant named Motala stepped on a landmine and got her left front leg seriously injured. She limped for three days before she was rescued by a special hospital in Thailand. Fitted with a prosthetic leg, she was taken care of for over 20 years. Every morning and afternoon, 61-year-old Motala walks around the lawn outside her tent for a while. Deep in the forest of Lampang province in northern Thailand, the hospital, named Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE),

Thailand's consumer inflation hits 14-year high in June

STORY: Thailand's consumer inflation hits 14-year high in June DATELINE: July 6, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:44 LOCATION: Bangkok CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of port, containers 2. various of Thai Bank, Thai baht (file) 3. various of cutaways of a car factory 4. Thailand supermarket 5. cutaways of Thai railway station 6. cutaways of Thai subway STORYLINE: Thailand's consumer inflation rose to a 14-year high in June, with the central bank under mounting pressure to normalize its monetary policy, official data showed on Tuesday. The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, increased 7.66 percent year on year in June, the highest level since July 2008, according to the Ministry of Commerce. On a monthly basis, the CPI edged up 0.9 percent from May, with the pace of growth moderating from May's 1.4-percent rise. For the first half of 2022, the CPI rose 5.61 percent from a year earlier, according to the ministry. The surge in prices, despite the government's imposing price caps on certain go

Thailand further eases COVID-19 restrictions despite record-high cases

STORY: Thailand further eases COVID-19 restrictions despite record-high cases DATELINE: March 19, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:48 LOCATION: Bangkok CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. cutaways of Thai people's lives, markets 2. cutaways of Thai shopping markets, street view 3. People waiting for COVID-19 test 4. Thai people receiving COVID-19 vaccine injections STORYLINE: Despite record-high daily COVID-19 cases, Thailand on Friday announced further easing of social distancing rules nationwide, allowing more businesses to resume operations. The government is also considering to cancel the requirement of pre-departure COVID-19 tests for inbound travelers from April 1, as part of relaxed border control measures to boost tourism, Natapanu Nopakun, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a daily news briefing of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Aiming to help the economy recover from the pandemic, Thailand plans to declare COVID-19 an endemic disease by July 1, regardless of a recent

NATO allies boost military, practical support to Ukraine

STORY: NATO allies boost military, practical support to Ukraine DATELINE: March 1, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:43 LOCATION: Brussels CATEGORY: MILITARY/POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. shots of NATO military exercises 2. outside views of NATO Building in Brussels 3. shots of roundtable of the Summit of NATO 4. cutaways of the press conference of Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General 5. shots of NATO military exercises 6. shots of Ukrainians refugees leaving their country STORYLINE: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies have boosted support to Ukraine with military equipment, financial assistance and humanitarian aid, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday via Twitter. "NATO allies are stepping up support with air-defence missiles, anti-tank weapons, as well as humanitarian and financial aid," Stoltenberg tweeted. NATO said in a press release on Sunday that Ukraine has received "critical weapons," including Javelin missiles and anti-aircraft missiles. "Millions of euros" worth of financial as

Thailand reports record 23,557 new COVID-19 cases

STORY: Thailand reports record 23,557 new COVID-19 cases DATELINE: Feb. 25, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:01 LOCATION: Bangkok CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of people receiving COVID-19 test 2. various of people waiting for COVID-19 vaccination 3. cutaways of shopping market 4. cutaways of supermarket STORYLINE: Thailand on Thursday reported a record daily increase of 23,557 new COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours, as the Omicron variant continues to spread across the Southeast Asian country. That brought the total number of infections in the country to 2.79 million, while that of fatalities to 22,768, according to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). The number of daily COVID-19 deaths was 38, well below the 184 fatalities reported on Aug. 13, 2021, when Thailand recorded its previous record of 23,418 new cases. Early this week, the Ministry of Public Health raised the COVID-19 alert level from 3 to 4, a category that includes regulations discouraging dining or drinking at