Tag: Songkran

  • Thailand’s Nok Air extends time to file restructuring plan

    Thailand’s Nok Air extends time to file restructuring plan

    Nok Air has said in a stock market filing that it has been granted an additional month to file its final restructuring plan, with the new deadline falling on May 15, 2021.

    “This extension is needed to collect additional information required in order to prepare a complete and comprehensive rehabilitation plan to ensure that it will be appropriate for the airline business during the COVID-19 pandemic situation and will receive the approval at the creditors’ meeting,” the low-cost carrier said.

    The airline filed for restructuring in July 2020 and was officially admitted to the procedure on December 15, 2020. According to Thai law, it was initially granted three months to submit a final rehabilitation plan to the Central Bankruptcy Court. It already extended the deadline once, through April 15, 2021. The second extension is also the final one permitted.

    Nok Air underlined that in addition to complex and ongoing negotiations, the previous deadline would have fallen during the celebration of the Thai New Year (Songkran).

  • AEON and Robinson present “ROBINSON SUMMER FREE.VER” Songkran celebration campaign

    AEON and Robinson present “ROBINSON SUMMER FREE.VER” Songkran celebration campaign

    Mr. Tula Pharuehaspailin (right), Assistant Vice President Marketing Credit Card Promotion of AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company Limited together with Mr. Miti Chanyawong (left), General Manager Sales Promotion of Robinson Public Company Limited, announced the “ROBINSON SUMMER FREE.VER” campaign in celebration of the upcoming Songkran festival. Special promotions include the best prices on summer items, along with a discount coupon of up to 40% off. Exclusively for AEON credit cardholders, receive cash back up to 30,000 baht, with 10 chances to win a gold necklace, when spending up to 1,000 baht. The special offer is valid from today until 2 June, 2019 at all Robinson Department Store nationwide.

  • EON and Aurora unveil special Songkran promotions Offering 10 months of 0% interest on gold and diamond loans

    EON and Aurora unveil special Songkran promotions Offering 10 months of 0% interest on gold and diamond loans

    Ms. Saranya Pipoppinyo (middle), Vice President of Marketing at AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company Limited, together with Ms. Lapatlada Ruetivarangkoon (left), Vice President and Mr. Anirut Srirungthum (right), Vice President Business Development of Aurora Design Company Limited unveils two summer promotions for AEON Member Card and AEON Credit Card holders through the AEON Happy Pay and AEON Happy Plan services. The first promotion is 0% gold loan installment for up to 7 months, starting from April 12th-14th, 2019. For the second promotion, customers will be able to take on a “Diamond loan” with 0% interest rate for up to 10 months, starting today until 30th April, 2019 at all Aurora Gold and Jewelry branches nationwide.

  • Centara to showcase traditional Thai heritage through Songkran

    Centara to showcase traditional Thai heritage through Songkran

     Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, is partnering with Smile in Love Wedding Studio to showcase Thailand’s rich cultural heritage embodied in traditional Thai clothing throughout the upcoming Songkran Festival 2019. Centara staff will wear traditional Thai costumes, providing guests with an up-close look at the timeless style and glamour of authentic Thai apparel. In addition to celebrating Thai clothing traditions, guests at every hotel and resort property across the group will be invited to take part in Thai cultural activities such as the offering of beautiful handmade jasmine garlands and the traditional pouring of scented water over the palms.

    Preparations are well underway at all 33 Centara properties within Thailand to extend a warm welcome and Thai-style hospitality to guests soon to arrive from around the world to join the Songkran festivities nationwide. All front-line staff will be dressed in traditional Thai costumes during the upcoming 11th – 15th April 2019 holiday period. Special activities, such as a booth for sprinkling scented water on the Buddha’s image, a set-up for pouring scented water onto elders’ palms, along with traditional Thai folk performances are also being arranged, enabling guests to experience the many appealing facets of this popular annual festival.

    As the Thai hotel brand-of-choice among both Thai and international guests, Centara takes great pride in delivering its renowned standard of Thai-style service and gracious hospitality to guests while celebrating an important and joyful cultural occasion together with millions of Thais.

  • Thai junta takes control of 900-MHz re-auction

    Thai junta takes control of 900-MHz re-auction

    Thailand’s military junta has overruled the telecoms regulator for the 900-MHz auction, bringing it up one month to May 27, curtailing public debate on and possibly allowing TrueMove in for another chance to claim the entire 900-MHz band. The opening bid will be Jasmine’s winning bid of $2.1 billion (75.65 billion Baht). Jasmine failed to secure payment and defaulted, giving rise to the need for a new auction.

    The junta, formally known as the National Council for Peace and Order, issued its 16th decree under article 44 of the interim constitution, commonly referred to as the absolute power clause. This means that the order is final and cannot be appealed in any court. The order was signed by Prime Minister General Prayut Chanocha in his capacity as NCPO chairman.

    Earlier reports suggested that moving the auction up a month would mean there would be little or no public consultation as is required under the frequency act, though this was not made explicit in the order.

    The NCPO also ordered the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to amend the auction rules in order to ensure value for the country and healthy competition. Any changes will have to be agreed to by the NCPO. This puts the NCPO in direct control of the auction.

    While again this was not explicit in the wording of the order, earlier reports suggested that the junta was keen to allow TrueMove to participate in the auction, despite an NBTC ruling to exclude TrueMove from the new auction by imposing a spectrum cap as it had already won half the 900-MHz band in the December auction.

    The deadline for applying for the auction is May 18.

    The NCPO also ordered TrueMove’s 900-MHz licence to be extended to match the new expiry date of the new licence.

    The NCPO order allows AIS to continue using the 900-MHz spectrum for its 2G customers until June 30 or until the NBTC issues a new licence for the auction winner. AIS’ 900-MHz was originally scheduled to be turned off in a couple of days on April 14.

    AIS CEO Somchai Lertsutiwong thanked the NCPO for decisively using article 44 to settle the matter and to prevent 2G AIS customers from losing connectivity over the long weekend that is the Thai new year.

    “The NCPO has truly returned happiness to the people. I want to shout at the top of my voice, ‘The government is acting in the best interests for the people’”, he said.

    The AIS CEO said that the situation had changed and that the regulator has now made it clear that there would be no more cheap spectrum available, hence the starting price for the new bid is reasonable.

  • Japanese stores target Thai tourists

    Japanese stores target Thai tourists

    Thai tourists are now in the sights of Japanese department stores after their success in luring Chinese during Lunar New Year.

    Such companies as Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings and J.Front Retailing, which run the Daimaru and Matsuzakaya department stores, are ramping up efforts to lure Thai tourists during their traditional New Year holiday Songkran, which this year runs from April 13 to 15, reports Nikkei Asian Review.

    A weaker yen has helped boost tourism numbers to Japan, and visitors from Thailand have grown steadily to nearly 800,000 last year following the relaxing of visa requirements in July 2013.

    While most foreign visitors last year came from China, they were followed in volume by South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the US and then Thailand.

    Isetan Mitsukoshi and J.Front issued pamphlets and other materials to promote their Japanese stores during the Thai International Travel Fair at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center on February 21, one of Southeast Asia’s largest travel-industry events. They mainly targeted Thai travel agencies.

    J.Front’s Daimaru and Matsuzakaya stores distributed flyers with discount coupons, and also plans to hand them out aboard Asia Atlantic Airlines flights between Thailand and Sapporo. The coupons will also be given to tourists buying the Japan Rail Pass at Thai outlets of Japanese travel agency HIS.

    Daimaru’s store in Sapporo has even prepared a floor guide in Thai language.
    Matsuya, another Japanese department-store chain, will give preferential treatment to customers of three Thai banks – Bank of Ayudhya, Kasikornbank and Krung Thai Bank – at its Ginza store in Tokyo. They will receive discounts and gifts.

    In January, Matsuya had a similar offer for customers holding membership cards from Thai retailer The Mall Group. Sales of duty-free goods at Matsuya during last year’s Songkran holidays surged 50 per cent from a year earlier, the company says.
    Visitors from Thailand spent a total of Y120 billion (US$1 billion) in Japan last year, up a quarter on 2014’s figures, according to a survey by the Japan Tourism Agency.