General Information

Weather

In January, Thailand experiences a generally pleasant and dry climate, making it one of the most popular times to visit the country. However, it’s essential to note that Thailand’s weather can vary somewhat depending on the region you plan to visit.

Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai):
Temperature: The northern region tends to be cooler in January, with daytime temperatures ranging from 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F). Evenings and early mornings can be quite chilly, so packing some warm clothing is advisable.
Rainfall: Northern Thailand experiences very little rainfall in January, with most days being dry and sunny.
Central Thailand (Bangkok, Ayutthaya):
Temperature: Central Thailand, including Bangkok, enjoys pleasant temperatures ranging from 22°C to 32°C (72°F to 90°F). It’s a comfortable time to explore the city and its attractions.
Rainfall: Central Thailand is relatively dry in January, with minimal rainfall.
Southern Thailand (Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui):
Temperature: The southern region of Thailand, particularly the islands, experiences warm and tropical weather in January, with temperatures ranging from 24°C to 32°C (75°F to 90°F).
Rainfall: While the Andaman Sea side (e.g., Phuket and Krabi) tends to be drier in January, the Gulf of Thailand side (e.g., Koh Samui) may experience occasional showers or brief rain spells. However, these do not typically disrupt travel plans significantly.
Eastern Thailand (Pattaya, Ko Chang):
Temperature: Eastern Thailand has temperatures similar to Central Thailand, ranging from 22°C to 32°C (72°F to 90°F).
Rainfall: Like Central Thailand, the eastern region experiences minimal rainfall in January.

Overall, January is an excellent time to visit Thailand, with comfortable temperatures and relatively low humidity in most areas. It’s a popular month for tourists, so be prepared for larger crowds at popular tourist destinations. However, it’s advisable to check the specific weather forecast for the region you plan to visit closer to your travel dates, as weather conditions can vary from year to year.

Electricity

The voltage in Bangkok is 230 Volts, and the frequency of the electric current is 50 Hz. Hotels and homes in Bangkok primarily use 2-pin flat blade and round pin plug sockets (Type A and Type C). Modern buildings and establishments might also provide universal sockets that can accommodate various plug types. The current power supply in Bangkok is generally reliable, with fewer outages than in previous years. Over 99% of the city has a consistent electricity supply. Other regions of Thailand, such as the Northern provinces, have also seen improvements in their electrical infrastructure. Rural areas have increasingly gained access to electricity, with many now connected to the national grid and enjoying a 24-hour electricity supply.

Currency and Exchange rate

Thailand’s official currency is known as the Thai Baht (THB), which is available in various denominations, including 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1. The Bank of Thailand is responsible for regularly releasing the daily exchange rates.

Please refer to the link below to know the prices: https://www.bot.or.th/English/Statistics/FinancialMarkets/ExchangeRate/Pages/RatePolicy.aspx

TAX

Under normal circumstances, hotels in Bangkok typically apply a 7% Value Added Tax (VAT) rate along with a 10% Service Charge. Similarly, some guest houses, restaurants, and other establishments offering comparable services and registered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand may follow the same tax rates, but there could be variations. If these businesses are not registered for VAT, they might not apply the 7% VAT, but they could levy other charges. The exact charges in such cases cannot be stated definitively.

Regarding transportation services, it is common for most service providers not to be registered for VAT. However, if they do register for VAT, they may then apply the standard 7% VAT rate.

Please note that tax regulations and policies may change over time, so it’s essential for customers to inquire about the specific charges applicable to the services they are availing during their visit or stay in Bangkok.

Language

The official language of Thailand is Thai. Thai, also known as Siamese, is the native language of the Thai people and is the primary language used in government, education, media, and daily life throughout the country.

Thai is a tonal language with a unique script, which is written from left to right. The Thai script consists of 44 consonants, 15 vowel symbols, and various tone marks and diacritics. While the Thai script is the standard writing system, the Latin alphabet is also used for transliteration and in some signage and publications, especially in tourist areas.

In addition to Thai, there are several regional languages and dialects spoken by various ethnic minority groups in Thailand, such as Isaan (spoken in the northeastern region) and Southern Thai (spoken in the southern region). However, these languages are not official languages and are primarily spoken within their respective communities.

English is widely taught as a second language in Thailand, especially in urban areas and tourist destinations. It is used in business, tourism, and education, making it relatively easy for English-speaking travelers to communicate in Thailand, particularly in major cities and tourist hubs.

Useful Thai Phrases.

English	Thai
Hello	Sa Was Dee
Yes	Chai
No	Mai Chai
Thank you very much	Kob Khun
Good Morning	Sa Was Dee Ton Chao
Good Afternoon	Sa Was dee Ton Tieng
Good Evening	Sa Was Dee Ton Bai
Good night	Ra Tree Sawad
Sorry	Ko tod
Nice to meet you	Yin Dee Tee Dai Roo Jak
I don’t know you	Mai Roo Jak
See you again	Leaw Pop Kun Mai
Please	Dai Prod
How are you?	Pen Yang Rai Bang
What is your name?	Khun Chue A-Rai
My name is ____	Chun Chue ____
Hotel	Rong Ram
Breakfast	Ar-Harn Chao
Lunch	Ar-Harn Tieng
Dinner	Ar-Harn Kum
What is the time now?	Kee mong leaw

Snr. Prof. Udith K. Jayasinghe Mudalige

Vice-Chancellor / Senior Professor (Chair) of Agribusiness Management
Wayamba University of Sri Lanka

Title of the speech: Governing an Innovation & Technology-based Food and Agriculture Sector: Trends & Challenges

Abstract
Numerous “trends” shape the future of food and agriculture sectors. The resulting “challenges” from
which faced by an economy can be diverse in relation to the outputs, outcomes and impacts they
generate. Those trends and challenges can broadly be catalogued into the categories of socio-
economic, cultural, technological, commercial, political and environmental etc. Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) talk about numerous aspects pertaining to those trends, including: Population
growth, urbanization and ageing; Governance for food and nutrition security, health and poverty and
inequality; Global economic growth, investment, trade and food prices, and development finance;
Structural change and employment and migration; Changing food systems; Competition for natural
resources; Climate change; Conflicts, crises and natural disasters; Agricultural productivity and
innovation, and Transboundary pests and diseases.
It is estimated that in a world with its population is expected to grow to almost 10 billion by 2050 and
under the scenario of “modest economic growth”, demand for food and agriculture products and
services will be boosted by some 50 percent compared to today. The income growth in those “low to
middle-income” nations will result a significant “dietary transition” towards higher consumption of meat,
fruits and vegetables, relative to that of cereals. This ultimately results commensurate shifts in output
and adding pressure on natural resources. Despite the fact that hunger and extreme poverty have been
reduced globally over the last few decades, nearly 700 million people, most of them from rural areas,
are still “extremely poor” today. As stated by the FAO, under a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario, without
additional efforts to promote pro-poor development, some 653 million people would still be
undernourished in 2030.
The decline in the share of agriculture in total production and employment would pose the challenges in
agricultural investments and technological innovations across the regions. Further, the needed
acceleration in productivity growth will be hampered by the degradation of natural resources, loss of
biodiversity, climate change and the spread of transboundary pests and diseases of plants and
animals. The critical parts of food systems will, thus, show the characteristics of ‘capital-intensive’,
‘vertically integrated’ and ‘concentrated in fewer hands’ across agri-food value and supply chains.
Amongst other happenings, these can result in increased migratory flows of rural male that, in turn, lead
to ‘feminization’ of agriculture.
All these trends poses severe challenges to the food and agriculture in the forms of, for example:
sustainable improvements to the agricultural productivity; eradicate extreme poverty, reduce inequality
and end hunger and all forms of malnutrition; improve income earning opportunities in rural areas and
address the root causes of migration; tackle those issues related to climate change and intensification
of natural hazards, and ensure a sustainable natural resource base.
In the light of above, reorganizing of food systems and the governance will be of considerable tasks to
address those current and future challenges identified. It is indispensable to create innovative systems
that protect and enhance the natural resource base, while increasing productivity and a transformative
process towards ‘holistic’ approaches, such as Climate-Smart Agriculture, Conservation Agriculture,
Agro-Ecology and Agro-Forestry, which also build upon indigenous and traditional knowledge.

Rene Buch

Senior Enterprise Architect Research & Education –
NTT Germany and Former CEO – NORDUnet

Brief Bio

Rene Buch served 16 years as CEO for NORDUnet delivering advanced Telecommunications and ICT Solutions to the European Nordic Research and Education Community. In this capacity he kicked off knowledge exchange program for emerging NRENs that fostered collaboration, knowledge Building and a gender diversity programme in SE Asia and Africa., Rene Buch also served as CTO for European Open Science Clouds Association promoting Open Science in Europe. Currently, Rene Buch serves as Senior Enterprise Architect for Research and Education for NTT Germany delivering tailored ICT solution to the German R&E community. Previously Rene Buch filled several senior roles in Global Telecommunication and ICT Companies.

Title of the Speech : Better together – How eNREN Collaboration enables National and Regional Development

Prof. Simon See

Senior Director, Chief Solution Architect and
Global Head, NVIDIA AI Technology Center,
NVIDIA Corporation

Title of the Speech-High-Performance Simulation in the Age of AI

Abstract

High-performance simulation with AI for digital twins and metaverse is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to revolutionize many industries. The convergence of digital twins, generative AI, and the metaverse is explored this talk. The author discusses how generative AI apps like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion will soon make it easier for anyone to create digital twin simulations and 3D interactive experiences and environments. The maturation of digital twins will involve enterprises starting out with a “representative” digital twin, then progressing to a “connected” digital twin and on to a “live data” twin, where the simulation is informed by data collected from the real world by sensors and scanners, enabling the model to be updated as it happens. Digital twins are virtual replicas of existing physical objects, systems, or infrastructure, and are used for training, testing, and predicting outcomes. AI use cases for digital twins include predictive maintenance, process automation, and optimization. The implementation of digital twins is still in its nascent stage, and detailed digital twins are still impossible for complex systems. However, digital twins speed up the time to market of many applications and use cases, reduce the time needed to deploy new AI-driven capabilities, and improve commercial efficiency.

Snr. Prof. Ranjith Senaratne

Chairman, National Science Foundation Sri Lanka,
Senior Professor of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna,
Former Vice Chancellor, University of Ruhuna

Brief Bio

Prof. Ranjith Senaratne, Emeritus Professor in Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, possesses over 40 years of experience in higher education, including teaching, research and administration and community development. He has held several senior administrative positions with distinction for a period of over 20 years, i.e. the posts of Dean, Faculty of Agriculture and Vice-Chancellor, University of Ruhuna, Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors, Chairman of the Ocean University and Vice Chairman, University Grants Commission. Presently, he serves as Chairman of the National Science Foundation and the General President of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science in 2023.

As Vice Chancellor, University of Ruhuna, he has been strongly committed to promoting academic excellence, high impact research, creative enterprise, strategic partnership with industry, community development and international cooperation. In recognition of his outstanding contribution in education, science, community development and international cooperation, the University of Durham, UK conferred a honorary Doctorate (honoris causa) on him in 2007.

Prof. Senaratne has been the recipient of several internationally competitive and prestigious research grants, i.e. from the Board on Science and Technology for International Development (BOSTID) of the National Research Council of the USA and has held a number of coveted fellowships, including the Andre Mayer Fellowship of the FAO and the Marie Curie Fellowship of the European Community. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and has over 100 research communications and papers to his credit. In addition, he has written and edited over 10 books related to agriculture, higher education, science & technology and national development.

Prof. Senaratne has provided strategic, inspirational and operational leadership to higher educational institutions, and he is a visionary leader and an institution builder.

Title of the Speech – Agriculture in Sri Lanka: Harnessing Potential and Embracing Change

Abstract

Agriculture, which mainly fed the population in the Agrarian Era, has since undergone a great deal of transformation in its scope, purpose, nature, complexity and sophistication. Agriculture today needs to produce not only food, but also feed, fibre, fuel (energy), nutraceuticals (e.g. dietary supplements, functional food, and medicinal food), cosmeceuticals and biotechnological products such as vaccines, antibiotics and enzymes. This sector presently occupies around 40% of land and consumes over 80% of the fresh water resources in the country. However, it is beset with a myriad of issues, including stagnant and low yield and quality, inefficient use of resources, including water and fertilizer, uncoordinated and unregulated production leading to unpredictable gluts and scarcities that cause drastic price fluctuations, overuse and abuse of pesticides and fertilizers, and heavy post-harvest losses. Low value addition, the predominance of small and scattered holdings, excess labour with low productivity, a lack of innovative business models and poor integration of agriculture into national, regional and global value chains are the other major constraints. In addition, with the advent of climate change, there is rising demand for crops and livestock that are resistant to pests, diseases and abiotic stresses. These issues have been exacerbated by lack of a rational, coherent and consistent national policy with a clear sense of direction and depth, particularly in agriculture, land and trade.

Therefore agriculture today poses serious challenges to economic, social, environmental, nutritional and health sectors. Meanwhile, its technological landscape is changing rapidly and markets are becoming increasingly globalized, sophisticated, dynamic and competitive. Besides, importing countries impose stringent control on food quality, safety and hygiene as the consumer is becoming increasingly health-conscious.

The agriculture and food systems should, therefore, become more productive, more resource- efficient, more resilient, more environment-friendly, less wasteful and more profitable. This is a formidable challenge, but has to be met. This calls for a new bold and compelling vision for agriculture. Hence, a step change in agriculture in Sri Lanka is urgently needed to transform it into a tech-savvy, export-oriented agri-business through smart farming where the whole process from production, processing, storage, marketing and distribution should be reengineered and remodeled for value chain enhancement. This includes, among other things, advance provision of weather data, market dynamics and price fluctuation, early detection of pests and diseases, and determination of water and nutrient needs. These will contribute a great deal to reduce the risk and uncertainty associated with agriculture.

This demands a suite of technologies to be adopted, such as ICT, biotechnology, nanotechnology, remote sensing and GIS, artificial intelligence, automation, Big Data, drones, Internet of Things, Robotics, etc., all of which are of great relevance and value. Here, one should not disregard or underestimate the value and relevance of indigenous knowledge (IK) — a precious hitherto untapped national resource — that should be harnessed to enhance agricultural production in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.

Therefore, it is imperative to rethink not only the way we produce, process, package, store, transport, distribute, market, deliver and consume food, but also the way we dispose of agricultural waste, to create a “zero waste” society. This calls for the transformation of conventional agriculture into a knowledge-based circular agriculture through a sea change which will enable increased production. This will be based on the use of considerably less resources and inputs to achieve sustainability with a reduced carbon footprint, water footprint, energy footprint and ecological footprint with greater profit. Therefore, a cultural revolution of sorts is the need of the hour, paving the way for a new Agri-Culture in Sri Lanka.