Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Thailand has tightened entry checks and is now screening foreign visitors more strictly than before. This can also affect Swiss nationals who live there or spend the winter or travel there regularly. For holidaymakers nothing much changes but those planning longer stays or frequent visits could face more scrutiny.
Have you visited Thailand recently? What experience did you have when entering the country?
Best regards
Thailand is tightening entry checks and is increasingly denying entry to foreigners, leading to stricter and longer immigration procedures for travellers.
Since the beginning of the year, almost 30,000 people have been denied entry into Thailand. According to the Tages-Anzeiger, there are no indications of rejected Swiss citizens so far. The authorities justify the stricter procedures with the fight against visa abuse, illegal work and cross-border crime.
Little is likely to change for regular holidaymakers. Anyone who goes on a beach holiday for a few weeks is not on the radar of the authorities. The situation is different for digital nomads, winter escapees or travellers who have so far extended their stay through regular departures and re-entries. In addition, the visa-free period of stay for Swiss nationals will be reduced again from 60 to 30 days.
The Swiss foreign ministry recommends that travellers inform themselves about the applicable entry requirements in good time.
Parliament has postponed the decision on the ‘Blackout Initiative’ and agreed on the modalities of the digital collection of signatures.
Parliament has not yet concluded the deliberations on the so-called blackout initiative. After a “monster debate” with around 100 votes in the House of Representatives, the decision on the energy policy bill was postponed until next week. At the heart of the initiative is the question of whether the ban on new nuclear power plants should be lifted.
In the meantime, parliamentarians have agreed on the modalities of pilot tests for the electronic collection of signatures. The fundamental decisions on these pilots had already been made earlier – now the conditions for their implementation are clear. This may also be of interest to you as a Swiss citizen abroad, as it would allow you to participate in the collection of signatures for a referendum or a popular initiative, for example.
The Senate has also decided not to allow an expansion of Sunday shopping. This means that there will be four Sundays open for shopping per year. The ball is in now in the court of the House of Representatives.
The dispute over the Swiss cross on products of the sporting goods manufacturer On is once again causing ripples. According to a report in the NZZ am Sonntag , On put pressure on the Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI).
The company is said to have threatened the IPI with a state liability lawsuit. In addition, On is said to have influenced the composition of the negotiating team.
The background is a decision by the IPI in March. After a conflict with On, the authority relaxed its practice. Companies are now allowed to use the Swiss cross even if only certain aspects such as development, design or research take place in Switzerland.
The revelations have triggered criticism from business associations and politicians. Critics fear that the Swiss cross and the “Swissness” label will lose value and that large companies will be favoured over SMEs. Several parliamentarians are demanding explanations from the Swiss government. Trademark law experts see the matter in a more differentiated way. They argue in the Tages-Anzeiger that the IPI had previously pursued a particularly strict interpretation and that the relaxation was more in line with the majority legal opinion.
The Indian financial regulator has uncovered a scandal involving a Ticino gold refinery and a Lucerne holding company.
The Indian financial market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India accuses India’s fourth-largest company, the gold group Rajesh Exports, of massive balance sheet manipulation . There are fictitious earnings of around $159 billion over several years.
The focus is on Swiss companies Valcambi refinery in Ticino and the Lucerne-based holding company Global Gold Refineries AG. The Indian financial regulator claims that the business figures from Ticino were artificially boosted by the holding company in Lucerne.
The accounting scandal in India could damage the reputation of Switzerland’s financial centre and in particular its role as an international hub for gold. Rajesh Exports rejects the allegations.
Translated using AI/ac
In compliance with the JTI standards
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