Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.

They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.

In this episode, she chats with ST's Indochina bureau chief Tan Hui Yee. 

Much has changed in Betong during the pandemic. It is a district wedged on the southern tip of Thailand, after a 1hr 45min flight from Bangkok.

In the absence of visitors, street artists have transformed ageing shophouses with stunning murals. Dim sum dishes still rule there. But with tourism revenue evaporating following the pandemic, the district's businesses hope its new airport will bring back visitors.

Highlights (click/tap above):

01:11 Are tourists returning to Thailand after easing of Covid restrictions?

04:28 Why Singaporean tourists can consider visiting peaceful Betong?

06:38 Dim sum, good street food - pre-and post-pandemic

11:40 How local street art emerged during the pandemic 

14:26 Betong’s International Airport finally opens after delays

Read Hui Yee’s article here: https://str.sg/w2Hc

Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar ([email protected]), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim 

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim 

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