Thailand’s National Council for Peace and Order has reduced the curfew hours to midnight to 0400 with effect Wednesday. The curfew was previously in place 2200 to 0500. The announcement was made late Tuesday night and within hours major shopping malls announced they would revert to normal opening hours 1000 to 2200 daily.

That was good news for shoppers and tourists. Also restaurant owners were relieved to be able to get back to longer trading hour. Some of the hardest hits are the small street-side restaurants that open through the night catering to the post night club crowds.

Siam Centre, Siam Discovery, Siam Tower, and Siam Paragon, all the Central Pattana owned and managed shopping malls and the Mall Group announced the return to normal opening hours earlier today.

Bangkok’s popular mass transport systems BTS Sktrain and Bangkok Metro, the underground rail service, both announced they would operate daily from 0600 to 2300.

That is just one hour short of their usual midnight closing time.

NCPO will probably ease the curfew further over the next few days as security measures continue to bring stability and peace to the capital city.

The travel industry had earlier requested that the NCPO consider ending the curfew at southern tourist resorts, Phuket and Samui, to spur tourism recovery. All tourist destinations in Thailand, with the exception of Bangkok, were business as normal even during the height of protests in the capital city.

An end of the curfew at South Thailand resorts could come before the curfew is rescinded in the Thai capital and central and northern provinces.

Since Monday, military leaders have tightened their grip on the administration of the country and introduced heightened security across the country.

The NCPO also ordered the release of funds to pay the country’s farmers who were made destitute when the former government’s scheme collapsed due to alleged corrupt management.

The coup spin off for foreign visitors is a safe environment possibly the safest in nearly a decade of political discord and protests.

If safety remans a priority guaranteed by the NCPO, tourism is expected to make a fast recovery.

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