Thailand

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    Bangkok Post: Breaking News

  • Chelsea cruise as Arsenal stumble

    21 Nov 2009 | 10:03 am
    Chelsea cranked up the pressure on their Premier League title rivals by cruising to a 4-0 win over struggling Wolves on Saturday.

  • 80 Taliban lay down weapons

    21 Nov 2009 | 7:46 am
    Eighty Taliban militants have laid down their weapons and joined Afghanistan's police force, accepting a government amnesty aimed at ending a vicious insurgency, police said on Saturday.

  • Liverpool, City inflict mutual damage

    21 Nov 2009 | 7:03 am
    Liverpool and Manchester City had to settle for a point apiece after a 2-2 draw at Anfield that did little for either club's hopes of getting back into the Premier League's top four.

  • Ireland admits defeat in WC replay bid

    21 Nov 2009 | 6:03 am
    Ireland on Saturday conceded defeat in its bid to have a controversial World Cup play-off against France replayed.

  • China mining accident kills 42

    21 Nov 2009 | 5:03 am
    An explosion at a coal mine in northeast China early Saturday killed at least 42 workers, state news agency Xinhua said, citing emergency services.
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    Yahoo! Thailand News

  • Death threats for Thai PM in pro-Thaksin stronghold: MP

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:17 pm
    Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva visited the north of the country amid heavy security Saturday after receiving death threats over a planned trip to a stronghold of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

  • Thailand must end detention of Hmong: rights group

    20 Nov 2009 | 8:26 pm
    A leading rights group Saturday called on the Thai government to allow 158 Lao Hmong refugees, who have been detained for three years pending deportation, to be resettled in four western countries.

  • Cambodia confirms takeover of air traffic company

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:17 am
    The Cambodian government on Friday confirmed its temporary takeover of management of the country's air traffic control company after one of its Thai employees was arrested last week on a spying charge.

  • Thai police make 4th arrest for rumors about king

    19 Nov 2009 | 4:39 am
    Police in Thailand have detained a fourth person suspected of using the Internet to spread rumors about the king's health, but plan no further arrests, a senior police officer said Thursday.

  • Fourth charge over Thai king health rumours

    18 Nov 2009 | 8:40 pm
    Thai police have charged a fourth person with spreading false rumours about the health of the country's revered king, after concerns over his condition sent stocks plunging, police said Thursday.
 
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    MCOT News

  • Thailand's unemployment drops steadily to 1.1% in November

    21 Nov 2009 | 12:37 am
    BANGKOK, Nov 21 (TNA) Reflecting the current sluggish economy in Thailand, the unemployment rate in September dropped to 1.2 per cent with signs that it will dwindle further to 1.1 per cent in Novemb...

  • Nine southern Thai provinces warned of flash floods

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:36 pm
    SONGKHLA, Nov 21 (TNA) Thailand s southern region Meteorological Department has issued warnings that flash floods could hit nine of the country s southern provinces and small boats and trawlers shoul...

  • New round of A(H1N1) affects Thailand

    18 Nov 2009 | 10:44 pm
    BANGKOK, Nov 19 (TNA) Influenza Type A(H1N1) re-emerged in Thailand this month, with the Public Health Ministry reporting that the virus has affected residents in some provinces, prompting the minis...

  • Thailand records one new A(H1N1) death

    18 Nov 2009 | 4:15 am
    BANGKOK, Nov 18 (TNA) Thailand s Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed one additional death from Influenza Type A(H1N1), bringing the country s total death toll to 185....

  • Six insurgents dead, two police wounded in Pattani clash

    17 Nov 2009 | 7:42 pm
    PATTANI, Nov 17 (TNA) Pattani police are on high alert following Tuesday shootout in which six insurgents were killed and three police officers wounded....
 
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    Google News: Thailand

  • India mulls rice reserve sale in local markets - Economic Times

    21 Nov 2009 | 11:28 am
    Online Latest NewsIndia mulls rice reserve sale in local marketsEconomic TimesThe minister ruled out any plans to import rice from Thailand and Vietnam amid positive response to the government sponsored procurement programme in India Won't Import Rice as Supplies Are AdequateBloombergIndia says no rice imports for nowAFPIndia may import rice from Thailand, VietnamMoneycontrol.comCalcutta Telegraph -Wall Street Journal -Bangkok Postall 93 news articles »

  • Cell Phones Drive Social Networks Now, IDC Reports - PC World

    21 Nov 2009 | 8:37 am
    Cell Phones Drive Social Networks Now, IDC ReportsPC WorldIn China and Thailand, 62 per cent and 65 per cent of the respective respondents use mobile phones to get news alerts and notifications, receive and reply and more »

  • Thai official confirms Hun Sen's daughter to take over CATS - Xinhua

    21 Nov 2009 | 6:41 am
    BBCIndonesia.comThai official confirms Hun Sen's daughter to take over CATSXinhuaThailand and Cambodia have downgraded their diplomatic relations due to conflict over an appointment of Thaksin as an economic advisor to Cambodia's Vietnamese economy poses no threat to ThailandBangkok PostCambodia takes over Thailand-run company as row deepensBBC NewsTensions in and on Thailand's bordersUnited Press International, AsiaThai News Agency MCOT -Malaysia Star -Jakarta Postall 89 news articles »

  • Japanese man wanted for fraud over shopping jobs in Thailand - Kyodo News

    21 Nov 2009 | 5:11 am
    Japanese man wanted for fraud over shopping jobs in ThailandKyodo News for not paying expenses and wages to people who bought brand items in Thailand on behalf of his company in 2006, lawyers of the victims said Saturday. and more »

  • Thai opposition leader tells PM to be careful when visiting Chiang Mai - Xinhua

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:11 pm
    Straits TimesThai opposition leader tells PM to be careful when visiting Chiang MaiXinhua21 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's opposition party leader said Saturday he did not believe there was a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as media PM: Thai economy to expand 3.5% in 2010.ISI - Emerging MarketsThai PM sees GDP growing 3.5 pct in 2010Reuters IndiaThai PM to stress Qatar's value to Asean nationsPeninsula On-lineForexTV.com -Gulf Times -Thai News Agency MCOTall 46 news articles »
 
 
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    InsideWorld.com: Thailand

  • Two Thai workers face arrest on drug charges

    21 Nov 2009 | 5:16 am
    Visit our website to read more www.InsideWorld.com. Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/virtual/insideworld.com/includes/classes.news.php on line 158 ' class="link_text" target="_blank">Story Link.

  • Death threats for Thai PM in pro-Thaksin stronghold

    21 Nov 2009 | 3:47 am
    Visit our website to read more www.InsideWorld.com. Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/virtual/insideworld.com/includes/classes.news.php on line 158 ' class="link_text" target="_blank">Story Link.

  • Thailand hit-and-run cases alarm OFWs from Cordillera

    21 Nov 2009 | 2:16 am
    Visit our website to read more www.InsideWorld.com. Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/virtual/insideworld.com/includes/classes.news.php on line 158 ' class="link_text" target="_blank">Story Link.

  • Death threats for Thai PM

    21 Nov 2009 | 2:16 am
    Visit our website to read more www.InsideWorld.com. Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/virtual/insideworld.com/includes/classes.news.php on line 158 ' class="link_text" target="_blank">Story Link.

  • Death threats for Thai PM in pro-Thaksin stronghold: MP

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:46 pm
    Visit our website to read more www.InsideWorld.com. Warning: Division by zero in /var/www/virtual/insideworld.com/includes/classes.news.php on line 158 ' class="link_text" target="_blank">Story Link.
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    MCOT Political News

  • Cambodian PM's daughter to take over CATS

    21 Nov 2009 | 4:18 am
    BANGKOK, Nov 21 (TNA) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen s daughter plans to hold shares in Thai-owned Cambodia Traffic Air Services (CATS) after the Cambodian government has temporarily taken over m...

  • PM visits North to follow up government projects

    20 Nov 2009 | 8:46 pm
    SUKHOTHAI, Nov 21 (TNA) -- Anti-government protesters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) early Saturday protested against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva while he was visiti...

  • Thailand to request bail for Thai engineer detained in Cambodia

    20 Nov 2009 | 4:09 am
    BANGKOK, Nov 20 (TNA) - Thailand will ask to post bail for the Thai engineer detained on spy charges in Cambodia within one or two days to free him on a temporary basis, according to the Thai Foreign ...

  • PM unperturbed, confirms visit to Thaksin stronghold

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    BANGKOK, Nov 20 (TNA) - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday reaffirmed that he will visit the northern province of Chiang Mai, stronghold of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, on Novem...

  • Yellow shirt leader Sondhi claims he is targeted for murder

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:14 pm
    BANGKOK, Nov 20 (TNA) - New Politics Party (NPP) leader Sondhi Limthongkul claimed that he is targeted for being killed by a group who fear that his political party will expose corruption, saying that...
 
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    Google News: Thailand Politics

  • Top Asian News at 12:00 pm GMT - TMCnet

    21 Nov 2009 | 4:22 am
    Boston GlobeTop Asian News at 12:00 pm GMTTMCnetThe move complicates a diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia over Phnom Penh's recent welcome to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Minority groups from Sri Lanka to meet in ZurichThe HinduThe Tamils and Equal Rights of Self DeterminationCounterPunchall 559 news articles »

  • Death threats for Thai PM in pro-Thaksin stronghold: MP - AFP

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:31 pm
    Straits TimesDeath threats for Thai PM in pro-Thaksin stronghold: MPAFPPetchawat could not be reached for comment, but fellow Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan accused the Democrats of playing politics by overemphasising the Call for peace in Chiang MaiBangkok Postall 46 news articles »

  • The invisible elephant - Malaysia Star

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:22 pm
    BBC NewsThe invisible elephantMalaysia StarSO what is really happening (politically) in Thailand?” a visiting American academician specialising in South-East Asian politics asked me. Cambodia takes over Thailand-run company as row deepensBBC NewsThe solution's simple, says SuthepBangkok PostTensions in and on Thailand's bordersUnited Press International, AsiaThe Nation -Gulf Times -World Politics Reviewall 89 news articles »

  • SE Asia Stocks-Indonesia outperforms; Thailand falls - Reuters

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:04 am
    SE Asia Stocks-Indonesia outperforms; Thailand fallsReutersBut the Thai market will be a laggard because of concerns about domestic politics," said Viwat Techapoonphol, a strategist at Tisco Securities. and more »

  • Thai Hot Stocks-Siam City Bank rise, Lanna Resources up - Forbes

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:13 am
    Thai Hot Stocks-Siam City Bank rise, Lanna Resources upForbesBANGKOK, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Thailand's benchmark stock index was down 0.46 percent at 697.16 at 0734 GMT on Friday. expected to be the winner of the bid. and more »
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    Google News: Thailand Business

  • India mulls rice reserve sale in local markets - Economic Times

    21 Nov 2009 | 11:28 am
    Online Latest NewsIndia mulls rice reserve sale in local marketsEconomic TimesThe minister ruled out any plans to import rice from Thailand and Vietnam amid positive response to the government sponsored procurement programme in India Won't Import Rice as Supplies Are AdequateBloombergCBOT Rice Review: Market Pulls Back Ahead Of The WeekendWall Street JournalGovt not to import rice as of now, says SharmaBusiness StandardMoneycontrol.com -Bloomberg -Bloombergall 93 news articles »

  • Vietnamese economy poses no threat to Thailand - Bangkok Post

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:19 pm
    BBC NewsVietnamese economy poses no threat to ThailandBangkok PostThailand is ranked 9th among foreign investors in Vietnam. Investment is concentrated in agri-business, cement, real estate, and motorcycle parts. The invisible elephantMalaysia StarThaksin must resign to end all problems : SuthepThe NationCambodia appoints representative to oversee Thai firmThai News Agency MCOTForbes -United Press International -World Politics Reviewall 89 news articles »

  • Bang, bang, buck, buck - Asia Times Online

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:55 am
    Bang, bang, buck, buckAsia Times OnlineHUA HIN, Thailand - One of the most popular video games in recent years has been the first-person shooter "Call Of Duty - Modern Warfare". and more »

  • Thai Hot Stocks-Siam City Bank rise, Lanna Resources up - Forbes

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:13 am
    Thai Hot Stocks-Siam City Bank rise, Lanna Resources upForbesBANGKOK, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Thailand's benchmark stock index was down 0.46 percent at 697.16 at 0734 GMT on Friday. expected to be the winner of the bid. INTERVIEW-Thai miner Lanna sees flat 2010, plans investmentAlibaba News Channelall 16 news articles »

  • Malaysia Performed Fairly Well In Fiscal Third-quarter, Says Dell - Bernama

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:02 am
    Malaysia Performed Fairly Well In Fiscal Third-quarter, Says DellBernama"Malaysia is on par with the other countries in the region like Thailand, although unit sales slipped in the third quarter.The decline is also all right and more »
 
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    Google News: Bangkok

  • Thai official confirms Hun Sen's daughter to take over CATS - Xinhua

    21 Nov 2009 | 6:41 am
    BBC NewsThai official confirms Hun Sen's daughter to take over CATSXinhuaBANGKOK, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's daughter plans to hold shares in Cambodia Traffic Air Services (CATS) after the Cambodian Thai shares set to fall, political demos a worryReutersThe invisible elephantMalaysia StarThai factory worker kills Cambodian colleague with an axeMonsters and Critics.comBangkok Post -Phnom Penh Post -Straits Timesall 89 news articles »

  • Vietnam Airlines to launch twice-daily flights to Bangkok - Thanh Nien Daily

    21 Nov 2009 | 3:03 am
    Thanh Nien DailyVietnam Airlines to launch twice-daily flights to BangkokThanh Nien DailyNational carrier Vietnam Airlines said its daily Ho Chi Minh City-Bangkok service will become twice daily starting December 1 as the carrier plans for more

  • Bangkok's Future Filled with Floods - The Irrawaddy News Magazine

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:29 pm
    Bangkok's Future Filled with FloodsThe Irrawaddy News MagazineBANGKOK — Thailand's capital, dubbed the “City of Angels” and the “Venice of the East,” is threatened by long-term flood

  • AirAsia Plans New Routes to Nine Indian Cities, Star Reports - Bloomberg

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:22 pm
    AFPAirAsia Plans New Routes to Nine Indian Cities, Star ReportsBloomberg and Mumbai and Delhi at the end of 2010, it added. It is also looking to fly to Amritsar from Bangkok, the report said, without giving a timeframe.airasia plans to spread in India, hub in BangkokThaindian.comAirAsia and Thai AirAsia aim to listBangkok PostMediaWATCH: 'Phuket Hub' Airline Chases IndiaPhuketwanCalcutta Telegraph -mydigitalfc.com -Malaysia Starall 57 news articles »

  • Threat of TOT, CAT suits alarms mobile firms [Bangkok Post, Thailand] - TMCnet

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:52 am
    Threat of TOT, CAT suits alarms mobile firms [Bangkok Post, Thailand]TMCnet(Bangkok Post (Thailand) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 20--Mobile phone operators have warned the government of repercussions if state telecom Premium baby formula fattens Wyeth Thai salesTrading Markets (press release)all 5 news articles »
 
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    The Bangkok Bugle

  • LIFE AFTER BUSINESSWEEK

    19 Nov 2009 | 4:52 pm
    Layoffs at BusinessWeek in New York were announced yesterday, and include some truly great journalists.Regular readers of this blog will know my association with the Thai language edition of BusinessWeek magazine, so I'm sure you can imagine that over the course of the last 3½ years I've become very familiar with the likes of Steve Wildstrom, Jon Fine, Steve Hamm, Shirley Brady, Stephen Baker, Rob Hof, Amy Choi .. the list goes on. I've never met these people but I feel like I know them. All are leaving BusinessWeek when new owners Bloomberg take control on December 1. I wish them all the…

  • CAN IPHONE APPS RESCUE PUBLISHERS?

    18 Nov 2009 | 8:27 pm
    Hardly a week seems to goes by without a newly launched application targeting publishers who want to make their content available on the iPhone. Just this week Woodwing and Newspapers Direct have been marketing their services to magazine and newspaper publishers in Thailand and elsewhere.It seems like only yesterday that publishers were getting similar proposals for digital editions of their print products. In Thailand at least, digital editions haven't taken off to any great extent, arguably because the relative slowness of the Internet means this form of publishing cannot be fully utilised.

  • AD SALES: DOES THAILAND CARE?

    18 Nov 2009 | 7:22 pm
    The Federation of International Periodical Publishers (FIPP) held an advertising sales workshop in Singapore earlier this month.FIPP’s first ever two-day workshop in Asia aimed to help media executives and managers be more productive in their jobs and more effective in their sales efforts.More than 45 delegates attended the event from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. There were apparently no attendees from Thailand.

  • NATION GROUP: CHANGES IMMINENT

    17 Nov 2009 | 1:08 pm
    Several informed sources have indicated that changes to both The Nation and Daily Xpress are imminent, and are likely to place at the start of next month.Last month I wrote about the changes, which are thought to include a revamped two-section The Nation with more of a news focus as opposed to the current business-centric model. The changes will also see the disappearance of the free Daily Xpress tabloid.

  • AIMING TO DO WHAT OTHER MAGS DO NOT

    16 Nov 2009 | 1:09 am
    Bangkok's newest magazine held its launch party last Thursday afternoon Do Pocazine is a well-written and well designed English langauge pocket magazine - ad it's free!The only criticism I can offer is the front cover of the debut edition seems to be missing a certain 'something'. If anything, the cover belies just how good the rest of the magazine actually is. Editor Oranuj Ittipakorn is banking on a strong distribution network to make this magazine a success. If the empty spaces on the display stands at the BTS skytrain stations are anything to do by she's on to a winner. Airport…
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    Phuket Gazette

  • Handicraft bargains at Phuket OTOP fair

    21 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    PHUKET CITY: Carved wooden ornaments, stylish cloth bags and Lanna-style garments are just some of the hundreds of hand-made products from northern Thailand currently on sale at an OTOP market fair at Saphan Hin until tomorrow.Over 100 booths are selling the handicrafts from 10am to 9pm at the fair dubbed ‘OTOP: From Lanna to Andaman Sea’.There’s also plenty to eat and drink at the fair, especially seafood, including Phuket specialties such as salty grilled fish. ... Full story

  • Phuket City seeks funding for stadium

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality has applied for 154 million baht in funding to build an international-standard indoor sport stadium at Saphan Hin.Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwanasupana made the announcement at a press conference at Phuket City Hall last week.Funding is being sought from the Ministry of Finance under the central government’s Thai Khem Kaeng (Strong Thailand) national development scheme. ... Full story

  • Phuket murder suspect collared in coffin shop

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    CHALONG, PHUKET: Police yesterday morning arrested two suspects for the November 4 shooting ... Full story

  • Patong floods: no end in sight

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    PATONG, PHUKET: In the latest developments on the Nanai Road flooding saga, the Patong municipality says a new pump is set to be installed under the road.However, disgruntled local residents will have to wait until next year for the project to be completed.Problems first began in April this year, when heavy rains caused floodwater three-feet deep to collect, wreaking havoc on the 50-meter stretch of road since nicknamed "the Nanai River" by locals. ... Full story

  • Tsunami warning critic to launch new system

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    PHUKET CITY: Former National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) director and a critic of the current warning system's administration plans to launch an additional disaster warning system with the aim of better informing the public of impending disasters.The man behind the new warning system, Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, is preparing to launch the ‘parallel’ national tsunami warning system on December 26, the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.Dr Smith said the foundation has the same objectives that the NDWC was founded upon. ... Full…
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    Phuket-Post: Top Stories

  • Affordable tranquility

    19 Nov 2009 | 5:43 pm
    This freehold condo is situated in a resort style setting just 30m from the beach in Kalim.

  • A cable car too far?

    19 Nov 2009 | 5:39 pm
    Phuket Municipality has revealed plans for a proposed cable car project to link Promthep Cape and Koh Kaew Pissadan.

  • The Broken Window

    16 Nov 2009 | 6:29 pm
    Data mining is the industry of the 21st century. Commercial companies collect information about us from thousands of sources then analyse and sell the data to anyone willing to pay the going rate.

  • Learning to love in Arabic and Thai

    16 Nov 2009 | 6:11 pm
    In the previous instalment, Mayamoon found work as a teacher and Hasun started selling souvenirs, but cracks soon begin to show in the happy couple’s relationship

  • Book Launch at Hung Fat's

    16 Nov 2009 | 5:58 pm
    Phuket-based author, Jim Newport, will be at Hung Fa's Restaurant in Kalim, on Friday 20 November, to read from and sign copies of his latest book - Tinsel Town.For more info about the book launch, email jwnewport@aol.com or call 086-518 9507
 
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    Phuket Wan

  • Indian Marriage Made in Heaven for Banyan Tree

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:22 pm
    Photo Album A wealthy Indian family has booked the entire five-star Banyan Tree Phuket for three days for a wedding. The rest of the tourism industry is hoping a little love comes their way, too.

  • Phuket Jet-Ski 'Regatta' to Watch Governor Ride

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:17 pm
    Photo Album Phuket's governor is calling it D Day. November 26 marks the occasion when all jet skis on the island should be insured, and the governor plans to choose one to ride.

  • MediaWATCH: 'Phuket Hub' Airline Chases India

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:08 am
    Latest Air Asia opens up India; divorce tours; New TAT governor; Google's operating system; EU answer for Kissinger; Ecstasy bust in Cambodia; Singapore's HIV secret.

  • Bangkok Horror at YouTube 'Threat to Tourism'

    19 Nov 2009 | 7:33 pm
    Latest Members of an important Senate tourism committee express horror at the impression tourists are givent by lack of skills and training among jet ski operators and others on Phuket.

  • Phuket Scam Purge: Police Impound 'Black' Jet-Ski

    19 Nov 2009 | 4:29 pm
    Latest Phuket police and an important tourism committee from Bangkok go into action as the first 'black' jet ski operator is arrested. His confiscated vehicle may mark a fresh, clean start for tourism.
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    Phuket News

  • Phuket Jungle Waterpark Opening

    Phuket News Admin
    29 Oct 2009 | 11:33 pm
    A new era begins on Phuket this year with the opening of the first resort theme park, the Splash Jungle Waterpark at West Sands Resort. Race you to the waterslides. While pricing is still being determined, the 500 million baht waterpark will be open to the public and is capable of holding, we are told, 2500 people. That’s a pretty big splash for a holiday island that hasn’t had much of a thrill since Dino Park. There’s even a snow-making machine on the way, for cool tropical evenings. Everything is on schedule for the opening of the waterpark on December 20. Of equal…

  • Bangkok Airport Sets Expansion Plans

    Phuket News Admin
    19 Sep 2009 | 6:50 am
    State-owned Airports of Thailand PCL is planning a massive investment program to increase annual passenger capacity at Suvarnabhumi airport here to 80 million by 2016 from 45 million at present. The airports operator plans to spend as much as 10 billion baht, or about $300 million, to build a new domestic terminal that would accommodate 20 million passengers a year. The budget also includes a transportation system that would link the domestic and international terminals. “The new domestic terminal is expected to commence operation in 2013 and boost Suvarnabhumi’s capacity then to…

  • Disasters Require Answers

    Phuket News Admin
    17 Sep 2009 | 2:02 am
    The second anniversary of the crash of One-Two-Go holiday flight CG269 today marks a suitable time to reflect on some of the outcomes of life and death moments on Phuket. How long should we remember the island’s disasters? Is two years enough, as in the case of a plane crash that claimed 90 lives? Is five years sufficient, as with a tsunami that killed 5400? What about a live-aboard dive boat mishap, like the one in which seven people drowned earlier this year, when a brand new vessel simply blew over? How long should we as a community recollect each of those distressing memories? The…

  • Central Festival Saves Phuket

    Phuket News Admin
    14 Sep 2009 | 12:06 am
    Central Festival recently held an actual festival to celebrate its 5th year as the best shopping center in Phuket on September 5. A fashion show was the main event and models and celebrities including baby faced Mario Maurer strutted their stuff down the catwalk to showcase local Phuket style and costumes. An exhibition of art, Anubanphol, created by six members of staff from Bangkok hospital was also unveiled and is currently on show alongside some sleek and sexy Lamborghinis. Proceeds from sales of the art will go to help the children of Wattai Chalong school. The event was attended by…

  • Weekend Washout Forecast for Phuket

    Phuket News Admin
    4 Sep 2009 | 5:36 pm
    Those hoping to spend this weekend basking in sunshine on Phuket beaches will be disappointed, if the predictions are anything to go by. The weekend is expected to be a washout. Chokchai Patarayongphaisarn, a Phuket Meteorological Department forecaster, predicted the heavy rain pouring down over Phuket would continue until Wednesday. And there was worse news to come. “Expect the heaviest rain of the year so far in September,” Mr Chokchai said. “Out of 30 days in September, Phuket usually sees 25 days of rain,” he said. From 6am until 4pm today, there were 62mm of rain…
 
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    Thailand Blogs: Culture and Life

  • 5 Million Baht Toilet at Thai Temple

    Richard Barrow
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:13 am
    Toilets in Thailand don't exactly have the best of reputations. They are often dirty, smelly and not well-looked after. They are also nearly always squat toilets. Now comes the news that the temple toilets at Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai in Samut Prakan have recently built a toilet block which rivals any in a five star hotel. The toilets are reported to have cost as much as 5 million baht. As you enter the toilets, you will find a shoe rack outside for changing your shoes. You then enter through an automatic glass door. Inside it is all air-conditioned. The room is divided into six toilets for women…

  • Loy Krathong Sai

    Richard Barrow
    16 Nov 2009 | 3:24 am
    This year I have been to several Loy Krathong Festivals. The first was Loy Krathong Jay which was held back in October during the Vegetarian Festival. Then the normal Loy Krathong during the full moon of November. Then, this weekend I went to Loy Krathong Sai at Bang Krasop in Phra Pradaeng District of Samut Prakan. This is a different kind of krathong that is usually small boats that are strung together with a long piece of string. This was the first time that they had held this festival at Bang Krasop. The most famous Krathong Sai is done every year in Tak and also in Maeklong. I guess they…

  • Twelve Giants at the Airport

    Richard Barrow
    12 Nov 2009 | 6:51 am
    At the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, you will find six pairs of giant demons that stand guard at each of the entrances. They are facing inwards towards the ubosot as if they were protecting the Emerald Buddha. These giants were built during the reign of King Rama III and each represent an important character in the Ramakian story. When the new Suvarnabhumi Airport was built a few years ago, they also decided to have their own giants. Twelve of them, measuring six meters high and each wearing more than ton were built at a cost of 30 million baht. They were put in the arrival lounge on the 2nd…

  • High Tide Floods in Paknam

    Richard Barrow
    8 Nov 2009 | 3:50 am
    The rainy season has already come to an end. There has been no rain the last two weeks in Samut Prakan. However, this was the view this morning in Paknam. This is not rain water. This is sea water that swamps the city during the daily high tides during November every year. The Chao Phraya River is at its highest level with all the run-off from up north. This coupled with the high tide means that the sea becomes higher than the main road through town for three to four hours. These are scheduled floods. However, they never close the roads and we hardly ever see any policemen on duty. In places…

  • How to cook... Pork Soup

    Richard Barrow
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:39 pm
    This is the Thai version of pork soup that is a little on the spicy side. In the ingredients below you can see diced potatoes, pork, carrots, Chinese celery, lime, stock cube, bird eye chillies and plum tomatoes. You could use chicken instead of pork. Boil the pork in the stock until nearly cooked. Add the carrots and potatoes and continue to boil until cooked. Next add the plum tomatoes and Chinese celery. Season with fish sauce, salt and sugar. Take it off the heat and add the lime juice and slightly crushed bird eye chillies. We will have another Thai Food Recipe for you next week at…
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    Bangkok Pundit

  • Legislature vs Judiciary

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    The Nation: Pheu Thai MP Wisarati Techatheerawat on Friday met with police and prosecutors to acknowledge her indictment for contempt of the Constitution Court.The police report has recommended to try Wisarati by citing her censure speech in April. Her remarks were critical of the high court for faulting and dissolving the People Power Party last year. BP: As blogged about here, parliamentary privilege in Thailand is relatively limited. What happens if an MP has evidence of corruption within the judiciary? What is to stop the court from bringing contempt charges then? *yes, have corrected the…

  • Seizing an opportunity, but how long will it last?

    19 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm
    Last week, the Bangkok Post translated Thai Rath's analysis on Thaksin's trip to Cambodia: Thailand stands to lose more than Cambodia will in the ongoing war of words and diplomatic row over deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.Riding on the crest of nationalism, the ruling Democrat Party has exploited the situation for its own advantage. At least, testy economic issues and corruption allegations have been pushed aside by the media's focus on Thaksin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.However, it is big Thai investors and border traders who will suffer if the conflict drags on or…

  • Red Shirts to take to the streets

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am
    Reuters: The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), better known as the "red shirts", would begin the rally on Nov. 28 in the historic heart of the capital before marching to an intersection near the office of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.Nattawut Saikeau, one of the UDD's leaders, declined to name the other areas where the "red shirts" will march. "We will not disrupt daily activities in the city or besiege government offices," Nattawut told reporters."We will protest until the government returns power to the people," he added. It seems we are in for long protests,…

  • PAD's nationalist and extreme rhetoric

    18 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm
    Prachatai has translated a number of statements made at the anti-Thaksin PAD rally on Sunday. These are statements from the stage - usually accompanied by jeers. One really doesn't know which excerpts to exclude as there are so many. You have talk of non-humans: Then some students came up to condemn Hun Sen and Thaksin, the traitor. They vowed to fight to the death to protect the Nation, Religion and King. A group of artists also read a statement, referring to both men as ‘non-human’. Then talking of getting rid of enemies: Gen Preecha Iamsuphan, who had led yellow shirts in…

  • Pirapan goes to Sisaket

    18 Nov 2009 | 7:00 pm
    The Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga takes the foreign journalists to Sisaket on a press tour. Chris Blake of AP: "We respect the court ruling but hope to one day have the evidence to prove the temple itself is ours," Pirapan told The Associated Press. Pirapan incorrectly claimed that the court ruled only that the temple itself belonged to Cambodia, but not the land it stands on. The official summary of the court's judgment says it "found that the Temple of Preah Vihear was situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia." Asked why Thailand was willing to fight over the…
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    Richard Barrow's Life in Thailand

  • 5 Million Baht Toilet at Thai Temple

    Richard Barrow
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:13 am
    Toilets in Thailand don't exactly have the best of reputations. They are often dirty, smelly and not well-looked after. They are also nearly always squat toilets. Now comes the news that the temple toilets at Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai in Samut Prakan have recently built a toilet block which rivals any in a five star hotel. The toilets are reported to have cost as much as 5 million baht. As you enter the toilets, you will find a shoe rack outside for changing your shoes. You then enter through an automatic glass door. Inside it is all air-conditioned. The room is divided into six toilets for women…

  • Loy Krathong Sai

    Richard Barrow
    16 Nov 2009 | 3:24 am
    This year I have been to several Loy Krathong Festivals. The first was Loy Krathong Jay which was held back in October during the Vegetarian Festival. Then the normal Loy Krathong during the full moon of November. Then, this weekend I went to Loy Krathong Sai at Bang Krasop in Phra Pradaeng District of Samut Prakan. This is a different kind of krathong that is usually small boats that are strung together with a long piece of string. This was the first time that they had held this festival at Bang Krasop. The most famous Krathong Sai is done every year in Tak and also in Maeklong. I guess they…

  • Twelve Giants at the Airport

    Richard Barrow
    12 Nov 2009 | 6:51 am
    At the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, you will find six pairs of giant demons that stand guard at each of the entrances. They are facing inwards towards the ubosot as if they were protecting the Emerald Buddha. These giants were built during the reign of King Rama III and each represent an important character in the Ramakian story. When the new Suvarnabhumi Airport was built a few years ago, they also decided to have their own giants. Twelve of them, measuring six meters high and each wearing more than ton were built at a cost of 30 million baht. They were put in the arrival lounge on the 2nd…

  • High Tide Floods in Paknam

    Richard Barrow
    8 Nov 2009 | 3:50 am
    The rainy season has already come to an end. There has been no rain the last two weeks in Samut Prakan. However, this was the view this morning in Paknam. This is not rain water. This is sea water that swamps the city during the daily high tides during November every year. The Chao Phraya River is at its highest level with all the run-off from up north. This coupled with the high tide means that the sea becomes higher than the main road through town for three to four hours. These are scheduled floods. However, they never close the roads and we hardly ever see any policemen on duty. In places…

  • How to cook... Pork Soup

    Richard Barrow
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:39 pm
    This is the Thai version of pork soup that is a little on the spicy side. In the ingredients below you can see diced potatoes, pork, carrots, Chinese celery, lime, stock cube, bird eye chillies and plum tomatoes. You could use chicken instead of pork. Boil the pork in the stock until nearly cooked. Add the carrots and potatoes and continue to boil until cooked. Next add the plum tomatoes and Chinese celery. Season with fish sauce, salt and sugar. Take it off the heat and add the lime juice and slightly crushed bird eye chillies. We will have another Thai Food Recipe for you next week at…
 
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    Freedom Against Censorship Thailand

  • Computer crime law as lèse majesté substitute-AHRC

    facthai
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:40 am
    THAILAND: Computer crime law as lèse majesté substitute Asian Human Rights Commission: November 20, 2009 http://www.ahrchk.net In recent days police in Thailand arrested and charged another person over causing a decline in the stock market by spreading rumours through the Internet about the king’s health. According to news reports, Tassaporn Ratawongsa, 42, a radiologist at the Thonburi Hospital was arrested on 18 November 2009 and charged under section 14 of the Computer Crime Act BE 2550 (2007) with distributing “false computer data in a manner that is likely to damage the…

  • Arrested doctor granted bail-Bangkok Post

    facthai
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:37 am
    [FACT comments: Now wait just a cotton-picking minute here! Dr. Thassaporn “admitted she posted false information about the King’s health on the internet”. So what, precisely, was that “false information”—the King’s death??? This article states in error Dr Thassaporn is the fifth arrestee; so far, we’ve only counted four. But Thai police never sleep when they want to clean up govt’s good name: we can bet on some more arrests soon! Incidentally, we need to add a "rumour" to the mix--the rumour here is Thai govt intends to charge Bloomberg News over the original article and…

  • Fourth stock arrest a Prachatai poster-Reuters

    facthai
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:31 am
    [FACT comments: We’re not very paranoid but this Reuters post makes the pattern of arrests over the health rumors issue seem directed at webboards where Thais discuss the issues. In particular, Prachatai and Same Sky. The police must have a lot of time on their hands.] Thai police make fourth arrest in stock rumour probe Ambika Ahuja Reuters: November 18, 18, 2009 http://in.reuters.com/article/specialEvents4/idINBKK53989620091118?sp=true Police in Thailand arrested a fourth person on Wednesday on suspicion of spreading rumours about the health of the country’s 81-year-old king that…

  • Fourth arrest over King’s health rumours-Bangkok Pundit

    facthai
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:27 am
    Doctor arrested over King’s health rumors Bangkok Pundit: Nov. 19 2009 http://asiancorrespondent.com/bangkok-pundit-blog/doctor-arrested-for-spreading-news-.htm Have already blogged on the arrests of the persons arrested under the Computer Crimes Act for alledgedly spreading rumours about HM the King – see here or the more comprehensive report here (in the end it was more for translating news articles reporting that stock market fell on rumors about the health of HM the King than starting the rumor). Then a third person was arrested. Now, Matichon reports on a fourth with a female…

  • Doc arrested for “rumours”-Bangkok Post

    facthai
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:24 am
    Doctor arrested over rumour-mongering Bangkok Post: November 19, 2009 http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/27664/doctor-arrested-over-rumour-mongering The Central Investigation Bureau has arrested another person on charges of being involved in spreading rumours about His Majesty the King’s health that caused the stock market to plunge last month. Thassaporn Rattawongsa, 41, a doctor at Thon Buri Hospital, was arrested by the CIB’s Hi-Tech Crime Centre at her flat in Phaya Thai district yesterday. She was charged with violating Section 14 of the Computer Offences Act for posting…
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    Farang Pai Nai

  • Thai envoy recalled from Cambodia

    News
    5 Nov 2009 | 11:50 pm
    Thailand has recalled its ambassador from Cambodia over its appointment of ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra as a government economic adviser. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the step was "the first diplomatic retaliation measure"...

  • Thailand coach becoming Stoke City’s assistant manager

    News
    27 Aug 2009 | 11:01 pm
    Peter Reid has admitted that it was tough to leave his job as Thailand coach but is looking forward to the challenge of becoming Stoke City’s assistant manager. The ex-Manchester City and Sunderland boss took control of the South-East Asian team in S...

  • Air india struggling for a competitive position

    News
    23 Aug 2009 | 7:07 pm
    State-owned Air India, the airline that operates domestic and international routes, is losing huge amounts of money a month and urgently needs financial resuscitation. As the new Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jhadav tries to put together a r...

  • Chinese tanker fire under control in the Strait of Malacca

    News
    23 Aug 2009 | 6:51 pm
    Malaysian authorities have put out most of the fires on a tanker carrying 58,000 tonnes of naphtha after it was involved in a collision with a cargo vessel in the Strait of Malacca, a Malaysian official said on Thursday. A Malaysian Maritime Enfor...

  • It is All About Smiles

    News
    23 Aug 2009 | 4:10 pm
    We're told it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile – and that smiling releases endorphins, which make us feel happier and healthier. In Thailand, there is more to a smile than the feel-good-factor. With 90 percent of inhabitants Buddhists, Thais reg...
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    Isaan Style!

  • A Computer Idiot and Savoury Mince, Isaan Thailand.

    19 Nov 2009 | 5:53 am
    Well I have been offline for a little while, mainly because it was my own fault. I have been playing around with my personal computer at home. I have 2 PC’s and also my laptop. One computer I use exclusively for this sort of thing, searching the internet and general use. My other PC is for work only. It is my super computer.It is a Dell Studio XPS 9000, it runs an Intel Core i7 920 (2.66 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 dual channel SDRAM, 1000 GB Standard, nVidia GeForce GTX 260 1792MB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit edition. What this means is basically a fast computer and plenty of storage. I…

  • Nong Ja and a Tired Uncle, Isaan Thailand.

    15 Nov 2009 | 7:33 am
    It has been so long since I have updated, for me anyway. This blog is my love. I love to share my experiences as an expatriate living in Thailand on a full time basis. Issanstyle has been and will continue to be a labour of love for me.Of late, time has been short, very short. I have this blog and another website. The other site makes me a few dollars and also takes a lot of my time as I have to do a lot of research for it. There are many late nights watching hours of videos. But at the moment this is fine as the rewards are very nice. Though this has slowed up my blogging on IsaanStyle.I do…

  • Ladyboys or katoeys Beauty Competition, Isaan Thailand 2009

    10 Nov 2009 | 7:29 am
    I blogged about the Miss Noppamas Queen Title I attended the other night at the local university. Miss Benjawan, who I call my daughter, Miss Noot’s younger sister (she’s 18) went to another Noppamas title being held at a local government department.This one proved to be much more entertaining as there was a special title being held for who are known as Thailand’s third sex, they being ladyboys or katoeys.Look, I am not afraid to admit I have met some absolutely stunning ladyboys here in Thailand. Some have been easier to pick than others, some you think, “she’s a bit of alright,’…

  • Morning Walks Isaan Thailand

    8 Nov 2009 | 6:39 am
    If you are a reader of this blog, you will know of my Thai niece Nong Ja. She usually stays with us on a fulltime basis, but at the moment she is staying with Miss Noot’s mum from Sunday to Friday. We venture out each Friday and pick her up and she stays with us for the weekend.When Miss Noot finishes university later this year Nong Ja will be staying with us on a permanent nature again, but until then she is going to be shuffled back and forth.Every morning Nong Ja and I go for our early morning excursion, last week it was a little chilly early on. A plane was rumbling off on its way to…

  • Remembrance Day Information Ubon Ratchathani Thailand 2009

    7 Nov 2009 | 8:06 am
    I wrote the other day about a Remembrance Day ceremony being held here in Ubon Ratchathani Thailand. It is the 4th year it has been held here in Ubon Ratchathani.I had monument before when walking in the park but never actually walked up to it and checked out what it was until a few years after I had first seen it.The Remembrance Day ceremony will start at 9am with a 2 minute silence at 11am.This is the plaque at the monument. It tells you a little on how this monument all came about.The monument is in the North-east corner of the park, under trees and this is why it looks a little worse for…
 
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    Jaime's Phuket

  • Mai Khao Beach - Seaside Cottages

    15 Nov 2009 | 12:51 am
    There is a question that comes up quite often, maybe asked by people who don't realise that Phuket has moved on since the 1970's. "Where can I find a beach hut or little bungalow right by the beach in Phuket?". Ah, well, I am sorry to say that for the most part, beachfront land in Phuket is now much too valuable to allow such cheap accommodation to exist. On the main beaches in Phuket like Patong, Karon or Kata, no chance of finding that kind of accommodation. In fact I was not sure there could be anything like it in Phuket, but was recently in contact (via Facebook) with Mal, owner of the…

  • Booking Phuket Hotels Online

    5 Nov 2009 | 5:13 am
    As we enter high season in Phuket and the Andaman coast, visitor numbers increase dramatically compared to our low "summer season". Of course that's due to the weather. From November to April (on average) the weather is better than May - October. In particular, the Phuket Rainfall Averages show that December, January and February are the driest months of the year. Of course you can get plenty of good weather in the low season too, but in high season you'll get more sun. I don't promise no rain, hey, this is the tropics, but the next 6 months is the time to visit Phuket! Plenty more weather…

  • Vegetarian Festival Procession Photos

    27 Oct 2009 | 6:21 am
    Well, the 2009 Phuket Vegetarian festival is now over. As normal, wish I had more time to see all the different events, visit more shrines, but work and family do just about come first! During the week I had no time, but on Saturday and Sunday woke early and headed to the processions. The street processions in Phuket Town happened every day from the 20th to 26th October. I cannot recommend enough that, should you be in Phuket during the festival, you should make the effort to see something... something that you will not have seen before!I managed a full 9 days on the vegetarian diet, eating…

  • Some Photos from Kathu Shrine - Vegetarian Festival

    21 Oct 2009 | 6:56 pm
    The vegetarian festival is underway, there have been a couple of the street processions in Phuket Town already, I have been eating the special Jae diet for 4 days now and driving home last night past the Phuket Brewery I was gagging for a beer.. but part of the festival is purification, cleaning the body.. so no beers until next week.Would have uploaded a few photos earlier, but the Gremlins struck twice this week. Our wireless internet modem at home suddenly stopped working, and then.. as I was taking photos at Kathu village shrine on Saturday 17th October for the opening ceremony of the…

  • Phuket Vegetarian Festival Schedule 2009

    14 Oct 2009 | 5:14 pm
    Updated - Festival is all done now - some of the best photos here:• Vegetarian festival 2009 - Street Procession PhotosIt's nearly here! My favourite festival in Phuket - the amazing vegetarian festival. If you are in Phuket between the 17th and 26th of this month, you'll have a chance to see something special. BUT here's a hint.. you will not find anything much going on near the main tourist beaches. No, this is a local event with a rich history going back almost 200 years, this is not a tourist show. Want to see something? You need to make a bit of effort. The festival is centered…
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    JOTMAN

  • Greenwald: "insider v. outsider" dichotomy

    21 Nov 2009 | 12:20 am
    Though hurdles remain, a bill sponsored by libertarian Republican Ron Paul to audit the Federal Reserve Bank passed a House vote today.   Greenwald reflects on the occasion:Anger over the Wall Street bailouts, the control by the banking industry of Congress, and the impenetrable secrecy with which the Fed conducts itself resonates across the political spectrum, as the truly bipartisan and trans-ideological vote yesterday reflects.  Populist anger over elite-favoring economic policies has long been brewing on both the Right and Left (and in between), but neither political party…

  • Ivan Khutorskoy, Antifa (Russian anti-nazi) leader murdered

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:25 pm
    Russian Jotman contributor Sanjuro reports thatA noted member of the Antifa (Russian anti-nazi) movement was found dead last night, Mr. Ivan Khutorskoy.  Mr Khutorskoy was a co-founder of the leftwing RASH faction (Red and Anarchist Skinheads) within the Antifa. He was an athlete, a mixed martial artist, who survived several earlier attacks and assassination attempts, until he was shot dead in his own building. He was a particularly valued member of the small Antifa movement as a capable fighter who helped organize security efforts during anti-nazi gatherings.  There…

  • What countries appeared most/least corrupt in 2009?

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:47 am
     Scanning the list from best to worst, here's what strikes me about the rankings of countries in Transparency International's corruption perceptions index for 2009:*The top ten least corrupt are the Nordic countries, plus New Zealand (#1), Canada, and Australia.  (Netherlands isn't exactly Nordic, but it comes in at #6.  Singapore (#3) is perceived as the least corrupt country in all of Asia.The US (home to Delaware) and UK (protector of Jersey) just barely make the top twenty. Three Gulf states are perceived as less corrupt than Israel (#32)The big countries of Eastern…

  • Is Europe a good global citizen?

    19 Nov 2009 | 11:39 pm
    Europeans tend to think they are better global citizens than the Americans.But if you begin from the premise that taking care of the world begins with keeping your own region in order, Europe still has a long way to go.   Although some of these problems don't get a lot of press, Jotman would like to see Europe:Stop jerking Turkey around, while turning a blind eye to the defects of less developed Christian countries on the periphery of Europe. Protect its own fisheries, the Mediterranean in particular. Shelter its high-skilled small-scale manufacturers in countries like…

  • Obama in Beijing: Republican or Mandarin?

    18 Nov 2009 | 6:17 pm
    I watched enough of Obama's press conference in Beijing to recoil in horror.  President Obama gave the appearance of having arrived in Beijing with no real strategy, no particularly ambitious goals of his own, no particularly inspiring agenda relating to the environment.*   As for the economy, this AP report confirms what I thought I heard on TV (but sincerely hoped I had misheard).  BEIJING — President Barack Obama says he's worried that spending too much money to help revive the economy could undermine a fragile U.S. recovery and throw the economy into a double-dip…
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    OakMonster's Den

  • All my bags are packed

    oakmonster
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:21 pm
    …I’m ready to go. Are you ready for me, the Big Mango? So I leave LAX tonight, arriving in Bangkok at 6 a.m. on Saturday.  (Yes, time traveling. It’s awesome.) Let’s say, I’d probably get home around 8 a.m.  I’d be done unpacking by 9 a.m. and I get to relax for a while. 3:30 p.m. I am off to my friend’s condo for a pool party.  A few hours later, we’ll mosey down to Kinnaree Gourmet Thai for dinner and drinks, my annual pilgrimage.  Hopefully, someone will drop me off at home with a nice buzz. Yep. I’m rolling out of the plane into a…

  • Going Cougar

    oakmonster
    17 Nov 2009 | 7:48 am
    I am not a Twi-hard but I am willing to go cougar for Taylor. I haven’ t read the book nor have I seen the first film but from New Moon trailer, I am Team Jacob all the way, baby. Besides, it comes down to that Werewolf v.s. Vampire debate.  Who would you rather have, a vampire or a werewolf? Not counting Taylor, my vote has always been for a werewolf.  Why? Let me count the ways! He’s alive. Duh. He eats like normal people. If you can’t share my love for food, you can’t be here. He’s warm. Yep. I need that. He’s definitely not  going to be skinny. You…

  • Conversion

    oakmonster
    10 Nov 2009 | 6:48 am
    It was a LOT easier waking up at 5 a.m. when you go to bed by 9:30 p.m. I have been doing it for a week now, waking up at 5 a.m., shower, make a mug of tea, sit at my computer and work until 6:15, get dressed, leave at 6:30 to catch my bus. This morning, instead of sitting until 6:15, I caught the 6:15 bus instead. Do I even dare say it? Guys, I might have been converted into an early bird. I really do enjoy having all this quiet time in the morning.  I mean, having the quiet time at night is nice too.  But to wake up early without it being a torture, one must go to bed earlier.  It does…

  • What did I say about those chickens?

    oakmonster
    8 Nov 2009 | 1:04 pm
    The Trojans escaped again last night from the grip of the Sun Devils. Gridiron Goddess said on her FB status: “thinks USC is TRYING to lose this game”. It sure looked like it. It seemed every time I blinked we would be 1st and 10. Blinked and it’s 3rd and long and there went the punt. Same thing coming back from Arizona State.  It started to resemble a tennis match. Our ball. Their ball. Our ball. Their ball. Oh hey, a score here and there. Actually, I watched quite a bit of in on Catalina Express on my way back from my friends Zak & Alex’s wedding there.  My…

  • Reality Check

    oakmonster
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:53 am
    USC’s last week loss to Oregon could be blamed on me. The Trojan superstition was in full swing on Halloween night. Hey, all a Princess Leia Zombie have on her were booty shorts and a bra. I surely cannot go without the bra! But then again, Bill Plaschke of the LA Times finally threw a big ass bucket of cold, hard reality at Uncle Pete and his Trojans this morning. What’s he’s saying here…and has been saying…is something I’ve been feeling since the start of this year. We have not been the Trojans we know. However, we have been doing pretty awesome for a…
 
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    Philip Golingai

  • The invisible elephant

    20 Nov 2009 | 8:49 pm
    THAI TAKESBy PHILIP GOLINGAISO what is really happening (politically) in Thailand?” a visiting American academician specialising in South-East Asian politics asked me.Instinctively, I glanced to my left and then to my right. It was a habit I picked up whenever I was about to discuss the most taboo subject in Thailand.On my right in the hip Bangkok cafe was a farang (Thai for “Westerner”) in a business suit with a cliched sexy Thai girl, while on my left were two Thais deep in conversation.Looks like the coast is clear, I thought. And in a hushed tone I told her what was whispered among…

  • A method in Hun Sen’s madness?

    13 Nov 2009 | 7:12 pm
    Thai TakesBy PHILIP GOLINGAIPOP quiz: Why did Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen poke Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in the eye by hosting the latter’s arch-rival Thaksin Shinawatra in Phnom Penh and rejecting Thailand’s request for extraditing his guest who faces a two-year jail term back home?(a) Hun Sen was already in politics when Abhisit was still a child.(b) Hun Sen is not worried about the Abhisit government shutting the Thai-Cambodian border as Cambodia would reciprocate by not allowing even one pig to cross the border.(c) In 2008, Thailand’s exports to Cambodia were worth…

  • Roxanne walks on the wild side

    6 Nov 2009 | 6:04 pm
    Thai TakesBy PHILIP GOLINGAINO. 10, Roxanne Fonseka, Malaysia, the announcer said, and the 20-year-old Malaysian strutted his stuff during a rehearsal of the Miss International Queen 2009 at the Thai beach resort of Pattaya.Roxanne (not his real name) was among 21 contestants, from countries like Brazil, China, Japan, Philippines, Nepal and the United States, competing to be the world’s most beautiful transvestite/transsexual at Tiffany’s Show in Pattaya (reputedly the world’s largest transsexual cabaret) on Halloween night. The Penangite was in Pattaya because he wanted to end his…

  • Hun Sen’s jibes raise speculation

    31 Oct 2009 | 4:19 am
    Thai TakesBy PHILIP GOLINGAIIN an editorial cartoon, The Nation’s cartoonist Stephff answers a question that has recently been bugging Thais – What is really wrong with Hun Sen?Last week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen offered political asylum to Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai prime minister ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006.Thaksin has been in self-exile after fleeing Thailand in 2008 to avoid a two-year jail term on corruption charges. Two days later, after arriving in Thailand to attend the Asean Summit, Hun Sen embarrassed Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva again when he…

  • Between friendship and politics

    23 Oct 2009 | 7:00 pm
    Thai TakesBy PHILIP GOLINGAIWHAT can an eternal friend, who happens to be the Cambodian Prime Minister, do to help his self-exiled billionaire politician buddy?If you were Hun Sen, you would offer to build a beautiful home in Cambodia for Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai prime minister who was ousted in a 2006 coup.In Phnom Penh on Wednesday the Cambodian premier told Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the puu yai (Thai for “senior elder”) of the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party, that he was prepared to host Thaksin, who fled Thailand in August 2008 to avoid a two-year jail term on charges of…
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    Phuket Weather

  • OK, so November can be a bit wet in Phuket sometimes

    19 Nov 2009 | 5:27 am
    It's certainly high season now, some busy days at the dive shop. At Sunrise Divers we mainly book liveaboards, but also plenty of overnight trips (the Similan islands and Phi Phi being the main destinations), and day trips, as well as running PADI dive courses.Dive conditions and the weather in general were very good until the weekend. Last week was all sunshine with the odd tropical downpour. Saturday was decent enough but the wind was odd. Having switched to the normal North East a few weeks ago, we had a couple of days of North West.. that means the wind comes across the ocean, waves get…

  • Phuket High Season Weather

    11 Nov 2009 | 11:50 pm
    About this time of year, save for the occasional thunderstorm, the weather in Phuket is basically gorgeous just about every day. Blue skies, a breeze blowing from the Northeast, calm seas, no waves at the beaches, temperatures around 31 - 33 degrees Celsius (or 87 - 91 Farenheit for those of you who still live in the stone age, or America). Reporting the weather gets a little repetitive - sunny, warm, hot, clear skies, ooh! some clouds. Am I complaining? Ha Ha. In a few days, it will be 10 years since I arrived in Thailand. 10 years! Never intended to stay so long. Who knows where the time…

  • High Season but not Dry Season (yet)

    4 Nov 2009 | 4:53 am
    Yes, contrary to popular belief there is not a tap ("faucet" if you are American) in the sky which is magically turned off on a certain day. The seasons blur into one another. I have tried to explain before. We do not have a clear cut "wet" and "dry" season. Yes, some months are statistically wetter than others. Unlikely that September will be drier than January... but months like April and November, at the edges of the season can get plenty of rain, even if they are classified as high season. The Phuket rainfall averages show that November is the wettest of the high season months, but with…

  • Vegetarian Weather and Changing Seasons

    29 Oct 2009 | 7:11 am
    Jamie humbly apologises for not updating the weather blog for 10 days. Several reasons - getting busy at work with high season just about kicking off for scuba diving, also our internet at home is broken, plus it has been the Phuket Vegetarian festival, which ran from 17th - 26th October. The weather at this very second - raining.. again. For the last 10 days almost every day has had some rain, but mostly in the night. The seasons are changing now. This is not monsoon rain, just a good old tropical downpour. There has been hardly any wind, the South West winds stopped blowing last week.. and…

  • Looks like (almost) HI season in Phuket

    18 Oct 2009 | 1:20 am
    I apologise for having no updates for nearly 2 weeks on the Phuket weather blog. Sometimes real life is quite busy, so the virtual blogging, facebooking world has to take a back seat. Last update was 4th October - we were having a lovely sunny weekend... but then it all went wet again. I did update a few weather notices on Twitter - you can follow me on Twitter... http://twitter.com/jamiemonk. The wind and rain returned for several days from 5th October meaning a few cancelled dive trips, though I think our cancelled customers were quite relieved that the decision has been made for them. Yep,…
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    tea stains

  • No time for blogging

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:41 pm
    I’ve just hit 90,000 words. Thursday is my day off writing because it’s usually Neilson Hays Library or BWG day but I couldn’t bear not to write because I AM SO NEAR THE END. I’ve got a website meeting this afternoon but it hasn’t stopped me writing. (Actually it should have done: I had a banner to make for the website and although I’ve started it, I won’t get it finished.) Things have gone a bit wrong on the word meter over there on the left… And I can’t be bothered to stop and sort it out. Anyway I don’t know how many words are left… round about 5 or 6k I think. So…

  • Email from Husband

    17 Nov 2009 | 5:43 pm
    I received the following email from Husband a few days ago.  I think, maybe, he's trying to tell me something. I'm just not quite sure... what. Some Maths Homework 41 = Books read so far this year (from your blog book list) 2/12 = Fraction of the year remaining (November and December) 41*2/12 = 7 More books to read this year. 41+7 = 48 Books read in 1 year (forecast) 43 = Current age of reader. 16 = approx age reading reached current pace and books were not just Enid Blyton 43-16 = 27 reading years 27*48 = 1296 Books read so far. 500g = Average weight of quality paperback (use 200g…

  • A new low...

    17 Nov 2009 | 1:12 am
    A while back (although it might have been yesterday given the regularity I am reminded of this sad episode) I told you how I’d gone to sleep in Starbucks. I hadn’t accidentally fallen asleep; I’d realised I was tired, it was nice and warm in my armchair and I’d clasped my handbag to my front, and settled down for forty winks. Honestly, you’d think I’d done something really dreadful like vomit down my front in public. I am reminded about this low episode, almost weekly. Thais sleep everywhere; on the pavement, in coffee shops, at traffic lights (I kid you not.) I was just showing…

  • This is the plan

    15 Nov 2009 | 6:54 pm
    I’m hoping to finish the first draft by the end of November. You can see over on my wordmeter I’m in spitting distance from the end. I’m not 3k away… but more like 6-8k. I think. But even when I’ve typed ‘The End’ I won’t actually have finished the first draft because I’ve got an extra character, a subplot and a bit of business that needs to happen earlier, that need to be written into the first half of the book. I also have my mentor notes to act upon. When I wrote the first 60,000 words, I was receiving feedback from my mentor at TLC. When each report came back from her, I…

  • Word count day

    15 Nov 2009 | 1:21 am
    Whirrrkiiiiplunkkkkeeee. That’s the sound of my relief after four days of being offline at home and trying to negotiate with a Thai internet provider. It was quickly followed up by a surge in serotonin and a ‘wheeeeee’ sound. It really is a bit pathetic and I think I may need help. **** Okay, so Sunday is: • Word count confession day. • The day Daughter goes off on school residential. • The eve of Son’s GCSE mock exams. I can’t DO any more about any of those things. Words are written; bags and brains are packed with clothes and facts respectively. (I do hope Daughter's gone up…
 
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    Thailand Jumped the Shark

  • The Nation's Dishonest Editorial on the Ratchadapisek Case

    30 Oct 2009 | 2:44 pm
    The Nationexcerpt:The Supreme Court has ruled that Thaksin broke the law by giving his wife official consent to buy state-owned land in Ratchadaphisek.While the ruling and other incidents involving Thaksin have divided Thailand more than anything in history, one thing is clear: Law was violated in the acquisition of the land and finding Thaksin guilty for it is purely legal, not political.Chalerm was mixing things up to try and reinforce the blurred picture that Thaksin is trying to present to the world that what happened to him was "political", not legal. Of course, the coup was a big…

  • Abhisit Spinning on CNBC

    26 Sep 2009 | 12:20 am
    Abhisit is very articulate and can spin with the best of them.But I don't know why he has to lie.Thailand is not an open economy or is it even remotely liberal.It is a protectionist country. Nothing wrong with being protectionist but to tell the entire world you are an open economy when you prevent foreign ownership in most industries, prohibit foreigners from internal trading, prohibit foreigners access to Thai capital, and don't even allow foreigners to own common shares in companies or to own land is not very honest.

  • Abhisit in New York (Shamelessly Lying Through His Teeth)

    22 Sep 2009 | 11:32 pm
    The NationPost-Crisis Thailand : Building a new democratic society---The second crisis is of our own making, our own political situation which has been making headline news for the past few years. My Government came in nine months ago and since then we have managed to gain back confidence from our friends. The fact that I can be here speaking to you today can very well testify that the situation is in good order and not to be of concern.Gain back confidence? Abhisit is a legend in his own mind. Everything must be in good order because the military has decided not to overthrow his regime while…

  • Should Thaksin Fight from the Brazilian Embassy? (President Zelaya Back in Honduras)

    21 Sep 2009 | 9:50 pm
    BloombergSept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Honduras’s deposed President Manuel Zelaya breathed new life into his efforts to regain office by slipping into the country and taking shelter in the Brazilian Embassy, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. Clinton, speaking in New York after meeting with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who has mediated the Honduran political crisis, said Zelaya’s return to the capital, Tegucigalpa, created the chance to restore “constitutional and democratic order” and move ahead with elections in November. Arias, pushing his 11-point plan, said he will…

  • Collapsing like a deck of cards

    13 Sep 2009 | 10:32 am
    Bangkok PostStory regarding foreign investment in the regional media:However, it's not an achievement that's likely to be repeated in Thailand. Dunkley scotched months of rumours that his Post Media Company was looking to buy this paper's chief competitor, The Nation."Of course, blind Freddy will tell you The Nation is potentially gasping for air and is on its knees. Incompetence is finally catching up with them," he said. "Market analysts are also arriving at the same conclusion, so I wonder how long it will be before we see the group collapsing like a deck of cards. It wouldn't take much.
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    Thailand Land of Smiles

  • Thailand Wants to Know Your Penis Size

    Talen
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    There is nothing better than a feel good cultural penis story, is there? In an effort to promote safe sex and prohibit the transmission of Sexually related diseases Thailand is undertaking the mother of all surveys, the kingdoms first countrywide survey of penis size. Thailand never ceases to amaze me. Thais can be very reserved when it comes to sexual talk but when lives are at stake they will take on a countrywide campaign to get the word, and condoms, out. Since 2003 HIV infections have been on the rise in Thailand primarily in gay males and sex workers. The Department of Disease Control…

  • A Walk Through Pattaya’s Tuesday/Friday Market

    Talen
    19 Nov 2009 | 8:29 am
    Thailand is known for it’s markets and none are probably more well known than Bangkok’s Chatuchak market, but every town has a market…or two. Pattaya’s biggest market is most popularly known as the Tuesday/Friday market, because it is only open on Tuesday and Friday. For the majority of the week the area where the market is held is just one huge parking lot with a few tarp covered stalls at it’s edges.  On the appointed days the parking lot starts coming to life in the wee hours of the morning. Hundreds of bamboo poles and tarps turn the once muddy parking lot…

  • The Reality of Rural Thailand

    Talen
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:15 pm
    In this day and age we don’t tend to think much about how our food is prepared or preserved to last as long as it can. Unfortunately, even though we call it progress, technology has failed us in many ways when it comes to the foods we eat These preservatives may keep the foods we eat from spoiling faster and keep bacteria and fungal growth away but they also change the foods on a molecular level and the story is still out on how some of these preservatives can affect us. Leaving small town America for rural Thailand will open your eyes in many ways but none more than how food is handled…

  • Thailand in the News Week Ending 11/14/2009

    Talen
    15 Nov 2009 | 6:34 pm
    Big Tobacco Bigger Worries Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters This week saw one of the largest Tobacco conventions in S.E.Asia kick off in Bangkok possibly to a little more notice than the Sponsors had hoped. South East Asia is the fastest growing tobacco market and the profits to be made are substantial. With over 125 million smokers throughout 10 countries that make up the Association of South East Asian Nations and over 350 million smokers in China alone. The tobacco industry is using this convention as a summit to see just how they should move forward in the region. While some countries like…

  • Remembering Those Who Served in Thailand

    Talen
    13 Nov 2009 | 6:33 pm
    Picture Courtesy John Sweet This week saw yet another Veterans day pass with the observance by most nations of those brave men and women who have served their countries with honor and in some cases made the most noble of sacrifices by giving their lives for their countries. Everyone knows that Thailand played a role in the American war with Vietnam but most have only seen that role as one of R&R provided for American Military away from the front lines. Others may know that Thailand filled a much more needed role to the American military. Today I received an E-mail from John Sweet about a…
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    ThaiPulse Blog

  • 2010 Koh Pha-ngan Full Moon Party Dates

    2010 Koh Pha-ngan Full Moon Party Dates is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. 2010 Koh Pha-ngan Full Moon Party Dates is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. This just released, on a bottle of “Shark” cola here in Thailand. Shark, if you haven’t had it is like Red Bull. Exactly like Red Bull and it’s even made in Austria, just like, “Red Bull”. Safe to [...]

  • Working with Deadly Cobras for a Living

    Working with Deadly Cobras for a Living is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. Working with Deadly Cobras for a Living is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. I just returned from a trip to see my friend that works the cobra show at the beach. He’s been doing it over 5 years and he shared with me many stories about how he catches the different [...]

  • Thailand’s AIS 1-2 Call Selling 3G Already?

    Thailand’s AIS 1-2 Call Selling 3G Already? is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. Thailand’s AIS 1-2 Call Selling 3G Already? is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. I just got an SMS message over my AIS phone that said: AIS 3G AirCard 3,290.- รับฟรีเน็ตทั่วไทย 300ชม. ที่AIS Shopกดฟรี*14920 My wife called the *14920 number for information. It said it was 3,290 baht for 300 hours.  Ten hours per [...]

  • Thailand Breakfast Favorite – Kow Tom Moo

    Thailand Breakfast Favorite – Kow Tom Moo is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. Thailand Breakfast Favorite – Kow Tom Moo is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. One of my favorite Thai foods to eat in the morning is Kow tom moo – rice soup with pork, ginger, and pickled something – mustard? I cover it with black pepper and dried chili peppers. Really an [...]

  • White Buddhist Temple – Blue Roof

    White Buddhist Temple – Blue Roof is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. White Buddhist Temple – Blue Roof is a post from my: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse. A unique temple recently built in southern Thailand. This Buddhist temple is white with a blue roof. I’m not sure I’ve seen a temple with a blue roof before… Photo tip – if you have a photo that is a [...]
 
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    My Thai Village Life

  • Busy Days, An Update ...

    21 Nov 2009 | 1:29 am
    Today, Cookie lost out to the mountain bike once again.  I suppose it wasn’t really her turn, having been to the dam just the other day.  I always feel guilty leaving her behind, though.  She so loves to hit the trail.  Anyway, after two hours of hard riding on the trail I’m awash with endorphins and basking in the afterglow.  No worries here.On a health note.  My recent physical found me fit except for my consistently elevated cholesterol.  Down from the mid 250s of my Bangkok days I still came in at 220.  Over the last month, a regiment of healthy…

  • Getting Older and Making the Best of It ...

    6 Nov 2009 | 8:30 pm
    Still pumped from yesterday’s exertions at the gym and anticipating that wonderful throbbing pain that follows a good workout after a long absence.  I found myself drawn by the clear skies and crisp morning air, to hit the trails on the mountain bike.Past successes can embolden one.  Leading to the search for the boundaries and limitations of ones abilities.  Welcoming and even tempting ones fate.  Thus emboldened I set off with little thought or preparation.  A vague notion that there lie between the river and the mountains, an area of the valley yet to be…

  • Black and White ...

    25 Oct 2009 | 11:16 pm
    The light of day finds last night’s efforts on the cutting room floor, or more correctly, in the cyber equivalent of the editor’s waste bin.  Sounding too much like a shopping-list report for a travel blog and not enough like VF, its demise was swift and brutal.  So this is take two, scene one and I’ll try to get it right this time.  Immediately upon loading twelve village folk into the truck, it became apparent that additional pressure would be needed in the rear tires.  Yes, I was that guy today.  The one with the overloaded pickup, filled to the brim with…

  • City ...

    16 Oct 2009 | 2:19 am
    The day begins differently in the city.  Step through the door of our friend's condo.  Negotiate a narrow corridor.  Step into a metal box and plummet nine floors to the chaotic world that awaits bellow.  Senses are bombarded by a cacophony of sights, sounds and smells.  Village smells are not all pleasant but they are separate, distinct and recognizable.  City smells are an altogether different beast.  Though of indeterminate source, they nonetheless permeate the air and linger on skin and clothing.  City "trails" are made of concrete, brick and…

  • A Dog’s Life ...

    5 Oct 2009 | 10:21 pm
    It was once possible to stroll down the forest path to the dam, extend your arms and find your hands had vanished from view amidst the lush foliage on either side.  Sure there were ruts and rocks, thorns and mud puddles to be navigated but that just added to the sense of accomplishment at the end of the trail.  After a recent upgrade, the term trail is no longer appropriate.  Two lane highway, now comes to mind.  Sure it is still dirt beneath a sprinkling of gravel but the width and more even gradient makes for a different kind of walk.  While the distance remains the…
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    Bangkok Diaries

  • Immigration Run at the New Bangkok Immigration Office

    Admin
    16 Nov 2009 | 6:36 am
    Immigration Run at the New Bangkok Immigration Office is a post from: Bangkok Diaries Thank you for reading Bangkok Diaries. If you have a post or a story you would like to share please send us your submissions. Have you checked out our new forums yet? Sign up and get in on the discussions. Have a question about Thailand? We'll try to answer. Have a funny story or a gripe you would like to get off your chest? We've got plenty of room for all points of view. In case you haven’t heard, the immigration office moved from the ever so convenient Suan Phlu location to Chaeng Wattana. If you have…

  • Sappy Brit Charged With Murder

    Admin
    9 Nov 2009 | 8:15 am
    Sappy Brit Charged With Murder is a post from: Bangkok Diaries Thank you for reading Bangkok Diaries. If you have a post or a story you would like to share please send us your submissions. Have you checked out our new forums yet? Sign up and get in on the discussions. Have a question about Thailand? We'll try to answer. Have a funny story or a gripe you would like to get off your chest? We've got plenty of room for all points of view. Wow, just ran across this update the other day. Seems that Phil the weepy-eyed Brit who caught his Thai wife in a lie isn’t exactly a prince either. Seems…

  • Scammed For 1000 Baht – A Sad Tale

    Billy Bangkok
    7 Nov 2009 | 5:31 am
    Scammed For 1000 Baht – A Sad Tale is a post from: Bangkok Diaries Thank you for reading Bangkok Diaries. If you have a post or a story you would like to share please send us your submissions. Have you checked out our new forums yet? Sign up and get in on the discussions. Have a question about Thailand? We'll try to answer. Have a funny story or a gripe you would like to get off your chest? We've got plenty of room for all points of view. First off, let me say that the amount I just got ripped off for is – to me – pocket change. I am not writing this out of anger about the money but…

  • Thai Lady Caught Lying With Lie Detector

    Admin
    1 Nov 2009 | 3:55 am
    Thai Lady Caught Lying With Lie Detector is a post from: Bangkok Diaries Thank you for reading Bangkok Diaries. If you have a post or a story you would like to share please send us your submissions. Have you checked out our new forums yet? Sign up and get in on the discussions. Have a question about Thailand? We'll try to answer. Have a funny story or a gripe you would like to get off your chest? We've got plenty of room for all points of view. A really good video first mentioned on the Big Mango blog. Basically, boy meets Thai girl on the internet. Boy marries girl. Boy brings Thai girl to…

  • Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand – Episode 6

    Admin
    14 Oct 2009 | 10:07 pm
    Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand – Episode 6 is a post from: Bangkok Diaries Thank you for reading Bangkok Diaries. If you have a post or a story you would like to share please send us your submissions. Have you checked out our new forums yet? Sign up and get in on the discussions. Have a question about Thailand? We'll try to answer. Have a funny story or a gripe you would like to get off your chest? We've got plenty of room for all points of view. Related posts:Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand-Episode 2 Here is episode two of the Bravo program that is...Big Trouble in Tourist…
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    Bangkok Jungle

  • Mint – A Breath of Fresh Air

    bangkokjungle
    21 Nov 2009 | 10:06 am
    Mint is Back – Fresh and Ready… She was, and still is a sweetheart of the Thai people but her once devoted audience – mainly girls of her own generation and up, and lots of love-struck guys may have felt a little cheated when she disappeared ‘off the radar’ to study abroad in London nearly a decade ago now. She re-appeared briefly and ‘vanished’ again but now she’s back with her sights once again fixed firmly on a music career. A new record deal with Sony-BMG is giving her a fresh impetus, and her fans the chance to see and hear her once again and…

  • Jim Newport’s new novel: TINSEL TOWN

    bangkokjungle
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:17 am
    Mark these two dates in your diary as Jim Newport launches his latest work of art – TINSEL TOWN: Another Rotten Day In Paradise. First up is the launch in Phuket, Friday Nov.20 at Hung Fat’s – Kalim Beach, Patong 7:00 – 9:00 PM and then in Bangkok on Thursday Nov. 26 at Temples Bar – Sukhumvit, Soi. 11 (Citadines) 7:00-9:00 PM. This book is destined to be another classic in the genre and a Hollywood novel by an author who has been there – done that. Jim Newport is an Emmy-nominated production designer of both film and television. His credits include Bangkok Dangerous,…

  • Nomads’ Land

    bangkokjungle
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm
    Noriega’s is no more, but there is still a rising phoenix where Frank once ruled the roost – NOMADS SOI 4!

  • Hall of Flames….

    bangkokjungle
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:41 pm

  • Aerosmith’s Tyler ‘wants to take two years off’

    bangkokjungle
    14 Nov 2009 | 2:58 am
    Despite Tyler insisting that he will not leave the band, lead guitarist Joe Perry has refused to rule out the possibility of finding a replacement singer. Rumours of Aerosmith’s demise were given a jolt on Tuesday night, when Steven Tyler declared to a New York crowd that he and the band are not parting ways. “I just want you to know, I am not leaving Aerosmith,” Tyler announced in a surprise appearance with the Joe Perry Project. The only trouble is – he still hasn’t convinced Perry. Perry, Aerosmith’s lead guitarist, is the man leading speculation over…
 
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    A Northwest Guy in Central Thai

  • Loy Your Grathong

    EJ & MJ
    1 Nov 2009 | 4:57 pm
    It’s time again for the Loy Grathong festival in Sukhothai.  We have a few newcomers to the central Thai mission team, so we took them to the mother of all Loy Grathong festivals, which happened to be nearby in Sukhothai.  Loy Grathong is a festival in Thailand where people float little boats down rivers or in ponds to symbolize their sending away their troubles and sins from their lives.  We skipped that part of the activities, but I mustered up the motivation to dust off the camera and submit a few shots of the old city for my loyal readers: We actually beat the crowds by…

  • Maintenance

    EJ & MJ
    24 Aug 2009 | 7:16 pm
    A while back, my old pickup needed a new battery.  When shopping for a car battery, what you will notice right away is that folks here in central Thailand rarely use the newer “maintenance free” style of car batteries.  As far as I can tell, there are a couple reasons for this.  1) The maintenance free batteries are more expensive.  2) The older style batteries seems to last slightly longer (provided you take good care of them). I have had to get into the habit of checking the water levels in the battery weekly, just like the other fluid levels in the truck. …

  • Gardening Fail

    EJ & MJ
    9 Aug 2009 | 3:41 am
    A while back, I planted several types of veggies out in the back yard.  The only one that survived: okra.  So far, these are the only guys who have eaten any of it. A Northwest Guy Living in Central Thailand

  • All Teared Up

    EJ & MJ
    4 May 2009 | 5:41 am
    There aren’t too many things that get me teary-eyed.  One of those is conjunctivitis.  Pink eye (or at the Thais call it “red-eye”), is something I see a little more of in Thailand than I remember seeing in the Northwest.  Earlier on in my time here, one friend in particular seemed to have it twice a month or so.  It may have been that Thailand had some bugs that he hadn’t much resistance to, or maybe it had something to do with him living in the post-tsunami refugee camps at the time.  The kids running around the camp seemed to come down with it from time to…

  • Chew On This

    EJ & MJ
    22 Apr 2009 | 6:35 am
    Growing up in the northwest United States, I was exposed to a few things that kids in other parts of the world might be missing out on.  No, I’m not referring to hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities – though most kids are sorely lacking in exposure to those types of sports.  What I had in mind was something a little less wholesome: chew.  That’s right, good ol’ chewing tobacco.  I remember as a kid in Jr. High, when I became the lucky owner of a half pouch of Beechnut.  How this bag of smokeless gold came to rest in a ditch along the road where I…
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    My Thailand Diary

  • Don’t sweat the small stuff…

    Lillian
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:28 am
    My mum sent me this today.. love it, so I’ll share it with you!! When things in your life seem,  almost too much to  handle, When 24 Hours in a day is not enough, Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. The Mayonnaise Jar A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some  items in  front of [...]

  • Drinking tea..

    Lillian
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:20 pm
    Sore throat and a headache. Nothing life threatening but still it manages to keep me lying down as much as possible…Sucks feeling like this but it does make me more understanding towards my kids who are all sick as well. Getting healthy again but still tired and just not as full of energy as they’d [...]

  • Blond moments…

    Lillian
    15 Nov 2009 | 6:30 pm
    So.. I got a new mobile phone. A touch screen Nokia. Did I tell you what I did with my old one?  I dropped it into my hot coffee. After drying it a couple of hours in the hot thai sun, it worked, but the following morning it died. So sad. I wonder if it [...]

  • Accidents

    Lillian
    11 Nov 2009 | 9:04 pm
    I haven’t seen an accident in traffic for a while.. that’s about 2 weeks. But today I was the first car to drive when the lights were green with about 6 motorbikes in front of me, scattered. I concentrated hard not to hit one.. then suddenly, this BIG motorbike, could have been a Harley Davidson [...]

  • Is coffee a drug?

    Lillian
    3 Nov 2009 | 5:58 pm
    I was at a party last night. The person left to me has a coffee plantation and wants to sell me coffee even though she doesn’t drink it. The guy to my right has stopped drinking coffee for health reasons. He can think clearer and doesn’t get as agitated. So, I found this, this morning. ”Caffeine [...]
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    The Nation's State

  • What do Malay-Muslims really want?

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:57 am
    * All images copyright *Ramadan and the Central Mosque in Pattani City. August 26, 2009The question of what Malay-Muslims really want is a serious blind spot in the southern insurgency. Obviously, it would seem a critical issue to understand not only the grievances fueling the insurgency but to understand the political desires of the nearly two million Malay-Muslim citizens in the southern border provinces. This is also of critical importance as the issue of autonomy has been a hotly contested political issue lately. Yet no one can say, with any authority, what the residents there want. This…

  • Ultranationalist PAD

    17 Nov 2009 | 2:51 am
    * All images copyright *PAD supporters in Sanam Luang on Sunday November 15, 2009.I have been going to the street protests in Bangkok for about four years now and think I am used to the acerbic nationalism used to stoke the crowds. Both Yellow (PAD) and Red (UDD) are guilty of this. Yet PAD's rally on Sunday in Sanam Luang ratcheted up the nationalist nonsense into nothing short of a rallying cry for war. War with both Cambodia and a civil war within Thailand. Over at Prachatai they have a summery of the some of the comments on stage: "Prasert Lertyaso called for the beheading of Hun Sen,…

  • Photo of the Day: General Pichet Wisaijorn

    12 Nov 2009 | 10:33 am
    * All images copyright *In a Blackhawk helicopter with LT General Pichet Wisaijorn, ISOC Area 4 Commander, over Narathiwat province. November 12, 2009.Also, the following FCCT announcement is particularly relevant: Strategies for Combating the Southern Insurgency An Evening with Lt Gen Pichet Wisaijorn, 4th Army Regional Commander 8pm Weds, November 18th, 2009(Please see pricing and reservation procedure below) The seemingly intractable insurgency in the Thailand's southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat is in its sixth year with a death toll of more than 3,500. Separatist…

  • Autonomy!

    30 Oct 2009 | 2:00 am
    *ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT*Singing on the beach in Pattani province. August 2009. There has been a growing interest in granting some form of autonomy to the Deep South as a means of mitigating unrest in the region. Since the rise of violence in 2003, the Thai state under has failed, often miserably, in its counterinsurgency efforts.Normally, heavy handed tactics by security forces backed up by inappropriate and even warmongering rhetoric by successive Prime Ministers has done nothing but add fuel to the southern fire. Yet there has been growing discourse in Thai academic and political circles that…

  • Abhisit's failing state

    19 Oct 2009 | 6:13 am
    *All PHOTOS COPYRIGHT*Village defense volunteers (Chor Ro Bo) demonstrating their skills at a Buddhist temple in Maigaan (ไม้แก่น) district of Pattani province. August 2009.In June 2009, at a seminar hosted by the King Prajadhipok’s Institute called “Politics Outweighs the Military: A Solution to Sustainable Peace in Southern Thailand”, Prime Minister Abhisit talked about bringing justice to the Deep South.He said that the perpetrators of the June 2009 mosque shooting in Narathiwat, “no matter who they are”, would be brought to justice and that this issue is a key…
 
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    Thailand Golf

  • Lagging It Close Golfing in Phuket and Hua Hin

    Mark
    16 Nov 2009 | 11:57 pm
    My approach shots often stop 20 feet short of the hole when I play the hilly Phuket golf courses like Blue Canyon and Red Mountain or the new Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin. These golf courses have many elevated...

  • Become An Expert At Reading Thailand Golf Greens

    Mark
    9 Nov 2009 | 3:05 pm
    Probably the most important thing to learn about golf in Thailand is how to read the greens. While Thai caddies can tell you where to hit a putt, it is always helpful to understand why putts break the way they...

  • Thailand Golf Tips

    Mark
    2 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm
    Golfers travel from thousands of miles away everyday to enjoy Thailand golf courses, tourist attractions and cultural experiences. Tour guides can answer many questions and provide necessary insights regarding the sights. Likewise, golfers in Thailand benefit from the help they...

  • Gold Mountain Golf Club, Chiang Mai

    Mark
    27 Oct 2009 | 6:52 pm
    Gold Mountain Golf Club is the latest addition to the northern Thai golf scene. Currently it is in a ‘soft opening’ phase and conditions are a bit rough, though all 18 holes are open for play. The front nine opened...

  • Three Ball Golf Thailand

    Mark
    24 Oct 2009 | 11:25 pm
    In my view, and I am sure many of you will agree, the best form of golf in Thailand is a ‘friendly’ four-ball, better-ball with three like-minded pals. The amicable banter and gamesmanship all go to make for a fun...
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    WordPress Tag: Thailand

  • Thailand: Dr Pornthip/Dr Death - Her Story

    Blog yOur Mind
    21 Nov 2009 | 6:21 am
    Source: journeymanpictures http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e4ez8budzQ *BEING A WOMAN HAS HELPED ME SURVIVE MY JOB*  BANGKOK – AFTER examining more than 10,000 corpses in her 30-year career, Thailand’s leading forensics expert Porntip Rojanasunan says she believes the spirits of the dead have become her guardian angels. ‘Spirits of the dead keep protecting me,’ says Ms Porntip, known in Thailand as Doctor Death. With crimson lipstick and multi-coloured spiked hair, Porntip has stood up to police bullying and death threats as she pursues goals she says the spirits have…

  • Also gut, wenn's denn sein soll

    thaidive
    21 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    Auf besonderen Wunsch, und damit ihr euch nicht allzu schlecht im noch viel zu warmen Deutschland fühlt: Essen: Reis, Chicken, Reis, Pork, Reis, Beef, Reis, Reis, Reis, Reis… ich krieg die Augen komm noch auf, werden schon ganz schmal. Ausserdem alles nur lau warm. Das einzig Heisse kommt von der Schärfe. Und das dann gleich so heftig, dass es dir Löcher in den Magen brennt. Übrigens: das Zeugs brennt 3x: – beim Essen, beim Schei**en und dann in den Augen wenn du unterm Boot tauchst und oben grad einer einen abdrückt. (scherz. am boot wird alles aufgefangen. wir sind in…

  • Holiday #o3 Hotel

    xia0yi
    21 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    Listening to: Brown Eyed Girls – Abracadabra *Photo Credits to Zijun

  • Chiang Mai

    Stefan
    21 Nov 2009 | 5:05 am
    Nach Chiang Mai aufgebrochen. Im Zug habe ich 3 Deutsche getroffen, mit denen ich einen lustigen Abend verbrachte. Eine von Ihnen ist mir auch schon in meinem Hostel in Bangkok ueber den Weg gelaufen. Wir waren von ca. 21:30 bis 12 Uhr am naechsten Tag unterwegs und haben ca. 800 km zurueckgelegt. Zum Glueck kann man sich als fruehbuchender Euroinhaber den Luxus der 1. Klasse goennen 1.200 Bhat ca. 24 Euro hat die Fahrt gekostet und meine Doppelkabine hatte ich auch fuer mich alleine. Da kann sich die Dt. Bahn doch mal ein Beispiel dran nehmen In Chiang Mai werde ich voraussichtlich bis zum…

  • DRAMA at the Hostel

    maximumbeth
    21 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    DRAMA at the Hostel By Lillie Catch more of her adventures at http://lmarshallworld.blogspot.com The woman’s unconscious body dangled between the tiny Thai receptionists’ arms as they dragged her into the hostel lobby. What had happened??? We all rushed from the couches towards her sprawled form. Her dyed blond hair and white dress fluttered around the table where she lay. “Go back inside,” said the hostel receptionist with a polite but firm wave. Outside we could hear another rumble brewing. An hour earlier, the receptionist had grabbed a green-shirted hostel guest as…
 
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    Changwat, Amphoe, Tambon

  • TAO office opening video

    Andy
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:21 am
    On Youtube I found the video below, which shows the construction of the new office building for the TAO Maluan (องค์การบริหารส่วนตำบลมะลวน), Phunphin district, Surat Thani province. Though I cannot understand the soundtrack - my Thai is sadly still too bad - I can guess that it includes the meeting of the TAO council deciding on the new building, and I can understand that in the end it gives some background on the subdistrict itself, like listing the neighboring subdistricts and the villages. The TAO was created in 1997 (Gazette), though…

  • How to join my Google code project

    Andy
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:09 am
    In case you want to fully use the data on the administrative entities I collected in XML, or the programming I did around that, you can download the whole thing to your computer and compile it yourself - and if you like even work in either the code or the data and then commit your changes into the global repository, so I can use them as well. The easiest way to join is to do exactly like I work, though especially if you just want to work on the XML there are other options as well. And if you just want to edit in the XML files, you don't need to be a programmer, and that can even be done with…

  • Chumchon and Muban Part 2

    Andy
    18 Nov 2009 | 4:15 am
    In an earlier example, I showed one subdistrict municipality where the boroughs (Chumchon, ชุมชน) and the administrative villages (Muban, หมู่บ้าน) coincide one-to-one. Now I have come across another different case, this time it has villages split into several chumchon, thus the local administration is giving the subdistrict more subdivisions than it has in the central administration. The subdistrict municipality is Phum Riang (เทศบาลตำบลพุมเรียง), which covers the whole same-named subdistrict in the east of Chiaya district, Surat…

  • All local government leaders have unlimited terms now

    Andy
    17 Nov 2009 | 4:11 am
    Last week I wrote on the sixth amendment of the Tambon Council and Tambon Administrative Organization act, removing the limit of two consecutive terms for the TAO chairman. Now amendments for the acts covering the other local administrative units have been published in the Royal Gazette, all replacing previous regulations with the simple statement that the term of the chairman is four years starting from election day. In detail, the following announcements were made Municipality Act of 1953, Amendment 13 (พระราชบัญญัติเทศบาล) Provincial Administration…

  • DOLA geocodes - strange cases

    Andy
    16 Nov 2009 | 4:12 am
    When I worked through the DOLA geocodes for the local administrative units (LGUs), there were several cases where the code lists contains outright mistakes, or even more interesting cases where the numbers don't follow the logical system otherwise used. Especially these deviations from the system would be worth some further research, these might point to some interesting things still hidden. But it seems I would only be able to find out more by getting into contact with someone who actually worked on the creation of these numbers. What follows is the quite lengthy list of all the strange or…
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    Women Learning Thai

  • Thai Language Thai Culture: And the Honor goes to…

    Hugh Leong
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Is it Kun, Pêe, Aa-jaann, or Pôo yài Moo?… There used to be a time in the west when calling a person by their first name was something you didn’t do until you had known them for a considerable length of time, and then only when you had become very close. Nowadays, the new generation is often on a first name basis literally from the time they meet. That may be true in a lot of places, but in Thailand there is a small wrinkle to this rule. Although Thais are always on a first name basis because they eschew the use of last names, they almost never use just the person’s first name…

  • Learn Thai with Psycho-Cybernetics

    Catherine Wentworth
    17 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Ah, to have the insecurities of a kid again… When I was fourteen, I moved from the glorious New Zealand to the enormous U.S. The U.S. was too strange, too big, too shiny new. Worse, I did not assimilate. My experiences were not the same as my classmates, leaving me the outsider. Dense and awkward became the name of the game. And this, after previously being an avid participant in school activities, keeping fairly decent grades. Enter a dog-eared copy of Psycho Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. It literally changed my life. Following Maxwell’s advice, I restructured my mindset away…

  • Free Download: The Ultimate Survival Guide to Thailand

    Catherine Wentworth
    15 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Alan Brewis: The Ultimate Survival Guide to Thailand… The true generosity of Thai language learners never ceases to amaze me. Last year, Alan Brewis put a highly polished draft of his book, The Ultimate Survival Guide to Thailand, online for anyone to read. For free. When I contacted him about adding it to WLT’s growing list of free, he was more than happy to agree. This book is not intended to be an all-knowing encyclopaedia on Thailand. There are many publications that already do that job quite admirably. Rather, this book is designed to provide the short-term holiday-maker with…

  • Sesame Street Turns 40

    Catherine Wentworth
    13 Nov 2009 | 1:50 am
    Sesame Street comes of age… This week, on November 10th, Sesame Street turned the big FOUR OH. My, oh, my, does time fly… So if you didn’t know Sesame Street as a child, then your brothers or sisters, nephews or nieces, or even your own kids did (or are doing so). But did you know that there is a Thai version of Sesame Street? Well, there is. And the best way to get copies is to contact Rikker at Thai 101 พูด เล่น! (pôot lên! :-D Several times a year, Bangkok holds fairs where you can snag a copy or two of Sesame Street dubbed in Thai. As I don’t have…

  • Bangkok’s Fertility Shrine: Chao Mae Tuptim

    Catherine Wentworth
    10 Nov 2009 | 4:14 am
    Sightseeing around Bangkok… Last month a friend emailed to say, ‘I’M COMING TO BANGKOK!’ I emailed back, ‘Whooh! WHEN?’ A mere two days after his arrival, David had already paddled up the floating market, tussled for eight hours with tigers, then dropped a krathong into the klong. And more. Which got me wondering… … just what unique experience can I thrill David with now? The Grand Palace, the Golden Buddha, Wat Po… the… the… the… Wait! How about going off the beaten path to… …the Chao Mae Tuptim Shrine? Sightseeing at the Nai Lert Park Lingam shrine… Piling into…
 
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    Thailand Art Photography

  • Pastel Colour Water Plants Thailand

    admin
    15 Nov 2009 | 8:23 am
    A beautiful selection of pastel colour waterplants from Thailand...

  • Yaba Drug The bitter end of an era

    admin
    24 Oct 2009 | 8:39 am
    Just a few days ago, the Chiang Mai police raided our house and brought a bitter end of an era, because our senior photographer Tee became a drugs trafficker.

  • Jelly City Arrival

    admin
    3 Oct 2009 | 7:38 am
    Finally, thats our arrival at Jelly City, the main city of the sweet, sweet jelly land. Please do not nibble, please keep Your fingers of the sweet jelly buildings...

  • The Hoya Plant a Declaration of Love

    admin
    27 Sep 2009 | 8:09 am
    The Hoya plant, specialy their flowers don´t look like real flowers. They have a waxy, porcelain look, which gave the Hoya also the name wax flower or porcelain flower...

  • Jelly Sea of Flowers Floral Sea Kanom Thai

    admin
    21 Sep 2009 | 8:13 am
    Before we go on to the main city of the jelly land the conductor of our jelly train, recommended a stop over at one of the most remarkable landscapes at Jelly land, the jelly sea of flowers or the floral sea.
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    The Thai Pirate

  • New Baby

    The Thai Pirate
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:53 am
    Pic above: Aiden with Nanna. We have a new little companion to join us in our adventures. Aiden was born on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month 2009 (the remembrance day story made quite an impression with all the Thai's in the family, as you might expect.... And with us also). Pic above: Aiden with Thai family, his great grandmother tieing a string around his wrist - inviting good luck, and passing on protection to him from the eldest member of the family to the youngest...

  • A quick, private (but noisy) Loy Krathong

    The Thai Pirate
    2 Nov 2009 | 5:03 pm
    That time of year again, Loy Krathong. With Sutiya in the last stages of pregnancy we are not as mobile as last year,  so we literally just nipped over the road to the temple opposite the house. The temple grounds were very pretty, with bright multi-coloured lights hanging amongst all the trees. Although it was only early in the evening, there were still quite a few people present in the grounds and on the pierside. There was also a very distinct and relaxed anticipation in the air.  Our pretty little krathong cost a whopping 40 baht, or 70p. A few people were sat along the river, casting…

  • What DO Thai's have for breakfast?

    The Thai Pirate
    31 Oct 2009 | 3:05 am
    Some regular Thai bloggers and readers will recognize this popular title. What do Thai's eat for breakfast? In my experience, whatever's going.Everything from corn flakes to chicken fried rice to tom yam gai. I've eaten them all as the rooster crows. Odd at first, but, easy to adapt to, especially if you're fat falang. In fact, Thailand has probably destroyed any habits of food etiquette I may have held before my time here. I'm quite happy to eat mine (and missus) dessert before main course, join others in gobbing food out onto the plate when its a bone or is…

  • A British Baby in Thailand

    The Thai Pirate
    28 Oct 2009 | 2:52 am
    I have a nipper on the way. Being British myself, that automatically means kiddie will be British. As long as one of the two parents is British, the nationality transfers (and as long as you register the birth with the British embassy). It actually looks like the process is more straightforward than I supposed. Basically, when kiddie decides to make an appearence, he/she automatically get assigned a Thai birth certificate from your local Thai district office. Once you have your hands on one of those, all you need to do is get x 2 passport photos of kiddie (one counter signed), plus the…

  • Pattaya People TV - Odd but Entertaining....

    The Thai Pirate
    25 Oct 2009 | 8:39 pm
    Pattaya People TV has to be the funniest TV station in South East Asia. As a self confessed lover of crap television, Pattaya People TV is the perfect format for when I visit the area on the odd blue moon... Watching the cheesy advertorials, bad production and general naffness are a real treat for a crap tv addict like me, I wouldn't have it any other way.The channel is mainly habited by lots of white haired expats, promoting their various nooks and businesses, performing bad interviews, in cross dialects, and giving endless explanations of how and where to find their respective plots.
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    Phuket Observer

  • Supercars back in Phuket

    Alasdair Forbes
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:43 pm
    Nice and shiny and ready for those finger marks: the Lamborghini Gallardo. Two months ago car lovers had the chance to put sticky finger marks all over a couple of Lamborghinis, a Lotus and two Hummers (story here). Our guess is that the Lambo/Lotus/Hummer owners, Niche Cars of Bangkok, counted the fingerprints at the end of the day and decided that there were enough of them to indicate that Phuket likes fast cars and wants to see more of them. Lotus Exige. Which is why (we think) Niche Cars are coming back for two days, this time parking their extreme machines at the Royal Phuket Marina.

  • Asia-Pacific Ironman championship coming to Laguna Phuket

    Alasdair Forbes
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:38 am
    The elephant was disqualified for having too many legs, so Australian pro racer Richie Cunningham won the men's title in the 2008 Laguna Phuket Triathlon. - Photo courtesy Laguna Resorts & Hotels. After 16 years of hosting the highly successful Laguna Phuket Triathlon, Laguna Resorts & Hotels (LRH) has been rewarded by being named as the venue for the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship. The race, on December 10 next year, will be the culmination of a new annual Asia-Pacific Ironman 70.3 Event Series and Laguna is expected to be the permanent home of this…

  • Phuket charity Race Day ‘a big success’

    Alasdair Forbes
    15 Nov 2009 | 9:56 pm
    Six small ducks, six big prizes in the Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race, part of Race Day: The PCF's six duck catchers (from left), Ni, Jane, Ben, Daojai, Joffy and Poy, with the winning ducks. - Photo by In4World Media. The Phuket Community Foundation (PCF) has announced that its income from the Race Day it organised on November 7 totaled around 288,000 baht. PCF Director Janyaporn Morel remarked, “We are delighted with the financial result. This is the first time we have organised such an event. It is also the first time that a Rubber Duck Race has ever been organised in Thailand, so we…

  • AirAsia launches Phuket – Ho Chi Minh City flights

    Alasdair Forbes
    10 Nov 2009 | 2:12 pm
    The Hotel de Ville (City Hall), an architectural confection preserved from the French colonial days, is just one of the delights of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Thomas Schoch AirAsia has added yet another destination linked by direct flights to its Phuket regional hub – Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The service, launched on November 4, consists of one flight a day each way, leaving Phuket at 19:20 and arriving in HCM City at 21:10, with the return flight leaving at 21:40 and landing in Phuket at 23:35. To celebrate the official announcement of the new route, AirAsia is offering special…

  • Phuket rugby scores a big one

    Alasdair Forbes
    9 Nov 2009 | 6:47 pm
    Scrum down: From left, Sean Panton, Klaus Hebben, Pat Cotter, Graeme Spence and David Adamson. Photo: PIA. A few months ago, Patrick Cotter, Phuket’s “Mr Rugby” was bemoaning the lack of local official support for the game in Phuket (see story here). Today he’s beaming with delight after the signing of a memorandum of understanding that will see an international-standard rugby academy set up in Phuket and a world-class pitch made available for the game. The deal was signed a few days ago between the Phuket International Academy’s Sports, Art & Wellness Centre…
 
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