expat_4_life

Let's take a look at what Thailand's Tourism & Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul thinks about the meeting .... and exactly

how ASEAN tourism will flourish - notably from the Thai perspective.

BANGKOK, Jan 26 -- ASEAN has announced joint tourism promotional campaigns to also emphasise sustainability. Nearly 100 million tourists visited the region last year.

And we all know that with Thailand having 25% of that volume (TAT numbers) that Miss Kobkarn is the expert and Thailand is the hub

of ASEAN tourism.

Following the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2015, Thailand's Tourism & Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said that as the ASEAN Community would take effect late this year, ASEAN worked out a 10-year tourism plan to be implemented from 2016 to 2025.

What exactly does this mean, what is the effect of the ASEAN Community on tourism? A 10 year plan, how about some details?

The plan will promote inclusive tourism, with all parties receiving good care.

What kind of care is that exactly, health care - the kind where foreigners get charged 2-5 times a Thai in hospitals here?

Myanmar, forum host, has recently opened to tourists and wants knowhow on environmental conservation and ecotourism, Ms Kobkarn said.

Please don't take any advice from Thailand ... where they have completely destroyed every popular tourist destination with

uncontrolled growth, insufficient infrastructure, tourist scams .... and the list goes on.

The minister also said that ASEAN member states welcomed 97 million tourists last year.

The number grows by 3 per cent annually, and 53 per cent of tourists are ASEAN citizens.

OMG, please let us not have Thailand's Tourism & Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul/TAT creating the ASEAN tourist numbers, enough is enough.

She said that Thailand is attracting quality intra-ASEAN tourists and would use online media to reach young travelers.

One can only guess that Miss Kobkarn is referring to the Chinese ... god help us.

Suwat Sidthilaw, permanent secretary for tourism and sports, said a secretariat will be established in Indonesia to coordinate ASEAN tourism promotion and its establishment should be sealed in the next meeting this April.

Exactly what is the purpose of this post, what are they going to be there to do? Or, is this just a cushy overseas posting for the son/daughter of

of a Thai with some entitlement, exactly how Miss Kobkarn got her job?

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) reported that ASEAN teenagers liked to visit communities and share local activities rather than going to luxury destinations.

Say what? I thought she just got done saying that "Thailand is attracting quality intra-ASEAN tourists" or did she mean backpackers .... ?

Here ya go .... some more details.

Alcohol beverages can now only be sold from 11.00 am – 2.00 pm and from 5.00 pm – 12.00 pm every day.

An announcement was made today by the Prime Minister’s Office on the 2015 law regulating alcohol sales which takes effect today.

At all other times, alcohol sales are strictly forbidden with the exception of at international airport terminals and legally registered entertainment venues which have laws that strictly govern the periods they can operate daily.

Director-general of the office of the Alcohol Control Committee Mr Samarn Futrakun stated the core substance of the new regulation remains the same in that the permissible duration for daily alcohol sales to be capped at 10 hours.

Airports however are given the same allowance as before while entertainment venues which in the past were allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm – 2.00 am can only do so up to midnight.

This means that in total, night time entertainment venues can only legally sell alcohol for 5 hours every day which in total is less than regular restaurants.

As for the reason for the new regulation governing alcohol sales, he stated that the old law was problematic as it did not cover every aspect.

The new law however takes into account every type restaurant and other venues selling alcohol.

Also, the old law allows for wholesale purchase of alcohol in excess of 10 liters to be made at any time of the day while any purchase under 10 liters can only be made at the specified times.

The new regulation does not allow for this, what matters now are the stated hours for purchase or sale of alcohol irrespective of quantity.

Violation of the law is subject six months imprisonment and/or a 10,000 Baht fine.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/restriction-liquor-sale-time-takes-effect-today

Some pretty significant changes - gone is the exclusion for in excess of 10 liters and entertainment venues are required to stop selling at midnight.

Appears restaurants will now be restricted in the afternoons too. Definitely not good news for many business owners and tourists.

Have not been personally, here is a link with some information about the exhibition

http://www.tatnews.org/nasa-space-exhibition-to-be-held-in-bangkok-the-first-of-its-kind-in-southeast-asia/

Ticket prices can be found here

http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/performance/performance-detail.php?sid=2417&la=en

From what I recall reading about it some time ago, the rides are not included in the ticket prices.

Credit to (https://twitter.com/Atomicalandy)

STATEMENTS FROM FAMILY OF KOH TAO CASE VICTIMS
Both families call for a 'fair and transparent' trial for the accused and justice to be done in the case. It's an important beneficial statement that also supports the work the defense team are doing here in Thailand. Our aim is to ensure a fair trial and justice in the case.

Here are the statements from both Familys .... https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10152642326445677&id=675065676&ref=bookmark

A sloppy, criminal operation. There was a tailings pond whose walls collapsed three times-- it held cyanide. http://isaanrecord.com/category/loei/

The levels of heavy metals in the villagers' systems have been shown to be extremely high, and pose serious threat to the health of these individuals. They've been getting sick since 2004 when the mine began operations.

On February 2 of this year, the ministry published that 124 of 725 villagers had high levels of cyanide in their blood and 50 of 708 villagers had high levels of mercury.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/122833/thailand-gold-mine-protest-violence/

The land has been laid to waste. No objective environmental impact study was done. The suffering will go on for decades, even generations. All this for a mine that will close in five years, so that the owner(s) can go into Laos and assumedly poison the locals in that country.

"In October last year, a Tungkum executive was quoted as saying the gold mine “will shut down within five years”and move across border to Laos, even if it was given permission to expand."

http://asiancorrespondent.com/122833/thailand-gold-mine-protest-violence/

You have to hand it to the villagers. They stood up and defended themselves and their place. They've been fighting the mine since 2006. You have to ask yourself if you would do the same. There was an incident where scores of masked men descended upon their protest and beat them with iron rods.

Tungkum Limited, which has been in hot water with its shareholders and the Stock Exchange of Thailand over the past year for alleged financial mismanagement, now has more to worry about.

http://isaanrecord.com/category/loei/

One would certainly hope so. On the other hand, why worry? The mining company has obtained a concession to mine on 230,000 rai in Xiangkhoang province in Laos. They can pack up, move on, and leave the locals to do the worrying.

@DeepinTheForest

Excellent summary and opinion on these crooks and of how events have unfolded.

The time for legal reform is long overdue - yet another abuse of the defamation laws in Thailand in an attempt to silence the victims.

UN 'seriously concerned' about criminal defamation against Loei human rights defenders. (31 Oct 14)

http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/4458

"he doesn't turn on the meter and instead tells me 100bht i say no meter but he insists and then i agree..."

Seriously? You agreed to the fare and now want to report him?

Absolutely beggars belief.

Looks like the case is back in the News ....

Latest development (https://twitter.com/Atomicalandy)

Samui prosecutor announces investigation into Koh Tao murders complete, will prosecute Zaw Lin/Wai Phyo next week.

I have wanted a trial since the arrest.

This news is going to piss off the people saying it would just disappear.

Now we'll have 2 trials to comment on, the murders and the Thai Justice system.

There is nothing to go back to, and you would not know how to live your life in your old home country anyway.

Very true. My home country is now a place I don't recognise, and I feel a stranger in my own land.

I'll share a couple of anecdotes to illustrate how my country is not one I recognize anymore after decades abroad .....

I'm back home and caught out without cash (ok, i come from the times when you actually had to have money to buy/pay for things),

and trying to use my credit card at the gas station. Another motorist observes that I'm having difficulty with the swipe to pay feature

at the pump and volunteers to assist. Bang, done in a second. When I thanked him he asked me "Do you mind me asking what planet

you've been on"?

Another one .... was in the grocery store (using cash as I do) and come to the checkout. Everything is going just fine until

the clerk asks "Will that be plastic" ... duh, me thinks (plastic = credit card) and reply "No I'll pay cash". She practically

fell off her stool laughing as she actually wanted to know if I wanted paper or plastic bags.

Latest development (https://twitter.com/Atomicalandy)

Samui court just rejected bail request of Zaw Lin/Wai Phyo (Koh Tao case accused), citing serious nature of offenses and high penalty.

Is it now 3 extensions of detainment remaining? A trial looms closer.

Have you all seen the new video .... The way of Thai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=275WLDjOd7M

Take note lads - all women love "an unexpected gift at an unexpected time".

Expats with family and vested interests and obvious commitments can be excused, no reasonable minded person would expect them to up stick and go, on the other hand, they shouldn't be classed as hypocrites if they then still chose to boycott tourism to Thailand in any other way they chose, the loss of tourism and the obvious effects that would cause will be harder to bear than the loss of face. Logically, that's the only way the ordinary people are going to make a real difference and actually change the system in any meaningful way. that's the reality of it.

Yes they should. If you promote not coming to Thailand you should man up and hit the road.

Vote with your feet, man up, really?

I give you your freedom of expression defending the RTP and the powers that be casting yourself as the defender

of the institutions vs. the "conspiracy theorists" regards the Kao Tao case regardless of my personal opinion.

But, how are foreigners that have chosen to make a life here any different from the Thai poor and under privileged

that are trying to make a difference and a future for their familys/children/business when they express

their dissatisfaction from the status quo and social injustice?

"Hitting the Road" is the equivalent of ignoring or "giving up" on issues that effect every Thai and foreigner

that lives here. It is preposterious to suggest that foreigners should vote with their feet any more than it

is reasonable to suggest that Thais should "give up" on any perceived social inequality which they suffer.

Meaningful change in any society originates from within, regardless of our nationality or social status.

Whats the betting,this is going to solve so many unsolved cases the

BIB has on their books.

regards worgeordie

Wonder if we'll also see some old cases reopened on appeal to potentially free people that were wrongly convicted.

Quite a bit of nonsense here, especially the headline - really "Social Media vs. Security Cameras"?

However social media has certainly been shown to be a powerful force in the past decade, think Arab
Spring. The recent popularity of CSI facebook just goes to show that there is widespread support for
change to the basic institutions here. Is the status quo at a tipping point, only time will tell?

Got to love the thinly veiled threat/warning - "Some users spread malicious information or propaganda..."
That tells us exactly what is really acceptable without running afoul of the defamation laws here.

Murder police return from Thailand

British police who travelled to Thailand to review the probe into the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller are due to return to the UK,

having completed their work "as far as possible".

" Detectives from the United Kingdom who are currently in Thailand reviewing the investigation into the murders of Hannah Witheridge and

David Miller have completed their work, as far as possible," the Met said in a statement.

"They will now be returning to the UK to compile their report and to update the families of Hannah and David on their findings."

https://uk.news.yaho...83.html#gGlAMGT

Maybe one day you will be shaken down by the police and have drugs planted on you.

Then maybe you will see HIS point of view.

Personally, I treat everyone with the same respect despite their appearance.

But seems most of you back up the Pattaya police here because of Sharky's appearance.

Based my opinion just now on the links that fritz posted above.

Society does not need the type of loan shark that Sharky has chosen for a livelihood.

Society also deserves better than the Pattaya Police assuming his allegations are true.

Dare I say "a son only a mother could love".

That Caesar Milan's (the dog whisperer) mantra "No touch, No Talk, No Eye Contact" is equally effective with
Beggars, Touts, Prostitutes, Scammers, Tuk Tuk Drivers ... and many many more.

Sounds like she wants to employ them .... Wouldn't this "bring them to Thailand" and "cost-effective PR" constitute working in Thailand?

Hope they have their work permits in order.