petedk

Ferry capsizes off Koh Larn

CHON BURI — A ferry carrying more than 50 Thai and foreign tourists back to Pattaya from Koh Larn capsized Sunday evening, spilling the passengers into the sea. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The incident took place at about 100 metres off the island’s Nuan Beach at about 5.30pm. The ferry was the last one to head back to the mainland for the night.

Reports said rescue workers had picked up the passengers and taken injured persons to hospital. The cause of the capsize is not known.

-- Bangkok Post 2013-11-03

Talk about conflicting stories.

First there were 150 people on borad. Now "more than 50". Ok 150 is more than 50... so is 51.

"up to five dead" "more than 20 missing" now " no immediate reports of injuries.

Best wait until tomorrow for more reliable information.

Let's hope the toll doesn't rise.

I often sail over to Koh larn. No idea what could have happened. We can only wait for more news.

About six years ago, a girl I knew was in hospital for 4 days with "some kind of poisoning."

She said it started when she was in a taxi from Chidlom to Ramkhamhaeng, but she was clever enough to call a friend and tell her that she felt drowsy and sick. They kept talking until (and i don't know how) the friend met her at some point and got her out of the taxi. She was admitted to hospital where they said that she had inhaled something poisonous and it was most likely from the taxi as they had also had other similar cases.

Before there are any stupid comments about what she inhaled I will say that she was well educated (MA and studying PhD) so i firmly believe her story. Also her colleagues visited her in hospital.

I also asked as to why the driver wasn't affected but she didn't know. She couldn't remember if his window was open or not.

So, yes it seems to have been happening for some time.

The Mrs is listening to the live broadcast from Samsen and it appears there are over 50,000 there at present.

It is also said on facebook that Yingluck (who is now back in BKK) has ordered that no more trains are allowed to go to that station, that they must stop at the stations before as there have been train loads of people arriving and joining the crowd.

That is only one group, there are others in BKK and around the country.

Seems like someone has badly underestimated the feeling of people on the amnesty bill.

But it must go through, Thaksin must come back regardless of the strife it will cause.

Do you have any sources for this?

All seems very quiet to me.

Soon, the newspapers here will have to devote a daily column to bus crashes, another to train derailments, and yet another to painted-over aircraft logos. I used to travel by bus a lot, but no more. I used to enjoy riding the trains sometimes, but no more. It's getting more and more like the old "demolition derby" shows in the US, where drivers drove around smashing into each others cars to see who could be the last one driving.

I was thinking the same.

How about making a template?

An Intercity bus from .......... to ....... crashed today killing ........ people"

It's sad to read these stories every day. I guess they'll never stop.

I just spoke to a Thai colleague who was a red shirt fanatic. Note the word "was"

She went to the protests at Ratchaprasong every day when the red shirts took control of that area. She was friends with some of the leaders, including one who was killed. She slept in the temple on that night when the nurse was killed.

Today she said to me, "All we wanted was democracy, but now it's not about democracy. it's about other things; greed and power. I quit the movement because this will never end."

It's going up for some of them that they were just pawns in a chess game.

Why a big fuss about this "little" accident?

There are hundreds of crashes every day in Thailand.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

He must have drank a lot of milk.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Are parked cars really the cause of traffic chaos and traffic jams?

I think often the answer lies with the cops not being able to think. An example is on Petchaburi road where on the inbound lane there is a traffic light for cars turning right into Soi Soonvijai. Just around the corner is a railway crossing. I have seen cops turn the lights on green just as the barriers go down to stop the cars. The cars then queue up and block Petchaburi Road on the outbound lane.

Another typical example is seen in the attached photo.

Just looking at those photos in the OP I can see how much it is helping the over crowded road.

I drove along by Kaset today and all the no parking signs were up on the pavement. No one was parking. So it was full of stopped taxis with their engines running, vendors had their stalls out there, etc.

ouch hadn't figured that in. I guess that is where the tea money will come from.

In any other country they would block out the number plates of the car being towed away when they show a photo in the newspaper.

So, will PT go ahead and ram this bill through while the opposition groups have suspended their street protests due to the mourning period for the Supreme Patriarch? That would be a rather risky strategy.

I think that's the idea. I read something in the Bangkok Post that they would rush the second and third readings through.

If it sorts the traffic problems out who cares where the money will go

It has my wholehearted support, so long as there are no exemptions...!!!

When I see a Mercedes SL and a 7 series BMW being towed away, then my faith in the system will be restored...!!

I live in a narrow soi where there are red and white markings all along the soi to stop parking.

Many cars park there and the chaos is unbelievable. It's worse at weekends when all the Ferraris, Lambourginis, BMWs etc are valey parked from the pub at the top of the soi.

I look forward to seeing them towed away (but then the police in our district belong to some of the most corrupt).

Last week there was a photo circulating on Line or Facebook showing the floods in Pattaya. I read in the Pattaya Times/Post (?) that the picture was from the floods a couple of years ago.

So is this one genuine?

Can someone explain for me please how business gets affected by Facebook crash ?

Did he mean staff were unable to play and it resulted in some staff actually doing some work?

Loads of Thai businesses use facebook to promote their products instead of having their own website. I have seen it a few times one of those is coolcase (for bikes) I find it crazy that a company cant pay for a website of its own and manage it.

I have my own website and a Facebook page.

The Facebook page is seen by many more people. I was against the idea of using Facebook until I read about a company that increased its sales tenfold.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

OMG People probably couldn't post photos of their evening bowl of noodles. What a disaster!

Actually I ahve started using Facebook for business (my income has increased manyfold since using it) and I have noticed over the past few weekes that it can be a little slow or even hang sometimes. I just log off and on again and it seems to work OK.

I have just spent the weekend with a group of friends and one of them is married to a Thai lady who works in real estate on Phuket.

She was saying that two members of her family have been diagnosed with colon cancer and that there are no previous cases of cancer in their family. She went on to say that she knows four or five foreigners who have colon cancer and has have heard of several others.

I was thinking of buying a condo and retiring in Phuket but if there is some kind of toxin that causes cancer there I will be having second thoughts.

Has anyone else heard anything about this or is it just her misconception?

He is an odious individual, much like his father. Also known for cheating in exams, certainly not someone that people should respect or trust.

I remember that but I can't remember the outcome. I guess I don't have to ask.

Let me think "Uhm it was an honest mistake. I was revising last night and I forgot that I put the notes in my pocket. They slipped out when I took a tissue to wipe the sweat off my head/"

"No problem son. We believe you."

How can anyone respect people like this?

One time when I was on the bus from Pattaya to Bangkok I noticed the driver was talking on the mobile for a long time.

I thought about how dangerous it was as he wasn't concentrating on driving.

After he put the phone away I felt quite relieved ......... for the first two or three minutes because after that he started to dose off and swing all over the place.

So those people who saw the driver eating must be thankful that he was awake.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

There are no reports of missing persons but if whole families go shopping and something happens to them it may be some time before they are missed.

I still hope the "No casualities" is right

It was on BBC News a short while ago and they said NO casualties.

Let's hope that's true.

On Thong Lor opposite Soi 10 there is a street vendor (restaurant) which completely blocks the footpath.

Recently I walked along there and was forced to walk on the road. The cop started screaming at me (and others) to get back on the footpath. I mean there was NO room to walk because of the tables and chairs.

Back on topic.

I remember when they first built the skywalks and said that vendors won't be allowed to use them. I said it wouldn't be long before people started selling their products on the skywalks.

I'm just waiting to see motorbikes up there.

Has anyone tried to walk in Siam on the opposite side of the road to Siam Discovery...impossible. Coming down from the BTS one is met by a traffic jam of people because vendors have encroached as far as possible into the walkways that it is impossible to get anywhere. Again nothing with happen whilst there is money to be made by the administrators of the area. Try driving down Sukhumvit Soi 11 at night, the portable bars have made their way off the side walk and onto half the road, it's getting ridiculous.

Yes!

I join the growing number of people who now walk on the road in order to get past.

I remember a couple of years ago the authorities removed the vendors and put those ridiculous plant holders up so that the vendors wouldn't return. It didn't take long before the vendors dismantled them and returned.

Something weird here. According to the other newspaper, security forces are deploying 12,000 men to contain the 250 protesters.

Isn't the government embarassing itself?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Could we possibly have some coherent facts, before passing judgment?

Is it a steel beam sticking out across the highway, or is it a steel girder which is part of a bridge?

It was put up a year or so ago to restrict high vehicles from passing OVER the bridge. I think it has something to with high vehicles weighing more than low vehicles. I am not Thai so I don't quite understand the logic of it as I often see trucks loaded with mud driving over.

Anyway, I drive past it quite often and what I consider to be far more damgerous is the way it is (was?) constructed. The beams are supported by two huge cement blocks in the middle of the road!!!

The road is about six lanes wide and narrows down to two for the bridge and two lanes each side of the bridge. There are often long traffic jams there. Sometimes the traffic is one way over the bridge and sometimes two way. Cars squeeze in between the cement blocks at the last minute and being good Thai drivers (I am thinking of another thread now) the don't bother to slow down. I am amazed that there hasn't been an accident with these blocks before now.

Looking forward to Yingluck's remarks about this.......

This has nothing to do with Women's Rights and democracy, so she isn't interested.