Thaivisa News

Phetchaburi: – The national and provincial authorities have launched a campaign, dubbedKhao Wang Model, designed for the coexistence between residents and wild monkeys.

MueangPhetchaburi residents have petitioned Office of the Ombudsman to intervene and address their grievances related to damage caused by wild monkeys.

The wild monkeys are from PhraNakhonKhiri Historical Park, known as Khao Wang, which is a major tourist attraction.

After a brain-storming session attended by representatives of the Ombudsman, the provincial government, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and the Zoological Park Organisation, the authorities agree to the followings:

• Promote the awareness campaign on coexistence with wildlife.

• Launch preventive measures on damage caused by monkeys.

• Implement monkey population control.

• Improve the natural habitat for monkeys to preempt foraging elsewhere.

Provincial official NatthawutPhetphromsorn said the authorities deem it impractical and inappropriate to relocate the monkeys that claim their habitat before human settlement due to town expansion.

Presently, Khao Wang is populated by more than 3,000 long-tailed Macaque.

The monkey population remains high despite the ongoing campaign for sterilisation launched since 2005.

Although the annual birth rate for monkeys has dropped from 28 per cent to 1.16 per cent, the numbers of wild monkeys do not significantly drop because tourists encourage migration by feeding them.

The authorities have called for a stop spoiling wild monkeys with food because this leads to aggressive behaviour to coerce humans to feed them.

Thailand has 147 areas located in 47 provinces which see the conflict between humans and wild monkeys.

Bangkok: – KhaoGaeng (rice with toppings) dishes are generally five to 10 baht more expensive than last year’s prices, the Internal Trade Department says in the survey of cooked food for the second week of February.

Food vendors have increased the prices of cooked food, noodle and rice with one or two toppings to about 20 - 50 baht per dish in comparison to last year’s prices of 20 – 40 baht per dish.

The prices of street food have crept up because of the rising cost of cooking gas, higher prices of ingredients and increased rental charges, based on the survey.

The survey outcome reveals that food prices in South are the highest in comparison to other regions. This is happening despite the lowering earnings of natural rubber farmers.

Rice with two toppings in Bangkok would cost around 20 baht to 50 baht, an increase of 10 baht per dish.

The North sees the lowest price adjustment for street foods. A rice dish with one topping would cost 20 baht to 35 baht.

The average price for popular dish like rice with stir-fired pork and basil has increased about 10 baht. The price hike for fried rice is about five baht.

The Commerce Ministry has conceded that it could not control street food prices.

Strong control would be seen as bullying hawkers who try to eke out a living, according to the ministry.

The ministry has been trying, however, to slow down the food price increase by asking for the cooperation food court operators to offer 10 selective dishes at a lower price.

UPDATED: Two French tourists badly injured in Pattaya paragliding

Pattaya, Chon Buri:- A French tourist and a Kazakh tourist were badly injured when a wind surge blew them up about 200 meters in the air while they were paragliding at the Jomthien Beach Wednesday afternoon.

The two, who were using the same paraglider, ended up falling on the rooftop of the Marina Building of the Ambassador City Jomthien Hotel and they suffered severe cuts and several parts of their bones also appeared broken. The rooftop is equivalent to the 40th floor of the hotel.

Police said the accident happened shortly before 4 pm. Security officers of the hotel called the Sawang Rojanatham Sathan Satahib Foundation at 4 pm to dispatch emergency teams to help the two tourists.

The two tourists were identified as Narayan Keita, 28, who also works as a tour guide for French speeking tourists and Tatyana Fadeyeva, 14.

Keita was rushed to the Queen Sirikit Hospital of the Royal Thai Navy while Fadeyeva was rushed to the Pattaya Memorial Hospital.

Eyewitnesses told police that the two were not staying at the hotel but they came to the beach and rent the parglider. While they were about 200 meters away from the beach, there was a wind surge that lifted them about 200 meters in the air before they fell on the hotel buildings rooftop.

Security officers carried them down to the ground before rescuers arrived. The rescuers performed the first aid and rushed them to the hospitals.

It was initially reported that both were French and they were kite-surfling. Channel 3 later reported that they were paragliding.

-- 2015-02-18

Pattaya, Chon Buri:- Two Thai sisters have been arrested for having been preying on old foreign men, mostly farang. The victims were offered “orgy sex” but they ended up being drugged and robbed instead.

Pattaya police chief Pol Col Sukthat Pumphanmuang told a press conference Wednesday morning that the two suspects were arrested at 9 pm on Jomthien Beach while they were allegedly hunting for their preys.

The two were identified as Netrsai Panyakham, 40, and Manee Panyakham, 39. Both came from Tak.

Sukthat said the Chon Buri police chief ordered him to form a special team to hunt the two women down after tourist police in Pattya have received complaints from several old foreign men that they have been drugged and robbed by two women during the past few months.

Sukthat said the two always approached aged foreign tourists and offered the victims to have sex with both of them at the same time. They mostly took their preys to a hotel room they had prepared or sometimes to the hotel rooms of the victims.

They admitted that they had robbed the tourists this way several times and they chose only old men as they found that they were easy to be deceived and drugged.

Sukthat said the two claimed they could not remember details of their crimes, except the three last ones when they drugged and robbed two French men and Indian man.

They said they had bought strong sedative from Rayong and mixed the medicine in beer or put it into oranges for their preys to eat. When their preys became unmovable or unconscious, they made off with their cash.

Sukthat said the two robbed their latest victim of Bt140,000 at the Welcome Inn on February 11.

Police urged tourists who think they have been robbed by the two to come to the Pattaya police station to identify them.

Ayutthaya: The Expressway Authority of Thailand has affirmed its plan to build a 42-kilometer-long elevated expressway from Bang Sai to Bang Pahan districts in Ayutthaya to facilitate travelling to the North and Northeast.

The affirmation was made by EXAT deputy governor Lertsak Jingharan and the project manager, Thirdsak Puangchinda, during the third public hearing on the project held in Ayutthaya on Tuesday.

Lertsak said the new four-lane expressway would be built to connect the end of the Udon Ratthaya expressway to the highway No 32. He said the new expressway would help reduce congestion of North and Northeast-bound traffic during long holidays and would enhance the logistic system of the country.

According to Thirdsak, the project would be built with a budget of Bt30.792 billion. The construction would start in 2019 and completed in 2022. The EXAT will have to expropriate 1,561 rai of land and 84 houses to make way for the construction.

The expressway will be built past five districts of Ayutthaya, which are Bang Sai, Bang Pa-in, Bang Bal, Muang Ayutthaya and Bang Pahan.

Thirdsak said the next expressway will be linked to the Udon Ratthaya expressway in Bang Sai district and it will run northeastward past the back of the Chiang Rak Noi police station to run along with the highway No 347. It will cross the Chao Phraya River at Tambon Koh Kred and run northeastward along the western side of the highway No 347.

The new expressway will be a closed system with new designs of entrances and exits to make it more convenient for motorists to use the elevated road, Thirdsak said. The toll fee for the entire route will be about Bt55 for a sedan car.

Bangkok:- Social networkers, most of them Bangkokians, have strongly criticized two unidentified cyclists for hanging their bikes on straps of a BTS skytrain.

The uproar followed a post on the popular webboard site, Pantip.com, showing the two men standing in a carriage of a BTS train near their mountain bikes, which were hung from straps of the train. The post was made on Tuesday.

The picture showed that the two bikes hung in front of a door and the part of the carriage was empty.

The Pantip.com user said the incident happened when the train was approaching a terminal station and the train was almost empty.

The post was later shared by several Facebook users and some cyclist fan pages. Thai Rath Online also reported about the post and uproar. Morning news program of Channel 3 also reported about the uproar Wednesday.

Many Facebook users and Pantip.com users posted comments to attack the two cyclists, saying their behavior was extremely unacceptable.

Bicycle Trips, a Facebook fan page for cyclists, said the straps were not for holding a bike. The admin of the Bicycle Trip said the BTS train was not a place for anyone to do a prank. The admin said passengers, who enter the door at the next station, could hit the bikes and their head could be injured.

Many Bangkok cyclists expressed their concern that this kind of behavior would prompt BTS to ban boarding of bikes in the future.

The Bangkok Mass Transit System, which operates BTS trains, announced that the firm would consider taking legal actions against the two. It added that cyclists should be careful not to cause damage to the trains when they board their bikes and should avoid using the trains during rush hours.

Bangkok: –Din Daeng police have charged a father of six-year-old son for assault and mistreatment of a stray dog, known in the Din Daeng community as Boon Rod.

If found guilty under the new law against animal cruelty, PichitPinkaew, 35, may face the jail term of up to 2 years and a fine of no more than 40,000 baht.

Following a tip-off from community residents, Roger Lohanan, president of Thai Animal Guardians Association (Thai AGA), filed a police complaint about alleged animal cruelty.

Roger told police that Boon Rod sustained serious injuries, including cracked skull and right eye popped out of socket.

The dog received multiple hits by a pipe, he said. It was thrown down garbage chute of Din Daeng Flat 50.

Community residents rescued the dog, collected about 2,200 baht for initial medical expense and alerted Thai AGA.

After hearing about the complaint, Pichit reported himself to police.

In his statement, he said he did hit the dog with the pipe.

He said he spent the evening relaxing at his apartment when his son ran back crying after the dog bit him causing bruise in the leg.

He said the dog attacked his son unprovoked.

“As a father, I could not stand doing nothing as my son was hurt and crying. I admit I lost control and hit the dog,” he said.

He said he knew a number of residents gave food to the dog as an act of compassion. But no one would step forward to take responsibility for his son’s injuries, he added.

Nakhon Si Thammarat: – A mother has filed a police complaint voicing suspicion that a 17-year-old boyfriend might have abducted her 13-year-old daughter.

The mother (name withheld under the Child Protection Act) told Major PatiwatKhunrang, inspector of Thung Song Police Station, that witnesses saw the boyfriend forcing her daughter from a bus stop.

He then held her captive on the motorcycle driver’s seat while he rode on the pillion to flee the scene.

According to witnesses, the daughter and her friends were waiting for the bus after school in Thung Song district.

The boyfriend had one hand in his jacket’s pocket as if he was armed and threatened to use force if anyone interfered. Those present at the scene were school girls.

After he fled the scene, the daughter’s friends immediately called and reported the incident to police.

Police Lt Colonel ThaksinPinyothepprathan set up road blocks but failed to spot the fleeing perpetrator and victim.

The daughter did not return home for a day and the mother decided to ask police for help.

She said the boyfriend is a rubber plantation worker and that she has tried to reason with him to stop courting her daughter who is still in school.

Instead of heeding her advice to think about future, he selfishly chose abduction to satisfy his needs and ignored the feelings of the parents, she said.

Patiwat said the abduction in broad daylight was deemed a serious offence. Police would try to speedily solve the case, he added.

Rayong:- A well-known hotel in Rayong has been issued an ultimatum to demolish its pier in the sea of the popular tourist-destination Khao Laem Ya - Mu Ko Samet National Park in 30 days.

Sumet Saithong, chief of the park, said Tuesday that the Rayong Resort Hotel has been ordered several times to demolish the pier but it has not taken any action so far.

Sumet said the hotel built a 380-meter-long pier in 1985 although it received permission from the Harbor Department at that time to build just a 110-meter-long pier.

However, since the sea is part of the park, the hotel needs also receive permission from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation before it could build a pier there.

On November 3 last year, the Khao Laem Ya - Mu Ko Samet National Park put up a sign at the hotel, demanding it to demolish the pier but it has done nothing. So, the park sent a notice to the hotel via EMS mail, informing it to demolish the construction in the sea in 30 days or else park official will demolish it.

Sumet was speaking to reporters after he accompanied newly-appointed Rayong Governor Somsak Suwansujarit to fly on a helicopter to inspect park, forest and sea encroachments at various parts of the eastern province, including the Rayong Resport Hotel.

Somsak said since he is new to his job, he needed to see with his own eyes how serious the encroachments in the province are so that he can make a comprehensive plan to deal with the issue.

Loei:- A Thai traditional sweet shop in Loei has become a talk of the town especially among Facebook users after the shop’s sign has been spotted by a Facebook user. The sign says the elderly who are penniless can have free treat inside.

Jitra Phadungsak took a photo of the sign and posted it on her Facebook wall on Monday. Her post about the shop has received 726 likes and has been shared 115 times so far.

The sign, put on a power pole outside the shop, states: “Elderly people who have no money can eat all free here.” The shop has a Thai name as Kwanjai and English names as Coff & Cake Snack Bar. It is located in Loei’s Muang district.

In her post, Jitra said she has been frequent to the sweet shop and has not noticed the sign until Monday.

“I paused for a moment and I had to hold back my tears,” the post said. “If members of the Thai society have compassion toward one another – if they put what they think into action, we would have lived in peace definitely.”

“I would like to thank the owner of this sign for giving me strength for today,” the post added.

Her post was reported by Naew Na Online and shared by Kapook.com, a popular portal site.

Many Facebook users made comments under the post to praise and thank the shop.

“Where is the shop? If I pass by, I’ll pay extra for the sweets so that the shop can help the elderly,” Koi Yoothong commented.

But a Facebook user, Ana Bor, was skeptical, implying in his comment that the shop might want to seek publicity.

Jitra argued that the shop has been well-known in Loei and its sweets are very delicious so it needs not to seek publicity at all.

Bangkok:- The Highway Department will receive tenders for the construction of the Pattaya-Map Ta Phut motorway in March, Highway Director General Chusak Kewee said.

Apart from enhancing the logistic system in the eastern region, the new motorway is expected to help boost tourism in eastern coastal provinces.

Chusak said the construction of the project can start right away because it has passed the process of feasibility study and environmental impact assessment.

He said the department will spend some Bt14 billion from the Motorway Fund for the construction of the 32-kilometer-long motorway. The fund is being built up with proceeds from motorway tolls.

Chusak added that the Cabinet has also approved the project in principle.

The Pattaya-Map Ta Phut motorway will link the 51-km-long Chon Buri-Pattaya motorway, which is now under construction, at the Pattaya-Rayong Intersection. It will be cut through Bang Lamung district to the highway No 3 or Sukhumivit Road at tambon Ban Chang.

A well-informed source from the Highway Department said a total of Bt1.8 billion has been allocated for the expropriating of 2,308 rai of land for the construction. The construction could begin this year and it will be completed in 2018.

“The new motorway will make it more convenient and faster to travel to the eastern coast and provide more route options,” the source said.

“It will supplement the government’s plan to develop Thailand as logistic hub as it will link the Suvarnabhumi airport the Laem Chabang deep seaport and Map Ta Phut industrial estate. It will also boost tourism,” the source added.

Chon Buri: Police arrested a Pakistani couple and their three children for having allegedly conned and stolen US$100 from an Indonesian tourist in Pattaya.

Hueeani Adil, 38, and his wife, Surayya Adil, 41, were arrested at their resort room on Soi Jomthien 12 in Tamobon Nongplue of Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district at2 am Tuesday.

Pol Maj Piyapong Ensarn, a Pattaya tourist police inspector, said the arrest was made following a complaint from an Indonesian tourist, Willy Liw, 26.

The Indonesian told Pattaya tourist police that he was approached by the family who asked him where he came from. When he replied he came from Indonesia, the husband asked to see his Indonesian rupiah, claiming the wife was about to visit the country.

The Indonesian agreed to show his money to the family who swarmed him. He pulled out all the banknotes to show to the family.

Then, the mother and three children apparently talked to him to distract his attention while the father snatched all the cash from his hand.

The Indonesia tourist said he did not know when the father took the US$100 bank note from the wad of banknotes. After the father returned the remaining banknotes to him, the family walked away very fast. He knew at that moment that his US$100 banknote has gone.

Piyapong said police conducted an investigation and found that the Pakistani family were staying at the resort so they made the arrest.

Piyapong said police learned from interrogation of the family that another Pakistani family was using the same trick to con foreign tourists in Phuket. Tourist police in the island-province have been alert to look for the Pakistani family.

Bangkok:- To now-renowned chef Henrik Yde Andersen from Denmark, his first trip to Thailand has changed his life forever.

“It’s because I fall in love with Thai food,” recounts a 45-year-old Dane, who has now conceptualized a Thai eatery for the super-luxury Siam Kempinski Hotel in Bangkok.

That trip took place 15 years ago, with Khai Palo (Egg in Sweet Brown Sauce) being his first dish here.

The taste proved so fascinating to Andersen that instead of staying in Thailand for just a three-month vacation, he embarked on a four-year journey to discover the various aspects of Thai cuisine.

“I’ve gone to various regions of Thailand and picked up secret tips and recipes along the way,” Andersen says.

The enriching experiences have paved way for the Danish chef to fly high. After he returned to his hometown of Copenhagen, he successfully opened a Thai restaurant there in 2006.

Embracing the theme of “Thai modern cuisine”, his Kiin Kiin is Copenhagen's first Michelin-awarded Asian gourmet restaurant, and the only Thai restaurant outside Thailand, which has a Michelin star.

Andersen has also impressively founded the Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin at the Siam Kempinski. This eatery has already been voted one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for two consecutive years now.

Andersen says Thai food is outstanding because of its mellow combination of flavors – sour, sweet, salty, and spicy.

“I must say Thai food is the most delicious,” the handsome chef says.

When asked which Thai dish he loves best, Andersen quips, “I can’t live without Khao Kaprao Kai Khai Dao (Rice with Fried Egg, Stir-Fried & Spicy Chicken with Basil).

Bangkok: –Chinatown Yaowarat will be closed to motorists for three-day Chinese New Year Celebrations from tomorrow’s midnight to Saturday’s morning at 6.00 am, the police spokesman said.

Police Lt General PrawutThavornsiri reminded that the traffic law would be strictly enforced throughout the celebrations.

Police will strictly use wheel clamps against parking violations, such as double parking and making illegal stop, Prawut said.

Shoppers who are doing pre-festival buying should abide by the traffic law in order to avoid exacerbating the traffic jam.

Traffic violations in Yaowarat will face maximum fine without exception. The fine for parking offence is 500 baht.

PhlabPhla Chai 2 traffic police saidYaowarat Road, from Odeon Circle (SoomPratuChalermPrakiat) to ChalermBuri Intersection will turn into walking street during Chinese New Year.

The vehicles ban is expected to facilitate revellers as well as prevent accumulated Yaowarat road snarls from spreading to other areas of Bangkok.

For those motorists who want to bypass Chinatown, police suggest three routes:

• Drive through Mittraphap Thai-China Road, pass Odeon Circle, turn left to enter Charoen Krung Road, then turn right to Songwat Road until reaching Chakkrawat Road. This route is one-way traffic to Krung Thonburi Bridge.

• From Rama IV Road, turn right at Mohmee Intersection heading toward MitPhan Road and passing July 22 Circle, enter Chakkraphatdipong Road heading to PhlapPhla Chai Intersection.

• From Mittraphap Thai-China Road, turn left to Charoen Krung Road, turn right to Songwat Road, turn right again to Songsawat Road and turn left passing ChalermBuri Intersection to avoid Yaowarat Road.

Chon Buri: – A Buddhist monk has pleaded for the return of Bt400, 000 in religious donations stolen from WatNok, Phothong Road, Mueang Chon Buri district.

PhraKruSophitKitjanukul said the perpetrator should repent because the stolen cash was meant for the construction of abodes for monks.

Based on his statement to police, the monk said a young man, aged 25 to 29, had asked for permission to spend a night at the temple in order to wait and meet a relative the next morning.

He said he vaguely remembered the man as the one who sought the temple’s shelter last year. He then allowed him to sleep in a building’s hallway.

He forgot, however, to check the man’s identification card.

Early morning after walking the alms round, he found his office burgled and the man had disappeared.

The stolen valuables include the cash and hundreds of Buddhist amulets and statues, he said.

He said the cash was donated by 54 temples located in Chon Burito help in the construction of monk’s abodes at another temple in Ban Bueng district.

He was in charge to collecting and keeping the donated funds on behalf of the provincial chief monk.

Commenting on the incident, Police Lt Colonel SantiChucherd, deputy superintendent of Chon Buri, said investigators were checking all leads.

The security cameras installed inside the temple had malfunctioned, he said.

There was only one security camera footage recorded on the temple’s grounds. It showed an unidentified man climbing over the temple’s wall.

Farang tourists uproar over rule of no beach beds in Phuket

Phuket:- Farang tourists became infuriated and cried foul after police prohibited them from putting up their own beach beds on popular beaches of Phuket, including Patong and Kamala.

Photos of police telling western tourists to clear the beds from Patong Beach and a video clip of tourists complaining about the rule were posted on Facebook pages, P news Phuket and Decha Sithidej, on Sunday.

P news Phuket also showed photos of farang tourists storming the Kamala police station on Sunday to complain about the rule that prohibits them from carrying their own beds to the beach.

As a gesture of protest, the tourists carried flyers handed over to them by police, which state the rule that no beach bed is allowed from February 12 onward. After the tourists at the Kamala beach cried foul and complained very nosily, the police allowed them to put up the beds temporarily.

But western tourists on the Patong beach were not loud enough and were told to take out the beds. One of them carried a paper with printed words apparently prepared by local Thais, saying “No summer dream on beach starting from 12 Feb 2015”.

A video clip posted by Decha Sithidej on his Facebook wall showed a farang saying he has been visiting Phuket for 20 years and he was disappointed over the new rule. He was sorry he could not use his beach bed and was forced to lie on the sand although he had spent a lot of money travelling to the island province. He might not come back next year.

But on Monday, Phuket Governor Nisitjan Somwong claimed that it was a misunderstanding. He said police did not evict tourists from the beach but they just told them to move to the 10-per-cent zone of the beach where beach beds are allowed.

RELATED: Video - tourist reduced to tears at Phuket beach

Bangkok:- The Thai society’s acceptance of gay marriage has apparently developed by another step after three young men have posted their threesome pre-wedding and wedding photos.

The photos of the men, identified only as Joke, Bell, and Art, went viral on Facebook and Twitter after they were posted.

Most online users who saw the pictures congratulated them and further shared the photos.

Even Matichon Online and Khao Sod Online reported about the threesome marriage and shared the photos. The wedding section of Kapook.com, a portal site, also shared the story and photos.

Surprisingly, Dek D.com, whose title means good children and which normally provides advises on education, also shared the story and photos under the headline of “Amazing, pure love of three gay men who are married together”.

In one of their pre-wedding photos, the three announced that their traditional wedding would be held at midnight on Valentine’s Day but they did not say where the wedding would be held. They also posted a photo from their traditional wedding with two of them kissing the one in the middle.

One of the pre-wedding photos had a caption, saying “Pure love cannot be seen by eyes. If you want to feel it, you must use your heart”. Another photo shows the three holding their hands with a caption saying: “Three of us will hold hands and walk all together.

A Facebook user, who uses his Page name as “Collection of Handsome, Cute Gay Men”, also shared the story and photos and many Facebook users liked the post and commented on it.

A Facebook user, who called himself as Dbew Arnon Taweesook, posted “Please love one another for a long time. I’ll lend you, guys, my moral support.”

Another user, Red Apple 3, said “I’ve read about this only in novels. Never imagine that it really happened.”

Prachuap Khiri Khan:- Rescue workers Sunday helped a German tourist out of the Khao Ta Mong Lai Forest Park after he had been stranded on a cliff there for 15 hours.

The 25-year-old German was located around noon. He was exhausted, dehydrated, and wounded by thorns. Rescue workers provided first aid before helping him down the cliff.

This foreigner is now the second victim to have been rescued from the forest park this year. The first victim had been stranded for 18 hours in early January.

“Trees around here look alike. So, it’s easy for tourists to get lost,” the park’s chief Pongsathorn Promkhuntod says.

He says from now on, his park will erect warnings in both Thai and English languages advising tourists to not go up the mountainous or cliff zone on their own.

“We will need their cooperation. If they really want to go up, they should ask officials to accompany them,” Pongsathorn says.

According to police, the German tourist had rented a room at a hotel in Prachuap Khiri Khan town and rode a bicycle to the Khao Ta Mong Lai Forest Park on St Valentine’s Day.

“He then walked uphill in the hope of finding a good spot to enjoy sunset,” Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan Police Station’s superintendent Colonel Ampon Amornlakpreecha says.

He says the German tourist ended up losing his way and getting stranded on a cliff. A local fisherman alerted officials after noticing that he shouted and waved for help around 6am Sunday.

Chon Buri:- Four Hong Kong tourists and two Thais were severely injured when their car plunged into a roadside ditch and crashed into the prodding concrete part of a manhole, police said.

Pol Lt Pongsawat Mormungkhun, an investigator of Na Jomthien police station, said the accident occurred at 1 pm on Sunday at the kilometer marker No 159 on the Pattaya-Sattahib Road in front of the Chon Buri Kaset and Technology College in Tambon Na Jomthien in Sattahib district.

The driver and five passengers were travelling in a Honda sedan car with Surat Thani license plate. They were identified as Boonchan Thongdee, 50, Thanachote Thongdee, 6, Kin Knok Tong, 56, Shuk Yilai, 48, Rit Ying Tong, 29, and Kit Yee Tong, 19.

The six were rushed to the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.

Eyewitnesses told police that the car was driving very fast from Pattaya, heading to Sattahib. When it arrived at the accident scene, a pick-up truck suddenly cut into its lane, prompting the car to swerve to the ditch and crashed into the prodding part of the manhole.

The witnesses told police that the driver of the pick-up truck parked and came out to take a look briefly and rushed away to the direction of Sattahib.

Early last year, the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute released its study on global road accidents, which found Thailand ranked number two in the university’s study of road fatalities in the world, with 44 road deaths per 100,000 people. It was second only to Namibia, which had 45 road deaths per 100,000.

Bangkok:- Tourists shopping for cheap packages to two popular destinations of Krabi and Satun have been warned to turn down the offers if they are too good to be true.

The advice came from the deputy chairman of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), Charoen Wang-anon who said more than ten firms have been preying on tourists who look for discounted packages at tourism promotion fairs.

Charoen said these firms have been systematically luring tourists with discounts between 30 to 50 per cent. And they often used tourism promotion fairs to prey on customers.

Charoen said the TTAA has banned some ten firms with suspicious background from joining the 16th Thai International Travel Fair at the Queen Sirikit Convention Hall from February 25 to March 1 for fear that they would cheat tourists again.

He said the cheating firms often offered discounted packages to Krabi ad Lipe Island of Satun.

The cheating firms initially operated at loss to really provide accommodations and traveling at the promised prices by shouldering the cost higher than the money they collected from the package buyers. After the first groups of tourists returned, they would post reviews to confirm that the packages were really cheap and they were not deceived.

The reviews then helped many more victims to bite the bait. This time, when such firms sold high number of packages, they disappeared and the tourists lost their money, Charoen said. The firms would later resurface with new names.

He urged the governors of the two provinces to take certain actions to prevent damage to their provinces’ reputation, saying so far no firms have been charged in court yet as police took time to gather complaints and tourists often let the cheaters go.

Mae Sot: – Tak’s border town is geared to become a special economic zone and major retailers are developing community malls to tap into the lucrative spending of local consumers and those from Myanmar.

“The economy of Mae Sot has been booming and enjoying high and sustainable growth for the past four years, hence the Central Retail Corporation has invested to construct 54,000-square meterlifestyle centre,” PrachachatTurakij quoted a CRC executive as saying.

The CRC construction project is expected to complete by this year and Robinson Department Store is slated to become a major magnate of the new community mall.

The mall is to locate opposite Central Group’s Centara Mae Sot Hill Resort.

JariyaChirathivat, chairwoman of Thai Retailers Association, said the investment to develop shopping malls in border towns like Mae Sot is expected to boost the growth of the country’s retail market.

Owing to the development of special economic zones along the country’s borders, the share of retail earnings from upcountry markets would increase from 65 per cent to 72 per cent by 2017, Jariya said.

Bangkok’s retail trade is presently accounted for 35 per cent of the market.

The border shopping malls would serve to attract consumers from neighbouring countries as well as become the springboard for expansion across the border.

In addition to CRC investment in Mae Sot, Tesco Lotus has increased its presence by upgrading its hypermarket into the Extra format, a largest and most comprehensive outlet.

MBK is planning to make joint investment with Mae Sot partners to construct 10,000-square meter shopping mall.

Last year, Makro opened its first outlet in Mae Sot.

Bangkok:- Amended criminal provisions have come into effect designed for harsher penalties and broader definition of offence related to sex with the underage.

The amendments have also increased the penalties for sex with corpse.

Based on the Friday’s publication of the Royal Gazette, key amendments include:

• Statutory rape offence, committed to underage male or female less than 15 years old, is punishable by imprisonment from four years to 20 years and a fine of 80,000 baht to 400,000 baht.

• Statutory rape is defined as an act to satisfy sexual needs of offender by using sexual genitals or any objects to violate the victim’s genitals, anus and mouth.

• Statutory rape offence against male or female victims less than 13 years old is punishable by the jail term ranging from seven years to 20 years, life imprisonment, and a fine of 140,000 baht to 400,000 baht.

• Armed offender for statutory rape is punishable by life imprisonment.

• If statutory rape offender is less than 18 years old, the Family and Juvenile Court has the mandate to invoke the Child Protection Act to ensure the welfare of offender and victim. In such case, the court may grant leniency for lesser punishment and allow a marriage after serving the sentence.

In regard to amended provisions on necrophilia, the key points are:

• Offence for sex with corpse is punishment by jail term of up to three years and a fine of no more than 60,000 baht.

• The offence applies to any sexual act committed with genitals or any object done to the corpse’s genitals, anus and mouth.

• Molesting a corpse is punishable by jail term of up to two years and a fine of no more than 40,000 baht.

Bangkok:- Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra has instructed all BMA agencies to have their officials exercise every Wednesday afternoon.

BMA City Clerk Sanya Chinimitr said the governor has declared Wednesday as the BMA Sports Day in line with his policy to turn Bangkok into “the metropolis of happiness for all”.

Sukhumbhand has also coined a motto for the BMA Sports Day as “Wednesdays – Days of Healthiness, Happiness and Fitness”.

Sanya said all BMA agencies were told to arrange venues for their officials to exercise in the sports they like, including workouts, football, swimming, indoor football, badminton, table tennis, aerobic dances, yoga, petong, etc. The officials may exercise at 10 sports centers and 37 youth centers of the BMA, Sanya added.

Sanya said when BMA officials are healthier, they will be able to serve the public with more efficiency.

The BMA will also provide sport scientists to measure physical fitness of BMA officials and advise them which sports they should do.

On Wednesday, Sanya kicked off the BMA Sports Day by leading his officials to ride their bicycles around the Waree Pirom Park in Klong Samwa district. Sanya took the chance to inspect the construction of the bike lane around the park, which has some little jobs to be finished.

After the Waree Pirom Park has been opened to the public, many Bangkok residents have been regularly exercising at the park. The park has running tracks, a bike lane around a lake and an adventure bike ground. Certain areas are still full with rough grasses because the park used to be used as a water retention area.

Rayong:- The ownership of KFC fried chicken copyright in Thailand has denied that it had dispatched representatives to arrest street-side vendors of fried chickens in Rayong.

Yum Restaurants International (Thailand) Co Ltd told Manager Online that it had nothing to do with the arrest and fine of fried chicken vendors at a street-side occasional market in Rayong.

On Friday, about 100 vendors from the market rallied at the Rayong provincial hall, alleging that a group of men who claimed to be police and representatives of copyright owners, arrested many vendors at the market on allegations that they sold goods that violated the copyrights.

The protesting vendors said fried chicken vendors were also arrested on charge of violating KFC copyright although they did not put up a sign to claim that their fried chickens were KFC’s. The vendors claimed that the group demanded them to pay a protection fee for Bt1,000 a month in exchange for no legal actions against them.

According to Manager Online, Yum Restaurants International has sent its officials to visit the market to gather first-hand information.

Manager Online quoted a source from Yum Restaurants as saying that the arrest of vendors was made by a group of persons who did not represent the company at all.

Yum Restaurants has ordered its legal division to take proper actions and the company will also issue a press statement to clarify the incident to the public, the source said.

Yum Restaurants now has 531 KFC shops in Thailand and it plans to open 55 more branches this year.

Bangkok:- Thanks to the Suvarnabhumi Airport’s recently-introduced Taxi Kiosk system, a total of 103 passengers have successfully retrieved the valuable belongings they have accidentally left behind in the cabs.

Of these passengers, the latest one is Ngmiwi. The Myanmar national got a taxi ride out of the Suvarnabhumi Airport on February 11 via the use of a taxi kiosk. Soon after he reached his destination on Soi Pratunam 19 in Bangkok, he found out that he left a bag containing USD1,500 (about Bt45,000) in cash and two computer notebooks in the cab. He then called the airport’s public-transport center for help and provided the information of the cab based on a taxi slip he received from the kiosk.

The slip has identified the taxi’s license plate number as well as the name of the driver.

“We have quickly located the taxi driver who checked on his cab and returned the items to the passenger,” the airport’s director Prapon Pattamakijsakul says, adding that the retrieved belongings were worth over Bt100,000.

Prapon said Ngmiwi was impressed with the fast and efficient assistance he had received.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport has introduced the use of taxi kiosk system since November last year. The system is very convenient. By pressing a button there, a passenger will get a slip telling them which taxi he/she should get into.

Passengers are advised to keep the slip with them so that they know exactly where to turn to if they happen to leave something behind in the cab. AOT Call Center is working 24 hours a day. The center’s hotline number is 1722.