Tourism News

Tourism News Phuketwan Tourism News
facebook recommendations

NEWS ALERTS

Sign up now for our News Alert emails and the latest breaking news plus new features.

Click to subscribe

Existing subscribers can unsubscribe here

RSS FEEDS

Phuket Encroachment Deadline Nears; Don Muang Derided; Bolt Streaks; Phuket Events

Friday, August 10, 2012
PhuketWatch Daily Media Wrap

PHUKET: A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.
nationmultimedia.com The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has given a deadline for officials to finish within 30 days their checks on forest encroachment in the national park area of Phuket. DNP chief Damrong Phidet said Forest land encroachment in Phuket followed a cabinet resolution which allowed people to occupy the land in 1975. Many natural resources and much forest were destroyed. ''The government must cancel this cabinet resolution,'' he said.

''bangkokpost.com Contrary to what Thai authorities claim, Don Muang airport appears not yet ready to resume international flights. The South Korean budget carrier T'way Airlines says the problems it encountered has prompted it to halt service there, saying it was bombarded by ''uncountable'' complaints from Thai and foreign passengers alike.
Among the problems faced by T'Way are too few check-in counters, no refund facilities for value-added tax, breakdowns of luggage carousels, lax security and a shortage of immigration officers. Most electric devices at Don Muang were constantly out of order.

nationmultimedia.com Thailand should open up more provincial airports and make better commercial use of those such as Phuket, Chiang Mai and Udon Thani because they are in a strategic position to connect to neighboring nations, said Tony Fernandes, chief executive of AirAsia Group.

irrawaddy.com The United States remains ''deeply concerned'' over increasing sectarian tensions in western Burma and reiterated calls for restraint by all parties, but refused to back allegations of ''ethnic cleansing'' made by the Organisation of Islamic Countries.

nationmultimedia.com The mother of British woman Sarah Jones, who was raped and murdered in Chiang Mai 12 years ago, offered 10,000 British pounds (nearly 493,000 baht) to anyone who comes forward with information leading to an arrest in the case.

thesun.co.uk Amy Winehouse's ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil was on a life-support machine last night after collapsing following a cocktail of drink and drugs.

nationmultimedia.com Occupants of vehicles of any kind who drink alcohol during travel are now subject to six months imprisonment and/or a 60,000 baht fine, Thailand's Office of Alcoholic Beverages announced. Drinking occupants and drivers will be equally liable. The penalties will also be imposed on drinkers in vehicles parked on sidewalks or shoulders of public roads.

scmp.com Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced Politburo member Bo Xilai, murdered a British business associate by pouring poison into his mouth after he had become drunk and vomited, a court official said after China's most sensational criminal trial in decades. The verdict will be delivered later.

washington post In the Soviet playbook for all-out war with the United States, the wasting of US cities by nuclear bombs was to be followed by something equally horrifying: waves of plagues to kill any survivors. Soviet scientists spent decades preparing for the second attack, concocting new kinds of biological weapons more lethal than any ever invented.

latimes.com Men under stress not only rated the attractiveness of heavier women more positively, they found women appealing across a wider size spectrum than did men who were not stressed, says a new study published by the open-access journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) One.

bangkokpost.com Starbucks Thailand has opened two Bangkok drive-thrus and is s set to open 10-15 new Starbucks branches in the current fiscal year ending on October 31, compared with 10 new stores opened last fiscal year. The company expects the number of Starbucks outlets in total to reach 154 this year.

Phuket World Sports Wrap


smh.com.au Usain Bolt became the first man to win the 100m and 200m gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games. Bolt, betraying no tiredness from his partying with half the Swedish women's handball team after he won the 100m final on Sunday night, was quick out of the blocks and powered around the bend to have the field covered by the first 100m.

theage.com.au David Rudisha of Kenya won the men's 800 metres Olympic title in a stunning new world record of 1min 40.91sec.

scmp.com American pair Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor claimed their third straight women's beach volleyball gold medal.

bangkokpost.com Millions of Thais are expected to cheer boxer Kaew Pongprayoon Friday night when the country's only remaining gold medal hopeful will be in action in the semi-finals of the light flyweight division.
telegraph.co.uk Manchester United will become the most valuable football club in the world following its controversial flotation in New York.

bloomberg The Glazer family is seeking an enterprise value of $3.8 billion for the 134-year-old team in tomorrow's IPO, about $1.9 billion more than the value of Spain's Real Madrid, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Forbes.

Phuket Coming Events 2012


August 12 HM The Queen's Birthday

September 12-15 Quiksilver Thailand Surf Competition, Patong

September 24 Mahidol Day

October 14-23 Vegetarian Festival

November 24 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

November 28 Loy Kratong Day

December 1 World AIDs Day

December 1-8 King's Cup Regatta

December 5 HM The King's Birthday

December 10 Constitution Day

December 15-20 Patong carnival

December 25 Christmas Day

Phuket Coming Events 2014


November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

gravatar

"Occupants of vehicles of any kind who drink alcohol during travel are now subject to six months imprisonment and/or a 60,000 baht fine, Thailand's Office of Alcoholic Beverages announced. Drinking occupants and drivers will be equally liable. The penalties will also be imposed on drinkers in vehicles parked on sidewalks or shoulders of public roads."
Would love to see that happen on Phuket roads. I mean, the check on vehicle drivers for alcohol, maybe at around 1-2am in the night.

Posted by ??? on August 10, 2012 07:56

gravatar

60,000 bath fine for drinking in the back of a tuk-tuk and 66 bath fine for the owner of a knife who kill some one, amazing thailland.

Posted by nova on August 10, 2012 09:33

gravatar

I wonder who will check for this "No alcohol in car" during Songkran...

Posted by Fritz Pinguin on August 10, 2012 10:16

gravatar

Errrrr Nova the knife wielder is also serving life imprisonment- a pretty inane comment. Once again knock the law when they try to achieve something.

Posted by Mister Ree on August 10, 2012 13:27

gravatar

I absolutely agree on banning drink driving. It should not be allowed but it's common sense that drinking alcohol can cost many people's lives. I know a lot of foreigners drink and drive here. In their own country it is not allowed but here they don't obey the law. 60,000 baht is not enough. Sorry to say. Many foreigners can easily afford that. And of course not only foreigners but also locals should be punished too.

Posted by Emma zabala on August 10, 2012 17:26

gravatar

@Mister Ree, I don't think that has anything to do with the fact the the fine was only 66 baht, ANYONE carrying an offensive weapon should be fined a lot more.

Posted by debate_me on August 10, 2012 17:28

gravatar

"Occupants of vehicles of any kind who drink alcohol during travel are now subject to six months imprisonment and/or a 60,000 baht fine", easy money earner, all the police need to do, is walk past the tuk tuk and taxi ranks, and see who is playing cards and drinking whiskey.

Posted by debate_me on August 10, 2012 17:32

gravatar

@ Emma

DUI has been illegal in Thailand since I-don't-know.

This new law has nothing to do with driving under the influence.

It is about banning drinking when IN or ON (back of a Songthaew or a tuk-tuk for instance) a vehicle.

In many US states even having an open alcohol container inside the passenger compartment is illegal.

Pays to read the news a bit more carefully before going out on a rant at "those evil foreign men".

Though certainly no excuse and to be vigoriously clamped down on, why do you think many feel it's perfectly ok here ?

Monkey see, monkey do.

Interestingly according to local Phuket statistics in about 80% of traffic accidents intoxication is suspected to have played a role.

One more side effect of the lack of affordable and safe public transport.

Posted by Andrew on August 10, 2012 21:25


Friday March 29, 2024
Horizon Karon Beach Resort & Spa

FOLLOW PHUKETWAN

Facebook Twitter