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Thailand - Cabinet extends visa-fee waiver till August

The Cabinet has decided to extend the free-visa incentive for foreign tourists by another six months.

Under the measure, visa fees will be waived at all Thai embassies and consulates until August, though visas on arrival will still cost Bt1,000. 

On Tuesday, Government Spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that waiving visa fees from December to February 28 had resulted in a 12-per-cent increase in foreign arrivals. 

The move to waive visa fees was first introduced on December 1 after arrivals from China plummeted by 30 per cent due to last year’s crackdown on zero-dollar tours. 

The government hopes that extending the visa-fee waiver for all nationalities will give Thailand’s tourism industry a boost as it heads into what is traditionally a low season. 

Bangkok jumps into first place as the world’s most visited city

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It took three years, but Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, is once again the world’s most visited city, according to MasterCard’s 2016 Global Destination Cities Index annual report.
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Bangkok’s number one ranking does not come as a surprise, as it has been in the top three most visited cities since MasterCard started this report. However, this rise came from a thirteen percent jump in traveler arrivals between 2015 and 2016. The only other top ten city to post a greater jump in arrival percentages was ninth ranked Tokyo. 

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Tourism has remained a strong point for this vibrant Southeast Asian country and appears to be virtually unfazed by the 2014 military coup. This year, Thailand has achieved 2.4 trillion baht of income from tourism, nearly 5% above the targeted of 2.3 trillion baht. 

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This increase in arrivals has been heavily influenced by the Government’s support of the tourist industry through tourism promotion campaigns on various destinations around the Kingdom and changes towards tourist visas – free or reduced visa fees, along with extending the long stay visa from one year to ten years. 

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To accommodate the steadily growing number of visitors, Airports of Thailand Plc, plans to spend 194 billion baht over the next 15 years to expand its six airports to serve 150 million passengers, against the current 71.5 million. There are also plans underway to connect
Don Muang Airport to Bangkok’s mass transit lines, linking it to Suvarnabhumi Airport. 

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To help Thailand’s tourist industry, the government has recently begun aggressively tackling the rise in illegally registered tour companies that specialize in ‘zero-dollar tours’, however, this has had a minimal effect on the overall visitor arrival numbers. 

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Even with the Thai Baht strengthening against many of the major world currencies, visitors still find outstanding value in Bangkok. 

Of the top five cities visited, Bangkok has the accommodation costs, allowing visitors to spend their money in other sectors. 

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While Bangkok is notorious for its gridlocked traffic, especially during rush-hour and after sudden rain storms, its taxi fares remain very good value for such a major city, costing about ten percent of remains one of top ranked Zurich. Furthermore, taxis can be found anywhere, and with virtually no wait. If traffic is an issue, then the BTS and MRT offer convenient transport to many popular attractions in the downtown area. 

Visitors to Bangkok can enjoy Thailand’s exotic and often spicy cuisine at a fraction of the price found in their home countries. Thai food vendors are found on every street; a dish of grilled chicken, sticky rice and spicy papaya salad may cost three Euros. To help find a street food vendor, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have recently launched an app, “Street food Bangkok”, to help visitors find famous food vendors around the capital. 

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Bangkok is the top ranked global city destination, but it is often only a starting point for the 33 million visitors expected to arrive in Thailand this year. The Kingdom offers world class beaches full of sunbathers, or secluded little beaches, all overlooking the clear turquoise blue water of the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand. The mountainous north of Thailand offers a completely different experience from the south’s beaches. Travelers travel to Chiang Mai, where they can take day trips to see hill tribe people, go trekking in the mountains, or visit its numerous temples. 

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With so many visitors taking advantage of the government’s strong support tourism, its many attractions and central location, Thailand is hopeful that it can retain its crown as MasterCard’s Global Destination Cities Index in 2017. 

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By David Smith A part – time lecturer at  Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs.
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Sourse: TheNation

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Indigenous 'leopard cat' attacked by dog has recovered and been released into Phuket jungle

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Wildlife officials released a leopard cat into the wild on Wednesday near Bang Pae Waterfall in Phuket after the feline was rescued from a dog attack.

Jindarat Radchawongsa reported late last month that her sister had spotted the leopard cat while driving home, explained Piyawat Sukont, Chief of the Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Non-Hunting Area in Thalang.

“The sister saw a cat being attacked by a dog at Phanason Kathu Village, and called a rescue foundation to safely recover the cat,” he said.

The woman had no idea that the cat was a wildcat indigenous to the region, as it is no larger than a regular domesticated feline,” Chief Piyawat explained.

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“She learned the it was a leopard cat only after she got home and saw what people said after she posted photos on Facebook,” he added.

“After she learned what the cat really was, we received a call to come and collect it, and we took it to a wildlife rescue shelter in Phuket to be treated for its injuries,” Chief Piyawat added.
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Sourse: Coconuts.co

 

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Thailand - Press guide to be printed on royal cremation

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THE government plans to publish a media guide about the coverage of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s royal cremation ceremonies.

The guide will be available in Thai and English.
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The government will hand out 10,000 copies of the Thai version and 5,000 copies of the English version as media outlets across various platforms are set to cover the events.
The late King passed away on October 13 this year at the age of 89. His royal cremation is expected to take place within a year..

The event will be grand and befitting his royal status.
The publication will be part of the government’s public relations work for an occasion of great significance to the country..

An informed source said the public relations plan for the event had already been approved. “It will be implemented in three phases: ahead of, during and after the royal cremation ceremony,” the source said..

The PR panel for the royal cremation ceremonies met yesterday with PM’s Office Minister ML Panadda Diskul, who served as the chair.
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The media guide is expected to cover the biography of the late king, his royal works, his talents and his passing. Also included will be knowledge of traditions related to royal cremation ceremonies..

The PR panel plans to conduct media activities to provide |relevant information to media outlets and the public in various other forms as well.
“There will be CDs and DVDs about his royal musical compositions, for example,” the source added..

TV and radio broadcasting, plus media centres would also be set up to carry out PR work during the royal cremation ceremonies.
The panel also plans to organise training for reporters in regard to the royal cremation ceremony, the source said.
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Source: TheNation

Myanmar (Burma) - Rohingya militants `well-organized

The emergence of a "well-organized and well-funded" Muslim militancy behind attacks on security forces in western Myanmar could further de-stabilize the conflict-ridden region, an international think tank warned on Wednesday.

Harakah al-Yaqin, or Faith Movement, formed by members of the persecuted Rohingya minority, has been blamed for deadly attacks on security forces in northern Rakhine state, including an October 9 assault when hundreds of fighters, armed mostly with swords and sticks, overran three border police bases.
The violence prompted a sweeping crackdown on the Rohingya population, thousands of whom have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks amid accusations of mass killings and rapes. The government denies the allegations.
In its report, the International Crisis Group conducted interviews with members of Harakah al-Yaqin that suggest it is overseen by a committee of Rohingya emigres in Saudi Arabia.

The research also found evidence of ground operations organized by 20 men, experienced in guerilla warfare, who trained hundreds of locals to use weapons and crude explosives.
Crisis Group's Asia programme director Tim Johnston told dpa at least some of the funding is believed to come from private donors in the Middle East.
"There are real risks that if the government mishandles the situation, for instance with the further use of excessive force, it will push more of the Muslim population in that area to support al-Yaqin, entrenching the armed group and a cycle of violence," he wrote in an editorial published by Time magazine.
"It may also create conditions for radicalization that could be exploited by transnational jihadists to pursue their own agendas in Burma."
Rights groups and Rohingya activists cast doubt on some of the findings and said the majority of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims confined to internal displacement camps and villages across Rakhine state did not support the insurgency.
"Villagers are consistently telling us they want rights and want to return home," said Matthew Smith, founder of NGO Fortify Rights. "No one is telling us they want militancy or armed resistance."
Richard Potter, a researcher with the Burma Human Rights Network, said recent contact suggested the militants had run out of ammunition and scattered in recent weeks.
"If there's money that's being gathered for them I can't see where it's going," he said.

I employ new (Muslim) girl for the shop.

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I employ new (Muslim) girl for the shop.
She was runaway from her husband, the hit her regular.
I show her a free room, and be her self.
I say take first the shit of your head, we live here in a free world.
Nobody press you to be a fucking Muslim.

I say look my roommate (my Siberian hamster) the cage are always open.
I show her a bird, (close first the windows) and let him fly in the office.
I say to her we live her in a free world.
And you are also free here.
Nobody scream to you or hit you.
She start to cry.
I say to her "God bless you"