#Cambodia plans Da Nang flight to boost tourism with #Vietnam

Prime Minister Hun Sen last week said a soon-to-begin direct flight between Phnom Penh and Da Nang, in central Vietnam, will boost the number of Vietnamese visitors to the Kingdom.

Speaking during a business forum during a two-day visit to Vietnam, Mr Hun Sen said the new fight, which will be operated by Cambodia’s national flag carrier, will play an important role in attracting more tourists from Vietnam.

“Vietnam continues to be the second-largest tourist market for Cambodia, and we expect to see more and more Vietnamese tourists choosing Cambodia as their holiday destination,” he said.

He said the Kingdom welcomed about 470,000 Vietnamese tourists during the first seven months of the year, an increase of 4.6 percent over the corresponding period last year.

Cambodia Angkor Air, the national flag carrier, recently announced that its Phnom Penh-Da Nang route will launch on Oct 27. Phnom Penh will become the second city, after Siem Reap, that the airline connects with Da Nang.

Mr Hun Sen said the new flight is a welcomed addition to the existing 112 flights that connect Cambodia and Vietnam every week.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, noted the number of Vietnamese tourists is on the rise.

“The flight will not only bring in more Vietnamese tourists. Foreign tourists that visit Da Nang now also have the opportunity to board a plane and travel directly to Phnom Penh,” she said.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon recently urged airlines in Vietnam to increase the number and frequency of flights to Cambodia, particularly to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and the coastal areas. He said that at least 15 percent of Vietnamese tourists prefer air travel.

The minister noted that Cambodia aims to attract about one million Vietnamese tourists a year by 2020. Currently, about 900,000 Vietnamese tourists visit Cambodia every year.

Cambodia and Vietnam have also agreed to cooperate on marine tourism once the new seaport in Kampot province is completed, which is expected to happen in 2021.

Mr Khon said marine tourism cooperation is an effective mechanism to boost cooperation among Asean countries.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Tourism, from January to July, Cambodia welcomed 1,154,786 visitors from Asean countries, a 5 percent hike compared to the same period last year.

Source - Khmer Times

Thai judge shoots himself in court after railing at justice system

This handout picture taken and released by Thai Royal Household Bureau on May 1, 2019 shows Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn (R) and Queen Suthida during their wedding ceremony in Bangkok. Thailand announced on May 1 that King Maha Vajiralongkorn's long-time consort had become his fourth wife, bestowed with the title Queen Suthida -- a surprise move just days before his coronation. (AFP/Handout / Thai Royal Household Bureau ) 

A Thai judge shot himself in the chest in front of a packed court after acquitting several murder suspects and decrying the kingdom's judicial system in an impassioned speech broadcast on Facebook Live.

Critics say Thailand's courts often work in favour of the rich and powerful, while delivering swift and harsh sentences on ordinary people for minor offences. 

Kanakorn Pianchana, a judge at Yala court in the heart of the insurgency-battered Thai south, was delivering the verdict for five Muslim suspects in a gun murder case on Friday afternoon.

He acquitted the group, delivered a courtroom plea for a cleaner justice system, before pulling out a handgun and shooting himself in the chest. 

"You need clear and credible evidence to punish someone. So if you're not sure, don't punish them," the judge said addressing the court and broadcasting his words on his phone on Facebook live.

"I'm not saying that the five defendants didn't commit the crimes, they might have done so...

"But the judicial process needs to be transparent and credible... punishing wrong people makes them scapegoats."

The Facebook feed then cut, but witnesses said Kanakorn recited a legal oath in front of the former Thai king's portrait, before shooting himself in the chest.

"He is being treated by the doctors and is out of danger," Suriyan Hongvilai, the spokesman of the Office of the Judiciary, told AFP on Saturday.

"He shot himself because of 'personal stress'. But the cause behind the stress is not clear and will be investigated," he said.

No Thai judge has ever breached protocol by making similar statements on the wider justice system, he added.

A lawyer working with the suspects said Judge Kanakorn had ruled the prosecutor's evidence was insufficient to convict. 

"Right now the five are still being detained and are waiting to see if the state prosecutor appeals their acquittal," Abdulloh Hayee-abu, of the Muslim Attorney Centre in Yala told AFP. 

Over 7,000 people have died in 15 years of conflict in the Malay-Muslim majority southern region. 

Thousands of suspects have been jailed for acts linked to the insurgency, many under emergency laws imposed on the restive region.

Advocacy groups in the Thai south have long accused security forces of trumping up charges against Muslim suspects and using emergency laws to drive cases through the courts.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Nationals of six more countries granted visa-on-arrival into #Myanmar (Burma)

The Myanmar government has introduced new regulations to facilitate easier access for foreign tourists as another step towards opening up the country to the world . 

 

Started from October 1, tourists from six countries (Australia, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and Switzerland) can enter Myanmar on visa-on-arrival (VOA) at Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw International Airports.

Pre-arrangement is not required for passport holders of these six countries, they can simply apply for a visa 

at any of the three airports for a fee of US$50 each. 

Visitors from Japan, South Korean, Hong Kong and Macau were granted visa-free entry last year.

Indian and mainland Chinese nationals were also granted visas-on-arrival (VOA) into Myanmar in a move to draw more Asian visitors to the country.

In the second quarter, Myanmar saw an increase in arrivals from countries granted visas free and visas-on-arrival treatment. 

"We hope the new regulation will lead to more foreign travellers to Myanmar, to discover the country's unique culture and most of all, the hospitality of its people," said May Myat Mon Win, Chairperson of Myanmar Tourism Marketing.

Myanmar Tourism Marketing has organised roadshows, trade shows and media familiarisation trips for journalists, TV producers and digital marketing influencers from around the world. 

Visa-free and visa on arrival entry from these Western countries would further boost growth of the Myanmar tourism industry.

Source - The Nation

#Thailand - Maya Bay 'well on the road to recovery'

Coral reefs and ecosystems at the world-famous Maya Bay in the Andaman sea have been almost fully revived, but a date for its reopening to tourists has not been set. 

 

“After being closed for many months to facilitate natural restoration, the beach's green forests have started to recover and coral reefs in the bay area have also been showing recovery and these are encouraging signs,” Thon Thamrongnawasawat, well-known Thai marine biologist, wrote on his Facebook page on September 25.

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He also showed several photos provided by the marine national park operation centre, featuring lively coral reefs, crystal blue water and a shark swimming in its waters.

He praised the collaborative efforts for natural rehabilitation by many parties including nature conservation officials, staff of Kasetsart University, representatives from the private sector and volunteers.

There is still the problem of floating garbage spoiling coral reefs but the good news is that officials and volunteers are constantly collecting those garbages, he said.

As part of the two-year natural restoration plan, officials currently are working on the tourists' walk trail to ensure tourists do not damage trees. They are also arranging a new boat pier, ticket booking, tourist quota and other things, he said.

He expected the famous beach could be reopened for tourists uninterrupted. After that it should not be opened and closed from time to time as in the past, he said.

The bay has been closed since June 2018 after overcrowding by tourists damaged the bay environment. The authorities announced in May this year that it would be closed for two years to allow natural rehabilitation.

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Thon said the latest developments pointed to growth of diversified coral reefs, blacktip reef sharks swimming freely and beach forests turning green.

“This is the mission for the future to ensure that later generations would not condemn us (for destroying nature),” he wrote.

He did not speculate when the bay will reopen for tourists, but hinted that it would not be far away, saying that “new hope is approaching”.

Many who commented on his post were excited about the updates but some suggested that the bay remain closed for a more fewer years.

Source - The Nation

Thomas Cook demise will affect British tourism to Thailand for the rest of 2019

“British tourists have contribute between 900,000 – 1,000,000 tourists to Thailand annually for the past seven years.”

The failure of the British Thomas Cook travel business will cut the numbers of arrivals from Britain to Thailand for the remainder of this year.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says they are also assessing a drop in northern-European tourists where tourists use the services of Thomas Cook subsidiaries. The TAT will issue their new projections when the full impact of the failure of the 178 year old British travel business is assessed.

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 According to the Bangkok Post, talks will include agencies such as Asian Trails, the main destination management company for Thomas Cook, and hoteliers at popular beach locations such as Phuket, Phangnga and Koh Samui, namely Dusit Thani, Anantara and Mandara.

 In 2018, 987,456 tourists from Britain visited Thailand and 600,000+ from northern-European countries. British tourists have contribute between 900,000 – 1,000,000 tourists to Thailand annually for the past seven years. The figures for the first six months of 2019 had already exceeded 500,000 visitors (584,626) and would have pushed past the million-mark for the year, but that figure is now being re-assessed.

There is currently a repatriation of existing British tourists overseas, some 150,000, back to UK shores following the collapse of the business. Confusion reigns as some hotels are charging Thomas Cook customers before they’re allowed to check-out, fearful they won’t be paid.

A prominent hotelier in Phuket, who asked not to be named, says there is still a lot of confusion about who is responsible for payments of existing customers and contractors as they work through the web of agents, insurance companies, tour companies and hotel contracts.

 Kanokkittika Kritwuttikorn, director of TAT’s Phuket office, says the failure of the British travel company won’t affect the island’s upcoming Christmas and New Year holiday season.
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“Even with Phuket the preferred destination for British tourists, the closure of Thomas Cook will not affect overall tourism in the province, especially over the upcoming high season, she told the Bangkok Post.

President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Vichit Prakobgosol, says the closure of Thomas Cook will “slightly affect Thai tourism”, according to the Bangkok Post.

“The fall of the firm, caused by the failure of a Brexit deal and a depreciating currency, is a wake-up call for tour operators about the impact of digital disruption as intense price wars from online travel agencies take a bite.”

Source - The Thaiger

 

Doing #Myanmar’s (Burma) Mergui Archipelago in style

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Burma Boating is set to launch monthly cruises around the Mergui Archipelago in southern Myanmar, combining two of the most sought-after activities in these pristine waters – yachting and scuba diving.

The SY Dallinghoo, a 30 meter classic gaff-rigged schooner crafted by renowned US yacht designer Dudley Dix, will cast off from the port of Kawthaung in southern Myanmar once a month from November 2019 through April 2020 and traverse the Mergui Archipelago on an 8 day, 7 night sailing trip which can accommodate up to eight qualified divers.

Michael Cole, the head of Burma Boating, says that with this new Sail & Dive adventure, they wanted to offer something extraordinary.

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“There are few, if any, undiscovered nirvanas like the Mergui Archipelago left on this planet. These cruises will provide comfort, exquisite dining, and stops at no less than five fantastic dive sites, all of which feature a kaleidoscope of coral and magnificent marine life.”

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 The Mergui Archipelago is located in the Andaman Sea off the coast of southern Myanmar, and is home to the ethnic Moken community of fisherman, also known as “sea gypsies.”

For decades, the 800 islands, lagoons, atolls and coral reefs of the archipelago were off-limits to visitors. The islands are now accessible to limited sustainable tourism, though just five hotels have opened to date.

One of the early investors was Myanmar tourism trailblazers Memories Group, which operates a plethora of resorts and experiences around the country, including the iconic Balloons Over Bagan. Memories acquired Burma Boating in 2018, and has since built a sister resort, Awei Pila, on one of the islands in the archipelago. Awei Pila began accepting guests last December, and earlier this year opened the first scuba diving center in the region, along with PADI certification classes for beginners.

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In addition to the Sail & Dive cruises, Burma Boating offers weekly sailing and yachting trips around the archipelago – either 3N4D or 5N6D – starting October 19, 2019, through to mid-May, 2020, when monsoon season begins.

Source - The Thaiger

#Thailand - Immigration overhaul – TM6 disappearing and TM30 App being launched

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“We made the decision last Friday. Within two to three months, life will be much easier for foreign tourists and expats.”

In what appears to be a major overhaul of immigration procedures, dare we say ‘modernisation’, foreign visitors will soon no longer have to fill out the “TM6” arrival forms. 

The white and blue form has been a source of confusion for decades as passengers try to fill them out on planes or in a mad rush when they arrive at immigration desks without them, for decades.

The reason for the decision to go all-digital with the arrival procedure is that, of all reasons, the storage of all the white and blue cards had become an issue.

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But wait, there’s more.

Now khaosodenglish.com are reporting that Thai immigration is not only doing away with the TM6 forms, they’re about to launch a new mobile phone app to make TM30 reporting easier.

Kobsak Pootrakool, the Deputy Secretary-General to the PM, also mentioned on Tuesday that another app is being developed to allow long-stay foreigners to complete their 90 day reporting with their smart phone. And, yes, he said a smartphone App was also going to make the TM30 reporting easier.

The TM30 form, and its companion, the TM28, have been a source of expat displeasure over the past five months since the immigration department decided to enforce a little-used 1979 law that required foreigners to report their whereabouts if they had stayed overnight at an address different from their registered address.

The same applied for landlords or owners of accommodation to report foreigners staying at their venues within 24 hours. Along the way there appeared cracks in the enforcement with all sorts of variations and conundrums being thrown up at organised panel meetings and online, little of which was answered with any certainty from the Thai immigration authorities.

 Kobsak now claims that the changes are designed to attract more visitors and accommodate those already living in the kingdom.
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“We made the decision last Friday. Within two to three months, life will be much easier for foreign tourists and expats.”

“Foreigners will be able to report their whereabouts with just four clicks on their smartphone to fulfill regulations that require them to report to immigration authorities every 90 days.”

Deputy immigration commander Nattapon Sawaengkit has confirmed the move to move the TM30 reporting online when contacted for comment, but assigned another officer to explain the details, according to the khaosodenglish.com report.

 Everyone’s favourite arrival procedure, the TM6 form.
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Source - The Thaiger