Thailand - Diving the top option to evacuate 13 despite risk out of the Chiang Mai cave

Rescuers do not want to delay their exit due to upcoming rains and the possibility of more flooding in cave.

ALL 13 survivors are now familiarising themselves with diving gear as rescue planners concluded yesterday that they will have to dive through floodwaters to get out of the Tham Luang cave, where they have been stranded since June 23. 

“The fittest of the survivors will be the first to come out,” Narongsak Osotanakorn, the head of the rescue operations, said yesterday. “Others will follow.”

The former Chiang Rai governor spoke as the floodwater level inside the cave subsided thanks to the powerful pumps, well-connected tubes, and diversion of the natural water flow around the Tham Luang cave system. 

The easing of the flood situation has raised the prospects of helping the 13 footballers come out of the cave where they have spent 11 days.

“The floodwater level has been dropping by one centimetre per hour. If we can maintain this momentum, it should be safe enough to bring the kids out soon,” Narongsak said. On Tuesday, the US Cave Rescue Commission’s national coordinator Anmar Mirza said that while diving was the quickest option to bring the survivors out, it was also the “most dangerous” option.

But the option of letting the survivors stay inside the cave until the floodwaters completely receded was yesterday ruled out amid the significant risk of impending heavy downpours that could again leave the cave flooded. The 10-kilometre-long cave in Chiang Rai province is normally flooded between July and November every year. On Monday night, experienced cave divers from Britain found the missing football team at a spot about 5km from the cave’s entrance. 

The 13 survivors will stay put at their current location while detailed preparations are being made for their safe evacuation. They have been joined by Royal Thai Navy SEALs and are also supplied with soft food, water, light, medicine, thermal blankets and diving gear. 

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 Learning to dive

The survivors were yesterday taught to wear full-face masks and practice breathing. 

Medics, including Army doctor Colonel Pak Loharachun, have completed health checks for all team members and found them relatively healthy. A video clip released yesterday showed the footballers had minor wounds and were apparently eager to leave the cave. One footballer asked, “Can we go out today?” Pak told the boys to be patient, explaining that despite his diving skills it took him six hours to move from the third chamber of the cave to the current location of the survivors. 

The third chamber of the cave, which is about two kilometres from the entrance, is now operating as the forward command of the rescue operations. Lighting and communication devices have been installed there and also supplied with oxygen tanks, medicine and all other necessary supplies. 

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From the third chamber to the flooded T-junction is a distance of about 800 metres. From that intersection, there is a narrow and completely submerged passage that requires rescue teams to dive to get through. The floodwater level there was nearly five metres as of press time. 

After getting out of this narrow passage, rescue teams have to climb and hike a stretch of 400 metres. This zone is dry. Then, they have to dive for about another 130 metres to reach the so-called Pattaya Beach. Then the team must walk further over the beach before making another 400-metre-long dive to reach the slope where the survivors have gathered. 

All these survivors will have to be taught to swim and dive before being escorted out. 

Even with diving experts by their side, the team will have to dive and swim on their own at some points in the journey out of the cave. 

The two Britons who first located the missing victims – Richard Stanton and John Volanthen – have remained with the rescue team to help with the safe evacuation. The other British expert, Robert Harper, who was in his 70s, had to leave Chiang Rai province yesterday, though, to undergo a medical check-up in his homeland. 

A rescue team from the United States Indo-Pacific Command has also vowed to support the operations at the Tham Luang cave until all 13 survivors are safely brought out.

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Source - TheNation 
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Indonesia - Sail Moyo Tambora ceremony on September 9

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is scheduled to attend the 2018 Sail Moyo Tambora ceremony in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on Sept. 9.

"Other than the President, diplomats from several countries will also attend the international event to witness the ongoing development across Indonesia, including Sumbawa," Agus Purwoto, secretary for the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister, said in the provincial capital Mataram on Tuesday.

Sail Moyo Tambora is expected to help promote Sumbawa’s potential for tourism, as well as serve as a coordination event between ministries and agencies with similar programs.

The event is part of Indonesia's participation in World Sail 2018 in September, during which the archipelago will serve as a cruise destination for yachts.

This year, Rally Sail Indonesia is highlighting the 2018 Sail Moyo Tambora as a national brand, after previously promoting Sail Sabang, Karimata and Bunaken.

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 Agus said the Sail Moyo Tambora brand is an opportunity for NTB to promote its tourist destinations in Sumbawa, as it will host various activities throughout the Sail period.

He added that preparations for the event were solid, including surveys to related ministries and agencies "to ensure the event can be focused in one location and the government can concentrate more on what to highlight.”

The event was first proposed by the NTB administration in 2015.

“It is time for Sumbawa to shine,” said Agus. "The late Princess Diana had vacationed in Moyo Island, as well as legendary singer Mick Jagger. Moyo is well-known in the global community."

Mount Tambora, which erupted in 1815 and triggered climate change in in half of the world, is said to also serve as the icon of Sumbawa.

Several activities have been planned for Sail Moyo Tambora, such as cultural dialogues, the Asia Pacific Geopark Network international seminar and an international paragliding event.

 

Source - TheJakartaPost

3BB Internet problems

3BB we stop / cancel our contract on the expiry date of this month. (9 July)

The reason is the continue problems with the internet connection.
Several years ago we had a perfect 3BB connection in the condo we lived in.
After we open in Sathorn a restaurant, we decide to use 3BB for our restaurant.
The install was perfect with all new cables included good service.

When we moved from Sathorn to Udomsuk we asked to move also the 3BB connection.

But from the start in Udomsuk we have only problems with 3BB
A cheap and quickly install / The see the (very) old cables in the building, the cut the cables and connect their own connection and their router.
From the first minute there were only problems. (losing speed)
The technical team came different times to check but with limited results.

In the main-time we ask 3BB the replace the router to another place.
We must pay over 400thb to move the router, but the problems where not solved.

A few weeks back the came again, and a connection was burned, but the placed a new connection-block, between the router and the main cable.
The engineer shorten the rotten cable and clean the inside cable, that was ''full of rust''. 

We have let tested the installation by another provider, And the also conclude that the very old rotten cables in the building not be able to use and full of rust.

In the over 2 years in Udomsuk, we receive not any reduction / promotion or free month payments for all their problems.

Than we decide to stop with these worse 3bb Internet provider.

 

Thailand - All Children, Coach Found Alive in Cave

CHIANG RAI — The governor of Chiang Rai announced at about 10:30pm on Monday that Navy SEALS have located all missing youths and and their coach from the cave they went missing in nine days ago.

The news was immediately with cheering as word spread that despite diminishing hopes after a long and difficult rescue operation, all footballers were found inside the Luang Khun Nam Nang Non Cave complex in Chiang Rai tonight.

Rescuers had been pushing toward a chamber where they had pinned their best hopes on the possibility of finding the football team and coach who had vanished inside on a visit sparking a massive rescue effort including the military and teams from the United States, Japan, China, Australia and more

According to a brief press conference held, the immediate plans are to pump water out the cave and transport doctors and nurses to their location according Gov. Narongsak Osottanakorn. They will assess the conditions of all 13 – 12 footballers aged 11-16 and their 25-year-old coach – before determining the best course of action to extracting them safely.

Rescue teams recently set up a base camp inside the cave spending days battling mud, flooding and torrents of rain. The rain let up in the last days of the search, which helped lower water levels while drilling wells to help succeeded after days of disappointment.

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 Dozens of shafts found on hills above the cave were also explored to see if some could provide access to the missing 13. Care packages with food, notes, maps and flashlights were dropped through them this last few days in a hope that the boys might found them.

The 12 boys and coach went missing June 23 after football practice. It prompted one of the biggest and most intense search and rescue missions in the nation’s history which saw support pouring in from across the country and the world.

Experts from Myanmar and Laos also joined the effort led by about 1,000 soldiers, rescue workers and volunteers from several government departments and private organizations.

Another news conference will be held at about 3am.

 This is a developing story and will be updated without notice.

Vietnam - Life on the line: the railway people of Hanoi

Vu Thi Khoa washes her dishes in a plastic basin outside her home using water from a makeshift hosepipe. As she carefully scrubs away the dirt she issues a frank and stern warning.

"Keep your ears and eyes open and pay attention to the light and train horn signals," she says, "to avoid being hit by trains."

Khoa has lived less than a yard away from the railway line for 27 years, so she knows how to stay safe, and to keep others out of trouble, too — she’s raised her children and grandchildren there.

She’s used to the noise, used to the dirt and used to the risks, just like all the people who live their lives on the train line in Hanoi.

Several stretches of the North-South railway line passing through Ha Noi have become points of attraction for foreign tourists because of the houses people occupy just a few steps away from the tracks.

Dating back to 1881, the 1,730km North-South railway line passes through 21 provinces and cities across Vietnam. When Hanoi Station opened in 1902, the train lines that entered it were built in barren areas. But as the city grew and became more populated, houses were constructed closer and closer to the tracks.

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It is estimated there are hundreds of households living this way in the city’s inner districts, including Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem and Dong Da.

Most of the residents used to be railway workers. Some moved to the capital city from other provinces to find jobs.

"Living here is not nearly as good as other places," says Nguyen Thi Dau, who has been living near the railway line for 33 years. "But we’ve been living here so long we’ve all got used to it."

Open up Dau’s front door and there’s a small kitchen, bare walls, a room and an electric fan, constantly pointing in the direction of her husband, who lies on the bed.

He suffered a stroke seven years ago and has rarely moved since.

"The noise used to keep us awake, and we used to freak out when trains passed by because they shook our house. But then we all got used to it," Dau adds. "Life is tough here but we accepted it."

Using a method like Khoa’s, Dao Van Chinh scrubs away dirt from his clothes as he sits leaning over a plastic basin where he washes his garments.

They may come out of the water clean this time, but it won’t be long before they need a new rinse.

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Indonesia - Bali & Beyond Travel Fair 2018 explores tourism potential

The 2018 Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) is currently being held at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center, Nusa Dua from June 26-30.

Organized by the Bali branch of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA), the fair will focus on "Exploring the Colors of Indonesia".

The fifth BBTF has invited experts to discuss tourism opportunities and trends, as well as the diversity of Indonesia’s cultures.

As a business-to-business event, the fair acts as a meeting place for sellers and buyers alike. It represents tourism at all levels, including hotels, tour operators, travel technology companies, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) players and representatives from travel companies. 

“Our biggest challenge is to create a harmonious synergy among all entities,” said Tourism Minister Arief Yahya on Wednesday, as reported by kompas.com. 

He said that problems should be solved by considering the Penta helix model, involving all tourism stakeholders, namely businesspeople, government, the community, academics and the media.

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“The success of the Bali & Beyond Travel Fair since its first staging is proof of the Penta helix. It has motivated us to fully support the BBTF, which has proven itself to be an acclaimed travel fair with an incredible track record,” Arief added.

Meanwhile, BBTF head I Ketut Ardana said it was proud to be a part of the development of Indonesian tourism.

“We chose 'Exploring the Colors of Indonesia' as the theme as we believe in the country’s potential, and how Bali can function as a market place,” he said.

According to Ardana, this year’s BBTF will be attended by 320 buyers from 41 countries, 68 trade buyers, 241 sellers, as well as 36 international media organizations. 

Foreign tourists’ growing interest in living among the locals in Bali also encouraged the BBTF organizers to feature nine tourist villages in Bali for the first time in the fair.

This is designed to introduce the villages’ potential, with homestay facilities that are almost parallel to three- and four-star hotels.

 

Source - TheJakartaPost

Tokyo looks to entice foreign tourists to spend, enjoy nightlife

Businesses in Tokyo are looking to get foreign visitors spending their time and cash on the city's wide-ranging nightlife options.

Travel agencies are arranging special events for foreign tourists such as Japanese taiko drum performances, while hotels are extending their business hours to allow guests to socialize into the early hours.

But while efforts are being made to boost the after-dark economy, the lack of late-night public transport remains a major obstacle to tourists getting a taste of what Tokyo has to offer -- especially when the only option after 1 a.m. is waiting for the first train four hours later, or taking an expensive taxi to their hotel.

Since last year, travel agency JTB Corp. has joined with "Drum Tao," a world-famous Japanese taiko percussion and dance troupe, to entertain foreign visitors.

Performances of the traditional Japanese drumming were held in September and October 2017. Due to their popularity, the shows are being held from May through November this year, a fourfold increase in the number of performances from the year before.

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 According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, foreign tourists visiting Japan last year spent about 150,000 yen ($1,370) per person. This is well below the 200,000 yen amount required to hit the 8 trillion yen the government wants to be injected into the economy by tourists.

Designating tourism as a key growth area, the Japanese government aims to attract 40 million overseas visitors annually to the country by 2020, and 60 million by 2030.

In January, the Tokyo metropolitan government said it planned to survey foreign tourists on what they enjoy about the city's nightlife, including restaurants, theaters and sporting events, to better cater to their interests while encouraging them to part with their cash.

The central government is joining Tokyo's efforts to increase spending by tourists at night. Despite the rapid increase in tourism, the average amount spent per traveler has declined in recent years.

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