| |
PussyLover 69
|
Report from The Nation dated Monday 9 April 2007 :-
Police to step up security for Songkran revelries
====================================
There will be a heavy security presence and extra traffic-control measures in Bangkok over the Songkran festival.
An additional 600 police and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officers will patrol popular Khao San Road.
The heavy security presence will be obvious from Thursday, a day ahead of the official April 13-17 festival.
"Early birds" are often "enthusiastic" in their activities and police said area businesses were intending to observe the festival from April 12.
Organisers are asking revellers to wear traditional Thai dress and women not to wear revealing attire.
Police and city officials will search bags, patrol for pickpockets and thieves, check motorists for drunk driving and stop motorcyclists without safety helmets.
The city has banned the use of talcum powder and high-powered water guns. Those caught flouting the bans face fines of up to Bt2,000.
Meanwhile, police vowed that homeowners away on holiday could rest easy because of residential patrols.
Royal Police Cadet Academy commissioner Lt-General Pongsapat Pongcharoen said the academy would deploy 255 senior students to home patrols.
He expects more homeowners to seek the special service while out of Bangkok.
Last year almost 2,100 capital homeowners requested the service, mostly in the Lat Phrao, Khan Na Yow, Phaholyothin, Bang Khen and Don Muang areas.
|
Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:33 am on April 9, 2007
|
|
PussyLover 69
|
Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 10 April 2007 :-
Fewer Thais plan to travel for Songkran
==============================
With sluggish spending power, Thailand is expected to see fewer domestic tourists during the upcoming Songkran Festival, while the number of foreign tourists is likely to remain at last year's level.
Hotel reservations in Chiang Mai province for this Songkran are down from last year's level, according to a report by the Songkran Festival Information Centre. The centre was established by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Chiang Mai Tourism Association.
The TAT said the average hotel occupancy rate in Chiang Mai was expected to be 70 per cent during the festival, a slight drop from last year. About 60 per cent of the bookings would be from domestic travellers and the rest from foreign tourists.
The TAT projected that Chiang Mai will earn Bt100 million in revenue during the festival.
Thai Airways International and low-cost airlines have already received ticket bookings for 85-90 per cent of total seats during the festival. Meanwhile, The Transport Co and the State Railway of Thailand say tickets are fully booked. The Transport Co will increase the number of its buses between Bangkok and Chiang Mai from 320 to 440.
Nok Air plans to add extra flights to accommodate passengers from April 12 to 16. The extra flights will be on the Don Muang-Udon Thani and Don Muang-Chiang Mai routes.
The airline is operating seven daily flights to Phuket, six flights to Chiang Mai, five to Hat Yai, three to Udon Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat, two to Trang and Krabi and two per week to Loei.
Chiang Mai Tourism Association vice president Vorapong Muchaotai said the tourism business in Chiang Mai would not be as good this year as last year because tourists had already visited the province during Royal Flower Expo, which finished early this year.
Thai Travel Agents Association vice president Vichit Prakobkosol said only Chinese tourists would show a significant increase in numbers during Songkran.
"There will be 40 charter flights or 10,000 tourists from China to Thailand during the Songkran festival this year," Vichit said. "They are expected to spend Bt1 billion while visiting Thailand."
Piyabut Jivoramonaiyakul, president of the Khao San Business Association, said tourists would be as numerous as last year. Hotel occupancy rates near Khao San Road are expected to rise from the current 70 per cent to 80-90 per cent.
"Many Western tourists want to visit Thailand during Songkran, but they can't get airline seats. The total number of visitors to Khao San Road is expected to reach 100,000 this year," Piyabut said.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will add another 1,000 police and guards as part of security measures throughout the capital during the festival.
Thai Travel Agents Association president Anake Sroshevachart said the number of Thai tourists going abroad for Songkran would fall by 10 per cent. The association projected that Thai tourists would spend Bt1 billion overseas during the festival.
|
Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 4:43 am on April 10, 2007
|
|
PussyLover 69
|
Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 10 April 2007 :-
Nationwide security alert for Songkran
============================
Authorities have issued a full security alert in the wake of an explosion in front of a Bangkok mall. Australia warned that more bombings were feared at Songkran this weekend.
Bangkok areas of particular concern were the Khao San Road, a celebrated meeting point for foreign tourists and backpackers, and Sanuam Luang, a large park in the centre of the old part of the city which attracts thousands of Songkran revellers.
The government has ordered extra police in Bangkok for Thai New Year celebrations this weekend to try to prevent a repeat of the New Year's Eve serial blasts that killed three people.
Pol Lt-Gen Adisorn Nonsee said more than 3,000 police officers would patrol the capital, up from the current 1,500, during the five-day Songkran festival which kicks off on Thursday afternoon.
Piyabutr Jiwaramonaikun, chairman of the Association of Khao San Traders, said more than 100 soldiers, policemen and civil volunteers would be on duty in the backpackers' festival area while bomb detectors would also be used as part of the security measures.
Mr Piyabutr expected that more than 10 million baht would be circulated during the four-day event on Khao San Road which should see a daily turnout of 40,000-50,000 Thai and foreign celebrants.
He said revellers would be banned from applying talcum powder on others and each day's festival would end at 7 pm. Water gun is one of the favourite equipments to splash water on others during the festival.
Nobody was hurt in Monday night's explosion in front of Major Cineplex Ratchayothin, but three phone booths were damaged. Police detained, but later released a taxi driver suspected of planting the home-made device.
The Australian embassy in Bangkok issued an advisory to its citizens in late February, saying it had received reports of possible bombs in crowded places such as department stores or public transport in the capital.
The advice, renewed today in an announcement, urged "a high degree of caution because of the high threat of terrorist attack".
"Thai authorities have previously warned of the possibility of further co-ordinated bombings in Thailand to coincide with symbolic dates, including in Bangkok and the southern provinces," the travel advice said.
"They have mentioned the Buddhist festive season of Songkran (around the period April 11-17, 2007) as a particular time of concern. We assess these warnings are credible," it said.
"Further terrorist attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Thailand," it added.
|
Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:07 am on April 10, 2007
|
|
PussyLover 69
|
Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 11 April 2007 :-
Holiday exodus amid tight security
=============================
The Transport Company has stepped up security measures at Mor Chit bus terminal as people started travelling out of Bangkok Wednesday to celebrate Songkran festival.
Transport Company Acting General Manager Wuthichart Kanlayanamitr said some 100 uniformed and plainclothes officials have been on duty at the bus terminal.
Mor Chit is always the most crowded bus terminal with travellers heading for the North and Northeast.
Wuthichart said a bomb squad and police dogs were also assigned to detect bombs, drugs and suspicious objects while 36 sets of closed-circuit television were installed at every corner of the bus terminal.
He assured that all provincial-bound buses were in good condition and thoroughly inspected to ensure the highest safety, adding that the number of buses would be sufficient despite a jump in passengers' demand.
Drivers are required to undergo health checks and instructed to strictly comply with regulations, he said.
For a journey longer than 500 kilometres, an additional driver is required for the bus. A driver must rest for at least 30 minutes after four hours behind the wheel.
Wuthichart said April 11-12 would possibly be the peak period when a large number of passengers would catch their buses to their hometowns in time for the traditional Thai New Year celebration.
He predicted this year's total passengers at 1.5 million--fewer than last year's record of 1.7 million passengers as cheaper fuel prices, compared to last year's, would encourage more people to drive their
own cars out of the city.
|
Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 6:40 am on April 11, 2007
|
|
PussyLover 69
|
Report from The Nation dated Thursday 12 April 2007 :-
Pump action squirt guns still popular
===========================
The amazing array of water guns available in Bangkok's Sam Pheng area remain popular among people looking forward to the coming Songkran Festival and, as usual, everyone has ignored a ban on "air-pressured" guns.
Police and city administrators have imposed many restrictions this year including a ban on water mixed with talcum and dyes, spaghetti-strap tank tops, and pick-up trucks carrying revellers into Khao San Road - to ensure "safety and order".
Safety measures also include a ban on using or selling high-pressure water guns - by far the most popular "weapon" of choice on Khao San Road. And Sam Pheng is where people go to buy them - for Bt10 to Bt600 each.
Vendor Pimpaporn Sripeng, 50, said she shifted from selling dolls to water guns from March 10 to April 16 every year for the past decade. Most customers were retailers who bought in bulk to later re-sell to revellers.
This year's best-selling model is a 2,000cc "space-style" squirter at Bt200. It was "better built" than other models, noted Pimpaporn, who sells up to 150 a day.
Many people continued to buy air-pressured water guns despite the ban, she said, insisting that the kind she sold were of weaker pressure and not dangerous.
|
Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 11:56 pm on April 11, 2007
|
|
PussyLover 69
|
Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 12 April 2007 :-
Airport crowded as holiday begins
=========================
A tide of hopeful passengers crowded into recently reopened Don Mueang Airport Thursday morning with a larger number expected to use air services for upcountry tourism and homecoming trips this year, on the eve of Thailand's annual Songkran New Year festival.
Local residents and tourists alike came to board flights at Don Mueang in the morning in larger numbers than usual.
Some are Bangkok workers heading home to the provinces to be reunited with their families and celebrate the Songkran festival at home this year.
Most flights of three airlines based here -- including Thai Airways International, Nok Air, and Orient Thai -- bound for Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, and Phuket have been loaded almost to capacity.
It is expected that the largest number of travellers will be going by air for the Sonkran celebration, especially Thursday evening. Many airlines have increased the number of flights to accommodate more passengers throughout the Songkran period.
At Don Mueang airport, the number of flights has risen by 40 per day.
Of this, 22 are international flights with 11 outbound and 11 inbound, and 18 are domestic flights with nine outbound and nine inbound.
It is projected the number of passengers at Don Mueang would increase by over 7,000 during the Songkran period.
At Suvarnabhumi Airport, the number of flights has increased by 424 per day. Of this, 369 are international flights with 183 outbound and 186 inbound, and 55 are domestic flights with 28 outbound and 27 inbound.
It is expected that the number of passengers at Suvarnabhumi would rise by over 65,000. It brings up the number of passengers at two airports by 72,000 altogether in the Songkran festival.
Security measures at the two airports will be stepped up as police and security officials of the Airports of Thailand Plc will be on alert around the clock.
|
Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:09 am on April 12, 2007
|
|
PussyLover 69
|
Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 13 April 2007 :-
Songkran celebrations amid tight security
===============================
(BangkokPost.com) - Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin led government officials to offer food to monks to mark the start of the traditional Thai New Year at Sanam Luang on Friday morning.
Among the officials were Buddhists who also participated in the watering ceremony of Buddha images.
Mr Apirak told the participants that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has joined hands with police in stepping up security in the capital during the five-day holiday. Check points have been set throughout Bangkok to prevent bomb threats and to measure alcohol level of drivers at night, he said.
For the first time in history, city officials slapped signs all around the city banning water throwing, the only activity associated with the holiday.
Army officials have warned for months of possible attacks during the holiday, following deadly bomb blasts in Bangkok on New Year's Eve and attacks in the restive South during the lunar New Year in February.
Maj Gen Ronnarong Yangyeun said an extra 40,000 police would be deployed around the country especially at crowded areas throughout the holiday to prevent possible attacks.
|
Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:38 am on April 13, 2007
|
|
PussyLover 69
|
Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 13 April 2007 :-
MORE THAIS SPEND SONGKRAN ABROAD - Security concerns at home and a strong baht, which makes travel cheaper, cited as reasons why many are heading overseas
==============================================
More Thais than ever are using the long Songkran break to go abroad, with rising security concerns at home and a strong baht making it cheaper to travel overseas.The number of Thais leaving from Suvarnabhumi airport grew from about 11,000 on Tuesday to 18,000 on Wednesday, according to the Immigration Bureau.
Immigration officials expected the number to be even bigger yesterday and today.
A normal day sees 7,000 to 8,000 Thai nationals leaving through Suvarnabhumi, the country's main international airport.
Suvarnabhumi airport director Serirat Prasutanond said preliminary figures indicated that more Thais would be travelling overseas over the Thai New Year than during the same period last year.
He thought one of key reasons for the increase was that many Thais felt insecure about holidaying at home due to continuing security concerns.
Tensions remain, particularly in the capital, after deadly bombings in Bangkok on the night of Dec 31 that killed three and injured dozens more. A small improvised explosive device was also detonated in front of the Major Ratchayothin Cineplex in northern Bangkok just this week.
Violence in the southernmost border provinces has also escalated since the Sept 19 coup last year, and fears remain that insurgents may take their bloody campaign to the capital or other major cities and holiday destinations. The strengthening of the baht has also reduced the cost of travelling overseas, especially on package tours.
The flow of foreigners leaving the country remained steady at 24,000 to 25,000 daily.
Despite the increase in Thais heading overseas for the holidays, the traditional exodus from the capital of people returning to their hometowns for Songkran was well underway yesterday.
The Meteorological Department warned motorists to be extra careful with forecast summer storms and gale-force winds in the North and Northeast over the next couple of days.
Hundreds of people die each year on the roads over the Songkran period, normally in drink-driving related incidents.
Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen yesterday said the first day of the Songkran festival saw 41 deaths and 514 injuries in 435 road accidents.
Each year accident figures are listed for each province. So far, Chiang Mai and Nakhon Si Thammarat are top of the list with three deaths in each province on the first of what are now termed the seven most dangerous days of the year.
Only four provinces remained accident-free _ Pathum Thani, Nakhon Nayok, Uthai Thani and Yasothon.
Drunk driving remained the main cause, accounting for 34% of the accidents, followed by speeding and bad driving.
Other people trying to get away for holidays were also facing difficulties yesterday. About 200 train passengers were stranded and south-bound train traffic disrupted for seven hours after two trains clipped each other in Prachuap Khiri Khan yesterday, derailing one carriage.
The accident happened about 2am at Sam Roi Yot sub-district train station. No one was hurt.
The locomotive of the Lung Suan-Thon Buri train sitting at the station jutted into the crossing junction.
The Yala-bound sprinter grazed it as it went past, derailing its final carriage. Seven air-conditioned buses were hired to transport passengers to their destinations in Surat Thani and Songkhla.
The track was cleared around 10.30am.
The State Railway of Thailand said the incident should not affect holidaymakers and that 22 extra train services had been added to meet rising demand over the Songkran period.
In Maha Sarakham, at least 20 people were seriously injured when a bus travelling from Khon Kaen skidded off the road and overturned yesterday.
The Surin-bound bus flipped on its side on the Maha Sarakham-Kosum Phisai road, and the 40 passengers scrambled out of the windows.
Passengers said the road was slippery from rain. The driver lost control when the bus skidded as it was approaching a bridge.
Elsewhere, thousands of people queued at Nakhon Ratchasima bus terminal yesterday, which is the main station for connecting buses to the Northeast and the Central Plains.
Station chief Manas Rungpin said buses from Bangkok emptied their passengers at the terminal and rushed back with empty seats to pick up more waiting passengers in Bangkok.
Six people turned up without enough money to buy tickets yesterday and the station asked the bus companies to take them for free.
|
Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:48 am on April 13, 2007
|
|
PussyLover 69
|
Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 14 April 2007 :-
Songkran celebration amid tight security
==============================
People nationwide celebrated Thailand's Songkran festival, or traditional New Year, in joy as they offered alms to Buddhist monks and splashed water, either modestly, according to tradition, or more vigorously, in contemporary style.
The general atmosphere on Bangkok's Khao San Road was active as both locals and foreigners participated in the water festival amid tight security measures imposed by police after the city experienced a bombing earlier this week.
But the situation in the three restive southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat was quite subdued as most families decided to depart their native towns and celebrate the festival elsewhere.
Apirak Kosayothin, Bangkok governor, presided at a merit-making ceremony in which alms and breakfast were offered to 10 senior monks and 181 other monks at Sanam Luang.
Representatives of the public and private sectors also joined in the ceremony.
Security checkpoints have been set up jointly by the metropolitan administration and Bangkok Metropolitan police as part of stepped-up security measures in the Thai capital.
Authorities also gave drivers breathalyser tests in a bid to eliminate driving under the influence of alcohol and ro reduce traffic deaths. Nine persons were killed and 78 injured in Bangkok last year during the festival.
Both uniformed and plainclothes police as well as other BMA officers searched suspected people at checkpoints to ensure that no untoward incident take place.
Several business operators along the normally congested Khao San Road complained that the numbers of tourists this year had fallen compared to 2006 and that their businesses were not doing well.
Expressing the spirit of fun and joy, however, was Swedish beauty Sarah Ericson, crowned as this year's Miss International Songkran Khao San Road, who said she loved Songkran while she had an opportunity to wear beautiful Thai dress and splashing water at others. She said she was unafraid of possible incidents and was confident regarding security measures provided in the area.
Another highlight of the exciting events along Khao San Road was seen when Phornsiri Manoharn, governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), presided at a ceremony which was joined by South Korean movie heartthrob Kim Jeong Hoon, in his capacity as his country's special tourism ambassador.
Mrs. Phornsiri said the popular movie star joined the event in order to attract more Asian tourists to Khao San during future Songkran festivals. She said TAT estimated that about Bt9 billion would change hands during this year's festival.
In Yala province, few people were on streets to celebrate. Only a small group of children was seen throwing water to passing motorcyclists. Most families had left town to celebrate elsewhere, due to the ongoing violence which has haunted the region for more than three years. The atmosphere in nearby Narathiwat and Pattani was likewise subdued.
|
Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 10:09 pm on April 13, 2007
|
|
PussyLover 69
|
Report from The Nation dated Monday 16 April 2007 :-
Rules ignored as revellers party hard
============================
Chiang Mai, Khao San lead the way; Khon Kaen tops list of road fatalities
Songkran fun continued into its fourth day across the country, especially at locations where water frolics went on alongside dancing and - however unlawfully - drinking.
Free concerts in Chiang Mai have been held for three consecutive days without official permission. Authorities were helpless to stop the sale of alcohol at privately owned areas where large groups of teenagers gathered.
Ten of thousands crowded the Huay Kaew Road - which was closed to allow the concerts. Heavy traffic congestion resulted. Several scuffles broke out but there were no reports of serious injury.
Apart from hundreds of police officers and city officials, about 1,000 soldiers from local Army units mobilised along the road to provide safety and crowd control and direct traffic.
As ever, Bangkok's Khao San Road was packed end to end with revellers armed with water guns and other implements. Police prohibited the throwing of powder and other material.
That means a lighter workload for the 200 city workers who must start cleaning the road and its nearby streets today, the official end of the festival.
Police reported no complaints of women being molested during the wholesale fun. They said most followed advice not to dress in revealing attire.
Many new sites for Songkran fun emerged this year with names mimicking legendary Khao San [rice seed] Road.
Two are Khao Neo [sticky rice] Road in Khon Kaen and Khao Pun [round rice noodles] Road in Nakhon Phanom.
On a sadder note, Songkran has seen 238 people killed and another 3,180 injured in 2,823 road accidents between this past Wednesday and Saturday. The road toll remains slightly lower than that of 2006.
Sixty-seven people died and another 886 were injured in 789 accidents yesterday alone.
A Westerner drowned in the historic Chiang Mai moat after a heavy bout of drinking. Many locals had been swimming in the moat.
Drinking drivers were the main cause of road accidents. About 43 per cent of accidents are caused by alcohol, police reported. Speeding accounted for 17.5 per cent and reckless driving 10 per cent.
Motorcycles are involved in more than eight of every 10 accidents. Pickups are involved in 10 per cent of all accidents.
Khon Kaen has recorded the most fatalities at 14 with Phitsanulok and Chiang Mai at 11 and 10 respectively, according to the Public Health Ministry.
Traffic on major Bangkok-bound routes is starting to become congested as commuters head back to the capital.
The traditional festival period ended yesterday, although the extended holiday ends on Tuesday.
|
Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:01 am on April 16, 2007
|
|
| |
|
