travel news review

12 May '99
If you are planning to visit Bangkok during May, it might be a good idea to take gumboots and an umbrella. Various areas of Bangkok were submerged last week after torrential rains flooded the city, leaving some residents crossing roads knee-deep in water. Continued heavy rain is predicted for the next month.

Meteorologists say the rainy season has come early, another outcome of the La Niña phenomenon. The flooding has caused road closures, break downs, and traffic problems. City authorities insist that despite some problems with drainage Bangkok is well prepared to deal with further flooding.

10 May '99
You can indulge all your senses in Bangkok this week when Silom Road is filled with colours, flavours sounds and smells for the Food, Fruit and Flower Festival. The event will be held over the May Day and Coronation Day holiday period, 2 - 6 May. Silom Road will be closed for the festival, from Saladaeng to Surasak intersection. Vast fruit stalls will be assembled at four locations, as well as large flower displays. Sixteen stages will host entertainment in the form of local and international plays and bands. To commemorate Coronation Day, a public holiday held on 5May, the king and queen traditionally preside at a ceremony at Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok.

10 May '99
A few hundred backpackers, as well as environmental groups, have now been put out by the filming of 'The Beach', in southern Thailand. Controversy and commotion continue to surround the film and its star, Leonardo DiCaprio. Thai environmental groups have protested that the film, which is being shot in Maya Bay, Krabi, will cause environmental damage. The complaints of long-tail boat owners were easily placated - producers hired them to block of entry to the bay.

Meanwhile a few hundred backpackers were hired as extras for scene that involved filming DiCaprio on a crowded ferry. Many of the backpackers were reported to be less than happy when DiCaprio was whisked away on a speed boat to have lunch, while the hot and hungry extras waited for two hours on the ferry. Since then, the star has apparently become more friendly towards extras and curious tourists on set.

30 April '99
Thai travel authorities are concerned that tour operators are offering illegal drugs on treks to secure the business of the adventure-seeking backpacker. Opium and marijuana smoking are popular with some tourists on hill-tribe treks. Now other drugs are being offered, including amphetamines, and the practice of drug-taking on treks has come under increasing scrutiny.

Hundreds of tour operators are registered in Chiang Mai, the tourist-trek centre of northern Thailand. The growth in the popularity of northern 'hill-tribe' treks has prompted safety and environmental concerns, resulting in a reduction in the number of trekking routes in the north. Officials hope to encourage more tour agents to offer drug-free treks, and urge travellers not to take part in those treks that offer drugs.

21 April '99
In a novel attempt to help Thais cope with the economic crisis, a former bank manager has opened a restaurant serving innovative dishes named after Thai politicians and corporate figures. Formerly assistant manager at the Bangkok Bank of Commerce (BBC), Mr Yongsak Sricanth and other ex-bank employees have opened the 'BBC Seafood' restaurant in Bangkok, decorating it with bank memorabilia.

The difficult economic times have forced many laid-off executives to take a step down to find work. A tribute to redundancy, the restaurant serves hot and spicy meals like 'Tom Yam Tarrin' named after the Thai finance minister. It also provides a meeting place for job-seekers and potential employers. The cheapest meal is 'IMF Soup' - a bare dish with chicken bones in green melon.

14 April '99
There will be lots of fun and plenty of water all around Thailand this week as celebrations kick off for Songkran - Thai New Year. In keeping with tradition, Buddha images are bathed and monks and elders receive signs of respect from younger Thais in the form of the sprinkling of water over their heads. Everyone else in Thailand celebrates by throwing a lot of water around as well. Bangkok celebrations for Thai New Year will centre on Sanam Luang, from 12-14 April. Devotees will bathe the sacred Phra Buddha Sihing image and A Miss Songkran contest will be held in Wisutkasat.

Songkran revelry is always lively in the city of Chiang Mai. The Tha Pae Gate will be the centre of religious and secular New Year festivities, including the Mai Kham Bho procession. Mai Kham Bho are wooden supports for trees and temple courtyards. The procession, held on 15 April, brings luck to those who carry the supports.

And if you don't make it by the 15th, the seaside city of Pattaya will be celebrating from 17 to 19 April, in conjunction with the Pattaya Festival. The Mon community in Phra Padaeng will celebrate with a thorough house cleaning, religious ceremonies and parades on 17 and 18 April. For travellers, Songkran means that accommodation and transport can be expensive, crowded and overbooked. However Songkran is a great excuse to absorb unique Thai culture and Thai enthusiasm - and to cool off from the heat of Thai summer. Put your wallet and passport in a plastic bag, remember your sense of humour, and be prepared to get soaked.

6 April '99
The inaugural Bangkok Fringe Festival has begun and will run until 25 April. More than 40 different artistic groups are featured throughout the city's new festival, with performances ranging from Thai drama and music concerts, to contemporary dance and Japanese butoh. Lectures, art exhibitions and a Thai food bazaar will also be part of the festival, the first of its kind in Thailand. The festival will be held every weekend from 3pm-10pm at the Patravadi Theatre, Soi Wat Rakang, Arun Amarin Road. Lectures and exhibitions will be free of charge, while performances will range from US$1.30-4.00.

29 March '99
A Chinese trade ship could be the first old wreck salvaged from Thai seas under a current archaeological diving project. Ban Bang Kachai, in Chanthaburi province was known as 'shipwreck village' because boats and ships were wrecked off its coast for centuries. The Chinese wreck, discovered 1992, is believed to have sailed in the 1600s, during the Ming Dynasty in China and the rule of King Ekathosaros in Thailand. The ship had been loaded with copper and sappan wood, or mai fang, used for medicine and dye. Despite a limited budget and dangerous sea conditions the salvage operation continues, with divers working in poor visibility to rescue treasures from the wreck. The team plans to display the ship in a museum. Volunteers are welcomed for the project, and can contact the Underwater Archaeology Section, Chanthaburi (039) 391236-7.

15 March '99
A US$89 million theme park has opened in Phuket, in an attempt to combine traditional Thai culture with flashy special effects and glitzy tourist facilities. Despite criticisms, the 'Fantasia' theme park claims to be uniquely Thai, modeled on a Thai kingdom including a village, a royal restaurant and a theater.

1 March '99
Thailand and Laos have agreed to longer opening hours at all mutual border crossings. Travellers are permitted to travel from Thailand to Laos at a number of points along the border, Nong Khai (near Vientiane), Nakhon Phanom (opposite Tha Khaek), Chiang Khong (opposite Huay Xai) and Mukdahan (opposite Savannakhet). The border crossing at Nong Khai will open between 6 am and 8 pm, while the other borders will be open between 6 am and 6 pm.

22 February '99
Thailand A new airport Roi Et in north-eastern Thailand is due for completion early in March. PB Air has announced it will introduce flights between Bangkok and Roi Et. PB Air will offer flights each Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with one-way fares costing approximately US$43. Currently the only way to get up to Roi Et from Bangkok is by bus. Roi Et province is an excellent place to explore Issan culture and is known for the crafting of quintessential Issan musical instrument, the khaen, a kind of panpipe.

19 February '99
Indian health authorities are confident that within three years they will have eradicated leprosy as a public health problem. Their confidence springs from the results of a national campaign conducted over the past 12 months in conjunction with the World Health Organisation [WHO] to isolate hidden incidences of the disease. A public health problem is defined as an incidence rate of over one per 10,000 members of the population. Bhutan, Maldives, Thailand and Sri Lanka have already bettered this target, while Myanmar, Bangladesh and Indonesia expect to reach it by the end of next year.

India currently accounts for 65% of leprosy infections worldwide. Contrary to common opinion, leprosy is curable at all stages of onset, is mostly non-infectious and, in the 30% of infectious cases, multi-drug therapy renders the patient non-infectious within a few days.

16 February '99
The much-used Thai gem scam could be a thing of the past with the establishment of the Jewel Fest Club. The club has been set up with the co-operation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and aims to protect tourists from purchasing dud gems. Major jewellers in Thailand have joined the Club and they now provide guaranteed refunds and certificates of purchase. TAT can provide tourists with a listing of jewellery stores that are members of the Jewel Fest Club. The majority of gem scams take place in Bangkok, with Chiang Mai a very distant second.

1 February '99
Chiang Mai's Flower Festival will be held this year from 5 to 7 February. The festival opens at Buak Hat Park at 5pm. The festival is one of Chiang Mai's most popular and includes displays of flower arrangements, a parade of floats decorated with hundreds of flowers, cultural performances and music. People from all over Chiang Mai Province turn up for this festival, so making hotel booking in Chiang Mai during this time is a necessity.

27 January '99
Thai Airways International is looking at the possibility of passengers booking their own domestic flights through 7-Eleven stores. Shoppers at 7-Eleven stores in Thailand can pay gas, electricity and phone bills via electronic funds transfer and the airline wants Thai Airways passengers to also use this type of service to book and pay for air tickets. Of the 2 million passengers carried each year by Thai, the airline estimates 400,000 tickets are sold to un-booked passengers, or walk-ins, at Don Muang airport. Passenger will still be required to obtain the printed ticket from an authorised travel agent.

25 January '99
Thailand's Civil Court has given Twentieth Century Fox permission to start filming the backpacker cult flick 'The Beach' on Koh Phi Phi, despite much opposition to the project. Opponents to the filming believe the fragile environment of Maya Beach on Koh Phi Phi Leh will be ruined by the filmmaking. The already beautiful Maya Beach will be transformed into a Hollywood version of a beautiful beach for the film, starring Leonardo diCaprio. The environmental concerns range from the planting of almost 100 mature coconut trees to the removal of any indigenous plants that didn't have that right 'tropical island paradise' look about them.

28 December '98
The track lights at Surat Thani Airport will be fully operational by Thursday following important repairs. The repairs were prompted by complaints about the visibility of runway lights after the terrible plane crash on 11 December that killed 101 people.

11 November '98
An outbreak of a disease transmitted by rats has been reported in northern Thailand. The sometimes-fatal infectious disease leptospirosis has killed at least eight people in Prae province. The disease, also called Weil's disease, is transmitted to people by food and water contaminated by the urine of infected rats and other small, furry animals. Authorities have put up a reward of one baht (US$0.02) per rat caught in the province. So far, more than 5000 rats have been knocked on the head.

2 November '98
Angel Airlines, Thailand's privately-owned air carrier, is now flying from Phuket, Chiang Mai and Bangkok to Singapore. Until now Angel Airlines had been operating as a domestic carrier.The airline also plans to fly to other Asian destinations, and has applied for permission to fly to Laos and Cambodia. The no-frills airline currently offers one of the cheapest fares available from Thailand to Singapore.

12 August '98
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has placed a ban on all sea walking activities in Thailand's coastal waters. Sea walking - walking along the sea floor wearing a helmet attached to an air hose - has become popular in Thailand over the past few years, but the effect on the coastal environment has been devastating. Attempts to completely ban sea walking around Phuket last year failed and a number of unregistered operators continued to offer sea walking tours.

Travellers coming to Australia from Thailand can now obtain their visas electronically from travel agents and airline offices in Thailand. Tourist and business visas can be obtained electronically by both Thai residents and international travellers, but students must still apply to the Australian Embassy in Bangkok for student visas.

22 June '98
Angel Airlines, Thailand’s second domestic air carrier, is scheduled to commence passenger services in July. The airline will commence services from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

10 June '98
Fans of beauty contests will be sorely disappointed this year with the announcement that ThailandÆs most popular beauty contest, the Miss World Pageant, has been cancelled. The popularity of beauty contests in Thailand has increased enormously in recent years, so much that watching beauty contests is a national pastime in Thailand. But this year the economic crisis has undermined efforts to find corporate sponsorship for the contest.

27 May '98
More than two dozen giant phallic symbols erected in the hope of bringing rain to northern Thailand have been removed, as they apparently set off a spate of fires instead. The symbols, in the northern city of Sena, were used as part of a religious ceremony in an appeal for rain. Officials say more than four fires broke out in the region shortly after the phalluses were, er, erected.

Bangkok's famous Weekend Market will now open on Friday nights from 5pm to midnight as well as on Saturday and Sunday. The market, selling handcrafts, souvenirs, fruit and vegetables, may open on other nights if the Friday night proves successful. The idea for the night market is supported by the Thailand Tourism Authority and the Thailand Farmers Authority, who are investigating ways to encourage visitors in particular and locals to spend more money on local products. The market is located at the southern end of Chatuchak Park, off Phahonyothin Rd. There are no reports as to whether the market will be renamed Weekend and Some Nights Market.

22 April '98
Rama I Road in central Bangkok will be closed to traffic from 11pm until 5am each day until the completion of an elevated railway station at Siam Square. Ram I will be closed from Chalerm Pao at the intersection of Henri Dunat Road to Pathum Wan intersection. Rama IV can be used as an alternative to Rama I.

15 April '98
In a classic good news/bad news story, Thai Airways is buying 12 new planes. ThatÆs the good news. The bad news is it will be cutting back on the quality and quantity of food and alcohol it serves to passengers to help pay for them.

8 April '98
Management of the Hilton Hotel in Bangkok have closed the lingam (phallus) shrine behind the hotel to the public. The park where the shrine is located is fenced off in such a way that visitors are required to walk through the grounds of the hotel to worship there. But now management has decided only hotel guests can visit the shrine. The shrine honours Jao Mae Thapthim, a female deity thought to reside in an old banyan tree on the site and many worshippers, mainly young women seeking fertility, visit the shrine.

25 March '98
ThailandÆs departure tax on international flights will increase from between 200 and 250 baht (around US$5-6) to 500 baht (around US$12) in April. Government officials hope the expected increase in revenue will boost the 1998/99 budget by more than 2 billion baht (over US$51mil). It is believed only a small number of Thai travellers will be affected by the tax increase, as they currently represent only 17% of the total number of travellers leaving Bangkok by air.

18 February '98
In an attempt to encourage greater spending by foreign visitors, the Thai government plans to legalise the waiver of the 10% value-added-tax, or VAT, for purchases made by foreign tourists. The government would lose 1.6 billion baht per year if the waiver goes ahead next month, but it estimates that the resultant increased tourism, sales of goods and employment would generate ten of billions more baht each year, compensating for the loss. Tourists would be able to file VAT refund forms at certain shops and international airports in Thailand.

11 February '98
Thai police have closed down a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border following the arrest of the owners of the camp on charges of kidnapping. 33 long-neck Karen girls were released from the camp after the owners admitted kidnapping the girls from a camp in Mae Hong Son more than 18 months ago and charging tourists 150 baht per person to look at them. The Karens, from Paduang hill tribes, were paid 10 baht per day and were not allowed to leave the camp. Many human rights groups are campaigning for an end to the exploitation of the long-neck Karens as tourist attractions in northern Thailand, referring to them as slaves in a human zoo.

4 March '98
In an attempt to turn Bangkok into a ‘metropolis of art and culture’, city administrators have established an artist’ lane near Silpakorn University, which they hope will eventually become a popular, permanent hangout for art lovers. Each weekend until 22 March, local artists and performers will exhibit their work from 9am to 6pm in Soi Phaya Phet off Phra Chan Road (a small lane between the university and Wat Maha That).

Travellers in Thailand must now pay a surcharge of B1250 on Bangkok Airways flights to and from Bangkok and Koh Samui.

21 Janruary '98
The Thai government is drafting a new bill which will regulate tour guides and tour businesses in Thailand. The proposed bill will introduce a ‘code of conduct’ for tour operators, which aims to protect travellers against overcharging and discourages tourism activities which are detrimental to both the environment and Thai culture. The bill will in particular seek to limit the number of scuba diving business and to introduce increased safety and environmental controls for dive operators.