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#271
08-10-2007, 09:31 PM
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Re: Thailand-Malaysia bridge to open in Dec 2007
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#272
08-10-2007, 09:34 PM
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Re: Thailand-Malaysia bridge to open in Dec 2007
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#273
12-10-2007, 01:43 PM
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King Power: Out by Dec 11, 2007
Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 12 October 2007 :-
King Power: Out by Dec 11, 2007 King Power Duty Free will be given 60 days starting Friday to remove its duty-free outlets from Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai airports, the Airports of Thailand (AoT) board decided yesterday. Spokesman Chirmsak Pinthong said the 60 days will be counted from the day the company receives official advice of the decision. The letter will be sent today, he said. The company has 15 days in which it can appeal. The action follows the AoT board's ruling that the decision by the previous board on April 2, 2004, to award the firm the contract was void because of the lack of transparency. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#274
16-10-2007, 04:25 PM
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Suvarnabhumi Airport near capacity
Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 16 October 2007 :-
Suvarnabhumi Airport near capacity Official figures released yesterday confirm that Suvarnabhumi Airport is closing in on its designed capacity just one year after it opened. Total passenger movements through Bangkok's new international airport reached 41.8 million from October 2006 to September 2007, or 92.88% of its 45million-passenger-a-year capacity. The 155-billion-baht airport handled 267,480 aircraft movements, including both takeoffs and landings, according to Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), the majority state-owned company that operates the country's six major airports. Cargo shipments through Suvarnabhumi hit 1.23 million tonnes, representing 41% of the airport's annual capacity of three million tonnes. The figures confirmed earlier projections that the airport would reach full capacity only two or three years after its inception. The crowding has already prompted speculation that AoT may shift some international traffic to the old Don Muang airport, which has served some nonconnecting domestic flights since last March. Serirat Prasutanond, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, said passenger volume through the airport was likely to reach 44.5 million in its second year of operations in 2008, thus putting more strain on the facility. AoT is considering whether to proceed with the original master plan for expanding Suvarnabhumi with help from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which is undertaking a study. Mr Serirat said the AoT would likely submit recommendations on how to relieve congestion at Suvarnabhumi for the Transport Ministry in the ''near future''. The 93-year-old Don Muang airport has processed 3.17 million passengers from March to the end of September. In other words, about 40% of domestic flights where shifted to Don Muang. AoT figures show that Suvarnabhumi handled 32.60 million international passengers in its first year, an increase of 4.85% from the number that passed through Don Muang last year. It also handed 191,278 international aircraft movements, up 5.01%. Suvarnabhumi handled 9.23 million domestic passengers and 76,202 aircraft movements. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#275
17-10-2007, 11:54 AM
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MBK to invest B2bn after renewal
Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 17 October 2007 :-
MBK to invest B2bn after renewal - Renovation, property project planned MBK Plc, the operator of Mah Boonkrong Shopping Centre, plans to spend two billion baht on renovation and new projects after obtaining a renewal of its lease contract from the land owner, Chulalongkorn University. The budget is higher than the previously planned sum of 1.2 billion baht. President Suvait Theeravachirakul said that about 500-600 million baht would be spent renovating the Pathumwan Princess Hotel from 2008 to 2012 and on the complex's facilities. He said that all renovations of the shopping centre, office tower, hotel and car park, which cover 270,800 square metres, were expected to be completed by 2018. MBK has committed to paying a leasing fee totalling 25.31 billion baht to the university for a 20-year renewal contract, starting in April 2013. According to Mr Suvait, the high fee could cut MBK's operating profit and prompt it to develop more hotels and properties to offset the lower profit. Currently, revenue from the retail business accounts for 30% of MBK's total income while the hotel business _ the Pathumwan Princess Hotel, Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort and Royal Princess Ranong Hotel _ contributes 18% and the remaining 52% is from rice trading, property and other businesses. Mr Suvait expects the hotel business to account for 25-30% of total revenue within the next five years, while revenue from property is forecast to double to 10% during the period. To achieve the goal, MBK would spend one billion baht of the two-billion-baht investment budget to develop a high-end single housing project in Pathum Thani. Construction would start by the end of this year and would be completed within five years. Banterng Tantivit, the company's chairman, said a feasibility study was under way to turn the eight-storey MBK tower, located in the compound of the shopping complex, into a new hotel in order to generate a higher return. MBK estimates its sales for fiscal 2007, ending in July 2008, to rise by 7% from the previous fiscal year. It has leased the prime plot from Chulalongkorn University since 1983 and will pay a total of 1.8 billion baht over the life of the original 30-year contract. Yesterday, the company signed the renewal contract with the university and made the first payment of 2.51 billion baht. The remaining 22.86 billion would be divided into 20 annual instalments. It recently issued warrants worth three billion baht to raise funds for the payment. In another development, Assoc Prof Boonsom Lerdhirunwong, vice-president of Chulalongkorn University, revealed that the TCC Group of liquor tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi had agreed to spend 289 million baht to turn Center Point Siam Square, a popular teen hangout in Bangkok, into a four-storey ''Digital City''. Construction will start in February and is expected to be completed within eight months. Additionally, the university will spend 800 million baht to develop a 10-storey building on a 3.5-rai plot opposite the Novotel Hotel on Henri Dunant Road. The first three floors are for commercial use and the remaining floors will serve as a car park to cope with high demand in the area. The car park is expected to open in 2009. Chulalongkorn University is also seeking new investors to develop a 3.5- to four-star hotel, costing 800 million to one billion baht, on top of the building. Shares of MBK closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 67.50 baht, up 50 satang, in trade worth 8.38 million baht. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#276
17-10-2007, 01:15 PM
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Re: Anything Everything about Thailand (Part 2)
Bro KTL69, got latest news on the King's condition kindly post.....lets all the Thai Lovers pray for HM's quick recovery.
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#277
17-10-2007, 07:54 PM
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Thai King condition .......
Quote:
http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/17Oct2007_news02.php and :- http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007...s_30052732.php http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007...s_30052678.php
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#278
19-10-2007, 12:49 AM
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Suvarnabhumi Airport ranks higher in online poll
Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 18 October 2007 :-
Suvarnabhumi Airport ranks higher in online poll The embattled management of Suvarnabhumi Airport have received some consolation from a reader poll by an independent online travel magazine that voted it the world's fourth best airport. The top three finishers in order in the Smart Travel Asia poll were Hong Kong International Airport, Singapore Changi and Kuala Lumpur International Airport in its Travel Poll 2007. The poll ranked Suvarnabhumi ahead of South Korea's Incheon International Airport, which last March was named the ''Best Airport Worldwide for 2006'' by the Geneva-based Airports Council International (ACI). Incheon was fifth in the Smart Travel Asia poll. Except for the inclusion of Suvarnabhumi, the Smart Travel Asia poll was consistent with the much more extensive survey released in August by UK-based Skytrax. That survey placed Hong Kong first on the list of top 10 Airports of the Year for 2007, followed by Incheon and Changi, which tied for second place. Skytrax put Kuala Lumpur in fifth place, while Suvarnabhumi failed to crack the top 10. The methodology of the Smart Travel Asia poll was not disclosed, though the online magazine said it was ''based on actual experience, word-of-mouth through friends and colleagues, as well as an idea of the brand drawn from advertising and editorial exposure in the media, a great deal of this online''. The magazine noted that Suvarnabhumi, which has had its share of teething troubles, was a ''a vast improvement'' over Don Muang airport, which was closed for six months after 92 years in operation and reopened in March this year for some non-connecting domestic flights. Serirat Prasutanond, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, said the Smart Travel Asia poll was a welcome encouragement to the airport operator. But he conceded that it could be based on much less comprehensive polling criteria and sample size. Perceived as the industry yardstick, the Skytrax 2007 survey was based on 7.8 million detailed passenger surveys covering 170 airports, conducted over 11 months. The Skytrax survey also covers more than 40 categories of product and service quality, including terminal cleanliness, staff efficiency and courtesy, terminal signage and walking distances. In the ACI rankings, Suvarnabhumi is now ranked 40th. Mr Serirat said that AoT wanted to see Suvarnabhumi ranked in the top 10 in the ACI table by 2009. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#279
22-10-2007, 06:06 PM
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Bedroom banter beneficial for waning sex lives: Durex
Report from The Nation dated Monday 22 October 2007 :-
Bedroom banter beneficial for waning sex lives: Durex Thai couples seem to be bored in the bedroom, with at least 57 per cent of consenting adults saying their sex lives lack excitement, or so the Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey has found.Published on September 26, 2007 The study also said that 69 per cent of the Thai population was too afraid to express their desires under the duvet. "In the Bedroom" is the second in a series of reports taking a peek behind closed doors around the world. Results of Durex's first exploration into sexual satisfaction were revealed in April this year. The objective is to help people fulfil their sexual aspirations. Gynaecologist-cum-sexologist Dr Pansak Sugkrakroek said, "What people do in the bedroom is very important for their sexual wellbeing, and currently there are many who feel unsatisfied with their situation, whether in terms of the frequency of intercourse or the excitement and variety it brings. But there's a ray of light apparent from the results. People want more excitement and variety - so we need to encourage more bedroom banter! To become more experimental means being more open, and that's where the talking and confiding in your partner comes into play." The survey found that Thai men are among the most experienced lovers in the Asia-Pacific region, most of them having had at least 12 partners - lower than the global average of 13, but well above Malaysia (nine), India (six) and China (four). However, the Thai woman's average of two partners is quite low when compared with the global female average of seven, though it's close to other countries in the region with the exception of Japan (eight). The survey also found that 69 per cent of Thai couples have sex weekly and 29 per cent do it at least three times a week or more. However, 62 per cent said this was not enough and wanted to increase the frequency. As for time spent on the act, Thai couples clocked in at an average of 29 minutes - two minutes more than Hong Kong, but less than the global average of 36 minutes and in countries such as Malaysia and China (both 35). The Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey was conducted online between August and September 2006 to gain an insight into the sexual wellbeing of adults in 26 countries. More than 26,000 respondents were questioned on key aspects of their lives: health, general wellbeing, education, beliefs, sex and relationships, attitudes to sex and social circumstances. Durex is publishing the data over a period of 18 months to look into a variety of topics, including sexual experimentation, physical pleasure, emotional aspects of sex, first sexual experience and education. By the end of the series Durex hopes to have developed a model for sexual wellbeing. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#280
23-10-2007, 01:42 PM
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Siam in Europe
Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 23 October 2007 :-
SIAM IN EUROPE - Continent marks the visits of King Chulalongkorn The Foreign Ministry is holding exhibitions in several European cities to mark the 100th and 110th anniversaries of King Chulalongkorn's grand European tours. Tracing the Siamese king's journeys into the heart of Europe provides us with a glimpse of how he manoeuvred to steer Siam from European colonialism and how he used his first-hand knowledge gained in Europe to modernise his own country. At the time, Siam's neighbours were struggling against colonialism, but one by one they fell to the force of the West. Japan, having been forced to open up to the outside world, had been through the Meiji Restoration that revived imperial rule against shogunate power. Japan then underwent industrialisation under the slogan "Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Military". Imperial China was also struggling to come to terms with Western powers. Empress Dowager Cixi, who held power between 1861 and 1908, sought to benefit from Western technology after the experience of losing the Opium Wars. Burma no longer existed as an independent country after the fall of King Thibaw to British rule. He was removed from the throne and Burma was annexed as part of the British Empire. It became a province of India in 1886. France was securing its foothold in Indochina and Siam became a buffer state between the British and the French. King Chulalongkorn, who passed away on November 23, 1910, came to the throne in the midst of this profound political change in the region. His father, King Mongkut, had already had a hard time dealing with foreign pressure, and it was during King Chulalongkorn's reign that Siam had to walk a fine line. To remain independent, Siam had to cede territories and judicial rights, as well as pay monetary fines. King Chulalongkorn was the first Siamese king to travel abroad extensively. Before his time it had not been customary, nor had it been it practical, due to the transport limitations, for Siamese kings to venture beyond the country's borders. The only Siamese king who had gone abroad before him was King Naresuan, who travelled to Burma in the 17th century. King Chulalongkorn, arguably one of the greatest monarchs of the 19th century, had a thirst for knowledge. He was curious to see and to learn from foreign lands. In 1871, during the third year of his reign, he went to Singapore under the watchful guidance of the Regent, Chao Phraya Maha Srisuriyawongse, before continuing to Java and India. Chulalongkorn was well received in Singapore and Batavia (now Jakarta), where he had an eye-opening experience at what the Europeans had done to these colonies. He was determined to reform his kingdom through education and the knowledge of English. In 1893, the French sent their gunboats into the Chao Phya River and exchanged fire with the Siamese at Paknam, Samut Prakan. Britain intervened because it did not want France to gain complete control over Siam. As a result of the incident, Siam had to cede territories and pay fines to the French, but the British and the French eventually agreed to let Siam maintain its independence and integrity against any third power. The bitter experience of the gunboat incident provided the impetus for King Chulalongkorn to learn more about the world and the global powers, with the goal of modernising Thailand. In 1897, he started his first European tour, travelling on the Maha Chakri. He visited France and established a friendship with Tsar Nicolas II of Russia. In Germany he met with Kaiser William II. In London he met the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Connaught and the Duke of York, and stayed at Buckingham Palace, although he did not have a chance to meet Queen Victoria. He also visited Austria, Italy, Sweden and Belgium. When he returned to Siam, Chulalongkorn launched sweeping administrative reforms in order to develop the country. These proved to be the most far-reaching reforms ever made by a Siamese monarch. He also sent his children to study in Russia, Germany and England, and they returned home, well educated, to work in various ministries. It was not until a decade later in 1907 that the King embarked on his second grand European tour. This time he travelled via Singapore, Colombo and Suez before reaching Naples and making a tour of the classical Italian cities. He then journeyed on to Switzerland, Germany, France, England and Denmark. Upon his return to Siam, King Chulalongkorn was already established as the greatest king of the Chakri Dynasty. He passed away three years later, after a reign of 42 years and having brought his country to modernity. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#281
26-10-2007, 02:21 PM
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Thailand facing population crisis
Report from The Nation dated Friday 26 October 2007 :-
Thailand facing population crisis Thailand will soon be facing a population crisis due to the rising number of elderly citizens, the declining number of young and working populace and the total fertility rate dropping from 6.3 in 1964 to 1.61 in 2005, a scholar warned Thursday. Kua Wongboonsin, a population studies expert from Chulalongkorn University, said the problem of dropping fertility rates needed immediate attention. because the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime had hugely dropped from 6.3 children during 1964 and 1965 to just 1.61 during 2005 and 2006 With each family now having less than two children, the Thai family structure had changed drastically - from the highest percentage of child population (0 to four years old) in 1970 to having the highest projected percentage of elderly in 2010, he said. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#282
31-10-2007, 01:46 PM
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Former drug lord Khun Sa dies, aged 74
Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 31 October 2007 :-
Former drug lord Khun Sa dies, aged 74 Chiang Mai - One-time drug kingpin Khun Sa, who called himself a freedom fighter but was once described by the US government as the world's largest heroin producer, died in a private house in Rangoon on Saturday. He was 74. The cause of death was not immediately known, but Khun Sa, the former leader of the Shan United Army, and also known as Chang Chi Fu, had long suffered from diabetes, partial paralysis and high blood pressure. Jam Hueng, his son, who does business in Burma's Tachilek town across the border from Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, confirmed his father's death. Khun Sa's body was cremated in a Buddhist funeral rite in North Okkalapa township in Rangoon with about 30 people attending. His former followers will also hold a memorial service in his honour at Ban Therd Thai in Chiang Rai's Mae Fa Luang district on Nov 8. In 1982, the Prem Tinsulanonda government launched a military offensive, forcing Khun Sa and his troops to leave their bastion at Ban Hin Taek (now Ban Therd Thai), where they had stayed for many years. Khun Sa and his troops relocated to Doi Lang, a no-man's land opposite Chiang Mai's Mae Ai district after seizing the area from Kuomintang remnants and a group of Muser tribesmen. But he did not build his new headquarters there because Doi Lang was not strategically well-positioned. He finally settled in Burma's Ban Hua Muang, opposite Mae Hong Son's Muang district. Khun Sa had lived in seclusion in Rangoon since 1996 after quitting as leader of the Muang Tai Army amid splits within its ranks and surrenders to Burma's military junta. He was allowed to run a string of businesses behind a veil of secrecy although he was officially under house arrest until his death. At the height of his notoriety, Khun Sa presided over a veritable narcotics kingdom complete with satellite television, schools and surface-to-air missiles in the Golden Triangle region. Meanwhile, Col Maha Sang, another former drug kingpin, died of a respiratory disease at Nakhon Ping Hospital in Chiang Mai's Mae Rim district yesterday. He was 63. On April 6, 2005, police arrested Col Maha Sang, former commander of the Wa National Army, in a raid on his house in Doi Saket district. He was wanted on drugs production and sale charges. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#283
01-11-2007, 06:49 PM
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Report from The Nation dated Thursday 1 November 2007 :-
Booze, cigarettes a norm with undergrads 6% of university students drink on all five weekdays according to a joint study by Abac Poll and the ThaiHealth Foundation released yesterday. Of 4,485 freshmen and sophomores in 36 universities surveyed, 12% smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day. Of all respondents, 11% smoked regularly and 28% had drunk occasionally in the past six months. Asst Prof Wilasinee Adulyanont, a senior ThaiHealth official, said the joint study was carried out to evaluate a ThaiHealth campaign to reduce drinking and smoking at university initiation parties over the past three years. The number of parties participating in the campaign has risen to 74 this year, up from the original number of 40 when the campaign began. The number of parties expected for the next academic year is set at 100, she added. The poll found that 41% of respondents thought of initiation, or "hazing", as a way to strengthen bonding among students, while 14.4% described it as a way for senior students to abuse, bully and intimidate freshman students. Of 49 per cent of respondents who said they had been through hazing, 45% said they suffered stress, while 44% said they had later confronted their seniors. Another 27% said hazing disturbed them so much it affected their studies. Asked what they thought about the ThaiHealth campaign, 73% said they wanted it to continue and most said the campaign was fruitful in terms of reducing brawls and accidents during hazings. 60% of respondents said the campaign had inspired them to not seek sponsorship from liquor companies for their future initiation ceremonies. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#284
03-11-2007, 10:54 AM
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It's going to get very hot in Thailand - much earlier than expected
Report from The Nation dated Saturday 3 November 2007 :-
It's going to get very hot in Thailand - much earlier than expected Thailand is likely to see the mercury rise to unprecedented levels - beyond 46 degrees Celsius - within the next 15 to 20 years, decades sooner than the previous projection, according to the latest climate model released yesterday. Of particular concern to Thai scientists is that this extreme heat may stay longer and engulf a much greater proportion of the country. Peering further into the future, the new findings suggest that by 2100 much of the country could be spending eight months a year in summer temperatures of 35 degrees, compared to just three months at present. "The modelling suggests that we will see the effects of global warming sooner than we thought, in the 2020s instead of the 2040s and 2050s," said modeller Dr Anond Sanidvongs, director of the Southeast Asia Regional Centre of the Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training (Start). "But we are not in a crisis yet. We're just beginning to see the changes, and there's still time to adapt and prepare a response." The climate scenario assumes that there is little reduction in carbon emission in the future and little cooperation among governments to address global warming, Anond said. Anond stressed that the climate model, developed in cooperation with the renowned UK-based Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, is not a definite forecast. It merely attempts to use the best information about future trends in carbon emissions and historical climate trends to produce the best estimates possible consistent with similar simulations conducted throughout the world. He said the simulation was based on the input of greenhouse gases only. It does not take into account the aerosol factors like sulphate, dust and smoke from diesel engines and other burning that scientists now find produce their own climate impacts. "The model can only point to potential trends, which in turn should guide further investigation to determine which of those trends are most likely," added Suppakorn Chinvano, who also served on the modelling team. Anond and Suppakorn released the findings from Thailand's first climate model two years ago. With technical assistance from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the mode predicted a "one-to-two-degree" temperature change, longer summers and shorter winters. The findings also suggested more rainfall in almost every region. The new model reinforces the same trends, only has them occurring more quickly. The country will have more rain, winter will be shorter, and nights will not be much cooler than the daytime. Mountainous areas in particular will be warmer, and many provinces will no longer see days below 15 degrees. "Even Loei, the coldest province in the country, may not have days below 15 degrees any more by the end of the century," Anond said. "In Bangkok and the central region we'll be lucky to see temperatures below 22 or 23 degrees." Joining the Thai scientists in Bangkok this week were two British climate scientists, David Hassell and David Hein-Griggs of the Hadley Centre's Met Office. They stated that Southeast Asian countries were increasingly interested in preparing climate models for their own countries to better understand the climate-change impacts to which they needed to develop responses. The two were in Kuala Lumpur last August to offer hands-on climate-model training to some 20 scientists from countries in the region. With the climate projection that the world could see a two- to five-degree temperature increase by the end of this century, the point is of concern to scientists around the world. "It's a question of risk and consequences," said Hassell. "Given that there's a chance of a temperature increase of five degrees, the risk of not doing anything is too great for the world to bet on." ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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#285
03-11-2007, 10:59 AM
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Rise in average temperature seen
Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 3 November 2007 :-
Rise in average temperature seen Thailand's average temperature will increase by three degrees Celsius by the end of this century and the country will have more hot days, according to the latest prediction on the country's climate pattern by the Southeast Asia START Regional Centre. The cold season will become shorter with the number of cool days reduced to fewer than 30 days a year, while the average rainfall volume will double, said the climate research agency. The prediction is based on an estimated concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which is likely to hit 388-493 parts per million (ppm) in the period between 2010-2039 and 635-850 ppm in 2070-2099, according to START researcher Suppakorn Chinvanno. This means that between 2010-2099 almost all of the Central region will experience a high temperature of more than 44 degrees. Mountainous areas in the North and the Northeast which usually have lower temperatures than other parts in the country will also experience unusually high temperatures. At the moment, areas which could experience temperatures as high as 44-plus degrees Celsius are found only in some parts of the Central region, the West and upper Northeast. The Andaman coastal provinces will have more hot days _ from 150 to 210 days a year, said Mr Suppakorn. ''Areas with temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius will be found only in the mountains in the northern provinces along the Burmese and Lao borders,'' he said. If the concentration of carbon dioxide reaches 635-850 ppm in 2070, cool days with a temperature at 15 degrees Celsius or below will disappear from Thailand, said the researcher. Meanwhile, the average rainfall volume will double, especially in the Gulf of Thailand and the western region. Such scenarios, however, can be averted with a reduction in the country's greenhouse gas emission levels. ''Our generation will witness changes in the climate pattern, but the future generations will have to bare the brunt of such changes,'' Mr Suppakorn said. ---- KatoeyNewsNetwork
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