NOK AIR LAUNCHES ADDITIONAL SERVICE TO NAKHON PHANOM……….Monday 30th January.
Nok Air has launched a daily morning flight to Nakhon Phanom in addition to its afternoon flight. The new flight, which uses a Boeing 737-400 with 150 seats, departs Bangkok at 8:20am and the return flight from Nakhon Phanom is at 10am. Flying time is 70 minutes. Visit www.nokair.com.

DON MUEANG TO REOPEN 6th MARCH……..Monday 30th January.
Airports of Thailand Plc has announced that Don Mueang airport will be reopened for commercial flights on March 6. The airport was closed by the crisis flooding late last year but only the eastern runway will reopen for use. Low-cost airline, Nok Air has confirmed it will move all its services back to Don Mueang airport, while Orient Thai, another low-cost airline, had yet to make a decision whether to return. In April, repairs will begin to the eastern runway at Suvarnabhumi airport, covering an area of 1,620 square metres, with a budget of about 150 million baht. It is a routine major repair after five years of use.

MONORAIL FOR PATTAYA……….Monday 30th January.
The Transport Ministry of Thailand has announced its policy to support monorail project in major cities. The monorail is a solution to the traffic congestion in major cities like Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Nakhon Sawan and Nakhon Ratchasima, according to Deputy Permanent Secretary Silpachai Jarukasemratana. The pilot project will kick off in Pattaya with a 10-12km long route most likely along Route 2. The estimated budget is about 10 billion baht.

FOUR NATIONS LIFT TRAVEL ALERTS……..Saturday 27th January.
Four countries have revoked their travel warnings for Thailand, issued earlier this month amid fears of a possible terrorist attack, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. Israel and China had totally cancelled their terrorism warnings, while France and Germany revised their threat advisories to cover only the Islamic militant insurgency in Thailand’s lower South

BANGKOK CHINATOWN FESTIVAL 2012 UNDERWAY……..Monday 23rd January.
On Chinese New Year it is tradition not to engage in any work; even cleaning the house is considered bad luck. Similarly sharp objects or anything that may cause injury must be avoided. It is a day many Chinese people travel.
Many activities are planned in Bangkok and other major provinces in celebration of the Chinese New Year and to welcome the Year of the Dragon. In Yaowarat, Chinatown Bangkok Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the opening of the Bangkok Chinatown Festival 2012 at 5:00 p.m, at the King’s Birthday Celebration Arch at Odean. This was followed by a royal procession through the streets amidst hightened security (fha). The festival, which runs for two days, includes such interesting activities as a lion dance contest, kung-fu boxing, Chinese opera, and other cultural shows. These begin at 3 p.m. local time on the 24th. More detail and photos will appear in my Tavel Log pages.
Above: Thian Fah Temple in Yaowarat, China Town, Bangkok.

COUNTDOWN TO CHINESE NEW YEAR 2012……..9.14pm, Sunday 22nd January.
It is most ost difficult to ignore the frantic activity leading to The Chinese New Year of the Dragon. Food will have been procured, houses cleaned in preparation and people on the move intending to return to their roots: Shops and banks prepared for brisk business. Chinese New Year’s Eve traditionally begins with offerings and prayer and catering for the celebrations underway. During this period burnt offerings to ancestors are followed but the lighting of firecrackers to ward of evil spirits.
These traditions cause concern to authorities due to the fire hazard and presently in Bangkok there is a heightened security risk also. Celebrations are planned throughout the region. In Bangkok the most obvious will be into Chinese Quarter in Yaowarat. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has been invited to preside over the opening of the Bangkok Chinatown Festival 2012 on January 23 at 5:00 p.m. Sampeng, Pratunam and Wong Wien Yai will also be busy on New Years Day.
In the provinces grand celebrations will take place in Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan, Suphan Buri, Ratchaburi, Ayutthaya, Chon Buri, (especially Pattaya), Nakhon Ratchasima, Phuket, and Songkhla, in Hat Yai district in particular.

CONGESTION AT SUVARNABHUMI……..12.09pm, Sunday 22nd January.
I’m happy to be back in Thailand where I can again report on the sights and sounds in reality as opposed to relying on second hand accounts. Yesterday, arriving just after midday at Suvarnabhumi airport, I made my first observation which was not what I was expecting. As others also commented they had never seen the airport so busy. It took over one hour to clear immigration though sheer weight of numbers; so much so that my baggage had been removed from the conveyer to accommodate the next flight. The airport seems to have increased the number of baggage reclaim belts from 16 to 20. However the same could not be said of passport control capacity but there appears to be provision for this in future opposite the new belts.
Of course with hindsight there is a perfectly logical reason for the passenger volumes experienced yesterday. Today is Chinese New Year’s Eve and a time when families traditionally get together. Airports are bound to be busy throughout this week.

POL POT REVIVAL AT ANLONG VENG……..Saturday 21st January.
The Ministry of Tourism In Cambodia has announced a coalition of government ministries to establish a tourism plan to cover the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng district in Oddor Meanchey. The study will be drawn up by the Documentation Centre of Cambodia and cover 14 tourism sites that would ultimately form the “Anlong Veng Historical Tourism Area”. The plans also include construction of replica houses of deceased Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, ex-president Khieu Samphan and deceased ex-defence minister Son Sen with equipment used at the time. It is somewhat ironic that the required level of intellect, acknowledgment of past, co-operation with local people and design of infrastructure where the very things Pol Pot wished to abolish.

THAILAND’S ASSURANCE TO TOURISTS........7.58pm, Sunday 15th January.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has stepped in to reassure tourists that everything is being done to provide security in public places following the travel warnings issued by the United States and others. This follows the arrest of Atris Hussein, a Swedish-Lebanese man with suspected links to the Hezbollah militant group, by Thai police at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday.

FLOODS! WHAT FLOODS AS TOURIST REVENUE SOARS?…..7.17am, Thursday 12th January.
Official figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in Thailand have been released showing that tourism was at a record high in 2011 despite the floods affecting the country. 19.09 million tourists came to Thailand in 2011, up 19.8 per cent on the previous year. The largest number of foreign tourists were from Malaysia, at 2.47 million, followed by China (1.76 million), Japan (1.12 million), Russia (1,014,493), South Korea (1,014,292), India (916,787), Laos (887,677), Australia, (854,064), Great Britain (844,221) and the United States (684,073).

TRAVEL NEWS, BEWARE OF THE DRAGON……..Wednesday 11th January.
This year, Chinese New Year’s Day will be celebrated on January 23. The New Year festival will start from January 22 (Chinese New Year' Eve) and end on February 6 (Lantern Festival). 2012 marks the 4710th Chinese New Year, and this time it is the year of dragon according to the Chinese zodiac calendar.
Travelers throughout the region should be aware of these dates since in even the less well visited areas the hotels may be full. This website promotes independent travel but clearly during the height of the celebrations it is unwise to arrive at your favorite location without advance booking. The holiday dates for TET (Vietnam) have already been given while in Thailand in four southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and Satun, an extra official holiday as well as January 23 has been granted.

SEVEN DAYS OF CARNAGE ON THAI ROADS……..Tuesday 10th January.
Final figures on road accidents have been released by Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation for the seven days holiday period. 29th December to 4th January. While down on the same period last year they hardly give cause to rejoice. There were 335 deaths and 3,375 injuries involving 3,093 accidents. More than half the accidents were caused by drunk driving or speeding and reckless driving. Nakhon Sawan and Buri Ram had the most deaths while Chiang Rai the most accidents.
Roll of honour goes to the following provinces with no deaths at all: Sukhothai, Tak, Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Si Sa Ket, Nonthaburi, Trat, Satun, Yala and Pattani.

SPOTLIGHT ON ANGKOR WAT II LOST IN TIME……..Monday 9th January.
While Angkor Wat receives 7,000 visitors per day, the little known Banteay Chhmar complex of similar size remains hidden from the hoards descending on Angkor. Abandoned for centuries it has survived the modern age due to its remote location some 170 kilometres from Angkor. It is being referred to as the second Angkor Wat but nobody knows why the great king Jayavarman VII chose to build this temple in such a desolate spot. Perhaps only now is this mystical complex beginning to reveal its secrets to the world.
Not until 2007 did Banteay Chhmar welcome visitors and now under the direction of the Global Heritage Fund working with the Ministry of Culture it’s beginning to reveal its noble past. What is apparent is both alarming and challenging. The complex is strewn with once magnificent bas relief now sadly either fallen or looted. But the site is now in safe hands while work begins to conserve what now remains.

THAI GOVERNMENT PLANS INTIGRATION OF BANGKOK TRANSPORT LINKS……..Thursday 5th January.
The Pheu Thai Party-led government plans to integrate all forms of mass transit, elevated trains, subway trains, buses and boats by using a single ticket while new mass transit projects are given the green light.
Authorities have set the timeframe to call bidding for eight projects in 2015. After 2019, five mass transit line extension projects will be built. Of the 10 lines, the Airport Rail Link (Phaya Thai to Suvarnabhumi Airport) has been built and the Light Red Line's 15km section from Bang Sue to Taling Chan is 85% complete.
The other eight projects are the Dark Red Line with a distance of 80.8km, Dark Green Line (66.5km), Light Green Line (55km), Blue Line (55km), Purple Line (42.8km), Orange Line (32.5 km), Pink Line (36km) and Yellow Line (30.4km).

BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY, WILLIAM HAGUE ARRIVES IN BURMA……..Thursday 5th January.
William Hague is the latest in a series of high-profile diplomats to seek to engage the new government in Burma and to try to bolster reform. The promise of the lifting of sanctions is top of the agenda while in return the British Foreign Secretary is demanding the release of more political prisoners.

ASSISTANCE REQUIRED IN THAILAND’S SOUTH AS TROOPS DEPLOY……..Thursday 5th January.
The worsening situation in Thailand’s southern provinces due to severe flooding caused by recent storms has caused extra troops to deploy. The normal compliment of 10,000 troops is overstretched as rains persist making travel and communications difficult. In Nakhon Si Thammarat alone 14 districts have been declared disaster zones with 124,000 people affected. In Lan Saka district, 52 tourists who were stranded at a resort in tambon Khiri Wong were rescued. In Nop Phi Tham and Si Chon districts, several communities remained cut off after bridges were damaged. Meanwhile, Phatthalung authorities issued landslide warnings for 28 locations in six districts ravaged by flooding.
Left: Yala floods.


FIRST SEA FESTIVAL IN PREAH SIHANOUK A SUCCESS……..Wednesday 4th January.
The popularity if Sea Games in the region was reinforced when nearly 100,000 local and international tourists attended Cambodia’s first-ever ‘Sea Festival’. It was held at O’Chheuteal, the most popular beach in Preah Sihanouk coastal province, some 230 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh. The event was held to reinforce the award last year for a World’s Most Beautiful Bay.

THAILANDS NEW YEAR ROAD TOLL: 314 DEATHS……..Wednesday 4th January.
A total of 314 people were killed and 3,116 injured in road accidents in Thailand during the first six of the seven dangerous days over the New Year, the Disaster Relief and Mitigation Department announced. The department said there were altogether 2,856 road accidents throughout the country from Dec 29 to Jan 3, killing 314 people and injuring 3,116. However these numbers represent a fall on the same period 12 months ago.

LANDSLIDE ISOLATES VILLAGE IN THAILAND'S NAKHON SI THAMMARAT……..Wednesday 4th January.
A landslide in Ron Phibun district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province has blocked off a village and a school, a community of more than 1,000 people. Earth and rocks began to fall from the mountain and block the road to Ban Khao Wang in tambon Hin Tok about noon today. The landslide broke four power poles, cutting electricity to the village and the school.

NEW CHUMPHON DISASTER ZONES……..Tuesday 3rd January.
Five of the eight districts in Thailand's Chumphon province have been declared disaster zones as the flood crisis continues in the South. The five districts are Lang Suan, one of the hardest-hit areas, Thung Tako, Sawi, Lamae and Phato. Tens of thousands of Lang Suan residents have been isolated by the rains as all 13 tambons in the district were under about 30cm of water. Heavy rain overnight which lasted about five hours triggered mountain runoff from the West to inundate the already flooded section of Asian Highway 41 (Chumphon-Surat Thani) in Thung Tako district.

NEW YEAR NEWS ROUND-UP, THAILAND……..7.04pm, Sunday 1st January.
Judging by TV coverage of NEW YEAR celebrations from Central World in Bangkok and Pattaya a good time was had by all, or maybe not quite all. While many foreigners and locals partied seemingly oblivious and immune to Thailand’s troubles families were mourning the loss of loved ones. Added to the 800 souls who lost their lives in the floods no less than 165 people died in road accidents leading up to New Year with Lord knows how many more will get added to the list before the celebrations are over. My advice applies to all…..better late in this world than early in the next. Rawang (take care) please.
Severe weather continues to affect Thailand’s South. Flash floods and high seas are making life difficult particularly in Songkhla and Narathiwat provinces.