| 17th October |
Box Aware... |
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Deadly box jellyfish new to Thailand
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
bangkokpost.com
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The
discovery of a box jellyfish, one of the most poisonous in the world, in
Thai waters has prompted the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment to set up a team to study its origin and behaviour to
prevent attacks.
Somchai Bussarawit, the chief of the museum and aquarium at the Phuket
Marine Biological Centre, said there has never been any reports of this
type of box jellyfish being found in Thai waters before.
We are not sure whether it is a primitive species living here or a
foreign species. We have no information. That is why we have to set up a
team to investigate it, he said. Experts in Australia and Japan
would be asked to assist the study.
So far two deaths have been attributed to the jellyfish. The first case
happened in 2002 at Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province and the latest
in April at Koh Lanta in Krabi province.
The decision to study the box jellyfish came after the son of an
Australian journalist was stung while swimming at Koh Mak in Trat
province early this year.
The injured Australian returned to Thailand and alerted the Public
Health and Tourism and Sports ministries about box jellyfish found in
Thailand. He realised there were no measures or knowledge about
first-aid for people stung by box jellyfish.
Vinegar is the best first-aid solution to reduce the pain from a
jellyfish sting before the victim is sent to hospital, he said. Water
should not be used as it only increases the pain.
Resorts and hotels should have vinegar in their emergency kits, he
suggested.
Update:
Official Warning
29th October 2008:
The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has issued an official
warning following the collection of almost 40 box jellyfish in a trap in
shallow waters off Ao Nambor, on Phuket’s east coast.
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| 22nd August |
Thai Time... |
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Businesses to record internet transactions using Thai Standard Time
Permalink |
From Thai Visa
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23rd
August 2008 sees the implementation of a law requiring all businesses in
Thailand to set their computers to Thai Standard Time (TST)
Their computer systems will have to match the official national time
under a requirement set out in the 2007 Computer Violation Act.
According to the law, any company which provides computer-based
commercial and business services must keep records of all internet
traffic, including the names of all users, taking in those who sent and
received emails, and the times, dates and durations of computer use, for
90 days.
The law is aimed at easing criminal investigations, especially into
internet crime and other computer-based offences.
Internet cafe operators will be obliged to record the names and ID card
numbers of anybody who uses their services, as well as the time, date
and duration of their visit and addresses of all websites they access.
Those who do not record this information or who do not adhere to TST
will be fined between 100,000 and 500,000 baht.
Personal computers are exempt from the law, although internet service
providers already retain information about multimedia transfers, such as
videos, audio files and pictures. Mobile phone operators similarly log
call details and information on MMS (Multimedia Message Service)
transmissions.
Instructions for installing the official time on computers are posted on
the Hydrographic Department's website at http://www.navy.mi.th/hydro/time
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| 17th August |
Murderous Wives... |
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Bar girl and the expat: a killing foretold
Permalink |
See
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
Every
year hundreds of Britons leave the UK to marry Thai brides. The perils
of such liaisons were revealed last week when retired engineer Ian
Beeston was murdered by his wife and her lover.
This was no isolated romance that culminated in a tragedy. The British
embassy in Bangkok processes the wedding documents of up to 70 couples
each week. The requests are almost exclusively from older British men -
among 860,000 UK tourists each year - hoping to marry younger Thai
women. But for any British man hoping to follow in Beeston's footsteps
and build a new better life in Thailand, his death was a stark reminder
of how badly things can go wrong.
...Read full
article
from
guardian.co.uk
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| 3rd August |
Cancerous Joss Sticks... |
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Beware of health hazard in Thai temples
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
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Joss
sticks lit as offerings in shrines and temples fill the air with
cancer-causing toxins as deadly as traffic fumes and cigarette smoke,
according to a Thai study.
Dr Manoon Leechawengwong, who led a two-year study of temple workers
tasked with clearing the smouldering sticks, found the mix of chemicals
in the smoke put them at risk of leukaemia, lung, blood and bladder
cancers. One joss stick creates the same amount of cancer-causing
chemicals at one cigarette, said Manoon.
The findings came from 40 workers in three temples at Ayutthaya,
Chachoengsao and Samut Prakan.
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| 20th July |
Working it Out... |
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| |
Work Permit changes being implemented
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
bangkokpost.com
See also
www.tillekeandgibbins.com
|
On
Feb 23, 2008, the law governing work permits (Working of Aliens Act)
generated much attention when it emerged to replace its 30-year-old
predecessor. Although the implementation of the major part of this new
law has been delayed pending the issuing of several ministerial
regulations, it would be prudent for working aliens to familiarise
themselves with some key changes.
The greatest point of interest is the punishment imposed on both
employer and employee for an employee working without a work permit. The
new Act imposes a heavy fine ranging from 2,000 to 100,000 baht upon a
violating [alien] employee, significantly increased from 5,000 baht,
and/or a five-year term of imprisonment, increased from three years. An
employer hiring an alien without a work permit will face high fine of
10,000 to 100,000 baht, although the former three-year imprisonment has
been eliminated. Labour officials are now empowered to arrest (without a
warrant) any alien suspected of working without a work permit.
Depending on one's point of view, the penalties seem to be harsher for
employees and lighter for employers. The new law will allow any alien
worker who pleads guilty and voluntarily leaves Thailand within 30 days
to be fined without a trial.
Under the new law, a work permit of up to two years may be granted
instead of one year under the old law. The most welcome change is that a
work permit will no longer be tied to the duration of stay that is
stamped on an alien's passport. In other words, work permit holders who
do not have a one-year duration of stay will not need to keep extending
their work permits by leaving and returning to Thailand on a "visa run"
to get a new duration of stay. Nevertheless, work permit holders will
still have the duty under immigration laws to maintain a valid duration
of stay while in Thailand. This new development awaits implementation in
the near future.
The new work permit fee is 20,000 baht. Renewal will cost the same
price. In addition, an employer applying to hire alien employees who are
not deemed skilled or expert will be charged a 10,000-baht fee per
alien. The Department of Employment has not applied these new fee rates
as yet.
Employers or employees are no longer obligated to report to the
Department of Employment and return a work permit when employment has
ended. Under the old law, those who failed to comply would have to pay a
fine of 1,000 baht at a police station, which was quite unnecessary and
inconvenient.
Nonetheless, labour officials still encourage both parties to report the
cessation of employment, otherwise their system would not permit the
employee to get a new permit with another employer or the old employer
to fill the vacant position.
The Immigration Bureau has reacted to this development. The usual
seven-day period of stay after the cessation of work will no longer be
automatic but will be granted upon request and payment of 1,900 baht.
Most importantly, a further temporary stay while a new work permit
application is under consideration will not be given anymore. As a
result, aliens switching jobs would be compelled to process their new
work permit within seven days or leave Thailand to get a new business
visa from a Thai consulate.
Several provisions dedicated to a fund for sending aliens out of the
Kingdom have been added. In addition to the existing personal income tax
and social security withholdings, the employer will soon be obligated to
contribute to the fund by withholding a certain amount from the income
paid to work permit holders. The criteria and conditions relating to the
contribution are to be set forth later. The fund is intended to relieve
the government of the high cost of deporting guilty working aliens and
illegal immigrants.
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| 15th July |
Siam Commercial Atm Milking... |
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| |
Even Thai banks have started treating farangs like a walking ATM
Permalink |
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Siam
Commercial bank have started imposing an ATM fee of 20 Baht per
transaction.
This is over and above any fees that your own bank charge
Apparently they just started charging the fee as of June 13th.
Not sure if they charge the fee to all customers though.
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| 3rd July |
Would you Credit it... |
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Rules for farangs to get Thai credit cards
Permalink |
From the
Nation
|
Thai
banks set guidelines on minimum Thai work experience and monthly income
for foreign customers wishing to use plastic
For a credit-card application, each card issuer requires a work permit
and passport from foreign applicants.
However, each bank has different conditions for credit-card
applications.
- The Bangkok Bank credit card is available to foreign applicants
who are permanent residents or have had a work permit for at least one
year, while other conditions are the same as for Thai applicants.
- Kasikornbank requires foreign customers to have a minimum of one
year's work experience in Thailand to apply for a credit card, with a
minimum monthly income of Bt50,000.
- They must also provide a credit bureau's authorisation, and their
work permit must be valid for at least six month after the application
date. Customers will be informed of the approval result within 16 days
for applications in Bangkok and 19 days upcountry.
- Siam Commercial Bank requires a work permit and minimum monthly
salary of Bt100,000, compared with Thai applicants' minimum income of
Bt15,000. The bank also needs foreign customers to show a bank
statement covering the past six months.
- Krung Thai Bank requires foreign applicants to have had a work
permit for at least two years, but their requirement for minimum
monthly income is Bt15,000, the same as for Thai applicants. They must
also show a bank statement covering the past three months and their
passport.
- TMB Bank offers two choices of credit-card applications for
foreigners. The first requires lending deals with corporations of at
least three years and a minimum credit line of Bt30 million. Expats
employed by these companies are eligible to apply for a TMB Bank
credit card. A work permits must also be shown.
The second choice is offered to individual foreigners who open a
fixed-deposit account with the bank. They must use the account as
collateral for their credit-card application and will receive a credit
line of not more than 80 per cent of the deposit amount.
- Bank of Ayudhya requires three years' local work experience and a
minimum monthly income of Bt50,000 for a classic card and one year's
local work experience and a monthly salary of Bt100,000 for gold and
platinum cards. Self-employed customers should have average cash flow
in their bank account of Bt350,000 a month or more for the classic
card and Bt700,000 or more for gold and platinum cards. Applicants
must submit copies of their passport and work permit valid for at
least six months. Company employees need a copy of a payroll slip and
a bank statement covering the past six months.
Remember that if any of your credit cards has been lost, stolen or
retained by an ATM or if you suspect you have been the victim of fraud,
contact your card issuer immediately. In cancelling your card or putting
a hold on your account, you will be liable for all transactions made
before notifying the bank.
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| 8th May |
Don't Text and Drive... |
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| |
Mobile phone use whilst driving now illegal
Permalink |
From the
Nation
|
Bangkok
Metropolitan Police have urged motorists not to use cell phones while
driving or face a Bt400 to Bt1,000 fine starting from May 8 2008.
Pol MajGen Phanu Kerdlarpphol, deputy city police commissioner, said his
bureau had been promoting the ban on mobile phone use with 80 signs
across Bangkok for sometime now, as well as billboards along expressways
and at toll way booths.
Police at checkpoints will immediately arrest drivers using mobile
phones while driving. Digital cameras will also be used to monitor and
record pictures of the violators, he said.
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| 6th May |
Wat No Beer?... |
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Temples are declare alcohol free by force of law
Permalink |
At first glance it seems fair enough that temples should be alcohol
free. However they also have a secondary function acting like a church
hall for the community, particularly for funeral wakes. It seems a bit
of a shame if this new idea impacts the amount of people who turn up for
these more community than religious events.From the
Bangkok Post
|
The
Buddhist Sangha Council has ordered all temples to observe the law
prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages at religious
sites.
Amnart Buasiri, head of the secretariat of the Sangha Council, said
the move was in response to a petition from the public network against
alcohol consumption.
The network voiced concern that monks, lay staff and members of the
public were unaware that the new Alcohol Control Act is in effect. It
claimed that in several temples the sale and consumption of alcoholic
drinks was being allowed.
Article 27(1) of the act prohibits the sale of alcoholic drinks at
religious sites, while article 31(1) bans the consumption of alcohol at
those sites, unless it is part of a religious ritual. Offenders are
liable to six months in jail and/or a fine of 10,000 baht.
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| 27th April |
Farangs seek the warmth of large Thai Families... |
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Bollox conclusion from survey of farangs marrying into Isaan
Permalink |
From the
Nation
|
The
Cambodian Government recently suspended marriages between local women
and foreigners after hearing from the International Organisation for
Migration about the plight of women who migrate to their spouses'
countries.
But in Thailand, a migration of foreign or "farang" husbands to live in
their Thai wives' rural villages in the northeastern provinces (Isaan
region) has revealed other sides of cross-cultural marriages.
Most foreign husbands today know well that they are not married only to
a Thai wife but also to her large family, senior anthropologist Suriya
Smutkupt said.
From 2005 to 2007, Suriya travelled intensively from his hometown in
Chiang Mai province in the north to talk to farang husbands in villages
in the northeastern provinces of Khon Kaen, Nakhon Rachasima and
Udon Thani.
They told me their wives' large families gave them warmth that they
could never find in their own countries, Suriya said.
Also, foreign sons-in-law of Isaan find all the conveniences of their
home countries here and can stay connected to their friends and
relatives via the Internet, he said.
Suriya spoke to 34 men from Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany,
Switzer-land, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States. Their Isaan
wives are of rural, low-income and low-education families and many
couples met in tourist destinations such as Pattaya, he said. They said
they understood that Thai women become sex workers because their
families are poor.
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| 16th April |
Crime... |
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| |
Unbelievably uninvestigated murders
Permalink |
From
Pattaya City News
|
An
unbelievable case from Larn Island which resulted in the death of two
Korean Female Tourists.
Parents of the victims, who are now known to be twins, have arrived in
Thailand and have formally identified their daughters. They have been
named as Miss Park Ji Hee and Miss Park Mi Hee, both aged 28.
The pair have been living here in Thailand for the last 2 years and came
to Larn Island by boat on 10th April at 9am. They were found dead the
next morning.
It appears that evidence collected suggests a
third party was not involved in their death and according to Police
Major General Bundit, the Commander of Chonburi Provincial Police, who
went to the scene, head wounds on the victims appear to have been
self-inflicted following a night of heavy drinking. The pair was thought
to have hit their heads on rocks on the beach and when they awoke, they
found themselves in the water. One of the twins is then believed to have
tied her hands together with her sister in an attempt to save both of
them from the water, however due to their intoxicated state and
tiredness, they are both believed to have drowned and their bodies were
then washed up on the beach.
The parents of the deceased have reviewed the evidence and agree with
the current Police theory which is backed up with toxicology reports and
post mortem results.
Police have now closed the case.
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|
13th January |
With so many Britons
murdered in Thailand... |
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Why does our Government not warn of the dangers?
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From the
Independent see
full article
by Andrew Spooner (author of Footprint Thailand)
|
At
least 17 Britons have been murdered in Thailand since 2003 – including
Toby Charnaud, brutally slain by his Thai wife. Now, his family want to
know why our Government is so reluctant to warn that the 'Land of
Smiles' is one of the most dangerous places on earth for its British
residents
The Charnauds discovered a Thailand not seen in its tourist authorities'
glossy brochures. Yet what also emerges from the death of Charnaud and
many others is the fact that Thailand, despite its popularity with the
British, is among the most dangerous places in the world for UK visitors
– a fact that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been reluctant
to publicise.
Charnaud's death at the hands of his ex-wife provides a tragic glimpse
of an altogether darker aspect of the so-called "Land of Smiles".
Thailand has one of the world's highest per-capita murder rates – when
the UN last counted it in 2000, it stood at 5,140 per year, though the
annual total is now speculated to be more than 6,000. In the years 2003
to 2006, 17 of these victims were UK nationals, according to the FCO.
On average, about 50 civilian UK nationals are murdered around the world
each year (excluding terrorist attacks). This means that almost 10 per
cent of all murders of Britons abroad are committed in Thailand – a
chilling figure, given that Thailand comprises only 0.6%of all foreign
travel from UK shores.
The murder rate is perhaps surprising; of the 420,000 annual British
travellers to Thailand, a tiny percentage are the victims of crime. The
Thais are friendly and engaging hosts and, with their famous beaches,
handsome resorts and low prices bringing in millions of tourists, it is
easy to understand why we have fallen in love with the country, and
currently comprise its highest proportion of Western visitors.
Yet its dark side is quite visible. Hua Hin, where Charnaud lived and
worked, is one of Thailand's most relaxed resorts, located 150 miles
south of Bangkok. Long a getaway for Thai royalty, who have attracted a
whole section of the Thai elite in their wake, it has a smattering of
seedy bars, but the town is a picture of innocence compared with
Pattaya, 150 miles north across the Gulf of Thailand. It is here that
the country's less-welcome foreign visitors encounter the darker, more
dangerous reaches of Thai culture; it is here that Thailand's huge sex
industry has its epicentre.
While there is no suggestion that Charnaud was in any way involved in
this world. But Pattaya is worth including in his story for a fuller
picture of the society in which he lived and died; it is believed by
some that more British citizens meet a violent end here than anywhere
else in Thailand.
On any given day, tens of thousands of prostitutes can be seen working
the brothels, bars, streets, hotel lobbies, beach fronts and even
shopping malls of this gaudy city. Pattaya is also the focus for high
levels of criminal activity involving international gangs from Russia,
Germany, the UK and China. The number of deaths of British nationals' in
Pattaya is hard to ascertain – though some sources claim that it is up
to four every week, neither the FCO nor the Thai authorities have any
data they are prepared to release. However, what can be speculated with
some confidence is that of the 226 average annual deaths of British
citizens in Thailand recorded by the FCO, a large percentage are in
Pattaya. (The FCO refuse to list causes of deaths, so we must also
speculate as to the reasons for this morbid hotspot. Anecdotal evidence
suggests straightforward causes of death for some, such as road
accidents and health problems; then there are the suspicious-sounding
"suicides" – jumping from balconies seems to be a favoured method.)
At present FCO information regarding deaths in Thailand is limited. Andy
Pearce, the deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Bangkok,
admits that the murder rate of Britons resident in Thailand is about the
same as the domestic Thai rate – roughly five times higher than in the
UK – but adds that this is only an estimate. (There are thought to be
about 50,000 British resident in the country at present).
Read the
full article
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|
6th January |
Airlines on Thai Time... |
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Compensation now due for severely delayed or cancelled flights
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From the Bangkok Post
|
Airlines
operating in Thailand are facing stringent new legal requirements that
make them more accountable to passengers in cases of flight delays,
cancellations and boarding denials.
Effective this month, passengers on scheduled domestic routes are
entitled to ticket refunds and compensation under rules set by the
Transport Ministry.
Modelled on European Union (EU) rules, the regulations promise to make
it fair and transparent for passengers in terms of what they can legally
expect in events that affect reserved air travel.
The rules also include clear guidelines on how airlines are expected to
treat passengers and avoid disputes that often are raised through the
media and the Consumer Protection Board.
Notably, they will make low-cost carriers more accountable for on-time
performance and better passenger treatment in case of delays,
cancellations and denied boarding.
If a passenger has booked, paid and checked in at the time specified,
but is denied boarding for no good reason, he or she is entitled to a
full refund of the ticket price, compensation of 1,200 baht per sector,
or 600 baht if the airline can board the passenger in less than three
hours from the original departure time.
Carriers must also provide appropriate free food and drinks to
passengers waiting for new flights, and allow them to use phones, fax or
e-mail twice at no cost.
If a flight is delayed by more than one day, airlines must provide
lodging and airport transfers without charge.
But there are exceptions if the airline has informed the passengers of
the delay at least three days in prior to the departure, and the cause
is not due to a political situation, weather conditions, security or
industrial action by third-party aviation service providers.
Airlines reserve the rights not to offer compensation in cases
associated with health, aviation security, air safety and incomplete
travel documents.
Passengers also have the right to ask the carrier to provide the soonest
replacement flight with no additional cost, or to pay the difference if
the replacement fare is cheaper.
If a flight is delayed for more than three hours, passengers can seek
ticket refunds, change the flight or choose other modes of transport to
arrive at their destination at or near the time specified in the
original tickets without additional charges.
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