Anything & Everything About Thailand

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 28 January 2006 :-

Chaturon okay with condom machine plan

By Sirikul Bunnag

The Education Ministry has no objection to the Public Health Ministry's plan to install condom-dispensing machines in schools, said Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng yesterday. The scheme had been proposed once before but a fierce outcry from conservatives forced the Public Health Ministry to back down.

The plan is being dusted off by health authorities who said it would help contain the spread of HIV/Aids and other sexually-transmitted diseases among youngsters.

Mr Chaturon yesterday said he has no objection to the plan, but suggested that, in light of public sensitivity, schools and universities should have the freedom to decide whether or not to allow condom-dispensing machines on their premises.

The institutions which agree to join the project must also work with the Public Health Ministry to organise sex education and HIV/Aids prevention programmes on their premises, he added.

Mr Chaturon said it is imperative that the two ministries work together to systematically promote the right value and perception about sex among the young.

''Young people must be made aware of the choice they have and of the proper path they should be taking,'' he stressed.

The education minister said the decision by academic institutions to join the scheme must not be profit-oriented. ''If that was the case, then the move would be no different from putting up condom dispensers in a hotel,'' Mr Chaturon said.

People who oppose the plan must try to see the gravity of the HIV/Aids situation in the country. Some of the measures launched to contain the HIV/Aids spread may be perceived as being unconventional and indiscreet on the surface, he said, ''but the question begging an answer is whether it is more acceptable to watch more and more young people get infected with Aids''.He said the issue was considered ''taboo'' in Thai society and thus always triggered a controversy whenever it was raised for public discussion

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Saturday 28 January 2006 :-

Beer gardens could soon be a thing of the past

Beer gardens may become a thing of the past if a proposal yesterday by the national subcommittee on alcohol consumption control is approved.

Besides a halt to issuing beer-garden licences, the panel set up by the Public Health Ministry proposed three other measures to control alcohol advertising in a resolution passed at its meeting.

Disease Control Department director Dr Thawat Suntrajarn, president of the subcommittee, said the measures comprised a 24-hour ban on alcohol advertisements in all media, except tie-in adverts in live broadcasts from overseas; a ban on the display of alcohol products, brands and manufacturers’ names in all media; a ban on advertising competitions organised by alcohol companies; and asking the Excise Department to stop issuing licences for beer gardens.

“We see many activities in beer gardens, such as using beer girls, that are kinds of advertisement, so if the Excise Department still allows beer gardens, those promotional activities should be forbidden,” he said.

Thawat said the resolution would be forwarded to the main committee on alcohol consumption control for approval, after which relevant parties such as Chamlong Srimuang, who is heading opposition to the stock-market listing of Thai Beverage Plc – the maker of Chang Beer – would be invited to give their opinions. If the proposal is approved, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board and the Public Relations Department will enforce the new rules, he added.

Jeff Kimble, commercial director of Thai Asia Pacific Brewery Co Ltd – the maker of Heineken beer – said it was difficult for the company to comment on the proposals now. He preferred to wait for details of the restrictions.

A source at a local brewery, who asked not to be named, lamented that the Public Health Ministry would be trying to block brewers from doing business through the new restrictions and was making it seem like alcohol firms were bad guys who are killing people.

“The aim of any controls and restrictions applied to alcoholic beverages is to reduce accidents and promote good health. But this restriction set to eliminate beer gardens is beyond that … It is going to be a campaign to score political points,” the source said.

“I would like to know the real reason why they want to place tough restrictions on our business like this. Anyway, all they have done is fail to address the cause of the problem. They would do better to keep close controls on irresponsible drinkers and revamp the taxation process,” the source said. “Why don’t they prohibit manufacturing entirely?” he said, sarcastically.

Chatrarat Kaewmorakot,
Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn
The Nation

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Saturday 28 January 2006 :-

Chiang Mai meeting centre to open in Dec 2007

The Tourism Authority has set December 2007 as the opening of the Bt1.2-billion Chiang Mai Meeting Incentive Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The centre will open in time to possibly host the January 2008 Asean Tourism Forum and in time to mark His Majesty the King’s birthday on December 5, 2007, according to Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Juthamas Siriwan.

She said the groundbreaking for project should commence shortly after appointing a building contractor in June. It would take 15 months to complete construction.

According to the TAT, the project is still being designed and architects are currently adjusting blueprints.

A progress report and construction schedule for the centre were presented last week during the Lanna Cluster Seminar, to Pracha Maleenont, tourism and sports minister. The report will also be presented to the mobile Cabinet meeting in Chiang Mai on February 7.

Juthamas said that when the centre was completed the project would be handed over to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, which would assume the lead role in attracting events to the convention centre.

However, it is also possible that the TAT would appoint a professional and independent management team.

There have been reports that expatriate executives who have worked with exhibition centres in Bangkok and Pattaya have shown interest in the project.

The TAT expects that the new venue will be able to host the Asean Tourism Forum, which would attract 2,000 delegates from Asean countries.

However, there could be a strong lobby to instead propose Pattaya, which has a larger inventory of rooms and is just 70 kilometres from the new Suvarnabhumi Airport, slated to open later this year.

Pattaya will host the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) annual conference this April and it has hosted various trade events of a similar size and nature as the tourism forum.

Suchat Sritama
The Nation

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 28 January 2006 :-

Grand exhibition to honor HM King planned

A major exhibition about Thailand's revered monarch, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, activities, which have greatly helped improved the livelihood of the Thai people, will be held in May to commemorate His Majesty the King's 60th year on the throne, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said here Saturday.

The exhibition, to be held at the IMPACT Trade and Exhibition Centre in Muang Thong Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok, would exhibit His Majesty the King's biography and his tireless efforts to help raise the standard of living of the people through various means such as his new agriculture theory and sufficiency economy concept, Mr. Thaksin said during his weekly radio address.

The Prime Minister said that so far kings, queens and sultans from 14 countries had confirmed to personally attend a royal function to celebrate the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession on the throne to be held from June 12-13.

Invitations have been sent to heads-of-state of 28 countries and so far 22 countries have confirmed to participate in the grand function.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 29 January 2006 :-

THAI to offer spa, massage services

Jet-lagged passengers can now find relief as Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) has come up with an innovative idea - offering spa and massage services to its passengers at Bangkok's Don Muang Airport and aboard its planes, the head of THAI announced Saturday.

Somchainuk Engtrakul, Acting President of the national carrier, said THAI would offer spa services to its passengers on the ground at the airport, while they await transit flights to other countries.

In addition, massage services will be given to airborne passengers, while travelling aboard its planes so that they would feel more comfortable.

Services to refresh jet-lagged travelors are expected to perk-up the low profits registered during the recent spate of rising fuel costs, depressing profitability.

The spa service is expected to be launched soon. He said he expected the service would also help publicize Thai spa and herb products.

Touching on THAI's service in 2006, he said the airline had planned to increase flight frequencies on routes which are popular among passengers.

For instance, flight frequencies from Bangkok to New York would be increased to five from four times a week, while Bangkok to Los Angeles flights would rise to four from three per week, he said.

Flight routes which are not making money - such as Bangkok to New Zealand - will have their service frequencies reduced.

He said he believed that rising oil prices on the world market would not affect THAI's earnings because the increases would be temporary and THAI would have more active services after the new Suvarnabhumi Airport is opened for service, which, he said, would boost profits.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 29 January 2006 :-

Taiwan to send 80 teachers to Thailand

Taiwan, after sending 22 Chinese-language teachers last year to Thailand, will send 80 more teachers to Thailand in 2006, a newspaper said Saturday.

"Thailand is satisfied with the performance of the 22 Taiwan teachers, so it has asked Taiwan to send 80 more teachers. The National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) will recruit and train these teachers next month," China Times daily said.

Thailand is importing Chinese-language teachers from Taiwan because Thai universities are teaching Chinese, and high schools in Thailand will start teaching Chinese in 2008.

Currently, Thailand recruits Chinese-language teachers from China, but many teachers have used the opportunity to seek permanent residence. A foreigner can apply to become a Thai permanent resident after having worked for five years in the country.

In July, Thailand signed an agreement with NTNU, commissioning NTNU to train Chinese-language teachers for Thailand.

Earlier this month, NTNU's acting director Huang Sheng visited Thailand to discuss cooperation in Chinese-language teaching, China Times said.

Thai senators and university directors told Huang that they are satisfied with the Taiwan teachers' quality and attitudes and want Taiwan to send 80 more teachers, the paper said.

During the Cold War, Taiwan was the centre for teaching Chinese, as China was closed to foreigners, but lost that status when China opened up to the outside world in the 1980s.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 29 January 2006 :-

Japan to donate planetarium to Thailand : Japan helps Thai young people 'see stars' with gift of planetarium

BANGKOK, Jan 28 (TNA) - The sciences of astronomy and physics, plus mathematics and the technology of satelleties and space travel are about to hit the Thai countryside in a big way.

Japan has informed the Thai government that it will donate a modern planetarium worth Bt15 million (US$375,000) to Thailand's Ministry of Education, Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang said here Saturday.

To help more Thai students 'see stars,' Mr. Chaturon said he would soon travel to Japan to accept the gift of the planetarium.

Meanwhile, the ministry's science study center is planning to build a mobile planetarium that can travel around the country, aimed at exciting interest and providing knowledge about astronomy to upcountry youths, he said.

Mr. Chaturon said he had instructed the center to study the concept proposed by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra regarding the development of knowledge to encourage young people interest in mathematicis and the sciences, he said.

[redlord]

100 students escape as big fire burns down boarding house

Published on Jan 29 , 2006

boarding house for female university students in Bangkok's Bang Kapi district was burnt down in a big fire, sending some 100 tenants to flee for their life, police said.



Five students were injured from inhaling smokes and no one was killed in the big fire which engulfed the four-story building on Soi Ramkhamhaeng 57 at 9:30 pm Saturday night.


Some 20 fire engines took about four hours to control blaze from spreading to other buildings, but by that time the fire had apparently consumed the building.


Police said the fire started on the second floor and quickly spread to other floors as the owner of the buildings had modified the building as boarding house by installing wood walls to make many more rooms for tenants.


Most of the tenants are students of the Ramkhamhaeng University .


Several tenants said they fled by climbing to a nearby building from a rooftop before the fire reached the top.

[redlord]

Thailand-Laos in talks over 26 Hmong children from refugee camp

Published on Jan 28 , 2006


Twenty-six Hmong children who were expelled from Thailand last month have been found in neighboring Laos, and the two governments are discussing ways to reunite them with their parents living in a refugee camp, the United Nations said Saturday.


"The children are in Laos," said Bhairaja Panday, deputy regional representative for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "The issue (over their reunion) has been raised by both governments," Panday said.


The children, boys and girls aged between 14 and 20, had been living in a refugee camp for the Hmong ethnic minority in northeastern Thailand's Phetchabun province bordering Laos. But last month Thailand expelled them as well as one adult, in secret and for unknown reasons. Several foreign sources said they were arrested under the pretext that they had strayed outside the camp precincts.


Panday declined to say how the Hmong children ended up in Laos but said Thailand and Laos were negotiating ways to help them reunite with their parents at the refugee camp.


"We have been urging both governments to find a way out of this. We would like that to happen as soon as possible because they are children," he said.

"We have heard that some kids need some kind of medical attention. We just have heard that some of them are maybe malnourished."

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 29 January 2006 :-

Dressed for success :
Parents hope price of breaking Islamic rules is worth a brighter future for their children

Story by WASSANA NANUAM

Many Muslim children attend Pattani's oldest Chinese-language school, hoping to one day get a good job in Malaysia or Singapore, but there is a price to pay.

To meet the school's "international standard", the children must accept certain rules. Girls cannot wear hiyab head scarves and boys must remove kapiyoh hats during class.

The students and parents, however, willingly compromise their religious dress code.

Hundreds of Muslim students are content to learn how to read, write and speak Chinese at the 86-year-old Chong Hua school which teaches kindergarten and primary school pupils in downtown Pattani.

The head scarf ban, however, does not seem to bother parents. An increasing number of Muslim families are eager to see their children learn Chinese, which they hope will be a ticket to a brighter future in Malaysia or Singapore.

On a tour of the school, synchronised speaking drills emanated from a classroom where first graders practised counting in Mandarin.

Among the pupils was Wan Muhammad Dor-ae, 7, who looked happy with the lessons. He started learning Chinese when he was three.

"I like studying Chinese. It's fun," he said.

Anuwat Jehnoh, a 12-year-old sixth grader, said job prospects in Malaysia or Singapore, which have large Chinese populations, were the main reason he took up the language. However, he said, personal security was also a consideration.

"An important thing is that it's safer there than in the three southernmost provinces. Malaysia and Singapore are nice places to live and work, with better paying jobs," he added.

Another sixth grader, Hufsoh Ngoh, 12, said her grandmother, who owns a grocery store behind Chao Mae Lim Kor Niew shrine in Pattani's Muang district, wanted her to be proficient in Chinese since the shop had many Chinese customers.

School headmistress Angkhana Nookhong conceded job prospects in Malaysia and Singapore was the magnet causing a surge in enrolments.

The school, Pattani's only Chinese-language school fully funded by the state, has 967 students, she said. Of these, 175 are Muslim.

The students study mainstream subjects in addition to one hour a day of Chinese. Other foreign languages, like English, are taught three hours a week.

She said it was compulsory that students, whether Buddhist or Muslim, wear the same uniform. The school, however, serves separate meals for Buddhist and Muslim students in its canteen.

"It's not actually a ban. It's widely known that our school [dress code] has been like this since our first days and parents agree to it. No-one complains as it's a school rule," the headmistress said.

She said that in the past students had nowhere to study Chinese on leaving the school after Prathom 6.

However, now that the Prince of Songkla University Demonstration School offers the language classes in its Mathayom Suksa 1-6 classes, the problem is a thing of the past.

"When we study a language, it's good to begin at a younger age. Here our students start as young as three years old, so they have good basics. But it's necessary to keep practising when learning a language," she said.

Waedueramae Mamingji, chief of the Pattani Islamic Committee, said it's up to parents whether they want to send their kids to schools that compel them to compromise Islam's dress code.

Under Islamic rules, children aged seven and older are encouraged to follow the religious dress code. It becomes mandatory when girls reach age nine and boys reach age 12-15.

"Parents have to be responsible in raising their kids, to ensure they follow religious rules, including dress code, at a young age. But since this is a school rule, and the children are very young, we have no right to stop them," he said.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 29 January 2006 :-

Gold sales drop sharply during Chinese New Year

Sales of gold during the Chinese New Year this year have dropped drastically compared to last year's holiday sales, apparently due to its soaring price, according to the President of the Gold Traders Association.

Jitti Tangsitpakdi said high gold prices had depressed sales during the popular Chinese holiday this year as people's purchasing power declined. He predicted that sales of gold, which is a favorite present during the annual celebrations, would tumble between 20 to 30 per cent this year.

Owners of gold shops in the Yavaraj area, Bangkok's Chinatown, saw their businesses going on quite actively Saturday afternoon and the festival traffic was heavy as people living in the area scheduled many exciting activities to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Yesterday, gold bar was being purchased at Bt10,200 (US$255) and the sales price was Bt10,300 per baht weight (15.2 grammes). Ornamental gold was bought at Bt10,081.40 and sold at Bt10,600 per baht weight.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 29 January 2006 :-

Interior Minister denies stolen arms smuggled from Malaysia

Interior Minister Air Chief Marshal Kongsak Wanthana today dismissed as rumour reports that weapons stolen in a raid on an army barracks two years ago and hidden since then in Malaysia will be carried back into Thailand to provide arms for staging insurgent attacks.

There is no substantial evidence to support the report and it should be treated as rumour.

Thailand and Malaysia have cooperated closely to prevent arms smuggling across the neighbours shared border, he said, adding that he believed no violence would occur in the deep South - at least not in the near future.

However, he said that he had ordered security officials to be on alert for any possible insurgent acts in four southern provinces -- Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla - all of which have substantial Thai Muslim populations.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 30 January 2006 :-

Big cinema complex opens in Yala

By Issara News Centre

Against the backdrop of ongoing violence, the trendiest and biggest entertainment complex in the three southernmost provinces opened for business in Yala on Jan 25.

Kom Akkadej, a veteran cinema operator and owner of Coliseum Intergroup Ltd, said construction began in 2003 but because of the escalating violence in early 2004 the project had stalled for a time.

"Despite the situation, I am still determined to soldier on. I am confident that the new cineplex will also attract people from Pattani and Narathiwat, not only Yala residents," Mr Kom said.

It was his ambition to transform stand-alone cinemas in the southern provinces into modern, multi-purpose cinema complexes, he said.

The 400-million-baht, four-storey Coliseum Cineplex Yala is on 18,000 square metres of land. Most of the space is dedicated to four cinemas, each with 800 seats. The rest is available for rent _ offices, food outlets, luxury goods shops and karaoke bars. New technology has also been brought in to make the complex more functional.

Mr Kom said the purchasing power of Yala people was evident. The KFC fastfood outlet was doing well, raking in 200,000 baht on the opening day of the cineplex.

Mr Kom, who is not a Yala native, said his business caters to pleasure seekers, people craving respite from the pressures of separatist unrest.

"My business has nothing to do with political or security issues. It is pure entertainment," he said.

Given the daily violence, security is a primary concern and there are guards on duty around the clock.

"Our customers are always willing to be frisked at the entrances. In fact, they say that without such strict security, they would be reluctant to come," he said.

Mr Kom has plans for another 300-million-baht complex in nearby Pattani, but lack of funding is delayjng construction. He said Krung Thai Bank was not happy with the situation in the province and would lend him only 100 million baht so only 600 foundation piles had been sunk so far.

"It is ironic that while the state is urging more investment in the region, the state bank is just looking the other way," he said.

Many businessmen were interested in getting a commercial foothold in the region, he said. But, ironically, most investors in Yala were from elsewhere, while the local investors were turning their backs on the province.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 30 January 2006 :-

Faster 'triple play' service on the way

By Komsan Tortermvasana

"Triple play" Internet service at the fastest broadband speeds available to date locally will make its debut in selected areas of Bangkok later this month.

The provider, Fiber-to-the-Home Co (FTTH), will use the Metropolitan Electricity Authority's fibre-optic network and then provide its own cable to home and corporate users.

Managing director Korbsak Chinwongwatana said the Qua-Triple Play service would be available in the Sukhumvit, Rama IV, Phloen Chit, Surawong, Silom, North and South Sathorn, Ramkhamhaeng, Bang Khen, Ram Intra, Chaeng Watthana and Ratchadaphisek areas.

In the first phase of the service, FTTH will offer a three-month free trial to 5,000 home and corporate users.

Triple-play services offer fast broadband Internet, video-on-demand and Internet-protocol phone through one connection.

FTTH will offer two bandwidths, 50 and 100 Mbps, he said.

Content for video-on-demand will be supplied by Orbis Online which will provide movies from Warner Brothers, Universal Pictures, Fox and Sony. The company is in negotiations to include all free television channels and local cable television services.

FTTH is also seeking local content providers to feed the broadband service.

Mr Korbsak said that bandwidth for video-on-demand would be just six Mbps, while the free-to-air service will use 4.5 Mbps and VoIP about 100 Kbps.

A subscriber of 50 Mbps will still have 40 Mbps of bandwidth to browse the Internet to watch video-on-demand, TV and talk on an Internet phone.

Mr Korbsak said that FTTH had invested nearly 500 million baht in equipment and fibre-cable laying for the first 5,000 subscribers.

After three months, if subscribers are satisfied with the services and want to continue, FTTH will charge a 2,500-baht cabling fee, plus a monthly service fee.

Services will comprise the basic free TV channels, but video-on-demand will cost an extra amount yet to be confirmed.

The second phase will extend cover to Phuket and Ayutthaya in March, and countrywide by the end of this year.

FTTH expects to have its cable network covering all parts of Bangkok by midyear, relying on the main MEA network.

At present FTTH services are only available in selected countries such as the United States, Japan and Australia.

FTTH technology was developed by an Australian consortium, including Scion Photonics, Senko, Viva Photonics, CEOS, Redcentre, the Victoria Photonics Network and other telecom companies.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 30 January 2006 :-

Isetan given a makeover : Japanese department store stresses style

By Pitsinee Jitpleecheep

Amid intensifying competition in the retail industry, Isetan Department Store at CentralWorld Plaza, has decided to update its image to target younger consumers.

The move is an effort to compete with the new 15-billion-baht Siam Paragon shopping centre and to bring Isetan into line with the new look of CentralWorld, which will be relaunched in May.

Attractions at the site, formerly known as the World Trade Center, include a 5,000-square-metre Tops Supermarket and the trendy Zen Department Store.

Ken Kobayashi, the newly appointed general manager of Isetan (Thailand) Co, said that as part of the CentralWorld development the store would receive a facelift for the first time in its 14-year history.

The full makeover is expected to take three years and will transform Isetan into a fashionable Japanese store for both Japanese and Thai customers who are willing to pay for quality, he said.

Renovations, set to begin in early February, will start with the first and fifth floors, with the three main areas set aside for fashion, quality products and Japanese brands.

Once the renovations are completed, Mr Kobayashi said the sales space of the cosmetics section would account for 50% of total commercial space, with the supermarket area making up 30-40%, and the home-decoration area would be scaled down.

"Fashion not only refers to clothing and accessories, but also food and other necessities for daily life. Everything available here is fashionable," he said.

Recently, the company opened a Jalux counter service at Isetan Supermarket, providing airport-delivery food services to Japan Airlines customers who make a purchase from the Jalux counter on their departure date.

"Isetan is a Japanese store. We will maintain our identity, and we will emphasise our Japanese uniqueness even more. We want to become a favourite department store with loyal customers, like Central Chidlom," said Mr Kobayashi.

He said that a key factor in running a successful department store amid Thailand's dynamic and complicated retail business was customer satisfaction.

Asked about the impact from the opening of Siam Paragon, Mr Kobayashi said Isetan's sales dropped by 10% after the new shopping mall opened on Dec 9.

However, he said the situation had gone back to normal since Christmas.

Last year, the company achieved a growth rate of 5%, thanks in particular to sales of Japanese food, which increased by 20% to 55 million baht.

Japanese food accounted for 20% of the total sales volume of food products in its supermarket.

This year, the company expects sales to grow on par with last year's performance, said Mr Kobayashi.