Anything & Everything About Thailand

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 4 May 2006 :-

Bicycle parking at BMA offices

Parking areas are being set aside for bicycles at all Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) offices. The move, prompted by the soaring price of fuel, is to cater for employees who cycle to work and to encourage more people to follow their example and at the same time help reduce air pollution.
Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin said yesterday the move is part of the BMA's energy-saving campaign.

As a first step, bicycle parking has been provided at the BMA's headquarters on Dinso road and its second office in Din Daeng district.

As well, the 50 district offices and all BMA-run agencies have been instructed to designate parking areas for bicycles.

Mr Apirak said the city is urging people to use public transport instead of private cars and, with this in mind, is expediting the extension of the skytrain route.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 4 May 2006 :-

'Reliable evidence' found of insurgent camps in Malaysia

Pattani : An intelligence unit says it has obtained reliable evidence backing a recent report that 50 female members of a separatist group were trained across the border in Malaysia. An intelligence source said security forces had been advised to be on high alert after they verified recently discovered evidence indicating that female insurgents were trained in Malaysia.

Evidence showed that one camp was located near Ipoh, the capital city of Perak state, and another in Kota Baru, in the northern state of Kelantan.

The training camps were believed to have produced three batches of separatists.

The source said the first and second groups have already arrived in Thailand and were being kept in readiness for future attacks.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 4 May 2006 :-

Budget Airline : One-Two-Go now coming of age

Orient Thai Airlines has spun off its budget carrier One-Two-Go to create an entity of its own right in a revamp said to be offering growth opportunities and a joint-venture possibility. Orient Thai is in the process of securing a separate flying licence for One-Two-Go which has been flying under its parent carrier's permit since its inception in December 2003.

''We want to establish a clear division between Orient Thai and One-Two-Go to facilitate One-Two-Go's growth plan and paving the way for joint-venture partners,'' said Udom Tantiprasongchai, the founder and chairman of the privately-owned airlines.

The spin-off will mean the expansion of One-Two-Go's domestic flight network, as well as its fleet of jetliners.

In compliance with the official conditions attached to the full licence, which is expected to be issued in the next one or two months, the budget airline will embark on four feeder routes starting May 15, in addition to the four trunk lines.

One-Two-Go, the first budget carrier launched in Thailand, intends to initially start offering one flight a day from Bangkok to Phitsanulok, Krabi, and Nakhon Si Thammarat, and from Hat Yai to Phuket.

It is operating to five major domestic cities from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (five flights daily), Chiang Rai (1), Phuket (4), Hat Yai (1) and Surat Thani (1).

Mr Udom said the airline was putting up to six MD-82 jetliners into the One-Two-Go's current fleet now comprising four such aircraft, each of which is capable of carrying 172 passengers.

Four of the six additional jets would join its fleet starting from June to the end of the year.

It has received its own flight code '' OG'' replacing Orient Thai's ''OX''.

Meanwhile, Orient Thai will concentrate on international scheduled flights and charter operation.

Mr Udom expressed the intention to maintain the holding structure of Orient Thai, which offers scheduled services to Hong Kong and Seoul.

One-Two-Go has asked for government permission to raise the fuel surcharge by 100 baht to 400 baht per sector, about the same level as announced by national carrier Thai Airways International (THAI). One-Two-Go's new fuel surcharge would go into effect on May 15 compared to June 1 at THAI.

''The fuel-cost burden on us is more urgent than THAI which has a deep pocket,'' Mr Udom said, noting the combined fuel bills of Orient Thai and One-Two-Go have now soared to US$4-5 million a month.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Thursday 4 May 2006 :-

Health problems hit hardest in Bangkok

Bangkok residents are living with constant depression, stress and mood swings, according to a survey designed to measure our quality of life.

The survey covered 3,158 people in Bangkok and the larger provinces such as Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chon Buri and Songkhla.

The Thai Health Promotion Foundation (Thai Health), psychiatrists from Ramathibodi Hospital, and the Abac Research Poll Centre jointly conducted the survey between April 15 and April 29.

"Bangkok residents' physical and mental health problems are greater than others," said Ramathibodi Hospital's deputy director Dr Ronnachai Kongsakon.

According to the survey, people in the eastern region enjoyed better physical health than others while people in the North enjoyed the best mental health compared with those living in other regions.

"If we categorise people into those in living in town and those living out of town, we found that those in town enjoy better physical health - but poorer mental health," Ronnachai added.

Categorised by age groups, he said the elderly tended to enjoy better mental health but faced poorer physical health compared with younger people.

The survey also found that widowed, divorced and separated people had a poorer quality of life both physically and mentally.

Krisada Ruangareerat of Thai Health said the survey showed the health of Thais in general was still poorer than those in developed countries. "We are going to improve their quality of life," he said.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Thursday 4 May 2006 :-

Vietnam looms as major competitor to Kingdom, says report

Vietnam will be a major competitor to Thailand in three areas - trade, tourism and investment - Kasikorn Research Centre said yesterday.

A new research report by the think-tank said Vietnam was rich in natural resources, especially oil, and was expected to post an economic growth rate of 7.6-8 per cent in 2006, the best performance in the Asean region.

That's compared with Thailand's economy, which is expected to grow in a range of only 4-4.5 per cent this year, lagging behind six Asean countries.

Over the past 10 years, Vietnamese exports have more than quadrupled from US$7.3 billion (Bt272.5 billion) in 1996 to $32.2 billion in 2005, a high growth of 20 per cent per year, on average.

By comparison, Thailand's exports doubled to $110.9 billion in 2005 from $55.9 billion in 1996, representing an average annual increase of 10 per cent over the past 10 years.

Although Vietnamese exports are worth about a third of Thailand's, Vietnam will overtake Thailand within the next 14 years. By 2020, Vietnamese exports are expected to total almost $500 billion against Thailand's $463 billion, according to Kasikorn.

In the first quarter of the year, Vietnam and Thailand approved foreign investment projects valued about the same in the aggregate.

Vietnamese authorities approved 215 new investment projects worth $1.6 billion, while Thailand's BoI approved 200 projects worth $2 billion. The number of projects in Thailand increased 9.9 per cent from the first quarter of 2005 and the aggregate value jumped 58 per cent.

Foreign businesses that invest in Vietnam and Thailand are virtually the same types of companies from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China and the US.

If Thailand's investment atmosphere turns gloomy, particularly due to political turmoil, foreign investors will lose confidence and may shift more investments to Thailand's neighbours, including Vietnam where the political situation is calm, Kasikorn concluded. But, if Thailand's political situation gets back on track in the last half of the year, foreign investment in Thailand should improve.

Tourist arrivals in Vietnam rose 18.4 per cent to 3.5 million in 2005 from 2004, or one-third of the 11 million arrivals to Thailand in 2005. Vietnam's tourism has been growing steadily over the past two or three years and was not affected by the December 2004 tsunami.

Vietnamese authorities have set a target of attracting 3.6-3.8 million foreign tourists to Vietnam this year.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 5 May 2006 :-

Pump prices creep close to 30 baht

The top two Thai oil firms, PTT Plc and Shell Corp (Thailand), both raised the prices of fuel of all types, at all service stations this morning. They had delayed the latest, 50-satang per litre price rise by other companies by a day.

PTT pump prices for all fuel still are 40 satang below the others. As of this morning, here are the standard fuel prices in the GBA (greater Bangkok area) as of today, except for PTT:

Premium gasoline: 29.24 baht per litre (equivalent to about $3.10 per US gallon)

Regular gasoline: 28.94

Diesel: 26.59

Gasohol: 27.74

Chaivat Churitti, PTT's senior executive vice president for the Oil Business Group, said that fuel costs of all local oil traders have surged as global oil prices have risen by US$3-5 per barrel over the past days, caused by concerns over a nuclear conflict between Iran and western countries, as well as internal problems in such oil producing countries as Nigeria, Iraq and Bolivia.

He noted that the crude oil price in Dubai had jumped to US$68.35 per barrel, while the prices of premium gasoline and diesel in Singapore had surged to US$90.65 and US$87.01 per barrel.

PTT and other local oil traders, therefore, had no choice but to raise retail prices to reduce the loss, Mr Chaivat said.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 5 May 2006 :-

Petrol costs force change of habits : Many admit urgent need to tighten belts

Rising fuel costs have forced low and middle-income families in Bangkok to change a few of their habits, giving up on what they usually take for granted. Breadwinners interviewed by the Bangkok Post agreed the current financial crunch could easily plunge them deeper into debt if they did not change their lifestyles.

Since the petrol price began to surge steadily, many people suddenly found themselves unable to afford to drive their cars to work everyday, to party with friends after work regularly, or take their children to amusement parks as often as before.

Falun Wongnamkham, 39, a senior staff member of Thai Watthanapanich Company, said he, his wife and their two children had to cut back their spending to cope with the rising inflation.

He used to drive to his office on Rama 3 road from his home in the Rangsit area of Pathum Thani. Now he rides a bus or the subway to save his petrol spending averaging at 200 baht a day.

''Although public transport is rather inconvenient and less accessible for people living in the suburbs like me, it's better than paying for expensive petrol,'' he said.

Also, amusement parks are out of the question for his children for the time being. Instead, he take them swimming.

''I paid only 20 baht for each of them and they could swim for nearly one whole day,'' Mr Falun said.

His wife now shops at a grocery in the neighbourhood, cutting down her monthly shopping expenses by about half.

Komin Honglila, 30, head of the personnel department of Delta Co in Lat Krabang district, said he used to drive to work regularly but has recently switched to riding a motorcycle three days a week.

After-work parties are now a luxury he must do without.

''I now think more carefully about spending because I have already run up 200,000 baht in credit-card debt and I have my child to take care of,'' he said.

His wife now cooks for them after returning home in the evening.

Mr Komin said many of his colleagues were also feeling the crunch. Most have already switched to public transport.

Panich Wikitseth, a deputy Bangkok governor overseeing the city administration's Family Savings Promotion Centre (FSPC) project, said the surging fuel price was teaching many people in Bangkok the value of prudent spending.

Mr Panich said the city administration has been running the FSPC project in 12 districts for about a year now. Some 50,000 people have sought advice on personal savings, and they were told to keep a household spending account in order to keep track of their daily expenses.

Fast rising fuel prices also added to the hardship of blue-collar workers who found their expenses were outstripping their overtime pay and even second-job earnings.

Kingkamol Ampanthong, 40, head of a garment factory in Nakhon Pathom, said her family relies on her overtime pay although she and her husband together earn about 15,500 baht a month in regular wages. The rising cost of living is putting more financial strain on her family. A second job is out of the question for her as she does not have spare time.

Wanpen Premkaew, a staff member of the human resources department at another factory, said she was tightening her belt even harder as the rising fuel price forced her to live the most basic lifestyle.

Chalee Loysoong, a car-making company employee, said he was already ''swamped'' by fixed expenses such as house mortgage.

His wife brings home some extra cash from a small photocopying business but the supplementary income does not stretch as far as it used to.

The family no longer eats out or spends on fancy clothes.

Suay (not real name), 43, said she is moonlighting as a health food saleswoman. She earns a salary of 14,000 baht a month and is still living with her parents.

It is too expensive living alone and raising a son at the same time, she said.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Friday 5 May 2006 :-

Cabinet will decide belt tightening as petrol prices soar

The Cabinet will debate belt tightening measures on Tuesday as petrol prices continue to spread gloom across the country.

"With the soaring oil price, it is vital to find ways to cut costs and not just complain," Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya said on Saturday.

Chidchai said he had already asked his colleague Wissanu Kreangam to map out costsaving measฌures in order to ensure that govฌernment agencies stayed within their budgets despite the increased cost of energy.

He said he would discuss the impact on the economy with the National Economic and Social Development Board in the near future.

Commenting on the Royal Thai Police's concern about its budget being insufficient to cover the increased oil price, he said police as well as other agencies could realloฌcate money from nonessential spending plans to compensate.

"State revenues for the next fisฌcal year are expected to stay on course, hence the government has only a single problem to overcome - energy price," he said.

He vowed to try and boost exports and inbound tourist arrivals in order to balance out the more expensive oil imports.

In regard to police measures to cope with the oil price hike, many patrol cars had switched to using gasohol, Maj General Sumeth Ruangsawat, commander of Patrol and Special Operations Division, said.

Patrol routes were redesigned to focus on areas with high crime rates and high security risk, he said.

"The public can help police to save petrol costs by refraining from committing crimes," he said.

Highway Police commander Maj General Suwira Songmetta said funds earmarked for petrol had dried up with six months still to go in the fiscal year.

Suwira said the Budget Bureau alloฌcated the budget based on the petrol price at Bt10 a litre.

To overcome the budgetary conฌstraints, he said he reallocated funds from car mainteฌnance.

The oil price hike impacted on the number of dispatches to rescue road acciฌdents.

Sawang Prateep Foundation, a charity for rescue work in Chon Buri's Sri Racha district, said petrol expenses had soared from Bt30,000 a month to Bt50,000 for its fleet of five emergency service vehicles.

Foundation chairman Sakcharoen Daengprasertsuk said he was forced to be more selective in responding to road accidents in order to stay financially afloat.

"Our emergency service vehicles will only be dispatched to serious incidents," he said.

[sosman]

Airasia from KL to Alor Setar and Alor Setar to Hatyai (By land)

Latest news from The Star, 6 May

AirAsia mulls northern hub

ALOR STAR: AirAsia will choose either Penang or Alor Star as its northern region low-cost-carrier hub.

Chief executive officer Tony Fernandes said the decision would depend on cost, support and packages offered by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.

“There is a great demand from tourists from China and India to fly to southern Thailand, Penang and Langkawi.

“But we can only have one hub. Our decision will depend on the cost and support, as we are starting something new,” he said at the new RM162mil Sultan Abdul Halim terminal here.

Fernandes had accompanied Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy aboard an AirAsia flight to the terminal yesterday morning.

The Airbus A320 with 79 passengers, including the minister, was the first plane to land at the new terminal, which began operations yesterday.

The terminal has the capacity to handle 38 commercial aircraft a day but is currently only handling an average of four flights daily.

The old terminal, located more than a kilometre away in Kepala Batas, was officially shut down yesterday after being in service for 26 years.

Fernandes said AirAsia flights to the Alor Star airport would be increased from seven a week to 14 next month.

“We are also reviving the coach services (from Alor Star airport) to Haadyai next month,” he said.

Chan said the airport would be declared an international airport once it attracts international flights. He said it was up to the state government to promote the state to draw tourists.

“When there is demand, the international airlines will come in,” he said.

Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said a taskforce had been formed to woo international airlines.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Saturday 6 May 2006 :-

Traffic Relief for Chiang Mai : Residents of northern capital can look forward to a better quality of life if Bt7-bn transit system is approved

Residents of Chiang Mai and visitors to this northern city may soon get relief from the worsening traffic congestion, if the city gets the go-ahead for a Bt7-billion mass-transit system.

A public hearing on the proposed project will take place later this month and if given the green light, the 40km bus rapid transit system could be operational in the next two years.

Called the Chiang Mai Mass Transit System (CTS), the plan proposes four lines of rapid bus service with dedicated traffic lanes.

The system will cover a total of 150 square kilometres of the central and densely populated areas of Chiang Mai.

Dr Rangsun Udomsri of Chiang Mai University, who heads the feasibility study team, said the project would greatly increase the quality of life in this city of more than a million residents and tourists.

"The system will run across the inner city from north to south and from east to west. It's basically inside the Chiang Mai ancient wall. There will be a total of 70 bus stops.

"With each ticket, estimated to cost Bt15, you could start the journey at any of the 70 stops. When operational, the system will change the city's landscape and traffic flow for the better," he said.

"People will greatly benefit from the new mass-transit service. They can park private vehicles and motorbikes at places around the network and commute more conveniently and efficiently," he said, adding, "Less private vehicle traffic and congestion also means less pollution," he said.

Unless the city authority moves quickly to implement the project, Chiang Mai runs the risk of a traffic gridlock due to the relentless rise in the number of private vehicles and motorcycles, now totalling about 500,000.

This number will likely double to a million in the next decade, Rangsun warns. He said that residents and visitors currently made an average 1.8 million commutes per day, with 91 per cent of them using private vehicles.

Rungsan estimates that about 30 per cent of residents and tourists will switch to the mass transit, up from five per cent at present.

"It sounds great. It should turn Chiang Mai into my dream town. More people would also bike to the stops and take the mass transit," Nirandorn Phothikarnond, president of the Sunday Biking Club.

Junaphong Saranark, a Chiang Mai tourism official, said tourists would not only have a better choice of public transport but could also get round the city as well as commute to nearby districts like San Kamphaeng and Hang Dong at a lesser cost.

Narong Tananuwat, president of the city's Chamber of Commerce, said the project would help boost Chiang Mai's economy while protecting the environment and cultural heritage.

Narong said the city would likely opt for a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, using 18-metre-long public buses running inside dedicated traffic lanes.

"Building skytrain and subway systems is a lot more expensive than the BRT. The skytrain is also not good for a tourist city like Chiang Mai, while a subway could face hurdles in construction as we have lots of underground cultural and ancient sites around the town," he said.

Next week, the city will hold its first public hearing on the project. Another session is scheduled for May 15.

When the feasibility study by CMU's Faculty of Engineers is completed later this year, the project will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.

According to Narong, public participation in the scheme will be the key to its success. Authorities are expecting opposition to the project from large numbers of taxi minibus operators whose businesses would be affected.

Songthaew operators have monopolised public transport in this town for decades.

Narong said songthaew operators and drivers should be offered an opportunity to be part of the new mass-transit system so as to help guarantee their income.

These converted pickup trucks could provide the feeder service for the mass transit.

After the initial 40km system is completed, the city also plans a second phase of development to cover six surrounding districts of Chiang Mai.

At this stage, it is still unclear which local authority will be in charge of operating the planned mass transit.

The Provincial Administrative Organisation has the jurisdiction, but it may lack experience in running a system of this scale so an alternative is to set up a special organisation to oversee the system.

The CTS scheme was approved in principle by the Cabinet several years ago, but the funding details have never been finalised.

"The central government should invest in the CTS as it is a public infrastructure project, and should be operated either by a special agency or by the private sector. The CTS would not be economically feasible without government financial support," Narong said.

Boonlert Buranuprakorn, the Chiang Mai mayor, said he remained optimistic the central government would continue to support the project.

"Even though the political situation is fluid, I believe the government will eventually give the green light since Chiang Mai is a major city and a tourism magnet," Boonlert said.

Narong added that the project was a major challenge for Chiang Mai in terms of sustainable development and, if the project succeeded in the city, it could inspire other big cities to follow suit.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Saturday 6 May 2006 :-

DVD, VCD piracy is worsening : US studio heads to discuss issue in Bangkok

Up to 60 per cent of DVD and VCD movies sold in Thailand are pirated, mainly due to illegal copies flooding in from neighbouring countries, according to Tienchai Pinvises, executive director of the Motion Picture Association (Thailand).

Despite government attempts to stamp out such criminal activities, Pinvises said, the number of people producing illegal copies of movies is on the rise.

According to the association's report, about 1,500 movie titles were illegally reproduced and sold in Thailand last year, compared to 1,100 in 2004.

Pinvises was speaking ahead of a major meeting of leading motion-picture manufacturers in Thailand on Monday to discuss violations of intellectual-property rights in Southeast Asia.

Leading US companies at the meeting include Columbia Picture Industries Inc, Disney Enterprises Inc, Paramount Picture Corporation, Tri-Star Pictures Inc, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Universal Studios and Warner Bros Entertainment. The companies' representatives will also meet the Thailand Commerce Ministry.

The agenda of the meeting includes an estimation of intellectual-property infringement country by country and a discussion of ways to combat piracy. Pinvises said manufacturers were also creating measures to protect intellectual property rights on the Internet (in other words, preventing people from downloading songs or movies from websites).

According to Pinvises, the DVD pirating scene in Thailand is getting worse because some illegal-movie manufacturers have moved their factory bases into neighbouring countries and now export to Thailand.

"This kind of violation has dramatically affected the US motion-picture business," he said, adding that the illegal products were now mostly in the form of DVDs.

He added that anyone caught flouting copyright law would be charged and brought to court.

The way illegal VCDs and DVDs are made is changing, Pinvises said, using computer programmes more than machines.

Since Thailand has a compact disc (CD) copyright law for controlling CD manufacturing, CD-producers are now also relying more on computers, which apart from greater convenience reduce the risk of getting caught, he said.

This change has made it more difficult to clamp down on illegal production, Pinvises said, adding that officials had to closely monitor the fast pace of change in piracy. Deputy Commerce Minister Preecha Laohapongchana said the production of pirate copies of Hollywood VCDs and DVDs had been reduced by 80 per cent this year but was still a problem because of the flow of illegal products from neighbouring countries.

"The government will tighten its already stringent control of illegal-movie production because intellectual-property violation is destroying our country's image," he said.

The ministry reported 1,656 cases of intellectual-property infringement with the seizing of 489,762 items in the first two months of this year. Of these, 1,095 cases broke copyright law and 561 broke trademark law.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 7 May 2006 :-

Malaysian bookmaker nabbed in Hatyai

SONGKHLA :Police nabbed a prominent Malaysian bookmaker whose underground network spanned the southern region in a pre-dawn raid this week.

Gool Kok Kwa was arrested on Thursday at a rented apartment in Hat Yai district. During the raid police seized 59 books containing Malaysia's ABC lotto orders for January to May, cash, passbooks, a .38 revolver, a .32 handgun, a BMW X5 and a new Toyota sedan.

The 45-year-old was charged with operating an illegal gambling business and illegally possessing firearms. The ABC lotto has gained popularity in the border districts of Sadao and Hat Yai as generous payouts are given three times a week. The first-prize winner gets 3,000 baht for a one-baht ticket. Many illegal lotto bookies have fled the South after a series of crackdowns and a law was recently passed to confiscate the assets of bookmakers.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Sunday 7 May 2006 :-

Thai growth trails Vietnam

Thailand's economic growth rate this year is expected to be the lowest among the six major Southeast Asian economies, while Vietnam will lead the pack, one of Thailand's leading economic think tanks forecast on Sunday.

High oil prices and political uncertainty will drag Thailand gross domestic product (GDP) growth down to 4 to 4.5 per cent in 2006, well below Vietnam's anticipated GDP jump of 7.6 to 8 per cent, said the Kasikorn Research Centre, an affiliate of Thailand's Kasikorn Bank.

Vietnam, which is rich in petroleum reserves, will enjoy the highest economic growth in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, while Thailand will be ranked sixth in the ten- member grouping, said the KSC.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Thailand and Vietnam share many similarities in their economies, being highly dependent on exports, tourism and investments as their growth engines.

Both countries are the world's leading rice exporters, with Thailand ranked number one last year while Vietnam came second.

Over the past decade, Vietnam's exports have quadrupled from 7.26 billion dollars in 1996 to 32.23 billion last year, said the Thai News Agency (TNA), citing the KSC.

Thailand's exports during the same period almost doubled to 110.88 billion last year from 55.94 billion in 1996. dpa pj The Centre noted that Vietnamese exports will surpass Thailand's in 14 years if Hanoi maintains its export growth at 20 per cent annually and Thailand's exports grow on average of 10 per cent annually.

Foreign investors in the two countries are mainly from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Canada, the US and China, according to the report, adding that there are signs that more foreign investment would move from Thailand to neighbouring countries if political problems continue in this country.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Sunday 7 May 2006 :-

Kathaleeya finally ties the knot

Actress Kathaleeya McIntosh had a simple but attention-grabbing wedding ceremony yesterday at Pranburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan.

The wedding rite and dinner party were held with only close relatives and friends at groom Songkran Grachangnetara's residential estate, Santi Pura. However, more than a hundred reporters and photographers gathered at the estate, although they were not allowed to view the traditional water-blessing ceremony in the morning.

According to sources, the rite was held before only about 20 relatives and guests, including their baby son Siri, or Mac. Kathaleeya, in traditional Thai attire, burst into tears when her mother poured blessed water for the couple.

"I am happy and want to thank you all for coming to join my special day, although my wedding is held simply with only a small group of relatives and friends," Kathaleeya said after the rite in a brief interview with reporters waiting outside.

"No words can explain my feelings at this moment."

She apologised to reporters for barring them from the water-blessing rite.

Last September, the actress shocked fans and the media when she announced she was pregnant. Previously, Kathaleeya had a reputation for being quite conservative.

At the dinner party, Kathaleeya and Songkran hosted guests who included television stars. She wore a pink evening dress and he wore a soft white suit.

Following the dinner party she told reporters she and a few close friends had spent only a short time preparing for the wedding.

"I have yet to consider my career in the entertainment field because I prefer to focus mainly on Mac. He is only six months now," she said when was asked about her plans. "I have yet to think about having another baby," she added.

The bride's brother Willy McIntosh said later he had planned a new TV show that Kathaleeya would host.

Kathaleeya refused to disclose information about her marriage registration, saying she wanted everything to be secret.

Songkran thanked reporters who joined the wedding and said he would do his best to care for his bride.

After the interview, reporters asked Songkran to kiss Kathaleeya for some photographs but she refused.

The bride's mother Yuraporn McIntosh said she was glad to see them married

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 8 May 2006 :-

Short university course on Melayu studies

The Midnight University in Chiang Mai and Prince of Songkla University's Islamic College in Pattani will run a short course on Melayu studies to create a better understanding of Muslims in the deep South, their culture and plight. The two-day course, at Songkla University's Pattani campus this Wednesday and Thursday, is aimed at promoting public understanding of Muslims' problems in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, Islamic beliefs and the people's way of life. It is part of efforts to bring about reconciliation in the troubled region.

Lack of understanding of Muslims has been blamed for the ongoing violence in the three southernmost provinces.

''People don't know that Muslims in the three southernmost provinces have different lifestyles and beliefs from Muslims in other regions as they are of Melayu origin, and this is deeply embedded in them. This makes them feel as if they are not part of Thai society,'' said a course organiser.

The course will be conducted by three leading scholars - Nithi Eawsriwong of the Midnight University, Kasian Techapeera of Thammasat University and Piya Kijthavorn of Prince of Songkhla.

Prof Nithi, founder of the Midnight University, will lecture on the history of Lanka Suka and Pattani, Melayu society and culture and political movements of the Melayu people.

Asst Prof Kasian of Thammasat University's political science faculty will lecture on the current political situation while Asst Prof Piya, dean of the political science faculty at Prince of Songkhla, will lecture on the Melayu people under Thailand's development policy.

The main target groups of the course are Muslim leaders in Pattani and nearby areas, representatives of private Islamic schools or ponohs, researchers, students and teachers.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork