A senior tourism official in the Myanmar seaside town of Myeik says action is urgently needed to conserve coral reefs. Tourist bureau officer Moe Kyaw Thu says reefs on the Mergui Islands archipelago are vulnerable to mass tourism and also to tourists who break bits off to take home as souvenirs.
Flooding in central Phuket blocked the main road through the island on Saturday and caused major traffic holdups. A heavy rain storm saw floodwater wash down on to Thepkassattri Road with locals saying it was more than 50-centimetres deep in some parts.
A Thai government committee has given the thumbs up to a plan to invite private investors to participate in two Bangkok railway infrastructure upgrades. The deputy-prime-minister is the chairperson of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) and he said the committee had agreed to joint funding for the projects.
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has issued eviction orders to stallholders at the city’s Silom Road Night Market. BMA spokesperson Vallop Suwandee told reporters in the Thai capital yesterday that the 600 vendors who sold their wares on Silom Road had to move by the end of May.
Cambodia’s tourism minister has announced a major change to visa options for visitors from select Asian nations. Under the amendment due to come into effect later in 2016, citizens of China, Japan and South Korea will be able to apply for three-year multiple entry visas.
Thailand’s Tourist Police Bureau has just opened a service centre at the Mah Boon Krong mall in downtown Bangkok. At the official dedication ceremony of the facility earlier this week, officer Surachet Hakpan stated that that it would provide convenience for tourists.
The Gulf of Thailand island of Koh Samui is one of the jewels of the nation’s tourism crown. Beautiful golden beaches, delicious cuisine, scintillating nightlife and a whole raft of activities including scuba-diving odysseys are the chief draws that pull in countless numbers of visitors every year.
Phuket residents and tourists have been crowding into the island’s newest shopping and lifestyle complex since its soft opening late last month. Chillva Market features two main zones. The first is a park zone made out of old shipping containers which have been given a new lease of life as hip cafés and bars.
The developers of a brand new water park in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai say construction work is 50 per cent done. Anucha Tamuang is the marketing-manager at Chiang Mai Tube Trek Water Park and he says the facility should open to the public before the end of 2016.
A senior Thai government official says two new rail projects will be offered up for private sector participation. Somkid Jatusripitak is the deputy-prime-minister and he says the projects are set to be included in the government’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.
The Crown Prince of Thailand oversaw the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang Park this morning. A huge crowd turned out for the rite in which a pair of blessed oxen pulled ploughs in a circle in the centre of the park.
Meteorologists say a severe hail and wind storm which struck the Andaman Sea region of Thailand late last week signals the beginning of the annual monsoon season. Local residents in the provinces of Krabi of Phang Nga say the winds, rain and hail was the worst they had seen in the last four decades.
Thailand’s Meteorological Department has issued a warning saying that storms are expected to sweep across the upper regions of Thailand. The alert states that provinces all the way up from Nakhon Ratchasima to Lamphun and Chiang Rai and across to Nong Khai will be hit by strong winds and rainstorms over the next few days.
Thailand’s newest family-friendly theme park officially opened its gates yesterday. Ramayana Waterpark is spread over a 40-acre site near the eastern seaboard town of Pattaya and has features to suit all age groups from toddlers to senior citizens.
The Thai island of Koh Samui is the venue for a big bike extravaganza this weekend. Samui Bike Week 2016 is the eighth in the series. The main events begin tomorrow and culminate on Saturday with a concert featuring some of the most popular music artistes in Thailand.
Bangkok’s public transport bureau put the first three of its fleet of renovated buses back on the road yesterday. Omsin Chivapruek is the Thai deputy-transport-minister and he attended the ceremony as the trio of revamped vehicles were reinstated into service.
This evening sees the start of a long holiday weekend in Thailand during which banks, government and immigration offices are closed. The 5 May is Coronation Day in the country and marks the 66th anniversary of the day King Bhumibol Adulyadej officially ascended the throne in 1950.
Lifeguards on the west coast of Phuket Island have warned swimmers it is not safe to go in the sea when red flags are flying on beaches. Phuket Lifeguard Club boss Prathaiyut Chuayuan explained that rip tides are common in the lead up to, and during, the annual monsoon season.
The management authority in charge of Cambodia’s Angkor temple complex says it plans to cut down lofty trees before the annual monsoon season arrives. An Apsara Authority spokesperson said only really high trees which posed a danger to tourists would be felled.
Divers joined a 100-strong crew of volunteers in removing rubbish from a coral reef close to Phuket’s Nai Yang Beach over the weekend. Divers pulled discarded fishing nets, ropes, bags and various other trash from the reef during the two-day Phuket Heart Coral initiative.