Akha hilltribes in the Mae Fah Luang area of Northern Thailand are today preparing for their annual Swing Ceremony. The two-day celebration of the tribe’s heritage begins on Saturday and tourists wishing to witness the celebration are invited to the district’s Phra Siam Thewathiraj Park.
Thailand’s government has released a statement saying it has increased security in Bangkok following a deadly bomb blast. A government spokesperson read the statement out at a press briefing yesterday. He said that uniformed and disguised security officers were patrolling key tourist and commercial locations in Bangkok and other major towns.
Khon Kaen Zoo has officially unveiled its newest inmate which is a white wallaby joey. Thanachon Kensingh, the zoo’s director, said the rare albino joey was born just after the new year but has only just started venturing out of his mother’s pouch.
Three major fault lines stretch across northern Thailand. They cover an area between Mae Chan and Chiang Rai and then southwest through Chiang Mai to Lampang and Thoen. These fault lines are the driving force behind hot springs in this region of the country. Some of the notable hot springs are Pong Phra Bat Hot near Chiang Rai, Fang and Sankamphaeng.
Thailand’s anti-corruption organisation is busy putting the finishing touches to a museum-gallery dedicated to corruption and fraud. The bureau’s chairperson told reporters at the end of last week that the museum would hold its opening ceremonies on 6 September 2015.
The weekend weather forecast for Thailand’s Andaman Sea coastal region is heavy rain and strong winds. Meteorologists say the forecast for the region surrounding Krabi, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket is long intervals of heavy rain and gales of up to 45kph.
Provincial authorities in Kien Giang confirmed this week they have signed off on a project to develop the islet of Hon Thom. The isle is located to the south of Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island and part of the development will see a cable-car system built to link the two.
Lonely Planet this week labelled the Angkor Wat ruins as the ultimate global tourist site. The ancient Cambodian temple city topped the travel guide publisher’s list for a forthcoming book detailing the world’s 500 best tourism destinations.
The eastern Thai province of Chanthaburi is noted for its wonderful beaches, tasty seafood, luscious fruit and laid-back atmosphere. Beaches such as Chao Lao and Laem Sing are just that little bit too far to visit on daytrips from Bangkok. For this reason, apart from on multi-day national holidays, beaches along the Chanthaburi shoreline are rarely crowded.
The governor of the National Bank of Thailand (BoT) issued a statement earlier this week saying it would be releasing a new 1,000 Baht note. Prasarn Trairatworakul stated that the notes would be available from Friday and incorporated up-to-the-minute technology to combat counterfeiting.
Once a day, Thailand’s only real international express train leaves Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong Railway Station for its 22-hour trip to Butterworth in Malaysia. Although Butterworth in itself is not that interesting, its station is less than 100 metres from the ferry terminal for services to Penang Island.
Bangkok’s urban transport operator wants to expropriate land for two new rail lines before it has even been given planning approval. Peerayudh Singpatanakul, the director of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), says the plan is to petition the Transport Ministry to allow the expropriation of land to enable surveyors to carry out technical assessments on the Yellow and Pink lines.
Pai is a laid back town and popular tourist destination in Northern Thailand. It is located on the eastern side of what is commonly known as the Mae Hong Son Loop. This route enables travellers to complete a circuit that begins in Chiang Mai and takes in Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son, Pai and then back to Chiang Mai.
Almost 300,000 cyclists participated in a rally in Thailand yesterday in honour of Queen Sirikit’s birthday. Bike for Mom was staged in homage to the queen’s 83rd birthday. Her son, Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, led 40,000 of the cyclists on a 43km circuit through the streets of the capital city of Bangkok.
The governor of Laos’s Xieng Khouang Province says there are not enough funds to prepare a proposal to get the Plain of Jars listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Somkot Mangnomek told reporters in the province that the body charged with amassing and organising the information needed for the application had used up its funding quota.
Trains in and out of Bangkok on Sunday afternoon will arrive and depart from Bang Sue Junction. The change from the normal terminus station of Hua Lamphong is being made to accommodate the Bike for Mom rally.
The Thai government has confirmed it has given the green light for the construction of a 185km long cycle path. Transport Ministry secretary Soithip Traisuth told reporters on Wednesday that the dedicated cycleway would run across five provinces in the heartland of the nation.
Figures released by Thailand’s Department of National Parks (DNP) show that Erawan National Park is the most popular of the 147 preservation areas it administers. The department rated each park on its revenue from ticket sales and the total amount of visitors.
Torrential rains triggered flooding which blocked the main road through Thailand’s Phuket Island to most traffic yesterday. Reporters at the scene said the floodwater was too deep for standard saloon cars, but higher wheelbase 4WD vehicles could still get through.
Alternate rock band Imagine Dragons are all set to play a concert at Bangkok’s premier events venue. The US group is scheduled to take the stage at the Muang Thong Thani’s Impact Arena on 29 August 2015.