Most guide books advise tourists to Thailand to respect the Thai monarchy on their visits to Thailand. That advice is given for a reason. It isn’t just a case of being rude when anybody in Thailand insults the royal family, it is actually against the law to do so. That fact has been graphically illustrated [...]
Spot the difference: Don Muang re-opens as Don Mueang!
March 26, 2007 By
Yesterday, Don Muang was officially re-opened as Bangkok’s second airport. The old boy has been dusted off, spruced up and brought out of premature retirement to ease the burden on the new airport at Suvarnabhumi. The old airport has a new code (DMK) with Suvarnabhumi having already adopted the code BKK. But is it Don [...]
Smog and Haze for Northern Thailand
March 15, 2007 By
In the last week, a combination of factors has resulted in Northern Thailand experiencing its worse smoke haze in 14 years. Every year in March, slash and burn farming practices in Burma, Laos and the northern Thai provinces sends plumes of smoke into the normally clear air. This year it has been made much worse [...]
Swiss Man Pleads Guilty to Insulting King Bhumibol
March 12, 2007 By
A Swiss man living in Chiang Mai has pleaded guilty to insulting the King of Thailand and faces the prospect of a 75-year prison sentence. The incident occurred on December 5th 2006 (the King’s birthday) when 57-year-old Oliver Rudolf Jufer drunkenly defaced portraits of the Thai king. His actions were captured on CCTV. Insulting the [...]
Problems in the Deep South
February 28, 2007 By
Whilst Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, the deep south of the country is very different. The provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat have historically seen themselves in a different light to the rest of the country. The population here is majority Muslim and the dialect spoken is unique to the region. There has long been a [...]
Bangkok Airport Update
February 17, 2007 By
November 26, 2008 – For updated news on the current closure of Bangkok airport, please check the news section of this site >> The problems with the runways at the new Suvarnabhumi airport aren’t as bad as initial reports suggest. Structural surveys of Tarmac cracks indicate that the airport will only have to undergo partial [...]
Problems for New Bangkok Airport
February 7, 2007 By
The new Bangkok International Airport at Suvarnabhumi has been plagued with problems during the four months it has been open. The problems – poor signage, baggage delays, length of walk to departure gates – were attributed to teething problems. But the recent cracks found in the runway and taxiways point to a deeper rooted problem. [...]
