Hunt for missing yachtsman goes on

The family of a missing British yacht skipper were waiting for news after police said reports that his body had been found were wrong.

Malcolm Robertson, 64, of Hastings, East Sussex, was allegedly bludgeoned to death with a hammer and thrown overboard while sailing in Thailand on Monday.

Colonel Lerdchai Thinrat, of Thai police, said earlier reports that Mr Robertson's body had been found by a fisherman had proved to be false.

"I was told that the body had been found," said Col Lerdchai. "I contacted Bangkok immediately to report to the family. Some of the fishing boats told the police station around there that he had found a body. I sent a speedboat up there immediately but it was not there."

The Foreign Office said: "The Thai authorities are continuing their investigation and are still searching the area."

The brother of Mr Robertson's wife Linda, John Clee, 63, from Battle, East Sussex, said: "I received a text message from one of Linda's children this morning. He said that he had been told there was a body originally but the consulate had since told him it was a false alarm."

Thai police arrested and charged three fishermen from neighbouring Burma with murder and robbery on Tuesday. They allegedly confessed to climbing aboard the yacht, beating Mr Robertson with a hammer and throwing his body overboard after he found them trying to steal a dinghy.

They then forced Mrs Robertson, 57, to steer the yacht to shore, police said. They fled in a raft when they saw Thai national park employees passing by in a boat, it was claimed.

Mrs Robertson, who was stripped and tied up below deck for hours, escaped with minor injuries.

The retired couple had been sailing their yacht, Mr Bean, from Phuket to the Malaysian island of Langkawi.

from: http://www.google.com/hostednews

Adhineta in Bangkok

The Jagapathi Babu starrer Adhineta has completed the shooting and is now in PP. Two songs remain balance for the film and the unit has flown to Bangkok after shooting the climax in Khammam. Two songs will be shot in Bangkok, Pattayya and Phuket. The film is a political film and it is for the first time Jagapathi Babu is playing the role of a politician in his career. V Samudra is the director. The film will be released on April 10. -Sampurn Media

Adhineta in Bangkok

The Jagapathi Babu starrer Adhineta has completed the shooting and is now in PP. Two songs remain balance for the film and the unit has flown to Bangkok after shooting the climax in Khammam. Two songs will be shot in Bangkok, Pattayya and Phuket. The film is a political film and it is for the first time Jagapathi Babu is playing the role of a politician in his career. V Samudra is the director. The film will be released on April 10. -Sampurn Media

Sri Lanka refutes UN casualty figures

BANGKOK, THAILAND – A diplomatic row is escalating over civilian casualties in Sri Lanka’s war with the Tamil Tigers. The two sides are in the midst of a military showdown in a coastal strip of jungle in the island’s northeast corner.

Western nations are calling for a pause in the fighting to allow for the evacuation of up to 180,000 trapped people, but Sri Lanka is pushing back. In particular, the government is challenging the United Nation’s assessment of suffering among this cornered population. The government was angered following a senior UN official’s recent warning that both sides in the conflict may have committed war crimes.

Last week, the Monitor reported that UN documents attributed escalating deaths and injuries to Army shelling in a no-fire zone (see the Monitor’s story here).

On an official visit to Thailand, Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama wasted no time in refuting these claims. He said that he had called in the UN’s country coordinator in Sri Lanka to ask him to retract “unauthenticated, unreliable figures” on civilian casualties. The UN had been “misled on the figures,” Mr. Bogollagama told reporters.

“Here is where the UN coordinator agrees with me, that he can’t vouch for the reliability of the figures,” he said Thursday.

The United States has expressed concern over the actions of both sides in the conflict. A US envoy to the UN said the Sri Lankan government “must pay more attention to protecting the civilians in the conflict,” the Associated Press reported from New York (see the story here).

Bogollagama, who met Thursday with Thailand’s prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to discuss security and economic ties, argues that government troops are doing everything possible to minimize casualties. He denied that long-range artillery was used against targets inside the no-fire zone, as the UN claimed.

“We have to look after the civilians because they are our civilians at the end of the day. The LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] are on the way out. But our people will remain part of the process, so why should we target them?” he said.

More than 52,000 civilians have now fled the fighting and are being housing in government camps. Bogollagama said international agencies were present in the camps and were able to gather first-hand accounts from the war zone. The Red Cross has evacuated thousands of wounded by boat from the zone and delivered food and drugs.

Bangkok has a walk-on role in the conflict. The LTTE have long bought and sold arms here and once built a rudimentary submarine in the Thai resort island of Phuket. A Sri Lankan diplomat said a key LTTE arms dealer in Thailand is believed to have escaped arrest in 2007 and may now be in Malaysia. Bogollagama said Thailand had agreed to keep an eye out for LTTE cadre.

from: /features.csmonitor.com

Deepika@ Harper’s Bazaar

Harper’s Bazaar India second edition will feature actress Deepika padukon on its cover page. Deepika is really looking good in the photographs, done by photographer Atul Kasbekar.

All of the pictures were taken at Phuket, Thailand. Location is beautiful, at the same time the actress looks gorgeous. Just check the photographs and be a judge of yourself for Deepika Padukon.

Deepika, who did well in the movie Om Shanti Om, is now a famous face of Indian Film Industry, working on more than 6-7 movies at a time. She was opposite to Shah Rukh Khan, which brought her name and fame. Just take a look at the pictures.

Phuket Airport Current Weather Forecast

Southern Weather Forecast (West Coast) of Thailand

Scattered thundershowers mostly in Krabi, Trang and Satun. Minimum temperature 23-24 °C. Maximum temperature 32-34 °C. Variable winds 15-30 km/hr. Wave height about 1 meter and about 2 meters in thundershower areas.

Phuket Airport Current Weather Forecast 28/03/2009 at 04:00 AM

26.1 °C
Dew point 24.5°C
Relative Humidity 91 %
Wind calm
Cloud Cloudy Sky
Visibility 10 km
Pressure 1009.5 hPa
Amout of Rainfall (3hr) 0.0 mm
Tomorrow Sunrise 06:27
Today Sunset 18:37
Yesterday Max Temperature N/A
Morning Min Temperature N/A
Average Max Temperature -°C
Average Min Temperature -°C
Amount of Rainfall 07-07 0.0 mm

By : Thai Meteorological Department

Discussing '"There once was a crash on Nantucket..."'

Hard Times on Nantucket
If you've ever wanted to buy a home on this island enclave, now may be the time to start looking.
By BRETT ARENDS

Chris Matthews has a summer home there. So do John and Theresa Kerry, Jack Welch, and Google boss Eric Schmidt. When the boom times rolled, the richest hedge fund managers simply wouldn't buy anywhere else. Nantucket is so upper crust that it makes nearby Martha's Vineyard look positively working class.

But if you have ever wanted to buy a home in this cosseted enclave, now might be the time to start looking. The real-estate crash has even come ashore here. Prices have fallen by about a quarter or more from the peak.

The island has a glut of unsold homes, and even some foreclosures. Hardest hit of all? Vacant land. "The theory that land on Nantucket would always increase in value has been blown out of the water," says local Realtor Kate Ranney Sayle of Denby Real Estate. "Nobody wants to buy it. Right now, you can't give a vacant lot away."

In 2007 the average lot of vacant land sold for $2.3 million, she says. Today? Try $395,000. In a crash of this scale, nowhere is spared. So much for all those people during the bubble who insisted "quality" and "high end" property would retain its value. According to the Case-Shiller index, average US home prices have fallen about 27% from their peak in early 2006. Nantucket tracks pretty closely to the trend. How the mighty have fallen.


Joe Schram/The Wall Street JournalJust a couple of years ago, at the height of the hedge fund boom, the small island was gripped in a speculative frenzy. The richest hedge fund managers, who made their incredible fortunes just down the coast in Greenwich, Connecticut, bid aggressively for homes and land. A place on Nantucket became the latest trophy for the guys who had everything - including a private jet to fly them to and fro. Nantucket was hardly blue-collar to start with, but many locals complained that the new money was ruining the island. Overpriced bistros and frou-frou shops ran riot. Clam shacks gave way to the sort of restaurants where mashed potato is called "potato foam" and a sauce is an "emulsion." Average sales prices for homes doubled in a few years to $2.5 million. Land prices quintupled. Back then you couldn't find a home. Now you can't get rid of one.

"At the peak of the market there were about 230 houses for sale," says broker Cynthia Lenhart of Compass Rose Real Estate. "There were lots of buyers and nothing to sell them. Now there are about 550 houses for sale, and not many buyers." There have even been foreclosures and short-sales, something almost unimaginable until now. Some were properties developed by speculators. But they've also included a prime commercial building on Main Street that was taken over by the bank.

There's a familiar story in most real estate crashes: First the buyers vanish, then inventory piles up, and only then -- normally after a long and painful process of resistance -- do sellers get real and drop prices.

Several Realtors, however, report a slight pickup in interest in recent weeks. There have been a few more visitors stopping by to see what's on the market. Of course it's easy to be skeptical. But mortgage rates are low, economic confidence has improved a little -- and of course the weather makes a weekend trip a slightly cheerier prospect than it was earlier this winter. But whether this turns out to be a false spring for prices is another matter. Nantucket, obviously, is not like other markets. There aren't too many forced sellers. But the laws of supply and demand function even here. So long as there is a big backlog of unsold properties on the market, buyers hold the cards.

Discussing '"There once was a crash on Nantucket..."'

Hard Times on Nantucket
If you've ever wanted to buy a home on this island enclave, now may be the time to start looking.
By BRETT ARENDS

Chris Matthews has a summer home there. So do John and Theresa Kerry, Jack Welch, and Google boss Eric Schmidt. When the boom times rolled, the richest hedge fund managers simply wouldn't buy anywhere else. Nantucket is so upper crust that it makes nearby Martha's Vineyard look positively working class.

But if you have ever wanted to buy a home in this cosseted enclave, now might be the time to start looking. The real-estate crash has even come ashore here. Prices have fallen by about a quarter or more from the peak.

The island has a glut of unsold homes, and even some foreclosures. Hardest hit of all? Vacant land. "The theory that land on Nantucket would always increase in value has been blown out of the water," says local Realtor Kate Ranney Sayle of Denby Real Estate. "Nobody wants to buy it. Right now, you can't give a vacant lot away."

In 2007 the average lot of vacant land sold for $2.3 million, she says. Today? Try $395,000. In a crash of this scale, nowhere is spared. So much for all those people during the bubble who insisted "quality" and "high end" property would retain its value. According to the Case-Shiller index, average US home prices have fallen about 27% from their peak in early 2006. Nantucket tracks pretty closely to the trend. How the mighty have fallen.


Joe Schram/The Wall Street JournalJust a couple of years ago, at the height of the hedge fund boom, the small island was gripped in a speculative frenzy. The richest hedge fund managers, who made their incredible fortunes just down the coast in Greenwich, Connecticut, bid aggressively for homes and land. A place on Nantucket became the latest trophy for the guys who had everything - including a private jet to fly them to and fro. Nantucket was hardly blue-collar to start with, but many locals complained that the new money was ruining the island. Overpriced bistros and frou-frou shops ran riot. Clam shacks gave way to the sort of restaurants where mashed potato is called "potato foam" and a sauce is an "emulsion." Average sales prices for homes doubled in a few years to $2.5 million. Land prices quintupled. Back then you couldn't find a home. Now you can't get rid of one.

"At the peak of the market there were about 230 houses for sale," says broker Cynthia Lenhart of Compass Rose Real Estate. "There were lots of buyers and nothing to sell them. Now there are about 550 houses for sale, and not many buyers." There have even been foreclosures and short-sales, something almost unimaginable until now. Some were properties developed by speculators. But they've also included a prime commercial building on Main Street that was taken over by the bank.

There's a familiar story in most real estate crashes: First the buyers vanish, then inventory piles up, and only then -- normally after a long and painful process of resistance -- do sellers get real and drop prices.

Several Realtors, however, report a slight pickup in interest in recent weeks. There have been a few more visitors stopping by to see what's on the market. Of course it's easy to be skeptical. But mortgage rates are low, economic confidence has improved a little -- and of course the weather makes a weekend trip a slightly cheerier prospect than it was earlier this winter. But whether this turns out to be a false spring for prices is another matter. Nantucket, obviously, is not like other markets. There aren't too many forced sellers. But the laws of supply and demand function even here. So long as there is a big backlog of unsold properties on the market, buyers hold the cards.

Family rush to comfort widow of British yachtman murdered off Thai coast

British yacht skipper Malcolm Robertson, pictured with his wife Linda, was killed by robbers as he was sailing off the coast of Thailand. Photograph: Family Handout/PA

The family of a British yachtsman who was killed off the coast of Thailand are flying to the country today to comfort his widow.

Malcolm Robertson and his wife, Linda, were aboard their yacht, the Mr Bean, near the island of Koh Dong off the southern coast on Monday when an attempt was made to steal a dinghy from the boat.

Thai police said three Burmese migrant workers had confessed to killing the 64-year-old after he caught them climbing on to the moored yacht. A police spokesman said the men had cut his throat as he tried to shout for help and then thrown him overboard.

Police colonel Virat Ohn-song said: "We believe from our interview with his wife that Mr Robertson was dead before he was thrown into the water."

Although police and the Thai navy sent out search vessels to scour the sea, Robertson's body has not been found and the search was called off late on Monday.

His wife escaped with minor injuries after the attackers fled when another boat approached.

Linda Robertson, who is recovering in a Thai hospital, is reported to have said: "They wanted the dinghy and started hitting Malc about the head."

She was photographed being brought back to dry land, with Thai officials assisting her as she stepped off the boat. Robertson and his wife each had two children from previous relationships, who are travelling to Thailand to comfort Mrs Robertson.

Her brother, John Clee, said she had been tied up and held hostage in the yacht's cabin for up to 10 hours. She feared she would be killed but the three men fled, leaving her injured but alive.

He said: "She's got swollen arms and legs because she was tied up for eight to 10 hours in the cabin. She didn't know what was happening to Malcolm, she was kept locked up."

Clee, who spoke to his sister yesterday, said the robbers took her up to the deck from time to time when they needed her help to sail the yacht. She realised her husband was probably dead when she saw there was blood all over the deck and she feared she too would be killed.

As morning came, she heard the men leaving and struggled free from the ropes that bound her, before rushing up to the deck and calling to a nearby fishing boat for help. "She was shouting and screaming at them," he said.

Clee said Thai police caught up with the robbers quickly as they had not managed to get far on a raft, and his sister was then escorted back to land by the officers with the three men also on board. He said of the robbery: "It was such a stupid, pathetic thing, because they were just trying to pinch a few credit cards and computer things."

He said his sister and her husband were qualified yacht masters who had sailed round the world. He said Robertson, the owner of a chain of coffee shops in and around his home town of Hastings, East Sussex, was fulfilling a life-long dream by spending the winter months sailing around warmer climes in his 44ft (13 metre) yacht with his wife. The couple had been sailing from Phuket, where it was berthed, to the Malaysian duty-free island of Langkawi.

Clee, from Battle, East Sussex, said his brother-in-law was a very popular and knowledgeable man, with a strong personality. He and his wife had seven grandchildren between them. Clee said all four children were on their way to Thailand to offer their support to his sister.

Police who arrested the three men on suspicion of murder in Satun said the only apparent motive for the attack was to steal the yacht's dinghy.

Colonel Voradee Karawanont, of Satun police, said: "We got a report from a fishing boat as the tragedy happened offshore. We tried our best to help but the murderers were not locals; they were from outside.

"We think, in the future, we will have more measures to make sure nothing like this happens again."

The Foreign Office said it was "urgently pursuing the case" with Thai police. A spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a British couple were attacked while sailing off the coast of Satun, southern Thailand. Our consular team in Bangkok are in touch with the next of kin and are providing consular assistance.

"Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time. We are urgently pursuing this case with local police who are investigating the incident."

Thai police arrest three men over murder of Briton on yacht

British yacht skipper Malcolm Robertson, pictured here with his wife Linda, was killed when a robbery went wrong, as he was sailing off the coast of Thailand. Photograph: Family Handout/PA

Police investigating the murder of a British yachtsman who was attacked and thrown into the sea off Thailand's southern coast after trying to stop the theft of a dinghy from his boat have arrested three Burmese fishermen.

Malcolm Robertson and his wife, Linda, were aboard their yacht, the Mr Bean, near the island of Koh Dong about 45 miles west of Satun province when it was boarded on Monday.

Thai police said the three Burmese migrant workers had confessed to killing the 64-year-old after he caught them climbing on to the moored yacht. A police spokesman said the men had cut his throat as he tried to shout for help and then thrown him overboard.

Police colonel Virat Ohn-song said: "We believe from our interview with his wife that Mr Robertson was dead before he was thrown into the water."

Although police and the Thai navy sent out search vessels to scour the sea, Robertson's body has not been found and the search was called off late on Monday.

His wife escaped with minor injuries after the attackers fled when another boat approached.

Linda Robertson, who is recovering in a Thai hospital, is reported to have said: "They wanted the dinghy and started hitting Malc about the head."

She was photographed being brought back to dry land, with Thai officials assisting her as she stepped off the boat.

Police who arrested the three men on suspicion of murder in Satun said the only apparent motive for the attack was to steal the yacht's dinghy.

Colonel Voradee Karawanont, of Satun police, said: "We got a report from a fishing boat as the tragedy happened offshore. We tried our best to help but the murderers were not locals; they were from outside.

"We think in the future we will have more measures to make sure nothing like this happens again."

The Foreign Office said it was "urgently pursuing the case" with Thai police. A spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a British couple were attacked whilst sailing off the coast of Satun, southern Thailand ... our consular team in Bangkok are in touch with the next of kin and are providing consular assistance."

She added: "Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time. We are urgently pursuing this case with local police who are investigating the incident."

The retired couple, from Eastbourne in Sussex, had been sailing their 44ft

(13 metre) yacht from Phuket, where it was berthed, to the Malaysian duty-free island of Langkawi.

Coron islet to be next Asian tourism jewel

By 2012, the 55-hectare Diwaran Island, part of Coron Reefs in northern Palawan, will be transformed into the “single largest integrated island resort in all Asia.”

This is the hope of Ho Kwon Ping, the Singaporean executive chair of Banyan Tree Holdings, a big developer of resorts, hotels, spas and residential homes in the Asia Pacific.

He spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of the planned resort on the largely uninhabited island Wednesday attended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Dressed in casual attire, Ms Arroyo came with Tourism Secretary Ace Durano and Trade Secretary Peter Favila.

Challenge to Phuket

Ms Arroyo said that the project, which is estimated to cost $240 million, would be the next Phuket, the popular resort in Thailand. Ho’s company pioneered the development in that area.

“What he had been able to do there, he can certainly do here,” she said.

Ho showed the master plan of the Isla Diwaran project to Ms Arroyo under the shade of tents.

The island’s map shows that the beach with only fine white sand and few indigenous trees will have three hotels with villas, a marina with facilities for arrival by boat or by seaplane, and a town center where there will be recreational facilities and retail outlets.

“All together, if fully developed, these (hotels) will have 600 rooms … At its full occupancy, we will have more than 1,500 tourists on this island alone,” Ho said.

About 20 minutes by speedboat from Coron, the island will be a sure attraction for tourists. On the way, overhanging limestone cliffs are seen. Coron Reefs, a favorite site for divers, is also known for its diverse marine life.

12,000 jobs

As soon as the resort is completed, 3,000 people will be hired to work on the island, Ho said.

“We are expecting at least 12,000 people to acquire jobs directly and indirectly from this project,” he said.

Ms Arroyo told a fisherman in the crowd, Joel Saclet, that on nearby Amanpulo, residents no longer fished but worked in the high-end resort.

“Is that what you are also expecting?” she asked.

Saclet replied “yes, ma’am.”

“It’s not only in the operation but as well as in the construction and a lot of the people around … are expecting that as this island resort is being built, roads will be constructed from the airport to the Marcella port,” Ms Arroyo said.

2012 opening

Ho said the resort would open probably by 2012.

Based on Banyan’s statistics, Palawan will benefit from the total tourists’ spending of $200 million per year.

“This is generally a big help for Coron,” he said.

The company already has hotels in some of the world’s most exclusive and popular holiday spots such as the Seychelles and Maldives.

It will develop the project, its first in the Philippines, together with Filipino businessman Salvador Zamora of Tranzen Group.

Banyan Tree was founded by Ho, a former journalist, and his wife in 1994 and was one of the first resort chains to offer guests the seclusion of their own villa equipped with a private pool and a tropical spa. With a report from Agence France-Presse

One more Russian church to open in Thailand

Moscow, March 17, Interfax – Preparatory works have started in the Thai city of Pattaya, where the Russian Orthodox Church of All Saints is to be erected, the official website of Moscow Patriarchate reports.

To cut down big trees growing at the acquired site, permission from the Nature Conservancy was required. Besides, in compliance with the police instructions, the parking area earlier situated here was removed.

As was reported, it is also planned to open the Russian cultural center and a school at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in the Thai resort island of Phuket.

The Russian Orthodox Church has recently received state registration in Thailand.

Today there are three acting parishes in Thailand – in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.

from : .interfax-religion

Storm Sinks Similans Dive Boat: Seven Missing

Urgent Updating Report

SEVEN PEOPLE are reported missing after a dive boat sank in a storm off the Andaman coast last night.

The boat contained 31 people, the Royal Navy told Phuketwan.

Tearful survivors arrived back at the deep sea port on Phuket this afternoon on board a police boat after being rescued by a fishing trawler.

The captain of the sunken vessel, the MV Dive Asia 1, Preecha Sealee, 45, told Phuketwan that his boat had been overturned by one big wave off the Similan islands.

A dive company spokesperson said there were Germans, Austrians, Australians, Swiss, Swedes, Japanese and Thais on board.

This afternoon a Marine Police officer told Phuketwan that seven people were missing: two Swiss, two Austrians, one Thai, one German, one Japanese.

The Governor of Phuket, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, interrupted hosting a visit by a Royal princess today to order a helicopter search of the area in which the seven people are missing.

The Navy said they were contacted by the diving company at 8.30am today, when a search began.

The boat was named by the Navy as the MV Dive Asia 1.

A spokesperson for Dive Asia said today: ''I really can't tell you anything because we don't know anything.

The last we heard was at 10pm last night from the boat when everything was ok.''

The spokesperson was on his way to the deep sea port on Phuket to greet survivors.

The Similan islands made news earlier this year when tourists told of encountering Royal Navy officers holding Rohingya boat people under arrest on a beach there.

Andaman coast weather is normally quite calm at this time of year but the sudden squalls around Phuket are savage.

A storm that came out of nowhere drove One-Two-Go holiday flight 269 into the ground at Phuket airport in 2007, killing 90 of 130 people on board.

An email to Phuketwan this afternoon said: ''Dear All,

''With great sadness we have to inform you that our MV Dive Asia 1 sunk last night the 8th of March at around 11pm on the way back from Similan to Phuket.

''To our knowledge most of our guest and crew were able to get into the life raft and where picked up by a fishing boat around noon.

''Right now this people are being transferred to a Thai Police Vessel and are on the way to shore and should arrive soon.

''Six people are still missing and a search in the area is underway. Your support is greatly appreciated.

''At this moment we do not know the reason for the accident and we will keep you posted.

''Best Regards,
''Benno and Juergen''

http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phang-nga-storm-sinks-dive-boat-six-missing/

GETTING A MASSAGE IN PHUKET

Getting a massage should be a thing to do when travelling Phuket. Massage in Phuket is a great way to relax after a long day of diving, touring or sailing.

Massage is an ancient and traditional form of healing derived from Ayurvedic medicine and a Thai massage in Phuket is incredibly inexpensive compared to the west. Also, it is an ancient Thai art created to make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

Massage shops in Phuket are found all over the island but are more concentrated in the tourist areas such as Patong and Kata. The Nai Harn area also has a large number of massage places, many of which also have saunas on site.

In Phuket Town, relaxing with massage is more concentrated at the larger spas. These tend to be more expensive but the cost of a massage usually includes a spa and herbal sauna as well. All of Phuket’s beaches are dotted with small beachfront massage stalls. There is something special about receiving a therapeutic Thai massage while staring out at the white sands and deep blue Andaman Sea.

A massage in Phuket usually costs about 200 baht per hour at one of the smaller, out of the way shops and can go as high as 1000 baht for the full royal treatment at one of the upmarket health spas. On the beach, expect to pay 300-350 baht an hour – there are plenty of ladies wandering up and down the beachfront offering these under the shade of the trees.

Some of the favourite massage parlours in Phuket are:

Gae’s Massage and Sauna: located on Saiyuan Road, Nai Harn, this place is popular with locals and offers massages and saunas in a charmingly rustic location.

Phuket Royal Spa and Massage: is an upmarket establishment in the Sam Kong area of Phuket City. Massage services are excellent and include an herbal sauna. 367/63-64 Yaowarat Rd. Tel: 076 236663

Hutavat Thai Massage: is one of the least dodgy massage parlors in Patong and has a quiet, clean and professional atmosphere. 45/12 Phrabaramee Rd.

Phuket Herbal Sauna: offers a good value for the money and is one of the better herbals saunas on the island. 2/3 moo 8, Chalong Road. Tel: 076 280910

Boo’s Original Thai Massage: is one of the oldest traditional Thai massage parlors on Phuket. 78/12 Moo 3 Kamala Main Rd. Tel: 076 385821

Search operation continues after a body of a woman was found from the diving boat accident in Phuket while six more are still missing

Search operation continues after a body of a woman was found from the diving boat accident in Phuket while six more are still missing

Andaman News on NBT TV Phuket reported that Police patrol boat TOR 221 and the Royal Thai Navy Third Command along with staff from the charity foundation of Kusoltham brought to shore a body of a woman found about 20 kilometres away from the popular sunset view point of Promthep Cape on the south side of Phuket Island.

The body was believed to be one of the missing Austrian divers. The Phuket Governor Preecha Rungjan held a meeting with all related agencies to get up-dates, instructing search and rescue teams to speed up operations searching for 6 other missing people. Yesterday afternoon he went on a Navy plane to get an aerial view of the location where the diving boat is believed to be sunk. A so-called ‘war room’ acting as centre of command and information has also been set up at the provincial hall to provide any information and assistance survivors or families of tourist divers may need.

A representative from Dive Asia Company told the meeting that experienced scuba divers and special equipment have been sent out to assist the search. Benno Brandon, a Director of Dive Asia Co, told Andaman News earlier that the boat was well equipped and only 4 months old. He said it had proper radio and radar communications, but the accident occurred swiftly and in the dark plus a rainy storm or freak wind.

Officials from Austrian and Japanese Embassies came down to Phuket to look after their affected citizens. Some German and Austrian survivors requested to return to their countries and the Tourist Police have reportedly arranged with Immigration officials to facilitate convenient journeys for them. At 8am today, the Royal Thai Navy sent up a helicopter to continue searching the area. The report also said that on Sunday March 8th, a local fishing boat sank near Bon Island just south of Rawai, on the south side of Phuket. There were three people on board and one is still missing.

11 March 2009
National News Bureau of Thailand

Thailand's Major Cineplex looks to India

Thailand's Major Cineplex looks to India
By Scott Rosenberg

Thailand's largest exhibitor, Major Cineplex Group, is exploring new market opportunities for entertainment complexes in India, according to Somkit Tantadvanichkul, CEO of Major Cineplex Property Co, a subsidiary of Major Cineplex Group. Tantadvanichkul maintains that many Indian real estate firms have approached the company with land offers.

Major has already expanded its bowling business to India. A joint venture with PVR, the first 24-lane bowling outlet opens in April 2009. The company plans to spend at least US$28.6 million to open another 19 bowling outlets in India over the next three years.
Tantadvanichkul says that India is very attractive for investing in entertainment-related business. Major is considering opening entertainment centers similar to Major Cineplex standalone complexes in Thailand, he reveals.

"India has many multiplex theatres in retail centers, but few standalone cinema complexes, and they are unlike those in Thailand. The movie industry in India is also huge, with several thousand movies shown every year, worth over US$286 million," he notes.

Tantadvanichkul says the company is interested in developing entertainment complexes in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. He also describes Major's desire to build new projects in Bangkok, although retail complexes or multiples over 10,000 square meters are prohibited in the city under Bangkok's City Plan.

''If the Bangkok government relaxes this condition, there would be more opportunities to invest and it would be good for the country's economy'' he opines.

GDC Deploys in China
GDC Technology is moving its product forward again. The company recently won a contract to deploy 100 digital-cinema projection systems in Mainland China for the China Film Group Corporation (CFGC). The DCI-2000 Digital Cinema Integrated Projection System, which consists of GDC’s SA-2100 Digital Cinema Server and Barco’s DLP Cinema® Projector, will be used in the deployment.

“We have a long history of working with GDC dated back to 2002,” said Han Sanping, chairman and CEO of CFGC. “We are more than satisfied with the reliable performance of the 700 GDC servers that are already installed in cinemas. This new contract is just another show of our confidence in GDC as our trusted partner for digital rollout in China.”

Thailand Announces Ratings System
It was bound to happen: Thailand's Ministry of Culture will begin enforcing Thailand's first film ratings system beginning in May 2009.

"We should be able to enforce the regulations from May onward," Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch said in an interview with the Nation newspaper. "The system will have seven categories, rather than the more usual five used elsewhere. The two extra groups are for films that should be promoted on merits of cultures, arts or traditions, and films that should be banned for containing inappropriate content," Slukpetch said.

Among pics banned from Thai screens will be those that authorities believe offend the monarchy, threaten national security or national unity, insult religion, disrespect "honorable figures," challenge morals or contain explicit sex scenes.

The five other categories are similar to those used in rating systems elsewhere, including for general audiences, ages 13, 18, and restricted.

But the real question is how this will affect box-office. It will not. Like other laws in Thailand, after a period of implementation, the new regulations will likely be "overlooked.” If past experience is any indicator, the government will only use the law in cases where a point is to be made, and theatres told to implement the regulations will be more concerned with filling seats then asking for ID cards.

Phuket Fest Spotlights Taiwan
The second edition of the Phuket Film Festival, to be held June 4–11 at the international tourist destination of Phuket, Thailand, will feature a Spotlight on Taiwanese Film.

Taiwanese 2009 Academy Award Foreign-Language submission Cape #7 will top the lineup of award-winning films from the island nation. Supporting the films will be a delegation of directors, producers and actors and actresses coming into the Festival from Taiwan.
In recent years, a Korean culture wave of entertainment has swept across Asia. Close behind, however, is a new wave of Taiwanese "stars" turning out TV soaps and feature films that are winning awards at international film festivals.

The Taiwanese Embassy in Thailand will throw a gala reception at the Festival for the visiting delegation and other Festival VIPs on June 5.

Thailand Launches Comedy Fest
Speaking of festivals, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is moving forward with a new World Comedy Festival to be held in Bangkok in April 2009. The idea behind the event is to get people's minds off the economy and, most of all, off the recent political problems Thailand has had, including the closure of Bangkok's airports.

The Festival announced that it will screen 50 comedies from around the world.
No editorial comment offered here except: When was the last time you went to a foreign-language comedy and laughed at dialogue presented to you in subtitles? Oh, Charlie Chaplin, where are you when we need you?

Contact Asia-Pacific bureau chief Scott Rosenberg with your news items at (662) 982-4525, by fax at (662) 982-4526, or by e-mail at scott.rosenberg@gmail.com.

from:http://www.filmjournal.com

Four bodies found in sunken boat in Thailand

BANGKOK, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Four bodies among the total six missing people from a sunken boat in Phuket were discovered on Wednesday afternoon, Police Lieutenant Colonel Wanlop Phungphaga, Inspector of Phuket Marine Police Station told Xinhua.

The six missing people, including five foreign divers and a Thai man, were the victims of the boat which sank in the Andaman Sea off Thailand's southern province of Phuket late Sunday night.

The four more bodies, which were discovered on Wednesday, have remained stuck inside the sunken boat, said Wanlop.

On Thursday morning, a search team consisting of three divers will attempt to take the four bodies out of the sunken boat, he said.

For the two other missing bodies, it is possible the bodies might also have been stuck inside the sunken boat, said Wanlop.

But the search team could not manage to search for them by Wednesday since they had limited time for searching, he said.

It is also possible the two other missing bodies might be swept away from the boat to other areas, he said.

On Tuesday, a combined-rescued team of the water police and navy of Phuket discovered the sunken boat, which is on the bottom at around 60-70-meter depth.

On late Sunday night, the navy base in Phuket was alerted by Dive Asia Company that its boat, which was carrying totally 30 passengers, failed to arrive at the Thachalong port in the city of Phuket province as scheduled.

The boat with the 30 passengers quickly sank after around two minutes of the immediate storm attack, said the sunken boat's caption.

The total 30 passengers included 19 foreign divers -- tourists and 11 staff of the boat. Among the 11 staff are three dive masters and eight boat workers, while some of these staff are foreign.

The combined-rescued team has worked to search for them since early Monday morning. By Monday, of the total, some 23 had been rescued and sent to a hospital after drifting on the sea.

Among the 23 rescued people, include eight Germans, eight boat workers, three Japanese, three Switzerlanders, and an Austrian.

And, on Tuesday, a female body was discovered by the combined-rescued team, but has yet to identify.
www.chinaview.cn

Thai AirAsia to add direct Hong Kong flights in June

PHUKET / BANGKOK: Thai AirAsia is planning to start direct flights between Phuket and Hong Kong in June and will push Phuket as a second hub in Thailand.

An executive of the budget airline said daily flights between the two cities would use new A320s, scheduled for delivery in June.

Phuket will be given more links with major destinations in Thailand and neighboring countries.

“We will beat rivals Silk Air of Singapore and Dragon Air of Hong Kong,” the executive said, noting that the number of tourists from Hong Kong to Phuket has been increasing as tourism recovers.

Phuket is crowded with tourists and Thai AirAsia flights to the island usually have full cabins, he said.

Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said the carrier is focusing on second-tier cities in emerging markets such as China and India and plans to add flights to such destinations.

Average load factor during the first two months had reached 78%, up from 76% in the same period last year, he said.

The figures show a tourism rebound after numbers dropped sharply due to airport closures in November and early December, Mr Tassapon said.

Wat Sawan Kuha Temple (Phang Nga)

have been meaning to visit Wat Suwan Kuha (or Wat Suwannakuha; aka Wat Tham; also known as "that temple with a big Buddha in a cave") for a long time. I have seen many photos on the web, the temple is often visited by tours heading to Phang Nga for excursions including elephant rides or white water rafting, so we decided to go last weekend. It's only just over an hours drive from our house to reach Phang Nga town, and the temple is about 10km before the town.. but was curiously poorly signposted. On the way through the North of Phuket you pass rubber plantations, and there were a couple of local caged bird singing contests in progress. Heading over the Sarasin bridge out of Phuket the views are always great. One of these days I must head up there just to get some photos of the area.

The road from Phuket to Phang Nga is good, you pass a number of Buddhist temples and mosques on the road towards Phang Nga Town. I was surprised to find that the turn off to Wat Suwan Kuha is not marked (at least, not in English - the temple entrance on the main road is in Thai). There is a sign pointing to Raman Waterfall National Forest, so follow that! Wat Suwan Kuha is about half a kilometer along the road. There is plenty of parking and, as I say, there are tours visiting here. Quite a few "farang" visitors when we were there, but it was far from crowded.

Outside the cave you find a temple, stalls selling fruit, drinks and snacks and lots of monkeys who will steal your food given half a chance (I saw a monkey take a bag of nuts from a girl on a motorbike). Anyway, no need to buy food here, save your hunger for something better (see end of this page). Entry into the cave is just 20 Baht I am pleased to say.





Oh yes, monkeys... all over the place outside the cave. None inside. Of course people try to sell you food to feed the monkeys. Up to you. Anyway, if you have never been close to a monkey before, here's a place to get that monkey vibe.





Inside the main cave, the dominant figure is the large reclining Buddha. There are a number of other Buddha images too and a big Chedi which contains bones of the family who were the local governors about 160 years ago and who arranged for the construction of a shrine in the cave.



The big reclining Buddha is quite impressive. You can see it from all angles. My son felt the need to give a prayer - see photo below. You can climb some steps behind the reclining Buddha to a couple of small shrines, light some incense, say a prayer.







A cat came looking for a photo opportunity in the cave...



You can climb some steps past the big Buddha, enter another part of the cave. Oh, and I must mention there are bats in the cave too :) And some kind of cave dwelling birds. And a very amusing and totally pointless sign...



This was a nice day out off the island! Not in Phuket, but only an hour from home. We continued further along the road to see the Raman Waterfall.. and will go back sometime. There is a 2km nature trail with about 6 different waterfalls to see. After the temple and waterfall we looked for a nice lunch and found it - a place called Samchong Seafood, a little off the main road between Phang Nga and Phuket, a floating restaurant on a wide mangrove channel. We will be back here too and I will blog the restaurant very soon!

Phang Nga is the province to the north of Phuket and there is a lot to see here, and mostly it's within a day trip from Phuket. Wat Suwan Kuha could be combined with a ride around Phang Nga Bay and a nice seafood lunch. See you again soon!

THAILAND - FIVE THINGS TO DO THAT YOU MIGHT REGRET NOT DOING

by king Hughes

If you’re intelligent for a blot where you crapper savor this season to the prizewinning of its potential, then the large positioning to go is Thailand. From beaches to clubs, and from shopping to movies, this land is the personification of a recreation locate to savor and behave when on vacation.

To support your journey, here is a itemize of fivesome things you staleness do when in Thailand. This analyse itemize is to indorse that you not exclusive wager the connatural traveler places, but also wager the another things that this land has to substance to its tourists, in constituent to its gorgeous sites.

First, attain a activate to the beach. You crapper go to Phuket where you crapper either intend a baritone budget hotel soured the coast, or a slightly more expensive one, depending on your budget. You crapper also analyse yourself into improvement on Koh So Mui or Koh Phi Phi, both of which are stunning islands with hearty liquid and an comprehensive arrange of popular things to do. When on the beach, you crapper take in liquid sports such as plane skiing, liquid skiing, or para-sailing, or you could also go ventilator swim by engagement finished digit of the topical journeying operators.

Next, attain trusty you wager the partying on Patong Beach in Phuket. The field beach on Phuket Island is crowded with grouping at night, and the daylong distinction of pubs and exerciser is high with band goers dirt the fissure of dawn.

Experience a Muay Tahi match. This is the locate where Muay Tai started, so erst you are here attain trusty you check at small one. This is digit of the most followed sports in the country. On the another hand, if you cannot defence conflict then you are wise to resile it. Most matches are lawful on weekday nights, and you crapper communicate a topical journeying drive to support you in purchase tickets for one.

Go to a cinema. While this haw beatific same a intense intent on a activate abroad, you module see for yourself that Siam has the prizewinning cinemas world-wide. They are rattling past and armored with the most past systems. Siam offers panjandrum and First Class cinemas too, where you are presented assist kindred to a five-star hotel. With large lounges, free-of-charge snacks and beverages, and exclusive 20 to 40 grouping in the medium distribution it with you, you module see as if you are at a clannish medium screening. Most cinemas modify provide pillows and blankets, and waiters who help you food.

Bangkok is filled with malls and markets substance you every sorts of products at quite commonsensible prices. You crapper commonly understanding items downbound to half the example price, and modify if you modify up stipendiary slightly more than a topical would, it module ease be such cheaper than the artefact you haw acquire from whatever another locate - definitely at home. Moreover, you crapper go to Sukhumvit or the Night Plaza in Patpong for beatific prices.

So, these are the fivesome things that you staleness do when in Siam in visit to undergo the prizewinning that this land has to substance to its tourists. Of course, you should also do the lawful traveler sightseeing, but these fivesome things module genuinely drive you to start in fuck with this country, and entertainer you backwards again and again.

from: http://www.allwebsolution.biz/bahamas/thailand-five-things-to-do-that-you-might-regret-not-doing/

Road to Cambodia 5

By: R.K. Shivachandra

The horrifying foray to the Killing Field, Genocide museum and other historic war spots in Cambodia left everyone in a state of shock and this continued to linger heavy in our hearts. Many Europeans who had visited the site were seen breaking down on their knees in front of the memorable stupa where the excavated skulls and bones were being displayed.
We really wanted to further our visit to some interior parts of Cambodia. However due to time constraint, we couldn’t make it. The distance between Phnom Penh and Ho Chin Minh City in Vietnam is about 216 Kms. A smooth drive can take around 2 hours from Phnom Penh to Ho chin Minh city. Visas needed to be applied at Phnom Penh only. At the moment Vietnam visas are not issued at the border. We need to apply for it one day ahead. However our team couldn’t manage it for Sunday and Saturday were off- day. And that was only the two days we had in hand and overstaying more days in Cambodia could amount to cancellation of our return flight to Kolkata. Though some of us had been to the Moc Bai and other adjacent villages towards the border to Vietnam, the team as a whole couldn’t visit the city of Vietnam.
Our return journey to Bangkok through the South coast of Cambodia was a memorable one. The more interesting part of the journey had been the long stretch of the coastal and the beautiful blue sea that danced gleefully in a spectacular distance. We are water -obsessed people and are ready to be romantic about with any form of water; be it pond or small river. Traveling overlooking the vast Sea in a hot summer day was so refreshing and the situation asked one to be more romantic and calls everyone to become a harmless soul rather than violent. The beautiful site chased away at bay the bed habit of animosity, hatred and dislike among one another that we carry along with us from Manipur and for sometime we breathed freedom. The beach seemed to have expressed by itself that ‘Beauty of nature should be praised’. On the stretch of the coast there were resorts of the colonial era and many nascent national parks took its most fascinating form. Much of the coastline is dotted with small fishing communities. Some 80 Kms. down the line towards the border lies the first town ‘Kampot’. A sleepy small town in the Southern cost yet a principal port in the whole of Cambodia. Then we proceeded further to Sihanoukville. A thinly populated beach town not much to be offered to the tourists. Compared to any Thailand beach like Pataya and Phuket, Sihanoukville is still light years behind. The charmless town is fortunate enough to be hemmed in all sides by palm fringed white sand beaches and tropical islands. The present town named after the then King was amidst the thick jungle during 1950s. It was hacked out to create the first deep water port in 50s and USA provided money. The best route to proceed to Koh Kong the border of Cambodia from Sihanoukville is waterways. There are about three fast boats that depart from Sihanoukville before 11 A.M daily. They never take the risk of sailing afternoon for the sea is unfriendly during the evening. Despite our enthusiasm to have a boat ride, we missed the chance by 10 minutes that the last boat had already departed some few minutes before we reached the port. So we proceeded by a Toyota mini bus towards Koh Kong.
Koh Kong is an increasingly popular gateway to Cambodia from Hat Lek in eastern Thailand. Having the same name as its town, Koh Kong Island is the biggest island of Koh Kong’s coast. There are a number of unspoiled and less visited beaches around the island. This island visit is good for a one-day trip. The provincial capital is one of the few places in the entire province where we can find more tourists. Most folks pass through on their way to or from Thailand but due to transport limitations often they have to spend the night here. Unlike that border town to the north, Poipet, Koh Kong is a much more relaxed place with scenic beauties around .As with any border town there are the requisite mercenaries around, but no hassle around here as it was in Poipet. Having to spend a night in Koh Kong is not a bad idea
The distance between Phnom Penh to Koh Kong could cover in 6 hours with breaks at different locations. The distance is hardly 280 Kms.By the time we reached Cham Yeam the border check point in Koh Kong, it was around 5 in the evening. The big resort 7 star hotel at the extreme border stood in its majestic structure overlooking the blue ocean that spread as far as the eyes can see. Not far from the star hotel, Cambodian and Thailand National Flags were seen flying independently but struggling its way to resist the strong coastal wind. In the far horizon a faded Sun was seen half sunk in the depth of the sea. The dazzling golden water around him appeared as if it was a volcanic mountain in the middle of the sea with its lava sprung-out. The crimson ray spread over the horizon and twilight slowly enveloped the evening scene. Few shy-natured Cambodian girls peeped us by questioning telepathically who we are “Thais or Khmers” as they passed by. Nostalgic memories of my early teens attempted to whisk me back down the long forgotten memory lane in Manipur. Many evenings that have been bathed with the crimson rays had been passed by before my eyes in Manipur but never did a single thought occurred this way. Why did such a romantic mood sneak into me at this border point of Cambodia? May be a simple word to answer “When mind is free nature always takes its best role.”
Immigration officials at the border were so warm and friendly. We have crossed the border and applied for re entry visa into Thailand and soon we got it. The immigration officials in Thailand helped us to catch a mini van to further our journey to Bangkok via Pataya, the famous sea beach of Thailand. As the vehicle sped up, the silent highway gave our way towards Thailand. The sleeping mountain ranges seemed to have whispered ‘bye come back again’. In the death of the night people headed their own way to different destinations. Unlike Imphal Dimapur road or Imphal Moreh, our driver was never afraid of the gun totting element that might intervene our road to Bangkok. As we were penetrating through the silent night I could not but ponder why in Manipur things became too worse. Just beyond Motbung, the rest of the journey is purely in the hands of the God. This is all a spine chilling experience if you travel through the night. The one who is waiving Hi … by the driver widow is not there to cheer you up. If you don’t believe just open the window and just make ‘yourself’ his day. This is what happening in this tiny part of the World that we dearly called “A land belonging to Chingmi Tammi”. It is shameless robbing a stranger who passes through my corridor. On the other hand we saw hordes of departmental stores and show rooms that pressed into service till late midnight by the national highway. They seemed not to have bothered for a demand letter. They are not busy for ‘Waakat Mipham’ but used their precious time judiciously for promotion and developmental purposes only. But down here we are different creature. What is this? Are we all beasts here? When the neighboring South East Asian Countries scaled the sky, we are here just acting the ‘savage’. It is unfortunate and time calls for the godly men in the villages and city teaching the criminals the genesis of Adam and Eve with special reference to Manipur.
After a night halt at Pataya we have resumed our journey for Bangkok. The hollow Island in Pataya and people, who enjoyed life as if death would never befall on them, was a lovely site to look at.
We have reported on the Airport on the right time. The excess baggages made everybody unhappy. I have suggested them to be very cautious but the market was too tempting. Anyway we did it.
Reaching upon Kolkata, the immigration official on the desk gazed us through the thick glass lens as if we had done something wrong in the foreign countries. The customs officials kept watching us suspiciously as we passed through the green channel. Some unlucky fellow’s bags were checked but they didn’t find anything objectionable.
Back home. My daughter placed before me the bundle of newspapers with a cup of tea. Front pages contained news of ‘three killed’ and ‘four killed’. And lots more. Not a single day passed by without killing. Now the count begins how many of them killed during our absence in Manipur. How many widows stood on their mark to run the race “struggle of existence”. fromhttp://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=kshow&kid=1463

'Andaman News' program from Monday 16 February onwards & highlights 10-12 February

On Monday 16 February, we plan local news including ASEAN plus three Finance Ministers meeting to take place in Phuket; then our Special report takes you to the ‘Two island-One culture wedding’ held in Phuket on Valentine’s Day and looks at the Audio lab library for the blind at Bangkok Hospital Phuket.

On Tuesday 17 February, local news included Phuket authority ready to host ASEAN Finance Ministers; Later we had an interview at Soi Dog's Mai Khao Shelter & Clinic opened a year ago; then we looked at some sarong in Phuket.

We were NOT on air Monday 9 February, Makka Bucha Day and public holiday. We returned on Tuesday 10 February with popular specials about the Similan Islands & House made from Earth in Phang Nga;

On Wednesday 11 February we had a report about assistance for Phuket Marine Biological Centre marine animal rescues by Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation & Le Meridien Phuket Resort; plus a report on Ban Paklok villagers in Thalang.

On Thursday 12 February we had a report on Sea Gypsies unusual ceremonies in Mai Khao, Phuket; plus an interview with the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Phuket office about the ‘2 Islands 1 Culture’ festival for Taiwanese & Thai couples, this coming Valentines Day.

We were NOT on air Friday 13 February.

From 1 April 2008 we have appeared on this website http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/ Please bookmark it and stay tuned for more changes & news as they develop. Our previous website http://news.prd.go.th closed all its pages at end of May 2008, and the other previous website Thaisnews.com was closed 6 November 2007; Some special and interview videos are also put on www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews or search under www.video.google.com. Contact us for any old videos we may still have, that you may need!

Also TV Channel 11 was renamed NBT since 1 April 2008.

'Andaman News' is usually on air live most Mondays to Fridays, at 8.30-9am, in English, with the latest local Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi news, reports, interviews and weather forecasts on local NBT TV, (VHF dial, not UBC-True) ; and also with effect 1 July 2008 live on Radio Thailand FM90.5, to Phuket, Phang Nga & Krabi provinces; plus possibly repeats on Phuket Cable TV's channel 1 & their regional networks at 7pm & 1am; and on FM108 Mazz Radio in Phuket at 7pm.

The Andaman News text, photos & VDOs are usually posted on this website from about 10.00am on each day of broadcast. Most are also put on www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews . We and others can also put some interesting links to our VDOs on other websites and forums as well free of copyright as we are a public broadcaster.

To send comments, enquiries, suggestions, video contributions, advertising/sponsorship* on program, requests to lease airtime, Press Releases, & volunteers for Young Reporters or Student Interns, please email to AndamanNews@yahoo.com or send to/visit the NBT TV studio on Rang Hill in Phuket City. For urgent messages, please phone 089-1739808 (in English) 089-7231984 or 076 211555 (in Thai) or fax 076 211556.

* Also note we are willing to discuss company sponsorship of segments, programs and staff in Andaman News.
from:http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews2.php?news_id=960&news_headline=

Phuket’s Taj Exotica makes genuine start

by Phuketwan

The Taj Exotica is still planned for Phuket, despite the world economic downturn and a terrorist attack at the beautiful Taj hotel in Mumbai in November.

Hotel representatives called a meeting 11th February at the Bang Kontree Mosque community centre in Rawai to assess progress and inform interested parties about plans for the development.

As several glossy property-related magazines have noted, the Taj will probably set new standards in exclusive luxury accommodation on Phuket.

The Taj is to go on Koh Lon, an as yet undeveloped island surprisingly close to Chalong.

The 121 villas, to be set across 136 rai, could reach new record highs at a cost of $900,000 a key, according to those who have seen details of planning. That will be sumptuous accommodation.

But first, all the regular environmental impact surveys and discussions with local people have to be negotiated.

Phuketwan has visited Koh Lon many times and it´s a fascinating place. But the small island community of 80 families has been losing its young adults to the tourism industry.

So the modern pressures of earning a good income have left the island with elderly residents, and the very young. The local school has been under threat of closure for lack of students and teachers.

A resort of the right kind could be just what the island needs. It could bring back local villagers to local jobs, and reinvigorate local culture.

Wild pigs and bats are just a couple of the attractions that already make Koh Lon an ideal homestay destination, just 15 minutes away from Chalong Pier.

The villagers are friendly and keen to grow their own kind of tourist industry. Homestay suits them.

A coral reef nearby is still intact. So is the local Muslim culture, despite being so close to downtown Phuket.

Will the Taj change all that? The right resort could be a boon. But only the community can judge whether the Taj is the right resort.

In a brochure in the Thai language, handed out 11th February, the Taj management spells out its reasoning for choosing Koh Lon, and why it could work to everyone´s benefit.

Once work starts, the brochure says, building will take two years. (if you believe the breathless glossies, the Taj is about to open any minute.)

An Environmental Impact Assessment study is the first step. The brochure says Taj management is concerned to prevent landslips, waste water pollution in the sea and any other negative effects the project might have on the environment.

Major changes to the terrain are not anticipated. Waste from the construction project is to be transported to Saphan Hin, under an arrangement with the tessaban council of Phuket City.

Retaining blocks up to 2.4 metres high will prevent erosion into the sea, the brochure says. Tree-lopping will be limited and much of the area will retain its present foliage, the brochure says.

Shipping to and from Chalong will be done at high tide to avoid damage to coral, according to the brochure.

Benefits to the locals will come with jobs and more tourists to generate local income, and some of those benefits will stay on Koh Lon.

Project designers hope to be able to limit water traffic to a new pier on Koh Lon, the brochure says.

At the public meeting 11th February were representatives from Rawai tessaban Vichitt tessaban (both local councils) the Phuket Marine Biology Centre, the Royal Thai Navy, the marine transport office, leaders of the local people on Koh Lon and on Phuket, the Tourist Authority of Thailand and Taj representatives.

The firm that will make the environmental impact study was also represented.

Despite what the glossy magazines imply, no permission has been issued for construction to begin. Due process has to be followed before a timetable can be set.

About 50 people were at today´s gathering.

A representative from the Taj said that 80 percent of residents within a five-kilometre radius of the proposed project had expressed favorable opinions about it.

The result of the favorable survey has been passed to Rawai tessaban.

However, at the meeting, some local residents clearly within five kilometres of the project expressed surprise and said they knew nothing about the survey.

The Taj representatives said they would look to make the next survey more thorough and all-inclusive.

A proposal for a marina close to the Taj Exotica is being treated as a separate project. It will require its own environmental impact study.

Story reproduced with permission of Phuketwan, www.phuketwan.com.

TAT woos more visitors from Japan, Spain

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hopes Japanese tourists will be encouraged to return to the Kingdom following Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's recent visit to the country, and is also making a concerted effort to lure Spanish travellers.

TAT officials have been travelling to foreign shores and conducting road shows in an effort to restore confidence among international tourists, whose numbers have dropped off in the wake of the worldwide economic meltdown. The state agency began its efforts some months ago with China, and most recently has focused its efforts on Japan - long one of the country's biggest tourism revenue sources - and Spain, an emerging source of tourist dollars.

TAT governor Phornsiri Manoharn said Thai officials have met with representatives of Japanese travel companies, tourism associations and government bodies to discuss a plan to restore tourism traffic between the two countries.

The TAT apologised to Japanese travellers for the many problems that have disrupted tourism in the Kingdom, Phornsiri said, and expected the effort to pay off with a rise in arrivals from Japan within the year.

The TAT expects the Japanese market to stay above the one-million tourist level this year, keeping it among the five biggest markets.

Last year, 1.2 million Japanese visited Thailand, generated revenue of Bt42 billion, the second-largest source of foreign tourism income following the United Kingdom. The top five destinations for Japanese travellers were Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya and Pattaya.

Japanese tourists spend an average of 7.5 days in Thailand, and 64.1 per cent of them return to the Kingdom at some point.

Many countries are vying for a slice of the Japanese tourist pie as Tokyo is encouraging its citizens to travel abroad under the Visit World Campaign, which was launched last year and will end in 2010, Phornsiri said.

The Japan Association of Travel Agents expects more than 20 million Japanese to travel as part of the campaign this year, up from 17 million last year.

To take advantage of the campaign, the TAT is focusing on three target groups; wealthy and middle-aged tourists; families; and youth travellers.

On February 24-26, the TAT will hold the Thailand Mega Familiarisation Trip, bringing 450 international travel agents, writers and reporters to Thailand for a briefing on the tourism situation.

The event follows the TAT's participation in Feria International de Turismo 2009, a tourism trade show in Spain held earlier this month. Four Thai hotel operators and 12 travel companies participated in the show.

The agency has taken its Seven Wonders of Amazing Thailand campaign to Spain, which is emerging as a valuable market for Thai tourism.

Tourist arrivals from Spain - particularly to Phuket - are increasing due to a rise in the number of direct charter flights, Phornsiri said.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hoped that Japanese tourists would return to Thailand following a recently visiting of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva while Spain also expected to recover soon.

TAT has been taking overseas trips and joining international road shows to restore tourist confident as part of dealings with worldwide economic meltdown. Starting with China some months ago, the state run TAT now returned from Japan , where is one of the biggest market for tourism, and Spain which is one of new emerging markets.

Phornsiri Manoharn, governor of TAT said that the group has met with Japan 's representatives of travel companies, tourism associations and well as government bodies to discuss tourism rebuilding plan between the two countries.

Phornsiri said TAT has expressed apologies to Japanese over many problems and issues happened in the kingdom earlier. The move is expected to reclaim number of Japanese into Thailand this year.

TAT expected that it could maintain Japan market with more than 1 million tourists this year, remaining top five biggest markets.

Last year, 1.2 million Japanese visited Thailand and generated revenue of Bt42 billion. It was second largest tourism income from overseas fallowing United Kingdom . Top five favorite destinations for Japanese are Bangkok , Phuket, Chaing Mai Aydhya and Pattaya.

Japanese is spending average of 7.5 days in Thailand . 64.1 percent of them are repeaters.

According to Phornsiri , Japan market is one of potential markets for all countries as Japan government is encouraging its citizen to travel abroad under campaign Visit World Campaign (VWC), which start last year and will be end 2010.

Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) projected more than 20 million Japanese would join the campaign this year, up from 17 million movements last year.

To tackle the promotion, TAT will be focusing on three targets; wealthy and middle age, family and youth travelers.

The agency planned to held Thailand Mega Familiarization Trip during February24-26, 2009 to bring 450 travel agents and tourism medias and writers including Japan into Thailand to get latest up dated tourism situation.

Early this month, TAT has joint a tourism trade show, Feria International de Turismo (FITUR) 2009, hold in Spain . 4 Thai hotel operators and 12 travel companies have joint the event.

TAT has promoted its Seven Wonders of Amazing Thailand products to Spain where now became one of emerging markets for Thailand 's tourism.

Phornsiri said more tourists from Spain would come to Thailand particular Phuket Island due to more direct charter flights.
from:http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/02/16/business/business_30095770.php

VDO Special - ‘Two island-One culture wedding’ held in Phuket on Valentines Day

VDO Special - ‘Two island-One culture wedding’ held in Phuket on Valentines Day

Many positive and happy events took place across Thailand on Valentine’s Day. While the province of Trang in the Andaman Coastal region held underwater weddings, Phuket people were taken back in time for the ‘Two island-One culture wedding’ which was very special. Our reporter went along to capture the memorable atmosphere. An old Phuket style groom’s procession using rickshaws started from the Phuket City office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand or TAT which represented the groom’s residence. The procession went along roads in old Phuket town heading for the Hongsyok family’s old colonial mansion, which represented the brides’ residence. This procession took place after the grooms and families performed a ceremony to pay respect to god, seeking their auspicious day for the wedding and hope for a blessing that day and in the future, with Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan and his spouse Piyatida, leading the ceremony. The governor hoped that the event would promote a cultural value among the younger generation. This was no ordinary wedding. It was the ‘Two island’s One culture’ wedding in which 8 couples from the island of Taiwan joined in the TAT’s invitation to get married in the traditional Thai Baba or Peranakan style in Phuket. They were joined by one local Thai couple, among many who are still fond of the traditional style of Baba wedding ceremonies, plus some 20 honeymooners as witnesses, and several young bridesmaids, girls and boys. The Director of the TAT’s local office in Phuket, Settaphan Buddhani, earlier explained more to us about the background of the special event: Arriving at the bride’s residence, the grooms were greeted and welcomed in before a tea ceremony took place. During this ceremony red envelopes were presented to the couples. Settaphan explained that traditionally the envelop would have money in, but for this special occasion in an resort island of Phuket, the newly wed couples received many gifts for them to enjoy while staying in Phuket. Also performing in the ceremony were Taiwanese stars, Ms. Queenie Tai and Mr. Alan Huang, who were also impressed with the ceremony. Accompanying the group was a writer from the China Times Weekly in Taiwan, Danny Wen, who expressed his impressions about the wedding in Phuket: In the evening a celebration party was arranged at the old Thai Hua Museum in a nice and relaxed atmosphere where the newly weds were blessed and wished a prosperous future by the Phuket Governor. While the organizer was pleased with the turn out and enthusiasm about the wedding of participants and international press, local people were also happy to see the traditional ceremony. Traditional dance displays by Taiwanese and Thai artists, including a young group from British International School Phuket, was also put on stage to end the nice happy Valentines weddings. Special Report for Andaman News NBT TV (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 at 8.30am & perhaps repeats on Phuket Cable TV channel 1 at 7pm & 1am, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & maybe Mazz Radio FM108 at 7pm in Phuket, Monday 16 February 2009 & http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/ & www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews Send comments to AndamanNews@yahoo.com CLIP VIDEO

from:http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews2.php?news_id=961&news_headline=VDO%20Special%20-%20%E2%80%98Two%20island-One%20culture%20wedding%E2%80%99%20held%20in%20Phuket%20on%20Valentines%20Day

How To Travel from Cambodia to Vietnam for $10

Under $10? What...on a push cart? Well, as is so often the case, you can spend a great deal of money to go the tourist style, or if you know where to look, you can get almost the same service for very little and meet new folks in the process. Yes, there are several international border crossings between Cambodia and Vietnam. You MUST have a Visa...but getting a Visa for Vietnam while you are in Cambodia is very easy and your travel agent/hotel desk can do it for you quickly.

Step 1:

Bavet, Cambodia - Moc Bai, Vietnam. Air-conditioned buses from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City will cost you $10. This takes you through the Moc Bai crossing. The road between Phnom Penh and Moc Bai is in very good condition except for a short ferry crossing. The bridge over the Mekong River at Neak Luong town is still under construction. There is no bus change at the border so even if the wait can be long at the ferry crossing during special holidays and peak hours, you don't have the inconvenience of transferring from one bus to the other. By the way...take water, cookies, a flashlight and whatever else is in your "just-in-case" kit.

Step 2:

Kaam Samnor, Cambodia - Ving Xuong, Vietnam. This option is a do it yourself one. From Phnom Penh, take a shared taxi ($3) or bus east on Route 1 to Neak Loeung where you take a ferry ($3) down the Mekong to the Kaam Samnor crossing where you exit Cambodia (quite a procedure). Take a motodup to Vietnamese immigration and enter Vietnam. From this crossing, take a motodup to Chau Doc, a great river's edge Vietnamese city with a few very good hotels, just a couple of kilometers away. Stay overnight or go to the central market and catch a mini-van to Ho Chi Minh City. Some guesthouses and travel agents offer daily transport packages from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc by bus and ferry for just $8....and it is a great adventure.

Step 3:

Phnom Den, Cambodia-Tinh Bien, Vietnam. From Phsar Domkor in Phnom Penh take a shared taxi to Phnom Den in Takeo Province. This will cost you $10. Walk across the border to Tien Bien and you are in Vietnam. From Tien Bien, take a bus to Chau Doc, about 10 kilometers north, where you can catch a minivan to Ho Chi Minh City.

Step 4:

Prek Chak, Cambodia - Xaxia, Vietnam. Often referred to as the Ha Tien Crossing, this provides easy access when you are staying in Kampot or Kep. A motodup from Kampot will cost you $10. You just c

How To Plan a Road Trip

The classic American vacation--a road trip--is a fun way to get to know the country better, and get away from it all to places you never thought possible. With airline travel growing even more complicated, inconvenient and uncomfortable than ever, it might be time for you to turn your vacation into a road trip. Don't just go from point A to point B; take the scenic route, make detours, follow those signs for the Corn Palace (Mitchell, South Dakota) or the Winchester Mystery House (San Jose, California) and see what happens! Now, while you don't need to plan too carefully--part of the romance of a road trip is the spontaneity--taking time to do a little organization will help to oil the gears, as it were, and make your ride go much more smoothly.

1. Care for Your Car: If you plan on using your own vehicle, make sure to get it checked out--by a professional mechanic preferably, or your mechanically inclined friend if you're feeling particularly trusting--before you go. Make sure you take care of those minor tune-ups before you go, because hard driving will not only exacerbate little problems, but can create entire new ones, and you don't want to find yourself stranded somewhere outside of Truckee in the middle of July with an overheated engine. Also important: Are your license and registration current? How about your insurance? Don't buckle in your seatbelt until you're sure you're prepared for minor emergencies or any encounters with authority.
2. Go Rental: Don't have a car? Still determined to drive? Rent something. You can get deals directly through companies like Avis, Enterprise or Budget, or check out sites like Travelocity or Expedia, where they do comparison searches according to your parameters in order to find you the best deal. Rental cars have insurance, and are guaranteed to be road-ready the second you start the engine, so you should be as safe as your driving allows. This can get expensive, but taking the responsibility of car ownership off you can definitely be worth it.
3. Educate Yourself: Do you know how to change a flat tire? Have you got a spare in your trunk? Regular drivers should know how to perform this relatively simple operation, but for those who don't, get a lesson. You might also want to brush up on your oil-changing skills while you're at it. Too busy? Bring a friend who can do it for you; alternatively, check your insurance to see what kind of roadside service the company offers.
   
   
   
   
4. Automotive Alternatives: Typically a road trip is done by car, but if you don't have a vehicle of your own, and don't want to rent or borrow one, you can always hop on a bus. Greyhound has lines that cover the North American continent, and if you want to see the road without having to watch it, go Greyhound. There are numerous local bus lines to take you through interesting parts of different states as well, which you can find with a simple online search for "bus lines." Such a search on Google, for example, garners 59 million hits.
5. Get a Guide: And a map! Go to the bookstore, shop online, pop into the gas station liquor store, but get good maps of everywhere you plan on being. This doesn't mean you have to plan your route down to the cul de sac, but should you find yourself on the fourth detour of the day, you'll want to be able to find your way back to the freeway before it gets too dark and lonely. This is where a good navigator comes in very handy; if you didn't already appreciate the company after three hours of wheat fields, you will when you get to the evening's motel without backtracking.
6. Make a Budget: If money is not an issue, you can skip this step; otherwise, decide how much you're willing to spend on gas, shelter, food, and tacky souvenirs, and divide it by the number of days you'll be on the road. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 per day seems reasonable, but if you think you can live on cheese crackers and bottled water for 10 days, feel free to use a narrower guideline. The important thing here is to be able to travel without emptying your bank account.
7. Bring Supplies: You'll get thirsty. You'll get hungry. You'll get bored. Bring a cooler so you can carry perishable snacks and keep the drinks cold. Make sure you stock up during pit stops or in town detours (grocery stores are much cheaper and have a wider variety of comestibles than the gas station); hungry drivers do not good drivers make. If you're willing to chance it, use the radio to learn about the places you're driving through, but remember that from the great flat expanses of the Midwest to the sharp drops and hairpin turns of the Sierra Nevadas, radio dead zones are everywhere. Bring along an MP3 or CD player you can play through the car stereo; be creative and make some driving mixes (or have your navigator do it). And remember: Maps, maps, maps!