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From Khaosod / Thaiger A man who lost his job in the southern province of Songkhla decided to walk all the way back home to Buriram in northeast Thailand. After 12 days of walking, the 42 year old man stumbled across an army barracks in Phatthalung province, the next province along, on Sunday. The soldiers took care of him and paid for his train ticket back to Isaan. Buriram-born Choi moved to Songkhla about seven months ago to work at a rubber plantation in Na Thawi district. He planned on making money to send home to his family back home in Isaan. At first, he made around 300 baht per day cutting down rubber trees. As the months passed by, Choi said that work became scarce and he was hardly making any money at all. He wasn’t sending money back home as planned and he missed his 11 year old daughter and grandma, so he decided to return home on September 5. However, Choi had no money or phone, so he was forced to undertake the journey – which would take at least 18 hours to drive – on foot. Choi walked 300 kilometres in 12 days, sleeping at temples along the way, where Buddhist monks gave him food and water. In the almost two weeks he spent walking, he only crossed one provincial border. On Sunday, he stumbled across an army barracks in Phatthalung province and stopped to ask for some water. At first, the soldiers thought he was a criminal of some sort and brought him in for questioning. The army told Choi that they would pay for his plane ticket to fly back home to Buriram. However, Choi said he wasn’t sure how to take a plane. Instead, the army gave him 1000 baht cash and dropped him off at the train station. Choi took a 13 hour train all the way from Phatthalung to Hua Lamphong Railway Station in Bangkok. From there, he took an eight hour train from Bangkok to Buriram. Upon arrival in Buriram, Choi’s 81 year old grandma La tied string around his Choi’s wrist as a gesture of gratitude. La said she felt pity that her grandson had walked 300 kilometres across southern Thailand. La thanked the army for helping Choi and wondered how long it would have taken him to get home if he walked the whole journey. The distance between Songkhla and Buriram is 1,350 kilometres.

From Thai PBS World Thailand’s Land Transport Department (LTD) has given approval for app-based Robinhood and Grab to operate taxi and motorcycle taxi ride hailing services in the country. The two operators are required to submit bank guarantee letters to the department within 30 days, ensure that they comply with the conditions set by the department and cover damage caused to their passengers and their bikers in the course of providing their services, said LTD Deputy Director-General Seksom Akraphand today (Thursday). The two operators are also required to submit their ride-hailing operational plans to the department within 15 days, he said, adding that private cars used to provide the services will have to be re-registered as public transport vehicles and the drivers will have to apply for public transport driving licenses and have their criminal records checked by the police. Drivers will have fixed parking locations and services will only be provided via the booking applications. The service rates must not exceed those set by the department, said Seksom. The LTD had previously approved ride-hailing services provided by Hello Phuket Service, Bonku and Asia Cab only. Conventional taxi and motorcycle taxi drivers in Thailand have strongly opposed such app-based services, claiming that they offer cheaper fares because they have fewer expenses, particularly by not having to change the status of their private vehicles into public transport. Most passengers, however, appear more satisfied with the app-based ride-hailing services, because they are more reliable and their rates are fixed.

From Thai PBS World BANGKOK, Sept 22 (TNA) – Visitors will not have to undergo antigen tests or show their vaccination evidence when health authorities redefine COVID-19 as a communicable disease under surveillance on Oct 1. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the National Communicable Disease Committee resolved to consider COVID-19 as a communicable disease under surveillance instead of a dangerous communicable disease. Officials concerned in all provinces would adjust their action plans and measures related to COVID-19 accordingly, he said. When COVID-19 becomes a communicable disease under surveillance, visitors will not be required to show the documents of their antigen tests or COVID-19 vaccination at international communicable disease checkpoints. Random checks on COVID-19 vaccination records will stop. The people who had COVID-19 but were asymptomatic would only observe distancing, mask wearing, hand washing and testing (DMHT) measures for five days, Mr Anutin said. The new measures would be proposed to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration and the cabinet for approval. He expected the measures to take effect on Oct 1. People could remove their face masks when they exercised outdoors or did other activities that should not require face masks, Mr Anutin said.

There's a warm front moving in.

From the Thaiger Popular booking website Agoda says Thailand is one of the first Asian countries to see tourism rebound after the Covid-19 pandemic. Omri Morgenshtern, Agoda’s chief executive says even though the inbound search rate for Thailand on the website was 39% lower than in the same period in 2019, it has begun to rise since the beginning of 2022. “Thailand is leading Asia in terms of inbound tourists, but it has not yet reached 2019 levels.” Moregenshtern says it will take about three to six months for such search rates to return to pre-pandemic levels. But, he says it is contingent upon major inbound markets like mainland China, Hong Kong, and Japan’s reopening. Thailand’s stimulus schemes like “We Travel Together” have also contributed to an increase in domestic travel search rates on Agoda. The company says data for August saw an increase by 50 per cent from 2019 in its domestic travel search rates. It noted that Thais mostly booked travel to secondary cities while upgrading their bookings to more luxurious hotels.

I would not be surprised if a similar ratio apples to many western nations. From Thai PBS World Up to 70% of the population of Thailand may have been infected with COVID-19, as most cases have not been officially recorded because they were asymptomatic or had only mild symptoms, according to Dr. Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University. He said that the estimated infection rate is based on the assessments of blood tests conducted so far, adding that the Omicron variant has spread widely in the past several months, but most of people did not report their infections to health authorities because they had no or only mild symptoms and only those admitted for treatment at hospitals have been recorded. He said, however, that the Disease Control Department, with funding from the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI), will conduct an extensive survey to determine the extent of COVID-19 infection in the Thai population, using blood tests to find traces of infection or developed resistance through anti-nucleocapsid and anti-spike IgG tests. The first such survey will be held in Chon Buri province in October, in cooperation with the provincial health office, among 1,200 samples aged from six months, after which the survey will be expanded to other provinces within six-months. Results of the survey, said Dr. Yong, will be helpful in the planning of measures to deal with COVID-19 in the future, especially in determining whether further booster doses will be needed.

Hopefully it will lead to a good job offer. Young men who demonstrate those qualities invariably make outstanding employees.

Despite attempts to disguise your writing style, you're beginning to sound more and more familiar. What's giving you away is that laying on the Vietnam stuff too heavily. Bigot don't change their stripes.

Maybe it's just you that they found reason to hate. Can't imagine why. But on second thought, that's not possible because you've never been to Thailand.

From Pattaya News Central Festival Pattaya is bringing you a prehistoric exhibit of enormous dinosaurs, which will run from September 22nd to October 16th, 2022, at the Sunken plaza. The prehistoric exhibit will include numerous life-size terrifying dinosaurs such as the T-Rex, brachiosaurus, triceratops, and other cool exhibits and fossils that they say will shock and awe visitors of all ages, as well as make great photo props.

Government approves extended stays from Oct. 1 From the Thaiger Tourists arriving in Thailand will soon be permitted to stay in the kingdom for longer. Today, Government Spokesperson Traisulee Traisornkul announced that Thailand’s Cabinet had approved the temporary extension of both visa on arrival stays and visa exemption stays. Tourists arriving in Thailand will soon be permitted to stay in the kingdom for longer. Today, Government Spokesperson Traisulee Traisornkul announced that Thailand’s Cabinet had approved the temporary extension of both visa on arrival stays and visa exemption stays. The government hopes the extensions will stimulate tourism and the economy, which is still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.Between October 1, 2022 – March 31, 2022, foreign tourists arriving in Thailand are eligible to stay in the kingdom as follows… Visa on Arrival stays will be extended from 15 days to 30 days. Passport holders from 19 countries are eligible for Visa on Arrival. Visa Exemption stays for passport holders from 64 countries which have bilateral agreements with Thailand will be extended from 30 days to 45 days. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects that the average tourist will stay in the kingdom for an extra five days thanks to the extensions. If each tourist spends 4000 – 5000 baht per day on average, they will pump an extra 20,000 baht into the economy than they normally would, says the TAT. Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration agreed to the extension of visa on arrival and visa exemptions at their meeting with the Thai government yesterday, said the spokesperson.

So this is where it's going. The real culprits--aside of course from the Vietnam, Arab and Indian boys--are the George Floyd demonstrators and CNN. Oh, yes, and the crazy Muslims.

From the Thaiger At least 100 LGBTQ+ couples plan to make history this Valentine’s Day when they converge on Bangkok to take part in Thailand’s biggest LGBTQ+ wedding ceremony. The event will be held at the Thai-Japan Bangkok Youth Centre and is hoped to raise awareness of the struggle for gay rights and marriage equality. As of now, same-sex marriages, civil unions, domestic partnerships, unregistered cohabitations, or any other form of same-sex unions are not legally recognised in Thailand, although the Civil Partnership Bill and the Marriage Equality Bill have been proposed to recognise a separate civil union or to allow same-sex marriage respectively. At least 100 LGBTQ+ couples plan to make history this Valentine’s Day when they converge on Bangkok to take part in Thailand’s biggest LGBTQ+ wedding ceremony. The event will be held at the Thai-Japan Bangkok Youth Centre and is hoped to raise awareness of the struggle for gay rights and marriage equality. As of now, same-sex marriages, civil unions, domestic partnerships, unregistered cohabitations, or any other form of same-sex unions are not legally recognised in Thailand, although the Civil Partnership Bill and the Marriage Equality Bill have been proposed to recognise a separate civil union or to allow same-sex marriage respectively. A number of groups not associated with the government have banded together to form the Bangkok Naruemit Pride organising committee and are planning the massive LGBTQ+ wedding ceremony, calling it “Naruemit Vivah 2023.” They have invited at least 100 couples, not only from Thailand but from around the world too. The group plans to decorate the field at the sports centre on Mit Maitri Road in Din Daeng by covering it in rainbow flags, a symbol of openness to the diversity of love according to an LGBTQ+ activist working with the committee. “We will create a new page in history to promote equal marriage as a right for people not only in Thailand but across the globe, especially those countries that do not yet accept LGBTQ+ people.” The event has garnered the support of Bangkok’s Deputy Governor Sanon Wangsrangboon who called for people to plan more events of this kind throughout Thailand. He also pledged to help make the event successful and provide facilities to help organise. The deputy governor views events like this as a win-win: it promotes equality for all people in Thailand while also attracting visitors from around the world. He reiterated his allyship with the LGBTQ+ community.

Got it. You met two guys from Vietnam in three years and you've been living in Pattaya for 22 years. And you just recently found that you needed directions to get to Sunee. Closest you've come to Thailand is ordering takeout from your neighborhood Thai restaurant. Your life must be incredibly boring to post this shit.

If there are thousands of news reports, why don't you cite them? In this post it's Arabs and Indians. in another it's Vietnamese. You seem to harbor a hell of a lot of prejudice. You claim to have lived in Pattaya for 22 years yet you still rely on posts to find your way around town? And you accuse other members for being less than honest? And in those 22 years you only joined the board last Saturday?

Rarely do those who base their pugilistic ability on lifting weights win bar fight or a street fight. It's determined by totally different skills and experience.Regarding Vietnam boys, you're either incredibly unlucky or making this stuff up as you go along. You claim that you're "...not against Vietnam.." but in the same sentence caution us to" ...say no & move on..." if we ever find ourselves thinking about going with a Vietnamese. The only drama queen appears to be you.

That's five more reasons than I'd need. 😊

Too upmarket for my taste and wallet. Would not be surprised if they promise more than they deliver.

From Channel News Asia HONG KONG: The world's top dragon boat competition will ditch Hong Kong in favour of Thailand next year due to the city's stringent coronavirus rules, organisers announced on Saturday (Sep 17). The 2023 World Dragon Boat Racing Championships became the latest international sports event to abandon the Chinese city, according to the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association. "Hong Kong's current quarantine and isolation arrangements for visitors are still more stringent than that of other countries," the group wrote on Facebook. The event scheduled for next August will instead be held in Pattaya, Thailand, the International Dragon Boat Federation confirmed. The news comes a day after the Hong Kong Marathon and the Oxfam Trailwalker events separately announced their cancellation. Marathon organisers said they had not received government approval with just two months left before the race, which did not leave enough time for preparations.

From The Nation BANGKOK, Sept 17 (The Nation Thailand/ANN): A widely shared video clip shows Atthachai Argudom, a 19-year-old student at Udon Thani Technical College, pulling the unconscious 12-year-old out of shin-deep water. The drama unfolded next to a power pole outside Satri Rachinuthit School in the Northeast province on Friday (Sept 16). Witnesses suspected that electricity had leaked from the power pole. Atthachai suffered electric shocks during the rescue that he said had left him feeling weak. Both he and the schoolboy were taken to high ground inside the school compound before being rushed to hospital. Udon Thani governor Siam Sirimongkol visited Atthachai in hospital on Saturday. He thanked the young man for his selfless compassion and gave him money to buy a new mobile phone. Atthachai had dropped his phone into the floodwater in the scramble to rescue the boy. The schoolboy’s mother, Kanokrat Loeichaiyaphum, also visited her son’s rescuer in hospital. She said her son would have drowned had Atthachai not pulled him from the floodwater. “My thanks to this man who saved my son’s life. Thank you for your bravery and your good deed,” the 45-year-old said at Atthachai’s bedside. His grandmother Supannee Saelim, 65, said that Atthachai has lived with her since he was a child following his parents’ divorce. “I am proud of him and happy that he’s safe,” she told the media.

Close--but no cigar. On long-haul flights of over nine hours duration, passengers seated in coach are 17.3% more likely to die en route than passengers in business (adjusted for load variation). 🤣

From Channel News Asia Owner of Vietnam karaoke bar arrested HANOI: Vietnamese authorities have arrested the owner of a karaoke bar where a fire killed 32 people earlier this month, police said Saturday (Sep 17). The blaze ripped through a three-storey entertainment venue north of commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City nine days ago. Seventeen people were injured, with many suffering broken bones after the flames forced them to jump from the roof, police said. Binh Duong provincial police on Saturday confirmed in a statement that bar owner Le Anh Xuan, 42, was arrested a day earlier and faces criminal charges related to breaching fire prevention regulations. He will be held in custody for four months while the investigation continues, police added. While 15 of the injured have been released from hospital, two of the most seriously hurt are still receiving medical treatment.

From the Thaiger / Asean Now An American man met his demise in the greater Bangkok suburb of Nontha Buri after plummeting out of the ninth-floor window of a rental building. For some reason, falling deaths, especially those of foreigners, have been an increasingly common occurrence in Thailand. In this most recent incident, a man that Pak Kret police identified as Mr Campi was reported to have fallen out of a window on the ninth story of a building in Muang Thong Thani in the Nontha Buri province. He was 43 years old and died from a head injury sustained from the massive fall. Me Campi had rented a storage unit in the building, but it was on the eighth floor. A witness said that they had spotted the man smoking a cigarette on the floor above his rental unit near the window that he later fell out of, though there are no reported witnesses to the actual fall. A security guard heard a loud noise when the incident occurred, but he attributed it to the regular thrum of traffic that passes by the building each day and did not think anything was unusual at the time. Then a van driver spotted the American man on the ground and reported it to the guard who contacted authorities. The Ruam Katanya Rescue Service arrived alongside the Pak Kret Police to investigate the scene and the body of the American man was transferred to Thammasat Hospital in nearby Rangsit for an autopsy to be performed. Now, police have set about contacting friends and relatives of the deceased American to try to put together any information about him and what happened in the moments leading up to his death. They said that investigators will keep an open mind about the incident for now and have not judged it suicide or ruled out any foul play so far.

From the Thaiger / Bangkok Post So many businesses in the entertainment sector were flattened by the Covid-19 global pandemic. But with tourism beginning to pick up, and sunny predictions for the fourth quarter after a rained-out third quarter of 2022, theme parks and water parks are pumping money into a flood of new attractions in Thailand in the coming months. Current theme parks have been revamping and remodelling to be ready for when the tourist are pouring back in and some big companies, both domestic and international, are launching brand new tourist attractions. They’re hopeful that Thailand will see a successful high season and that they can bring in billions of tourists to enjoy their water parks and theme parks. So many businesses in the entertainment sector were flattened by the Covid-19 global pandemic. But with tourism beginning to pick up, and sunny predictions for the fourth quarter after a rained-out third quarter of 2022, theme parks and water parks are pumping money into a flood of new attractions in Thailand in the coming months. Current theme parks have been revamping and remodelling to be ready for when the tourist are pouring back in and some big companies, both domestic and international, are launching brand new tourist attractions. They’re hopeful that Thailand will see a successful high season and that they can bring in billions of tourists to enjoy their water parks and theme parks.Here’s a rundown of some projects in the works scheduled to be opened over the next few months. So many businesses in the entertainment sector were flattened by the Covid-19 global pandemic. But with tourism beginning to pick up, and sunny predictions for the fourth quarter after a rained-out third quarter of 2022, theme parks and water parks are pumping money into a flood of new attractions in Thailand in the coming months. Current theme parks have been revamping and remodelling to be ready for when the tourist are pouring back in and some big companies, both domestic and international, are launching brand new tourist attractions. They’re hopeful that Thailand will see a successful high season and that they can bring in billions of tourists to enjoy their water parks and theme parks. Here’s a rundown of some projects in the works scheduled to be opened over the next few months. CARNIVAL MAGIC, PHUKET Thailand’s largest theme park operator, running parks under the Safari World umbrella, is set to unveil its newest project, the Carnival Magic theme park in just a few days on September 20. The park is set on the sprawling 100 rai plot of land near Kamala Beach just next to the Phuket FantaSea, which they intend to update as well when tourism makes a complete recovery. The Carnival Magic theme park invested 6.6 billion baht to create a design in the tradition of Thai carnivals frequently found in moving night markets and temple fairs along with parades and activities but with a modern twist to implement new technologies. They hope to welcome as many as two million guests in the next year and estimate that foreigners will account for about 70% of their clientele. AQUAVERSE MOVIE THEME PARK, PATTAYA Sony Pictures Entertainment has invested in developing 35 rai in Pattaya under its subsidiary Columbia Pictures and a partnership with Amazon Falls. Picking Thailand to create its first theme park, and choosing Pattaya because of its proximity to U-Tapao Airport, high-speed trains, and easy transportation, Columbia Pictures’ Aquaverse is set to open on October 12. The attraction will combine elements of theme parks and water parks and is aimed at attracting visitors of all ages with water features, land attractions, themed zones and restaurants, entertainment and live shows, and special sets and merchandise. Areas themed on their movies such as Hotel Transylvania, Jumanji, Surf’s Up, and Ghostbusters are full of unique waterslides and wet activities. A second phase will expand indoor activities over the next 10 years if tourism recovers to pre-pandemic levels of 20 million visitors to Pattaya per year. One million tourists per year are estimated will visit and the attraction plans to reach that number with global promotions utilising its network that reaches 80 countries. The theme park in Pattaya is hoped to be a launching pad for similar attractions around the world based on expanding themes from their famous movies and TV shows. BANGKOK WORLD, BANGKOK Finally, on November 25, Siam Amazing Park’s parent company will open a new attraction right next door: Bangkok World. The new park is hoping to draw one and a half to two million visitors per year, both foreign and domestic. After 3 billion baht of investment, the entertainment complex will stretch across 70 rai and be almost like a mega mall. The sprawling side-by-side theme parks will expand with the new park featuring restaurants and street food, cultural performances and dinner theatres. It will also support local businesses and products by opening more than 500 shops using Thailand’s One Tambon, One Product programme that selects a superior product from local areas to support and promote.

What do you want? Dancing girls and balloons? It offers the widest seat and ample privacy. I want function over glitz. And when I fart I don't worry about people on either side of me. I don't think they're necessarily wealthy. The are older and that's how they choose to allocate their funds. My total flying time (3 flights) to BKK is nearly 24 hours. The first domestic segment I fly economy. If I fly between SE Asian cities I fly economy. I picked up four compression fractures to my spine in a work accident long ago so long hauls in coach would be quite uncomfortable. .