Thailand

Thailand: Possible Cease-Fire in Troubled South?

Date: July 23rd, 2008 |

After four and a half years and some 3,000 deaths, a glimmer of hope for a resolution of the Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand appeared via a spokesman claiming to represent all of the main militant groups. He announced a unilateral cease-fire and claimed that anyone who continued the violent struggle would be considered a [read more]

Thailand: Muslim Insurgency Plagues Southern Provinces

Date: January 17th, 2008 |

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Four years after it began, a Muslim insurgency continues to plague Thailand’s southern provinces where little progress has been made to curb the violence. Suspected Islamists ambushed a military vehicle and killed eight soldiers Jan. 14, then the next day detonated a bomb hidden on a motorcycle in a busy marketplace in Yala, wounding at [read more]

Singapore: Dengue Fever on the Rise

Date: July 4th, 2007 |

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Dengue fever is spiking in Singapore and surrounding countries, with the infection rate similar to that of the dengue epidemic of 2005. This year Thailand has seen more than 11,000 cases and Indonesia 68,000, but Malaysia has the highest infection rate in the region with more than 20,000. Singapore’s rate with nearly 3,000 cases is [read more]

Thailand: Don Muang Airport to Reopen; Tightened Security in Bangkok

Date: February 28th, 2007 |

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Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok will reopen March 25 for domestic flights on Thai Airways and three other smaller airlines because of ongoing problems at the new Suvarnabhumi airport. The switch could cause confusion if a connection needs to be made to a domestic flight from an international flight because they would be using [read more]

Thailand: Bangkok’s New Airport Has Problems

Date: February 1st, 2007 |

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Bangkok’s new international airport is beset with problems, from cracked taxiways to leaky roofs to inadequate bathrooms to luggage snafus. The national airport authority has found some 61 issues needing repair or redesign that will cost an estimated $45 million and six months to fix. Perhaps worst, Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation did not renew [read more]

Thailand: Safety Whistles for Women in Phuket; Trouble in Southern Provinces

Date: March 20th, 2008 |

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Officials in Phuket have vowed to provide whistles to women visiting the popular tourist island after the murder in broad daylight of a 27-year-old Swedish woman walking alone on Mai Khao beach. A suspect surrendered to police and is in custody. The whistles are part of a plan to improve safety for tourists and raise [read more]

Cambodia and Thailand: One Visa Good for Both Countries

Date: December 19th, 2007 |

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Foreign ministers from both countries signed an agreement Dec. 17 to allow foreign tourists to enter either country on a single visa. The move is an effort to streamline tourism to the region and if it proves successful may also be adopted by Laos, Vietnam and Burma (Myanmar). If that occurs a traveler could visit [read more]

Thailand: Haze Plagues North

Date: March 21st, 2007 |

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Thailand has been experiencing its worst air quality in 14 years, with the northern region suffering most. Since the beginning of March, fires from brush clearing, trash burning, and forest blazes pushed pollution in Chiang Mai beyond acceptable levels. On March 14 air quality exceeded the emergency level. By March 20 pollution had dropped to [read more]

Thailand: Suvarnabhumi Airport Problems Not as Bad as Feared

Date: February 14th, 2007 |

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The problems at Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi airport are not as bad as feared, according to the chief engineer of the Thai government agency responsible for overseeing the airport. In a two-week investigation authorities discovered that cracks in the pavement on taxiways and one of two runways affected the surface only and the engineering work underneath [read more]

Pacific Rim: Taiwan Earthquake Damages Undersea Cables

Date: January 3rd, 2007 |

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A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Taiwan Dec. 26 and damaged undersea telecommunications cables, affecting internet, banking and telephone services around the Pacific Rim. Much of the service has been restored but repairs to the cables are expected to take as long as a month. Internet access may be slow or unavailable in so [read more]