Thailand

Thailand: Elephant Camps Promote Poaching, Activists Claim

Date: March 6th, 2013 |

Elephant camps, which employ about 4,000 Asian elephants throughout the country, have long been a popular tourist attraction. Many of the camps also claim to rescue animals that would otherwise starve when they retire from logging or other heavy labor, and put them to work in the entertainment business. However, conservationists are accusing some of [read more]

Thailand: Gunfire Kills British Tourist at Beach Party

Date: January 9th, 2013 |

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Caught in the crossfire between local gang members, a 26-year-old British tourist was shot and killed at a New Year’s Eve beach party on Koh Phangan. Since its full moon parties became a worldwide attraction in the late 1990s, the 65-square-mile island has seen tourism skyrocket along with violent crime. An estimated 180,000 visitors descended [read more]

Thailand: TAT Hopes Licensing Will Curtail Internet Booking Fraud

Date: December 5th, 2012 |

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In effort to crack down on rampant internet booking fraud, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced a new licensing initiative. Effective Dec. 1, TAT requires hotels, guest houses, tour operators, restaurants and taxis to register with them and pay 100,000 Thai baht (about $3,200) into an escrow account for a new operating license. [read more]

Thailand: Tourists Caught “Tiger Teasing” at Famed Temple

Date: September 12th, 2012 |

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The famous “Tiger Temple” in western Kanchanaburi province has come under fire again, after a recent YouTube video showed a busload of tourists teasing the animals with bags of meat tied to long sticks. Animal rights’ groups have criticized the temple for years, claiming that the tigers are regularly and heavily sedated so that tourists [read more]

Thailand: Four Dead in Phuket Nightclub Fire

Date: August 21st, 2012 |

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Four people, including at least one tourist, were killed when a popular Phuket nightclub burned down Aug. 17, raising concerns about fire safety in such venues. Police used dental records to identify a 24-year-old British man among the victims, and were waiting for positive identification on the other three. Authorities were still investigating the cause [read more]

Thailand: Tourist’s Facebook Photo Offends Thais

Date: January 20th, 2013 |

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A Facebook photo of a tourist posed with an ancient Buddha statue has come under fire for showing disrespect to the national religion and culture. Taken at Ayutthaya Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the photo shows a foreign woman standing behind the relic, replacing its missing head and arms with her own. While [read more]

Thailand: Tourists Flee 3-Day Island Blackout

Date: December 12th, 2012 |

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At the start of December high season, more than 3,000 disgruntled travelers jammed Koh Samui’s tiny island airport, trying to escape a three-day blackout. When the outage began on Dec. 6, many businesses continued to operate by generator, but by the third day, fuel supplies were running low and vacationers were becoming increasingly dissatisfied. Between [read more]

Thailand: Crime Protest Video has Tourists Cancelling Krabi Trips

Date: November 14th, 2012 |

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A homemade music video protesting the release of a known rapist has prompted tourists to cancel upcoming trips to Krabi in large numbers. The video, which went viral on YouTube, was produced by the father of a 19-year-old Dutch tourist who was raped and beaten while vacationing in Ao Nang. Her case made international headlines [read more]

Thailand: Tourist Boat Capsizes Near Phi Phi Island

Date: August 28th, 2012 |

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A passenger boat carrying 37 tourists and four Thai crew members capsized in rough seas between the resort islands of Phi Phi and Phuket Aug. 27. All 41 people went into the water, but luckily were rescued by other boats. However, one frightened survivor stated that life jackets were in poor condition, and that crew [read more]

Thailand: Recent Tourist Deaths Raise Safety Concerns

Date: July 25th, 2012 |

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A string of disturbing deaths has recently tarnished the friendly image of the “Land of Smiles,” grabbing headlines and raising concerns over tourists’ safety. In the last month, an Australian woman was stabbed to death by would-be thieves in Phuket, and two Canadian sisters were found dead in their bungalow at a popular island resort, [read more]

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