Thailand

Thailand: Haze Plagues North

Date: March 21st, 2007 |

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]

Thailand and Burma: Flooding to Continue

Date: October 17th, 2006 |

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Floods that began in August have hit central and northern Thailand hard, killing 44 and affecting some two million people in 46 provinces. The floods are unlikely to abate before the end of October because continued rain is forecast. Bangkok has suffered serious flooding and the nearby ancient capital of Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai province [read more]

Czech Republic: Pickpocket Capital of the World

Date: July 18th, 2006 |

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Britain’s leading insurance company, Norwich Union, surveyed 60,000 travel insurance claims from 2005 to learn where British travelers are most at risk around the world, and learned that the Czech Republic is number one for pick-pocketing, with Thailand coming in a distant second at about half the rate. Most British travelers go to Prague, where [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: New Year’s Eve Bombings in Bangkok

Date: January 3rd, 2007 |

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A series of seven bombings struck Bangkok on New Year’s Eve, the first five around 6 p.m. and the last two shortly after midnight. The final two occurred near the World Trade Center shopping mall where Bangkok’s main New Year’s celebration was to take place. Three Thais died in the first wave of bombings and [read more]

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand: Sumatra Forest Fires Cast Pall over Neighbors

Date: August 1st, 2006 |

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Haze from forest fires in Sumatra drifted into Malaysia and Thailand in an annual rite of pollution caused by illegal burning. The fires are typically started by slash-and-burn farmers clearing forests for fields or logging companies clearing land to get at timber. Indonesia’s Riau province has the majority of the fires and the worst pollution, [read more]

Thailand: Anti-Thaksin Demonstrations Grow

Date: March 14th, 2006 |

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Large demonstrations demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have occurred in Bangkok repeatedly for more than a month, and political tensions are growing. Thaksin has threatened to impose a state of emergency if protests turn violent, which would allow police to arrest protest leaders. His supporters have been coming to Bangkok from the [read more]