Tuesday’s News-Jan 24

  • Thailand’s weather turns cooler/
  • Has your phone been hacked? Here’s how you can check/
  • How long can a healthy human live?/
  • Thailand hopes to conclude free-trade agreement with EU/
  • Man sleeps in tent with deadly cobra all night/
  • Tourism: 8.6 million tourists to PKK in a year/Chinese national, tour operator to be questioned in police escort scandal/Thailand to use the “5Fs” of soft power to promote tourism/Thailand’s dependence on tourism means losing passport wars/Inequity in travel restrictions handicaps those legally traveling from ‘global south’/
  • Thailand Experience: Exploring the streets of Thailand: A foodie’s guide to street food/
  • Covid: Airport testing shows Covid numbers on arrival ‘very low’, departures not so good/
  • International: Myanmar rebels attack town near Thailand border/China key to aviation’s recovery/Kremlin says Ukrainians will suffer if Europe sends tanks/Erdogan warns Sweden on NATO after Koran burning/Vinyl records sales boom in Singapore, worldwide/Sea spiders can regrow body parts, not just limbs/
  • Links: Calendar of events/airport schedule/Bangkok airport bus schedule/90-day online report/driver’s license/Market Village and Bluport cinemas/Emergency numbers

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Thailand’s weather turns cooler

With the exception of the south, the rest of Thailand will experience colder weather from today, with temperatures forecast to drop from 3-5oC, Thailand’s Meteorological Department reported this morning.

The colder weather is attributable to the arrival of a new and strong cold front from China, now covering northern Laos and Vietnam, which is forecast to spread to Thailand’s north and northeast this afternoon.

In the north, the mercury is predicted to fall by 1-3oC, with minimum temperatures ranging from 11-14oC in the low lands and 2-10oC in mountainous areas. Frost may form in some places. Continued …

Has your phone been hacked? Here’s how you can check

The Police Cyber Taskforce has released advice on how Android smartphone users can check to see if their phone is being controlled by hackers remotely.

The advice was issued on Monday in response to reports that many smartphone users had fallen prey to hackers.

This usually happens when a user unwittingly downloads an application that installs malware in their phone. Continued …

How long can a healthy human live?

The death of the world’s oldest person at the age of 118 has reignited a debate that has divided scientists for centuries: is there a limit on how long a healthy human can live?

After French nun Lucile Randon died last week, Spanish great-grandmother Maria Branyas Morera, 115, has assumed the title of the oldest living person, according to Guinness World Records.

Back in the 18th century, French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, known as the Comte de Buffon, theorized that a person who had not suffered an accident or illness could live for a theoretical maximum of 100 years. Continued …

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Thailand hopes to conclude free-trade agreement with EU

The European Union is ready to open free-trade agreement (FTA) talks with Thailand again after an eight-year political impasse.

Thailand’s Commerce Minister, Jurin Laksanawisit, will head to Brussels tomorrow for a two-day business trip to accelerate talks on an FTA with the EU.

Jurin states that a Thai-EU FTA is a highly sought-after deal by the private sector, but it remains a distant goal. Continued … 

Man sleeps in tent with deadly cobra all night

A Thai man is lucky to be alive after sleeping in a tent all night with a venomous cobra in Rayong province, eastern Thailand.

Dacha, from the northern province of Phitsanulok, posted photos yesterday of a snake slithering out of the tent he dissembled moments earlier at the Dok Krai reservoir in Rayong province.

He wrote the message, “It’s almost gone. I suspect that it slept with me all night. I just saw it as I took down the tent this morning.” Continued … 

8.6 million tourists to PKK in a year

Over the past year, a total of 8.6 million tourists (Thai and foreigners) visited Prachuap Khiri Khan, which generated more than 30 million baht in revenue, according to data from the Economic Division Department of Tourism.

Udom Srimahachota, vice president of the Thai Hotel Assn. (Western region), says foreign tourists currently account for approximately 60% of all tourists visiting the district. The majority of foreigners visiting Hua Hin are from Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany, he said.

Most of the foreign tourists are elderly people and those with families.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting will be insignificant compared to tourists from other countries, Udom said, because they prefer Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket.

Chinese national, tour operator to be questioned in police escort scandal

A tour operator and a Chinese tourist are to be invited in for questioning over controversial and unauthorized police escorts provided by Thai tourist and traffic police officers.

Police Maj-Gen. Archayon Kraithong, spokesman for the Royal Thai Police, said on Monday that two traffic police officers and a tourist police officer are now under investigation by their respective agencies for providing an escort to a female Chinese tourist.

He said that the tourist police officer, Captain Somphol Pinyosamosorn, picked up the Chinese tourist at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok and escorted her, through a special immigration channel, out of the airport to a waiting car, which was then escorted by a traffic police officer on his motorcycle to her hotel in Bangkok. Continued …

Thailand to use the “5Fs” of soft power to promote tourism

Thailand plans to make full use of its soft power, which includes Thai boxing and food, in the hope of attracting more tourists to visit Thailand this year.

Acting government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said on Monday that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed all relevant government agencies to promote the tourism sector through the use of Thailand’s “5Fs”, which include Thai food, Thai films, Thai fashion, Thai boxing and Thai festivals.

For Thai food, Anucha said that the government will declare 2023 as the “Year of Thai Gastronomy”, during which the Bangkok International Food Festival will be held. The concept of “walking streets” will also be expanded. Continued … 

Thailand’s dependence on tourism means losing passport wars

For foreigners from the so-called “global north” traveling to Thailand, for the most part, they can just come whenever they please without the need of a visa for stays ranging from 45 to 90 days.

Yes, this includes travelers from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Schengen member states, whose governments all make it an ordeal for Thais to get a visa to go the opposite direction. The European Union claims that its policy is to achieve full reciprocity with non-EU countries so that citizens of both parties can travel easily.

While EU citizens have been able to travel to Thailand visa-free for as long as I can remember, there has been absolutely no signs that the EU intends to begin liberalizing visa requirements to the Schengen area for Thai nationals. Continued …

Inequity in travel restrictions handicaps those legally traveling from ‘global south’

This is not about pandemic travel restrictions. This is not about how expensive “global north” destinations are for Thai salaries. This is also not about the dangers of experiencing racial discrimination while traveling in white-majority countries.

This is about the endless bureaucratic and legal nightmare that haunts any Thai national who dares to travel abroad: applying for a visa.

As new iterations of “passport indexes” surface each year, they never fail to become a sensation on Thai social media or in the press that the “power” of the Thai passport continues to lag far behind that of other Asian countries or our ASEAN neighbors. According to the Henley Passport Index, the Thai passport ranks 68thfor travel convenience with visa-free access to 78 countries. Continued …

Exploring the streets of Thailand: A foodie’s guide to street food

Do you call yourself a foodie? Looking for a culinary adventure? Then you’ll love exploring the streets of Thailand! From the bustling night markets to the fragrant street stalls, Thailand is a foodie’s paradise.

In this article, we’ll take you on a tour of the best street food that Thailand has to offer. So get ready for a delicious exploration of Thai street food.

First of all, let’s talk about what Thai street food is and why it’s so popular. Thai street food is food that is cooked in public areas and sold to people who are looking for a quick and tasty meal. It’s usually served on the side of the road, in food stalls, and even from carts. Street food is popular in Thailand because it’s cheap, convenient, and full of flavor. Continued … 

Airport testing shows Covid numbers on arrival ‘very low’, departures not so good

Five international travelers who arrived in the kingdom in the past two weeks tested positive for Covid-19, while 300-400 departing travelers, including Thais, were infected with the virus, according to health authorities.

In the second week of this month, following the arrival of the first travelers from China on Jan. 9, three foreign travelers were found to have the Covid-19 virus. Last week, another two infections, one of them from China, were discovered among international arrivals, according to Department of Disease Control (DoDC) director-general Tares Krassanairawiwong.

The government will maintain its current measures to safeguard against infections and continue to monitor the virus situation closely, he said. “There’s no cause for concern,” he added. Continued …

Myanmar rebels attack town near Thailand border

Thick smoke and flames were seen billowing above Myanmar’s Payathonzu township, opposite Sangkhla Buri district, as rebels attacked governmnt installations there on Monday night. Continued …

China key to aviation’s recovery

Asia-Pacific aviation could see faster recovery in terms of passengers this year, fueled by China’s reopening, as well as achieving a small profit in 2024, while pent-up demand from the mainland could help compensate slowing Western markets, according to the International Air Transport Assn. (IATA). Continued …

Kremlin says Ukrainians will suffer if Europe sends tanks

The Kremlin said on Monday that the Ukrainian people would suffer if the West sent tanks to support Kyiv, as the question of whether German-made Leopard tanks will be transferred to Ukraine remained unresolved. Continued …

Erdogan warns Sweden on NATO after Koran burning

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden on Monday that it should not expect his backing to join NATO following the burning of the Koran outside Ankara’s embassy in Stockholm. Continued …

Vinyl records sales boom in Singapore, worldwide

People in Singapore may be eying a new record. No, like, actually looking at an actual record. According to a report by Luminate Data, a provider of data for the music industry, vinyl record sales have steadily grown for over a decade. This growth can be seen in the increasing number of record shops popping up in areas such as Kampung Glam, Peninsula Plaza, and Joo Chiat in Singapore. Continued … 

Sea spiders can regrow body parts, not just limbs

Sea spiders can regrow body parts after amputation and not just limbs, according to a study released on Monday that may pave the way for further scientific research into regeneration. Continued …

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Hua Hin-Suvarnabhumi bus schedule

The VIP bus service schedule from Hua Hin to Suvarnabhumi Airport has been updated. In addition, a new Cha Am boarding location has been added in front of Government Savings Bank. The one-way fare is 325 baht.

  • Leaving Hua Hin: 6am, 8am, 10am, 12:00, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm
  • Leaving Suvarnabhumi: 7:30am, 9:30am, 10:30am, 12:00, 2:30pm, 4pm, 6pm

The bus from Hua Hin to Pattaya departure time remains unchanged at 11am, at 473 baht. Tickets 

 

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