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Latest Headlines

• Thailand to increase safety checks of pubs

  In the wake of the tragic Santika Nightclub fire on New Year’s Eve that claimed 62 lives and injured hundreds more, Thailand‘s Minister of the Interior, Chavarat Charnvirakul, has ordered authorities to inspect the safety conditions at pubs throughout Bangkok and across the nation. Charnvirakul has also announced his ministry will establish new safety guidelines to be applied, and hopefully enforced, at Thailand’s many entertainment venues.

  He stated that both the fire codes and the safety inspections need to be upgraded and enforced more effectively. “We should learn from this tragic event and come up with measures to avoid repeating the same mistakes. There should be random inspections on safety measures to be conducted by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officials,” said the interior minister.

  Police Major General Jongrak Jutanont admitted they had yet to determine the cause of the Santika Nightclub fire, but were conducting interviews with eyewitnesses. The police have, however, decided to charge the club’s owner with allowing minors into the venue after the charred body of a 17 year-old Thai was found inside the building. Police don’t suspect arson, since the club had no insurance at the time of the fire.

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• Pattaya thieves make off with 20 baht

  Three young thieves who have obviously chosen the wrong profession, were arrested in Pattaya for impersonating police officers and stealing 20 baht from two Thai victims. It wasn’t the first time someone has pretended to be a policeman so that they could shake down locals hoping to score drugs or cash, but this incident was certainly one of the dumbest.

  Two men and a woman, all aged around 20 years old, drove their pickup truck to Pattaya’s Pratamnak Hill near the radio station, where they found two slightly older Thais drinking at the view point. After allegedly presenting themselves as the police, they conducted a full body search of the two men hoping to find ya ba (Thai amphetamines).

  But in a classic karmic twist, the two men had a mere 20 baht between them, and no drugs. The young thieves foolishly chose to keep the 20 baht, a move which eventually led to their arrest. The two victims went down to the Pattaya police station and told what had happened. Local police then went out and found the truck and three thieves, arresting them on the spot.

  The two males admitted searching the victims, but denied claiming they were police. The victims didn’t want to file charges against the kids, but did want their 20 baht back. Police decided it wasn’t worth the paperwork to process the thieves, and let them go with a warning.

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• Counterfeit banknotes make vendors nervous

  A recent spate of counterfeit 1,000 baht banknotes being circulated in the local economy has led to many small business owners refusing to accept them. This fear has led to a potentially serious problem concerning cash transactions in local markets. Visitors to any of Thailand’s local markets will find it nearly impossible to spend a 1,000 baht note.

  Somchai Setakornnukul, a senior director with the Bank of Thailand (BoT), reported that its bank had discovered 18,895 counterfeit notes between January and November 2008. This particular bit of news caught fire in Thailand, spreading quickly throughout the local business community. Vendors have expressed concern over whether it’s illegal for them accept forged notes or accidentally redistribute them. So they are refusing to accept them or using excuses not to take them.

  Apisak Tantivorawong, chairman of the Thai Bankers’ Association (TBA), insists that any cash taken from an ATM or bank office is completely safe, as all notes have been checked before being distributed. Local rumors have it that the Red Wa army along the Burmese border is responsible for producing the fake notes, reportedly selling them for 350 baht each. It is advised that visitors carry small banknotes for small transactions, and save the 1,000 baht banknotes for large stores and bigger purchases.

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• Pattaya spends big on 2009 tourism budget

  Pattaya and neighbouring Chonburi have announced they will be spending 21 million baht in 2009 in tourism campaigns alone. The big budget is a clear sign that Pattaya wants to put the dismal economic end of 2008 behind it and prepare for a more prosperous 2009.

  The promotional campaigns planned by Pattaya City are targeted at Thai tourists as much as foreigners, as the nation tries to encourage Thais to travel within its own country and establish a stronger domestic tourism scene. At a recent meeting, Pattaya Mayor Itthipol Khunplome stated that statistics show a 50 per cent drop in tourist numbers in the popular seaside resort town.

  Thailand’s political turmoil is often cited as the main reason international travellers are cancelling their plans to visit Thailand. Pattaya already has many big events planned for 2009, starting off with a huge Chinese New Year celebration at the end of January.

  The Pattaya International Music Festival, organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, in March should also draw thousands of domestic and foreign tourists to Pattaya. The mayor said the city is also working on long-term strategies and even bigger annual events to keep Pattaya’s tourism industry running.

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• Merchant of Death to remain in Thailand

  On 23 December 2008 a Thai court decided to delay the extradition hearing for Viktor Bout, a legendary weapons dealer known around the world as the Merchant of Death. The Russian is wanted in America on allegations of arms smuggling, but when two of the key witnesses in the case failed to show up at the latest court date, the judge ruled to delay the hearing until March 6.

  The case to extradite the Russian arms dealer began in March 2008 when he was apprehended during a US-led sting in Bangkok. At the time, American DEA agents were posing as members of the Colombian rebel group FARC to buy a large amount of weapons, ammunition and other gear.

  Bout’s lawyers made the request to delay the hearing because two high-ranking Thai naval officers could not make it to the court due to illness. In his first public comments in court, Bout contended he was being set up by the Americans. “I never met anyone from FARC. I’ve never talked to anyone from FARC,” Bout told the court. “I didn’t do anything wrong in Thailand.”


  Bout has committed no crimes in Thailand, and the Russian government has been quite vocal about bringing him home to Moscow. The US, however, wants Bout first to try him on charges of conspiring to kill Americans among many other things. He would probably get life in prison if found guilt in an American court.

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