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"The Rounds"
Nok Air Launches Phone Giveaway Lest We Get Complacent . . . . Two Suspects Arrested in Zotob Computer Worm Case National Aviation Authorities in Europe Ban Some Airlines Fake Microsoft Patch Circulating in E-Mails Tsunami Survivors Recovering, Officials Say Government Cancels Two Subway Extensions A Cautionary Tale about Looking for Cheap Air Tickets * * * * * * * * * * Just a reminder you can sign-up for free to receive the BangkokAtoZ.com Updates (plain text) e-mail to always know when I add something new to the site or modify it in some important way. A great way to be sure YOU don't miss something of interest, best of all is that this service is absolutely FREE! * * * * * * * * * * Nok Air Launches Phone Giveaway Domestic budget carrier Nok Air has an advertisement in today's Bangkok Post for a promotional giveaway the airline will be running September 2-30, 2005. The offering is for a Zeason S-Three (S3) phone, which apparently is either produced by locally-based Loxley, which is a major ISP here in Thailand, or produced at its behest. I can't be sure for the paired reasons I can't find any information about the phone in English and I don't read Thai. If you do read Thai or have someone handy who does, you can read the Loxley page about the Zeason S-Three (S3) mobile phone. I can tell you it is a dual-band 900/1800 phone that works here in Thailand. Nok Air is a small carrier serving the 4 domestic destinations Udorn Thani, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, and Phuket. It so happens I've never flown on the carrier nor talked with anyone who has, but one friend told me a friend of his gave a good report about it last year, when my friend's Thai buddy was jubilantly saying how nice it was to get to come back to visit his family in Bangkok from his new work base in Hat Yai for so cheap. It's not at all clear from the advertisement just how the phones will be given away. About the only things I can concretely report about the promotion is that winners have to pay a 5% tax and that the decision of the air crew is final and non-negotiable. The airline's website has no information I found, other than a banner link to the Loxley webpage about the phone. I tried to telephone to get more information but got no answer (which, by the way, is the 2nd time I've tried calling Nok but getting no joy). If you need to travel between Bangkok and any of the carrier's destinations, you might give some thought into looking into their flights. They are cheap; you can fly round-trip between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, for example, for as little as an even 2,700 baht per person (the fare depending on departure time) -- and that's all-inclusive of the fuel surcharge, administration fee, insurance premium, airport tax, and VAT tax. Nok Air uses the Boeing 737-400 -- specifically, the Boeing 737-407 (Boeing 737-4D7) -- on its 4 routes, the planes configured to seat 150 passengers. On offer are free drinks and snacks for passengers who purchase "Nok Plus" tickets, which are somewhat higher than the lowest fares available, but still quite reasonable. Nok Plus passengers also can have up to 30 kilograms/65 pounds luggage, which is very generous by any standard for a domestic, economy-class ticket. Who knows? -- maybe you'll win a hand phone and start blab-blab-blabbing away! ;-) Let me know if you do! [Monday, August 29, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Lest We Get Complacent . . . . We're relatively lucky here in Thailand when it comes to typhoons; much of the time the worst we experience is heavy rains and their attendant flooding. It's coming up on 9:00 A.M. Monday morning as I write, some hours before the predicted landfall of Hurricane Katrina in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, the best-known U.S. city founded by the French during colonial days. Hurricane Katrina is among the 4 strongest hurricanes on record (at least in the Western Hemisphere; I'm unsure of its global ranking), but on the 5-step Saffir-Simpson scale it is ranked a Category 5 storm, with top winds of 270kph/165mph. That's a killer storm. Just a few hours ago (about 5:30 A.M. Bangkok time, or 5:30 P.M. Sunday New Orleans' time) New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a total, mandatory evacuation of the historic city. With the storm surge predicted to reach as high as 8.6+ meters/28 feet, much of the below-sea-level city is facing serious threat of major flooding, including the historic French Quarter, which could be under up to about 6+ meters/20 feet of water -- only marginally better than the 9.2+ meters/30 feet some experts are predicting for parts of the city. As many as a million New Orleans' area residents could lose their homes. The Gulf of Mexico has seen a record hurricane season already, with a number of major storms churning ashore around the Gulf. If your travels are taking you to that part of the Gulf, you might consider delaying or altering your travel plans until Hurricane Katrina finishes her assault on the U.S. mainland. Highways are reported to be jammed with people fleeing inland, away from the storm's fury. Though I haven't seen anything [yet] about airlines serving the area, no doubt planes departing New Orleans and area airports are packed. If you've never gone through a hurricane, I can tell you from personal experience they are dangerous and frightening. In the early 1990's, when I was living in Macau, a relatively mild typhoon struck what was then the last Portuguese colony -- and it scared the living daylights out of me. After the worst of the storm was past, I ventured out in my car on Taipa Island, a short distance offshore and where I lived at the University of Macau. Driving through the center of the island I narrowly escaped almost certain injury, maybe even death, when the winds gusted and toppled a huge billboard -- which crashed to the ground very nearly atop my car. The yellow streak down my back positively glowing, I fled to the mainland and parked my carcass in the lobby bar of a hotel, a place I felt relatively safe. It was hours before I felt the receding storm had weakened to a degree it was reasonable for me to return to my island apartment. My best wishes are with the people of southern Louisiana face an unprecedented emergency. I'll add late news as this developing story progresses. And continue counting Thailand's lucky stars . . . [Monday, August 29, 2005] Late news: It's now approaching 7:00 A.M. Wednesday morning as I write, and the situation along the hard-hit U.S. central Gulf Coast is worse than expected, and getting worse in New Orleans in particular. There, at least one levee broke, possibly two, allowing waters from Lake Ponchartrain to flood into the city, causing flood waters to rise. The city is about 80% underwater -- up to over 6 meters (20 feet) in places, including other cities, electrical power is out for over a million area residents, Even the Superdome is being evacuated, after being pressed into service as an emergency shelter. The twin spans of I-10 east of New Orleans are both heavily damaged, and an oil rig off Alabama broke loose from its moorings. Experts say this could turn out to have been the worst weather disaster in the U.S. ever. It almost certainly will prove to be the most costly, in terms of money. The human toll is anybody's guess at this point. Simply put, no one really has much of a clue as to the numbers of dead and injured; officials are focusing on search and rescue operations in a race against time. This is going to be a major story for a long time to come. A local mayor said Hurricane Katrina is "our tsunami," and while a hurricane and a tsunami are very different creatures, the metaphor is apt -- a wall of water nearly 8 meters (25 feet) high swept ashore in Biloxi, Mississippi, for instance, and to the folks there, for all intents and purposes it was a tsunami. [Wednesday, August 31, 2005, 7:00 A.M.] * * * * * * * * * * Two Suspects Arrested in Zotob Computer Worm Case Anyone affected by the recent attack of the instantly-notorious Zotob computer worm -- as some were right here in the Kingdom -- a couple weeks ago will be delighted to learn that law enforcement authorities have moved quickly and arrested 2 suspects, on in Morocco, the other in Turkey. Tracking the alleged culprits down was an international effort between various countries' law enforcement agencies and the private sector, most notably Microsoft. You can read all about it in the Yahoo! News story headlined "Zotob Worm Suspects Arrested." While the story does say Moroccan and Turkish laws regarding cyber-crime aren't as strong as those in the U.S., it is hoped the suspects will be charged with as serious charges as exist under those 2 countries' laws and that, if they either or both are found guilty, they will be punished to the fullest extent available. When I first learned of the Zotob worm, I spent several hours (and some dollars) taking measures to protect my computer against possible attack. Huge companies and national governments are reasonably well able to respond to threats from cyberspace; smaller companies and more local governments, as well as individuals, are less well poised to protect against them. It was a major inconvenience for me to have to spend the time I did trying to ensure my computer would be safe, an inconvenience I frankly strongly resent. I haven't the faintest clue what remedies are available under the legal codes of Turkey and Morocco; I just hope they are major ones, if these guys really are guilty. I don't know about you, but the mentality of people who write such stuff is completely beyond me. In the past, when viruses, worms, and the like were less common than they are today, I thought maybe they were in a mindset comparable to that of a graffiti writer. But graffiti is harmless, if often offensive; computer viruses and worms often aren't harmless, of course. The Yahoo! article is silent on whether damaged companies, governments, or individuals can seek redress in the Turkish and Moroccan judicial systems, but those who were affected, particularly those who suffered economic loss as a result of the worm, may well want to investigate what, if any, recourse they may have in those countries. [Monday, August 29, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * National Aviation Authorities in Europe Ban Some Airlines I was interested to read 2 stories online at CNN International this morning regarding steps being taken by certain European countries individually and the EU as a whole to ban individual airlines on safety concerns. The first story is headlined "France, Belgium blacklist airlines" and is the one of most immediate interest to us in Thailand. Phuket Air, which has had its share of other problems recently, is on France's list of 6 airlines banned from flying in French air space, a ban based on apparently vaguely-defined safety grounds. A senior official of the airline here in Bangkok asked just what "unsafe" means, implying French aviation authorities hadn't explained what they meant, at least not to airline officials' satisfaction. Therefore, until the aviation authorities decide to lift the ban, anyone originally planning to France (or any French territory) on Phuket Air will have to seek another airline for passage. The second story, one about moves by officials at the EU regarding banning airlines found to be unsafe, has far larger implications for airlines everywhere, including Thailand. That story is headlined "EU to speed up airlines blacklist." EU authorities aim to have a list of blacklisted airlines within 6 months then to ban them from all 25 countries now members of the EU. Given that there is considerable air traffic between Asia overall and the EU, should any Thai airline that has routes to any EU member state find itself on the proposed list could be seriously affected. If you know anything about the other airlines on France's and Belgium's lists -- Belgian aviation authorities have banned 9 airlines -- it's almost shocking that a Thai carrier is on either list (though none are on the Belgian one). North Korea's Air Koryo is one listed airline (surprise, surprise), and it's not an airline I've ever heard cited in any positive way. I know a few people who've flown on Phuket Air, and their reports were positive. Maybe the problems the French feel are present will be solved so the budget carrier can resume whatever flights it wants into French-controlled airspace. [Tuesday, August 30, 2005] Late news: Both the Bangkok Post and The Nation have stories in today's editions reporting that top managers of troubled Phuket Air have decided to suspend most operations. The reports also say the airline has let go 300 employees, a third of its workers, since earlier in the year. The plan is to lease most of the planes to other airlines under "wet leases," through which Phuket Air provides not only the planes but also the cockpit and cabin crews as well as the airplane engineers for them, but the planes will be repainted to the lessee's airline's colors. The blow from France and a costly legal battle in South Korea have hit hard. See "Phuket Air to quit struggle to stay aloft" in the Bangkok Post and "Phuket Air lays off 300 after huge losses" in The Nation. [Wednesday, August 31, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Fake Microsoft Patch Circulating in E-Mails Note: Microsoft NEVER distributes patches via e-mail -- never. I just received an announcement from a gentleman who sends out news about computer worms, viruses, trojans, phishing, etc. While it relates to the story above about the arrest of suspects in the Zotob worm case and this is related to that, it's serious enough I decided to run this as its own story. There's an e-mail making the rounds apparently from Microsoft containing seemingly legitimate text and an executable attachment, the file named MS05-039.EXE. It will do all sorts of nasty things to your computer if you run it. (You can read a full explanation in an article on the PC Magazine website titled "Security Watch: Fake Windows Patch is a Windows Killer" -- and you don't have to be a techno-geek to understand it.) All versions of Windows clear back to Windows 95 are vulnerable to this attack. IT does nothing you can easily look for, but if you get it, you can try running your antivirus program -- if it's still working, that is. Many victims will find the best thing they can do is to re-format their hard drives. Again: Microsoft NEVER distributes patches via e-mail -- never. And you will be wise not to open attachments from strangers, and to use caution even when you receive an e-mail with an executable file in the body or as an attachment from people you do know. [Wednesday, August 31, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Tsunami Survivors Recovering, Officials Say Yesterday's Phuket Gazette ran a story with some information I found a little surprising -- but encouraging -- under the headline "Gov rebuffs offer of 10,000 tsunami homes." The article's focus is on a mysterious self-proclaimed wealthy Dubai businessman who asked government officials to donate land for the 10,000 prefabricated, Australian-made homes he want to donate for the victims of the tsunami. It's no surprise a wealthy benefactor might indeed make such a gift, no is it a surprise that given the visitor's lack of any documentation, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura wanted proof -- not with all the scam artists around. What did surprise me was the article's statement that Pannee Sittikan, head of the Phuket Office of Social Development and Human Security, told the newspaper 127 houses had already been built and there is no one else needing housing. As a side note, the article also says that back in May Phang Nga Governor Anuwat Metheeviboonwut said due to the lack of coordination between various NGO's the province might end up with as many as 4,000 new homes -- twice the number needed. I would have thought both provinces would have needed far more than either number, especially Phuket. That's why I was a little surprised to read those numbers. I haven't read any hard numbers of replacement homes needed in the wake of the tsunami, and certainly hope those numbers are accurate. I suppose I just assumed such widespread, massive destruction would have destroyed more than about 2,100 homes in the 2 hard-hit provinces. By the way, I did a little searching and found only the above story and another a few days earlier in the same newspaper about The Mysterious Stranger. One would think the UAE-Dubai news media would cover such a story. The same can be said about Al-Jazeera. If the man is indeed genuine, maybe he'll go to another affected country -- I can't imagine that Indonesia has been able to replace destroyed housing that displaced thousands upon thousands of people, especially in the relatively short time since the disaster. Let's see if he turns up elsewhere. . . . [Wednesday, August 31, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Government Cancels Two Subway Extensions Though this isn't breaking news today, the government's recent decision to eliminate 2 of the earlier-announced extensions to the subway, the Purple Line (Bang Yai to Bang Sue) and Orange Line (Bang Kapi to Bang Bamru) is wreaking financial havoc in the private sector, according to a survey conducted by The Nation and covered in an article in today's edition headlined "MASS TRANSIT CHANGES: Property projects worth Bt40 billion in doubt." The government's decision to cancel the extensions was financially prudent. Long-time readers of this column know I strongly support public mega-projects to expand mass transit, particularly in cities such as Bangkok, where many people simply can't afford their own private vehicles. But sometimes economic realities have a way of getting in the way, don't they? In this instance, top leaders felt the financial risks were simply too great to go forward, despite having already announced the intent of seeing the extensions through. Numerous private projects were heavily promoted for their locations near one or the other of the two, at a cost, according to the newspaper, of about 40 billion baht (about US$1 billion.) As the paper rightly points out, speculators will be hardest hit and will have to adjust or take the loss on what was, basically, a gamble. Besides, not all is lost: the government plans to establish rapid-bus routes as substitutes for the canceled extensions. Buses are just as subject to getting trapped in traffic jams as all other road vehicles, but at least they provide some mass transit alternatives. The buses will be more environmentally-friendly than gas and diesel vehicles, as they will run on natural gas -- which has the additional plus of being less expensive than the other fuels. With considerable luck, maybe the government can try again, after the new airport is finished and operational, other extensions completed, etc. -- and when, it is to be hoped, oil prices come down. Were that to happen soon enough, maybe the various investors can eventually recover their money -- and people who live and work in those areas who were looking forward to having ready access to the subway for their commuting can finally benefit. [Wednesday, August 31, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * A Cautionary Tale about Looking for Cheap Air Tickets Like many travelers, when I go somewhere I like to go at the lowest price I can find, working through a bona fide travel agency. Of course, if paying, say, a higher airfare than I have to pay but gives me something extra sufficiently worth it, I'll do that. But whatever ticket I buy, I don't just go out an buy one from someone hawking them on the street. According to several press reports, several travelers down Phuket way did just that. The specific scam was the accused con artist (who is in custody) would make the offer then go get the ticket -- with a stolen credit card. If the traveler moved quickly enough, he could make the flight before the rightful credit card owner had had time to report the loss. But this scammer apparently specialized in round-trip tickets. Let's say I bought a return ticket from the guy on EVA Air to fly to the Texas (the domestic legs being on American Airline). Last I knew, that ticket cost around 42,000 baht for the Evergreen Economy Deluxe Class, which is a fairly big step up from Economy Class. And say he sold it to me for 30,000 baht, a hefty savings of 12,000 baht. But even were I to make it all the way to Texas, I almost certainly wouldn't be able to board the domestic carrier there for my return flight, let alone at the airport in Los Angeles for the EVA flight back to Bangkok. I can assure you that short of some super special courier ticket (and only maybe, even for that), it would cost me considerably more than the 12,000 baht I "saved," you can be sure. Besides, someone had to pay the airlines -- the victim of the credit card theft or an insurance company. This sort of thing happens all over the world, of course, so shouldn't be taken as a mark against Thailand. In any case, we have only ourselves to blame, at the end of the day, when we let our minds focus on greed -- and forget the old saw "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." I don't know about you, but about the only time I would even consider buying a ticket from an individual is when I know the person very well and know him (or her) to be solidly honest. Victims end up poorer, but wiser. Don't expand your wisdom this way!!! [Wednesday, August 31, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt
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