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"The Rounds"
* * * * * * * * * * Headlines Thai Airways and Chaophraya River Boat Fares to Increase Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand March Activities Schedule Encouraging Signs for Law Enforcement in Thailand Drought Crisis Strikes the Majority of the Kingdom Common Sense for the Hot Season * * * * * * * * * * The past 16 days have been a nightmare. You may notice that the stuff at the top, left, and bottom are missing. The program I use isn't working, even after I installed a newer version; I'm doing a work-around now that involves sacrificing the borders just to be able to get something up. Bear with me; I'm still working on the situation. [Sunday, March 13, 2005] Thai Airways and Chaophraya River Boat Fares to Increase I just read a report over at the TNA (Thai News Agency) web site dated February 26, 2005 about an 5% rise from April announced by the national flag carrier on both its domestic and international routes as a result of increased costs, especially for fuel. The report also says operators of ferry boats here along The River of Kings have petitioned the government for permission to increase fares by 15-20% for the same reason. They wanted any rise to go into effect last Monday, but it appears the government will approve any increase until after March 15th. It's hard to know how to react to the news; after all, anyone operating any conveyance run by petrol or diesel is feeling cost pressures, including individuals driving their own cars and other motor vehicles. You can read the full report, "Air and sea fares increased," for yourself. [Sunday, February 27, 2005] * * * * * * * * * *
Foreign Correspondents Club I got my regular activities bulletin from the FCCT, to which I belong, this afternoon and it occurred to me I could help publicize the various events there by reprinting it here. You can click the link to see the FCCT activities schedule for March. The FCCT web site has a new calendar feature on the home page, but I just looked at it, and it is the schedule for May and June, so while it announces things well in advance, we may forget during the interval. The bulletin I've reprinted here is more timely -- though because my column is weekly, I've had to edit out on the page events that are taking place before this column goes up.
[Monday, February 28, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Encouraging Signs for Law Enforcement in Thailand A citizen of Denmark was arrested trying to flee the Kingdom to a 3rd country, a man charged with rather heinous crimes in his homeland, according to a news story in today's Thai News Agency -- "TNA," for short -- ("Danish 'tourist' arrested in international operation.") Arguably the bigger story is the cooperation Thai law enforcement authorities showed the Swedish embassy, which was assisting Denmark's government in the case. Given the problems of law enforcement here -- hardly unique to Thailand -- such cooperation is encouraging. Even countries in the developed world have their problems with their law enforcement, so to see a newly developing industrialized nation such as Thailand being a model of international cooperation is heartening. It speaks volumes that nothing was said in the TNA report about the guy trying -- let alone succeeding in -- attempting to bribe his way out of the country. Well-deserved kudos to the law enforcement personnel and other officials of the various governments involved for an operation carried out well. May this bode well for the future of law enforcement in Thailand. [Friday, March 11, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Drought Crisis Strikes the Majority of the Kingdom In another TNA story headlined "Over 9.5 million suffer as drought spreads to 66 provinces" it is reported that the current nation-wide drought is the worst experienced by residents here in decades. Just a few days ago an acquaintance with senior contacts in the Thai government told me he had been informed that EGAT (the Electrical Generating Authority of Thailand) is pretty much at maximum capacity, in part due to full use of infrastructure -- what we might call "hardware" -- but also because of the water shortage. I've commented here before about the weather getting weirder and weirder even during my relatively short 10+ years here, and this year is no exception. For example, according to The Weather Channel's Desktop Weather Service I have on my computer, customized for Bangkok, the daily forecast high the past few days have been several degrees (Fahrenheit) below the actual highs recorded. And when the cool season ended a few days ago, it ended with a bang -- the daytime highs soared WAY up from what they had been as recently as a week ago. The current drought is worrisome; some 20% of the Thai population is affected, including the tsunami-stricken Deep South and the Kingdom's breadbasket, Isaan, the northeastern part of the country. As I have Thai friends whose families are farmers, I am concerned for their kin. And we all well may be facing serious consequences should matters get worse. [Friday, March 11, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Common Sense for the Hot Season The annual hot season is upon us, with daytime temperatures soaring to the upper 30's C°/upper 90's F° (though the nights remain pleasant enough) here in the central region; parts of the Northeast, Isaan, are sweltering under even higher temperatures. I know what I'm about to say is plain common sense, but holiday makers are sometimes so excited to be abroad that they can forget basic stuff -- in this case, if you're arriving from someplace the temperature is substantially cooler than it is here, take it easy a day or two so you can acclimate to the sudden shift. My Sister came for a visit in mid-2002, and though she lives in Texas -- which gets even hotter, but it's drier where she lives than is the case here -- and the heat really got to her. A friend took her on a several-hour cruise up the Chao Phraya River here in Bangkok, with 3 stops along the way, the last one at The Grand Palace. My friend told me privately that she was really worried at one point, and thought she might have to ask palace security personnel for help getting my Sister somewhere cool. As I said, she's used to heat, and she most assuredly is not a complainer nor a wimp. [Friday, March 11, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt * * * * * * * * * * E-mail Change Notification Sign-up Sign-up here for e-mail notification when I add or change something on the site. Just go to the sign-up page. * * * * * * * * * * Where Is *Your* Name??? So you've been a slacker and still haven't signed up for the free BangkokAtoZ.com Updates Mailing List??? ;-) Well, get with the program and sign up right now to be notified via e-mail whenever we add something to the site -- that way, you don't even have to visit the Updates Page to see if there's anything new -- we'll let you know by e-mail. If you want to sign up, just go to the sign-up page. I'm pleased to say that more and more of you are signing up, and I urge all of you not to hesitate! * * * * * * * * * * Where is *Your* "Traveler's Tale"???
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