Phuket Video Report: More than 100 tourists rescued from sinking ferry

The boat carrying about 100 tourists was damaged by heavy waves and started taking on water. All on board were safely rescued. Photo: Bob from Bob's Sailing Booze Cruise

 PHUKET: More than 100 people were rescued from a tourist boat that started sinking while returning from Phi Phi Island to Phuket this afternoon after being damaged by big waves.

No injuries were reported.

The ferry, Puean Foong II, was near Chicken Island (Koh Kai), about 15 nautical

miles from Phuket, when it took on water, said Phuket Marine Police Inspector Chatchai Sakdee.

“When we received the report at 4:10 this afternoon, we sent a Marine Police vessel to rescue everyone,” Col Chatchai said.

However, by the time the Marine Police boat arrived, the passengers and crew had been picked up by another tour boat, the Pichamon, which was traveling from Phuket to Phi Phi. The crew saw the ferry in trouble and stopped to help.

“Pieces of the floor came flying off,” one of the rescued passengers, wet and still wearing his lifejacket on board the Pichamon, reported.

“Water was gushing in, and we realized, ‘get some life jackets’,” he said.

The Pichamon continued on to Phi Phi with the rescued passengers and was expected to arrive at 7:30pm this evening.

Phuket Gazette, Kritsada Mueanhawong

Report: Thai nationals to be caned for overstaying in Brunei

I really hope Thai's don't follow this model for foreigners that overstay here in Thailand!

 

 

I saw this article on Bangkok Coconuts, they have just opened a discussion on their forum that may be interesting. Enjoy the article.

Two Thai men have reportedly been sentenced to “strokes of the cane” for overstaying their visas in Brunei without reasonable causes.

Sombat Chamnanrop, 44, was sentenced to six months in jail and three cane strokes, while Phaisan Saensimon, aged 32, was sentence to three months in jail and three cane strokes.
 

The Bandar Seri Begawan Magistrate's Court sentenced the two men yesterday, the Borneo Bulletin reported, after all defendants pleaded guilty to overstaying in the country without reasonable causes.

The two men were apprehended along with Thai female Sirithip

Champasaeng during a raid in the morning of May 22, 2013 at the male defendants' rented home in Kg Kilanas.

Sombat was reportedly found to be a fugitive employee and earned a living on a freelance basis with an employment pass that expired on December 3, 2008.

Meanwhile, Phaisan worked until his employment pass was cancelled and was due for repatriation on October 31, 2012 but he failed to leave the country.

As for Sirithip, she was found to have been issued a special pass initially and told to report to the Immigration Department but failed to do so.

She was sentenced to three months and a week's imprisonment for the offense of overstaying.

Bangkok set for 2014 Formula E Grand Prix

 Looks like Bangkok is growing up and going green! Check out this article from this mornings "The Nation"

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok was yesterday chosen to host a race in the inaugural season of the FIA Formula E Championship for electric cars next year.

The announcement came during a special unveiling for the first time in Asia of the fully-electric-powered Formula E car, witnessed by Alejandro Agag, CEO of Championship promoter Formula E Holdings (FEH), advisor to the Minister of Energy Pol Maj-General Lattasanya Piansomparn, and Chiruit Israngkun Na Ayuthaya, director-domestic MICE, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau. The Formula E car will be demonstrated again this November in honour of His Majesty the King's 86th birthday.

Bangkok has been added to the preliminary list of eight host cities for its inaugural season - London, Rome, Los Angeles, Miami, Beijing, Putrajaya, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. The remaining host for the 10-circuit race will be announced in September.

The Formula E cars are being built by Spark Racing Technology (SRT) in collaboration with Renault, with a design that mimics their Formula One counterparts but focuses on ease of control, low cost and weight (780kg), and safety. Tyres are being supplied by Michelin.

The Formula E machine accelerates from 0-100kph (60mph) in 3 seconds and has a maximum speed of 220kph. The car will also serve as a platform for research and development on electric vehicles (Evs), and help boost general interest in EVs for personal use.

-- The Nation 2013-05-22

Beach chair vendors admit to nearly doubling prices for rentals

Sun worshippers are complaining that increasing numbers of beach chair vendors are charging 20 baht more than the city-mandated rental rate of 30 baht.

 Both Thai and foreign tourists have complained about vendors, many near Central Festival Pattaya Beach, using the busy Songkran period to jack up rates for beach chairs and umbrellas.

 

One vendor openly admitted to charging more than legally allowed, saying many did the same during busy times to make more money off tourists. The vendor reasoned the price hike was justified because tourists were bringing their own food, not buying it from the vendors.

Complaints have yet to reach the ears of Pattaya’s mayor or regulators. The brazen vendors said they’ll continue to charge what they want until forced not to.

 

Article courtesy of this weeks Pattaya Mail

Dem Reds are at it Again!!

Reds urge mass rally at court

 Group calls for 100,000 people to protest outside charter court next week to pressure judges to resign

BANGKOK: -- A red-shirt group protesting against Constitutional Court judges yesterday called on fellow red shirts nationwide to join a rally in front of the court next week in order to step up pressure against the nine members of the bench.

 

 The Pro-Democracy Community Radio Group made the call for up to 100,000 red shirts to move to Bangkok to join a mass demonstration in front of the Constitutional Court on May 8.

Charn Chaiya, a leader of the group, said the 24-hour deadline for the judges to clarify whether they were properly appointed by royal command had expired, so they must all resign.

The group has been rallying outside the court, located in the Government Complex, for the past 10 days.

Spokesman Sornrak Malaithong said the group wanted to invite red shirts nationwide to join the rally next Wednesday to pressure the judges to resign and to demand the cancellation of Article 309 of the charter, which endorses the 2006 coup and its consequences.

The group will also gather signatures to begin an impeachment process against the nine judges. If the judges do not resign by May 8, they will face an all-out campaign from the group, he said.

However, the Constitutional Court judges came to work yesterday, despite the rally against them in front of the court. They considered two cases related to petitions against the bill that seeks to amend Article 68 of the Constitution and restrict the court's power in accepting petitions.

In the first case of a petition filed by Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn, the court announced that copies of the petition had been sent to 312 MPs and senators who were accused of violating the charter, although the parliamentarians claimed they had not received the copies and refused to send their explanations to the court.

In the second case, the court voted 5:3 to accept a petition by General Somjet Boonthanom for review, but it declined to issue an injunction to suspend the amendment of Article 68.

Somjet was ordered to send copies of his petition to the 312 MPs and senators supporting the amendment bill.

The court yesterday also postponed to its next meeting the review of a petition against Democrat Party leader and Opposition Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, saying the judges needed more time to consider the case.

The petition asked the court to revoke the MP status of Abhisit following the Defence Ministry's decision to revoke his military rank on allegations that he had dodged military conscription.

A company of crowd-control policemen was deployed to maintain security around the Constitutional Court, and the police set up a barricade to prevent people from entering the court's compound.

Two bills backed

Meanwhile, Suporn Atthawong, deputy PM's secretary-general and a red-shirt leader, said yesterday that the Pheu Thai Party supported both the amnesty bill of Pheu Thai MP Worachai Hema and a reconciliation bill of Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung.

Worachai's bill, which has been put on the House's top agenda for deliberation in the next parliamentary session, is aimed at absolving ordinary red-shirt people from crimes committed during the protests.

However, Chalerm's bill is aimed at granting amnesty to all sides, including the yellow-shirt movement and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Suporn said it was possible that Chalerm's bill could be deliberated along with Worachai's draft.

Abhisit yesterday called on the general public to come out to send a strong message to the government that ordinary citizens disagreed with the plan to grant amnesty to Thaksin so that he could go scot-free and get his Bt46 billion in seized assets back.

He said Thaksin had sent a clear signal to his red-shirt supporters and Pheu Thai members that he wanted Chalerm's bill to be enacted so that he could get the assets back.

The former PM said Thaksin's recent Skype video-call to a Pheu Thai meeting clearly indicated that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was doing everything she could to whitewash her brother and help him get the assets back. Parts of the seized assets also belonged to Yingluck, he added.

-- The Nation 2013-05-02