Pattaya to Host Week Long New Year Celebration

Pattaya, Thailand will be hosting a week-long celebration to bring in the New Year that aims to attract a million visitors, generate 500 million baht in revenue and will be telecast across the world.

“The event is part of [an extended] message sent overseas, saying Thailand is a good place to visit,” said the mayor of the tourist resort, Vittaya Khunpluem. “It will be the country’s biggest countdown celebration this year.”

The popular Thai beach resort east of Bangkok is hoping to make this the beginning of an annual world-class event that attracts foreign visitors to the country.

Pattaya is working with the private sector, GMM Media and MCOT to plan and deliver Pattaya Count Down 2009 from 25 to 31 December on Bali Hai beach.

According to the mayor’s comments, the event was created to help out the Thai tourism industry which has suffered recently due to the global economic turndown and the political crisis in the country.

Pattaya’s hotel occupancy rate has fallen by as much as 70 per cent in the wake of last month’s airport closures. It is expected, however, that the seven-day celebration will reduce that drop by half during the week-long festivities, which both locals and tourists from other Asian countries are expected to attend.

Kokiet Seangwanich, who is the managing director of GMM Business Development, noted that his company would be contributing 22 million baht to the organization of the event, and that an additional eight to 10 million would come from the Chon Buri province budget.

Live concerts will be provided by 13 different bands during the week. Major activities will be held daily and will be television via the MCOT worldwide network to CNN, NHK and CBS.

Have an IT Xmas in Pattaya

Pattaya, one of the country's most-visited resort cities, will soon become a cyberhub, with tourists, businesses and residents being able to access the Internet free of charge on the beach.

Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome said the city's authorities had signed an agreement with the Telephone Organisation of Thailand and CAT to help Pattaya become an IT City by laying down a wi-fi network, which allows wireless Internet access along the beach and the walking street. The project, called "Wi-Fi on the Beach", will extend over a 4.5-kilometre area.

The city will also implement a "Fibre to the Home" (FTTH) network, covering 20,000 households by the end of next year. Under this project, CAT will set up the IT infrastructure and implement FTTH solutions to support businesses, education sector and Pattaya residents.

"Pattaya will be the first tourist destination in Asia to utilise new technology and infrastructure to support businesses, resident and tourists. It should promote and invite tourists from around the world," Itthiphol said.

He added that in the first stage, the city will provide free-of-charge wi-fi access at the speed of 256 kilobits per second along the beach for 30 minutes at a time. The service will officially be launched on Christmas Day.

Varut Suvakorn, president of TOT, said his agency would provide telecommunications infrastructure and services at an international standard, in an aim to promote Pattaya as a IT paradise location.

Restoring Confidence and Reviving the Thai Economy: A Priority of the New Government

Restoring confidence and reviving the Thai economy have been cited as the first priority for the new government, led by Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Permanent Secretary for Finance Suparut Kawatkul believes that the present political situation will improve after the new government assumes office. The improved situation will be favorable for the solving of the country’s economic problems.

He also believes that a skillful economic team, to be formed soon, will help restore confidence in the Thai economy and win public support. The next step is that the new government should accelerate public spending to ease economic woes.

In the face of the present situation, he said that the government should play the lead in stimulating the economy, especially through the investment budget of state enterprises and the additional 100-billion-baht package to be derived from the central fund to cope with the unemployment problem.

The Permanent Secretary cited constraints due to the budget deficit and reduced income collection as difficulties facing the government. He said that problems concerning exports and tourism as a result of the global crisis must receive great attention from the new government. Measures to rehabilitate the situation, reduce impacts, and revitalize the economy must be worked out.

The Ministry of Commerce agreed to set the export target in 2009 to increase by only five percent, a decline from 10 percent set in October this year. In the initial stage, five major strategies will be implemented to boost Thai exports. In the first strategy, exports of food and agricultural commodities will be fully promoted. The second strategy seeks to promote Thai export markets, which have not been much affected by the global economic crisis. These markets include ASEAN, China, India, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa.

The third strategy calls for the promotion of the service business in order to increase exports. In the fourth strategy, efforts will be made to reduce production costs in the logistics trade. The fifth strategy seeks to encourage Thai business people to open businesses in foreign countries. These strategies involve 692 projects with financial support of 2.9 billion baht.

Deputy Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Juthaporn Rerngronasa said that tourism had been badly affected by the recent political situation in Thailand. The effects would be felt for about five months, from December 2008 to April 2009. A great number of Asian tourists, especially those from China, Japan, and South Korea cancelled their trips to Thailand.

TAT suggested reductions of airport tax and visa fees, as a way of attracting tourist arrivals. Emphasis would also be placed on domestic tourism promotion to encourage more Thais to travel in the Kingdom.

Bangkok Film festival into forefront
22 Dec 2003

Thailand: The upcoming Bangkok International Film Festival promises to be better than ever, with features films, documentaries and short films from every corner of the globe highlighting Bangkok's role as one of the world's foremost places of entertainment.

Announcing the launch of the Bangkok Film Festival, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Jutamas Siriwan said that the film festival is scheduled to run from 22 January to 2 February 2004 and would showcase an enormous range of films, including 10-15 feature-length movies from the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) members including Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

In addition, visitors to the Bangkok Film Festival in Thailand would be able to watch ASEAN short films, together with documentaries and animations, she said. For those interested in Thai cinema, there would be both feature movies and documentaries on important events from Thailand's past.

Mrs. Jutamas said that the Bangkok Film Festival would be more spectacular than previous years' events, with grand opening and closing ceremonies at the Scala cinema, film competitions, prizes, seminars, golf contests for film stars, and concerts.

The movies would be shown at five leading cinemas in Bangkok: SF Cinema City Emporium, Major Cineplex Central World Plaza, Lido Siam, EGV Metropolis Big C Rajadamri, and Grand EGV Siam Discovery

US to accept 14,000 Hmong refugees from Thailand

The United States has agreed to accept about 14,000 ethnic Hmong refugees currently living at Wat Tham Krabok, the open holding centre for Hmong in Thailand's Saraburi Province, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra revealed yesterday.

PM Thaksin said that the United States would accept 800-900 of Hmong refugees each month, up to a total of 14,000, with no conditions attached. The remainder of the Hmong refugees would continue to be cared for by the government of Thailand.

Stressing that any Hmong wishing to immigrate to the United States would have to be free from involvement in drugs, Prime Minister Thaksin said, adding that all the Hmong would also have to be tested for AIDS.

Thailand's Premier attributed the United State's decision to the growing strength of Thai-US relations, while also noting that border problems between Thailand and Laos, where nearly all of the Hmong refugees come from, have considerably eased.

Wat Tham Krabok temple in Thailand is famous for its drugs detoxification program. The first Hmong to arrive at the Wat Tham Krabok temple in Thailand in the year 1960's were mostly opium addicts.

New floating market in center of Bangkok
New Suam Lum floating market all set to float

A new floating market with a 600-seat restaurant, along with several other attractions, is to be opened at the Suam Lum (Lumpini) Night Bazaar in central Bangkok Thailand at the end of next year.

The operators of the Suam Lum floating market and bazaar say they hope this Bangkok city-centre floating market, which will cover 10,000 square meters and will be the first of its kind in Thailand, will be a magnet drawing foreign tourists to the bazaar. Construction of the floating market is to begin in April and be completed in November.

Because of this exciting attraction of the Suam Lum floating market and restaurant in the center of Bangkok, we expect to increase the number of foreign tourists to our night bazaar from between 10 and 15 per cent this year, to more than 20 per cent next year, said Khun Pairojana Toongthong, managing director of bazaar operator Bangkok Market Place Co in Thailand.

With the majority of foreign tourists visiting the floating market and bazaar will come from Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East.

Other attractions set to open next year in Bangkok, include a 500-seat khantoke (Thailand's traditional northern Thai cuisine) restaurant a spa complex, and a plaza for products from Shanghai. The 8,000-sqm, air-conditioned Chinese Plaza complex, in which Bt28 million has been invested, will be open by February 2004.

The Suam Lum night bazaar has been open for almost 20 months and has achieved a certain level of success, albeit not as good as had been hoped for, said Pairojana. He said there was almost Bt200 million in accumulated unpaid rent, which had to be counted as bad debt by the bazaar.

We earned about Bt100 million from rents last year, generating only Bt1 million in profit. The situation, however, is better this year, he said. We expect to earn Bt200 million from rent this year. The bazaar covers an area of 120 rai and houses more than 4,000 tenant shops, of which almost 70 per cent are occupied.

The Suam Lum bazaar in Bangkok now attracts over 10,000 people on weekdays and up to 30,000 people at weekends, said Pairojana. More visitors are expected once the underground train system begins operation in April 2004.

He further added that Suam Lum bazaar would organize huge all-night factory outlet sales next year, the biggest of which would see some 200 lorry-loads of products being sold at cheap prices

New Thai PM launches charm offensive

New Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva launched a charm offensive Thursday aimed at supporters of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra, but still urged the exiled tycoon to return and face justice.

British-born Abhisit, who was voted in by parliament on Monday after the Thaksin-linked ruling party was dissolved by a court in early December, said he would visit the northeastern region of Isan to win over his foes.

The populous region is Thailand's poorest area and a stronghold of Thaksin, where Abhisit's Democrat Party has struggled to win support since the former premier was toppled in a military coup in 2006.

"When the appropriate time comes and I have a mission, I will travel there," Abhisit said in an interview on an army-run television station.

Abhisit's comments came a day after he vowed a "grand plan of reconciliation" to heal Thailand's rifts after months of protests against the previous pro-Thaksin government, led by the now defunct People Power Party.

The rallies culminated in the occupation of Bangkok's two airports late last month, a move which stranded hundreds of thousands of tourists, battered the economy and harmed Thailand's international reputation.

His Democrats managed to end eight years in opposition by wooing small parties away from the PPP after its dissolution, but Abhisit is now faced with a shaky coalition and major economic and political challenges.

The Oxford graduate is expected to unveil his cabinet on Friday after royal approval. He said he would hold his first cabinet meeting on Tuesday ahead of his presentation of a policy statement to parliament on December 29-30.

"Many people have a negative attitude towards me. In order to achieve my work I have to rely on everybody," Abhisit said.

Twice-elected Thaksin lives in self imposed exile to escape a jail term on corruption charges, but Thailand remains deeply divided between his supporters and detractors.

The urbane Abhisit, whose name means "privileged", failed to make a dent in Thaksin's support base in the north and northeast during the post-coup elections in December 2007 that brought the PPP to power.

Abhisit said he wants Thaksin to return to Thailand to face several corruption cases against him currently in the courts, a move which risks causing further divisions.

"I want him to return to fight his cases and he must show that he accepts that every Thai is equal," Abhisit said.

"I think that Thai society will be kind to him and give him forgiveness, but it all depends on how Thaksin accepts the judicial process."

Despite the PPP's convincing election win a year ago, courts have in 2008 removed two PPP prime ministers to pave the way for the Democrats' ascent to power.

This has angered pro-Thaksin and PPP supporters who feel they have been robbed of their democratic rights, and groups have vowed to protest outside parliament next week when Abhisit gives his policy statement.

Abhisit has also made shoring up Thailand's ailing economy a priority, and he told business leaders on Thursday "he would shock the economy with swift and strong measures but will not lose monetary discipline."

The 44-year-old has also promised to try to restore confidence in the tourism sector after the seizure of Bangkok's airports by the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

The group counts a Democrat Party lawmaker among its key leaders.

Speculation continued in local media on the possible identity of future ministers.

A hotly-tipped candidate for finance minister is Korn Chatikavanij, a former manager at investment bank JPMorgan Chase and the Democrats' deputy leader, who told AFP Wednesday he was "ready for the finance minister post" if asked.

The Democrat Party also planned to ask former army chief General Prawit Wongsuwon to be defence minister, party secretary general Suthep Tuagsuban said.

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