Most flights and ferries operating to schedules in southern Thailand
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has released an update saying most flights and ferries to the flooded south of the country are operating to timetables. The normal schedules are in place despite the fact large swathes of the far south have been inundated by torrential rain.
Authorities in regions as far apart as Suratthani and Nakhon Si Thammarat have reported extensive flooding. News reports issued today suggest the rain is easing and flooded regions are draining.
The TAT bulletin issued late Monday says the Andaman region around Phuket and Krabi plus Songkhla and Hat Yai on the opposite side of the peninsula have escaped relatively unscathed from the floods. Although the Gulf of Thailand islands of Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui were affected by the flooding, the situation had eased somewhat by Sunday.
The TAT press release noted that all flights to Koh Samui were running normally. It also said ferry operators such as Lomprayah and Seatran had stated their services were still sailing according to scheduled departure times. The 12GO travel team says the heavy rain is unseasonal as the wet season typically finishes in November.
Last week saw the inauguration of a new flight route connecting central Vietnam and the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Vietnamese budget carrier Jetstar Pacific launched a twice weekly service last Friday which links the nation’s Quang Binh Province to the Rose of Thailand’s North.
Delegates from Thailand and Myanmar have marked the auspicious 20th birthday of a river bridge linking the two ASEAN nations. The ceremonies on Tuesday marked the official anniversary of the Moei River Friendship Bridge’s opening on 15 August 1997.
A heritage bridge spanning the Perfume River in Hue is to get a makeover to make it more conducive to 21st century tourism. The original Truong Tien Bridge dates from the French colonial era in the 1890s and is a 400-metre-long structure.
