Thailand’s Land Transport Department has inaugurated a campaign to stop taxi drivers from fleecing passengers arriving at Bangkok’s second airport. Nanthapong Cherdchu is the deputy-director of the department and he says inspectors are conducting random checks.
The first runners in Sunday’s King’s Cup Pattaya Marathon are set for a very early start. Runners who have entered for the full 42km marathon will sprint away from the start line on Beach Road at 03:30 in the morning.
Cambodia’s national bus operator has announced plans to expand its routes right across the country. In Phnom Penh, transport supply director Ean Sokhim explained that the Japan International Cooperation Agency had agreed to assist with the procurement of 140 new buses for the operator.
Immigration and government offices across Thailand are set to shut for five days to mark the start of the Buddhist period of Lent. Although the start of Lent, or Phansa in Thai, is not until next Wednesday, offices will be shut down from Saturday.
The management authority at Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park has announced the birth of an infant gibbon. Apsara Authority released news of the recent birth via its online portal and noted that the proud parents were rehabilitated gibbons which were released into local forests a year ago.
Travel and Leisure magazine has named Chiang Mai as the second best city in the world for tourists to visit. The northern Thai city was only pipped for the top spot in the 2016 edition by Charleston in the US state of South Carolina.
A senior official with the Thai Transport division says an extension to Bangkok’s Skytrain network will open earlier than planned. Traffic and Transportation Department director Taweesak Lertprapan says the southbound extension of the Sukhumvit Line will accept its first passengers next year.
A Thai navy rescue patrol swung into action early on Sunday to help a dolphin that had washed up onto a beach near Krabi. The dolphin was stranded on Koh Lanta Noi Beach and when naval officers arrived they found it weak and unable to summon up the energy needed to get back out to sea.
One of Bangkok’s original night clubs has been given a new home after being unceremoniously evicted from its old one after a six-decade residence. The Check Inn 99 has been a staple of Bangkok nightlife since it was renamed from the Copacobana in the early 1960s.
Thailand’s national tourism agency has inaugurated a campaign to promote the country’s premium silks. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has enlisted five of the nation’s top designers to create modern clothing items utilising home-produced silk.
Residents of Thailand’s Phi Phi Islands say it is imperative that Maya Bay is closed or its beauty and sealife will be lost forever. Residents and tour operators have joined forces and sent a petition to the nation’s Department of National Parks (DNP) to this end.
The management authority with jurisdiction over Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park says tourists will soon have to dress properly or they won’t be allowed in. Apsara Authority manager Long Kosal says that from 4 August 2016 visitors will have to cover up or staff won’t allow them to buy admission tickets.
Bangkok’s Thailand Cultural Centre recently released the schedule for its 2016 music and dance extravaganza. The eclectic programme is guaranteed to thrill and includes performances by a top Russian ballet company, jazz bands, Chinese acrobats and flamenco dancers.
A combination ticket for use on all urban trains in Bangkok is due to be released before the end of 2016. The Thailand Office of Transport and Traffic Planning (OTTP) says the necessary infrastructure and programming has already been implemented to enable Bangkok tourists and commuters to use the combo tickets.
The chief ranger of a pristine national park in the province of Satun says it has abundant delights and is a worthwhile travel destination. Jarun Khunnarong is in charge of Thale Ban National Park and he says the locale is exactly as nature created it.
Planners in charge of developing an airport rail link on Phuket Island have been told to revamp the proposal to make it safer for motorists. The Transport Ministry of Thailand claims the current blueprint for the tracks has too many level crossings.
The prime-ministers of Laos and Cambodia have agreed to increase the number of official checkpoints on their common border. Cambodian leader Hun Sen met with his opposite number, Thongloung Sisoulith, in Phnom Penh early last week to discuss the issue.
Thai transport specialists say a proposal to build a short stretch of high-speed train track in Nakhon Ratchasima needs re-thinking. Spokesperson Samart Ratchapolsitte alleged that the plan to build just 3.5kms of track is not the best use of resources and investment funds.
An extension to Bangkok’s underground train line which will connect it to a new overground line will be at least another year coming. The governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand explained that the earliest a link between Bang Sue and Tao Poon stations will be ready is in July next year.
Travel agents in four central Thailand provinces have condemned a plan to close the nation’s most visited national park. Last week, the local Conservation Network Association put forward a proposal to bar visitors from Khai Yai National Park for three months every year.