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Tourists in [Bangkok] [1] will soon be treated to a new adventure activity, allowing them to fly through the trees at lightning speed. Flight of the Gibbon Bangkok is due to be opened on June first, banking on the already extremely successful Flight of the Gibbon Adventure Tour in Chiang Mai. It offers visitors a new perspective, as Barret Agent, Environmental Education Coordinator at Flight of the Gibbon commented to the [Chiang Mai News] [2] "When people visit Thailand we want them to see more than just the tourist hot-spots. Riding a zip-line through the treetops provides visitors with an experience of these exquisite rainforests previously reserved for only a select group of scientists and researchers." Flight of the Gibbon Bangkok is located just one hour outside of Bangkok, between the Khao Kheo Open Safari and the Chompoo Wildlife Sanctuary. Visitors will be able to zip through the rainforest canopy on a high-tech, system of zip-lines, which cover more than three kilometers. [1]: http://1stopthailand.com/bangkok [2]: http://easy-chiangmai.com/chiang-mai-news.html 2009-05-07T09:11:00+07:00 1265 2009-05-07T09:12:31+07:00 5 true 1265-bangkok-tourists-treated-to-the-high-life Andrew

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand has announced that the state of emergency in [Bangkok] [1] will be lifted on Friday, stressing that the government was seeking reconciliation after the recent violent anti-government protests. On 12 April, the Thai prime minister imposed a state of emergency in Bangkok and the five immediately-surrounding provinces after demonstrators disrupted the ASEAN summit in the resort city of Pattaya and violence spread to the streets of Bangkok. In spite of the state of emergency that was declared, protesters clashed with the military and police, ending with two people dead and 123 injured. On 14 April the “Red Shirt” protesters finally abandoned their three-week sit-in outside the government’s offices in Bangkok, and moved off the streets, as a crackdown by the military became imminent. The [AFP] [2] reports the prime minister as telling members of parliament during a special sitting: "Today I intend to lift the state of emergency. At first I wanted to announce it in the morning (of Thursday) but as it is already past midnight it is considered a new day." He added: "Lifting the state of emergency is part of measures to find a solution for the country. The government wants to show its sincerity, that the government wants reconciliation and to make the country move forwards." The special session of parliament was being held to consider ways to heal the political divide between the prime minister and his "Red Shirt" opponents, who remain loyal to exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. [1]: http://1stopthailand.com/bangkok [2]: http://www.afp.com/afpcom/en 2009-04-24T07:32:00+07:00 1234 2009-04-24T07:33:17+07:00 5 true 1234-thai-prime-minister-lifts-bangkok-state-of-emergency Andrew

As Thailand's latest political crisis escalates a state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok and its surrounding six provinces in an attempt to restore order to the capital. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency on Sunday after red shirted protesters from the United front for democracy, against dictatorship (UDD) forced the cancellation of the ASEAN+3 summit in Pattaya Saturday. Protests from the group, led by fugitive and exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have turned ugly after a mob of 10,000 stormed the Royal Cliff Beach Resort in Pattaya amid inadequate police security, forcing the airlift evacuation of heads of state and a major embarrassment for the crisis wracked country. Bangkok remains at risk of violent clashes as the army are now set to be deployed and bring the situation under control. The protests, crucially, have moved from key administrative sites in the Dusit area, into the city proper as they try to block key roads and incite anarchy. They are demanding the government step down, accusing them of being illegitimate, while Thaksin himself is urging a revolution. Several countries have issue travel advisory warnings and tourists are advised to avoid Bangkok for the time being as violent clashes between the army and this group of some 100,000 are anticipated Monday. Until now the government has been reluctant to use the army or heavy handed discipline on the protestors, fearful of losing face and credibility among the general population. Following the Pattaya siege, the current crisis has lurched to an unprecedented level, reminiscent of the airport seizure last year, with mob rule becoming a popular tool for groups to voice dissatisfaction at the current political landscape. With the standoff reaching critical levels uncertainty remains in the capital, and unfolding events there might spill out to Northern and Northeastern provinces, including Chiang Mai. The Southern provinces of Thailand remain peaceful and without risk but transport might be severely disrupted as the crisis unfolds. The present government came to power four months ago after the ruling party was dissolved for vote fraud. MPs from a key factions of the party crossed the floor to help the opposition form a minority led coalition, which the protestors are refusing to acknowledge. Thaksin Shinawatra has been fighting to reverse his corruption convictions, unblock frozen assets and return to power, and has the support of the UDD. No solution seems in sight for the political crisis and it is likely to cost the country a loss of more than 200 billion baht in lost tourism revenue. 2009-04-13T11:14:00+07:00 1221 2009-04-13T11:34:09+07:00 5 true 1221-state-of-emergency-in-bangkok-clashes-expected Andrew

On 23 December 2008 a Thai court decided to delay the extradition hearing for Viktor Bout, a legendary weapons dealer known around the world as the Merchant of Death. The Russian is wanted in America on allegations of arms smuggling, but when two of the key witnesses in the case failed to show up at the latest court date, the judge ruled to delay the hearing until March 6. The case to extradite the Russian arms dealer began in March 2008 when he was apprehended during a US-led sting in Bangkok. At the time, American DEA agents were posing as members of the Colombian rebel group FARC to buy a large amount of weapons, ammunition and other gear. Bout’s lawyers made the request to delay the hearing because two high-ranking Thai naval officers could not make it to the court due to illness. In his first public comments in court, Bout contended he was being set up by the Americans. “I never met anyone from FARC. I’ve never talked to anyone from FARC,” Bout told the court. “I didn’t do anything wrong in Thailand.”
 Bout has committed no crimes in Thailand, and the Russian government has been quite vocal about bringing him home to Moscow. The US, however, wants Bout first to try him on charges of conspiring to kill Americans among many other things. He would probably get life in prison if found guilt in an American court. 2009-01-05T12:01:00+07:00 1066 2009-01-04T12:11:57+07:00 5 true 1066-merchant-of-death-to-remain-in-thailand Andrew

Bangkok’s state of emergency, first put into effect on 2 September, has been lifted now that Thailand’s ex-prime minister, Samak Sundarav, has stepped down. The decision by the government was cheered by the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), and virtually every other person working in the tourism industry. ATTA’s president, Apichart Sankary, told reporters that the move will go a long way towards boosting the confidence of travellers ahead of Thailand’s winter high season, which begins in November. Tourism plays a major role in Thailand’s local economy, injecting around 600 billion baht from foreign visitors and another 400 billion baht from Thai tourists into the country each year. In 2007, around 15 million foreign travellers visited Thailand, but many tourists have been staying away from the kingdom since the political turmoil began several weeks ago. Apichart estimates that the number of foreign tourists who come to Thailand in 2008 will be more or less the same as last year if confidence can be restored soon. Bookings are down throughout the country compared to this time last year, but now that the anti-government protestors have backed off foreigners may be encouraged to reconsider their travel plans. Ironically, despite a few disruptions to the nation’s transport system, [Thailand’s main tourist destinations][1] were completely unaffected by the protests. Beach resorts are open for business as usual, and even the capital is returning to its normal charmingly tussled state. [1]: http://www.1stopthailand.com/highlights/ 2008-09-19T05:09:00+07:00 884 2008-09-19T05:11:45+07:00 5 true 884-state-of-emergency-lifted-in-bangkok Andrew

On Tuesday morning at 07:00, current Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency, effectively putting the capital Bangkok under the full control of the army. Following increasingly violent clashes between PAD anti-government protestors, pro-government protestors, and police, Samak enacted his authority to declare the crisis official. The prime minister’s declaration was prompted by overnight fighting between anti-government and pro-government protestors in the streets of Bangkok. One man was killed and dozens of protestors injured during the running street fights. General Anupong Paojinda, the commander of the Thai army, has been put in control of the crisis, and now has absolute power to deal with the political unrest in Bangkok. The state of emergency effectively means that any protest gathering of five or more people is prohibited. The police and military can use whatever force they deem necessary to disperse the illegal gatherings. Media that encourages public protesting can also be censored or shut down. United front of Democracy against Dictatorship leaders stated immediately that they would “obey the law and go home,” thus ending their rally at Sanam Luang. The People’s Alliance for Democracy’s (PAD) Suriyasai Katasila, stated that his group would now meet to discuss their next move. This new Emergency Law has never been officially used in Thailand, and takes the stand-off to a new unpredictable level. Samak is nominal head of Thailand’s Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), so the army and police are effectively under his command. All travellers heading to Bangkok should be aware that there will likely be delays in all areas of infrastructure and transport, as well as the rising potential for street clashes. Check the latest news at [The Bangkok Post][1] [1]: www.bangkokpost.com 2008-09-02T16:49:00+07:00 864 2008-09-02T16:50:48+07:00 5 true 864-bangkok-under-state-of-emergency Andrew

The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) has recently reported that several major air line companies, including the national carrier Thai Airways, will be cutting back on the number of flights into Thailand in 2009, following on a projected 12 percent decrease in tourist arrivals. Association president, Apichart Sankary, has said that the overall number of tourists visiting Thailand in 2009 may fall short of the target of 17 million. In fact, he added, the number may be closer to 15 million than 17. Due to the rising cost of jet fuel and less-than-expected passenger demand, Thai Airways has already discontinued its New York-Bangkok service. The carrier has also reduced the frequency of other flights and re-routed service, particular in relation to the US. Political instability that has plagued Thailand for the last couple of years has been blamed for the slowdown in the tourist industry, but Apichart suggests that the country is seeing a shift in the source of its tourists. The TAT has focused its promotional efforts recently in the Middle East, and that region is becoming a more significant source of tourists. The president of the [Koh Samui] [1] Tourism Business Association, Seni Phuwasethavorn, is saying that this year’s high season will not see as many visitors to the island as last year’s due to higher travelling costs. Hotel occupancy in Samui is at 60 percent, down from 75 percent during last year’s high season. [1]: http://1stopthailand.com/koh-samui 2008-07-18T19:59:00+07:00 781 2008-07-13T20:00:44+07:00 5 true 781-airlines-cut-flights-as-tourist-arrivals-drop Andrew

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) held a two-day training programme for Indian travel agents last month in Goa, India. Many are predicting a shift in the travel climate as high-end, luxury travel becomes a more important segment of the market. An indicator of this is the mass market-directed [Tourism Authority of Thailand aiming for an audience of high-end travelers] [1]. Strategically located between the two burgeoning superpowers, India and China, [Thailand] [2] has its eyes on a huge market. As part of the TAT initiative to promote Thailand as an up-market destination and to create a solid base of partners in the travel trade, the tourism agency conducted a two-day workshop for Indian travel agents in Goa, making India and the US the only two countries where this has occurred. The initiative is called the Amazing Thailand Champion Agents Program. Speaking about the programme, Prakit Piriyakiet, executive director for the South Asia & South Pacific Region of the TAT, remarked: "The programme is designed to educate travel trade members on our up-market products. The workshop gave them an opportunity to interact with senior TAT representatives from Bangkok and co-participating hotels and tourism attractions from Thailand." This recent workshop involved 40 trade member participants from across India. The US was the first country chosen for the programme, followed by India. Expansion to additional countries is still under consideration. Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, the director of the TAT, commented: "I am not aware of plans by other TAT offices to organise a similar activity. However, directors of our offices in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were also present in Goa as observers and they will probably do similar things in their respective regions. So you can say that Goa was a successful pilot project that TAT can implement in other parts of the world." [1]: http://nationmultimedia.com [2]: http://1stopthailand.com 2008-06-23T16:16:00+07:00 750 2008-06-23T05:40:48+07:00 5 true 750-tat-promotes-thailand-at-goa-programme Andrew