Thailand - Rare giant ray spotted in Phang Nga

A rare giant manta some five metres wide has been spotted near Ta Chai Island in Similan Islands National Park, Phang Nga province, according to Somporn Kaewmaneechote, a diving instructor with Sea Turtle Diver Co Ltd.

 

Somporn said the ray was spotted on the morning of Sunday (November 10) while he was taking a group of divers to explore the underwater scenery near Ta Chai Island at a depth of 26 meters. “When we were coming back up to the depth of 18 metres, we saw a giant manta ray about four or five metres wide passing in front of us, giving us an opportunity to snap a photo of it.”

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“We rarely see manta rays of this size around here, and I’m so glad to have seen one,” he added.

Ruamsin Manajongprasert, Head of Similan Islands National Park, revealed that Ta Chai Island had been closed to tourists since 2016 to rehabilitate the ecosystem after the high volume of tourist boats had damaged the coral reef around the island. “The reef has now begun to heal itself,” he said. “Also, local citizens have been cleaning the beach, which helps reduce the deaths of sea animals caused by eating marine debris.”

Ta Chai Island was reopened earlier this year, and there have been report of rare sea animal sightings including dolphins, whale sharks, shark rays and manta rays.

Source - The Nation

#Vietnam to update tourist visa regulations

The 14th National Assembly will debate this week some draft laws, including the law amending and supplementing some articles of the law on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam, as part of the ongoing eighth session.

Vietnam’s tourism has developed strongly over the recent past and brought about high economic values.

 However, experts in the tourism sector said there still remain bottlenecks, one of which being policies on the entry and exit of foreigners, which need to be settled in order to improve the sector’s competitiveness, thus attracting more international visitors.

Hoang Nhan Chinh, head of the Secretariat of the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board, said the law on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam should be more open.

He cited as an example the stipulation that requires a gap of at least 30 days between two visa-free visits.

Chinh further said that many international visitors, especially those from Western Europe, Northern Europe and Russia, want to stay in Vietnam longer than the maximum visa-free 15 days.

He also emphasized the need for a national website that publishes official information about visa policies, citing a survey by the Vietnam Tourism Advisory which showed that most websites of Vietnamese embassies abroad fail to update latest information on the country’s visa policies.

Such a website should be prescribed clearly in the law on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam, he said.

Chinh also pointed to problems in visa granting at Vietnam’s border gates, which still requires visitors to apply for visas at embassies and receive visas at the border gates. He said this has reduced the tourism sector’s competitiveness.

Experts in the tourism sector are concerned about the fact that the visa exemption policy for tourists from major markets like Russia, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) will end on December 31, 2019.

They said the number of visitors from those markets would drop 30-50 percent if the policy is not extended.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, proposed expanding the list of countries and border gates eligible for e-visas.

 Besides, Vietnam needs to reform visa grant procedures at border gates and review its unilateral visa waiver policy, she said. – Vietnam Plus

Source - BangkokJack

Thai Airways to Cancel 6 Routes to 4 ASEAN Nations, including Laos

Thai Airways International is looking into cancelling six fight routes to four Southeast Asian nations, namely Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos.

These routes, which all emanate from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, are to Phnom Penh, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Yangon, Vientiane and Luang Prabang, The Nation reported.

The Nation quoted Sumeth Damrongchaitham, President of Thai Airways as saying that these routes are all covered by a small number of flights and have low customer capacity.

Mr Sumeth added, however, Thai Airways will assign Thai Smile Airways to cover these routes instead once the cancellation plan is finalized.

The company’s decision comes amid fierce competition as airliners reduce prices stay ahead of its rivals, according to Mr Sumeth.

He added that the company will focus on rolling out promotional campaigns until year-end while adjusting its strategies to preserve its reservation rate, although next year’s strategy remains to be seen.

“Our prices this year have been reduced to a record low, and if this strategy doesn’t work, we may take a different direction, such as seeking more partners for organization tickets, increasing online channels, or giving privileges to frequent fliers,” said Mr Sumeth, as quoted by The Nation.

The company has a total debt of over THB 2.45 billion (USD80.9 million) and losses of more than THB 20 billion (USD661 million), despite being able to reduce its debts by THB 48 billion (USD1.58 billion) over the past five years, according to The Nation.

Source - The Laotian Times

Thailand - Changes in domestic passenger screening at Suvarnabhumi Airport

In order to reduce congestion on the fourth floor, Suvarnabhumi Airport is moving its screening service for domestic passengers to concourse screening.

 

Wing Commander Suthirawat Suwanawat, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Airports of Thailand, said the change will come into effect from 5am on November 19.

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The airport will move the screening points to the other sides such as Concourse A and B, on the second and third floors.

The move is expected to fix the inconsistency in the use of the mixed areas of searched outbound passengers with inbound arrivals who are yet to be searched. The change is expected to ensure that passengers flying out of Suvarnabhumi Airport get 100 per cent screening, which is in accordance with the requirements specified in the National Civil Aviation Security Plan

For more information, please contact AOT Contact Centre at 1722 24 hours.

 

Source - The Nation

Thailand - Cafes and restaurants ordered to store customer wi-fi data for 90 days

The Thai Minister of Digital Economy Puttipong Punnakan says cafe and restaurant operators offering free wifi services, will have to collect internet traffic data used by their customers up to 90 days, or face punishment. The report didn’t specify if they wanted to simply track usage data or track the actual traffic and sites visited.

According to Khaosod English, the Minister claims the backlog is necessary “in case the wifi was used in criminal actions”.

At a news conference held yesterday Puttipong said “Shops and cafes that offer wifi services must collect internet traffic information for 90 days, so in case there is anything, officials may need to request for the information under Article 26 of the Computer Crimes Act,” according to the Khaosod English report.

 He referred to a section in the revised cybercrime laws requiring internet providers to store a backlog of users’ internet usage up to three months.

“Those who do not comply will face punishment in accordance with the law.”

The Minister was previously an NCPO government spokesperson before resigning last February to run in the election under the Palang Pracharat Party.

Source - The Thaiger / Kaosod

#Cambodia Huge eco-resort under way in Kampong Speu province

If you are an eco-tourism enthusiast, here is another good news for you.

A leading property developer in the Kingdom, Chamreun Sambath Construction Co Ltd, has announced that it is working on another massive eco-tourism project, this time in Kampong Speu province.

The new project, which is called KC Adventure/Agricultural Resort Basedth, will sit on more than 100 hectares of land in Kampong Speu’s Basedth district, Dr Alexander Evengroen, CEO of Chamreun Sambath Construction Co Ltd, said in an interview yesterday.

Just like with their eco-tourism project in Kampot province, Mr Evengroen said their Kampong Speu venture will benefit the Cambodian people and the Kingdom’s tourism industry. Chamreun Sambath Construction Co Ltd is separately working on a multi-million-dollar adventure Resort in Kampot’s Chhouk district.

“We want to give back to the people while growing Cambodia’s tourism industry,” he said.

According to him, their latest venture will feature a Cambodian history museum, fruit farms, cattle farms, special islands, restaurants, solar park, guesthouses, hotel, hobbit homes, cable carts, flower gardens, nature hiking trails, watersports facilities, coffee shop, sky tower, fish ponds, car park, clubhouse, resort, pavilion and cottages, among others.

“What is unique about this place is that visitors will also learn about the beauty of Cambodian history while enjoying the scenery,” he pointed out.

Mr Evengroen said Basedth district is an excellent choice for such project. According to many tourism experts, Kampong Speu, with its mountains, forests, and national parks, is among several provinces in Cambodia that hold vast potential for eco-tourism development.

“The location is green and fresh, with stunning views and mountains within and in the background. It is also easy to reach and ready for development,” he stressed.

“We are developing more than 100 hectares and might expand in the future,” he added.

Source - Khmer Times

Strong 6.5 magnitude quake strikes eastern #Indonesia

AMBON CITY, Indonesia: A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit off the remote Maluku islands in eastern Indonesia Thursday, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake struck about 37 kilometres northeast of Ambon in Maluku province at 8:46 am local time, at a depth of 29 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage in the area, which has been rocked by strong quakes in the past.

"I was asleep with my family when suddenly the house started to shake," said an AFP reporter in Ambon.

"The quake was really strong. We ran from our house and saw the neighbours fleeing too. Everybody was panicking."

Multiple aftershocks have rippled across the area, he added.

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Initial reports said the quake struck offshore, but later analysis found it hit onshore, raising the potential for damage, according to Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency.

Local disaster agency head Oral Sem Wilar called for calm.

"People were panicking and started to evacuate in some places, but we are trying to tell them there's no need to panic because there's no tsunami threat," he told AFP.

"We are still checking on damage and any casualties."

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.

In August, five people died and several were injured after a powerful undersea earthquake rocked Indonesia's heavily populated Java island.

Last year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island left more than 4,300 people dead or missing.

The force of the impact saw entire neighbourhoods levelled by liquefaction -- a process where the ground starts behaving like a liquid and swallows up the earth like quicksand.

Nearly 60,000 people are still living in makeshift accommodation nearly a year after the double disaster, the Red Cross said this week.

On Boxing Day 2004, a devastating 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.

Source - Bangkok Post