A Transport Ministry plan to invest 800 billion baht in a rail network allowing train speeds of 250km per hour is unlikely to serve Chiang Mai.
The latest twist after years of discussion is that a 937km route from Bangkok to Hat Yai on the Malaysian border would provide better returns than one from the capital to Chiang Mai.
As well as the long southern route and that to Chiang Mai, the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, are also considering Bangkok to Nong Khai, the border with Laos, and Bangkok to the coastal industrial city of Rayong.
Critics of the plan highlight the consistent targetting of railways in the south by insurgents and the commonplace damage to Thailand’s narrow tracks caused by heavy rains.
Editor’s Note: Despite promises by previous governments, few improvements have been made to the (mainly single line) service linking Chiang Mai with the capital since it opened in 1921. Journeys of around 12 hours duration are frequently hours late.
The Thai government’s Board of Investment will show how and why business should take an interest in Chiang Mai and the north at a unique presentation on July 16th.
The BOI offer tax breaks and other incentives to certain types of business at the start-up stage. Bangkok-based Director Khun Gorbsiree Iemsuree, speaker at a recent Chiang Mai conference on the rights of foreigners here, invites business-seekers to a morning packed with information at the Shangri-La Hotel, starting at 9.00am.
Potential investors can discover more by calling 053 203397-400 (exts 102 or 107) and should register by July 9th.
Police are targeting illegal bookmakers in the Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai, suspecting that they may be part of a 32.2 billion baht gambling spree based on the World Cup football series.
A week ago, no fewer than 247 suspected gamblers were arrested in Bangkok, plus 7 bookmakers and 5 debt collectors. Half a million baht was then in circulation, said the Metropolitan Police.
The Thai Government have already restricted access 200 websites suspected to be gambling related, and plain clothes police posing as gamblers have been sent to many locations.
Fines for gamblers are normally set at about 1,000b with the possibility of up to 1 year in jail.
Editor’s Note: All gambling is illegal in Thailand, except the national government lottery and on-course betting at the very few horse race courses.
For the next few weeks, drivers north of the city centre are advised to steer clear of the road running up the west side of the River Ping between Superhighway and the Central Ring Road. Half of it has fallen into the river.
Something went seriously wrong with earthworks where a small canal ran into the Ping recently, and a resident’s garden and half the busy north-south route fell into the water.
Contractors are working on the problem, but meanwhile, all traffic is diverted through very narrow village lanes, away from the large hole where the road used to be.
Drivers are advised to use the parallel road on the river’s east side, through Faham, in an attempt to avoid delays.
Sixty-two year old Australian William Thomas Douglas (also known as Bill Douglas), convicted in 2008 of the shooting murder of 46 year old Hawaiin American Garry Poretsky, is one of many prisoners held in Bangkok to be granted a Royal Amnesty. He is due to be deported to Australia on June 16th.
Douglas, a Vietnam veteran who claimed to work undercover for Thai police seeking drug offenders, and who was known to carry an unlicensed gun, shot Poretsky 3 times after an all night drinking session at the Keari bar and restaurant.
After Douglas pleaded guilty, the dead man’s family was shocked to hear of the sentence of just 2 years 9 months. The amnesty covering many prisoners in Klong Prem jail effectively cut that sentence by 6 months, despite reports that Douglas had started a fight in jail, spent time in solitary confinement and threatened 4 Thai-resident Australians.
Sources close to the case say that Douglas, who speaks Thai fluently, has strongly resisted the deportation order and expected to be freed to return to Chiang Mai and his long-term Thai girlfriend.
Editor’s Note: The motive for the murder was never clear, though there were suggestions that Douglas decided, with no evidence, that Poretsky was a drug dealer, a theory which has since been supported in some blogs from fellow Hawaiians. Two of the 4 Australians allegedly named by Douglas as his next victims have already left Thailand in fear of their lives. There is speculation that Douglas may be intercepted on arrival by Australian authorities to be given psychiatric tests.
The city has settled down to normal day-to-day life since the curfew was lifted, with guest houses and budget hotels reporting “business as usual”.
Only the more up-market hotels and restaurants are quieter than normal for June.
Police report that only one foreigner was detained briefly for breaking the curfew, a young tourist who was “drunk and noisy in the street” at 3.00am one night.
Australian Honorary Consul Mike Walther showed great initiative to help northern-based Aussies catch up with affairs following the closure of the Bangkok Embassy for several days. The backlog of official business was cleared in one day, thanks to a flying visit by Second Secretary & Consul Naomi Vowels.
No fewer than 16 Australian nationals took advantage of the unique, one-off service, which was based at The Garden Guesthouse and Restaurant, Rachadamnoen Road.
