My Chiang Mai

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is expected to return, smiling, to Bangkok this September, despite the 2 year jail sentence hanging over his head.

But he won’t be jailed, or even questioned, because the Thaksin you are likely to see at the Siam Discovery complex will be a waxwork effigy of the man in the world’s 10th Madame Tussaud’s exhibition of famous figures.

Siam Discovery, with other investors, is spending US$15 million on Thailand’s first professional exhibition of waxwork images according to issue 2121 of ‘Travel Daily News’. A spokeswoman said that 8,000 visitors per day were confidently expected through the doors.

Madame Tussaud opened her first permanent exhibition of lifelike famous figures in London in the late 1800’s. Centrally located in the British capital, it has for decades been consistently one of the top tourist attractions of the whole nation.

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Low cost carrier, AirAsia, is now offering a self check-in service at several airports, including Chiang Mai.

For added comfort and convenience, customers can also utilise its web-based check-in service, the carrier said in a statement.

AirAsia said the initiative was part of its on-going mission of using the information, communication and technology (ICT) forefront to exploit technology and practice cost efficiency.

By adopting a cost effective service and liberating the traveling experience for customers, the innovative service will also avoid airport congestion, long queues and reduce waiting time at no extra cost, it said.

Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia Berhad said “We have invested quite a significant amount to develop our ICT facilities in order to keep-up with global standards. Now, we have equipped ourselves to fully exploit the benefits of it and achieve a competitive excellence in the market. What could be simpler than going on-line and checking-in at the tip of your fingers be it via mobile or at home? This new service is relatively easy to deploy, saves cost and benefit both – guests and AirAsia. As Asia’s biggest low cost carrier with a strong domestic and extensive network within the Asean region, we believe our amazing low fares and innovative services have an edge over the masses and empower more travelers to fly with us.”

Quick and easy self check-in methods :

1) Web Check-In

All you’ll need is a connection to the internet, a printer and your travel itinerary and you’ll be able to check-in 48 hours prior and up to 4 hours before the scheduled departure time using Web Check-In. With your Boarding Pass, you can proceed straight to the Document Check Counter to stamp your boarding pass and then on to the Boarding Gate. If you have baggage to check-in, drop your baggage at the Self Check-In Counter at least 60 minutes prior to the boarding time.

2) Self Check-In Kiosks at the airport

Beat the crowd, check-in from our kiosks at the available locations below 6 hours prior and 1 hour before the scheduled departure time. You’ll need the details of your travel itinerary to check-in. With your Boarding Pass, you can proceed straight to the Document Check Counter to stamp your boarding pass and then on to the Boarding Gate. If you have baggage to check-in, drop your baggage at the Self Check-In Counter at least 60 minutes prior to the boarding time.

About 20 red-shirts led by Weng Tochirakarn gathered in front of the Royal Thai Police head office on Tuesday demanding a progress report on the prosecution of the People’s Alliance for Democracy for its takeover of Don Meaung and Suvarnabhumi airports from Nov 26 to Dec 2, 2008.

About 50 police from Division 6 of the metropolitan police were deployed to control the situation.

In Samut Prakarn, about 50 members of the red-shirt people group led by Chanu Chaiya went to the provincial offices and submitted a letter to the governor, Surachai Khan-arsa, asking for a similar progress report. Suvarnabhumi is in Samut Prakarn province.

The red-shirts say it is now more than a year since the incident but there has been no  legal action taken against PAD leaders who led their supporters to occupy the capital’s two international airports.

It was reported that Petcharawat Wattanapongsirikul, a core leader of the red-shirted Rak Chiang Mai 51 group, had gone to a meeting with core leaders of the anti-government United People for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) in Bangkok to discuss rally plans in Chiang Mai.

According to an informed source, the red-shirt people group is planning a three-day rally in the northern tourist destination, beginning tomorrow.

They will rally on Wednesday and Thursday to demand the resignation of Pol Lt-Gen Somkid Boonthanom, commander of Provincial Province Police Region 5 and a defendant in the murder of a Saudi businessman who disappeared in 1990.

On Jan 29, the UDD plans a mass demonstration against the government and the president of the Privy Council Prem Tinsulanonda at Chiang Mai Royal Golf Course in Chiang Mai’s San Sai district.

The UDD has accused Varin Pulsiriwong, the owner of the golf course and of Naew Na newspaper and a close associate of Gen Prem, of illegally obtaining ownership of the land.

MAE HONG SON : The provincial Chamber of Commerce is to seek help from the Administrative Court to thwart a Thai Airways International plan to stop operating flights between Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai from March.

The chamber was left with no choice as the board of THAI stood by its decision to end the service, said president Supot Klinpraneet. The chamber is to file a complaint with the court seeking an injunction against THAI’s plan.

That was despite THAI’s assurance that its sister low-cost airline, Nok Air, will take over the route.

However, the Chamber of Commerce did not feel confident that Nok Air would manage the service well and stand by any future directives from THAI, according to Mr Supot.

The revelation of THAI’s proposal has resulted in a large number of cancellations by tour guide agencies, said Mr Supot, adding that Mae Hong Son’s tourism industry generates at least 2 billion baht per year. The provincial health office also said that without a plane service on the route, the transport of blood supplies to certain hospitals in the province would be affected.

Chiang Mai – Some kids were apparently puzzled when they joined a Children Day celebration held under sponsorship of former prime minister  Thaksin Shinawatra at the Waroros Grand Palace Hotel.

They were told to recite a motto given by Thasksin in exchange for prizes.

They were told to recite “To have bright future, children must learn technology” but some kids recited the motto of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajva, which says: “Be creative, be diligent in studying and uphold morality”.

A lot of red-shirt people took their children to join the celebration. Prizes given by Thakin included a BlackBerry phone, 60 bicycles and many sports equipment.

Read the full story in The Nation

SEVEN artists from Myanmar are now teaching at a Master Classes in Asian Puppetry course being held in Chiang Mai.

Puppeteers U Daung Yin and Daw Nan Tin and puppet makers U Aung Than Tun and U Khin Maung Htwe, who are all from the Htwe Oo Myanmar traditional marionette troupe, are now participating in the program, as well as poet U Maung Maung Thein, composer Parimi Shunn and Ms Kit Young from Gitameit.

The program began on December 26 and will finish on January 17. It is being held at Chiang Mai’s Empty Space Arts Centre.

Under the program, puppetry experts from across the region are teaching students from US-based institutions, including Sarah Lawrence College, Barnard College, Long Island University and the California Institute of Arts.

The leader of the Htwe Oo Myanmar troupe, U Khin Maung Htwe, said the program presented a good opportunity to spread knowledge about all aspects of the country’s traditional marionettes.

“I am proud the organisers have invited us to take part in this and given us the chance to spread our art to interested students,” he said. “I’m also hoping to learn a lot from the program.”

He said the program would culminate with the production of a contemporary opera, a joint project between marionette experts and students.

The Chiang Mai Puppetry Program aims to provide students with the opportunity to study with master artists from a variety of Asian puppet traditions, according to the Empty Space Arts Centre’s website.

“The importance of puppetry to Asian cultures cannot be overstated,” the website says. “In the US however, no such premium is placed on puppetry. This means that US artists working in puppetry are left to borrow, reinterpret and adapt forms and techniques from other cultures to create their art. For students of theatre, puppetry and interdisciplinary art, this means studying with masters of the craft from all over the globe.”

Police raids which uncovered 6,000 home-made ‘ping pong’ bombs, 30 guns and ammunition resulted in Abhisit cancelling his Chiang Mai visit this weekend.

Chiang Mai police found the bombs, 6 pistols, a rifle and a shotgun at the home of 45 year old Narong Bunchongcharoen, who had worked as a security guard at the last ‘red shirt’ rally. He denied possessing illegal weapons, saying the bombs were ‘fireworks’ which remained unsold after the Loi Kratong festival. The guns had been given to him in settlement of a debt, he claimed.

Late on Wednesday night, police made another arrest at a city centre karaoke bar, where they found 22 home made guns and gun-making equipment.

On Thursday, about 100 red shirted protesters briefly surrounded the central Phrasingh police station, demanding that an arrest warrant be cancelled for a local radio presenter who had allegedly made death threats to the PM. The warrant has yet to be served.

In a statement, the PM said that if the event he was to attend had been a government one, he would have come as planned. But as it came from “the private sector” he had “followed their suggestion” to remain in Bangkok.

The next few days could see a formal truce statement issued by the rival red and yellow shirted political rivals in the north.
A statement is being prepared for the Governor of Chiang Mai province, agreeing to respect people’s rights and guarantee tourists that all residents are “good hosts”, an anonymous source has told ‘The Nation’ newspaper.

The (apparently neutral) source said that the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce had brokered the deal during meetings with the pro-Taksin Shinawat ‘reds’ and their yellow clad rivals.

In the interests of tourism business, a meeting was held 2 weeks ago with both groups attending, though a second meeting more recently was boycotted by “splinter groups” of both colours, said the report.

Promsak Saenpho, leader of the red-shirted Confederation of Grassroots People of the North, was quoted as saying: “The country will be victorious if unity is restored and the political colours are destroyed.”

Less than 50kms away in the rural town of Payao, 8 members of the 2 groups were photographed shaking hands for the camera back on October 6th. Wearing every possible colour except red and yellow, they issued a brief statement saying: “We have good intentions for society, but may have offended ‘the other colour’” and apologised.

A few years ago there was a move in Chiang Mai to re-name the annual wet season to “The Green Season.”

This could now be a step closer with far less than average rainfall so far this year. The main reservoir feeding our city is dramatically lower than this time last year.

Mae Kuang Dam, west of Doi Saket, is at its second lowest October level for many years, and the last time this happened there was a drought by early March. Water was cut off for many hours to different parts of the city at different times of the day and night.

Mae Kuang’s green island (pictured from one of the two restaurants on the banks) can only be seen at low water, a most unusual sight at a time when ‘the big rains’ are normally at an end.

The level of our other huge dam east of Memalai, Mae Ngat, is said to be ‘average’, but supplies are not easy from so far north. However, by this time next year, a long tunel feeding water from Mae Ngat into Mae Kuang, should have been completed, and city droughts hopefully consigned to history.

Only 61% of eligible Chiang Mai city centre voters turned out to the polls on the 4th, but a decisive 24,384 of them voted for Tassanai Buranupakorn, candidate No 2 and nephew of a previous two-time landslide winner.

Surprise runner-up with 13,197 votes was a lady some thought a rank outsider, Wipawan Woraputthipong (No 7), while immediate former Mayor Dr Duantemduang trailed badly in 3rd place with only 6,958.

The poll was called after Ms Duantemduang was disqualified on a technicality over her residential status in the city, but new incumbent Khun Tassanai may face a far more serious hurdle.

A man wearing a red shirt (indicating support for ousted former Prime Minister Taxin Shinawat) was arrested while carrying a list of eligible voters and 24,000b in cash. If an investigation now under way by the Chiang Mai Election Office connects him to a candidate, that candidate will be disqualified, forced to pay for a new election and subject to a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 200,000b. The investigation should be complete within 2 weeks.

Notably, 4,444 of the 64,871 ballots handed in had the ‘abstain’ box ticked, showing what many observers interpet as dissatisfaction with all the candidates.