Now the Minister wants to virtually double the budget to cover “infrastructure, interiors, public areas and protection from insects.” Building began 43 days late stated Chumpol, without giving a reason, and some work could not begin because architects’ designs did not match blueprints.

Intended to open in September, the Centre “could even be completed by next year” Chumpol was quoted as saying by ‘The Nation.’ Owners of the building, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, will have to pay fines of 6 million baht a month for each month of delay after September.

Editor’s Note: For residents of a city that coped for over 2 years with 2 partially completed, major under-passes on the Superhighway, this news will come as no surprise. At least there seems no risk of TAT going bust, like one of the under-pass contractors.

Competitors Auchan were the first big western retailers to open in Chiang Mai, bringing a wide range of European “comfort foods” to northern Thailand. Although popular, their performance failed to reach internal targets and they sold the premises on Superhighway to the Thai-Belgian Big C group.

Other French retailers have recently moved out of Japan and Korea, some seeking a more profitable future in India. Several Thai and international groups are reported to be showing interest in our local Carrefour.

It all happens at the 700 Year Sports Stadium over Saturday and Sunday, July 10-11, and the only sad faces belong to Drag Racing enthusiasts, whose monthly meeting has had to be postponed at short notice. Car and motorcycle drags (straight line racing against the clock) will instead take place on Sunday July 18th.

As well as top Thai racers dashing round the short circuit, a tour of the stadium’s car parks, there will be a safe driving exhibition, celebrity appearances, family fun activities and a live rock concert on Saturday evening.

The ‘Northern Part’ Thai newspaper reported that the elephant owners then wrote to the Prime Minister to state their case.

The past few weeks have seen an increase in night time street begging by elephants and their mahouts. This results from redundancies which have hit mahouts who own their own animals. However, a new law not only punishes the mahouts for this practice, but also anyone giving money for the elephants’ food.

It’s an ill wind that blows no-one any good

‘Northern Part’ added that the Sports and Tourism Office of Chiang Rai reported a 20% increase in Thai tourism during June, over the same month last year. The authority concluded that this was a ‘Bangkok exodus’ due to the demonstrations in the capital.

The rainy season should have begun already and 60 of the 76 provinces of Thailand now face the worst drought for 20 years, reports the ‘Northern Part’ Thai language newspaper.

Almost 7.5 million people are facing serious water shortages and 522,563 rai of crops have been spoiled. One essential rice harvest has been lost from 63,133 rai, and another postponed.

Government aid of 579m baht has been allocated to farmers as compensation, but is generally considered to be insufficient.
Over 1,000 water tankers have been used to distribute water at government expense and repairs are being made to 4,960 dams.  Chiang Mai is one of the northern provinces to which 713 pumps have been allocated by the Royal Irrigation Department.

The 17 northern provinces have a total of 7,729 villages – comprising 1.7 million people – suffering badly, but no help has reached them yet, the paper reported.

New dam plan for Ping River

A budget of 400 million baht has been allocated to build a new dam in the Ping River south of the Police Region 5 HQ. Negotiations on access and compensation are being held by the irrigation department with residents on both sides of the river.

The project will take over 2 years to complete, and include 8 sluice gates to feed up to 5 million cubic meters of stored water to surrounding areas, as and when required.

He has created such a popular following that older temple members believe he is a reincarnation of Kruba Siwichai. The original “engineer monk” died just before World War II having built many monasteries, temples, and the winding road from Chiang Mai to the top of Doi Suthep.
As an Abbot, now aged 32, Kruba Noi is not allowed to wear the University robes presented to him last month, so members of his temple have bought him a wardrobe so they may be kept smartly!
Copyright: Derrick Titmus
Photo Copyright: Angsiyanan Oumpin

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 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.

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.

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.