National

90% of hotels on Koh Phi Phi found incapable of registration

Published

1 week ago

June 13, 2018

The Thaiger

Out of 104 hotels, only nine are capable of being properly registered. That’s the bottomline after a month of checking by Krabi officials.

Muang Krabi District Chief Satta Tongkam says, “From May 1 until now, we have checked 104 hotels in Muang Krabi district, principally accommodation on Koh Phi Phi. There are 78 cases on Koh Phi Phi that the Krabi Provincial Court has ruled on. Only nine hotels have been found operating legally with proper licenses.”

‘From our in depth investigation on Koh Phi Phi we have found that most of hotel operators will be unable to submit for accommodation licenses because they don’t have land possession documents. Some hotel rooms and building sizes are not up to standard when we check against the standards demanded by the Hotel Act.”

“Relevant officials might have to review some of the ministerial regulations again in order to solve this local issue. We hope that a way can be found so these illegal hotels will be able to comply and become legal by law. They will not be able to continue operation if they can’t comply.”

Officials also investigated a hillside area where 34 villas and a big swimming pool is being built. The land documents for this property are currently under scrutiny by the Land Department.

Read more about that investigation HERE.

PHOTOS: Krabi PR Office

- The Thaiger

National

Narathiwat: 40 pipe bombs seized at a checkpoint on busy highway

Published

9 hours ago

June 23, 2018

The Thaiger

Police in Narathiwat have uncovered 40 pipe bombs together with other potential bomb-making paraphernalia from a pickup truck at a checkpoint. The pick-up was travelling on the Sungai Kolok-Takbai highway in the southern province of Narathiwat.

Thai PBS are reporting that highway police set up a checkpoint on the main north-south highway. Around midday, a gold-coloured Isuzu pick-up approached the checkpoint and was stopped for a routine search.

A suspect, 36 year old Sanusee Yatae, was arrested while another, identified by police as Abdul-arsi Sama, managed to elude police and remains at bay whilst police continue searching.

The police unfolded two quilts in the passengers’ cabin of the pick-up and found the 40 pipe bombs. The explosives ordnance disposal unit was then called in to check out the bombs.

Besides the 40 pipe bombs, there were two radio transmitters, four torches, two boxes of radio circuitry, 36 boxes of timer circuits set for five minutes, one box of timer circuits set for ten minutes, two boxes of time circuits set for 30 minutes and one steel pipe bomb.

SOURCE: Thai PBS

National

Thaiger Radio News – Saturday

Published

10 hours ago

June 23, 2018

The Thaiger

Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere.

National

Thai PM features on front of Time magazine’s Asia edition

Published

11 hours ago

June 23, 2018

The Thaiger

Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is being featured on the cover of Time magazine’s Asia edition for the start of July, available on July 2.

The cover carries the headline: “Democrat. Dictator. Which path will Thailand’s Prayuth Chan-o-cha choose?”

General Prayuth Chan-ocha appears at ease among the lavish trappings of politics. Thailand’s Prime Minister is never far from doting courtiers in Bangkok’s 1920s Government House, a neo-Gothic building stippled with classical nudes and one particularly plump jade Buddha.

The cover story is “Thailand’s Leader Promised to Restore Democracy. Instead, He’s Tightening His Grip”. The article has been penned by Charlie Campbell, the Beijing correspondent for Time.

The analytical article is mostly about the current political situation in Thailand under the junta and remarks from Prayut explaining why the coup was necessary.

“These were not four years of empowerment, but it was the time to solve problems, overcome obstacles and build stability, security to move forward to the future.”

Thailand’s Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha at Government House in Bangkok on June 1.

Adam Ferguson for TIME

The PM is currently on a European trip to shore up support for his government’s Eastern Economic Corridor and to keep Europe discussing trade with the Kingdom.

Prayuth, meanwhile, insists that his dictatorship is reluctant and temporary. “I never imagined becoming Prime Minister in this way,” he says. “It was the hardest decision of my life.” So he definitely won’t stay in power past February? “That depends on the situation and the people,” he says with a shrug. “I have no control over this.” Millions of Thais feel the same way.

The article also compares the problems across south east asia’s fragile democracies and compares some of the successes of ‘dictatorial democracies’, like Thailand, with some of the west’s elected, but fragmented, governments.

You can read the rest of the Time article HERE.