Bangkok
Bangkok’s famous airplane graveyard catches fire

Bangkok’s famous “Airplane Graveyard” caught fire yesterday evening. Firefighters believe blaze first started in dry grass nearby before spreading to one of the decommissioned planes. People living nearby reported thick black smoke and strong chemical smells coming from the junkyard, which is home to an abandoned Boeing 747 plane and 2 McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft.
Fire crews were called at 9pm and brought the fire under control around 10:15pm. The Hua Mark Fire and Rescue station said the flames weren’t very dangerous, as they weren’t near any buildings and were contained within 100 square metres. But the noxious chemical smells coming from the burning jet “were concerning”.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and has not yet been determined yet.
The Airplane Graveyard is a famous wasteland in a field in Bangkok that became popular with adventurous tourists and creative photographers. The Airplane Graveyard is listed as one of the most unusual abandoned places in the world on TripAdvisor lists.
The 3 abandoned planes, now in graffiti-covered states of decay, are featured on many blogs for urban exploration. It started when the nose of a 747 was dumped in an empty field off of Ramkhamhaeng Road in 2010.
In 2014, 2 McDonnell Douglas planes that belonged to One-Two-Go Airlines were dumped there too. The model was involved in a fatal crash in 2007 at Phuket International Airport. The company was banned in the EU in 2009 and 2010 over safety worries before reforming as Orient Thai Airlines with a new fleet of airplanes.
In 2015 a full 747 was added to the Airplane Graveyard, and homeless people turned the fuselages into makeshift housing. Some even charged tourists admission of between 200 and 800 baht to photograph and explore the area’s broken planes.
SOURCE: Stuff.co.nz
Keep in contact with Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following Thaiger.
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Investigations of Covid-19 infected elite rule-breakers demanded

Investigations are being demanded by a corruption watchdog into Thai politicians infected with Covid-19 after allegedly attending venues in the Thong Lor entertainment venues in Bangkok that have now emerged as the ground zero for the Coronavirus third wave in the Kingdom.
The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand are being asked to investigate the latest Covid-19 outbreak, noting in a Facebook post that the second wave was also linked to illegal activities, spreading through illegal migrants and other visiting gambling dens. This third wave is also angering those who see the wealthy elite and powerful politicians frequenting high-end bars and not following Covid-19 safety protocols.
Mana Nimitmongkol, secretary-general of ACT argues that the ministers visiting these clubs did not behave “ethically”, and it’s part of a larger problem. He is pushing for legal action against not only club owners, but against police, public health officials, and even the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for failing to enforce laws to protect against Covid-19.
Investigations into whether the code of ethics had been violated were requested to be carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Ombudsman and the committee on ethical standards.
As entertainment venues have been ordered closed for at least 2 weeks, Mana proposes that along with restrictions, a hotline to report rule-breakers should be set up, and all people should be held to the same standard without exception.
The president of the Rural Doctors Society agreed, saying that especially important is the need for Covid-19 infected public officials to disclose their personal timelines to reassure the public and assist in contract tracing. It is feared that little or no action will be taken to investigate and punish powerful rulebreakers.
One controversial infection was that of Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, rumoured to be infected from Thong Lor nightclubs, but later shown to be in another province at the time. The entertainment venue outbreak was not completely innocent though, as details emerged that the minister’s infection was in fact passed to him via an aide who had frequented clubs in Thong Lor.
Chuvit Kamolvisit, a former massage parlour owner turned activist, has been outspoken on the issue, calling for investigations into high-society VIP clubs like Krystal Club and Emerald Club, who allegedly flaunted restrictions and ended up with dozens of Covid-19 infected staff members.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau chief had said that legal action was pending against these clubs for the virus spreading.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following Thaiger.
Chiang Mai
Tourism officials slash Songkran travel expectations by half

The TAT, ever the optimists regarding anything tourism related, even domestic tourism, predict that the Bangkok clusters that have emerged in the week before the Songkran break could reduce traffic and spending by up to half.
Today the CCSA is reporting 789 new infections and one additional death. 522 were local infections, mostly walk-ins to Bangkok hospitals, 259 were discovered through track and tracing. The remaining 8 were found in quarantine from overseas arrivals. In Phuket, another 17 cases have been reported today, taking the island’s week total to 43.
GRAPH: Worldometer figures for Thailand, up to April 9
A 68 year old man from Nakhon Pathom province died on April 4 but wasn’t reported until today. The CCSA report that he died from Covid and “complications”. 33 other former patients have recovered and been discharged.
Last week the TAT estimated 3.2 million domestic trips would circulate 12 billion baht for the Thai economy. But the Tourism Authority has now slashed their estimates by half after hotels, airlines and bus companies reported mass cancellations in the last few days. Other provinces are reporting less than 20% cancellations. Although this weekend will see a lot of travel, Songkran doesn’t formally start until next Tuesday and the TAT expect there could be additional fallout as travellers decide to have a staycation for Songkran instead heading home.
Bangkok Post reports that 70% of travellers to Prachuap Khiri Khan and Hua Hin have already cancelled hotel bookings. Similar cancellations have been reported in Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai. Many other provinces, particularly in the north east and north, are also enforcing quarantine on arrivals or additional paperwork to try and protect their provinces from any of the Bangkok clusters.
8 north eastern provinces rare now requiring 10 or 14 day quarantine periods for anyone arriving from areas where new clusters have been reported. Chiang Mai provincial officials say that tourists from Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi – basically Bangkok and surrounding provinces – must complete a 14 day mandatory quarantine or conduct a test for Covid when they arrive.
The reality is that the travel and quarantine changes are outstripping the ability to communicate them all. Anyone crossing into other provinces in the next few day, especially if you’re travelling from Bangkok and surrounding provincial ‘red zones’ can expect some additional paperwork or a Covid test. Or even quarantine.
Keep in contact with Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following Thaiger.
Protests
Attendance on the wane for Thai democracy protests

While protesters against the Thai government are continuing as they have for endless months, attendance is lessening in the face of crackdowns, coups and Covid-19. The throngs of 10,000 plus protesters, mostly energetic youth, that waved The Hunger Games 3 finger salute and demanded change in Thailand last summer have thinned to a few thousand or less these days.
The government isn’t in the clear yet though, as the protester’s calls to replace the current government, lessen the power of the Thai monarchy, and draw up a new constitution are still popular ideas. But a number of factors are causing protester size and vigour to wane.
The second wave of Covid in December quickly curbed the daily demonstrations for fear of spreading the virus. After that, the coup in Myanmar on February 1 has brought massive protests with international attention shifting to the growing humanitarian crisis just across the border. On top of the pandemic and the Burmese coup, the Thai government has taken a much more hardline approach to protesters in recent months.
Police began fighting back against mass demonstrations, dispersing crowds with water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. And after 2 years of leniency, the government has begun prosecuting people under the strict lèse-majesté laws, where offending the monarchy can carry harsh punishment including a jail sentence of up to 15 years.
Anon Nampa, a human-rights lawyer, and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, a student activist, have already been arrested under this law and held without bail. Arrests like these have been demoralising for the pro-democracy movement, and have scared away a lot of Thai protesters. Many have shifted focus to more immediate efforts to demand the release of the detained protest leaders.
Even with the crowds shrinking, the protests have already brought about change, bringing once unspeakable conversations into the national conversation, and keeping pressure on Thailand’s leaders. Opposition is growing, with efforts to push no-confidence votes and amendments to the constitution being constantly proposed and advocated.
SOURCE: The Economist
Keep in contact with Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following Thaiger.
- Bangkok3 days ago
Tourism officials slash Songkran travel expectations by half
- Hot News2 days ago
Condolences from Thailand to UK on Prince Philip’s death
- Thailand3 days ago
Thai Airways cuts another 4,250 staff, offering them early retirement
- Myanmar3 days ago
UN special envoy in Thailand to meet Foreign Minister about Myanmar crisis
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)4 days ago
Police chief orders staff to work from home after 42 officers test positive
- Bangkok4 days ago
UPDATE: Thai PM orders closure of bars and clubs in 41 provinces
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)17 hours ago
Top virologist warns of vaccine limitations against South African, Brazilian variants
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)3 days ago
Transport Ministry: refunds to cancel travel for Covid-19
toby andrews
Friday, March 26, 2021 at 9:17 pm
When businesses fail, they claim insurance.
Always been the case. However were they insured?
chupapi
Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Do you proofread articles before publishing? There are so many typos in here:
“and 2 McDonnell Dougless MD-82 aircraft.”
It’s DouglAS, and aircraftS (also further on there is the same Dougless mistake)
“This relatively small fire, compared to recent fires in Chiang Mai but affects one of Bangkok’s most popular alternative tourist attractions.”
there is a verb missing here… “this… but affects” doesn’t read correct
“The Airplane Graveyard is list as one of”
is listED as
“The 3 abandon planes”
the 3 abandonED plans
“Some and even charge”
possibly Some even, without and.
Damn it’s a mess!