Thailand News Today | Foreigners anger Chiang Mai locals for kissing in temple
Maya Bay on Koh พีพีเล in Krabi province has reopened to the public.
The iconic bay had been closed to tourists to allow for environmental recovery. …
The closure will be an annual occurrence to try to protect the ecology and wildlife living or visiting the iconic bay.
Maya Bay exploded in popularity after serving as the picturesque backdrop to the 2000 film “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Millions of tourists flocked to the site doing significant damage to the nature they were coming to see.
As much as 50% of Maya Bay’s coral was destroyed by years of unrestricted tourism,
….with as many as 6,000 people visiting the bay every day at the bay’s height of popularity, …prompting its sudden closure in 2018.
After nearly 20 years of environmental abuse and damage, the bay remained closed for three and a half years, …in part during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Officials for the national park said that the climate during this season was also considered in the decision to close for two months each year.
The time off facilitates proper tourism management and a breather from humans would allow nature to heal itself.
The idyllic bay reopened on January 1 of this year and was quickly flooded with tourists, this time more carefully.
Swimming was limited to a designated area and boats were asked to dock on the pier side of the island only,
with a maximum of eight boats allowed at any one time.
The number of tourists allowed on the 250-metre long stretch of beach was limited to 375 people per hour.
Between the hours of 10 am and 4pm, after one hour,
national park officials would escort tourists away and bring a new group of tourists onto the beach.
All tourist activities were temporarily suspended between August 1 and September 30 to give both onshore and offshore ecosystems at Maya Bay a chance to recover.
Last month, a group of about 10 bottlenose dolphins were spotted in the south of the Maya Bay by Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park staff.
Maya Bay’s three-year closure was successful at bringing back plant and animal species that had disappeared due to tourist overrun.
The most notable animal to return to breed in the bay is the blacktip shark.
Thai Airways is recruiting a new CEO
Thai Airways is looking to hire an “ethical” Chief Executive Officer to steer the airline in the flight direction.
After a year without a CEO, the nation’s flag carrier posted a job advertisement
on LinkedIn looking for a highly-qualified aviation expert to take on the tall order of getting THAI airways back off the ground.
After the airline showed an improved performance in a progress report, THAI airways submitted a revised plan to the Bankruptcy Court on July 1.
The report was approved by creditors, …who own 78.59% of the airline’s total debt.
The new plan allows THAI airways to borrow more money and is a “significant step toward its [the airline’s] complete recovery,” according to the airline.
The job advertisement asks applicants who are invited to the interview stage to quote
“Please study the rehabilitation plan of Thai Airways International Public Company
Limited to prepare to present visions and ideas for managing challenges under the context of business rehabilitation.” End quote.
The advert didn’t mention the salary of the position but said the figure would be agreed
by the Board of Directors according to the successful applicant’s qualifications and experience.
One of the first requirements mentioned there is that the applicant must be of Thai nationality.
So if you know anyone local who is suitable for the job, do let them know of this great opportunity!
Foreigners anger Chiang Mai locals for kissing in the temple
A foreign couple enraged Chiang Mai locals after a picture emerged of them kissing beside the famous Wat Si Suphan temple.
Wat Si Suphan in the northern province of Chiang Mai became even more popular this week after its 500-year-old stupa, or chedi collapsed.
The Thai media reported locals and foreigners swarmed to the historic building this week to see its ruins and also visit the temple’s signature tourist site, the main silver hall.
It is the silver hall that was used as a background for a couple taking a selfie picture kissing that enraged locals in Chiang Mai when it was posted on social media.
The act is seen as disrespectful to the Buddhist faith.
Some residents sent a picture of the couple to the Thai media as a warning to foreigners. Residents want the media to highlight that being intimate is inappropriate in front of a building devoted to worship.
Notices are on view of what you can and can’t do and most foreigners follow the rules, unfortunately, one couple did not.
The abbot of the Si Suphan Temple revealed the temple would put up more signs in Thai and English with pictures to avoid anything similar in the future.
Now you know, PDA around temple premises is frowned upon in Thailand.
Songkhla factory fire injures 2
A fire broke out at a plastic factory in the southern Songkhla province yesterday, injuring two workers. Thai media reported that the workers had mild burns.
The blaze ripped through the entire factory, and 10 fire trucks were deployed to put out the flames. The cost of the damages has not yet been reported.
The fire broke out when hundreds of workers were on their lunch break, and many had luckily gone outside of the building. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze, but it is suspected that an electrical short circuit caused it.
Another factory fire broke out in Thailand’s Chon Buri province back in May. The fire rapidly ripped through the factory in the province’s main city district, burning two workers. Both men, a 44-year-old and an 18-year-old were rushed to a hospital. One man had slight burns, and the other was choking on smoke.
In July 2021, a massive fire at a chemical factory on the outskirts of Bangkok affected around 80,000 people. The explosion at the Ming Dih Chemical polystyrene factory in Samut Prakan, just outside the capital, led to a chemical fire that took more than 25 hours to put out.
30 trail runners stuck in Isaan forest due to flash flood
Thirty trail runners in the Ultra-Trail Phu Kradueng Wake Up Run 2022 were stuck in the Phu Kradueng National Park in the Isaan province of Loei due to a perilous flash flood last Saturday. Fortunately, all runners were rescued and are safe.
One of the runners, Itthipol Samutthong, sounded the alarm on his Facebook account at 9.03 pm, Saturday, October 1. Itthipol said…
“We’re stuck due to a flash flood. We can’t cross the creek. The water stream is very strong. I’m here with another runner. We are about one kilometre from safety. Thank you.”
Itthipol left his phone number in the post so people could contact him.
At 10.43 pm, Itthipol updated the situation on Facebook that everyone was safe.
Itthipol recorded several videos of the incident and shared them with his followers on social media.
The Director of the Phu Kradueng National Park, Adisorn Hemthanon, reported that the water level of the creek suddenly rose due to the heavy rain. The officers and rescue team rushed to rescue the runners after being notified at about 9 pm.
Adisorn said each runner could cross the creek at about 10 pm when the rain stopped. He added that the officers waited until 3 am to ensure that no one was left behind.
According to the report, all of the runners were Thai. Most of them were long-distance runners and experienced.
Itthipol updated the situation yesterday. He said he almost got lost in the forest because the signs along the track at some spots disappeared.
Itthipol suggested the running promoters emphasise the safety of the runners and set up a command centre that would be ready to assist runners if they got into difficulty. He insisted that the running event was still a good experience for him and he recommended other runners attend the next event.
The Ultra-Trail Phu Kradueng Wake Up Run 2022 is a two-day event held on October 1 and 2. It is the fourth year the event has been held.
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