yosithezet

People are being asked to wear black between from the 13th through the cremation.

transpac

Tourists warned to be ‘respectful’ as Thailand prepares for late king’s cremation


A YEAR following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Thai capital is expecting to draw in close to 250,000 people for a grand cremation ceremony spanning four days from Oct 25 to Oct 29. The actual Royal Cremation will take place on Oct 26, and is declared a national holiday.

Some 70,000 security personnel will aid in controlling crowds during the period, the replicas of the funeral pyre will be placed in various locations around Bangkok to help disperse crowds.

At the moment, the King’s body has been lying in state in the Grand Palace where thousands of black-clad mourners have been queueing daily to visit.

https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/...mM0sqkLLzV8.97

dsquared37

When i saw the first post the bolded [mine] seemed to lack the authoritative declaration I would have expected. The second header [again bolding mine] is closer to my expectations having heard a slew of accounts of tourists being hassled when not wearing dark colors in the immediate wake of the death last year.

transpac

I guess all the lifeguards at Phuket walked off the job as of 1 October.

150 temporary lifeguards being trained

The Phuket Provincial Organisation (OrBorJor) is setting up a training course for 150 new lifeguards in readiness to step in if no one bids in the new auction.

A meeting at the OrBorJor office on Friday chaired by vice governor Thawornwat Kongkaew, along with many local authorities, discussed about more possible solutions for Phuket lifeguard duties. There have been 98 lifeguards missing since Phuket Lifeguard company finished the contract with the OrBorTor and these lifeguards were stationed at 39 spots around Phuket’s 12 main beaches. In order to create more professional lifeguards available for duty, the participants at the meeting agreed that the OrBorJor will be the one training a new set of 150 lifeguards which is expected to be completed by the end of October. The training will be supported by Royal Thai Navy Area 3 and and an Australian lifeguard team to ensure the new lifeguards reach international standards.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/deta...gnews/30328673



TOURIST DROWNS ON PHUKET LIFEGUARD SERVICE’S LAST DAY


Without Phuket lifeguards, Chinese tourist drowns at Karon Beach

yosithezet

Never hassled when wearing my light blue and light purple dress shirts with a black ribbon.

transpac

Aviation to get a boost as ICAO removes red flag


WORLD AGENCY SATISFIED WITH MEASURES TAKEN TO ADDRESS SAFETY CONCERNS

THAILAND’S aviation sector is set to grow at a higher rate after the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) removed its red flag over safety issues, signifying the agency’s satisfaction with measures taken over the past three years to address concerns.

Chula Sukmanop, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) Office, said ICAO officials had inspected the Thai aviation regulatory system from September 20-27 and approved a total of 33 measures that tackled previously expressed safety and other concerns.

Later, the ICAO team concluded that they were satisfied with the solutions to these concerns and would formally inform the CAAT of its decision next week. On the ICAO website, which features safety audit results of more than 180 countries around the world, only five countries are currently red-flagged – Malawi, Kyrgyzstan, Haiti, Eritrea, and Djibouti.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/deta...ional/30328724

Diplomatico

Never wore black; never wore a ribbon; never been hassled.

transpac

I haven't heard of any tourists/foreigners being hassled for attire violations.

Early on (October, last year) a few Thais were subjected to abuse (social media, verbal, physical) for perceived wardrobe slights.

More Thais seem to be wearing black as of 1 October, but it's still not nearly as universal as it was for the first 30 days? I would expect it to ramp up as we approach the 26th?

I've asked knowledgeable types and been told not to worry about it.

This Friday, 13 October is a national holiday, the anniversary of the death of Rama 9, and it will remain a holiday in the future. 5 December will also remain a holiday.

transpac

No ifs, no butts – beach smoking is banned

The Marine and Coastal Resources Department plans to ban smoking on beaches around the country next month after thousands of cigarette butts were found in the sand.

In a pioneer project, the department is to invoke a coastal resources management law on to issue the smoking ban on 20 popular beaches early next month, said department chief Jatuporn Buruphat. Jatuporn said he had consulted with Natural Resources and Environment Minister Gen Surasak Kanchanarat and the minister agreed with the proposal.

Since the ban will be based on marine park law, offenders will be subject to huge maximum penalties of one year in jail or Bt100,000 fine.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/deta...gnews/30328928

EmailKid

Ya, about that ..... who exactly is going to enforce that

Same people not enforcing current smoking bans would be my educated guess @:-)

Er, to be clear, not attacking the poster, but .... well, you know, TiT.

goodeats21

Funny the disparity on the potential fine.

IIRC, from signs posted around it is 2,000 baht fine for smoking indoors in some areas.

100,000 baht for smoking outside on a prohibited beach is....unusual.

seanthepilot

I'd like to see them fine Thais 100K and see what happens!

transpac

IIRC, from signs posted around it is 2,000 baht fine for smoking indoors in some areas.


I think this is the maximum fine. It is also the maximum fine for littering. In Bangkok, in tourist areas, the Bangkok Sidewalk Police have elaborate zones where they target tourists discarding cigarette butts. They start at 2,000 THB but will settle for 200 - 500 THB. I've never seen a Thai person at the "table".

Thailand, and Thais generally, is about 60 years behind the curve with regards to littering. I've seen Thais throw trash bags out the window of a moving train, from the back of a moving truck, throw trash on the ground next to a trash bin outside a 7/11. Watching a street vendor pour 10 liters of used cooking oil down the storm drain always amazes me.

The new beach smoking ban seemed unusual mostly for the size of the fines. I only posted about it to give people a heads up.

EmailKid

And now smoking ban seems to have its own thread (this is a relatively quiet forum so won't bother to post a link as it's on first page).

As to falang only fines for littering .... I'm of two minds on this:

Underpaid boys in brown lining their pockets at the expense of (FT rules don't allow using special characters to mask profanities, so just use your imagination) foreigners who probably litter in their own countries deserve this, what amounts to a slap of the wrist, considering how much they have polluted over the years [/rant]

transpac

I've mentioned it in the taxi thread, but maybe a reminder here will save some money?

The fine for passengers not wearing a seat-belt in a taxi is 5,000 THB. I've seen most newer taxis with this sign recently. I use the seat-belt now if I can find the buckle, or retrieve it from between the seat without mounting a rescue party.