A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

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BOMBING AFTERMATH

Erawan suspects 'arrested' in Turkey

• Bangkok Post Published: 4/12/2015 at 03:30 AM

Wanna Suansan, the Thai woman who allegedly rented a room for suspects in the Erawan shrine and Sathon pier blasts, and her Turkish husband have been arrested in Turkey, according to a high-ranking police source.

However, no details were released by the authorities confirming the couple's arrest. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Thursday he had not been officially informed of the couple's arrest. If this were true, he would receive a report and the Foreign Ministry would then coordinate with Turkey.

Speculation about the pair's arrest came after deputy national police chief Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul said that a number of suspects in the Erawan shrine blast on Aug 17 and the Sathon pier bombing the following day have been arrested abroad and Thai authorities were seeking their extradition.

The Office of the Attorney-General and the Foreign Ministry are coordinating with authorities of the country concerned and arranging for these suspects' extradition to face legal proceedings in Thailand, according to Pol Gen Srivara.

The "22 Suspect List" produced by police in September had Emrah Davutoglu (above) as an alleged financial go-between for the bombers, while he and his wife Ms Wanna rented the rooms where the alleged bombers stayed.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said Thursday the Thai embassy in Turkey has not alerted the ministry about the couple's arrests. Police issued warrants for the arrest of at least 10 suspects, both Thai and foreign nationals, following the Erawan bomb blast that killed 20 people and injured 130 others and the subsequent blast at Sathon pier on Aug 18.

Only two were arrested, both in Thailand. Adem Karadag, alias Bilal Mohammad, and Yusufu Mieraili were arraigned at the Bangkok Military Court on Nov 24. Police earlier requested the Foreign Ministry consider revoking Ms Wanna's passport after she failed to contact authorities either in Thailand or abroad to defend herself against claims of her involvement in the case.

Investigators say Ms Wanna rented a room at the Maimuna Garden Home apartment in Min Buri where bomb-making materials were discovered.

Emrah Davutoglu, Ms Wanna's Turkish husband, was found to have received money from another suspect, Abdul Tawab, a 40-year-old Pakistani national.

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[h=1]Sultan of Brunei sends congratulatory message to HM the King of Thailand[/h]
The Brunei Times
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN December 5, 2015 9:24 am

[h=2]HIS Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, sent congratulatory messages to Thailand's leaders on the occasion of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 88th birthday.[/h] In the message to the Thai king, Sultan Haji said he valued the important and longstanding ties with Thailand and looked forward to strengthening the warm friendship and close bilateral cooperation enjoyed by the people and two countries in the year ahead.

The Sultan also extended his regards and best wishes for the Thai king's good health and happiness.

In a separate message to Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Sultan Haji said he appreciated the warm friendship and valuable cooperation long enjoyed by the two countries and people.

The monarch also said he looked forward to continue working with the premier to further strengthen the close ties bilaterally and in the region.

Sultan Haji also sent his regards and best wishes to the prime minister for a happy celebration and a prosperous new year.


[h=1]Queen Elizabeth II sends birthday message to King Bhumibol[/h] in General | December 5, 2015 11:09 am (245 views)

• 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has sent birthday message to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on his 88th birthday anniversary.
The Queen’s message says
Tags: birthday anniversary, General, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, King Bhumibol Adulyad, relationship.

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

Being the king's birthday today all restaurants are fully booked by a sea of yellow







Pippies clams with chili sauce


Snowfish in soya


Raw crab yum




Tomyam groupa


Salted fish fried rice


Coconut water and ginko


Soda lime juice

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

Froggy said:

Being the king's birthday today all restaurants are fully booked by a sea of yellow

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All celebrating Father's Day la on Saturday. I would have thought you'd siam that day. I celebrate Father and Mother's Day either 2 days before or after
Have you bought your Bike for Dad t-shirt yet?

Interesting tidbit: all government buildings show a big picture of the Queen in front between Mother's Day and Father's Day, then they switch to the King's photo. They rotate one after another.

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

rotikosong said:

All celebrating Father's Day la on Saturday. I would have thought you'd siam that day. I celebrate Father and Mother's Day either 2 days before or after
Have you bought your Bike for Dad t-shirt yet?

Interesting tidbit: all government buildings show a big picture of the Queen in front between Mother's Day and Father's Day, then they switch to the King's photo. They rotate one after another.

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Actually I forgot all about it (I mean having to stand with a candle to sing a don't know what song thing) until I arrived at restaurant then I said OMG, too late.

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Thai police are hunting 4 Syrians on overstay following leaked ISIS threat



BANGKOK:-- Thai security officials are hunting for four Syrian men who are believed to be in Thailand having overstayed their permission to remain in the kingdom.

On Sunday morning, officers from the Immigration Bureau released the images of the four men who are reported to have entered the kingdom between January and August this year.

The men, who are aged between 29 and 57, entered Thailand by a combination land and air, yet the whereabouts of all four men remain unknown.

The move to release the details of the four men comes as Thailand is in a state of heightened security following the publication on Thursday of a leaked security memo which warned of a possible ISIS plot to attack Russian tourists in Thailand.

The police, who on Saturday confirmed the leaked memo was genuine, but said was just an advisory notice, have so far downplayed the threat of a possible attack by ISIS in Thailand.

This is despite a senior source at the Tourist Police telling Thaivisa on Friday that officers in Pattaya and Bangkok had been informed that Khaosan Road and Walking Street in Pattaya were thought to be potential targets. It was also confirmed that similar meetings took place in Phuket to discuss the potential threat.

On Sunday, security experts told the The Nation newspaper that the threat of ISIS carrying out some kind of attack in Thailand is 'realistic'.

Authorities in Thailand have urged members of the public to keep calm.

They also stressed that there is no evidence to suggest that any of the four wanted Syrian men have links to ISIS or any other terrorist organisation.

A: MR HAGOP KASSABIAN, 57

B: MR NAWFAL HASSOUN, 34

C: MR ABDUL AZIZ AROUK, 44

D: MR MOUAYAD HAYSTI, 29

Source: Matichon

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Simple but delicious Isaan lunch by the roadside stall - prepare to sweat cos open all sides with metal roof



toum saeb


gai yang


khai jeow moo saab


raw veges

This morning is not crowded at the airport





Good O comfort food

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About time, DM's existing single terminal very chaotic

AVIATION
Don Mueang's Terminal 2 set to reopen


The cranes will be pulled away within two weeks for a Christmas opening of Terminal 2 at Don Mueang airport, boosting passenger flow by a third. (Photo by Sarot Meksophawannakul)

• Bangkok Post Published: 7/12/2015 at 04:30 AM

The second phase of Don Mueang airport's expansion will be launched late this month to accommodate an expected surge in passenger numbers next year.

Prasong Poontaneat, board chairman of Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), said Sunday the renovated Terminal 2 building will be able to serve the boost in travellers, expected to increase from 90,000 per day this year to 120,000-130,000 a day next year, an increase of at least 33%.
Mr Prasong said the building will open on Dec 25 or 26 to handle the high numbers of passengers expected over new year.

Under the second phase development, the airport will increase its capacity from 18.5 million passengers a year to 30 million.
There will be 42 check-in counters in the Terminal 2 building.
The check-in zones will be divided into six lanes, with seven counters each.
The check-in system will be similar to that at Suvarnabhumi airport, and include surveillance cameras and bomb detection systems. A total of 44 toilets are also being provided.

Mr Prasong said airport facilities will come into service first in the main zones such as the main arrivals and departures area and airside, as some toilets and shops remain under construction. He said 267 commercial zones have also been built at the airport. They will all be ready for occupancy by January or February.

"The main systems have been installed at the new terminal building which will be ready late this month. We will roll out service areas gradually, with areas where work is finished opened to serve passengers first," he said.

After the launch of the Terminal 2 building, certain parts of Terminal 1 will be closed for maintenance to modernise systems.
He added the AoT had now worked out a new scheme to develop Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports.
It also aims to speed up the third-phase development of Don Mueang airport to serve a projected surge in passenger numbers, expected to increase from 28 million this year to more than 30 million a year in the next 12 months.

In the third phase, Mr Prasong said his agency planned to develop another terminal as a junction terminal to connect with the Red Line electric railway. The line, which is now under construction opposite the airport, will connect Bang Sue and Rangsit.

The agency has worked out the third-phase development of Don Mueang airport which will be proposed to the AoT board by January next year, Mr Nitinai added. Car park buildings with a capacity of 5,000 vehicles will also be built, he added. Meanwhile, AoT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said 80% of the commercial areas at Don Mueang airport have been reserved by the private sector. Mr Nitinai said 10,000 sq m of the airport's commercial zones were separated into 408 blocks.

Most of them have been occupied, with more than 100 business operators putting their names forward so far. This will result in an increase in AoT's income next year.

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

I prefer Suvarnabhumi Airport because of the MRT connection to & from Bangkok. It is also more convenient if you want to go to Pattaya.

The last time I flew into Don Muang airport it was very inconvenient as they no longer have the shuttle buses going to the city. There are no buses going to Pattaya. The only option were the taxis. There is also fewer restaurant at Don Muang compared to Suvarnabhumi

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

johnny333 said:

...prefer Suvarnabhumi Airport because of the MRT connection ..no buses going to Pattaya. The only option were the taxis. ...fewer restaurant at Don Muang compared to Suvarnabhumi

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Trouble is most LCCs (except Jetstar) is at DM. Blxxdy chaotic, poor infrastructure with main departures (and arrivals) halls like a mad-house for combined both domestic and international pax. Taxi Q is impossibly snaking long. And car pick-up points is like a road grid. And car parking is way near 1km away

Only few, crowded eateries inside before you get to gates. For the odd few occasions, found it better to have a snack and coffee at small cafes near gates.

Yes, it's across the city if you hitting Patts. Pay +thb300 more for private taxi. Last June, even the private taxi was near 1hr late (traffic excuse), so voluntary discount -thb300.

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

johnny333 said:

I prefer Suvarnabhumi Airport because of the MRT connection to & from Bangkok. It is also more convenient if you want to go to Pattaya.

The last time I flew into Don Muang airport it was very inconvenient as they no longer have the shuttle buses going to the city. There are no buses going to Pattaya. The only option were the taxis. There is also fewer restaurant at Don Muang compared to Suvarnabhumi

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Besides cabs, there are a couple of options here.

To city -> You take the A1 bus to Mo Chit BTS. Leaves every 20 mins in front of entrance 7.

To Pattaya -> You have a couple of choices:
a) Take A1 to Victory Monument and then take a rot tu
b) Get a taxi to Mo Chit Bus Terminal and then take the Ron Rueng bus
c) Bell Bus serves Pattaya from DMK but you must make an advance reservation ahead of time. They shuttle you to BKK and then you take the regular scheduled Bell bus.
d) Book a car around 1300-1500B

Also if you have time to kill, don't lah eat at restaurants inside DMK. Use the staff canteen outside the building. Go to departures level, go to the north end of building (or facing the road, this is the right hand side), walk outside, go straight till you come to a large open air parking lot, the canteen building (like the staff food court at BKK) is on your left.

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Positive news for local businesses? Froggy to make a killing?

​REVENUE
Import duty cut in pipeline

• Bangkok Post Published: 8/12/2015 at 07:49 AM

The Finance Ministry is poised to cut import duty on up to 1,000 items in a bid to strengthen the country's competitiveness, says the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO).

The targeted items are intermediate and finished goods, director-general Krisada Chinavicharana said.

He said the FPO had determined cutting import duty on 700 of the 1,000 items would not pose a threat to local operators that manufactured them. The remaining items are under the Finance Ministry's consideration.

The reduction in import duty is expected to be announced early next year.

The potential cut in import duty for the 1,000 products is to comply with the new import duty structure, which has been implemented in recent years.

Under the new structure imported raw materials and capital goods are exempt, while intermediate goods are charged 3% and finished products 7-10%. The previous tax structure, enacted in 1999, charged import duty of 1% for raw materials, 5% for intermediate goods and 10% for finished products.

For instance, a finished product made from intermediate and raw materials from other countries is taxed at 10% to protect local manufacturers.

As part of the new import duty structure, the Finance Ministry last year trimmed duty for 1,500 raw material items, which caused the Customs Department to lose 6 billion baht in tax revenue.

A Finance Ministry source said the import duty cut was to beef up the country's competitiveness, as Thai products might lose their appeal if they were taxed at a higher rate than those from other countries, particularly under free trade agreements (FTAs).
The ministry believes the new import duty can compete with other countries that have signed FTAs, the source said.

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

yinyang said:

Positive news for local businesses? Froggy to make a killing?

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Kidding me, froggy became porridge already cannot kill anymore.

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

rotikosong said:

Besides cabs, there are a couple of options here.

Click to expand...

As always you are the real deal buddy. Me live here 10 years still not know all this info

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

rotikosong said:

Besides cabs, there are a couple of options here.

To city -> You take the A1 bus to Mo Chit BTS. Leaves every 20 mins in front of entrance 7.

To Pattaya -> You have a couple of choices:
a) Take A1 to Victory Monument and then take a rot tu
b) Get a taxi to Mo Chit Bus Terminal and then take the Ron Rueng bus
c) Bell Bus serves Pattaya from DMK but you must make an advance reservation ahead of time. They shuttle you to BKK and then you take the regular scheduled Bell bus.
d) Book a car around 1300-1500B

Also if you have time to kill, don't lah eat at restaurants inside DMK. Use the staff canteen outside the building. Go to departures level, go to the north end of building (or facing the road, this is the right hand side), walk outside, go straight till you come to a large open air parking lot, the canteen building (like the staff food court at BKK) is on your left.

Click to expand...

Been to the staff canteen before, nothing much for me to eat.. Lol

To go to the city, just take the train.. I thought this way is much faster.

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

rotikosong said:

Besides cabs, there are a couple of options here.

To city -> You take the A1 bus to Mo Chit BTS. Leaves every 20 mins in front of entrance 7.

To Pattaya -> You have a couple of choices:
a) Take A1 to Victory Monument and then take a rot tu
b) Get a taxi to Mo Chit Bus Terminal and then take the Ron Rueng bus
c) Bell Bus serves Pattaya from DMK but you must make an advance reservation ahead of time. They shuttle you to BKK and then you take the regular scheduled Bell bus.
d) Book a car around 1300-1500B

Also if you have time to kill, don't lah eat at restaurants inside DMK. Use the staff canteen outside the building. Go to departures level, go to the north end of building (or facing the road, this is the right hand side), walk outside, go straight till you come to a large open air parking lot, the canteen building (like the staff food court at BKK) is on your left.

Click to expand...

Lagi budget can walk across to railway station take train.....all the way to hualumphong only 5 baht..
If dun want the slow scenic route then stop at bangsue where there's a connecting mrt station.

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

Narong Wongwan said:

Lagi budget can walk across to railway station take train.....all the way to hualumphong only 5 baht..
If dun want the slow scenic route then stop at bangsue where there's a connecting mrt station.

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tonychat and narong are right. Can take SRT train too. Soon in the future can take BTS - they are extending line - you can see the construction right beside the tollway.

Made a mistake upthread - it is the A2 bus that goes to Victory Monument. A1 goes to Mo Chit.

One more option to Pattaya: take the free shuttle bus that connects DMK to BKK. Must show onward ticket to counter but there sometimes is confusion and a melee and you might be able to slip on board. Otherwise relatively simple to photoshop one - I have done it before
Shuttle - go gate 5 and turn right and look for counter that says: "FREE AOT Shuttle"
There are no further checks onboard and no ticket is given. There are racks for luggage - you can bring on large bags
Last time I took it, leaves on the hour and 20-past - 2x departures per hour.
Once at BKK, you have the Bell Bus and Ron Rueang bus options at the floor below arrivals.

This forum best - many old hands.

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

Froggy said:

As always you are the real deal buddy. Me live here 10 years still not know all this info

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Has it already been 10 years? That's a long time away from home!