Japanese Restaurants in Chiangmai Map

Japanese Restaurants in Chiangmai MapJapanese Restaurants in Chiangmai Map

Chiang Mai, Thailand Travel Blog

Chiang Mai, Thailand Travel Blog
Bill's only goal today is to watch the Australian F1 race.

I was able to have raisins, peanut butter and bananas with my cornflakes. YUM! Bill went wild and crazy and had the American breakfast again. I guess he never tires of scrambled eggs and bacon...

We walked to the internet cafe to call Mom, it is her Birthday (9 pm while it is 9am the next day here). We surprise her with the call and hear all the latest news. It sounds like everyone has taken good care of her this week!

After that we watched a movie in our room and I did some reading.

We walked to the pharmacy (Boots) and bought some cold medication (not for me, I am healthy and strong!). I guess a steady diet of rice and beer is not the cure for the common cold. I looked at a couple of dress shops, but they were quite pricey. The store with less expensive dresses and tops that had styles that I liked better was closed today though. I did manage to find a nice ring and chain at a jewelery store though.

At Ratana's I had Thai iced tea and steamed sea bass with garlic and lime and Bill had a coke and chicken stir fry.

We headed to a pub-like place that we had seen yesterday to watch the F1 race. We were able to get a table up front and ordered some drinks. I decided to have a vodka and soda (something was floating with my ice). After a while we shared a chicken, chili, basil and pepper dish (had one bad tomato) and then Bill ordered the apple cake with ice cream and whipped topping (that had some gross stringy thing in it too). The food in Chiang Mai can be very good or very below average (usually the restaurants that try to serve Western food too).

Bill did enjoy watching the race during the afternoon instead of the middle of the night and we did meet a nice guy and his son that were from Perth, Australia.

We stopped in at the internet cafe so I can do blogging while Bill is surfing the net.

We are hashing again Sunday March 29th, 2009

Hares: Hollow Leg and Injection Infection

Where is the hash: See Hash directions

Hash directions: From Canal / Samoeng Road intersection drive south along Canal Road for 3.4 km. Turn right and follow the HHHH or HHH signs from there for 4.6 km.

See you there.

For those of you, who have a GPS, the coordinates for the “A” Bucket are not known.

Notes:

  • The run will be @ 17:00 and the bus will leave the Number 1 Bar, Bistro & Cafe @ 16:00.
  • Want or need more info? Use the form in the sidebar to contact us or make yourself familiar with the location by looking at the map below, if there is one. You can click on the pin and the location will be shown. Zoom in or out to get your bearings.

From ChiangMai to China

Budget airlines do not do baggage transfer service for you even when it's the same airplane you'll be catching"

I spent my first two days of this trip arriving at ChiangMai Airport, drove straight to Chiang Rai (3 hours), checked out some tea estate, went for a hair-do, then shopping.
All these were done one after another and it was alright towards the end of the night.

BUT, having wasted one whole good day just to get from one place to another is just, I can't explain..exhausting?
Today's Agenda was:

Check in-wait-fly-arrive-collect luggage-check in again-wait-fly-arrive-collect luggage-wait for taxi-someone cut queue mom told her off-40 mins to hotel-hotel gave away room at 6pm even when we told them our flight was at 11pm-went hunting for hotel at midnight-checked in-go to room to freshen up-go out nearby for food-came back showered-watched tv til I fall asleep.

Perhaps I am just bored from waiting. Both me and mom were in grouchy moods. -.-"
My throat hurts :( Where's my baby?

Oh well, looks like mom's laptop's bluetooth isn't working. Would like to put atleast ONE picture of the rabbits I saw at ChiangMai Night Bazaar.

Greetings from ShenZhen.

Happy Earth Hour everyone~ Do your bit of contribution for that hour. You're closer to nature than you think. I will continue about my excitement over Earth Hour next, k? Before that happens, share with me your opinion on what are the objectives of Earth Hour?

Green areas to be created throughout Chiang Mai province

pAmornpun Nimanun, the governor of a href=”http://1stopthailand.com/chiangmai”Chiang Mai/a, has announced a new policy that calls on each provincial village to plant 3,000 trees, in an effort to create green areas totalling 60,000 rai. /p

pDuring a meeting this week with officials from the province’s environment and animal department, the governor noted that water supply was a concern currently. He asked all agencies cooperate to ensure the availability and quality water from all sources. /p

pIn addition to provincial departments, the governor also asked Royal Projects officials for information and guidance on water sources and management. He has asked authorities throughout the province to help prevent the illegal destruction of natural resources, including streams and trees. /p

pIt was in this framework that he introduced the plan to increase the province’s green areas, and proposed that each village plant 3,000 new trees. The governor added that as there are more than 2,000 villages in Chiang Mai province, if 100 trees were planted per rai, 60,000 rai of green space would result./p

Link to the original site

Making a Pattaya hotel reservation

Since Pattaya attracts a great deal of tourists and travelers of all kinds every year, there are numerous hotels in the area. Many people consider Pattaya to be a small gem in the Siam Bay, or in the Thai crown as it is said, due to the serenity and beauty of the landscape. However, this natural beauty is not the only attraction that Pattaya has to offer; in fact most of its visitors are mainly coming to participate and experience in person the famous Pattaya nightlife. Pattaya is an Asian city, but as many westerners live and work there, the standards of services provided are similar to the Western Europeans and Americans.

If you are considering visiting the place but you think that a Pattaya hotel reservation is going to be a daunting task then you should definitely check online, as there are numerous directories and websites that offer you detailed information on the hotels, their services and amenities, as well as their location. There are many places offering accommodation around the city and it’s quite easy to locate a hotel and make a reservation online, provided that you have a credit card or even PayPal account in some cases. Pattaya hotel reservations are easily made, no matter where you choose to stay, in a five star hotel resort or in a more budget solution.

There is actually no dearth of hotels in the city, both in the heart of Pattaya or at the beaches and suburbs. Most of them offer packages to travelers and make sure that everything, from the reservation to the arrival and stay are easy and pleasant.

Pattaya Resorts - The Striking Thailand Destination

Situated in the eastern coast of Thailand Gulf, Pattaya resorts are heralded as among the topnotch tourist destinations there is in Asia these days. The city ranks in the same level as that of Bangkok, the country’s capital. With the diversity of beach resorts nestled in Thailand, this is yet so far the nearest to the capital city so the guests make it a point to drop by and feel the wonders that it keeps within its midst.

Pattaya resorts boast of a complete package. You can splurge in various activities such as sightseeing, water sporting, swimming, dining, and shopping. The hotels and dining amenities and facilities are so great that many of the guests are inspired to engage in them. Indeed, this destination has become one of the favorites of the travelers. Not only that. Pattaya does not only stand as a great vacation spot but also as a venue for conventions, parties, seminars, conference, and other special personal and business events.

Another reason for travelers to stop by Pattaya is due to the festivals that come around. They are the Pattaya Festival and Wan Lai Festival, to name a few. Active people have a good cause to feel exuberant given the fact that there are numerous activities to keep them occupied. Among of which are shooting, carting, bungee jumping, horseback riding, windsurfing, jet skiing, kite surfing, scuba diving, sailing, snorkeling, water skiing, and many others.

Hotels, apartments, and guesthouses are adamant in the Pattaya resorts. The service of each is truly commendable. Budget rentals are available to suit the needs of those who want to bag the great savings. Nevertheless, a holiday vacation in Pattaya is surely going to be significant.

Exercise in Thailand shows multilateral partnership

KORAT, Thailand (AFNS) — Approximately 20 military members from Thailand, Singapore and the United States are working together to coordinate the aerial missions throughout the region for Exercise Cope Tiger 2009 March 9 through 20 here.

Cope Tiger is a two-week exercise including both flying and humanitarian missions conducted by U.S., Thai and Singaporean military forces in Korat and Udon Thani, Thailand.

In the live fly cell, a group of Singaporean personnel works at computers while Thai and U.S. servicemembers transcribe information onto a large board tracking aircraft in the air. The information flows to the live fly cell from aircraft in the air, Airmen on the ground, and from control towers at both Korat and Udon Thani Royal Thai air force bases. It is in multiple languages before eventually appearing on the main wall in English for all to see.

“This is the live fly cell, but back home we call this ‘base operations,’” said Singapore air force Warrant Officer Naranasamy Samyual, an air traffic controller and the officer in charge of the Singaporean contingent. “This is very similar to what I’d be doing back home. It is slightly different because we’re working with the different countries, but we mix and match very well to get the job done.”

Radio frequencies, airfield status and other special instructions are posted to their left. To their right is weather information. Behind them sit two groups of airmen working at computers made up of Thais and Americans.

“We plan the schedule and issue it out to every unit. That is our first job,” said Royal Thai air force Wing Commander Arnon Charusombat, the officer in charge of the live fly cell and its Thai contingent. “Then we track the aircraft that are flying in the area, sortie achievement and any deviation from the sortie plan. We have all the information in the live fly cell, and we know if this or that aircraft is good to go, or there is a problem with the tower or the weather and it can’t go.”

“We coordinate the operations side of the exercise and flying-related activities,” said Capt. Jeff Watts, the live fly cell liaison officer deployed from Kadena Air Base, Japan. “We coordinate everything from scheduling, airspace, and pushing the schedule to the tower.”

An E-3 Sentry maintenance issue sends Captain Watts over to talk to Wing Commander Charusombat to coordinate bringing up the alternate air battle manager. A few phone calls later, Wing Commander Charusombat returns with the thumbs up and everything is ready to fly.

In addition to a mix of countries, languages and cultures in the live fly cell, the three men in charge of their countries’ contingents bring a wide range of experience to the mix.

Wing Commander Charusombat is a veteran of Cope Tiger, having participated for eight years as a pilot and now for his third year as a planner. Warrant Officer Samyual is a first-time participant, but three days into the exercise he already hopes it will not be his last. Captain Watts is a three-year Cope Tiger veteran.

The three are representative of the team members they lead, whose backgrounds and experience vary greatly. However, all three agree that Cope Tiger is an excellent training opportunity.

“This is a large scale, multiplatform aerial training exercise,” said Warrant Officer Samyual. “There is a great training benefit to working with the other countries. (The United States) actually has warfighting experience. We do not. We can learn from your experiences.”

It is also an excellent opportunity to practice English, Wing Commander Charusombat said.

“As pilots, we use English as a common language while we are flying, but when we do our planning it’s not in technical terms,” the wing commander said. “You know, ‘Break right,’ ‘Break left,’ that’s easy.”

“These guys are very professional, very mission-focused and very accommodating when we need things,” Captain Watts said. “They’re very intelligent, but they’re very modest. I’ve been very impressed by them.”

Elephant Art, Chiang Mai, Thailand

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A jumbo feast to trumpet Elephant Day in Thailand

Thai elephants enjoy various kind of fruits during an elephant buffet held to mark the National Thai Elephant Day at an elephant camp,

Chiang Mai Elephants tuck in to a variety of fruit at a buffet laid out for them on National Elephant Day in Thailand yesterday.

Huge bunches of bananas and tonnes of sugar cane were on the menu for the all-you-can-eat treat at the Maesa Elephant Camp sanctuary in the northern province of Chiang Mai.

More than 70 elephants took part in the festivities, which have been held since 1998, when the Government declared March 13 National Thai Elephant Day.

Hundreds of tourists watched the animals as they paraded around the camp, played sports matches and even painted pictures. Elephants at the sanctuary are taught to play sports such as football, bowls, baseball and basketball.

One elephant used its trunk to blow darts to burst balloons.

The elephant is Thailand’s national animal and government officials hope that events such as National Elephant Day will make people revere them as it tries to conserve its elephant population, now around 4,500.

“The Government declared March 13 to be National Elephant Day. We hold the ceremony to let people know how important Thai elephants are,” Chuchart Kallamapichit, the owner of the Maesa Elephant Camp, said. (Reuters)

from: www.timesonline.co.uk

After getting retrenched, she goes travelling with granny

MS CHEN Meiwen was a manager with an IT company in Singapore. Last December, she was told that her company was restructuring and she was one of those to be let go.
Click to see larger image
PICTURE:LIANHE ZAOBAO

Recounting that moment to Lianhe Zaobao, Ms Chen, 31, said she was quite calm at the time.

'I think it was because my boss had mentally prepared me for the possibility. The communication process was very good, so the news did not come as a shock.'

After she lost her job, Ms Chen did not wallow in self-pity. After gathering up her stuff from the office, she packed her bags and decided to go on a long vacation.

'I've always wanted to travel, but never found the time. After being let go, I felt this was the best time to do it.

'So I spent two weeks in Thailand. Besides signing up for a cooking course, I also went up to Chiangmai, to distance myself from all my woes.'

Ms Chen also visited Taiwan with her 78-year-old grandmother. 'Granny had asked me to take her on a vacation before, and I had the time to grant her wish,' she said.

She also felt that it was a good time for her to find herself all over again. Besides travelling, she also spent time reading and started dancing again, signing up for jazz dance lessons.

'When the financial crisis finally reached my doorstep, I felt a bit down initially. But I felt my loss could be turned into some form of gain.'

She said she had put her heart and soul into her work. But after losing her job, she realised that no matter how hard she worked, big businesses always put their own survival as priority.

She finally understood that she had to love herself more and start spending more time with her family and friends.

She said: 'Now I'm going to smell the roses more, to take note of things around me, and to go to places I didn't have the time to visit.'

Ms Chen was lucky enough to find a new job recently. But she set herself some rules, like stopping work at 7pm, to take part in activities like dancing and chilling out with friends as much as possible. She is even planning to take part in a marathon this year.

'My attitude towards work and life now is totally different,' she said. 'As employees, of course we have the responsibility to do our jobs well. But it's important to love yourself and to be happy, too.'
from: newpaper.asia1.com.sg

Panda Linhui may soon have baby or two

from : nationmultimedia.com

Hopes are running high that the giant pandas, Chuang Chuang and Linhui, at the Chiang Mai zoo may soon have a baby or two.

"There's a possibility that Linhui might have ovulated twice. She may give births to twins," Zoological Park Organisation director-general Sophon Damnui said Monday.

According to him, two artificial inseminations have just been conducted for the panda couple.

"Every step in the process went on smoothly because we have extensively monitored the pandas' behaviours for a long period of time," Sophon said.

The Nation

List of airports in Thailand

Airport names show in bold indicate the airport has scheduled service on commercial airlines.

Location ↓ ICAO ↓ IATA Airport Name
Bangkok VTBD DMK Don Mueang International Airport (Old Bangkok Int'l) [1] [2]
Bangkok (Bang Phli, Samut Prakan) VTBS BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport (New Bangkok Int'l) [3] [4] [5]
Buriram VTUO BFV Buriram Airport [6]
Chanthaburi VTBC
Chanthaburi Airstrip (Royal Thai Navy) [7]
Chiang Mai VTCC CNX Chiang Mai International Airport [8] [9] [10]
Chiang Mai VTCM
Ban Thi Airport (Lanna Airfield) [11]
Chiang Mai VTCY
Nok Airfield [12]
Chiang Rai VTCT CEI Chiang Rai International Airport [13]
Chiang Rai VTCR
Chiang Rai Airport [14]
Chonburi VTBS QHI Sattahip Airport
Chonburi VTBT
Bang Phra Airport
Chumphon VTSE CJM Chumphon Airport [15]
Hat Yai / Songkhla VTSS HDY Hat Yai International Airport [16] [17]
Hua Hin / Prachuap Khiri Khan VTPH HHQ Hua Hin Airport [18]
Kamphaeng Saen VTBK KDT Kamphaeng Saen Airport [19]
Ko Samui VTSM USM Samui Airport [20] [21]
Khon Kaen VTUK KKC Khon Kaen Airport [22]
Krabi VTSG KBV Krabi Airport [23]
Lampang VTCL LPT Lampang Airport
Lamphun VTCO
Lamphun Airport [24]
Loei VTUL LOE Loei Airport [25]
Lom Sak / Phetchabun VTPL PHY Phetchabun Airport [26]
Lopburi VTBL KKM Khok Kathiam Air Force Base [27]
Mae Hong Son VTCH HGN Mae Hong Son Airport [28]
Mae Sariang VTCS
Mae Sariang Airport [29]
Mae Sot VTPM MAQ Mae Sot Airport [30]
Nakhon Phanom VTUW KOP Nakhon Phanom Airport [31]
Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat) VTUQ NAK Nakhon Ratchasima Airport [32]
Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat) VTUN
Khorat Air Force Base [33]
Nakhon Sawan VTPI TKH Takhli Air Force Base
Nakhon Si Thammarat VTSF NST Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport [34]
Nakhon Si Thammarat VTSN NST Cha Ian Airport
Nan VTCN NNT Nan Airport [35]
Narathiwat VTSC NAW Narathiwat Airport [36]
Pai, Mae Hong Son VTCI
Pai Airport
Patong Beach, Phuket
PBS Patong Beach Airport
Pattani VTSK PAN Pattani Airport [37]
Phetchabun VTPB PHY Phetchabun Airport
Phi Phi Island
PHZ Phi Phi Island Airport
Phitsanulok VTPP PHS Phitsanulok Airport [38]
Phrae VTCP PRH Phrae Airport [39]
Phuket VTSP HKT Phuket International Airport [40] [41]
Phumipol (Bhumipol) Dam, Tak VTPY
Phumipol Dam Airport (Bhumipol Dam Airport) [42]
Photharam VTPR
Photharam Airport (Photharam Ratchaburi Airport) [43]
Prachuap Khiri Khan VTBP
Prachuap Khiri Khan Military Airport
Ranong VTSR UNN Ranong Airport [44]
Rayong / Pattaya VTBU UTP U-Tapao International Airport (Utapao/U-Taphao) [45] [46]
Roi Et (Roiet) VTUV ROI Roi Et Airport (Roiet Airport) [47]
Roi Et (Roiet) VTUR
Rob Muang Airport [48]
Sakon Nakhon VTUI SNO Sakon Nakhon Airport [49]
Songkhla VTSH SGZ Songkhla Airport
Sukhothai VTPO THS Sukhothai Airport [50]
Surat Thani VTSB URT Surat Thani Airport [51]
Surin VTUJ PXR Surin Airport [52]
Tak VTPT TKT Tak Airport [53]
Trang VTST TST Trang Airport [54]
Trat VTBO TDX Trat Airport [55]
Ubon Ratchathani VTUU UBP Ubon Ratchathani Airport [56]
Udon Thani VTUD UTH Udon Thani International Airport
Uttaradit VTPU UTR Uttaradit Airport [57]
Watthana Nakhon, Sa Kaeo VTBW
Watthana Nakhon Airport [58]


chiang mai motor scooters

chiang mai motor scooters
Motorcycles & Motor Scooters-Supplies & Parts
Address.: Tumbol Amphoe Mueang Kamphaeng Phet Kamphaeng Phet
Tel.: 055917
Categores.: Motorcycles & Motor Scooters-Supplies & Parts

Address.: Tumbol Wiang Amphoe Mueang Chiang Rai Chiang Rai
Tel.: 053701 , 053886 , 053137
Fax.: 053837
Categores.: Motorcycles & Motor Scooters-Supplies & Parts

chiang mai airport

chiang mai airport
Chiang Mai is a major gateway to Northern Thailand that is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination and its international airport welcomes over 2 million visitors per year, receiving 130 flights a week from Bangkok as well as Singapore, China, Taiwan, Myanmar and Laos. The airport has a full range of facilities to offer to its visitors.

Located less than 10 minutes by taxi from the city center, Chiang Mai International Airport consists of a domestic and international terminals in a single building.

There are travel agent offices at the airport and customer service desks for Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Bangkok Airways, AirAsia, Nok Air, One-Two-Go and a number of other airlines. There are several exchange bureaus and ATMs in the terminal as well.

Chiang Mai Airport has several food outlets, including two coffee shops, a deli and a fast food outlet. There are also a number of shops selling silk, handicrafts, fresh produce and souvenirs.

Within the departure lounge there are additional food and merchandise shops.

coyote bars chiang mai that Coyote Dancing Chiang Mai

coyote bars chiang mai

chiang mai girls Bar girls and go go bars in Chiang Mai

chiang mai girls Bar girls and go go bars in Chiang Mai
Bar girls: where to find bar girl in chiang Mai
Most of the Chiang Mai bar scene is confined to the Western end of Loi Kroh road, There is also a small cluster of bars at rear of the Night Market in the Peak Entertainment area near the Foxy Lady Go Go. It’s small compared to other tourist centres but offers a decent choice.

Like every tourist place in Thailand Chiang Mai has its bar girls scene, catering to foreigners and visiting Thais. It’s a prominent attraction in the city, with some areas given over to bars full of girls for hire. Compared to Bangkok, Pattaya or Patong it’s far more casual, less raunchy or intense and generally cheaper.

chiangmai-bar-girls

The most obvious place to head is Loi Kroh road at the moat junction, where you’ll have trouble walking down the street without being distracted by ‘helloooo, you’re welcome’. If you cross over to the inside (Old Town) you’ll find another cluster as you walk towards Thapae Gate, these are bit more tame. One of the go go bars, Spotlight, is on the outside of the moat, near Thapae gate.

The other area, in the Peak Complex (Northern end of the Night Market street, left side), is a bit neglected and many are gay, but the best go go bar in town, certainly with the sexiest girls, is Foxy Lady. You can find it behind the D2 hotel or by exiting the rear of the Vieng Ping Night Bazaar arcade. It has by far the sexiest girls, and a decent atmosphere, no drinks rip offs either.

You can also try your luck with karaoke bars. This appeals mostly to Asian men who hire girls to sing with them, usually in private rooms. The girls are generally very young, very pretty, speak very little English and don’t often agree to ‘go with customers’. Some do but the bar fine (on top of the 200 baht hourly ‘singing fee’) is 500 baht or more. There are some of these on the inside of the moat near Loi Kroh, but the biggest selection is found at the bottom end of Chang Klan road (south of the Night Bazaar) and down Chiang Mai Land avenue. It’s a fun experience for the shy.

When you enter a bar you can site alone until you’ve spotted a girl you like (they’ll make eye contact), and if you don’t make any moves one will come up and sit with you. There’s no pressure (like Bangkok’s Nana Plaza), the girl will ask for a drink - known as a ‘lady drink’ which is watered down and a set price (about 120 baht - some of it goes to the girls). Buy them a beer if you want to get them drunk. They’ll play pool with you, make light conversation in their limited English and wait for you to ask them to go home with them. It’s that simple.

Go go bars: are slightly different in that girls also dance on a stage in bikinis and costumes and are far more sexy. When not dancing they come and sit with you, or you can ‘order’ them from off the stage. These places are more discreet, not open to the street like most others and have a darker atmosphere. Some have private rooms upstairs. You can sit and watch, or blend into a corner.

How much
The basic cost of ‘hiring’ a girl is about 1500 baht. It can get cheaper for short time sessions or freelancing street girls but as a tourist you’ll probably not want to risk an unsatisfactory experience. Obviously you get cheap and nasty girls and you get expensive and sexy girls, and the less they are receiving the less likely they are to give you a really good time. They’re selling their souls so don’t expect to bargain hard and still get a smile on her face.

The first thing you have to take care of is the ‘bar fine’ - a common fee for all bar girls in Chiang Mai and Thailand. This is paid to the bar for taking the girls away, it’s how they earn the money to pay off officials, and it ranges from 200 to 500 depending on the place. In Chiang Mai bar girl fines are usually about 300 unless you’re in a go go bar.

Then you have to negotiate with the girls. This is done in the bar before you pay the bar fine, and usually starts with ‘you go with me?’, ‘You pay bar fine, how much you pay for me’. Girls will go back to a hotel with you for as little as a 1000 baht if its ‘slow’ (ie lots more girls than tourists in the bar), or you’re not too old and ugly. They will also offer you ‘short time’ (a few hours) or long time (all night) depending on what you’re willing to pay. The more sexy and popular the girl is the more she’ll ask for, so it’s worth trying your luck with several girls to get an idea first. Of course this involves buying quite a few ‘lady drinks’, so you might not save anything, and it depends on how new you are, as bar girls are good at sensing when you’re fresh off the plane.

chiang mai massage by Lila Thai Massage

Large Massage Building in Chiangmai, situated next to the Park Hotel on the Changklan road, Soapy or Thai Trad
Lila Thai Massage Shop has been established by the Director of Chiang Mai Women’s Prison from 2001-2008, Naowarat Thanasrisutharat, to support the released inmates to earn a legal living. Mrs. Naowarat strongly believes that the participation of the community can contribute to the successful reintegration of the prisoners. Over 40 years of dealing with people who made a wrong move in their lives, she realized that the endless circle of correction works is the public’s un-acceptance of the former inmates and the inmates’ difficulty in adapting themselves into the community. We can not deny the fact that some types of employment still refuse to admit them, even though they are well trained and skillful. This is reason why they back into the circle of crime. Then, we hope that Lila Thai Massage shop is one of the efforts to eliminate such problem.
Due to the cooperating of Chiang Mai Women’s Prison and Institute of Skill Development, our masseuses gained skill from 180 hours massage training course during their imprisonment and have been through satisfactory assessment by Chiang Mai Public Health. Thus, we certainly trust that you will receive fully trained professional massage services and have a more positive attitude toward the former inmates. Furthermore, you will have a chance to support them in starting new lives and make them feel proud of earning a legal living.

ASEAN leaders want forex swap pact ready in April

from: http://uk.reuters.com/home

HUA HIN, Thailand (Reuters) - Leaders of Southeast Asian nations want to see a $120 billion currency swap pact put in place in April, a month earlier than their finance ministers had agreed, a top ASEAN official said on Sunday.

"I have detected some sense of impatience among the leaders at the summit. Why is it taking so long?" Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the Association of South East Asian Nations, told Reuters in an interview.

Asian finance officials agreed last weekend in Thailand to enlarge a foreign currency pool to $120 billion from $80 billion proposed last year, to help defend their currencies from the fallout of the global economic crisis.

The 10 ASEAN nations would participate in the fund, which was to be operational by May along with China, South Korea and Japan.

Surin said leaders of the 10 Southeast Asian nations would prefer to see remaining issues resolved and the pact to be signed at an April summit between ASEAN and leaders from China, South Korea and Japan in Thailand.

But Surin said ASEAN finance ministers and their counterparts from South Korea, China and Japan would need to meet earlier and sort out their difference before May.

The 10 members of ASEAN plus Japan, China and South Korea -- known as ASEAN+3 -- pledged last year to pool bilateral currency swap arrangements under the so-called Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) within a multilateral fund that could be tapped in emergencies.

Asian currencies have been battered in recent months, and analysts said that made the swaps pact all the more urgent

Chiangmai Tourism Shifting to Mice

From: Bangkokpost.com:

CHIANG MAI : Local tourism businesses are committed to repositioning Chiang Mai as a destination for the meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (Mice) business in place of leisure travel in an effort to address a tourism slowdown in the province.

The northern province has been seen as a leisure tourism destination for 30 years but few new tourism products have been developed to attract return visitors, according to Kanok Suwansutr, president of the Northern Chapter of the Thai Hotels Association.

”The private sector hopes that the repositioning of Chiang Mai will help attract Mice visitors to revisit throughout the entire year, not just for [the October-February high] season at present,” said Mr Kanok.

Full report here.

Particles from outdoor fires pose health hazard in North

By The Nation on Sunday
Published on March 1, 2009



The fine dust in northern provinces is eroding air quality, posing a threat to respiratory health and prompting the authorities to beef up measures to prevent forest and outdoor fires.

The Natural Resource and Environment minister is scheduled to discuss outdoor-fire prevention and air pollution with eight northern provincial governors at Chiang Mai City Hall tomorrow.

The Pollution Control Department's air-quality stations reported that dust particles of 10 microns in Chiang Mai, Lampang and other northern provinces yesterday at 9am were above 120 micrograms per square metre (mpsm) and the Air Quality Index (AQI) score was higher than the safety standard of 100.

Central Chiang Mai's air-quality station at Yupparaj School measured 10-micron dust at 149.6 mpsm and an AQI score of 113, while Lampang reported 272.5mpsm and an AQI score of 166. Chiang Rai had 181mpsm, Nan 141.3mpsm, and Phayao 145.6mpsm.

A 15-per-cent increase of respiratory patients was reported at Lampang Central Hospital in the past week, hospital director Songwuth Sabthavisin said.

Chiang Mai environment officer Phuchong Insompan said the hotline 05 34... on outdoor fires had received 60 calls since January 1, with roadside forest fires the most frequently reported, especially in Mae On, Chiang Dao and Chaiprakan districts. In March fire-prevention officials will be dispatched to Hot district, where farmers are expected to burn some 10,000 rai of woodland to plant maize.

from: Thai Nation

Asean Urges World to Keep Opening Trade

HUA HIN, Thailand -- Leaders of Southeast Asia's struggling economies met on Sunday to urge major trading partners, such as the U.S. and the European Union, to continue opening up trade, even as many countries in the region grapple with protectionist legacies amid the global economic slowdown.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed a free-trade agreement with Australia and New Zealand on Friday during its annual summit to add some meat to its pitch, which it intends to take to the Group of 20 nations' meeting in London in April. The pact with Australia and New Zealand, to take effect in December, is projected to expand trade among the 12 countries by $48 billion by 2020. But Asean leaders say they are eager for more.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who hosted the summit, on Saturday urged Asean to take the lead in resisting protectionist policies. "If we start going down the route of protectionism, everybody will go down. It doesn't help anybody at the end," he said.

Several Asean members -- notably Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore -- are heavily dependent on exports. Since the onset of the global financial crisis, they have seen their economies contract or sharply slow as the economic situation in the U.S. and other major nations deteriorates.

Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said in an interview on the sidelines of the summit that the world's biggest trading powers need to re-engage in the stalled Doha round of free-trade talks at the World Trade Organization "as soon as possible" to help offset a deeper global downturn. Ms. Pangestu noted that none of Asean's member nations had adopted tougher trade barriers in response to the onset of the global crisis last fall.

But some countries in Asean are turning to other, nontariff measures to aid their local businesses, sometimes at the expense of foreign competitors. Malaysia, for example, offers companies based there financial incentives to lay off foreign workers instead of Malaysians.

Write to James Hookway at james.hookway@awsj.com

ASEAN gears up to build security community

Border disputes, human trafficking and illegal logging will pose great challenges to ASEAN member states as they gear up to live under one security community umbrella by 2015.

As member states clinched their commitment under the ASEAN Charter and adopted the blueprint for security community during the 14th ASEAN Summit in Thailand last weekend, relations among members in the 41-year-old bloc have remained testy, with the thorny issue of border security threatening to jeopardize the idea of a security pillar.

Analysts have warned the vague concept of a security community amid the lack of commonality in standards of maintaining border security and settling disputes among member states might render the charter a toothless document.

Philip S. Robertson Jr., adviser to the Bangkok-based Southeast Asia Regional Cooperation in Human Development (SEARCH) human development group, said the governments were left with a raft of homework to improve their security gaps before they could really implement the idea of one community. However, he highlighted the governments' "lack of political will" as a major obstacle to any good ideas they had given birth to.

"They might tell the public about how much or how well they have progressed at the negotiation tables, but at the end there's not much to expect. Disputes will prolong and it's just an on-and-off matter," Robertson said.

Member states have been faced with many disputes over their border security and boundaries, which have sparked military tensions and some ominous saber rattling. Standoffs have spilled over to the political stage and triggered exchanges of arguments among politicians, such as between Indonesia and Malaysia. Both countries have been locked in a dispute over the oil-rich Ambalat maritime area in the Sulawesi Sea, off the northern coast of Kalimantan, since the 1980s.

Although the idea of using the ASEAN forum to settle disputes might strengthen the region's leverage on the global stage, a foreign minister in the region said member states might be underwhelmed with the idea.

"Border disputes are a very sensitive matter," said the minister, who refused to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

"If solved in a regional forum and later *the body* has to rule in favor of a certain country, there could be tensions, not only between the two *conflicting* countries, but also *among members* in the whole region."

Despite the many disagreements over how ASEAN should handle border disputes or disputes triggered by a lack of security, ASEAN governments have committed to cooperating with each other in the bloc, home to more than half a billion people.

There is no shortage of problems in the region. Member countries often quarrel over the issues of illegal fishing, illegal logging, human trafficking, migrant workers, haze, pollution control and border disputes.

Antara reported that Indonesia suffered US$3 billion a year in losses from illegal fishing in its vast waters, amid a lack of human resources to control its maritime borders. Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand have long been countries of origin for human trafficking victims destined for Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and a number of European countries.

On haze and pollution, ASEAN members have yet to reach agreement on a control mechanism. Indonesian lawmakers rejected in 2008 a bill that would have allowed the government to ratify the ASEAN treaty on trans-boundary haze control. They argued ASEAN members would first have to agree on measures to curb illegal logging from Indonesia to a number of ASEAN countries before they could proceed on the haze control issue. Haze from Indonesian forest fires has become the center of the issue as it disrupts flights and creates breathing problems for residents of neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said all members should improve the way they sorted through their disputes and engaged themselves more on the regional stage for a better new community.

"If you want to be taken seriously as a regional organization, members have to sort through their problems in a manner that is acceptable to the international community. Whether conducted in informal or formal talks, *problems* should be addressed among them. We are now under a new chapter of ASEAN and members should not jeopardize it," Surin said in Cha-am, Thailand.

from: http://www.thejakartapost.com/

No panacea for global economic crisis : President

Hua Hin (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that there is no panacea that could be used to resolve instantly the impact of the current global financial crisis which has hit almost all parts of the world, including countries in South East Asia.

"With regard to regional cooperation to minimize the impact of the economic crisis, there is indeed no panacea or solution that could instantly resolve the problem. We all are aware of this. All advanced countries are affected. Their markets become gloomy. Our exports are therefore disrupted and a number of problems are now facing all nations, including ASEAN," the president told reporters after attending the 14th ASEAN summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, on Sunday.

The president said that all countries, including Indonesia, had done the best they could. Indonesia has done its best to contribute efforts to minimizing the impact of the financial crisis, both at regional level in ASEAN and at multilateral level in the G-20 forum.

"All countries wanted to do their best so that the global economic crisis would not worsen, instead the recession would eventually stop so that the world economy would revive," President Yudhoyono said.

However, all of the efforts are not without limitations so that regional and multilateral cooperations are being made, the president said.

In order to help cope with the financial crisis, Indonesia, he said, has proposed three levels of cooperation schemes in the G-20 forum in the United States last year.

"The three levels of cooperation schemes are cooperation in the multilateral level, cooperation in the regional level and cooperation in the national level," he said.

He said that at the regional level, Indonesia worked together with ASEAN to establish the Chiang Mai Initiative. "We hope the Chiang Mai initiative would be implemented soon."

ASEAN also agreed to increase intra-economic cooperation in the trade and investment fields and agreed not to adopt protectionism.

"The ASEAN nations are advised not to close themselves (against goods of other ASEAN members) which otherwise would worsen our respective economies," Yudhoyono said.

Indonesia in its capacity as chairman of the Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT GT) and the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP EAGA), has specifically proposed that sub-regional cooperations should provide stimuli packages for infrastructure development, he said.(*)