Explore the island of Koh Lanta in Thailand
Posted in Attractions,Beaches,Destinations,Fun,General,Guide,Hotels,News,Tips,Tourist March 9, 2009Koh Lanta consists of 52 islands including the largest, Koh Lanta Yai. It’s located approximately 70 kilometres from Krabi town. It is yet a comparatively unexplored island and offers complete peace and quiet away from the bustling tourist areas. Its unique scenic beauty which is mountainous and rugged in some areas, especially near the southern tip, its green forested hills, gravel and sand beaches, pretty coral reefs, clear emerald water and traditional lifestyle, provide a charming retreat from modern life.
Only 20,000 people live on Lanta including a clan of Chao Ley, or Sea Gypsies. This distinct ethnic group still follows its traditional customs and culture earning their living from rubber, prawn farming and fishing. Traditional houses and friendly faces still remain.
There is reasonably good snorkeling all along the west coast of Koh Lanta where coral and reef fish can be found, usually the best spots are around the rocks at either end of each beach.
Koh Lanta Dive operators have close access to the dive sites at Koh Phi Phi, Ko Ha, Ko Rok, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Dive sites tend to reflect the scenery and marine life of the area with names like Shark Point, Anemone Reef and the King Cruiser Wreck, all within easy reach of dive operators based in Ko Lanta. Pinnacles Hin Deang and Hin Muang often play host to manta rays and whale sharks and are considered to be two of the best dive sites in Thailand.
If you want to explore the island, hire a car, rent a bike, or better still go with a local guide. Tours are available giving you an insight into the local area, stopping at rubber plantations, taking a short kayaking tour through the mangroves and visiting local sea gypsy villages.
Viktor Bout complains of being framed by US
Posted in General,Government,Guide,News March 9, 2009The Russian businessman, Viktor Bout, who allegedly armed dictators around the world, described himself as the hapless victim enduring “extremely inhumane” conditions in a Thai prison. Viktor also accused the United States on Friday of framing him and pressuring Thailand to extradite him to face terrorism-related charges. He was arrested in March 2008 during a sting operation in Thailand in which undercover U.S. agents posed as rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym, FARC.
“What about human rights? What about presumption of innocence? What about rule of law?” Bout, 41, yelled waving his hands and shouting efore he was led from a holding cell to a hearing on the extradition request.
Bout’s wife Alla handed out a statement in which her husband complained that the Thai prison was “probably worse than Guantanamo,” the U.S. military prison in Cuba, and said he was arrested “not for committing any crime but as a result of a provocation, or rather a frame-up operation by the U.S. intelligence.”
“This is like medieval times,” she said, speaking through a translator. “At first, I cried. But now I’m used to this atrocity.”
Bout, who has been dubbed the “Merchant of Death” and was the model for the arms dealer portrayed by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 movie “Lord of War,” has been linked to some of Africa’s most notorious conflicts, allegedly supplying arms to former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Comments 0Thailand exempts tourist visa fees for Qatari nationals and residents
Posted in Attractions,Destinations,General,Government,Guide,Hotels,News,Tips,Tourist March 9, 2009Qatari nationals and residents desirous of spending their summer vacation in Thailand will be exempted from tourist visa fees effective from 5th March until June 4, as announced by the Thai Embassy. Eligible foreigners who apply for visa on arrival at designated checkpoints will also get the exemption.
Suvat Chiparant, Thai Ambassador to Qatar, said the exemption, available only on the tourist visa, is being offered by Thai embassies and consulates worldwide. He also said that Thailand is one of the favorite destinations of tourists from Qatar, especially during the summer. Some 15,000 of them visited the country last year, marking a 20 percent increase in numbers from the previous year.
Due to an increase in the number of tourists to Thailand from Qatar, the airlines were forced to operate two flights daily, increasing to three daily flights during summer.
Apart from shopping and vacationing on world-class beaches, visitors from Qatar also go to the Thai capital Bangkok to avail of cheaper medical treatment offered by state-of-the-art clinics and hospitals and specialist physicians.
“Most of the tourists who visited Thailand for medication stayed there for more than a month, since they have no worries because facilities and commodities are cheap,” Chiparant said.
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