Happy Sunday, Bangkok!
As always with the New Year period, it’s been something of a crazy first week of 2019. Tropical Storm Pabuk has been dominating the headlines, as well as the news that King Vajiralongkorn is set to be coronated over three days in the coming May. And that’s not to mention the ramp up in insurgency attacks down in the Deep South…
Here’s hoping for a peaceful and contented 2019 for Thailand 😉
Let’s see what’s entertaining and enraging Bangkok this week…
Post Contents
News
Thousands flee islands ahead of Tropical Storm Pabuk
FINISH ON SAT Tourists are leaving Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in their droves thanks to Tropical Storm Pabuk, which hit Thailand’s South with strong winds, rain and waves on Friday night.
Boats to Chumpon on the mainland were crammed to the gills with tourists leaving the islands in the days running up to the storm, although a few thousand were planning to stay to brave the winds. The eye of the storm was predicted to run through Nakhon Si Thammarat on the mainland.
Officials said that they expected waves of between 5 to 7 metres near the eye of the storm and winds of up to 65 miles per hour.
Please spare a thought for the Thai Street Paws Rescue dog sanctuary down in Songkhla which was hit with heavy rains over Friday morning:
463 killed during ‘7 dangerous days’
Thailand’s New Year holidays are notorious for the number of road accidents and fatalities they bear and this year, unfortunately, was no different.
463 people died in road accidents between December 27th to January 3rd — 40 more than the same period last year — and a whopping 3,892 people injured in a total of 3,791 accidents.
The province with the worst fatalities was Nakhon Ratchasima and that with the largest number of accidents was Nakhon Si Thammarat.
15,805 people died in Thai road accidents in 2018, with an average daily road fatality rate of 43.3 deaths. Drunk driving and speeding were the main causes of traffic accidents.
American allegedly kills wife and flees to Bangkok
This is the story of Peter Van Bawi Lian who allegedly murdered his wife in Indiana before boarding a flight to Bangkok on Christmas Eve.
The body of his wife, Khuang Par, was found in a dumpster in Indiana on December 23rd, and police believe he fled to Bangkok the following day. Khuang Par had moved to live with her family in Indianapolis following an earlier alleged assault by her husband. Lian is an active duty soldier, stationed in Colorado, who is now wanted for first degree murder and desertion.
Blogs
A journey into Thailand’s separatist South
This is part one of a four part series of Matthew Clayfield’s journey into Thailand’s ‘deep South’ — the disputed provinces on the border with Malaysia subject to an ethno-nationalist struggle and their fair share of local terrorism.
Part one begins in Kota Bharu, Malaysia, capital of a deeply religious province on the border with Thailand, as Matthew tries to find a drinking spot in this land of Sharia law. But don’t let that put you off as it provides some excellent background for the next three parts set in Thailand — a Muslim Thailand that feels very different to the Thailand most of us have grown familiar with.
A fascinating read about the line between a religious struggle and an ethno-nationalist one — this isn’t really about Islam — and the power of a bad reputation to affect a city’s tourist prospects.
Read parts two, three and four of the series here.
The story behind Phuket’s only Michelin-starred restaurant
Foodies may be interested in this CNN profile on Pru — the only Michelin-starred restaurant on Phuket. The article charts the mission behind Pru — which stands for plant, raise, understand — as well as how they came to be a success.
8 romantic things to do in Koh Samui
A good read here on Tom Yam Thailand on 8 romantic excursions and activities you can do on Koh Samui if you choose to honeymoon there. Sunset cruises on a junk, Ang Thong Marine Park and, er, a beachside photo shoot (presumably only if you’ve married an Asian girl) are all included.
Forum Threads
Do you ever feel judged for dating/marrying a Thai girl?
An interesting Reddit thread here addressed to the Western men in Thailand who’ve partnered up with a local girl, asking whether they’ve felt any negative judgments in regards to their relationship.
An array of comments here, a few bashing Western women (of course!), with some people maintaining that they’ve never been judged on their girlfriends and others professing not to care even if they were (very sensible). Others are more open about the prejudice that exists around Thai women, with many Westerners back home and even Thais characterising them as gold-digging prostitutes simply for having the gall to date a Western man.
What isn’t discussed so much is the judgments that many have against them, the Western man in a relationship with a Thai girl. It’s hard to escape the trope of being the bitter man who can’t get a date back home so escapes to Asia in order to find a, cough, ‘compliant’ partner with lower standards than the feminists he can’t stand back home. Gotta love those stereotypes…
How do you see Thailand in 2019?
A Thaivisa thread here on how members forecast Thailand to be headed in 2019 — quick rundown: they’re complaining about it.
They foresee obtaining a visa to become more difficult and obstructive, renting and buying condo more expensive, tourism more unregulated and maintaining a relationship with a Thai to make you age at twice the normal speed.
2019 is coming up roses for Thaivisa members apparently.
YouTube
Good news. Our local coffee shop is now using paper bags for takeaway iced coffee.
Bad news. They aren’t waterproof, so coffee is still in a plastic bag.
And as the paper bag doesn’t have handles it has to be put inside another plastic bag that does. pic.twitter.com/zXa6tdvO5n
— Ian (@iamKohChang) January 5, 2019
Good Morning Bangkok pic.twitter.com/Y6SszAtZIm
— Laura Takenaka (@TakenakaLaura) January 3, 2019
⚠️⚠️⚠️ WEATHER WARNING: Tropical storm ‘Pabuk’ ⚠️⚠️⚠️#KohSamui is expected to be hit directly by a tropical storm for the first time in 56 years. It’s forecast to begin on Thursday and build to its worst on Friday.
Please take so much care and every precaution.#Travel 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/Tw1SjIPDPT
— Koh Samui and Beyond (@MandalaySamui) January 2, 2019
Thais believe that if 2 family members die in one year, a 3rd will also die that year. When they cremate the 2nd, they will often put a doll in the coffin to offset a 3rd human from dying. In 2018, I saw this happen twice, and in both families, a 3rd family member passed anyway
— Lucky Erawan (@LuckyErawan) January 1, 2019
Back to normal pic.twitter.com/9w8PoLjeLa
— Stickboy Bangkok (@StickboyBangkok) January 3, 2019
Thailand: A total of 463 people have been killed and 3,892 others injured in 3,791 road accidents during 27 Dec 2018 – 2 Jan 2019. https://t.co/247DRVJEQc
— Ryn J. (@Ryn_writes) January 3, 2019
Years of getting on and off different types of boats in Thailand and still haven’t figured out how to do it without looking like a disabled jellyfish.
— Ally (@ohmyal) January 3, 2019
got back to bkk today and just just witnessed a ping pong show tout clasp his hands together in a wai, still holding his menu of horrors, and mutter a solemn 30 second prayer to the buddha statue across the street. love this place.
— David Aames (@David_Aamez) January 2, 2019
Bangkok Airways has CANCELLED all flights to and from Koh Samui on Friday 4th January. Call the Assistance Center on 02-270-6698 for reservation assistance and flight status updates #Thailand #Pabuk #พายุปาบึก pic.twitter.com/XPxSjvKVmc
— Richard Barrow in Thailand 🇹🇭 🇬🇧 (@RichardBarrow) January 3, 2019
Let’s take bets to see if the Xmas decorations and blaring Michael Bublè music are still going strong when I’m back in February…#Bangkok pic.twitter.com/IZ4jfP2N31
— Signore Sammy (@signoresammybkk) January 3, 2019
Rough seas in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Hua Sai district as storm #Pabuk is approaching the South. pic.twitter.com/6c7ZWwcmie
— Bangkok Post (@BangkokPostNews) January 3, 2019
Historical Pics from #Thailand
1889 First tram line in Bangkok pic.twitter.com/nS2pJ01u62— Asia-News-De (@base_thai) January 3, 2019
White-Eye probably Oriental but ID difficult when compared to Japanese. In my garden at Na Ngua Thailand yesterday. I was staking out Taiga FC(from bedroom window) when a pair landed about 8′ away on a branch….I forgot the TFC😀 @Avibase @orientbirdclub pic.twitter.com/uhqWp6pIYU
— Mike Rose (@NaturewatchTH) January 3, 2019
Railay Beach, Thailand. pic.twitter.com/ShMGxvcO6o
— ™ (@thplaces) January 2, 2019
James Bond Island in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand. pic.twitter.com/ZgIKL59wsz
— Larae K Hughes (@LaraeKHughes1) January 2, 2019
Ok, short time it is. pic.twitter.com/Zrg6mUgA2W
— Moone (@ianmoonebkk) January 2, 2019
Sukhumvit buses appear to spawn in this locality pic.twitter.com/3IPWxp8LRm
— 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘯 (@NeilShelley) December 30, 2018
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And that’s been The Week On Sukhumvit — see you next time!
Photo is by udeyismail (CC BY 2.0 licence)
