New Zealand is asking Thai authorities to explain why it has refused to let a group of Kayan "long-necked" refugees from Burma to leave Thailand to start new lives.

New Zealand agreed two years ago to accept two families of Kayan people - whose women traditionally wear a number of brass rings around their unnaturally long necks - as refugees, but Thai authorities will not give them exit visas.

According to a BBC report from the area in Mae Hong Son province on Wednesday, it is suspected that the families are being kept in Thailand because of the central role they play in the local tourism industry.

The BBC said three Kayan villages close to the Burmese border were a major lure for foreign tourists and quoted a spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees as saying, "It's absolutely a human zoo."

Kitty McKinsey said some 20,000 other Burmese refugees had recently been allowed to move to third countries, but Thailand was not letting a group of 20 Kayans who had been accepted as refugees by New Zealand and Finland leave.

"We don't understand why these 20 are not allowed to start new lives," she told the BBC. "The Thai authorities are treating them in a special way."

The BBC quoted a 23-year-old woman called Zember as saying the UNHCR told her family in 2005 that they had been accepted by New Zealand.

"I was so happy," she said. "They tell me a house is already waiting for us in New Zealand."

The New Zealand foreign ministry spokeswoman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa: "we have raised our concerns with the Thai foreign ministry. We are waiting for a response." (dpa)
Source from bangkokpost.net

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Over the past eight years, Bumrungrad International has showcased some of Thailand’s best restaurants through its Great Chefs programme. For 2008, Bumrungrad International, in cooperation with the Royal Project Foundation, launched “Gourmets of the Garden”, a special promotion.

Participating chefs have been asked to design menus featuring healthy vegetables from The Royal Project Foundation in northern Thailand, source of the famous “The Royal Project” brand. These vegetables are nutritious and hygienic. They receive special care to retain their fresh flavor from farm to kitchen.

Under the Great Chefs programme, each restaurant works with hospital’s kitchen to design or adapt a healthy menu, which is then featured for a month. The special menus are available at no extra charge to patients, giving them the opportunity to sample dishes from some of Thailand’s best restaurants.

The Great Chefs programme is highlighted prominently throughout the hospital. It has also attracted local and international media attention. “This year we are privileged to have 12 premium hotels offering delicious and healthy dishes using healthy vegetables from The Royal Project to our patients and their guests. It is part of our commitment to serve our patients while promoting their health,” said Mr. Mack Banner, Bumrungrad International’s CEO.

Participants in the Great Chefs Programme

1. JW Marriott Bangkok - Executive Chef Dieter Ruckenbauer
2. Swissotel Le Concorde Bangkok - Chef Willment Leong
3. Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok - Chef Sarawut Im-sup
4. Banyan Tree Bangkok - Chef Vipawan Udomthanapipat
5. Grand Mercure Park Avenue - Chef Sakkajonh Thang-on
6. Sofitel Centara Grand Bangkok Hotel and Convention Centre (BCC) - Chef Jasvir Sanghera
7. Millennium Hilton Bangkok - Chef Supoj Suwanwong
8. Amari Boulevard - Chef Silvano Amolini
9. Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok - Executive Chef Sombat Lerkratanaphaisan
10. The Dusit Thani - Chef Thaneht Naovarat
11. InterContinental Bangkok - Chef Seksan Kerdyoo
12. Grand Sukhumvit by Sofitel - Executive Sous Chef Nitipat Panyajiravisit

The Royal Project Foundation
The Royal Hill-Tribes Development Programme, at present called The Royal Project, was inaugurated in 1969, following His Majesty the King's expressed desire to initiate the benefits of sedentary agricultural practice to the Hill-Tribes community with introduction of substituted cash crops that, in some cases, may fetch higher market prices than opium. During the early stages of the project, His Majesty encouraged the grafting of temperate climate peach scions to the stocks of local species of peach trees. The grafted trees bore fruits that were improved in texture and taste and were hardy enough to withstand long transportation journey to the markets. Other temperate climate fruit scions were also experimented with at different elevations at the Royal Project's Highland Agricultural Research Stations in various villages in Chiang Mai Province, Phui Village, Mae Chaem District, Khum Village, Fang District, Khun Wang Village, San Pa Tong District, Sam Mun Village, Chiang Dao District, and Mae Tho Village, Hot District.

Bumrungrad International
Bumrungrad International is Southeast Asia’s premier private hospital and a regional referral center for advanced care, offering 554 beds, 30 specialty centers, 940 medical specialists and over 800 nurses. It is Asia’s first JCI accredited hospital and serves more than one million patients yearly from 190 different countries.

Contact Information:
Bumrungrad International
Tel: +66 (0) 2667 1000
Fax: +66 (0) 2667 2525
E-mail: info@bumrungrad.com
Web site: www.bumrungrad.com

Source: Bumrungrad International release dated January 10, 2008

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Bangkok, Thailand, 7 January 2008 — Twelve contestants in the annual Czech beauty contest, along with organizers and accompanying media members, are visiting the kingdom as part of the efforts by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to generate publicity and attract more visitors from the new member countries of the European Union.

The group was welcomed this morning at the TAT Head office, by Mrs. Phornsiri Manoharn, Governor, TAT, Mrs. Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor for International Marketing and Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communication.

The Miss Czech 2008 beauty contest is organised annually by the Czech National Television. The show is widely watched across the country, as the winner goes on to represent the Czech Republic in the annual Miss Universe Pageant.

This year’s Miss Czech contest will highlight Thailand as the backdrop destination for the various fashion and other film-shoots featured in the TV campaign. The contestants arrived in Thailand and will be here until 17 January.

Their visits in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket will include the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Grand Palace, Temple of Dawn, Siam Paragon, Duty-Free King Power, Siam Niramit, Ancient City, Nong Nooch Garden, Pattaya Beach, Tiffany Show, Laem Phromthep, Ko Panyee, Phuket Fantasea, Kata Beach, Karon Beach and Patong Beach, among other popular spots.

These shots will be broadcast in the final round of the Miss Czech 2008 Contest on 15 March, 2008, at 20.00 hrs on TV Nova, a well-known Czech Republic TV channel.

A member of the European Union since 2004, the Czech Republic has a population of ten million and a rapidly growing middle-class due to increased investments pouring into the country, especially from other EU member countries.

TAT Governor Mrs Phornsiri said, “We agreed to support this beauty contest because of the valuable exposure it will generate for Thai tourism destinations in a promising new source market in terms of visitor arrivals.

“As the Czech Republic and other new EU member countries become more economically integrated, it will certainly facilitate travel, initially within Europe and then of course beyond to long-haul destinations like Asia.”

Beside the TV promotions, the organisers have also agreed to publicise Thailand via billboards featuring Thai tourism destinations all over the capital city of Prague as well as advertising on a leading radio programme for three months and articles in the local daily newspaper and leading magazines.

TAT is taking care of the group’s travel expenditure in Thailand at a cost of roughly one million baht.

In 2006, visitor arrivals to Thailand from the Czech Republic totalled 13,128 up 27.26% over 2005. Repeat travellers totalled 7,329 or 55.83% of the total.

Visitor arrivals from the overall East Europe region totalled 95,312, up 46.53% over 2005. First-time travellers totalled 48,257 or 50.63% of the total while repeat travellers totalled 47,055 or 49.37%.

The average length of stay was 12.36 days and average expenditure per person per day 3,884 baht, generating tourism income of an estimated 4,576.36 million baht. Most of the expenditure was on shopping.

In January-November 2007, visitor arrivals from East Europe at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport totalled 108,845, up 32.69% over the same period of 2006.

Contact information:
International Public Relation Division
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
E-mail: prdiv3@tat.or.th
Web site: www.tatnews.org

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Bor Sang, on highway 1006 heading east from Chiang Mai, appears to be a typical sleepy rural village, the kind the tour bus speeds by giving you just a fleeting glimpse of its two-storey wooden houses.  But hidden in the tiny lanes, villagers have perfected a craft that creates the country’s most famous umbrellas.

For more than 100 years, the village has been associated with the production of umbrellas made from Saa paper derived from mulberry tree bark.  According to local history, a monk travelled to neighbouring Myanmar, where he came across Saa paper umbrellas that offered protection against both the sun and rain. 

He returned with the production technique and introduced the umbrella to the elders of Bor Sang village, who added their own artistic skills to create a distinctive colourful, but very practical, umbrella. At first it was just a profitable hobby that supplemented the villagers’ earnings from the annual rice crop. However, with time production of the Saa paper umbrellas prospered, prompting villagers to establish a handicraft cooperative in 1941 that now organises the annual festival.

Using silk and cotton, weaved at neighbouring Sankampaeng, villagers eventually added a second line of umbrellas decorated with images of the north, its flowers and birds, all intricately hand-painted.
Today, Bor Sang village exports both Saa-paper and silk umbrellas.  They are seen at trade shows in a variety of sizes, from giant parasols that offer a shady canopy from the sun, to miniscule variations that adorn popular cocktail drinks.

 

To celebrate success the village hosts a three-day festival every January. Streets are illuminated by lanterns, while hundreds of umbrellas are hung from the rafters and beams of houses and shops.  Bands play, while villagers compete to design the year’s most attractive umbrella.  Concerts, a food festival and beauty contest all compete for the attention of the audience, a  mix of both tourists and residents, who gather here to celebrate Bor Sang’s innovative handicraft skills.

Throughout the year, tourists visit the village, a short 6 km drive from Chiang Mai, to buy umbrellas and study the process and skills that go into making a handicraft entirely from natural products.  But nothing quite compares with the buzz that permeates the village during this colourful three-day handicraft festival, every January. It is a scene that represents village hospitality and charm at its very best.
source from http://www.tourismthailand.org/

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  BANGKOK - AFC Asian Cup 2007 co-hosts Thailand won the King's Cup tournament for the 13th time courtesy of Narongchai Vachiraban's stunning second-half free-kick against reigning continental champions Iraq on Saturday.
The BEC Tero Sasana midfielder scored the only goal of the game in the 65th minute when he swept the ball past static Iraq keeper Dydar Hassan and into the top right corner of the net as the Thais won all their games in the four-team tournament that also featured fellow FIFA 2010 World Cup qualification hopefuls DPR Korea and Uzbekistan.

"Iraq were good as a team as well as individuals, but four wins from four against teams outside of South East Asia shows we are making the step up," said Thailand's head coach Chanvit Polchovin after the three-time ASEAN champions' second victory over Iraq this week.

Source from http://www.the-afc.com

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