Rainstorms and flooded streets early yesterday brought traffic in parts of Bangkok to a standstill. The unexpected dry-season storm inundated arterial roads including Wittayu, Sukhumvit and Ploenchit as well as sois leading off them.
Authorities in the Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai recently confirmed the schedule for the 2018 Flower Festival. The festival will take place over the weekend beginning Friday 2 February and end on Sunday the 4 February.
The reconnection of a railway line linking Bangkok and Phnom Penh is all set to go on the Thai side. The renovation of a six kilometre stretch of tracks from Aranyaprathet Station to Khlong Luek on the Thai-Cambodian border has been finished.
A travel agent’s in Myanmar is relaunching a programme of guided walking tours of Yangon city centre. Beyond Boundaries runs the tours every day of the week and they focus on grand old colonial buildings such as the Secretariat, landmarks including Sule Pagoda and recent contemporary additions to the skyline of the former capital city.
The weekend after next will see Chiang Mai stage the third edition of the Jai Thep Music Festival. The three-day music and arts extravaganza begins on Friday the 2 February 2018 and is being held at the Lanna Rock Garden in the Northern Thai city’s southern district of Hangdong.
A biologist at Thailand’s prestigious Kasetsart University says there needs to be a limit on the number of tourists allowed into the nation’s marine parks. Thon Thamrongnawasawat said the number of people visiting national marine parks had increased dramatically over the past few years.
The president of the Airports of Thailand authority (AoT) told reporters last week passenger departure taxes would not be increased. Jintana Sirisamaporn confirmed the fees added to tickets for passengers departing from the six airports under the AoT’s jurisdiction would remain pegged for the time being.
According to media sources in London, the capital city of Vietnam will probably be added to the calendar of Grand Prix Formula 1 racing. An unnamed person close to the negotiations told journalists the F1 Promoters Association had agreed in principle to the addition of Vietnam but still needed to iron out the details.
Local authorities say an under construction airport giving access to the far south of Thailand should be finished by the end of 2019. Betong Airport is being built in Yala Province and the local Chamber of Commerce boss says work is progressing at a good pace.
As part of planned maintenance there will be no MRT trains to Singapore’s Changi Airport for the next two Sundays. Changi Airport Station and preceding stations on the green East-West Line (EWL) will be closed to trains on Sunday 21 and Sunday 28 January.
A new privately operated Bangkok bus service was introduced on Tuesday with a promotional offer of free fares. Marat’s Route R26E is offering free travel for five days with the offer set to expire on Saturday evening.
Four signature rail trips in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia feature in The Top 10 of The Telegraph’s Asian railway journeys for 2018. The UK daily newspaper recommended the 36-hour odyssey on Vietnam’s Reunification Express. The service links North and South Vietnam with terminuses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Californian rock band Incubus are scheduled to make a stop in Bangkok next month on the Asian leg of their new tour. Incubus will be on stage at the BCC Hall in the Central Plaza Lardprao Mall at 20:30 on the 15 February.
A 2018 survey by aviation industry analyst OAG has found budget carrier Jetstar Asia is one of the planet’s most punctual airlines. With 85.08 per cent of its flights operating to schedule, Jetstar Asia placed eighth in the world rankings, fourth in the Asia Pacific region and second for Southeast Asia.
The head of the Marine Department for Phuket says new regulations governing lifejackets in Thailand were introduced on New Year’s Day. Surat Sirisaiyat explained that safety officers had collaborated with suppliers in standardising lifejackets.
An international buskers’ festival is scheduled to take place in George Town on Penang Island this weekend. The festival is being staged by TLM Events and will offer music fans two evenings of scintillating entertainment provided by an all-star cast of international artistes.
The boss of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority told reporters last week that the price of travelling by bus has to go up. Nuttachat Charuchinda warned that the only way for the authority to clear its massive debt was to increase fares.
The coming weekend will see Bo Sang Village in Chiang Mai Province hold its annual handicrafts fair. The Thai tourism bureau says the festival will provide visitors with the chance of seeing collections of the famous Bo Sang umbrellas, live music and parades.
Choppy seas and strong winds in the Gulf of Thailand have led authorities in Cha Am to post red no swimming flags on the beach. The current bout of windy weather has resulted in the red flags flying almost continually since the dawn of the New Year.
Thailand’s prime-minister has ordered an investigation into alleged price gouging on food and drinks sold at Bangkok’s two airports. The probe comes as a result of a raft of complaints posted on social media websites about the high costs of drinks at Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang Airport.