Provinces ordered to be on alert for leptospirosis

The Public Health Ministry has order all provinces to be on alert for the emergence of leptospirosis after it found 587 people were infected and 15 died from the disease.

Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot, the ministry's permanent secretary, said Tuesday most infectious cases were found during the rainy season.

People with cuts or rashes on their legs who wade through floodwater are 15 times more at risk of contracting the disease.

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Airlines to cut long-haul flights to Thailand next year

Several major airlines including Thai Airways International are cutting long-haul flights into Thailand next year in line with a forecast 12-per-cent drop in the number of inbound tourists, said the Association of Thai Travel Agents.

ATTA president Apichart Sankary said that although the Tourism Authority of Thailand targets 17 million visitors next year, only 15 million may arrive.

Starting from today, THAI will suspend its New York-Bangkok service. The company has also reduced flight frequencies, re-routed flights with particular impact on its US operations and introduced other cost-cutting measures.

“Other airlines such as Lufthansa are also considering reducing long-haul flights between Thailand and Europe,” said Apichart.

Thailand is expected to miss this year’s visitor target of 15.7 million. ATTA, which encompasses inbound travel agencies, expects the number to reach only 15 million.

While domestic tourism will be more sluggish than last year due to political conflict, Apichart attributed the lower number of foreign visitors to efforts in Europe and the United States to lure tourists from the Middle East.

Maitree Narukhatpichai, president of Phuket Tourism Association, admitted that foreign tourists’ bookings for the island this month had dropped 15-20 per cent from last year’s level due to political tensions, which were driving away visitors from major markets.

Seni Phuwasethavorn, president of the Koh Samui Tourism Business Association, said the high season would not be as active as last year due to the higher cost of travelling.

For instance, the ferry fare from Surat Thani to the island will soon be increased by 20 per cent. Currently, Samui’s hotel occupancy rate is at 60 per cent, down from 70-80 per cent in the same period last year.

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Thai Airways increases Fuel Surcharges; to Suspend Bangkok-New York Flights

Thai Airways International is adjusting its fuel surcharge on international and domestic flights, effective 25 June 2008, due to the massive increases in the price of jet fuel.

The company has adjusted its fuel surcharge for international and domestic flights, calculated on all classes of passenger travel on THAI flights and air tickets issued by THAI’s sales and ticketing offices worldwide, which is based on the policy agreed upon by the Civil Aviation Department for commercial airlines and includes agreements with other countries, as follows:

Impose the fuel surcharge rate of US$ 60 per sector, on the return routes: Bangkok-Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok-Hanoi, Bangkok-Vientiane, Bangkok-Phnom Penh, Bangkok-Penang, Bangkok-Yangon, Hong Kong-Taipei, Dubai-Kuwait, Chiang Mai-Kunming, and the route between Bodhgaya-Varanasi.

US$ 75 per sector, on the return routes Bangkok-Singapore and Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur.

US$ 90 per sector, on the return routes: Bangkok-Kunming, Bangkok-Guangzhou, Bangkok-Dhaka, Bangkok-Kolkata, Bangkok-Brunei, Bangkok-Hong Kong, Bangkok-Chittagong, including the route between Taipei-Seoul.

US$ 105 per sector, on the return routes: Bangkok-Bangalore, Bangkok-Hyderabad, Bangkok-Chennai, Bangkok-Bodhgaya, Bangkok-Varanasi, Bangkok-Jakarta, Bangkok-Manila, Bangkok-Chengdu, Bangkok-Colombo, Bangkok-Kathmandu, Bangkok-Xiamen, Bangkok-Hyderabad, Bangkok-Taipei, Manila-Osaka and Hong Kong-Seoul.

US$ 146 per sector, on the return routes: Bangkok-Perth, Bangkok-Denpasar, Bangkok-Muscat, Bangkok-Islamabad, Bangkok-Delhi, Bangkok-Mumbai, Bangkok-Kuwait, Bangkok-Dubai, Bangkok-Karachi, Bangkok-Lahore, Bangkok-Beijing, Bangkok-Shanghai, Perth-Phuket and Chennai-Dubai.

US$ 152 per sector, on the return routes: Bangkok-Tokyo, Bangkok-Osaka, Bangkok-Nagoya, Bangkok-Fukuoka, Bangkok-Seoul, and Bangkok-Busan.

US$ 185 per sector, on the return routes: Bangkok-Melbourne, Bangkok-Sydney, and Bangkok-Brisbane.

US$ 210 per sector, on the return routes: Bangkok-Auckland, Bangkok-Munich, Bangkok-Milan, Bangkok-Rome, Bangkok-Athens, Bangkok-Copenhagen, Bangkok-Stockholm, Bangkok-Zurich, Bangkok-Moscow, Bangkok-Johannesburg and Bangkok-Frankfurt.

US$ 230 per sector, on the return routes: Bangkok-London, Bangkok-Paris and Bangkok-Madrid.

US$ 281 per sector, on the return route Bangkok-New York and Bangkok-Los Angeles.

The airline will suspend its flights on the return route Bangkok-New York, effective 1 July 2008.

As for domestic flights on all sectors, Thai Airways will collect a fuel surcharge rate of THB 850 per sector, excluding the route Chiang Mai-Mae Hong Son whereby THB 600 will be collected per sector.

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Thailand’s North, Northeast and southwest coast facing heavy rain

North, Northeast and southwestern coast facing rainfall and isolated heavy rain

The Meteorological Department reported at 4 AM today (June 7th) that a low pressure cell covers the Gulf of Tonkin, and a moderate southwest monsoon prevails over Thailand. The North, Northeast and the southwestern coast of Thailand will see abundant rainfall and isolated heavy rain. People in the risky areas, especially in Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Nong Khai, Udon Thani and Sakon Nakhon provinces, should beware of flooding conditions during this period.

Bangkok metropolis and vicinity can expect fairly widespread thundershowers. The daily temperature would range from 24 to 34 degrees Celsius. The speed of southwesterly winds would be around 15 to 30 kilometers per hour.

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Hitting commuters where it hurts

Furious they can’t raise fares, private operators will park over 8,000 buses in front of the Transport Ministry in protest against ‘losses over soaring diesel prices’

Nearly 10,000 buses will go on a major strike in Bangkok and its adjacent provinces today.

They are angry the Central Administrative Court ordered an injunction against bus-fare hikes.

“We can’t bear it any longer,” Private Bus Operators’ Asso-ciation president Chatchai Chaiwiset says. “We can’t absorb the losses from soaring diesel prices any more”.

Diesel now costs more than Bt38 a litre.

According to Chatchai, private bus operators will park most of their buses - more than 8,000 - in front of the Transport Ministry. They want top government officials to know petrol woes are unbearable.

Frustrated with business losses, private operators do not fear government cancellation of their licences if they strike and fail to provide normal bus services. “Let the government do what it wants,” Chatchai says “We will only dispatch natural-gas vehicles.

Private operators run about 1,700 gas buses in Bangkok and nearby.

The strike is direct retaliation against the people’s network that brought the injunction action. It argues fare increase are not justified because most buses are now natural-gas powered.

Chatchai will ask the Transport Ministry to help operators by stopping collection of daily concession fees.

“We will reduce the frequency of our bus services in a bid to survive. Passengers will have to wait longer,” Chatchai says.

Deputy Transport Minister Songsak Thongsri says the government will punish concessionaires who fail to honour contracts. “If the number of buses falls under the minimum stated in the contract, they will face legal action,” he says.

‘Monitor bus services’

Land Transport Department acting director-general Chairat Sanguanseu is instructing the authority to monitor bus services on all routes.

“If there are fewer buses, the authority must send its own buses,” he says.

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