CrazyExpat

Thailand is more than just a tourist destination for backpackers or newlywed honeymooners; it is also a nice place to stay for people who are in the higher age bracket who would want to enjoy life to the fullest. The relaxing ambiance and the many places to visit in this kingdom make it a good rewarding experience to those who want to spend their free time. To those who wish to enjoy Thailand’s grandeur in their retirement days, they can secure a retirement visa or also called as Non-Immigrant Visa “O-A”. This is issued to foreigners who are over 50 years old and would want to enjoy the best places that Thailand could offer. This visa is good for one year and should not be used for work purposes. Eligibility Some basic criteria have to be met to qualify for this visa. This include being at least 50 years of age upon application, no criminal records in the country of residency, not having prohibitive diseases, and not prohibited to enter the Kingdom of Thailand based on Immigration Act B.E. 2522. Also, you should be a resident in the country where you submitted your application. See the full details at: http://blog.bkkcondos.com/visa-retiring-in-thailand

At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 wounded following a pair of explosions Saturday in the southern Thai city of Yala, Thai media reported. The two blasts were the result of bombs stashed in stolen trucks, Police Lt. Gen. Paitoon Chuchaiya told CNN affiliate MCOT. Video from the scene showed damage to buildings, cars and motorcycles on the street. The blasts set fires to nearby vehicles, including a van, which itself exploded, leading to initial reports of a third bomb, Chuchaiya said. http://www.cnn.com/2....html?hpt=hp_t2

Korn ‘Gone’ Simsiriwong is a freshman biological sciences major from Narathiwat, Thailand. Important factors about Simsiriwong are her extracurricular activity and where she comes from. Simsiriwong is a member of Marshall University’s women’s golf team. Originally born in Thailand, she moved to Starkville, Miss. at an adolescent age. “It was my dream to play division one golf since I was very young,” Simsiriwong said. “Even though I am only a freshman, and it’s only been a little over a semester, I have gained so much from just experiences here at Marshall University.” Her parents wanted their daughters to grow up in the United States in order to live a much better life. Simsiriwong said she wouldn’t be anything without her families support. http://www.marshallparthenon.com/news/thailand-native-takes-route-from-mississippi-to-marshall-1.2721097#.T3TT-o6jInA

BANGKOK, THAILAND (BNO NEWS) -- Seven people were killed on Wednesday morning when an overloaded pickup truck plunged into a canal in central Thailand, a local newspaper reported on Thursday. A dozen others were injured. The accident occurred on Wednesday morning when the pickup truck skidded off the road and plunged into about 4 meters (13.1 feet) of water in an irrigation canal in the Ban Phraek district of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, according to the Bangkok Post. The newspaper said the truck was heading for Lop Buri province from Ang Thong on the Ban Phraek - Lop Buri road, which runs parallel to the irrigation canal near the Khlong Nong Maew watergate in Ban Phraek district's tambon Song Hong. The vehicle was carrying 19 people. Police confirmed seven people who were inside the truck's cabin were killed, while the twelve people riding in the back of the truck were injured and taken to area hospitals. The cause of the deadly accident was not immediately known, but police are investigating the incident. http://channel6newsonline.com/2012/03/thailand-7-killed-12-injured-when-pickup-truck-plunges-into-canal/

It's a long way from the beautiful German city of Wiesbaden to Chiang Mai, Thailand, but that is a journey Grade 11 student Lucas Geiger chose to make, to follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and to continue his specialized training in golf - a sport about which he is passionate. Lucas is the Club Champion of Germany's oldest golf course, the Wiesbadener Golf Club, and he used to play its nine holes regularly, as well as playing the two longer 18-hole courses to be found in Wiesbaden. While Lucas currently has a golf handicap of ten, he wants to reduce that to five in the next few months and eventually to be a scratch golfer on a zero handicap. His coach, "Spike" Collier at the Three-Generation Golf Academy (TGGA), is a great teacher, according to Lucas, who adds, "I realized several months ago just how good he is! I thought my old technique was fine but he has been slowly changing everything and I was asking myself - Why? Now he is starting to put it all together again and I am now playing much better than I was when I first arrived." http://www.worldgolf.com/newswire/browse/70905-Prem-International-School-home-special-sports-student-academic-golfer

Thai authorities are investigating hospitals in connection with the diversion of cold medicine that could be used in making the illegal stimulant methamphetamine. The Department of Special Investigation on Monday announced the establishment of a task force to investigate 11 public hospitals and 11 private hospitals, clinics and pharmacies found to have made suspiciously big orders of pills containing pseudoephedrine. Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant contained in many over-the-counter cold medicines. It is also commonly used in the illicit production of methamphetamine. Thailand is a major market and transit point for methamphetamine. The DSI said the probe was initiated after authorities discovered discarded packaging for 1.2 million cold tablets in northern Thailand last month. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/thailand-probes-medical-institutions-for-missing-cold-pills-that-could-be-used-to-make-meth/2012/03/26/gIQAc4JibS_story.html

A transgender woman who was a finalist for Miss Universe Canada has been disqualified from the competition because she was born male. Denis Davila, the national director of Miss Universe Canada, told the Toronto Starthat the rules state that each contestant must be a "naturally born female." He suspected that Jenna Talackova, a Vancouver native, was not born female, which she later confirmed. “She feels like a real girl and she is a real girl. She didn’t expect people to question it,” Davila said. “She was hoping we could put her back in the competition, but the rules are very clear and there’s no way we can go back on it.” http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/03/24/Miss_Universe_Canada_Ejects_Transgender_Contestant/

The Securities and Exchange Commission rejected a request by ExxonMobil to block a nondiscrimination shareholder resolution proposing protection for employees against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, paving the way for a vote on the measure at a shareholder meeting this May. The regulatory agency issued its ruling Tuesday, according to the office of New York State comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, which filed the resolution. The resolution requests that ExxonMobil “amend its written equal employment opportunity policy to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and to substantially implement the policy.” Noting the inconsistencies between state and local laws concerning employment discrimination, the resolution acknowledges that the company would benefit from a “consistent, corporate wide policy to enhance efforts to prevent discrimination, resolve complaints internally, and ensure a respectful and supportive atmosphere for all employees.” In January, ExxonMobil wrote to the SEC to argue that the company’s employment policies already conformed to the proposal’s request. “Specifically, the Employment Policies and Practices page on ExxonMobil's internet site now specifically states that our zero-tolerance policy against any form of employment discrimination covers both sexual orientation and gender identity,” said the letter. The policy in question says, “Any form of discrimination by or toward employees, contractors, suppliers, and customers in any ExxonMobil workplace is strictly prohibited. Our global, zero-tolerance policy applies to all forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” The office of chief counsel in the SEC’s division of corporation finance rejected that assessment in its response sent this week. “Based on the information you have presented, it appears that ExxonMobil’s policies, practices and procedures do not compare favorably with the guidelines of the proposal and that ExxonMobil has not, therefore, substantially, implemented the proposal,” said the letter. Read More: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/03/22/SEC_Rejects_ExxonMobil_Attempt_to_Block_Non-discrimination_Shareholder_Resolution/

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Gays and soldiers usually don’t mix in the conservative Balkans. Neither do former foes from the region’s ethnic wars. Yet a tale about a Serbian wartime fighter who recruits enemy veterans to protect a gay pride event has become an unlikely movie sensation. "The Parade," a black comedy made by a Serbian director, has been the biggest box office hit in the former Yugoslavia in years, even as it challenges both the region’s ethnic divide and its deeply rooted homophobia. The movie has drawn more than half a million people since its release in October. It has been equally acclaimed in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia - something no local film has managed since the 1990s wars between the ex-Yugoslav republics. "The whole region is united for the first time in liking this film," director Srdjan Dragojevic said in an interview. Read More: http://www.edgeboston.com/entertainment/culture//131194/gay-themed_movie_overcomes_balkan_divide

Inter-American Court of Human Rights Rules On First Gay Discrimination Case Some good news out of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights today: the court, a judicial arm of the Organization of American States, ruled that Chile violated Karen Atala's rights by not granting her custody of her children after she left her husband for another woman. The Chilean government must now pay Atala, a judge, $50,000 in damages and $12,000 for legal fees, the New York Times reports. While this doesn't sound like huge news, it could actually have a notable impact across the Americas. Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2012/03/inter-american-court-of-human-rights-rules-on-first-gay-discrimination-case.html#ixzz1q4p3PvAb

Prepping for international tour, ‘MDNA’ icon knows where her bread is buttered Say what you will about Madonna and her new album, but the lady knows who her fans are. Preparing for an upcoming world tour, the “I Fucked Up” singer posted on her Facebook page that she would address Russia’s laws against spreading “homosexual propaganda” when she hits St. Petersburg, home town of creepy Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin. "I will come to St Petersburg to speak up for the gay community, to support the gay community and to speak up for the gay community, to support the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels oppressed. " Madonna, who is more or less the walking embodiment of “homosexual propaganda,” wrote. See the full article: http://www.out.com/entertainment/popnography/2012/03/22/madonna-russia’s-anti-gay-laws-are-‘ridiculous-atrocity’

BANGKOK, March 23 - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday welcomed her Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper, now on three-day official visit, to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. After an official welcoming ceremony at Government House, Ms Yingluck and Mr Harper held talks and hailed the strong bilateral relations between the two countries which this year marked their 50th anniversary. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues including the prospect of expanded bilateral cooperation in various fields such as trade and investment promotion. Ms Yingluck said Thailand wants to increase its export value to Canada, particularly in regard to frozen seafood, rice, fruits and beans, rubber and rubber products, electronics parts and gems. http://www.mcot.net/cfcustom/cache_page/345302.html

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Now that Myanmar is opening to the outside world, good luck getting a hotel room. Travelers and eager investors are pouring in to explore one of Asia's most untouched countries, filling hotels to capacity, doubling room rates and spilling flight reservations onto wait lists. As the country sheds its past as an isolated military dictatorship and taboo travel destination it is becoming a new global hotspot — topping tourism lists as the must-see place to visit in 2012. Myanmar is eager for the hard currency that foreigners bring, but is struggling to handle the influx. At the same time, it is wondering how widely to throw open the doors — should it become another well-trodden tourist haven like Thailand or should it aim for fewer, less-transformative numbers of visitors to keep its ancient cultural sights and charm intact? http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hyBuYU-4WnNnHxNWdhUqloEWvlEQ?docId=5f99981acb9e4be4aa914939d08d1ce6

As we said last November when the new 2013 Chevrolet Trailblazer was show as a concept at the Dubai show, it's refreshing that a real SUV -- diesel engine, pickup-style construction -- still has a place in the world. But the USA apparently isn't it, and GM, which made no mention of the USA in Dubai, had no change of heart as it unveiled the production version today ahead of the Bangkok Motor Show in Thailand. Sales begin there in June and expand around the globe -- your tax dollars at work -- but the USA apparently will be denied what Chevy has called its "toughest, most-refined mid-size sport-utility vehicle." http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/03/usa-to-be-denied-new-chevy-trailblazer-on-sale-today/1#.T2plt46jInA

BANGKOK — Thailand's Cabinet has approved the purchase of 860,000 tablet computers from a little-known Chinese company for students in the first year of primary school. Information minister Anudith Nakornthap said Tuesday he hoped the contract with Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development Co. Ltd. could be signed this month so the devices could arrive before the new school term starts in May. The Chinese company offered a lowest-bid price of $81 for each seven-inch touch screen computer. Three other companies, Huawei, TCL and Haier, were also bidders. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57400560/thailand-approves-860000-tablets-for-schools/

OTTAWA — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will travel to Thailand and Japan for trade talks this week before attending a nuclear summit in Seoul, his office announced Tuesday. The prime minister will be accompanied by his foreign affairs and trade ministers, as well as a delegation of business executives. Harper will also discuss illegal human smuggling with Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Thailand was a staging point for migrant ships bringing Tamil asylum seekers to Canada in recent years. On March 25-26, Harper will make his third visit to Japan, Canada's fifth largest trading partner. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5haDY7i51nkYGQuSFPfVqaNhji5KQ?docId=CNG.886eb52df8eb9735aee24d498123d774.1e1

MANILA, Philippines - The government is set to implement a number of visa reforms intended to boost the competitiveness of the Philippines as a tourism destination. The new visa policies include additional visa-freee privilege for 166 countries/territories from 21 to 30 days, granting of a 30-day visa-free stay to Chinese nationals traveling to the Philippines as part of a tour group handled by a Department of Tourism-accredited Philippine tour operator and a 14-day visa-free stay for Indian nationals who have a valid American, Japan, Australia, Canadian, Shengen, Singapore, or United Kingdom visa. The new policies were agreed upon in a recent meeting between Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario, Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima, and BI Commissioner Ricardo A. David Jr. The new policies are set to simplify entry requirement procedures and processes and allowing tourists more time in the Philippines. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=789458&publicationSubCategoryId=200

The cabinet on Tuesday approved in principle a tourism development plan for Phangnga and Andaman provinces as proposed by the office of the permanent secretary of the Prime Minister's Office. The plan is to be jointly implemented by the Transport Ministry's Highway and Marine Department. Airports of Thailand, the Tourism and Sports Ministry, Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Budget Bureau and the Office of National Economic and Social Development Board. Projects to be implemented: - expansion of Phuket international airport; - feasibility study of building an airport at Phangnga province to cope with the increasing number of tourists; - setting up of a highway office in Phangnga to build roads and bridges; - construction of boat landings in Phangnga's Khura Buri and Thai Muang districts; - setting up a TAT office in Phangnga; - Development of marine national parks in the Andaman Sea; and - Lowering visa fees for tourists from Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries. http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/285200/tourism-development-plan-approved

BANGKOK, 18 March 2012 (NNT) - The Public Health Ministry reports that the number of HIV/AIDs patients in Thailand is on the rise with over 1 million patients currently. At the annual HIV/AIDs conference held in Chiang Mai, Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri disclosed that HIV/AIDs is an incurable chronic disease of which more than 1 million patients have been reported to be infected. According to Mr. Wittaya , 25 percent of the total diagnosed patients are in the working group aged between 30-34. While unprotected sex is the major risk factor which accounts for as high as 84 percent, premature and unprotected sex among secondary school and vocational students is becoming more of a problem. he Public Health Minister added that this year the National Health Security Office (NHSO) has set nearly 3 billion baht as a budget for HIV/AIDs care and treatment while planning to increase the budget to 3.5 billion baht for next year. http://thainews.prd....id=255503180005

Chaleo Yoovidhya, the self-made Thai billionaire who introduced the world to "energy drinks" and co-founded the globally popular Red Bull brand, has died. He was in his 80s. Chaleo died of natural causes in Bangkok on Saturday, according to local media reports and state television broadcaster, MCOT, which cited the Thai Beverage Industry Association. Forbes magazine, which ranked Chaleo the 205th richest man in the world this year with a net worth of $5 billion dollars, said he was 80 years old. Several Thai media outlets cited his birthdate as Aug. 17, 1923, however, indicating he was 88. It was not immediately possible to explain the discrepancy. Born in central Thailand's Pichit province to a Chinese father and a Thai mother who reportedly sold fruit and ducks to survive, Chaleo died the third richest man in Thailand. http://www.usatoday....590138/1?csp=hf

Sen. Bill Nelson on Tuesday asked the State Department to intervene in the case of a South Tampa interior designer who was stabbed and choked to death last month in Thailand. In a letter to Hilary Clinton, Nelson asked the U.S. secretary of state to urge the governments of India and Thailand to work together to catch the killer of Wendy Albano. Officials said they believe the suspect fled to India after killing Albano in her Bangkok hotel room Feb. 12. The man, described as Albano's business associate, was seen on a hotel surveillance camera entering her room. He left about an hour later with luggage in his hands. For full story: http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2012/mar/13/clintons-help-sought-in-thailand-slaying-of-tampa--ar-368684/

Thailand's government has extended a long-established state of emergency in its three insurgency-plagued southernmost provinces. The emergency decree extended for three months Tuesday gives security forces special powers of arrest and detention in the Muslim-dominated provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani. More than 5,000 people have been killed there since 2004. Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa said authorities wanted to keep monitoring the situation while a new security policy was launched. He said government agencies want to retain the law even though violence has subsided in some areas. Researcher Srisompob Jitpiromsri said the repeated extension of the law indicated the government's incompetence in solving the southern violence. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120313/as-thailand-southern-violence/

The National Water Resources and Flood Policy Committee has ordered a speedy establishment of a catchment area capable of holding 5 billion cubic meters of water, as well as measures to financially compensate local residents in the area. Following the first meeting of the National Water Resources and Flood Policy Committee, which was chaired by the Prime Minister, Minister of Science and Technology Plodprasop Surasawadee disclosed that the panel has resolved to approve the 246 projects proposed by the Transport Ministry under a budget of 24 billion baht. The project proposals will be submitted to the cabinet today in order to establish an immediate operation plan scheduled to be completed before the water season. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry and the Interior Ministry have been assigned to look for an area capable of retaining 5 billion cubic meters of water, on the condition that the area must not be in close proximity to Bangkok. The fund would be spent on the building of permanent dyke along Chao Phraya River bank and for the dredging of major canals on the eastern and western banks of Chao Phraya River such as Rapeepat Canal for deeper canals in order to receive more water leading to the sea. Additional water pumps will be installed and sluice gates will be improved. All immediate projects would be complete before the upcoming rainy season. For full story: http://www.dredgingtoday.com/2012/03/13/thailand-bangkok-works-on-flood-prevention-plan/

Thailand is to hold inquests into the deaths of 16 people killed during a crackdown on "Red Shirt" anti-government protests two years ago, a prosecutor said Tuesday. More than 90 people, mostly civilians, were killed and nearly 1,900 wounded during the 2010 rallies, which ended in a bloody military operation under then premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is now opposition leader. The demonstrations came after years of political unrest that began months before a 2006 military coup that deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, long despised by the Bangkok elites but supported by many of the Red Shirts. Red Shirt supporter Channarong Polsrila was among 16 fatalities identified as likely to have been caused by the security forces' operation, prosecutor Varidsanee Manyawut said. For full article: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120313-333185.html

Thai authorities are bracing themselves for a possible downgrade on the U.S. State Department’s watch list of countries with the worst records in combating human trafficking. Thailand was initially classified as a Tier Two country on the Trafficking in Persons list in 2010 for not complying with minimum standards required to address the trafficking of people. If a country shows no sign of improvement after two years at that level it automatically drops into the bottom, or Tier Three, list alongside North Korea, Cuba and Burma. This can potentially trigger non-humanitarian sanctions. Groups like Human Rights Watch and the Mirror Foundation say Thailand has experienced an increase in trafficking, in particular young girls, in recent years, putting it in jeopardy of joining the world’s worst offenders. For full story: http://www.voanews.com/khmer-english/news/Thailand-Human-Trafficking-Problems-Continue-to-Draw-Scrutiny-142618736.html