Thailand Voice

Every now and then, a shipment of illegal ivory is confiscated at Suvarnabhumi Airport. This is a picture of a press conference that I was invited to attend where 2,000 kilos of ivory had been seized with an estimated street value of 50 million baht. Original post blogged on www.mythaiphotos.com

Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (L) passes a sack of rice to U.N. World Food Program’s Regional Director for Asia Kenro Oshidari during a ceremony at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport February 1, 2010. The Thai government on Monday dispatched its first batch of 100 tonnes of rice to…

โครงการระบายน้ำบริเวณสนามบินสุวรรณภูมิ DRAINAGE PROJECT FOR SUVARNABHUMI ROAD: The multi-billion baht drainage project to drain flood water away from Suvarnabhumi Airport and Samrong Canal has nearly been completed. Seen in the picture here is the viaduct over Sukhumwit Road on the coastline in Bang Pu. กรม ชลประทานจึงได้ดำเนินการก่อสร้างโครงการระบายน้ำบริเวณสนามบินสุวรรณภูมิ…

At the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, you will find six pairs of giant demons that stand guard at each of the entrances. They are facing inwards towards the ubosot as if they were protecting the Emerald Buddha. These giants…

Thai and Japanese students pull a Japanese aircraft at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok on November 7, 2009. About 222 Thai and Japanese students join to pull the aircraft during the campaign to boost the relationship between the two countries. (Getty Images) More Thailand pictures can be found at www.ThaiPhotoBlogs.com .

Teeranun Wipuchanin, a 43-year-old unemployed former stock trader, walks after being arrested by Thai police officers at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport November 1, 2009. Police in Thailand arrested two people, including Teeranun, on Sunday on suspicion of spreading rumours about the health of…

Keigo Zato, a nine-year-boy living in Thailand all his life, and his Japanese father were tearfully reunited at the Suvarnabhumi Airport Friday afternoon. The Japanese father, Katsumi, arrived on the Japan Airlines Flight JO/JL 717 at 3:05 pm. Keigo walked to his father and hugged and kissed …

Recently, we were invited over to Suvarnabhumi Airport to watch an Emergency Exercise involving a natural disaster. All members of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) must have plans for emergency situations. They have to conduct a partial emergency exercise at least once a year and a full scale emergency …

The ground crew at Suvarnabhumi Airport took part in a emergency exercise today to simulate a lightning strike against two workers servicing a parked aircraft. Ambulances were quickly dispatched to the scene and the victims evacuated to a local hospital. The airport carries out partial emergency exercises every year…

For many years my favourite guidebook has been the Lonely Planet. This has always been my first choice for its comprehensive look at tourist attractions in just about any country in the world. In Thailand, the person who is most associated with guidebooks is Joe Cummings whose name is well-known among backpackers…

A good way to explore an area is by using Google Earth. I have personally discovered some interesting places by analysing satellite images. So, I was really pleased to hear that Google had updated the satellite images for a large part of Samut Prakan Province. This gives …

If you have ever been in the waiting area of the departure lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport then you will know how uncomfortable those seats are. The grey metal is not only hard but it is also cold to the touch. Whenever I have to fly out, I always wait …

On Friday morning, customs officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport invited us to a press conference to see the 2,000 kilos of ivory that they had recently seized. The shipment came in from Uganda and Kenya and include 316 pieces of tusks which were…

Thai customs officials show seized ivory during a press conference at the customs office of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on August 21, 2009. Seized 316 pieces of ivory weighing a total of 2000 kilos. The ivory is estimated to be worth more than 50 million baht. (…

Well, just a short while back I decided on the spur of the moment to pack our bags and get a short flight to somewhere…… and that somewhere was to be Penang Island in Malaysia. The wife, Su, and I went to Hong Kong over the Songkran holidays in April, …

Suvarnabhumi International Airport has been receiving a lot of bad publicity lately. We all know very well about the taxi scam where the drivers refuse to turn on the meter or dump you in the middle of nowhere if you try to kick up a fuss…

Anti-government protesters hit an effigy of Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya with their shoes during a protest in front of the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok on July 9, 2009. Anti-government protesters demand the resignation of Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya who was charged with terrorism by police in a case related to the seizure …

On Monday we attended the press conference for the launch of the “Transfer Passenger Tours” at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Yesterday I gave you a rundown of the first eight day tours for transit passengers . Here are the final seven tours. (9) Erawan Museum…

Transfer passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport will now be able to choose between a range of tours if they have at least six hours to spare before they need to catch their next plane. Paknam Web was invited over to the airport this …

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, accompanied by his royal consort HRH Princess Srirasm and HRH Prince Dhipankara Rasmijoti, stand in front of an air force plane after piloting it from Tokyo to Suvarnabhumi airport. The fight yesterday marked the Prince’s achievement on May 1 of 3,000 hours of …

Had flagged to later blog on Anupong’s statements to answer the criticism that the army applied double standards as reported in Matichon and elsewhere – hoping the English language papers would pick up the story and translate his comments saving BP the task, but alas no. Never mind, Prachatai has translated… Read full story >>>

JC 29 April 2009 We touched down in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport around 3pm after an overnight flight from Heathrow where we’d spent a night and day at Kate’s sister’s place relishing the chance to have another quick look around … … Read full story >>>

For about a year or so now, they have been constructing a bridge over Sukhumwit Road in Bang Pu District of Samut Prakan. When they first started I thought it was a bit strange. As it is a bit like a bridge…

 For about a year or so now, they have been constructing a bridge over Sukhumwit Road on the border between Bang Pu District and Bang Bo District. When they first started I thought it was a bit strange. As it is a bit like a bridge to no-where. On the southern …

A member of the Thai Airways crew sprays an antiseptic chemical in the cabin of an aircraft of the national carrier at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok April 30, 2009. (REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom) A Thai Airways worker cleans the cabin of an aircraft of the national carrier at Suvarnabhumi …

A quarantine officer monitors passengers walking through a temperature screening checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi airport April 27, 2009. Countries around the world have moved to contain the spread of a possible pandemic after a new swine flu outbreak killed 103 people in Mexico. (REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang) …

The siege at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang Airports is now over and Thailand is again open for business. Tourism is the main source of income for the country and it is very important for them to get their house in order and to re-open their gateway to the world. I was …