Stories tagged with tourist
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7-11 stores to help tourists in trouble
In a new project aimed at improving the safety of tourists and the accessibility of Thailand’s local police forces, all 7-11 convenience stores in Pattaya and Koh Chang are now acting as emergency Tourist Police contact locations. Although it’s only in the trial phase, any tourist can enter a 7-11 at these two popular Thai beach destinations and dial the Tourist Police number 24 hours a day.
If things go well, the initiative will be expanded to create a tourist emergency network encompassing all 4,000 7-11s throughout Thailand. Participating stores in Pattaya and Koh Chang will display a sign in the window and the staff have been trained to deal with tourists in trouble. It’s an excellent way to help tourists find the help they need, as 7-11s are virtually a global household name.
Noppakorn S. Tansakul, the project’s lead consultant, tried the scheme out on Bangkok’s Khaosan Road during last year’s Songkran festival. He said that it showed very positive results, and the Thai public even helped by reporting non-violent crimes like drug dealing and prostitution.
The trial in Pattaya and Koh Chang will last 3 months, at which time its effectiveness will be evaluated. In Pattaya the Tourist Police emergency number is 1337, and on Koh Chang it is 1155.
Posted by: Andrew on 21 Sep 2008, 16:00 -
Scottish Woman Killed in Pattaya Hit and Run Accident
A young woman from Scotland visit Thailand on holiday has been killed in a hit-and-run accident in Pattaya.
Jennifer Burden, 26, died from injuries suffered after being struck down by a car in the popular Gulf of Thailand resort of Pattaya.
Police continue to search for the driver of the car.
The tourist’s grieving mother was too upset to speak with reporters at the family’s home, located in Airth, near Falkirk, in Scotland.
A spokesperson from the Foreign Office indicated that an investigation was under way.
She commented: "We can confirm a British national died on June 16 in a car accident while on holiday in Pattaya.
"We are providing consular assistance and there is still an ongoing investigation to trace the driver."
Details surrounding the accident remain unclear.
Former co-workers paid tribute to Ms Burden, who has been employed in Nottingham as a procurement analyst for an IT firm.
Karl Dukes, her former boss, said: "Jennifer was always very lively. She was the life and soul of the party. She was just a typical vibrant young woman who got on well with her clients and colleagues.
"I know that she and her boyfriend had been together for a good few years. They had a very strong relationship. They were always on the phone together."
In a recent email to friends back in the UK, Jennifer wrote that her favourite places in south-east Asia were Vang Vieng, in Laos, and Kanchananburi, in Thailand, which is known to most Westerners as the site of the Bridge on the River Kwai.
Posted by: Andrew on 08 Jul 2008, 22:00 -
French Visitor Becomes Demented over Missing Thai Girlfriend
A French man reported became demented as he searched for his Thai girlfriend in the streets of the Thai resort of Pattaya. When he found a woman who looked like his girlfriend, and she eventually derailed his fantasy, he slit his wrist and ended up in a local hospital in the early morning hours of 27 June.
An investigator with the Pattaya Police, Wittaya Yeunyong, was informed that a foreigner had slit his wrist in a room he had rented in central Pattaya. Police rushed to the hotel to find Mr Stephane Verraes, a 35-year-old French national, lying in bed with blood pouring out of numerous wounds on his right wrist.
Mr Verraes was not coherent but police and rescue personnel transported him to Banglamung Hospital.
Mrs Aom, the woman Verraes had mistaken to be his girlfriend, told the police that earlier in the evening she had met him on the beach. He told her that she looked like his missing girlfriend and asked her if he could go back to her room with her. She agreed.
He began a manic search of her room, allegedly looking for his missing girlfriend.
By this time, Mrs Aom had become impatient, she told the police. When she became angry and attempted to force him to leave her room, Mr Verraes reportedly went berserk. He grabbed her razor, slashed his wrist five times and fled the scene to his own room. Mrs Aom and her husband then called the authorities.
Posted by: Andrew on 03 Jul 2008, 21:16 -
Sweden may issuing travel warnings
Sweden’s Phuket consulate and the embassy in Bangkok may post warnings on their official websites, advising Swedish women of the dangers while traveling in Thailand.
The move follows the increasing number of attacks on women in recent years and warnings on other country’s embassy websites, such as the British Embassy.
The latest incident - the murder of 26-year-old Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund at Mai Khao Beach in March – has prompted Swedish authorities to consider the idea.
General Consul Christina Palm at the Swedish Consulate in Phuket said, 'we are considering posting a general warning on our website addressing the dangers one faces when traveling in Thailand.'
The British Embassy currently warns of sexual offenses committed against foreign women and men. It focuses mainly on female travelers to 'maintain a high state of personal awareness' while in Thailand.
Governor of Phuket, Niran Kalayanamit, recently said that the murder of Miss Backlund murder had hurt Phuket’s reputation.
Other recent hi-profile attacks against Swedish female tourists in Thailand include the rape of a 12-year-old girl on Koh Samui in January 2006, and the attempted rape of a woman the same year.
One plan put forward by a Phuket's Tourist Police Commander Maj Gen Choochart Suwannakom was to distribute whistles to foreign female tourists at prominent beach resorts; a suggestion which a Danish officer at the Nordic Police Liaison Office in Bangkok described as 'pathetic'.
Tourism is very important for Thailand, bringing in around US$16 billion in 2007; the greatest earner of foreign currency for the country.
Safety tips in Thailand
Phuket Tourist GuidePosted by: Andrew on 07 Apr 2008, 13:37 -
German Resident dies in Naklua
A German resident in Pattaya’s northern resort of Naklua collapsed and died on Saturday, police sources said.
Banglamung Police Station’s Lieutenant Colonel Samai was called to investigate a foreign fatality in Naklua on Friday Night at Numchai Place Apartments, Soi Noree, near Naklua Road.
The body of the German national Peter Fabian was found lying on the floor next to the bathroom in room number 8 when Lieutenant Colonel Samai was called in.
Mr Fabian was apparently with his girlfriend, Khun Somport, at the time of collapse. Miss Somport, aged 48, explained that Mr Fabian was walking out of the toilet when he suddenly collapsed and failed to regain consciousness, after which she called for help.
Mr Fabian was known to be a Diabetes sufferer, which in all probability was the cause of death. The case will remain open, however, until the results have been collated from of a post mortem examination.
Pattaya Directory of Services
Posted by: Andrew on 20 Jan 2008, 12:25 -
Kalizma ends visit to Phuket
This summer, visitors to Phuket had the chance to check out a piece of yachting history, with the legendary vessel, the Kalizma, taking a load off to rest in North Phuket’s Yacht Haven.
One of the oldest yachts in the world, the 165 foot ship has served in both world wars by the British Royal Navy before being dubbed The Kalizma, when it was acquired way back in 1967 by the Hollywood couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. It is so named for Burton’s three daughters, Kate, Liza and Maria.
11 years ago, the yacht was purchased by Indian booze tycoon Vijay Mallya for his own personal use and he used a spot in the port of Mumbai to extensively restore the boat to its current state of class and prestige. Major renovations such as removing and replacing the original engines were overseen by the ship’s captain Avnish Dhall, who says, “I almost killed myself restoring her. I almost killed a lot of people! There are people who won't talk to me anymore! I certainly turned myself into an alcolholic.�
If you missed the boat in Thailand, you may be able to catch it in the Persian Gulf or Europe before it sails back to Goa for the New Year.
Posted by: DaveB on 04 Oct 2007, 12:50