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LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel firm, collapsed on Monday, stranding hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers around the globe and sparking the largest peacetime repatriation effort in British history.

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority said Thomas Cook had now ceased trading and the regulator would work with the government to bring the more than 150,000 British customers home over the next two weeks.

“Due to the significant scale of the situation, some disruption is inevitable, but the Civil Aviation Authority will endeavour to get people home as close as possible to their planned dates,” it said in a statement in the early hours of Monday.

“Thomas Cook has ceased trading so all Thomas Cook flights are now cancelled,” it said.

The firm runs hotels, resorts and airlines for 19 million people a year in 16 countries. It currently has 600,000 people abroad, forcing governments and insurance companies to coordinate a huge rescue operation.

Pictures posted on social media showed Thomas Cook planes being diverted away from the normal stands, and being deserted as soon as they had landed.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

 

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Thai AirAsia, NokScoot and Thai Lion Air plan to fly new routes in the fourth quarter of this year by focusing on Asia.

Thai AirAsia Co Ltd’s chief executive officer, Santisuk Klongchaiya, said the company plans to launch two new routes. The first is Bangkok to Varanasi in India that will have four flights per week, beginning on November 25. The next is Chiang Rai to Hangzhou, China, with four flights per week, beginning on December 1.

“We are opening the new route to Varanasi, as we see strong demand in this market from both Thais and Indians, especially after the Thai government extended the visa on arrival scheme for 19 countries, including India, till April 30, 2020,” he said.

He added that the Chiang Rai-Hangzhou route would woo Chinese tourists interested in visiting Chiang Rai, which is among the major destinations for Chinese tourists.

Meanwhile NokScoot Co Ltd’s chief executive officer, Yodchai Sudhidhanakul, said the company plans to fly a new route from Bangkok to Sapporo, Japan, with four flights per week that will operate from October 27. The airline also plans to increase flights from Bangkok to Tokyo — from seven flights per week to 11 flights per week — starting from the fourth quarter of this year.

“The number of Thai and Japanese passengers have continued to rise on both routes,” Yodchai said.

Thai Lion Mentari Co Ltd, which flies Thai Lion

Air, plans to open two new routes — Bangkok-Manila and Bangkok-Siem Reap — with seven flights per week to both destinations, chief executive officer Atsawin Yangkiratiwon said. They will start flying in the fourth quarter of this year.

Source: The Nation

 

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The recent death after a Bangkok party of a “pretty” – a young woman hired by businesspeople to promote sales – has raised concerns over personal safety in this offshoot of the entertainment business.

As police continue to investigate the cause of the woman’s death, citizens are debating the merits of the trade and some of those involved in it are sharing their life stories.

One pretty described her experience in the job as a “lesson in survival”.

A reporter for Bangkok Biz News Online has collected such revelations in a bid to explain why so many women want to work as a pretty, the main bait for which is promises of high wages.

The “Teambigkren” Facebook page says such freelance jobs in entertainment – known as N-jobs – come in several forms (see graphic).

High wages are indeed available, but there is also often risk to health and even life, such as when ill-intentioned individuals are prepared to drug a pretty to take advantage of her while she’s unconscious or semi-conscious.

Gamma-hydroxybutyric (GHB) is known in Thai as the “virginity-loss drug”. A stimulant, it increases alertness but also sexual libido. And it’s readily found in many pubs, whether in tablet, powder or liquid form. The clear liquid is the most possible because it’s easily mixed in a drink unnoticed.

One pretty interviewed for Bangkok Biz News said most people believe that the work, for which no college degree is required, pays Bt3,000 to Bt5,000 a night. But income is uneven and, far more importantly, your virginity and health are often at risk.

“You spent three to five hours mingling with people, drinking, mixing drinks and giving massages, so it’s important to know your limits, know how to refuse, don’t drink too much, don’t drink from the customer’s glass and don’t forget to stay in contact with your relatives,” she said.

“If possible, you should take friends with you and have someone ready to take you home.”

Source: Nation News

 

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Caption: Ganja oil caused death!

Police in Chiang Mai armed with an arrest warrant detained a husband and wife for the illegal production and distribution of cannabis oil online.

Cash in the sum of 3.4 million baht was found at their home. 

The arrests followed complaints from the family of a cancer patient who took the oil but died. 

Pol Maj-gen Phichet Jiranantasin led the raid along with Saraphi district officers at a house in Chomphu sub-district.

There they arrested husband and wife Nipphon, 34 and Wichunee, 31. 

They found 30 boxes of cannabis oil, bank books, house registration documents and 3.4 million baht in 1000 baht notes. It was all taken in as evidence and the couple were charged with possessing and distributing the oil online under laws relating to Class 5 drugs. 

The raid resulted from a complaint from the family of a 39 leukemia sufferer who bought the oil and died soon after. 

Doctors said she had succumbed to an infection of the vocal chords. 

The wife in the case said that they had bought oil from Laos which they then mixed in Thailand and sold online for 1,000 baht a bottle. 

Tests are now underway to see the exact composition of the oil and whether the couple might be charged in connection with the cancer patient’s death. 

Wichunee said that she qualified with a bachelor’s degree in business and started by selling bags to protect fruit from insects and then sold agricultural equipment. 

But after trying cannabis oil herself and being convinced of its health benefits she decided to start that business.

She claimed that many of her customers felt better and one cancer sufferer who had been given 2 months to live lasted two years after taking her oil. 

She denied that the 3.4 million was derived from the sale of the oil saying it was from the sale of the agricultural equipment. 

Investigations continue.

Source: Sanook

 

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A 33-year-old man from Oman out with his Thai girlfriend in Pattaya claimed that he didn’t know what ringing the bell meant this week when he rang the bell nearly twenty times in a local bar and racked up a huge bar bill, then refused to pay. (Editor’s Note: Despite having a Thai girlfriend with him and allegedly being a regular visitor to the country)

At a bar near Pattaya in the Naklua area, he rang the bell about twenty times and the staff and all customers present enjoyed free drinks, according to the owners of the bar. The tourist was not named to the media.

When it came time to go back to his hotel the tourist was presented with a bill for 53,300 baht and believed he had had his bar tab padded and began to argue over the amount of the bill.

He offered to pay 9,000 baht but the owner of the bar insisted they go to the police station to sort it out.

There the tourist police reviewed the case, including reviewing CCTV and the bills in question. The bar did not have a computerized system and used only handwritten bills which made the situation more difficult to review.

After a half-hour of negotiation, it was agreed upon that the Omani should pay only 5,500 baht more-a total of 14,500 baht on a bill of 53,300 baht.

They all then went their separate ways, reported Channel 7 news with an accompanying video. You can see the video at the link below. The Pattaya News notes that the tourist seems quite amused with the entire situation, laughing and smiling.

 

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