Thailand & Pattaya News, from Fabulous 103fm (21 September 2022)

Thailand & Pattaya News, from Fabulous 103fm (21 September 2022)

A six month trial period has been set for an elongated visa program designed to allow visitors to stay within Thailand for a longer period of time.  From start October through to the end of March, arrivals from visa exempt countries will be automatically given 45 day visas and for those not, but getting tourist visas on arrival, the period is extended from 15 to 30 days.  Designed to allow longer holidays, and of course bigger spending, there is no news regarding later extensions.

As electricity bills arrive at homes and workplaces this week, the full impact of the increase in charges becomes reality.  Most if not all have seen a massive hike in the bottom line and for businesses, those costs will have to be passed on to customers.  For homes, the only tips to keep bills down seem to be to unplug all devices when not in use, as they, computers, chargers, TVs and the like often if not always use power, keep curtains closed during hot periods to reduce the need for AC and otherwise stump up the extra cash. The increase, the second this year is a large one, and due to the rise in the cost of fuel globally. Most understand that BUT it doesn’t make life any easier

Nine private hosptials in the capital have seen their contracts with the Thai National Health system revoked after allegedly padding bills for reimbursement of patients under the social security programme. Following a committee investigation, those hosptials have been asked to refund overcharges poste haste.

Pirana drama in Bangkok this week as a 21 year old was arrested on charges of breeding and selling the vicious and predatory South American fish. With some found still in his possession during a police raid, the issue isn’t just the fisheries act, but also the danger that they could at some point breed and escape, which would cause devastation. He was nabbed after being spotted selling them online.

Life in a wheelchair isn’t that great, as perhaps you can imagine the biggest issue is mobility. The city has, over the past decade, slowly set up clear wheelchair routes around the popular areas, especially adjacent to learning and accommodation entries, YET.. a review this week show that those brightly painted WHEELCHAIR paths, are being used as bike parking areas and even seen greedy car drivers leave their vehicles on the pathways too.  End result?  The wheelchair users are put at risk because THEY then have to go around the obstacle, slowly weaving across roads full of regular traffic.   Worst affected are the roads behind big C and parallel to the sukhumvit and it’s hoped that city or police officials will start removing parked vehicles before someone gets hurt. You are wondering now how to spot the pathways?  Well, they are medium blue and have wheelchair emblems at regular intervals. Sometimes it’s nice to be nice, and parking elsewhere is the decent thing to do.

 In Chonburi, a thief dressed as a food delivery guy GRABBED more than just a dinner from a couple of company employees, in fact he stole the whole of a 3.4 million baht payroll package they had just cashed out at a local bank. Perhaps easily spotted as they make the same trip twice a month at the same time, the couple left the bank with the cash, ready to load into a minivan. The green clad thief pounced and warned them he had a gun before fleeing with the loot. Ban Bueng police were checking CCTV to establish his exit route and hopefully identify him.

Road users may have spotted dinosaurs en route to the city this week, loaded on huge trucks, this as a display of the  prehistoric  is set for this week through mid October at the sunken plaza, on Beach road in front of Central mall.  An ideal and free experience for youngsters, the static show includes everything from T-rex through to fossils, and no doubt will become popular with selfie snappers, especially at weekends when the city number swell due to local tourism.

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