West Sands Phuket offers flexible guaranteed rental return program

West Sands, Phuket’s newest 5-star residential and resort development, has launched the first fully flexible guaranteed rental return program. Called “Mix & Match” the program offers guaranteed returns from 6% upto 7.5%.

The award-winning West Sands Resort is proving more than just the leader in environmental building technology and leisure facilities, it also has concerns about what are the main benefits for its investors. Vacation homes have become incredibly popular for most savvy investors who want to make certain that every Thai Baht is spent wisely.

After taking time talking with the investors, the West Sands team realized that most investors are unique and need a customized package based on their nationality, occupation and purpose of buying a vacation home in Phuket.

According to Barry King, West Sands Marketing Director: “The idea came after we had a chance to reflect back at the last 12 months and look how different the world is one year on. With this in mind we knew that although clients wanted a guaranteed rental return, the usage amount offered did not take into consideration how life can change. So our idea is very simple; we base the return on how much usage the owner needs on a annual basis. 6% return offers a 30 days complimentary usage, if the owner then decides to reduce the usage to 14 days the return leaps up to 7%! For the serious investor we offer a no usage option with a whopping 7.5% guaranteed return.”

“The owner can alter from year-to-year as his lifestyle dictates; for example if the owner of a condominium wants a 6% return he would have the opportunity to use the unit complimentary for 30 days or two units for 15 days. Total flexibility,” added King.

West Sands covers 121 rai (approximately 50 acres) on Mai Khao beach on Phuket´s northwest coast. The project comprises 450 villas and residences, and is scheduled to open August 2009 for a soft opening and be fully operational by November 2009.

Homeless man found dead in Phuket City

The Thepkrasattri Rd lumber yard in front of which the unidentified beggar was found dead.

PHUKET CITY: A homeless man who has lived on the streets of Phuket City for years was found dead in front of a lumber yard on Thepkrasattri Road this morning.

Police have yet to identify the man, even though he was well known to local residents as an itinerant beggar.

The man’s body was found in a siting position with his head back on a bench in front of the Sa-sart Lumber Yard on Thepkrasattri Road southbound, opposite the Proton car dealership.

A carton of milk and two packages of junk food were found lying next to him.

Phuket Duty Officer Anek Mongkol estimated the man’s age at over 50 years and speculated that he might have suffered a stroke last night.

“He lived in Phuket for a long time and he always begged for food and money from people and temples in the area, ” Lt Col Anek said.

The man’s body was taken by Kusoldharm Foundation workers to the Vachira Phuket Hospital morgue, where it will be kept for a time in the hope that relatives will come and claim it.

Surviving holidays (mostly) intact

LAST December, a group of nine friends were on a minibus in Phuket, Thailand, when the vehicle collided with a motorcycle at high speed before swerving off-road and plunging into a pile of sand.

As smoke streamed from the bonnet, they were extricated and taken to the hospital just in time.

All survived by dint of chance - the outcome could have been graver had the van hit a tree or a house, or else exploded.

I was one of the nine victims.

The crash brought home the realisation that mishaps, when they occur, swoop in suddenly, randomly and unexpectedly - and they are not uncommon.

Just last month, another group of nine Singaporeans were also on a minibus that crashed - this time in New Zealand. The van careened off the highway and plunged down an embankment. Two passengers were airlifted to hospital.

There have been other, fatal cases. With Singaporeans making more trips abroad, the chances of everyone staying safe all of the time can be less likely.

This is not a call to stay at home. But before leaving, precautions that can prevent a bad situation from slipping into a worse one should be taken:

Travel insurance
The cost of this is negligible considering that medical and hospitalisation bills can run into the thousands, as it was for myself and some of my fellow passengers.

Getting the best treatment available - a key consideration when one is hurt in places with widely uneven levels of medical care - costs. Insurance offers peace of mind. Keep the contact number of the insurer and the insurance policy number on your body.

Embassy contacts
If you are hapless and distressed in a foreign land, it makes sense to let the nearest consular authorities know - they have the experience of helping many Singaporeans before you.

After the crash, my friends and I were taken to different village hospitals. The Singapore Embassy in Bangkok helped us circumvent the language barrier by calling the hospital staff on our behalf to find out how everyone was doing.

Later on, they linked us up with Silkair so we could depart on short notice upon being discharged from hospital.

So keep the phone number of the nearest Singapore diplomatic office with you - and register with the Foreign Affairs Ministry before leaving home.

Other measures one can take include:
* Noting the local emergency services numbers.

* If language can be a barrier, having the contacts of locals in the country who can converse in your language and theirs can come in useful.

* Keeping a spare phone, extra mobile phone batteries or a mobile phone charger on you. In the chaos that follows a mishap, it may take a while before you find a power point. In any case, a power socket is useless if one has been separated from the charger and travel adaptor in the luggage. This was the case for my friends and I.

Here or abroad, life is full of what-ifs, so it is impossible to create an exhaustive list of everything that can be done should things go wrong.

But if they do - and when they do - a mastery of what we can control can mitigate the fall-out of what we can't.

Andaman News' highlights from 23 March onwards and 16-17 March

On Monday 23 March, our main news includes Phuket prepared to host ASEAN Education Ministers; then our Special report takes you to the OTOP Fair now on at Saphan Hin in Phuket city. Later we have excerpts from the International Dance Festival 2009 at Jungceylon, Patong. Later in the week we hope to have special reports on a local food festival, Ban Nam Sai community in Phang Nga and Old Phuket Town festival on Thalang Road.

On Monday 16 March, local news included the new governor now in Phuket, plus all victims from boat accident recovered; then our Special report went to a Lifesaving Carnival for kids at Surin Beach Phuket. Later we had an interview with Aditya ‘Duke’ Assarat, the Thai Director of ‘Wonderful Town’ movie set in TakuPa, Phang Nga.

On Tuesday 17 March, local news included German Ambassador to Thailand’s visit to Phuket; then our Special report looked at sea gypsies on Ko Lanta island in Krabi. Later we had an interview with Anchalee Saisoontorn the lead actress in the ‘Wonderful Town’ movie set in Phang Nga. We were NOT on air Wednesday 18 - Friday 20 March due to staff absence/illness/nationwide program.

From 1 April 2008 we have appeared on this website http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/ Please bookmark it and stay tuned for more changes & news as they develop. Our previous website http://news.prd.go.th closed all its pages at end of May 2008, and the other previous website Thaisnews.com was closed 6 November 2007; Some special and interview videos are also put on www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews or search under www.video.google.com. Contact us for any old videos we may still have, that you may need!

Also TV Channel 11 was renamed NBT since 1 April 2008.

'Andaman News', which started in March 2004, is usually on air live most Mondays to Fridays, at 8.30-9am, in English, with the latest local Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi news, reports, interviews and weather forecasts on local NBT TV, (VHF dial, not UBC-True) ; and also with effect 1 July 2008 live on Radio Thailand or Blue Wave FM90.5, to Phuket, Phang Nga & Krabi provinces; plus possibly repeats on Phuket Cable TV's channel 1 & their regional networks at 7pm & 1am; and on FM108 Mazz Radio in Phuket at 7pm. (Sometimes the other channels do not air Andaman News due to technical problems).

The Andaman News text, photos & VDOs are usually posted on this website from about 10.00am on each day of broadcast. Most are also put on www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews . We and others can also put some interesting links to our VDOs on other websites and forums as well free of copyright as we are a public broadcaster.

To send comments, enquiries, suggestions, video contributions, advertising/sponsorship* on program, requests to lease airtime, Press Releases, & volunteers for Young Reporters or Student Interns, please email to AndamanNews@yahoo.com or send to/visit the NBT TV studio on Rang Hill in Phuket City. For urgent messages, please phone 089... (in English) 089... or 076 ... (in Thai) or fax 076 211556.

* Also note we are willing to discuss company sponsorship of segments, programs and staff in Andaman News.

from:http://thainews.prd.go.th

Bodies of M/V Dive Asia accident victims to be identified

Thai police are working to identify the bodies of five tourist divers who were trapped inside the M/V Dive Asia I dive boat when it capsizedPHUKET, Thailand (13 Mar 2009) — The body of missing Japanese dive tourist Hirotsuga Yuba was recovered by divers this morning, leaving only the Thai cook of the ill-fated Choke Somboon 19 unaccounted for after the vessel sunk during a storm on Sunday night.

The bodies of four European tourists who were trapped in their cabins when the vessel capsized were recovered by divers yesterday.

The divers had to use special equipment including "rebreathers" to extract the bodies from the stricken vessel, now resting at a depth of about 70 meters some 30 kilometers off the Phuket coastline.

Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan and the Royal Thai Navy Region 3 Commander, Vice Admiral Narong Tesvisal, were on hand at the Phuket Deep Sea Port when a Phuket Marine Police vessel arrived at 2 pm with the bodies of Mr Yuba and the four European victims caught inside the boat.

In a scene reminiscent of the 2004 tsunami disaster, the five bodies in black rubber bags were taken by Kusolharm Foundation rescue workers to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where they will be held until claimed by relatives.

Phuket Marine Police Lt Col Wanlop Puangpaka said two teams worked to recover the bodies of those trapped inside the boat, while a third continued to search for the last unaccounted person, the vessel's Thai cook Jumpa Somrak.

The search for Mr Jumpa would continue until he is found, either inside the vessel or at sea, he said.

Meanwhile, the husband, daughter and son of Austrian victim Gabrielle Jetzinger, whose body was spotted floating in the sea Tuesday morning, have already arrived in Phuket.

They are planning to hold a cremation ceremony at Wat Pratong tomorrow.

They plan to scatter Gabrielle's ashes over the waters off Phuket because she loved the island so much, they told reporters.

Back from tsunami disaster, Thai resort is a divine retreat

Phi Phi Don is a Thai island made famous as the shooting location for the 2000 film "The Beach," starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It is notable, too, for being the site of about 600 deaths during the 2004 tsunami.

Less famous than its neighbor Phuket, 20 miles to the west, Phi Phi still offers white sand, crystal clear azure waters and swank resorts. When we visited the island in February, there was little to remind visitors of the disastrous tsunami. But the resort map does note a new tsunami warning system and a memorial tucked away behind the resort.

Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort & Spa is upscale, (the second-most expensive on the island) in its own private bay on the east coast of Phi Phi Don.

The beach that runs along the front of the resort is half a mile long and dotted with beach bars and sun chairs. The resort boasts an infinity pool, gym, tennis courts, three restaurants, an Internet cafe, a spa and a launching point for snorkeling, diving, kayaking, fishing and any other island activities your mind (or wallet) can conjure.

When we were there, the weather was mostly perfect, as it tends to be in southern Thailand in the winter: lower 80s, humid but breezy and not a cloud in the sky.

CHECKING IN: Once at Phi Phi Island Village, we were served frothy coconut-milk shakes garnished with pineapple and orchids. We had to wait an hour and a half for our room to be ready (we arrived more than two hours before check-in), but the staff was apologetic and accommodating. We spent the time until we could get into our room poolside, which is not a terrible way to wait.

ROOMS: We stayed in the cheapest rooms offered, which are called Superior Bungalows. Next up on the ladder are the Deluxe Bungalows (about $175 per night), followed by Beach Front Junior Suites (about $300), which overlook the beach and have whirlpool tubs, and Hillside Pool Villas (about $415) with private swimming pools, among other amenities.

Our private bungalow, set on stilts amid the palm trees, had a lovely porch with two chairs for relaxing. Inside the double glass doors, a bamboo partition separated the bedroom and sitting area from the bathroom, dressing area and closet. Complimentary bottled water, coffee, tea and fruit were provided. The queen-size bed had fresh white linens and a mountain of fluffy pillows. A television offered all the necessary news and movie channels.

BATH: Apart from the waterfall shower head, the bathroom was unremarkable. The separate dressing area with a stylish wash basin, however, was notably chic. The coconut-scented toiletries, bathrobes, slippers and more towels than we knew what to do with left us squeaky clean and smelling like that shake we had upon arrival.

ATTITUDE: The guests were a mix of families and couples of all ages. The vibe is certainly more R&R than party hard.

The main reason people come is to relax in the spa—treatment prices range from 1,500 to 10,500 baht (about $40 to $300)—or to soak up the sun in the pool or the shallow and sometimes rocky bay.

KID-FRIENDLY: Absolutely. There is a slide at the pool, a play area with rocking horses and a seesaw. Also, the resort provides kid options in all of the activities and restaurants.

BOTTOM LINE: For a Superior Bungalow, we booked online through latestays.com and paid 5,500 baht ($157), which included breakfast.

Tired of the same old dive sites? It's time to seek out some more affordable, exotic locations

Scuba diving is an addictive sport, offering the chance to explore a realm that can be tranquil and electrifying in successive moments. Many divers head for popular destinations such as the Red Sea, but after a couple of trips, the popularity of these reefs takes the edge off the experience.

If you are planning a dive trip, or thinking about learning to dive, it might be time to consider somewhere more exotic. By looking further afield in search of better value for money, you might just find a far greater experience both in water and on dry land.

Here are a few destinations where you can immerse yourself in the marine world without breaking the bank (as well as a few that are worth spending that little bit extra on).

Goa, world’s 4th most exotic destination

Goa has been ranked at No 4 on a list of ‘10 best exotic places to take an extended holiday’ by international travel website TripAtlas.com.
According to the website, an ‘extended holiday’ is more than two weeks long. The website ranks Goa above renowned Asian holiday resorts as the island of Bali in Indonesia as well as Thailand’s exotic beach resorts of Phuket and Pattaya.
“Goa is a hot holiday spot for Indian and South Asian vacationers and is best known for its beaches, festivals and ancient temples. It was once a Portuguese colony and thus offers an eclectic mix of both east and west.
Calangute and Candolim are the most popular beach towns, but Goa’s capital Panaji is worth a visit, as is Ponda, a sacred site of Goan temples”, the website says.
Goa ranks above even European and US destinations like Florida, the Canary Islands off Africa and the island of St Martinique in the Caribbean.
However, Goa fails to make any appearance on the website’s list of the 10 ‘Sexiest Destinations in the World’.

Phuket Thai Cookery School

Last time I was in Thailand I never got around to taking a cooking class. It’s something I really wished I would have done, so this time around it was at the top of my list.

Tuesday morning we were picked up from our hotel and driven half way around the island to The Phuket Thai Cookery School. Sure, there were closer ones to our hotel, but most were more expensive, shorter, or just didn’t look as good. Plus the Thai Cookery School looked like it was the most hands on, which is what I was looking for.

We arrived on a beautiful, quiet and almost secluded beach. There were only 3 others in the class, so it was nice and small, although the facility is set up to handle larger groups. After donning our dorky hats and bright blue aprons, it was time to get started. First up was making a curry paste.

Each of us was set up with our own little station, complete with cutting board, mortar and pestle, and ingredients enough for one. We began by learning about each of the ingredients, and watching as we were shown the correct way to make the paste, and then we all set to work making our own. Grinding all the ingredients into a smooth paste actually took a lot longer than I thought it would, and I can totally understand why you’d use a blender if making a bigger batch.

Storm Sinks Similans Dive Boat: Seven Missing

Urgent Updating Report

SEVEN PEOPLE are reported missing after a dive boat sank in a storm off the Andaman coast last night.

The boat contained 31 people, the Royal Navy told Phuketwan.

Tearful survivors arrived back at the deep sea port on Phuket this afternoon on board a police boat after being rescued by a fishing trawler.

The captain of the sunken vessel, the MV Dive Asia 1, Preecha Sealee, 45, told Phuketwan that his boat had been overturned by one big wave off the Similan islands.

A dive company spokesperson said there were Germans, Austrians, Australians, Swiss, Swedes, Japanese and Thais on board.

This afternoon a Marine Police officer told Phuketwan that seven people were missing: two Swiss, two Austrians, one Thai, one German, one Japanese.

The Governor of Phuket, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, interrupted hosting a visit by a Royal princess today to order a helicopter search of the area in which the seven people are missing.

The Navy said they were contacted by the diving company at 8.30am today, when a search began.

The boat was named by the Navy as the MV Dive Asia 1.

A spokesperson for Dive Asia said today: ''I really can't tell you anything because we don't know anything.

The last we heard was at 10pm last night from the boat when everything was ok.''

The spokesperson was on his way to the deep sea port on Phuket to greet survivors.

The Similan islands made news earlier this year when tourists told of encountering Royal Navy officers holding Rohingya boat people under arrest on a beach there.

Andaman coast weather is normally quite calm at this time of year but the sudden squalls around Phuket are savage.

A storm that came out of nowhere drove One-Two-Go holiday flight 269 into the ground at Phuket airport in 2007, killing 90 of 130 people on board.

An email to Phuketwan this afternoon said: ''Dear All,

''With great sadness we have to inform you that our MV Dive Asia 1 sunk last night the 8th of March at around 11pm on the way back from Similan to Phuket.

''To our knowledge most of our guest and crew were able to get into the life raft and where picked up by a fishing boat around noon.

''Right now this people are being transferred to a Thai Police Vessel and are on the way to shore and should arrive soon.

''Six people are still missing and a search in the area is underway. Your support is greatly appreciated.

''At this moment we do not know the reason for the accident and we will keep you posted.

''Best Regards,
''Benno and Juergen''

http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phang-nga-storm-sinks-dive-boat-six-missing/

GETTING A MASSAGE IN PHUKET

Getting a massage should be a thing to do when travelling Phuket. Massage in Phuket is a great way to relax after a long day of diving, touring or sailing.

Massage is an ancient and traditional form of healing derived from Ayurvedic medicine and a Thai massage in Phuket is incredibly inexpensive compared to the west. Also, it is an ancient Thai art created to make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

Massage shops in Phuket are found all over the island but are more concentrated in the tourist areas such as Patong and Kata. The Nai Harn area also has a large number of massage places, many of which also have saunas on site.

In Phuket Town, relaxing with massage is more concentrated at the larger spas. These tend to be more expensive but the cost of a massage usually includes a spa and herbal sauna as well. All of Phuket’s beaches are dotted with small beachfront massage stalls. There is something special about receiving a therapeutic Thai massage while staring out at the white sands and deep blue Andaman Sea.

A massage in Phuket usually costs about 200 baht per hour at one of the smaller, out of the way shops and can go as high as 1000 baht for the full royal treatment at one of the upmarket health spas. On the beach, expect to pay 300-350 baht an hour – there are plenty of ladies wandering up and down the beachfront offering these under the shade of the trees.

Some of the favourite massage parlours in Phuket are:

Gae’s Massage and Sauna: located on Saiyuan Road, Nai Harn, this place is popular with locals and offers massages and saunas in a charmingly rustic location.

Phuket Royal Spa and Massage: is an upmarket establishment in the Sam Kong area of Phuket City. Massage services are excellent and include an herbal sauna. 367/63-64 Yaowarat Rd. Tel: 076 236663

Hutavat Thai Massage: is one of the least dodgy massage parlors in Patong and has a quiet, clean and professional atmosphere. 45/12 Phrabaramee Rd.

Phuket Herbal Sauna: offers a good value for the money and is one of the better herbals saunas on the island. 2/3 moo 8, Chalong Road. Tel: 076 280910

Boo’s Original Thai Massage: is one of the oldest traditional Thai massage parlors on Phuket. 78/12 Moo 3 Kamala Main Rd. Tel: 076 385821

Search operation continues after a body of a woman was found from the diving boat accident in Phuket while six more are still missing

Search operation continues after a body of a woman was found from the diving boat accident in Phuket while six more are still missing

Andaman News on NBT TV Phuket reported that Police patrol boat TOR 221 and the Royal Thai Navy Third Command along with staff from the charity foundation of Kusoltham brought to shore a body of a woman found about 20 kilometres away from the popular sunset view point of Promthep Cape on the south side of Phuket Island.

The body was believed to be one of the missing Austrian divers. The Phuket Governor Preecha Rungjan held a meeting with all related agencies to get up-dates, instructing search and rescue teams to speed up operations searching for 6 other missing people. Yesterday afternoon he went on a Navy plane to get an aerial view of the location where the diving boat is believed to be sunk. A so-called ‘war room’ acting as centre of command and information has also been set up at the provincial hall to provide any information and assistance survivors or families of tourist divers may need.

A representative from Dive Asia Company told the meeting that experienced scuba divers and special equipment have been sent out to assist the search. Benno Brandon, a Director of Dive Asia Co, told Andaman News earlier that the boat was well equipped and only 4 months old. He said it had proper radio and radar communications, but the accident occurred swiftly and in the dark plus a rainy storm or freak wind.

Officials from Austrian and Japanese Embassies came down to Phuket to look after their affected citizens. Some German and Austrian survivors requested to return to their countries and the Tourist Police have reportedly arranged with Immigration officials to facilitate convenient journeys for them. At 8am today, the Royal Thai Navy sent up a helicopter to continue searching the area. The report also said that on Sunday March 8th, a local fishing boat sank near Bon Island just south of Rawai, on the south side of Phuket. There were three people on board and one is still missing.

11 March 2009
National News Bureau of Thailand

Thailand's Major Cineplex looks to India

Thailand's Major Cineplex looks to India
By Scott Rosenberg

Thailand's largest exhibitor, Major Cineplex Group, is exploring new market opportunities for entertainment complexes in India, according to Somkit Tantadvanichkul, CEO of Major Cineplex Property Co, a subsidiary of Major Cineplex Group. Tantadvanichkul maintains that many Indian real estate firms have approached the company with land offers.

Major has already expanded its bowling business to India. A joint venture with PVR, the first 24-lane bowling outlet opens in April 2009. The company plans to spend at least US$28.6 million to open another 19 bowling outlets in India over the next three years.
Tantadvanichkul says that India is very attractive for investing in entertainment-related business. Major is considering opening entertainment centers similar to Major Cineplex standalone complexes in Thailand, he reveals.

"India has many multiplex theatres in retail centers, but few standalone cinema complexes, and they are unlike those in Thailand. The movie industry in India is also huge, with several thousand movies shown every year, worth over US$286 million," he notes.

Tantadvanichkul says the company is interested in developing entertainment complexes in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. He also describes Major's desire to build new projects in Bangkok, although retail complexes or multiples over 10,000 square meters are prohibited in the city under Bangkok's City Plan.

''If the Bangkok government relaxes this condition, there would be more opportunities to invest and it would be good for the country's economy'' he opines.

GDC Deploys in China
GDC Technology is moving its product forward again. The company recently won a contract to deploy 100 digital-cinema projection systems in Mainland China for the China Film Group Corporation (CFGC). The DCI-2000 Digital Cinema Integrated Projection System, which consists of GDC’s SA-2100 Digital Cinema Server and Barco’s DLP Cinema® Projector, will be used in the deployment.

“We have a long history of working with GDC dated back to 2002,” said Han Sanping, chairman and CEO of CFGC. “We are more than satisfied with the reliable performance of the 700 GDC servers that are already installed in cinemas. This new contract is just another show of our confidence in GDC as our trusted partner for digital rollout in China.”

Thailand Announces Ratings System
It was bound to happen: Thailand's Ministry of Culture will begin enforcing Thailand's first film ratings system beginning in May 2009.

"We should be able to enforce the regulations from May onward," Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch said in an interview with the Nation newspaper. "The system will have seven categories, rather than the more usual five used elsewhere. The two extra groups are for films that should be promoted on merits of cultures, arts or traditions, and films that should be banned for containing inappropriate content," Slukpetch said.

Among pics banned from Thai screens will be those that authorities believe offend the monarchy, threaten national security or national unity, insult religion, disrespect "honorable figures," challenge morals or contain explicit sex scenes.

The five other categories are similar to those used in rating systems elsewhere, including for general audiences, ages 13, 18, and restricted.

But the real question is how this will affect box-office. It will not. Like other laws in Thailand, after a period of implementation, the new regulations will likely be "overlooked.” If past experience is any indicator, the government will only use the law in cases where a point is to be made, and theatres told to implement the regulations will be more concerned with filling seats then asking for ID cards.

Phuket Fest Spotlights Taiwan
The second edition of the Phuket Film Festival, to be held June 4–11 at the international tourist destination of Phuket, Thailand, will feature a Spotlight on Taiwanese Film.

Taiwanese 2009 Academy Award Foreign-Language submission Cape #7 will top the lineup of award-winning films from the island nation. Supporting the films will be a delegation of directors, producers and actors and actresses coming into the Festival from Taiwan.
In recent years, a Korean culture wave of entertainment has swept across Asia. Close behind, however, is a new wave of Taiwanese "stars" turning out TV soaps and feature films that are winning awards at international film festivals.

The Taiwanese Embassy in Thailand will throw a gala reception at the Festival for the visiting delegation and other Festival VIPs on June 5.

Thailand Launches Comedy Fest
Speaking of festivals, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is moving forward with a new World Comedy Festival to be held in Bangkok in April 2009. The idea behind the event is to get people's minds off the economy and, most of all, off the recent political problems Thailand has had, including the closure of Bangkok's airports.

The Festival announced that it will screen 50 comedies from around the world.
No editorial comment offered here except: When was the last time you went to a foreign-language comedy and laughed at dialogue presented to you in subtitles? Oh, Charlie Chaplin, where are you when we need you?

Contact Asia-Pacific bureau chief Scott Rosenberg with your news items at (662) 982-4525, by fax at (662) 982-4526, or by e-mail at scott.rosenberg@gmail.com.

from:http://www.filmjournal.com