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• Guide to Thai food
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Latest Headlines

• Chiang Mai gallery welcomes new artist

  The northern city of Chiang Mai is often praised by visitors for its diverse art and culture. The city is simply teeming with art galleries, temples and museums.

  So it isn’t surprising that the newly opened gallery named Look At This, which is located opposite the Amari Rincome Hotel on Nimmanhemin Road, should have proven to be a big success. This month, the gallery is contributing to Chiang Mai’s cultural profile by hosting Singaporean painter Li Li Tan.

  Li Li Tan is known for her bright, happy images and the paintings have been a big hit.
  "I dream a lot in both colour and black and white" Li Li told Good Morning Chiang Mai recently. "One of my favourite paintings here is Ave Maria. I dreamt it in black and white, then painted it in colour".

  Li Li Tan managed to sell several paintings on her first night in Chiang Mai, with the painting of Ave Maria painted in acrylic on canvas being sold for 40,000 baht. Another, larger painting also sold for 80,000 baht.

  Back in Singapore Lil Li Tan works as a TV commercial producer and photographer. However, she is so taken with Chiang Mai that she has announced plans to settle in the city in the near future.

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• Singing against swine flu in Phuket

  If you’ve recently touched down at Phuket airport you may have noticed airport workers scrubbing the building and singing while they work.

  Staff at Phuket International Airport took part in a Big Clean Day recently, scrubbing down all areas that could be possible transmission sites for the A(H1N1) virus.

  Staff were encouraged to sing “Happy Birthday” while they washed their hands as it takes about 20 seconds to sing – the amount of time needed to ensure all germs are neutralized.

  In an interview with the Phuket Gazette Airports of Thailand (AOT) chairman Piyaphan Champasut commented that: “We’re cleaning and repairing the airport because it’s been in use for a long time. We want to make it a clean, attractive and welcoming environment for tourists. And as swine flu spreads during 2009, passengers will trust in the standards of hygiene here.”

  Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) officers have visited the airport to drill staff members on the correct cleaning and health procedures necessary in order to make sure that the airport stays virus-free.

  So visitors to Phuket can be sure that the airport not only looks clean but is free from germs and viruses.

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• Pattaya traffic comes to a standstill

  If you’re travelling through Pattaya over the next few months you should allow plenty of time to get to your destination.

  Long traffic queues on the roads linked to the newly upgraded roadways spanning Pattaya’s railroad tracks have been causing road rage. Pattaya City Hall and local Internet forums have been inundated with complaints from disgruntled drivers, many of whom are experiencing delays of up to fifteen minutes at intersections.

  However, some people are able to take the delays in their stride. “All of these complaints are most likely from people just getting used to the new lights,” a local taxi driver told the Pattaya Mai recently. “People haven’t gotten used to it yet.” He believes that although the queues should be shorter they are necessary safety measures.

  The main traffic hot spots are along the newly named Local Road, Soi Nernplabwan, Soi Siam Country Club and Soi Khao Noi.

  It is predicted that the new computerized traffic-control system will take up to four months to complete, so motorists are advised to plan their routes carefully to avoid getting stuck in traffic.

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• Alternative cigarette too good to be true?

  Anyone who has ever tried to give up smoking will know just how difficult it can be. Recently, smoking was banned in bars all over Thailand including Samui in an effort to get smokers to quit. However, this act seems to have made little difference, as does the raising of the cost of cigarettes, which has almost doubled in the last few months.

  However, a new nicotine gel has just been released that might be the solution to many people’s problems. The gel can be rubbed onto the hands and suppresses the urge to smoke almost instantly. This is particularly good for areas where smoking is prohibited such as in cinemas.

  Although this may seem like a miracle solution, not everyone is convinced.

  Thailand Health Promotion Institute president Dr Hatai Chitanondh is concerned over the new gel. In a recent interview with The Nation he commented that: "The problem is that there is no research to confirm that this product is really safe. This is not a certified quit-smoking product. So, we need to monitor the product movement closely. Possible side-effects are higher blood pressure and faster heartbeat rate. Such side-effects could be dangerous in people who have underlying diseases.”

  It seems we may have to wait a while to see how effective the nicotine gel really is.

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• Speeding driver finally confesses

  A big day for the police last week when they arrested Somsak Phansranoi, 38, in Chumphon Province near Samui for driving over the speed limit and using a fake driving license.

  The Samui Express reported that what the police may have though would be a simple arrest or fine turned out to be much more when the driver suddenly confessed to killing his wife.

  Somsak told the police that the crime happened on Koh Phangan last September. He confessed to strangling his wife Darika Phansranoi, 42, and dumping her body into the sea at Aou Nang beach near Thong Nai Pan.

  The problem for Somsak, he said, was that he was unable to sleep as he was being “haunted and followed by the spirit of my dead wife. Now I feel relieved that I have confessed to you. I beg for forgiveness for what I have done to my wife. I won’t run away anymore.”

  After checking their records, the police discovered that the body of Darika Phansranoi had been found on September 8th and appeared to have been strangled. Unfortunately, the police were unable to arrest Somsak for the murder due to lack of evidence.

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