Fourteen tourists and two crew members were injured, Reuters cited local police as saying. Five Chinese are in serious condition, Xinhua news agency said, citing the Consulate-General of China in Songkhla. Krabi Prevention and Mitigation Disaster Department head, Paisarn Khunsri said the speedboat, King Poseidon 959, was making its way to Phi-Phi Island when the 12.30pm (local time) incident occurred. “Initial reports stated that three of the victims sustained serious injuries, another three with moderate injuries while an undetermined number sustained minor injuries,” he said on Sunday. The injured were sent to several nearby hospitals including Phi-Phi Hospital, Krabi Hospital and Phuket Hospital to receive immediate treatment. The local authorities, according to Paisarn, would carry out an investigation to determine the cause of the incident. However, an explosion occurred just as he was opening the cover of one of the three engines, the Bangkok Post reported. Everyone aboard then jumped off the boat and were rescued by nearby tourist boats, the Bangkok Post added. The Nation cited Manassanan Mahima, a representative of Apple Tours, which chartered the boat, as saying that they will take care of the victims. Mahima said each injured victim would be eligible for up to Bt500,000 (US$15,800) in compensation from insurance. “In events of deaths, the compensation is Bt1 million,” The Nation quoted her as saying. Xinhua reported on Sunday that China’s tourism authority has initiated an emergency plan to help the Chinese injured in the explosion. The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) has urged local hospitals to spare no efforts… [Read full story]
A series of blasts hit three of the most popular tourist resorts in southern Thailand on Thursday and Friday, killing two people and wounding dozens, just days after the country voted to accept a military-backed constitution in a referendum. Twin blasts hit the upscale resort of Hua Hin, around 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Bangkok, on Friday morning just hours after two bombs killed one person and wounded 21 late on Thursday. Hua Hin is home to the Klai Kangwon royal palace, which translates as "Far from Worries Palace", where King Bhumibol Adulayadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, and…... [read more]
The bus slid off the a main tourist road about 250 km (155 miles) east of the capital Reykjavik after colliding with a car carrying tourists from Lithuania, police said. The car’s passengers were not hurt. One Chinese tourist was killed instantly, while 12 others were taken to the nearest hospital by helicopter. Around 47,500 Chinese have visited Iceland in the past six months, accounting for 3.6 percent of the total number of visitors in the period, data from the Icelandic Tourist Board showed.... [read more]
Tour operators have proposed immigration authorities issue visas for Chinese tourists in transit at international airports and seaports in HCMC and Hanoi to attract more tourists from the northern neighbor. Chinese tourists visit the Reunification Palace in downtown HCMC. Tour operators have proposed immigration authorities issue visas for Chinese tourists in transit in Vietnam At a seminar on solutions to enhance the effectiveness of tourism promotion activities in HCMC jointly held by the HCMC Tourism Association and the Tourism Promotion Center of the HCMC Department of Tourism on December 5, Au Uyen Phuong of Saigontourist said Vietnam used to allow in…... [read more]
The Mong Cai border gate, the main entrance for Chinese tourists to get to the northern Vietnamese province, normally welcomes 8,000 to 10,000 entries a day, up to 3,000 of which are from China. However, over the last weekends, the number of visitors passing Mong Cai spiked to 15,000 a day, with Chinese arrivals accounting for up to 70 percent.On the morning of March 25, a 45-seater tour bus was spotted every two to three minutes at Tuan Chau International Port in Ha Long City, the province’s capital city.Most of the excursionists were from China.In less than three hours, more…... [read more]
Three people were killed and 11 othersinjured after a bomb blast in the violence-plagued province ofNarathiwat in southern Thailand on Dec. 7, said local news sources.According to the Thai news agency (TNA), the bomb, comprising ofroughly 8-10 kilogrammes of explosives, was attached to a motorcycleand detonated behind Bangnak market in Narathiwat, one of the threemainly Muslim provinces.The attack came two days ahead of a planned visit to the province byThai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Malaysian counterpart,Najib Razak.The trip to Narathiwat is part of a three-day official visit toThailand by the Malaysian Prime Minister. He and the Thai PM…... [read more]
