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) EC officials urged to remain neutral during election
BANGKOK, Oct 21 (TNA) - Thailand's general election will be held two months from now, and Election Commission (EC) officials are urged to stay neutral, and to not identify with the activities or positions of any political party, EC chairman Apichart Sukhagganond said Sunday.Mr. Apichart's remarks were made as EC officials throughout the country met at a Bangkok hotel for the second day.
The EC chief told the convened election civil servants that every concerned official should work twice as hard after His Majesty the King's endorsement of the Royal Decree setting the next general election for December 23.
Urging EC officials to remain non-partisan in regard to the upcoming general election, Mr. Apichart said he had received complaints that some election officials had not acted impartially, and called upon them to refrain from taking bribes. More>>
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) Accolades For The Empire Hotel In Travel Poll
Bandar Seri Begawan - The Empire Hotel & Country Club has collected three accolades in Smart Travel Asia's 'The Best in Travel 2007' awards - an annual travel poll, a press release stated.The Empire Hotel & Country Club was voted in the Top 25 of three categories in a poll of readers. Readers ranked the resort 19th among Asia's Best Business Hotels, 18th among Asia's Best Conference Hotels and 12th of Asia's Best Leisure Hotels & Resorts. Other hotels and resorts featured in this reputable poll include The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, Grand Hyatt Shanghai, The Datai Langkawi. JW Marriot Phuket Resort and Spa, Banyan Tree Phuket, One & Only Royal Mirage Dubai, Ritz Carlton Bali, The Oriental Bangkok and Pangkor Laut Resort. More>>
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) Suspected Canadian pedophile nabbed in Thailand (4:09 p.m.)
BANGKOK -- A Canadian schoolteacher accused of sexually abusing over a dozen boys was arrested Friday in rural Thailand after an unprecedented public appeal from Interpol had turned him into the world's most wanted suspected pedophile.
The suspect, 32-year-old Christopher Paul Neil, had been hiding in the town of a Thai friend who arranged some of his alleged sexual liaisons with boys, police said.
"Bingo! We've got him," police Maj. Gen. Wimol Powintara told The Associated Press.
Neil was being driven from the province of Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok, about 210 kilometers away, Wimol said. He declined to give details of the arrest, saying a news conference would be held in Bangkok later in the day.
Shortly before the arrest, Wimol said police had rushed to the northeastern province Thursday night after receiving credible information that Neil had fled there. More>> - (
) Balloon service for sunflower watchers
Mae Hong Son is planning to operate a balloon service for visitors arriving in the province to admire the seasonal blooming of bua tong or Mexican sunflowers on the slopes of Doi Mae U-kho in Khun Yuam district.Akaradej Wanchaithanawong, chairman of the provincial administration, said the service will cost 1.5 million baht to build and should be operating by the time the annual bua tong watching season kicks off November 11. It will give visitors a bird's eye view of yellow sunflower belts covering 500 rai.
Mae Hong Son is noted for vast fields of Mexican sunflower that thrive on those heights.
The balloon can carry five people at a time; the ride lasts 15 minutes and the cost is 100 baht per person, inclusive of a cup of coffee.
Last year the province drew 367,869 visitors, of which 58 percent were Thai, an increase of 11.62 percent from the year before. More>>