Agent killed on Phuket fam trip

An Australian travel agent has been stabbed to death and another woman hurt in a bag-snatch on the island of Phuket in Thailand.
The pair were part of a group of 10 travel agents visiting Phuket on a familiarisation trip to inspect the five-star Katathani Beach Resort.
It is understood the trip was organised by Asia Escape Holidays.
The victim was 60 years old and worked as a travel agent at RAC Travel in the Perth suburb of Joondalup. She died in front of her Phuket hotel after being stabbed in the heart.
According to reports from Phuket, the women were walking near their hotel complex in Kata Noi Bay, on Phuket's west coast, about 10.30pm yesterday when they were attacked by two men who approached them on a motorbike.
The men attempted to steal the women's handbags and lashed out with a knife when they could not grab the bags.
A spokeswoman for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said Thai police had launched an investigation into the woman's death.
The woman who survived the attack with a cut arm told local media she and the victim had been hassled and pushed in the street by the men but did not realise they had been stabbed until the men had fled.
"We were walking single-file along the road, coming back from dinner. These guys had gone past a couple of times, and that started to bother us," the woman told Phuket Wan.
"Then I heard a noise behind me and I turned to see what I thought was my friend being pushed in the chest. I tried to help her." The men rode off, empty-handed.
"We started walking again, and only then did we realise we'd both been slashed."
The deceased has been named as Michelle Elizabeth Smith.
Her companion who survived the attack was reported to be Tammee Lynn, 42, who works at an Attadale travel agency in Perth.


by TravelMole Asia

Bag snatching way of life and now death in Phuket

The death of an Australian travel agent in Phuket is the latest tragic incident to rock the holiday island.

Bag snatching by youths on motorcycles is one of the perils of Phuket, particularly for women out walking in isolated streets, says media outlet, Phuket Wan.

A young German visitor had her thumb cut off in a similar savage incident in Krabi Town, a province nearby, earlier this year

This week talk on Phuket has been about the mysterious deaths of two Canadian sisters whose bodies were found on Friday in a hotel room on Phi Phi, another holiday island a ferry ride from Phuket, or the six drownings of tourists that have occurred on Phuket beaches in the space of one month and a day.

Phuket police are likely to pull our all stops in their efforts to find the killers of the Australian travel agent, said Phuket Wan.

Jayson Westbury, chief executive of the Australian Federation Travel Agents, said it was a tragedy.'¨'¨

"Dreadful news for the family, dreadful news for the travel industry here in Australia,'' Westbury told ABC Radio.'¨'¨

"We're doing everything we can to try and reach out and see if we can assist.''
 



Bag snatching way of life and now death in Phuket

Wartime bomb shelter officially opens May 22, 2012

Wartime bomb shelter officially opens

May 22, 2012

LookAtVietnam – Nearly 40 years after the end of the war in Vietnam, for the first time an old wartime bomb shelter of Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel opens to the public today, almost one year after its discovery.

Miss International 1964 Gemma Cruz Araneta, a Filipino journalist.

The 40sq.m bomb shelter has been well-preserved and was reopened to honour the Metropole staff’s extraordinary efforts of ensuring the safety for important guests against US aerial bombardment during the war, said the hotel’s general manager Kai Speth at a press conference yesterday.
“Today this space serves as a memorial to their courage and perseverance, and to remember what should never be forgotten,” he added.
The shelter served to protect guests from air raids. After the war, it was closed and sealed until a chance rediscovery by the hotel’s engineering department during the renovation of the Bamboo Bar in 2011. It was discovered nearly 3m below ground in the hotel’s gardens next to the bar.
“I believe it is part of the hotel’s history and every effort must be made to resurrect it and open it as a memorial so we can share more of our past with our guests”, the manager affirmed.
When the shelter was found, the underground chambers and corridors had become completely flooded. However after the water was pumped out, a number of items were discovered, including two old wine bottles, intact light bulbs, air vents, metal blast doors and and the words engraved on the wall by former Australian diplomat Bob Devereaux.
Many important guests stayed in the shelter in the period between 1960 and 1972.
Gemma Cruz Araneta, a Filipino journalist and Miss International 1964, described the shelter in May 1968 as “a long narrow semi-subterranean room of concrete”.
“It is lined with green wooden chairs and although there was no electricity, I noticed an electric fan was on. Really, the Vietnamese are such gracious hosts. The kitchen helpers and hotel employees patrol the premises armed with rifles and helmets and they persuaded the other guests to go into the shelter”, recalled Araneta.
Well-known American actress and political activist Jane Fonda, and American musician Joan Baez also spent time at the shelter.

Former Australian diplomat Bob Devereaux.

Araneta took part in the shelter’s opening ceremony yesterday together with Devereaux who did not remember why he engraved his named on the wall.
“Maybe at that time the shelter was flooded and I was groping my way around to find the Australian wine bottle, so I engraved my name on the wall to remember the way,” he recalled.
Historian Andreas Augustin, who wrote a history book about the hotel, was also present at the ceremony. He has built an exhibition area of the hotel’s historical path dating back to 1901. The exhibition area runs 18m along the hotel’s corridor to highlight Metropole’s 110-year-old history. On display are photos of the hotel’s early days, as well as names of its more than 300 famous guests, including English comic actor Charlie Chaplin and French writer Marguerite Duras.
The hotel offers guests access to the shelter and the exhibit via a scheduled tour programme starting today.

Hundreds of guests and correspondents waited to visit the bomb shelter on May 21.

Visitors have to wear helmets.

Former Australian diplomat Bob Devereaux wrote his name on the wall in 1975.

Bob Devereaux (middle) and Gemma Cruz Araneta at the opening ceremony on May 21.

Bangkok on red alert-09 March, 2010

"BANGKOK - Bangkok is bracing for trouble, starting on Friday, as the red-shirt movement, in its bid effort to topple Abhisit Vejjajiva's government, mobilise a huge protest march to paralyse the capital.

The Nation newspaper reported that the red shirts - supporters of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra - are prepared to face the declaration of a state of emergency by the government and persevere through sheer weight of numbers.

They hope to draw several hundred thousand rural people to Bangkok for their protest.

Asked by The Nation about the potential for violence, a spokesman for the protest said 5,000 red-shirt guards were trained to ensure things proceed smoothly.

However, the red shirts did not rule out the possibility of copying the yellow-shirt group's tactics, including seizing government offices as well as Suvarnabhumi Airport, the source said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has deferred his visit to Australia so he can monitor the weekend rally."

the tax slug that canes long haul travellers-30 October, 2009

SYDNEY - The British government has a nasty little surprise waiting – it’s called the Air Passenger Duty (APD) and from this Sunday, November 1, it will rise substantially.

APD will now fall into four bands – with passengers being charged according to how far they fly. The increases are planned for November this year and November 2010

The tax on the longest flights over 6,000 miles – including UK to Australia - is more than doubling from £40 now to £85 next year.

Passengers in premium-economy seats flying long haul to Australia or New Zealand will be hit hardest. The duty on these seats, which offer a little more legroom for a modest fee, will rise to £110 on November 1 to £170 in November 2010.

Premium economy passengers will pay the same APD as passengers in Business and First Class.

A family of four flying from London to Sydney or Auckland will pay £220 from November 1 and £340 from November next year.

The tax rise threatens to curb travel from the UK to long haul markets.

International long haul visitors will pay the tax when they fly out of the UK on their return journeys.

"APD is now a significant part of the overall price of the air fare and the planned increases in long-haul APD rates over the next year are a genuine threat to the commercial viability of premium economy," said Dermot Blastland, chief executive of TUI UK

When APD was introduced, the UK Government said the money raised would be used to offset environmentally damaging carbon emissions.

"There is no evidence to date of any environmental benefit, and it is ridiculous to think that holidaymakers travelling in premium seats on one of our charter flights will have to pay the same APD fee as those flying in first class on a scheduled flight," said a spokeswoman for Thomas Cook.

"When they should be doing all they can to lessen the strain on hard-working families, they are yet again making the consumer pay."

Air Pacific’s Fiji fillip-25 August, 2009

Air Pacific’s Fiji fillip
SYDNEY - Special return air fares from Australia to Fiji of $492 are now available with Air Pacific for travel during selected periods until June 30, 2010.

This fare is for travel from Brisbane to Nadi. Flights from Sydney cost $558 and Melbourne $658, all being fully inclusive of taxes and surcharges. Bookings must be finalised by October 23.

They can all be used in conjunction with Air Pacific’s recently introduced Pacific Bula Passes which allow travel from Fiji to other South Pacific countries for about $120 for two sectors

Pirate attack on Amazon cruise ship-11 August, 2009

IMA - An Australian couple have told The Age in Melbourne about a terrifying encounter with pirates who robbed the luxury cruise ship on which they were travelling in the Amazon.

Christina Ibbotson and Keith Lawson had just started their month-long South American holiday when gunmen stormed their cruise ship on the Ucayali River in the Peruvian Amazon in a dawn raid.

There were 12 Australians among the 28 middle-aged passengers on board the MV Aqua, which had been attacked and ransacked by pirates only 10 days earlier.

Ms Ibbotson said she first became aware of the attack when she heard shots fired outside her cabin and saw a man armed with a machine-gun coming towards her.

''Your mind just doesn't register that pirates had boarded the ship and when I saw the bandit coming towards me, I just shut the door,'' she said.

The couple then endured a terrifying 25-minute wait in their cabin wondering if all the other passengers had been murdered or if the pirates planned to take them as hostages for ransom.

The bandits stormed the couple's cabin last and robbed them at gunpoint of all their cash, cameras and jewellery before forcing them into another cabin.

Most of the passengers - including four Britons, two Americans and four Spaniards - were in the ship's breakfast room when the pirates attacked and were robbed, then bound and forced to lie on the floor.

Ms Ibbotson said most of the passengers were angry they had not been warned of the first pirate attack and said they had not heard anything from the Peruvian company Aqua Expeditions since.

The Peruvian Minister for Tourism, Martin Perez, has reportedly vowed to provide Coast Guard and National Police escorts for cruises in the region, to step up patrols and to increase security officers on board vessels in a bid to salvage the area's tourism reputation.

''This incident is of national importance as tourism is a vital activity in the region,'' Perez said.

Aqua Expeditions has reportedly changed its itinerary to avoid the area of the latest raid.

Source: The Age

More Australian tourists expected to visit Vietnam

Vietnam has the potential to become an extremely attractive tourist destination for Australians as many of the country’s tourist agencies are promoting low-cost tours.

Australian tourism agencies are currently offering overseas package tours for les than AUD 1,000 (nearly VND 12 million).

A promotion campaign is targeting at Australian households that have received between AUD 900-3000 in subsidies from their government’s economic stimulus package.

Australian students are eager to use this “government gift” to travel and consider it a welcome surprise from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s administration.

Vietnam is a popular tourist destination for many students because of lower costs invaded. However, Vietnam currently faces fierce competition from other low cost competitors such as Indonesia and Fiji.

Vietnam, Australia promote friendship and cooperation

Both government leaders affirmed their great determination to build a roadmap for comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Australia for the benefit of people from both countries and for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
A Vietnamese Government delegation led by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived in Canberra on October 13, beginning an official visit to Australia at the invitation of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

A State-level welcoming ceremony for PM Dung was held in front of the Australian Parliament House by the Australian PM Kevin Rudd.

The Australian PM appreciated PM Dung’s first visit to Australia which took place at a time when both countries are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the establishment of full economic relations.

The ruling Australian Labour Party Government wants to follow the fine tradition of the Labour Party’s previous governments in order to maintain and develop friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Australia.

Immediately after the welcome ceremony, talks were held between the two government leaders who expressed their delight at the rapid development of bilateral friendship and cooperation over recent years, particularly in politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, development aid, tourism, education, training, culture, national defense and security. Such cooperation has brought practical benefits to both sides, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

Australia is the seventh largest trade partner and the third largest export market for Vietnam. Last year’s two-way trade turnover reached more than US$7 billion and is expected to jump to more than US$8 billion this year.

To date, Australia has received nearly 10,000 Vietnamese students.
At a press briefing after the talks, the two government leaders affirmed their great determination to build a roadmap for comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Australia for the benefit of people from both countries and for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

They agreed to further promote bilateral cooperation in the traditional areas of economics, trade, investment, education and training, tourism and culture while expanding cooperation in such potential areas as labour, construction, transport, security, national defense, information, agriculture, health care, science and technology.

Australia consented to increase its cooperation with Vietnam in official development assistance (ODA) funding and fund a project to build the Cao Lanh Bridge in southern Dong Thap Province. The project is of great significance for Vietnam’s socio-economic development.

Australia also pledged to finalise internal procedures geared toward the early recognition of Vietnam’s full market-economy status and increase scholarship aid for tertiary education.

PM Dung thanked the Australian Government for creating positive conditions for the Vietnamese community to integrate and contribute to the development of their country of residence while serving as a bridge to the promotion of the fine relationship between the two countries.

PM Kevin Rudd accepted with great pleasure Mr Dung’s invitation to visit Vietnam in the near future.

Also at the talks, host and guest compared notes on international and regional issues of common concern and agreed to closely cooperate at regional, international and UN forums.

After the talks, they witnesses the signing of an agreement on transferring convicts between the two Governments and the granting of a permit on setting up a wholly foreign-invested bank in Vietnam for ANZ Bank.

This is the third bank of its kind which has been licensed to operate in Vietnam.
Later in afternoon (Vietnam time), PM Kevin Rudd gave a banquet in honour of PM Nguyen Tan Dung and his delegation.

The same day, PM Dung met with opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull, Speaker of the House of Representatives Harry Jenkins, President of the Senate John Hogg and Governor General Quentin Bryce.
On the occasion, Mr Dung also visited the Australian National University and met with staff from the Vietnamese Embassy, overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese students in Australia.
(Source: VOV)