168/31-32 Moo2, Koh Samui Surat Thani 84320, Thailand Tel: +66 (0)77 413 014

Two young Swedish couples and their Thai driver were killed instantly Wednesday morning when their rented car was hit head-on by a six-wheel refrigerator truck in Takua Thung District, Phang Nga, on the mainland, just over the bridge from Phuket. The driver of the fish transport truck fled the scene after the accident. He is now being sought by Phuket and Phang Nga Police. The dead were identified by their passports and ID cards. The young Swedes were 22 and 21 years old. The Thai driver was a 26 year old Udon Thani native. According to Swedish media reports, the two couples were from the town of Varberg and were on a three-week holiday. They had been staying in Patong. Swedish consular staff are aware of the crash and will assist the families of the victims. According to reports, all five were killed instantly when the Toyota compact car they were riding in was hit head on by a six-wheel refrigerator truck owned by a fish transport firm Chotepatama Company. Takua Thung District Police are now hunting the driver, who fled the scene. According to one report the Swedes were on their way to the popular diving destination of Koh Tao, when the crash occurred. It was the worst mass casualty event involving Swedes in Thailand since the 2004 tsunami disaster. (Phuket Gazette)

Angry demonstrators rallied outside the British Embassy Thursday as a Thai woman married to a retired Scottish kilt-maker threatened to kill herself outside the mission on St. Valentine’s Day. Supporters gathered around Kanokrat Booth, 42, waving banners saying ‘Stop Judging Thai People’ and ‘Marriage is not a love service and needs no probation’ after Mrs. Booth was again turned down for entry to Britain to fight human rights and divorce cases. Kanokrat Booth was arrested and deported when she arrived at Glasgow airport in May 2010. Her husband Denis Booth, 67, a retired kilt maker from Galashiels, had tipped of the U.K. Border Agency to say that his Thai wife had deserted him and had another lover. Mrs. Booth, a former woman’s magazine editor and daily newspaper reporter, denied the allegations and an Immigration Tribunal and an Immigration Appeals Tribunal ruled that the U.K.B.A, had acted unlawfully and that the couple were legally married. But this month despite the Immigration Tribunal rulings and an acceptance of her case by the European Court of Human Rights the Border Agency refused her visa again. She had applied for a spouse visa, but the U.K.B.A said as she had no intention of living with her spouse her application was not valid. Said Mrs.Booth: “The UK is killing me by their laws. My life is already dead. All I want to do is fight my divorce and my human rights cases in Britain. When I have finished the authorities can stamp my passport red and say I am a person they do not want. I do not want to stay in the U.K. I love Thailand. “All I am asking for is basic human rights. If they (the Embassy) do not give me an answer I will kill myself with a knife.” She said she would return to the Embassy on February 14th St. Valentine’s Day. (thaivisa.com/Andrew Drummond)

Taxi motorcyclists nationwide pay Bt 684 million each month in protection fees to so-called mafia, an inquiry initiated by a son of Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung found. Wan, the newly appointed adviser to the transport minister, led the inspection of a number of taxi motorcycle queues in Bangkok, reportedly following a request by taxi motorcyclists. The first queue inspected was at Sukhumvit Soi 70/5, where the motorcyclists said they paid Bt 45,000 each month to "protectors". The motorcyclists said the protectors had also dispatched 20 unregistered riders to pick up passengers, resulting in their income being cut while having to still pay the monthly protection fees. Wan and Chalerm Changthongmadan, head of the Association of Taxi Motorcyclists of Thailand, vaguely identified who the protectors were. "This queue is located in areas under the influence of a retired Army general and military officers come to collect the fee," he added. They did not mention the role of local police or traffic police who were supposed to tackle the problem but were not present during yesterday's inspection of several locations. Quoting the association's head and other taxi motorcyclists, Wan said lawfully registered riders, who totaled around 190,000 nationwide, had to pay Bt 120 each day to protectors, in addition to monthly fees. "This could amount to Bt 684 million each month that the protectors have been enjoying," he added. (The Nation)

The Pheu Thai Party this week filed a complaint with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit after the latter's ministry refused to revoke title deeds for public land on Koh Samui allegedly held by the son of a leading opposition politician. Pheu Thai Party list MP and party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said Land Department director-general Anuwat Methiwibunwut instructed a Surat Thani land official on December 28 last year to revoke title deeds for public land on the island's Khao Phaeng Mountain allegedly obtained illegally by Tan Thaugsuban, son of Democrat Party politician Suthep Thaugsuban. The director-general gave the land official, Chamlong Popet, a January 13 deadline to complete the revocation, but the official refused to follow the order, Prompong said. (The Nation)

Bangkok Airways will be increasing its flight frequency on the Koh Samui – Hong Kong route from daily to ten flights weekly starting from 31 March 2012. Ms. Ariya Prasarttong-Osoth, Vice President – Sales of Bangkok Airways, said, “To respond an increasing demand and to offer more choice to our passengers, we have decided to add three more flights to each leg of the Samui - Hong Kong route.” The additional flights are PG873 Koh Samui – Hong Kong (17:50 – 22:05) operating every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and PG874 Hong Kong – Koh Samui (09:05 – 11:10) operating every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The airline operates the route with Airbus A319 aircraft configured with 12 business class and 108 economy class seats. (AsiaTravelTips.com)

And that was all for this week. Cheers from Roy.

TIL VÅRE SKANDINAVISKE VENNER: FØLG OSS PÅ FACEBOOK – SØK ETTER PENNY LANE SAMUI. (KUN PÅ NORSK)