Thursday, June 17, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Tranquil turquoise retreat
A beautiful seven-tiered waterfall in Kanchanaburi's Si Sawat district is a great way to cool down
If you are looking for somewhere serene and peaceful to escape to, Erawan National Park is probably the ideal place, and soaking in refreshingly cool water alongside the Erawan Waterfall in the wilderness of Kanchanaburi's Si Sawat district is a great idea to beat the heat.
The waterfall is famed for its turquoise-coloured stream and unique limestone formations, and is on seven levels, each of which has unique characteristics, allowing visitors to enjoy exploring the 1.5 kilometre trail to the top.
Walk along the shady trail and you will find yourself in a tropical wilderness, your path lined with huge trees such as makha mong (Afzelia xylocarpa (Kurz) Craib) and ironwood (Hopea odorata Roxb).
On the way up the hill, I take small rests along the way and find each tier of the waterfall has its own pool, allowing visitors to swim and relax in privacy. And since the national park does not allow visitors to bring in plastic bottles, the waterfall is very clean.
Curiosity keep me walking to see how beautiful each tier was. Finally I reached the highest tier of the falls. At the seventh tier, Phu Pha Sawan, I find my efforts climbing up worthwhile.
Here is an amazing and marvellous waterfall, fed by a turquoise stream. If you visit the falls on a rainy day, you may get a chance to see the stream rushing over a huge rock, making it look like a three-headed elephant - which is why this waterfall is named Erawan, the heavenly Hindu elephant god ridden by Lord Indra.
If you are looking for somewhere serene and peaceful to escape to, Erawan National Park is probably the ideal place, and soaking in refreshingly cool water alongside the Erawan Waterfall in the wilderness of Kanchanaburi's Si Sawat district is a great idea to beat the heat.
The waterfall is famed for its turquoise-coloured stream and unique limestone formations, and is on seven levels, each of which has unique characteristics, allowing visitors to enjoy exploring the 1.5 kilometre trail to the top.
Walk along the shady trail and you will find yourself in a tropical wilderness, your path lined with huge trees such as makha mong (Afzelia xylocarpa (Kurz) Craib) and ironwood (Hopea odorata Roxb).
On the way up the hill, I take small rests along the way and find each tier of the waterfall has its own pool, allowing visitors to swim and relax in privacy. And since the national park does not allow visitors to bring in plastic bottles, the waterfall is very clean.
Curiosity keep me walking to see how beautiful each tier was. Finally I reached the highest tier of the falls. At the seventh tier, Phu Pha Sawan, I find my efforts climbing up worthwhile.
Here is an amazing and marvellous waterfall, fed by a turquoise stream. If you visit the falls on a rainy day, you may get a chance to see the stream rushing over a huge rock, making it look like a three-headed elephant - which is why this waterfall is named Erawan, the heavenly Hindu elephant god ridden by Lord Indra.
Government pursues plan to buy Thaicom
The Thai government is proposing to buy Thaicom Plc from Singapore-based Temasek Holdings to avoid future conflicts stemming from the use of the company's satellites to air anti-government broadcasts, according to an industry source.
Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij and Sirichok Sopha, the prime minister's secretary, flew to Singapore in mid-April as political protests were escalating to meet Temasek executives with two proposals, said the source, who asked not to be named.
Mr Korn reportedly asked Temasek, as the major shareholder of Thaicom parent Shin Corp, to co-operate with the Thai government to stop the red-shirt protesters' People Channel (PTV) from broadcasting inappropriate programmes via Thaicom.
Temasek agreed and referred the matter to the Thaicom board, and subsequently the PTV broadcasts were blocked, the source said.
Thaicom was founded by fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who currently faces terrorism charges linked to the 10-week protests by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship. His family sold its holdings in Shin Corp to Temasek in January 2006.
Mr Korn also made a second proposal, asking Temasek if it would be possible for a Thai state enterprise, either MCOT or CAT Telecom, to take over Temasek's indirect investment in the satellite operator.
However, the source said, there has been no follow-up because Temasek at the time was making management changes in its telecom portfolio.
The Thai government is still pursuing the idea under a government-to-government deal, which could result in changes in the terms for the remaining 12 years of Thaicom's concession, or even a new satellite concession.
The source said that if the deal was successful, Thaicom would in effect become a state enterprise and the government would find it easier to regulate satellite broadcasting.
Shin Corp executive chairman Somprasong Boonyachai said he was aware of the government proposals but was not involved in any talks directly.
But he said that if the government had a proposal that was positively received by Shin's major shareholder, it would be welcomed.
"If they can settle this deal, it will be a good thing because it will erase all issues that have annoyed both Thaicom and the government," he said.
He said it was not clear whether a takeover would involve a tender offer for shares of SET-listed Thaicom. As well, the impact on Thaicom executives and staff was unclear.
A high-level executive of Thaicom said that although the government was attempting to find a new player in the satellite industry, it was not easy because the industry is highly competitive with low margins.
"I still have a strong belief that building and launching a new satellite can be done only by Thaicom and the military," he said.
Thaicom has three satellites in orbit: Thaicom 2 which will expire in a few months, Thaicom 5, a replacement for Thaicom 3 which was deorbited; and iPSTAR or Thaicom 4.
Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij and Sirichok Sopha, the prime minister's secretary, flew to Singapore in mid-April as political protests were escalating to meet Temasek executives with two proposals, said the source, who asked not to be named.
Mr Korn reportedly asked Temasek, as the major shareholder of Thaicom parent Shin Corp, to co-operate with the Thai government to stop the red-shirt protesters' People Channel (PTV) from broadcasting inappropriate programmes via Thaicom.
Temasek agreed and referred the matter to the Thaicom board, and subsequently the PTV broadcasts were blocked, the source said.
Thaicom was founded by fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who currently faces terrorism charges linked to the 10-week protests by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship. His family sold its holdings in Shin Corp to Temasek in January 2006.
Mr Korn also made a second proposal, asking Temasek if it would be possible for a Thai state enterprise, either MCOT or CAT Telecom, to take over Temasek's indirect investment in the satellite operator.
However, the source said, there has been no follow-up because Temasek at the time was making management changes in its telecom portfolio.
The Thai government is still pursuing the idea under a government-to-government deal, which could result in changes in the terms for the remaining 12 years of Thaicom's concession, or even a new satellite concession.
The source said that if the deal was successful, Thaicom would in effect become a state enterprise and the government would find it easier to regulate satellite broadcasting.
Shin Corp executive chairman Somprasong Boonyachai said he was aware of the government proposals but was not involved in any talks directly.
But he said that if the government had a proposal that was positively received by Shin's major shareholder, it would be welcomed.
"If they can settle this deal, it will be a good thing because it will erase all issues that have annoyed both Thaicom and the government," he said.
He said it was not clear whether a takeover would involve a tender offer for shares of SET-listed Thaicom. As well, the impact on Thaicom executives and staff was unclear.
A high-level executive of Thaicom said that although the government was attempting to find a new player in the satellite industry, it was not easy because the industry is highly competitive with low margins.
"I still have a strong belief that building and launching a new satellite can be done only by Thaicom and the military," he said.
Thaicom has three satellites in orbit: Thaicom 2 which will expire in a few months, Thaicom 5, a replacement for Thaicom 3 which was deorbited; and iPSTAR or Thaicom 4.
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