Commentary: How much is sleep worth on a flight?

This makes the roughly NZ$100-an-hour nap on Air New Zealand’s Skynest a sweet spot for those who might be debating whether it’s worth forking out money for a premium economy or business class seat. 

SOME SLEEP IS BETTER THAN NONE

My only grouse would be that passengers are limited to only one four-hour block per flight.

However, according to research, each sleep cycle averages 90 minutes, which means four hours is generous enough for a passenger to wind down, get that 90-minute cycle in and gently awaken before they have to return to their economy seat. 

As a plebeian traveller on a budget, some quality sleep is certainly better than none, so I would gladly pay for this privilege.

The larger question is that as travel demand continues, will more airlines start to innovate more flat-bed options for economy class passengers. 

Some airlines, including Air New Zealand and All Nippon Airways, have pioneered “sleeper rows” where passengers can pay an additional fare on selected flights to book a row of coach seats. These seats typically come with leg rests that can flip up to create a broader lie-flat space. 

While solo travellers might still find it pricey to buy out an entire row of seats, couples or families with young children will surely enjoy this option of sharing three economy class seats among two people.

Continue Reading

I struggled to leave my tots to do humanitarian work in Africa. Here’s why I did it anyway.

SINGAPORE: Tam Wai Jia was clearing emails one Saturday afternoon in October 2021 when a new message came in. 

It was from her mentor, a professor at the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, where she worked. It was a call for humanitarian assistance for the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

“Wanna go?” the professor had written. 

For Tam, 35, it was an opportunity to fulfil a long-buried childhood dream. But as she stared at the email, her first response was, simply, “No.” 

 “This is not for me,” she remembers telling herself. “It’s for other people who are free and single and don’t have to be a mom to two young kids.” 

Tam is a humanitarian doctor and speaker who has written and illustrated several children’s books. She also runs an international non-profit, Kitesong Global, which aims to inspire people to realise their dreams through tools such as storytelling and partnerships with grassroots organisations.

But the heart of her identity, she says, is that of a mother. 

Tam, whose two daughters Sarah-Faith and Esther-Praise were aged four and two at the time, tucked the email aside. But for weeks, it continued to bug her. 

“I think deep down inside… a part of me was disappointed because this was my dream,” she said.

Finally, she confided in her husband, Cliff, a stay-home dad. She was not prepared for his response. “Wai Jia, this is what you’ve been training for your entire life,” he told her. 

“You just have to go.”

In the fifth episode of the podcast Imperfect by CNA Insider, Tam talks about how she grappled with guilt and realised she’d made the right decision to spend seven weeks as a risk communication and community engagement consultant in Eswatini, a land-locked kingdom that is one of the smallest countries in Africa.

Continue Reading

Yellow Line adds nine stations to trial run, extends operating hours

The Yellow Line monorail service will add nine more stations and extend its operating hours to between 6am-8pm during a trial run period from tomorrow.

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) has evaluated the trial run which started early this month on 13 stations with Eastern Bangkok Monorail (EBM), the concessionaire, and the project consultant, and decided to add nine more stations.

The free rides on the line, which comprises 23 stations, will from tomorrow cover 22 stations. Lat Phrao Station is still not open as some work is still under way.

The line’s operating hours will also be extended to 6am-8pm to take passengers during the morning and evening rush hours. Currently the trains run every 10 minutes, with operating hours from 9am to 8pm daily. With a maximum speed of 80km/h, the monorail holds four carriages that can carry up to 568 passengers each, or about 17,000 per hour. Travel time is around 30 minutes from end to end.

The line, covering a distance of 30.4km, interchanges with other city trains such as the MRT, BTS and Airport Rail Link. It is expected to help ease congestion on Srinakarin Road and Lat Phrao Road. Soon the Yellow Line will be connected to the Orange Line via Yaek Lam Sali Station.

The Yellow Line is expected to begin commercial operations next month, with fares ranging from 15 to 45 baht.

Continue Reading

‘Man o’ war’ yet to surface despite reports

There were no signs of the Portuguese man o’ war yesterday on Phi Phi Islands in Krabi, despite media reports that it had surfaced, a parks chief said.

Ratchanok Phaenoi, chief of the national marine park overseeing the archipelago, said a survey was conducted following news about the highly venomous hydrozoan being found at some beaches in neighbouring Phuket.

Staff failed to find the man o’ war (Physalia physalis), but would stay on alert due to the potential danger they pose to tourists, said Ms Ratchanok.

The Portuguese man o’ war has venomous microscopic nematocysts which deliver a painful sting powerful enough to kill fish and has been known to occasionally kill humans.

Found mainly in the Pacific Ocean, the man o’ war is sometimes found in Thailand during the southern monsoon, said Ms Ratchanok.

Continue Reading

Land Dept to probe SRT title deeds

Dispute over Buri Ram plots drags on

The Department of Land (DoL) will set up panels to investigate land documents for plots of land totalling 5,083 rai in the Khao Kradong area of Buri Ram’s Muang district following a land dispute between two departments, according to a source.

The DoL has set up committees under Section 61 of the Land Code as instructed by the Central Administrative Court, DoL director-general Chayawut Chanthorn informed the court recently.

The panels are investigating the legitimacy of land documents and revoking those that were issued for plots of land in the Khao Kradong area that belong to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the source said.

There are 772 documents to be examined initially, 396 of which are land title deeds and 376 land use documents.

Of the land documents, 12 land title deeds amounting to 179 rai in total, are said to belong to the Chidchob family, a powerful political clan in the province that has several businesses on the land, including the Buriram International Circuit and a 32,600-seat football stadium.

The move follows the March 30 ruling by the Central Administrative Court in a dispute between the DoL and the SRT.

The SRT, which seeks to reclaim its land in the Khao Kradong area, filed a petition with the court in September 2021 accusing the DoL of malfeasance for issuing land papers to people who illegally occupied its land.

It demanded the DoL revoke the documents and remove all people from the area after the Supreme Court said the rail agency owned the land.

The Central Administrative Court ruled in the SRT’s favour, ordering the DoL to work with the SRT in examining the boundaries of Khao Kradong. In the complaint, the SRT also demanded the DoL pay about 700 million baht in compensation, but the request was rejected by the court.

After the court ruling, the DoL said it accepted the decision but would consider whether to appeal. It also insisted it would revoke the land title deeds if any were illegally issued. The SRT appealed the compensation ruling to the Supreme Administrative Court last month, according to the source.

Continue Reading

Organic law probe could doom Pita

Cases against MFP leader mount

The Election Commission (EC)’s decision to investigate Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat over whether he had violated the organic law on the election of members of parliament may lead to many senators voting against his bid for the prime minister post, according to a former commissioner.

The EC decided to conduct the inquiry on Friday over whether Mr Pita had applied as a list-MP candidate despite knowing he may not have been eligible to run for a House seat. It did so on the same day it decided to no longer accept complaints over Mr Pita’s alleged iTV shareholding offence.

“The EC’s decision to pursue this criminal case against Mr Pita, although it may not be made final in time [for the prime minister selection process], is enough an excuse for many senators who intend not to vote for Mr Pita to justify their move,” said Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, former EC commissioner.

Worse still, he said, Mr Pita’s share-holding case could still be filed with the Constitutional Court if at least 50 MPs or 25 senators signed a court petition against his premiership bid, he said.

“Heavier weapons are being transported into this warzone, meaning the 151 anti-aircraft guns are just the beginning,” he said, apparently referring to the EC’s inquiry into whether Mr Pita had violated Section 42 (3) and Section 151 of the organic law on the election of MPs.

Deputy Pheu Thai leader Sutin Klungsang echoed Mr Somchai’s opinion that a number of senators will use the inquiry as a reason to not vote for Mr Pita when selecting a PM. “Those senators will cite uncertainties surrounding Mr Pita’s future as the next PM as a reason not to support him,” he said.

However, regarding speculation that Pheu Thai may form a coalition without the MFP should Mr Pita fail to win enough support to become prime minister, Mr Sutin said such a decision would have to be discussed among all eight potential coalition partners, not just Pheu Thai alone.

To prove whether Mr Pita is guilty of violating Section 151 of the organic law will be more difficult than deciding whether he is eligible to contest the election because of his iTV Plc shareholding, said Sodsri Sattayatham, another former election commissioner. The sentence for violating Section 151 carries a more serious penalty, she said.

Those found guilty face 10 years in prison, a fine of up to 200,00 baht and a ban from voting in elections for 20 years, she said.

Violating Section 151 is a criminal offence, and a final ruling may take about a year, she said. However, while awaiting the final ruling, Mr Pita’s political opponents can still petition the House speaker to seek a Constitutional Court ruling on Mr Pita’s alleged ineligibility to contest the election, she said.

Jade Donavanik, former adviser to the Constitution Drafting Committee, urged the EC and the court to speed up Mr Pita’s case, saying if their decision is only known after he becomes PM, the situation will become even more complicated.

However, he admitted that deciding whether Mr Pita had violated Section 151 of the organic law is something new in Thailand’s judicial process.

MFP list-MP-elect Rangsiman Rome also viewed the EC’s inquiry into Mr Pita’s alleged violation of the organic law as an attempt to prevent the MFP from forming a new government.

Ratsadorn leader Arnon Nampa warned that if Section 151 is used as a tool to derail Mr Pita’s future as PM, his supporters will protest in the streets.

Continue Reading

Prayut commends Lisa Blackpink for promo role

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has praised K-pop singer Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban, a member of the K-Pop group Blackpink, for promoting Thailand and helping to increase the value of the country’s economy.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri yesterday said the premier admired Lisa for expressing her pride at having been born Thai, by wearing traditional Thai clothes and talking about Thainess in her various shows and public activities.

Lisa recently posted pictures of herself and her friends wearing a Thai-style short-sleeve blouse and an indigo-dyed, mud-fermented cotton sarong with Naga patterning in Ayutthaya after finishing a concert there.

Her photos have sparked a trend among her fans of paying close attention to Thai traditional clothes and sharing tourist sites and cultures all over the world. When Lisa pays a visit, local economies get a boost, noted the spokesman.

Lisa’s style of expression serves as a form of soft power that helps spur the economy, he said.

The government has stressed the importance of promoting Thailand in new ways with the state, private and civil society sectors working together to achieve sustainable goals, Mr Anucha said.

“The cotton sarong with Naga patterning that Lisa wore is an iconic pattern in the northeastern region and is a well-known handicraft product from Udon Thani.

Lisa serves as a role model for the young generation and is helping to share Thai culture by wearing traditional clothes,” he said.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand also invited tourists who have an interest in following in her footsteps to travel to the three ancient temples she visited — Wat Na Phra Men, Wat Mahathat and Wat Maenangpleum — in Ayutthaya, he said.

Continue Reading

Firm donates B100m land to  Koh Lipe islanders after dispute

A private company has donated one rai of land worth around 100 million baht to the local Chao Lay community on Koh Lipe in Satun.

The donation was made as authorities and owners weigh up a dispute between the private sector and Chao Lay communities on the island.

Langu district chief Peerapat Ngencharoen, who is also acting chief of Muang district office, yesterday said that land owned by Narongsak Pattamapaneewong was formerly the subject of a dispute with the Chao Lay people in Usen community, and Mr Narongsak won a Supreme Court case on the matter years ago.

But Mr Narongsak recently decided to donate Nor Sor 3 land with a church as a community title deed to the community in Muang district’s tambon Koh Sarai, which is home to 12 households, on the condition the land cannot be sold.

Mr Narongsak decided to donate the land as he used to earn a living from it until he grew wealthy, Mr Peerapat said.

Authorities explained his intention to the community leader and two village heads.

If everyone accepts the idea, it may be the first Chao Lay plot to be issued.

Apart from the land, Mr Peerapat said the authorities are preparing to check if public infrastructure systems such as water and electricity provisions are still ready and functional for local use.

Authorities will review ministerial regulations, and also the issuing of building permits and hotel licences for travel and tourism business operators there.

Continue Reading

Lawyer files complaint over activist’s now-dissolved association

A lawyer has asked police to investigate political activist Srisuwan Janya for allegedly falsifying documents and making false statements in the setting up of his now-dissolved association.

Rachapon Sirisakorn yesterday submitted documents to Pol Maj Gen Narin Fuengsri, investigation chief at the Nang Loeng police station in Bangkok, to support his claims.

The move came after the Department of Provincial Administration issued an order to dissolve the Association to Protect the Thai Constitution for failing to meet membership requirements.

Mr Srisuwan, 55, who served as the association’s secretary-general, said he would appeal the order and vowed to continue to monitor the performance of politicians.

Mr Rachapon expressed doubt over whether the association had any members at all, saying that based on his observation, Mr Srisuwan carried out almost all activities alone.

He questioned whether the activist had used other people’s names in the registration of the association.

A person guilty of making false statements to officials or using false signatures when applying to register an association faces a six-month jail term and/or a fine of up to 10,000 baht, he said.

The offence of falsifying documents carries a jail term of up to three years and/or a fine of up to 60,000 baht, he said.

Mr Rachapon then urged others to file complaints against Mr Srisuwan if they have any evidence of his alleged wrongdoing.

Mr Srisuwan has filed hundreds of complaints with state agencies regarding the actions of politicians. He was especially busy in the run-up to the last election, watching for possible violations of an Election Commission rule against making unrealistic campaign promises.

The lawyer insisted he was not hired by anyone seeking to get even with Mr Srisuwan nor did he have a personal grudge against the activist. He said he simply believed the activist’s actions were not lawful.

If he did not file a police complaint, the department would certainly have filed a complaint, he said.

Continue Reading