Gadhafi's son arrives

General News - Tuesday December 11, 2007

INBrief

Gadhafi's son arrives

SEEKING UNITY :The son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi arrived in Thailand yesterday morning as a guest of the government to present birthday greetings to His Majesty the King.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the second son of the Libyan leader and chairman of the Gadhafi Foundation, was welcomed at Suvarnabhumi airport by deputy education minister Varakorn Samkoses and Natthapat Inthuphoot, chairman of the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand.

Mr Gadhafi will present birthday greeting to the King and also have an audience with Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn today, according to Thiti Siamwala, vice-chairman of the Islamic Foundation for Economic and Social Development of Thailand and country representative of the Gadhafi Foundation.

The Gadhafi Foundation will also co-host a seminar on world peace with the National Council on Social Welfare and other Buddhist and Islamic non-profit organisations in Thailand later this month.

The seminar is aimed at helping Muslims and Buddhists co-exist peacefully, said Mr Thiti.

Disaster zones

NARATHIWAT :Narathiwat governor Karan Suppakitwilekhakan yesterday declared eight flooded districts of the province disaster zones.

The eight districts are Chanae, Rangae, Rueso, Si Sakhon, Sukhirin, Sungai Kolok, Tak Bai and Waeng.

Heavy downpours over the past five days in Narathiwat have caused flooding in the eight districts at levels between 70 and 150 centimetres. More than 20,000 residents have been affected.

So far, floods have paralysed traffic on 47 roads and damaged eight bridges and 125 ponds at fish, prawn and soft-shelled turtle farms.

It continued to rain in all 13 districts of Narathiwat yesterday.

Swedes targeted

DANGER AREAS :Swedish tourists are more likely to get attacked in Thailand and robbed in Spain than anywhere else in the world, a survey by insurer Laensforsaekringar showed.

More than 1,000 Swedish tourists are victims of robberies, attacks and traffic accidents every year when they are abroad, Laensforsaekringar said in an emailed statement yesterday.

There were 12 attacks on Swedish tourists in Thailand in 2006, while 121 robberies and thefts were reported in Spain. Germany tops the list of the most car traffic accidents, the insurer said.

Phuket in Thailand is the most common destination for Swedish tourists this winter, according to the Ticket travel agency, as they seek to escape the dark months back home.

Spain's Gran Canaria is the second most popular destination. Mallorca in Spain and Crete in Greece were the most popular holiday destinations in the summer of last year, Ticket said.

By : Bangkok Post