The Wa Authority has pledged to ban poppy use and cultivation by 2005. Poppy growers have now received the message and know they will have to change their way of life within two years

But according to Ron Renard, who recently visited the area and talked to people, this will not be an easy task. The farmers in the area, on the average, only grow enough rice to live on for half a year. With the cash they made from opium sales, they purchase rice and other foodstuffs for the other half of the year as well as other needs.

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Jungle living, the simple Paka Keryor life

The sounds of a mill and the smell of burning wood were the morning call for the outsider like me, tired from the previous day’s 5 km trek to the village. But they were the signs of the new day for the hill tribe people in Mae Khong Sai, a small Paka Keryor village on the top of the mountain.

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Chiang Mai fails to make Thailand football quarterfinals

Lead-ups for the quarterfinals in the Thailand Village and Tambon headmen tournaments were held at the 700 Years Anniversary Sports Complex on July 12. In the main match, Chiang Rai defeated Chiang Mai 4-3 and in the other friendly match between Chiang Mai Press Club and Fang District officials the result was a 3-all draw.

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Suthikiati Chirathivat, president & C.E.O. of the Central Hotels & Resorts, recently appointed Ms. Wannapa Rakkeo as the group director of communications. Wannapa is in charge of all public relations and communications for 11 properties within the group

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Every Thai embassy and consulate worldwide is appointing at least one person to run a post-SARS center to supplement the efforts being made by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The centers, called “tourism revitalization centers” (TRCs), will answer enquiries from travel professionals and the public about the safety of Thailand as a SARS-free destination.

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