BANGKOK — The Thai government has launched a mobile phone application that will allow passengers to rate their experiences with taxi drivers in Bangkok.

The app, produced by Department of Land Transport (DLT), will allow users to log their location, the license number of the taxi they are riding in, and evaluate various aspects of the service.

“The app will first be applied for taxis in Bangkok prior to expanding to other provinces,” said Deputy Minister of Transport Arkom Termpittayapaisith. “It is meant to improve efficiency and quality of service. I have instructed the DLT to publish the taxi evaluations on a daily basis, so that taxi users will know about that data too.”

The app, called “DLTCheckin,” is part of an effort to improve the behavior cab drivers in Bangkok, who are notorious for rejecting customers and refusing to use meters.

Arkom said the reviews submitted through the app will also help the Department decide whether to increase taxi fares by 5 percent in June, as was requested by taxi drivers earlier this year.  

The DLT also recently teamed with the inter-provincial bus company Nakhonchai Air to create a line of luxury taxis equipped with a series of high-tech features aimed at improving passenger safety. The cars will have GPS systems that can be monitored by the DLT, a ‘black box’ to record the driver’s behavior, and an emergency warning button for passengers. 

The driver will also have to pass breathalyzer test and verify his or her identity through a scanning system.  The service, called All Thai Taxi, will cost 20 baht extra and is set to launch in May. 

YANGON (DPA) — Four people including a journalist and local aid worker were injured as rebels attacked a Red Cross vehicle carrying wounded in north-eastern Myanmar, state media reports Sunday.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA — A Chilean bicyclist on a mission to cycle around the world was hit and killed by a pick-up truck in northeastern Thailand yesterday.

The 47-year-old victim, identifed by the Latin press as Juan Francisco Villa Honorato, was cycling near the 247 km mark of Mittraphap Road with his wife and 2-year-old son when he was hit and killed by pick-up truck that skid off the road and flipped on its side. 

Several hours prior to his death, highway police in Khon Kaen province hosted an event to celebrate Juan while he was biking through the province. An officer who was at the event said police and local residents gave him food and drinks, and wished him all the best for the rest of his journey. 

Tiwarat Chaipidet, the driver of the pick-up truck, has been arrested and charged with reckless driving that led to death and injury of others. 

According to an officer at Bua Lai Police Station, Tiwarat said he accidentally hit the cyclists because did not see them on the road. 

Juan's wife, Bao Ling, has yet to give any formal testimony to police, officers said. However, she reportedly told the police she intends to hold a funeral for Villa at Dharma Utthayan forest monastery in Khon Kaen province, because he was impressed with its serenity when he visited earlier this month. 

The Transportation Research Institute ranks Thailand as the second most dangerous place to drive in the world, with a rate of 44 deaths per 100,000 people, a number nearly twice global average. 

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CHIANG MAI — An official from Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep temple has asked tour companies to educate their clients about proper temple etiquette after a video of a suspected Chinese tourist kicking one of the temple’s bells went viral on social media.

The video shows an Asian tourist kicking a fortune bell at Doi Suthep, a popular destination for Thai Buddhists and foreign tourists in Chiang Mai. The video’s caption claims that the tourist is Chinese.

Chuan Patwan, an administrator at Doi Suthep Temple, said he could not comment on whether the tourist was Chinese, as he did not witness the incident firsthand. However, he said that many Chinese tourists visited the temple over the weekend.

“It will take some time to say whether the tourist is actually Chinese,” Chuan said. “But judging from his style, he was kicking his feet with so much agility, it was like kung fu.”

The official added that the temple has asked all tour companies and guide associations in Chiang Mai to teach their customers about proper etiquette when visiting temples, historic sites, and other important destinations.

“So it won’t create a negative image for Chinese tourists,” Chuan told Khaosod.

The controversy came during a mass influx of Chinese tourists to Thailand for the “Golden Week” of the Chinese New Year. Tourism authorities estimate that over 90,000 Chinese nationals will visit the city of Chiang Mai alone during the holiday.

Although it is estimated that the Chinese tourists will generate millions of baht in revenue for the Thai tourism industry, which suffered from the political unrest that spanned much of 2014, many Thais have complained that Chinese tourists are “poorly behaved” and insensitive to local customs.

On 9 February, Chalermchai Kositpipat, the designer and administrator of the famous Rong Khun Temple in Chiang Rai province, briefly banned Chinese tourists from visiting the temple because of their “improper” use of the site’s toilets. He lifted the ban by the day’s end, but said he remained wary of Chinese tourists.

Wisut Buachum, the director of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for Chiang Mai region, said he has been informed about the incident at Doi Suthep Temple.

“Such action is inappropriate, regardless of the nationality of the tourists,” Wisut said, “The TAT is collecting problems and issues about tourists’ behavior that happen frequently, in order to discuss them with relevant agencies. However, I think it’s only the minority of Chinese tourists. The majority fully cooperate, and the guides give them good advice.

BANGKOK — Four pro-democracy activists were arrested for discussing politics and giving away free T-shirts at Victory Monument in Bangkok today.

The activists, led by Akkrit Noonchan, said they represent a pro-democracy group called "Free People of Thailand 58," with the number 58 referring to the current year in Thai Buddhist calendar, 2558. The group distributed leaflets calling upon the Thai junta to increase public participation in the national reform process. 

The activists also handed out T-shirts with the name of their group and an image of a bird whose beak and feet are tied with string. 

Just as Akkrit was about to read a written statement to the crowd of reporters, plain-clothed security officers moved in to drag him away.

"You see? I haven't said anything and they shut my mouth already," Akkrit shouted as he was led away to a police box. "My beak is being tied," he said. In another show of defiance, Akkrit rolled down the window of the police vehicle and gave a "V" sign to reporters as he was driven away. 

Police later arrested three other activists. The group was taken to Phayathai Police Station for "attitude adjustment" sessions, an officer told reporters. 

Thailand's military junta banned all political activities shortly after seizing power from an elected government on 22 May 2014. Some violators have been detained at military barracks for "attitude adjustment" and prosecuted in military courts, where appeals are not possible. If found guilty, dissidents can face up to two years in prison. 

The junta, known officially as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has consistently relaxed its enforcement of the ban on groups widely perceived as sympathetic to the coup.  Yesterday, Buddhist monk and pro-coup activist Buddha Issra was permitted to hold an hour-long protest in front of a temple of a rival Buddhist sect in Nakhon Pathom province.

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