Two Incredible Last Minute Offers to Dive the Best of the Best with SMY Ondina. 

Paradise Birds Route:
From 23rd of Jan till 2nd  of Feb or
From the 5th till the 15th of Feb 

10 full diving days in Rajah Ampat for only 1.700 euros/pax or,  if you are a 
group of 4 or more, pay only 1.500 euros… more than 30% off!!

Contact Symbiosis Now!

The fleet of sunken aircraft consists of four Douglas C-47 Dakota Skytrains and six Sikorsky S-58T helicopters. They once belonged to the Royal Thai Air Force and were housed at an air base in Lopburi Province. The For Sea Foundation initiated the project to create an artificial coral reef following operations to fix natural coral reefs that were damaged by the devastating Tsunami that hit Asia in late December 2004.

It took two years for the agencies concerned to complete the feasibility study on the environmental effects of the project and determining the best location to sink the fleet. It was found that the aluminum body of each aircraft is non-corrosive, while their shapes do not obstruct water currents. Most importantly, it was found that they do not pose any harm to the ecological system.

The diving spot is expected to help boost Phuket’s strategic position as a world-class marine tourism centre with this new fascinating dive site. Corals will form a new reef along each craft, marine fauna will have a new habitat and the ecological system in the area will also eventually rehabilitate itself.

Ms. Cathleeya McIntosh, one of Thailand’s best known actresses and an experienced diver herself, has been chosen as the project’s Goodwill Ambassador.

Book now and you’ll get a 25% discount! Don’t dilly-dally, as I expect these will be snatched up right away. Contact Symbiosis immediately.

Misool, Raja Ampat

Flights are however gradually returning to normal at Suvarnabumhi, but it is extremely important that passengers check with their airline about any new check-in procedures, locations etc.

It will take the airports some time before they can fully resume operations. For airlines, there is also the complication of newly scheduled and confirmed flights to other areas of Thailand, giving priority to stranded passengers, and those passengers that should have been leaving around this time anyway, etc

However is it at all clear, when Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang Airports will be fully operational despite the autorities delaring that they will be fully open by Friday midday. The first Thai Airways International flight to land at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, TG 2109, arrived shortly after 14:00 today, 3 December 2008, from Phuket. International flights are expected to gradually resume Thursday. 

It will take the airport some time before it can fully resume operations. For airlines, there is also the complication of newly scheduled flights to other areas of Thailand, giving priority to stranded passengers, and those passengers that should have been leaving around now anyway etc.

Then of course there is security, something both Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang seem to have a problem with, when you consider they have been held under siege by pretty much unarmed protestors for over one whole week. With protestors being allowed to roam free, some pretty intense security checks are going to have to take place before traffic can resume.

Watch this blog for further updates.

This means the Prime Minister has lost his job so, technically, the PAD protestors have got what they wanted. Hopefully this will allow the PAD to leave the airports and flights to and from Thailand can return to normal. 

However, at the time of writing there is no movement.

Travel in and out of Thailand is still possible via other regional airports; Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai. 

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BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thursday night 27 Nov’08

Pressure built on Thailand’s military to intervene in a political crisis threatening to descend into widespread civil unrest on Thursday after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat rejected calls to quit.

Somchai, Thaksin’s brother-in-law, held an urgent cabinet meeting in the northern city of Chiang Mai as local media reported that he was considering imposing a state of emergency and rumors that the army was preparing to launch a coup swept the capital.

Thailand’s three-year-old political crisis has intensified since the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) began a “final battle” on Monday to unseat a government it accuses of being a pawn of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a 2006 coup.

A PAD blockade of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport & the old Don Muang airport, a major Asian air hub where all flights were canceled, entered its third day, stranding thousands of tourists.

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BANGKOK (Bangkok Post) - Friday 28 Nov’08

The government has declared a state of emergency around the two occupied Bangkok airports and police have been ordered to clear out PAD protesters so flights can resume.  Authorities have officially declared Suvarnabhumi airport closed until Saturday at 6pm at the earliest.The emergency decree orders the police to restore order and gives the military the right to help to “restore order, allow the suspension of civil liberties, ban public gatherings of more than five people and bar the media from reporting news that causes panic.” 

The primary operation is to be conducted by Bangkok metropolitan police.  Using the emergency decree gives the military the authorisation to clear out and reopen both airports, which were attacked, occupied and closed by the People’s Alliance for Democracy. The Navy and Air Force may be used if the army continues to disobey orders. 

Caution: It should be remembered we have been here before, and a state of emergency has no guarantee of results.

Ex-premier Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency last Sept 2 after early morning clashes between pro-government protesters and PAD backers in Bangkok. Police and the army refused to act, and Mr Somchai eventually lifted the state of emergency when he took office.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat presided over Thursday’s special cabinet meeting in his home town, Chiang Mai. PAD protesters have also seized and occupied both Government House and a backup government headquarters at Don Mueang in Bangkok. 

If there is bloodshed when the police try to clear out the airports, the military might have to step in. That could mean a de facto coup, even though the Royal Thai Army does not want to take power.

“The government is in a corner,” said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist at ChulalongkornUniversity. “If the police cannot do a clean job (of clearing the airports), I’m quite certain they will step in.”  

Army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda has refused to use his forces against protesters, but also has only “suggested” the government step down. Both Mr Somchai and PAD leaders have effectively ignored the increasingly ineffective army commander. 

If the army is forced to take over, Gen Anupong will start from a position of weakness, with respect from neither of the two sides in the conflict and seen as weak and vacillating by the majority who have favoured neither the government nor the PAD.

Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok International Airport) BKK 

Suvanabhumi Airport will be closed until Saturday 29 November 2008 at 6 PM. The re-open after those time is unpredictable. We will monitor the situation and keep you updated the as soon as possible.

Don Muang Airport (second Bangkok airport used mainly for domestic flights) DMK

Don Muang Airport is closed until further notice. Today there are no domestic flights departing from bangkok . 

U-Tapao airport (Pattaya)

Some airlines are considering  re-scheduling their flights to be departing/ arriving at U-Tapao airport (Pattaya) with shuttle transfers  from and to Bangkok.

So far no schedule has been issued.

Operating Airlines 

 There are some  airlines still operate:

-Phuket-Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific (CX); Dragonair (KA); Bangkok Airways (PG)

-Phuket-Singapore: Silk Air (MI)

-Samui-Singapore: Bangkok Airways (PG)

For more details about flights you should contact the airlines.

The Bangkok International Airport has been closed since yesterday due to anti-government protestors forcing their way into the airport.
Today the protesters have said that they will leave the airport by 18:00pm on 27th November.

At the moment no flights are arriving into or leaving from the International airport in Thailand.

Elsewhere in Thailand life goes on as normal. There is no threat to tourist in Bangkok, however it is best to avoid the area around Government house and the Independance Monument where the anti-government protestors have set up camp since September 2008.

CONTACT: diver@symbiosis-travel.com or use the online contact form.

For more information visit:
http://www.symbiosis-travel.com/indonesia/diving/5/nusatara/

Sipadan Kapalai Resort, Malaysia

Offer Dates: 10th Nov -15th Dec 2008
Special Offer:

10 % off
5D/4N Diving Package:
MYR 3,050/person
NOW MYR 2,745/person

CONTACT: diver@symbiosis-travel.com or use the online contact form.

For more info about the Sipadn Kapalai Resort in Malaysia visit:
http://www.symbiosis-travel.com/malaysia/escapes-hideaways/84/sipadan-kapalai-resort/

Before our 2009 rates come into effect, there’s still time to enjoy a stay at KBR, with our reduced Dive Package prices for the low season

Save $160 on a 4-Night stay**

CONTACT: diver@symbiosis-travel.com or use the online contact form.

4 Nights
Double    US$ 695/person (** 2009 price $855/person)
Triple    US$ 635/person
Single    US$ 815

Additional Nights
Double        US$ 200/person
Triple        US$ 185/person
Single        US$ 230

Price includes:

• Accommodation in Beachfront Cottage Suite
• Up to 3 guided day-dives per diving day, with cylinders & weights
• All meals
• Airport transfers
• Tax & Service

CONTACT: diver@symbiosis-travel.com or use the online contact form.

Exclusions: Tips, drinks, equipment rental, night-dives, land-tours, massage service, telephone calls, laundry service, mini bar purchases, internet access

Upgrade to Traditional House (per night)        Double/Triple    US$ 20/person
Single        US$ 40
Upgrade to Villa (per night)                Double/Triple    US$ 30/person
Single        US$ 50

Conditions of the offer:
Bookings are subject to availability. Cannot be taken in conjunction with any other special offer by Kungkungan Bay Resort. Cannot be backdated onto existing bookings. Offer valid for arrivals on or after 01 January 2009, departures on or before 31 March 2009

CONTACT: diver@symbiosis-travel.com or use the online contact form.

The quake hit 135 kilometers (85 miles) northwest of the city of Gorontalo at a depth of 26 kilometers, the U.S. agency said. Two aftershocks hit the area within 80 minutes, one measuring 5.6 and one 5.5.

The quake had the potential to generate a tsunami along coasts within 1,000 kilometers of the epicenter, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in an e-mailed alert. No tsunami was reported after five hours. Indonesian authorities lifted a tsunami warning they issued after the quake, AFP reported.

Several buildings were destroyed in Gorontalo, which is about 1,950 kilometers east-northeast of Jakarta, AFP reported. In Tolitoli, to the west of Gorontalo, residents told AFP buildings had collapsed. An Indonesian official told the news agency he expected there to be casualties.

A magnitude-9.1 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra to the northwest of Jakarta in 2004 produced a tsunami that left more than 220,000 people dead in 12 countries around the Indian Ocean.

Indonesia lies in a zone where the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, Philippine and Pacific tectonic plates meet and occasionally shift, causing earthquakes that sometimes trigger tsunamis.

SOURCE: Bloomberg Asia.