Three Swedish peace activists from the group Avrusta (Disarm), whose mission is to stop Sweden from exporting weapons, have been sentenced to prison for their attempt to destroy three warplanes in March. According to Sveriges Radio (SR), the would-be saboteurs were given between four and six months in jail and ordered to pay Saab 150,000 kronor in damages. Read the full story

Tours of beautiful Krabi and the Andaman Sea region of southern Thailand have been in demand from Scandinavian travellers for over 30 years, and the region remains as idyllic as ever, despite the recent troubles further north in Bangkok. Read the full story

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced that it sent an Airbus A340-400 on Saturday from Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport to Thailand to help repatriate stranded Scandinavian tourists caught up in the political turmoil engulfing the Thai capital Bangkok. Read the full story

Krabi tours company, Andaman Camp and Cruise offers tours in southern Thailand with an emphasis on giving a taste of the real Thailand, as opposed to just a “tourist’s-eye-view”.

Andaman Camp and Cruise’s Southern Thai Life tour was created to offer visitors a taste of the local daily lifestyle, landscape and culture, instead of just the usual procession of tourist spots.

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As Thailand’s political crisis rumbles on, the number of foreigners booking trips to the country has plummeted, causing losses the tourist industry can ill-afford.

The state of emergency imposed by the government in the face of fierce political protests was lifted on 14 September, but the political situation still looks Read the full story

Andaman Camp and Cruise, a family-run travel agency which has been organizing tours in south Thailand for over five years, is now offering tours to the emerald green waters of the Hong Lagoon.

The Hong Lagoon is one of the most striking landmarks in the Krabi area of south Thailand. The lagoon is surrounded by tall cliffs and can only be reached through a narrow gap of water. The region is also host to a number of spectacular sandy beaches and some of the most remarkable seascapes in the world.

Travellers can enjoy swimming, kayaking, snorkelling and diving in the cascading fresh water pools of the lagoon, which is located on Hong Island in the Than Bokoranee National Park. Its beaches are ideal for picnic lunches, nature walks or just soaking up the atmosphere. There’s also the chance to meet Peter, a giant monitor lizard who is king of the island.

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Thailand is synonymous with the longtail boat, elegant and colourful hand-carved wooden boats that have been used for fishing on the Andaman Sea for centuries.

The longtail gets its name from the long pole used to connect the propeller to the motor, usually taken straight from a car or truck. The simple design makes the boat easy to steer and gives it its unique appearance.

However, the growing popularity of speedboats in southern Thailand makes the future of the longtail boat uncertain.

Thai tour company Andaman Camp & Cruise has started promoting the longtail boat by encouraging visitors to the Krabi region to try out one of its traditional boats. The owners, Australian-born Elizabeth and Thai-native Sun, think one of the best ways to preserve the boat’s heritage is through tourism and highlighting the century-old tradition of the boat.

No two longtail boats are ever the same, as every builder constructs the boat by hand using local wood and his own distinctive style. Building techniques are handed down from father to son and as such the craftsmen don’t worry about detailed plans.

The boats are then decorated with colourful ribbons tied to the front – a relic of ancient times when animism was the main belief in the region. The colours are designed to appease the spirits of the seas which will ensure that boat and crew have safe passage and good fishing. The boats are solid and seaworthy, and give a smooth ride even in rough weather.

Speedboats are gaining popularity in southern Thailand, because they are faster and do not need to be painstakingly created from natural materials by local craftsmen. Andaman Camp & Cruise fear that the long tradition of building, maintaining and driving the boats will soon disappear, and once they are gone, that this knowledge will be lost forever.

Andaman Camp & Cruise specialise in offering longtail boat tours in Krabi, as well as personalised tours of the whole Andaman Sea region of southern Thailand.

The Krabi tours from Andaman Camp and Cruise attract people from all over the world – but since the company’s inception (when it was called Krabi Island Tours) it has built up a special relationship with its Scandinavian customers.

South Thailand has attracted Scandinavian visitors for more than 30 years. When Sun and his Australian wife Elizabeth started Andaman Camp and Cruise, two of their first customers were a Swedish couple, Johnny and Monika, from the famous Arvidsjaur district in the sub-arctic tundra region of northern Sweden.

Andaman Camp and Cruise’s traditional Thai longtail boat allowed the Swedes to visit every island in the area. When they asked for more, Sun decided to show them Krabi – his home village, including his family and the renowned local countryside. And so the new breed of Krabi tours with the personal touch was born.

Johnny gave Sun a T-shirt of his hometown in Sweden, where he is a local Adversjaur council officer. An instant favourite, Sun wore it until it literally fell apart.

“Johnny and Monika kept in contact with us and sent many of their friends and colleagues to us,” Elizabeth recalls. “And Johnny even posted the story of Sun’s favourite T-shirt on the official Arvidsjaur website.” And to Sun and Elizabeth’s pleasure, the Swedish pair finally returned to Krabi this year with a fresh supply of T-shirts and an appetite for adventure.

Andaman Camp and Cruise offers long and short tours of Krabi, as well as expeditions in the wider Andaman Sea region of south Thailand. The company has built up a reputation for its authentic custom-made holidays and as local specialists for the Scandinavian travel trade. The company’s website is in both English and Swedish.

For more information on Krabi tours, visit www.andamancampandcruise.com

Holiday tours to Krabi and the Andaman Sea region of Thailand have been popular with Scandinavian tourists for well over 30 years.

One of the highlights of a trip to Thailand is the legendary Thai cuisine, and Krabi based Andaman Camp and Cruise is now offering food-themed holidays from its rural base in southern Thailand.

“Our customers appreciate the chance to eat the type of food we eat, rather than food prepared especially for tourists” says Sun, head chef and owner at Andaman Camp and Cruise. “Although we do ask passengers in advance if there are any foods they don’t like or are allergic to, and how spicy they can eat, we encourage them to taste some local ingredients and try out our delicious Thai-style sweets,” he explains.

The idea behind Sun’s cooking is presenting the real flavours of southern Thailand to visitors from the West, instead of changing Thai food to suit Western tastes. Not only does he love cooking, but Sun also closely supervises the local daily food market to make sure he has only the freshest ingredients for his dishes. He is keen to share his food and cooking skills with anyone who has an interest in Thai food and a keen appetite.

Sun is the eldest of five siblings, but his sister was not born until he was well into his teens. By that time his mother had co-opted her eldest son as her kitchen hand, and taught him how to cook the curries and sauces of the Thai-Muslim tradition.

Andaman Camp and Cruise is a small, local enterprise specialising in Krabi tours and longer trips around the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand. The tour company has been exploring the coastal area for the last five years and specialises in tailor-made trips in the region.

For more information on tours in Krabi and the Andaman Sea region in English and Swedish, visit www.andamancampandcruise.com

Tours of Krabi and the Andaman Sea region of Thailand have been in demand from Scandinavian travellers for well over 30 years, and Southern Thailand as a whole is becoming one of the world’s favourite holiday destinations.

Andaman Camp and Cruise, a family-run travel company in Krabi, offers tailor-made tours around Krabi and has been exploring the Andaman Sea for five years with the aid of its traditional longtail boats. This year the company has launched a range of extended trips for people looking for a holiday to remember.

Tours include day trips, camping trips, longer expeditions along the Thai coast, sunset tours and even the chance to experience traditional village life with a Muslim homestay. The company is run by Elizabeth, originally from Australia, her Thai husband Sun, and baby Noah, who is just 7 months old.

“I think it helps to have a true English speaking guide (me!) who can explain what it is really, truthfully like to live here” says Elizabeth, who has been in Thailand for over 6 years. “Between us, Sun and I can answer questions not only about the islands and places we visit, but about all aspects of Thailand.”

Scandinavians have flocked to the white beaches and crystal clear waters of Krabi for well over 30 years. Andaman Camp and Cruise has become something of a Scandinavia expert for Thailand, with a Swedish website and many returning customers from the Nordic countries.

Andaman Camp and Cruise offers Krabi tours as well as daytrips and longer trips in the Krabi and Andaman Sea region of southern Thailand. The company arranges all aspects of trips, and consults with customers over length of stay, activities, food and standard of accommodation.

For more information visit www.andamancampandcruise.com