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Phang Nga Gov raps banks over slow loans
PHANG NGA: Phang Nga Governor Anuwat Metheeviboonwut yesterday criticized banks and other financial institutions for taking too long to process applications for soft loans by business owners affected by the tsunami.Gov Anuwat said, “The problem we have today is that 80% of the business owners are still waiting for loans from financial institutions to be approved.“If the financial institutions were…
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Phuket recovery impresses Sri Lankans
PHUKET CITY: Government officers from Sri Lanka, on a three-day fact-finding visit to Phuket and Phang Nga, declared themselves impressed by the speed with which the region is recovering from the tsunami.The 17 officers from tsunami-affected areas of Sri Lanka are here to see if the experiences of Phuket and Phang Nga could be used to help their own regions…
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Schoolkids launch tsunami education book
PHUKET: Pupils at Satree Phuket school have unveiled a book they have produced about the tsunami.The book, titled Tsunami Monton Phuket Mahantapai Leuad Yen (Tsunami: Phuket’s Cold-blooded Killer) contains information about tsunamis, how and why they happen, and advice on what to do if another one should hit Phuket.Launching the book on Tuesday morning, school Principal Kiattisak Pillawart said he…
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Free tickets for Fed Cup tennis
PATONG: Free tickets are available for the April 23 and 24 showdown between Thailand and Croatia in Group 2 play of the Federation Cup (Fed Cup) tennis tournament, the woman’s equivalent of the Davis Cup.The Thai team of Tamarine Tanasugarn, Suchanun Viratprasert, Napaporn Tongsalee and Montinee Tangphong arrived in Phuket yesterday morning and went straight to Patong to examine the…
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Police still bamboozled by bomb
THALANG: Police remain bamboozled in their investigation into the mysterious time bomb that was discovered in a quiet residential area of Pa Khlok more than a month ago.Police said the device, which was eventually destroyed in a controlled explosion, consisted of two sticks of C4 plastique wrapped tightly in black insulating tape and connected by wires to a cheap alarm…
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Eel makes meal of diver’s digit
PHUKET: A 32-year-old Briton is recovering in hospital here after his left thumb was bitten off and eaten by a giant moray eel while he was diving at the well-known East of Eden dive site in the Similan Islands.Matt Butcher, of Stanstead, Essex, said he had fed the 2.2-meter eel regularly over the past 18 months, and that she was…
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Similans tsunami monitoring station operational
PHUKET: The first of nine tide monitoring stations is now operational on the Similan Islands’ Koh Mieng and the remaining eight should be ready within six months, the head of the Royal Thai Navy announced on April 20.The project was announced this morning by Navy Commander Adm Surin Roengarom, who chaired a meeting with officials from the six tsunami-affected provinces,…
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TTVI center denies deadline for victim IDs
PHUKET: Detective Chief Superintendent Nick Bracken, the Commander of the Information Management Center (IMC) at the Thai Tsunami Victims Identification (TTVI) center, today denied that the TTVI will stop identifying bodies of tsunami victims within two months.An IMC spokeswoman also denied there are any plans to bury bodies that remain unidentified two months from now.The announcement follows one by Phuket…
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Arthit fails to convince Dulwich parents
PHUKET: In a stormy meeting in the Dulwich International College auditorium this afternoon, the school’s CEO and founder, Dr Arthit Urairat, clearly failed to allay parents’ worries about the future of the school.Central to the parents’ concerns is the relationship between Dr Arthit’s team and the franchiser, Dulwich College, London (DCL), with several parents making it quite clear that if…
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In very poor taste
KATHU: Police arrested a 66-year-old English language teacher from Canada on charges of sexually molesting a minor, after the man allegedly enticed his five-year-old student to perform oral sex on him by covering his penis with honey. At 9:40 pm on April 18, a team of Kathu District Police officers led by Pol Capt Serm Kwanimit entered the home of…
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New rules for motorbike taxis
PHUKET CITY: Motorcycle taxi drivers in Phuket will have to be registered and fitted with yellow license plates from May 11, it was explained at a public information seminar at The Metropole hotel yesterday.Regulation 13 of the Car Act of 2004, which includes clauses aimed at regulating motorcycle taxis, will come into force on May 11, Phuket Provincial Transportation Office…
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Two-month deadline set for tsunami victims ID
PHUKET CITY: The bodies of 2,370 tsunami victims remain unidentified due to a lack of forensic evidence, but the operation to identify them will be wound up soon, a senior Phuket police officer said yesterday.All those that have not been identified within the coming two months will be buried at the Sea Gypsy cemetery in Mai Khao, Provincial Police Deputy…
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Arthit introduces new Dulwich team
PHUKET: As the crisis over the future of Dulwich International College continues unresolved, the school’s CEO and Founder, Dr Arthit Ourairat, is in Phuket for two meetings, one with teachers this afternoon, and another with parents, scheduled for 2 pm tomorrow.At this afternoon’s meeting he introduced the new Headmaster he has chosen for the school, Canadian Prof Dr George Hickman,…
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Evacuation plans under discussion
PHUKET CITY: Plans for evacuating Patong and other parts of Phuket during an emergency are due to be discussed at a workshop on Wednesday.The event will be overseen by Vice-Governor Niran Kalayanamit and former Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong, who is now Deputy Director-General of the national Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD). These are the men Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has…
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Songkran traffic crackdown effective
PHUKET: Two people died in Phuket over the Songkran period, one less than last year. Another 359 were injured between April 8 and 15, compared with 424 injured last year.The deaths occurred on April 10 and 12. Both victims were male.The figures were well below the official target of no more than five dead and 611 injured. This year’s “target”…
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Dulwich school’s fate hangs in balance
PHUKET: Parents and teachers of the island’s best-known private school, Dulwich International College, are waiting with bated breath for confirmation or denial of reports that the board of Dulwich College in London has withdrawn permission for the use of its name.All attempts by the Gazette to obtain information from Dulwich College in London, the Phuket school’s owners, parents’ and teachers’…
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Seven-hour ordeal after dive boat sinks
ANDAMAN SEA: Six passengers and seven crew spent around seven hours in the water yesterday morning waiting to be rescued after their liveaboard dive boat sank, apparently without warning and in just six minutes, close to the Surin Islands.The MY Rhapsody, operated by Kata-based Oceanic Divecenter, was anchored 300 meters from the popular Richelieu Rock just after midnight yesterday morning…
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Patong alarm system test “a success’
PATONG: The last of the alarms in Patong’s newly-installed emergency warning system was tested yesterday. It emitted a 121-decibel alert that could be heard 1,500 meters away.The alarm at Phuket Cabana Hotel, connected to 24 loudspeakers, was tested for 10 minutes at 2pm yesterday afternoon.Installation of the system, which will eventually be linked to the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC),…
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Spaghetti-strap mosquito menace
BANGKOK (TNA, Gazette): Last year the Ministry of Culture tried to bar Thai women from wearing spaghetti-strap tops during Songkran, with a warning from Culture Minister Uraiwan Thienthong that “revealing clothes may induce sexual harassment”.It didn’t work. Apart from anything else, police had no support from the law of Thailand for enforcing a ban on the detestable, damaging-to-Thai-culture spaghetti strap.All…
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Ministry puts Phuket Air under microscope
BANGKOK (TNA, Gazette): The Ministry of Transport has promised to launch a probe into budget airline Phuket Air following a 24-hour delay in a flight from Bangkok to London which left more than 400 passengers stranded on April 11.The seriousness with which the ministry is treating the matter was highlighted by the response of Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Vejjayachai, who immediately…
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Tsunami chops OrBorJor income by 20pc
PHUKET CITY: The December 26, 2004, tsunami has chopped about 100 million baht, or 20%, off the expected revenue of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) for fiscal 2005.OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr told the Gazette on April 8 that the organization’s initial revenue projection of 500 million baht, from business taxes and fees, has been lowered to about 400 million due to…
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Trees to act as “tsunami breaks’
PHUKET: Trees may be planted along the Andaman Coast to give some protection to the land from future tsunamis, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat said this weekend.The Minister, on a visit to Phuket, said that buildings that had been sheltered from the sea by trees, particularly casuarinas, appeared to have suffered much less damage during the tsunami than…
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Phuket to get provincial art gallery
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has announced that it intends to build an art gallery for the province, after the successful opening of the “Painting Phuket, the Pearl of the Andaman” art exhibition yesterday.OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr said the art gallery would contain art and literature and artefacts relating to the history of Phuket.There could even be…
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Marine police on lookout for oil smuggling
PHUKET CITY: Despite the recent rise in diesel price of more than 20%, local authorities say there is still no sign of a resurgence of large-scale smuggling of oil into Phuket.Pol Lt Col Prasopchai Bunleusin, Deputy Superintendent of Marine Police Region 5, explained that most of the oil smuggling along the Andaman Coast takes place in waters off the coasts…
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Appeal for Songkran common sense
PHUKET: Phuket Province has issued its annual appeal for safety and common sense during the upcoming Songkran Festival and has set a target of keeping this year’s death toll from traffic accidents during the period to under six. The province has set up a “Songkran Safety Center” at Phuket Provincial Hall to monitor the toll of dead and injured for…
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Park to fill Pak’s shoes
MAI KHAO: South Korean Si Re Pak has pulled out of next week’s Tiger Skins 2005 golf tournament, citing a back injury. She will be replaced by compatriot Grace Park.Much is expected of Park, 26, who won two major Ladies’ Professional Golf (LPGA) tournaments last year, including the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She was also awarded the the 2004 Vare Trophy…
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Masseuse found dead in woods
THALANG: Police are waiting for an autopsy report to confirm their belief that a masseuse whose body was discovered in woods in Cherng Talay yesterday evening either died of a chronic illness or committed suicide. An initial examination of the body revealed no signs of violence, said Cherng Talay Police Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Suwat Kaewprom, who identified the woman as…
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Park entry fees waived till end-May
PHUKET: Entry to marine national parks and 15 other natural attractions in the Andaman coast provinces will be free of charge until May 31, the Chief of the Natural Resource and Environment Office, Kritwikrom Kaewklaa, has confirmed.K. Kritwikrom’s said that the only exception to the waiver will be tour boats, which will still be charged for dropping anchor in marine…
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Police coax would-be jumper to safety
PATONG: A drunken man horrified people in the Soi Kebsap area of Patong this morning by threatening to jump to his death from the 18th floor of the Patong Tower.The drama started at about 8:30 am after the man, identified by police only by his nickname “Aek”, put one leg over the balcony railing and began flailing his arms wildly.…
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Sipa launches fast-track system for IT workers
BANGKOK: Foreign IT workers coming to Thailand will be the envy of employees in all other sectors with the launch today of a new online system by the Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa). The system will allow the government to process foreign IT workers’ applications for work permits and extensions of stay in just three hours. Chalermcharn Yotviriyapanit, Head of…
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