Month: September 2000

  • Phuket NewsBoat operators warned over Similans | Thaiger

    Boat operators warned over Similans

    SIMILAN ISLANDS: Boat operators wanting to enter the Similan Islands Marine National Park before November 2 have been warned that they must get special permission first, or face action for contravening the National Parks Act of 1961. The warning was issued after two vessels were halted on Wednesday by Wittaya Hongwiangchan, who took over as the park’s Chief in May.…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsCouncilors arrested for corruption | Thaiger

    Councilors arrested for corruption

    PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: Thirty heavily armed officers from the Bangkok-based Crime Suppression Division (CSD) yesterday swooped on the Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) and arrested the president and 15 other members. Those arrested were charged with soliciting bribes in return for approving an 18-million-baht road construction project. Some were also charged with illegal possession of weapons. Pol Maj…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsStart of hotel tax postponed | Thaiger

    Start of hotel tax postponed

    PHUKET TOWN: Members of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) today voted to postpone the introduction of the controversial tax on hotel room revenue for one month. At the meeting, the members decided that collection of the tax should be postponed until November 1, and that the rate should be 0.5%. This rate will hold until September 30, 2001, after…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsAirport throughput up in August | Thaiger

    Airport throughput up in August

    PHUKET: This year’s low season numbers continue to be impressive, according to the latest monthly figures issued by Phuket International Airport. These show an 8.23% rise in passengers using the airport in August, compared with August 1999. The statistics show that 294,733 passengers went through the airport in August, compared with 272,326 in the same month last year. The number…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsHotels continue to batter OrBorJor | Thaiger

    Hotels continue to batter OrBorJor

    PHUKET: With just three days to go before the new provincial hotel tax comes into force, hoteliers have continued to assail the Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) with criticism and threats of lawsuits and even industrial action. During a meeting at the Patong Resort yesterday, with mostly middle-level employees from 140 Patong hotels, the hotels argued that the way the Phuket…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsNo more dog slaughters: Governor | Thaiger

    No more dog slaughters: Governor

    PHUKET: It’s official: there will be no more killing of stray dogs in Phuket except in the case of individual animals that pose a threat to the public. The ruling came after a meeting of provincial officials and their counterparts from the Phuket Town Municipality, chaired by the Governor of Phuket, Charnchai Soontharamut. The meeting came on the heels of…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsBus drivers win dispute | Thaiger

    Bus drivers win dispute

    PHANG NGA: More than 70 sorng taeow (local buses) blocked Tai Muang Beach Rd in Phang Nga on Monday in a successful protest against an increase in fees demanded by the province’s transport concession holder. The contract between the sorng taeow drivers and the concession holder, Phuket Sa Ha Yan Yont Khon Sog Co Ltd, required the drivers to pay…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsHotel tax: OrBorJor faces more hostility | Thaiger

    Hotel tax: OrBorJor faces more hostility

    PHUKET: Leaders of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) today went out to explain the proposed new hotel tax to the island’s hotels. They found themselves facing hostile and querulous audiences of mostly middle-level hotel employees – hotel owners and senior managers mostly stayed away. Neither the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) nor the Thai Hotels Association (THA) was represented. In…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsIBAP holds inaugural meeting | Thaiger

    IBAP holds inaugural meeting

    PHUKET TOWN: The fledgling International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP) held its inaugural meeting today at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, drawing a capacity crowd of 73 people. The meeting was held to introduce the concept and aims of the IBAP and to solicit discussion, questions and suggestions from those who attended. Keynote speaker Dr Prasit Koysiripong, President of the…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsKao Mai wins OrBorJor by-election | Thaiger

    Kao Mai wins OrBorJor by-election

    PHUKET: Chockchai Itsarolan won Saturday’s by-election for a vacant seat representing Muang District on the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor). The by-election was held to replace Yada Palimapan, who resigned her seat recently in order to run as a Thai Rak Thai Party candidate in parliamentary elections to be held before the end of this year. K. Chockchai, a member…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsEight arrested for illegal fishing | Thaiger

    Eight arrested for illegal fishing

    MAITON ISLAND: Officers from Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office have arrested eight Thais and impounded two boats caught double-trawling in a protected marine area. Intipol Khwathai of the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office told the Gazette that he received, via the Phuket Town Police, an anonymous tip that illegal fishing was taking place around Maiton Island. The area is part of a…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsNational park fees rise by 1,900 pc for foreigners | Thaiger

    National park fees rise by 1,900 pc for foreigners

    NAI YANG: In accordance with a nationwide price increase announced in August, the Royal Forestry Department (RFD) is to raise its entrance fee for Sirinath Marine National Park by 1,900% – for foreigners but not for Thais. The entrance fee for foreign adults is to rise from 10 baht to 200 baht a person, while the fee for children under…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsHealth system staggering under foreign laborers | Thaiger

    Health system staggering under foreign laborers

    PHUKET TOWN: Health officials here have urged the Thai government to force employers of foreign manual laborers to bear the cost of medical treatment for their workers. Their plea came after revelations that the health system is staggering under the increasingly heavy costs of providing health care to both legal and illegal laborers. Dr Boonrieng Chuchaisangrat, chief of the Phuket…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPublic invited to IBAP luncheon | Thaiger

    Public invited to IBAP luncheon

    PHUKET TOWN: In keeping with its policies on transparency, the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP) is inviting the general public to attend its inaugural meeting next week. The event, a luncheon beginning at noon on Tuesday, September 26, at Royal Phuket City, will feature brief speeches by Dr Prasit Koysiripong, president of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization; Khun Piriya…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsDouble alcohol ban during elections | Thaiger

    Double alcohol ban during elections

    PHUKET: Elections this weekend will put a considerable dent in drinkers’ plans, with bans on the sale of alcohol affecting both Muang District and Patong. A by-election in Muang District to fill a vacant seat in the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) will be held on Saturday, so the sale and distribution of all alcoholic beverages will be barred in…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsGovernor vows to walk to work | Thaiger

    Governor vows to walk to work

    PHUKET: To raise awareness about the worldwide Car-Free Day campaign tomorrow, Phuket Governor Charnchai Soontharamut has announced that he will be walking from his house to his office. Unlike Trang Governor Chalermchai Preechanont, who told the press that he would ride a bicycle to work tomorrow, Governor Charnchai told the Gazette that he would walk instead. “It’s not very far…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsWarning over thefts during festival | Thaiger

    Warning over thefts during festival

    PHUKET TOWN: Pol Col Chalit Tinthanee, Superintendent of the Phuket Town Police Station, has issued a warning that people should watch their belongings carefully during the coming Vegetarian Festival. Thieves, he said, take advantage of the dense crowds to pick pockets and snatch jewelry. During last year’s festival, he added, nearly 100 complaints of theft were made to police. Visitors…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsSeven laborers electrocuted in canal | Thaiger

    Seven laborers electrocuted in canal

    PHUKET TOWN: Seven laborers working in a canal next to the bypass road were rushed unconscious to the Wachira Phuket Hospital today after being electrocuted. The men – six Cambodians and a Thai – were working in the canal when an excavator working alongside them tangled a power line, breaking the cable, which dropped into the canal and electrocuted the…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsSolution found to hotel tax dispute | Thaiger

    Solution found to hotel tax dispute

    PHUKET: A special committee set up by Provincial Governor Charnchai Soontharamut appears to have come up with a compromise solution to the disagreement between hotels and the Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) over the OrBorTor’s planned tax on hotel rooms. According to the solution, hammered out on Friday, hotels will pay the tax from October 1, but at a reduced rate…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsBlackout canceled | Thaiger

    Blackout canceled

    PHUKET: Following its announcement of September 6 concerning planned blackouts, the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) today said that the blackout scheduled for Friday (September 22) has been canceled. On that day there was scheduled to be a blackout from Chalong Circle to Baan Laem Promthep, including Viset Rd, Baan Bangkontee, Baan Saiyuan, Nai Harn Beach, Ao Sane, Baan Kokmakham,…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsWarrants out for four in stabbing case | Thaiger

    Warrants out for four in stabbing case

    CHALONG: Arrest warrants have been issued for four men, one a policeman, who were involved a brawl in a karaoke restaurant in Karon last week that ended in the stabbing death of 23-year-old Supradit “Ad” Boonyawat. The killing sparked a heated protest on Friday by about 100 villagers who massed at the Chalong Police Station to demand justice for Supradit.…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPolice add spice to local BBQ | Thaiger

    Police add spice to local BBQ

    PHUKET TOWN: A husband and his wife who added a profitable sideline to their barbecued food business – selling ya bah (methamphetamine) – were arrested yesterday. Pol Maj Manus Ieamcharoenchaikul of the Narcotics Division of the Provincial Police identified the couple as Charun Thiwong, 49, and his wife Umporn, 48. The pair were arrested after selling the drug to an…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPort murders hit double digits | Thaiger

    Port murders hit double digits

    PHUKET: A man believed to be a Burmese fisherman was found dead on the shore opposite the Rattanachai dry dock in Phuket’s fishing port early yesterday morning. The murder was the tenth this year in the same area. Pol Capt Chaum Kaosrisuwan of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that the man, as yet unidentified, had died from eight…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsSkal Club gets new committee | Thaiger

    Skal Club gets new committee

    PHUKET: The Skal Club of Phuket has elected a new committee. The members are: Eric Hallin, President; Andy Dowden, Vice President; Suwit Auttayatmavitaya, Treasurer; and Alan Cooke, Secretary.

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsThai economy continues fragile: World Bank | Thaiger

    Thai economy continues fragile: World Bank

    BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s economic recovery is on track but remains fragile, volatile and uncertain, the World Bank said today. Thailand’s recovery will remain difficult as long as the ongoing process of financial and corporate reform lags behind most of Asia, the bank said in a report on East Asia. “The pace and quality of the financial and corporate reforms continues…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsAngry villagers demand justice in stabbing case | Thaiger

    Angry villagers demand justice in stabbing case

    CHALONG: Nearly 100 villagers joined a heated protest yesterday evening at the Chalong Police Station to demand justice for a villager stabbed to death a week earlier. The case concerns 23-year-old Supradit “Ad” Boonyawat, who was stabbed to death during a brawl in a karaoke restaurant in Karon on September 9. The brawl allegedly involved eight people, including the owner…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsCrowd accuse police of beating man | Thaiger

    Crowd accuse police of beating man

    PHUKET TOWN: An angry crowd of about 50 people from Tambon Vichit, Ao Makham, gathered at Phuket Town police station on Thursday to complain about the alleged beating by police officers of a man living in the area. Yamarn Yukolthorn, a member of the Vichit Tambon Council (OrBorTor), who led the crowd, said that on Tuesday night Wisith Sarika, a…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsCouple ‘delivered drugs with laundry’ | Thaiger

    Couple ‘delivered drugs with laundry’

    PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town Police detectives yesterday arrested a husband and his wife on charges of selling ya bah (methamphetamine). Pol Capt Somkid Boonyarat identified the couple as Somkiet Charoenjit, 25, who has a small laundry business, and Malee Sorn-un, 29, a singer. Detectives had been watching Somkiet and Malee for a while, Capt Somkid said. They had gathered evidence…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsNorwegian murder suspect arrested in Phuket | Thaiger

    Norwegian murder suspect arrested in Phuket

    PHUKET: Thai Immigration Police yesterday arrested a Norwegian man accused of brutally murdering his 3-month-old son in Norway, and then fleeing to Thailand. Morten Storborg, 32, was arrested in Rawai at the Phuket Island Resort, five days after arriving in Thailand. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Police, told the Gazette that Storborg was arrested and then…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsJet Ski accident victim flown to Phuket | Thaiger

    Jet Ski accident victim flown to Phuket

    PHI PHI: The Phuket Police Aviation Division (PPAD) dispatched a helicopter to Koh Phi Phi yesterday morning to pick up a Swedish tourist injured in a jet-ski mishap. Dr Somchai Viriyakhattiyaporn, a brain surgeon at Bangkok Phuket Hospital, told the Gazette that he received a phone call at 10:30 am yesterday from a Swedish insurance agency, informing him that a…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsVegetarian festival sponsors upset Chinese residents | Thaiger

    Vegetarian festival sponsors upset Chinese residents

    PHUKET TOWN: Phuket’s native Chinese residents are unhappy that two private companies involved in organizing the annual Vegetarian Festival seem to be commercializing this traditional event. Amnuay Sa-nguannam, Vice Governor of Phuket, chaired a committee meeting yesterday at Phuket Provincial Hall to discuss the festival’s plans with representatives from government offices, private organizations, and Phuket’s Chinese shrines. At the meeting,…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsSuspect in warehouse raid to be prosecuted | Thaiger

    Suspect in warehouse raid to be prosecuted

    PATONG: Kathu Police will prosecute Naowarat Sompong, the owner of counterfeit goods seized during a raid in a Patong warehouse last week. Kathu Police have officially charged Naowarat with violating the Trademark Act of 1991 after consulting with legal representatives and experts from factories of the goods in question. The companies, including such brand names as Nike, Adidas, Calvin Klein…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsDonation center to help flood victims | Thaiger

    Donation center to help flood victims

    PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Government opened a temporary donation center yesterday to help people hit by recent floods in the north and northeast. The center has been set up in the Phuket Provincial Welfare Office at the Provincial Hall, Narison Rd, and is accepting donations of money, consumer goods and food. “We have received a lot of help from…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsMonks make complaint about stray dogs | Thaiger

    Monks make complaint about stray dogs

    PHUKET TOWN: A committee of monks from Wat Langsarn on Narisorn Rd, behind the Provincial Court House, have written a letter to the Muang Municipality complaining about nearly 30 stray dogs living in the wat’s compound. Udom Tansakul, an official at the Municipality, said that the letter, received yesterday, requested that his office remove the dogs. “The main problem is…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsDolphin rescued at Nai Harn Beach | Thaiger

    Dolphin rescued at Nai Harn Beach

    NAI HARN: Villagers at Nai Harn Beach found two striped dolphins trapped in shallow waters this morning. One dolphin was lying on the beach in obvious distress. Its body was covered with wounds from scraping on the rocks. The other dolphin was swimming in shallow water nearby. The villagers contacted a biologist at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), Kongkiet…

    Read More »
  • Cannabis NewsPavena raid fails to free sex slaves | Thaiger

    Pavena raid fails to free sex slaves

    TUB LAMU: Politician Pavena Hongsakul, champion of abused women in Thailand, yesterday accompanied police on a raid on a brothel in this Phang Nga village in a bid to free women believed to have been forced into prostitution. But she and the police came away empty-handed, the owner of the brothel having apparently been tipped off minutes before they arrived.…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsTwo held on fake gold charges | Thaiger

    Two held on fake gold charges

    PHUKET TOWN: Two women were arrested on Saturday night for pawning fake gold in order to get money to gamble at a casino near Kathu. Pol Maj Sermpan Sirikong, Chief of the Special Duties Division of the Phuket Provincial Police Department, said that he received a complaint from Paisarn Vechawanichsanong, a pawnbroker, that he had paid 90,000 baht to vegetable…

    Read More »