Month: June 2002
- Phuket News
Drug offenders continue to fill prison
PHUKET: Of the 1,232 inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison, 622 have been convicted or are awaiting trial on drug-related charges, according to the latest statistics, released by prison officials on Thursday. A total of 488 men and 134 women are incarcerated in connection with narcotics offenses – more than half the prison population. Of the remaining prisoners, 220 are being…
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OrBorJor steps in to help Patong
PATONG: Following the recent release of a visitor survey that uncovered a number of complaints about the island’s most popular beach resort, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) agreed on Monday to help Patong Municipality solve some of its problems. The survey, involving some 1,000 hotel guests, was conducted by six Patong hotels – the Club Andaman Beach Resort, the…
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Dolphin rescued by Patong villagers
PATONG: A 1.83-meter striped dolphin, or Stenella coeruleoalba, washed up on Patong Beach yesterday evening and was rescued by villagers. It is now being cared for at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). The 60-kilogram male dolphin was found at around 6 pm, stranded at the rocky north end of Patong Beach, by villagers who spent more than four hours…
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Rotted corpse found behind Wat Chalong
CHALONG: The badly decomposed body of an unidentified man, who police believe may have died about six months ago from a drug overdose, was found behind Wat Chalong yesterday morning. Pol Col Sati Malakanont, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station, today told the Gazette that he and other officers went to investigate the gruesome discovery after a local resident called the…
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Gov arrests two, nets 600 ya bah pills
PHUKET TOWN: A squad of 12 officers handpicked by Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi this afternoon arrested a couple, Lateng Artharn, 46, and Sa’ard Somwang, 35, on charges of possession and trafficking in ya bah (methamphetamine). The officers, all members of Phuket’s Provincial Defense Office (PDO), arrested the couple at 12:30 pm in a sting operation at the 999 hotel on…
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Mayor denies he staged shooting
PATONG: The Mayor of Patong, Surasak Maneesri, today shrugged off allegations that he had staged Sunday’s assassination attempt on him in a bid to garner sympathy votes for the upcoming mayoral election. He also said it was not the first time that someone had paid to have him shot. In a previous incident, he explained, a gunman who was about…
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Tuk-tuk drivers agree to fares
PHUKET: A two hour-meeting today between officials and representatives of the island’s tuk-tuk drivers finally achieved agreement on a scale of official fares for journeys between towns. In principle, fares for trips of less than 15 km will be lower than the tuk-tuk drivers wanted but for trips longer than that they will get more than they originally negotiated for.…
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Four accuse police of shake-down
PHUKET TOWN: A group of four men from Patong today alleged that police officers in the town had falsely accused them of betting on soccer and coerced them into providing “evidence” for their own conviction. Suwat “Dong” Kitsa-nga, 33, a roadside vendor, and three of his employees made the accusations to leaders of the Phuket Reporters Association (PRA) at the…
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Another stabbing in “Burmese Cemetery’
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a man believed to have been a Burmese fisherman was found floating in the water near Sri Sena Rd on Monday afternoon. The victim had been stabbed about 30 times. Pol Lt Col Tawate Pleumsuk, an inspector at Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that the man was found by villagers floating face down…
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Police take vow to battle drugs
PHUKET TOWN: Police and village representatives vowed today to fight drugs. About 60 officers from Phuket Town, led by Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, joined 184 villagers to make the anti-drug pledge in front of the police station. Col Paween also revealed that in the first five months of this year, 24 people had been arrested for marijuana offenses, 85…
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Attacker sought for Karon murder
KARON: A man is being sought by police over the killing of a construction worker in a drunken quarrel late on Sunday night. Witnesses told police that the wanted man, another worker known only as Noi, disappeared after bludgeoning the victim, Nikom Sungkapia, over the head with a piece of wood. The men were drinking at a camp behind Karon…
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Patong Mayor survives murder attempt
PHUKET TOWN: Patong Mayor Surasak Maneesri last night survived an attempt on his life when a gunman fired three shots through the driver’s side window of his Mercedes Benz as he waited at a red light outside the Tesco-Lotus Supercenter. K. Surasak suffered only light cuts to his arm from flying glass. Speaking at Thung Thong Police Station last night,…
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Villagers save homes from fire
PHUKET TOWN: Villagers on the edge of Phuket Town last night successfully fought a fire that threatened their homes. At the height of the blaze, believed to have started when a garbage fire got out of hand, 10-meter-high flames towered above scrubland near Baan Kuku in Tambon Rassada, threatening a small hamlet of half a dozen homes. While firemen worked…
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US envoy to reward recovery efforts
PHUKET: The United States Ambassador to Thailand, Darryl Johnson, is to recognize the work of organizations involved in sea rescues when he visits Phuket next month. On July 19 he will present certificates to the Royal Thai Navy, the Marine Police, and the Marine Police Underwater Search and Rescue Unit. The Navy and Marine Police were involved recently in recovering…
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Tuk-tuk drivers reject revised fares
PHUKET TOWN: Representatives of the island’s tuk-tuk drivers today rejected the Phuket Transportation Office’s (PTO) revised scale of proposed fares, even though they would be the highest in the country. At today’s meeting, held at the PTO’s offices in Phuket Town, Transportation Chief Prasit Amarapal initially proposed a rate of 30 baht for the first two kilometers plus four baht…
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New flight to link Phuket and Israel
PHUKET TOWN: Direct weekly flights between Phuket and the Israeli city of Tel Aviv are to begin in November, an Israeli diplomat told the Gazette today. Subject to confirmation in September or October, El Al Israel Airlines will provide a weekly service for six months. Edward Shapira, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Israel, said the aim was…
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Frenchman drowns at Kata
KATA: A 74-year-old French tourist who was staying at Club Med drowned near the resort yesterday morning. The body of the man, named by police as Rene Massoud Hogege, washed up on the beach about 9 am. Others on the beach thought Mr Hogege had gone for a walk, and when his body was found, called Chalong police and Phuket…
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Police to take vow to fight drugs
PHUKET TOWN: To mark International Day Against Drug Abuse next Wednesday (June 26), officers from Phuket Town Police Station will assemble in front of the station to take a mass vow to fight drug-related crime. The ceremony, which will be led by Pol Maj Gen Kongpol Suwannaraks, Commander of the Phuket Provincial Police, will begin at 10 am. Pol Lt…
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Phuket governor’s performance under fire
BANGKOK: Two of Thailand’s five governors with CEO-style powers turned in worse performances in their first six months on the job than governors in five control provinces where traditional administration is still in place. ‘The Nation’ reported today that The governors of Phuket and Narathiwat scored lower on their six-month evaluations than the traditional, non-CEO governors of Phang Nga and…
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Phuket Town trash levy to rise 200%
PHUKET TOWN: In September, if Phuket Town Municipality gets its way, households in Phuket Town will be required to pay 200% more for their trash to be collected. Businesses face a 50% rise. Aryoot Tamsiriroj, Vice-Mayor of the town, yesterday told the Gazette that the municipality has proposed a rise in its trash collection fee from 10 baht per house…
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Gambling raid nets three women on ya bah
PHUKET TOWN: Police in the early hours of yesterday morning arrested three women for possession and sale of ya bah (methamphetamine) in a house on Vanich Rd, near Si Sena Rd in Tambon Rassada. The women were named by police as Thanomsri Mongkut, 35; Pranee Pengjan, 30; and Sunat Jithong, 35. Pol Maj Vichakom Kamchampa, an inspector at Phuket Town…
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Tourism discount program set to launch
PHUKET: Phuket Province and the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) are launching a “Phuket Super Save Super Value” promotion on July 1 to stimulate tourism over the low season. Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday held a meeting with Kitti Phatanachinda, Vice President of the PTA, along with representatives from several hotels, to discuss strategies to bring in more low-season business.…
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Phuket seeks TAT cash for 10 projects
PHUKET: Phuket has named 10 projects it wants the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to fund in order to boost the number of visitors to the island. The 10 projects are: – Underground power lines in Phuket Town, Patong, Kata and Karon; – A pier at Ao Poh; – A second bus station; – Improvements to the four-lane route through…
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Man killed in drive-by shooting
PATONG: A young man was shot dead early yesterday morning in Loma Park by a motorcycle passenger in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity. Pol Lt Col Manop Kositanant, Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, named the victim as Vichit Srisangchai, 21, a worker in a Patong restaurant. He died from a single shot in the stomach…
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Twin cities seek tourists
PHUKET: How twin cities could get closer was the topic when representatives from Yentai in China met Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi on Friday. Luan Bingliang, Yentai’s Vice-Mayor, led the delegation to try to improve awareness and opportunities for exchanging tourists. Gov Pongpayome said afterward, “I suggested to them that if they want Thai people to visit Yentai, they should…
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Tin maiden runner-up in national fair
PHUKET: Krongthong Thepsiriamnuay, from Moo 5, Tambon Wichit, has won second place in the metal products category of the “One Village, One Product” fair, which was held in Nonthaburi province on May 25-31. K. Krongthong told the Gazette today that she won the prize for a decorative tin plate she made. It featured a raised motif of Phuket island bordered…
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Man confesses to raping girl, 14
PHUKET TOWN: Witchapol “Joe” Jongsujarittham, 26, yesterday confessed to charges of raping a 14-year-old girl twice and of being in possession of an unregistered firearm, Phuket Town police said today. Pol Maj Bhanjong Amarit told the Gazette that officers arrested Witchapol outside his Phuket Town home at 9 am. Armed with a search warrant, they then checked his home and…
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Ya bah crackdown nets seven in two days
CHALONG: Officers from Chalong Police Station on Thursday and Friday made seven separate arrests on charges related to ya bah (methamphetamine). More than 500 pills of the drug were seized. The arrests came after Pol Col Sati Malakanond, superintendent at Chalong Police Station, ordered officers to make a special effort to crack down on drugs in the area. Of the…
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Ban on carrying guns from next month
PHUKET: Next month will see the introduction of a ban on the carrying of firearms in public anywhere in Phuket. The ban, Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi said, applies even to off-duty government officers. Gov Pongpayome, supporting the anti-gun drive announced by the national police chief in March, advised people who have licensed firearms to leave them at home or…
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Glittering opening for car showroom
PHUKET TOWN: Accompanied by dancing girls clad in gold, the glamorous new BMW 735Li was launched in Phuket last night. The launch was part of the celebrations of the official grand opening of the Performance Motors (Thailand) showroom on Thepkrasattri Road. The top-of-the-range 735Li sells for 9.9 million baht. Three have already been sold in Phuket. As the authorized dealer…
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Patong “ready to fight flood menace’
PHUKET: Action is being taken to prevent a repetition of last year’s heavy flooding in Patong, a meeting of about 50 officers of the Municipality and other authorities heard yesterday. Public klongs had been cleared of silt, and permission is being sought from owners to clear waterways and conduits on private land too. Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi, who chaired the…
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German President to visit Phuket
PHUKET: Johannes Rau, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, will spend one night relaxing in Phuket on June 23 en route to Korea and Japan, where he will be attending the closing ceremony of the World Cup. Mr Rau is scheduled to arrive in Phuket direct from Berlin with his wife and an entourage of 70 people. They will…
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Gov raps Public Welfare Chief
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today obliquely criticized the Chief of the Provincial Public Welfare Office, Taweesak Saleesang, for remarks he made to the press about the local TAT Director, Anupharp Thirarath. K. Taweesak made the remarks after K. Anupharp, at a provincial meeting on Tuesday, voiced concerns that a major Swedish tour operator might pull out of Phuket if…
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“Supertour’ tipped to splurge B75m
PHUKET TOWN: The biggest single group of tourists ever to visit Phuket will arrive next month for what, it is hoped, will be a massive spending spree that sets the precedent for more large groups to follow. One estimate puts the spending potential of the group in Phuket at more than 25 million baht a day over three days, boosting…
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Karaoke operators sing the blues
PHUKET TOWN: More than 200 karaoke operators gathered at the Phuket Provincial Hall this morning to protest about the closure of their premises and to petition the authorities to allow them to reopen. The protest comes after a three-day campaign by police to check karaoke bars for licenses. Many were found to have none, or to have licenses that had…
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Smart new police reporting center
PHUKET TOWN: The Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, Pol Lt Gen Paisarn Tangjaitrong, today opened a smart new public service center on the ground floor of the Phuket Town Police Station. The first of its kind in the country, the new 1.45-million-baht center – paid for entirely by private donations – has more in common with a modern banking…
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Phuket finally gets power boost
PHUKET: New high-capacity power cables installed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to upgrade the island’s power supply are now hooked up to the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) grid and are supplying power, Banlue Teeramethawit, EGAT’s Assistant Governor of Transmission Construction, announced yesterday. The cables, costing 500 million baht, stretch 77 kilometers from the nearest main substation in…
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