Month: December 2004

  • Phuket NewsConsular support for foreigners | Thaiger

    Consular support for foreigners

    PHUKET: The official tally for dead and missing in and around Phuket as a result of yesterday’s tsunami now stands at 122 and 355 respectively, according to the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services System (Narenthorn Center) of the Ministry of Public Health. A further 1,027 people are reported as injured, although one local private hospital confirmed that it alone had…

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  • Phuket NewsLatest toll: 66 dead, 691 injured | Thaiger

    Latest toll: 66 dead, 691 injured

    PHUKET: Kawee Sukunthamath, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), early this evening said that 66 people were confirmed dead by the tidal wave which ravaged Phuket’s coastline this morning. Of the dead, 20 were foreigners. Another 691 people were reported injured, and 22 more were missing.Phuket International Airport resumed normal inbound and outbound flight services…

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  • Phuket News

    Tidal wave toll: 35 dead, 355 injured

    PHUKET: The tidal wave that hit Phuket this morning has claimed the lives of 35 people and injured some 355, Wisut Romin, Deputy Secretary of the Phuket Provincial Administration Office, has announced.Speaking at the emergency rescue headquarters set up at the Phuket Provincial Office, K. Wisut said that an earlier report had recorded 11 dead at Kata Beach, and nine more at Nai Yang…

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  • Phuket NewsTourists tell of their tidal wave ordeal | Thaiger

    Tourists tell of their tidal wave ordeal

    PHUKET: Swedish tourist Kjell Sköld, of Gothenburg, has described how the rising waters of the wave trapped him, his wife Bibi, and their young children in their bungalow at Andaman Bay Resort, at Bang Tao.“The water went out then came back in very, very quickly, taking everything with it,” said Mr Sköld. “When the water came into the bungalow, we…

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  • Phuket NewsTidal wave toll rises | Thaiger

    Tidal wave toll rises

    PHUKET: An unconfirmed 22 people have died and more than 1,000 have sought refuge at the Phuket Provincial Office in Phuket City after Phuket’s coast was swamped by a tidal wave caused by an earthquake off Sumatra this morning.Waters off Phuket surged onto land, washing away homes on the east coast and causing damage at resorts all along the west coast.The Gazette…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket coast swamped after Sumatra earthquake

    PHUKET: Emergency response units have been scrambled after waters off Phuket surged onto land this morning, washing away homes on the east coast and causing damage at resorts all along the west coast.The sea rose after tremors from an earthquake just before 7 am off Sumatra, Indonesia, that measured 8.1 on the Richter scale.At 11 am, Phuket International Hospital confirmed…

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  • Phuket NewsAids awareness campaign launched | Thaiger

    Aids awareness campaign launched

    PATONG: Over 30 people attended the launch of the “Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) Project”, an Aids awareness campaign aimed at increasing condom use among male sex workers in Patong.The seminar, held at Patong Hospital yesterday morning, was organized jointly by gay advocacy group the Rainbow Sky Organization of Thailand and Thai Red Cross Aids Research Center.The main…

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  • Phuket NewsGas stations to stay open 24 hours | Thaiger

    Gas stations to stay open 24 hours

    PHUKET: Petrol stations will be allowed to trade around the clock over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, Thongrat Vannuch, the Chief of Phuket Provincial Energy Business Office, told the Gazette today.K. Thongrat said the Energy Ministry announced on December 20 that petrol stations would be allowed to remain open 24 hours from tomorrow (December 25) through to January…

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  • Phuket News

    Police to boost water safety

    PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Police will be put on 24-hour patrol over the holidays in order to ensure the safety of tour boats, respond to distress calls and thwart any terrorist incursions.The announcement came at a press conference yesterday at the office of the Phuket Marine Police Office at Saphan Hin. Pol Maj Gen Ronnarong Youngyuen, Deputy Commissioner of the…

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  • Phuket NewsFinn drowns at Karon | Thaiger

    Finn drowns at Karon

    KARON: A Finnish national drowned off Karon Beach yesterday afternoon.Raikka Ohhi Veikko, 69, was pulled from the water by officers of the Phuket Marine Police and the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Patong Hospital.An officer working at the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center, who declined to give his name, said it was believed that…

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  • Phuket NewsPanwa aquarium “to re-open in time for Songkran’ | Thaiger

    Panwa aquarium “to re-open in time for Songkran’

    CAPE PANWA: Following Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura on Monday announcing that a private aquarium may be built at Surin Beach, Phuket Marine Biology Center (PMBC) director Wannakiat Thubthimsang today told the Gazette that the PMBC aquarium will be open in time for the Songkran holiday period in April 2005.The PMBC aquarium closed more than two years ago for renovations. The work…

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  • Phuket NewsRoad carnage continues | Thaiger

    Road carnage continues

    PHUKET: Official figures for the year to November 20 show that 151 people on motorcycles, 17 more in cars and one unlucky pedestrian have died in accidents on Phuket roads.Despite the high total of 169 deaths so far, the figures are an improvement on those for the same period in 2003, when 176 people died in accidents, 165 of them…

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  • Phuket News

    Police bust major gambling ring

    PHUKET CITY: Police have arrested the suspected “bankers” of a multi-million-baht gambling operation in Phuket City.Somkid Korkiatiwong, 40, and Somchai Santi-Amorntat, 51, both of Kra Rd, were arrested at a home on Takuatung Rd on Sunday.The arresting officers found a computer, fax, two photocopiers, a bankbook, three large hessian sacks and 10,000 baht in cash, along with “betting slips” relating…

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  • Phuket NewsGovernor’s last chance for Ao Phuket approval | Thaiger

    Governor’s last chance for Ao Phuket approval

    PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura is to make a last-ditch attempt to persuade the Cabinet to approve the Ao Phuket development project before Parliament is dissolved for February’s general election.The proposed development concerns more than 3,200 rai of land and a budget of more than 63 billion baht. It would include a convention center, hotels, apartments, shopping centers, entertainment facilities,…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket aquarium gets new lease of life | Thaiger

    Phuket aquarium gets new lease of life

    THALANG: Representatives of the Phuket Sea Shell Co met Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura yesterday to seek his support for the plan to build an aquarium on a 120-rai site near Surin Beach.The island’s sole aquarium, at Ao Makham and run by Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), closed more than two years ago for renovations, which were supposed to take a year…

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  • Phuket News“Target’ Phuket to receive more anti-terrorism equipment | Thaiger

    “Target’ Phuket to receive more anti-terrorism equipment

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket is to receive two “bomb blankets” worth 500,000 baht each from the US Embassy, to use in the event of a suspected terrorist attack.The blankets would be placed over suspected bombs to catch shrapnel and fragments in the event of an explosion.The blankets are due to be handed over to Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura on December 27 by…

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  • Phuket NewsTwo surrender over vicious attack | Thaiger

    Two surrender over vicious attack

    CHALONG: Two people accused of being involved in the death of Koh Racha Yai restaurateur Dern Wora-ngon and the beating of his nephew, Jantree Mahanwongpan, have handed themselves in at Chalong Police Station.K. Dern and K. Jantree were ambushed by a man and two teenagers at Bangkhontee Beach in Rawai early in the afternoon of December 10. K. Jantree escaped…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket gears up for national elections

    PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Election Committee (PEC) expects a high voter turnout in the province for the upcoming general election, which will be held from 8 am to 3 pm on February 6.PEC Chairman Dr Prapa Kayee said, “There was a low turnout, 74%, in the last general election. This time we think people are more familiar with the voting system,…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s business boom continues | Thaiger

    Phuket’s business boom continues

    PHUKET: The number of new businesses registered on Phuket so far this year has increased by nearly 50% over the number for the same period last year, according to statistics from the Phuket Provincial Business Development Office (PBDO).Yongyuth Kasetsuntorn, head of the the PBDO, told the Gazette that 1,452 new limited partnerships and limited companies were registered from January 1 to…

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  • Phuket NewsNo early closing on New Year’s Eve | Thaiger

    No early closing on New Year’s Eve

    PHUKET: Entertainment venues will be allowed to stay open until 6 am on New Year’s morning, the Deputy Secretary of Phuket Provincial Administration Office, Wisut Romin, has told the Gazette.During the latter part of this year, nighttime venues have been the focus of a battle between the government, which has commanded them to close at midnight or 1 am, and…

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  • Phuket NewsMinimum wage set to rise | Thaiger

    Minimum wage set to rise

    PHUKET: Phuket’s lowest-paid workers could be in line to receive a New Year present – of an increase in the minimum wage of five baht a day.The Chief of the Provincial Labor Protection and Welfare Office, Patom Phetmanee, told the Gazette today it was likely that the minimum wage in Phuket will rise on January 1, from 168 baht a…

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  • Phuket NewsLaw-breaking vendors put “on notice’ | Thaiger

    Law-breaking vendors put “on notice’

    PHUKET: Undercover inspectors are visiting shops and stores to check that they are not selling alcohol outside the permitted times or alcohol and cigarettes to minors, Wisut Romin, the Deputy Secretary of Phuket Provincial Administration Office, has told the Gazette.Said K. Wisut, “The 253rd declaration of 1972 Revolutionary Council states that shops having liquor licenses are allowed to sell alcohol…

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  • Phuket NewsTAT to put up B60m for F1 boat race | Thaiger

    TAT to put up B60m for F1 boat race

    PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is set to double its sponsorship of next year’s F1 powerboat Grand Prix, to 60 million baht.Swin Chatsuwan, Managing Director of Paragon Events, which has won the contract to organize the race, said yesterday that the TAT had agreed to his company’s request to provide full sponsorship.He added that the race – the…

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  • Phuket NewsTAT to celebrate B300m high-season bonanza | Thaiger

    TAT to celebrate B300m high-season bonanza

    PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects no less than 300 million baht to be injected into the Phuket economy over the upcoming holiday period from December 23 to January 2.TAT Region 4 Director Suwalai Pinpradab told the Gazette today that a recent check of hotel occupancy rates and advanced bookings indicates that most island hotels will be fully-booked,…

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  • Phuket NewsTrees felled at Nai Harn “to improve the view’ | Thaiger

    Trees felled at Nai Harn “to improve the view’

    NAI HARN: As the high season gets into full swing, trees around Nai Harn Lake have been felled in a project to “improve the view” around the tidal lake.The narrow grassy area around the lake has already been dug up and tons of rock are being dumped to strengthen the banks.Local residents have been disturbed to see brown earth from…

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  • Phuket NewsPatong Tower auction “a big success’ | Thaiger

    Patong Tower auction “a big success’

    PATONG: A total of 55 units were sold in Sunday’s auction of apartments in the 32-story Patong Tower. Around 500 people turned up to bid in the auction, held at the Patong Resort Hotel.On the block were 61 one-bedroom apartments, seven two-bedroom apartments, seven three-bedroom apartments and five four-bedroom penthouses.The media were barred from the auction and the Tower’s owner,…

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  • Phuket NewsFingerprint clue in tourist’s murder | Thaiger

    Fingerprint clue in tourist’s murder

    PATONG : Police are to compare a fingerprint thought to belong to the murderer of a 61-year-old Swiss tourist with prints of the staff of the hotel where she was staying.Jeanette Sager was found dead in room 208 of the Horizon Beach Resort Hotel on December 7. Police believe she was killed when she returned from the hotel pool and…

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  • Phuket News

    Expo center bickering ‘has cost B100bn’

    PHUKET CITY: Juthamas Siriwan, the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), today lamented the long delay in coming to a decision on the site for Phuket’s International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC), saying that the arguments have cost Phuket 100 billion baht in lost revenue.“Building an ICEC in Phuket has to be delayed until we have a clear picture…

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  • Phuket News“Burmese Cemetery’ claims another victim | Thaiger

    “Burmese Cemetery’ claims another victim

    PHUKET CITY: Another murder victim was found floating in the murky waters of Rassada Port yesterday morning.Staff of the Por Pichai raft called police after finding the body floating in the sea close to the raft.Pol Lt Col Tiwakorn Kongpeth, of Phuket City Police Station, said the man – believed to be Burmese and between 20 and 25 years old…

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  • Phuket News

    Democrats, TRT in slanging match

    THALANG: Senior figures from Thailand’s two main parties went head-to-head at a fund-raiser for youth education at Baan Nanai yesterday.Surin Pitsuwan, Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party and a former Foreign Minister, made a speech in which he charged the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party with “buying” a former Democrat Party MP representing a province near Phuket.The MP has announced…

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  • Phuket NewsMystery surrounds Briton’s death | Thaiger

    Mystery surrounds Briton’s death

    PHUKET: Mystery surrounds the death of Briton Stephen Harris, leaving his family saddened and confused. Mr Harris’s body was was discovered at the Monte Carlo Hotel on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd on October 29. (See Gazette Online story here.) At that time Pol Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that an initial inspection by a…

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  • Phuket NewsSenator calls for Laguna buildings to be demolished | Thaiger

    Senator calls for Laguna buildings to be demolished

    PHUKET: A new land row is brewing at Laguna after the head of the national Land Inspection Working Group called for a toilet to be demolished, claiming it is built on state land.Speaking after a meeting of 14 local officials, Senator Pricha Pitanon backed local land officers’ claims that the toilet, plus another building covering just four square metres, stand…

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  • Phuket NewsTwo sought over restaurateur’s murder | Thaiger

    Two sought over restaurateur’s murder

    RAWAI: Police are on the lookout for a man and a teenager involved in the beating to death of a Koh Racha Yai restaurateur after a 15-year-old boy turned himself to Chalong Police Station yesterday evening.Pol Col Chalit Kaewyarat, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette that the 15-year-old had confessed to police that he was one of three…

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  • Phuket NewsKing’s Cup final day set to be a cracker | Thaiger

    King’s Cup final day set to be a cracker

    KATA: Hopes are riding high for the steady north-easterly wind, today averaging about 16 knots, to continue for the final race in the King’s Cup Regatta tomorrow, which will be a critical factor in determining who will be this year’s winner.While the top three in nearly all race classes are within a few points of each other in the overall…

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  • Phuket News

    Khao Kat Tower viewpoint opens

    AO MAKHAM: Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit today presided over the reopening ceremony of Khao Khat Tower, which affords visitors a dramatic 360-degree view of the coastline and islands in Phuket Bay.Work on the tower, a restaurant, a parking lot, several shops and landscaped gardens was carried out by the Wichit Tambon Administration Organization, as part of a 24-million-baht provincial development budget…

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  • Phuket NewsThe beach party’s over | Thaiger

    The beach party’s over

    PHUKET: Vice-Governor Vinai Buapradit has ordered officials to take action tomorrow to prevent drunken youths and tourists “swarming” onto beaches when entertainment venues close at 1am.“People have complained to the provincial office about the disturbance caused by tourists and youths drinking and dancing on the beaches after the bars have closed,” said the Vice-Governor. “People who live near the beaches…

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  • Phuket NewsHi Fidelity edges ahead in King’s Cup | Thaiger

    Hi Fidelity edges ahead in King’s Cup

    KATA: Winds were a steady 20 knots yet, apart from some moderate chop beyond Koh Racha, the seas were calm for some swift sailing in the King’s Cup Regatta today.Neil Pryde’s Hi Fidelity today finished just 44 seconds ahead of Peter Ahern’s Yo! to take the lead in the Racing class by a single point.As tomorrow will be a rest…

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