Year: 2004
- Phuket News
Entertainment venues still in limbo
PHUKET CITY: Wisut Romin, Deputy Secretary of the Phuket Provincial Administration Office (PPAO) told the Gazette yesterday that he is still waiting for the Ministry of Interior to set the fees for entertainment licenses, despite 50% of renewals having already been granted. More than 170 licensees in Phuket are now waiting to see just how much they will have to…
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Let them eat seaweed
PHUKET: Patong Municipality isn’t sitting idly by as unprecedented amounts of Ulva Reticulata seaweed continue to wash up along its shore. The Municipality is pursuing a two-pronged strategy of collecting the bright green algae and researching ways to put it to good use, including, possibly, promoting it as food. The seaweed is the result of hot-season water temperatures and the…
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Gov suggests Koh Maphrao for ICEC site
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangura has suggested Koh Maphrao as an alternative location for the proposed Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) as a way to break a stalemate between the government in Bangkok and local people over where the mega-project should be sited. Speaking with the Gazette at his office, Gov Udomsak said that the island, located about…
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Confusion over tourist visas on arrival
BANGKOK: Pol Col Chalermpong Vadhanasukha, the Deputy Superintendent of Immigration Division 3, has verified that foreigners may receive more than three consecutive tourist visas on arrival. Col Chalermpong clarified the issue after it was raised by a Gazette reader who was concerned that such a regulation was about to be enforced. The reader told the Gazette that he had learned…
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Resort worker’s body washes ashore
KALIM: The body of Patong Resort restaurant steward Worawut Pholboon, 27, from Srisaket, was found washed ashore at Kalim Beach at about 5 am yesterday. K. Worawut disappeared under a large wave while swimming at Patong Beach on Tuesday afternoon. K. Worawut’s cousin, Boonchai Boonwan, told the Gazette, “Phuket Marine Police officers called me at about 5:30 am and told…
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Language training offered to tour guides
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has authorized the disbursement of 1.5 million baht from provincial coffers to give 100 hours of foreign-language instruction to tour guides in Phuket. Foreign nationals are barred from being tour guides because it is a “reserved occupation” for Thais only, but guides adept in Russian, Swedish, Korean, Chinese and German are in short supply.…
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Resort staffer lost swimming off Patong
PATONG: A man disappeared beneath large waves while swimming in front of the Amari Coral Beach Resort yesterday afternoon. Rescue efforts have failed to find him, and he is believed to have drowned. Worawut Pholboon, 27, from Srisaket, was swimming with three co-workers from the Patong Resort when he was pushed underwater by a large wave. Wimonrat Trangsurat, who was…
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Anchalee outlines OrBorJor policy
PHUKET CITY: The new Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr said today that education, tourism development and quality-of-life issues need to be urgently addressed in order to bring about sustainable development in Phuket. In her first full day in her new job, she singled out education as the most pressing issue, saying that the national government’s decision to…
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Love-and-loan tryst ends in murder
PHUKET CITY: Furniture contractor Sophol Marapong, 32, was found stabbed to death in Suan Luang Park on Friday night after a clandestine meeting over love and money went sour. He had been stabbed 22 times. Pol Maj Watcharin Jiratikarnwiwat, an Inspector at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that police arrived at the scene about 10:30 pm, after receiving…
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The General cracks down on illegals
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Immigration Office has arrested 766 illegal workers, mostly from neighboring countries, in the first four months of this year as part of a concerted round-up. Of those arrested, the overwhelming majority – 738 – were Burmese, with the remaining 28 coming from Laos, Cambodia and other countries. Pol Lt Gen Dr Chanvut Vajrabukka, Commissioner of the…
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Anchalee finally confirmed as OrBorJor President
PHUKET: Eight weeks after the elections for seats in the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) took place, and 14 days after all the other members’ seats had been confirmed, the Phuket Election Committee (PEC) this morning finally confirmed that Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr is the new OrBorJor President. PEC Director Kittipong Thiengkunagrit today told the Gazette, “We received the formal declaration this…
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Star Cruises denies terrorism caused suspension
PHUKET: Star Cruises today denied that its suspension of all cruises from Singapore to Phuket was the result of fears of terrorist attacks, following the violence in southern Thailand on April 28. Ariya Noongan, Executive Sales Officer at Star Cruises in Bangkok, today told the Gazette that the Star Cruises head office in Singapore decided “last month” to suspend the…
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TAT moves to calm tourist fears
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette today obtained the following advice to the travel industry from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), following the violence in the deep south of Thailand that saw 107 people killed in violent clashes on April 28. The Tourism situation in South Thailand 1. The disturbances are over and the situation is under control by the Thai…
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Still no action on Rawai Beach vendors
RAWAI: The saga of the moving of the beachfront stalls at Rawai seems no closer to an end following an announcement yesterday by Rawai Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Arun Sorot that the amount of land required for the project is still being calculated. Rawai OrBorTor says it plans to move 14 of the vendors’ stalls – those belonging to…
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Trash handling very inefficient – study
PHUKET CITY: About 20 local leaders attended a seminar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel yesterday to hear the findings of a study on waste management issues. The study’s final report called for more efficient waste disposal practices by local government bodies in order to support efforts to sort trash prior to collection. The seminar was presented by Pireeyutma Vanapruk,…
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Mystery over lady in waiting
PHUKET: Nearly two weeks after the Central Election Committee (CEC) in Bangkok unofficially announced Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr as the winner of the March 14 Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Presidential election, she has yet to receive official confirmation. The delay leaves K. Anchalee as the only person on the 24-member Democrat-dominated body who has not yet received formal confirmation from the…
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Hotline for reporting transport rip-offs
PHUKET CITY: Customers who believe they have been overcharged or otherwise maltreated by tuk-tuk, taxi, minibus and airport limousine drivers will soon be able to make complaints direct to the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO) through a new telephone hotline number, 1584, manned 24 hours a day. Due to go into service at the end of May, the 1584 hotline…
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Bus station shopkeepers resist eviction
PHUKET CITY: Teerayuth Prasertphol, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO), today filed for police to arrest shopowners at the Phuket Bus Terminal who have refused to vacate government land. The shopkeepers had until Friday to move, to make way for extra parking for songtaew at the bus terminal. The official notice of eviction was posted on April 21.…
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One dead, one critical after karaoke fight
THALANG: One man was stabbed to death and another remains in critical condition following an argument over whose turn it was to use the microphone at the Kon Suay (Beautiful People) karaoke bar and restaurant in Cherng Talay around 1 am yesterday. Police arrested the alleged killer, 24-year-old Veerasak Nantasin, from Surat Thani, some three hours later at his home…
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Princess to sing in Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya will visit Phuket on May 18 to preside over a “To Be Number One” campaign event. Her Royal Highness will also sing at a concert in the evening. The campaign, devised by the Princess as a way to get young people to excel in sports, music and other activities, is being supported by provincial…
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Phuket Air slashes Andaman fares
PHUKET: Phuket Air has drastically reduced its economy class fares on flights between Phuket and Bangkok, and Krabi and Bangkok. The promotion offers one-way fares at 1,500 baht and round-trip fares at 3,000 baht. Previously, the best prices were 4,350 baht for the Krabi service, round-trip, and 3,950 baht for Phuket. Busara Dusadeeisariyawong, Southern Branch Manager of Phuket Air, told…
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Land probe targets Nai Harn resort
NAI HARN: The developers of a resort being built in Nai Harn, near Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club, will likely be ordered to dismantle it by June 10. The order is expected to be issued after government officers found that no permission had been given for the resort’s construction. Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong told the Gazette yesterday that he visited…
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Milkmaid of human kindness
BANGKOK: You won’t find many 71-year-old women bragging about their bosoms, but a fortune teller in Bangkok recently invited reporters to squeeze her breasts to prove that they were filled with milk. And not just any old milk. The woman, whose chest measures an impressive 38 inches, claims to have an abundant supply of “supernatural” milk that can ease pain,…
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The iceman cometh
NAKHON PATHOM: One of the primary targets in the Government’s war on drugs are dealers of ya bah (methamphetamine), one form of which is the highly addictive recrystalised form, known as “ice”. But if the tale told by a man in Nakorn Pathom’s Muang District is to be believed, dealers in ice made from water are now being targeted by…
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Beach blanket bingo
KARON: In an effort to find beer for himself and his new best friend from Burma, the transvestite cashier of a local bar broke into two mini-marts and helped himself. But, high as he was on the twin passions of beer and very close friendship, he left his address book on the beach among the empty beer bottles – allowing…
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Soi Moodies sign goes up in flames
PATONG: The illuminated sign overhanging the entrance to Soi Moodies entertainment plaza, on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, burst into flames on Saturday night. The sign caught fire at about 10 pm. Phuket Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong, who was dining directly underneath, was one of the first to notice the flames and called the fire department. Restaurant Manager Banai Ngamsri told the…
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OrBorJor officers elected
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization OrBorJor has elected Hutt Katanchaleekul as Chairman. At the inaugural session of the newly-elected body on April 29, Chaivichit Dattvatkanee was elected deputy chairman and Wacharapong Kuawong second deputy chairman. All three are Democrat Party members. The 24-member body, dominated by its 19 Democrats, was elected in polling on March 14. The election results…
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Entire police squad transferred over murder probe
THALANG: The entire team of police officers investigating the double murder of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat have been transferred after an internal probe into their conduct by officers from Provincial Police regional headquarters in Surat Thani. K. Prasert and K. Thavorn, the parents of Thepkrasattri Mayor Prasong Trairat, were gunned down in their shophouse home on May 5 last year.…
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Phuket police on heightened alert
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has ordered a heightening of security for all government buildings and tourist areas in Phuket following Wednesday’s killings in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, and warnings by a Muslim separatist group that foreigners should stay away from the South and neighboring provinces. Phuket’s Provincial Police Commander, Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic, said “We have seen the trouble…
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Top comedy trio to play Phuket
PHUKET: Three first-rate British comedians – Tim Clark, Pierre Hollins and John Fothergill – will perform at the Watermark restaurant, at the Boat Lagoon, on May 26. Heading the trio will be host Tim Clarke, of whom The Guardian newspaper said, “Comperes are the unsung heroes of stand up comedy. The current master of this underrated art is Tim Clarke.”…
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Thaksin okays B38m for stadium upgrade
PHUKET CITY: The race is on to repair Surakul Stadium in time for a key inspection in June by officials from Fifa, international soccer’s ruling body, who will decide whether Phuket’s most important sporting event yet can go ahead. Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura told the Gazette yesterday that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has approved the budget of 38 million required to…
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Narathiwat “still safe for visa runs’
NARATHIWAT: Visa-run businesses are still operating normally to Narathiwat despite the outburst of violence in the South yesterday, which resulted in more than 100 deaths. Those who organize the visa-run services say that foreigners are safe. Kanitha Saelao, Manager of the Patong branch of Royal Silk Travel, which organizes visa trips to Kota Bahru via Narathiwat, told the Gazette that…
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Cop heading South vows to be “careful’
PHUKET: The 26th police officer seconded from Phuket to the turbulent South of the country left today for Narathiwat, vowing to be “very careful” after yesterday’s gun battles resulted in more than 100 deaths. Pol Capt Sanya Potchsalee, 32, Deputy-Inspector of Phuket Tourist Police, has been detailed to join a new unit of Tourist Police that has been established at…
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Pongtorn murder probe faltering
PHUKET: A year after the assassination of Pongtorn Hiranyaburana – the Deputy Chief of the Phuket Land Office ordered to investigate suspect land titles – the trail leading to his killers has apparently gone cold. Pol Col Ronapong Saikaew, Superintendent of Investigation of Police Region 8, based in Surat Thani, told the Gazette today, “We still need more time to…
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Dog rescued from “rapist’
KAMALA: Animal lovers have rescued a small dog from a European man, who raped the animal repeatedly over a period of about six months. The dog was rescued by a Thai woman after she was told that people had heard it screaming many times. The rescuer, K. Gaew (who asked that her full name be withheld for fear of reprisal),…
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B255 million airport upgrade begins
PHUKET: Work has begun on a 255-million-baht expansion of Phuket International Airport. A 120-million-baht expansion of the passenger terminal – to be completed early next year – will be augmented by the creation of two additional berths for aircraft, taking the total number of berths to 27 and costing another 98 million baht. A further 37 million baht has been…
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Airport departure tax to rise 40pc
PHUKET: Departure taxes for international flights from Phuket will be hiked by 40% next year, soaring from the current 500 baht to 700 baht. Domestic passengers, who currently pay 50 baht a flight, will also face a hefty rate increase. The amount has yet to be set but according to Lt Cdr Boonchart Prompoon, Director of the Airports Authority of…
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