Year: 2005

  • Phuket NewsEel makes meal of diver’s digit

    Eel makes meal of diverโ€™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 wasโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsSimilans tsunami monitoring station operational | Thaiger

    Similans tsunami monitoring station operational

    PHUKET: The first of nine tide monitoring stations is now operational on the Similan Islandsโ€™ 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,โ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsTTVI center denies deadline for victim IDs | Thaiger

    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 Phuketโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsMayor denies machinations | Thaiger

    Mayor denies machinations

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwannasuppana has denied that political machinations were behind the shock dismissal of her entire deputy mayoral team on April 8 and says the move was merely intended to ensure that the โ€œmost suitable peopleโ€ served under her.The three former Deputy Mayors, Niwas Aroonrat, Ayuth Tansiriroj, and Piya Siamhan, are all members of the โ€œYoungโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsArthit fails to convince Dulwich parents

    Arthit fails to convince Dulwich parents

    PHUKET: In a stormy meeting in the Dulwich International College auditorium this afternoon, the schoolโ€™s CEO and founder, Dr Arthit Urairat, clearly failed to allay parentsโ€™ worries about the future of the school.Central to the parentsโ€™ concerns is the relationship between Dr Arthitโ€™s team and the franchiser, Dulwich College, London (DCL), with several parents making it quite clear that ifโ€ฆ

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  • Thailand NewsIn very poor taste | Thaiger

    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 ofโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsNew rules for motorbike taxis

    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 Officeโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsTwo-month deadline set for tsunami victims ID | Thaiger

    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 Deputyโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsAppeal for info on missing Briton

    Appeal for info on missing Briton

    PHUKET: The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has appealed for anyone who has seen Eddie Gibson, a young British national, to get in touch. Mr Gibson has not had any contact with his family since October 24, when he emailed his mother to say he was planning to return to Britain from Cambodia on a flight due to leaveโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsArthit introduces new Dulwich team

    Arthit introduces new Dulwich team

    PHUKET: As the crisis over the future of Dulwich International College continues unresolved, the schoolโ€™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 afternoonโ€™s meeting he introduced the new Headmaster he has chosen for the school, Canadian Prof Dr George Hickman,โ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsEvacuation plans under discussion | Thaiger

    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 hasโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsSongkran traffic crackdown effective | Thaiger

    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 yearโ€™s โ€œtargetโ€โ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsDulwich school’s fate hangs in balance | Thaiger

    Dulwich schoolโ€™s fate hangs in balance

    PHUKET: Parents and teachers of the islandโ€™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 schoolโ€™s owners, parentsโ€™ and teachersโ€™โ€ฆ

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  • Phuket News19 hurt as bus overturns in rain | Thaiger

    19 hurt as bus overturns in rain

    TAH CHAT CHAI: Police are hunting for the driver of a bus which overturned yesterday injuring 19 passengers.It is thought the driver, named so far only as โ€œKittisakโ€, lost control of the Bangkok-bound bus in bend in the road near Baan Koh En, during heavy rain.The Phuket Central Tour bus came to a stop upside down in a ditch. All 19 passengers on boardโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsSeven-hour ordeal after dive boat sinks

    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 morningโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPatong alarm system test “a success’

    Patong alarm system test โ€œa successโ€™

    PATONG: The last of the alarms in Patongโ€™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),โ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsSpaghetti-strap mosquito menace | Thaiger

    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 โ€œrevealing clothes may induce sexual harassmentโ€.It didnโ€™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.Allโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsMinistry puts Phuket Air under microscope | Thaiger

    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 immediatelyโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsHuge hikes in EMS international fees | Thaiger

    Huge hikes in EMS international fees

    PHUKET: The cost of sending a letter or parcel abroad via express mail service (EMS) has risen massively due to the increasing cost of fuel, with some prices almost doubling.For example, whereas it used to cost 480 baht to send a 250-gram printed-paper package via EMS to Israel, it now costs 950 baht; to send the same package to theโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsTsunami chops OrBorJor income by 20pc | Thaiger

    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 organizationโ€™s initial revenue projection of 500 million baht, from business taxes and fees, has been lowered to about 400 million due toโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsTrees to act as “tsunami breaks’ | Thaiger

    Trees to act as โ€œtsunami breaksโ€™

    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 thanโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket to get provincial art gallery

    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 โ€œPainting Phuket, the Pearl of the Andamanโ€ 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 beโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsMarine police on lookout for oil smuggling | Thaiger

    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 coastsโ€ฆ

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  • Thailand NewsBoared to death | Thaiger

    Boared to death

    PHAYAO: An elderly hunter in Chun District was gored to death by a wild boar after shooting its mate and stealing their four babies, his neighbors said. In late March, Wun Sisan, 68, shot a female boar and collected its piglets to sell to villagers to raise at a cost of 1,500 baht each. About 10 days later, in theโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsAppeal for Songkran common sense | Thaiger

    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 yearโ€™s death toll from traffic accidents during the period to under six. The province has set up a โ€œSongkran Safety Centerโ€ at Phuket Provincial Hall to monitor the toll of dead and injured forโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPark to fill Pak’s shoes

    Park to fill Pakโ€™s shoes

    MAI KHAO: South Korean Si Re Pak has pulled out of next weekโ€™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 Ladiesโ€™ Professional Golf (LPGA) tournaments last year, including the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She was also awarded the the 2004 Vare Trophyโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsMasseuse found dead in woods | Thaiger

    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 asโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPark entry fees waived till end-May | Thaiger

    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. Kritwikromโ€™s said that the only exception to the waiver will be tour boats, which will still be charged for dropping anchor in marineโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Air – another flight abandoned | Thaiger

    Phuket Air โ€“ another flight abandoned

    LONDON (Scotsman): An airline which twice grounded a holiday jet bound for Britain with fuel gushing from a wing yesterday abandoned another flight in a safety scare.Phuket Air was forced to return a Boeing 747 service bound for Bangkok to London Gatwick three hours into a journey yesterday morning.The company said the aircraft was struck with a hydraulic problem and forcedโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPolice coax would-be jumper to safety

    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 โ€œAekโ€, put one leg over the balcony railing and began flailing his arms wildly.โ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsSipa launches fast-track system for IT workers | Thaiger

    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 workersโ€™ applications for work permits and extensions of stay in just three hours. Chalermcharn Yotviriyapanit, Head ofโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsDrive to break transport “mafia’ launched

    Drive to break transport โ€œmafiaโ€™ launched

    PHUKET: In an attempt to improve public transport on the island, Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has announced his support for a new project aimed at putting hundreds of metered taxis on Phuket roads and launching an Airport Bus service.On April 1, the Governor presided over the launch of the โ€œTaxi Phuket Development Projectโ€ at Central Festival, during which he also announcedโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Air to dump London for Amsterdam | Thaiger

    Phuket Air to dump London for Amsterdam

    BANGKOK: Phuket Air is to axe direct flights between Bangkok and London, citing the impending low season, and will be replacing the route with a new service between Bangkok and Amsterdam.The airlineโ€™s marketing and communications manager, Krona Visutrasai, told the Gazette the London flights had been โ€œsuspended temporarilyโ€, and that the company intends to reintroduce the route, but with aโ€ฆ

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  • Thailand NewsAbbot defrocked for bad habit | Thaiger

    Abbot defrocked for bad habit

    NAKHON PATHOM: An abbot and well-known fortune teller was defrocked after offering to perform a lewd โ€œgood-luckโ€ ritual on a young woman in a short-time hotel. The woman, 20, told police she had gone with her boyfriend to pay respect to the monks at Wat Maeng Mum Hill Temple (Temple on Spider Hill). While there, the womanโ€™s boyfriend had hisโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsMissing millions probe “making progress’ | Thaiger

    Missing millions probe โ€œmaking progressโ€™

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police say they are making progress in the investigation into the alleged theft of 2.05 million baht in tsunami-relief funds from Phuket Provincial Hall โ€“ but have yet to name any suspects in the case. Phuket City Police Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin told the Gazette yesterday that his department would โ€œclear upโ€ the case beforeโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsUS trade reps assess investment aid | Thaiger

    US trade reps assess investment aid

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura met with US trade representatives and the head of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP) on Sunday to discuss ways in which the US private sector might assist in Thailandโ€™s recovery following the December 26 tsunami. The talks focused on ways to channel private-sector investment from the US to affected businesses,โ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsDrug use “could rise’ in tsunami aftermath | Thaiger

    Drug use โ€œcould riseโ€™ in tsunami aftermath

    PHUKET: Drug use and drug-related crime could rise as people lose their jobs because of the slump in tourism brought on by the tsunami, the Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police has warned.Pol Col Kokiat Wongvorachart said, โ€œThe tsunami affected so many people. Employees of big, medium-sized and small companies, laborers and the self-employed have all found themselves out ofโ€ฆ

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