Month: September 2006
- Phuket News
Beach chair rates to double
PHUKET: A day at the beach just got a bit less friendly, as beach chair operators in Kata-Karon and Nai Yang have announced they will double their rental rates to 100 baht per chair from tomorrow. A similar price hike in Patong appears inevitable.Ampien Thueathin, head of the Patong Beach Chair Operators’ Association, said he had been in contact with…
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Body of woman found near Burmese workers’ camp
RASADA: The body of an apparent murder victim was found yesterday in a patch of grass near the Thaksin Concrete company building on Thepkrasattri Rd. The victim, a young woman, had head wounds indicating that she had been beaten with a blunt instrument. Police estimate that she died about three days before her body was discovered.Phuket City Police Crime Suppression…
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Governor leaves Phuket – quietly
PHUKET CITY: About 70 people gathered in front of the Governor’s House on Narisorn Rd this morning to wish Udomsak Uswarangkura a fond farewell on his last day as Governor of Phuket.Governor Udomsak, who today brought to a close some 38 years of government service, left his home at 8:45 am, bound for his native Bangkok.Before departing, he received flowers…
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Exposed to danger
PATONG: Different people held different reactions to the coup d’état that stunned the world – and, to a lesser degree, the nation – on the evening of September 19, 2006. But for some people, including many foreign tourists enjoying the nightlife in Patong, all the excitement was just another excuse to get sloppy drunk, go out and have a grope,…
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Transgender trauma
While some tourists jet in from around the globe specifically to enjoy the androgynous charms of Patong’s legion of ladyboy prostitutes, there are still cases cases where off-guard male tourists end up with a ladyboy under the misunderstanding that he is a real woman. Such misunderstandings can – and often do – result in disaster, as two recent reports in…
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Bugging out
Public Health officials in Saraphi District, Chiang Mai Province, issued a public warning for villagers to stop eating malaeng laay (“striped bugs”, scientific classification not provided), after a middle-aged man died after downing three of the insects during a whiskey drinking session. News of the death was reported by Taan Jongkham, headman of Tambon Chompoo Mu 9, on August 25.…
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Home security of the second kind
PATTAYA: A group of five ladyboys took home security into their own hands in the early hours of August 25, beating senseless a drunken teenage punk who broke into their apartment and stole 2,000 baht from their communal piggy bank. The story, reported by Banglamung Police Inspector Pol Lt Col Sutham Chaosrithong, made national news the next morning. The five…
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Mini biker gang
Three boys are now safely back at home after a four-day bicycle adventure across Roi-Et Province. The mini-biker gang set off from the home of gang leader Tawee Senputtawong, 13, in the Kasetwisai District of the province with the aim of visiting his sister who is incarcerated on theft charges in a Juvenile Observation and Protection Center in Roi-Et Town.…
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Boyfriend banzaied
The Japanese have spent the past 60 years promoting a message of peace in the world. Unfortunately for one young Thai man, traces of the Samurai warrior ethic can still be found among the legions of salarymen toiling away in offices in Bangkok. In the early hours of August 17, Pol Lt Kiatsak Kasikun, the duty officer at Khlong Tan…
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Two more stormy days
PHUKET: Phuket can expect about two more days of strong winds and heavy rain as the slow-moving tropical depression responsible for the unusually surly weather moves slowly westward from central Thailand into Burma.Arun Kerdsob, Chief of the Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), told the Gazette that last night’s winds knocked over some trees at Saphan Hin and…
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Adultery the suspected motive in latest Burmese murder
PHUKET CITY: A Burmese man died after having his throat cut yesterday afternoon at the grocery store where he worked near Rassada Port. Police suspect adultery may have been the motive for the killing.Pol Lt Sathit Noorit, Duty Officer at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette, “I received a report of a stabbing about 2:30 pm yesterday. I and…
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Saudi Prince inks B4.3bn resort deal
PHANG NGA: Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI), which is chaired by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, has signed a deal to acquire land on which it proposes to build a US$115 million (about 4.3 billion baht) “Raffles Phang Nga Resort and Residences”, comprising 150 rooms and 25 luxury villas.The deal was made through a joint-venture company…
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Fire tailors two shops
KATA BEACH, PHUKET: A fire broke out in two tailor shops opposite Mom Tri’s Boathouse at about 1 am on September 24. A rapid response from the Tambon Karon Fire Department, however, ensured that the blaze was put out before it could spread to the resort complex and other nearby businesses.The tailor shops, Phuket Boston Tailor and Royal Thai Tailor,…
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Policeman faints, dies
PHUKET CITY: A traffic police officer from Phuket City Police Station died on September 22, three days after accidentally fracturing his skull.The officer, Sq Ldr Sr Sgt Maj Wisit Wisetsuwan, 48, collapsed and hit his head on the parking lot pavement in front of the police station while taking a man to recover his motorcycle from Phuket City Police Station.Officers…
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Phuket tax revenues continue to soar
PHUKET CITY: Taxes collected for fiscal year 2006 are predicted to total 5.2 billion baht, a 30% increase from last year, the Phuket Area Revenue Office (PARO) reported yesterday at Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura’s monthly meeting with Provincial Office Chiefs.PARO Chief Pensri Passakul said that the taxes collected from October 2005 to the end of August 2006 totaled 4.8 billion baht,…
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Army security inspection this Friday
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura, speaking at the monthly Provincial Security and Safety Committee meeting at the Thavorn Grand hotel today, said that every province must prepare a security and safety emergency plan ahead of a scheduled military inspection this Friday.At the 9 am meeting, he ordered Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Nivit Aroonrat to set a meeting…
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Ranong border checkpoints re-open
PHUKET CITY: The two marine border checkpoints between Ranong and Burma reopened yesterday afternoon after closing due to the coup. Officials report that it is business as usual for visa runners seeking to avoid the 500-baht-a-day fine imposed on those who overstay their time in Thailand.Pol Lt Chaiwat Ouikhum, Chief of Ranong Immigration, confirmed to the Gazette this morning that…
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Batten down the hatches
PHUKET: The Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast), at the airport in Thalang, has warned of heavy rain later today due to a tropical depression in the South China Sea, centered about 250 kilometers to the East of Nakhon Phanom province.The announcement, released at 10:00 this morning, said that the storm was likely to make landfall in the area of Dong…
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Island leaders move to allay fears of coup violence
PHUKET CITY: At a meeting held at Phuket Provincial Hall at 2 pm today, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura, along with other key island figures, reassured residents that life will carry on as normal following Tuesday night’s coup.He said that Thai people already understood the national situation but that it could be misread by foreigners. He added that he had already…
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No change in visa policy
PHUKET CITY: Tuesday night’s bloodless military coup in Bangkok will have no immediate effect on Thai Immigration policy as far as tourists are concerned, the Gazette has learned.Pol Capt Krissarat Nusen of the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office this morning confirmed to the Gazette that Thai Immigration still intends to put into effect its new policy of limiting tourist-on-arrival stays to…
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Fewer tanks in Bangkok as Thai army reduces presence
BANGKOK (Agence France-Presse, The Nation): Fewer tanks patrolled the streets of Bangkok today as the Thai army reduced their presence at key government facilities, but troops were not to be completely withdrawn, an army officer said.Four tanks remained at Government House early today, compared with about 10 yesterday, and there were fewer armed soldiers on guard, a day and a…
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ARC summons media bosses to tighten controls
BANGKOK (Agence France-Presse, The Nation): The Administrative Reform Council today ordered media executives to army headquarters to tell them to stop carrying expressions of public opinion following the military takeover, an army official said.“At 4:00 pm [0900 GMT] Thursday, the Army Chief General Sonthi Boonyaratkarin called a meeting of media executives,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.“He will…
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Suan Dusit poll shows 84% support coup
BANGKOK (The Nation): Approximately 84% of Thais support Tuesday’s military coup, according to the poll conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University.The poll showed that 82% of Bangkok residents, and 86% of residents in rural areas support the coup as they believe it end political and social tension and is a positive step for Thai politics.The poll contradicted the widespread belief…
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Police seize assault rifle at Sarasin Bridge
TAH CHAT CHAI: Police conducting a routine vehicle inspection at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint on Sunday morning arrested a man for possession of an automatic rifle, ammunition and five ya bah (methamphetamine) tablets.Pol Lt Col Sakchai Limchareon, Deputy Superintendent of the Tah Chat Chai Police Station, identified the driver as 38-year-old Chatchay Nilata, a native of Trang Province. He…
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Haad Yai bombings prompt police call for public help
PHUKET: Following the six terrorist bombings that rocked central Haad Yai on Saturday night, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Col Decha Butnampetch has urged for public support in keeping the island free of any acts of terrorism that could harm the island’s tourism industry.Pol Col Decha called for the support at a seminar at Patong Hospital attended by a large…
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New visa rules confirmed
PHUKET: New rules limiting stays in Thailand on “visas on arrival” to 90 days over any six month period were confirmed at a September 15 meeting of Immigration Department Chiefs in Bangkok. The new policy will go into effect on October 1.In a related development, the Royal Thai Consulate in Penang, Malaysia, has stopped issuing double-entry tourist visas. Pol Lt…
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New dive rules stand until further notice – Governor
PHUKET: The new regulations affecting Phuket’s dive industry will be adhered to until the rules are reviewed and any changes agreed to, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has said.The Governor affirmed his resolve in seeing the new rules being applied at a meeting with Chatupol Chindapol, President of the Diving Sport Association of the Thai Diving Association (TDA).K. Chatupol met Governor…
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Ranong-Burma border closed
RANONG: The Burmese government has closed the border at Kaw Thaung, making it impossible for foreigners to make “visa runs” across the border there, the Gazette has learned.A representative with the Executive Visa Run company, which runs daily visa-run trips to the Burmese port of entry opposite Ranong, said that his firm learned of the closure this afternoon.Operators of a ferry…
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Phuket calm after coup
PHUKET: Top government and tourism industry officials in Phuket have largely adopted a wait-and-see attitude following the bloodless military coup staged in Bangkok last night.Meanwhile, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has announced that he will hold a press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall at 2 pm tomorrow to answer questions about the military takeover and its effect on the province.Earlier today,…
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Coup: Minimal economic impact “if no violence’
BANGKOK (The Nation): The business sector anticipates short-term negative impact from the coup d’etat, but expect the longer-term economic direction to be clearer with diminishing divisiveness in society and that should be in favor of local and foreign investors.Charlotte Dhonavanik, First Senior Executive Vice-President at the Bank of Ayudhya, said that from the Administrative Reform Council’s (ARC) first announcement, things…
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Hoteliers cautiously optimistic
PHUKET: Local hotel operators remain guardedly optimistic that the bloodless military coup staged in Bangkok last night will have a limited impact on Phuket tourism industry, provided that events do not turn violent.Wolfgang Meusberger, General Manager of the Holiday Inn in Patong, this morning told the Gazette, “I think it all depends what happens over the next 48 hours. At…
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Soldiers keep close watch on media networks
BANGKOK (The Nation): Around 9 pm last night, before the Administrative Reform Council’s first announcement, soldiers entered Shin Satellite headquarters – the control room for the Thaicom III satellite.All employees were cleared out.“I had no idea what happened then. It’s startling,” said a control officer, who anticipated the soldiers could have blocked satellite transmissions.Hours later, UBC signals broadcast via Thaicom…
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Foreign leaders express concern, Thaksin cancels UN address
BANGKOK (Agencies, Nation): Foreign leaders reacted with concern over the military coup against caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan saying “this is not a practice to be encouraged”.Speaking to CNN television on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting, Annan said: “We as an organization [UN] have always supported governmental changes through democratic means, through…
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Human Rights Watch urges military to restore basic civil rights
BANGKOK (Agence FrancePresse, The Nation): Human Rights Watch has urged Thailand’s military to restore basic civil liberties. “Thailand needs to solve its problems through the rule of law and the people exercising their right to choose their own leaders,” said Brad Adams, Asia director for the New York-based group.He urged the military to restore basic human rights guaranteed by the…
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Thaksin eyes London move
BANGKOK (Nation): Sources claim that Thaksin Shinawatra may fly from New York Thaksin to join his family in London, where he owns a luxury real estate.As last evening’s coup took shape Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra, the wife of the caretaker prime minister, escaped to Singapore.It was reported that the former Cabinet members of the Thaksin government may try to form a…
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Bank of Thailand Governor reportedly accepted to become the Prime Minister
BANGKOK (Nation): Bank of Thailand Governor MR Pridayadhorn Devakula has cut short his trip to attend the International Monetary Fund/World Bank meeting in Singapore and he will arrive Bangkok at midday. He has said that he has agreed to become Prime Minister. Regardless, it is expected there would be a press conference at the Armed Forces auditorium today.
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Gazette helps swamped Nation website
PHUKET: Following the coup last night, the website of The Nation newspaper is being overwhelmed by readers.To help report today’s unfolding events, the Gazette is posting Nation stories here on our website.Keep posted.
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