Month: February 2009
- Phuket News
Luxury charter helicopter service launched in Sakoo
SAKOO, PHUKET: Phuket’s super-rich take note: the island now has its own luxury charter helicopter service ready to fly VIP tourists and businessmen to luxury resorts in the Andaman region. Advance Aviation launched its Phuket service from its brand new helipad in Sakoo on January 9, flying about five flights during its first month in operation. Vice Chairman Chai Nasylvanta…
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Environment Impact study for Phuket Airport expansion underway
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Government officers, airport officials and representatives of a consulting firm met late last month to discuss progress on the three-month environmental impact assessment (EIA) now underway on the planned 5-billion-baht expansion of Phuket International Airport. Maj Kamon Wongsombun, director of the Airports of Thailand (AOT) Development and Planning Division, started off with an overview of the project,…
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Sheraton to host 44th ASEAN Education Ministers Conference
PHUKET: The 44th ASEAN Education Ministers meeting will take place at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket from April 5 to 9.The announcement was made on January 27 at Phuket Rajabhat University in Rassada after Thai Education Ministry officials conducted a site visit and held discussions with local venue operators.Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Education Ministry Sriwikar Mektawatwaikul held a meeting…
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Blackout in Rawai, Kata on Thursday
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced a scheduled blackout in parts of Rawai and Kata on Thursday in order to continue its work on high-voltage power lines. The affected areas are on the south side of Patak Rd, starting at Chalong Circle and continuing all the way to the old Plup Pla Resort site in Kata.…
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EGCO scraps plan to build incinerator
PHUKET: The Electricity Generating Public Company Limited (EGCO Group) has scrapped its plans for a power plant fueled by garbage in Phuket as a result of the difficulty in collecting and separating rubbish. Construction of the power plant was scheduled to begin early this year. An agreement to conduct a feasibility study on the project as a pilot for other…
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Temple shooting mars Makha Bucha Day
CHALONG, PHUKET: The owner of a tour company is unconscious but in stable condition after being shot in the neck at a well-known temple where he and his family had just finished offering alms to make merit on Makha Bucha Day. Just before noon yesterday, Chalong Police were informed of a shooting in the parking lot of Wat Luangpoo Supha,…
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Police nab two for licence plate fraud
PHUKET CITY: Checks of vehicle registration data by police have revealed that some cars on Phuket’s roads are stolen vehicles with fake license plates. At a press conference at Phuket City Police Station on February 4, Governor Preecha Ruangjan and Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong presented two suspects caught with stolen vehicles. The first vehicle, a black Honda Civic…
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Foreign Affairs Ministry to open branch in Phuket
PHUKET: Foreign visitors to the region and local expat residents will soon be able to take advantage of a local branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be established at Phuket Provincial Hall. Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan told the Gazette on January 30 that he had received confirmation that day to go ahead with plans to establish the Foreign…
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Dengue Fever Alert, South Thailand hard hit
BANGKOK / PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry has set up a national war room to control the spread of dengue fever across the country after learning the situation will be far worse than last year. The ministry has assigned all provincial public health offices, local administration organisations and health volunteers to strictly control and monitor the transmission of dengue fever…
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Lions gone, smiles back in at Laguna resort complex
PHUKET: Laguna Resorts & Hotels Plc has confirmed to the Gazette that as of 2:00am today the “illegal assembly” blockading the roads into its Laguna Phuket resort complex dispersed and that all resort entrance roads are now fully open. The six Laguna Phuket hotels are rapidly returning to normal operations. In an official statement, a spokesperson wrote: “During the afternoon…
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Laguna protesters dig in for the long haul
PHUKET, CHERNG TALAY: The workers’ protest at Laguna Phuket resort is now in its third day and all seven entrances into the core of the resort remain blocked by the protesters and vehicles. However, Laguna residents are still able to access their homes, but some can only do so on foot or by motorbike. Some of the protest leaders last…
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A bad week for dwindling dugong population
CAPE PANWA, PHUKET: A top marine mammal researcher is drawing up a national action plan for conserving the country’s dwindling population of dugong, three of which were found dead this week. “We have a national action plan for dugong and seagrass in Thailand to conserve the seagrass habitat, reduce mortality, continue monitoring numbers and study behavior,” said Kanjana Adulyanukosol of the…
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Bt 20m for Silaphan Beach upgrade
RASSADA, PHUKET: Rassada Municipality will invest 20 million baht to develop the Silaphan Beach area of Koh Sireh into a new tourist destination. Speaking at the end of his first year in office, Rassada Mayor Surathin Liangudom said the investment is one of many the municipality is undertaking to improve infrastructure in the subdistrict, which surrounds Phuket City to the…
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Protestors blockade Laguna Phuket
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: Disgruntled staff members at the up-market Laguna Phuket resort complex have abandoned their duties and blockaded the road entrances to the resort, causing disruption to operations and preventing access. Protesters said they were angry they had received a bonus of two weeks’ pay for 2008, rather than the usual four weeks, and had been denied pay increases.…
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Brit charged with drug dealing
KAMALA, PHUKET: A British man faces the prospect of a lifetime in jail after being caught at a Kamala Police checkpoint with cocaine, ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and marijuana on Wednesday. David Kevin Griffin, 49, was driving toward Patong when he was stopped by Kamala Police officers at around 1:45 am at the checkpoint in Nanok Village. Police say they…
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Destination Air services suspended pending buyout
PHUKET: The Destination Air seaplane shuttle service, the license for which was revoked by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) last year, has confirmed that all of its services will remain suspended until the company is bought out. Destination Air Managing Director Pat James told the Gazette that the owners currently have four parties interested in buying the charter carrier.…
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Apirak orders gun crackdown
PHUKET CITY: Owners of unregistered firearms will soon feel the full force of the law as part of an island-wide crackdown recently announced by Phuket Provincial Police Superintendent Apirak Hongtong. In a statement released on January 31, Maj Gen Apirak said that due to the current economic downturn, Phuket is faced with the risk of rising crime rates. To combat this…
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OTOP fair is underway
PHUKET CITY: The 4th annual Phuket One Tambon One Product (OTOP) Fair began yesterday, with 200 booths set up around the main stage area at Saphan Hin in Phuket City. Tonight will be the official opening ceremony, featuring a performance by the Superdance team from Samkong. The event, which begins in the late afternoon and runs until about 11 pm…
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Fishing vessel salvaged after nine-day effort
RAWAI: It took a week of strenuous effort, but the fishing boat Sa-nguansin, which sank off the coast of Racha Yai island on the evening of January 25, was finally raised and towed ashore to Cape Panwa on February 2. All 14 members of the crew survived the accident unharmed, though boat owner Sanor Phopipat now faces a bill for…
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Dutch Artist Simon Cohen dies of accident injuries
PHUKET: Well-known Dutch artist Simon Cohen, 72, died on February 1, probably of internal injuries suffered during a traffic accident on January 28. Mr Cohen did not respond when his Thai wife tried to waken him early Saturday. Chalong police said he had been dead about three hours when they arrived at the couple’s home in Rawai Moo 7, not…
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B37m to tackle traffic near Heroines’ Monument
SRISOONTHORN, PHUKET: Srisoonthorn Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) has received a budget of 37 million baht to expand the Heroines’ Monument roundabout and improve roads in the area. Work is expected to start in late April. Srisoonthorn OrBorTor President Thamrong Tantiwiwachakul said, “With the Heroines’ Monument located on the main road in and out of Phuket City, there are a large…
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National high-speed info network; Phuket already in the loop
BANGKOK (The Nation): All of Thailand’s government agencies will be able to integrate their information on to a superhighway network within four years in order to increase their efficiency and provide services on a high-speed infrastructure. Development of the 12-billion baht Government Information Network (GIN) project, which began in 2006, aims to help make the country more competitive. The executive…
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Ex-sailor confesses to slaying step-father
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: Police yesterday afternoon arrested a former Navy sailor for the brutal slaying of his elderly step-father with a sickle. At a press conference held at Thalang Police Station at 6 pm yesterday, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong and Thalang Police appeared with 31-year-old Ittipong “Juekai” Wetchapansombat, who confessed to the killing in front of the media.…
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Sword attack nets cellphone, 200 baht
RASSADA, PHUKET: A man is recovering in hospital after surviving a vicious sword attack by two robbers near the entrance to the Fish Marketing Organization pier last night. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Warit Jado identified the victim as 39-year-old Somsak Krongyuti, a resident of Kantang district in Trang. A crew member of the fishing boat Hong 7, Mr Somsak…
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Colleges in bid to halt student online flesh trade
BANGKOK / PHUKET: Colleges and universities need to act against students engaging in “direct-sale” prostitution via social-network websites like Hi5, according to a well-known academic. Assoc Prof Sukhum Chaloeysap of Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, which has a campus in Phuket, said all institutes of higher learning should admit that the problem exists and join forces to combat it. Some students…
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