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Cement spill threatens Racha reef
RACHA YAI, PHUKET: A barge loaded with building materials almost capsized in Phlap Phla Bay off Racha Yai island early Thursday afternoon, causing the captain to offload 30 sacks of cement into the sea over an artificial coral reef. Paitoon Praechaiyaphum of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department Region 5 office, who has visited the site, said that officials were mounting…
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The Times: realistic or romantic about Phuket?
PHUKET: In a world-beating feature in the travel section of the New York Times this weekend, Phuket makes the grade as one of the world’s 44 “most compelling” destinations to visit in 2009. See the rankings here. Interesting and encouraging indeed. But local residents may find an agent provocateur lurking just below the surface in an editorial sub-ranking where it’s…
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Phuket’s kids enjoy Children’s Day
PHUKET: Youngsters are today enjoying free games, activities, stage performances and food and drink around the island for Thailand’s annual Children’s Day. Events dedicated to giving kids a good time are taking place at shopping malls, military installations, government offices, schools, hospitals and public areas all over the island.
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Second incineration plant to be built at Saphan Hin
PHUKET CITY: A solution to Phuket’s waste disposal crisis appears at hand now that a Malaysian firm has agreed to build a second power-producing incineration plant at Saphan Hin. Ratcharin Khawsuwan, an officer in the municipality’s finance division, said the announcement came at a press conference by Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana, Phuket Vice Governor Worapoj Ratthasima and Dato Tan…
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One man, one game, two holes-in-one in Phuket
PHUKET: Long-term Phuket resident John Connelly, 58, smashed all records Saturday morning when he carded two holes-in-one in a single round of golf at Phuket’s Blue Canyon Country Club. According to an estimate published in Golf Digest magazine, the odds of such an occurrence are about one in 67 million! Connelly, with a handicap of 13, achieved the feat while…
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Golf: Two holes-in-one, one man, one game in Phuket
PHUKET: Long-term Phuket resident John Connelly, 58, smashed all records Saturday morning when he carded two holes-in-one in a single round of golf at Phuket’s Blue Canyon Country Club. According to an estimate published in Golf Digest magazine, the odds of such an occurrence are about one in 67 million! Connelly, with a handicap of 13, achieved the feat while…
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Sports Complex design complete, but still no building budget
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Design work on a long-awaited sports complex on 240 rai of state land in Mai Khao is now complete, but the project remains without funding. Promchote Traivate, head of the Phuket Office of Sports and Recreation Development, said the latest design consists of a 4,000-seat multi-purpose hall, a 15,000-seat football stadium with retractable roof, an “extreme sports”…
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Sirinath Park standoff now in Day 2
SAKOO, PHUKET: Some 100 protesters have roadblocked the entrance to Sirinath Marine National Park, hoping authorities will do away with sharply increased entrance fees that are keeping tourists away and hurting their businesses. The new fees, which took effect about two months ago, have made access to the park much more expensive – prohibitively so for many tourists who used…
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Vigo top prize in Red Cross raffle
SAPHAN HIN: The exciting draw for top prizes in the 2009 Phuket Red Cross Fair at Saphan Hin will be held at 10 pm on January 9, the penultimate day of the event. Those buying 100-baht raffle tickets will have a chance of winning the following prizes: First prize: Toyota Vigo extended cab pickup (1 prize); Second prize: Motorbikes (3);…
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Road accident update: Day 6
PHUKET: The death toll over the first six days of this year’s “7 Days of Danger” road safety campaign is now up to three, following the death early Sunday morning of a worker in the back of a pick-up in Koh Kaew. The Road Safety Center, set up by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket), identified the deceased…
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Man arrested for KorTorMor shooting
PHUKET CITY: The son of the owners of a popular car repair chain has been arrested for allegedly shooting another man in the back inside the KorTorMor nightclub at 1 am on January 1, bringing New Year’s festivities there to an abrupt end.Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit, who is personally overseeing the investigation, said fighting broke out between Sombat…
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Italian dies in road accident
PHUKET CITY: Two people, including a foreigner, died in road accidents in Phuket during the first three days of the government’s “7 Days of Danger” road safety campaign that began on December 30. Nattadawan Maneerangsrisuwan, an officer at the provincial Road Safety Center, set up by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket), said the first casualty reported was…
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Full body massage by a real Babe
CHIANG MAI: Villagers in Sansai District’s Tambon Nong Jom have been rushing to try the services of the village’s newest masseuse – a wild boar piglet named Phalo. In exchange for occasional mackerel or a few sweets, Phalo uses his snout to massage tired limbs – reportedly with as much skill as the most expert human hands. The unusual talent…
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Red Cross Fair starts today
PHUKET CITY: The annual Red Cross Fair kicks off at Saphan Hin tonight and runs until January 10. As in past years, the fair will be a fun time for the entire family, with OTOP products for sale, food and beverages, stage shows, exhibitions and a wide variety of entertainment. There will also be some real bargains available, with handcrafted furniture…
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Countdown to 2009 underway
PHUKET CITY: Watch out Times Square, tropical Phuket has launched its most impressive New Year’s Countdown activity ever at Surin Circle, in the heart of Phuket City. Organized jointly by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) and Phuket City Municipality, the “Colorful Phuket Countdown 2009” activities kicked off with a special opening ceremony on Christmas night with opening speeches by…
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Teen survives shooting
KOH KAEW, PHUKET: A 16-year-old boy being treated at Vachira Phuket Hospital for gunshot wounds was shot in the chest and right arm early on the morning of December 28, a local Thai-language newspaper has reported. Phuket City Police received a 191 report of the shooting at about 2 am. By the time police arrived at the scene, at the…
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Day of danger on Phuket roads
WICHIT, PHUKET: In a chilling reminder about the need to drive safely during the current holiday season, a man on a motorcycle was killed instantly when he was hit by a six-wheeled truck and then pulled under its wheels yesterday afternoon. The accident occurred at about 1:30 pm near the entrance to Sukko Spa in Tambon Wichit, about 300 meters…
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New Government to continue free water project
PHUKET CITY: Consumers will be glad to know that a nationwide project that exempts most homeowners from having to pay water bills will continue under the new Government. The exemption, part of a six-month economic stimulus package introduced by ex-prime minister Samak Sundaravej, started in October. Sawong Sri-in, Director of the Phuket Municipality Water Supply Division, told the Gazette that…
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Two foreign tourists die in Rawai in two days
RAWAI, PHUKET: Two foreign tourists were found dead in their rooms in Rawai early this week. The first was identified by Chalong Police as American Martin Howard Schechter. Mr Schechter, 67, was found in the bed of his rented bungalow in Rawai Village 4. At about 11 am on Monday morning, the staff grew concerned because Mr Schechter, who they…
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Phuket remembers the tsunami
PHUKET: Today marks the fourth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which was triggered by an earthquake that measured close to nine on the Richter scale. The tsunami hit Phuket on the morning of December 26, 2004. More than 5,000 people, mostly international tourists, were killed in Thailand’s six Andaman coastal provinces when the killer waves struck. Indonesia, India and…
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Komkai’s killer apprehended, but mastermind still at-large
PHUKET: After almost six months of investigation, police have arrested a hired gunman who confessed to the shooting murder of well-known Patong businesswoman Komkai Kositkoon on July 18. After his arrest at a construction site in Krabi on Saturday morning, 39-year-old Arun Chanma was brought in for a re-enactment of the crime, which took place on Wichit Songkraam Rd. He…
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Holiday road safety measures set
PHUKET: Nine major road checkpoints and 18 smaller “mobile units” will be in operation around Phuket from December 30 to January 5, 2009. The checkpoints form the final phase of a three-pronged effort to combat road accidents over the holiday period. This year’s strategy, coordinated by the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), started with…
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Pair nabbed for passing bogus bills
PHUKET / SRISOONTHORN: Thalang Police on Wednesday night arrested two men for passing counterfeit banknotes at local shops and restaurants. Thalang Police Duty Inspector Anukul Nuket identified the suspects as 24-year-old Nikorn Raksapol from Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Pattipong Nuea-nan, 31, from Chiang Rai. The pair were arrested at about 11 pm in the Fah Sai Restaurant in tambon Srisoonthorn…
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Crime crackdown hits city streets
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police have deployed 180 police officers to man six checkpoints around the city as part of a crime crackdown that began on December 17 and will end at 6 am on the morning of December 20. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit told the Gazette police have already opened 10 new cases as a result of…
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Students, teachers and heroines: all survive smash
THALANG: Fourteen tired students and staff of Kajonkietsuksa School returning home from Haad Yai had a rude awakening Tuesday night, when the bus they were traveling on crashed into the Heroines Monument at about 10 pm. The bus, nearing the end of an eight-hour journey, was carrying seven of the school’s top students, seven teachers plus the driver. The clever…
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Youth loses face in explosive sex act
ANG THONG: Following on from last week’s report about the unfortunate Army private with the fish caught in his throat comes yet another sorry tale from a Thai youth about the perils of putting foreign objects in one’s mouth. This story came to light when an eighteen year old youth, identified only as Chai, was brought in to Wisetchaichan Hospital on December 7…
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Kids lifesaving carnival on Saturday
KAMALA: A “Nippers Mini Surf Lifesaving Carnival” will be held on Saturday morning, December 20, at Kamala Beach, near Kamala Park and Kamala Police Station. The competition, open to kids five to 15 years of age, is organized and conducted by the Phuket Lifeguard Club. Children from local schools and swim clubs are invited to attend the carnival, which is…
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Blackout tomorrow in city’s south end
PHUKET CITY: Residents of much of Phuket City’s Talad Neua sub-district will be without electricity from 9 am to 4 pm tomorrow, as the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) will cut the power to replace pylons along three main roads. The affected area starts from the Tha Kraeng three-way junction near Suan Luang Park in the south, runs north along Chao…
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Phuket’s Sukhumvit Rd complex boarded up
PHUKET (PATONG): Scores of publicans running beer bars at the Sukhumvit Road night entertainment complex on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd were locked out of their businesses on Thursday afternoon for refusing to sign new rental agreements with Moodies Entertainment, which has reclaimed the right to operate the complex. Kathu Police Inspector Sophon Borrirak told the Gazette that he received a…
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Phuket businesses seek debt moratorium
PHUKET (The Nation): Cash-strapped tourism businesses in Phuket are seeking debt relief in order to deal with the current downturn in tourist arrivals at a time when hotel occupancy rates are normally at their highest. Somchai Pathamakantin, founder of the Phuket Seashell Museum and representative of tourist business groups on Kata and Karon beaches, today proposed to Phuket Governor Preecha…
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