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Coral Reef Squadron red-flagged
PHUKET CITY: The sinking of 10 decommissioned military aircraft – nicknamed the Coral Reef Squadron – to create Thailand’s largest artificial reef has been postponed until November, Tourism Authority of Thailand South Region 4 Office Director Suwalai Pinpradub announced today.Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, K. Suwalai said that the strong winds and large waves that have arrived with…
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Aussie airlifted from Similans
PHUKET CITY: An Australian man is recovering at Vachira Phuket Hospital after being airlifted to Phuket from the Similan Islands by the Royal Thai Navy this afternoon.Rear-Admiral Supot Pruksa of the Third Naval Area Command, based at Cape Panwa, identified the man as Gregory Edwin Orior, 51.The Navy base received an emergency call this morning from the Navy outpost at…
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Investigation launched into “stolen’ tsunami victims’ coffins
PHANG NGA (Kom Chad Luek): Grave robbery has taken on a disturbing new form in Takuapa, where 11 aluminum coffins intended for tsunami victims were recently reported missing from a storage facility at Bang Maruan Cemetery.In mid-April, cemetery manager Nitinai Sornsongkram, who is responsible for inventory of tsunami victims’ remains and government property at the cemetery, noticed that 11 of…
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Kowsurat, celebrities to host aircraft reef festivities
LAYAN BEACH: Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat and several Thai TV celebrities on Monday will lead activities to mark the sinking of 10 decommissioned military aircraft to form an artificial reef.Although sinking of the aircraft began today, Monday was chosen as the final day because it is Coronation Day, a public holiday marking HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s ascension to…
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Job Fair marks Labor Day
SAPAN HIN: Hundreds of people turned out to apply for jobs yesterday morning at a job fair to mark International Labor Day.The fair was organized by the Governor’s Office and the Phuket Provincial Employment Service Office.More than 30 companies sent representatives to meet job seekers, who perused noticeboards advertising more than 1,000 job vacancies in Phuket and Phang Nga.Many of…
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Fire destroys Patong shops
PATONG: Firefighters took more than an hour to extinguish a fire that broke out in Jintana Plaza, opposite the Immigration office on the Patong beach road, early Wednesday morning.Lt Naruewat Putthaviro of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that the fire started before 4 am.“When I arrived there, the fire had already destroyed a large area. We used four fire…
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Bogus cop busted in extortion case
CHALONG: In the second crime of its type reported in less than a month, police arrested a Thai man for impersonating a police officer in a bid to extort money from a construction project employing unregistered Burmese workers.Capt Arthid Sue-sattabongkot of Phuket Provincial Special Branch (Santiban) Police told the Gazette that construction foreman Santi Nasang, who is overseeing a project…
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Body washes ashore in Rawai
RAWAI: Police are working to determine the identity of a man whose naked body was found on Laem Kha Noi Beach on Sunday morning.Inspector Lt Ratthaket Munmuang of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette; “We believe he had been dead for more than 24 hours before his body was found. There is a tattoo on his right shoulder in a language…
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Speedboat pirates raid Thai tanker
CAPE PANWA: A fuel tanker on its way to Phuket was boarded by six masked men in the Singapore Strait early Friday morning, the pirates making off with more than half-a-million baht in goods stolen from the vessel and its crew.News of the incident was reported to the Phuket City Police soon after the tanker, Patara Varin 2, reached the…
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Phuket girl wins national TV talent quest
PHUKET: Phuket teenager Wichayanee “Nong Kam” Peagrin last night became the first female contestant to win The Star contest, the wildly popular Thai TV equivalent of American Idol.The final round of competition, televised nationally on Channel 9, was held last night at the full-to-capacity Hua Mark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok.The final pitted the dimple-faced Nong Kam, 19, against fellow finalist Supparuj…
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Thai PM says Phuket needs urgent “rehabilitation’
BANGKOK (The Nation): Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said on his weekly Sunday morning radio show yesterday that Phuket needs urgent “rehabilitation” and development projects.The prime minister said he had received direct complaints from local businessmen that the central government had not done enough to “rehabilitate” the province, which has been “exploited” for tourism.The prime minister said he would soon hold a meeting…
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Patong illegal logging camp raided
PATONG: More than 20 forest protection officers yesterday afternoon raided an illegal logging operation high in the hills south of Patong, but the handful of workers caught by surprise at the site all managed to flee the scene.Panumet Dam-orn, who heads the Phuket-based Forest Protection Unit 2, ordered the raid after aerial surveillance of the area on Wednesday.The site is…
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Snake wife makes grand eggs-it
UDON THANI: The peculiar story of a man who married a python said to be a 600-year-old spirit from his past has taken yet another bizarre twist. Satien Kenkudlung’s python wife (pictured, right, with her husband) slithered away last week, after a short marriage. The volume of curious visitors has dried up, but K. Satien has kept the interest of…
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Monk cops out royally
TAK: While impersonating a policeman for personal gain is nothing new in Thailand, one monk in Mae Sot who thought he may have picked the wrong career took it one step further over the Songkran holidays. The monk not only claimed to be a high-ranking policeman, but also a member of the royal family and a representative of the Bureau…
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Man stands by limbless bride
UDON THANI: Villagers from across the Northeast and as far away as Laos have been flocking to get a glimpse of a high-profile newlywed couple in Phen District. This couple are not celebrities, but a local Udon man and a female reticulated python he has fallen love with. The happy groom, 35-year-old Sathian Khenkutrang, said he believes that he and…
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New OrBorJor council awaits approval
PHUKET CITY: Unconfirmed results from last Sunday’s Phuket Administration Organization (OrBorJor) elections saw the upstart Khon Baan Rao party, led by former senator Paiboon Upatising, sweep into power by winning seats in 16 of 24 voting precincts in Phuket.Seven candidates running under the Democrat Party banner also won seats, along with one independent candidate. All of the following official results…
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Divers help out on Earth Day
PHUKET: More than 100 people took part in beach and underwater cleanups on Tuesday as part of Earth Day activities held on and around the island.In addition to the Royal Thai Navy, private companies took part in the cleanups on the beach and in the sea at Koh Racha Noi and Koh Racha Yai.“More than 30 people were on our…
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Dog groomer arrested for cat burgling
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City police have arrested a serial thief charged with breaking into 14 homes in Wichit and Chalong during a crime spree that began in mid-2007.Police Superintendent Col Nos Svettalekha and Lt Col Wijak Tarom identified the suspect as 31-year-old Noppakhun Chatchawech, a resident of Chalong Village 4.Noppakhun, who by day worked grooming dogs at a pet shop in Phuket…
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Local resorts make Conde Nast list
PHUKET: Two local resorts, and their spas, and two Phuket restaurants have made the much-respected Conde Nast Traveler Hot List for 2008. The list is often regarded as the quintessential guide to high-end travel around the globe.The Sala Phuket Resort and Spa in Mai Khao and the Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi, in Phang Nga province, both made the grade in the…
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Mobile clinic for Thai passports
PHUKET CITY: The Consular Affairs department of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs will hold a mobile service center for Thai nationals to apply for “e-passports” in Phuket City from May 12 to 23.The service center, located in the conference room of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) offices on Narisorn Rd, will be open from 8 am to 4:30…
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Human trafficking laws to be redrafted
BANGKOK (TNA): Following the deaths of 54 illegal Burmese job seekers who suffocated while being transported to Phuket in the sealed container of a truck on April 9, Thailand is set to issue redrafted laws prohibiting human trafficking on June 6.Senior officials announced the decision yesterday after a meeting between six government agencies and NGOs.Currently, Thailand has a modest law…
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The “Coral Reef Squadron’ arrives
MAI KHAO: Amidst great fanfare, a convoy of 15 flatbed trucks loaded with the remains of 10 decommissioned military aircraft arrived at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint at 2 pm on Sunday after a three-day overland journey that began in Lopburi.The convoy departed from Koke Krathiem Air Force Base in Lopburi with the partly disassembled aircraft on Friday.The arrival of…
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Three bodies found in swamp
MAI KHAO: Police believe the bodies of three men recovered from Pru-Je-San swamp at Baan Dan yesterday afternoon are those of Burmese workers.The police were alerted to the gruesome find by villagers living nearby.Tah Chat Chai Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Payongsak Petchrod told the Gazette that officers arrived at the scene about 1:40 pm with rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation, who…
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Mai Khao OrBorTor eyes OTOP center
MAI KHAO: The Mai Khao Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) is considering funding a 14-million-baht One-Tambon-One Product (OTOP) retail center at the proposed site of the Phuket Sports Complex, hoping the investment will rekindle interest in the stalled project.Promchote Traivate, Head of the Phuket Office of Sports and Recreation Development, said his office is still awaiting 15 million baht for the…
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Paiboon trounces Anchalee in OrBorJor poll
PHUKET CITY: The preliminary count of votes cast in yesterday’s island-wide polling for the presidency of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) saw former Phuket Senator Paiboon Upatising defeat incumbent Anchalee Vanich Tephabutra by more than 20,000 votes.An unconfirmed tally released by the Phuket Election Committee shows K. Paiboon with 59,995 votes (60.6%), compared with K. Anchalee’s total of 39,085…
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Calcutta outclass Etihad in Sixes final
KARON: The Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CCFC) produced a Sixes masterclass at Karon Stadium yesterday, sweeping aside all opposition in their quest for the Cup on the final day of the Phuket International Cricket Sixes.First in the Calcutta firing line were the Liquid Lounge Lizards from Phuket, with each team vying for a place in the semi-finals.Needing a win…
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Alien worker crackdown continues
PHUKET CITY: More than 50 Burmese are in the process of being deported after being caught working illegally by Phuket Immigration Police in two raids over the past two days.Phuket Immigration Police led by Col Chanatpol Yongbunjerd held a press conference at Phuket Immigration headquarters yesterday afternoon to announce the arrest of 43 Burmese workers who were arrested after a…
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Five suspects arrested for Burmese deaths
PHUKET: Police announced today the arrest of a fifth suspect in connection with the deaths of 54 Burmese illegal immigrants who suffocated while being transported in the sealed container of a seafood transport truck en route from Ranong to Phuket on April 9. Police have been issued arrest warrants for seven people alleged to be part of the human-trafficking operation…
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Songkran road toll in Phuket tallies 4 dead, 64 injured
PHUKET CITY: The nationwide Seven Days of Danger road safety campaign ended yesterday, with the final tally in Phuket at four dead and 64 people suffering injuries requiring admittance to hospital. The road toll in Phuket, released today by the Phuket branch of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, reported 64 road accidents for the period. Police at nine…
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Annual fishing ban to protect tuna stocks
PHUKET: In a bid to protect declining tuna stocks in Phang Nga Bay, the Department of Fisheries has threatened to fine and confiscate the fishing equipment of any boatmen found bottom trawling or fishing in protected areas with nets smaller than allowed by regulations.From April 15 to June 15, all “otter trawlers” (those that trawl the sea floor) and trawlers…
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