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Yachties set to battle in the Gulf
KOH SAMUI: The 7th Samui International Yacht Regatta will once again serve as the grand finale of the Asian Yachting Grand Prix Championships series, with this year’s event running from June 1 to 7. Callum Laing, the new organizer of the event, plans to bring this year’s competition to a new level while maintaining the same laid-back island style of…
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5 billion for airport expansion
MAI KHAO: Airports of Thailand (AOT) is set to inject 5 billion baht into the expansion of Phuket International Airport (PIA) to bring its capacity up to 11.5 million passengers by the year 2016 – an increase of 77% over current capacity.The announcement was made on May 23 by Deputy Transport Minister Songsak Thongsri, who joined Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Rathasima,…
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Ao Phuket hearing changed to Thursday
PHUKET CITY: The Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) and Phuket Province will hold a public hearing on Thursday, May 29 to gauge local response to the plan to move forward with the Ao Phuket megaproject, a 100-million-baht marina and convention center on 3,000 rai of reclaimed land in Phuket Bay.The meeting has been moved up one day from its…
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British celebs to storm Patong tomorrow
PATONG: A troop of British celebs will be on hand at the Patong Municipality football field tomorrow morning to train 30 lucky local children. The event is part of the Asian Celebrity Golf Tour charity event, which will see players of all handicaps going head-to-head with the celebs at Loch Palm on May 28 and 29 Among those who will…
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New OrBorJor council convenes
PHUKET: In the inaugural sitting of the new Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) council on Wednesday, Pradit Sangjan secured 18 votes of the 24-seat council to be elected council chairman.K. Pradit, who represents Muang District 11, in Wichit, bested Somkuan Tansakul, the only other candidate nominated to contest the position.K. Somkuan represents Muang District 1, comprising Samkong in Phuket City.As…
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Royal Phuket Marina dredging wins Governor’s Office support
PHUKET: Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima and the provincial committee looking into whether Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) should be allowed to dredge Klong Koh Kaew gave its support in principle for the project on May 21.The plan is to dredge the klong the three kilometers from the mouth of the watercourse to the marina. The project aims to dredge the klong…
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American commits suicide in Chalong
CHALONG: According to a business card left at the hotel where he took his own life, a man found hanged in his rented room in Chalong on Monday was American dive instructor Adrian Martin.On Monday evening, staff at Ao Chalong Mansion reported to police that the guest in room 206, on the third-floor of the small shophouse hotel, had used…
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Phuket’s antiques all present and accounted for
THALANG: After a nationwide spate of thefts and damage to important cultural and religious sites, Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima yesterday paid a visit to Thalang National Museum to make sure its collection, for which the Fine Arts Department is responsible, remains safe. Thalang Museum Curator Atjima Nukong told him all the museum’s items were accounted for and being properly protected. V/Gov Worapoj’s inspection…
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Phuket sends aid to disaster victims in Burma, China
PHUKET: Local associations with links to Burma and China have been raising money to help cyclone and earthquake victims in those countries.On May 16, Thai-Nepalese Association of Phuket president Phanuphong Limbuprasertkul passed on to Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit supplies desperately needed by survivors of Cyclone Nargis, which hit the Irrawaddy Delta region of Burma on May 2 and 3 and…
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Internet petition calls for another One-Two-Go crash probe
BANGKOK (Daily Xpress): More than 4,400 people, mostly foreigners, have “signed” an Internet petition seeking another formal investigation into the crash of One-Two-GO Airlines Flight OG269 at Phuket International Airport on September 17 last year. The petition calls for a formal probe into claims that the crash may have been caused by controversial management practices by the airline. Relatives of…
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Drug arrests on the rise
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that the number of drug-related arrests was about 52% higher in April than for the same period last year.There were 120 arrests for drug-related offenses, 63 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 3,761 pills seized. However, arrests for gambling offences still topped the list with 202…
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So Sung killers still at large
KATHU: Police have thus far been unable to arrest either of the two police impersonators who shot dead Burmese laborer So Sung at a workers camp on March 30. So Sung was shot in the face at close range with a shotgun after he told fellow workers not to give in to the two imposters’ demands. (For our original report, click…
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More counterfeit goods seized
PATONG: Acting on a tipoff, a Kathu Police special investigation unit on May 16 raided a storeroom at the OTOP Market on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, seizing counterfeit goods valued at an estimated two million baht and arresting a young Burmese woman.Kathu Police Inspector Lt Col Serm Kwannimit, who led the raid at about 5 pm, said a 24-year-old Burmese…
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Mobile phone ban nets six on first day
PHUKET: Up until 5 pm today, the first day of the ban on driving while using a mobile phone without a hands-free set, Phuket Traffic Police fined six motorists.Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Chalit Thintanee told the Gazette that three car drivers and two motorcycle riders were fined in Phuket City and one car driver was fined in Thalang.“In Phuket…
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Suspect in Patong 7-Eleven shooting surrenders to police
PATONG: After meeting Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, the prime suspect in the shooting murder of a motorcycle-taxi driver in a 7-Eleven store handed himself in to police on Sunday night.The suspect, Chainart Yuyen, 31, has denied any involvement in the murder.About 2 am on Friday, motorcycle-taxi driver Satien Wongwai, 35, was shot twice in the back and once in the neck with…
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Four more elections to be held in Phuket
PHUKET: With the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) and Phuket City Municipality elections now decided, the Phuket Election Committee (PEC) is gearing up for four more local elections set to take place over the next three monthsIn a meeting with Phuket Governor Niran Kalyanamit on Thursday, PEC Director Supap Akkam said his agency is preparing for elections for the Karon, Patong…
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Jintana Plaza catches fire – again
PATONG: Jintana Plaza on Patong’s beach road caught fire early yesterday morning, causing an estimated one million baht in damage.It’s the third time this year that fire has broken out at the complex.Lt Naruwat Puthawiro said that Kathu Police Station received a call about 3:15 am reporting that a fire had broken out at the plaza.“The fire [reportedly] started about 3:15…
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Violent muggings return to Rawai
RAWAI: A foreign man was shot in the leg and stabbed in the stomach in a motorbike mugging at about 4 am on Monday. His attackers made off with his wallet, containing 300 baht.The attack was reminiscent of the spate of violent muggings that gripped the Rawai-Nai Harn area throughout the low season last year.The man, who asked to be identified only…
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Customs raids net B2.6m in fake goods
PHUKET: In a week of raids starting on May 7, Phuket Customs seized counterfeit and allegedly smuggled goods with a total estimated value of 2.6 million baht.Many of the seized goods were sent to Phuket by parcel delivery services, arriving on the island by bus from Bangkok.Pirated goods seized included music CDs, movie and game CDs and DVDs, D&G shoulder…
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1,267 ya bah pills seized in Mai Khao
MAI KHAO: Following a random vehicle inspection, Tah Chat Chai Police on Sunday night arrested three people for possession of ya bah (methamphetamine) with intent to sell and seized 1,267 pills.The arrests were announced at a press conference held Monday afternoon at Phuket City Police Station.Attending were Phuket Vice-Governor Worapot Rattasima, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha Budnampetch, Phuket…
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Phuket goes on landslide alert
PHUKET CITY: As heavy rains continue to dowse the island, the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has issued a landslide warning, effective until at least tomorrow.“We have received good feedback from all 18 local administration organizations in Phuket. We have officers on 24-hour standby, manning phones and radios, ready to deal with any problems,”…
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Smart ID cards available again
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit yesterday morning announced that “Smart ID cards” for Thai citizens are now available at Muang District Office – again.The new-style cards, which have a memory chip for storing personal data such as date of birth, physical description and even the holder’s house registration information, became unavailable in January last year when the local office…
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DSI reaches out to scammed rubber investors
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has set up a desk at Phuket City Police Station to accept complaints from victims of an “investment company” thought to have defrauded some 5,000 southerners of more than 150 million baht.Thanin Prempri, head of the DSI Phuket investigation team, told the Gazette that Amorn-ake Petluechai and two associates of his Khon Kaen-based…
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Navy accepting donations for cyclone relief
CAPE PANWA: The Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Command at Cape Panwa is accepting donations of food and equipment to provide emergency relief for victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. Appropriate items for donation include florescent strip lights and fittings, corrugated iron, canvas and tarpaulin for tents, dried and canned food, rice and drinking water. The donations will be taken to…
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Phuket Senators not short of spare change
BANGKOK: Phuket Senator Thanyarat Atchariyachai and her husband K. Pamuke have combined assets totaling just under 1.7 billion baht, according to asset declaration statements posted by the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) on its website on May 8.K. Thanyarat declared assets totaling more than 684 million baht, while her husband K. Pamuke, managing director of the Kata Group, declared assets…
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Phuket City elections on Sunday
PHUKET CITY: Despite intermittent downpours throughout the day, sound trucks carrying political hopefuls plied the streets of Phuket City today in a last-minute bid to drum up support for their candidates in the hotly-contested Phuket City Municipality election to be held on Sunday.The mayoral race pits incumbent Somjai Suwannasuppana of the Khon Noom (Young Turks) party against her former deputy…
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Thai AirAsia sets up Myanmar donation stations
BANGKOK: Thai AirAsia announced this afternoon that it is offering aid to cyclone victims in Myanmar by carrying public donations to Yangon. The airline has set up collection points in all the destinations it flies to, including Phuket. Tassapon Bijleveld, chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia, said that the airline wants to make sure that donations such as food, clothing,…
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Ao Phuket project given top-level green light
PHUKET: The government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has given the green light to the Ao Phuket development plan, a 100-billion-baht megaproject on 3,000 rai of reclaimed land that would include a convention center, marina and other facilities. The latest movement in the Ao Phuket plan, first conceived over two decades ago, follows from PM Samak’s assigning responsibility for the…
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Tour guide, 31, dies of “heart attack’
RASSADA: Police have cited heart failure as the probable cause of death of a man found dead in his Rassada apartment on May 2.Phuket City Police duty officer Lt Salan Reedeng said his station was alerted after security staff at Building 3 of the Rassada National Housing Authority apartment complex reported a foul odor coming from a fifth-floor apartment.Arriving about…
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Burmese junta stalls aid workers
BANGKOK (Nation/Agencies): With the death toll estimated at more than 100,000 and even more people stricken homeless by Cyclone Nargis, survivors still await emergency supplies while the United Nations waits for the military junta in Myanmar to allow international workers to start relief operations.Aid officials said they are waiting for the military to approve entry visas. “We are in close…
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