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Child Labor in Phuket shames Junta
PHUKET: Burmese daily newspaper True News was ordered by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Board of Myanmar to suspend publication for two months, following its publication on September 30 of a large image depicting a Burmese child working on a construction site in Phuket.Mr Yeni, News Editor at The Irrawaddy, told the Gazette that, “An anonymous freelancer in Rangoon told…
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Phuket to host huge medical tourism conference in ’09
PHUKET: In September 2009, Phuket will host more than 1,200 delegates of The World Medical Health Tourism Conference: A New Way Forward in 2009, Karon-based event organizers SOS Medical Tourism Services have announced. Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB)’s participation and sponsorship of the event aims to promote Thailand as a destination for medical tourism, as well as for international…
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PAD Leader Chamlong Arrested
BANGKOK (The Nation): Political peace efforts suffered another big blow this morning with the arrest of key PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang. Eye-witnesses said Chamlong was arrested and detained at a voting booth for today’s elections for Bangkok governor. Chamlong had gone there to cast his own vote. He was arrested at 8 am when the polling station opened. His arrest…
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Top doc warns of Veg Fest virus threat
PHUKET CITY: The Vegetarian Festival is ostensibly a period of purity, but the Phuket Provincial Heath Office has nevertheless issued a statement warning people about the risks of HIV/Aids and hepatitis infection during the 10-day event. Phuket Public Health Office chief Dr Paisan Worrasathit told the Gazette, “We are cautioning people who hurt themselves with puncture wounds from items such…
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Dengue conference will go on, says Hilton
KARON: Reports that the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa is planning to cancel the upcoming international summit on dengue fever out of fear of a People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest at the resort are unfounded, a hotel spokesperson has confirmed. The Thai-language Manager online news service this morning reported that the hotel’s management called the Ministry of Public…
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‘Immigration Cards’ coming by year end
BANGKOK (TNA): A new immigration card will be introduced for Thais and foreigners who frequently enter and leave Thailand, the state-run Thai News Agency (TNA) has reported. The agency quoted Immigration Police chief Pol Lt Gen Chatchawan Suksomchit as saying holders of the “Immigration Card” will include those who travel in and out of the country three to five times…
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Big turnout for Samkong Shrine procession
PHUKET CITY: Crowds lined the streets in Samkong this morning for the Vegetarian Festival procession starting at Lim Hu Tai Su Shrine, which kicked off at the auspicious time of 7:19 am after two hours of religious ceremonies. Visual highlights of the spectacle included dancing dragons and teams of men carrying ornate Chinese palanquins, with the deafening sounds of exploding…
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Coming soon: “5-Star Slaughterhouse’
PHUKET CITY: Even as tens of thousands of Phuket residents walk the streets in all-white clothing and abstain from meat, plans are afoot to build what authorities are describing as a “5-star” slaughterhouse capable of butchering up to 100 pigs per hour. The Phuket Provincial Livestock Office announced the project as part of its plan to designate Phuket as Thailand’s…
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Phuket gets dismal rating for human security
BANGKOK (The Nation): Out of Thailand’s 76 provinces, human security is best in Chiangmai, worst in Bangkok, and second worst in Phuket, according to a 2007 government survey. “Phuket is second from the bottom,” Suwinai Wattatham, a senior official at the Human Security and Social Development Ministry, told a seminar yesterday. Against the average human-security score for the whole country…
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American assault victim thinks she has found her attacker
RAWAI: One of two American women brutally assaulted by motorcycle-borne snatch bandits in recent months called the Gazette late this afternoon to say she is “100% certain” that the man who assaulted her was the same man arrested by Chalong Police early Sunday morning. For background on the case, see the two previous stories here and here: Sheila McCormick, who…
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Veggiefest 2008 underway
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit yesterday celebrated the first official day of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival like thousands of other Phuket residents, by dressing up in white and enjoying a meat-free meal at a local shrine, in this case the Jui Tui Shrine on Soi Phuton. Gov Niran intends to refrain from meat and observe other rituals throughout the…
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Are you ready to Walk & Run?
PATONG: The local office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Phuket Walk & Run Association will hold the 2008 Phuket Walk & Run in Patong on October 12. The event is being held for fun and to promote Phuket as a sports tourism destination, said Nongnit Tengmaneewan of the Phuket TAT office. There will be three races:…
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Muggings in Rawai continue
RAWAI: A year after the still-unsolved murder of Norwegian Simen Knudsen, violent robberies against foreigners on motorcycles continue in Rawai – with the the perpetrators now carrying out attacks in populated areas during broad daylight.The latest victim is 38-year-old Sandra Ullrich, who suffered two fractures to the back of her skull when a pair of Thai men on a motorcycle…
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PAD vows no further disruptions to Phuket tourism
PHUKET: Although there were attempts at Suratthani Airport to disrupt Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat’s visit to Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday, Phuket International Airport (PIA) will not be closed again. The Director of PIA, Wing Commander Wicha Nernlop, said that Phuket’s airport security has been increased and that no protesters are expected to disrupt operations there again. Phuket’s airport was shut…
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Renowned awards see Bangkok best for leisure
LONDON: Bangkok has been named “Best Leisure Destination” in the Asia-Pacific Region, and Phuket came in second best in the rankings by readers of Business Traveller Asia Pacific magazine in its Annual Travel Awards 2008. Bangkok’s Ascott Sathorn and Fraser Place Langsuan were voted first and third, respectively, in the category of “Best Serviced Residence” in Asia-Pacific, while Novotel at…
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Norwegian passes away in Rawai
RAWAI: A Norwegian expatriate resident of Phuket was found dead in the kitchen of his home Tuesday evening from what appeared to be natural causes. Chalong Police Duty Officer Lt Col Chana Suthimas identified the deceased as 51-year-old Terje Eilert Myking, who lived in Soi Samakkee 4 in Rawai. “We didn’t find any evidence at the scene to suggest murder,…
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Kamala hillside projects halted; others under investigation
KAMALA: A special adviser to the Minister for Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) on September 16 toured several sites in Kamala to inspect reports of encroachment and other building violations on projects there, as well as work on two hillside projects in the area that had already been ordered halted pending further investigation. Maj Gen Intarat Yodbangtoey toured the sites…
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Court denies bail for motorcycle taxi driver
PHUKET CITY: Chainart Yuyen, the Patong motorcycle taxi driver arrested for the September 13 shooting murder of another motorcycle taxi driver from a rival queue, has been denied bail by the Phuket Provincial Court. Accompanied by relatives, Chainart, 31, turned himself over to police on September 15. He has allegedly confessed to the murder of 31-year-old Pornchai “Ko-Cherd” Suwannakin, who…
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American drowns off Karon Beach
KARON: Despite relatively calm conditions at the time, an American man drowned at Karon Beach Wednesday afternoon.Chalong Police Duty Officer Sanguan Muangtham identified the deceased as 54-year-old Michael Stephen Jones, holder of an American passport. At around 4:30 pm on Wednesday, tourists and members of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Beach Guard noticed Mr Jones was in trouble about 20…
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Masseuse fire attacker out of prison
PATONG: The man who set alight a beach masseuse at Loma Park last year returned to the scene of his crime yesterday morning, where he was immediately assaulted by the victim’s father and brother. The attack was quickly stopped by Kathu Police, who released the pair after fining them 500 baht each. Few Gazette readers will forget the horrific tale…
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Phuket’s “Android Humanoid’ shuts down
PHUKET CITY: Phuket lost one of its local characters on Friday when Andrew Newman passed away in Bangkok Hospital Phuket, aged 57, presumably of a heart attack. Andrew, a well-loved member of the local sailing community, was responsible for several local websites as he was first and foremost a computer programmer known as “Android Humanoid”. This self-penned nickname came from…
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Phuket divers unite for underwater cleanup
PHUKET: Several boatloads carrying teams of experienced divers visited local reefs over the weekend, taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup Day 2008 activities organized by the UN-affiliated Green Fins Thailand initiative. Off Koh Maiton, about 10 kilometers southeast of Cape Panwa, some 30 divers led by Sea Bees Diving tour operator Stefan Hinterberger descended on an open-water dive site…
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Patong Hospital creaking under workload
PATONG (The Nation): Medical workers, including the director at Patong Hospital in Phuket, have quit the Public Health Ministry due to the enormous workload in the area, the hospital’s director, Dr Taveesak Netwongse, said. As Phuket attracts many tourists, Patong Hospital was forced to expand from a 10-bed hospital to a 60-bed one to treat the increasing number of locals…
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Man executed in Thalang forest
THEPKRASATTRI: Thalang Police are investigating the murder of a man found dead from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head in a remote part of Bang Khanoon Forest in Village 5 on Wednesday afternoon. Thalang Police Duty Inspector Anukul Nuket identified the victim as Lor Ramphang, a 45-year-old resident of Thepkrasattri Village 1. Local residents discovered the…
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Canadian warship ports in Phuket
CAPE PANWA: The HMCS Calgary arrived in Phuket yesterday from Oman, where its mission was to boost security against pirates, Vuti Jitratkosol, ordinary consul to Phuket for the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok, told the Gazette today. Although the advanced warship’s crew of 230 sailors were called back to the ship yesterday, the seamen were allowed to resume their RnR (rest…
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Zebra shark dies; grim prospects for sea turtle
CAPE PANWA: Despite efforts by fishermen and marine biologists to save the life of a 1.8-meter zebra shark found off Sapan Hin on Monday, the fish died on Tuesday. An examination carried out at Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) failed to determine the exact cause of death. “The animal’s abdomen was swollen and discolored. We thought it might have been…
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Patong motorbike taxi killer in court today
PATONG: Low-season desperation for passengers took a deadly turn Saturday night, when a motorcycle taxi driver gunned down a rival from a competing queue in Patong. The alleged killer, who turned himself in the following day, was no stranger to being handcuffed: he was out on bail for the May 19 shooting murder of another man inside a 7-Eleven store…
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Heartbroken man takes own life with pesticide
PHUKET CITY: In what appears to be yet another case of suicide, the decomposing corpse of a Thai-American man was on Sunday found in a small apartment on Phang Nga Rd, where he took his own life by drinking insecticide. Phuket City Police Investigations Inspector Pitakpol Sompong identified the deceased as 60-year-old Narong Yingyongrattana, who was born in Thailand but…
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Nok Air suspends Phuket flights
PHUKET: In further bad news for the island’s immediate tourism prospects, the Gazette has confirmed that low-cost carrier Nok Air has suspended its remaining flights to Phuket, most likely for the rest of the low season. In an email reply received by the Gazette this morning, Nok Air’s Chief Executive Officer wrote, “Yes, we have suspended flights to Phuket for…
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Apirak angry, avers arrest over Aussie attack
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong has stepped in to personally oversee the investigation into the brutal stabbing attack of an Australian expat and his Thai girlfriend in their home in Rawai before dawn on Wednesday (click here for our original report). Maj Gen Apirak told the Gazette today that he was so unhappy with the Chalong Police…
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