News
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DNA centers set up to help identify victims
PHUKET: The Scientific Crime Detection Division (SCDD) of the Royal Thai Police has set up three centers in Phuket and one in Krabi to facilitate the collection of DNA samples from relatives of missing people in an effort to identify the victims of the tsunami. Wachira Phuket Hospital and Patong Hospital, and Phuket City Hall are the island’s sampling centers,…
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Central website on tsunami victims launched
PHUKET: Worried relatives and friends of people living in or visiting provinces stricken by Sunday’s tsunami now have a central point for information on victims here. The Official Thai Tsunami Information Center website, set up by the Royal Thai Police, has Thai, English, Japanese, Chinese, French, German and Spanish versions and contains long lists of people injured, killed or missing…
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13 looters arrested in Patong
PATONG: Police have arrested 13 people for looting damaged businesses in the Patong area.Pol Col Teeraphol Thipjaroen, the Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that since December 26 his officers had arrested nine Thais and four Burmese for looting.“In accordance with the law, people engaged in theft at a time of crisis like this are subject to severe…
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A somber New Year
PHUKET: About 500 people gathered at Central Festival on the outskirts of Phuket City last night in a somber and emotional candlelit gathering to remember those killed by last Sunday’s tsunami.Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula, Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura and government officers also attended the memorial gathering.Each person received a candle and a white rose. Songs, both in Thai and English,…
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Unidentified victims “will not be cremated’
PHUKET: Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula today stressed that the bodies of foreign victims of last Sunday’s tsunami will not be cremated or buried before they can be identified.His statement contradicted an earlier one by Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura that burials would begin at a site in Mai Khao today.Speaking at a press conference at the emergency center at Phuket Provincial…
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Huge progress made in Patong cleanup
PATONG: Just five days after the tsunami hit Patong Beach, astonishing progress has been made with the clean-up of the resort town.Tourists are back in the water or strolling along the sand, though the view is very different from the clutter that existed before the wave hit. With no beach chairs or umbrellas, one can now look along the entire…
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B20m support for beleaguered tourists
PHUKET: The Government has given the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) permission to spend 20 million baht on supporting tourists in the six provinces affected by the tsunami.Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop said during a visit to the emergency centre at Phuket Provincial Hall that the TAT would receive 20 million baht of the 260 million baht Thailand has already…
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Midnight memorial in Patong tonight
PATONG: There will be a memorial service for victims of the December 26 tsunami at midnight tonight at the west end of Soi Bangla, near the Patong waterfront. The event is being organized jointly by the Phuket Tourism Association and the Patong Beach Hotel Business Association as a way for survivors to remember friends and relatives who perished in the…
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Appeal for forensic experts, body bags
KHAO LAK: A volunteer helping to collect and wrap bodies in this epicenter of the tsunami tragedy issued an urgent appeal this morning for forensic experts to come to the shattered resort to help set up some system for identifying the dead.John Dalley, originally from Leeds, England, but now a resident of Phuket, told the Gazette, “There are lots of…
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Grim toll still rising
PHUKET: Official figures released by the emergency center at Phuket Provincial Hall at 4.30 this afternoon show the number of dead in Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi, the three provinces worst hit by the tsunami, has climbed to 2,232 .In Phuket the number of dead has risen to 282 (149 Thai, 108 foreigners and 25 of unknown nationality). No new…
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More help for tsunami victims
Support for those affected by Sunday’s tsunami disaster continues to increase.Private tour companies are offering free minibus services to return tourists from the Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor) and nearby offices to their hotels or to Phuket International Airport.Bangkok Phuket Hospital is screening patients and is, with the help of Bangkok Airways, airlifting serious cases to Bangkok free of charge, marketing…
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Devastated Khao Lak resembles war zone
PHANG NGA: Hotels, resorts and other structures along the beach in Khao Lak were devastated by last Sunday’s tsunami waves, which ravaged everything in their path and pushed wreckage back all the way back past Highway 4, the main road through the area.A fisherwoman, Sawaad, told the Gazette, “I saw the huge wave come over one kilometer onto the land.…
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Foreign rescue teams arrive
PHUKET: Teams of foreign rescue workers have been arriving in Phuket to assist in rescue and recovery operations in Khao Lak following Sunday’s disaster. Last night a team of some 35 Taiwanese arrived at Phuket Provincial Hall. Other rescue teams arriving include a unit from Germany and a volunteer squad from the United States.They were followed this morning by French…
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Dead to be buried in Mai Khao
PHUKET: Phuket is preparing a 10-rai plot of land at the Sea Gypsy cemetery in Tambon Mai Khao to bury victims of Sunday’s tsunami waves. Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura said after a meeting with local officials at Phuket Provincial Hall today that the dead will be kept until then in four 40-foot cold-storage containers.Officials will begin moving the bodies to…
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1,536 died in tidal waves
PHUKET: Figures released this morning by the emergency center at Phuket Provincial Hall list 1,536 people dead, 8,953 injured and 4,073 missing in the six southern provinces affected by Sunday’s tsunami waves.Among the dead are 187 foreigners, 1,175 Thais and 174 people whose nationalities remain unknown.The breakdown of the figures is as follows:Phuket: 233 dead; 1,268 injured; 1,580 reported missing.(Deaths:…
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Assistance for Hong Kongers in Phuket
PHUKET: Hong Kong residents of Phuket or the surrounding areas who require help following the tsunami tragedy may call the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s 24-hour hotline at + (852) 2829 3010.Immigration Department Officers are in Phuket assisting, and can be reached on + (852) 6409 1846 or at their temporary office in Room 270, Boat Lagoon Resort, Tel: 66 (0)…
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Phang Nga death toll 1,000 and climbing
PHANG NGA: The bodies of over 1,000 victims of the Boxing Day tsunami have already been recovered in Phang Nga and the number is expected to rise as rescue teams continue their search. Phang Nga Governor Anuwat Metheeviboonwut announced the figure during an interview on Thai television this morning, adding that rescue workers would try to complete their searches of…
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Free flight for Australians, New Zealanders
PHUKET: Australian airline Qantas will provide free seats for stranded nationals of Australia and New Zealand this evening, taking off at 6:45 pm.Those wishing to be on the flight should go direct to the airport and contact the airline’s representatives. For further information, contact Australian embassy personnel in Phuket at 076-370672.
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Donations urgently needed
PHUKET: As the island continues its recovery from the tsunami that hit the island on Sunday morning, many hospitals and other organizations are calling for donations to assist victims. Hospitals: clothes, shoes, counseling: Wachira Phuket Hospital and other hospitals say there is an urgent need for shoes, shorts and T-shirts, especially in sizes large enough for foreigners. Shoes are the…
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Cabinet approves B2.8bn in emergency aid
PHUKET: The Cabinet yesterday approved a 2.8-billion-baht emergency relief budget to help relieve the suffering of those affected by December 26 tsunami.Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula said that during a video-conference Cabinet meeting in Phuket yesterday morning, PM Thaksin ordered that the search for bodies in the areas of the Phi Phi Islands and Khao Lak be intensified.Bodies are now piling…
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Missing persons bulletins launched on Gazette Online
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette Online recorded 149,949 visitors during the 24 hours ended at midnight (local time), December 27. Site outages of one to two minutes occurred eight times, for which the Gazette apologizes. A large volume of requests for assistance with regard to missing persons is also being received. In order to “widen the net” and increase the likelihood…
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Commercial airlines offer free evacuation flights
PHUKET: At least five Thai commercial airlines are offering free flights to Bangkok to assist the government effort in evacuating the dead and wounded from the island.Vasing Kittikul, Executive Vice-President of the Thai Airways (THAI) Commercial Department, said that THAI had already evacuated some 1,100 people to Bangkok today.Those injured or needing to arrange transport for the deceased should call 076-327274 or…
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Three-day national mourning period announced
THAILAND (The Nation): Government spokesperson Jakrapob Penkhae has declared a three-day mourning period from today until Thursday, for the victims of the tidal waves that have killed an estimated 2,000 people in southern coastal regions.He added that religious ceremonies will be held throughout the country for the victims on Thursday, starting at 7 pm.Besides flying the Thai flag at half-staff,…
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Toddler reunited with family; mother still missing
PHUKET: Swedish toddler Hannes Bergstrom, just 20 months old, early this afternoon was reunited with his uncle, Kim Kärkkainen, and grandmother Raija Kärkkainen.Hannes was separated from his parents when he was rescued at Bang Niang Beach, Khao Lak, where the family were staying, and brought to Phuket International Hospital.Family members in Finland saw the photograph of young Hannes on the…
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Nai Harn loses a great friend
PHUKET: Phuket, and the Rawai community in particular, lost one of its most dedicated and lovely people to Boxing Day tsunami. Leone Cosens, wife of Tim and friend to many, moved to Phuket from New Zealand some 11 years ago and quickly helped establish the Phuket Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), which, along with other organizations, has helped care for, sterilize,…
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Tourism Council President calls for speedy assistance
PHUKET: Tourism Council of Thailand President Vichit Na Ranong has called for the government to expedite assistance to help in the clean-up effort in the wake of the December 26 tsunami.“It’s too early to estimate the total cost of the damage, but we must begin the clean-up as soon as possible. We can’t afford to wait for three months. The…
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Laguna denies being “totally destroyed’
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket has issued a press statement denying reports broadcast globally on Cable News Network (CNN) that the resort was “totally destroyed” in the Boxing Day tsunami.Laguna Phuket events and Press Relations Manager Michelle Payette told the Gazette, “Not only are we not gone, but we are operational. And we think we will be fully operational within four days.“Anything…
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Final death toll could exceed 2,000
BANGKOK: More than 700 foreign tourists are believed to have died when tidal waves smashed into southern Thailand on Sunday, the deputy interior minister said this morning.“The latest figure we have is more than 990 confirmed deaths. Of these, some 200 were Thais and the rest were foreigners,” Sutham Sangprathum told reporters before a cabinet meeting on the disaster.“But from…
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Death toll update: 600-700 killed
PHUKET: Rescue teams searched beaches and remote islands in search of the missing today as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that up to 700 people died when earthquake-induced tidal waves hit resort areas of southern Thailand.According to Prime Minister Thaksin, about 600 to 700 people died when the waves and flooding devastated the coastal areas of Phuket and surrounding provinces.Maj Gen. Kokiet Wongworachart,…
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Baby boy identifed
PHUKET: A young boy rescued by a couple and taken to Phuket International Hospital has been identified as a 20-month old Swedish boy.Family members in Finland saw the photograph of young Hannes Bergstrom on the Phuket Gazette website and contacted the boy’s uncle, Tim Karkkinen, in Pattaya within an hour of the story going online.Mr Karkkinen told the Gazette that…
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