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Phuket Immigration chief transferred
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Immigration Superintendent Col Chanatpol Yongbunjerd is taking a transfer order to Immigration Headquarters in Bangkok in his stride, saying the new post will allow him to be near his family as he nears the civil service retirement age. Col Chanatpol arrived in Phuket from Pattaya in late 2007. Although initially perturbed about not having been given advance…
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Phuket Old Town Festival
PHUKET TOWN: The annual festival showcasing Phuket Town’s distinctive blend of Chinese and Thai culture is set to return this month. This year’s Phuket Old Town Festival will take place from February 19 to 21, after the arrival of the Year of the Tiger that falls on Valentine’s Day. The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Phuket City Municipality are promising…
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Rawai to set trash collection times
RAWAI, PHUKET: A recycling campaign launched by Rawai Municipality will include the removal of public garbage bins from streets and the introduction of fixed collection times. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos said locals and tourists visiting Rawai tourist sites generate about 20 tons of solid waste daily in the high season. “The municipality has an ongoing campaign encouraging both local residents…
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Col Grissak to leave Phuket in police reshuffle
PATONG, PHUKET: In the latest police reshuffle, Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark has been transferred to the position of Superintendent of Kuraburi District Police in Phang Nga. His replacement, effective February 19, will be current Tung Tong Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakao. Col Grissak seemed saddened by the news of the transfer to rural Kuraburi, Phang Nga’s northernmost district and a…
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From Phuket to California by kayak
PHUKET: Two Phuket kayakers are getting ready for a spot of exercise: the world’s longest paddling expedition, a 14,000-mile voyage from Phuket to California in a 20-foot wooden boat. American Ryan Doran, 26, and Phatum Thani born Piya ‘Mr X’ Sukunthai, 28, plan to leave Nai Harn Beach on March 10 – and they won’t be back for a while.…
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Phuket camp owner defends berserk elephant
PHUKET: The owner of an elephant that recently went berserk and injured two Swedish tourists has defended the beast, blaming its mahout for the incident. Trin Khanwilaikul, owner of ‘Camp Chang’ in Kalim, said the elephant named ‘Captain’ would not be punished for the rampage, which also damaged a car. “He is a nice elephant, but he had the wrong…
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Phuket: More tourists, fewer baht
PHUKET: With hotel occupancy rates on the island currently reported at around 90 percent, hoteliers and other tourism business operators find themselves for the first time in two years unable to complain about a lack of tourists. This is obviously good news, but businesses on the island are finding that strong arrival figures haven’t translated into the kind of revenue…
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No go: Phuket road projects stalled
PHUKET TOWN: Two controversial road projects slated for Phuket face indefinite delays and the province is already seeking alternatives, the Gazette has learned. A high-ranking source in the Department of Rural Roads said plans to complete a road connecting Nanai Road in Patong to Chalong have stalled, as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) failed to sign off…
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Phuket telephone book launched today
PHUKET: The 2010 edition of the Gazette Guide, (Phuket’s ‘yellow pages’), goes on sale across the island and in major cities throughout Thailand this morning. Printed on traditional telephone book paper this year, the new directory contains even more information than last year, yet is half the weight of the 2009 edition. It’s significantly lighter in price, too – 50…
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Dead sea turtle washes up at Saphan Hin
PHUKET TOWN: Marine biologists think a dead hawksbill sea turtle that washed ashore at Saphan Hin yesterday morning may have fallen victim to fishing equipment. Kanjana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) at Cape Panwa said workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation delivered the 30-kilogram carcass to the PMBC’s Endangered Species Unit for examination around noon yesterday. Although the…
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Phuket Film Fest in June
PHUKET: Film buffs will be pleased to hear that the second ever Phuket Film Festival is set to take place on the island in June. Organizers are hoping this year’s event, from June 4 to 13, will be bigger and better than the festival debut in 2007. That year the seven-day festival saw the screening of 40 films from 15…
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Phuket expat’s killer: I acted alone
PHUKET: A 32-year-old man has confessed to the murder of German expat Wolf Kesselheim, telling police he acted alone and in self-defense. Chalong police arrested Pittaya Srijitraporn yesterday evening at Kata viewpoint, where he made a living charging tourists to pose in photographs with sea eagles. Mr Pittaya was paraded before the media at a press conference at Chalong Police…
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More deforestation in Phuket
THALANG, PHUKET: Human encroachment has laid waste to more than two-thirds of a large forest reserve in the north of Phuket, it emerged last week. The Bang Khanoon forest reserve in tambon Thepkrasattri originally covered more than 5,000 rai, but just 1,500 rai of virgin forest remain. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop last week accompanied an inspection team from the Ministry…
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Phuket coast under threat: park chief
PHUKET: Sirinath Marine National Park is under siege, the park’s chief warned this week. Leatherback turtles recently returned to Sirinath’s Mai Khao Beach to lay their eggs after an absence of years. Despite this unexpected good news, park director Nonthawit Chaturabandit is warning that unless something is done about encroachment and coastal erosion, there may not be much left of…
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Altared course: TAT to push Phuket as “wedding hub’
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will push Phuket as a wedding and honeymoon destination in selected markets including India, the head of the local TAT office said. Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, director of the TAT’s South Region 4 office in Phuket, said the TAT will offer special promotions to induce large wedding parties to Phuket. The announcement follows a recent…
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German stabbed to death in Phuket
RAWAI, PHUKET: A German expat was stabbed to death last night outside a 7-Eleven shop on a busy road in Rawai. The dead man has been identified as 66-year-old Eugen Wolf-Dieter, a resident of Ban Saiyuan in Rawai. Police are on the hunt for three teenage suspects who beat and stabbed Mr Wolf-Dieter before fleeing on a motorbike. From their…
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Stranded Aussie passengers finally fly from Phuket
PHUKET: Passengers booked on a Sydney-bound Jetstar flight were stranded in Phuket on Australia Day after their aircraft developed mechanical problems. Jetstar Flight JQ28, due to depart from Phuket at 9pm on Monday, was canceled by the no-frills carrier for safety reasons. The cancellation left about 270 of the passengers stranded on the island. Passengers, put up in a Phuket…
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Phuket Police practice crowd control
PHUKET TOWN: More than 300 Phuket Police donned riot gear this morning for crowd control drills outside Phuket City Police Station. The drills were overseen by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Pekad Tantipong, who assigned Kathu Superintendent Grissak Songmoonark to command one unit and Thalang Police Superintendent Thammanoon Faiju another. A total of 310 officers from all eight…
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Blood needed for Finnish accident victim in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center is calling for urgent donations of the rare blood type A- for a Finnish national currently in ICU at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. The Finn, 31, is breathing with the help of a respirator and requires an emergency leg operation after having an accident on January 22. He is also suffering from an abdominal blood…
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Five finalists in Phuket Bt300m park design battle
PHUKET: Five architects have emerged victorious in the opening skirmishes of a battle for the right to design a new 300-million-baht historical park commemorating the Battle of Thalang. The new park is expected to become a major tourist attraction showcasing Phuket’s colorful history. For our previous report, click here. A committee comprising architecture experts, historians and local politicians has whittled…
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Mediation rooms officially open at Phuket City Police Station
PHUKET CITY: A new mediation center located inside Phuket City Police Station could reduce the number of cases in the provincial judicial system by up to 30%, police say. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong and Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit officially opened the center this morning. Also present was Phuket Provincial Court Chief Justice Varangkana Sucharitakul, a well-known…
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Photo contest in Phuket
WICHIT, PHUKET: Wichit Municipality is holding a photo contest under the theme ‘Travel the Thai Way in Wichit’ to promote local tourist attractions. The contest, open to Thais and foreigners, offers cash prizes of 10,000 baht, 6,000 baht and 4,000 baht respectively for the top three photos. There will also be five consolation prizes of 1,000 baht each. Wichit Municipality…
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Phuket nursery to hold Haiti fundraiser
RAWAI, PHUKET: A local nursery is throwing open its doors to Phuket kids on Saturday afternoon to raise money for Haitian children suffering in the aftermath of the recent earthquake and aftershock. From 2pm, ABC Nursery in Rawai will host an afternoon of fun for kids of all ages. Activities at event, which ABC is dubbing ‘Kids Love Kids’, will…
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Bangla Cup football tourney in Phuket
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: The 14th annual Bangla Cup football tournament will start on February 28 at the Ban Bangla Football Field on the road from Pa Khlok to Muang Mai, near the Supalai Village housing estate in tambon Pa Khlok. The seven-a-side football competition will be divided into an open division and a senior division for footballers 35 years of…
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Phuket Poll: prescription drugs
PHUKET TOWN: The Gazette recently reported the arrest of a 17-year-old New Zealander for possession of nine diazepam (Valium) pills without a prescription in Patong late last year. Such arrests are very rare and it is common knowledge that pharmacies along Phuket’s west coast sell many prescription drugs over the counter – with the tacit approval of public health officers.…
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Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: CCTV won’t help
PHUKET: Most Phuket Gazette readers believe new CCTV cameras won’t make any difference in the fight against crime, according to the results of our latest readers’ poll. The poll was prompted by the news that the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization is going to spend 17 million baht on 53 new CCTV cameras in and around Phuket Town. We asked readers…
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Phuket “Local Food Fair’ ends tonight
PHUKET TOWN: Tonight is the last night of the ‘Local Food Fair’ at Saphan Hin, a family-friendly event which has been getting rave reviews by attendees. Organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO), the festival has over 100 booths and an overwhelming variety of low-priced specialty dishes to choose from. Each night has featured a wide range of staged…
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Phuket Town’s pink bus fleet set to double
PHUKET: Phuket Town’s fleet of pink buses is about to double in size and an additional route is in the pipeline, according to the provincial council. Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising said he expects eight more of the pink people movers (known locally as poh thong) to come into service by the end of the month. Mr…
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India gives aid to family of Phuket terror victim in Mumbai
PATONG, PHUKET: The Indian embassy yesterday presented additional financial assistance to surviving relatives of Jirachat Kanmanee, the Phuket native killed in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. Ms Jirachat was one of six Thais working as spa therapists at the Banyan Tree spa in the Trident Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai when the terrorists broke in and opened fire.…
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Pink pavilions for Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) campaign to paint the island pink continues. The construction of 25 pink roadside pavilions at a cost of almost five million baht is complete, PPAO President Paiboon Upatising announced last week. Mr Paiboon, whose campaign color was pink in the last election, said the gazebo-like structures – known as sala in Thai –…
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