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PIH “bypass turnoff’to be closed
PHUKET: A provincial committee on traffic safety has decided to block the dangerous turnoff to Phuket International Hospital (PIH) from the bypass road southbound lanes for a trial period of one month.The committee, chaired by Phuket Vice-Governor Smith Palawatvichai, came to a unanimous decision on the issue at a meeting held last Thursday afternoon.Signs warning motorists that U-turns are forbidden…
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It’s a Toy Library
PHUKET: With the aim of developing children’s imaginations, emotional responses and social skills, the Phuket Community Foundation (PCF) and Phuket International Hospital (PIH) will be opening the island’s first toy library at the end of July. The PCF is appealing for donations of new and secondhand toys in good condition and it is hoped that, in time, a series of “toy…
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Fighting chance: green turtle has flipper amputated
CAPE PANWA: A green sea turtle rescued from a fishing net in Satun last week had a badly inflected flipper amputated at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) this afternoon.PMBC veterinarians led by Sontaya Manawattana said that the “flipperectomy” was the only way to save the animal, an otherwise healthy 20-year-old female.The turtle was found off Koh Rayatot Yai, in…
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Dial S for stolen
PHUKET AIRPORT: Following the arrest of two baggage handlers for stealing a mobile phone from luggage at Phuket International Airport, police are urging airline passengers not to pack valuables in checked-in luggage.At a press conference last night, Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Col Sakchai Limchareon said that Sarawuth Saowarun, 21, of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and Chiang Rai native Surakrai Sirisor, 22, had…
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Megaquarium site still not chosen
BANGKOK: Plans by Minor International Plc to build a 2.1-billion-baht aquarium in Phuket are still in the land acquisition and design phase, and the company doesn’t expect to finalize plans or announce the project site until some time later this year at the earliest. In July 2007, Minor International Plc announced its intention to build Southeast Asia’s largest aquarium as…
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SPECIAL: Letter from Myanmar
BANGKOK: Since Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy delta region in Myanmar on May 2, the world has stood by waiting to help those still suffering while the ruling military junta lets in only a trickle of relief supplies and workers. A Thailand-based Rotarian, whose name has been withheld at his request, describes the situation on the ground in Myanmar, and…
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Whale stranded in Patong dies
PHUKET: A dwarf sperm whale that washed up on Patong Beach this morning died from ingesting a wide variety of man-made items, researchers at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) today told the Gazette. The whale was discovered by local residents on the beach near the Soi Bangla intersection about 6 am. Villagers and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers pushed the…
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US Navy servicewoman dies in Patong
PATONG: A US servicewoman accidentally fell to her death from a seventh-floor hotel room in Patong yesterday, the Gazette has been told.In a news release posted on its website at noon today, Manager Online quoted Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnark as identifying the woman as 25-year-old Ebony Cooper.There were few other details in the report, except that police were…
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Runaway bride
SAPHAN BURI: Being forced into a loveless marriage is an unhappy fate for any girl to endure, but not everyone takes the situation lying down. After being forced to marry the son of a wealthy local cattle owner, one young woman from Suphan Buri managed to escape with not only her freedom, but also the 400,000-baht sin sot (bride price)…
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Burmese aid on its way
CAPE PANWA: Stocks of donated food and emergency-shelter supplies today finally began their journey from the Third Naval Command at Cape Panwa to help victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.Approximately 10 tonnes of supplies were loaded onto four container trucks heading for the Thai-Myanmar Border Fishery Co-ordination Center in Ranong province. From there, the supplies are expected to be distributed…
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PPEO moves to allay manual labor shortage
PHUKET: In a bid to ease Phuket’s manual labor shortage, the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) is accepting applications to extend by one year the work permits of the 19,000 Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian laborers working in Phuket whose work permits are set to expire this month.Employers can register their migrant laborers at the PPEO building on Rattanakosin 200 Pi…
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Laguna Marathon traffic restrictions announced
CHERNG TALAY: As the island gears up for the big Laguna Phuket International Marathon on Sunday, June 15, the event’s organizers have announced traffic restrictions that will apply during the marathon so athletes can safely complete the course. Traffic along the following roads will be directed by police for the safety of runners as follows: 1. All roads within Laguna Phuket…
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Kukri Badgers win Phuket Rugby 10s
KARON: In a high-quality match played to a packed Karon Municipality stadium on Sunday, the Kukri Badgers from the UK beat the Loki Odins from Canberra, Australia, by 12-5 to win the Overgaard 10th Anniversary Phuket International Rugby 10s. The invitational sides played impressive rugby on a relatively hard pitch that could well have done with some of the rain that…
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Declaration of emergency not warranted: Boonsrang
BANGKOK (The Nation): Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces General Boonsrang Niumpradit sought this morning to allay growing concern that the Thai government might declare an emergency situation to crack down on the current street protests in Bangkok.“Citing of the emergency law might do more harm than good to the country,” he noted, arguing that there are many options to…
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Declaration of emergency not warranted: Boonsrong
BANGKOK (The Nation): Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces General Boonsrang Niumpradit sought this morning to allay growing concern that the Thai government might declare an emergency situation to crack down on the current street protests in Bangkok.“Citing of the emergency law might do more harm than good to the country,” he noted, arguing that there are many options to…
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Burmese doing Thai homeWorks
PHUKET CITY: That unregistered, migrant laborers from Burma continue to play a key role in the island’s construction industry was confirmed on Tuesday when 28 illegal workers were arrested at the one-billion-baht “homeWorks” project site at the Darasamuth Intersection on the bypass road.The arrests followed a tip-off from the Phuket branch of Thailand’s internal intelligence service (santibaan) to Phuket Provincial…
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Quayle calls for better tourist safety
PHUKET CITY: Following a wave of Phuket Gazette reports of crimes against foreigners in recent weeks, British Ambassador to Thailand Quinton Quayle today voiced his concern over the personal safety of British citizens in Phuket.Speaking to the Gazette at the Royal Phuket City Hotel this morning, Mr Quayle said, “I think safety is a worrying aspect…“[Safety] is one of the things…
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French mercy mission ship diverts to Phuket
AO MAKHAM (Nation, Gazette): After 10 days in the Indian Ocean waiting for permission to enter Burmese waters, the 24,000-tonne French navy ship Mistral docked yesterday morning at the Phuket Deep Sea Port to unload tons of supplies intended for cyclone victims in Burma.French Ambassador to Thailand Laurent Bili said that an agreement had been reached with the Burmese military government making Phuket…
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5bn baht airport expansion approved
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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More donations needed for Burmese aid shipment
PHUKET: Donations of equipment to provide emergency food and shelter for victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar are gradually piling up at collection points around Phuket, but more donations are needed before there is a chance of them providing the much-needed relief. The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Third Naval Command at Cape Panwa, Baan Kamala School and the Kusoldharm Foundation…
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Secret list of “influential people’ drawn up
PHUKET: A confidential blacklist of “influential people” in Phuket’s criminal underworld has been drawn up as part of a nationwide government campaign to monitor individuals who “pose a threat to society”.Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha yesterday met senior provincial officers at Provincial Hall to finalize the list before sending it to Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit for approval.The final list was compiled…
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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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Brit shot, robbed in Chalong
CHALONG: Police are hunting two suspects who shot and robbed a British man while he was riding home on Patak Rd before dawn yesterday.Chalong Police Superintendent Col Samarn Chainarong today confirmed that UK national Richard Hendren, 50, who runs the September beer bar on Soi One Man in Karon, was riding home to Chalong around 5 am when he was attacked.After…
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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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Intarat calls for SorPorKor probe
PHUKET: Gen Intarat Yodbangtoey, in his capacity as “special adviser” to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Anongwan Thepsutin, led an inspection tour on Sunday of properties believed to be illegally owned by virtue of their location on agricultural reform (SorPorKor) land. The properties are located on hillsides in Kamala, Kalim and Patong hillsides on Sunday.On Saturday, Gen Intarat and his team inspected…
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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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