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Launching the Accessible Thailand Wellness Tourism initiative
The Thai government proudly announces the launch of the Accessible Thailand Wellness Tourism (ATWT) initiative. The program will kick off with a media event at the SIRIRAJ H SOLUTIONS wellness center on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, hosted on the 5th...
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Marine resources body gets teeth
PHUKET TOWN: A committee that brings together 10 arms of the government to help preserve the marine resources of the Andaman Coast may finally get teeth, thanks to a decent budget. The Region 3 Coordinating Committee to Preserve the Nation’s Marine Resources (CCPNMR) was set up in 1997, but under-funding has meant that it has been able to achieve little.…
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Police superintendents reshuffled
PHUKET: In a nationwide reshuffle of 173 police deputy commissioners and superintendents, effective from next Monday, the three main police stations in Phuket – Phuket Town, Thalang and Kathu – will each get new bosses. The reshuffle was ordered by the country’s top police officer, Pol Gen Pornsak Durongkapiboon, Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police. Pol Col Chalit Tintanee, formerly…
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Another two days of rain, says weatherman
PHUKET: The current bad weather in Phuket is likely to continue for another two days, Amorn Chantanavivate, director of the Southwestern Regional Meteorological Center, said today. Widespread thundershowers are affecting about 80% of southwestern Thailand, bringing isolated heavy showers. The rains and winds of around 35 kmh are being caused by a strong southwesterly monsoon over the Andaman Sea and…
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Phuket sees boom in new businesses
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket is still the Number One place in southern Thailand in which to open a business, according to Veerachai Tantiwathanavallop, Director of the Phuket Commercial Registration Office. A total of 392 business were registered between January 1 and May 31, an average of 78 new businesses a month. “That is about 10% to 15% higher than last year,”…
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Owners urged to give land for expo center
PHUKET TOWN: The Governor of Phuket has asked local landowners to donate 100 rai of land for the construction of an international convention and exhibition center (CEC). The call by Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi came at a meeting held this afternoon in the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization chamber. Also present at the meeting were representatives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand…
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Thaksin invited to open Chalong Pier
CHALONG: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been invited to perform the official opening of the Chalong Pier on July 1, Wisut Santikun, Deputy President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), announced today. The day before the opening of the pier, the OrBorJor will host a workshop and a dinner on the theme of “The direction of tourism in Phuket”,…
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Bangkok considering yacht owners’ problems
PHUKET: The Thai government is considering cutting the taxes on imported yachts and doubling the time that foreign yachts may stay in Thai waters before owners have to pay such taxes. Manit Wittayatin, Director-General of the Thai Customs Department told a meeting of provincial officials in Phuket today, “The regulations for yachts entering Thai waters create difficulties for many foreigners.…
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Officials sink Thaksin’s duty-free dream
PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has accepted that his recently-stated plan to turn Phuket into a duty-free island is an impossible dream, Manit Wittayatin, Director-General of the country’s Customs Department, told a meeting of high-ranking provincial officials today. K. Manit explained that at the most recent meeting held in Bangkok to discuss this matter, the Prime Minister initially stressed that…
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Tourist Police get mountain bikes
PHUKET: The island’s Tourist Police are now equipped with four mountain bikes, which they will use to patrol Patong beach. The bikes were donated to the Tourist Police last night by the Rotary Club of Patong, at the club’s regular weekly meeting. “As we enter the low season, many people are without jobs, so we have to step up our…
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Rain brings warning over dengue fever
PHUKET: Now that the rainy season has arrived, the Phuket Public Health Office (PHO) has issued warnings about the increased risk of dengue fever. Normally, the number of cases of dengue fever rises during the rainy season, especially during June, July and August. To reduce the risk of contracting either dengue fever or malaria, the PHO recommends frequently changing the…
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Bomb explodes at Karon hotel
KARON: A small bomb smashed windows and cracked a wall of the Baan Karon Hotel on Patak Rd in the early hours of yesterday (Sunday) morning. No one was injured. Pol Capt Chockchai Sutthimeke of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette that the bomb had been planted against an outside wall of the hotel, next to the office of the…
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Tourist stabbed with broken bottle
KARON: A 24-year-old tourist from Denmark, Michael Jacob, was stabbed with a broken bottle at the Southland Inn on Patak Rd around 3 am yesterday (Sunday). Pol Capt Chana Suttimart of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette, “Mr Jacob was negotiating with two women. They had an argument, which developed into a fight. One of the women stabbed Mr Jacob…
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Power grid ‘will improve radically’
PHUKET: By December next year, Phuket will have a much more sophisticated and reliable electricity supply, according to experts from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) and the European Union (EU), which is providing some of the funds for upgrading the system. The upgrade includes the construction of two new substations in addition to the existing two and the laying of…
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Fall in tourists “our own fault’ – Gov
PHUKET: Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi has blamed the falling number of tourists on Phuket’s poor attitude towards tourism. Speaking after the release of Phuket International Airport’s latest statistics on passenger throughput, he described Phuket as a “golden island that attracts fortune seekers”. But, he said, “Once all the gold has been dug up, it will just be an ordinary island.” The…
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Local phone numbers to get longer
BANGKOK: The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has announced that the telephone numbering system for the entire country will be changed. With the new system, which comes into effect on July 5, people making local calls will have to include the province’s area code in the telephone number. A person calling within Bangkok to, say 575 7310, will need to…
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Alleged Muslim rebels behead kidnap victims
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai police said this afternoon that they had found the severed heads of two Thais kidnapped by alleged Muslim separatists near the Malaysian border. Deputy police chief Sant Sarutanond said members of the Muslim separatist New PULO were responsible for the beheadings in the southern province of Yala, near the border. “They did this for money,” Sant said.…
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Gambling continues to top arrest stats
PHUKET: Yet again, gambling topped the arrest statistics in May, with 258 people held for gambling offenses between May 1 and 25. The Provincial Police statistics showed arrests of illegal immigrants coming in second place, with 95 people arrested, followed by narcotics offenses, with 43 people arrested for offenses related to “ya bah” (methamphetamine). A total of 1,528 ya bah…
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Kathu lays out entertainment zones
PHUKET: Kathu District has become the first district in Phuket to map out entertainment zones to meet the requirements of proposed new legislation that would eventually see entertainment businesses such as bars, discos and karaoke venues restricted to certain areas. Vice-Governor Amnuay Sanguannam told the Gazette that the Kathu plan sees five entertainment zones – three in Patong and one…
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Gazette goes on sale today in Bangkok
BANGKOK: As part of a recently concluded cooperation agreement between The Nation Multimedia Group and The Phuket Gazette Company, the Phuket Gazette is now on sale at ten major outlets of Asia Books in Bangkok. The agreement with The Nation complements the Gazette’s long-standing distribution arrangements with Flower King at Bangkok’s domestic and international air terminals. “We are very happy…
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Nepal’s crown prince kills parents, relatives
KATHMANDU (AFP): Nepal’s crown prince shot dead his parents – the king and queen – and several other relatives during a family dinner at the royal palace here before turning the gun on himself, officials said this afternoon. King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and nine other people were killed when Crown Prince Dipendra opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon during the…
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Embassy clarifies visa rules – sort of
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has clarified the reasons for its recent imposition of harsh “old” requirements for a Non-Immigrant B visa, in particular as they apply to any foreigner wanting to go to Thailand on a business trip. As reported by the Gazette Online yesterday the consulate in KL has, since May 21, been handing…
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All three vice-governors to be transferred
PHUKET: All three of Phuket’s vice-governors will be transferred to other provinces in the annual October 1 reshuffle of government officials, Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi confirmed today. Noting that 20 governorships around the country will become vacant at the end of September, he said, “We have three senior vice-governors here. Two of them – Amnuay Sanguannam and Wittaya Pintapat – have…
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KL consulate tightens up B visa rules
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Thai Consulate in Kuala Lumpur has joined its counterpart in Penang in making it a great deal more difficult for foreigners working in Thailand to obtain a Non-Immigrant ‘B’ visa. A memorandum, dated May 21 and handed out to applicants on their arrival at the consulate, lists 10 documents – including confidential company papers – that…
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‘Virus warning’ email hoax hits Phuket
PHUKET: An email circulating round the island, warning computer users of a new virus that is scheduled to activate itself tomorrow (June 1), is a hoax, say experts. The message begins, “Urgent. A virus could be in your computer files now, dormant but [set to] become active on June 1. Follow [the] directions below to check if you have it…
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Thaksin fires central bank governor
BANGKOK (AFP): The government of Thaksin Shinawatra today sacked Bank of Thailand governor Chatumongkol Sonakul following a week-long wrangle over interest rate policy, a senior official said. “This change is to enhance the efficiency of the government’s work,” government spokesman Yongyuth Tiyapairat told reporters after a cabinet meeting in which the decision was made to get rid of Chatumongkol. Public…
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Police step up fight against foreign gangs
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration Police will step up surveillance on suspected foreign criminals in order to minimize organized crime, Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Police, has told the Gazette. He singled out Nigeria as a consistent source of criminals, with a large number of Nigerians having been arrested for involvement in such crimes as drug running and fraud.…
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Seatran wins port tender with 90m baht bid
PHUKET TOWN: Seatran Travel Co Ltd has won the tender to run the Rassada Port with a bid worth more than 90 million baht over the 30 years of the lease. The port is owned by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor). The decision was announced on Friday by the OrBorJor’s Deputy President, Wisut Santikun, who headed the committee examining…
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Phuket shut out of medals in Rugby 10s
SAPHAN HIN: So far but no further was the catchphrase for Phuket this afternoon, as the Phuket Barbarians crashed out of the Cup semi-finals in the Phuket Island Lager International Rugby Tens, going down 0-27 to the eventual winners, Hong Kong FC Vandals. The Phuket Vagabonds, meanwhile, slaughtered the Hong Kong Bulls 40-0 in the Bowl semi-finals, only to be…
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Gov to lobby against flight change
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi is to request the government to reconsider the switching of a Thai Airways International (THAI) service from Phuket to Bangkok. THAI has announced that its twice-weekly service between Perth, Australia, and Phuket will be canceled. Starting from October 1, the flights will land in Bangkok instead. Governor Pongpayome said yesterday, “I don’t agree with this…
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Prawn farm boss on murder conspiracy charges
PHUKET TOWN: Somsak Wongsawanond, the owner of the Wachara Prawn Farm in Pa Khlok, was arrested yesterday on charges of conspiracy to murder environmental activist Jurin Rachapol at the end of January. K. Jurin died on January 30 after being shot three times while collecting cashew leaves in a forest near the farm. The man accused of carrying out the…
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