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Appeal for info on missing Briton
PHUKET: The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has appealed for anyone who has seen Eddie Gibson, a young British national, to get in touch. Mr Gibson has not had any contact with his family since October 24, when he emailed his mother to say he was planning to return to Britain from Cambodia on a flight due to leave…
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Arthit introduces new Dulwich team
PHUKET: As the crisis over the future of Dulwich International College continues unresolved, the school’s CEO and Founder, Dr Arthit Ourairat, is in Phuket for two meetings, one with teachers this afternoon, and another with parents, scheduled for 2 pm tomorrow.At this afternoon’s meeting he introduced the new Headmaster he has chosen for the school, Canadian Prof Dr George Hickman,…
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Evacuation plans under discussion
PHUKET CITY: Plans for evacuating Patong and other parts of Phuket during an emergency are due to be discussed at a workshop on Wednesday.The event will be overseen by Vice-Governor Niran Kalayanamit and former Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong, who is now Deputy Director-General of the national Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD). These are the men Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has…
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Songkran traffic crackdown effective
PHUKET: Two people died in Phuket over the Songkran period, one less than last year. Another 359 were injured between April 8 and 15, compared with 424 injured last year.The deaths occurred on April 10 and 12. Both victims were male.The figures were well below the official target of no more than five dead and 611 injured. This year’s “target”…
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19 hurt as bus overturns in rain
TAH CHAT CHAI: Police are hunting for the driver of a bus which overturned yesterday injuring 19 passengers.It is thought the driver, named so far only as “Kittisak”, lost control of the Bangkok-bound bus in bend in the road near Baan Koh En, during heavy rain.The Phuket Central Tour bus came to a stop upside down in a ditch. All 19 passengers on board…
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Seven-hour ordeal after dive boat sinks
ANDAMAN SEA: Six passengers and seven crew spent around seven hours in the water yesterday morning waiting to be rescued after their liveaboard dive boat sank, apparently without warning and in just six minutes, close to the Surin Islands.The MY Rhapsody, operated by Kata-based Oceanic Divecenter, was anchored 300 meters from the popular Richelieu Rock just after midnight yesterday morning…
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Patong alarm system test “a success’
PATONG: The last of the alarms in Patong’s newly-installed emergency warning system was tested yesterday. It emitted a 121-decibel alert that could be heard 1,500 meters away.The alarm at Phuket Cabana Hotel, connected to 24 loudspeakers, was tested for 10 minutes at 2pm yesterday afternoon.Installation of the system, which will eventually be linked to the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC),…
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Spaghetti-strap mosquito menace
BANGKOK (TNA, Gazette): Last year the Ministry of Culture tried to bar Thai women from wearing spaghetti-strap tops during Songkran, with a warning from Culture Minister Uraiwan Thienthong that “revealing clothes may induce sexual harassment”.It didn’t work. Apart from anything else, police had no support from the law of Thailand for enforcing a ban on the detestable, damaging-to-Thai-culture spaghetti strap.All…
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Huge hikes in EMS international fees
PHUKET: The cost of sending a letter or parcel abroad via express mail service (EMS) has risen massively due to the increasing cost of fuel, with some prices almost doubling.For example, whereas it used to cost 480 baht to send a 250-gram printed-paper package via EMS to Israel, it now costs 950 baht; to send the same package to the…
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Tsunami chops OrBorJor income by 20pc
PHUKET CITY: The December 26, 2004, tsunami has chopped about 100 million baht, or 20%, off the expected revenue of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) for fiscal 2005.OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr told the Gazette on April 8 that the organization’s initial revenue projection of 500 million baht, from business taxes and fees, has been lowered to about 400 million due to…
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Trees to act as “tsunami breaks’
PHUKET: Trees may be planted along the Andaman Coast to give some protection to the land from future tsunamis, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat said this weekend.The Minister, on a visit to Phuket, said that buildings that had been sheltered from the sea by trees, particularly casuarinas, appeared to have suffered much less damage during the tsunami than…
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Phuket to get provincial art gallery
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has announced that it intends to build an art gallery for the province, after the successful opening of the “Painting Phuket, the Pearl of the Andaman” art exhibition yesterday.OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr said the art gallery would contain art and literature and artefacts relating to the history of Phuket.There could even be…
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Boared to death
PHAYAO: An elderly hunter in Chun District was gored to death by a wild boar after shooting its mate and stealing their four babies, his neighbors said. In late March, Wun Sisan, 68, shot a female boar and collected its piglets to sell to villagers to raise at a cost of 1,500 baht each. About 10 days later, in the…
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Appeal for Songkran common sense
PHUKET: Phuket Province has issued its annual appeal for safety and common sense during the upcoming Songkran Festival and has set a target of keeping this year’s death toll from traffic accidents during the period to under six. The province has set up a “Songkran Safety Center” at Phuket Provincial Hall to monitor the toll of dead and injured for…
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Park to fill Pak’s shoes
MAI KHAO: South Korean Si Re Pak has pulled out of next week’s Tiger Skins 2005 golf tournament, citing a back injury. She will be replaced by compatriot Grace Park.Much is expected of Park, 26, who won two major Ladies’ Professional Golf (LPGA) tournaments last year, including the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She was also awarded the the 2004 Vare Trophy…
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Masseuse found dead in woods
THALANG: Police are waiting for an autopsy report to confirm their belief that a masseuse whose body was discovered in woods in Cherng Talay yesterday evening either died of a chronic illness or committed suicide. An initial examination of the body revealed no signs of violence, said Cherng Talay Police Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Suwat Kaewprom, who identified the woman as…
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Phuket Air – another flight abandoned
LONDON (Scotsman): An airline which twice grounded a holiday jet bound for Britain with fuel gushing from a wing yesterday abandoned another flight in a safety scare.Phuket Air was forced to return a Boeing 747 service bound for Bangkok to London Gatwick three hours into a journey yesterday morning.The company said the aircraft was struck with a hydraulic problem and forced…
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Police coax would-be jumper to safety
PATONG: A drunken man horrified people in the Soi Kebsap area of Patong this morning by threatening to jump to his death from the 18th floor of the Patong Tower.The drama started at about 8:30 am after the man, identified by police only by his nickname “Aek”, put one leg over the balcony railing and began flailing his arms wildly.…
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Sipa launches fast-track system for IT workers
BANGKOK: Foreign IT workers coming to Thailand will be the envy of employees in all other sectors with the launch today of a new online system by the Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa). The system will allow the government to process foreign IT workers’ applications for work permits and extensions of stay in just three hours. Chalermcharn Yotviriyapanit, Head of…
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Drive to break transport “mafia’ launched
PHUKET: In an attempt to improve public transport on the island, Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has announced his support for a new project aimed at putting hundreds of metered taxis on Phuket roads and launching an Airport Bus service.On April 1, the Governor presided over the launch of the “Taxi Phuket Development Project” at Central Festival, during which he also announced…
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Abbot defrocked for bad habit
NAKHON PATHOM: An abbot and well-known fortune teller was defrocked after offering to perform a lewd “good-luck” ritual on a young woman in a short-time hotel. The woman, 20, told police she had gone with her boyfriend to pay respect to the monks at Wat Maeng Mum Hill Temple (Temple on Spider Hill). While there, the woman’s boyfriend had his…
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Missing millions probe “making progress’
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police say they are making progress in the investigation into the alleged theft of 2.05 million baht in tsunami-relief funds from Phuket Provincial Hall – but have yet to name any suspects in the case. Phuket City Police Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin told the Gazette yesterday that his department would “clear up” the case before…
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US trade reps assess investment aid
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura met with US trade representatives and the head of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP) on Sunday to discuss ways in which the US private sector might assist in Thailand’s recovery following the December 26 tsunami. The talks focused on ways to channel private-sector investment from the US to affected businesses,…
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Drug use “could rise’ in tsunami aftermath
PHUKET: Drug use and drug-related crime could rise as people lose their jobs because of the slump in tourism brought on by the tsunami, the Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police has warned.Pol Col Kokiat Wongvorachart said, “The tsunami affected so many people. Employees of big, medium-sized and small companies, laborers and the self-employed have all found themselves out of…
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Phuket girls scoop literary awards
BANGKOK: It was a moment for Phuket to be proud of: the two winners of the Southern Thailand round of the Second Junior Impac Dublin Literary Awards last night scooped all-comers in the overall competition for Thailand.Thipratri Saenkam, 18, and Ella Micheler, 17, won 10,000 baht apiece for their entries in the Southern Thailand round, topping a field of 69…
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Austria to fund health care center
PHUKET CITY: The government of Austria has pledged to spend 500,000 Euros – around 25 million baht – on establishing a health center for the fishing community of Tambon Rassada.Austria will fund the construction of the centre and provide money for staffing, too.The initial purpose of the center will be to improve the health of the fishermen and their families,…
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Patong tsunami warning system by end of April
PHUKET CITY: Dr Smith Thammasaroj, the chief of the investigation into the government’s handling of the December 26 tsunami disaster, has announced that three tsunami warning towers will be operational in Patong by the end of this month.Speaking at The Metropole hotel after a meeting with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Deputy Chairman, Juthaporn Rerngronasa, TAT Region 4 Chief Suwalai…
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Unidentified man stabbed to death
PHUKET CITY: A man was found dead in Tambon Rassada on the night of March 30, shortly after he was seen being attacked by three others.The man, who has not yet been identified, was found at the entrance to Moo Baan Niramit, Moo 3, Trang Road, Tambon Rassada, not far from the area that has been dubbed “the Burmese Cemetery”…
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Work advice center to open in Patong
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Employment Service Office (PESO) is to open a one-stop shop for advice on employment matters at Patong Hospital.Visitors to the center, which will open next Monday (April 4), will be able to study boards carrying information on jobs in Thailand and overseas, find out about training courses, speak with consultants about employment, work permit and social insurance…
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Shoppers urged to report cheating vendors
PHUKET: People who believe they have been ripped off by shops overcharging – and blaming the hike in diesel prices – are being urged to report the shopkeepers to the Phuket Internal Trade Office (PITO), on Tel: 1569.The office has also issued a checklist to help customers “Buy clever and save money” after the price of diesel soared by 24%,…
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