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FantaSea closes temporarily
KAMALA: The Phuket FantaSea tourist attraction will be closed until January 18, because of the tsunami.Managing Director Pin Kewkacha said the Kamala-based attraction had sustained damage totaling 60 to 70 million baht, and that, in addition, it had lost between 150 million and 200 million baht in revenue because of the slump in the number of visitors.As a result, the…
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Patong “clear of tsunami wreckage’
PATONG: Wreckage caused by the tsunami has now been cleared from the streets of Patong and dumped in a disused tinmine, Phunsak Naksena, Chief Administration officer of Patong Municipality told the Gazette today.“We have dumped all construction debris into a privately-owned tin mine,” said K. Phunsak. “Most car owners have already contacted their insurance companies to handle the disposal of…
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Help pours in for damaged schools
KAMALA: Financial assistance has been pouring in from Thailand and around the world to help rebuild Phuket schools damaged by the December 26 tsunami. The Education Ministry has already issued 800,000 baht in emergency funding to rebuild four schools damaged by the December 26 tsunami, said Damrong Boonchoti, Director of the Phuket Educational Area Office. Most of the funding will…
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Play equipment offered cheap to schools
PHUKET: A play-equipment manufacturer is offering a 50% discount on items bought to be donated to schools, nurseries and kindergartens to replace equipment lost to the tsunami. Wichana Praditpolkarn, Managing Director of Genius Kids, told the Gazette, “We feel that play equipment is important to the children since we heard that children feel sad and do not want to go…
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France revises travel advisory
PHUKET: The French Government has revised its travel warning on Thailand, pointing out that damage from the December 26 tsunami was localized and advising its citizens that travel to many places is safe. The advisory reads (Gazette translation): “The tidal wave of December 26 caused considerable destruction along the southwestern coast of Thailand (the provinces of Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga,…
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Bizarre twists in UK travel advisory
PHUKET: In a bizarre twist possibly sparked more by politics than reality, Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) yesterday took Phuket off its list of places for British travelers to avoid, and then, within hours, put it back on.On its website, the FCO had advised, since the tsunami struck, against “all but essential travel to affected resorts and towns along…
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Some dead may never be identified – Straw
PHUKET: British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said today that identification of tsunami victims may take months and, in some cases, identification may never be possible.Mr Straw was speaking during a visit to Phuket, where he met survivors and relatives of some of the thousands killed by the tsunami.He said the tsunami had claimed the lives of at least 49 Britons in…
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Japanese rescuers leave for home
PHUKET: In another sign that the island is moving into the recovery-and-rebuilding phase, 49 members of a Japanese rescue team flew back to Tokyo yesterday afternoon after briefing Rear Admiral Tana Bunnag, Commander of the Third Naval Area Command Based at Cape Panwa on what they had achieved. Team leader Toshimizu Ichigure said that 60 Japanese took part in the…
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Call for donations to rebuild schools
PHUKET: Those interested in making donations for rebuilding Baan Kamala and Baan Kalim schools, both of which were badly damaged in the tsunami, can do so using the bank account information below. All proceeds will go toward reconstruction and providing scholarships to students who lost their parents in the tsunami. The first account, the Phuket Educational Area Relief Fund, will…
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Swedish boy “missing, not kidnapped’
PHUKET: A 12-year-old Swedish tsunami victim feared abducted from a Phang Nga hospital was not kidnapped, but is instead still missing, police said last night.Pol Lt Col Virit Kamolrat of Phuket Tourist Police told a press conference last night that a boy taken from Tai Muang Hospital by an older German man was not Kristian Walker of Sweden, but another…
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10,000 attend tsunami memorial
SAPHAN HIN: A somber memorial service for the survivors of the December 26 tsunami was held at Saphan Hin Sports Stadium last night.The ceremony began with Islamic, Christian and Buddhist services, followed by condolence speeches by Senate President Sukhon Chaleekreua and Wiset Juphibal, President of the Phuket Society, which organized the ceremony. Listening to them were about 10,000 people dressed…
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Labor Minister hands out B26m in aid
PHUKET: Labor Minister Uraiwan Thienthong visited six Phuket hospitals yesterday, distributing more than 26 million baht to help the facilities cope with the financial burden of treating victims of the December 26 tsunami. Together with Labor Ministry Civil Service Inspector Nakorn Silpa-archa and Phuket Vice Governor Winai Buapradit, K. Uraiwan handed over checks in the following amounts:Government hospitals: Wachira Phuket…
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Appeal for more items for Khao Lak
PHUKET: The organizers of a convoy of relief supplies for 700 homeless families in the Khao Lak area and for others further north have appealed for donations of more items to fill the vehicle, which leaves tomorrow.What follows is a list of items requested by the Khuk Khak Tambon Administration Organization and the Takua Pa District Office, with the approximate…
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B75m budget for homeless victims
PHUKET: The central government has budgeted 75 million baht to construct new homes for some 4,000 families left homeless in the six provinces affected by the December 26 tsunami. Speaking at a press conference at the Governor’s Office this afternoon, Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula said the aid will come from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Finance Ministry and private donations.K.…
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No disease outbreaks in Phuket – health chief
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has confirmed that there have been no reports of epidemic diseases on the island, but has warned people to take precautions with drinking water.In particular, Dr Wanchai Sattayawuthipong warned people in coastal areas affected by the December 26 tsunami to refrain from drinking well water in order to prevent the…
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Now everyone can drive
PHUKET: AirAsia (motto “Now everyone can fly”) has announced that it is terminating its direct Phuket-Singapore flights effective today, due to lack of demand following the tsunami disaster of December 26.Public Relations Executive Jacqueline Mercader told the Gazette today that the number of passengers in recent days had fallen to as few as three per flight, and that the company…
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Embassy staff contact numbers
PHUKET: Following is a list of embassy staff from 41 countries responsible for looking after their nationals in the aftermath of the tsunami in the six Andaman coast provinces of Thailand:Australia:Robin Hamilton: 01-8165709Ms Sudamani: 01-8366131Austria:Edwin Ferner: 01-8145965Belgium:Ronny Elaut: 01-8339986Canada:Diego Tremblay: 01-8438275Sukanya Racharit: 01-8352690China:Pan Guangxie: 01-6555884Mo Yaohing: 01-8214771Hua Jinzhou: 01-9903858Li Tuzong: 09-8766052Denmark:Ulrik Helwek-Jarsen: 01-8558159France:Michel Frebourg: 09-8101084Finland:Heikki Tuunanen, Jussi Koskela, Khaikhae Louwithawas:…
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Early warning center “by end of January’
PHUKET: A disaster warning center aimed at reducing the death and injury rate in any future tsunami may be established as early as the end of this month, the Gazette has learned.Smith Dharmasaroja, newly assigned to the office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for examining what can be learned from the events of December 26, told a press conference…
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Delivery of relief items to Takua Pa
PHUKET: The organizers of a relief delivery to Khao Lak (story here) have announced that they will also be pleased to deliver items for Takua Pa (story here) on behalf of those unable to make delivery themselves. Items for Khao Lak (crockery, cutlery, camping gas stoves and non-electric rice cookers) and items for Takua Pa (baby formula, baby bottles, toys, children’s shoes,…
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Call for info on missing persons
BANGKOK: Nordic embassies in Bangkok, representing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, have called for all people with information about possible missing nationals to contact them.In a press release sent to the Gazette, the embassies pointed out that people seriously injured or too young to report themselves may be listed as still missing.Anyone with information of such people should notify…
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Khao Lak needs cooking implements
KHAO LAK: Volunteers gathering relief for survivors in the devastated area around Khao Lak have appealed for items urgently needed there. These include: Cooking Utensils – Pots and pans, woks, plates, bowls, mugs, forks and spoons; Cooking Oil; Simple gas stoves (like those used for camping); Simple rice cookers (non electric). A collection point for such items has been set…
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Relief items needed urgently in Takua Pa
TAKUA PA: The Gazette has received an urgent plea from volunteers working with tsunami survivors at the Takua Pa District office for the following: Milk powder for babies; Milk bottles for babies; Toys to occupy children; Children’s shoes, e.g. flip-flops; Mosquito nets; and Sarongs. Anyone who can purchase some of these items and deliver them to Takua Pa District Office will be…
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Account details for relief donations
PHUKET: The following are account details for those wishing to make monetary donations to help victims of the tsunami disaster in Phuket and surrounding areas. – Rotary Club of Patong: Siam Commercial Bank Public Ltd, Chao Fa Branch (Phuket); Account number: 633-2-49365-8; Account name: Rotary Club of Patong Beach (Tsunami Relief Fund); Swift Code: SICOTHBK; Telex number: 20455 SIAMFX TH…
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Identification Documents found on beach at Koh Lanta
A driver’s license and ID card belonging to a Marion Reijerink have been found on the beach on Koh Lanta. They are currently in the hands of FD Luca who has posted a notice at https://thethaiger.com/classifieds/details.asp?thequerytype=&id=48434&Cat=54 and who can be contacted at lucafd@yahoo.com
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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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