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Minimum wage raised
PHUKET: The Ministry of Labor has announced a five-baht increase in the minimum wage in Phuket, from 181 baht to 186 baht a day, with effect from January 1.Dacha Praikpatanarak, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Labor Office (PPLO), said the Ministry of Labor announced the new minimum wage rates for all provinces and Bangkok on October 30.The ruling was issued…
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Brit drowns off Kata beach
KATA: David Jeremy Cowen, 34, from the UK, drowned while snorkeling off Kata Beach on December 10.His body was found by a fisherman at 9:50 pm, who brought him to shore and contacted the police.Pol Lt Col Chokechai Suthimek, of Chalong Police Station, said that police presume that Cowen was knocked unconscious after being thrown onto rocks by waves while…
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Rubson Raid racer airlifted to Phuket after high-speed accident
KOH RACHA YAI: Russian Konstantin Byshevoy, 30, has escaped serious injury after the rigid inflatable dinghy he was racing in flipped at high speed off Koh Racha Yai.Mr Byshevoy was racing as part of the Ceresit team in the Rubson Raid Turquoise speedboat race. The dinghy flipped on the Day 6 leg of the race, from the Phi Phi Islands…
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Tourists suffer Immigration delays at airport
MAI KHAO: Despite having 60 Immigration officers stationed at Phuket International Airport, travelers landing on the island are having to suffer lengthy delays in being cleared through Immigration.Pol Col Surasak Authapanyawanich, Superintendent of Immigration at PIA, explained to the Gazette that the long delays are the result of a surge in the number of passengers from 3,000 a day this…
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Fraud on the rise in Phuket
PHUKET: While gambling remains Phuket’s top vice, white-collar crime seems to be on the rise with 14 cases of fraud reported with five arrests made, and 10 cases of embezzlement with two arrests made.From November 1 to 30, 188 people were arrested for gambling offenses with 39 of those coming from the sale of illegal lottery tickets.Three murders were reported,…
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El Nino increases risk of Phuket forest fires
PHUKET: The Phuket Environmental Health Center has issued a warning that global weather changes resulting from El Nino and increased global pollution will increase the risk of forest fires on the island during the coming dry season.Ongart Chanacharnmongkol, Director of the Phuket Environmental Health Center, said, “We will be at the greatest risk of forest fires than we have been…
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Another victim murdered near fishing port
PHUKET CITY: The body of man who had been stabbed to death was found floating near the fishing port at Koh Sireh on Friday.Pol Lt Apichart Rainchana, Duty Officer at Phuket City Police Station, said that the man had been stabbed about seven times with a sharp implement and had been dead for less than five hours when his body…
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Four undersea volcanoes discovered off Phuket
PHUKET (The Nation): A team of Thai and German marine geologists have discovered four volcanoes under the sea about 200 kilometers from Phuket, the team leader announced yesterday.Dr Anon Sanitwong na Ayutthaya of Chulalongkorn University headed a 15-day survey that ended on December 6. It was conducted with support from the German government and from the National Marine Geology Institute…
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PIMEX back on show at Boat Lagoon
KOH KAEW: The 2006 Phuket International Marine Expo (PIMEX) is underway at Phuket Boat Lagoon marina.PIMEX, which this year has already attracted 4,000 visitors, boasts more than 50 boats, including 20 berthed in the water, from more than 100 international boating brands. The boats range in price from US$10,000, for a rigid inflatable, to US$50,000 for a small run-about, to US$1 million for…
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Officials buoyant about tsunami buoy test success
CAPE PANWA: The Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis II (DART2) tsunami-detection buoy – now anchored about 1,100 kilometers off the the west of Phuket, near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands – has been tested and found to be functioning properly, broadcasting readings of seabed water pressure to research centers onshore.MV Seafdec, the Royal Thai Navy vessel responsible for deploying…
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Wind breathes life into Regatta
KATA: After three days of light winds and difficult conditions, the wind finally arrived off Kata Beach today, breathing new life into crews aboard the record fleet of 102 boats and giving them cause to enjoy the best racing so far in this year’s King’s Cup Regatta.Three-time King’s Cup winner Neil Pryde is on target to win another King’s Cup…
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Island matriarch passes away
PHUKET: Khunying Kanchana Na Ranong died about 1 pm yesterday after suffering a heart attack at a Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok. She was 84.A well-known and much-respected figure on the island, Khunying Kanchana was Chairwoman of the Pearl Group of Companies, which includes the Indigo Pearl resort at Nai Yang, Toyota Pearl Co and the Pearl Hotel in Phuket City.She…
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Phang Nga politician escapes Phuket assassination attempt
RASSADA: A Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President from Phang Nga survived what appeared to be a bungled attempt on his life on December 2, after he wrestled the gun away from his would-be assassin at the Phuket Rajabhat University campus.Pol Maj Sarit Butnongsang told the Gazette that 41-year-old Sunit Vorakit, President of OrBorTor Tai Muang, reported to Phuket City Police…
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TAT blamed for inaction on illegal Korean guides
PHUKET: An angry crowd of some 25 Thai tour guides and travel agents marched on Phuket Provincial Hall on November 30, demanding government action over Korean tour guides working illegally in the province.Some members of the group carried signs demanding that Suwalai Pinpradab, Director of Tourism Authority of Thaliand’s Southern Region 4 office, step down to take responsibility for the…
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Tricky regatta conditions handled by Pryde
KATA: The unpredictable weather again played tricks with the record fleet at the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta today, with light winds, rain squalls and strong tides making racing difficult on the third day of Asia’s biggest sailing event.But former King’s Cup winner Neil Pryde proved that experience counts as he skippered his boat Hi Fi into first place in the…
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Durian set to dump deluge on Phuket
PHUKET: The Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) today warned that Tropical Depression Durian is likely to cause heavy rain in Phang Nga and Ranong, with lesser rain in Phuket and other nearby provinces. The center has urged people in “at-risk” areas – those areas prone to flooding and landslides – to prepare for the deluge.The statement, released by the center…
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Jelik draws first blood in King’s Cup
PHUKET: Frank Pong of China skippered his 75-foot yacht Jelik to first place overall in the hotly-contested Racing class in the opening race of the 20th King’s Cup Regatta today. “We had a great day and crossed the line well in front of the rest of our class, but even with our heavy handicap we managed a first place on…
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Special panel to probe Chalong explosions
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Niran Kanlayanamit has appointed a special committee to investigate the November 28 bombing of three new homes on disputed land in Chalong.During a meeting of the Phuket Provincial Security Council, Gov Niran said he would like to see the police track down and arrest the people responsible for the blasts as soon as possible.The three improvised…
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Dead triathlete “suffered heart attack”
CHERNG TALAY: Laguna Phuket this morning confirmed that Briton William Scott Stewart, 43, died after suffering a heart attack during the swim leg of the Laguna Phuket Triathlon yesterday.Debbie Dionysius, Laguna Phuket’s Director of Destination Marketing, told the Gazette that Mr Stewart was unconscious when he was pulled from the water. He was then taken to Bangkok Hospital Phuket, where…
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Man dies during Laguna Phuket Triathlon
CHERNG TALAY: The Gazette has confirmed reports that a man died of a heart attack during the Laguna Phuket Triathlon this morning.Laguna has yet to release details of the incident as relatives of the deceased have yet to be notified of the man’s death.Some 1,400 athletes from 40 countries competed individually or in teams in the international event, which has…
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Tsunami buoy on way to deployment site
CAPE PANWA: A ceremony was held yesterday morning to commemorate the launch of the first US-built Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis II (“DART-2”) tsunami-detection system, now aboard the Royal Thai Navy’s MV Seafdec on its way to be deployed at a location in the middle of the Indian Ocean in a few days’ time.The detection system, built by the…
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Bloody day on Phuket’s roads
PHUKET: Four people, including three 11-year-old boys, were killed in two separate road accidents on Monday.The first accident occurred about 7:30 pm, when three boys on a motorcycle and a sedan collided head-on in front of Andavana Spa, on Thepprathan Rd, Koh Sireh.The driver, Channarong Sadimin, and one of his passengers, Suriyapong Premjaroen, died at the scene.The third boy, Piyapong…
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Clinton to tour sea gypsy village, plant mangroves
PHUKET: Former US President Bill Clinton will speak in Phuket tomorrow as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery. Clinton will arrive tonight and speak at Hin Look Diow, a small sea gypsy village, tomorrow morning.After Clinton arrives at the village, near the airport, he will meet community leaders and make a short statement before taking a tour…
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Kathu woman brutally slain
KATHU: A 40-year-old woman died of multiple stab wounds to the body, head and throat, inflicted by an intruder who forced his way into her home near Tung Tong Market early Monday morning.Pol Lt Col Passakorn Sonthikul of Tung Tong Police Station said that the murder was reported about 8 am on Monday by Thavorn “Pae Lian” Kajkla, who identified…
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Phuket City biker blasted by shotgun
PHUKET: A 20-year-old man died after being blasted at close range with a shotgun early on Tuesday as he rode his motorbike around Phuket City, with his girlfriend riding pillion.Pol Maj Wicharn Suwansith, Duty Inspector at Phuket City Police Station, said that Kheng Phatthong was confronting other young men on motorbikes who had shouted insults at him, when he was…
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Homemade bombs blast new development
CHALONG: Three houses were badly damaged by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that detonated about 2:30 am on Saturday. Police believe the blasts were motivated by a land dispute. No one was killed in the blasts, but two Burmese workmen were reported injured.The houses are located in a rural residential development on Soi Songkun, Moo 1, Nabon, Chao Fa East Rd.Chalong…
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B2m of ya bah seized in Thalang
THALANG: Provincial Drug Suppression Police seized 6,800 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and arrested two men in a sting operation on November 23.Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth said an investigation had revealed that Chatree ” Mee” Waiyawut, 26, was dealing ya bah in Phuket.“Undercover officers contacted Chatree, ordering 300 ya bah pills for 45,000 baht. Delivery was…
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Man caught with protected fish
CHALONG: Rawai sea gypsy Taweelert Harntalay, 39, was caught with a boat load of protected fish while fishing off Koh Bon on Saturday.He was arrested by Phuket Marine Police working with officers from the Phuket Marine Biological Center.Pol Col Chalit Kaewyarat, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette, “In his boat were many protected fish, including lobsters, clown fish,…
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Rawai sea gypsy homes spared
RAWAI: Four sea gypsy houses originally slated for demolition have been spared the wrecking ball in Phuket Provincial Highway Office’s (PPHO) road-widening project in Rawai.Sarayuth Intarawichien, Assistant Project Manager of the PPHO, told the Gazette that the road-widening project will be finished by the contract date in March next year. The project began in May and extends along Chao Fa…
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The root of suffering
“Attachment is the origin, the root of suffering; hence it is the cause of suffering.” – The Dalai Lama at Harvard University, 1988 A devout monk in Phattalung’s Kongra District took the quest for non-attachment to an unprecedented level recently, when he cut off his erect penis, which was was distracting him during a meditation session. News of the story…
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