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High price for high fliers
PHUKET: Expensive rainmaking flights costing as much as 480,000 baht a day have yet to make an appreciable difference to Phuket’s water supplies. Three aircraft from the Royal Rainmaking Service are currently in Phuket. The two smaller airplanes each incur a cost of 50,000 baht a flight in fuel, chemicals and other costs while the third, larger aircraft costs 60,000…
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All-night party raided
CHERNG TALAY: An all-night party at a Japanese businessman’s holiday home came to an abrupt end when police raided the mansion at 8 am yesterday and tested the 30 revelers for drugs and netted three gamblers. The Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, led the raid after police received complaints at about 4 am from local…
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Still no sign of DIDIT founder
PHUKET: The family of Briton Eric Wells have asked that anyone who has seen him since the evening of Friday, July 4, get in touch with them immediately. Mr Wells and his wife Linda are co-founders of Dogs In Distress In Thailand (DIDIT), which looks after stray dogs in temples around the island. Mr Wells went to feed dogs at…
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Free air tickets to boost tourism
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced a campaign to celebrate its 43rd anniversary by giving away 20,000 tickets as prizes in a lottery among passengers who fly on the airline between now and September 30. The “Luck Is In The Air” campaign will, it is hoped, attract tourists to make repeat visits to Thailand. A total of 16,000 free…
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Police nab pair for mugging tourists
PHUKET: Two men now under arrest have confessed to assaulting and robbing German tourists Rainer and Susanne Siebert and two others have confessed to receiving the stolen goods. The Sieberts, who were knocked unconscious and robbed last week, flew out for Germany yesterday afternoon with most of the stolen items after recovering from their injuries. Surachai “Jade” Khonginn, 25, and…
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Nearly one death a day on Phuket roads
PHUKET TOWN: Motorcycle mayhem between April 20 and May 20 brought 26 deaths on Phuket roads despite more concerted attempts to cut the toll. All those who died in that period were motorcycle riders or pillion passengers, according to statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. The carnage followed a much-praised police crackdown in Phuket over Songkran that…
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Boot camp for idle police
PATTAYA: There has long been debate about whether criminals can ever be reformed, and about the most effective methods to change their antisocial habits. But when those responsible for protecting society from the lawless need straightening out, there’s little question of what needs to be done – at least in the mind of Pol Lt Col Sakrapee Preawpanich, Deputy Superintendent…
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Creating the perfect crime
BANGKOK: Police spent more than three hours searching for a van hijacked by gunmen carrying 440,000 baht in expressway toll fees and a hostage – before they realized that the man who reported the theft had invented the entire story. The man, identified as Rungniran Nabamrung, 29, faces a charge of making a false statement to police, punishable by up…
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Tourism “boom’ tipped soon
PHUKET TOWN: The outlook for tourism in Phuket is much brighter now, Santhichai Auengjongprasit, Deputy-Governor for Marketing of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said today. Numbers were still down on last year’s low season, he conceded, but were improving. The effects of the Sars scare were no longer being felt and discounts and travel promotions were already working, he…
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Govt turns up the heat in SorPorKor probe
BANGKOK (Gazette, Nation): Fifty-seven officers from the Crime Suppression Division and more than 40 from the Forestry Police, the Land Department and the Agriculture Land Reform Department arrived in Phuket yesterday, complete with helicopter, to help speed up the government probe into abuses of SorPorKor land occupation. In the meantime, in Bangkok, the much-feared Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has announced…
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Town to get traffic cameras
PHUKET TOWN: In the latest effort to bring some order to Phuket’s traffic chaos, Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisang, who is responsible for traffic in the Southern provinces, has announced that a 4.15-million-baht video surveillance system will be installed at three Phuket Town intersections. The intersections are the one next to Satree Phuket School, the one next to Wachira Phuket…
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Park land fenced off, police told
CHERNG TALAY: As the Phuket property probe continues, Cherng Talay police have been informed, in an official report, about cases of suspected encroachment on land in the Sirinat Marine National Park. Prasart Tongpong, an officer at the national park, reported the suspected encroachments to Pol Lt Col Siriwat Intrayim yesterday evening. Fifteen plots of land in Moo 6 in Cherng…
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Rainmakers back in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Royal rainmaking team and its aircraft are back in Phuket to try to alleviate the island’s water crisis. Whenever conditions are right, the team’s three aircraft are now seeding the clouds above the island in an emergency measure that is expected to cost 450,000 baht. Surachart Kuntavichayanont, Chief of the Phuket Agriculture and Cooperatives Office, which requested…
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Wichit wins good governance award
PHUKET TOWN: Wichit Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) has won a best-governance award and additional funding of 1.7 million baht in competition against seven other Phuket OrBorTor. OrBorTor Pa Klok received additional funds of 1.4 million baht for coming second and OrBorTor Sri Suntorn received 1.2 million baht for third place, Sorawich Chaiyasawat, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Local Administration Office,…
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Politicians call for swift end to probe
PHUKET: The Thai Rak Thai party’s candidate for MP in the next parliamentary elections, Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, has added his voice to those calling for a swift conclusion to the land investigation currently underway in Phuket. Dr Prasit, who is currently the President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), told the Gazette today that although he did not have…
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Park chief to make encroachment complaint
THALANG: The Chief of Sirinat Marine National Park said today that he will report to the police at Cherng Talay Police Station tomorrow (July 2) that the park is being encroached upon in the area of Layan Beach. The Chief, Thanapong Aphaiso, went with park officers yesterday afternoon to check the southern end of the park, around Moo 6, Baan…
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48 SorPorKor papers to be rescinded
BANGKOK, The Nation: Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Newin Chidchob, said yesterday that he is preparing papers recommending the eviction of occupiers from 48 plots of SorPorKor land in Phuket, totaling some 300 rai. The papers will be presented next week to the Land Commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. K. Newin told The Nation that the commission investigating…
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Concessions made to marine tourism
PHUKET TOWN: From July 1, foreign yachtsmen will be able to certify their foreign captains’ licenses for use in Thailand, in Phuket. Currently, foreign skippers need to travel to Bangkok or Kantang in Trang Province to certify their licenses before being allowed to sail their boats in Thai waters. Marine Department Director General Wanchai Sarathulthat said the license certification would…
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Top officials to discuss Phuket’s future
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and three other ministers will be among a high-powered meeting of top government officials in Phuket on July 4 and 5 to discuss development of the island, it was announced yesterday. The 35-strong delegation will include Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan, Information and Communications Technology Minister Dr Surapong Suebwonglee, Tourism and Sports Minister Sontaya…
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Police nab more illegal immigrants
PHUKET: Between similar periods in May and June, the number of arrests of illegal immigrants rose from 61 to 133, statistics from the Phuket Provincial Police reveal. The latest figures, covering June 1 to June 24, also show that 26 people were arrested for glue-sniffing and three more were held for possession and sale of ya bah (methamphetamine) in that…
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Green bus service to be upgraded
PHUKET TOWN: In a revamp of its Phuket Town bus service, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is planning to buy 16 minibuses to replace its current fleet of 12 leased Mercedes Benz buses. The move is intended to increase the frequency of service in a bid to boost passenger numbers. The OrBorJor also plans to farm out the running…
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Land abuse report to be filed on Friday
BANGKOK, The Nation: A full report on the results of the investigation into abuses of SorPorKor 4-01 land usage papers will be handed on Friday to the Land Department in Bangkok, and then to the Crime Suppression Police (CSP). Announcing this today, Pol Lt Gen Chidchai Wannasathit, Chairman of the SorPorKor Investigation Committee, said that abuses that will be covered…
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Beijing taken off Sars list
PHUKET: Following the World Health Organization’s declaration that Beijing has been removed from its list of Sars-affected places, Thailand has dropped its requirement for people arriving from China’s capital to submit to medical checks or other restrictions while in Thailand. Weerasit Raden, Chief of the Port Health Office at Phuket International Airport today said, “After it was announced that Beijing…
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German couple mugged at Nai Harn
NAI HARN: German tourists Rainer and Susanne Siebert were beaten unconscious and robbed in broad daylight yesterday as they walked near Le Royal Méridien Phuket Yacht Club at about 3 pm. The couple spoke with the Gazette today at Phuket International Hospital, where Mr Siebert is recovering from a head injury and his wife is recovering from two fractures to…
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Mayor raps “irresponsible’ officials
PHUKET TOWN: The Mayor of Phuket Town, Phummisak Hongsyok, speaking to reporters today, slammed government officials for talking about the rights and wrongs of tin mine concessions without first understanding the facts. Pol Maj Gen Pansiri Prapawat, Deputy Commissioner for General Investigation, said on June 20 that 17 tin mines had been checked. “We have found only one that was…
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Stolen yacht booty dumped on Koh Lone
KOH LONE: Some of the equipment stolen from yachts moored in Ao Chalong late last month has been found dumped on a beach on Koh Lone. Pol Capt Sakol Bunditsak, of Chalong Police Station, today said that fishermen reported to police that they had found some boat equipment in a black plastic bag on a Koh Lone beach. He added…
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Samsara developers speak out
PHUKET: For the first time since the Samsara luxury property development was put in the public spotlight by the Phuket land probe, representatives of the owners and developers of the project have spoken out about what they see as the unfair treatment they have received from the government. Colin McKay, Managing Director of development company Asia Island Homes (AIH), told…
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Phuket, Chiang Mai launch “exchange tourism’
PHUKET: A 100-strong party of Chiang Mai businessmen, entrepreneurs and government officials will arrive on Phuket on July 4 for a three-day inspection visit with the aim of promoting tourist travel between Phuket and Chiang Mai, and to foster better relations between the tourism businesses of the two holiday destinations. The exchange tourism project was announced yesterday at a meeting…
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Land probe to cover all Thailand – Thaksin
BANGKOK: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today announced that the land investigation currently underway in Phuket will be widened to cover the entire country. Speaking to The Nation newspaper, he said, “Many SorPorKor titles were given to ‘important people’ – this was not the intent of the SorPorKor scheme. Legal cases brought against these people were weak, which is why the…
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Land probe targets influential people
PHUKET: Army surveyors have joined the land investigation headed by Pol Maj Gen Pansiri Prapawat, Deputy Commissioner for General Investigation. A team of surveyors arrived from Bangkok yesterday and began work this morning. Gen Pansiri, who is leading the task force examining land encroachment, and SorPorKor and tin mine concession abuses said this morning, “We have identified 22 pieces of…
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