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Frenchman kills self “over debts’
PHUKET: French resident Laurent Huppe was found dead in his house in Ao Yon on Wednesday. Police say they believe he committed suicide, possibly because of heavy debt.Mr Huppe’s landlord, Donraman Srikwan, noticed a bad smell when he visited Mr Huppe’s two-story wooden home on the Baan Borrea-Khao Khad Rd in Wichit district, and found the bedroom door locked. He…
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Princess arrives in Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn arrived in Phuket today to take part in a Tod Kathin ceremony, during which people donated money to Wat Luang Phu Supa in Chalong.The wat is the residence of Abbot Luang Phu Supa who, at 111 years of age, is the oldest Abbot on the island.After the ceremony the Princess traveled to Baan Nam…
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Patong tsunami alarms to be tested
PATONG: The three existing tsunami warning towers along Patong beach will be tested between 10 am and 11:30 am on Friday this week. The testing, to be conducted jointly by the Municipality and officials from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry, is aimed at ensuring that the towers’ direct satellite links to the Nonthaburi-based National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC)…
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Jetstar begins flights to Phuket
PHUKET: Singapore-based economy airline Jetstar Asia yesterday began its four-times-weekly service from Singapore to Phuket, with tickets selling for as little as S$30 (about 725 baht) until December 15. Jetstar Asia flights leave Singapore every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:05 am, arriving in Phuket at 7:45 am. The return flight leaves Phuket at 8:45 am, arriving in Singapore…
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Phuket City police chief promoted
PHUKET: The Superintendent of Phuket City Police, Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, is one of a number of senior police who are being promoted or transferred as part of the annual national police reshuffle.Col Paween has been promoted to Deputy Commander of the Surat Thani Provincial Police. His replacement is Lt Col Natta Sawaetalaek, formerly Deputy Superintendent of Thalang Police.Also leaving…
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Rape charges dropped
PATONG: Rape charges against two Thai singers have been dropped at the request of the alleged victim, 18-year-old “Anna” (not her real name), a tourist from Holland. Pol Lt Weerapong Rakhito of Kathu Police Station said, “The case was closed because the victim came to us with her lawyers to ask to have the charges dismissed. I did not ask…
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TTVI center closure may be postponed
PHUKET: The Thai Tsunami Victims Identification (TTVI) Center has asked the government to postpone the Bangkok center’s closure from December 26 to February 28 because it will not be able to finish its work by the end of the year.Pol Col Khemmarin Hassiri, Superintendent of the TTVI’s Thai disaster victim identification (DVI) unit, said that the TTVI submitted its request…
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Bird ‘flu precautions stepped up
PHUKET: Following the death of a farmer in Kanchanaburi province from bird ‘flu and the infection of his son with the disease, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has ordered officials to step up measures to ensure there is no outbreak of the disease in Phuket.No cases of avian ‘flu have ever been recorded on the island.“I’m very serious about this, because…
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Bizarre death “was an accident’
PATONG: Police say they believe that the bizarre death of Rassamee Pholrat was an accident, and they expect to close their investigation soon.The 22-year-old from Udon Thani was found dead at the Safari Elephant Camp on Siriraj Rd on October 5, half-naked and apparently trampled to death by an elephant.Kathu Police Superintendent Pol Col Teeraphol Thipjaroen explained to the Gazette,…
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Meridien Khao Lak owner raps TAT
KHAO LAK: The owner of another leading Khao Lak resort has backed the opinions of La Flora owner Sompong Daowpiset over the lack of support the resort area has received from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) since the tsunami.Speaking just after the reopening of his Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort on Friday, ML Vitya Chakrabandhu told…
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New vice-governors arrive
PHUKET: As Vice-Governor Supachai Yuvaboon prepares to move on to a new post in Bangkok, two new vice-governors have arrived to replace him and Vinai Buapradit, who was promoted to Governor of Phang Nga on October 1.The two new vice-governors are Vorapoj Rattasima and Pongsak Playmek, who were previously vice-governors of Samut Songkram and Samut Sakorn respectively.K. Supachai, who arrived…
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Gov solves sand hassles
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has given approval in principle for Australian resident Stafford Steer to buy sand from Nai Harn Beach and spread it on a beach volleyball court he plans to open soon.At a meeting with the Governor yesterday, Mr Steer explained that he will require some 20 truckloads of sand to cover the 360-square-meter court off Soi Suksan…
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THAI hikes fares for high season
THAILAND: On November 1, the official start of Phuket’s high season, Thai Airways International (THAI) will increase its fares on domestic flights.In a press release issued today, Kalayapha Panich, Thai Airways’ Phuket-based District Sales Manager for Upper-Southern Thailand, said that THAI informed travel agents of the price rises last Friday The increases will affect both business and economy class tickets – THAI…
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At least four dead in Burmese massacre
RASSADA: Four Burmese fishermen were murdered yesterday in what appears to have been the slaughter of the crew of one boat by the crew of another at the fishing port.One badly injured man is in Wachira Phuket Hospital, and police believe that more bodies may yet turn up.Phuket City Police Station Inspector, Pol Maj Yongyuth Krongmalai, told the Gazette this…
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Tsunami memorial website launched
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial government has launched a website to commemorate the December 26 tsunami. The website, www.phuketremembers.com, which is in Thai and English, has a section for the posting of personal tributes, including photos of people lost to the tsunami; a memorial guestbook where people may post personal thoughts; and a photo gallery showing the damage caused on December…
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Police press for Talbot to be tried for murder
PHUKET CITY: Kathu Police today turned over to the Provincial Public Prosecutor’s Office the case file on Paul Chetwynd-Talbot, who stands accused of the murder of his girlfriend, fellow Briton Debra O’Hanlon, on July 31.Chetwynd-Talbot has been held in custody since he surrendered at the Kathu Police Station on the evening of August 3 and confessed to killing 31-year-old Ms…
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Airport bus service off to a slow start
PHUKET: Despite getting off to a slow start on its October 1 launch, the new Airport Bus service is slowly gaining in popularity as the public becomes aware of the new low-cost transport option, say its operators.Wiched Radomkij, Manager of Phuket Mahanakorn Co (PMC), which runs the service, said part of the problem stemmed from the fact that the company…
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Scandinavian charter airline sees record bookings
PHUKET: Copenhagen-based My Travel Airways, one of Europe’s largest charter operators, is seeing record bookings to Phuket for the imminent high season, says its Head of Information, Torben Andersen.“The sales situation in Scandinavia is very good,” Mr Andersen told the Gazette by email. “In Denmark we have sold seven out of 10 seats for the coming season. That is 10-15%…
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Ruampaet hospital to close
PHUKET CITY: After being open for 26 years, Phuket’s first private hospital, Phuket Ruampaet Medical Center on Phuket Rd, will close on November 30.Dr Mitr Theva-Aksorn, the hospital’s Director, told the Gazette, “We don’t have the money to continue the lease on the building, so we have to stop operating.”The hospital opened on November 22, 1979, with 36 inpatient beds.…
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“Impending tsunami’ rumors slammed
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) and Patong Municipality have dismissed as unfounded rumors circulating in Phuket and neighboring provinces that there will be a tsunami today or tomorrow.The rumors were initially sparked by a spam email two weeks ago, citing a soothsayer as predicting that a tsunami would happen between October 13 and 15.Today, in addition to people…
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Bypass road 6 months behind schedule
PHUKET: Work on the 111-million-baht project to widen the bypass road will be completed about six months behind schedule, in March 2006, the government official in charge of the work estimates.The artery is being widened to 24 meters in order to accommodate Phuket’s ever-growing number of vehicles. The section from Tesco-Lotus to the Darasamut School Intersection will be six lanes wide…
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Bar busted for underage male prostitution
PATONG: Kathu Police raided the Uncle Charlie’s Boys nightclub on Soi Paradise last Saturday night and arrested two employees on charges of pandering, including arranging the provision of sexual services by boys under 15 years of age. The bar owners, a father-and-son team, were later arrested on six charges, including violations of the Penal Code and Labour Act. Police have…
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Four Phuket hotels get five-star rating
PHUKET: JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Dusit Laguna Resort, Sheraton Grand Laguna Phuket and the Mangosteen Resort & Spa have each been given a coveted five-star rating, marking them out as among the best in Thailand.The accolade was awarded by the Foundation for Standards and Human Resources Development in the Service and Tourism Industry (Hotel Standards) on September 27,…
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Sales of gasohol soar in Phuket
PHUKET: Energy Minister Viset Jupiban has confirmed that gasohol is an effective fuel, saving users money and also reducing pollution.Gasohol, also known as E10, is developed in Thailand by the Royal Chitralada Project and is made up of 99.5% pure ethyl alcohol sourced from sugarcane, blended with gasoline in a 1:9 ratio. This results in an alternative fuel with properties…
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New banknote to commemorate end of slavery
THAILAND: The Bank of Thailand will launch a new 100-baht banknote on October 21 to commemorate the abolition of slavery in Thailand 100 years ago.The side of the banknote featuring HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej will remain unchanged.The reverse side, however, will feature a picture of HM King Chulalongkorn Rama V, who reigned from 1868 to 1910, standing above the slaves…
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Scam artist sparks alert in Kamala
KAMALA: Police are warning people to beware of a scam artist posing as an electrician after one foreign resident was bilked out of 1,000 baht by the man.Pol Capt Pongnarin Sutin of Kamala Police Sub-District told the Gazette that a man posing as an electrician went to the home of a foreign resident and told the man’s Thai wife that…
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Viagra overdose may have caused Finn’s death
PATONG: Pekka Juhani Laakso, 47, from Finland, was yesterday found dead in his room at the Sun, Sea & Sand Hotel on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, seemingly from an overdose of Viagra.Pol Lt Padungpong Sukkaew told the Gazette that he had received a call at 3:30 pm from Preecha Nuwongsri, the hotel’s manager, telling him that a corpse had been…
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Mom Tri plans to open international school
KATA: Famed architect and developer ML Tridhosyuth Devakul has unveiled plans to establish a new International Baccalaureate (IB) school in Phuket.Mom Tri, as he is widely known, was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday for the Villas Grand Cru, a new residential project in the Kata Hills.In 2001, Mom Tri founded the Prem Tinsulanonda International School (Prem Center) in Chiang…
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Bizarre death in elephant camp
PATONG: Bizarre theories surround the fate of an Asian woman, probably Thai, who was found dead Wednesday morning at the Safari Elephant Camp on Siriraj Rd, between Karon and Patong.Police have speculated that she may have been assaulted by unknown assailants who tried to rape her, and was then crushed to death by one of the elephants.The woman is thought…
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HRH Princess Soamsavali to visit Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Soamsavali will visit Phuket on October 10 to preside over the official opening of two rooms bearing the name of the Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf at Bangkok Phuket Hospital.The two rooms, the King Carl Gustaf Conference Room and the Tsunami Memorial Room, are in the hospital’s new Outpatient Building.King Carl XVI Gustaf, accompanied by Queen Silvia,…
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