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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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Ministry puts Phuket Air under microscope
BANGKOK (TNA, Gazette): The Ministry of Transport has promised to launch a probe into budget airline Phuket Air following a 24-hour delay in a flight from Bangkok to London which left more than 400 passengers stranded on April 11.The seriousness with which the ministry is treating the matter was highlighted by the response of Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Vejjayachai, who immediately…
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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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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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Marine police on lookout for oil smuggling
PHUKET CITY: Despite the recent rise in diesel price of more than 20%, local authorities say there is still no sign of a resurgence of large-scale smuggling of oil into Phuket.Pol Lt Col Prasopchai Bunleusin, Deputy Superintendent of Marine Police Region 5, explained that most of the oil smuggling along the Andaman Coast takes place in waters off the coasts…
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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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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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Park entry fees waived till end-May
PHUKET: Entry to marine national parks and 15 other natural attractions in the Andaman coast provinces will be free of charge until May 31, the Chief of the Natural Resource and Environment Office, Kritwikrom Kaewklaa, has confirmed.K. Kritwikrom’s said that the only exception to the waiver will be tour boats, which will still be charged for dropping anchor in marine…
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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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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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Phuket Air to dump London for Amsterdam
BANGKOK: Phuket Air is to axe direct flights between Bangkok and London, citing the impending low season, and will be replacing the route with a new service between Bangkok and Amsterdam.The airline’s marketing and communications manager, Krona Visutrasai, told the Gazette the London flights had been “suspended temporarily”, and that the company intends to reintroduce the route, but with a…
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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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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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B1bn budget for three provinces
PHUKET CITY: Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi provinces will, between them, receive more than a billion baht from the government in their budgets for 2006.Phuket will receive 337 million baht, Phang Nga 335 million and Krabi 378 million – a total of 1.05 billion baht.Around 70% of the money – or 695 million baht – is earmarked for supporting the…
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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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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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Patong nixes 100-day ceremonies
PHUKET: Patong Municipality has no plans to hold remembrance service on April 4 to mark the passing of 100 days since the tsunami, but services will take place in Kamala and at Wachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket City. Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukbal told the Gazette yesterday that he agreed with Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura, who has barred “ghost-laying” ceremonies after April…
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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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Gov asks US to help tsunami-hit businesses
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has asked members of the United States Congress to back the establishment of a “Flexible Fund” to help small and medium-sized businesses recover from the tsunami.Gov Udomsak told the elected representatives it would be a “great help” if the US would support the fund, which would offer flexible financing with minimum paperwork to traders who…
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China Dolls to play free Patong concert
PATONG: Thai pop stars the China Dolls and Japanese popsters Day After Tomorrow will play a free concert at Loma Park, on Thaweewong Rd, tomorrow, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm.The concert, organized by the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and major Japanese tour operator HIS, is being held to attract tourists to Phuket.The concert will be…
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Massive casino for Phang Nga Bay
PHANG NGA: In a development likely to be disturbing to some, the government announced this morning that Phang Nga Bay is to become the site for Thailand’s first legal casino.The announcement was made following a hastily-convened session of Cabinet in Bangkok late yesterday evening, at which ministers agreed to invest a whopping 30 billion baht in the mega-facility. It will be built…
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Fishermen to strike over fuel price hike
PHUKET: Members of the Phuket Fishery Association will join a national work stoppage starting Monday (April 4) in protest at the 19% rise in diesel oil prices that came in on March 23. Association Chairman Somyot Boonyakul today told the Gazette that the diesel price hike – coupled with the already high price of regular gasoline – simply makes it…
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Gov calls halt to public exorcisms
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura today called a halt to religious ceremonies in public areas held to appease ghosts of tsunami victims, with effect from next Tuesday.At a meeting of provincial government officers this morning, Governor Udomsak said, “There have been enough religious ceremonies [for tsunami victims]. If anyone needs to hold a religious ceremony, they can but only within…
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Crackdown on crime for Songkran
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Police have revealed plans to keep crime and disruption during the Songkran holiday period to a minimum.Phuket City Police Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin told the Gazette that the Government has set a target of a 15% reduction in the number of accidents compared with last year, so there will be a crackdown on motoring offences.Col Paween…
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