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Visitors to Phuket up by 10pc
PHUKET CITY: Around two million tourists visited Phuket between January and June this year – an increase of more than 10% on the same period in 2003 – according to the Director of the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Suwalai Pinpradab.This year’s visitors brought around 38 billion baht into Phuket, around 4 billion more than during…
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Tropical storm may bring heavy weather
PHUKET: Tropical storm Muifa, which took the lives of at least 65 people when it passed over the Philippines last weekend, is in the Gulf of Thailand and the storm center is expected to make landfall around Surat Thani or Nakhon Sri Thammarat early tomorrow morning. Vichit Phuangsombat, Director of the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) told the Gazette that…
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Spas rally against 10% excise tax
PHUKET CITY: Pakin Raktae-Ngam, Chaiman of the Phuket Spa Business Club, today lashed out at the 10% excise tax levied on spas, saying that if his spa is forced to pay the tax, he would register it as a massage parlor.K. Pakin’s strong comments were made at a protest against the tax by some 200 owners and managers of spa…
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Move to open up historic arcades
PHUKET CITY: Residents of Thalang Road, in the old part of Phuket City, have been asked to consider opening up the Ngo Kha Khee arcades in front of their historic Sino-Portuguese houses for use as public walkways.Around 20 residents attended a meeting of the Old Phuket Foundation on Sunday at Thai Hua Phuket School, Thalang Rd to hear about the…
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Russian star for Paradorn tour
PHUKET: Rising Russian tennis star Anna Chakvetadze has been confirmed as one of the players in the 2004 Paradorn Super Tour which stops off at Laguna Beach Resort next weekend (November 27 and 28).Chakvetadze, 17, replaces Karolina Sprem, who is suffering from a persistent viral infection.Moscow-born Chakvetadze, who will play singles and mixed doubles matches against Tamarine Tanasugarn, defeated French…
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Patong Tower apartments up for auction
PATONG: Eighty apartments in the tallest building by far in Phuket, Patong Tower, will come under the auctioneer’s hammer on December 12, some 13 years after planning permission for the 32-story block on Thaweewong Rd was first given. Siripong Chechang, chief of the Public Works Department of Patong Municipality, today addressed concerns by some potential buyers that the building was…
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Murdered tourists’ parents in disbelief
BANGKOK (The Nation): The parents of British backpackers Vanessa Arscott and Adam Lloyd, who were murdered by an off-duty police sergeant in Kanchanaburi province in September, have reacted with fury at the “secret” release of the policeman on bail.They now plan to fly to Bnagkok to meet with, among others, the Ministry of Justice and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.A…
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Australians dominate Laguna triathlon
CHERNG TALAY: Australians dominated the Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2004 this morning, taking the top three places in the men’s professional competition, and winning first place in the women’s professional category.2002 winner Craig Alexander, from Sydney, crossed the finish line first, completing the course in 2 hours 33 minutes 7 seconds. Hot on his heels was last year’s winner Simon “Tommo”…
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Couple “make wedding history’ at Kata viewpoint
KATA: Bride Amanda Gudgin and groom Steve Hancock, from Melbourne, made a small bit of history at 4 pm yesterday, when they were wed at the Kata viewpoint.Ms Hancock, in a traditional white wedding dress, explained to the Gazette that her family used to live in Hong Kong. “We have been regular visitors to Phuket since 1977,” she said.Her father,…
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Gunfight gangsters charged
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police have charged four youths in connection with a gunflight in Phuket City centre two weeks ago.The fight took place outside Phuket Grocery Co, near Robinson department store in the early hours of October 31.After a tip-off from an informant, police arrested Natee Srisamut, 20, and Niwat Sae-tan, 19, along with two youths aged 16 and…
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500 pray for peace in troubled South
PHUKET CITY: About 500 people, including local leaders of the major faiths in Thailand, held a mass session yesterday to pray for peace to return to the troubled provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.The congregation gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall in support of the government’s call for mass prayer, which Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura explained was inspired by HM Queen Sirikit’s…
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Jet-ski operators vow to fight ban
CHERNG TALAY: Veerachai Thonghom, chairman of the Phuket Jet-Ski Club, yesterday vowed to appeal to the central government in Bangkok to allow jet-ski operators to continue renting out their machines on Phuket’s beaches.K. Veerchai announced his intention yesterday after Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura refused to budge on his stated policy of reducing jet-skis in Phuket to zero by March 1,…
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Bangkok “monitoring early closing’
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has said that the government is monitoring reaction to its controversial early-closing policy for entertainment venues, but that it is still “early days”.Speaking at his regular press conference at the Provincial Hall on Monday, the Governor also stressed that he did not have the power to alter the rules for Phuket.Since September, entertainment venues…
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New twist in expo center saga
KATA: The saga over the site for the proposed Phuket International Conference and Exhibition Center (ICEC) took a new turn yesterday morning when Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Region 4 Director Suwalai Pinpradab said she planned to recommend both Saphan Hin and the Phuket International Night Bazaar (PINB) off Chao Fa West Rd to the government as possible sites for…
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Another fine mess
BANGKOK: Unscrupulous police officers extorting money from the public hardly constitutes news in Thailand – but it is noteworthy when the police themselves become victims of malfeasance. Between March and October this year, Pol Sgt Tarntip Preak-kratok managed to skim off nearly 3 million baht in fines collected by the Nongkam Police Station, where she was employed as a desk…
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Chalermlak “chained” by election rules
PHUKET: The rules imposed by the Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (OECT) governing what MPs may do during the run-up to the election campaign period have, according to Chalermlak Kebsup, Democrat MP for Phuket District 2, obstructed her.“I feel chained by the rules,” K. Chalermlak said. “The OECT has said that MPs must not conduct any campaigning or…
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Land fees generate B935m
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Land Office (PPLO) has collected 935 million baht in taxes and fees this year, more than three times the amount collected last year.The money was generated from purchases and sales of land, subdivisions of plots, and issuance of permits for development projects during the financial year from October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004.PPLO Chief Suphot Suwannachote told the…
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Three injured in “visa run’ smash
RANONG: One man had a leg amputated and two others required hospitalization after a minivan taking passengers from Phuket on a “visa run” collided with a water truck on November 12.Pol Sub Lt Chatchai Pongsingto, of Ranong Town Police Station, told the Gazette that the accident happened on Paknam-Ranong Rd at about 12:20 pm.The van, which is owned by Andaman…
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Pa Khlok still without OrBorTor president
PA KHLOK: More than three months after the election for the posts, Pa Khlok Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) is still without a president.Soonthorn Suebkhajorn, the lawyer for the Phuket Electoral Commission (PEC), yesterday told the Gazette that the PEC is still waiting for the Central Election Commission in Bangkok to order the PEC to uphold the results or to take…
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B1.5m damage in Patong blaze
PATONG: One man is seriously ill in Phuket International Hospital after being badly burned during a fire that destroyed two houses in Phisit Gorani Soi 1 late last night.After evacuating his family from the house, Chalermporn Jikpipaksit, 46, ran back into the blaze to remove a gas cylinder from his cooker so it would not explode. He suffered severe burns…
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Student pharmacist dies from overdose
PATONG: Police believe that a 19-year-old pharmacology student on holiday in Phuket committed suicide by overdosing on barbiturates in a hotel room in Patong.Alongkorn Pitaktrirat, of Nakhon Ratchasima, had been dead for around two days when his body was found on Wednesday at the Baan Bua Hotel, where he was staying.Pol Lt Padungpong Duksukaew, of Kathu Police Station, said that…
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Governor to appeal for homes to stay on state land
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura will ask the Cabinet to allow residents in Soi Kingkaew, near Koh Sireh, to keep their homes, even though government offices have long claimed that the houses have been built on state land.The Governor visited the soi on Tuesday with Phuket Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment chief Thongchai Saowapong. The inspection came after…
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Thinner can be a blast
SAMUT SAKHON: As any drug-taker driven to extremes by the government’s War on Drugs Part III can tell you, taking a few deep breaths of paint thinner can give you a buzz. The downside of breathing in thinners is that it may also knock your judgment a teeny bit off kilter, to the point where you forget that it can…
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The final upshot
BANGKOK: Police arrested a 27-year-old man after he was caught taking photos up a girl’s skirt at a motor show at Central Plaza on Phra Ram III Rd last month. Worakarn Jaruphat was collared by security guards after “Amp”, a young woman taking part in the Miss Motorshow Contest, grabbed his wrist when she felt something touch her legs. When…
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Alleged jewel thief arrested in Koh Lanta
KOH LANTA: Anthony “Dirk” De Weirdt, wanted for questioning in connection with missing jewelry worth an estimated 18 million baht, was arrested on Koh Lanta on Friday following a tip-off.De Weirdt, a Belgian who was formerly the factory manager of Bangkok’s CB Fine Jewelry, disappeared shortly after precious stones and other items were found missing from the company’s safe on…
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WTO helps develop sustainable tourism
PHUKET CITY: Developing tourism as a sustainable industry for Phuket was the topic discussed by World Tourism Organisation (WTO) adviser Hans Carl Jacobsen and local officials at a meeting today at Phuket Provincial Hall.Joining Mr Jacobsen at the seminar were representatives of the Office of Tourism Development and the Ministry of Sports and Tourism, as well as Phuket Governor Udomsak…
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Thai AirAsia launches Phuket-Singapore service
PHUKET: Low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia, an associate carrier of Malaysian low-fare airline AirAsia, yesterday launched a daily, direct flight service between Phuket and Singapore, offering promotional fares as low as 1,200 baht for advanced ticket purchases made over the Internet.Flight FD 3028 departs Phuket at 9:30 am and arrives in Singapore at 12:10 pm local time. The return leg, Flight…
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Couple die in bike smash
CHALONG: An American visitor from Bangkok and her partner have died in a motorbike accident at Chalong.Mary Susan Crosland, 52, and Cha Paen Anukul, also 52, were killed around 10 am on Tuesday, when the motorbike K. Cha was driving, with Ms Crosland riding behind, failed to take a curve near Chao Fa Thani village.The couple lived in Bangkok and…
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Fast visas and work permits coming – Sipa
PHUKET CITY: The man charged with transforming Phuket into a “cyber paradise” says procedures for fast-track visa and work permit approvals for foreign IT workers will be operational next month.Dr Manoo Ordeedolchest, President of the Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa), has announced that applicants will be able to apply to the Sipa office, which will then coordinate with the Board of…
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Pa Khlock people back new pier
PHUKET: A small gathering of interested Pa Khlock residents today gave their backing to a proposal by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) to build a new pier at Ao Por.However, the exact location has yet to be decided, and the land around all the possible sites is in private hands.Staff from the Marine Department gave a presentation on the…
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