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“Hilal Town’ attracts big crowds
KAMALA: Thousands attended the grand opening of the “Halal Food Hilal Town” Muslim festival at Kamala Beach last night.Organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the event is scheduled to run until Monday (August 1).Privy Councilor Gen Surayud Chulanont declared the festival open in a ceremony followed by the presentation of a play about…
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Gov under siege from limo drivers
PHUKET CITY: Some 100 furious limousine drivers today blocked Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura’s car, preventing the Governor from leaving Provincial Hall for lunch.The drivers arrived at Provincial Hall at 7:30 this morning, angered by a report in the local newspaper Siang Tai, in which the Governor was quoted as threatening to use the army to bring order to the increasingly…
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Tennis ace Vijay due in Phuket
PHUKET: World-renowned tennis player Vijay Amritraj, from India, will visit Phuket next week to tour tsunami-hit areas in the region as part of his role as a United Nation Messenger of Peace. Mr Armritraj, well-known, since retiring from professional tennis, as a commentator on Grand Slam tennis events on the ESPN Star Sports network, was appointed one of only nine…
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La Samudra takes the lead
PHUKET: Scott Duncanson and the crew aboard Securicor Som Tam Express were first across the finish line again today in both races on the second day of the Evason Phuket Race Week – but not by a large enough margin to repeat yesterday’s outright win.On corrected time, Som Tam was overtaken in Race 2 in the IRC 1 class by…
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Sinking brings drama to Race Week
PHUKET: Westerly winds of eight knots provided exciting sailing on the first dayof the 2005 Evason Phuket Race Week, producing some thrills and spills among the fleet of 29 boats competing – and even a sinking.Ava, in the IRC 2 Class, was trying to get out of dirty air from La Samudra when she hit a rock, holing the hull…
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Nightclub clampdown resumes
PHUKET CITY: The province is resuming its late-night inspection tours of entertainment venues and will order 30-day closures for any nightclubs that fail to comply with the government’s Better Social Order Policy, Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura announced yesterday at the weekly Governor’s meeting.Since the beginning of June, nine venues on the island have been shut down for 30 days for staying…
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B2m aid theft case takes a step
PHUKET CITY: The case of the stolen 2.05 million baht in tsunami aid money has entered a new stage, Deputy Provincial Public Prosecutor Thanit Adisakpaisan has revealed.The Chief of the Finance Division of the Phuket Provincial Financial Office, Apichart Nooprod, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, is accused of being the ringleader in the theft, which was reported on February 15. Apichart…
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Missing Italian found dead
PHUKET: The body of an Italian tourist who disappeared while snorkeling at Laem Ka Yai on Friday was found the following day on the beach at Khao Khad.Pol Lt Thivakorn Kongpeth of Phuket City Police Station told the Gazette that Gianluigi Peria had been staying at Ya Nui Resort in Chalong with his companion, Silvia Rota.When he failed to return…
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Phuket flight services picking up
PHUKET: In moves that appear to signal a revival of tourist confidence in Phuket, several airlines have begun boosting their regional services to Phuket or have announced plans to do so soon.Orient Thai resumed its daily Phuket-Hong Kong-Phuket service on July 15, and has announced that it will operate chartered flights between Phuket and the South Korean cities of Inchon…
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Bosom buddies
NAN: As humans continue to invade, bomb and terrorize one another, perhaps we could all learn a lesson from a diverse group of animals that get along wonderfully together at Wat Nadai. There, a macaque, a dog, a cat and a chicken all co-exist peacefully in a temple sala. The star of the show is six-year-old Jao Jor, a female…
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Premier League workshop a success
PHUKET CITY: A soccer workshop hosted by players and managers from English Premier League teams Bolton Wanderers, Everton and Manchester City at Surukal Stadium today attracted about 50 youngsters keen to have a kickabout with their idols.Unfortunately, word had spread about the initial cancellation of the workshop, with the result that number fell far short of the 400 expected to…
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Limo protest delays improved airport taxi service
PHUKET CITY: A protest by about 100 airport limousine drivers at Provincial Hall yesterday morning successfully delayed the setting up of a taxi counter in the airport terminal.It also prevented the number of meter taxis serving the airport from being increased from 30 to 70 with effect from next Monday (July 25).“The Phuket Taxi Meter counter is currently 50 meters…
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Wat Kamala “beautifully blitzed’
KAMALA: True to their promise, the folks from the popular Australian TV gardening design program Backyard Blitz, have completed their 48-hour makeover of the gardens at Wat Kamala, which were washed away by the tsunami.The program, which airs on Australian TV Channel 9, specializes in renovating people’s gardens along themed lines, and doing it in record time. This is the…
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Premiership teams head for Phuket
PHUKET: First they were coming, then there was not enough money and they were not coming. But now they will definitely be here tomorrow – representatives of the English Premier League teams Everton, Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City.The three teams will host a one-day kid’s soccer camp at Surakul Stadium, from 10 am to 5:30 pm, open to all-comers.Eam Thavornvongwongse, President…
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Rains to continue
PHUKET: The island can expect one or two more days of occasional heavy rain due to “rather strong” monsoonal conditions along Thailand’s entire Andaman coast, government weathermen have predicted.According to a forecast issued at 11 am this morning, about 80% of the southwest coast will experience thundershowers over the 24-hour period starting at noon today, with heavy rainfall in some…
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Police plea for alcohol-free holy days
PHUKET: Police have asked shops, bars, restaurants and hotels not to sell alcohol from midnight tonight until midnight on Friday, to honor Asarnha Bucha Day and Buddhist Lent Day.Phuket City Police Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin explained that although there is no legal requirement for outlets to stop selling alcohol during these two days – and those who do will…
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Hotel occupancy rates rise 15pc
PHUKET: Hotel occupancy rates on the island for July are expected to be up 15% when compared with June, thanks mainly to Tourism Authority of Thailand marketing, Pattanapong Aikwanich, President of the Phuket Tourist Association, predicted today. “There have been many Thai groups who bought the ‘Beach basking, bargain shopping’ packages, as well as tourists from Australia, the Middle East,…
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Wat Kamala to be “blitzed’
KAMALA: Popular Australian TV gardening program Backyard Blitz is to spring a Buddhist Lent surprise on tsunami-hit Wat Kamala – in the shape of a newly-landscaped garden.The program specializes in renovating viewers’ gardens along themed lines and is a popular Sunday evening show. This is the first time an episode has been recorded overseas. Jacq Brophy, Head of Production, told…
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Gazette appointed agent for major magazines
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd has been awarded the local agency appointment for a number of major international publications which have expressed interest in expanding their business here. Readers wishing to subscribe to Business Week, Business Traveller, Time, Forbes, Fortune, or Reader’s Digest (English and Chinese editions) are invited to contact the Gazette to make the necessary arrangements. The magazines will be delivered by…
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Property tax break ill-timed – Phummisak
PHUKET: Phummisak Hongsyok, President of the Phuket Real Estate Club (PREC), yesterday criticized the government’s move to reduce the tax on transfer of property ownership as ill-timed and inappropriate.His criticism came despite the fact that many would assume that real estate companies and property developers would welcome the proposed tax break as a stimulant, however small, to house sales.The proposal…
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December quake moved Phuket 27cm
LONDON: Scientists say that Phuket moved 27 centimeters to the southwest when the massive tsunami-generating quake erupted near Sumatra on December 26 last year, and moved a further 7cm in the 50 days following the quake.Writing in the latest issue of the respected Nature magazine, published yesterday, scientists say that the quake ripped a gash in the Earth’s crust more…
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Scottish girl, 15, dies in crash
PATONG: A 15-year-old Scottish schoolgirl, Alexandra Stark, died early yesterday morning when the motorcycle on which she was riding pillion was hit by another bike.Pol Maj Sophol Borrirak, of Kathu Police Station, said that the accident happened at about 2 am at Tanut Corner on Nanai Rd. Miss Stark was riding behind the family babysitter, Tientong Kanson, when they were…
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Tsunami alarm system online in August
PHUKET: The island’s tsunami warning system will be linked in August via satellite to the Nonthaburi-based National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC).Patong, which has been chosen for the pilot project of the NDWC’s tsunami warning system for the entire Andaman coast, is home to three NDWC warning towers and there are plans to increase the number of towers to cover 24…
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Store owner’s death “was suicide’
KATHU: A grocery store owner living in the Moo Baan Irawadee housing development in Ketho apparently committed suicide early this morning by shooting himself in the head. Pol Lt Col Ampolwat Saengraung of Tung Tong Police Station identified the man as 35-year-old Songkhla native Prawee “Ead” Kaewbutr.He lived with his daughter and common-law wife, who discovered his body in a…
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New Abbot fails flock
PHANG NGA: The new Abbot of Wat Yan Yao is on temporary leave after some 150 villagers staged an angry protest calling for him to step down. The reason? He banned gambling and drinking at the temple, famous for its former tsunami victim identification center. The monk, Wichjit Phuttawichito, agreed to temporarily step down to appease the villagers, who were…
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30-baht nightmare
UBON RATCHATHANI: A housewife in Muang District found out the hard way that the state’s 30-baht medical care scheme doesn’t always guarantee top-notch care. Puttachart Nammontri, 32, was admitted to Ubonrak Thonburi Hospital in Muang District to give birth to her second baby girl, on March 10 last year. She told her gynecologist, Dr Jamras Poompuang, that she wanted to…
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Rice praises Thai tsunami recovery
CHERNG TALAY: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday praised Thailand, which she described as “a close ally of the United States”, on its recovery from the tsunami.Dr Rice made her comments following a meeting with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other ministers at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket.At the press conference, she called on Thailand and other Southeast Asian…
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Fortune magazine hails Phuket as “Paradise found’
PHUKET: The island has been named by one of the world’s top business magazines, Fortune, among the top five “idyllic places … where you can still live like a king on what you’ve saved”.For a feature in Issue 1, Volume 25, titled “Paradise found: where to retire abroad”, the magazine chose Phuket – along with San Carlos de Bariloche in…
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Gambling tops arrests stats again
PHUKET CITY: In statistics for June released today by Phuket Provincial Police, gambling again topped the the arrests table with 176 apprehensions made. Seventeen of the cases involved the sale of underground lottery tickets.Sixty-four people were arrested for the illegal possession or use of controlled substances, with 1,077.5 ya bah (methamphetamine) tablets seized.Fifty-nine people were arrested for offenses related to…
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ADB earmarks US$1.7m for tsunami aid plan
MANILA: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has set aside US$1.7 million (about 75 million baht) for Thailand, to help Bangkok develop long-term solutions for tsunami-affected areas, especially Krabi, Phang Nga, and Phuket, an ADB report announced on July 7. The funds will come from the Asian Tsunami Fund, which was set up by the ADB in February 2005 with an…
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