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Speed Limit Signs Sorely Needed
PHUKET TOWN: Widespread confusion and ignorance of the law with respect to speed limits in Phuket province was underscored in the Gazette Poll which closed at noon today. Only 22% of the 911 participants in the internet poll knew (or guessed correctly) that speed limits apply to all roads on the island (and throughout Thailand). In response to the question,…
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Water War Waged Against City Hall
The Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority has moved to take over Phuket Municipality’s Water Supply Division, claiming the division has failed to meet World Health Organisation quality standards. But the Mayor of Phuket, 1st Lt Phummisak Hongsyok, has vowed to fight the take-over, saying it would lead to a big hike in water supply prices for consumers. In a recent letter…
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Biggest Heroin Haul In Ten Years
PHUKET TOWN: In what police told the Gazette was the biggest drug case to arise in Phuket in the past ten years, authorities have seized heroin with a street value they estimate at roughly one million baht. At 3:30 yesterday afternoon, the Patong-based Kathu police received a report from the Phuket Town office of the national Narcotics Control Board (NCB)…
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Holidays Wreaked Havoc On Island’s Roads
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Provincial Police told the Gazette today that during the four-day holiday period commencing December 31, 1998 and ending January 3, 1999, a total of 40 traffic mishaps were reported. The accidents, which involved 42 cars and 39 motorbikes, left three people dead and 38 in local hospitals. According to the police, alcohol was a factor in “most”…
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Traffic Injuries Near 10,000-mark
PHUKET: Traffic-related injuries approached the 10,000-mark for 1998, the Phuket Health Department reported last week. In its report to the Phuket Governor, the agency said 885 patients were admitted to government hospitals from October 20, 1998 through November 19, 1998, including 826 with motorbike-related injuries. A total of 25 people died in traffic accidents during the period, including 19 motorbike…
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Divergent Views On Priorities For The New Year
PHUKET: Greater emphasis on education was considered the most important priority for Thailand in the new year, according to the Gazette Poll which closed at noon today. Containment of corruption ranked a close second. From the four available answers to the question, “What’s your Number One wish for Thailand in 1999?”, 34.3 percent of the internet poll’s 735 participants opted…
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Crowd Greets Arrival Of Elephants
PHUKET: Five elephants shipped back to the Kingdom from Indonesia received a warm welcome late last night as they, along with their 12 mahouts, arrived at the Deep Sea Port aboard the Sinthu Phuket. The pachyderms made headlines recently when the cash-strapped Indonesian government said they no longer could afford to continue a joint elephant training program. In October 1997,…
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Europeans Boost Arrivals
BANGKOK: Aided by double-digit growth in the European and Oceanian sectors, international tourist arrivals to Thailand posted a 7.3 percent year-on-year increase during the first ten months of 1998, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported today. From January 1, 1998 through October 31, 1998, a total of 6,235,639 tourist arrivals were recorded. During the same period a year earlier,…
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Honk In The New Year At Benz Sale
PHUKET TOWN: Can’t seem to find the perfect New Year’s present? Try the car park in front of the Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel where the second “Amazing Secondhand Benz Sale” is underway through December 30. The event, co-sponsored by Thonburi Leasing, Wiriya Leasing and Benz Bor Jor Nor Phuket, features attractively priced, used Mercedes passenger cars. The first such sale…
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Beach Scene Brings Out The Crowd
PHUKET: Padded lounges were occupied well before noon, masseuses had their hands full, and vendors were having a field day keeping up with demand for cold drinks as the island’s peak tourist season got underway this week. Sun worshipers turned out in droves on west coast beaches, soaking in the rays and being pampered. “It’s wonderful,” commented first time visitor…
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High Seas Firefight Kills Two Navy Officers
RANONG: Two officers of the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Fleet were killed last Saturday during a midday firefight between their surveillance vessel and an unidentified fishing boat in Thai territorial waters off the coast of Ranong province. Petty Officer First Class Chalermsak Jeenprakom and Petty Officer Third Class Amorn Panlert died of bullet wounds when the navy patrol boat Tor…
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Supercenter To Anchor Bypass Intersection
PHUKET TOWN: Ground has been broken for a new Lotus Supercenter at the intersection of Phra Phuket Road, (also known as the Samkong-Kathu Road), and the Chalerm Prakiat Ror 9 Road, (also known as the Bypass Road), on the city’s northwest side. A marketing representative for Bangkok-based Ek-Chai Distribution System, which operates the retail center chain for joint-venture partners Tesco…
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Sex Does Matter In Selling Phuket
PHUKET: To the surprise and disappointment of many local residents, the Phuket Gazette’s Internet poll for the week ended December 18 suggests that large numbers of people familiar with the island believe the local sex industry does help to attract tourists. Of the 789 participants in the poll, 54.8 percent were of the belief that the availability of ‘paid sex’…
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Tourist Police To Step Up Patrols
PHUKET TOWN: Tourist Police will be out in force in the popular beach areas as throngs of vacationers descend on the island for their annual holiday. Phuket Tourist Police Inspector Pol Maj Arnont Kamolrat said his officers would step up patrols along Patong and other beaches frequented by foreign visitors. In addition to providing assistance to tourists, officers will be…
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Sun Shines On Island
MAI KHAO: Yes, Virginia, there is a sun. Following a soggy November, the first half of this month saw more blue skies than clouds as a mere 15 millimeters of rain was recorded from December 1 through December 15 at the Southwestern Meteorological Center’s monitoring station near Phuket International Airport. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall total during the period was recorded…
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Navy Visits Ring In Cheer
PATONG: Christmas came early for hoteliers, merchants and barkeeps as nearly 2,000 U.S. Navy personnel aboard six vessels descended on this popular western beach for a liberty call. Sailors from the USS Antietam, USS Rainer, USS Oldendorf, USS Fitzgerald and USS McClusky hit Patong for some rest and relaxation from December 8-13, providing the resort with a quick infusion of…
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Phuket, Amanpuri Honored By Readers’ Poll
NEW YORK: Phuket received an 11th place ranking of top islands in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, while Amanpuri, the well-known luxury hotel on Pansea Beach, was honored in two of the publication’s award categories. The results of the poll, tabulated from the responses of more than 37,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers, were published in last month’s issue. Phuket…
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THAI Establishes Emergency Phone Center
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) has established a 24-hour Emergency Information Center at the VIP Lounge of Bangkok International Airport to provide assistance to relatives of passengers aboard flight TG 261 which crashed Friday evening near Surat Thani Airport. The telephone numbers of the center are (66-2) 535-3003; 535-6996-7 and 535-6981-6.
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Regatta Winners Honored
KATA: “This was the greatest regatta ever,” proclaimed Admiral Thira Haoch, Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Navy and Honorary Chairman of the 12th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, to an audience of competitors and guests assembled Saturday night for the Royal Awards Ceremony. The admiral was among a host of dignitaries in attendance at the function held in the…
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Demand Fuels Spa Expansion
CHERNG TALAY: Phuket is quickly becoming known as the place to be pampered. A surge in demand for professional spa services led the Banyan Tree Spa to open its second facility on the island, along with a third now on the drawing board. Last week, the latest Banyan Tree Spa was officially opened at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Beach. Guests…
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THAI Adds More Holiday Flights
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) announced today that it has added extra flights on several domestic routes during the year-end holiday period to accommodate an anticipated spike in already heavy passenger demand. Among the additions are ten extra flights on the Bangkok-Phuket route from December 31, 1998 through January 3, 1999. Extra flights were also added on the carrier’s Bangkok-Chiang…
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Three Repeat Wins In King’s Cup
KATA: The second event of the 12th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, the Krabi Provincial Race from Kata to Phi Phi, saw three skippers capture top honors in their respective classes for the second consecutive day. Andreas Soriano III and the crew of Irvmiren sailed to victory in the Ocean Cruising Class for the second time in as many days on…
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Protest Leads To New Taxi License Scheme
PHUKET TOWN: An agreement was reached yesterday to lift restrictions on motorbike taxi licenses granted by Patong municipality following a peaceful rally staged by unregistered operators at Provincial Hall. Over 350 taxi drivers rode in a motorcade from Patong to Phuket Town shortly before noon in a show of unity to have the current licensing scheme opened to non-Patong residents.…
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King’s Cup Sets Sail
KATA: Racing at the 12th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta opened on Monday with 82 yachts taking part in The Boathouse Coastal Race. Olympic helmsman Andreas Bienz led a Swiss crew aboard Jenny III to victory in the Racing Class. Overall winners in the other four divisions were New Zealander Muzza Nordstrand on Fine Pitch in the Ocean Multihull Class; Andrew…
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Pawn Shop Sets Loan Record
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Municipal Pawn Shop will post its best year ever as more than a quarter of a billion baht in loans were recorded in the first eleven months of 1998, surpassing last year’s record 235 million baht loan total. Manager Phuwadon Chinnupathum reported that from January 1, 1998 through November 30, 1998, a total of 257.4 million…
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International Field Expected For Rugby Tournament
BANGKOK: The Thai Rugby Union, under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King, has announced its sponsorship of an international rugby tournament in cooperation with the municipality of Phuket Town. Organizers have extended invitations to more than ten rugby clubs from Europe and Asia to compete in the two-day event scheduled for February 27-28, 1999 at Saphan Hin Stadium.…
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German Man Arrested In Drug Raid
KATHU: Tung Thong Sub-district police officers have arrested a 36-year-old German man on drug charges following surveillance of his Soi Bangtong home. Gerhard Mateses was apprehended by a team of 12 police officers from the sub-district station shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday as he walked behind his home. According to the police report, officers discovered a small container of marijuana…
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Bank Officers Testify At Murder Trial
PHUKET TOWN: The prosecution called two bank officers to the witness stand yesterday at the Phuket Provincial Courthouse in the ongoing trial of five suspects charged in connection with the murder of businessman Danis Wayne Tong. The officers of the Phuket main branches of Bangkok Bank Limited and Siam Commercial Bank offered testimony on checks presented by Tong and one…
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Few Shed Tears Over Departure Of November
MAI KHAO: Sun worshipers were glad to see November come to an end. Last month, Phuket saw almost twice as much rain as occurred during the same period last year, with 466.8 millimeters recorded at the Southwestern Meteorological Center’s monitoring station at Phuket International Airport. Last year, 251 millimeters fell during the entire month. Amorn Chantanavivate, the center’s director, blamed…
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TAT Reports Sharp Outbound Decline
BANGKOK: Outbound travel from Thailand recorded a 28 percent year-on-year decline during the first half of 1998, the Tourism Authority of Thailand reported. From January 1, 1998 through June 30, 1998, a total of 689,914 Thai nationals departed the Kingdom for international destinations. During the same period last year, a total of 957,453 travelers were recorded. Travel to all but…
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