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Committee to probe shoddy road
CHERNG TALAY: Following a protest by villagers on Wednesday about the poor quality of a new concrete road in Moo 2, Cherng Talay, a special committee has been formed to investigate the handling of the 4-million-baht budget for the project, and the officials involved. Siri Yokthong, chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor), said yesterday that the OrBorTor…
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Thai-Malaysian Naval exercise concludes
AO MAKHAM: A ceremony was held yesterday to mark the conclusion of a joint naval exercise between the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet, the Malaysian Navy and the Marine Police. Burma’s sudden closure of its border with Thailand added some interest, but the annual event, which started on Sunday, was otherwise without incident. The exercise featured the Royal Thai Navy…
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Thai-Burmese border closed
RANONG: All border crossings between Thailand and Myanmar were closed today by Rangoon for undisclosed reasons. Latest reports point to renewed conflict between the two governments over their dealings with the Shan State Army as being the reason. An official at the Immigration Department in Ranong – favored destination for “visa hops” from Phuket – said that the border has…
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Villagers protest over shoddy new road
CHERNG TALAY: Some 60 villagers in Cherng Talay staged a protest this morning on Soi Masjid Langkao, complaining about the rapid deterioration of a new concrete road running through the village. The villagers accused unnamed officers of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) of acting without transparency in this and other construction projects in the tambon. During the protest,…
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Indonesian boats caught fishing illegally
CHALONG: Phuket Marine Police boarded two Indonesian fishing boats moored near Koh Racha Noi on Sunday and arrested 10 crewmen for fishing illegally in Thai waters. Pol Lt Col Prathuang Srilamontri, inspector of the Phuket Marine Police, said that he had received a report from an investigation team that foreign boats had been seen fishing in Thai territory. At around…
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Campsite plan for Nai Yang beach
PHUKET: Tourists will be able to camp out on Nai Yang beach under a proposal to set up a company to run a campsite business, with profits going to the local community. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), and the Moo Baan Saku Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) want to set up Saku Co with local stakeholders providing sites, equipment and…
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New official fees to curb tuk-tuk ripoffs
PHUKET: An official scale of fees based on kilometers travelled will be imposed on tuk-tuks from June 1 to curb overcharging of tourists. In some cases, the official fares are half what tuk-tuk drivers have been demanding. A trip from Phuket Town to Patong (15 km) will cost 200 baht, while the 32 km from Patong to the airport will…
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Immigration steps up English skills
PHUKET TOWN: Thirty officers from Immigration Division 3, the division for Southern Thailand, today began a four-day English-language workshop at the Pearl Hotel with the aim of improving their English skills. The course, called the English Language Training Camp II, was organized by the Immigration Bureau in conjunction with Chulalongkorn University Language Institute to improve the quality of Immigration service…
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Phuket looks at creative ways to raise funds
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi says he is seeking new ways to raise additional funds to develop the island. The provincial government, he explained, receives 3.2 billion baht a year from Bangkok. About 2 billion baht of this covers fixed costs such as salaries and equipment, while the remaining 1.2 billion baht is allocated for specific projects. So far this…
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Sewerage project almost complete
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok has announced that the final phase of the project to upgrade Phuket Town’s sewers is nearing completion. Speaking at a press conference, Mayor Phummisak said, “Phase 2 [the final phase] of the project is 77% complete and is on target to finish on schedule, on January 2 next year.” He explained that, of…
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Smugglers caught with B10 million of fuel
PHANG NGA: Marine Police on Tuesday seized a tanker, which they say was being used in an attempt to smuggle 300,000 liters of diesel fuel, worth 10 million baht, into Thailand. Pol Lt Col Nanthavuthi Nopphakhun, Deputy-Commander of the Marine Police, said today that investigations into a smuggling ring led to the seizure near the Surin Islands, during which four…
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Burmese fisherman stabbed 50 times
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a man believed to have been a Burmese fisherman was found behind the abandoned Phaya Thai Hospital building on Si Sena Rd yesterday. The victim had been stabbed some 50 times. Pol Maj Pitsanu Poonwong, of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that local residents called the police after finding the body at 7:15…
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Airport to get meter taxis, eventually
PHUKET: Piyapan Jampasut, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Land Transport (DLT) for Thailand, has announced that new regulations are to be proposed to Cabinet that would open the door for regulated, meter cabs in Phuket, starting with the airport. K. Piyapan made the announcement after meeting with Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi to discuss what laws need to be…
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Sea rescue center will protect tourists
CHALONG: A 15-million-baht Sea Rescue Center is to be set up to coordinate emergency rescue operations off Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, it was revealed today. The center, to be set up in Chalong, will become a nerve center for information about mishaps and accidents at sea, which will be gathered and disseminated to various marine agencies. Making the announcement…
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Committee appointed to protect waterways
PHUKET: In an attempt to prevent flooding and landslides, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has appointed a committee to screen applications for excavation work affecting waterways. He also suggested today that excavation on private property may be forbidden if it is likely to affect waterways, or trigger landslides or flooding. “I think that we will have to propose that it be…
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Protest forces transfer of police major
THALANG: The Deputy Commissioner of Police for Region 5, Pol Col Pongsak na Nakhorn, has ordered the transfer of Pol Maj Anand Jingjit from Thalang Police Station to Phuket Town, following a noisy protest by 200 people today. The protest came after a car driver involved in an accident with an elderly woman on a motorcycle was released without charge…
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Call to double Tourist Police ranks
PHUKET: Pol Lt Col Supamit Sukjaroen, Inspector of Tourist Police, Region 5, yesterday lodged an official request with Pol Maj Gen Sanit Miphan, Commander of Thailand’s Tourist Police, for 50 more officers to be sent to bolster tourists’ security throughout the region. If approved, Col Supamit’s request will double the number of Tourist Police officers currently assigned to the region.…
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OrBorJor allocates B140m to education
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has earmarked more than 140 million baht for upgrading education, and a further 40 million baht for developing tourism in Phuket. OrBorJor President Dr Prasit Koeysiripong explained, “It’s our policy this year to focus on education, the environment and tourism – particularly education, which deserves more funding because, in the past, the budget…
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Carpenter murdered over loan
TUNG TONG: Sanguansak “Nui” Kamtong, a 25-year-old carpenter from Rayong, was allegedly shot dead by a fellow construction worker in the early hours of Saturday morning after repeatedly pestering his colleague for a small loan. Pol Lt Col Ampolwat Saengroeng of Tung Tong Police Station said he received a call at 12:30 am saying that a man had been shot.…
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Job training for young offenders begins
PHUKET: Vice Governor Winai Buapradit today chaired the opening ceremony of the annual job-training program for teenagers confined at the Juvenile Observation and Protection Center (JOPC). The program, which is run by the Phuket Provincial Employment Services Office, aims to give the juveniles in state custody skills that will prepare them for life after their release. Teenagers from the center…
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Poor support for long-stay tourism rapped
PHUKET: Senator Suradech Yasawas, chairman of the Senate Committee for Tourism, and committee member Senator Paiboon Upatising of Phuket yesterday openly criticized the lack of government support for long-stay tourism, especially health-related tourism. Senators Suradech and Paiboon, along with 10 other committee members, arrived in Phuket yesterday for a two-day inspection tour of the island’s international-standard medical centers, to evaluate…
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Suicide pact with eerie echoes
THALANG: In a double suicide attempt with spooky echoes of a past tragedy, two deaf-mute women jumped from the Tao Thepkrasattri Tao Sri Soonthorn Bridge yesterday afternoon. One drowned, but the other was rescued by fishermen. Pol Capt Apidej Chuaykeau, of Khok Kloi Police Station, said that, despite driving wind and rain, the fishermen managed to rescue Sumalee “Roong” Pratheep…
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Amulet trader robbed of B3m
PHUKET: An amulet trader has reported to police that cash and amulets worth a total of 3 million baht were stolen from his room at the Royal Phuket City Hotel while he slept. Somchai Srisagawarat, 43, from Bangkok, arrived in Phuket on Tuesday on a business trip and checked into the four-star hotel. He reported to police the following day…
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New Bowling alley opens at Big C
PHUKET: The first 30-lane bowling alley in Phuket, built at a cost of more than 30 million baht, was officially opened at the Big C Supercenter this morning. Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi presided over the opening of CS Bowl , which was also attended by movie stars Yutthapichai Chanlayka, Clerk Rollings and Jayjintai Antimanon. Initially, CS Bowl will charge just…
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Bag-snatching gang arrested
PHUKET TOWN: Nine suspects, including five teenagers, were arrested yesterday for their alleged involvement in a series of bag snatchings, following a five-week police investigation into their activities. Police say that all of the suspects have admitted to being party to a number of snatchings in and around Phuket Town. The first case, on March 25 at around 7:45 pm,…
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Man drowns near community college
PHUKET TOWN: A man was found dead in a pool in front of Phuket Community College at Saphan Hin early this morning. Pol Lt Rassada Kluengwong, of Phuket Town Police Station, said that the man was found at about 2:30 am by a group of teenagers. After removing the body from the water, police found 90 baht in the dead…
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Police plan crackdown on parking at schools
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Town Police have warned parents to obey the traffic laws when dropping off their children when schools reopen next Monday. Pol Lt Col Teeraphol Thipjaroen, Deputy Superintendent of Phuket Police Station, said today that police will concentrate on the problem of cars parked in the yellow-and-white or red-and-white no-parking zones. “During the period before schools open [traffic]…
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Airport passenger traffic higher than last year
PHUKET: The total number of passengers arriving or departing from Phuket International Airport in March increased by 2.52% compared with the same month last year. Statistics released by airport officials show that 364,586 passengers arrived at or departed from the airport, compared with 355,631 passengers last year. The number of international passengers increased by 6.8% to 141,025, while the number…
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Wife’s lover “hacked officer hubby to death’
KOH MAPHRAO: Desha Shum-nina, a 40-year-old community police officer for the Samphan community, was hacked to death yesterday morning, allegedly by his wife’s boyfriend. Called to the scene, police led by Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, entered K. Desha’s single-story wooden house, which was surrounded by hundreds of local villagers, and found his body lying…
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Heart-broken singer hangs herself
PHUKET TOWN: A singer and part-owner of a karaoke bar killed herself because she thought her husband was once again seeing a former girlfriend, police believe. Following an anonymous phone call, officers found the body of Shanikarn Boonsomsu, 24, hanging by a rope in the kitchen of her home at Phanthep Condo Town on Mae Luan Rd, Phuket Town, at…
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