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Duty-free scheme discussed
PHUKET TOWN: A special meeting was convened yesterday to brainstorm ideas on how Phuket might be developed into a duty-free city. Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi called the meeting – which brought together members of the Provincial Administration Organization and the Thai business community – in the wake of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s proposal that tourism in Phuket and Chiang Mai…
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Gambling tops arrest stats again
PHUKET: Gambling arrests topped the Phuket police scoreboard again in April, with 209 people held for gambling offenses between April 1 and 25. The figure does not include the 91 people arrested in raids on casinos on April 29. Provincial Police statistics released today showed arrests of illegal immigrants coming in second place, with 189 people locked up, followed by…
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German man dies of overdose
PATONG: A 49-year-old German man died yesterday of heart failure after swallowing a lethal mixture of vodka and sleeping pills. Pol Maj Pisit Cheanpetch of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that Patong resident Klaus Werner Blume was found dead in his room at Nanai Happy House, Soi Nanai. The victim’s partner, Noppawan Hemwanta, 24, told police that she returned…
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Malaysia puts harsh brakes on Thai drivers
KHUAN DON, THAILAND: In a move sure to bring frowns and grimaces to the Land of Smiles, Thailand’s neighbor to the south has introduced measures making it an almost hopeless enterprise for Thais to enter Malaysia by automobile. At the Khuan Don border (near Satun) this afternoon, Malaysian authorities in spiffy blue uniforms were handing out “Rules” flyers to scores…
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Japanese woman drowns off Mai Thon
MAI TON: The body of Japanese tourist Na-Ao Yukimura, 35, was found on Tuesday on a beach on Mai Thon Island. Pol Capt Cha-aom Khowsrisuwan of the Phuket Town Police Station said, “Some villagers found Ms Yukimura’s body lying face-down on the beach. She was wearing a green bikini, and a snorkeling mask was around her neck. She had been…
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Thalang police set up suggestions box
THALANG: Pol Col Prapakorn Saksupa, superintendent of Thalang Police Station, has announced that the station has established a PO Box for the public. The box is specifically for people in Thalang district who wish to write to the Thalang Police Station to express views, make suggestions, or provide information on suspected criminal activities. The police have stressed that only senior…
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Free dive master training for Thais
PHUKET: The Dive Operators’ Club of Thailand (DOCT), Phuket Chapter, is seeking Thai applicants to train as dive masters in response to the shortage of Thai dive masters on the island. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. They must have a working knowledge of English, a high-school education, be physically fit and able to swim, and have their…
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Police seize 2 tonnes of smuggled meat
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Marine Police yesterday evening raided a warehouse in Moo Bann Iravadee on the bypass road after receiving a report that it contained smuggled cigarettes. But instead of illegal smokes, they found about two tonnes of illegally imported meat, worth about 200,000 baht. Pol Lt Col Bunjerd Piriyavong of the Phuket Marine Police told the Gazette that…
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Top police officers removed from Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Pol Col Chalit Tintanee, the superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, and Pol Lt Col Wutthichai Kamput, deputy superintendent (Crime Suppression Division) of Thalang Police Station, have been transferred to Surat Thani. A well placed source within the police department told the Gazette that both Col Chalit and Lt Col Wutthichai received a phone call this morning ordering…
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Headless corpse at Freedom Beach
PATONG: A headless corpse was found floating in the sea near Freedom Beach on Saturday afternoon. Police have been unable to identify the decomposed body, but assume the victim was male. “It was impossible to determine whether he was a Thai or a foreigner because the body was so severely decomposed. He must have died more than two weeks ago,”…
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Thai Airways board appointments spark protest
BANGKOK (AFP): Hundreds of aviation industry employees rallied today outside the headquarters of Thai Airways to protest the company’s new board of directors, which they say is rife with cronyism. Wearing symbolic black dress, workers from Thai Airways and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand surrounded a limousine carrying Deputy Transportation and Communication Minister Pracha Maleenond, who will chair a meeting of…
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Thailand to woo investors
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand plans to expand the role of state investment promotion agencies in an effort to boost its damaged economy with fresh domestic and foreign investment, reports said today. During a two-day economic workshop chaired by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, officials pledged to transform Thailand into a “knowledge-based” economy through new investment spurred by tax incentives and special privileges.…
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Gov denies being too strict
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday denied being too strict on work permits and new company registrations. He insisted that he was simply enforcing the law. “I haven’t been too strict or done anything extraordinary,” he told the Gazette. “All I’ve done is ensure that procedures are followed according to Thai law. “The problem before was that no one checked…
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Bars must display anti-drugs message
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi today announced that a new law is to be introduced requiring bars and entertainment venues to publicly display an anti-drugs message. The Governor urged district officers to enforce the requirement strictly, once it becomes law. The proposed penalty for not displaying an appropriate message is at least three days’ closure of the offending premises.
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Vagabonds stroll home over Marines
KOH KAEW: The Phuket Vagabonds Rugby Club (formerly the Phuket Gazettes) started their preparations for next month’s International Tens Tournament with a convincing 30-20 win on Monday over the US Marines from the visiting USS Boxer. The Vagabonds took the initiative early in the game, played at Dulwich International College, piling up a 15-point lead before the Americans finally forced…
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Provincial government gets on IT track
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi has announced a government drive to ensure that every provincial government department on the island will have its own web site by the end of the year, and that all departments will start using email to share information. His announcement came at a meeting of departmental heads at the Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, held…
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B30 medical scheme: Public urged to update records
PHUKET: The Provincial Public Health Office (PHO) is to start a public information drive, urging people to update their house registration documents (tabien baan) immediately. “This is important because the budget Phuket will get for the 30-baht scheme will depend on how many people are registered as living in the province,” said Dr Boonrieng Chuchaisaengrat, Chief of the PHO. He…
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Flight from Beijing lands in Phuket
PHUKET: Air China, in conjunction with the Chinese tour operator China Comfort Travel Co, is now operating twice-weekly charter flights direct from Beijing to Phuket. The charter service, aimed exclusively at mainland Chinese tourists, was launched with a maiden flight that landed at Phuket International Airport just after midnight on Saturday morning. “We’re operating only inbound charters right now, but…
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300 sign opening hours petition to Governor
PHUKET: Some 300 business owners in Patong today petitioned Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi to allow an extension of opening hours from 2 am to 5 am. The petition argued that the enforcement of the 2 am law would not achieve the government’s aim of reducing crime and drug abuse. The petition was handed to the Governor by Chairat Sukkaban, owner…
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Worst-ever road death, injury statistics
PHUKET: Sixteen people died in traffic accidents between January 20 and February 20, according to statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. All the victims were on motorcycles, Ampaipan Pawawattananusorn of the Phuket Provincial Health Office reported. In the same period, 906 were hurt in crashes involving motorbikes, while 35 people were injured in car accidents. The year’s…
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Braggart raped by five women
SRISAKET (AFP): Five Thai women have agreed to pay compensation to a man they allegedly gang-raped on Songkhran Day, police said today. Police said the women, aged between 20 and 40, admitted to plying the 47-year-old man from this northeastern Srisaket province with alcohol, tying him up and stripping him naked before taking turns having sex with him. “All the…
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Homeowners urged to join watch program
PATONG: Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, has urged Patong homeowners and tenants to notify the police when they go on vacation, leaving their homes unattended. Police officers will check on the houses while on patrol. A red box will be installed in front of each home, containing a logbook for patrolmen to sign when they check…
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Foreigners executed on drug charges in Thailand
BANGKOK (AFP): A Taiwanese man, a Hong Kong man, and two Thais convicted on drug trafficking charges were executed by firing squad this evening. A fifth man, also a Thai, was similarly executed for murder, officials said. “The Thai government wants to reassure the world that it takes the drug problem seriously,” Yongyuth Tiyapairat, a government spokesman announced, saying that…
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Patong “may be exempt from 2 am rule’
PATONG: The Ministry of Interior is looking at the enforcement of the 2 am closing law and may decide to make an exception for Patong, allowing bars and other entertainment venues in the town to stay open later. The announcement of the possible reprieve was made today by the Governor of Phuket, Pongpayome Vasaputi. He stressed that the clampdown on…
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Gambling tops arrest stats
PHUKET: Gambling once again topped the arrest statistics in March, according to figures provided by the Phuket Provincial Police. In the course of 136 raids, 223 people were arrested for gambling. Narcotics offences came second in the league, with 102 people arrested in the course of 96 busts. A total of 1,679 “ya bah” (methamphetamine) pills were seized. The other…
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Man hangs himself from tree
PHUKET TOWN: A man was found on Sunday hanging from a tree behind his home in Phuket Villa California. A neighbor walking by saw Teap Bourkeaw, 73, a native of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, hanging by a piece of cloth from the tree. The neighbor managed to get K. Teap down from the tree and called the police, but K. Teap…
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Police crackdown angers bar owners
PHUKET: Angry bar owners have threatened to stage a “mob” if police do not ease the enforcement of the 2 am legal closing time for entertainment establishments. One bar owner told the Gazette, “Take a look around Patong at 3 or 4 am. People are out in the streets drinking beer and whisky they buy at 7-11, fighting, or looking…
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Six dead, 520 hurt during Songkhran
PHUKET: Six people died in traffic accidents in Phuket during the Songkhran holiday, according to statistics compiled from all of the island’s hospitals. In addition, 520 people were injured in traffic accidents. “Ninety percent of the accidents involved motorbikes, and most occurred between the evening of April 13 and the early morning of April 14,” Ampaipan Pawawattananusorn of the Phuket…
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Airport passenger throughput falls
PHUKET: In a sharp reversal of recent trends, passenger throughput at Phuket International Airport during February was down by 2.3% compared with the same month last year, according to figures released by airport officials. The number of people arriving or departing on domestic flights was, at 213,755, almost the same as last year. But the number of people using the…
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What next? Dog passports, of course
PHUKET: Phuket has begun issuing dog passports, making it the first place in Asia (and the second in the world) to do so, according to the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO). Koh Samui will be the next location in Thailand to adopt the system, with the rest of the country to follow in due course. The introduction of dog passports,…
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