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Excise Revenues Post Sharp Decline
PHUKET TOWN: Despite revenues generated through taxes on luxury yachts and golf fees, the Phuket Provincial Excise Department recorded a steep drop in collections during the most recent fiscal year compared to fiscal 1997. Department Chief Borvorn Chayakul reported that his office collected 190.3 million baht from October 1, 1997 through September 30, 1998, a decline of nearly 49 million…
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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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Soriano Captures Class For Third Time
KATA: The crew of Irvmiren, led by skipper Andreas Soriano III of the Philippines, made it three in a row on Wednesday finishing first among Ocean Cruising Class competitors in the Iridium Andaman Sea Cup Race, the third event of the 12th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Skipper Andrew Hogbin of the United Kingdom led the crew aboard Chant De Mai…
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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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Airport Arrivals Flying High
MAI KHAO: The number of passengers arriving at Phuket International Airport during the first eleven months of 1998 has surpassed the total recorded for all of last year, an airport spokesman announced today. From January 1, 1998 through November 30, 1998, a total of 1,380,325 passenger arrivals were recorded, versus 1,377,744 for full-year 1997. In November, 92,500 passengers disembarked from…
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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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Traffic Injuries Climb To Six-month High
PHUKET: Traffic-related injuries and deaths rose to their highest level in six months during the most recent reporting period, the Phuket Provincial Health Department has advised. In its report to the Phuket Governor, the agency said 849 patients were admitted to government hospitals from September 20 through October 19, including 780 with motorbike-related injuries. A total of 18 people died…
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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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VAT Payments Boost Provincial Coffers
PHUKET TOWN: Provincial revenue officials reported that tax collections were up 22 percent during the first month of the new fiscal year compared to October 1997. From October 1, 1998 through October 31, 1998, the revenue department collected a total of 166,946,000 baht, up more than 30.7 million baht from the same period last year. Income tax collection rose 47…
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Swing Set Collapse Kills Youngster
PA KHLOCK: A seven-year-old boy was killed last Thursday when a playground swing set collapsed during a morning recess at Ban Para School. Witnesses told Thalang District police that primary student Saroj Lawan was swinging on the apparatus with another male classmate at around 11 o’clock on the morning of November 26 when it suddenly collapsed. A metal support struck…
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Europeans Check In For Long Stays
BANGKOK: When it comes to taking a holiday in Thailand, German and Swiss tourists check in for the longest stays. Vacationers from the two European countries remained, on average, in the Kingdom longer than any other segment surveyed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in its just-released detailed statistical report for the first half of the year. From January…
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Search Continues For Suspects
PHUKET TOWN: Police investigators are continuing their manhunt for two Thai male suspects wanted in connection with the October 27 shooting of Sea Canoe Thailand Day Trip Operation Manager Panwong Hirunchai. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Kongpol Suwannaraks told the Gazette yesterday that the suspected gunman and getaway motorbike driver, both Thai males, remain at large. Three teams of investigators have…
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Officials Keeping Eye On Jet-skis
PHUKET: As the high season gets underway, authorities are keeping a close watch on jet-ski rental businesses operating on west coast beaches to ensure compliance with provincial regulations. Vice Governor Amnuay Sanguannam is overseeing the joint enforcement efforts of district, harbor, marine and police officials. Weekly reports are being filed by the various departments with the vice governor’s office in…
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Immigration To “Encourage” Registration
PHUKET TOWN: Pol Col Phirojana Paresakul, Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, told the Gazette today that his office will be “encouraging” all aliens who remain in Thailand for longer than 90 days to notify the department of their residential address every three months as required by law. He stated that the law would be strictly enforced by his officers…
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Survey Reveals Room At The Inn
PHUKET TOWN: Last-minute vacationers hoping to reserve a room along Phuket’s sun-drenched beaches for a year-end holiday are coming up empty. But while seaside accommodation from Nai Yang to Nai Harn is booked solid from Christmas through the first weekend of the New Year, there is room at the inn in Phuket Town. A random telephone survey conducted today by…
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Suspect Nabbed In Yacht Burglary
CHALONG BAY: Police arrested a suspect yesterday in the theft of nearly 200,000 baht in cash and personal effects from a foreign flag yacht moored in this popular bay. Prakit Thongnok, 23, was charged in connection with a theft last month of items on board a yacht owned by Maria Gonzales. According to police, the suspect, a Songkhla native who…
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Doctor Testifies In Murder Trial
PHUKET TOWN: A doctor who examined the body of Roger Jennings testified in court yesterday that the 56-year-old British publican died from a loss of blood following 19 stab wounds. Dr Somchai Chaichayanon of Kathu Hospital was the only witness called to the stand on Monday before Phuket Provincial Court Judge Amornpoj Kulwijit in the ongoing trial of two suspects…
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Student Prostitutes Among Seven Arrested
PHUKET TOWN: Undercover officers from the Phuket Tourist Police raided a home near Sapan Hin and arrested a 50-year-old man along with six female suspects – including two 15-year-old twins – on prostitution charges. Posing as customers, the two plainclothes officers entered the residence on Soi Tonphol, Phuket Road, shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday and inquired about sex services from…
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Europeans Fuel September Gain
BANGKOK: International tourist arrivals at Bangkok International Airport registered a 17.8 percent year-on-year gain in September, the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced. European markets, led by the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, contributed to the double-digit increase. A total of 29,315 UK tourists arrived at the airport during the month, a gain of more than 10,000 arrivals compared to September last…
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Poll Confirms Perceptions Of Local Driving
PHUKET TOWN: In the Gazette Poll for the week ended at noon today, 71.8% of the 662 participants responded “Yes, absolutely” to the question, “Do you feel that driving in Phuket is too risky?” 21.4% voted “No, not really,” and 6.8% said they didn’t know. The perception that driving here is excessively risky was strongest among local foreign residents, 85%…
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Officials Raid Illegal Tin Refinery
PHUKET TOWN: Following undercover surveillance by mineral resources officers, authorities raided a sand processing yard fronting for an illegal tin refinery. Phuket Town Police Superintendent Pol Col Chalit Tintanee and Phuket Mineral Resources Department Chief Panya Worathammaporn, along with officers of both departments, descended on the 15-rai facility, located at 163/5 Wichitsongkram Road, at 5:30 Wednesday afternoon and uncovered five…
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Dengue Fever Cases Skyrocket
PHUKET: Reported cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in the province during the first ten months of 1998 have surpassed the combined total of the past three years. Provincial Health Officer Dr Boonriang Chuchaisangrat told the Gazette today that 755 cases of the mosquito-borne virus were documented by his department through the end of October. The ten-month total is more…
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Leonids Viewing Washed Out
PHUKET: The much-anticipated sighting of the Leonids meteorite shower never materialized for local stargazers who gathered overnight at two popular viewpoints. By 11 p.m. on Monday, small groups had arrived at Laem Promthep, (at the southern end of the island), hoping to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon predicted to appear between midnight and 5 o’clock this morning. Over at…
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