News
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Law, Order, And Tuk-Tuk Power
PATONG BEACH: At a time when many wonder who, if anyone, is really running the show in Patong, a new contender has emerged and demonstrated that he is a force to be reckoned with. When roughly 100 tuk-tuk drivers banned together late Friday night to block Patong’s beach road for more than three hours following a police lock-up of two…
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1998 Saw Growth In Crime, Arrests
PHUKET TOWN: The number of crimes in Phuket increased by 2.5 percent to 3,065 last year, according to figures handed to the Gazette by Phuket Provincial Police earlier this week. Arrests also increased, climbing 5.9 percent to 4,504 in 1998. Police said the increase in criminal activity on the island was due to Thailand’s economic slump, rising unemployment having forced…
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Another Thai Navy Vessel Comes Under Attack
RANONG: A Royal Thai Navy surveillance vessel has been engaged in gun battle with an unidentified fishing boat for the second time in less than a month, Vice Admiral Somphop Bhuridej, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet, told the Gazette earlier this week. Both incidents occurred in Thai territorial waters off Ranong province. On December 19, two officers…
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US Navy Visits Phuket
PATONG BEACH: Three US naval ships, the USS Boxer, USS Cleveland and USS Harpers Ferry, with a total of about 2,000 officers and crew, are visiting Phuket from 13 to 18 January 1999. The vessels are anchored in Patong Bay. Captain Robert C. Massey of the USS Boxer, Captain J. A. Winnefeld, Jr. of the USS Cleveland and Captain Terence…
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TAT Guides The Way
BANGKOK: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has tightened language qualifications for the country’s army of tour guides. People now wishing to register as guides for foreign tourists must have one of the following qualifications: · A high school education with a certificate in a foreign language; · A high school education with at least 150 hours of certified training…
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Thalang Hospital Wing To Open
THALANG: Thalang Hospital will officially open its new 60-bed patient wing on February 11. The 11.5-million baht, two-story building will be opened by the Sheikhul Islam and the abbot of Wat Sa Khed. Phuket Governor Chadej Insawang will attend the ceremony. People wishing to donate money for medical equipment can contact Orapin Ratanarat at Thalang Hospital. Tel: (076) 311033-4, ext…
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The Beach Hits Phuket
Producers of the controversial movie The Beach, featuring superstar Leonardo DiCaprio, are seeking permission from authorities to film a number of scenes in Phuket. Film-makers want to shoot scenes in a shoe factory in Baan Manic from February 27 to March 17; at Cape Promthep March 3; Naithon Nui Beach on March 18; Surin Beach from March 19-22; Kata Beach…
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American Found Dead in Patong
PATONG BEACH: A 29-year-old American resident of Phuket was found dead in a Patong guest house on Sunday, according to Kathu police. Mr Korey Alan Lee, who worked for a Phuket dive company and had lived on the island for about three years, was found dead by his brother after the two had been involved in a long drinking session,…
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Police Bag Two In Chalong
CHALONG: Pol Col Decha Budnampeth, Chief of Police at Chalong, told a press conference this morning that a woman was robbed of her handbag while crossing the bridge on the road into Wat Chalong early on Saturday. The victim, Areerat Nusri, 34, reported the incident to police at Chalong station at 7:30 Saturday morning. She said the bag had been…
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Visa Criteria, Procedures Clarified
PHUKET TOWN: The superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, Pol Col Phirojana Praesakul, confirmed to the Gazette this morning that the financial requirements for the non-immigrant ‘O-A’ visa are as follows: 1) at least 800,000 baht in liquid funds in a Thai or overseas bank (the definition of “liquid” was not immediately available, so it was not clear whether fixed…
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More Beds For Patong Hospital
PATONG BEACH: Patong Hospital will increase its number of beds from 10 to 90 by the end of the this year in a bid to meet growing demand for bed space, according to Director Dr Taweesak Nertwong. Because of its location in the heart of Phuket’s major tourist centre, Dr Taweesak said the hospital had become too small to treat…
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Record Number Of New Businesses In Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Veerachai Tantiwathanavallop, Director of the Phuket Commercial Registration Office, told the Gazette yesterday that 1998 was a record year for new business registrations in the province. A total of 520 filings were received during the year, versus 477 for 1997. The 1998 total included 332 ‘company limited’ and 188 partnership registrations. Although business start-ups far exceeded closures, the…
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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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Rajabhat Offers Facilities To Public
PHUKET: Rajabhat Institute Phuket is making available accommodation and conference room facilities at its Sri Rajabhat Building. Guest rooms with twin beds are available at 350 baht per night. Rooms with breakfast are 450 baht, and rooms inclusive of three meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner – are priced at 750 baht. A total of 20 guest rooms are on…
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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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Ya Ba-laced Beer Seized In Pub Raid
PHUKET TOWN: Authorities seized draft beer from a popular pub early Saturday morning after a preliminary test indicated it had been laced with amphetamines. Tourist Police and Phuket Narcotics Control officers raided the Kok Ma Pub on Tilok U-Thit 1 Road at around 2 a.m. following a tip from concerned parents alleging that the venue was admitting underage patrons and…
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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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FantaSea Opens To Crowd of 1,300
KAMALA: The first day of business at Phuket FantaSea attracted over 1,300 patrons, reported Surin Bamrungphol, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations. An estimated seven out of ten paid admissions at yesterday’s soft opening were Thais, many of whom were local residents who wanted to check out Phuket’s newest and biggest leisure attraction, according to a poll conducted by…
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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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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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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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