Anchalee outlines OrBorJor policy

PHUKET CITY: The new Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr said today that education, tourism development and quality-of-life issues need to be urgently addressed in order to bring about sustainable development in Phuket. In her first full day in her new job, she singled out education as the most pressing issue, saying that the national government’s decision to allow teachers to take early retirement had left more than 500 teaching positions vacant in Phuket. She added, however, that OrBorJor funding for teachers’ salaries would remain at the same level as last year. To ease traffic congestion, especially during morning rush hour, she said she would consult with the Provincial Highways Department to improve road surfaces and possibly re-engineer well-known bottlenecks, such as at the Samkong and Darasamut School intersections. She also said she was considering introducing a bylaw that would ban trucks from roads during rush hour. Combining education and traffic policy, K. Anchalee mentioned the possibility of using the OrBorJor’s fleet of buses to provide transport into the city for schoolchildren from outlying areas such as Rawai, Chalong and Wichit. To promote tourism, she said the OrBorJor would construct a “welcome gate” at Tah Chat Chai. Cars coming onto the island would pass through this gate. Drivers who might otherwise be unaware would then know definitively that they had reached Phuket, she said. To improve the quality of life of Phuket residents, K. Anchalee plans to introduce a system for residents to register with the police while they are out of town so that officers will keep an eye on their property when they are away. She also advocated a “one tambon-one lawyer” scheme that would make one attorney available in each of Phuket’s 13 tambons to provide free legal asistance and advice to residents. During today’s press conference K. Anchalee also introduced her management team and advisers. She said former Kathu District Chief Sutin Uthaitamrong would serve as Vice-President and Suthep Thepsukul as Second Vice-President She also introduced her four advisers – former Chamber of Commerce chairman Charn Wongsatayanond (tourism); Dr Koson Tang-uthai (quality of life); Dr Seupsaeng Phrombun (education) and Chumsak Kohkawee (Muslim affairs). The team and its full policies will be announced formally at the OrBorJor meeting on Friday. K. Anchalee told reporters, “I am ready to administer Phuket in accordance with the policies outlined in my campaign. My team and I will do our utmost to develop Phuket in a fair, honest and effective fashion.”