Phuket

Drive against alcohol and tobacco

Published

16 years ago

February 21, 2004

Drive against alcohol and tobacco | The Thaiger

PHUKET CITY: In a scene reminiscent of the US in the 1920s, some 100 people turned out this morning to burn cartons of cigarettes and smash bottles of alcohol. The “No tobacco, no alcohol for a better life” project was organized by the Kalyanamitra Organization, Phuket, along with Rajabhat University Phuket, where the bottle-smashing was staged. The message of the event was aimed especially at children, coordinator Pawinee Jularat told the Gazette. She said that it would assist the government’s policy of eliminating social evils. “We burned five cartons of cigarettes and destroyed about 50 bottles of alcohol brought by people who attended today,” she explained. “We are campaigning for people to stop drinking alcohol and to quit smoking.” She said she expected the project to gather momentum, with more people getting involved, possibly climaxing with the entire province joining in. The guest speaker at the bottle-smashing was Phra Tawalsak Yattisakko, from Bangkok’s Wat Phra Dhamakaya, who said that projects with similar aims had begun in many provinces, including Bangkok. “Alcohol and tobacco are on display in many shops, even though they are not good for people, especially children, and may lead to them taking other drugs,” he said. The Kalyanamitra Organization, which cooperates with the Dhamakaya Foundation, was set up in Phuket about five years ago. It has about 100 members committed to projects “aimed at improving people’s lives”.

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Crime

British tourist killed at Phuket resort, Norwegian charged

Published

17 hours ago

August 23, 2019

May Taylor

British tourist killed at Phuket resort, Norwegian charged | The Thaiger

PHOTO: Tourist Assistance Centre

A late night fight that broke out at a Karon resort has ended in a Norwegian man killing a British tourist.

The fight started at 4.00am, when British national Amitpal Singh Bajaj, who was on holiday with his Singaporean wife and two young children, confronted Roger Bullman over the amount of noise coming from his room.

Mr Bullman was drunk, and security had already visited his room twice to ask him to keep the noise down. When Mr Bajaj confronted him, he stabbed Mr Bullman in the shoulder with a steak knife.

Mr Bullman, trained in martial arts, then got the British man in a choke hold and maintained his grip on him. He says he did not mean to kill him, and did not think he had.

He has been charged and released on bail by the Phuket Provincial Court. He must now remain in Thailand until the court hearing.

British consular officials are assisting Mr Bajaj’s family in the wake of the tragedy.

SOURCE: ThaiVisa and The Phuket News

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Environment

The second baby dugong ‘Yamil’ dies in Phuket

Published

19 hours ago

August 23, 2019

The Thaiger

The second young dugong, being cared for by vets at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, has died.

Yamil, the baby dugong stranded on a Krabi beach on July 1, died of “shock and cardiac arrest” last night (Thursday) after suffering indigestion and gastroparesis.

The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources report that Yamil was sent from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre to Vachira Hospital last evening for an endoscopy to observe its gastrointestinal tract, which was found to be full of sea grass – a dugong’s normal food.

“But the sea grass had obstructed Yamil’s gut, causing its digestive system to stop functioning. This resulted in a buildup of gas in the digestive system, leading to the rupture of blood vessels and infection.”

Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari named the dugong ‘Yamil’ when he was moved from Krabi to Phuket for treatment and rehabilitation by marine vets. The animal was originally rescued by villagers from a Krabi beach where it washed up. His care has been sponsored by the Princess. Yamil, in the Yawi dialect, means “handsome young man of the sea”.

Last Friday night, baby dugong ‘Mariam’ died of shock while being treated in protected area near Koh Libong in Trang province. Vets later found several pieces of plastic in its stomach.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World

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Business

Official complaint filed with the DSI over The Peaks Residences Condominium in Phuket

Published

1 day ago

August 22, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTO: Inspections at the property in March this year – Kritsada Mueanhawong

Bangkok MP Sira Jenjaka has gone ahead and filed a long list of formal complaints over The Peaks Residences Condominium project being built in the hills above Kata Noi in Phuket.

The Palang Pracharat MP has also claimed to have had death threats made against him over his investigations and accusations over the condo’s land titles and ownership in recent weeks.

The MP filed an official complaint with the Department of Special Investigation chief in Bangkok this morning.

The complaint alleges that the Karon Mayor Tawee Thongcham and the municipality “neglected their duties” by issuing permits to Kata Beach Co Ltd, the developer of the The Peaks Residences Condominium.

In February this year the Karon OrBorTor issued a construction permit for the project but in April municipal officials also sent a letter acknowledging the ongoing legal proceedings over the legitimacy of the land title, the NorSor 3 Kor Number 1863.

The complaint alleges that the project is being built on land with a NorSor 3 Kor No. 1863 land title. The complainants allege that the legal land document would have had to have been presented to obtain building permits and construction to proceed. But they claim that, as the NorSor 3 Kor for that land was under consideration by the Administrative Court, a legal building permit could not be issued.

In August 2017, the Regional Administrative Court ruled that the NorSor 3 Kor No. 1863 land title was invalid. Furthermore it determined that the land was “protected forest land”.

The DSI formally received the complaint documents this morning.

Meanwhile, the developer of The Peaks Residences Condominium, Manassanan Nararattanawee, the CEO of Kata Beach Co Ltd, maintains that the project’s paperwork is all “proper’ and that “everything is under the law”.

“Our company has already suspended construction to wait for the judgment of the Supreme Administrative Court.”

Officials from the Internal Security Operations Command inspected the property in March this year as the owners promised to ‘slow down’ construction. Read that story HERE.

Official complaint filed with the DSI over The Peaks Residences Condominium in Phuket | News by The Thaiger