Phuket

Gov under siege from limo drivers

Published

13 years ago

July 29, 2005

Gov under siege from limo drivers | The Thaiger

PHUKET CITY: Some 100 furious limousine drivers today blocked Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura’s car, preventing the Governor from leaving Provincial Hall for lunch.

The drivers arrived at Provincial Hall at 7:30 this morning, angered by a report in the local newspaper Siang Tai, in which the Governor was quoted as threatening to use the army to bring order to the increasingly turbulent transport situation at Phuket International Airport.

The Governor has been trying to force through a policy greatly increasing the number of meter taxis allowed to collect passengers from the airport, and giving the taxis their own ticket desk in the arrivals hall.

The Governor was quoted as saying that if the limousine drivers go on strike in protest, or if meter taxi drivers feel threatened by the limousine drivers, he will bring in the army to keep order or even to provide transport for air passengers.

Arriving at 8:30, the Governor promptly went into meetings with the drivers’ leaders, at which he announced that he had heard from the airport authorities that they were prepared to halve the concession fees currently levied on limousine drivers.

This failed to placate the drivers, however. “We are against the setting-up of a meter taxi counter in the airport terminal – and at every beach on Phuket [as poposed by the Governor] – as this will greatly increase the number of meter taxis,” Manod Chusak, who runs the limousine counters at the airport, told Gov Udomsak.

“We don’t want the number of meter taxis to increase because that will have a direct effect on our livelihood.”

Three hours of discussions, from 8:30 to 11:30, failed to calm the angry mob outside the Provincial Hall and, when the Governor emerged from the building to go for lunch, the crowd blocked his car and security staff had to protect him from drivers who appeared to be about to push him around.

Using a megaphone, the Governor pleaded with the drivers for two hours. He made no concessions but eventually, at 1:30 pm, the drivers went away, vowing to return next Friday at 2 pm, and in greater force, for another round of talks, or confrontation, as the case may be.

Phuket

Bus crash on Patong Hill takes out 12 other vehicles, passengers in bus shaken

Published

4 hours ago

January 24, 2019

Kritsada Mueanhawong

Bus crash on Patong Hill takes out 12 other vehicles, passengers in bus shaken | The Thaiger

PHOTOS: Phuket Traffic Report VIDEO: Provided by Newshawk Phuket

The tour bus accident on Patong yesterday afternoon, the third such incident in the same spot within 24 hours, has caused three injuries and with vehicles damaged as the bus careered down the hill, out of control. There were 10 tourists on the bus who were shaken by the incident but unharmed.

The Patong Police heard about the incident, adjacent to the Suwankeereewong Temple (Wat Patong) on Phra Baramee Road, the bottom of Patong Hill, just after 3.30pm yesterday.

Police and Kusoldharm rescue workers arrived to find damaged vehicles including a tour bus, passenger vans, trucks, cars and pickups – a total of 12 vehicles.

The three injuries were a van driver and two motorbike drivers. They were taken to Patong and Vachira Phuket Hospitals.

The 27 year old bus driver Pantarit Kaewprawat told police that he was driving down the hill when other vehicles in front of him were braking suddenly. So he tried to avoid the collision with others vehicles in front of him by veering right into oncoming traffic.

Police are continuing their investigation and inspecting local CCTV footage and available dash cam footage (like the one below). In the footage, the bus is traveling, at speed, in the on-coming traffic lane, seemingly unable to stop.

PHUKET – VIDEOAnother angle of yesterday afternoon's collision at the bottom of Patong Hill showing the bus clearly had no brakes, or the driver was unable to use them.VIDEO: Aekkarin Piromrid / Sugusoil Oil / Newshawk Phuket

Posted by The Thaiger on Wednesday, January 23, 2019

VIDEO – Patong Hill accident adjacent to the temple at the bottom of Phra Baramee Road.VIDEO: Newshawk Phuket

Posted by The Thaiger Radio on Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Phuket

Chalong Police tracking down a foreigner caught on camera carrying a sea star

Published

4 hours ago

January 24, 2019

Kritsada Mueanhawong

Chalong Police tracking down a foreigner caught on camera carrying a sea star | The Thaiger

Chalong Police are trying to track down a foreign man caught on camera carrying a sea star along Chalong Pier.

Chalong Police are checking CCTV footage at the Chalong Pier to find the foreign man who was caught on camera carrying sea stars in a plastic bag along the pier on Tuesday.

Bangkok

Thailand Tourism Forum 2019 – Reflections #1

Published

7 hours ago

January 24, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTO: Thailand Tourism Forum 2019

One of the key points made at the recently concluded Thailand Tourism Forum 2019 in Bangkok, was the country’s over reliance on mass tourism.

Jesper Palmqvist of STR presented full year hotel data for Phuket which showed signs of recovery, yet highlighting the full impact of the drop in Chinese business after the July boat tragedy.

Citing the number’s co-organiser of the event C9 Hotelworks Bill Barnett expressed concern that while airlift numbers remain positive, the massive impact of unlicensed accommodation on the Thai hotel sector was adding to the supply demand equation.

Bill said, “While many hotel owners are asking where have all the tourist arrivals gone, in many cases the answer is they are staying in a condo or villa that does not have to comply with the same regulations that hotels are required to and this grey sector is adding to this year’s tourism challenges.”