Phuket

Islander stings “black money’ con man

Published

17 years ago

December 12, 2001

Islander stings “black money’ con man | The Thaiger

BANGKOK: Utter the phrases “West African” and “black money” in the same breath, and, surely, most people will sniff one of the oldest con-tricks in the book. Yet it seems that there are still some people out there whose greed makes them blind to their own gullibility. Granted, in the latest case to come to light, the con men carefully sucked in their victim, a woman from Phuket, making sure that she earned a nice fat profit at first. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, explained yesterday that the woman, whom he declined to name, called police to explain that two men, Emmanuel Ankomah, 31, from Ghana, and Abdul Rapo Quantus, had approached her with a sure-fire way to make money fast. The duo had explained to her that they had “acquired” a large amount of Thai baht that had been earmarked by the Thai government for destruction. The government, they explained, had dyed the money black to render it valueless. But, they said, they knew of a special chemical that could be used to clean the money. All that they lacked was the funds to buy the chemical. Which is where she came in; if she would put up 50,000 baht, they would give her 100,000 baht in black money and enough chemical to clean it. She agreed, handed over the cash and, within hours, was the happy possessor of 100,000 baht. She wanted more. The con artists doubled the stakes; this time she handed over 100,000 baht. This time, however, the chemical did not seem to work, so she contacted the two men and asked for their help. She must have been doing something wrong, the men said. They agreed to meet her at the S.C. Park Hotel on Ramintra Rd, Bangkok, to show her the proper technique. One other thing, they added: she should bring another 145,000 baht with her. Finally smelling a rat, the woman called the Phuket Town police, who put together a joint task force with colleagues in Bangkok. Before the pair arrived at the hotel, the police set up a hidden video camera in the room to record the meeting. In the event, only Ankomah turned up, and was recorded showing his intended victim the “cleaning” procedure. The officers then moved in and arrested the Ghanaian and brought him to Phuket, where he was locked up on a charge of fraud. Quantus remains at large.

Phuket

Motorbike driver smashes through glass window after accelerator malfunctions

Published

12 hours ago

March 22, 2019

Kritsada Mueanhawong

Motorbike driver smashes through glass window after accelerator malfunctions | The Thaiger

A female motorbike driver has sustained injuries after her motorbike’s hand grip malfunctioned and she collided with a glass wall.

Chalong Police were notified of the incident at an air conditioning shop at 6pm yesterday on Chao Fa West Road in Chalong.

Police and emergency responders arrived and found the shattered glass wall and a damaged motorbike.

The injured 40 year old Naowarat Jankarn had already been taken to Chalong Hospital. She sustained injuries from cuts from the broken glass. polls of blood were found on the floor.

Ms Naowarat told police that she had parked her motorbike in front of the shop since Wednesday . The motorbike was underivable because the hand grip accelerator was malfunctioning.

Yesterday she started the motorbike, claiming she had forgotten about the broken accelerator.

Phuket

Police hunting for driver who threatened others with a gun on Phuket road – VIDEO

Published

14 hours ago

March 22, 2019

Kritsada Mueanhawong

Police hunting for driver who threatened others with a gun on Phuket road – VIDEO | The Thaiger

PHOTO: Tiw Tiw

The Thalang Police are hunting for the driver who was threatening other motorists on Thepkrasattri Road by waving a gun around out of the driver’s window of his red sedan in Thalang this morning.

A Facebook user ‘Tiw Tiw’ has posted the video with a message reading “where are the police, please follow him. The incident happened this morning in Thalang.”

The video shows a car switching from one lane to another. The driver shows a gun in his car window and then appears to throw it out (at least he used his indicator).

The Thalang Police are investigating the incident and want to find the car driver for questioning.

Phang Nga

Phuket’s hotel and property players look north

Published

16 hours ago

March 22, 2019

Bill Barnett

Phuket’s hotel and property players look north | The Thaiger

by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com

One of Greater Phuket’s real estate and hotel market’s that has a decided buzz of late is the area north of Phuket over the Sarasin bridge in Phang Nga.

In Natai Beach, the entry of the Baba Beach Club and nearby Akyra has created renewed visibility for the broad West Coast stretch of white sand beach, extending north beyond Phuket.

Two upscale hotels are in the development phase in the vicinity, with one being flagged to an international hotel operator.

Up at the 1,000 plus rai Thai Muang mega-project, movement is once again underway, as is a nearby massive Japanese-led mixed-use project including a golf course.

Land values are currently running amuck in the Koh Kloi area where the AOT (Airports of Thailand) has reportedly acquired land for an upcoming Phang Nga airport which will provide Phuket with a second gateway alternative.

Premium land transactions are taking place, with the most notable being the recent trade of the former oceanfront site in Bodan that was to be at various stages first a Raffles and later a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.

Looking at Phuket’s light-rail initiative, one knock-on effect will be the eventual linkage between the island and larger connection to a broader rail terminus in Koh Kloi. This will likely spur real estate speculators to acquire peripheral locations.

As Phang Nga’s West Coast four land highway expansion moves forward to Khao Lak and beyond, Phuket’s Northern neighbor is seeing a renewed push in its tourism, property and infrastructure.