No bird ‘flu on Phuket – official

PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Commercial Office has reassured consumers that no cases of avian ‘flu or diarrhea have been reported on Phuket – although huge numbers of chickens elsewhere in Asia have been affected. Archint Ongsakul, a commercial technician from the PPCO, told the Gazette today, “Phuket has no problem with this disease.” A watchdog group, the Consumer Force Association of Thailand, was quoted by media today as saying that as many as 50 million birds may have died in Thailand from an unspecified poultry disease. The government has denied the reports. K. Archint also said that Phuket prawns are free from the “red pox” – of an as-yet-undetermined origin – that has been affecting shrimp from farms in Phang Nga and neighboring provinces. The price of prawns from Thai farms has fallen dramatically in recent weeks to around 90 baht a kilo because of oversupply in the international market stemming from caps on import levels in both the EU and the US, combined with increased regional competition. Prime Minister Thaksin Shiniwatra was yesterday reported as saying that, for economic reasons, consumers should choose shrimp in preference to chicken for feasts over the Chinese New Year festival, which is from January 21 to 23.