Phuket

Patong clean-up underway

Published

14 years ago

December 28, 2004

PATONG: Patong Municipality yesterday approved a 20-million-baht budget to begin clean-up operations following the devastation wrought by tsunami waves on Sunday.

Mayor Pian Keesin today told the Gazette that municipal officials were still searching for bodies, but that 100% of those who suffered injury had already been sent to hospitals.

He said workers and vehicles had been hired to clear debris along the beach road, and that it would take about a month “to restore the area to its original condition”.

“I have already reported all the damage to Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura. I think the central government should provide us with special budgets to fix roads and damaged utilities, such as the power supply system,” he said.

He said there was no still power along the beach road because the power poles were toppled by the waves – and it was too dangerous to run power though them with so many pedestrians in the area and the clean-up operation underway.

He said that after the clean-up, he would use the disaster as an opportunity to ensure that redevelopment took place in accordance with the Municipality’s new town planning scheme.

He also provided his own harrowing account of the disaster.

“I was standing in front of my resort, the Patong Bay Garden Resort, when I was suddenly washed away about 200 meters before. Finally I managed to cling to a tree. I saw things weighing as much as two tons lifted up and floating away past me,” he recounted.

“We tried moving hotel guests to at least 300 meters from the beach. There was great chaos on that day and I still don’t know how I managed to survive,” he said.

Mayor Pian explained that efforts to start the clean-up yesterday were undermined by workers’ fear of another tsunami hitting the beach resort.

“Yesterday we tried to clear up the beach road using street-sweeping lorries, but even after we offered 10,000 baht an hour to get people to operate them along the beach road, we couldn’t find anyone brave enough to take the offer,” he said.

Entertainment

And the winner of Miss Mom Phuket 2019 is…

Published

14 hours ago

June 19, 2019

The Thaiger

The annual beauty pageant run by Lifestyle in Thailand, Miss Mom Phuket 2019, officially celebrated its winner this year – K. Sangjan Modnok, the owner of Royal Thai Villas, who also won Miss Angel Lifestyle by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

The first runner-up title was bestowed upon K. Sakunya Suthaharuetai and the second runner-up went to K. Arista Chakchai, the owner of Baan Ping Yang. Two other distinctions were also given that evening. The first one, Miss Amazing Phuket, went to K. Chadarat Taodaeng, from Tiger Kingdom, and the second one, Miss Lifestyle in Thailand, also known as Miss Popular Vote, went to K. Nopparat Jommuang, the owner of Nopparat Elephant Trekking Camp in Kathu.

And the winner of Miss Mom Phuket 2019 is… | News by The Thaiger

The competition was held in the evening of June 15, 2019 at the Ramada Plaza Chaofa Phuket hotel and was chaired by K. Anchalee Wanich Thepabutr, the President of Woman Development Committee, who gave a speech at the opening of the event.

Miss Mom Phuket 2019 was attended by 17 beautiful, talented and successful mothers, aged 40 or more. This beauty pageant started in 2016 with the original name “Miss Grand Mom”, and aimed to recognise the beauty and savvy expertise of leading business women in Phuket and the neighboring provinces, tightening up relationships in the process while allowing them to show their potential and to join charity activities together.

The revenue from the contest, minus the incurred expenses, will be donated to charities across Phuket and the nearby provinces.

STORY BY: Phuketify

Phuket

Three injured in motorbike accident in Phuket Town

Published

14 hours ago

June 19, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTOS: Phuket Volunteer Rescue

Three people sustained injuries in a motorbike accident last night at Nimit Circle in Phuket Town, on the east of Phuket. The roundabout has eight lanes of traffic feeding into the same circle of traffic.

Emergency responders were notified of the accident at ‘Seahorse Circle’ at 9:05pm last night.

Phuket Volunteer rescue workers arrived to find two damaged motorbikes with three people injured. They were all taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital.

Police are continuing their investigation.

Business

Hot wheels head for Thailand’s south – ‘Fast and Furious 9’ cars arrive

Published

18 hours ago

June 19, 2019

The Thaiger

Cars for the filming of the 9th iteration of the Fast & Furious film franchise have arrived in Krabi (lots of pics below).

An auto parts supply firm in Krabi, with some inside knowledge of the production schedule for the new film, has posted photos of some of the vehicles that will likely be part of the filming when it starts next month.

The producers of ‘Fast & Furious 9’ are spending 340 million baht in the south, including Krabi, Phang Ngan and Phuket, using local crews as support.

Local Thai production manager, Piya Pestonji, met last week with Kitibadee Prawit, the Governor of Krabi, to discuss logistics with the Tourism Authority of Thailand Krabi Office boss, Apichai Aranyik.

The Krabi governor said at the time that ‘Fast and the Furious 9’ is hoped to be a “great advertisement for the nature, culture and history of the kingdom”.

Someone should sit the southern governor down and show him a few of the films which showcase illegal street racing, fast and dangerous driving action sequences and criminal activity being portrayed as ‘good guys’! But seeing the landscape of Krabi and Phang Nga floating past in some of the action will be well worth seeing.

Tony Jaa, the popular Thai action star, appeared in ‘Fast & Furious 7’ taking on Paul Walker.