Phuket

Phuket business community pleads for stability

Published

10 years ago

December 9, 2008

Phuket business community pleads for stability | The Thaiger

PHUKET: With it still unclear whether the Democrat Party or the Pheu Thai Party will form the next Thai government, top figures in the Phuket tourism and real estate sectors say a return to stability is the key to restoring the local economy.

Tanan Tanphaibul, President of the Phuket Real Estate Club, says the Phuket business community is calling for a government that can restore economic and political stability. Businesses agree that the real estate and tourism sectors on the island have suffered from the double impact of a declining economy and the cancellation of visits to Thailand, particularly by foreign tourists.

The plummeting visitor numbers following the turbulent economic and political situation, coupled with the recent seizures of Bangkok’s airports, has adversely impacted the island’s tourism industry and that, in turn, affected the local real-estate business, he said.

Unlike other provinces, the real-estate business in Phuket relies very heavily on the tourism sector, he noted.

The new government must be able to restore investor confidence and tackle the ongoing political conflict, he added.

Bhuritt Maswongsa, Vice President of the Phuket Tourist Association, says the number of tourists visiting the island has dropped by 50% due to the political turmoil and the recent airport closures. Many tourists have canceled bookings due to concerns about their security, he says.

Regarding the formation of a new government, Mr Bhuritt says he needs to see stability, which could restore confidence among tourists and investors, as well as Thais, and bring unity to the country.

The association’s members have discussed the measures they would propose to the government to solve the problems facing the island, including a request for soft loans to improve Phuket’s economy and a project for restore the island’s image as a tourist destination.

Phuket

Immigration police interview Phuket’s ‘seasteader’

Published

12 hours ago

April 19, 2019

The Thaiger & The Nation

Immigration police interview Phuket’s ‘seasteader’ | The Thaiger

Immigration police says they’ve have questioned the American bitcoin investor who was involved in the setting up of the “seasteading” structure off the coast of Phuket and is facing criminal charges related to the waterborne homestead.

Chad Andrew Elwartowski and his Thai girlfriend, Suprenee Thepdet (aka Nadia Summergirl), launched their seastead project on February 2 off the coast of Phuket along with the company ‘Ocean Builders’.

The structure is located to the south east of Koh Racha Yai, approximately 22 kilometres from the mainland. The Royal Thai Navy and Phuket Maritime personnel boarded the structure last Sunday insisting it violates the law and poses a navigational hazard.

Elwartowski posted on his Facebook on Tuesday that he and his partner were in hiding and feared for their lives, as they were being hunted down by the authorities. He later deleted the post.

On Wednesday, Immigration police revoked his visa and put him on a blacklist following the legal suit.

Meanwhile the The US Embassy in Bangkok says they’re providing consular assistance to Mr Elwartowski who is accused of violating Thailand’s sovereignty by building the structure off the coast of Phuket.

“The Embassy is providing all appropriate assistance and understands Elwartowski has engaged an attorney,” according to Robert Post, the US Embassy Public Affairs Officer.

Meanwhile, Phuket deputy governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai was preparing information to present to the embassy if it required a further explanation.

While Elwartowski has claimed that his waterborne homestead (seastead) is outside Thailand’s maritime boundaries, Thai authorities have insisted that its existence violated Article 119 of the Criminal Code because Thailand’s territorial rights were disturbed.

“The harm was done because they had sent an invitation seeking people to set up [additional] structures and so far 14 people [have shown an] interest to join,” he explained.

Immigration police interview Phuket's 'seasteader' | News by The Thaiger

Phuket

Prawit instructs the Royal Thai Navy to take action against the Seastead

Published

14 hours ago

April 19, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTO: Chad Elwartowski and Nadia ‘Summergirl’ – in the centre of a Seastead storm

Deputy PM, and Defence Minister, Prawit Wongsuwan has ordered the Royal Thai Navy and security agencies to take action against the planned seasteading settlement on the Andaman Sea off Phuket “in accordance with international standards of practice and to ensure the protection of Thai natural resources.”

American Chad Andrew Elwartowski and his Thai wife, Nadia ‘Summergirl’, had, along with ‘Ocean Builders’ erected a ‘seastead’ as part of his ambitious plan to build a sovereign seasteading settlement on the high seas about 22.2 km south- east from Phuket’s Racha Island.

Thai authorities, however, say the structure will block a shipping lane and deemed the project a “threat to national security”, prompting the Thai Immigration Bureau to revoke the non-immigrant visa of the Detroit resident and add his name to a blacklist as police search for the couple.

Defence Ministry spokesman Lt-Gen Kongcheep Tantravanich says that General Prawit, in his capacity as Defence Minister, will consult the law to determine whether the sovereign seasteading community, planned by the Ocean Builders Company, constitutes a violation of Thai law regarding natural resources protection because the project is located in Thailand’s exclusive economic zone.

Thai PBS has incorrectly named the man’s nationality as French. Mr Elwartowski is American.

More information about the Seastead project and ‘Ocean Builders’ HERE.

Prawit instructs the Royal Thai Navy to take action against the Seastead | News by The Thaiger

Phuket

Give your stretch marks a makeover – the tattoo solution

Published

14 hours ago

April 19, 2019

The Thaiger

Stretch marks, we’ve all seen them and many of us have a few. Both men and women can be affected. But Inked In Asia has a possible solution.

Stretch marks are a natural indication that your body is growing and changing. It can be said that it’s your body’s way of ‘celebrating’ your growth – many would disagree.

They are part of many people’s lives so why not turn them into works of art with a stretch mark tattoo. Stretch marks are nothing to be ashamed of so let’s give them a tattoo make-over.

When elastin fibers and collagen tear during weight gain, pregnancy or even puberty, the skin’s color and texture is damaged forever. Stretch marks can fade from when they first appear, but they might leave behind mildly indented streaks that won’t return to the original smooth skin.

Some treatments and creams can help by improving the colour of the stretch marks or promoting collagen growth, but there is no true way to get rid of these unsightly blemishes. Trying to get damaged skin to fill out and return to its original colour is very difficult, even for the best dermatologist.

A new trend is the covering up stretch marks with tattoos. Now a normal ‘cover up tattoo’ consists of going over an existing tattoo with new ink, adding or completely changing the original tattoo.

But there’s another solution to those that want a more subtle approach which can be used to disguise some stretch marks.

The technique of matching the skins natural tone by mixing tattoo ink, is more of an art than a scientific process. People’s skin has a dynamic range of colours from reds, yellows, browns and greys and getting the exact tone needs expert evaluation and technique. The tattooing then begins, hiding and disguising stretch marks and giving confidence back to clients.

Click HERE to contact Inked In Asia’s Tattoo Studio to arrange a FREE consultation appointment and discuss your stretch mark tattoo make-over.

Give your stretch marks a makeover - the tattoo solution | News by The Thaiger