Phuket

Princess to attend prayers at Big Buddha site

Published

13 years ago

January 27, 2006

Princess to attend prayers at Big Buddha site | The Thaiger

PHUKET: HRH Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya will attend a prayer ceremony at the Mingmongkol Buddha project site, in the Nakkerd Hills between Karon and Chalong, at 5 pm on February 11.

Suporn Vanichkul, President of the Mingmongkol Faith 45 project committee that is raising funds for the project, told the Gazette that work on the group’s mammoth Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri Buddha image is still two years from completion.

When finished, the 30-million-baht reinforced-concrete colossus will be 45 meters high and 25 meters across at the base. Apart from its philosophical significance, it is expected to become an icon for Phuket and a major tourist attraction, bringing thousands of people a day to a 49-rai area that was, until a few years ago, virgin forest.

Already under construction, the gold-painted image will be in the Maravichai style and will face eastward, overlooking the sea. Workers are now constructing the concrete base that will support the statue and which will be adorned with 40 images of lotus petals.

The focal point of devotion during the Princess’s visit will be a smaller, 12-meter-high Buddha image, also in the Maravichai style, which has already been completed. It was cast from 22 tons of brass at a cost of 8.8 million baht.

The Mingmongkol Faith 45 project committee is funding the entire project through a campaign to solicit donations using the slogan “Enhance your merit value in your mind”.

The group set up collection boxes at shopping malls on the island and now has its own website in both Thai and English to help raise more funds (see here).

K. Suporn told the Gazette that trees have been planted around the site to prevent erosion, and that the project is within the terms agreed upon with the Forestry Department when it was given the go-ahead to continue last year.

Work was ordered stopped in 2003 after construction was deemed to have exceeded the original scope, and for also violating the ban on the construction of permanent structures higher than 80 meters above sea level. (See earlier story here)

Phuket

Phuket declares rabies outbreak zone in Chalong

Published

3 hours ago

January 18, 2019

The Thaiger

A district livestock development office in Phuket province has announced a Rabies outbreak zone in the Chalong area yesterday.

Sutat Niyomthai, Chief of livestock development officer of Mueang Phuket District, has announced that the Baan Na Yai, Moo 4 village in Tambon Chalong is a designated outbreak zone after a dog tested positive for Rabies.

A rabies temporary control zone will run from January 17 to February 16 in a radius around the Moo 4 village in Tambon Chalong:

• North to Baan Ketho in Moo 7, Kathu.

• South: to Baan Bang Kontee in Moo 5, Rawai.

• East: To Baan Borea in Moo 6, Wichit.

• West: To Karon Temple in Moo 1, Karon.

Phuket

Chumphon woman, working in Phuket, wins first prize in lottery

Published

4 hours ago

January 18, 2019

Kritsada Mueanhawong

Chumphon woman, working in Phuket, wins first prize in lottery | The Thaiger

A woman from Chumphon, who helps out her sister in Phuket, returned to her hometown last week where she bought a lottery ticket.

The ticket won her the first prize in the lottery.

38 year old Thai woman Chonrada Laimer from Chumphon went to Chalong Police Station yesterday with the first prize lottery ticket number 197079. The weekly lottery numbers were announced yesterday. She claims 6 million baht as the first prize.

Khun Chonrada says, “I am from Chumphon. I help my sister to sell goods in Rawai during high season. I had to visit my home in Chumphon last week and bought the lottery ticket there. It is the number of my car number plate. Then I returned to Phuket.”

“I am very happy. I will use this money to fix my parent’s house. I will still help my sister to sell goods.”

Phuket

Australian woman deported for overstaying visa by over 100 days

Published

22 hours ago

January 17, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTOS: Facebook/Claire Johnson

An Australian woman, who was caught overstaying her visa by 111 days, will be released from detention and deported by Thai authorities tonight.

She came to the media’s attention on Monday after sending urgent messages to a friend saying that she was being taken to a detention centre and that “they are taking my phone”.

46 year old Claire Amelia Johnson is an Australian Gold Coast resident. She will depart Bangkok on a QANTAS flight scheduled to arrive in Sydney tomorrow (Friday) morning.

She was due to return to Australia more than a week ago but on Monday evening sent messages to her friend Juliet Potter and told her that she was in an immigration detention centre in Bangkok and begged her to please “help me”.

Read The Thaiger story about her desperate pleas HERE.

Ms Johnson had been running a medical tourism business called Cosmetic Holidays International that offered cosmetic packages in Phuket”.

The business was voluntarily deregistered with the Australian Securities Commission in May 2017, after five years of operation, but her social media accounts continued to promote her cosmetic-surgery tourism business.

Thailand’s immigration chief, Surachate Hakparn, told Australia’s Fairfax media that Ms Johnson had been arrested, as well as fined, and would be deported after overstaying her tourist visa by more than 100 days.

“My Immigration Department will send her to Australia. She leaves tonight.”

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would say only that it was “providing consular assistance to an Australian woman detained in Thailand”, without naming Claire.