Phuket

Safety regulations reviewed after fatal Phi Phi boat collision

Published

3 years ago

June 14, 2016

Safety regulations reviewed after fatal Phi Phi boat collision | The Thaiger

PHUKET: Officials from the Phuket Marine Office (PMO) told the Phuket Gazette that the investigation into a fatal speedboat collision in Phang Nga Bay on June 8 (story here), may result in additional regulations for speedboat operators.

Tanthai Wongsayree, an officer with the PMO, said that staff are in the process of reviewing the causes of the boat collision, which injured more than 20 tourists and killed two Chinese nationals. Mr Tanthai said officials were brainstorming additional regulations that may prevent such an incident happening again.

“As of right now, the legal process lies with Phang Nga officials, because it happened in Phang Nga Bay,” Mr Tanthai said. “They are of course communicating with us during their investigations, as this incident will undoubtedly affect Phuket’s image.”

Mr Tanthai said the PMO plans to expand its operational capacity as a result of the investigations.

“We already have the Phuket Yacht Control Center (PYCC) at Chalong Pier to manage boat traffic. So, we are going to broaden the PYCC’s potential to accommodate tourists in a far-ranging area, and increase our incident-response capacity.”

Mr Tanthai said the PMO’s expanded operations will be coupled with additional regulations for boats leaving Phuket.

“We plan to put forward regulations mandating that every tourist boat have a radio to contact nearby boats or piers. This is better than only having contact with the PYCC, because it will allow operators to coordinate disaster response at sea more immediately.” he said.

Phuket Marine Chief Surachai Burapanontachai is also advising the PMO’s regulatory inquiry.

“The speed of the boats should be the boat drivers priority, especially with unclear visibility during rainstorms,” Chief Surachai said. “Operators should know that they must reduce their speed to lower the impact load during a collision. They should also steer clear of other boats.”

— Sukawin Tanthavanich

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Crime

British tourist killed at Phuket resort, Norwegian charged

Published

17 hours ago

August 23, 2019

May Taylor

British tourist killed at Phuket resort, Norwegian charged | The Thaiger

PHOTO: Tourist Assistance Centre

A late night fight that broke out at a Karon resort has ended in a Norwegian man killing a British tourist.

The fight started at 4.00am, when British national Amitpal Singh Bajaj, who was on holiday with his Singaporean wife and two young children, confronted Roger Bullman over the amount of noise coming from his room.

Mr Bullman was drunk, and security had already visited his room twice to ask him to keep the noise down. When Mr Bajaj confronted him, he stabbed Mr Bullman in the shoulder with a steak knife.

Mr Bullman, trained in martial arts, then got the British man in a choke hold and maintained his grip on him. He says he did not mean to kill him, and did not think he had.

He has been charged and released on bail by the Phuket Provincial Court. He must now remain in Thailand until the court hearing.

British consular officials are assisting Mr Bajaj’s family in the wake of the tragedy.

SOURCE: ThaiVisa and The Phuket News

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Environment

The second baby dugong ‘Yamil’ dies in Phuket

Published

19 hours ago

August 23, 2019

The Thaiger

The second young dugong, being cared for by vets at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, has died.

Yamil, the baby dugong stranded on a Krabi beach on July 1, died of “shock and cardiac arrest” last night (Thursday) after suffering indigestion and gastroparesis.

The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources report that Yamil was sent from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre to Vachira Hospital last evening for an endoscopy to observe its gastrointestinal tract, which was found to be full of sea grass – a dugong’s normal food.

“But the sea grass had obstructed Yamil’s gut, causing its digestive system to stop functioning. This resulted in a buildup of gas in the digestive system, leading to the rupture of blood vessels and infection.”

Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari named the dugong ‘Yamil’ when he was moved from Krabi to Phuket for treatment and rehabilitation by marine vets. The animal was originally rescued by villagers from a Krabi beach where it washed up. His care has been sponsored by the Princess. Yamil, in the Yawi dialect, means “handsome young man of the sea”.

Last Friday night, baby dugong ‘Mariam’ died of shock while being treated in protected area near Koh Libong in Trang province. Vets later found several pieces of plastic in its stomach.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World

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Business

Official complaint filed with the DSI over The Peaks Residences Condominium in Phuket

Published

1 day ago

August 22, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTO: Inspections at the property in March this year – Kritsada Mueanhawong

Bangkok MP Sira Jenjaka has gone ahead and filed a long list of formal complaints over The Peaks Residences Condominium project being built in the hills above Kata Noi in Phuket.

The Palang Pracharat MP has also claimed to have had death threats made against him over his investigations and accusations over the condo’s land titles and ownership in recent weeks.

The MP filed an official complaint with the Department of Special Investigation chief in Bangkok this morning.

The complaint alleges that the Karon Mayor Tawee Thongcham and the municipality “neglected their duties” by issuing permits to Kata Beach Co Ltd, the developer of the The Peaks Residences Condominium.

In February this year the Karon OrBorTor issued a construction permit for the project but in April municipal officials also sent a letter acknowledging the ongoing legal proceedings over the legitimacy of the land title, the NorSor 3 Kor Number 1863.

The complaint alleges that the project is being built on land with a NorSor 3 Kor No. 1863 land title. The complainants allege that the legal land document would have had to have been presented to obtain building permits and construction to proceed. But they claim that, as the NorSor 3 Kor for that land was under consideration by the Administrative Court, a legal building permit could not be issued.

In August 2017, the Regional Administrative Court ruled that the NorSor 3 Kor No. 1863 land title was invalid. Furthermore it determined that the land was “protected forest land”.

The DSI formally received the complaint documents this morning.

Meanwhile, the developer of The Peaks Residences Condominium, Manassanan Nararattanawee, the CEO of Kata Beach Co Ltd, maintains that the project’s paperwork is all “proper’ and that “everything is under the law”.

“Our company has already suspended construction to wait for the judgment of the Supreme Administrative Court.”

Officials from the Internal Security Operations Command inspected the property in March this year as the owners promised to ‘slow down’ construction. Read that story HERE.

Official complaint filed with the DSI over The Peaks Residences Condominium in Phuket | News by The Thaiger