Tourist Police boss appeals for help

PHUKET TOWN: The new Inspector of Phuket’s Tourist Police today appealed to the private sector for help in repairing the department’s two vans, eight cars and eight motorcycles. Pol Lt Col Chak Onnim – who moved to Phuket on August 23 from Chokchai Police Station in Bangkok, where he was in charge of investigations – explained that the hilly landscape in Phuket had taken its toll on the vehicles. “The government pays for vehicles to be repaired or replaced after a certain number of kilometers,” he told the Gazette. “But they don’t understand how hard the vehicles have to work here, because there are so many mountains.” He added that anyone donating money for repair of the vehicles could be sure that the money would be used solely for that purpose. “They can check the bills any time,” he said. In addition to Phuket, the 50 members of the Phuket Tourist Police look after Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Krabi, Trang and Phattalung provinces.