Two seized boats sold at auction

PHUKET TOWN: Two confiscated yachts were sold at auction this morning at the Phuket Customs Region 5 office. Niwat Triemsantipap, the assistant general manager of the Maiton Resort, bid 720,000 baht to acquire the nine-meter speedboat “Seafarer” for the resort, while another resort, Moonlight Bay on Koh Lanta, bought the 9.8-meter Hatteras motor cruiser, “Old Crow”, for 619,000 baht. K. Niwat said after the auction, “The boat is still in good condition – we need to repair a few things, but I’m satisfied with the price. We plan to use it for transporting guests.” Porpunja Purintarapiban, the managing director of the Moonlight Bay Resort, told the Gazette that he, too, plans to use his new acquisition for transporting guests. “In fact, I really wanted ‘Seafarer’, because it looks smarter, but I’m happy with the price. It’s better than buying a new one and this quality of boat is not made in Thailand.” A third boat, the sailing yacht “Bin Cha Cha”, which failed to sell at an auction in August, failed again today to reach the reserve price, and remains unsold. Satien Kamkubkij, the Customs Officer in charge of the auction, declared the event a great success because it attracted five bidders, whereas the previous auction drew only two bidders, neither of whom was prepared to pay more than the reserve prices.