Hundreds of Chinese tour buses are clogging the tiny streets around ‘old Kathu’ on the northern side of Phra Phuket Kaew Road every day to drop the tourists off at the Kathu Temple. The temple now has a full commercial operation offering religious amulets, some of them selling for 20,000 baht and more.

Tourists are guided around some of the temple’s displays and artefacts, and told stories about the displays, real or otherwise.

Spotlight Phuket, who went public with the story of police corruption in Patong last October, has described the commercial enterprise as a ‘scam’.

Speaking to two people involved in the daily operations of the tours on site, they admitted that the temple was working in conjunction with a Chinese tour company.

The tourists are being told that the amulets will ‘give them good luck’. We weren’t able to get any proof of these claims.

The temple’s commercial activities are another example of innocent Chinese tourists being dropped off at various activities, not included in their original agenda, where they are ‘encouraged’ to purchase over-priced, gems, latex (rubber products), herbs and herbal products, dried fruits and, in this case, religious amulets.

The issue of a Buddhist community temple being involved in questionable commercial activities is now being investigated by concerned local officials and police. A translator who works with one of the Chinese tour companies visiting the temple, says that the bus companies are being offered around 50% of the sales made to their tour groups as an incentive to bring the bus groups to the temple.

In the meantime the buses are causing traffic problems with the small streets of the adjacent village completely unsuited to the large buses meandering through the roads to get to the Kathu Temple.

The acting US ambassador has met with Phuket’s Vice Governor to discuss long-term tourism and environment issues whilst visiting the island.

Peter Haymond, the acting US Ambassador, met with Phuket’s Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung at the Phuket Provincial Hall today.

The Phuket PR Office reports that Vice Governor Prakob says, “The ambassador is interested in Phuket as it is an international tourist city where many Americans visit. More and more tourists are visiting Phuket every year. So how is Phuket being managed in relation to the environment and safety aspects.”

Chargé d’Affaires Haymond says, “We are thankful that Phuket has taken care of American tourist with good safety. More than one million American tourists are visiting Thailand every year at the moment and many come to Phuket.”

“The relationship between Thailand and America is now 200 years old. We have also cooperated with the Phuket Hotel Association in efforts to decrease the use of plastic on the island. Hotels in Phuket should use glass bottles instead of plastic bottles for long-term tourism and environment benefit.”

A fire has totally destroyed a wooden house and storage area in Wichit yesterday. The estimate value of damages is around 300,000 baht.

Wichit Police were notified of the fire in Soi Thep Anusorn in Wichit at 2pm yesterday.

Police and rescue workers, along with firefighters with two fire engines, arrived at the wooden house which was already well ablaze.

In front of the house was a storage room where wooden materials had been kept. This had also caught fire.

It took about half an hour to control the blaze. No injuries were reported.

49 year old Surin Tapyang, the owner of the house, told police that the house was 15 years old. His four Thai workers lived in the house.

“When the fire started there was no one in the house as they went out to work at a construction site.”

The value of damage is estimated about 300,000 baht. Police are now investigating the causes. At this stage police believe it could have been an electrical short cut.