News
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Pétanque players call it a draw
CHERNG TALAY: The winners of prizes in Phuket’s fourth international pétanque competition on Sunday (April 25) had to be decided by a draw after confusion over the points awarded in the final. Philippe Cablat, manager of the Black Cat restaurant where the tournament was held, was a little embarrassed. “I don’t want to tell you the names of the draw…
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Ministry boss gives progress the thumbs-up
PHUKET TOWN: A senior government official today gave Phuket his seal of approval for its progress in implementing projects funded by the central government. Khun Anand Tejavanija, Deputy Director-General of the Community Development Department of the Ministry of the Interior explained that he was visiting Phuket to check on progress in using the 2.15 million baht allocated by Bangkok for…
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Teams named for Phuket Rugby Sevens
PHUKET: The Thai Rugby Union has named 15 of the 16 teams that will compete in the Phuket Rugby Sevens on July 3 and 4 at Sapanhin Stadium. Negotiations to confirm the last of the 16 sides are continuing. Apart from Thailand, the sides already confirmed are: China, England, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Scotland, Singapore, Sri…
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Public meeting to discuss local elections
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Election Commission will hold a public meeting next Wednesday (April 28) to discuss local administration elections. Khun Kitipong Thienkunagrit, one of Phuket’s five Provincial Election Commissioners, said that the election commissioners and the legal advisory committee have completed a draft bill to cover the way local elections are to be handled. But since these elections…
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Commercial fishing limited in Andaman Sea
PHUKET: Fisheries Department Director-General Thamrong Prakobboon has announced temporary restrictions on commercial fishing in the Andaman Sea off the coasts of Krabi and Phang Nga provinces between April 15 and June 15. Among the restrictions imposed by the department is a ban on fishing using certain types of nets with holes smaller than 4.7 centimeters. The measures, which cover a…
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Wettest March in 30 years
PHUKET: Rainfall in Phuket in March and the first week of April this year was the heaviest in 30 years, a government meteorological officer told the Gazette today. Khun Amorn Chantanavivate, Director of the Weather Forecasting Sub-Division of the Southwestern Regional Meteorological Center, reports that Phuket had 132.7mm of rain in March and 31.7mm in the first week of April.…
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Big rise in claims by traffic victims
PHUKET: Claims for compensation from the Government’s Traffic Accident Victims Fund have shot up in 1999. The fund, which is run by the Phuket Insurance Office, paid out 111,097 baht to 12 claimants in the first three months of the year. This compares with 150,085 baht for the whole of 1997 and 122,732 baht in 1998. The fund pays victims…
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Snake strikes foreigner in the Similans
SIMILAN ISLANDS: Australian Anthony Lynam was airlifted from the Similan Islands to Phya Thai hospital earlier this week after being bitten on the foot by a deadly Pope’s pit viper. Lynam, 34, was on a diving trip with Santana Diving Co of Patong when he decided to take a look around the local forest. Because of storms and high seas…
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Holiday saved by honest cab driver
PHUKET: An American traveller has had his holiday saved by an honest taxi driver, Tourist Police report. They say that American Brian Favorite left his wallet in a Tour Royale taxi on the way from the airport to his hotel in Patong. Taxi driver Worawit Seesakukam, 27, found the wallet, containing US$2,800 and more than 500 baht, in the back…
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Business registrations up 30% over last year
PHUKET TOWN: New businesses registered in the first quarter of this year show an increase of 30 percent over the same period in 1998, indicating a surge of confidence in the island’s economy. Khun Virachai Tantiwattanawanlop, Head Administrator of the Phuket Commercial Registration Department, told the Gazette that in the first three months of 1999, 163 new firms registered with…
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18 Dead, 862 Hurt In Traffic Accidents
PHUKET TOWN: Eighteen people were killed in traffic accidents between February 20 and March 19, and a further 862 were injured, according to figures from Phuket’s three government hospitals – Wachira, Thalang and Patong. Motorcycle accidents were to blame for the vast majority of deaths and injuries. Of the 18 dead, 16 were on motorcycles, while 787 of those reported…
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Phuket On Guard Against Malaysian Virus
PHUKET: Health officials in Phuket are scrambling to devise a new strategy to ensure the pig-related virus that has killed dozens in Malaysia does not spread to the island. The authorities, along with Malaysian health officials, originally thought the outbreak was Japanese Encephalitis (JE), which is endemic in much of the Far East. But research by the US-based Centers for…
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Thai Airways To Hike Domestic Fares On April 1
PHUKET TOWN: The Gazette has learned that Thai Airways is to raise fares on all domestic routes by a whopping 13 percent with effect from April 1. This is despite the fact that the national inflation rate in 1998 was eight percent, and that it is projected to fall to around two percent this year. A source at the airline…
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Yacht Burns And Sinks. Four Missing, Feared Dead
AO CHALONG: Four people are missing and feared dead after a fire erupted aboard a yacht anchored in Phuket’s Chalong Bay in the early hours of March 25. Phuket Marine Police said the fire broke out just before 1 am aboard the 160-foot motor yacht, which they named as the Catarina. Vessels from the Phuket Marine Police, Harbour Region 5…
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Jennings Murder Trial Resumes
PHUKET TOWN: The court trying two people accused in connection with the murder of Patong-based British publican Roger Jennings reopened on March 24 to hear evidence from two witnesses. Jennings (56), was found stabbed to death at his home in Patong Hill Estate, a residential development between Le Meridien Phuket and Patong, on December 15, 1997. On trial before Phuket…
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Home Buyers Warned To Check Structure Carefully
PHUKET TOWN: A Public Works officer has warned would-be buyers of townhouses that they must be sure the structure of the building is safe before they buy. Khun Nakonthon Kittisittho, chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Works Office, issued the warning following the collapse of a row of townhouses in Bangkok earlier this month. “My advice to would-be home buyers…
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Floating Medics Go Back To Sea
PHUKET TOWN: The floating medics of the south are back at work again after a two-month break for their vessel, the Andaman, to undergo a thorough overhaul following nearly five years at sea. Their first job on the refurbished vessel was to help tourists and athletes involved in the 3rd Thailand International Canoe Races at Krabi earlier this month. Dr…
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South Koreans Top 1998 Arrests League Table
PHUKET: South Koreans headed the list of foreigners arrested last year, according to figures provided the Gazette by Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters yesterday. Of the 38 foreigners arrested in 1998, 15 were Koreans, followed by Germans (six), British (four), Filipinos and Burmese (three each) and Frenchmen and Swedes (two apiece). Arrests for working illegally topped the league, with 22 offenders…
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Big “Yes” Vote For Duty Free Port
PHUKET TOWN: More than two thirds of the 636 participants in the Gazette Poll which closed at noon yesterday believe that ‘Duty Free’ port status would be good for Phuket. The overall vote was 67.4 percent in favour, with 15.5 percent against and 17.1 percent “Not sure”. Most in favour were tourists and visitors to Phuket, 71 percent of whom…
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190 Illegals Nabbed
PATONG BEACH: Immigration, Marine Police and Tourist Police officers rounded up 190 illegal aliens last week. Of the 190, 164 were from Burma and 26 from Cambodia. Pol Gen Sant Sarutanond, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, said most of the illegals were arrested in Patong. Tourists want to relax, he said, but the illegal beggars, particularly the children,…
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Fish Loved El Niño
PHUKET: The weather phenomenon known as El Niño may have brought floods, drought and other forms of misery to many people around the world, but not to fishing vessels in the Indian Ocean – they benefited from it with bumper catches. It seems that with the appearance of El Niño last year, fish from all over the world decided to…
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Marital Bliss Imperiled In Paradise
PHUKET: If you want a marriage that’s going to last, don’t marry in Phuket, and definitely don’t marry someone from either the hotel or entertainment industry – it could all end in tears. That, at least appears to be the message from Phuket’s latest marriage and divorce statistics. It seems that couples getting hitched in Phuket are more likely to…
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Opinion Closely Split On Legalized Gambling
PHUKET: Readers of the Phuket Gazette are split right down the middle on the question of whether legal gambling and casinos would be a favorable development for Phuket. A record 955 voters participated in the newspaper’s poll which closed at noon today. It posed the question: “Would you like to see legalized gambling and the opening of casinos in Phuket?”…
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Two Tourists Drown In Separate Incidents
NAIHARN/PATONG: A 50-year-old German man and a 75-year-old Swiss woman, both tourists, drowned in separate incidents last week. On February 27, the German tourist, Arno Krain, drowned at Naiharn Beach. His body was found on the sand by police in a patrol car. The following day, acting on an anonymous tip-off, police recovered the body of Mrs Rosa Marie Spanibrusin…
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Anti-rabies Campaign Ready For Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: As part of Thailand’s annual drive to eliminate rabies, the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office is offering free vaccinations for the island’s dogs. Announcing details of this year’s campaign, the Chief of the Office, Niphat Roungruang, said he expects to vaccinate about 8,500 of Phuket’s estimated 11,000 dogs by the end of this month. Dog owners may also ask…
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Boom Year For Local Pawn Shop
PHUKET TOWN: The economic crisis fueled an increase in the number of loans against valuables at the Phuket Municipal Pawn Shop last year, according to Manager Phuwadon Chin-nupathum The number of customers seeking loans increased by nearly 2,000 in 1998, compared with 1997, while the total amount of money lent rose from 170,292,530 baht in 1997 to 190,659,300 baht last…
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Photo Contest Focuses On “Essence Of Thailand’
PHUKET: Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts (Thailand), in conjunction with the Bangkok Post and Canon Marketing (Thailand) Co Ltd, have organized a nationwide competition for professional photographers and aspiring amateurs. An array of generous prizes, including roundtrip tickets to Paris on Air France with five nights accommodation in a Le Meridien Hotel, are being offered to encourage photographers to capture…
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Witnesses Fail To Appear In Tong Murder Trial
PHUKET TOWN: A court session scheduled to have taken place this morning was postponed when all five prosecution witnesses slated to testify in the Danis Wayne Tong murder trial failed to appear. The witnesses, Meen Klasuk, Arthit Chiyaiya, Wittaya Taweewongsap, Prasarn Lohajareekul and Ramon Alphibare [name transliterated by the prosecution], will now be subpoenaed to appear May 4-5, according to…
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Mapping Out Coral For Tourism
SATUN: The Royal Thai Navy has lent its support to an environmental marine survey off Ko Tarutao, Ko Adang, Ko Rawi and Ko Lipe in Satun province as part of the Chulabhorn 39 Project. Rear Admiral Suraphon Chandaeng, Chief of Staff of the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet, has told Rear Admiral Chavalit Isarangkul, the Director of the Chulabhorn 39…
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Laguna Resorts & Hotels Announces Record Results
BANGKOK: Laguna Resorts & Hotels, Thailand’s second largest public hotel company, which owns Laguna Phuket, announced a record year in 1998 against the background of the regional economic crisis. Revenues climbed to Baht 2.3 billion, up from last year’s 1.6 billion, an increase of 47%. This was largely due to increased revenues at the Laguna Phuket hotels, (Banyan Tree Phuket,…
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