News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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US pledges support for tsunami warning system
PHUKET: Gen Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, today pledged US support for the development of a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean.Speaking at Phuket Provincial Hall this afternoon, Gen Powell said, “Tsunamis of the kind we saw [on December 26] are not that common in this part of the world, so perhaps enough attention hasn’t been given…
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Embassy staff contact numbers
PHUKET: Following is a list of embassy staff from 41 countries responsible for looking after their nationals in the aftermath of the tsunami in the six Andaman coast provinces of Thailand:Australia:Robin Hamilton: 01-8165709Ms Sudamani: 01-8366131Austria:Edwin Ferner: 01-8145965Belgium:Ronny Elaut: 01-8339986Canada:Diego Tremblay: 01-8438275Sukanya Racharit: 01-8352690China:Pan Guangxie: 01-6555884Mo Yaohing: 01-8214771Hua Jinzhou: 01-9903858Li Tuzong: 09-8766052Denmark:Ulrik Helwek-Jarsen: 01-8558159France:Michel Frebourg: 09-8101084Finland:Heikki Tuunanen, Jussi Koskela, Khaikhae Louwithawas:…
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Early warning center “by end of January’
PHUKET: A disaster warning center aimed at reducing the death and injury rate in any future tsunami may be established as early as the end of this month, the Gazette has learned.Smith Dharmasaroja, newly assigned to the office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for examining what can be learned from the events of December 26, told a press conference…
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Delivery of relief items to Takua Pa
PHUKET: The organizers of a relief delivery to Khao Lak (story here) have announced that they will also be pleased to deliver items for Takua Pa (story here) on behalf of those unable to make delivery themselves. Items for Khao Lak (crockery, cutlery, camping gas stoves and non-electric rice cookers) and items for Takua Pa (baby formula, baby bottles, toys, children’s shoes,…
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TAT pushing hard to help recovery
PHUKET CITY: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Juthamas Siriwan said today that any delay in recovering from the December 26 tsunami will cost the country 10 billion baht a month in lost tourism revenue.As a result, she said, “We are in a hurry to let people abroad know that [any danger from] the tsunami has already passed, and many…
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Khao Lak needs cooking implements
KHAO LAK: Volunteers gathering relief for survivors in the devastated area around Khao Lak have appealed for items urgently needed there. These include: Cooking Utensils – Pots and pans, woks, plates, bowls, mugs, forks and spoons; Cooking Oil; Simple gas stoves (like those used for camping); Simple rice cookers (non electric). A collection point for such items has been set…
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Relief items needed urgently in Takua Pa
TAKUA PA: The Gazette has received an urgent plea from volunteers working with tsunami survivors at the Takua Pa District office for the following: Milk powder for babies; Milk bottles for babies; Toys to occupy children; Children’s shoes, e.g. flip-flops; Mosquito nets; and Sarongs. Anyone who can purchase some of these items and deliver them to Takua Pa District Office will be…
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Account details for relief donations
PHUKET: The following are account details for those wishing to make monetary donations to help victims of the tsunami disaster in Phuket and surrounding areas. – Rotary Club of Patong: Siam Commercial Bank Public Ltd, Chao Fa Branch (Phuket); Account number: 633-2-49365-8; Account name: Rotary Club of Patong Beach (Tsunami Relief Fund); Swift Code: SICOTHBK; Telex number: 20455 SIAMFX TH…
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Advice on handling emotional aftermath
PHUKET: Carole Marco, a volunteer helping at the emergency center at Phuket Provincial Hall has sent the Gazette a series of advisory documents on handling emotional issues following a crisis. These documents are downloadable in .pdf format from the links below. Thai translations are being made and will be uploaded here, also as .pdf files, when they are ready. Please check…
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DNA centers set up to help identify victims
PHUKET: The Scientific Crime Detection Division (SCDD) of the Royal Thai Police has set up three centers in Phuket and one in Krabi to facilitate the collection of DNA samples from relatives of missing people in an effort to identify the victims of the tsunami. Wachira Phuket Hospital and Patong Hospital, and Phuket City Hall are the island’s sampling centers,…
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Central website on tsunami victims launched
PHUKET: Worried relatives and friends of people living in or visiting provinces stricken by Sunday’s tsunami now have a central point for information on victims here. The Official Thai Tsunami Information Center website, set up by the Royal Thai Police, has Thai, English, Japanese, Chinese, French, German and Spanish versions and contains long lists of people injured, killed or missing…
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13 looters arrested in Patong
PATONG: Police have arrested 13 people for looting damaged businesses in the Patong area.Pol Col Teeraphol Thipjaroen, the Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that since December 26 his officers had arrested nine Thais and four Burmese for looting.“In accordance with the law, people engaged in theft at a time of crisis like this are subject to severe…
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HM: Harmony and compassion will save the Kingdom
Though expressing grave concern about the natural disaster in the South, His Majesty the King last night singled out the good that has come from the incident: that Thais have once again demonstrated the unique harmony and compassion that has preserved the Kingdom for centuries.In his televised New Year speech, the King began by saying that in 2004 Thailand had witnessed many…
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Unidentified victims “will not be cremated’
PHUKET: Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula today stressed that the bodies of foreign victims of last Sunday’s tsunami will not be cremated or buried before they can be identified.His statement contradicted an earlier one by Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura that burials would begin at a site in Mai Khao today.Speaking at a press conference at the emergency center at Phuket Provincial…
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Huge progress made in Patong cleanup
PATONG: Just five days after the tsunami hit Patong Beach, astonishing progress has been made with the clean-up of the resort town.Tourists are back in the water or strolling along the sand, though the view is very different from the clutter that existed before the wave hit. With no beach chairs or umbrellas, one can now look along the entire…
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B20m support for beleaguered tourists
PHUKET: The Government has given the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) permission to spend 20 million baht on supporting tourists in the six provinces affected by the tsunami.Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop said during a visit to the emergency centre at Phuket Provincial Hall that the TAT would receive 20 million baht of the 260 million baht Thailand has already…
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Phang Nga death toll soars
PHUKET: As rescue workers in Khao Lak continue the gruesome task of recovering the bodies of those killed in the December 26 tsunami disaster, the death toll from Phang Nga rose overnight to a staggering 3,689 corpses – more than double the figure reported at 4:30 yesterday afternoon.The figures were released at 8 am today by the emergency center at…
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Appeal for forensic experts, body bags
KHAO LAK: A volunteer helping to collect and wrap bodies in this epicenter of the tsunami tragedy issued an urgent appeal this morning for forensic experts to come to the shattered resort to help set up some system for identifying the dead.John Dalley, originally from Leeds, England, but now a resident of Phuket, told the Gazette, “There are lots of…
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Grim toll still rising
PHUKET: Official figures released by the emergency center at Phuket Provincial Hall at 4.30 this afternoon show the number of dead in Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi, the three provinces worst hit by the tsunami, has climbed to 2,232 .In Phuket the number of dead has risen to 282 (149 Thai, 108 foreigners and 25 of unknown nationality). No new…
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More help for tsunami victims
Support for those affected by Sunday’s tsunami disaster continues to increase.Private tour companies are offering free minibus services to return tourists from the Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor) and nearby offices to their hotels or to Phuket International Airport.Bangkok Phuket Hospital is screening patients and is, with the help of Bangkok Airways, airlifting serious cases to Bangkok free of charge, marketing…
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First emergency funds arrive
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Vice Governor Winai Buapradit said today that the Phuket government has received an initial 10 million baht from the government to deal with damage cause by Sunday’s tsunami wave.He said Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula would remain in the province and continue to coordinate humanitarian relief and clean-up efforts, as well as the ongoing search for victims.He added…
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Foreign rescue teams arrive
PHUKET: Teams of foreign rescue workers have been arriving in Phuket to assist in rescue and recovery operations in Khao Lak following Sunday’s disaster. Last night a team of some 35 Taiwanese arrived at Phuket Provincial Hall. Other rescue teams arriving include a unit from Germany and a volunteer squad from the United States.They were followed this morning by French…
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Dead to be buried in Mai Khao
PHUKET: Phuket is preparing a 10-rai plot of land at the Sea Gypsy cemetery in Tambon Mai Khao to bury victims of Sunday’s tsunami waves. Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura said after a meeting with local officials at Phuket Provincial Hall today that the dead will be kept until then in four 40-foot cold-storage containers.Officials will begin moving the bodies to…
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1,536 died in tidal waves
PHUKET: Figures released this morning by the emergency center at Phuket Provincial Hall list 1,536 people dead, 8,953 injured and 4,073 missing in the six southern provinces affected by Sunday’s tsunami waves.Among the dead are 187 foreigners, 1,175 Thais and 174 people whose nationalities remain unknown.The breakdown of the figures is as follows:Phuket: 233 dead; 1,268 injured; 1,580 reported missing.(Deaths:…
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Translators needed
PHUKET: Both the Provincial Government and the island’s Tourist Police have appealed for volunteers to help with translation between Thai and English or other languages.Volunteers should go to the Provincial Hall on Narisorn Rd, Phuket City, or to the Tourist Police headquarters on the east side of the bypass road (on the right heading toward the airport), in the row…
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Phang Nga death toll 1,000 and climbing
PHANG NGA: The bodies of over 1,000 victims of the Boxing Day tsunami have already been recovered in Phang Nga and the number is expected to rise as rescue teams continue their search. Phang Nga Governor Anuwat Metheeviboonwut announced the figure during an interview on Thai television this morning, adding that rescue workers would try to complete their searches of…
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Free flight for Australians, New Zealanders
PHUKET: Australian airline Qantas will provide free seats for stranded nationals of Australia and New Zealand this evening, taking off at 6:45 pm.Those wishing to be on the flight should go direct to the airport and contact the airline’s representatives. For further information, contact Australian embassy personnel in Phuket at 076-370672.
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Donations urgently needed
PHUKET: As the island continues its recovery from the tsunami that hit the island on Sunday morning, many hospitals and other organizations are calling for donations to assist victims. Hospitals: clothes, shoes, counseling: Wachira Phuket Hospital and other hospitals say there is an urgent need for shoes, shorts and T-shirts, especially in sizes large enough for foreigners. Shoes are the…
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Patong clean-up underway
PATONG: Patong Municipality yesterday approved a 20-million-baht budget to begin clean-up operations following the devastation wrought by tsunami waves on Sunday.Mayor Pian Keesin today told the Gazette that municipal officials were still searching for bodies, but that 100% of those who suffered injury had already been sent to hospitals.He said workers and vehicles had been hired to clear debris along…
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Missing persons bulletins launched on Gazette Online
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette Online recorded 149,949 visitors during the 24 hours ended at midnight (local time), December 27. Site outages of one to two minutes occurred eight times, for which the Gazette apologizes. A large volume of requests for assistance with regard to missing persons is also being received. In order to “widen the net” and increase the likelihood…
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