News
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Top businessman held over Samsara deed
PHUKET TOWN: Chamnan Pachantabutr, former owner of the land on which the Samsara luxury property development is currently being constructed, was arrested today for his alleged part in falsifying a land document – the original title for the Samsara site. Chamnan, who is one of the owners of the Phuket Cabana Resort and of the Kan Eang restaurants in Chalong,…
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Startling plans for Phuket’s future
PHUKET TOWN: Four Cabinet members attended high-powered meetings with Phuket government officials and local businessmen on Friday and Saturday (July 4 and 5), indicating that the government is still committed to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s vision of Phuket as a regional hub for transport, medical tourism, IT, duty-free shopping and yachting. The Saturday meeting at Royal Phuket City Hotel was…
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High price for high fliers
PHUKET: Expensive rainmaking flights costing as much as 480,000 baht a day have yet to make an appreciable difference to Phuket’s water supplies. Three aircraft from the Royal Rainmaking Service are currently in Phuket. The two smaller airplanes each incur a cost of 50,000 baht a flight in fuel, chemicals and other costs while the third, larger aircraft costs 60,000…
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All-night party raided
CHERNG TALAY: An all-night party at a Japanese businessman’s holiday home came to an abrupt end when police raided the mansion at 8 am yesterday and tested the 30 revelers for drugs and netted three gamblers. The Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, led the raid after police received complaints at about 4 am from local…
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Free air tickets to boost tourism
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced a campaign to celebrate its 43rd anniversary by giving away 20,000 tickets as prizes in a lottery among passengers who fly on the airline between now and September 30. The “Luck Is In The Air” campaign will, it is hoped, attract tourists to make repeat visits to Thailand. A total of 16,000 free…
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Govt seizes land from 39 in Phuket
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Agriculture Land Reform Department yesterday revoked the land-right documents held by 39 people who were found to be unqualified to occupy SorPorKor land earmarked for farmers in Phuket. Agriculture Minister Sora-at Klinprathum said the revocation took immediate effect and that no prior warning letters were necessary to inform the holders. “We are also verifying other holders…
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Police nab pair for mugging tourists
PHUKET: Two men now under arrest have confessed to assaulting and robbing German tourists Rainer and Susanne Siebert and two others have confessed to receiving the stolen goods. The Sieberts, who were knocked unconscious and robbed last week, flew out for Germany yesterday afternoon with most of the stolen items after recovering from their injuries. Surachai “Jade” Khonginn, 25, and…
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Nearly one death a day on Phuket roads
PHUKET TOWN: Motorcycle mayhem between April 20 and May 20 brought 26 deaths on Phuket roads despite more concerted attempts to cut the toll. All those who died in that period were motorcycle riders or pillion passengers, according to statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. The carnage followed a much-praised police crackdown in Phuket over Songkran that…
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Creating the perfect crime
BANGKOK: Police spent more than three hours searching for a van hijacked by gunmen carrying 440,000 baht in expressway toll fees and a hostage – before they realized that the man who reported the theft had invented the entire story. The man, identified as Rungniran Nabamrung, 29, faces a charge of making a false statement to police, punishable by up…
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Beware of your underwear
BANGKOK:The government has issued a warning advising women to beware of underwear vendors who claim their expensive, tight-fitting panties can melt away fat and cure a host of diseases. Despite the underwear being sold at more than 10,000 baht a pair, a number of young women have already fallen victim to the spurious claims. Direct salespeople sell the undies using…
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Tourism “boom’ tipped soon
PHUKET TOWN: The outlook for tourism in Phuket is much brighter now, Santhichai Auengjongprasit, Deputy-Governor for Marketing of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said today. Numbers were still down on last year’s low season, he conceded, but were improving. The effects of the Sars scare were no longer being felt and discounts and travel promotions were already working, he…
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Govt turns up the heat in SorPorKor probe
BANGKOK (Gazette, Nation): Fifty-seven officers from the Crime Suppression Division and more than 40 from the Forestry Police, the Land Department and the Agriculture Land Reform Department arrived in Phuket yesterday, complete with helicopter, to help speed up the government probe into abuses of SorPorKor land occupation. In the meantime, in Bangkok, the much-feared Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has announced…
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Park land fenced off, police told
CHERNG TALAY: As the Phuket property probe continues, Cherng Talay police have been informed, in an official report, about cases of suspected encroachment on land in the Sirinat Marine National Park. Prasart Tongpong, an officer at the national park, reported the suspected encroachments to Pol Lt Col Siriwat Intrayim yesterday evening. Fifteen plots of land in Moo 6 in Cherng…
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100 lifeguards to be trained
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) will train 100 volunteers to work as lifeguards at the island’s beaches and swimming pools. The OrBorJor has set aside 454,000 baht to cover the five-day courses during August and September, organized by Phuket Marine Police, Wachira Phuket Hospital and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The OrBorJor has also improved the…
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Rainmakers back in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Royal rainmaking team and its aircraft are back in Phuket to try to alleviate the island’s water crisis. Whenever conditions are right, the team’s three aircraft are now seeding the clouds above the island in an emergency measure that is expected to cost 450,000 baht. Surachart Kuntavichayanont, Chief of the Phuket Agriculture and Cooperatives Office, which requested…
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Wichit wins good governance award
PHUKET TOWN: Wichit Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) has won a best-governance award and additional funding of 1.7 million baht in competition against seven other Phuket OrBorTor. OrBorTor Pa Klok received additional funds of 1.4 million baht for coming second and OrBorTor Sri Suntorn received 1.2 million baht for third place, Sorawich Chaiyasawat, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Local Administration Office,…
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Park chief to make encroachment complaint
THALANG: The Chief of Sirinat Marine National Park said today that he will report to the police at Cherng Talay Police Station tomorrow (July 2) that the park is being encroached upon in the area of Layan Beach. The Chief, Thanapong Aphaiso, went with park officers yesterday afternoon to check the southern end of the park, around Moo 6, Baan…
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Land Department calls for arrests
BANGKOK, The Nation: The Land Department in Bangkok yesterday requested the Crime Suppression Police (CSP) to arrest Thawatchai Anukul, Thawatchai Anukul, formerly registrar of the Phuket Provincial Land Office (PPLO) and of a district land office in Phang Nga, along with other officers who allegedly collaborated with him in issuing false documents and abusing their position as government officers. Documents…
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48 SorPorKor papers to be rescinded
BANGKOK, The Nation: Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Newin Chidchob, said yesterday that he is preparing papers recommending the eviction of occupiers from 48 plots of SorPorKor land in Phuket, totaling some 300 rai. The papers will be presented next week to the Land Commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. K. Newin told The Nation that the commission investigating…
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Concessions made to marine tourism
PHUKET TOWN: From July 1, foreign yachtsmen will be able to certify their foreign captains’ licenses for use in Thailand, in Phuket. Currently, foreign skippers need to travel to Bangkok or Kantang in Trang Province to certify their licenses before being allowed to sail their boats in Thai waters. Marine Department Director General Wanchai Sarathulthat said the license certification would…
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Police nab more illegal immigrants
PHUKET: Between similar periods in May and June, the number of arrests of illegal immigrants rose from 61 to 133, statistics from the Phuket Provincial Police reveal. The latest figures, covering June 1 to June 24, also show that 26 people were arrested for glue-sniffing and three more were held for possession and sale of ya bah (methamphetamine) in that…
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Lawyer evicted from SorPorKor land
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Court today ordered the eviction of a local lawyer from two plots of land in Chalong totaling 29 rai, ruling that he did not meet the qualifications to occupy agricultural land under the SorPorKor land reform program. The ruling comes just days after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra complained that past legal cases against “important people”…
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Green bus service to be upgraded
PHUKET TOWN: In a revamp of its Phuket Town bus service, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is planning to buy 16 minibuses to replace its current fleet of 12 leased Mercedes Benz buses. The move is intended to increase the frequency of service in a bid to boost passenger numbers. The OrBorJor also plans to farm out the running…
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Land abuse report to be filed on Friday
BANGKOK, The Nation: A full report on the results of the investigation into abuses of SorPorKor 4-01 land usage papers will be handed on Friday to the Land Department in Bangkok, and then to the Crime Suppression Police (CSP). Announcing this today, Pol Lt Gen Chidchai Wannasathit, Chairman of the SorPorKor Investigation Committee, said that abuses that will be covered…
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German couple mugged at Nai Harn
NAI HARN: German tourists Rainer and Susanne Siebert were beaten unconscious and robbed in broad daylight yesterday as they walked near Le Royal Méridien Phuket Yacht Club at about 3 pm. The couple spoke with the Gazette today at Phuket International Hospital, where Mr Siebert is recovering from a head injury and his wife is recovering from two fractures to…
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Hong Kong dropped from Sars list
PHUKET: People arriving from Hong Kong are no longer subject to medical checks or other restrictions aimed at reducing the risk of Sars taking hold in Thailand, Weerasit Raden, Chief of the Port Health Office at Phuket International Airport announced today. “With Hong Kong being removed from the Sars alert list by the World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday, it has…
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Mayor raps “irresponsible’ officials
PHUKET TOWN: The Mayor of Phuket Town, Phummisak Hongsyok, speaking to reporters today, slammed government officials for talking about the rights and wrongs of tin mine concessions without first understanding the facts. Pol Maj Gen Pansiri Prapawat, Deputy Commissioner for General Investigation, said on June 20 that 17 tin mines had been checked. “We have found only one that was…
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Stolen yacht booty dumped on Koh Lone
KOH LONE: Some of the equipment stolen from yachts moored in Ao Chalong late last month has been found dumped on a beach on Koh Lone. Pol Capt Sakol Bunditsak, of Chalong Police Station, today said that fishermen reported to police that they had found some boat equipment in a black plastic bag on a Koh Lone beach. He added…
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New Vice-Governor arrives Monday
PHUKET: A new Vice-Governor has been named to replace Manit Wattanasen, who was transferred this week to Pattani (see also https://thethaiger.com/news/index.asp?Id=2811 .) He is Pongpow Ketthong, originally from Phrae province. Most recently he was Chief Inspector in the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation at the Ministry of Interior in Bangkok, but before that his government service took him to…
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Land probe to cover all Thailand – Thaksin
BANGKOK: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today announced that the land investigation currently underway in Phuket will be widened to cover the entire country. Speaking to The Nation newspaper, he said, “Many SorPorKor titles were given to ‘important people’ – this was not the intent of the SorPorKor scheme. Legal cases brought against these people were weak, which is why the…
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