Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Phuket Architect & Engineering Exhibition starts July 29
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A presenter helps a prospective buyer at an earlier exhibit. File photo.
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PHUKET: Royal Phuket City Hotel will host the 10th annual Architect & Engineering Exhibition 2010 from July 29 to August 1.
Open daily from 11am to 8am, the expo will feature exhibits of the latest breakthroughs in construction, interior design and building maintenance technology.
A wide variety of construction materials from more than 100 manufacturers will be on display, including the newest, lightweight floor and roofing materials.
There will also be exhibits featuring ways to incorporate technologies like Internet Protocol television (IPTV), 3G Internet, IP Phone and CCTV into construction design.
Also on display will be home spas, swimming pools and gymnasiums.
The expo is being organized jointly by Delice Thai Co Ltd and PIC Phuket Co Ltd, and is sponsored by the Phuket Gazette.
For more information contact PIC Phuket (Tel: 076-522828 ; Email: info@pic-phuket.com; Website: www.aaashow.com).
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Phuket, Thailand
11:46
local time (GMT +7) |
Friday, September 3, 2010
Laundry larceny: the gig’s up for Phuket garment grabber
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Victims point to Ms Ruengrin, caught red-handed with baskets full of evidence on Wednesday.
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PHUKET: Kathu Police raided a house in Patong early Wednesday morning and arrested a Thai woman who stole clothes from laundry shops and sold them as secondhand garments.
Officers led by Lt Col Sakon Bunditsak arrested Ruengrin Sukbunjong, 30, from Phang Nga, at her house in Patong.
Seized as evidence during the raid were about 300 items of clothing, ranging from underwear to brand-name outfits.
Ms Ruengrin confessed that she went around the island looking for unattended laundry shops. Upon finding one she stole the clothes and sold them at talaad nat (temporary markets) in Thalang.
Brand-name items were top sellers, she said.
Her prices were so unbeatable that customers – Thais, foreigners and Burmese workers – didn’t even bother haggling. She made good money from her trade mainly because her overhead costs were low, she said.
Her arrest followed a tip-off from “victims”, said police.
Once she had been identified as the thief, officers tailed her to her home in Patong.
Ms Ruengrin was charged with theft.
– Phuket Gazette
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Phuket, Thailand
12:15
local time (GMT +7) |
Friday, September 3, 2010
FC Phuket out of Toyota League Cup after 3-1 loss in Saraburi
PHUKET: FC Phuket are out of the Toyota League Cup after losing to Thai Premier League side Osotspa Saraburi 3-1 last night.
Trailing 2-1 from the first leg defeat at the Surakul Stadium last Sunday, FC Phuket faced the daunting task of defeating Osotspa Saraburi on the road if they were to progress to the second round of the cup.
A small contingent of die-hard FC Phuket fans made the trip to the M-150 Stadium in the central plains province of Saraburi for the match.
An upset seemed to be on the cards when Ivory Coast midfielder Diarra Ali gave FC Phuket the lead after only three minutes.
Unfortunately, it was the only goal the Southern Sea Kirin would produce all night.
The absence of FC Phuket captain and defensive linchpin Suphat Onthong, who broke his nose while training with Muang Thong Utd, was keenly felt as the Southern Sea Kirin conceded three goals before half time.
The match finished 3-1, meaning that FC Phuket lost the pairing 5-1 on aggregate.
FC Phuket will take on Phattalung FC in an away match on Sunday.
The Southern Sea Kirin's final home match of the season will be played Wednesday, September 8 when they take on Phang Nga.
– James Goyder
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Phuket, Thailand
10:49
local time (GMT +7) |
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Australian tourist dies in Phuket swimming pool
PHUKET: An Australian tourist died while swimming in a pool at a well-known Phuket hotel late yesterday afternoon.
Kathu Police duty officer Jongserm Preecha identified the deceased as 58-year-old James Bourke.
Staff and customers at the Banthai Beach Resort and Spa in Patong told police they saw Mr Bourke go for a swim after eating a meal at about 5pm.
During the swim he suddenly sank to the bottom of the pool, they said.
People in the area at the time initially thought he was just diving and paid little attention.
After realizing he was in trouble, they rushed to his aid but had trouble getting him out of the pool because of his weight, estimated to be in excess of 100 kilograms.
Mr Bourke was rushed to Patong Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Pol Maj Jongserm said he is awaiting a medical examination report to learn the exact cause of Mr Bourke’s demise.
The Australian Embassy has been notified of the death and is contacting Mr Bourke’s relatives, Maj Jongserm said.
– Phuket Gazette
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Phuket, Thailand
18:06
local time (GMT +7) |
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Ron Fanelli still at Phuket Prison
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Ronald Fanelli at a Phuket City Police press conference on July 19. Photo by Atchaa Khamlo.
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PHUKET: Ronald Fanelli, confessed killer of bar hostess Wanphen Pienjai, today blamed local media coverage for being partly responsible for his decision not to surrender himself to authorities before his arrest.
Mr Fanelli spoke to the Gazette briefly today from Phuket Prison, where he is being held for the stabbing murder of Ms Wanphen, a 33-year-old bar hostess at the Sweethearts bar in Kata at the time of her death.
Appearing healthy, Mr Fanelli said he was under instructions from his Thai lawyer not to divulge too much information about the case while it is still in the court system.
He maintains that the killing was a “horrible, horrible accident”, as stated in a July 19 press conference at Phuket City Police Station.
Mr Fanelli told the Gazette that he felt media coverage of the case unfairly portrayed him, but was factually accurate in most respects.
He denied reports that he mutilated the victim's body apart from the two stab wound that killed her, however.
He had no way of knowing the real contents of a Thai-language confession statement he was advised to sign by his lawyer after his arrest, he said during a 10-minute interview.
Mr Fanelli is among some 1,200 prisoners currently detained in Phuket Prison.
Of these, there are more than 100 foreigners and about 30 farang, the Thai term used to describe Caucasians.
– Stephen Michael Fein
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Phuket, Thailand
18:01
local time (GMT +7) |
Thursday, September 2, 2010
More sewage treatment for Phuket
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A tourist wades though an algal bloom at Kata Beach during the 2008 high season. Photo by Jim Welch.
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PHUKET: Karon Municipality will levy charges on hotels, restaurants and other small businesses in the area for the wastewater they produce.
The scheme, to start in October, will affect hotels and businesses in Karon, Kata and Kata Noi.
Restaurants will be charged a flat rate of 5.25 baht per operating square meter, and hotels will be billed at 84 baht per room.
The move, in line with "the polluter pays" principle, is an attempt to share wastewater treatment costs among the hotels and businesses responsible for producing untreated effluent.
Karon Mayor Thawee Thongcham said most large hotels in the district already have their own wastewater treatment facilities, some with very high standards.
The law requires that wastewater discharged into public waterways must not exceed 20 mg/L in Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels, a key indicator of water quality.
Wastewater that exceeds 20 mg/L in BOD levels is considered polluted.
The wastewater discharged from hotels in Karon that flows into the sea usually has 7 or 8 mg/L in BOD levels, which is very good.
“But many restaurants and small businesses have no wastewater treatment capacity whatsoever,” Mayor Thawee said.
“We have come up with a target for the funds we need for wastewater treatment in the district to make sure water discharged into the environment will not cause any degradation.
“We cannot charge only households and small businesses for this, because they will feel overburdened. None of the businesses want to admit that they discharge polluted water into the waterways,” he added.
Tourism is the main industry in the district, with more than 90% of businesses relying on foreign visitors for their livelihood.
Hence businesses and hotels have a common interest in looking after the quality of the beaches and environment.
Patong and Phuket City Municipalities also have similar schemes in place that involve private-sector wastewater treatment.
Cherng Talay Municipality is in the process of planning a similar scheme and Kamala has applied for funding for seven small wastewater treatment plants under the government's Thai Khem Kaeng (Strong Thailand) economic stimulus package.
Municipalities and government agencies in Phuket must coordinate work better so different environmental protection policies will complement each other, Mayor Thawee added.
Karon Municipality has a system that is able to treat 6,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day. During the low season, the system operates below capacity at 3,000 to 4,000 cubic meters per day.
In the high season, however, total wastewater exceeds 8,000 cubic meters per day.
The municipality is planning to upgrade the system to increase capacity to 12,000 cubic meters per day.
It is projected that the upgrade will cost up to 200 million baht.
– Anand Singh
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Phuket, Thailand
14:37
local time (GMT +7) |
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Phuket’s BIS wins ‘Best in Thailand’ school award
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BIS Headmaster Dr George A Hickman (left) receives the award from PM Abhisit Vejjajiva.
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From left: PM Abhisit Vejjajiva with BIS School Manager Dr Nares Pantaratorn and Marketing Manager and Assistant Service Manager Surang Thiplueporn.
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PHUKET: The British International School Phuket (BIS) has triumphed as the “Best Provider of International Education for 2010” in the Prime Minister’s Export Awards.
Collecting the prize in person from PM Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government House in Bangkok last week was BIS Headmaster Dr George Hickman.
In a recent school newsletter, Dr Hickman explained that the award follows hot on the heels of BIS recording its best International Baccalaureate (IB) examination results in the school’s 14-year history.
“Our IB Class of 2009 produced an overall set of final scores which exceeded the world average, and this outstanding achievement is something of which students, parents and teachers can be justly proud,” said Dr Hickman.
“It is also noteworthy that the SAT scores in [our] primary [school] showed marked improvement this year, which is another indicator of our continuing commitment to excellence in the development and delivery of an educational program which is second-to-none anywhere,” he added.
– Phuket Gazette
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Phuket, Thailand
12:56
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Identity of Russian car crash fatality in Phuket revealed
PHUKET: The Russian diplomatic mission in Phuket has identified the foreign woman who died in a car crash near Tesco-Lotus on Thursday as 33-year-old Vera Lovtsova, a Russian citizen who was employed by a tour company in Phuket.
For the Gazette’s initial report of the tragedy click here.
The confirmation was made by Santi Udomkiratak, Deputy Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation for Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga.
“The Consul has already contacted her family and is arranging to repatriate her remains to Russia,” he said.
– Sittipong Nongkaew
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Phuket, Thailand
14:08
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
50 largest landholders control 14.3% of Phuket
PHUKET: Land ownership in Phuket is highly concentrated in the hands of a relatively small group of wealthy landowners, according to a prominent Thammasat University economics professor.
Prof Duangmani Laowakul, a member of the watch-dog committee Policy Watch, said the top 50 largest landholders in Phuket control 14.3% of the island's total area.
A report published in Krungthep Turakij, the Nation Group's Thai-language business newspaper, reveals to some extent the concentration of wealth in Thailand.
It also hints at the failure of meaningful land reform in this nation of farmers – and suggests that the inaction of successive governments in overhauling Thailand's land tax structure and enforcing tax collection is purely a matter of self-interest on the part of those in power.
According to the report, 90% of individuals own less than one rai of land, while 10% own 100 rai or more.
According to the National Thai Institute of Land, some 70% of private land holdings lie idle, held only for purposes of speculation. This costs the economy 127 billion baht yearly, according to the researchers.
Concentration of land holdings may be even greater than the above-mentioned figures indicate.
According to Dr Duangmani, a Thammasat University economics professor, the top 50 landowners in Bangkok own 10.1% of the land in the capital.
Those figures may not appear large, but they add up to a lot of land, he said.
Loss of economic productivity through concentration of land in the hands of speculators is, moreover, not compensated by taxation on that land.
Taxes and fees collected by the government for Fiscal Year 2009 were estimated at only 31.7 billion baht, the report noted.
However taxes and fees were paid by only 5.6 million individuals, or just 8.4% of the population. The reason for that is that tens of millions of Thais own no land whatsoever.
A 2006 survey by the Thailand Development and Research Institute (TDRI) divided families into five groups: the richest 20% held 69% of the nation's assets; the poorest 20% held only 1%.
Moreover, the richest 10% have three times the assets of the second 10%.
The way to overcome monopoly control of land is by re-writing the tax code relating to land and structures. A draft law has been presented for consideration to Cabinet by the Finance Ministry.
The old law is marred by the fact that tax is calculated on 'annual income' rather than on assessed value. Moreover, assessments can be overturned at the discretion of officials, so money leaks from the system easily and exceptions are handed out. The result is inequities that make tax collection problematic.
The high rate of assessment increase, 12.5% per annum, impels avoidance, while the Improvements Tax decreases with time, meaning that taxes go down as values go up. Finally, valuations are established on a basis calculated 30 years ago and now out of date, the researchers found.
A new law should be enacted that places the burden of taxation on the wealthy rather than the poor, the researchers said. They recommend that property valuations be re-considered every four years, and that the highest assessed rate, that on commercial property, be no greater than 0.5% per annum; that assessment on residential property be no greater than 0.1%; and that on agricultural land be 0.05%.
Tax collection and income to the state will be greatly enhanced if such reforms were enacted, they say.
Past attempts to improve tax collection found the chief impediment to be lawmakers themselves.
According to the National Counter Corruption Commission, filings by politicians in the last four governments, beginning with that of Thaksin Shinawatra, reveal that "ten former officials hold land valued at more than five billion baht... and that doesn't include holdings they haven't revealed, which we expect is an amazing amount."
The report goes on to list some of the wealthiest landowners among present and former governments, starting with the Thaksin administration.
The authors conclude that since enactment of change is opposed to the self-interests of the powerful, “reform will pass only with the greatest difficulty” during the Abhisit administration.
– Phuket Gazette
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Phuket, Thailand
11:38
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
More Dragons for Phuket; Siam Makro expanding
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket's international community.
More Dragons for Phuket PHUKET: Dragon Air intends to increase services on its Hong Kong-Phuket route.
Cathay Pacific Airways, parent company of Dragon Air, says traffic to Phuket is robust with an average load factor of 90 to 95% over the past seven months.
“The airline is assessing demand and whether to increase [Dragon Air] flights into Phuket. Currently it operates 10 flights a week, after an additional three weekly flights were added a few months ago,” says Yongyut Lujintanon, Cathay's sales and marketing manager for Thailand.
“We would like to serve the route double daily but we are not going to add another four flights in one step. Services will increase gradually, starting with an additional flight during the the coming winter traffic program.”
TTR Weekly reports this morning that 90% of the passengers on the Hong Kong-Phuket route are inbound, mostly from Hong Kong itself, Europe (connecting from the Cathay Pacific network) and China.
Since Cathay started flights to Moscow in July, the airline has also been flying growing numbers of Russians to Phuket.
Only 10% of the outbound traffic to Hong Kong comes from Phuket, mostly expatriate residents.
Siam Makro in quiet expansion The Nation
Siam Makro, which opened its superstore in Phuket six years ago, is upbeat about penetrating further into Thailand's provincial market next year.
"We're ready to open stores to cover the country. We haven't opened outlets in [our] 40 remaining provinces. If those provinces want us to set up stores, we will, but we have to secure permits before starting construction," chief executive Suchada Ithijarukul said yesterday.
Siam Makro has opened three 'cash and carry' branches in the first half of this year, and a fourth will pop up in Nong Khai on September 29, bringing the nationwide network to 48.
But the company is not concerned even if it has no new stores next year, Suchada said. It can rely on the sales of its existing stores, as its new strategy is to focus on the hotel, restaurant and catering (HoReCa) segment.
"We can cash in on food products by adjusting the product mix of this segment. We believe the recovery in domestic tourism is a positive factor for boosting the performance of HoReCa," she said.
The company posted 15% sales growth for the first half this year. It earned 904.26 million baht, up from 585.70 million in the same half last year.
The 5,500 square meter Phuket store, on Wichit Songkhram Road, was the wholesale giant's 27th branch in Thailand.
Baht may hit 13-year high Nation / Bloomberg
Thailand has witnessed a continued increase in net capital inflows, expected to keep the baht on the appreciation path probably to a level unseen since 1997.
According to the Bank of Thailand, in July, net capital inflows were worth US$2.7 billion (84 billion baht), which went to all parts of the economy, including $987 million to non-bank businesses.
Mathee Supapong, director of the central bank's domestic economy department, said inflows to the non-bank sector were either foreign direct investment or investment in the stock market. The banking sector attracted only $571 million, mostly short-term financing and some as investment in banking shares through the stock market.
London-based Barclays predicts the baht may strengthen over the next year to levels not seen since 1997, as accelerating growth encourages foreign investors to keep pouring money into the nation's assets.
The baht could appreciate 1 per cent to 31 per US dollar over three months; 1.8 per cent to 30.75 in six months; and 2.6 per cent to 30.50 in a year, Singapore-based economist Rahul Bajoria writes in a recent research report. In January, he forecast that the baht would advance to 31.75 in a year.
"We expect the baht to enjoy continued trend appreciation, as the external position remains robust," Bajoria wrote. "Strong inflows into local-currency bond and equity markets, along with current-account surpluses, should generate further upward pressure on the currency."
The currency is also drawing support from government data showing that growth in gross domestic product in the first two quarters, at 12% and 9.1%, was the best since 1995.
According to the Bank of Thailand, the economy in July kept expanding, though at a slower rate than in the previous month. While private consumption, exports and manufacturing slowed because of sharp growth in the first half, tourism showed continued recovery.
In the month, Thailand welcomed 1.25 million visitors, up 14.9% year on year, while the hotel occupancy rate was 46.9%, compared with 37.3% the previous month.
Fierce competition for 3G The Nation
3G wireless broadband service in Thailand looks set to be dominated by incumbent telecom operators, which already have a firm foothold in the market.
Subsidiaries of Advanced Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communications (DTAC) and True Corp have emerged as the only three qualified applicants for 3G-2.1GHz spectrum licenses at an auction due to be held in Hua Hin on Sept 20.
The three are expected to compete fiercely, as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) will put only two of the three available 3G licences up for auction.
Four companies submitted applications yesterday, but one was found to be unqualified. AIS subsidiary Advanced Wireless Network (AWN) submitted its application soon after 9am, followed by DTAC subsidiary DTAC Internet Service and True subsidiary Real Move.
Suphan Buri-based natural-gas-for-vehicles car importer Win Win NGV submitted an application mid-afternoon, but it was later disqualified as it did not lodge the auction guarantee deposit of 1.28 billion baht at the same time. It submitted only the application fee of 500,000 baht.
The NTC required all applicants to place both fees on yesterday's application submission date.
Cambodia rejects Thai funding proposal Phnom Pehn Post
Cambodian officials said yesterday that they would reject US$41.2 million in funding for a road project that Thailand reportedly pledged to resume last week as part of an effort to warm relations between the two countries.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong said Cambodia would not accept the loan, as it had already financed the road project independently.
“We have not requested this loan, and we don’t need this money,” Koy Kuong said. “We are using our own budget to construct this road and the project is well under way.”
Koy Kuong’s comments marked a change in tone from his remarks on Thai financial assistance the previous day. When asked about the subject on Sunday, he said Cambodia “welcomes all forms of donations without conditions attached”.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said last week that the aid, originally promised last August to extend National Road 68 up to the Thai border in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, would be resumed in view of the countries' now-normalised diplomatic relations, the Bangkok Post reported.
Thailand to rule soon on Bout case Earth Times
Thailand's Office of the Attorney General is reviewing the case of alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and will clarify soon whether he can be extradited to the US, officials said Tuesday.
A Thai appeals court ruled on August 20 to extradite Bout to the US, but his deportation was delayed by a second case against the alleged arms dealer on money-laundering and fraud charges.
Although the US government last week dropped the second case, the Thai judicial system has yet to decide on whether to revoke it.
"The request is now under the consideration of the Office of the Attorney General," said Sirisak Tiyapan, the director general of the attorney general's international affairs department.
"Things should be clear within one or two days," he said.
Bout, 43, was arrested in Bangkok in March 2008 in a sting operation led by US agents who posed as arms buyers for a leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC).
Last week, in a statement read to the press by his wife Alla, Viktor Bout called the charges against him "entirely a fabrication of the US."
"I have never traded in weapons," the statement added. "There is absolutely no proof of the allegations."
– Gazette Editors
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Phuket, Thailand
11:17
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
High-tech drug detectors too expensive for Phuket
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Hardly a day passes without a police press conference to announce another seizure of 'ya bah', the little red pills pictured here. File photo.
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PHUKET: Top provincial officers have balked at a plan to install a drug-detecting “X-ray machine” at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint after learning the cost would run well over 250 million baht.
The drug problem was the main topic at the monthly meeting of the Phuket Provincial Peacekeeping Committee chaired by Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday.
Phuket Provincial Police on August 11 dispatched a team of officers to the northeastern province of Nong Khai to observe a drug detection unit in action at a border checkpoint there.
Effective or not, costs of installation and upkeep are prohibitive, the committee was told.
It would cost about 250 million baht for one unit, with monthly maintenance fees of about one million baht.
“The price is just too high. It is not worth the investment, so the province will have to come up with alternative strategies,” the governor said.
Despite its relatively small size, Phuket ranked third in reported drug cases in the six provinces covered by Police Region 8. Surat Thani and Nakhon Sri Thammarat took the top two spots, respectively.
According to the Police Region 8 Narcotics Control Center, Phuket had 2,230 drug cases with 2,431 arrests from October last year through June this year.
The vast majority of cases involved ya bah (methamphetamine), with 68,240 pills seized.
The number of drug arrests related to ya bah is clogging up the judicial system, the committee was told.
A key stumbling block is the length of time it takes to verify analyses of people who test positive for ya bah during urine tests for the drug. These results need to be verified through blood analysis, but there is no laboratory on the island capable of doing this work and the samples need to be sent off-island, to Trang.
As a result, many of those who test positive are never charged, the committee was told.
To help solve this problem, the Phuket Public Health Office will send an official letter to the Governor’s Office to request funding for permanent staff to conduct this work at the Phuket Medical Science Center in Baan Bangjo in Thalang.
Gov Wichai said good cooperation among all related agencies could definitely reduce the drug problem on the island.
– Atchaa Khamlo
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Phuket, Thailand
18:13
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Chuan slams money politics
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Former Thai premier Chuan Leekpai at the NESAC forum in Phuket on Saturday.
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PHUKET TOWN: Phuket leaders and ordinary residents put their heads together at a meeting Saturday to consider how Thailand can reform itself and resolve the ongoing political crisis that caused this year's violent red-shirt protests.
The seminar, “Reforming the Country at a Time of Change”, was the fourth of five organized by the National Economic and Social Advisory Council (Nesac) this year.
Chairing the event at Royal Phuket City Hotel was former prime minister and chief adviser to the Democrat Party, Chuan Leekpai.
Mr Chuan was welcomed to the event by Anchalee Wanich-Thepabutr, who is deputy secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, and Phuket Police Commander Pekad Tantipong.
Around 300 people attended, including leaders of private sector and community organizations, journalists, academics, members of Nesac and ordinary Phuket residents.
The last seminar in the series is due to take place in Khon Kaen from September 17 to 18.
Opinions and proposals submitted during the five events will be collated and presented to the Cabinet and at Nesac's annual meeting in Bangkok.
Poranee Leenutapong, vice chair of Nesac, said the series aimed to collect the opinions of the people in every region to present to Nesac's annual seminar in 2010, which will mark 10 years since the council was established.
It was an opportunity for the public to have a role in Nesac by relating problems and offering opinions and proposals for the Cabinet. It was also a PR exercise, presenting the role of Nesac to the public, she said.
After opening the seminar, Mr Chuan said that the problems of the country were down to people. Good people made for good institutions; bad people made for bad institutions, he said.
Because of this, human resources were always a big issue, one without end, he said.
“In the past, education was the thing that expanded opportunity. Policy expanded the opportunity to attend educational institutions to the regions, and provided scholarships in order to give more opportunities to people without much money,” he said.
“These days, we have to look at the issues of virtue, morality and awareness of responsibility. The value of people is dependent on giving them knowledge, because the problems we are facing are not caused by people with less knowledge than people in the past.
"The problems we meet today are problems related to the awareness of every person in our institutions. If they get good people, they'll be good.
“Because of that, all the many areas that are progressing are due in part to good people coming in and getting on with things. But the areas which have bad people or people with weaknesses in their awareness of their responsibilities, will have problems. Because of this, developing people is something that has to take place continuously, without end,” he said.
Mr Chuan said the government was sticking to its principles of governing according to the rule of law. Whoever breaks the law must be punished; if the government did not stick to this principle there was no reason to go on, he said.
Change was a continual process, he said. Over the last seven to eight years politics had changed in good ways and bad. Mostly, the change was good, and Thailand was progressing. The people were more aware of their rights and duties and were more concerned about democracy.
In the past, some “small things” had happened, but they were history, he said. Now that was over and soldiers had matured. They weren't doing such things. But the problems the country faced now were like a new disease. For example, money politics had hindered democratic development, he said.
It had to be accepted that politics had caused the current problems, and one had to look at what sort of politics had done this. It had to be accepted that the “politics of benefit” had a large effect.
When politicians were elected through vote buying, they had to recoup their investment. This involved cheating and corruption. When politicians cheated, bureaucrats cheated. This had effects on the benefits received by the whole country, he said.
Because of this, politics had a role in causing the problems, but it was not the only cause.
There were other organizations who had a role in opposing the problems, including the media and people everywhere. Because of this, every faction had to come together to take responsibility for the country going forward, rather than making it the responsibility of politics to fix the problems on its own.
Mr Chuan summarized by saying every side had to do its duty with awareness of its responsibilities. From small duties to large ones, all had equal importance, he said.
– Phuket Gazette
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Phuket, Thailand
17:49
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Two-headed turtle turns one month old in Phang Nga
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Despite a good deal of handling by curious visitors, the two-headed turtle continues to put on weight.
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A close up view of the turtle at two weeks old.
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PHUKET: A two-headed turtle born in late July is thriving under the care of staff at the Royal Thai Navy base in Phang Nga as it celebrates its one-month birthday.
The green sea turtle, born in a Thai Navy conservation area in the Similan Islands, was initially earmarked as one of scores of turtles to be set free in Phuket earlier this month as part of a turtle release ceremony to mark Mother’s Day.
All that changed when the organizers realized it had two heads.
Marine biologist Kongkiat Kittiwattnawong of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) noted soon after its birth that the turtle was very weak and said its chances of long-term survival were slim.
Two-headed turtles are extremely rare, occurring fewer than once in a million live births, he said.
But as of August 27, the turtle was not only doing very well, it had become the star attraction at the Royal Thai Navy Sea Turtle Conservation Center at the Navy Base at Son Ngam Beach in Tai Muang District.
Chaloemsak Chaijit, information officer with the Third Naval Area Command at Cape Panwa, told the Gazette, “The little turtle is perfectly healthy. It is now 28 days old and its shell is getting stronger by the day.
“It is eating a lot more now too, about 50 grams of food a day up from about 30 grams when it first arrived here,” he said.
“It will take about two months before we will be able to determine its sex. After we have, we will give it a name, which we will announce in the second week of September,” he said.
About 30 to 50 people come to the conservation center each day to watch the turtle, he added.
What do you think would be a good name for the turtle? Share your ideas with fellow readers in the forum below.
– S. Nongkaew and A. Khamlo
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Phuket, Thailand
16:37
local time (GMT +7) |
Monday, August 30, 2010
Phuket attempted murder suspect arrested
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Infrequent flyer: Murder suspect Prasop Homhuan really knows how to look on the bright side of life.
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PHUKET: A man suspected of an attempted murder in Phuket last year was arrested by Lampang police on Saturday after more than a year on the run.
But it wasn't all woe for the suspect, 41-year-old Bangkok resident Prasop Homhuan.
Prasop told officers escorting him to Phuket from Chiang Mai that despite his arrest he was very excited – at the prospect of flying on an airplane for the first time in his life.
Prasop is wanted for the attempted murder of a man in a Chalong karaoke bar last year.
Around 1am on May 30, 2009, he was drinking with friends at Lek Karaoke on Chao Fa West Road in Chalong.
Later, a man with whom Prasop had a dispute, Pramot Kaewliphon, entered the bar and sat down behind him.
Several drinks later, Prasop turned and saw Pramot and a loud argument broke out, culminating in a fist fight.
Prasop had to be pulled away from Pramot and sent home by his friends.
Later the same night Prasop allegedly returned to the bar and shot Pramot as he was leaving the venue.
Prasop fled to Chiang Mai, where he was hiding until his arrest.
On Saturday he went to visit his mother in Lampang where he was arrested.
The Lampang police flew to Chiang Mai to take Prasop into custody and bring him back to Phuket.
When the officers paid more than 3,800 baht for Prasop's flight to Phuket, the suspect was unable to contain his delight, the police said.
The suspect is in police custody and faces charges of attempted murder and carrying a weapon without a license.
– Phuket Gazette
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Phuket, Thailand
18:05
local time (GMT +7) |
Monday, August 30, 2010
Blackout in Rawai, Phuket tomorrow
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Most residents of the area would agree some work is needed. Photo courtesy Robert S.
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PHUKET: Residents of Rawai be warned: the Provincial Electricity Authority has announced a scheduled blackout in parts of the municipality from 9am to 4pm tomorrow to work on high-voltage power lines.
The affected area includes Saiyuan Road, from Wiset Rd to Nai Harn Beach, including Soi Khok Yang, Soi Hua Pru, Soi Khok Makham and Soi Naya.
Much of Saiyaun Road has been in a sorry state lately as Rawai Municipality continues its installation of a 1,200-meter drainage ditch in the area.
The drain project, with 7-million-baht in funding, is scheduled for completion in January next year.
For more information about the blackout, contact the Operations and Maintenance Department of the Provincial Electricity Authority on 076-211663, ext 45311). Or fax 076-219966.
– Phuket Gazette
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Phuket, Thailand
17:52
local time (GMT +7) |
Monday, August 30, 2010
Arson considered in Phuket pawnshop blaze
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Fueling the blaze were oil-filled drums, paper, plastics, wood and gas cylinders.
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PHUKET: Police have not ruled out arson for a pre-dawn blaze that gutted a Phuket pawnshop warehouse today.
No one was reported as injured in the fire, although it took five firetrucks 30 minutes to extinguish the inferno on Sri Sena Road in Rassada.
An initial investigation suggests that an electrical short circuit might have started the fire, but the shop had been the target of arson attempts in the past, said Phuket City Police duty officer Sien Kaewthong.
Keen competition for customers among the many pawnshops on the island might have been a motive for arson, he added.
He will forward the case to police arson investigators, who are expected to question Sadayen “Bang Yen” Merteria, the owner of the warehouse, he said.
The fire was reported at 2am. Among those responding to the call were firefighters from Phuket City and Koh Kaew, who had difficulty accessing the flames that were largely contained within the structure.
Windy conditions helped the fire to spread, and fueling the blaze was a large variety of flammable materials, including oil-filled drums, paper, plastics, wood and gas cylinders, which sent out echoing booms as they exploded.
An inspection of the warehouse found extensive damage, including a scorched six-wheel truck, valued at an estimated 500,000 baht, parked inside.
Bang Yen was not present at the time of the fire, though some of his employees were asleep in the area at the time.
– Phuket Gazette
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Phuket, Thailand
17:46
local time (GMT +7) |
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