Thursday, August 28, 2008
Patong floods in downpours
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Motorists do their best to keep afloat in front of the Royal Paradise Hotel complex on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd in Patong.
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PATONG: Heavy rain this morning flooded Patong’s busy streets.
An officer at the Patong Municpality office of the Department for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation told the Gazette that the flooding was at its worst about midday, as the rains continued to fall and the drains had yet to deal with the deluge that had already hit the resort town.
The water was deepest along the new, unfinished road behind the Jungceylon shopping complex, where people waded waist-deep through puddles, the officer said.
However, the water had subsided by about 3 pm, he added.
Entrepreneurs in the tourist hotspot are selling raincoats and umbrellas on the streets to cash in on an opportunity heaven sent.
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Phuket, Thailand
18:20
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Bus crash causes injury, commuter misery
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The overturned bus caused long tailbacks and several passengers required hospital treatment. The bus driver is still in ICU with, among other injuries, a ruptured liver.
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A rescue worker points to the worn-out bus tires.
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THALANG: Four people were injured when a bus with bald tires overturned on Thepkrasattri Rd this morning, leaving commuters stuck in a traffic tailback stretching well over five kilometers long.
Seksan Konsakorn of Thalang District Police told the Gazette the six-wheel bus lost control in wet conditions on a curve near Tha Reua Shine, where it crashed into a roadside power pole and came to rest on its side, blocking all northbound traffic.
Police and rescue workers were on the scene soon after the accident, which occurred at about 6:30 am.
Seriously injured were bus driver Sommana Nilmanee, whose liver was ruptured by the impact with the power pole, and a female passenger with serious head injuries requiring a brain scan. Her name was not disclosed.
At last report, both were being treated at Vachira Phuket Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
All three passengers in the bus were employees of Trisara Phuket at Nai Thon, Maj Seksan said.
The two other passengers, both men, were sent to Thalang Hospital for treatment of less serious injuries and have already been released, he added.
The driver will be questioned after he is sufficiently healed. He will likely face charges of reckless driving resulting in the injury of others, he said.
The bus, operated by Phuket ARS Tour company, had several tires that were almost completely bald.
A crane finally removed the wreckage from the road at about 9:30 am, much to the relief of scores of stranded motorists.
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Phuket, Thailand
18:55
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
17 arrested in gambling den sweep
PHUKET: In the latest bid to crackdown on illegal gambling on the island, 17 people were arrested in two weekend raids led by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong.
On Saturday, eight were arrested in a suspected “high-low” gambling den in Tung Tong.
Police charged four women – Tassanee Klaharn, 37, Thaworn Sudjai, 35, Supawadee Klaharn, 35, and Songsak Buathong, 55. The other four were men: Wichai Boon-In, 42, Boonlue Dadjarit, 43, Sawai Inphuwa, 44, and Chayodom Boon-In, 21.
On the premises, Tung Tong police found 250 baht and papers believed to be high-low score cards. Seven of those arrested were held on 5,000-baht bail, while bail for Tassanee, believed to be hosting the activity, was set at 10,000 baht. All have confessed to the charges, police said.
On Sunday night, Phuket City Police nabbed nine suspected gamblers and recovered 5,340 baht in cash and a deck of cards in a guest room at the Kathina Hotel on Sakdidet Rd in Phuket City.
Room number 1202 proved to be not so lucky for the seven women and two men police found inside and arrested.
Facing gambling charges are Bung-earn Pongkrajang, 53, Tharda Jamkrut, 43, Atjima Patthikul, 28, Tanatporn Saipupeng, 32, Rotjana Archanai, 48, Suganya Atchayata, 45, Suwannee Ponpansap, 37, Chairat Jongkraijak, 40, and Suratham Tammachantha, 34.
Col Apirak said the operation was part of the police’s ongoing “Thao Thep Strategy” to suppress crime.
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Phuket, Thailand
18:19
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Bars raided over music copyright
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Bars around the island were raided for having and playing copyrighted music stored on their hard drives.
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PHUKET: Entertainment venues around the island were raided last week in a clampdown on copyright violations. Several bar operators were fined for illegally playing copyrighted music in their bars and ordered to obtain licenses to allow them to play music at their establishments.
The raids were instigated by a team of about 20 representatives from RPK Publishing. Music collections and computers at venues were searched for evidence of copyright violations.
Some bar owners were ordered to pay fines or given the option to buy a license, while others were arrested and taken to police stations.
On condition of anonymity, several Rawai bar owners told the Gazette that the amounts they were fined varied depending on various factors, including negotiation skills. Some bars were tipped off about the raids and managed to hide their computers before being searched.
According to bar owners’ reports, that RPK representatives initially visited venues without police being present and later called police when they discovered that their clients’ music was being played illegally.
Police then accompanied the RPK representatives on subsequent raids at other venues.
When the Gazette called Samarn Chainarong, superintendent of Chalong Police Station, on Monday, he said he knew very little about the crackdown and was unable to say who bar owners should contact in order to obtain a license.
Many of the bar owners who had bought official-looking licenses issued by RPK Publishing following the raids told the Gazette they were unaware that those licenses applied only to the artists that RPK represents.
Sutthisak Prasatkrarukarn, Secretary of the Prevention and Suppression of Intellectual Property Infringement Committee (Private Sector), explained that people who buy CDs legally are entitled to use them for private entertainment.
“If the CD is to be used in a pub or restaurant, then one must ask the copyright owner – that is, the company that produced the CDs or their representative – for the right to use the CD in public,” he said.
An RPK employee at the company’s head office in Bangkok explained that RPK was trying to be reasonable. The official fine is anywhere from 40,000 to 200,000 baht. However, she added, in practice many bars escaped the fines by agreeing to buy a 12-month license to make public playing of the music legal.
One bar owner who was arrested, however, had to pay several thousand baht extra so that she could be released from detention and return to her restaurant.
Foreign record labels protected by RPK are Red Beat and Spicy Beat. The Thai labels/singers that RPK are acting on behalf of are Thai RMN, Krung Thai Audio, Surapol Sombatjaroen, MP Sounds Media Group, PR Entertainment, Talung Promotions, Saha Kuong Heng, CTT Publishing, Kon Muang Records, RMS Studio & Multimedia, Bao Jin Jong and Hia.
RPK employee Khun Sayan, who led the raids, told the Gazette, “5,000 baht buys a license to play the music of our clients publicly for one year. Our staff are music experts and familiar with all the songs that the company is protecting.
“A lot of pubs, bars and clubs use music that we are supposed to protect. Karaoke bars, however, usually do not have the kind of music that we look after.”
The RPK employee in Bangkok explained that although there are presently 15 agencies in Thailand that sell copyright licenses on behalf of copyright holders, only five are actively pursuing violators.
The other four that are expected to visit Phuket soon are copyright agents Likisit Center and Likisit Pleng and the recording companies GMM Grammy and RS Promotions, who carry out their own inspections.
Khun Sutthisak explained that to fully comply with intellectual property laws, bar owners must obtain individual licenses to cover all the music they play.
He added that fines are much higher for establishments that broadcast unlicensed videos, adding that it is illegal for VCDs or DVDs to be copied onto a hard disk to be broadcast in entertainment venues. Violators face being fined from 100,000 to 500,000 baht for doing so.
“If the video did not pass the Thai censorship board, then there can be additional fines of 20,000 to 500,000 baht,” he said.
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Phuket, Thailand
18:05
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
International hotel school gets Governor’s support
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit yesterday voiced his support for an international hotel school to be opened on the island.
Representing Orion Hotel Schools, Swiss national Lothar Schudt of Jasmin Consulting Property Management yesterday met Governor Niran at Provincial Hall to seek support and clear the way for plans to be drawn up and investors sought for the new school.
Orion Hotel Schools is a consortium of six hotel schools around the globe, including the Australian International Hotel School in Canberra, Australia, and the Academia Euregio Bodensee in Switzerland.
The schools offer hospitality and tourism industry education from diploma level up to and including postgraduate and master’s degrees. Fields of study include business management, hotel and resort management, spa and golf management, culinary arts and food and beverage management, as well as eco-tourism, nature- and adventure-tourism management.
Students can also transfer to and from different courses and campuses among the member schools.
Mr Schudt, an honoree member of the Swiss Hotel Association, said he is approaching strong Thai partners for the project because he foresees bureaucratic problems, such as obtaining work permits for foreign management and lecturers.
“The school would accept both Thais with acceptable English skills as well as foreign students. We cannot give our children much, but we can give them an education. Tourist numbers are continually increasing, which may sound positive, but we have to look at other concerns,” Mr Schudt said.
“Many foreigners and locals on the island have ‘tunnel vision’ and are missing this important point. Thailand does not have any international hotel schools. In Switzerland, we have two. We need approval from the government now at an early stage,” he added.
However, Mr Schudt, who has lived on Phuket for 15 years, said that he would have to wait a week or so before moving ahead with any further commitments as the directors of the Orion Hotel Schools in Australia were coming to Phuket to discuss the project.
Gov Niran said that he would organize a meeting with all the relevant agencies so that the project could start quickly.
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Phuket, Thailand
17:55
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Gen Apirak asks for patience in murder investigations
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong has assured the public that investigators are working hard to bring to justice those responsible for a slew of unsolved murders that have shocked the island in recent months.
Speaking after a press conference on August 20, Gen Apirak said provincial police investigators and specialists from Bangkok were working hard on three unsolved shooting murder cases: the June 11 execution of former Kathu Police officer Decho Kaewnabon, who was involved in the smuggling of unregistered Burmese workers; the June 17 slaying of 99 Seafood Restaurant owner Siricahi “Yod” Chaikoo near the Tung Tong Police checkpoint, and the July 18 mafia-style murder of Jintana Shopping Plaza heiress Komkai Kositkoon.
All three victims’ business interests were centered in Patong.
Investigators are also working hard to find the shooter of 57-year-old Dr Benjapol Thongton, owner of the Karon Center Clinic who survived a single gunshot to his lower left ribcage as he was driving in front of Sengho Bookstore on Suthat Rd at 8 am on August 4, Gen Apriak added.
A family squabble over inheritance has been rumored as a possible motive in that attack. The Thongton clan is said to be one of the richest families in Phuket and the victim was scheduled to appear in court the day of the shooting in an inheritance case against a relative, according to one local media report.
Gen Apirak said his officers were “x-raying” several gunmen in the province and working closely with regional police to monitor the movements of suspects thought to be hiding in other provinces.
As some of the gunmen are believed to be involved in multiple murders, it would take time to bring together all the evidence needed to link the crimes and build up a strong criminal case against them, he said.
Gen Apirak described as problematic the case of Komkai Kositkoon, who was involved in at least 10 lawsuits that could be considered as possible motives for her murder. Her assassination was most likely ordered and paid for by an “influential figure,” he said.
A special operations room has been established at Phuket Provincial Police Station to work on these cases, he added.
“These are difficult cases to solve and will take time. Each one is like a jigsaw puzzle; all the evidence has to be put together piece-by-piece before the real picture emerges,” he said.
Unfortunately, composite sketches based on eyewitness accounts in all four cases were thought to be “about 50% accurate” at best, he estimated.
Investigators are now comparing information with lists of known gunmen in Police Regions 8 and 9, he said.
“In all four cases we have about 70% of the required evidence, but we want to make sure we have air-tight cases before we request arrest warrants,” he said.
Gen Apirak admitted that there had been insufficient security screening of vehicles at the Tah Chat Chai police checkpoint due to under-staffing in recent months, but said the situation there should improve in September, when responsibility shifts from Police Region 8 to Provincial Police.
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Phuket, Thailand
14:19
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Phuket Reporters Club President dies in car crash
PHUKET: Phuket Reporters Club President Thongtuan Sukmuang and four fellow Thai Rath newspaper reporters died in a fiery road accident in Narathiwat about midday yesterday.
Khun Thongtuan, 51, and his colleagues were on their way to Narathiwat for the funeral of fellow reporter Chalee Boonsawat, who died in the August 21 insurgent car bomb attack in Sungai Kolok.
Their van overturned after hitting a tree in Yingor district about midday, according to initial reports.
The vehicle, which according to some reports was fitted with LPG tanks, hit a tree and burst into flames.
There have been no reports thus far linking the accident to insurgent activity.
Also killed were Haad Yai-based reporters Thepnarong Viriyakul, Sumolrat Viriyakul and Sudjai Jittakan and Trang-based reporter Natthapan Saengkaew.
Five other reporters in the van โ€“ including Phang Nga-based reporters Bunnarak Jittawanantaprawat, Premchan Thaitaweewong and Pramote Kulthanawatchara โ€“ suffered serious injuries and are being treated in the ICU at Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Hospital.
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Phuket, Thailand
11:49
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Phuket protesters join Bangkok Siege, demand PM's resignation
PHUKET: As the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) makes its final drive to oust Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, media in Bangkok have reported that NBT broadcast stations were being raided around the nation.
However, NBT reporter Chaiwut Poungsuwan today told the Gazette that the NBT station in Phuket, located at the top of Rang Hill in Phuket City, is safe and sound.
“NBT in Phuket is located in a peaceful area and the staff are friends with ASTV, the station that belongs to the PAD leader,” Khun Chaiwut said.
“NBT will suffer only in areas where they support the Samak regime,” he added.
Phuket PAD leader Natjarong Ekpermsup said that some 4,000 PAD members from Phuket were protesting in Bangkok, rallying at NBT headquarters, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport.
The protesters from Phuket were moving to government house to demand Samak’s resignation, he added late this afternoon.
The local contribution to massive national anti-government protests continued to gain momentum over the weekend, with flights from Phuket to Bangkok on all airlines fully booked yesterday as PAD members flocked to the capital.
On Friday, a Patong resident and PAD supporter known as “Loong Pim” took to the PAD stage in Bangkok to deliver 100,000 baht that he had collected to support PAD efforts to drive out the current government.
On Saturday, Khun Natjarong went up to Bangkok and told the Gazette, “We are going up to Bangkok for the endgame. We are going to drive Samak from power. I will be back next week, but in the meantime I have to look after the Phuket chapter in Bangkok. A lot of us will fly back to Phuket, too, so return flights will probably also be fully booked.”
On Sunday, the first group of more than 5,000 Phuket-based PAD supporters joined the Bangkok protest after arriving in a convoy of cars, buses and vans.
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Phuket, Thailand
18:34
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Speed, guns and ganja confiscated in crackdown
PHUKET CITY: Following his order of a crackdown on crime, Phuket’s top cop has announced that several drug- and gun-related arrests were made recently in different parts of the island.
Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong said that recent swoops in various locations had included the seizure of 390 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills that had been stashed in a hole in the ground; two homemade 12-gauge shotguns; a .38 pistol; and a small bag of marijuana.
Two men have been charged with possession of a Class 1 narcotic with intent to sell following the seizure of the 390 ya bah pills after Tung Tong Police officers had monitored the pair closely following reports that they were selling the drug to students in the area.
The guns were found by police when they searched three men near the Bang Kon Tee Mosque on Wiset Rd in Rawai. Two of the men arrested were Phuket natives and said they carried the unregistered weapons only for self defense, but confessed to charges of carrying unregistered firearms in public. All three guns were loaded.
On the same night, Chalong Police arrested two men for being in possession of a small bag of dried, compressed marijuana, the weight of which was not given. Both confessed to possession of a Class 5 narcotic for personal consumption, police said.
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Phuket, Thailand
18:13
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
3G in Phuket by mid-2009: DTAC
PHUKET: Mobile phone service provider DTAC has announced its plans to make third-generation “3G” technology available in Phuket by mid-2009 after being granted a license to provide nationwide 3G service by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
DTAC representative Amarit Thongchai told the Gazette that DTAC will now have a 12-month head start on providing full 3G coverage, which will be made available in three stages under a 5-billion-baht investment plan: first, Bangkok in early 2009; then Phuket and Chonburi in mid-2009; and the rest of the country by the end of 2009.
“DTAC appears to have an advantage over its rivals in the race to 3G because its existing analog 850 Megahertz frequency can be upgraded quickly to high-speed download packet access (HSDPA) technology with a wider coverage capacity,” said DTAC CEO Sigve Brekke.
“We would start realizing revenue from 3G in 2010. Mobile broadband will compete directly with fixed-line broadband services, given its much faster download speed and mobility,” Mr Brekke predicted.
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Phuket, Thailand
18:03
local time (GMT +7) |
Monday, August 25, 2008
Hanna Backlund murderer given life sentence
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Court today sentenced Akkaradej ('Chon') Tankae to life imprisonment for the murder of Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund, who was stabbed to death at Mai Khao Beach in broad daylight on March 15.
The sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment because Chon made a full confession, said the judge, who made reference to the negative impact the case had on the island's tourism industry.
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Phuket, Thailand
14:35
local time (GMT +7) |
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