Phuket News and Events

Dr Smith Warns Of Tsunami Risk In Phuket, Andaman Region

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:22:41 +0000

Dr Smith warns of tsunami risk in Phuket, Andaman region
Phuket Gazette

Dr Smith Dharmasaroja (inset) and the crowd of 2000 school administrators he addressed at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Thursday. Photo: Warisa Temram.

PHUKET: -- The man whose warnings of a possible tsunami disaster along Thailand's Andaman coast went unheeded years before the 2004 calamity struck was in Phuket recently, urging a national assembly of school administrators to be prepared for more possible disasters in 2012.

Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, former Director of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC), was guest speaker for a gathering of some 2,000 secondary school directors and deputy school directors in the main ballroom at Royal Phuket City Hotel in Phuket Town on Thursday.

Speaking on the likelihood of a possible earthquake and tsunami disaster like the one that befell Thailand and neighboring countries in 2004, he urged the administrators to "be prepared but not to panic".

“Earthquakes have occurred in many countries lately, and there is always a possibility one could hit Thailand as well. Our warning center has detected some movement from [tectonic] plates in the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea that indicates an earthquake could happen sometime soon,” said Dr Smith.

Doctor Smith was referring to work by the National Disaster Warning Council Foundation (NDWCF), a non-government organization he set up with other retired bureaucrats after his dismissal as head of the NDWC.

Former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra installed Dr Smith as director of the NDWC after its formation in the wake of the 2004 disaster, but his authority was undermined when a subsequent government put the agency under the Meteorological Department.

After he was removed from the agency altogether, he later became a critic of its work in maintaining the tsunami early warning system he helped establish. As a result, he set up the NDWCF as a parallel organization.

“The earthquake could cause a tsunami in southern Thailand, along the Andaman coast, so the warning system should be ready at all times and everyone should always be prepared. If we maintain preparedness, there is no need to panic,” he added.

Although Thailand is not located directly on any of the major tectonic faults that comprise the "ring of fire", there are many minor faults in Thailand, he explained.

“There are 13 such faults in Thailand. Any major earthquake that occurs in our neighboring countries could affect these faults and can cause a lot of damage," he said.

He specified a fault zone near the Three-Pagoda Pass in Kanchanaburi province, on the Burmese border, as one of the highest-risk areas. A major tremor there could affect the structural integrity of the Srinagarindra Dam, he said.

“Our capital city Bangkok has a very high risk of suffering serious disasters. Bangkok is located on loose soil and it continues to sink every year. If a magnitude 7 to 8 earthquake were centered nearby, Bangkok could suffer severe damage,” he warned.

“Although 2012 could be a year when many natural disasters occur, I would like everyone to prepare for the worst -- but not to panic about the possibility," he told the educators.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12274.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-11

Phuket Civil Defense Volunteer Dead At The Wheel

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:07:29 +0000

Phuket Civil Defense Volunteer dead at the wheel
Phuket Gazette –

PHUKET: A Phuket City Civil Defense Volunteer died at the wheel of his car yesterday, possibly even before he crashed the car into a metalworks shop in Chalong at 3am.

Police at the scene suspect the driver Apinun “Nun” Chaibandit, 48, suffered a heart attack just before the crash.

The shop workers escaped harm by jumping out of the way as the car came towards them, police said.

A Chalong Police investigation team and Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation workers attended the incident and found a silver Toyota Vios buried in the front of the workshop with the driver still in the vehicle.

Police officers, seeing no visible injuries, attempted to rouse the driver with no success. However, an examination by rescue workers revealed that Mr Apinun was dead.

Police Captain Attawat Suwannarat, leading the investigation said, “When we checked we found no physical injury, no bleeding and his neck wasn’t broken. He was still in the driver's seat wearing a safety belt. So I think the cause of death might be from a heart attack.”

“Mr Apinun was a Phuket City Civil Defense Volunteer who lived at the Country Home housing development in Chalong. He was driving home when the accident occurred,” said Pol Capt Attawat.

“Four workers in the shop said they saw the car go out of control and head towards them, so they jumped just before the car crashed into the shop,” he added.

Mr Apinun's body was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital for further examination.

“The doctor’s report I received puts the cause of death as unknown. His family doesn’t want an autopsy performed, as they know he had a preexisting heart condition. I believe he was dead before the car even crashed into the shop,” said Pol Capt Attawat.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12273.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-10

Phuket Murder Suspect Prepared To Surrender: Police

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:07:18 +0000

Phuket murder suspect prepared to surrender: police
Phuket Gazette

Maj Gen Pisan Chuldilok, deputy commissioner of the Region 8 Police, is negotiating the terms of the surrender. Photo: Phuket Gazette file.

PHUKET: -- Police are in telephone negotiations with murder suspect Atsadakorn "Pod" Seedokbuab, a Phuket businessman they believe was the mastermind behind the shocking assassination of Phuket newsman Wisut "Ae Inside" Tangwitthayaporn early last month.

Mr Atsadakorn, owner of KPP Cable TV and a vice president of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, is demanding immediate bail release in return for his surrender, police sources have told the Gazette.

Maj Gen Pisan Chuldilok of the Region 8 Police and Mr Atsadakorn have yet to reach an agreement on the terms of the surrender, but the negotiations are continuing, the source said.

Two other suspects in the case, the alleged gunman and the man who paid him, remain at-large.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12272.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-10

27-Year-Old English Teacher Reported Missing In Phuket

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:29:48 +0000

English teacher reported missing in Phuket
Phuket Gazette

A missing person poster of Mark Robson. Courtesy Phuket Tourist Police.

PHUKET: -- The mother Mark Robson, a 27-year-old with British and South African nationality, is seeking help to find her son who went missing in Phuket last month.

Mr Robson arrived in Thailand from Durban on December 5. After short stays in Bangkok, Phang Nga and Koh Samui in mid-December, he stayed in Phuket.

He was in regular email contact with his mother Merneen Robson, keeping her abreast of his movements.

Mr Robson was known to have been in Patong until January 1, staying at Martini House and The Good Nice Hotel.

From there he moved to Karon, where he stayed at an unknown location for three days before finally booking in at the The Old Phuket resort.

Around January 12, he moved north to Nai Yang Beach, just to the south of Phuket Airport, to escape the crowds and be closer to the airport.

His mother Merneen Robson wrote that her son kept in regular contact by email, until his final message sent on from Nai Yang Beach on January 15.

"We have not heard from him since. He hired a motorbike for the day on January 14.”

Mark was was due to fly from Phuket to Taipei on February 6 to take up a teaching position there on February 8.

Bangkok Airways confirmed he did not catch the flight. Mrs Robson began to worry after receiving a call from his employers in Taipei to say he never arrived.

Mrs Robson believes Mark was traveling alone, except for meeting up with two girls in Koh Samui that he might have known from Maritzburg Varsity, a South African rugby club.

“He withdrew money from an ATM near The Old Phuket on January 10 and then drew on his Travelex card on January 23. He may still have been in Nai Yang Beach, possibly not. This was his last withdrawal,” she wrote.

Mrs Robson has contacted the British Embassy and the SA Embassy, but they have no information apart from the fact that he is not in prison.

Members of the Phuket Tourist Police Volunteers are involved in the search effort.

Anyone with information that could lead to discovering the whereabouts of Mark Robson should contact Cathy Robson (Tel: +27-834271218; Email: bodybycat [at] gmail) or Jess (Tel: +27 828970707; Email: jkretzmann [at] mrpricegroup.com).

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12265.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-10

Surprise Tuna Catch Off Phuket, Krabi

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:49:03 +0000

Surprise tuna catch off Phuket, Krabi
Phuket Gazette

The recent longtail tuna catch is a promising sign for the health of the ocean south of Phuket, Krabi officials say. Photo: Warisa Temram.

PHUKET: -- Fisherman have been catching unusually large longtail tuna in the waters south of Phuket recently, experts say.

One of the fish, so large it was originally thought to be a "little tunny" or "false albacore", was brought for examination to the Andaman Sea Fisheries Management Center Krabi on Tuesday.

The specimen, weighing in at 5kg, is a good sign for the condition of the water off the coast of Krabi, said center director Jaroen Omane.

Longtail tuna usually live in deep water, 80 meters or more. They are a popular species for sports fishing enthusiasts, but are not easy to find in the shallower waters off the coast of Krabi, Mr Jaroen explained.

The Krabi fishermen believe these fish have migrated from other areas because the sea off Krabi has become a more fertile feeding ground.

“We expanded the non-fishing area from 3,000 meter to 5,400 meters offshore during the spawning season. The fact that fishermen caught 5-6 kilograms longtail tuna means the marine environment has improved, which would explain why the fish have migrated closer to shore,” said Mr Jaroen.

“It is very popular for sushi,” he added.

Fishermen have been catching longtail tuna in local waters for the last ten years, but until recently they had been smaller, just three to four kilograms, Mr Jaroen concluded.

Phuket is currently home to the third-largest tuna fishing fleet in Asia and the local industry continues to grow with Taiwanese investment. Most of the catch is exported to the US and Japan.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12261.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-09

Phuket Update: Volunteers Continue Sea Search For Missing Aussie

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:27:39 +0000

Phuket update: Volunteers continue sea search for missing Aussie
Phuket Gazette –

A Facebook photo of Carmel Brookes, who was at the helm of a Phuket-bound sailboat when she mysteriously disappeared last Thursday.

The Koh Rok island group (outlined in red) lies about half way between Langkawi Island and Phuket. It is part of the Koh Lanta Marine National Park in Krabi waters. Image: GoogleEarth.

PHUKET: Friends of an Australian woman who fell overboard from a yacht sailing to Phuket late last week are not giving up hope that she may still be alive and are calling on volunteers to continue the search off the coast of Trang.

Australian national Carmel Brooks is known to have fallen overboard from the sailboat Moondancer last Thursday night somewhere near Koh Rok, about 40 kilometers due south of Koh Lanta in Krabi waters.

After being alerted of the situation, the Royal Thai navy and other maritime agencies in the area conducted a search-and-rescue mission for Ms Carmel, but called it off yesterday.

Michelle Black, a friend of Ms Carmel and her sailing companion Dr Gerald Goeden, still holds some hope that Ms Black might have swum to safety on one of the many islands and rock outcrops in Koh Lanta Marine National Park.

"I don't think she is a very strong swimmer, but she is very fit and healthy," she said.

Ms Black said Dr Gerald has continued the search with help from friends in Phuket.

"I am sure they will continue to search for her as long as they can. I still want to believe that she will be found. Maybe another boat saw her and helped her, or she managed to swim ashore somewhere, in which case she would have been totally exhausted. Has anybody checked the hospital or medical centers in that area?" she asked, raising the possibility that she might be suffering from amnesia.

"We are very concerned for Gerry as well, because this would be traumatic for him and he would need any help that could be given to him. Any other boats who can help him, or divers, somebody must be able to help. There could be other Australians staying in Phuket who may want to help," she said.

"They are both beautiful people who were so well-liked by all their friends in The Whitsundays in Australia, where they lived for almost 10 years and owned a sailing business before moving to live in Penang a few years ago," she wrote.

Ms Black also spoke to Carmel's brother, who has been in touch with Dr Gerald by telephone.

"From what Carmel's brother said, [Dr Gerald] did not see it happen. He was down in the cabin having a sleep and it was her turn at the helm. They were taking turns. When his alarm went off, signalling it was time for him to take over, he went up on deck. But she wasn't there. Apparently she had a sailing safety harness on, but it had been unattached from the boat."

"Maybe she needed to go to toilet or for some reason she undid it, but there seems to be no explanation for this. It was night time when she fell overboard, which is a big worry. Would she know which way to swim in the dark with the boat moving away from her? It is just too terrible for me to think what she went through. I just need to know something so we can have some peace," she wrote

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?fromsearch=yes&Id=12255

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-09

Phuket Tour Buses: Two Hurt In Yet Another Crash

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:40:19 +0000

Phuket tour buses: Two hurt in yet another crash
Phuket Gazette

The bus finally came to rest when it hit a townhouse at the end of the small soi, located just off one of Phuket's most dangerous intersections.

A view of the junction of Phra Barami Road and Pisit Gorani Road at the base of Patong Hill, where many serious tour bus accidents have occurred over the years.

PHUKET: -- Another Phuket tour bus, this time carrying a group of Chinese tourists, crashed at the base of Patong Hill last night, injuring two people and causing extensive property damage.

The single deck bus was carrying about 18 tourists when its braking system failed coming down Phra Barami Road, near Suwankiriwong Temple, at about 7pm.

The bus continued straight along Pisit Gorani Rd and then, unable to negotiate the sharp corner there, continued down a side soi where It damaged part of the MP Hotel, a pickup truck, utility poles and a motorbike before plowing into a townhouse and finally coming to rest.

One female Chinese passenger on the bus was sent to Patong Hospital for evaluation after exhibiting signs of shock.

The only other injury was to 26-year-old motorbike driver New Datewan, who suffered a minor laceration to his right leg. He was treated at Patong Hospital as an out-patient.

Sorn Sarasit, a 43-year-old security guard at the MP Hotel who witnessed the accident, said the bus came down the hill very fast, making it impossible to negotiate the curve.

The driver, identified only as "Udom", fled the scene after the accident, a common practice in Phuket.

Police will likely contact his employers at Trans Pleasure Co Ltd, which ran the bus with the name “Classic Tour” on it, a reliable source said. The coach also had the name Somchai Intrawong painted in Thai on it.

An insurance agent gave a rough assessment of the damage, putting it at about 200,000 baht.

The Chinese tourists were put into vans at about 9pm and sent to Phuket Airport in order to catch their return flight home, which was scheduled for 3 am today.

The crash was the latest in a series of similar accidents that have recently occurred in the same area, some of them fatal and most attributed to "brake failure".

For dramatic CCTV images of the accident that show how a quick-thinking and brave Thai lady saves a toddler from being run over by the bus:

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12251.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-09

Phuket To Rid Itself Of Beggars And Homeless People

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:28:22 +0000

Phuket to Rid Itself of Beggars and Homeless People

PHUKET: -- Phuket will be ridding its streets of beggars and homeless people on February 14 to improve its image as a world-class tourist attraction.

Phuket social development and human security officer Chuanchom Chantawong said the number of beggars and homeless people is escalating in the province which doesn't help with the province's effort to become a world-class tourist destination.

The Phuket Social Development and Human Security Office is teaming up with the police, the immigration police, the public health office, local officials and orphanages in taking these people off the streets in 3 districts.

Beggars and the homeless can be seen at tourist attractions, fresh markets and flea markets. Most are from other provinces and come to Phuket to make a living begging or are forced into the human trafficking trade.

They include children, women, the disabled and the elderly and there are both Thai citizens and foreign nationals. Beggars in Phuket earn a good living with some making as much as 500 baht a day.

Last year, Phuket officials were able to arrest 30 beggars. In January alone, 7 crackdowns at Sapanhin, Katu municipality, Chalong Temple, Sam Kong Market, Patong, and Hua Saphan Rasada Market netted 3 Cambodian beggars, one of which is a 7-year-old girl and 2 males. Officials believe the group were brought into the area as part of the human trafficking trade.

Arrested beggars and homeless people who are 18 to 60 years of age will be sent to a shelter in Sichol, Nakhon Si Thammarat to receive training to find another occupation so they don't return to begging. Those under 18 years of age will be returned to their parents with serious reprimands. If they are orphaned, they'll be sent to an orphanage.

Those who are above 60 will be sent to the elderly home while foreign nationals will be taken into custody by the immigration police to be prosecuted and deported. If the homeless or the beggar is mentally-ill or has a contagious disease, the public health office will step in.

The officer urges Phuket residents not to give money to beggars to stem the trade while those who witness human trafficking should call the Prachabodi Center at 1300 to report the activity.

The crackdown will start on February 14 with a taskforce set up for each of the 3 districts to visit areas often frequented by beggars and the homeless.

-- Tan Network 2012-02-08

Search For Missing Phuket Girl Hits Two-Month Mark

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:06:58 +0000

Search for missing Phuket girl hits two-month mark
Phuket Gazette

One of the many photos of the Phuket youth on her Facebook page "Pinnee Smile".

PHUKET: -- The mother of a Phuket girl who went missing after a Facebook session over two months ago continues to devote all her energies to locating her child.

Samruay Saenthaweesuk, mother of 12-year-old Samudchaya “Nong Pin” Yanpunya, spoke with the Gazette yesterday.

“I went to Bangkok for help. I went to The Mirror Foundation, Pavena Foundation for Children and Women and every other place that works with children I could think of. I met Ms Pavena herself at Wat Bowonniwet Vihar on January 11, but still I have heard nothing about my daughter,” she said.

An image of Nong Pin also appeared on the front page of the Phuket Gazette hardcopy edition of December 24-30, 2011.

Mrs Samruay plans to meet Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha for a second time tomorrow to ask about progress in her request for help from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). She hopes MICT personnel will be able to track down her daughter by activity on her Facebook account, where she goes under the name “Pinnee Smile”.

Despite her fears that Nong Pin was abducted, the tone of Mrs Samruay’s voice indicates that she will never tire of trying to track down her daughter.

Anyone with information that may help locate Nong Pin is urged to call Mrs Samruay (087-2848380) or the Phuket City Police (076-212115).

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12242.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-08

Bob Brindley Passes Away In Phuket

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:02:09 +0000

Bob Brindley passes away in Phuket
Phuket Gazette

A photo of Bob Brindley at the Ao Chalong Yacht Club in Phuket. Courtesy ACYC.

PHUKET: -- Friends and family of Bob Brindley are mourning his passing in Phuket on Sunday.

Grenville Fordham, commodore of the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC), informed members of the club of Mr Brindley's passing with the following announcement:

"It is with great regret that I have to inform you that one of ACYC’s staunchest supporters and valued members, Bob Brindley, passed away on Sunday evening."

"According to his son, Steve, Bob knew it was time and had contacted all his family and friends to say goodbye. The cancer had started to give him a lot of pain in the preceding couple of days and thankfully he went quickly and did not suffer for a prolonged period."

"Bob’s tireless contribution to the club with his raffles, serving on the committee and hard work helping get the new club premises up and running was invaluable. We will miss him."

The Gazette passes on its condolences to friends and family and will update readers with any information about memorial services that is made available.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12243.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-08