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Thursday, November 20, 2008
Nai Yang Beach restaurant operators fight eviction
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Restaurant owner Somjit Lakbarn (right) is one of 13 vendors petitioning Gov Preecha Ruangjan for the right to continue operating on Nai Yang Beach. Photo by Kamol Pirat.
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NAI YANG BEACH: The owners of 13 beach-side restaurants located inside Sirinath Marine National Park are refusing to relocate to new premises that were built for them at the park’s visitors center, saying that the new shops are too small and distant from the sea.
The latest dispute in the area is only the latest chapter in a decades-old dispute over the right to use the Nai Yang beach front, the southern half of which is administered by the Sakoo Tambon Administration Organization. The other half is located inside Sirinath National Park, which covers 22 square kilometers south of the airport.
Sirinath National Park built a “food center” style facility with 10 shops to accommodate some of the 13 vendors who currently operate on land inside the park, but the vendors are refusing to relocate.
Restaurant owner Somjit Lakbarn said that the new premises offered by the park, each just three meters wide and four meters deep, are too small.
Her current operation, started more than a decade ago, has seating for ten customers and offers a wide assortment of dishes, including somtum, roast chicken and a variety of grilled seafood, along with beer, whiskey and other beverages. Under the rules of the new food center, each vendor would be restricted to a single type of food. Location is also a problem, she said.
“I am not confident I can attract customers and make a profit at the new place because it is more than 100 meters from the beach. Also, all the vendors will have to pay to buy plates, bowls and cutlery, and pay the cleaning and dish-washing staff hired by the food center,” she said.
Ms Somjit said she had raised these issues with Park Chief Charuay Inchan, but that he dismissed them and said the vendors were not in a position to negotiate.
“He just said it was park policy to make the beach more beautiful,” she said.
The restaurant owners have already sent a petition to Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangchan asking that they be allowed to remain. Some of the vendors have been operating there for twenty years.
“I believe the governor will give me the justice. We earn a living in an honest way, offer a good service and don’t take advantage of people,” she said.
As part of the petition, the restaurant owners outlined steps they would take to keep the beach beautiful if they are allowed to continue operating there.
“I promise I will do my best to keep the beach beautiful. I just beg the governor not to force me to move from here,” she said.
“The former park chief allowed us to set up our business here under the promise that we would protect the trees and keep the area clean. We have been operating here happily and without incident for a long time,” she added.
Current park chief Charuay Inchan isn’t budging. He said, “The law is on the side of the National Park and I have already informed the National Parks Region 5 Office in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, which is preparing to take legal action against the encroachers.
“When the court orders the eviction of the vendors, they will have 30 days to comply. If they fail to do so, the shops will be removed by the state and they will be charged for the work in removing them. As for the ten new stalls completed in October, only one is currently being used. The other stalls are available to the existing beach vendors on a first-come, first-served basis,” Mr Charuay said.
“Nai Yang National Park needs to develop the area in a standardized way. We have been getting lots of complaints from people about the state of the beach. The new food center will also improve hygienic conditions for tourists who come here to eat,” he added.
Outside the park boundary, south of the closed-down Crown Nai Yang Suite Hotel, some 33 roadside shops and stalls line the beach road. The days also appear to be numbered for these small-scale entrepreneurs, who are also encroaching on public land.
Sakoo Tambon Administration Organization President Surapomg Panyawai, now in his second term, told the Gazette that he agrees with Governor Preecha’s plan to tidy up the entire 2-kilometer Nai Yang beach front and make it more attractive to tourists.
The administration has already submitted a proposal for 23 million baht in provincial funding to construct a single-story building to house all 33 shops.
“We have already held a meeting with the shop owners and they agreed with the plan. We will begin construction as soon as the governor gives his approval. The vendors agree to move into the new facility as soon as it is completed,” he said.
“After the building is finished, I will not allow the construction of any new shops near the beach,” he added.
In 2005, the Sakoo Tambon Administration Organization spent 15 million baht in funding that was provided by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to build 30 single-story shops for the vendors on National Park Land.
The park halted construction in August of that year, pointing out that permission had only been verbal and that the structures, by then 60% complete, did not follow the originally specified design.
Then Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura visited the site and ordered the buildings torn down, agreeing with the park authorities that they were an eyesore, blocking sea views from the road.
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Phuket, Thailand
14:38
local time (GMT +7) |
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Phuket second highest HIV infection rate in Thailand
PHUKET CITY: Phuket now ranks second among Thailand’s 76 provinces in terms of HIV infection, with the large number of nightlife entertainment venues and the sex industry seen as the cause.
Dr Wiwat Sitomnoch of the Phuket Public Health Office reported that the incidence of HIV infection among teenagers and young adults in Phuket is rising, as are the number of cases of gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases. About 90% of cases are the result of unsafe sex practices, he said.
The Public Health Ministry’s Department of Disease Control has been keeping statistics of HIV/Aids cases in public and private hospitals in Thailand since 1984.
As of August 31 this year, 335,414 cases had been reported, with 91,839 deaths.
In Phuket, the number of cases reported from public and private hospitals between 1989 and October 2008 is 5,864, with 1,531 deaths. The number of cases among men is greater than among women by a factor of 2:1.
In a breakdown of the Phuket statistics by age, the highest incidence was among people aged 25-39 years. In this range, the highest incidence was among 30-34 year olds, with an incidence of 25.67%, followed by 25-29 year olds (22.10%) and 35-39 year olds (18.02%).
By profession, the most cases were among people who describe themselves as “workers for hire”, followed by domestic workers, the unemployed, retail vendors, company workers, manual laborers and 'fisherfolk', respectively.
Dr Wiwat said Phuket has the second highest infection rate in Thailand, second only to Ranong, for the period from 2007 to August 31 this year.
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Phuket, Thailand
14:13
local time (GMT +7) |
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Emergency medical training course for scuba staff
PHUKET CITY: The Badalveda Diving Medicine Network, on behalf of the TDA Diving Association (Thailand) and Bangkok Phuket Hospital, has announced the presentation of an Emergency Medical Management Training Course to be offered to the general scuba diving community.
The course will include Basic First Aid, Oxygen Provider, and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training that can improve the emergency medical service available to divers in Thailand.
The objectives are to improve the knowledge and skill level of emergency medical services for the Thai scuba diving community in Thailand; to promote preventive safety measures and overall preparedness to react to emergency situations; and to promote health and safety measures for visitors diving in Thailand.
Target groups are Thai diving instructors, boat crew members and others involved in diving.
The one-day course, in Thai language, will be offered on December 1 and 2 in the King Carl Gustaf conference room of the Bangkok Phuket Hospital.
The course will consist of 8 hours of lecture and practice sessions, starting promptly at 9 am.
Each course is limited to the first 25-30 people who register. The registration fee is 500 baht, which includes the cost of the certificate given to those who pass.
For more information click here.
To join the course, submit a completed registration form to the TDA’s Miss Tippawan (Tel: 081-0863631; Email: tda-office@cmas-thailand.org) or Badalveda’s Ms Varaporn (Tel: 081-9899482; Email: wjittanonta@hotmail.com) before November 24.
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Phuket, Thailand
13:40
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
All systems go for Coral Reef Squadron
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Muslim Wittaya School teacher Doroning Sacheh (center) led the Muslim blessing service on Saturday morning. Cherng Talay, where the artificial reef project is being sunk, has a large Muslim community.
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PHUKET DEEP SEA PORT: Muslim clerics and Buddhist monks held religious services on the morning of November 15 to bless 10 aircraft that will be be sunk off Bang Tao Bay to create the “Coral Reef Squadron,” the first artificial reef project of its kind in Thailand.
The services started at 10:30 am with a ceremony led by Muslim Wittaya School teacher Doroning Sacheh. Also taking part were Phuket Islamic Council chairman Bamroong Samphaorat and committee member Hameed Longji, other Muslim Wittaya teachers and Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Manote Panchalad.
The Muslim blessing was followed by a Buddhist blessing ceremony, conducted by five monks, that lasted until noon.
After the ceremonies, work began on moving the ten aircraft by crane onto waiting barges that will ferry them to the project site, located about one kilometer offshore.
The aircraft were originally meant to be sunk early in May, but the onset of stormy monsoon-season weather caused project organizers 'For Sea Foundation' to postpone the sinking until this month for safety reasons.
According to the project schedule, the loading work will take place through November 22, with the barges departing for the project site on November 23.
The sinking of three planes and six helicopters, expected to take four days, will commence November 24.
The sinking of the final Dakota is scheduled to begin at 9 am on the morning of Saturday, November 29.
When all this is completed, there will be a grand opening ceremony with Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat expected to preside.
Rainer Gottwald, who heads the Thai Dive Association (TDA) committee responsible for the sinking of the aircraft, said yesterday that everything is going according to schedule and all of the aircraft have now been moved to the edge of the wharf.
Mr Gottwald said he is hoping good conditions at Ao Panwa continue, as the loading of the aircraft with their concrete block supports onto barges is delicate work that requires very calm seas to do safely.
Divers will be able to explore the Coral Reef Squadron as early as November 30, he said.
So far, no fee has been set for people visiting the site, but the TDA is discussing with OrBorJor Cherng Talay the possibility of charging a small fee, in return for which divers would get a small souvenir.
However, he revealed that TDA divers are already surveying sites off Khao Lak, where they are planning their second artificial reef project with the help of the Hotel General Managers’ Club of Khao Lak.
The hoteliers would like to have an artificial reef project off the coastline to boost tourism in the resort area, which is still recovering from the devastation of the 2004 tsunami.
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Phuket, Thailand
15:48
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Nuvo to play benefit concert for Coral Reef Squadron project
PATONG: Veteran pop band Nuvo will play a benefit concert at Jungceylon on Friday, November 28 to raise funds for the Coral Reef Squadron artificial reef project, which will have its grand opening ceremony the following morning.
'For Sea Foundation' Press Coordinator Siri “Poo” Vorabutra said the six-member band, with hits like Pen yang nee tung tae kerd luey (I’ve been like this since birth), are performing the free concert to raise funds for the artificial reef project and also promote their latest CD Nuvo Now Showing, which was released a few months ago.
Although admission to the concert is free, donation boxes will be available for those who want to contribute.
The concert begins at 8 pm.
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Phuket, Thailand
15:30
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The next Miss France is on Phuket
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NAME YOUR POISSON: Miss France candidates admire the fresh seafood at a local market.
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NAI YANG: Phuket’s natural beauty got even more attractive this week with the arrival of 36 Miss France contestants who are here to film a segment of the pageant to be broadcast in France next month.
On November 14 the Miss France contestants and their entourage, totaling 85 people, arrived at Indigo Pearl resort, where they will based during their stay here.
The ladies were flown to Phuket on a special XL Airways chartered flight direct from Paris.
While in Phuket the contestants will be busy doing photo shoots and other pre-event coverage as well as sightseeing, organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand ( TAT) and Best Tours.
The Miss France 2009 pageant will be broadcast on December 6 on TF1 to an estimated 9.3 million viewers.
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Phuket, Thailand
11:45
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Over 30 guns seized at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint
TAH CHAT CHAI: Beefed up security at the Tah Chat Chai road checkpoint in Mai Khao has resulted in the seizure of more than 30 firearms in under two months and police are planning to invest a further 26 million baht to curb gun smuggling onto the island, according to the Manager online news service.
Last Friday at Phuket City Police Station, Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong and Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Sakchai Limcharoen presented a wide assortment of seized firearms to the media including 9mm, 11mm. .357 magnum and .38 caliber weapons, a “glock” and even homemade firearms.
Gov Preecha told the press that stepped up security at the checkpoint had resulted in the seizure of 32 firearms being smuggled onto the island since the operation began in October, when control of the checkpoint passed from Region 8 Police to Phuket Provincial Police.
The drive to reduce the number of firearms being driven onto the island over the Thepkrasattri Bridge was to maintain Phuket’s image as a safe tourist destination, he was quoted as saying.
Potential visitors could be frightened away if the island develops a reputation as a wild and lawless country outpost, the report read.
Lt Gen Apirak told the press that while the number of guns intercepted seems large, it is in fact probably only a small fraction of the flow of firearms onto Phuket from the mainland.
For this reason, police will invest 26 million baht to further enhance security at the checkpoint. The funds will be used to purchase more advanced technology to detect weapons and other types of contraband.
Phuket will also see a massive expansion in the number of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, Lt Gen Apirak was quoted as saying.
The 48 police CCTV cameras now in place on the island are of very limited value in the fight against crime as some units are inoperable, while others have problems playing back the images they record, he admitted.
The 48 CCTV cameras installed under a 16-million-baht contract with telecommunications provider CAT Telecom Public Company Ltd were announced as fully operational in February 2007.
The network consists of sixteen cameras each in three locales popular with tourists: Phuket City, Patong and Karon.
Authorities will increase the number of CCTV cameras on the island to 500 in order to better meet security needs, he was quoted as saying.
There were no details in the report about who would actually pay for the cameras or when they would be installed. However, several local administrative bodies have announced plans to add large numbers of CCTV cameras in areas under their jurisdictions.
In another interesting development, Lt Gen Apirak was quoted as saying that he had hoped to declare Phuket as a “crime free zone” during this high season. Although the plan has been postponed because of the number of criminal cases that have occurred, he still hopes to declare Phuket as a crime free province in the near future in order to maintain tourist confidence in the island.
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Phuket, Thailand
11:39
local time (GMT +7) |
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