Mystery Over Death of Yakuza Gangster
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Volume 11 Issue 30 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555 July 24 - 30, 2004 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 20 Baht The Gazette is published in association with Mystery TAT boss raps over death IN THIS ISSUE of Yakuza NEWS: Cyber Paradise train- ing begins; Green light at last gangster for giant Buddha image; Phuket failings Queer News. Pages 2, 3 & 4 By Anongnat Sartpisut INSIDE STORY: A man’s vision By Dhirarat Boonkongsaen of a new ‘city’. Pages 4 & 5 KARON: Six months on, the BANGKOK: Suwalai Pinpra- January 6 drowning death of AROUND THE ISLAND: Digital dab, Director of the local office known Yakuza gangster, Kenji photo printing in a cube. of the Tourism Authority of Maehama, 30, is being investi- Page 6 Thailand (TAT) said that the goal gated by Japanese crime fight- AROUND THE REGION: Surat of Phuket becoming a truly ers to determine whether he was Thani TAT receives baht bo- “world-class” destination is a murdered. nanza. Page 8 pipe dream unless a variety of Mr Kenji arrived on Phuket problems are dealt with. with his stepfather and two PEOPLE: Phuket City Mayor These, she said, include friends on January 5. The follow- identifies her most pressing high-volume, low-paying tour- ing day Mr Kenji reportedly got issues. Pages 10 & 11 ists; poor service in all sectors into difficulty while swimming SUPERYACHTS: Big, butch and of the hospitality industry; and a off Karon Beach. He died on the butt-ugly. Page 12 crumbling natural environment. way to hospital. Speaking with the Gazette Pol Col Chalit Kaewyarat, LIFESTYLE: Pocket-sized mo- during a Market & Product bile music. Page 13 Superintendent of Chalong Po- Briefing for TAT directors, gov- lice Station, told the Gazette that TALES OF A TRAVELER: Korea: ernment officials, and industry a team of eight investigators, led a true North-South divide. representatives at the Queen by Yoshio Shimizu, Assistant Page 14 Sirikit National Convention Director of International Inves- Center in Bangkok, she said, tigative Operations of the Na- STREETS OF PATTAYA: Sex, lies and ... more lies. Page 17 “Phuket is a place to enjoy sun, tional Police Agency in Osaka, sand and sea but no one is tak- had come to Phuket to investi- FIRST PERSON: Taking care of ing sufficient care of the envi- gate whether Mr Kenji was mur- Patong’s tourists. Page 19 ronment [to maintain this repu- dered. BUSINESS: Korean telecoms tation].” The visiting investigators giant in Phuket. Page 21 Referring to the recent explained that, just a few weeks placing of two Phuket hotels – before his death, Mr Kenji had GUEST CHEF: Appetizers of the JW Marriott Phuket Resort taken out a 150-million-yen (56 attraction at La Calamita. & Spa and The Racha Resort and million baht) life-insurance Page 25 Spa– in the Condé Nast Traveler policy that named his stepfather, PROPERTY: Lakeview project (USA) Magazine’s 2004 top 100 Kaoru Maehama, as beneficiary. completion date set; Space in hotels, K. Suwalai said, “This Japanese documents also Chalong; a striking plant. Suwalai Pinpradab: ‘How much tourists pay is how the TAT reinforces Phuket’s reputation defines their quality.’ showed that Mr Kaoru was reg- Pages 26, 27 & 28 worldwide. istered as Mr Kenji’s stepfather “But all hotel staff [on the dent women travelers, Japanese tourists as those from the lower just a few weeks before the fatal PLUS island] should be trained to pro- tourists, and students on cultural end of the market who prefer holiday. vide a ‘world-class’ service. exchange visits – again with Ja- cheap shops and typically pa- The Japanese investigators AROUND THE NATION 7; HAP- “We must get to work on pan as the main focus. tronize only restaurants and ho- had traced the movements of Mr PENINGS 9; HOROSCOPES 10; these problems immediately,” She said she also foresees tels owned or run by their fel- Kenji’s companions and discov- KIDS 15; FITNESS 16; EARTH she warned. continuing growth in the golf and low countrymen. ered that, after his death, the WATCH, MAKING TRACKS 17; Other problems to be ad- diving markets in Phuket. K. Suwalai said that the three went to Bangkok where EDITORIAL & LETTERS 18; IS- dressed, she said, include poor The TAT is also concerned TAT Phuket office will meet with they were involved in drunken SUES & ANSWERS 19; BOOKS, service from tuk-tuk and other at so-called “zero-cost tourists” travel agencies in Beijing later brawls with bar girls. COMPUTERS 20; MONEY TALKS, local transportation providers, and the companies behind these this year to try to negotiate mini- The Japanese team in- ON THE MOVE 21; SPORT 22- and tourists being cheated. tours, K. Suwalai noted. mum prices for package tourists. cluded officers of the insurance 23; MOTORING 24; CLASSIFIEDS K. Suwalai said that the One overseas TAT office “How much tourists pay is company, which will declare Mr 29-35. niche markets the TAT in Phuket director – who asked not to be how the TAT defines their qual- Kenji’s policy invalid if it is would focus on include indepen- named – characterized zero-cost ity,” she concluded. found that he was murdered. 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS July 24 - 30, 2004 American Teenage thugs stab British teacher found dead in PHUKET CITY: A young Brit- and unconscious at the side of the agers trying to steal parts from in his liver, but was out of dan- ish man is recovering in Wachira road near the Mission Hospital his motorbike. When he remon- ger. Phuket Hospital intensive care at about 5 am the following day, strated with them, one of them Pol Capt Sathit Noorit told Patong hotel unit after being stabbed late on hours after the attack. stabbed him in the abdomen. the Gazette, “We have made no July 16. The motorbike taxi driver A nurse at the hospital, progress in this case because the PATONG: Police are investigat- A motorcycle taxi driver rushed him to Wachira Hospital. speaking on condition of ano- victim has been too ill to tell us ing the death of 43-year-old found Aden Simpson, 21, who is After emergency treatment Mr nymity, told the Gazette that Mr very much, and we could find no American Chris John Beyer, who an English teacher at Satree Simpson was able to tell police Simpson had lost a great deal of clues in the area where he was was found dead at the Expat Ho- Phuket School, lying bloodied that he had seen a group of teen- blood from a 1.5-cm-wide wound found.” – Siripansa Somboon tel on July 15 with his hands bound and a black garbage bag over his head. IN BRIEF Housekeepers discovered the body about two days after noting a rank odor in room 120, ‘Cyber Paradise’ Kathu Pattana wins where Mr Beyer had been stay- ing since July 9. municipal election Expat Hotel General Man- KATHU: Prasert Kaokijpaisarn ager Ploenjit James told the Ga- and his 12-member Kathu Pat- zette she believed Mr Beyer had training begins tana (Development) Party won taken his own life. all seats in the Kathu municipal The corpse was found lying By Gategaeo Phetsawang election, including the key posi- face-up dressed only in a pair of tion of Mayor. purple shorts. One arm was hand- PATONG: The Software Indus- It would have been a sur- cuffed to the bed and the other try Promotion Agency (Sipa) prise if they hadn’t – Kathu was tied with power cable to a launched a two-week seminar on Pattana was the only party to table. There was a black plastic July 19 with the aim of training stand in the election, on July 18. bag over Mr Beyer’s head and software programmers in Thai- Like all elections in Thai- three lengths of rubber tubing land to develop open source soft- land, the Kathu walk-over will around his neck to prevent air ware for Thai small and medium- still need to be checked by the from entering the bag. sized enterprises (SMEs). Central Election Commission According to the hotel, no- Forty programmers from (CEC). body had visited the Mr Beyer Phuket, Chiang Mai and Khon “I believe this election will during his stay. Kaen met at the Patong Merlin be approved,” said Kittipong “We believe that he killed Hotel, where software developer Thiengkunagrit, Director of the himself. He always wanted to David Jones explained how to Phuket Election Commission stay alone. A letter that was develop the open-source soft- (PEC). “We received no com- found in the room may explain ware, OFBiz. plaints. That may be because his reasons for wanting to end his Mr Jones is one of the there was only one party.” life,” K. Ploenjit said. founders of OFBiz, an open- Kathu Police Inspector Pol source suite of business software At the opening of the seminar were, from left, Hans Bakker of Lt Padungpong Duksukaew said that includes features such as Ant Web, David Jones of OFBiz and Phuket Governor Udomsak Dogs get chips Usawarangkura. Mr Beyer had probably died at accounting software; production, CHALONG: Around 80 dogs be- least two days before his body inventory and order manage- in commerce, notably the travel- entice IT investors from Bangkok longing to householders at Land was discovered. ment; and online marketing and industry-focused OpenTravel and elsewhere. & Houses Park were the first on “We found a letter near the e-commerce tools. Much of the software suite. “We are also trying to at- the island to be tagged with mi- door [apparently written by the software is free.