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Visa Runs 'Are Safe' Despite Violence Volume 11 Issue 2 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555January 10 - 16, 2004 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 20 Baht The Gazette is published in association with Visa runs Long delays clog ‘are safe’ IN THIS ISSUE despite NEWS: Patong Mayoral race; scores register as ‘poor’; airport arrivals Queer News.Pages 2, 3 & 4 violence By Dhirarat Boonkongsaen INSIDE STORY: The poor of Phuket – the reality. By Supaporn Sriprom Pages 4 & 5 PHUKET: Officials have admit- ted that visitors to Phuket are PHUKET: Visa runs through AROUND THE ISLAND: Facial being forced to wait up to two- Narathiwat are still safe despite stamps for fun; Students set and-a-half hours to get through a wave of attacks on police, sol- to walk the higher path. Customs and Immigration at diers and schools across prov- Page 6 Phuket International Airport be- inces close to the border with AROUND THE REGION: Second cause of chronic staff shortages. Malaysia, travel agents in Phuket Samui airport gets the go- Delays are a constant bug- and Narathiwat said on January ahead. Page 8 bear for arriving and departing 5. passengers and extreme hold- Attacks on January 4 in PEOPLE: One-to-one with a ups occur when two or three air- Narathiwat left four soldiers Phuket trail-blazer; Off the craft packed with holidaymakers dead, 20 schools torched and a Wall. Pages 10 & 11 arrive within minutes. small arsenal of weapons seized. TALES OF A TRAVELER: Con- One frustrated airline offi- Two police officers in neighbor- quering India’s Golden Tri- cial emailed the Gazette, “It is ing Pattani province were killed angle. Page 14 just unbelievable at the moment the following day. The Gazette contacted tour STATES & MARKETS: Political how Immigration are treating the passengers at the airport upon ar- agencies that specialize in visa predictions for 2004. runs and the general view was Page 19 rival.” The man, a local represen- that people will continue to travel ISSUES & ANSWERS: Is a lease tative for one of Germany’s lead- south to the border because there worth the paper it’s written ing tour airlines, described what are few other alternatives. on? Page 19 followed when three planes from A spokesperson at one agency, based in the city of BUSINESS: Overseas call Germany arrived within 40 min- rates slashed; Elite card price utes one afternoon last month. Narathiwat, said the attackers doubles for expats. Page 21 “Our company had to wait targeted police and the army, not three hours until the last passen- civilians or foreigners. SPORT: Setting sail for the gers could get out of the airport A woman who gave her Andamans; Athletics; Soccer. and were transferred to the ho- name as Kanitta, a sales consult- Pages 22 & 23 tel,” he wrote. ant for Royal Silk Travel, said, GUEST CHEF: Alpine delights “Eight of 16 counters were “There are not so many people at Patong’s Swiss Chalet. in service. Where were the other booking visa runs right now but I Page 25 Immigration officers? Do you don’t think it has anything to do know how the tourists reacted? with the unrest. PROPERTY: Stunning sights in ‘I will never come to Thailand “We have customers com- Chalong; Graham Doven again’, [some said.] ing all the way from Bangkok and goes power crazy; Décor “Do you really want to let it isn’t always easy for them to Source. Pages 26, 27 & 28 all the tourists go to another travel so far, so that sometimes country to spend their holidays? affects the number of people PLUS Hasn’t Thailand suffered enough doing a visa run.” problems with the Sars crisis?” Supornparn Tetinpai, a AROUND THE NATION 7; HAPPEN- His sentiments were ech- sales consultant for the Queen INGS 9; HOROSCOPES 12; KIDS oed by another correspondent Air booking center in Patong, said 15; EARTHWATCH, FITNESS 16; who said, “Thai nationals, tour- that it might be a few days be- BOOKS, STREETS OF PATTAYA 17; ists and work permit holders are BIRTH ON THE BYPASS: Phuket shoppers are frequently torn fore everyone became aware EDITORIAL & LETTERS 18; COM- greeted by a 30 to 45 minute line- between Tesco-Lotus and Big C. This baby, here with her proud that martial law had been de- PUTERS, MONEY TALKS 20; MO- up for passing through Immigra- parents, was born between them – in a car on the bypass road clared in three southern prov- TORING 24; CLASSIFIEDS 29-35. tion. on the way to hospital. FULL REPORT: Page Two. inces. Continued Page Two See Editorial: Page 18 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS January 10 - 16, 2004 Special delivery on the bypass road PHUKET TOWN: They say vehicle to stop so he could remon- once. Marie weighed in at 3.625 that good things come in small strate with the driver. kilos at 8:17 pm. packages. And while the cabin “The officer blew his Mr Taillard said, “The doc- size of the Toyota Sportrider may whistle and forced us to stop, tor was surprised when we got be larger than average, it is on came over, looked through the out of the car because he didn’t the small side for a delivery room. window and saw my wife in la- know that the baby had already Prasert Wannaso and her bor,” Mr Taillard said. “He just been delivered. There was a buzz husband Pascal Taillard, of Cha- waved us on our way.” around the hospital and everyone long, had been enjoying Christmas As they sped down the by- was anxious to know the license dinner with friends in Rawai pass road, just 17 minutes after plate of the lucky car.” when contractions began. All four K. Prasert’s contractions began, Mr Taillard said, “Actually, piled into the vehicle and sped off she gave birth to a daughter – many people won from buying to hospital. Marie Pascal – between the Big lottery tickets with the number.” Swerving in and out of traf- C and Tesco-Lotus supercenters. The family held a “baby fic and running red lights may not She described labor, for her shower” party – and little Marie RIDE OF HER LIFE: Prasert and Pascal Taillard (center) with Marie be unusual on Phuket roads but third child, as “very easy” and was showered with presents. Pascal and dining and driving companions Warbara and Henry Herr. this time, a policeman ordered the said that she needed to push just – Supaporn Sriprom Hundreds flock to sign up as ‘poor’ By Gategaeo Phetsawang Usawarangkura Join the Phuket queue: every day brings complaints from visitors. visited Phuket PHUKET TOWN: Up to 800 Town District Of- Thais declared themselves fice and reminded Long delays clog airport “poor” on January 5, the first day the Gazette that of registration at the island’s three Phuket boasts an From Page One the German airline come little district offices in Phuket Town, array of natural more than a week after the air- Kathu and Thalang. resources and has “Only half of the immigra- port announced an “All Smiles All The project – part of Prime a per-capita in- tion counters are manned during The Time” promotion. Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s come higher than peak hours. This goes for both Lt Cdr Boonchart Prom- War on Poverty – is being piloted that of other prov- incoming and outgoing passen- poon, Director of the Airports gers.” Authority of Thailand (AAT), in eight provinces around the Signing on the poverty line: Phuket crowds take inces. The Deputy Chief Superin- Phuket, said Phuket needed more country. the chance to register as ‘poor’. “But we So far some 400,000 fami- also have many tendent of Immigration at the air- officers to achieve its target of lies, thought to be around 10% of 30 people in his family and in the poor people at ‘grass roots’ level port, Pol Lt Col Chongrak Wong- processing passengers in a touch- the population in the pilot zones, past they worked five rai in Sa- who still haven’t benefited from sakase, admitted a manpower down-to-taxi time of 45 minutes have registered. pam. the development of tourism on shortage was causing the delays. or less. “We have no mandate to Among those waiting to reg- “It’s now been seized by a Phuket,” said Gov Udomsak. Col Chongrak said that do anything about this,” he said. ister was Sa-ard Chaladdee, 40, rich person although we lived “The main main reason that Phuket airport has about 10% of Lt Cdr Boonchart also cited from Pichit. She told the Gazette there for more than 40 years,” K. people have cited for their pov- the number of arrivals and depar- another reason – flight schedul- that she came to Phuket to work Sampao said. “It has now been erty is not owning workable land tures of Bangkok airport. But ing – as a second problem beyond as a restaurant dishwasher. judged to belong to that person, or a house to live in,” he contin- Don Muang has close to 1,000 his control. “I came here today with my not us, so we have to live in rented ued. immigration officers while Phuket “The Air Transport Depart- friends and other people who live rooms instead. These reasons were echoed has about 50. ment (ATD) in the Ministry of nearby because we hope that the “I don’t know if the govern- by the Chief Administrative Of- “The word ‘international’ is Transport is responsible, with government will help by offering ment can help us solve the prob- ficer of Thalang District Office, in the airport’s name and we are Thai Airways,” he said.
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