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ANDAMAN Edition PHUKET’S LEADING NEWSPAPER... SINCE 1993 Now NATIONWIDE Hometown hero Annissa Tita Flynn leads the pack on the ASC women’s surf tour. INSIDE TODAY July 7 - 13, 2012 PhuketGazette.Net In partnership with The Nation 25 Baht ‘WITH THE ECONOMY GOING THE WAY IT IS, PHUKET WILL ONLY ATTRACT MORE CRIMINALS’ – POLICE Police volunteers to combat street crime Police struggle to find the manpower to stem growing tide of crime infiltrating the island By Atchaa Khamlo CHALONG Police are boosting public safety on the southern streets of Phuket by enlisting the help of local government officers and volunteers, including island residents and business people. Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Narong Laksanawimon told the Gazette that more than 20 officers from Rawai Municipality and local residents are joining police efforts in patrolling the streets, reporting any suspicious activities they see directly to officers on patrol at the time. A “neighborhood watch center” has also been set up in the Khok Tanode community in Chalong. The center, located near Ladthiwanaram Temple (Wat Tai), has 10 volunteers, supervised by police. “We will ask for more officers from Chalong Munici- pality to join the campaign,” Lt Col Narong said. “After just two weeks, it already seems as if the number of robberies in the area is decreasing. So far the center’s efforts have led to arrests in five cases,” he added. The move to enlist civilian help aims to curb rising crime in the area. One recent incident involved a couple being robbed in Soi Sammakee 2, in Rawai, on June 29 by a man wielding a machete. “The man was robbed last Friday near Lion Muay Thai by a guy and a girl who approached him on a motorbike. He thought might know them,” the Gazette was told by one local resident. “They then put a machete to his throat, slightly cutting his face, and he just gave them everything… Australian Ambassador calls on police to rid the island Continued on Page 2 of all firearms and bladed weapons. Full story on page 7 2 PHUKET GAZETTE PHUKET NEWS July 7 - 13, 2012 Court issues warrant for Business prison guard shooter Phuket Deep Sea port expansion project By Kritsada Mueanhawong flounders. Page 12 AN ARREST warrant has been issued for the prime suspect in the shooting and subsequent three- Explore million-baht robbery of Phuket Northern exposure: prison guard Danunun Teepapan Reporting from Udon near Wat Chalong on June 27. Chalong Police Deputy Super- Thani. Pages 16-17 intendent Narong Laksanawimon presented to the press the arrest Food warrant issued by the Phuket Pro- vincial Court for 35-year-old Think Design Art dinner Narongsak “Man” Dang-ngam, for food and art lovers who is now wanted on charges alike. Page 19 of attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms. “Mr Danunun and Mr Aviation Narongsak had some conflict over What the Sukhoi crash a business they ran together. When they could not settle the issue, Mr means for Russian Narongsak [allegedly] came to aviation. Page 21 shoot Mr Danunun and then fled,” Lt Col Narong said. Police found a bullet hole in the driver’s side window and blood stains on the driver’s seat. INSET: suspect. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong At about 8:30pm, Chalong Po- Property lice received the report about the belonging to Mr Darunun. we found at the scene. Later, we ‘Mrs Fix it’ seeks to find shooting from a concerned local Mr Darunun was not at the found an abandoned black four- homes for people to resident, who explained that despite house when police arrived, as the door Isuzu pickup truck believed injuries sustained the victim had same resident who reported the to have been used in the attack,” enjoy. Page 31 driven his vehicle to a relative’s incident had taken him to Phuket Lt Col Narong explained. house a short distance away. International Hospital for treat- The truck, discovered in Tak Sports Superintendent Col Sirisak ment to his neck and shoulder. Daed Village, was then towed to Warasiri led police officers to the An examination of the vehicle Chalong Police Station to serve as The return of the multi- relative’s house in Soi Guan Yu revealed a bullet hole in the additional evidence in the case. hull regatta to Phuket Shrine in Chalong. driver’s side window and blood- Police are also investigating the waters. Page 47 At the scene, police officers stains on the driver’s seat. identity of a Burmese man who found a black Toyota pickup truck “We collected all of the evidence allegedly assisted Mr Narong. Chinese tourist drowns during Chalong turns to ‘community’ for public safety From page 1 officers available for patrols in key tourist areas from 9pm to night swim along Patong Beach “He filed a police report and a po- 4am each day (see page 3). A 19-year-old Chinese tourist Chinese national, Tianqi Li, 19, liceman told him there’s a gang Yet the extra patrol officers of- drowned on June 30 at Patong was pronounced dead on arrival operating in the area,” said the fer little respite for the Chalong Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, at Patong Hospital. resident. Police, who have the three sub- after going for a night swim with Mr Tianqi’s female friend was Chalong Police Deputy Super- districts of Chalong, Rawai and a female friend. also rushed to hospital. intendent Lt Col Narong Kata-Karon to protect and serve. Sakhon Chaithong, chief life- The Gazette has been told that Laksanawimon told the Gazette “Before [Maj Gen Chonasit’s guard at Patong Beach, told the she suffered no serious injuries. that police were aware of the in- order] we had only 12 patrol of- Gazette that the two Chinese tour- Mr Tianqi’s body remains at cident. “We know who the man ficers, but since the announcement ists were pulled from the surf near Patong Hospital pending further is. He is known in the area for we have six more… Laem Petch, at the north end of action by the authorities and in- being involved in drugs. We be- “But that means we have only Patong, at about 7:30pm. structions from the Chinese lieve he is no longer in Phuket, 18 patrol police in total to cover Foreign tourists spotted the two Embassy in Bangkok. but we are working towards his Lt Col Narong: ‘Kata-Karon needs Chalong, Rawai, Nai Harn, Kata more patrol officers.’ in distress and rushed out to pull His death comes three weeks arrest,” he said. and Karon. That means only two them back to shore, he said. after American student abroad The “machete mugging” fol- James Wise to call for an island- officers in each subdistrict per “It seems they went for a night Joshua Shane, 21, drowned at lows the fatal stabbing of wide weapons ban (see page 7). shift,” explained Col Narong. swim,” Mr Sakhon said. night at nearly the same location Australian tourist Michelle Smith It also prompted Provincial “The tourist areas of Kata and “The woman was saved, but it where Mr Tianqi drowned last on June 20, which gained inter- Police Commander Chonasit Karon [where Mrs Smith was was too late for the man,” he Saturday. national media attention and Wattanavrangkul to order all po- stabbed] should have more patrol added. – Atchaa Khamlo prompted Australian Ambassador lice stations in Phuket to make officers,” he added. July 7 - 13, 2012 PHUKET NEWS PHUKET GAZETTE 3 Police chief calls for island-wide integrated CCTV system to increase island safety PHUKET Provincial Police Commander Phuket provincial government,” he said. is why we need more officers,” Gen Chonasit Wattanavrangkul on July 2, re- Maj Gen Chonasit said that CCTV could Chonasit explained. vealed plans to ask the central govern- alleviate the decade-old problem of not “We will not ask [the central govern- ment to fund a project that will see all having enough police officers being assigned ment] for a big budget for this project CCTV cameras across Phuket feed live to Phuket. because we will use the thousands of footage into a single server. “We will set more checkpoints and as- CCTV cameras that have already been in- Speaking at the monthly ‘Governor sign officers from the Phuket Provincial stalled in Phuket, by both government Meets the Press’ meeting at Provincial Hall, Police to join local police efforts, but the offices and private businesses,” he said. Maj Gen Chonasit said that CCTV footage number of police officers in Phuket is based Gen Chonasit did not make any refer- had provided essential information in solv- on its registered population. ence to the call by OrBorJor President ing recent criminal cases, such as the “Phuket has only three [administrative] Paiboon Upatising last month for the cen- stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle districts and the number of residents reg- tral government to provide 2 billion baht to Smith. istered as living here does not match the interconnect 10,000 CCTV cameras in “We will present our project to the actual number of people living here. That Phuket. – Chutharat Plerin Maj Gen Chonasit Wattanavrangkul Phuket MP petitions Yingluck, Chalerm Special operations unit for more police ONE of Phuket’s two Members of Parliament is appealing for the Government to take immediate steps to shore up the island’s im- on tourist night patrol age following a highly-damning re- port by a Singapore-based website PHUKET Provincial Police Com- found that most of the crimes that brands Phuket: “The Crime mander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul committed in Phuket have been in Capital of Asia”.