ANDAMAN Edition PHUKET’S LEADING NEWSPAPER... SINCE 1993 Now NATIONWIDE Happy Birthday Your Majesty IT’S INSIDE TODAY December 1 - 7, 2012 PhuketGazette.Net In partnership with The Nation 25 Baht ALL MOBILE TOUTS NEED TO TAKE A HIKE, SAYS KARON MAYOR Karon Beach Extradited Aldhouse to arrive from UK SaturdayThis week to seesstand touts hit hard biggest-evertrial for slaying issue of Walking touts along Karon, yourAmerican Phuket Marine Gazette Kata Beaches face imminent Full story on Page 2 legal action as raids continue Clock still ticking for Paris Hilton New Year By Irfarn Jamdukor beach extravaganza WITH only a month left, Sydicitve THE Mayor of Kata-Karon Municipality this week ramped Element has yet to win over local up his campaign to clear all walking touts from the beaches authorities and gain the necessary and beachfront roads in the popular tourist areas of Kata approval for the three-day New Year and Karon. beach party announced by Paris Municipality officers targeted the illegal beach touts Hilton in October. during the Loy Krathong festival, which was observed by millions of Thais across the country on Wednesday. Full story on Page 4 The beach-cleanup campaign began softly last month with the municipality issuing warning letters to beach food Officers to establish vendors in the area, including those selling food at beachfront roadside stalls or from motorbikes with side- routes for underpass cars, Mayor Tawee told the Gazette on Tuesday. emergency vehicles “After issuing the warning, we fined many vendors, with each one facing a fine of up to 2,000 baht,” he said. PHUKET City Police and staff at “However, some of them came back to sell food on the Phuket International Hospital are beach. Three vendors in particular are always there. They’re working together to determine not going anywhere,” he added. viable emergency routes for ambu- The disrespect for the law earned all mobile vendors a lances during rush hour as the series of raids by municipal officers evicting them from Central Festival junction construc- their usual stomping grounds on November 1… tion gets underway. Continued on Page 2 FANNING THE FIRE: Touts showing blatant disregard for the law. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo Full story on Page 3 2 PHUKET GAZETTE PHUKET NEWS December 1 - 7, 2012 Prosecutor readies charges Business over Tiger Disco fire deaths HotelTravel reveals By Chutharat Plerin B760mn ‘partnership’ THE Phuket Public Prosecutor’s deal. p12 Office is in the final stage of preparing its case against the Finance operators of Tiger Discotheque over the fire that broke out at the David Mayes explains Patong nightclub on August 17. investment bonds. The popular night venue on Patong’s Soi Bangla erupted into p16 flames just before 4am, while hun- dreds of patrons were still inside. Charity Four people died in the inferno, Yaowawit students soak including two tourists. “We are now checking our up the sun with a new documents to make sure we have ‘solar PV Field’. p36 a good legal case to present in court,” Phuket Chief Public Tiger Discotheque Legal Counsel Thamrongsak Boonrak has appealed Prosecutor Chiengsean Panhya for a fair hearing into any allegations of wrongdoing. Photo: Gazette file Explore told the Gazette on Monday. Gary Hawkins tells you However, he added that his Col Chiraphat added that his confirmed to the Gazette that po- what SSI is all about. office was still waiting for more officers were also gathering lice have charged Tiger Group evidence to bolster its case. “We witness statements related to the CEO Piya Isaramalai and Sara p 38 are waiting on more witness state- club trading after hours. Entertainment Co Ltd, the com- ments to be provided by Patong “The Public Prosecutor asked pany that runs Tiger Discotheque, Food Police before we can make the us to get more specific witness with negligence causing death and final decision on which charges statements detailing exactly what physical and mental injury to oth- Chef Cheryl finds that to pursue and to make sure our time the club was open. Many ers and with trading after hours. cooking is a breeze. case is strong,” he said. witnesses have already testified “I have submitted a letter to the Patong Police Superintendent that the club was open after hours, Public Prosecutor appealing for a p40 Chiraphat Pochanaphan told the but none of them said exactly what fair investigation into any allega- Gazette that the key parts of the time the club was open,” he said. tions of wrongdoing, which Sport investigation had been completed. “We expect to have those wit- include claims relating to trading “The main part of the investi- ness statements ready soon and after hours, the electrical short A look back at LPT and gation has been done and we will hand them over to the [that experts believe started the a look forward to Laguna submitted to the Public Prosecu- Public Prosecutor as soon as we fire], flammable materials used Ironman 70.3 p 48 tor, including the gathering of have them,” Col Chiraphat added. throughout the nightclub and evidence regarding the electrical Thamrongsak Boonrak, Legal modification of the building’s short that started the fire,” he said. Counsel for Tiger Discotheque, structure,” he said. Police appeal to identify body POLICE are appealing to the because of the state of decay,” Lt Aldhouse in Phuket this weekend public for help in identifying a Wuttiwat told the Gazette, but BRITISH national Lee Aldhouse, the airport, where he will be body of a man found floating off added that it was unlikely to have wanted in Phuket for the stabbing arriving at about 7pm. At this Koh Racha Yai on November 23. been more than 10 days. murder of former US Marine stage, that is all we know,” Col The body was reportedly spot- “We have checked with hotels Dashawn Longfellow in August Sirisak said on Tuesday. ted and first reported by a passing and resorts on Koh Racha Yai, but 2010, will be extradited from the Aldhouse, now 30, success- recreational dive boat. none reported any missing guests. UK and will arrive in Phuket on fully fled Thailand after he Police believed the deceased One possibility is that the man died Saturday (December 1). allegedly stabbed Longfellow to man, dressed only in underwear, elsewhere and drifted with the New Scotland Yard confirmed to death in August 2010. He was later may be a foreigner based on the currents. the Gazette on Tuesday that arrested at Heathrow Airport on heavy bone structure. “We have contacted every Aldhouse “was arrested on a provi- an unrelated charge when he tried Lt Wuttiwat Liangboonjinda of police station in Phuket, request- sional extradition warrant on 24 Police have confirmed that Lee to re-enter the UK. the Phuket City Police described ing that they check with the hotels September 2012 and appeared at Aldhouse is on his way. Photo: AFP The Office of the Attorney the body as that of a middle-aged and resorts in their area to see if Westminster Magistrates’ Court that said Chalong Police Superinten- General in Bangkok, citing a pre- male, about 172 centimeters tall, they have any missing guests,” Lt afternoon where he was remanded dent Sirisak Wasasiri. ponderance of evidence in the with a tattoo on the inside of his Wuttiwat explained. in custody to re-appear at the court Chalong Police will form part case, moved quickly to request the right forearm. Any persons with information on the 30 September 2010.” of the police protection unit as- extradition of Mr Aldhouse. Officers were unable to deter- that may help are urged to call Aldhouse, also known by his signed to transfer Aldhouse from The OAG assured the British mine what the image was. Phuket City Police Station at 076- kickboxing nickname “The the airport, he added. Government that he would not “We believe the corpse had 212129. Pitbull”, will arrive at Phuket “We have received official no- face the death penalty if convicted. been in the water for several days – Kritsada Mueanhawong International Airport about 7pm, tice to escort Mr Aldhouse from – Phuket Gazette December 1 - 7, 2012 PHUKET NEWS PHUKET GAZETTE 3 Big Buddha pickup flips Ambulance delay fears Hospitals worry underpass construction will affect response times By Irfarn Jamdukor STAFF at Phuket International Hospital and officers from the Phuket City Police Traffic Division are working together to come up with viable routes for ambulances to make sure they can The truck overturned en route to the Big Buddha monument. get patients to the facility in an emergency during rush hour. EIGHT people were injured last The news follows project Sunday when a pickup converted contractor Italian-Thai Develop- into a small bus flipped onto its ment Co placing concrete blocks side while descending Karon Hill. on the inside lanes of the north Phuket City Police Capt Thada side of the Darasamuth Intersec- Sodarak told the Gazette that the tion on November 23 so that accident occurred at about 10am work on the 600-million-baht un- near the sharp “Sator Curve” while derpass could begin. the vehicle was descending the hill “We are seriously concerned heading towards Chalong Circle. about the underpass roadwork There is genuine concern that underpass construction will affect ambulance response times at Bangkok Officers arrived at the scene to causing delays in ambulances International (left), Vachira Phuket (center) and Phuket International (right) Hospitals. Photo: Gazette file find a white Isuzu pickup embla- reaching the hospital during rush runs behind the hospital and the police officers to regulate traffic having on traffic in the area and zoned with “Phuket Big Buddha hour,” a senior manager at Phuket Big C shopping center].” flow through the junction during ambulance response times, but at Association” lying on its side.