Volume 13 Issue 43 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555October 28 - November 3, 2006 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht The Gazette is published in association with Remaining National Parks tsunami IN THIS ISSUE victim NEWS: ‘Death bend’ road- fees doubled bodies to works open to bids; Startups stall following crackdown. Pages 2 & 3 By Gazette Staff be buried INSIDE STORY: Phuket’s sign PHUKET CITY: Foreign tour- language. Pages 4 & 5 ists entering national parks inde- By Sompratch Saowakhon AROUND THE REGION: Samui pendently must now pay 400 baht gets e-driving lessons. each, a 100% increase on the PHANG NGA: Three religious Page 8 previous park entry fee of 200 ceremonies – one Buddhist, one AROUND THE ISLAND: Furry baht. Christian and one Muslim – were celebrity. Page 9 Following a protest by the performed October 16 in prepa- Phuket Tourist Association and ration for burying 422 unidenti- OOD IVING Tastes like a G L : other tour operators’ groups at fied tsunami victims in Baan million baht. Page 13 the Tourism Authority of Thailand Bang Muang Cemetery. PEOPLE: Phuket’s very differ- (TAT) Region 4 Office in early Pol Col Khemmarin Has- ent party styles. August, the Ministry of Natural siri, Superintendent of the Thai Pages 14 & 15 Resources and Environment de- Tsunami Victim Identification LIFESTYLE: Squeezing into a ferred the scheduled hike to No- unit since the disaster, told the better body shape; luxurious vember 30, 2007. Gazette, “These 422 bodies have accessories.Pages 18 & 19 However, the postpone- not been claimed and we have SPA MAGIC: Sugar Palm. ment applied only to tourists us- no information about them, so we Page 20 ing tour operators that registered will bury them at Baan Bang for exemption status, the appli- Muang Cemetery. FEATURES: Books; Phuket Di- cation deadline for which passed “Normally we would return ary. Page 25 on September 30. Tourists at Sirinath National Marine Park in Thalang hand over 400 them to the relatives, but we baht each, double the previous entry fee of 200 baht. FIRST PERSON: Why Phuket Some tour companies were have been unable to identify the is not number one. Page 27 left completely unaware of the will still apply,” he said. late and the deadline had passed. families of these victims. THE GRAY AREA: Hug a tree, chance to gain exemption status Ekkapon Chuangprayoon, “It’s a pity, because we “As a part of this process buy a hybrid. Page 29 until after the deadline had an official at the National Re- send many of our clients to Thai we will place each body in a bag passed. sources and Environment Minis- Muang National Park to see the with a code number, and put that BUSINESS & MONEY: Thai number on a plaque on the out- wines move into Phuket; As a result, since Septem- try in Bangkok, confirmed that Laem Phi Waterfall. We spend side of the coffin so we can go Money Talks. Pages 32 & 33 ber 5 all adult foreign tourists – only tour operators who applied just 45 minutes there, and for except those traveling with an for exemption status before the each person we have to pay 400 back and identify any of the vic- SPORT: Offroad Challenge; exempted tour company – have deadline would be able to bring baht.” tims if we need to later. Marathon results; Darts down been paying the 400-baht entry in foreign tourists at the old rate. Gisen said that when he “We are also going to sub- to the wire. Pages 34 & 35 fee, as specified by a Ministry of “For foreigners entering contacted the TAT, he was told mit DNA samples from each PROPERTY: Home of the National Resources and Environ- any park in the national park sys- that tour operators had been given body to Chiang Mai University Week: Kamala; Construction: ment order dated May 18, 2006. tem on their own, the new 400 until September 30 to apply for for analysis.” Lersuang; Decor: Chande- Fees for foreign children have baht rate will apply,” he said. permission to continue allowing Col Khemmarin explained liers. Pages 36-39 also doubled, from 100 baht to Knut Gisen, a German who foreigners in their groups to en- that the victims will be the first 200 baht. has been running Phuket Safari ter at the old rate. buried in the new 15-rai cem- PLUS The only exception the Travel Service Company for 14 “But I have been a TAT etery. Gazette could confirm was at Ao years, was the first to inform the member for 14 years, and I never “We will finish burying them QUEER NEWS, STAMPS, TRASH 6; Phang Nga National Park, which Gazette that earlier reports about heard anything from them…not by the beginning of December; AROUND THE NATION 7; AROUND includes the Phi Phi Islands. Ao the the postponement of the fee by email, telephone, fax… noth- we must have completed this by THE SOUTH 10; HAPPENINGS 16; Phang Nga National Park Chief hike were not as clear-cut as it ing,” he added. the time the cemetery opens on MOTORING 17; TRAVEL 21; TAKE Boonkit Dananupan said, “I can was originally reported. The Government’s inability December 26,” he said. A B REAK 23-24; EDITORIAL, LET- confirm that our park is the only Gisen said that the TAT to provide accurate information He added, however, “We TERS 26; ISSUES & ANSWERS 27; one in the Thai National Park never informed his company has hurt his business planning are still trying to identify them, DOVEN, HOROSCOPES 28; TECH- system where the old entry fees about the chance to apply for efforts, he said. but we must keep the bodies in NOLOGY 30; GARDENING 38; of 200 baht for adult foreigners exemption status, saying he only “Every time the Govern- refrigerated rooms until they are CLASSIFIEDS 40-51. and 100 baht for their children learned about it after it was too Continued on page 2 ready to go into the graves.” 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS October 28 - November 3, 2006 Park fees doubled Taxi drivers From page 1 Pongpayome appointed new ment announces a rise in the en- trance fees, it comes after local get crash tour operators have already signed MoI Permanent Secretary contracts with tour operators course in abroad. We are in the big tour op- BANGKOK (The Nation; Gazette): Former erator catalogs in Germany. They Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi has been start printing this catalog in June, promoted from Deputy Permanent Secretary to English so we signed a new contract in Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior May. Then the government an- (MoI). By Noolek Karaket nounced the increase at the end K. Pongpayome, 58, governed Phuket from of June or early July. 2000 to 2003 and was one of five pioneer Gover- PHUKET CITY: Phuket taxi “The tourism business is a nor CEOs. drivers, tuk tuk drivers and air- hard, calculated business. Each After leaving the province, he took up the port limousine drivers will have part is very important, so it really post of Director-General of the Department of the chance to take a crash-course hurts us. Mostly we go on four- Local Administration (DOLA) and oversaw the in English language and hospital- day trips, visiting three different introduction of Governor CEOs in the other 70 ity on November 3, as the Tour- national parks. You can calculate provinces. ism Authority of Thailand Region yourself what this will do to our K. Pongpayome’s promotion is part of a re- 4 office holds its first such lan- costs,” he said. shuffle at the top level of government, which will guage training sessions in Phuket. “I was initially very happy also see current DOLA Director-General Saroj “We have received many when I read in the newspaper that Katchamart replace K. Pongpayome as Deputy letters from tourists who visited the fee hike had been postponed, Permanent Secretary of the MoI. Phuket complaining about how because that gave me one year The new reshuffle will take effect after it re- A familiar face: former Phuket Governor bad the taxi [and tuk tuk] services to organize something else. Now ceives royal endorsement. Pongpayome Vasapouti are, and how they being over- I am very disappointed. Today, for charged. So we would like to ar- example, we had 10 people on a range this course to improve the four-day trip, during which we quality of drivers in Phuket,” said enter three different national Suwalai Pinpradab, Director of parks. It’s an amazing expense.” TAT’s Region 4 Office. Suwalai Pinpradub, Direc- Kho En ‘death bend’ However, Suwalai said, tor of TAT Region 4 Office, offi- “Drivers who pass the course and cially received the protesters’ receive a certificate but are re- written demands on August 9. ported by tourists for overcharg- She explained that the the Na- awaiting contractor ing or being rude will have their tional Park, Wildlife and Plants certificate taken away.” Conservation Department issued By Jenjira Ruengjarus The fatality, the most recent told the Gazette that the problem Complaints can be lodged a statement August 23, 2006, & Natcha Yuttaworawit in a series of accidents along that has yet to be fully resolved. by calling the TAT at 076-211036, agreeing to postpone the entry fee curve in recent years, provoked “The government has in- 076-212213, 076-217138, or by hike, but only for those applying MAI KHAO: More than three villagers to block off the south- stalled cones and speed bumps to email to: [email protected] for exemption status. months after the villagers of Baan bound portion of the island’s main slow traffic for about one kilome- The TAT will investigate Suwalai said that the an- Kho En protested unsafe driving artery for several hours with large ter.