Controversial Dolphinarium Creates Splash with First Shows

PhuketGazette.net PHUKET’S LEADING NEWSPAPER... SINCE 1993 PhuketGazette November 7 - 13, 2015 Now inside THE NAT I ON every Saturday 56 Pages / 20 Baht ‘I KNOW SOME PEOPLE OBJECT TO THE FACILITY’ Quick action taken after taxi complaint heats up online THE Phuket Governor has ordered all relevant officials to keep a stricter eye on airport taxi services after a customer complaint posted on Facebook went viral. Full story Page 3 BUSINESS Controversial Being ‘hyperlocal’ appears to be paying dividends for dolphinarium GrabTaxi in Phuket. creates splash PROPERTY with first shows The trainers and dolphins ‘wowed’ the packed 900-seat facility on Saturday and Sunday. By Chutharat Plerin Suanpon, the managing director of Dol- We are working toward more visits to phins Bay Phuket. schools. A NUMBER of local schools and orphan- Despite the widespread knowledge of “We will be continuing to do this, as we ages were invited to join the soft opening the soft opening and a very active local believe wholeheartedly that education and of Phuket’s highly-contested dolphinarium movement by members of the ‘Phuket Says awareness are the key drivers to help MontAzure teams up with last weekend. No to Dolphin Shows’ Facebook group, people make better informed decisions Twinpalms for new luxury Though the manager of the Dolphins there were no protesters blocking the gates about whether or not they want to visit such development. Bay Phuket facility declined to detail ex- to the facility. shows. We also believe that what we are do- actly how many invitations went out, the “It is not our objective to publicly pro- ing strengthens our community in Phuket.” five dolphins, two seals and their trainers test, as there are potential risks involved,” Nonetheless, the response from those debuted on Saturday to a packed 900-seat the group explained to the Gazette on community members who attended the LIFE&STYLE house. Facebook. show was beaming. “We actually had to add a 2pm show “Our objective is to raise awareness and “This was my first time seeing a dol- on both Saturday and Sunday because educate the community about the cruelty phin. It was a good chance for me and I there were so many people coming to the of dolphin captivity and to lobby relevant would like to thank my teacher and the attraction. We did not want to turn them government and private sectors. dolphin show owner who let us see the away and ruin our reputation,” said Dol- “We are working tirelessly to do this. show for free,” said an 11-year-old from phins Bay Phuket General Manager We have visited Taiji [Japan] and have seen SOS Children’s Villages Thailand. Supreecha Suthamanondh. first hand the truth behind the lucrative Jeerawat Siribumrungsook, the director The event was the first time for many captivity trade. We have successfully of SOS Children’s Villages Thailand, Dig into the history of the people in Phuket to see a dolphin and seal implemented an online awareness cam- brought about 100 children… Erawan Shrine, targeted in performance, as most have not visited such paign that is strengthening daily and the Bangkok bombing. facilities before, explained Waratthaya captured the attention of the community. Continued on Page 3 2 PHUKET GAZETTE November 7 - 13, 2015 functional by 2021. – Chutharat Plerin Police given quotas for Reveal of beach drunk driver arrests management Island gains 200 plan delayed LOCAL officials are still wran- gling over how to manage more officers Phuket’s beaches, forcing Vice A FLOCK of new police offic- Governor Chokdee Amornwat ers arrived on the island add- to postpone revealing details of ing 200 more bodies to the new plan beyond his self- Phuket’s force. imposed November 1 deadline. The new recruits, who re- V/Gov Chokdee admitted that cently graduated from the the release of a concrete plan re- Provincial Police Training garding the future of the island’s Center Region 8 in Surat beaches would be delayed for at Thani, were welcomed to the least another two weeks. force on November 1, con- Until a permanent plan can firmed Phuket Provincial be laid out, the current 10 per Police Deputy Commander cent zoning rules will remain in Peerayuth Karajedee. place. “With more officers we will – Chutharat Plerin be able to increase our capabil- ity and efficiency, as right now we are struggling with the large Killer of loved number of tourists compared to our small number of officers,” wild bovine said Col Peerayuth. The new recruits will be surrenders placed at stations throughout the island as needed. THE killer of a much-beloved – Chutharat Plerin gaur, a protected species of bovine, surrendered to police in Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen gave police officers the green light Krabi after a warrant was is- Police catch up to pull over and arrest anyone suspected of drunk driving in Phuket, after he was revealed that sued for his arrest. they would now need to make more than 150 drunk driving arrests a month. For the full story, Preeda Paklaw, 41, pre- visit PhuketGazette.net. For more on Col Teeraphol, see page 9. Photo: Chutharat Plerin sented himself, along with his with alleged shotgun, to the Plai Phraya Po- the GPS signal from a stolen along with French national Ms Paweeni told police that lice. ATM skimmers iPad on October 31. Phellipe Andre Dias, 26, were Mr Desruelles owned three res- Mr Preeda told police that THREE alleged ATM skimmers Brazilians Lucidio Firmino apprehended in their rental taurants in Patong and that he while he was hunting, he saw were arrested in Chalong after Da Silva Junior, 24, and Juan room in Chalong. The arrests was having trouble paying the something in the dark that police tracked them down using Pablo Da Costa Varao, 21, followed Koh Tao Police in- rent and employees’ salaries, looked like a serow. He then forming local officers that a confirmed Lt Col Jongserm shot twice. Mainland serow is tourist’s stolen iPad had been Preecha of the Patong Police. a species of goat antelope na- taken from the east coast tour- –Kritsada Mueanhawong tive to the region. Adults reach ist island to Phuket. an average weight of about 150 Inside the room, officers kilograms. found three ATM skimming de- Bangkok push The 800-kilogram gaur, vices, a laptop with customer named Jao Kai Dam (black card information, three ATM expedites light eggs boy) by locals, had mi- cards and the stolen iPad. grated to the area from Khao The three men were charged rail project Sok National Park last year. for electronic card fraud, as OFFICIALS are rushing to get Mr Preeda was charged with well as theft. Phuket’s light rail project chug- possession of a firearm, carry- The men denied all charges, ging down the tracks, con- ing a firearm in public without but admitted to bringing the firmed Sirigate Apirat, the permission and killing a Cat- skimming equipment from Bra- project secretary for the Office egory 2 protected species. zil to Thailand. of Transport and Traffic Policy – Kritsada Mueanhawong – Kritsada Mueanhawong and Planning (OTP), on No- vember 3. Following a number of ad- Anti-trafficking Belgian expat justments made to the project in September by officials from training starts found dead the OTP, Mr Sirigate explained AN INTERNATIONAL e-learn- A BELGIAN expat was found that the plan, excluding the ing program designed to train dead at his rental room in Environmental Impact Assess- law enforcement units to tackle Patong on November 1 after he ment (EIA) proposal, would be human trafficking was launched was allegedly unable to pay finished by the end of the year. in Phuket on October 29. rent for his businesses. However, pressure from About 40 Phuket officers Ronald Desruelles, 60, was Bangkok has pushed every- will be the first in all of Asia to found hanging by a rope in his thing forward by one month. undergo the training developed bathroom at Prince Edouard With several investors al- by the United Nations Office Seaview Apartments and Re- ready interested in the project, on Drugs and Crime sort by his girlfriend Paweeni Mr Sirigate expects the public (UNODC). Sooksan, 30. transport system to be fully – Kritsada Mueanhawong November 7 - 13, 2015 PHUKET GAZETTE 3 Dolphin show plays to full house From page 1 animals slated for shipment for his role in the Academy- from Ukraine to the Phuket fa- award winning documentary, …to the dolphinarium on Sun- cility had a direct connection to The Cove, lashed out against the day. the annual slaughter of thou- facility following its soft open- “We received the invitation sands of dolphins in Taiji. ing. to see the dolphin show for free. However, Mr Supreecha as- “It is my hope that the new I think it’s good for students to sured the Gazette that the dolphin abusement [sic] park in have the chance to see real dol- dolphins that were eventually Phuket also has a soft closing. phins, as some of them have brought to Phuket had no di- We [Dolphin Project] will con- never been able to before. We rect connection to Taiji. tinue to support the local received good feedback from “People need to know that environmentalists and support the children – they enjoyed the we aren’t torturing the animals. their effort to educate the tour- show,” Mr Jeerawat said. They were born in captivity and ists and encourage them to not However, not everyone who raised by humans,” Ms buy a ticket to the dolphinarium,” was invited decided to take Waratthaya explained. “Please he told the Gazette. “I feel con- Dolphins Bay Phuket’s offer.

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