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ANDAMAN Edition Volume 17 Issue 43 October 23 - 29, 2010 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht Violent crime Water woes prompt skyrockets PHUKET has suffered a sharp in- crease in violent crime over the series of ‘mini-dams’ past 12 months, according to sta- tistics recently released by the By Janpen Upatising Phuket Provincial Police. The figures compare numbers DESPITE recent heavy down- of reported crime cases for fiscal pours, a pilot project in the hills years 2009 and 2010 (from Octo- of Kathu is being aimed at allevi- ber 1 to September 30). ating the long-term water supply They show a 72.9% increase woes for the Prince of Songkla in reported cases of “heinous University (PSU) Phuket campus. crimes”: group muggings, armed The campus is home to more robbery, premeditated murder, kid- than 3,000 staff and students. napping and arson. The project, headed by There were a total of 102 such Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP), cases reported in the past year. involves three weirs, or “mini- Premeditated murders rose by dams”, being built on the hillside. 18.4% year-on-year, with 28 The first weir, so far the only people arrested in 45 reported one completed, fills three 6,000- cases in 2010. liter tanks that will feed into the Despite large increases in the campus’ water supply mains while number of armed robberies and being replenished by the rain run- muggings (133%) and “group off from the hills. muggings” (366.7%), general “A PSU research project has theft cases were down 21% year- showed that 70% of the rain that NATURAL SOLUTION: An army engineer installs piping at the site in the Kathu hills. Photo: Janpen Upatising on-year, with 494 cases in 2010. falls on Phuket flows straight back water level in our reservoir has try to use natural elements – sand, (PPIO) Water Management De- There were 42 reports of armed into the sea. Phuket needs to have fallen three meters. There is rocks and bamboo – that we al- partment, commended the project, robbery and muggings, with 41 better water-retention manage- enough to supply our people this ready have at our disposal in the despite the recent heavy rains arrests, over the past year. ment,” said Project Manager year, but I am still concerned construction area. However, some nearly replenishing all the island’s During the same period, there Pareeya Jullaphong. about it in the long run.” cement is needed in some parts,” main reservoirs to capacity – and were 14 cases of “group robbery”, The PSU has its own water res- To help build the weirs, army said Colonel Roengrit Chaloey- some of them to overflowing. with 12 people arrested. ervoir with a capacity of 500,000 engineers were called in from the rerk, who heads weir construction “We will have enough water to Group robbery is defined as cubic meters. Internal Security Operations Com- projects in all three southern bor- use for the upcoming dry [and theft carried out by three or more However, Jaroon Kueachoo, mand (ISOC) Fourth Region in der provinces. “tourist high”] season. I think we people using violence, weapons or PSU’s Head of Buildings and Lo- Narathiwat. Issara Anugul, chief of the will have water to use until the end other forms of intimidation. cation department, explained, “The “For construction materials, we Phuket Provincial Irrigation Office of May next year,” he added. Relief effort launched for flood victims AN OPERATIONS center set up at Phuket Phuket, is accepting donations of items such For more information about the Provin- Provincial Hall this week has been accept- as dried or sealed food, drinks, clothing and cial Hall collection center call 076-216118. ing donations to help the more than 100,000 medicine. Meanwhile, Kusoldharm Rescue Foun- people affected by devastating floods in The center is open from 8:30am to dation President Benjawan Tamphanuwat Thailand’s central and northeastern regions. 4:30pm daily. It is located in the new build- announced that 2,000 packs of dry food As this newspaper went to print, 12 ing at the Provincial Hall complex. provided by the foundation were to be des- people had died so far from the floods, with From Saturday (October 23), the center patched on Thursday, bound for people in tens of thousands more displaced. will shut down and the local office of the need in Nakhon Ratchasima. Nakhon Ratchasima, the worst hit prov- Department of Disaster Prevention and The Kusoldharm Foundation is continu- ince, had to evacuate one of its main Mitigation (DDPM) will take on the respon- ing to accept donations at its headquarters hospitals. sibility of accepting donations. on Takuapa Road in Phuket Town. For more The center, organized jointly by the The Phuket DDPM office is located on details call 076-246301 or 076-246599. Phuket Provincial Office and Red Cross Damrong Rd, opposite Provincial Hall. – Pimwara Choksakulpan Donations massing at Provincial Hall. 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Terms and conditions apply. 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS October 23 - 29, 2010 New Westin resort reaches Across the bay agreement with taxi co-op New hospital coming By Pimwara Choksakulpan soon in Krabi Town. A TAXI drivers co-operative will Page 5 be allowed to operate a stand just outside the Westin Siray Bay Re- Phuket dialect dying out sort in Phuket, but only under cer- tain conditions hammered out dur- A Phuket elder discusses the ing a meeting with hotel manage- demise of the island’s unique ment last week. Local taxi co-operative Sirae dialect. Page 6 Island Taxi Service earlier peti- tioned the hotel management to Roll with it allow them to operate a stand at Making your own spring the luxury hotel, which opened at the start of August. rolls is easy with our The drivers said resort guests chef’s recipe. Page 15 were unaware of their services because they weren’t visible from Saving Rino’s heart inside resort grounds. Taxi access to the resort was Little Rino gets the restricted to vehicles operated by Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit (center) meets with the taxi drivers at their sala outside the Westin resort earlier this month. money he needs for his Hello Phuket, which has an agree- ment with the resort. to stage protests, block Hello speaking representative from 9am operation. Page 16 Phuket City Police Superinten- Phuket vehicles from accessing to 9pm. dent Wanchai Ekpornpit and the resort or cause any other dis- No co-op vehicles will be al- Classifieds Muang District Chief Supachai turbances to resort operations. lowed into the resort parking lot. Pochanukul attended the latest The Westin Siray Bay Resort in They must remain parked no Everything you need at prices you meeting between co-op represen- return agreed not to allow in any closer than 200 meters from the can afford, from jobs to homes. tatives and hotel management. other taxi operators, except for main entrance until called for. During that meeting, the hotel Hello Phuket. Taxi stand manager Praderm Pages 27-38 representatives agreed to let the Other conditions agreed to by Klomsuwan said, “We will begin Charity drive co-op operate a stand at the re- the co-op were that the stand will installing the taxi stand, which Blue Canyon braces sort, but only if they promised not be operated by a single English- should be ready in two weeks.” for an all-star line up at the Pro-Am. Chula to open learning Patong tout Pages 39 killer caught center near airport SIX months after gunning down CHULALONGKORN University’s the region will rise dramatically. an ex-friend and colleague in Sasin Graduate Institute of Busi- Once in operation, the center Phuket, a former Patong tout is in ness Administration is planning to will produce premium-quality police custody after his arrest in develop a Sasin International business leaders to serve business his home province of Nakhon Sri Learning Center in Phang Nga. growth in Asia. Thammarat. The center is to provide manage- Prof Toemsakdi said the project Thung Thong Police arrested ment education for both Thai and is the realization of Sasin’s vision Viroon “Beer” Sudthue at a mar- international executives. “to be at the forefront of graduate ket in Kapang, Thung Song The project covers a 50-rai plot management study in the Asia Pa- district, on October 11. He was of land 15 minutes from Phuket cific region and among leading helping his mother, a local fish- Airport, aimed at business people international institutions of man- monger. flying in for weekends. agement education”. The suspect was presented to Sasin director Toemsakdi An architect has already been Phuket Provincial Police Com- Krishnamra said that because the hired and the project’s first phase mander Pekad Tantipong at world’s economic focus has is expected to be complete by the Thung Thong Police Station in shifted from the West to Asia, the end of 2012.