'No Water Shortage in 2008' – Phuket Waterworks Chief
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Volume 15 Issue 1 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555 January 5 - 11, 2008 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht The Gazette is published ‘No water in association with Nation mourns shortage in 2008’ IN THIS ISSUE – Phuket NEWS: Wichit Tesco sparks HRH Galyani waterworks protest; Tsunami memorial service; Democrats under in- BANGKOK (Nation, Gazette): vestigation. Pages 2 & 3 After months of receiving treat- chief ment for cancer, HRH Princess INSIDE STORY: At what price Galyani Vadhana’s passed away By Sompratch Saowakhon paradise? Pages 4 & 5 2:54 am on January 3. She was AROUND THE REGION: Swed- 84. PHUKET CITY: An unusually ish publisher sparks Koh The Princess had been re- wet December has kept Bang Lanta controversy. Page 8 ceiving treatment for cancer at Wad reservoir in Kathu filled to Siriraj Hospital for months. Well- capacity, while forecasts for con- AROUND THE SOUTH: Evicted wishers had flocked to the hos- tinuing rainfall through March villagers find legal allies. pital since the news spread that mean there is little reason to Page 9 she had been admitted. worry about water shortages in AROUND THE ISLAND: A day for HM Queen Sirikit and sev- 2008, the head of the provincial the little people. Page 10 eral members of the Royal Fam- waterworks authority said De- ily visited Princess Galyani at the cember 27. FEATURE: Junior IMPAC hospital on the evening of Janu- Reporting to Phuket Gov- Dublin Literary Awards. ary 2, arriving at 6:06 pm. ernor Niran Kalayanamit at the Pages 14 & 15 HRH Galyani was also vis- monthly Phuket Provincial Secu- LIFESTYLE: Superyachts; Elite ited by HRH Crown Prince rity Council meeting at the models strut their stuff. Maha Vajiralongkorn, HRH Prin- Katina Hotel, Phuket Provincial Pages 18 & 19 cess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Water Supply Manager Sayan HRH Princess Chulabhorn Wareearoonroj said current re- AFTER DARK: Strong club Valayalaksana, Princess Ubol- serves are sufficient to last until scene means better beats. ratana Rajakanya, HRH Prin- May, the month that usually Pages 20 & 21 cess Srirasmi, HRH Princess marks the end of the dry season. SPA MAGIC: A natural solution Bajra Kitiyabha, HRH Princess The island’s only reservoir, to stress. Page 22 Siribha Chudhabhorn, and HRH the 7.3-million-cubic-meter basin Princess Sirivannavari Nari- at Bang Wad is currently at SPORTS: 2007 Boxing wrap- ratana. 99.9% capacity, he said. up; Langkawi Regatta. The royal funeral will take The Thai Meteorological Pages 38 & 39 place at the Dusit Mahaprasart Department has predicted appre- PROPERTY: Construction: L&H Throne hall inside the Grand Pal- HRH Galyani Vadhana. Photo courtesy of Praew magazine. ciable rainfall for the next four ace. The mourning period will months, with 30mm expected in park gets familial; Decor: th Ann’s antiques; Gardening: continue until the 100 day of her mittee to select who should win Foundation and Hospital for January, traditionally Phuket’s Flowers and “trekkies”; Home departure, the Royal Household scholarships from the Office of Tropical Diseases Foundation. driest month, he said. of the Week. Pages 41-46 Bureau has announced. Civil Service Commission to pur- She chaired many other Predicted rainfall amounts Shortly after the news of sue degrees abroad. She chaired foundations including the Kidney for February, March and April are PLUS her death was announced, people a committee that designed Foundation of Thailand and the 39mm, 111mm and 127mm re- in black dress rushed to the hos- French exams for national en- Breast Foundation. spectively, he said. QUEER N EWS 6; AROUND THE NA- pital to pay their respects to the trance tests. By granting her patronage, Despite copious amounts TION 7; CHEAP EATS 12; HAPPEN- portrait of Her Royal Highness In addition to education, the she worked closely with these of rain falling on Phuket in the INGS 16; WHAT’S ON 23; TAKE A on display there. Princess also did much social organizations to try to ensure their wet season, lack of reservoirs BREAK 25 & 26; BOOKS, The Princess is the elder work. She was patron of the Thai work directly benefited people, has resulted in water shortages TSOWNDINGS 29; EDITORIAL, LET- sister of two kings of the Chakri Cardiac Children’s Foundation, especially the underprivileged. during past years. TERS 30; FIRST PERSON, ISSUES Dynasty, HM King Rama Foundation for Slum Children, In 1995, in the year of the A second reservoir with & ANSWERS 31; PATTAYA, FIT FOR Ananda and current monarch Foundation for the Yuwaprasart Princess’ sixth-cycle birthday, 7.2-million-cubic-meter capacity LIFE 32; HOROSCOPES, YOUTH ’N HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Waitayopatham Hospital, Foun- HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Bang Neaw Dum in Thalang ASIA 33; COMPUTERS 34; BUSI- The Princess contributed to dation for Children with Mental bestowed her with the title of is expected to be complete by NESS AND MONEY 36 & 37; the country’s education in many Disabilities, Foundation for Krom Luang Naradhiwas Raja- September, 2008, at the earliest, CLASSIFIEDS 47-59. various ways. She sat on a com- Rajvithi Hospital, Green World Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 Ad-Phukana Footer K. Ann 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS January 5 - 11, 2008 Annual fiction TSUNAMI VICTIMS contest opens REMEMBERED PHUKET: Aspiring writers are ecember 26 marked the third anniversary of the 2004 tsunami invited to compose novelettes for disaster. Various memorial services were held around the island in the second Mom Tri’s Boathouse Dmemory of those who lost their lives on the same day three years Short Fiction Contest. ago. In Patong the service, which began at 10 am, included a food and alms The writing contest which offering to 108 monks who spent an hour praying for those who perished. saw last year’s winning short fic- Rememberence service attendees observed a one-minute silence to tion piece expanded into a full- remember those lost to the waves. When the chanting was over, many length novel will be judged in stu- people whose relatives and friends died in the disaster went to the water's dent and adult author categories. edge and released flowers as morning beach-goers looked on. The adult competition is Later that evening some 700 people gathered near the water, each placing a lit candle in the sand, basking the beach in a solemn glow. open to all. Stories can be on any In addition to the sea of candles were more prominent features, including subject but must have a Thai miniature towers with candles and wreaths surrounding their bases. theme or Thai flavor. Submissions must be between 1,000 and 1,500 words and contain the following By Pathomporn Kaenkrachang three key words: the Boathouse, Phuket and (the big) Mango. WICHIT: Some 50 protesters Student writers between 15 gathered at Phuket Provincial an 18 years old will be given some Office on December 26 to pro- Locals protest help to start off their short sto- test the construction of a new ries by using the introduction Tesco-Lotus branch on Chao Fa from a Jack Shepherd story by East Rd, which if completed internationally acclaimed author would become the retail Jake Needham, whose crime fic- juggernaut’s third branch on the tion Killing Plato starts in the island. Wichit Tesco Boathouse’s Galley Bar. The protesters, some of Students are asked to fin- whom are vendors at the Moom island since then, especially along ish the story using between 800 Muang market near the pro- the bypass road, with little or no to 1,200 words. posed project site, converged at public opposition. Winning stories will receive Provincial Hall about 2 pm. A source at the Tesco-Lo- Mon Tri's Boathouse vouchers In the absence of Phuket tus Corporate Affairs Department and some stories will be pub- Governor Niran Kalayanamit or declined to comment on the new lished in The Greater Phuket any of his deputies, the complaint store at that time, but said the Magazine. was accepted by Governor’s retailer would issue a statement The deadline for entries in Office chief Rapeeput Na soon. the adult writers category is Feb- Nakhon. Construction on the project ruary 29, 2008. Wisate Sabaijit, acting Chief is now in the land-clearing phase. Winners will be announced Administrative Officer (Palad) of Nationally, Tesco-Lotus and on March 12, 2008. The dead- Wichit Municipality, told the Ga- rival retailer Big C have both re- line for student entries is April 10, zette that on September 5 Tesco- fused to comply with the Com- 2008. Lotus was granted permission to merce Ministry’s proposal to build the new retail center, which From page 1 regulate modern retail expansion will be located on a long, narrow in the absence of the country’s plot along the inbound land of first retail and wholesale business What water woes? Chao Fa East Rd in Wichit, sev- The unmarked site of Phuket’s third Tesco-Lotus branch sits on this law. while the authorities are in the fi- eral hundred meters south of the plot of land beside Chao Fa East Rd in Wichit. It has yet to be The Commerce Ministry on nal stages of land acquisition to PTT service station. announced whether the new outlet will be a Tesco-Express or a December 26 called for a meet- larger configuration. build a 5.7-million-cubic-meter The project will cover a to- ing with retailers and suppliers to reservoir at Klong Krata in Cha- tal land area of 1,729 square Sunanta Iam-anancharoen said Although a complaint had seek agreement on temporary long. meters, he said. the project would have a nega- since been filed with the Admin- regulations to end the conflicts Phuket has two main water All the required procedures tive impact on the livelihoods of istrative Court over its legality, the between big and small players.