Property Sales Taxes Topped B1bn in 2005 ING 14; HAPPENINGS 16; TRAVEL 17; TAKE a BREAK 21 & 22; by Anongnat Sartpisut in Property Developments
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Volume 13 Issue 2 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555 January 14 - 20, 2006 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 20 Baht The Gazette is published in association with Dam ‘holds enough IN THIS ISSUE NEWS: My fault, says high- ways chief; Phi Phi construc- for the high season’ tion ban eased. Pages 2 & 3 INSIDE STORY: No nudes is By Ananya Hongsa-ngiam good news? Pages 4 & 5 PHUKET: Rain over the past AROUND THE REGION: A few weeks has boosted the vol- smash hit in Khao Lak. ume of water in the Bang Wad Page 8 reservoir to 5.5 million cubic AROUND THE ISLAND: Tanks for meters, which is enough to meet the memories. Page 9 expected demand until the end of May, water officials believe. PEOPLE: Arabella Churchill. Pages 10 & 11 Isara Anukul, Chief of the Water Allocation Division of the LIFESTYLE: Wax works and Phuket Irrigation Office (PIO), stolen art. Pages 12 & 13 noted, “Normally the rainy sea- WATERFORD CLASS: Pennapa son arrives at the beginning of Wuttimanop. Page 18 May. I think the rain will arrive in time to meet demand after that GOOD LIVING: Fanning the date.” flames at Wildfire. Page 19 THEN AND NOW: The Bang Wad reservoir water level last September (above) and this week (below). In the meantime, the Phu- SLURPY CHIRPY CHEAP EATS: ket Office of Disaster Preven- Patong for pennies. Page 20 tion and Mitigation (ODPM) has drawn up a plan to locate areas NEW! THE GRAY AREA: Feed- ing frenzy. Page 25 that can be used to collect smaller pockets of water in line with HM FIRST PERSON: Defending the King’s Gaem Ling (Mon- Phuket against media accu- key’s Cheek) Project, which sations of pedophilia. calls for the building of small res- Page 27 ervoirs and ponds to store water SPORT: Diving; Tournament at and allow for controlled drainage. PCC. Pages 32 & 33 Meanwhile Sayan Waree- aroonroj, Manager of the Phuket PROPERTY: Home of the Provincial Water Supply Week: Rawai; Construction: (PPWS), told the Gazette that Home Office; Decor: Screen there is still a problem supplying test; Gardening: Purple faze. enough water to Patong. Pages 34-37 “Our job is to distribute water. But demand is currently PLUS Continued on page 2 QUEER N EWS, VITAL STATISTICS 6; AROUND T HE NATION 7; MOTOR- Property sales taxes topped B1bn in 2005 ING 14; HAPPENINGS 16; TRAVEL 17; TAKE A BREAK 21 & 22; By Anongnat Sartpisut in property developments. By increase, especially in places that OUTSIDE IN, BOOKS 23; DOVEN, comparison, PPLO statistics command a sea view in newer HOROSCOPES, THE TIME M ACHINE PHUKET: The Phuket Provin- show that the province collected development areas such as Pa 24; EDITORIAL, LETTERS 26; IS- cial Land Office (PPLO) col- 370 million baht from land and Khlok and Layan. SUES & ANSWERS 27; COMPUTERS, lected 1.1 billion baht in property property sales in 2003, and 932 He added that 70% of the ON THE M OVE 28; BUSINESS AND taxes and fees in 2005. million baht in 2004. tax collected came from sales of The tax gathered has soar- PPLO Chief Suphot Su- land and houses in property de- MONEY T ALKS 30 & 31; CLASSI- ed recently, thanks to booming wannachote told the Gazette that velopments, and 30% from sales FIEDS 38-47. land prices and sales of homes Phuket land prices continue to of land alone. Land Office Chief K. Suphot. 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS January 14 - 20, 2006 Limo and BMW Enough water crash kills one, for high season injures two From page 1 KATHU: An airport limousine much higher than the maximum driver was killed and two Aus- amount we can pump – we dis- tralian tourists were injured when tribute up to 40,800m3 a day to their limousine was in collision support 22,000 homes in the with a BMW car on Phra Phuket Muang District outside of Phuket Kaew Rd on January 5. City [including Kata and Karon] Pol Lt Col Passakorn Son- and in Kathu District [including tikul of Tung Thong Police Sta- Patong].” tion told the Gazette that driver However, he said, supply in Surachai Temchuen, 42, died, and Patong will improve when the the two Australians, Edward planned desalination plant in Ka- Shrink and Rosemary Perkins, ron – converting seawater into both 19, were taken to Bangkok drinking water – comes online. Hospital Phuket after the limou- Construction of the plant sine was in collision with a BMW will take six months, he said, so it driven by Ruepob Upatising, 30. should be complete by mid-year. “Ruepob has been charged “Then we will produce an addi- with careless driving causing in- tional 6,000m3 a day,” he said. jury or death, carrying a penalty Meanwhile, at a meeting on of up to 10 years in jail or a fine January 10, Governor Udomsak of up to 20,000 baht, or both,” Col Uswarangkura suggested that Passakorn said. the PPWS lay new water pipes – Ananya Hongsa-ngiam on top of the ground, rather than buried, so that leaks – which cur- Thalang man rently account for 25% of the island’s water being lost – can be stabbed to death more easily detected and re- THALANG: A young Thai man Phuket Provincial Administration Organization K. Anchalee said the OrBorJor bought the paired. was stabbed to death in the early (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr 600,000-baht vehicles to replace the diesel- The pipes could be camou- tries out a 10-seater vehicle much like a stretched powered songtaew buses used up to now, in order flaged with plants, he added. morning of January 2 in Thalang electric golf cart, one of two bought by the to save energy and reduce pollution. The meeting, at Phuket Pro- District. OrBorJor to carry people along Chalong Pier. – Anongnat Sartpisut The police received a phone vincial Hall, also heard from the call at around 1 am from a local PPWS’s K. Sayan that the vol- citizen saying that a man had ume of water pumped from Bang been stabbed in front of a shop- Wad reservoir was raised on house on Baan Li Porn, Tambon January 8 from 1,000m3 to Srisoonthorn. Loy Buathong, 26, MEA CULPA, SAYS 1,300m3 an hour. However, he a resident of the area, was found said, in order to do this the qual- stabbed once in the chest and ity of water had had to be re- with multiple contusions on other duced. parts of his body. Patong, Kata and Karon Pol Capt Prakorp Boon- HIGHWAYS CHIEF are not receiving any more wa- kwan, of Thalang District, told the ter than before, but all will have Gazette that eyewitnesses re- By Anongnat Sartpisut On December 20, 2005, A new target date for com- water on tap 24 hours a day, with ported the victim had been sitting Governor Udomsak ordered the pletion was then set: January 26, no interruptions. K. Sayan said alone on the sidewalk when a PHUKET: Phuket Provincial road surfacing work finished by 2006. that demand from these three gang of between six and eight Highways Office (PPHO) Chief the December 26 deadline so as K. Thanyakit said, “In fact, places was around 1,500m3 an teenage men on motorbikes ap- Thanit Sakiya has accepted re- to avoid inconveniencing visitors based on what remains to be done hour, but the PPWS can deliver proached him. The victim tried to sponsibility for not delivering on who were due to arrive for the at this stage, the entire project is only about 700m3. run away, but one of the men a promise he made to Governor tsunami memorial ceremonies on not likely to be completed until the However, Pattanapong Aik- pulled out a knife and stabbed Udomsak Uswarangkura to have Phuket. end of March this year.” wanich, speaking for hotel own- him. the surface of the bypass road It didn’t happen. Highways Department En- ers, said that demand was in fact – Sangkhae Leelanapaporn completed by last December 26. K. Thanit said, “If I had gineer Boonyakiat Kongketyai much higher than 1,500m3 an known on Dec 20 that the mobile blamed the slow progress on the hour, and was being met only by stone grinder had had a problem contractor and on the condition trucking in large volumes of wa- on December 15, I would not of the machinery used. ter. have promised the Governor He explained that the con- He appealed for an easing we’d finish the road on time.” tractor, Chiang Rai Harn Charoen of restrictions on the operating He added that he accepted Enterprise Ltd, experienced de- hours of water trucks. responsibility for not having all the lays because approval to buy Gov Udomsak agreed to information needed to carry out spare parts and for repairs had this, ordering that the operating his promise. to be obtained from the comp- times be extended by one hour a Work to expand the road any’s headquarters in Chiang Rai day. started on May 7, 2004 and was Province. Some of the equipment originally slated to finish by Sep- had deteriorated, and no longer 80pc turnout expected tember 28 last year. functioned at optimum levels. However, progress slowed According to the contract, in Senate poll in April when contractors were forced to if the job is not completed on time, wait 250 days for permission to Chiang Rai Harn Charoen faces PHUKET: The Phuket Election use explosives for blasting work penalties of 33,390 baht for each Committee (PEC) expects a and the original contract had to day the project extends past the higher number of people to vote be extended.