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ANDAMAN Edition PHUKET’S LEADING NEWSPAPER... SINCE 1993 Now NATIONWIDE Cultural Revolution Phuket makes history with museum festival INSIDE TODAY September 22 - 28, 2012 PhuketGazette.Net In partnership with The Nation 25 Baht MOTORISTS TO BE DIVERTED THROUGH HEART OF PHUKET TOWN Maze mayhem to Damrong still ease traffic snarls on the hunt for Highways Department illegal land moves to assuage fears of encroachers ‘even worse’ traffic jams Full story on Page 8 By Chutharat Plerin Human trafficking THE Phuket Highways Office on Tuesday staged a public suspect snared at meeting to announce several “alternative routes” for Phuket Airport motorists in order to minimize tailbacks when construc- tion of Phuket’s first underpass begins next month. By Atchaa Khamlo The 600-million-baht underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of the Central Festival Phuket shop- IMMIGRATION officials arrested a ping mall on the bypass road, will take nearly two years to Thai woman believed to be at the complete, confirmed Phuket Provincial Highways Office center of an international human Director Samak Luedwonghad. trafficking ring at Phuket Interna- He also confirmed that during construction traffic will tional Airport on September 14 as be restricted to one lane each way north-south through she tried to board a flight to Bahrain. the junction, and east-west traffic through the junction Dujdao “Champagne” Barana, 27, will not be affected in the initial stages of construction. was arrested at 7pm and on her way “We will close the east-west lanes only when needed, to Bangkok for questioning the next which will be much later into the project. Even then, when day. After questioning by… we do, as with the north-south lanes, some traffic will be Continued on Page 4 allowed to pass through the junction,” he said. Despite concerns that during construction, traffic con- gestion will be “20 to 30 per cent worse” than it is now at New taxi standard the junction, Mr Samak expressed faith in his office to Annissa Flynn hailed as the women’s surfing Champion of Asia. Photo: Tim Hain/ASC Media handle the situation accordingly. fares under fire “Traffic will not be as bad as people fear. We are work- LOCAL Transport Office chief ing with Phuket City Police Traffic Deputy Superintendent CHAMPION OF ASIA Teeraut Prasertpol was grilled by Chalermchai Hernsawat and [construction contractor] Ital- PHUKET’s 14-year old surfing star Annissa Flynn has carved her way to Phuket honorary consuls this week ian-Thai Development Co, and they agreed with our winning the women’s surf champion of Asia title after an impressive win in the over new standard taxi fares and suggested alternative routes… Quiksilver Open Phuket Thailand at Patong Beach last weekend. level of service yet to be delivered. Continued on Page 5 Full story on Page 18 Full story on Page 3 2 PHUKET GAZETTE PHUKET NEWS September 22 - 28, 2012 Wife fingers hubby Business Phuket trade surplus as brazen gold thief high, a month before books close. Page 12 By Kritsada Mueanhawong PHUKET Police combed the Kathu Technology Waterfall area on Wednesday Iphone 5 has arrived. But morning after the wife of a man wanted for a smash-and-grab maybe you should wait gold heist tipped off police as to awhile. Page 14 his probable whereabouts. Yong Chuan gold shop owner History Sirinan Sirikolworakul, 64, was shot with an air pistol before the Italian born Silpa Bhirasri, woman’s husband, named by the father of modern Thai police only has Mr Koson “Son”, and his unidentified accomplice art. Page 16 made off with an estimated 3 million baht in jewelry. Humor Phuket City Police were A lighter look at the informed at 1:30pm on Monday that the gold shop in the National goings on round about Housing Estate in Rassada had just Brazen fold thief ‘Mr Koson’ was caught on CCTV escaping on the back of Phuket. Page 19 been robbed. the motorbike taxi, which eventually led police to his house. CCTV footage shows the pair However, CCTV captured a Arrest warrants were issued for of men entering the shop and then second motorbike carrying one of both men on Tuesday. Environment one of the men shooting the culprits. The license plate re- Mr Koson’s 27-year-old Go Eco Phuket: PADI Ms Sirinan three times in the chest vealed that it was registered to a Burmese wife, Mrs Muza, was with an air pistol while the other motorbike taxi driver, explained arrested at the Mo Chit Bus cleans up the reefs of proceeded to smash the glass Phuket Provincial Police Com- Station in Bangkok on Tuesday Phuket. Page 20 counters containing the jewelry mander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul. night with gold jewelry valued at with a hammer. From information provided by 1.8 million baht hidden in Sport A dragnet attempt at a fish the taxi driver, police were able to shampoo bottles in her bag. factory near where the motorbike raid Mr Koson’s home, only to “We are continuing our search Basketball: The TOA used in the escape was found left find that he and his wife had for both thieves across the island,” Open Tournament at police empty handed. already fled the premises. Maj Gen Chonasit added. Saphan Hin. Page 47 Phuket national park chief lays Tiger Discotheque forensic to rest recent death threat rumor report release postponed By Kritsada Mueanhawong have family and people I love wait- THE release of the investigators’ Forensic Science Region 8 teams, ing for me,” he added. official report on the Tiger Dis- who are responsible for examin- SIRINATH National Park chief Only needing to check the cotheque blaze has been postponed ing the evidence, have to attend a Cheewapap Cheewatham has de- boundaries of the park via aerial while the forensic specialists seminar in Bangkok,” said Lt Col nied claims that he or any other photographs, having already clari- attend a seminar in Bangkok. Kittisak Nuphueng of the Phuket officers investigating alleged en- fied the legality of some of the Superintendent of the National Office of Forensic Science. croachment onto national park ownership documents for land Office of Forensic Science stated “Even though the results will be land have received death threats. plots under investigation, Chief during the investigation of the fire disseminated, we are not autho- “Since I started my work here, Cheewapap is confident he will on August 17 that the results of rized to make the report public I have not received any death meet the September 25 deadline the forensic examination into the without the permission,” Lt Col threats from anyone. I have not (see page 8). cause would be ready in 30 days. Kittisak added. heard any reports of any other “I would like to pass along a However, as of Wednesday – Forensic Science Region 8 officers receiving death threats, message to the people who might Sirinath National Park chief 33 days after the blaze, the Chief Phongnarate Tantivathana either,” chief Cheewapap said. Cheewapap Cheewatham. be thinking about hurting or threat- report has not been released. explained, “It is our policy to treat “However, I have been warned ening national park officers on the “The results of the investiga- this as classified information. At by some people to be ‘careful’. costing more than a billion baht. case: You can’t stop us. Even if you tion into the cause of fire were this time we don’t have the No one has ever raided this area “I have been told that what I dispose of all of us, there will be scheduled to be announced on authority to release the findings of [Sirinath National Park] before and am doing could be a landmark case others from the office ready to take September 17. That has been post- the investigation to the public.” the projects that are being investi- in history. our place and continue our work poned to next Monday as the – Orawin Narabal gated are big money projects “Do I get scared? Yes, I do. I in Phuket,” he said. September 22 - 28, 2012 PHUKET NEWS PHUKET GAZETTE 3 Honorary consuls attack ‘new’ standard taxi fares By Atchaa Khamlo PM Yingluck looks to develop the Andaman region ahead of the AEC IN THEIR first “regular” quarterly 2015. Photo: The Nation meeting with Phuket government officers since February, Phuket Honorary Consuls today delivered PM Yingluck a barrage of questions over the new standard taxi fares “agreed pledges splurge to” on September 12. Governor Tri Augkaradacha, on developing recently returned from a cultural tourism roadshow in Nepal, asked for input from honorary Phuket tourism consuls about the new standard PRIME Minister Yingluck fares. Shinawatra on September 15 Phuket Land Transportation named Patong Beach, Old Phuket Office (PLTO) chief Teerayut Town and Promthep Cape as three Prasertpol got it in spades. Andaman tourist attractions to re- Piyanoot Hongsyok, honorary ceive “emergency budget” support. consul for Estonia, asked why no Also on the list to receive spe- action was being taken to allow cial attention were Phi Phi Island taxis to pick up passengers from and Ao Nang, both in Krabi prov- the same area where they drop a ince, to make them more “tourist passenger off. friendly” ahead of the Asean Eco- “This could help reduce the stan- nomic Community (AEC) coming dard taxi fares,” she pointed out. into effect in 2015. Mr Teerayut replied, “Allowing “We have a plan to develop 29 this would cause problems. This top tourism destinations through- was already standard practice long out Thailand. There are five such before the regulations were destinations in the Andaman brought into force.