Navy Ships Take Final Plunge Three Ships Scuttled to Boost Diving Tourism in Krabi INSIDE TODAY
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ANDAMAN Edition PHUKET’S LEADING NEWSPAPER... SINCE 1993 Now NATIONWIDE Navy ships take final plunge Three ships scuttled to boost diving tourism in Krabi INSIDE TODAY June 22 - 28, 2013 PhuketGazette.Net In partnership with The Nation 25 Baht Special Report F1 race track debate feels island’s heat Phuket’s Formula One guru, the Digby, takes an in-depth look at the cancellation of the proposed 2015 F1 Grand Prix in Bangkok’s historic Rattanakosin district, which forced race organizers to look outside the capital, and put Phuket in pole position. Full story on Page 47 EU Ambassador leads delegation on tourist woes EU AMBASSADOR to Thailand David Lipman led the discussion among 17 other EU Ambassadors and local government officials. After the closed-door meeting, ambassadors highlighted four wor- risome issues facing tourist in Phuket. High on the list was the island’s marine safety measures. Full story on Page 6 MULTI-MILLION BAHT SEA GYPSY CENTER DESERTED Masked protests continue despite ing the millennia-old culture of the Urak Lawoi A takraw court has been set up on the grass By Saran Mitrarat sea gypsies now living on Koh Sireh never at the entrance. unruly weather arrived. Instead, there are mattresses for those The center never opened because it was PROTESTERS hiding behind the THE long-awaited Sea Gypsy Cultural Cen- still sleeping under the stars. not completed when it was transferred to the iconic Guy Fakwes masks that have ter, slated to open at the end of 2012 at a Located on a small nondescript soi at Laem Rassada Municipality in May last year, said become synonymous with anti- budget that ballooned from 2 million to 5.4 Tukkae, out of sight from the beach where Dachakanee Leelanon , Rassada Municipality Pheu Thai sentiment in Thailand million baht, has deteriorated into a derelict tourists board speedboats for day trips to the Chief Administrative Officer. stood unwavering in their dedication shell of a building that has become a shelter islands, the unoccupied multi-million baht cen- “It was transferred to us before it was fin- to the cause last weekend, despite the for the homeless. ter has fallen into disrepair: roof panels have ished and we don’t have enough money… wild weather that lashed the island. The promised library, exhibition spaces and fallen off, a mattress lies under a supporting native handiwork demonstrations highlight- structure and another floats in a pond. Continued on Page 2 Full story on Page 4 2 PHUKET GAZETTE PHUKET NEWS June 22 - 28, 2013 Officials rush to plug Property Patong and Phuket notorious Patong hole Town top roadside real estate. Page 14 By Orawin Narabal OFFICIALS rushed to barricade Property a giant hole in Phang Muang Sai Kor Road in Patong this week af- Connext Condo will ter two motorbike riders found transform “downtown” themselves over their heads in Phuket. Page 15 water and their motorbikes Page 17 submerged at the bottom of a pit about two meters deep. Tech Unknown to the unlucky NSA scandal threatens motorists, the hole was part of the works in progress to install large Asian governments’ storm drains under the road, the cyber security. Page 34 entire 2km length of which remains under construction. The “pit” – marked with one Food Reduce Speed sign and one free- Slice off a taste of standing steel rail barrier – Brazil at Rodizio measured at least two meters deep, several meters across and about MAIN: Officials raced to install more drains and barricade the hole. Photo: restaurant. Page 40 10 meters long. Saran Mitrarat. INSET: A motorbike is recovered from the bottom of the “After hearing what happened water-filled crater. Image: Richard Brandes/YouTube In Focus. to the two motorcyclists on Sun- By Wednesday, more sections Phang Muang Sai Kor Road are day, I called in the relevant officers of the large storm drains had been far behind schedule. Happy, healthy, hobby and the construction company [re- lifted into the trench and the large “The road was scheduled to be of hydroponics for local sponsible for installing the drains gaps beside the drains had been paved by December 19 [last year], business. Page 44 and resurfacing the road]. filled in with earth. but the work is only 40 per cent Page 41 “I reiterated the need to install The entire hazard was also complete. It should be 60 to 70 more safety features, such as blocked off by a battery of con- per cent complete by now,” he Sport lights and signs. I apologize for crete barriers and safety signs to said. Look ahead to two this problem, which has caused ensure no other unsuspecting “On June 28, Kosin Pittayavest- physical and property damage,” motorists fell into the same prob- soonthon, the Director of the weeks of tennis at said Teeraporn Jirarattanakorn, lem. Bureau of Road Construction, will Wimbledon. PagePage 4748 Director of the Department of Mr Teeraporn pointed out that come from Bangkok to inspect the Rural Roads Phuket office. the long-awaited improvements to progress made,” he added. Sea gypsy cultural center cast adrift by development plans From page 1 wants to develop Koh Sireh into an impor- nancial stimulus package launched under tant tourist attraction,” he said at the time. the government of Prime Minister Abhisit …to complete it,” he said. Now, however, it appears that the cul- Vejjajiva. “It needs to be landscaped. That will tural center will not be leading the way One local resident who declined to be cost two to three million baht, and we don’t towards development but instead will need named expressed her disappointment. have the money. to wait for other development in the area to “It was supposed to open last year but it “The Department of Public Works has rise before it can open. seems like it will never be finished, it just agreed to finish the project. Right now, we “We are waiting for the renovation of stays there without any further construc- are just looking after the structure. We have the Baan Laem Tukkae area and will offi- tion. a security guard who keeps the place tidy,” cially open the whole area at the same time “The officers said that will be exhibitions he said. to promote Koh Sireh as an important and tourist attractions in Koh Sireh, but that There is one other major obstacle to Phuket attraction,” Mr Dachakanee told the seems like an imagination project,” she said. opening the cultural center: the rate of de- Gazette. “You can see teenagers using the car velopment in the area. On the mayor’s list of developments as park of the cultural center to play takraw in In May 2012, the center was described stated last year were an artificial beach, a The incomplete cultural center has fallen into the evening. by Mr Dachakanee as one attraction among musical fountain in the sea and a viewpoint disrepair. Photo: Saran Mitrarat “At the entrance of the building, you can many that would contribute to the develop- on the hill behind Koh Sireh temple. Lawoi sea gypsies. see a mattress under the cover, it is turning ment of Koh Sireh. The proposal for the center – said to be Two million baht was provided for the into a shelter for the homeless already” she “Koh Sireh has been neglected for so the first of its kind in Asia – was first an- construction of the center by the Phuket added. long, but Mayor Phudit Raksaraj has a plan nounced in 2009 as part of a plan to preserve Provincial Public Works Office, and the “Is this how the Sea Gypsy Cultural Cen- to bring this part of town back to life. He and exhibit the life and culture of Urak remaining 3.4 million baht came from a fi- ter should be?” June 22 - 28, 2013 PHUKET NEWS PHUKET GAZETTE 3 DJ Doris out of ICU after motorbike fall PAUL Norris, Phuket’s renowned “DJ tal Phuket,” Byron Jones of 91.5FM re- released to continue his recovery at home Doris” on Phuket Island Radio 91.5FM, is ported on Facebook on Tuesday. by Thursday,” Mr Jones told the Gazette. out of intensive care after suffering a head “He looked so much better and was sit- When the rescue crew recovered Mr injury in what is believed to have been a ting up in bed. He is in a lot of pain with Norris from Phang Muang Sai Kor Road, motorbike accident in Patong early last fractured ribs and a broken collar bone. The he had no identification on him. Saturday morning. ear specialist is due to see him today,” Mr Capt Pathapee Srichai of the Patong He was rushed to Patong Hospital by res- Jones said. Police told the Gazette that police were not cue workers. However, he remained “Thank you everyone for all your kind treating the incident as suspicious. unconscious and was transferred to the wishes, text messages, etc. We have been “It seems no other vehicles were in- better equipped Vachira Phuket Hospital in reading them out to him each day,” he volved in the accident. We received a report Phuket Town, and then later moved to added. that a man was injured after falling off his Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Mr Norris was due to undergo a physi- bike… and we called the Kusoldharm Paul ‘DJ Doris’ Norris, sustained head “The great news is he is out of ICU and cal assessment on Wednesday. Foundation,” Capt Pathapee said. injuries in what is believed to have been a now is in his own room at Bangkok Hospi- “If all goes well, he could even be – Chutharat Plerin motorbike accident in Patong.