ANDAMAN Edition PHUKET’S LEADING NEWSPAPER... SINCE 1993 Now NATIONWIDE Fatal leap Tourist killed bungy-jumping, owner forced to close tower INSIDE TODAY June 6 - 12, 2015 PhuketGazette.Net In partnership with The Nation 20 Baht ‘WE WANT TO INVOKE ARTICLE 44 FOR THE CASES’ Expat supplies lifeguards with safety cards THE news that lifeguards have returned to Phuket’s beaches Leading prompted Tourist Police volunteer Simon Luttrell to return to printing multilingual beach-safety advice cards and distributing them to lifeguards. The cards are designed to assist the lifeguards in communi- officials cating with foreign tourists about the meaning of the red flags – ‘no swimming – dangerous’ – and the importance of heeding lifeguards’ warnings. land in Full Story Page 6 Officers to sniff out nominee shareholders hot seat OFFICIALS launched an island- wide inspection of tour companies with foreign shareholders on May Many suspects named in 27 in an attempt to root out the practice of using Thai nominee shareholders to maintain control sweeping corruption probe over a company. By Kritsada Mueanhawong Full Story Page 2 THE National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) named Article 44 put names on May 30, as it started gunning for local officials tangled up in millions of baht worth of infrastructure and ille- gal land issuance scandals in Phuket. forward to fight At the top of the list of 17 cases cited at a meeting led by Wicha Mahakun, spokesman for the NACC, was that of former encroachment Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop. OFFICIALS have requested the use The original complaint against Mr Wichai, filed by Sirinath of Article 44 of the interim Charter National Park Chief Kitiphat Taraphiban in September last year, to reclaim national park land that centered on two Chanote titles, valued at more than 1 billion has been illegally commandeered by baht, that were issued in 2009 for land allegedly inside the investors, the Sirinath National Park park. The complaint accused Mr Wichai and several… chief said. Continued on Page 4 Wicha Mahakun named some of the local officials under investigation. Full Story Page 4 Maj Gen Intarat Yodbangtoey (center), adviser to Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya, inspected the site on May 2. Photo: Phuket PR 2 PHUKET GAZETTE PHUKET NEWS June 6 - 12, 2015 Tour companies vetted By Kritsada Mueanhawong Business OFFICIALS launched an island- Lighthouse Weekend wide inspection of tour companies with foreign shareholders on May Market to continue in 27 in an attempt to root out the rainy season. Page 11 practice of using Thai nominee shareholders to maintain control over a company. Property More than 3,700 ‘foreign- Phuket’s ideal home is owned’ businesses are registered waiting for its perfect in Phuket, explained Department of Business Development Phuket Of- family. Page 24 fice Chief Nimit Kangkajit back in 2013, when a similar investigation Property was backed by Bangkok officials. “Of course Thais will hold at Smaller-sized condos least 51 per cent of the shares of take property market any business and foreigners will spotlight. Page 25 be limited to only holding 49 per cent of the shares,” Mr Nimit explained. “However, we will be Food sending teams to check on the is- Discover the tastes to sue of Thai nominees being used.” About 80 of those businesses be found between black are tour companies, confirmed Mr Santi (right) led the raid on ten tour companies. Photo: MOTS burger buns. Page 27 Santi Pawai, director of the Min- “Because a foreigner can’t own a which actions would be taken istry of Tourism and Sport majority share in a company, there against the companies at this stage (MOTS) Phuket office, who led is a temptation for these investors of the investigation. Environment the latest round of investigations. to use Thai nominees.” “There are about 80 companies Bangkok hosts fight Also joining in the latest inves- The investigation looked into that we will be looking into. We against wastefulness tigation was Mr Nimit, who the books of 10 companies oper- are collecting details about the assured those he was working ating in Thailand, two of which companies, including registration, in Asia. Page 29 with that if anything was found had suspicious documents, con- finances, tax information and amiss, his office would take firmed Mr Santi. many other relevant documents,” Gardening immediate action. “We are looking closely at these Mr Santi said. “There are many foreigners documents to ensure that every- “We want to keep a close eye Rocky settings don’t who have invested in Thailand, thing is legal and that foreign on tour operators to avoid any have to spell a garden especially in the tourism sector. At investors in these companies are future problems that might tarnish disaster. Page 30 the forefront are Chinese, followed not using Thai nominees,” he said. our reputation, such as the recent by Russians,” Mr Nimit said. Mr Santi did not detail exactly fraud case.” Looking for a place to stay? Man killed for Police bust three illegal See more classified ads at www.phuketgazette.net ‘bad’ dancing FIVE men were arrested on May tour guides in Phuket 31 for the stabbing death of a man in Phuket Town in the morning on the same day. The fatal argument that led to the death of Sayompoo Kuomsup, 21, and the serious injury of Sompong Boonrak, 21, stemmed from an issue with their dance moves at the ‘At Time’ pub. Police named the men arrested as Anon Ketkaew, 22; Ritchoti Ruksasup, 21; Trairat Sae-or, 24; Aphichai Siri-watcharakit, 24; and Anan Boonroong, 25. “All five confessed to the crime and explained in detail what hap- The three tour guides were caught working illegally. Photo: MOTS pened,” said Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of the Phuket City THREE illegal Thai tour guides were Suphachia Saeyang and Police. were arrested in front of their tour Teeruch Monochouw. Both were “The group got irritated with groups in Phuket on May 27. arrested at Phuket’s iconic the way the two men were danc- Thanachai Sae-yang, 29, was Promthep Cape. ing. When the men left the bar, the first of the three swept up in “Mr Suphachia was breaking Mr Anon and his friends followed the raid as he lead a group of the law in the same way as Mr them and attacked them.” Chinese tourists through the Kathu Thanachai. However, Mr Teeruch Mr Anon told police that he Temple grounds. attempted to get away with was the one who had drawn the Though Mr Thanachai is a reg- producing a fake tour guide card knife and stabbed the two men, istered tour guide – he was – he was charged accordingly,” while Mr Aphichai, Mr Anan and working outside of Chachoengsao Ms Pensirirat explained. Mr Trairat all confirmed that they Province, which is where he is Santi Pawai, director of the had taken part in the assault. Mr permitted to work, explained Ministry of Tourism and Sport Ritchoti was driving the motorbike Pensirirat Artthaweekul, head of Phuket office, explained after the for Mr Anon, explained Col the Bureau of Tourism Business raid that he believed that the num- Somsak. and Guide Registration. ber of illegal tour guides operating The men have been charged “He was charged for the on the island was decreasing. with murder, attempted murder improper use of his tour guide li- “We still receive some reports, and illegally carrying a knife in cence,” Ms Pensirirat said. but not as many as we used to,” he public, confirmed Col Somsak. The other two tour guides said. – Kritsada Mueanhawong – Kritsada Mueanhawong caught during the random checks June 6 - 12, 2015 PHUKET NEWS PHUKET GAZETTE 3 Kuwaiti man dies after fall from bungy-jump Koo Ping Sze was arrested. Fake credit card By Thawit Bilabdullar and Kritsada Mueanhawong shopping spree WORLD Bungy Jump in Patong lands woman in has been temporarily closed while officials investigate the death of police custody a 25-year-old tourist who was fatally injured at the facility on POLICE arrested a confessed May 27. credit card scammer as she “The business will be closed for waited to board a plane back to at least a month while police de- Malaysia at Phuket International termine if this was an accident or Airport on May 27. reckless endangerment on the part Koo Ping Sze, 20, was arrested of the bungy-jump owner,” after police received a report from explained Patong Mayor Kasikornbank (KBank) that she Chalermluck Kebsup. had used a fake credit card to Abdullah Adel Kadhmbadman make a purchase in Patong. was rushed to Patong Hospital “Kbank identified that the after hitting the ground from his cardholder was a Malaysian jump off the 30-meter tower at national, but that the card details the facility. were for a US citizen,” explained X-rays of Mr Kadhmbadman Phuket Provincial Police Deputy revealed that he had a broken neck Superintendent Prawit Engchuan. and several broken ribs. He died At the boarding gate for the shorty after arriving at the hos- AirAsia 9:40pm flight to Malaysia, pital. police caught up with Ms Sze. In Employee Manoon Ninmin, her possession they found a total who was at the scene at the time of 17 fake credit cards – all of the incident, explained that the issued in her name. incident happened on Mr “Ms Sze was waiting to board Kadhmbadman’s second jump. her plane when we arrived. She “The first jump went very well. allowed us to search her belong- However, the during second jump, ings, and confessed to being in possession of fake credit cards and which was from 30 meters, the A military official points at the spot where Mr Kadhmbadman hit the ground.