Volume 16 Issue 47 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555November 21 - 27, 2009 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht The Gazette is published in association with Tsunami warning INSIDE system gets new life HE tsunami detection an annual battery change. red tape for the ongoing delays. The NDWC is working on buoy off Phuket will be However, the NDWC has The NDWC, initially under expanding the tsunami warning replaced just in time for never changed the battery and the the Prime Minister’s Office, has coverage in risk areas by setting the fifth anniversary of unit finally fell silent in early been shifted to different min- up small new towers capable of T istries so many times it has never carrying voice recorded alerts. the 2004 Tsunami disaster, the September, way past its design National Disaster Warning capacity of just one year. been able to get through the civil Meanwhile, former NDWC Center (NDWC) says. Rather than change the service procurement procedure Director Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, Group Captain Somsak battery at sea, the NDWC before having to start again from said he resigned from his job with Khaosuwan, director of the decided to order a new DART II scratch, he said. the agency almost two years ago NDWC’s warning system man- buoy from the US and replace the This also explains why the to protest its failure to properly Master at work agement team, told the Gazette entire unit, bringing the old unit in agency’s 1860 hotline is currently maintain the buoy. House music legend DJ David the new buoy is being shipped to for maintenance on land. inoperable and it currently This failure has put people Morales draws thousands of Thailand from the US and should The two units will be doesn’t have a website, he said. at risk, not only in Thailand but fans at big gig on the beach. arrive by the end of the month. switched out again next year as The hotline will be fixed all around the Indian Ocean Page 10 It will be deployed 600 part of an annual maintenance soon and a new website is on the Basin, he said. nautical miles northwest of regime, Mr Somsak said. way that will allow numerous Dr Smith said he expected NEWS: Waste reduction Phuket, replacing the buoy The new unit is being agencies to exchange information that only about 5% to 10% of the scheme stalled; Villagers’ currently there, as part of a one- funded by the NDWC. in real time about disaster 200 solar-powered tsunami stand-off gets volatile; Bel- week mission that will depart from Two more warning buoys warning and planning, he said. warning towers in the Andaman gian belles arrive; New TAT Cape Panwa on December 14. that got 165 million baht in funding Mr Somsak was in Phuket region were still operational. director optimistic. The first buoy, deployed in approved in January last year recently on a two-day inspection Mr Somsak refuted this Pages 2 - 4 December, 2006, was donated to have still not been acquired, but tour of all 19 warning towers allegation, saying his tour of Phuket Thailand by the US government Mr Somsak said he is confident in the province and to meet revealed all 19 towers were PIWC BASH: Psyche- under an agreement that the they will be deployed some time officers at the Phuket Department working normally and that all 200 delic scenes from the NDWC would be responsible next year. of Disaster Prevention and towers are tested twice daily. charity’s 20th anniversary for its maintenance, including Mr Somsak blamed Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket). – Stephen Fein fundraiser. Page 6 TAI CHI: Rick Attix takes readers through another Wet locals steaming Tai Chi timeout. RATE residents living on Seven months later, residents Page 8- 9 Nanai Road in Patong are say the flooding is worse than ever, calling for an immediate fix blaming poorly-managed building AROUND THE NATION, QUEER to ongoing flooding, which sites, inadequate drainage in the NEWS 5; EXPAT GALLERY 11; I they claim has become worse area, deforestation and lack of HAPPENINGS 12; WHAT’S ON over the past few months. action by the authorities. 15; BUSINESS AND MONEY Residents have nicknamed According to Deputy 16; TAKE A B REAK 17 & 18; the 50-meter stretch of road the Director of Sanitation at Patong BOOKS, HOROSCOPES 19; ‘Nanai River’. Municipality Teeranun Boonma, EDITORIAL, LETTERS 20; Several local residents who rainwater used to drain through FIRST PERSON, ISSUES AND spoke to the Gazette in May the Aroonpat Village estate, ANSWERS 21; SPORT 22 & predicted severe flooding in the through a section of private land 23; DO IT YOURSELF 24; rainy season. into a canal. CONSTRUCTION UPDATE 25; At the time, residents’ were However, the owner of the PROPERTY WATCH 26; assured by Patong Municipality private land blocked the drains, DESIGN 27; CLASSIFIED ADS 28-40. that the problem would be solved causing the flooding, he claimed. Two victims of the ‘Nanai River’ push their broken down bike through within three to four months. – Atchaa Khamlo the filthy flood water. 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS November 21 - 27, 2009 Swiss man arrested New TAT director in pedophile hunt FORMER Swiss bank rented out on a monthly basis. employee and regular Police said Mr Wietlisbach pushes optimism tourist to Phuket was also rented another room in the Alast week arrested in same hotel where he stayed HE Tourism Authority of a four-and-a-half-year stint as a Chiang Mai on charges of with a ladyboy whose age was Thailand (TAT) has director at the TAT office in New sexually harassing boys under the not reported. announced that hotel York City. age of 15. Following his arrest, Mr occupancy rates in That experience gave her Region 5 Police identified Wietlisbach confessed he had T Phuket should hit 80 percent an insight into how foreigners, the suspect as Swiss national been coming to Thailand as a sex during the high season. especially Americans, view the Cornel Josef Wietlisbach, 54. tourist since 2004, police said. New TAT South Region 4 island. Mr Wietlisbach’s arrest fol- He first came to Phuket for office director Ms Bangornrat “Phuket is very well known lowed a one-month investigation his one-month holidays in 2004, Shinaprayoon told the state-run in America, especially for its by Thai police and Swiss but later decided to spend his time National News Bureau that spas,” she said. Embassy officials. in Chiang Mai. according to hotel and tour “It has a good reputation Mr Wietlisbach allegedly Police made the arrest after operators, advance bookings for because of the people, beautiful paid hilltribe boys 2,000 to 4,000 a court warrant was issued. Phuket are on the rise. scenery and because we have baht for sexual services each time. Police have so far charged Occupancy rates should promoted it heavily on foreign The trysts, typically in- Mr Wietlisbach with one count of climb to 80 percent after the internet sites and publications volving two of more children, molesting a child under 15. Christmas and New Year such as tripadvisor.com.” were carried out in a room in a Investigations continue. holidays, she said. Ms Bangornrat said luxury hotel that the accused – Gazette reporters Phuket is ready to deal with around 700,000 Americans visit the increasing number of visitors, Thailand every year. Ms Bangornrat added. Of these, about 100,000 Phanason saga burns on Phuket had 38,528 rooms come to Phuket. in 639 accommodation estab- TAT South Region 4 office director “Phuket is the most OLLOWING tense stand covering their homes with earth. lishments registered with the TAT Bangornrat Shinaprayoon. developed province in Thailand, offs between landless The construction workers in 2008. Thailand that Americans would with more than five million Fvillagers and construction retaliated with warning gunshots, With the possible exception like to visit, not just for the tourists bringing in more than 10 workers at the Phanason City the villagers said. of Bangkok, Phuket is the most beaches, but for the variety of billion baht annually,” she said. building site in Wichit, villagers last Commenting on the volotile ‘international’ of Thailand’s food and culture here,” she said. “My policy is to further week petitioned the Lawyers land issue, Wichit Major Kreetha 76 provinces. Ms Bangornrat, 54, took develop the province while Council of Thailand, the National Saetan said many of the villagers A ride past the bustling over from Sethaphan Buddhani preserving the environment,” she Human Rights Commission and were living on the site illegally. eateries that line Patong’s Rat- as the Phuket tourism industry’s said. Government House in Bangkok. A representative from the U-Thit 200 Pi Road will confirm number one proponent earlier this Ms Bangornrat added that Villagers had earlier National Human Rights Com- it: there are people from every month. Phuket is already known as an blocked the village entrance and mision is scheduled to visit the site corner of the globe living and She started her career with international place, but that she set burning tires in the paths of later this month. working here. the TAT 27 years ago, joining wanted to make it even more the backhoes to stop them from Atchaa Kamlo It’s this angle that Ms immediately after finishing a well-known abroad, for ex- Bangornrat wants to expose in master’s degree in Economics at ample as a marine center or her bid to attract more visitors to Thammasat University. venue for international sporting the island. Her own international tournaments.” “Phuket is the first place in perspective was nurtured during -Sitthipong Nongkaew Readers say Veg Fest is ‘out of control’ LMOST half of Phuket ‘The fireworks and self-mutilation and encouraging people to Gazette readers think the are out of control.