Volume 15 Issue 41 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555 October 11 - 17, 2008 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht The Gazette is published Guns seized at in association with Kamala beachfront Tah Chat Chai shops destroyed checkpoint INSIDE By Gazette Reporters By Atchaa Khamlo KAMALA: In an effort to beau- TAH CHAT CHAI: Provincial tify the beachfront at Kamala, and regional police held a press nearly 50 illegally-built commer- conference on October 5 to an- cial structures were bulldozed on nounce the seizure of 10 guns October 7. recovered during random checks Santi Atthasap, Vice-Presi- at the Tah Chat Chai road check- dent of the Kamala Tambon Ad- point over a three-day period. ministration Organization (Or- The press conference was BorTor), told the Gazette that conducted jointly by Police Re- the move was in line with a pro- gion 8 Commander Lt Gen vincial policy to keep beaches Santarn Chayanon and Phuket tidy and attractive. Provincial Police Commander The temporary structures, Apirak Hongthong. Mujagic Magic many of them made from bam- The seizures followed a The Sheraton Laguna Puccini boo, encroached on pubic land handover in authority of the restaurant's head chef Robert and created an eyesore, he said. Kamala OrBorTor Vice-President Santi Atthasap oversees the checkpoint from the regional to Mujagic shares his secrets for “We are in favor of entre- provincial police, in line with a one of his out-of-this-world destruction of some 100 illegal structures that were clogging up a preneurs, but they need to follow four-kilometer-long stretch of beachfront. policy to crack down on hired dishes for Guest Chef. OrBorTor regulations; otherwise gunmen and other criminals com- See page 11. the result is no different from a the opportunity to encroach on The encroacher had built ing to, and leaving, the island, Maj slum. We want to see Kamala’s public land during the gap be- nearly 100 structures along a Gen Apirak said. NEWS: New Immigration beautiful beach back in its natu- tween election periods,” said Mr stretch of beach about four kilo- The crackdown involves cards issued; Pork sales drop ral state,” he said. Santi. meters long, he said. more frequent searches and ad- during veg fest; Phuket Yes- “These people were notified “This beach is public prop- “Now there is [finally] vanced detection technology to teryear. of the destruction one month ago, erty and belongs to everyone. enough space to walk to the locate contraband items stashed Pages 2 & 3 in accordance with the law. They Some 50 entrepreneurs have no beach without having to pass din- inside vehicles, police said. had time to remove their belong- more right to use it than anyone ing tables,” he said. Also seized was a variety of INSIDE STORY: Diplo- ings,” he added. else here – including tourists. Be- The newly-cleared area other weapons and illegal drugs. matic immunity in Bangla. “Most of the shops were sides, no permission to operate will now be used as a public rec- Similar “x-ray” inspections Pages 4 & 5 tour shops, restaurants and bars. tere was ever granted by the reational area for tourists, with a were conducted at checkpoints LIFESTYLE: Fringe fest, The people who ran them knew OrBorTor. We have to remove small number of legally-regis- in Tung Tong and Kathu over the veg fest, 4x4 driving tests. they were on public property, but these structures before the situ- tered souvenir shops allowed to same period, but these failed to Pages 16 & 17 insisted on squatting. They took ation gets even worse,” he said. operate there, he said. recover any weapons. QUEER NEWS 6; AROUND THE NATION 7; AROUND THE SOUTH More CCTV cameras to spy on Patong 8; ANDAMAN COASTING 10; GUEST C HEF 11; PEOPLE 12- By Akbar Khan be supplemented with 26 more units, 16 of Col Grissak told the Gazette. 13; HAPPENINGS 14; STREETS which will be provided by the Savoey Sea- Maj Gen Apirak thinks that coverage OF PATTAYA 15; WHAT’S ON PATONG: Philandering husbands be warned: food restaurant. should be extended to other parts of the is- 19; BUSINESS AND M ONEY 20; Phuket’s premier adult entertainment district All of the new cameras, to be installed land, including Chalong and Phuket City, he TAKE A BREAK 22; BOOKS, is gearing up for a huge expansion in its along Soi Bangla and the beach road, will said. WORD C OURT 23; EDITORIAL, closed-circuit television (CCTV) coverage, show viewers around the world just how safe Phuket City Municipality will fund 10 LETTERS 24; FIRST PERSON with real-time images of the action along Soi and friendly Patong is for tourists, he said. more cameras at a cost of 4 million baht, 25; TSOWNDINGS, HOROSCOPES Bangla to be available to the public 24 hours “CCTV security is a policy of national while the Savoey Restaurant is funding 16 26; TRAVEL 27; SPORTS 28; a day by year’s end, according to the town’s police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwan. Po- cameras sourced from Singapore at a cost of DESIGN 31; HOME OF THE WEEK top cop. lice Region 8 commander Santarn Chayanon 1 million baht. 33; PROPERTY WATCH 34; CON- Kathu Police Superintendent Col has assigned Phuket Provincial Police Com- All 16 cameras funded by the restau- STRUCTION 36; CLASSIFIED A DS Grissak Songmoonnark told the Gazette that mander Apirak Hongtong to evaluate which rant will be installed along Soi Bangla, he said. 39-51. the existing 16 CCTV cameras in Patong will parts of Phuket, if any, should have CCTV,” Continued on page 2 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS October 11 - 17, 2008 From page 1 Patong CCTV Thailand to issue new immigration card BANGKOK (TNA): A new immigration card some Immigration procedures, such as be- part in the nationwide crackdown on the ex- to go online will be introduced for Thais and foreigners ing screened for being a criminal suspect ploitation of foreign labor and the flesh trade who frequently enter and leave Thailand, the or being on a police or immigration watch throughout the country, Lt Gen Chatchawan “If there are any criminal activi- state-run Thai News Agency (TNA) has re- list. was quoted as saying. ties there, these will help us in- ported. The Immigration Card is part of the ef- The report set off a frenzy of specula- vestigate and catch the culprits. The agency quoted Immigration Police forts to promote tourism and investment in tion and commentary on popular website The images will be broadcast via chief Pol Lt Gen Chatchawan Suksomchit as Thailand, TNA reported. forums, where many people posted com- the Internet, which means that the saying that holders of the “Immigration Card” Meanwhile, Immigration Police will ments such as “I’ll believe it when I see it”, public can also help us watch will include those who travel in and out of the open a 1178 call center early next year to and others called for more details – such as what is going on. country three to five times a year, regardless provide tourism-related information in eight how much the card would cost, when it might “Businesses will be able to of their nationality. languages. really be available, and what the procedures use the web feeds as public rela- Immigration Card holders will bypass In addition, Immigration Police will take might be to obtain one. tions tools for their businesses,” he said. “The cameras will not dam- age the tourism industry at all, because most tourists do not Prestigious come to buy girls out of the bars. Child labor in Phuket It is perfectly natural for them to dinner to have dinner and then go down to the bars for a few drinks and a help preserve fun night out with their friends. It shames Burmese junta is only a very small minority that will pay the bar fine to take a girl By Akbar Khan There will be a lot for them local culture out for dinner,” said Col Grissak. to report on here. The plight of “The cameras are not in- PHUKET: Burmese daily news- Burmese workers in Phuket is PHUKET CITY: Thai and expat True News stalled in an obtrusive way. They paper was ordered by well known to island residents. families will be meeting later this do not create the feeling that the Press Scrutiny and Registra- They are commonly seen huddled month to play an active role in pre- one’s privacy is being invaded. I tion Board of Myanmar to sus- into the back of trucks and at serving local cultures and tradi- have selected all the locations for pend publication for two months, squalid workers’ camps across tions while building valuable ties installation. following its publication on Sep- the island. with other distinguished members Patong Mayor Pian Keesin tember 30 of a large image de- The camps have mush- of the community. The meeting has set December 15 as the picting a Burmese child working roomed on the back of a real es- will be part of the annual Phuket deadline for this project, but we on a construction site in Phuket. tate boom driven largely by for- Yesteryear event. The would like to have it in operation Mr Yeni, News Editor at eign investment in recent years. About 1,000 participants, Irrawaddy Gazette earlier than that,” he said. , told the , “An The situation made interna- including Phuket Governor Niran The owner of Savoey Sea- anonymous freelancer in Ran- The photo on the front page of the tional headlines earlier this year Kalayanamit, are expected to at- food Restaurant, who asked that goon told us that the censorship Burmese daily newspaper True when 54 Burmese workers ille- tend the prestigious cocktail din- True News his name not be published, said, board has ordered to News showed a Burmese child gally entering Thailand suffocated ner to be held from 6:30 pm to 10 “I am very worried about my suspend publication for two working on a construction site in in the back of a truck in Ranong pm at the Grand Ballroom of the businesses here in Patong and months due to a front page pho- Phuket.