Volume 12 Issue 29 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555 July 16 - 22, 2005 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 20 Baht The Gazette is published in association with Gov proposes Phuket City to new zones for entertainment IN THIS ISSUE By Anongnat Sartpisut NEWS: ADB earmarks PHUKET CITY: Governor U- US$1.7m for tsunami aid; get new beach domsak Uswarangkura has an- Police get training in interna- nounced proposals for new, tional crime. Pages 2 & 3 larger entertainment zones for INSIDE STORY: Managing cri- By Anongnat Sartpisut Phuket, subject to public consul- ses in Phuket. Pages 4 & 5 tation. PHUKET CITY: In an effort to The proposed new enter- AROUND THE ISLAND: Two tips spruce up the city’s premier rec- tainment zones, in all three dis- for quick dips. Page 6 reation area, Phuket City Munici- tricts, were discussed at a meet- AROUND THE R EGION: The low- pality will spend a total of 39 mil- ing at Phuket Provincial Hall on est of seasons. Page 8 lion baht on drainage, repairs and July 7. other improvements at Saphan “This is the first step in the OFF THE WALL: The farang Hin. strikes back. Pages 10 & 11 expansion of our entertainment Once the project is com- zones,” Gov Udomsak said. LIFESTYLE: Tongue-tied after plete, Saphan Hin will have a “Each district will conduct a one- a Mai Tai. Page 12 500-meter-long beach, created month round of consultations with from recovered sand, near the ALL AT SEA: Sturdy as she the public. After that, we will goes: the Seahorse 52. remaining mangrove stands on decide upon the most suitable lo- Page 14 the north coast of the peninsula. cations for entertainment ven- Funding for the work, to be ues.” TRAVEL: Say ‘Kathmandu’, carried out by the Municipality, The proposed new zones not ‘Kathmandon’t’. Page 15 will be from both provincial and are as follows: national government coffers. FIRST PERSON: Water prob- Muang district: lems in Phuket. Page 21 Deputy Mayor Kawee • North of Nimit Circle Tansukatanon told the Gazette BUSINESS & MONEY: US along Tilok Uthit 2 Rd up to that 5 million baht from the Min- Phang Nga Rd; property bubble to burst? istry of Interior (MoI) Post-Tsu- Pages 23 • 200 meters south of Nimit nami Redevelopment Fund would Circle along Ong Sim Phai Rd; SPORT: NEW! Golf tips from be used to repair concourses and • West of Nimit Circle the pros. Plus: Women’s soc- walkways damaged by the tsu- along Chana-Charoen Rd to cer; sailing. Pages 24 & 25 nami. Some 80% of the work will Tilok Uthit 1 Rd; involve simply resetting the red • Phun Phol Night Bazaar. GOOD LIVING: Thai House paving stones that were washed and music. Page 27 up, with the city buying more Thalang District: PROPERTY: Construction: The bricks in a different color to com- • 150m west from the in- Phulin Resort; Home show plete the project. tersection of the airport entry round-up; Home of the Week Also included in the 5-mil- road and Thepkrasattri Rd; in wonderful Wichit; Bert lion-baht budget is the planting of • 100m each side of road comes across an old man in 115 “golden shower” trees (Cas- No. 4025 (Ao Bang Tao Rd), the garden. Pages 28-31 sia fistula) in the area. The work from the intersection with the The plan envisions this stony, unattractive piece of coast being road leading to Surin Beach, as will be completed before the end turned into a delightful sandy beach fringed with flowering trees. PLUS of August, he said. far as the Bang Tao Beach Vil- Another 19 million baht ity will spend 15 million baht land- Klong Bang Yai running along- lage Hotel (Soi Hua Tieow). QUEER NEWS 4; AROUND THE NA- from the MoI will be spent on scaping a section of Rattanako- side the road. Kathu District: TION 7; HAPPENINGS 9; OUTSIDE clearing pipes and dredging drain- sin 200 Pi Rd from its start at Ko “When completed, the area Patong, covering a boot- IN, WORDLY WISE 16; KIDS 17; age ditches that became clogged Jan Bridge all the way to the will serve as a new, beautifully- shaped area bordered on the YOUTH ’N A SIA, MOMMA D UCK 18; with sand during the tsunami. solid-waste incinerator. landscaped area for people to west by the beach road, from LAW, HOROSCOPES, THE TIME M A- Sand that is recovered will be The project will include enjoy,” K. Kawee said. Banana Disco & Pub to the CHINE 19; EDITORIAL, LETTERS used to create the new beach road resurfacing, building salas, Funding for this will come Beach House. between the mangrove trees and sidewalks and parking areas, and from the CEO Governors’ bud- The line then turns east to 20; ISSUES & ANSWERS 21; COM- current seafront. This work will even decorating power poles to get, in accordance with Prime Sirirat Rd near Simon Cabaret, PUTERS 22; ON THE MOVE 23, be completed by the end of Oc- resemble the Ko Chan (Chi- Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s then curves north toward a point WINE, BOOKS 26; CLASSIFIEDS tober, he said. nese-style longtail boats) that tra- “Beautiful Road Project”, he ex- southeast of the Sun Hill, before 32-39. To the south, the municipal- ditionally plied the section of plained. Continued on page 3 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS July 16 - 22, 2005 Big chance ADB earmarks Yes! We love Phuket! for movie directors US$1.7m for BANGKOK: Movie directors in Thailand will have the chance to attend a four-day workshop with tsunami aid plan top European film executives in Bangkok in October, in a project MANILA: The Asian Develop- sive medium- and long-term plan titled “Produire au Sud” (Movie ment Bank (ADB) has set aside for the affected provinces is re- production in the South). US$1.7 million (about 75 million quired,” he said. Better yet, the winners of baht) for Thailand, to help Bang- The funds to be given by “best project” awards at the kok develop long-term solutions the ADB will help formulate workshop will get round-trip air for tsunami-affected areas, espe- plans that will develop the six tickets, with accommodation and cially Krabi, Phang Nga, and tsunami-affected provinces over expenses included, to attend the Phuket, an ADB report announc- the coming 15 years. prestigious 27th Festival of Three ed on July 7. This assistance will cover Continents in the French city of The funds will come from terms of land use, population dis- Nantes the following month. the Asian Tsunami Fund, which tribution, settlement patterns, Full details of the awards was set up by the ADB in Feb- economic activities, social infra- and how to apply can be found ruary 2005 with an initial con- structure and major utility and Above, Yothin Bumrungsawat (right) collected his prize of a on page 13 of this issue. tribution of some US$600 mil- transport infrastructure. two-night stay for two at the Absolute Sea Pearl Beach Resort The awards are underwrit- lion. Key areas for economic in- from Gazette webmaster Seubsak ‘Big’ Sahaworapun, as part of the Gazette’s ongoing ‘We Love Phuket’ sticker campaign. ten by the French government “The [Thai] government, vestment as well as for the imple- with the support of several devel- mentation of conservation and Below, Chavewan Laongpanich (left) receives her prize of and co-sponsored by The Nation three computer books by Gazette columnist Woody Leonhard and the Phuket Gazette. opment partners, is carrying out environmental protection mea- short-term actions such as repair- sures will be highlighted. from the Gazette’s Oranut Samantamit. ing the fishing fleet, reconstruct- The fund will also support Gazette to handle ing houses, rehabilitating villages a Subregional Development Plan, and resorts, and restoring liveli- to include broad strategies cov- major magazine hoods,” Alfredo Perdiguero, an ering regional economic develop- subscriptions ADB project economist, ex- ment, environmental conserva- plained in the report. tion and sustainable develop- PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette “But many of these pro- ment, infrastructure planning, Co Ltd has been appointed local cesses have long-term impacts, and community development and subscriptions agent for a number and an effective and comprehen- livelihoods. of major publications. The company can now han- B36m awaits tsunami jobless dle subscriptions in Phuket for Business Week, Business Travel- PHUKET: Huge amounts of were unware of their right to ler, Time, Forbes Global, For- money are sitting waiting for compensation, a ministry spokes- tune, and Reader’s Digest (En- employees who lost their jobs man said. glish and Chinese editions). The because of the tsunami. Of more The deadline for applica- magazines will be sent by mail. than 40 million baht set aside for tions has been extended to De- A subscription form is in- this purpose, only four million cember 31. Employees who need cluded with this issue of the Ga- baht has been disbursed, the Min- help should first call Tel: 1546. zette. Alternatively, those wish- istry of Labour said on July 1. ing to subscribe may do so online A ministry survey shows at www.phuketgazette.net/ that 28,300 workers are entitled subscribe.asp, or by emailing yui to aid from the government’s TT&T goes into ISP biz with Max Net @phuketgazette.net or calling Tsunami Employee Relief Fund. Passara “Yui” Raktammakit at Yet so far, just 523 people Tel: 076-236555 to make enqui- in the six tsunami-affected prov- UBON RATCHATHANI: In an 128Kbps transfer rate for 590 tinual growth of broadband and ries or request a subscription inces have received compensa- all-bells-and-whistles launch in baht a month, or a 512/256Kbps Internet businesses, so we are form.