ANDAMAN Edition PHUKET’S LEADING NEWSPAPER... SINCE 1993 Now NATIONWIDE Return of the gods Final preparations underway for Vegetarian Festival INSIDE TODAY September 28 - October 4, 2013 PhuketGazette.Net In partnership with The Nation 25 Baht Permission Rihanna’s Instagram takes toll on image INSTAGRAM of Rihanna to function and a slow loris was the tip of the iceberg as Twitter messages of sex shows in Work permit crackdown Patong put police corrup- exposes ‘catch all’ wording tion in media the spotlight. of the law; Officers can arrest Full stories on Pages 3 and 8 foreigners for anything Tuk-tuks to By Gazette reporters be driven THE separate arrests of a German man and a by demand Swiss man at their homes in Chalong last week PHUKET Governor Maitri by Immigration officials sent a chill through the Inthusut puts in motion law-abiding expat community in Phuket. a plan for increasing the The two men were arrested despite their pro- efficiency and the number tests that they were each building a boat for their of tuk-tuks on the island. own private use. At the time of the arrests, no officers at Phuket Full story on Page 7 Immigration were willing to comment about either case. Instead, officers said Phuket Immigration chief Sunchai Chokkajaykij – who Bay results was in Bangkok at the time – was the only officer with the authority to speak about the lack clarity incident. TEST results released for By then, however, news of the arrests had Patong Bay water quality spread. A flurry of comments posted on the do not include potential Gazette website highlighted the dangerous… biohazard hot spots. Continued on Page 2 Lack of prescribed legal intent for laws surrounding ‘working’ puts expats on alert. Photo: Nick Walker Full story on Page 6 2 PHUKET GAZETTE PHUKET NEWS September 28 - October 4, 2013 Fatal shooting duo Property Find out which Phuket claim self-defense properties are the best of the best. Page 16 By Kritsada Mueanhawong TWO teenagers charged on Mon- Business day with shooting dead an Is the Kingdom moving 18-year-old man outside a forward with high-speed 7-Eleven in Rawai claimed that the gun was fired in self-defense. rail links? Page 17 Korrawit Sriboonma, a waiter at the popular Salaloy seafood res- Tech taurant on the Rawai beachfront, was gunned down with a home- These gadgets are made firearm on the corner of Soi made for wet and wild Laem Ka Yai at about 4am on conditions. Page 36 September 22. Mr Korrawit died from a single wound to the chest. Entertainment Charged with the killing and The best TV shows to presented to the press at Chalong Homicide suspects Jakkapong, 18, (left) and Panuwitch, 19. Police Station were Panuwitch to protect Mr Jakkapong,” “Mr Panuwitch said that he shot watch according to the “Nice” A-sana, 19, and Jakkapong Chalong Superintendent Krittapas Mr Korrawit because Mr Korra- Emmys. Page 39 “Mew” Srisawang, 18. Daztharasorn told the press. wit was about to attack Mr Both are residents of Rawai. The suspects claimed that Mr Jakkapong,” Col Krittapas said. A third suspect, a 15-year-old Korrawit had threatened them with Mr Panuwitch and Mr Jakka- History male, was released after Mr a “Sparta blade”, a long knife pong have been charged with Sacrificing virgins in the Panuwitch and Mr Jakkapong named for its resemblance to the making a gang attack with intent good name of the city. stated that the juvenile played no weapon used by ancient Greeks, to kill and with the possession of, part in the death of Mr Korrawit. and popular with local criminals. and carrying of, an illegal firearm Page 42 “Mr Panuwitch confessed that Tensions rose again when the in public. he was the one who shot Mr teens saw Mr Korrawit outside the “They both accepted the Sport Korrawit, but he said he did it only 7-Eleven, said Col Krittapas. charges,” Col Krittapas said. Ben Grimes at it again on the international Work permit blitz rattles island expats stage. Page 48 From page 1 cannot build a boat so they can sell it later on. That would be profiting …“catch all” wording of the law from the work,” she added. that empowers officers to arrest Meanwhile, Capt Angkarn at Helmets make the difference any foreigner anytime for literally Phuket Immigration said the raids A HELMETLESS driver of a anything. will continue, especially now that motorbike with sidecar died after Yet, Yaowapa Pibulpol, chief of the number of officers at his dis- a high-speed collision with a big the Phuket Provincial Employment posal has been doubled. bike in Thalang on September 21. Office, the government office “In July, more officers arrived Police arrived at the u-turn south established to specifically regulate and now we have 40. This has of Kor En curve, dubbed by locals and administer employment law, made it easier to be more effective as “Death Curve”, on Thepkrasattri maintained that the wording does PAPERS, PLEASE: Officers check a in our work, and this is why people Road – notorious for its many acci- not allow officers to apply the law foreign couple’s papers. are now hearing about more raids dent blackspots – just after 5:30pm. beyond its intended scope. listed in the permit,” Ms Yaowapa being conducted,” he said. Witnesses told police that the The Alien Working Act 2551 explained. Russians, Chinese and Austra- saleng driver, Pradit Portao, 47, (2008) explains the definition of “But that doesn’t mean they lians are trending as the most likely had cut across the road to get to work as: working by physical can’t cook their own meals, clean to be caught, said Capt Angkarn, the u-turn lane. In doing so, Mr Mr Tin’s mangled bicycle after he strength or knowledge whether or their own houses or tend to their but only because there are large Pradit cut in front of Panya Suksai, was struck by an unknown driver. not intended for wages or any own gardens. Of course they can, numbers of each on the island. 32, who was driving his Kawasaki “He had serious shoulder, arm other benefits. but as soon as they are hired or “We are not targeting any par- big bike at high speed. and other injuries,” Lt Col Prakob “Foreigners cannot perform profit by doing any of these things, ticular group of foreigners, but Unable to brake in time, Mr said. any work – in the true sense of they are ‘working’. as many people of those nation- Panya slammed into Mr Pradit. Mr Pradit was taken to Vachira the word – without a work per- “And any foreigners who want alities come to Phuket, they are Mr Panya, who was wearing a Phuket Hospital and pronounced mit. And they may only perform to build their own boats for their more likely to be subjected to a helmet, was found lying near the dead at about 9pm that night. the work listed in the work per- own personal use are not breaking raid, and therefore more likely to road median. – Thawit Bilabdullar mit and only at the place of work the law. They can do this, but they be caught,” he said. September 28 - October 4, 2013 PHUKET NEWS PHUKET GAZETTE 3 In brief… Sex shows in spotlight New Australian Honorary Consul Rihanna tweets go viral, netizens blame corrupt officials may take months By Saran Mitrarat PHUKET may be without an Australian Honorary Consul for PHUKET officials were lambasted months after the current consul, across the nation this week after Larry Cunningham, retires from pop star Rihanna posted tweets the post on September 30. about sex shows on Patong’s re- “I don’t know how many nowned Soi Bangla. The tweets people have applied. It’s being went viral, and the news splashed done through the embassy… It across headlines around the world. might be a couple of months until “Either I was phuck wasted last they announce somebody,” Mr night, or I saw a Thai woman pull Cunningham told the Gazette. a live bird, 2 turtles, razors, shoot After September 30, Australians darts and ping pong, all out of her in Phuket who require consular pu$$y assistance must contact the Aus- “And THEN she tried to turn tralian Embassy in Bangkok water into coke in her $!! Uhh yea, directly at 02-3446300 (24 hours). all I’m saying is water went in and soda came out! I’m trauma- B200k reward for tized!!!” Rihanna tweeted. Rihanna fans and Thai people gunslinger DJ Bee across the nation rallied behind the THE family of a man gunned down global celebrity, many placing the in Patong last Sunday are offer- blame of the potential bad image ing 200,000 baht to anyone who created of Phuket and Thailand in Rihanna’s tweets caused a media firestorm about the sex shows on Patong’s Soi Bangla. Photo: Gazette file can provide information leading to the hands of officials. [Rihanna]. What she said is true. the reality. This problem should be these ping-pong bar shows to con- the arrest of Wanchit Sornsaree, The support of Rihanna flies in You can easily find it [sex shows] fixed at the root,” he added. tinue because police are paid under a DJ at a popular pub in Patong, the face of Thai officials’ reaction as you just walk around Silom or Weerawit Kurasombat, presi- the table to allow it to happen,” where he is known as “DJ Bee”. to a Lady Gaga tweet in May about Khaosan Road,” commented ThE- dent of the Patong Entertainment Mr Weerawit said.