Volume 15 Issue 25 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555 June 21 - 27, 2008 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht The Gazette is published OrBorJor in association with Burmese held for aims for IN THIS ISSUE death-truck tragedy B80m in NEWS: Locals caught in Laem By Janyaporn Morel room tax Hin dispute; Troubled cop un- settles villagers; Conductor PHUKET: Phuket police have By Pathomporn Kaenkrachang fleeces Aussie. Pages 2 & 3 arrested a Burmese man sus- pected of organizing the human PHUKET: The Phuket Provin- INSIDE STORY: The ins and outs of adoption in Phuket. smuggling ring that led to the cial Organization Administration Pages 4 & 5 death of 54 Burmese migrant (OrBorJor) has set a target of workers on April 9. 80 million baht to collect from ho- AROUND THE NATION: Govern- He is also suspected of in- tels in room tax by the end of the ment mulls cash handouts for volvement in the execution of current fiscal year, which ends the poor. Page 7 former Kathu Police sergeant, September 30. dismissed for involvement in hu- The announcement was AROUND THE R EGION: Setting man trafficking and blacklisted as made by OrBorJor President the record straight. Page 8 a threat to society, who was shot Paiboon Upatising, who admitted dead in the early hours of June that some hotel operators still AROUND THE ISLAND: Local kids are all smiles for the Toy 11 outside his home in Patong. refuse to pay the tax, which is Library. Page 10 Speaking after the Gover- levied at 1% of the room rate for nor Meets the Press conference each day a room is occupied by GOOD LIVING: Wilko sticks to at Phuket Provincial Hall on June a guest. what he knows. Page 12 16, Phuket Police Commander To counter this, K. Paiboon Maj Gen Apirak Hongthong re- TSUNAMI DRILL said the OrBorJor now aims to PEOPLE: Tennis ace prepares vealed the arrest of a Burmese Medical officers evacuate an ‘injured’ man as part of the tsunami collect the tax from all hotels on for Paris. Pages 14 & 15 man identified only as “Wan”, evacuation drill at Bang Tao Beach on June 17. The drill was the island by launching a cam- organized by the provincial government to help locals prepare for GOOD VIBES: Hanging out who is currently in detention at paign to inform hoteliers of what with the gentle bear. Kathu Police Station. the possibility of another tsunami. Full story on page 3. the tax will be spent on. “We will Page 20 The suspect, in his 40s, is hold a conference to explain the thought to have lived in Phuket “We have already caught six government’s 2003 War on tax will be spent on supporting SPORTS: Aussie wins Laguna for 14 years and has an outstand- people in Ranong who were in- Drugs, during which there was a and promoting tourism to marathon; Boxing legend ing arrest warrant issued against volved in the deaths of the 54 surge in the rate of unsolved mur- Phuket,” K. Paiboon said, bows out; Minx wins in ACYC him in 2005 by the Phuket Pro- Burmese. We believe Wan is also ders across the country. “The tourism promotion series. Pages 34 & 35 vincial Court for the alleged sale involved in the murder of Sia Many of the victims were will include the co-operation of PROPERTY: Construction Up- of ya bah (methamphetamine). Decho [former Kathu Police Sgt thought to have been killed by tourism organizations, such as date; Home of the Week; De- That warrant was issued at the Decho Kaewnabon], who died people high up in the drug trade, the Thai Hotels Association and sign; Gardening: Bert fondly request of the Tah Chat Chai Po- last week.” government officers said at the the Phuket Tourism Business As- remembers the eighties. lice, Gen Apirak said. After the death of the 54 time. sociation, with which the OrBor- Pages 37-42 “Wan” tops a list of three Burmese, police focused on Sia “We already know who Jor will launch promotional cam- Burmese suspects wanted by Decho as a key witness in their killed Sia Decho and we are hunt- paigns and have officers work- Burmese police in connection efforts to uncover more “agents” ing for him now. There are still ing on each project committee,” PLUS with their investigation into the in the smuggling rings used to many Thai agents working in the he said. April 9 deaths of 54 unregistered bring unregistered Burmese illegal transport of foreign work- Between October 1, 2007 QUEER NEWS 6; AROUND THE migrant workers who suffocated workers to Phuket, he said. ers to Phuket. We need to stamp and May, the OrBorJor collected SOUTH 9; HAPPENINGS 16; MO- in a cold-storage truck in Ranong, The nature and timing of Sia out this trade, but it is going to more than 55 million baht in room TORING 17; LIFESTYLE 18 & 19; he said. The truck was en route Decho’s death seem to indicate take time,” Gen Apirak said. tax. WHAT’S ON 21; TAKE A B REAK to Phuket. the murder was a silence killing, Kathu Police Superinten- During the fiscal year 2006 23 & 24; RARE VINTAGE 26; “We still have outstanding to 2007, the OrBorJor, under ex- BOOKS, WORD C OURT 27; EDI- he said. dent Col Grissak Songmoonnak TORIAL, LETTERS 28; FIRST PER- arrest warrants for two other However, at least two Thai- told the Gazette that K. Decho President Anchalee Vanich SON, ISSUES & ANSWERS 29; Burmese nationals and two Thais language news sources have re- had been a sergeant at Kathu Thepabutr, collected about 65 MAKING TRACKS, HOROSCOPES involved in the illegal transport of ported that Sia Decho was among Police Station but was dismissed million baht in room tax. 30; LOOKING B ACK, TSOWNDINGS migrant laborers,” he added. those named on a provincial gov- five years ago after being caught K. Paiboon said he expects 31; BUSINESS AND MONEY 32 & Gen Apirak, who was head ernment blacklist of “influential and charged for involvement with more than 90 million baht to be 33; CLASSIFIEDS 43-55. of the Ranong Provincial Police figures”. Similar lists were drawn the illegal trafficking of alien collected in room tax in the fis- when the incident occurred, said, up before the Thaksin workers. cal year 2008 to 2009. 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS June 21 - 27, 2008 Hogs to Bankers call for vigilance against fraud By Janyaporn Morel happening now around the country, including card holder must be very careful,” said K. attempt Phuket,” he said. Poonsin. PHUKET: Poonsin Sinthanapat, president of K. Poonsin said that banks have been K. Poonsin added that even people hir- the Phuket Bankers’ Club, on June 16 called alerted to many fraud tricks so far this year, ing rental cars are being targeted. record ride for people in Phuket to be especially cautious including stealing a genuine credit card from “There is a gang that persuades people in their financial affairs following a spate of its owner and replacing it with a fake one so to share the cost of renting a car. About 30 PHUKET: Harley-Davidson and fraud around the country. that the real card will not be reported stolen car owners have been cheated this way, at a other “hog” riders are invited to At the Governor Meets Press confer- until long after the theft. total cost of about 15 million baht. join a ride from Phuket to Krabi ence at Phuket Provincial Hall, K. Poonsin “In this case, the banks are not respon- “The gang says they want to rent the and back on June 30 in an attempt called for people to be careful in many kinds sible for any purchases that are refused by car and offer to rent it at a high rate for the to log a million cumulative miles of financial transactions, including using credit the credit card holder [before the card is re- first one or two months. They then take the on the same day. cards, ATM cards and buying or selling cars. ported stolen], because the card was not can- car out of the country and sell it,” he ex- Marshalling at West Coast “There are many instances of fraud celed before it was used by the thief, so the plained. Ride Thailand bike shop on the bypass road at 9:30 am, bikers will start the “poker run” to Krabi at Troubled 10 am. Crooked conductor From midday to 2 pm, rid- ers will enjoy a free lunch at the cop faces Royal Krabi Hotel, with games and a lucky draw competition. suspension At 2 pm, riders will begin the caught in Mai Khao journey back to Phuket, and are expected to arrive back at West By Sompratch Saowakhon KAMALA: About 30 local resi- Coast Ride Thailand at 4 pm. dents on June 13 met Kamala Details will be forwarded to THALANG: The Phuket High- Police Deputy Superintendent Lt Hog World Members to register way Police have arrested a bus Col Winai Kongkeaw to demand the attempt for the record “mil- conductor for stealing the equiva- that one of his officers be re- lion miles”. lent of more than 18,000 baht moved from active duty because To join the ride is free, al- from a young Aussie on his way his behavior was “dangerous”. though organizers will need par- to Phuket from Surat Thani. At 11 am, the residents, in- ticipants to register. At a press conference on cluding Phuket Provincial Admin- To register, email your June 12, Phuket Highway Police istration Organization (OrBor- name, make and model of your Inspector Maj Jittrapol Kesornrak Jor) representative Sontaya motorbike bike to sumon@ride identified the suspect as Udon Soontarak and other elected of- thailand.com or call 081-6919346.