ANDAMAN Edition Volume 19 Issue 17 April 28 - May 4, 2012 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht DOOMSDAY SPECIAL Saving Mt Mayhem Officials race to repair Patong Hill road as heavy rains arrive By Atchaa Khamlo Shrine) at the top of the hill, where local commuters typically sound THE Highways Department hopes their horn to pay respects to the to begin shoring up one landslide- local spirits that are believed by prone section of the road over some to dwell there. Governor Tri Augkaradacha has Patong Hill in June, but work on The project would cover a 200- promised to resign if the another section of the same road meter stretch of road, extending premonition comes true. will have to wait until at least next 60 meters downslope. Workers year. will bore steel galvanized ‘Phuket will sink’ Sathaporn Sornchana, deputy “soilnails” and install PVC drain- D-Day arrives director of the Highways Depart- pipes into the ground beneath the ment office in Phuket, told the road to prevent further erosion. for rumors Gazette on Tuesday that the plan When completed, the exterior sur- SINCE the massive earthquake to reinforce a section of Phra face would be covered with struck off Sumatra on April 11, Barami Road, on the Patong side “shotcrete” (sprayed concrete), prompting a tsunami warning, of the hill, is still awaiting final with exposed areas further and the 4.3 Richter quake on approval from the Highways De- downslope at lower gradients cov- April 16 and the ensuing partment in Bangkok. ered with anchored erosion control aftershocks, Phuket has been “We are following this project mesh. engulfed by rumors that the island will sink into the sea closely. We hope to gain final ap- During construction, the 200 today, April 28, 2012. proval and begin work as soon as meters of road will be closed to Governor Tri has dismissed possible in this fiscal year,” he said. traffic for about five months, Mr the rumors, and ordered a police Once approved, his office Sathaporn said. investigation into who started would have one month to find a His office is also waiting for an them (see page 3), and the key contractor to undertake the work, Patong Hill Road torn asunder in October last year. Photo: Ulf Mikaelsson additional 5 million baht in fund- people at the center of the rumors have denounced the which would be scheduled for lane of which dramatically slid cause of the slide was hillside de- ing approval to conduct claims as outright bogus (see completion within 150 days, Mr away during heavy rains last Oc- velopment in the area along Soi “permanent” repairs to a section pages 4-5). Sathaporn said. tober. It was subsequently patched Kuan Yang that exposed the base of Phra Barami Road further to Meanwhile, the rumors have Under such a time frame, the with a temporary cover, but fears of the road to erosion. Rubber the west where a large sinkhole scared Thai tourists from visiting work would take place during the of another landslip in the area are plantation and zinc-roofed homes opened up in the middle of a lane Phuket (see page 9), and airlines rainiest months of the year in a major concern, even more so in a temporary workers camp still in August, 2009, he added. have voiced their confidence in Phuket Airport evacuation Phuket and be completed at or after the recent seismic activity in occupy downslope areas. On the Kathu side of Phra procedures (see page 10). around the beginning of the next the area. The site is well known to Barami Road, where a landslide While enjoying such high season for tourism. Funding for repairs will be cov- Phuket commuters as it runs toppled power poles and caused a engrossing reading, the Gazette The project site would be a ered under the government’s along the stretch of road about 100-meter section of road near the wishes one and all a happy, safe stretch of road on Phra Barami budget for emergency repairs for 100 meters west of the San Chao Patong City sign to slump in Oc- weekend. Road eastbound, the breakdown flood damage, although the real Phor Suea (Tiger God Chinese Continued on page 3 Failed tsunami warning towers spark full test By Orawin Narabal that six warning towers failed to sound the be too high for people to hear clearly,” he alarm. added. AFTER two weeks of waiting for official “The Phuket office of Department of As for the warning towers at the remain- requests to inspect tsunami warning tow- Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM- ing locales – Kata Noi, Nai Harn, Chalong ers that failed to sound the alarm on April Phuket) informed me that tsunami warning and Kamala – Mr Chutichart said he will no 11, Chutichart Boonchuwit will bypass the towers at Kata Noi, Chalong, Nai Harn, longer wait for confirmation from the local bureaucratic hurdle and go ahead and have Kamala, Patong and Ao Yon all failed to DDPM officers for those areas that the tow- the towers tested. sound the alarm, or failed to function prop- ers need to be tested. Mr Chutichart, who is the Information erly,” he said. “I will go ahead and make plans for them and Communication Technology (ICT) “On April 19, I inspected the towers at to be checked anyway. Actually, right now Ministry representative tasked with ensur- Patong and at Ao Yon. The tower at Patong I am not sure exactly how many towers xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ing that the tsunami warning towers in worked well, but the tower at Ao Yon did are working or not, so I will have all 19 DEADLY SERIOUS: Mr Chutichart has asked Phuket are operational, told the Gazette on not sound the alarm very loudly. I think it tsunami warning towers in Phuket checked for all 19 tsunami warning towers in Phuket Tuesday that he was notified on April 18 is because the tower is on a hill and might to make sure they are working,” he said. be tested. Photo: Sampawat Wannasangkam 2 PHUKET GAZETTE PHUKET NEWS April 28 - May 4, 2012 Soi Bangla go-go bars News End of the world? Not void of lewd behavior according to the OFFICERS from the Anti-Human experts. Page 4-5 Trafficking Division (AHTD) of the Royal Thai Police and Internal Security Operations Command Business (ISOC) on April 20 inspected go- Thai customs putting go bars in Soi Sea Dragon, off Soi Bangla in Patong, but failed to the brakes on gray uncover any evidence of lewd imports. Page 11 behavior. Twelve officers from the AHTD Region 5 and ISOC, com- Technology manded by AHTD Region 5 Live Wire: Is the phone Deputy Inspector Pol Lt Anan company loading the Nitirangsan, raided seven go-go bars, including Exotica and the bill? Page 12 Candy Club a-Go-Go at about 10pm. Explore The raid was to target clubs showing “nude shows” and lewd Diving adventures. acts such as “ping-pong shows” Swimming with mantas and to arrest any club operators off Koh Bon. Page 16 allowing such activity. Before the raid commenced, officers asked media in attendance Property to wait at a restaurant on Phra Disaster Insurance. Baramee Road, so that the targeted The raid found nothing illegal in Phuket go-go bars. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo venues remained unaware of the Averting the drama after impending operation. At the scene police were ob- It was evident to the media that a crisis. Page 27 Once the raids started it was served questioning employees the shows were all completely hid- about half an hour before officers outside the bars. Inside, officers den from outside view within the Sport allowed the media onto the scene found only dancing girls on stage, various establishments. at Soi Sea Dragon. dressed respectably in bikinis. – Atchaa Khamlo Buakaw’s last fight? The champ takes on his promoter. Page 45 Seized: B21mn of illegal diesel CUSTOMS officials seized particular, since they look like 47,000 liters of smuggled diesel regular fishing boats with all the hidden on board two Taiwanese necessary fishing equipment,” he New Phuket Bus Terminal opens boats off the east coast of Phuket said. THE Phuket Bus Terminal 2 finally Phuket Bus Terminal 1 on Phang last Sunday. Arrested in the raid were the went into operation on April 21, Nga Road in Phuket Town were Officials estimated the total Ching ChunFa 168 captain Wang more than 28 months after instructed to take the Phuket value of the smuggled diesel seized Yap Yu and his three Indonesian completion of the structure. Provincial Administration Organi- at 21 million baht. crew members, as well as the Chi “I think the first day has gone zation “Pink Bus” or pho thong, The two boats, Ching ChunFa Tsai 16 captain Huang Chiang- well so far,” said Phuket Land which connects the two stations 168 and Chi Tsai 16, were seized Hsieh and his three Taiwanese Transport Office (PLTO) chief at a fare of 10 baht. one to two nautical miles north crew and four Indonesian crew- Teerayut Prasertpol. “The first outbound bus for of Taphao Yai Island, on April 22, men. Mr Teerayut estimated that Trang left at 5am. The first in- said Rakop Srisupa-at, director of “Phuket Customs officials have about 70 per cent of the public is bound coach arrived from the Royal Thai Customs Investi- taken them into custody and they already aware that almost all in- Bangkok early this morning,” Mr gations and Suppression Bureau, will be prosecuted,” Mr Rakop ter-provincial buses will operate Teerayut said.