Ad-Phuket dot com K. Anna Volume 14 Issue 2 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555January 13 - 19, 2007 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht The Gazette is published in association with Patong Police net 5,000 sets new IN THIS ISSUE parking NEWS: Suwit announces tour- fake bank cards ism targets; US military ex- zones perts lead counter-terrorism By Sompratch Saowakhon By Supanun Supawong course. Pages 2 & 3 KATHU: Police have arrested PATONG: New parking zones INSIDE STORY: Why a full three Sri Lankan men for credit will go into effect on a three- population count is hard – and card fraud, seizing more than month trial basis January 15, important. Pages 4 & 5 5,000 blank ATM cards, of which when a one-way traffic system about 2,300 were encoded with will begin along three major roads AROUND THE SOUTH: Illegal immigrants detained.Page 8 information from real bank cards. in the central tourist district. Police suspect the three A press conference was AROUND THE ISLAND: Fertilizer men may be part of a much larger held at Patong City Hall January factory formed. Page 10 ring operating in popular tourist 9 to remind the public about the areas throughout Thailand and change, which is intended to bring PEOPLE: It’s about time. other parts of the world. Pages 14 & 15 some measure of order and Investigating Inspector Pol safety to the town’s notoriously TSOWNDINGS: The gospel of Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the chaotic roads. slob? Page 17 Kathu Police identified the three Attending were Patong suspects as Pathmathas Ganes- Mayor Pian Keesin, Phuket Pro- LIFESTYLE: Diamond deci- hamoorthy, 26; Srikanthan Vee- vincial Police Commander Pol sion; How to fix your foot’s rasingam, 29; and Sivagnanam faults. Pages 18 & 19 Maj Gen Decha Budnampetch Gnanakanthan, 35. and Kathu Police Superintendent FIRST PERSON: Boy attacked The passports of all three Pol Col Teerapol Thipjaroen. men revealed that they had been Suspect Pathmathas Ganeshamoorthy at Kathu Police Station with by 20 dogs. Page 27 the fake bank cards in front of him. Ganeshamoorthy and two other They reminded the public frequent visitors to Thailand. that beginning at 6 am on Janu- MAKING TRACKS: Thailand’s Sri Lankan men were charged with electronic card forgery and Col Boonlert said that po- ary 15, all southbound traffic will vanishing stripes. Page 28 possessing a fraudulent electronic card with intent to use. lice arrested Ganeshamoorthy be routed along Rat-U-Thit 200 BUSINESS & MONEY: On the and Veerasingam at the northern The men had picked up 2,300 cards had account informa- Pi Rd, which will become one- Move; The world on a string - end of Thaweewong Rd in the Gnanakanthan at the airport and tion programmed onto the mag- way. or is that a web? early evening of January 2 after dropped him off at his hotel, the net strips and nearly all of that Northbound traffic will be Pages 34 & 35 a closed-circuit TV camera had Pen Villas in Surin, he added. information came from British routed along the beach road. videotaped the pair using a fake A visit to Gnanakanthan’s accounts. All connecting roads will be SPORT: Grandfather of muay bank card to draw money from room early on January 3 uncov- Some cards were encoded two way, except Chalermprakiat Thai speaks; Local badmin- an ATM machine in front of the ered an additional 2,533 bank with account details from the US, Rd and Prachanukhro Rd, which ton boy; Langkawi Regatta; Kon Thai Pub in Karon. cards. Of these, 483 were green Finland and Sweden. both will be one-way heading to- President’s Cup coming; At the time of the arrest, and the remainder white. Unlike The information was from ward the beach. Darts rattled. Pages 34 & 35 one of the men was sitting in a the cards seized earlier that day, both debit and credit cards. He Soi Bangla also will be one- PROPERTY: Gardening; Decor: silver-colored Honda car; the all the cards were marked with added that police have not yet way during the day, but will close Teaked off; Construction; other was on the beach. a four-digit number. identified the account holders to all traffic nightly at 6 pm. Home of the Week: Loch A search of the vehicle un- Police also seized an who were defrauded. Parking will be permitted Palm. Pages 36-39 covered a notebook computer, MSR206 magnetic strip card “The men obtained the ac- along selected roads, as follows: 2,703 blank white bank cards and reader and encoder. count details from gang members • Thaweewong Rd (the PLUS three flash drives. The men were taken to in the UK who copied it from beach road), beach side from the After the arresting officers Phuket Provincial Court yester- customers’ cards when they used Sea Pearl Hotel to Soi Bangla; QUEER NEWS, TRASH 6; AROUND turned down a 2-million-baht day afternoon and each was them in shops or for other ser- • Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, THE R EGION 7; AROUND THE N A- bribe in exchange for their re- charged with one count of elec- vices. The gang then sent the 16- one side along its entire length, TION 9; AMBROSIA'S SECRETS 13; lease, the men were questioned, tronic card forgery and one count digit card number, card expira- side alternating daily; HAPPENINGS 16; TALES OF A Col Boonlert said. of possessing a fraudulent elec- tion date and four-digit pin code • Prachanukhro Rd, Ruam- TRAVELER 20; MOTORING 21; The two men told police the tronic card with intent to use. by email or phone to the cell here. jai Rd, Sawasdirak Rd and Haad TAKE A B REAK 23 & 24; BOOKS, cards and equipment belonged to DIARY 25; EDITORIAL, LETTERS Col Boonlert told the Ga- “The criminals then pro- Patong Rd, along the north side; 26; HOROSCOPES 29; COMPUTERS Gnanakanthan, who had arrived zette that checks made on Janu- grammed the card number and • Chalermprakiat Rd, along 30; CLASSIFIEDS 40-51. in Phuket earlier that day, Col ary 6 by officers from Thai Mili- expiration date into blank cards the south side, but only opposite Boonlert said. tary Bank showed that about Continued on page 2 the Swiss Palm Beach Resort. 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS January 13 - 19, 2007 Continued from page 1 IN BRIEF Sri Lankan card Property expo opens at Central fraudsters nabbed Alleged rapist expiration date into blank cards PHUKET CITY: The Property using a magnetic strip card Investment Exhibition 2007 falls to death reader and encoder and wrote the (PIE), is being held at Central pin number on the cards. Festival Phuket until January CHERNG TALAY: Echa Bum- “They then used the cards 16, from 10 am to 9 pm. rung, 31, died of head injuries af- to withdraw cash from ATM More than 30 exhibitors ter being pushed off a second- machines here in Thailand. They have hundreds of properties in story balcony by the boyfriend of withdrew 2,000 to 5,000 baht a Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and a young woman he was caught time. on Koh Samui on show, at having sex with. “We believe the blank cards prices starting around Pol Lt Col Jessada Sang- also came from Britain,” Col US$500,000 (15 million baht). suree said that on the morning of Boonlert said. Properties with a total New Year’s Day, Echa allegedly value of more than 300 million “We believe that in total the followed a girl he had been drink- baht were reserved at last ing with back to her home, where men withdrew about 6 million year’s PIE expo. baht as they confessed that they she lived with her boyfriend, jet- received only 10% of the money ski operator Preecha Longlha, 36. they withdrew, the remaining As Echa was allegedly rap- 90% was sent to members of the ing his victim, Preecha returned gang abroad,” he added. home and heard screams for The men were being held at help. Kathu Police Station. In the ensuing fight, Suwit affirms Preecha shoved the Echa off the On January 15 police will request an extension of the men’s balcony, Col Jessada said. detention period to allow for fur- Preecha, who has been ther investigation into the fraud charged with murder, told police ring, Col Boonlert explained. he did not intend to kill Echa, and The cards seized in Phuket he didn’t think the fall would re- tourism targets sult in Echa’s death, Col Jessada were similar to cards seized in earlier raids in Bangkok and Chon added. Buri, he added. By Janyaporn Morel dards, but at the same time use the ‘green leaf’ standard to pro- New Year road Singer murdered PHUKET CITY: Tourism and tect the environment. Sports Minister Dr Suwit Yod- “We will also promote sports PHUKET CITY: The body of a manee affirmed the government’s to attract tourists; and most im- toll hits targets 29-year-old woman who had national targets for 2007 of 14.8 portantly, help local people and PHUKET: Three people died and been stabbed to death was found million foreign tourists and 82 communities to take part in local 32 people were injured in 35 re- in the area behind Wat Sansuk, million Thai tourists, with earn- tourism,” he added. ported accidents from December south of Nimit Circle January 6. ings of 547.5 billion baht and After the meeting, Dr Suwit 28 to January 3, nearly matching The body was reported to 377.8 billion baht, respectively.