Megaparty fo New Year may move to Patong

Sydictive representatives confirmed to last night they are exploring the option of moving the event to Patong Beach, saying with 12 days to go they can no longer afford to negotiate with those at Surin Beach who oppose the event. “We would like to release official facts later on once our engineer, production designer and architect have confirmed with us everything is feasible,” a spokesperson said. The shock move came following an appointment party organisers had with two general managers of hotels in the Surin Beach are, who demanded “substantial” amounts of compensation, organisers said. One hotel, which organisers refused to name, requested B3.5 million as the “strict minimum required to ensure that some of our guests are compensated for the disturbance,” an email said. Another hotel also requested “a couple of million baht”, the organisers said. “The two hotels have almost 100 per cent occupancy – we know this only based upon the booking information they showed us in the meeting,” a Sydictive representative said. “But they have notified us that they would like us to compensate them for all the rooms and that they will be allowing their guests to stay there free of charge because of the “disturbance” that will be caused to them. “Even before our team has discussed this in detail, you can probably see from the figures that it is not a feasible proposition for us. “With 12 days to the event, we cannot afford to lose any more time to ‘negotiate’ with them any longer. “We have already had to use our limited resources on trying to accommodate and compromising to their needs. And at this point, time is simply a luxury we do not have.” The organisers of the megaparty have said in the past that they had already spent B66 million and expected the entire outlay would be B120 million. “It was a really hard decision … to make. And we would like to express our deepest and most sincere apologies to the shop owners and hotels who have supported us throughout. Of course, if they would like to come join us at Patong Beach we would be more than happy for them to [do so].” Sydictive representatives said they would be taking a 30 per cent cut of food sales by vendors, and 60 per cent of beverage sales. “The vendors will provide the food. The restaurants will provide the food that they want to (or their speciality if they would like) whereas we will provide the alcohol. As we have an official alcohol sponsor (and one that most clubs/bars use), they will be ordering through us to them at factory price, and we will have stocks on hand during the days of the event should they run out of any alcohol. “Personally, I understand that the restaurants will be quite concerned that it means that there will be a cut out of their profit. On the contrary, our proposal is only as follows for two reasons: “Number one, we are bringing in customers (as we provide the entertainment, the renovation of the venue and the safety and security). “Number two, food and beverage pricing – our menu prices will not be roadside low-end pricing. The pricing will be [set at a level] to ensure that everyone makes money and the partygoers can enjoy good food at an affordable price. “

Movie about 2004 tsunami of Phuket shuns ‘disaster’ label

But the Spanish director of The Impossible insisted that the film – which starts with a spectacular recreation of the huge wall of water crashing onto a beachfront resort – is far from a typical “disaster movie.” “Even if the film tells the story in a very direct way, the conclusions it comes to are very complex, more complex than those usual with disaster movies,” Juan Antonio Bayona said. The earthquake-triggered tsunami on December 26, 2004 killed some 230,000 people around the Indian Ocean, including large numbers of tourists caught in the resorts of Thailand. In the Spanish-financed movie, based on the real story of a Spanish family and filmed in the south of the country, McGregor and Watts play a couple on holiday with their children in Thailand, and separated when the tsunami hits. “There was something immediately symbolic in the story of this family, which caught my attention when I heard about it for the first time,” Bayona said after a November 4 screening at the American Film Institute festival in Hollywood. After the tsunami crashes ashore and separates them, the seriously injured mother finds herself with her eldest son, while the father played by McGregor manages to save the two youngest children. The movie portrays the battle for survival amid the havoc wreaked by the wave, from devastated hotels to an over-crowded hospital.

It opens with a family enjoying a luxury holiday in spectacular beach surroundings – before the wall of water hits. “When we were looking for funding, the first thing we were told was, if we were going to make the film, we had to see” the catastrophe itself, Bayona said. “In a film like this about the tsunami, you have to see the monster face to face, and plunge your camera inside it to make filmgoers really feel what it was like to be there.” The young director focused intensely on what the characters are thinking and feeling – notably the eldest son, played by Tom Holland – with techniques including unsparing close-ups and omnipresent music. “The film starts with a shock, in a more documentary style, and as it progresses it takes on a more melodramatic tone... “We want people watching to feel emotions as intensely as the characters themselves,” Bayona said. AFP

Double champion to lead field at Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2012

Newly crowned 2012 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 triathlon double world champion Leanda Cave of Britain will lead a strong line-up at the Ironman 70.3 Laguna Phuket on December 2st. The 34-year-old Cave, who won the Ironman 70.3 world championship in Las Vegas last month and the Ironman world championship in Hawaii two weeks ago, has confirmed her participation in the third Ironman 70.3 Laguna Phuket.

"She has signed up for our Ironman 70.3 just hours after becoming the world champion in Las Vegas," said Debbie Dionysius, Laguna Phuket's assistant vice president of destination marketing. Cave is expected to face a tough challenge from Phuket defending champion Melissa Hauschildt of Australia who was fourth at this year's world championship in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the 19th Laguna Phuket Triathlon will take place on Nov 25. Australia's Belinda Granger and Czech Radka Vodickova are vying to become the event's first-ever women's triple champion. Italian Massimo Cigana, the tournament's first-ever triple champion, will return to defend his title in a bid to be a four-time champion. He will face stiff opposition from elite pros such as Chris Lieto.

Patong hospital flood prevention measures done for 2012 @ 2012-10-30

A larger expansion project – which includes construction of the hospital’s first Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – is due to finish by September 2013. Mr Pumin met with Phuket Vice-Governor Sommai Preechasilpa today and confirmed that construction had began on flooding prevention measures, which include a waterproof wall around the area, raising the road inside the hospital, and a new improved drainage system. The upgrade will cost B16 million, and will be finished by January 7. Patong Hospital is often flooded during the rainy season because it is in a low lying area. In addition, the project to expand the hospital by 60 additional patient beds, and add 13 private rooms, an ICU department, a new delivery room, a medical stock room, and sterilisation room was almost 15 per cent complete. Around B69.5 million has been earmarked for the project. “However, the budget only covers the building. It is not for new medical instruments, so we will use the hospital savings to buy them, and then get some more funding,” Dr Pumin said.

US Navy leaves Phuket, Indian Navy arrives at Ao Makham @2012-10-12

The Sujata operated for 19 years as an offshore patrol vessel but is now used exclusively for training. The cadets spend six months on the 101-metre-long ship, exposing them to life at sea, shaping their skills on bridge watches, chart work, small arms handling and communications. The ship arrived complete with its own 11-piece orchestra, which swung into action for an on-board reception last night, playing Indian music as guests from the local diplomatic community, the Royal Thai Navy and others arrived. Later, the versatile musicians played the music for a karaoke session.

The ship will leave on Monday for the return voyage to India waters. So today Phuket have many tourist by national army .

Free Wi-Fi service for all on its way to Phuket @ 2012-10-01

Free Wi-Fi is on the way for residents and visitors to Thailand with the introduction of the latest government project, ICT Free Wi-Fi for Tourism, TTR Weekly reports. The project will offer more than 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the country, 323 of them in the south, including Phuket. Under the ICT project, people must register to gain access, using their ID card numbers or passport numbers in the case of tourists. After registration, users will get free access to Wi-Fi hotspots anywhere in the country for up to six months, though sessions will be limited to just 20 minutes online, with a two-hour wait before users are allowed back on again. Launched late last week, the project is a joint effort of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The latter claims the project will help the government reach its tourism revenue target of B2.2 trillion in 2015. In the first phase, ICT Free Wi-Fi for Tourism will cover 1,616 hotspots across Thailand by the end of the year, mostly in tourist destinations. Apart from the 323 in the South, 253 hotspots will be installed in tourist districts in Bangkok, 446 in the central region, 201 in the eastern region, 325 in the North and 67 in Isarn. The project will uses CAT Telecom as the service provider, offering a speed of 2 Megabits per second for downloads. Details of how the project will be applied in Phuket have yet to emerge. Chuan Sutontatspidok, CAT’s Phuket director of marketing and service, told The Phuket News that his office had sent a plan for up to 1,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Phuket, half in the Patong area and half in Phuket Town. But he had not heard anything back yet. “The research has been done. The next step will be the go-ahead from the ICT. I believe we can have all the Wi-Fi points working before 2015,” he said. Free Wi Fi is part of the Smart Thailand project of the ICT Ministry, which includes a target of high-speed internet for 80 per cent of people living in Thailand by 2015, and 250,000 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the country by 2017. This is not the first project to offer free Wi-Fi access to tourists. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has already launched Green Bangkok Wi-Fi, which offers around 20,000 hotspots. True Internet is the provider for that project. Earlier this month, Pattaya announced it will offer free Wi-Fi for tourists covering areas from Na Kluea in north Pattaya, south to Jomtien beach, with a download speed of 2 megabits per second. In the case of Pattaya, users must register first. Registration lasts three months, with a maximum of five hours’ use per month. But Phuket will have more Wifi user in 2013 .

1,000 black taxis in Phuket register to 'go green' @ 2012-09-11

The Provincial Transportation Department (PTD) was deluged with paperwork yesterday when it opened registration to convert illegal “black” taxis into legal “green registration plate” cabs. Because the black taxis is the problem in Phuket . The office received 1,048 applications for conversion from taxi drivers on the first day. Drivers will be called back to the department later so that their cars can be inspected to ensure that they are roadworthy and suitable for use as taxis. Somsak Poknuengnong, expert adviser to the Phuket Land Transportation Office, said, “The [black] taxis have 180 days in which to sign up and we expect more to come. As a result, the paperwork will take some time to complete.” In addition to getting a green plate, the converted drivers will be required to charge regulation fares (with fare tables in every taxi), to dress properly, and to have good manners and a “service mindset”. The drive to legitimise black taxis is the first step in a renewed drive to bring some order to the island’s chaotic transport sector, which is dominated by fiercely independent drivers who have rejected all past attempts to bring them to heel. For the PTD, the black taxis are the low-hanging fruit; many of the estimated 10,000 black taxi drivers on Phuket will be only too happy to become legal, making it relatively easy to organise them. Bringing some kind of order to the mafia-ridden tuk-tuks and stemming the violence that erupts from time to time over taxi territories are likely to prove less easy to achieve. So the tourist in Phuket will receive the good service from the good taxis .

Tourist at Phuket airport arrivals jump 30pc in first half @ 2012-09-04

Extrapolating from this, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) estimates that seven million tourists – both domestic and international – will have visited Phuket by the end of this year. The new Director of the TAT’s Phuket Office, Chanchai Doungjit, speaking at a meeting in Provincial Hall yesterday (September 3), said flights coming to Phuket are full this year, even in the “green” season. The increase in the number of international flights arriving has gone up in line with the number of tourists, rising 28 per cent from last year. Most of the additional flights are from the Middle East and North Asian countries such as South Korea and China. Last year, more than half of the four million international tourists who came to Phuket were stamped in by Phuket Immigration directly, an indicator that Phuket itself (as opposed to Thailand) is an increasingly popular destination. “The rate of growth is very positive,” said Mr Chanchai. “Though the number of European tourist has fallen between 3 and 5 per cent this year due to the impact of the Euro crisis, the Asian market is going up, replacing the missing European tourists.” He noted that although Europe as a whole has fallen, the numbers of tourists from France, Britain and Germany have remained stable. Their numbers, however, have been far outstripped by the new markets. In the first half 142,582 tourists arrived from China and 140,297 from Russia. In third place was Australia with 121,916, followed by South Korea with 102,021 and Sweden in fifth place with 80,427. According to TAT’s statistics, the biggest growth markets were China and Russia, which both more than doubled. China increased 107 per cent and Russia 105 per cent, followed by South Korea (30) Malaysia (25) and Sweden (25). But other news said it is not mean the tourist in Phuket , becuase their flight landing at Phuket airport but they go to other city around Phuket island .

Koh Lone villagers to get hydro power from Phuket @ 30-08-2012

After a three-year wait, villagers on Koh Lone in Chalong Bay are finally to get some green, clean power – not a lot, but better than none.

We’ve been seeking help from the authorities for several years,” said the Headman of Koh Lone, Manit Yotharak. “Finally, it’s happened.”
By March next year, however, villagers will have a small hydro-electric power plant, set up on Klong Tone on the east of the island, which will be able to generate up to six kilowatt per hour, enough to power 220 36-Watt fluorescent light – though only in the rainy season when the flow of water in the klong is strong.
The new power source will bring eco-friendly power to the island’s 106 households, who currently depend on a diesel generator and solar cells, many of which are not working because of a lack of funds for maintenance.
The cost of running the generator on the island has been a heavy burden on the villagers, most of whom earn a living agriculture or fishing. Each household has had to pay B2,000 a month, but even that provides for only four hours’ power supply a night.
The hydro project, costing B1.8 million, is being funded by the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DAEDE) in the Ministry of Energy.
When the project is completed, the DAEDE hopes that Koh Lone will become a model for alternative eco-friendly solutions for other islands that have no access to mains electricity.
For example, the villagers of Koh Maphrao, east of Phuket City, have been lobby for authorities to honour government promises to provide them with mains electricity through a B46-million submarine power cable project, which was approved during the last Democrat government.
So Koh Lone is the good place to visit because have the electricity .
Koh Lone Map : 

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That project was due to be completed in October this year, but work has not even started.
On Koh Lone, Mr Manit noted that once the hydro project is up and running, villagers will need to think about the cost of maintenance.
He said they may set up a committee to raise maintenance funds, either from villagers or from appropriate government bodies.

New Chalong-Patong route confirmed @ 24-08-2012

The route for the proposed new road linking Patong with Chalong was confirmed today at a public hearing at the Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town.

The new 2.7-kilometre road will wriggle its way from the eastern end of Hasip Pi Rd, Patong, to Yothatikarn Rd (the road to Luang Pu Supha temple), near Amazing Bukit Safari in Chalong, and from there will join Chao Fa West Rd to the east of Wat Chalong.
In a previous meeting in May this option, put forward by a trio of companies – Transconsult, Phisut Technology and Panya Consultant Co received the greatest support because people felt it was the most appropriate. So it is for people in Chalong area to Patong beach .
There is already a dirt road along this route that is used by local people, and people felt that upgrading this would result in less environmental damage than cutting a new road.
Banpote Jaroensathayatam, Executive Director of Transconsult, said that the new road will serve the growth in tourists and residents in Phuket, and also act as an additional escape route in case of disasters such as the 2004 Asian Tsunami.
He added, “The result of this hearing means we can make a start on survey work and begin designing the road. When these are complete we will call another public hearing, probably in October.”
Next year , it is short time from tourist from Chalong to Patong beach .

French family tell of terrifying hours after Tiger blaze at Patong beach

Benjamin, 30, is currently in intensive care in Bangkok Hospital Phuket after suffering severe burns to around 40 per cent of his body. He is being flown to an international hospital in Bangkok this afternoon, for specialised burns care. Four people died in the fire that broke out at around 3.30am on Friday, while Benjamin and 10 others were injured.
Benjamin's niece spoke to The Phuket News at the hospital and said the seven family members were on a one-month holiday around Asia. On the trip were Benjamin, his wife and one-year-old daughter, Benjamin's brother and sister in law, and his niece and nephew.
The family arrived in Phuket about a week and a half ago, and were due to fly back to France in about a week's time.
But Friday night changed that.
Benjamin, his brother in law, and nephew were at the Tiger complex when the fire broke out.
Benjamin's brother in law, who did not want to be named, said the lights went off at the venue, and before he knew it there were flames. He and his nephew were right by the door on the ground floor of the building and left the building quickly, but said Benjamin was a floor above with another friend.
The pair waited an hour outside the complex for Benjamin. His motorbike was still outside Tiger, but they hoped he had already made it out.
"I was very nervous and so worried. I thought and hoped that maybe he had got out already and gone back to his hotel,” said the brother in law.
The pair then spent the next three hours driving around Patong, including going back to the hotel on Nanai Rd where the family were staying, trying to find Benjamin.
They visited Patong Hospital, but were told that no one with his name had been admitted. Relieved, they returned to the hotel and waited, hoping he would show up soon.
"They searched around for so long but found nothing. They were really happy when the hospital didn't have his name,” the niece, who did not want to be named, said.
But later, Patong Hospital called the hotel to say Benjamin was in the hospital and was seriously hurt with burns to his upper body.
The family arrived and found him wrapped in bandages. He was conscious, and the family learned that he was able to give hospital staff his name and details of where he was staying, which meant his family could be called.
Since then his scorched throat has swelled up and he's unable to talk, but is able to move his limbs.
"The doctor said these are good signs,” said his niece.
Benjamin's wife was too upset to speak to the media, and his niece said she was “devastated”.
“She's crying a lot, but she's being very strong.
"We are so shocked. We are in a different country, and not our own country. We never imagined we would see him in this state.”
She said Bangkok Hospital Phuket had been excellent, taking very good care of Benjamin, and keeping the family well informed. Benjamin is now in a stable condition.
Thankfully the family are covered by insurance which means Benjamin can be transferred to Bangkok today. His niece said family members in Paris, where Benjamin and most of the other family members live, were waiting to hear more before deciding whether to come to Thailand.
Benjamin's brother in law did not know the three other French people injured in the fire .
Tiger Bar is in the Bangla Road where are the destination of tourist to walk and drinking .

Phuket charity launches monthly pub quiz @ 2012-07-25

PHUKET island news : The last Monday of every month will see the brains of Phuket converge for a battle of wits and intellect – all for a good cause.

The Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation, in conjunction with Aussie Pub Kamala ( the famous beach in Phuket ) , begin monthly pub quizzes on July 30 starting at 7pm. The entry fee of B100 per person goes directly towards making a difference to underprivileged local children. B10 from every drink will also go to the charity.
Teams of up to four will go head to head for the title of ‘Phuket’s Most Smartest’, while improving the lives of local children.
Phuket Has Been Good To Us is a Thai registered charity which teaches free English classes to every student in Kamala and Kalim Schools. They also run free after school and weekend programmes for the 130 residential children at Kamala School, most of who have no family to take care of them.
Prizes include bar tabs, meals and beauty treatments – all generously donated by local businesses.

Thai AirAsia CEO calls for infrastructure improvements at Airport @ 2012-07-21

The Chief Executive Officer of Thai AirAsia in Thailand , Tassapon Bijleveld, has called for the improvement of Phuket’s infrastructure to support tourism growth when the Asean Economic Community (AEC) starts in 2015.

Speaking during the Phuket Creative Tourism Forum at Rajabhat University yesterday (July 20), Mr Bijleveld said Phuket had high potential to be a regional hub of southern Thailand. However, the improvement of infrastructure such as the expansion of the Phuket International Airport (PIA) was required. Mr Bijleveld said about 120 million people in the Asian-Pacific region travel on a plane each year. Fifty three per cent of those are people belonging to countries of Asean, which means Asean countries is a large market for tourism. The countries in Asean are Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. In addition, 47 per cent of the total number of tourists who visited Thailand were from Asean countries, he said. “To support the growth of tourism, the PIA will need to be upgraded and expanded,” said Mr Bijleveld. Mr Bijleveld believed the limitation of PIA’s capacity also prevent the establishment of new charter flights, which would expand Phuket’s tourism market. For example, one Indian wedding brought more than 200 Indian guests to Phuket, with about USD5 million to spend on their trip. This market is expected to expand in Phuket, however there are still no direct flights from India to Phuket. In addition, Mr Bijleveld said Phuket needed good public transportation to improve tourism, and perhaps even a bigger deep sea port to support high-end tourists who came on cruise ships. “About 1,000 to 1,500 passengers can come on a cruise ship, which is ten times more than the number of passengers coming on one flight,” he said. “If we can improve the deep sea port, it will help boost the tourism industry.” Because there are many tourist want to travel to Phuket .

Hotel staff in Phuket survey backs five-day week @ 16-07-2012

The new resort very swiftly attracted the cream of the island’s hotel workers, and dismay and anger among hotel owners and managers, who were used to having their staff work a six-day week.
In the past 10 years things have changed hugely, a recently released survey has found. Now, 50 per cent of the island’s top 100 hotels have a five-day work week, and another 23 per cent have arrangements that amount to a 5.5-day week.
The survey, conducted over the course of a year by 10 employees of luxury hotels, some which are among the 27 per cent still on a six-day week, has a very specific agenda: to have 100 per cent of top hotels in Phuket work a five-day week
One of those involved commented, “Those at [six-day] resorts were deeply concerned about the direction of their business and people, and [therefore felt] compelled to delve into this important issue by collecting data.”
The staffer, who for obvious reasons asked not to be named, says that the survey team are convinced that hotels benefit from allowing employees enough time off “to recover from work, reflect upon work, and enjoy a certain quality of life”.
The surveyors argue that there is a large relational gap between overworked servers and the guests at six-day hotels. Service can become grudging or lacklustre. Good employees leave, resulting in a decline in quality.
The survey is currently a work in progress, say the researchers, but they felt their findings should be aired at this point to raise interest in working hours in the hotel industry.
It lists the following hotels and hotel groups as having five-day work weeks: Absolute Group; InterContinental (Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn); Lauguna Resorts & Hotels; Marriott; Movenpick; Thanyapura Group; Six Senses; Starwood, Aleenta, Amanpuri, Anantara Villas, Andara, Best Western Karon, Cape Sienna, Dewa, Hilton, Mai Khao Dream, Millennium, Paresa, Patong Resort, Pavilions, Raddison Blu, Sala, Sea Sun Sand, Trisara, Kata Rocks and the new Pullman Arcadia.
Everyone want to work 5 days and rest 2 days a week .

Gov wants 5,000 CCTV for Phuket : 04/07/2012

Actions to improve security in Phuket have been proposed by Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Chonasit Watanawarangkun, following a meeting yesterday (June 2) with commanders of police stations on the island.
Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha said yesterday (July 3) that he wants to see the number of CCTV cameras in Phuket increase to 5,000 by next year.

He said he will allocate B2 million from his B10 million emergency fund to pay for 100 cameras, and he urged the 19 local authorities on the island to include the purchase of high-quality cameras in their budgets for the coming fiscal year.

“I hope we can achieve this goal [of 5,000 cameras],” said Gov Tri. “However, it depends on the support from local authorities as well.”

There are currently about 1,000 CCTV cameras installed around the island but many of these are not actually in use.

Phuket city is safe city for tourist .

Phuket Island to be pilot for tourist safety advice : 29th June 2012

MOTS permanent secretary, Suwat Sidthilaw, deputy permanent secretary Thanitta Savetsila Maneechote, and Tourist Police commander Police Major-General Adis Ngamchitsuksri launched the project, the Bureau of Tourist Assistance and Fraud Prevention, late last week.
Mr Suwat said: “The campaign will provide tourists with important tips on how to avoid risks. Tourists are also encouraged to file complaints at the new bureau.”
Around 70 per cent of tourists in Thailand are travelling without the support of travel agencies and have no point of reference if they encounter a problem.
The “how to avoid risk” campaign is being implemented at Patong Beach and seven other pilot sites: Bangkok’s Khao San Rd; Ayutthaya’s floating market; Hua Hin; the ferry wharf on Koh Samui; Haad Yai’s Santisuk market; the walking street in Pai; and Chiang Mai’s walking street.
One part of the announcement by Gen Adis was puzzling. He said, “The Tourist Police will continue to step up safety for visitors in Thailand.
“A network of volunteers, who are taxi and tuk tuk drivers, have joined the police to disseminate safety information to travellers.”
Tourists and residents of the island alike view taxi and tuk-tuk drivers with a great deal of suspicion as they are often the cause of cheating and have been involved in many violent incidents, so it seems doubtful that they could be used as a confidence-building channel or to provide accurate information on safety to foreigners.
Phuket is more safety .

Medical teams practice halting flu at Phuket airport @ June 14th 2012

The training session was aimed at dealing with all subtypes of HxNy influenza, which includes such killers as Spanish flu, Asian flu, bird flu and swine flu.
Dr Wiwat Seetamanotch, a doctor with the Provincial Health Department, explained, “The training session is aimed at protecting the other passengers and Phuket.”

After the “call” came in to the control tower, the emergency medical team, wearing hazmat (hazardous material) suits prepared an area for screening passengers on the aircraft.

For this morning’s exercise, there was even an aircraft full of volunteer “passengers”.

Some of the medical team entered this and separated the passengers into green, yellow and red sectors – with green wristbands for those sitting far from the “sick” passenger, yellow for those sitting close to him, and red for the victim himself.

On the ground, both green and yellow passengers received an alcohol gel to clean their hands and a health information card, and were scanned with a Thermoscanner, which detects body temperature.

While the “red” passenger was rushed to hospital, the “yellows” were interviewed about their travels in the past 15 days, were rescreened with the Thermoscanner, underwent chest X-rays, and were then quarantined in a special negative-air-pressure room in hospital.

Finally, the medical team spray-disinfected the aircraft and the screening area in the airport.

Phuket grabs two more golds

The Phuket island today retained its seventh place in the medal standings of the National Youth Games, capturing two more gold medals.

In the final of the 39-42 kilo class of the Pencak Silat competition, Sampan Thongsidam delighted the home crowd by beating Muhamin Se from Pattani 4:1 in the sport that is traditionally strongest in the deep south of Thailand.

In the girls’ 15-18 years tennis finals, Phuket’s Butsarin Raktaengam repeated her victory in the Uttraradit Games four years ago by overpowering Rongroong Leenabanjong from Bangkok in straight sets, 6:4, 6:3.

The Phuket soft tennis team, meanwhile, racked up another three silver medals.

With a few more finals still to be played tomorrow (June 5), Phuket now has 17 gold, 15 silver and 25 bronze medals.
Bangkok still leads the medal table with 96 gold, 65 silver and 55 bronze medals, followed by Chiang Mai (27, 35, 37) and Chonburi (26, 29, 31).
But today the National Youth Games finish .

New 'no swimming' sign in 7 languages at Karon Beach Phuket , June 6th ,2012

PHUKET 2012 : Today Karon Municipality has designed new warning signs in seven languages with the aim of preventing tourists from drowning .
Fifteen signs will be erected on Kata and Karon beaches giving warnings in Thai, Chinese, English, Russian, French, Korean and German.

The sign includes a message, though in English only, from Karon Mayor Thawee Thongcham, which says, “The monsoon season has started and on certain days the sea can be very dangerous.

“Whenever the red flag is placed, we urge you not to swim in the sea as there are invisible undercurrents which are almost impossible to detect from the shore.

“Too many accidents occur every year on the Andaman Sea beaches and we cannot assume any responsibility in the case of accidents.”

The chief of the Karon Municipality Tourist Rescue Center, Suphachai Janpetch, said he is still worried about tourists who have no experience of rip currents in the water off Phuket.

They want to protect the toursit from the beach .

Phuket benefits from China-Philippines row , May 25th 2012

According to a Chinese news site, Phuket has benefitted from an ongoing spat between China and the Philippines, with mainland Chinese tourists who had planned to visit the Philippines diverting to Bali, Phuket or Cheju Island in South Korea.

According to Shanghai-based online news service Eastday, the switch change came because of increasingly tense relations between China and the Philippines that blew up on April 10, “when a Philippine warship harassed 12 Chinese fishing vessels that had sailed near Huangyan Island to seek shelter from a storm”.

Huangyan Island – in fact a triangular chain of reefs and rocks surrounding a lagoon in the South China Sea – is claimed by both countries. Vietnam, too, in the past has laid claim to the shoal.

The Philippines call it Panatag Shaol but it is more widely known as Scarborough Reef, after a tea clipper of that name wrecked there in 1784. It is about 200 km from the Philippines and about 900 from Hainan Island, the closest point in China.

Eastday quoted Yu Weihua, general manager of the Shanghai China International Travel Service Co Ltd, as saying, “Short island routes with a relatively low price have soaked up the majority of local tourists [originally] bound for the Philippines because they boast similar attractions.”

The agency reported an increase of 20 per cent or more in the number of visitors it was sending to Bali and Phuket compared with last year.

Shanghai China CYTS Outbound Travel Service, too, has seen a 10 per cent increase in tourists to Bali, Phuket and Cheju. “Those who decided not to visit the Philippines contribute to the increase,” Liu Xin, its deputy general manager, told Eastday.

Eastday said that in 2011, the Philippines was a top-10 destination for tourists from Shanghai, with more than 38,000 holidaymakers heading mostly for Boracay, Cebu and Bohol.

For photographs and more on the debate over Huangyan/Panatag .

So today Phuket island have many toursit from China .

Evason workers , Phuket .

The Evason Phuket resort in Rawai was abruptly closed on Tuesday (May 22,2012), with 450 staff laid off with immediate effect, according to a labour union leader
Krittiphol Boonreerk, deputy president of the Phuket Island Resort Labour Union told The Phuket News today that almost all the workers at the Evason are seniors, who have spent a long time working at the resort.
“We need the new owner to let them keep their jobs. About 70 to 80 per cent of workers are older, and they will have trouble finding new jobs at their age,” Mr Krittaphol said.
He said workers should register as unemployed with the Labour Office, which will allow them to be added to a job search database.
He also advised workers against signing any documents from Evason without advice from the union, because there might be a risk of them signing away various rights.
Workers were hoping to meet with the owner of the resort on June 12, but at this stage the identity of the owner is still unknown.
V/Gov Sommai told the workers that she will assign the Phuket Provincial Labour Protection and Welfare Office and the Employment Offices to negotiate with the resort owner on their behalf.
Evason Resort is 5 start hotel in Rawai area and open many year .