PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
bbc.co.uk At least 45 people have died after the roof of a supermarket collapsed in the Latvian capital Riga. Rescue efforts continued through the night and police have launched a criminal investigation.
bangkokpost.com The looming censure debate has forced Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to postpone an informal meeting with Singapore's leader, but the mobile cabinet meeting in southern Songkhla province next week will go ahead.
Phuket Update Syrian Abdullaman Saloom, 20, was arrested in a raid on the Orient Restaurant on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong and charged with overstaying his visa. Mr Saloom was also charged over smuggling 31 hookahs into Thailand along with 1.6 kilos of tobaccot. New Kathu District Chief, Sayan Chanachaiyawong, led the raid.
nationmultimedia.com An Italian tourist, Dominico Franco, was beaten by two teenagers in Pran Buri, Prachuab Khiri Khan. He told police later that the teenagers, 15 and 16 years old, used a baseball bat to hit his head. They took his Bt500 cash, a shirt and a helmet.
Phuket Update Russian tourist Oleg Fomenko, 31, arrested on October 24 for damaging a statue of a monk at Phuket's Karon Wat, has organised for relatives to pay 310,000 baht in compensation. A new statue is likely to be built. Mr Fomenko remains in Phuket Prison awaiting a court appearance.
kamcity.com Central Retail Corp has announced plans to open 260 new outlets in Thailand next year, spread over its supermarket and convenience store banners. According to the Bangkok Post, CRC will open 60 new outlets under its Tops supermarket banner, and 200 under the FamilyMart banner.
theaustralian.com.au Australia's Abbott government is bracing for the possible release of more embarrassing material from leaked US intelligence about Indonesia and other Asian nations.
aljazeera.com President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has temporarily suspended co-coordinated military operations with Australia, including those which target people-smuggling, after significant public outcry in Indonesia over the reports. '' find it personally hard to comprehend why the tapping was done. We are not in a cold war era,'' President Yudhoyono said.
bangkokpost.com The World Bank is cutting its forecast for Thailand's GDP this year on a sluggish third quarter and weak exports, says Kirida Bhaopichtr, the bank's senior economist for Thailand.
zeenews.india.com The United States will on Friday mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F Kennedy, a dark turning point in the nation's history and a day many still remember vividly. In cities and towns across the country, people will reflect upon the words of a charismatic president whose soaring rhetoric continues to inspire.
wsj.com As the official death toll from Typhoon Haiyan jumped to 4919, a determined few Filipinos vowed to stay put in even the most devastated towns in the central Philippines, finding creative ways to rebuild their lives and make money.
Phuket World Sports Wrap
watoday.com.au Australia are in a commanding position to win their first Ashes match against the old enemy in the last eight Tests after an inspired bowling display from the enigmatic Mitchell Johnson. At one stage England lost six wickets for nine runs.
Phuket Coming Events 2013
On November 24 the Camillian Social Center in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, will be holding a 30-kilometre charity bicycle ride. Team, family and individual entries are invited. The centre, supported by the Sarojin Khao Lak Community Fund, provides day care, education, food and physiotherapy for disabled children in the region. Start: 8.15am. Contact Khun Somchai at somchaismilelove@gmail.com
November 24-December 1 Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest. Laguna Phuket
November 26 Phuket's honorary consuls meet with officials
November 28 French Fair, Jungceylon
December 5 HM The King's birthday
December 26 Commemoration of 2004 Asian Tsunami
Phuket Coming Events 2014
January 9-12 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina
September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket
Roof collapse in the brand new (2 yrs old) building of supermarket, although in Eastern Europe, still a Europe and EU, shows that irresponsible attitude and incompetence along with professional negligence accumulates and then blow well... Alarm system that covers fire, dust sounded for 2 hrs only to be ignored as "there was no apparent flames", so no evacuation of people for 2hrs obviously alarm reacted on dust at pre-cracking stage of the building (it remind me reports of shopping as usual in SuperCheap unless pplz saw flames).
Single story supermarket of 5,000 sq.m. was undergoing construction on its roof - winter garden was under progress, roof was covered already with artificial grass and playground for kids with a lot of sands was put on top of the roof - still shop beneath operated as usual, and at the time of collapse full of shoppers at early evening. Obviously, they put too much of brick on the roof and it collapsed.
The state of head failed grotesquely as well, by announcing 9pm that all equipment, more than necessary, is already in place for rescue operation.
In fact, full incompetence unveiled further - cranes arranged were not enough powerful to start a rescue: another crane was sought among private construction companies - again, wrong number of required power: then on third attempt they got a proper one.
Roof crashed at 6pm, actual rescue started only after midnight, and crane, slowly, assisted rescue only from 3am.
Person called from inside the builing at 4am, when she was discovered 12 hours later, she was already dead.
Those precious hours to get people alive were wasted on crane with appparently wrong specification, it means 10 or may be more lives could be spared.
So it is in Europe.
Then let's project such situation to L.O.S. and you will see that, say, SuperCheap rescue was not that bad at all...
Posted by Sue on November 23, 2013 06:25
Editor Comment:
No more need for commenters to boast about higher safety standards in Europe. But needless deaths everywhere are truly tragic and unnecessary. Put those responsible on trial, as would happen in China with great speed. And make sure the punishment is just, and the wealthy are jailed for their irresponsible greed.