Phuketwan MediaWATCH
A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.
A TOTAL of 41 jet-skis in the Patong area on Phuket remain uninsured, a Marine Transport spokesperson told Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob yesterday in a meeting at Provincial Hall in Phuket City. The uninsured jet-skis will remain out of action, the meeting heard. No incidents involving altercations with tourists have been reported since the compulsory insurance scheme was introduced, a world first.
scmp.com British national Akmal Shaikh became the first European to be executed in China in half a century when the Supreme Court upheld the sentence despite intensive international appeals on the grounds that he was mentally unstable. A senior fellow from international analytical institute Chatham House said the execution was part of a worrying pattern of China's increasing assertiveness. Shaikh, 53, was put to death by injection in Urumqi, Xinjiang, where he was arrested in 2007 for carrying a suitcase with almost four kilograms of heroin.
Associated Press The UN refugee agency said it had asked Laos to grant it access to more than 4000 Hmong asylum-seekers deported from camps in Thailand. In a statement, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees also urged the Thai government to detail assurances it had received from the Laos communist government on future treatment of the Hmong, who say they face oppression if sent back.
Phuketwan Update Changes are expected to be announced today to guidelines on Environmental Impact Assessments, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced. The Prime Minister is expected to make the announcement. The new guidelines are likely to strengthen environmental protection aspects.
thestar.com.my The foiled attack on a US carrier on Christmas Day has had little impact on carriers in the Asia Pacific region, which sees a better year ahead as demand for air travel picks up. ''The likelihood is that more travellers will choose to fly to other destinations other than the US to avoid undergoing strict security screening at the US airports and that bodes well for the region,'' one analyst said.
canberratimes.com Indonesian officials are pushing for a deal that could see the Australian Government help to lure almost 250 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers off their boat. The plight of the Tamils, who have spent 11 weeks refusing to disembark from their boat moored off Merak on the Indonesian coast, has come under increasing scrutiny after the death of one of their number on Christmas Eve.
christianpost.com Malaysia's high court is expected to announce its decision this week on a case contesting whether the government of the predominantly Muslim country can bar Christian groups from referring to God as ''Allah.'' Earlier this month, Court Justice Lau Been Lan set December 30 as the date he would rule on the case, which pits the federal government against the weekly publication of the Catholic Church of Malaysia.
Property-report.com Phuket and Krabi property: The reduced prices on offer from property sellers is a return to a long term ''fair valuation'' and is about 30 percent down from peak prices. However, cashedup buyers have been seeking distressed pricing, asking a further 30 per cent discount, but without success.
Phuket Coming Events
December30 Red Cross is reckoning on a lot of people wanting to win a house on Phuket in probably the island's biggest lottery draw ever. Losers? There won't be any. The Red Cross Fair runs until January 9. Expect a big night on stage at Saphan Hin park in Phuket City on January 31.
December 31 Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation holds turtle release to celebrate the New Year and to raise funds for the care of sea turtles. Donations of 2000 baht to release each of 50 turtles will go to the hatchery program. Contact Khun Aim on 086 689 2230 or e: info@maikhaoturtlefoundation.com
Photo Album New technology media strip road signs across the heart of Phuket have brought a protest from some residents, even though the signs are much neater than the old billboards.
Phuket's Rotating Road Signs Trigger Protest
Phuket's Sea Rescue to be Boosted by Boats
Latest Drownings on Phuket waters appear to have triggered a special budget allocation of 17 million to buy rescue boats that will serve the island and four other provinces.
Phuket's Sea Rescue to be Boosted by Boats
Exclusive: Man 'Beat My Family Over Car Parking'
Breaking News Two men report an attack to Chalong police that they say allegedly involved an angry man wielding a metal and wood beach umbrella stump at a Kata tuk tuk parking spot.
Exclusive: Man 'Beat My Family Over Car Parking'
Cape Sienna, Phuketwan Resort of the Year 2009
Headland Winner This Resort of the Year embraces compact hillside space and uses music and food to build a base for a strategy that others are bound to follow.
Cape Sienna, Phuketwan Resort of the Year 2009
Phuket Diver's Mother Tells of Coma Tragedy
Latest The mother of a British diver who is in a coma on Phuket has talked of her love for her son, and her fears for his future. She wants to fly him home to Britain. But when?
Phuket Diver's Mother Tells of Coma Tragedy
Phuket's Innovation of the Year for 2009
Phuketwan Award Making peace pay is the innovative mediation system that has been developed on Phuket to the point where police are now also examining the idea.
Phuket's Innovation of the Year for 2009
The report about jetskis says 'No incidents involving altercations with tourists have been reported'. How untrue! On a recent vist to Patong some two weeks ago, I saw the usual jetski guys on Beach Road shouting and arguing with a tourist family over a jetski. The Thai police beach officer stood by and did nothing.
The incidents have not been eliminated. It seems only reporting of these incidents has been eliminated.
Editor: Did you help the family by advising them to contact their embassy? Otherwise, nothing changes.
Posted by Simon Luttrell on December 30, 2009 08:19