patong

Here is a local Phuket story that caught my eye. And the follow up comments really caught my attention. Have a careful read through them, and lets have your opinion. Phuket Beach Holiday Tragedy: Young Boy Drowns By Alan Morison Friday, January 1, 2010 WE PUBLISH these photographs, of a boy being wheeled into Vachira Hospital about 4.30pm today, knowing they will shock. The boy, Phuketwan. regrets to say, is already dead. As Phuket enjoyed a holiday that marked the first day of a new year, of a new decade, full of sunshine and hope, this young boy drowned at Nai Harn beach. Share In the ambulance with the boy on the too-late journey from the southern holiday beach to the Phuket City hospital were two women. One, we believe, was his mother. Both were shedding tears that made this reporter want to weep along with them. For Nai Harn is, like all of Phuket's popular beaches, unprotected by lifeguards. It has been for many weeks now, weeks when Phuket residents and tourists have been enjoying a swim in the high-season sunshine. There is a dispute about money and tenders. The authorities continue to debate how the problem will be solved. Meanwhile, on a trolley in Vachira Hospital, a boy lies dead. The weeping will continue. Phuketwan weeps for the boy, and for Phuket. Comments Dear Alan, Although I do fully support the protection of life-guards at each and every beach in Phuket and appreciate Phuketwan's vision and opinion on this serious matter, I feel that several of the photos 'showcased' on your webpage are very disturbing: not just only for the relatives of the young boy. And hope you don't mind me saying that the phrase ..."One, we BELIEVE, was his mother. Both were shedding tears that made this reporter want to weep along with them."... is a pathetic way to fill up a webpage. I have, and still do, always trusted Phuketwan for it's journalistic quality; to just assume that 'a lady' is believed to be the young boy's mother... this is way below your par... Michel Posted by Michel on Friday January 1, 2010 at 19:16 What a sad start into the year. My first tears for that boy who could be mine. Make the foto a poster and bring it to the PM's vacation hotel. Write down the number of all victims in 2009 and this as no.1 in 2010. Write down "NO LIFEGUARDS IN PHUKET. WHAT A SHAME. WHAT A SHAME!" What we all feared happened (again). May the little boy rest in peace, may the gods have mercy with his mother and family. Everyone responsible for the no-lifeguard policy in Phuket should pay tribute to him and his family (will not happen, I know). Posted by Lena on Friday January 1, 2010 at 19:52 Dear Sir/Madam Although i admire this website, please do remove those pictures of this poor little death boy and relatives. Please give the death some dignity and the relatives some privacy. Thank you Klaus R. Rauter Posted by Klaus R. Rauter on Friday January 1, 2010 at 20:11 Unnecessary to show the photos, rather ghoulish, in fact. Did you follow the ambulance from Nai Harn Beach? Weep all you want. Posted by Laurence Welland on Friday January 1, 2010 at 20:22 Source ------> http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-beach-holiday-tragedy-young-boy-drowns-11980/

T.I.T.

No idea about Banglamung hospital. When the 30 baht scheme first started users could only use hospitals in their registered province. I believe (not so sure) that this condition was eased later on to allow Thais working or visiting another area to be able to get the 30 baht service in other provinces by providing letter or similar from a registered resident in that province eg the owner of the home/lodgings where staying.

Here is a follow up Phuket Gazette story to the jet ski scam ----> Phuket jet-ski woes continue PATONG, PHUKET: Despite the mandatory insurance scheme for rental jet-skis that went into effect last month, problems between jet-ski operators and tourists persist and scores of unregistered jet-skis continue to operate in Patong Bay. Marine Transport Department officer Songchai Na Nakorn told the Gazette forty-one jet skis in Patong are currently out of service because their insurance applications are still being processed. “There are currently 219 licensed jet-skis with insurance, 126 in Patong and the rest in Kamala, Kata-Karon and Bangtao. Patong has 41 that are still unregistered. The owners haven’t brought their jet-skis into the system yet because ownership documents were lost or damaged in the tsunami [five years ago]. "After the Phuket Governor issues an official letter, ownership documents can be re-issued and the owner(s) can apply for the insurance. In the meantime they are not allowed to operate on a rental basis,†he said. Despite the insurance scheme, tourist complaints about being scammed by jet-ski operators continue unabated. Phuket Jet Ski Club vice president Singthong Charoensap said there were over 75 jet-skis operating in Patong Bay that were completely outside the registration and insurance system. “Right now there are over 200 jet-skis being rented out in Patong, but just 126 legal ones. The 200 include the ones that are [supposed to be] out-of-service pending receipt of the Governor’s letter,†he said. If the renegade jet-ski operators don’t cease after the letter is issued, the owners of the legal jet-skis will pay a visit to the Governor, he said. Operators who register are currently at a competitive disadvantage compared to their renegade counterparts, he said. “We have to pay the insurance costs of about 8,000 baht each and bear additional expenses, such as registration renewal fees. Meanwhile, the illegal ones don’t pay anything but continue to operate. It’s not fair,†he said. There are still some complaints from tourists being overcharged by operators, including those who do have insurance, he said. “Recently one foreign guy damaged a rental jet-ski and the operator asked him for 1,000 baht to repair it plus 15,000 baht in additional compensation, saying the jet-ski would need to be out of service for five days while the repairs were carried out. In fact the jet-ski was rented out again the very next day, so the tourist filed a complaint with the Tourist Police, who came to help work out a solution,†he said. Like tuk-tuk drivers, jet-ski rental operators have been at the center of an endless stream of harsh tourist complaints over the years. Hundreds of such complaints have been posted in the Gazette Online's Readers' Fourm over the past three weeks alone. While most of these are currently focused on the tuk-tuk problem, many draw parallels with the damage done by jet-skis to Phuket's tourist industry. The complaints in question can be seen at the bottom of our stories of Dec 12, Dec 20, and Dec 29 (here and here). In a Gazette reader’s poll taken before the jet-ski insurance scheme was put in place by Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, 53.8% of those casting votes wanted the skis banned outright with immediate effect, while another 19.4% called for a gradual phase-out. It was hoped that the mandatory insurance scheme, the first of its kind in the world, would minimize the number of tourist complaints about jet-skis. It's common knowledge that most of the people engaged in renting out jet-skis and big bikes at Patong Beach are marginal at best, with most of them members of gangs. The police seem reluctant to enforce the laws already in place. Source ---> http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?id=8180

Way to go guys to attract new members, which this forum desperately needs. As far as I can see there are only about less than 10 regular posters. Give this new guy a break ...

Quite honestly Patong is getting too big. I'm thinking of moving to Karon or Kata beach areas, but quality rentals are expensive and hard to find. Chalong area has some very affordable nice rentals, and a good range of affordable eateries, but it does not have a nice beach.

Supports a Thai family Ok even on Phuket Island. NE Thailand don't even earn near that much.

Cynical, very cynical.

No, it's gotten worse...

I can tell that here in Patong & surrounding area that the tourist numbers are well down. All the bar, restaurant, and guest house owners are moaning about poor business. Part of the trouble is that so many more building have come on stream these past 12 months that supply has by far outstripped demand, especially with the % decline in visitors this year. Even taking all that into account I see far fewer drinkers on Bangla road, and far fewer big spenders.

Actually this is welfare/social security system in Thailand and there is a subsidised health system. These were introduced a few years ago by then PM Thaksin. Costs 30 baht (less than 1 US$) to have treatment at any government hospital, including the medicine. Even delivering a baby is 30 baht. Mind you the wait and quality of treatment at many government hospitals leaves a lot to be desired. Many Thais prefer to pay (if they can afford it) for private hospital treatment. Employees of a proper company have 5% deducted from their pay, the employer pays in 5%, and the government contribute 5% (might be more now, think I heard 7%), which goes into a fund to cover unemployment benefit, sickness pay, and a retirement pension. This does not apply to people working self employed or in small or family businesses, which is a big percentage of the working population. And don't forget that the vast majority of Thais pay zero income tax. The tax allowance is 12,000 baht/month and most Thais don't even make that much. Many many don't even make the government minimum amount. That only applies to employees of registered companies.

You have to think about it in context with the local economy and not to try and relate to a westernised economy.

Here in Thailand they don't talk about per hour rates, it's always per day rates.

Beautiful beaches (but not Patong Beach), lovely sand, clear blue ocean water, a good variety of scenery in less than an hour's drive,plenty of recreational facilities. Now we have direct flights to many places in Thailand and other countries. Phuket Island has a lot to offer, unfortuntely a good public road transportation system in not on offer, that's why the savvy resident or tourist rents a car or motor bike or just walks.

If you have lived here for a while it's so easy to believe. So so much public money goes into so so few pockets.

Patong has motor bike taxis, cheapest ride would be 40 baht, but they ask 60 baht even for less than 1 km. I once took a motor bike into Phuket town about 6 years ago, cost me 100 baht for less than 8 km, and I had to bargain hard to even get that price. The Tuk Tuks won't allow mo-bike taxis in Karon and Kata beaches. Often a group of tourists are given price of 100 baht in Tuk Tuk for less than 1 km along Patong beach front, but when they arrive the price is per person resulting in 600 baht (for 6 people) for a 5 minute ride. Scandelous ...

Wish we had baht buses here on Phuket Island. I could tell you so many stories about my experiences trying to park in Patong. Initially i held my ground, but after numerous flat tyres and other vandalism, even had a gun pointed at me, I just avoid these thugs and get on with my life. I tell everyone I know & meet not to take a Tuk Tuk, better rent a car, or even take the very limited bus service. The only way these guys will learn some manners is to hit them in the pocket. But that will take years, maybe never.

Here is a photo I took looking at Ocean department store a few days after the wave, and another shot of the beach road at the junction of Bangla Road, and few shots of cars just scattered about.

Yes, you are talking about the Big One supermarket in the basement of Ocean department store. That was a really sad story as all the staff were drowned when the wave flooded the basement. They had nowhere to run, even the back car park had a high wall all round. Took the divers quite a few days to recover the bodies. I believe about 12 girls died, and the bodies were in bad shape when recovered. The supermarket reopened some months later, but I never felt comfortable shopping there and after a few visits just completely stopped shopping there. Started using the supermarket in the other Ocean mall near the top of Bangla, which suffered no damage or flooding just 150m back from the beach road. Interesting only the lower half of Bangla road suffered any water damage. The top half was in full swing within a few days. I don't believe any concrete structure buildings in Patong were knocked down by the water. Sure plenty of the small shack type shops were destroyed. But some (a few) buildings were badly damaged and had to be demolished. The Ocean department store right on the front suffered very little structural damage and is still there, fully operational within 6 months. Even the Italian restaurant famous for the video of the wave washing through it survived and still stands, same Italian owner, still in business.

I was living in Patong when the tsunami struck and can confirm that there was much loss of live and destruction, but when I read words like the above then I must protest. I actually viewed the results of the tsunami 30 minutes after the waves struck. In Patong the damage did not extend as far back as even one block, in fact the damage only extended back half a block (about 300m) from the beach front, very few building were 'levelled', and I never 'smelled' dead bodies. To be honest I never actually witnessed any dead people or body parts during my general inspection of the damage for the rest of that memorable day. No doubt the damage was like a war zone, with lots of piled up rubbish, debris, wrecked cars & boats, and many people died, but this zone had a very limited depth from the sea and the majority of Patong was untouched by water damage. I think the writer was describing other areas, like Kamala, Phi Phi Island, Khao Lak, and other very hard hit areas.

No no Thaimo. There are plenty of alternatives. The airport limos, meter taxis, public bus, shared mini-bus. Plenty plenty of choice and availability. This police check was about the unofficial or black taxis that operate from the airport. These guys have no insurance cover in the event of an accident causing passenger injury, often the cars are not safe or very noisy, they try to sell other services, and they are not any cheaper than the official taxis. It was most likely complaints from the official drivers that caused the police check point. A couple of years ago there was a shoot-out between drivers at the airport, leaving one driver dead.

Here is another twist to the joys of coming to holiday on Phuket Island ----> Phuket Tourists Trapped in 'Black Taxi' Airport Raid By Chutima Sidasathian and Alan Morison Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Updating News: Photo Album Above TOURISTS fresh off their aircraft on Phuket today were caught up in a dramatic raid designed to clear ''black'' taxis from Phuket Airport. As police hauled drivers from their cabs, their passengers, holidaymakers newly arrived on the island, were left to wonder what to do. ''We have paid for our taxi, our tours and our accommodation as part of the package,'' one angry woman on a dive holiday told Phuketwan. ''What do we do now?'' Share A driver told police: ''If you are going to arrest me, then please take care of my passengers.'' Two Russian men, a father and son, were in a worse predicament. They were in a taxi when their driver was hauled out . . . but nobody could speak Russian, so they did not understand what was happening. Similar dilemmas were being caused as the number of arrested drivers grew quickly this morning. One of the minivans pulled over was from Villa Royale. Another driver in a Mercedes-Benz van told Phuketwan he was working for the exclusive Amanpuri Resort and was at the airport to pick up VIP passengers. With the first decade of the 21st century almost at an end, Thailand's most popular international tropical holiday destination still has no system for efficiently moving people around the island. The ''black'' taxi industry is just one symptom of Phuket's need for a comprehensive public transport policy. It is believed today's raid by police from Tachatchai Police Station, north of the airport, was ordered after tourists complained in Bangkok to the Tourism and Sport Ministry about ''black'' taxis. The global economic downturn has intensified Phuket's tuk-tuk and taxi woes. Instead of reducing the number of people working as legal and illegal taxi drivers, the prospect of claiming an easy share of Thailand's highest fares, considered to be a rip-off by many tourists, has enticed more to try their luck. Without a sensible transport strategy, disputes between legal and illegal drivers and tourists and drivers are likely to continue to damage Phuket's prospects for a future as a sophisticated regional tourism hub. It is not known whether the crackdown will include drivers who take tourists from the airport straight to a nearby tour and travel agent, where the newly arrived visitors are harassed into taking packages on offer, and the drivers take a commission. Airport general manager Prathuang Somkhom said about 200 ''black'' taxis operated from the airport. Source http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-tourists-trapped-black-taxi-airport-raid-11939/

Seems to only apply to imports. Wonder how much more I'll have to pay for a bottle of whiskey. Oh well, got to be cheaper than back home where booze is taxed to the max.

Hey, the topic is about 'political lies', not about accomplishments. So you think I am being 'completely negative' by pointing out that during the campaign period Obama promised (many times) that government would be open, no more decisions behind closed doors, and on C-span. I did not notice any of that during the revamp of the health bill in Harry's office. Then there was 'no more ear-marks/pork' and we will read budget bills 'line-by-line' weeding out earmarks/pork. Ok the first time was excused by blaming Bush (again), what about this time in the latest budgets ?? Record pork there. I could go on and on, but I don't really care as he's not my President. I got to laugh at how many folks rush to defend Obama, yet these same folks continue to bash Bush and Palin. All these politicians are much the same, all manipulate/spin the facts. I'll say it again, I'm glad I am not a US tax payer and I'll continue to watch with interest how the US fairs in the years to come.

And here is another new airline service from Phuket. Phuket's Happy Air launches Langkawi flights PHUKET CITY: New regional airline Happy Air on Saturday launched its three-times-weekly flights from Phuket to Malaysia’s duty-free island of Langkawi. The service, which takes 40 minutes, is aboard a Swedish-built SAAB 340A aircraft. The 34-seat, twin-engine turboprop plane will be manned by two cabin crew per flight. The Happy Air marketing team told a press conference at the The Metropole Hotel on Saturday that the airfare is a reasonable 4,000 baht. The service is expected to prove popular among Phuket's large foreign community as 'visa runs' out of Thailand can be made in a single day with no hotel expense. Flights depart from Phuket on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9am, arriving at Langkawi Island at 11am local time. The return flight departs from Langkawi an hour later. Happy Air’s 2,500-baht flights from Phuket to Haad Yai have been a success, with passenger numbers increasing on a daily basis. The flight is already popular with members of the civil service and Happy Air expects to see more foreign tourists taking advantage of the service soon. Happy Air also plans to begin service between Haad Yai and Malaysia’s Subang Airport in the near future, the press conference was told. Source http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?id=8142