The thievery happened in the monks’ cell area, when they were attending a service began at 6.30 p.m. in the main prayer hall. This opportunity used by the thief or thieves to pry open a window and gain access through this.

One of the monks, who returned to the location upon returning to his cell, noticed a collection box lying on the floor and 50,000 baht in it was missing. In the next room, numerous Buddha images were missing and those that remained were scattered on the floor. The temple abbot put the value of the heist at one million baht. Phuket City Police are investigating the thievery now and have already taken its fingerprints.

Thieves before have targeted the temple, but in the past they ran away when spotted by temple monks. It is not the first the thieves targeted temple in Phuket. In October last year a drunk was arrested at Nai Harn Temple after he attempted to steal a collection box there. The man later confessed to committing a string of similar thefts at other island temples.

He also led police to an employee at the Government Savings Bank who served as an accomplice in some of the heists. The pair used the proceeds to fund drinking sessions in karaoke bars, they said. In Thailand, temples are rarely targeted by thieves – and not only for ethical reasons. Most of Thai temples are home to large packs of stray dogs, many dumped there by their former owners. The dogs also serve as a potent security force for their Buddhist benefactors.

In another disturbing crime carried out at a temple on a holy day last year, well-known local businessman Chalermpol Pranweerapaiboon was left in a coma after he was shot in the back of the neck by an assailant at Wat Luangpoo Supha on Maka Bucha Day in February 2009. The attack took place in front of the victim’s family and just meters from the cell of Luangpoo Supha, a revered monk believed by his followers to be the world’s oldest living man at 116.

Although Phuket City Police initially said the investigation was going well, there have been no reports of any arrests so far.

News by Phuket Gazette

According to China Hospitality News, the fourth-largest carrier in China will operate three weekly flights – every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The flights will depart Beijing at 18:00 local time and arrive in Phuket at 22:50 local time. The return flight will leave at 23:50 local time and arrives in Beijing the following morning at 06:15 local time.

Boeing 737-800 aircraft will proceeds the route.

The non-stop flights will cut travel time by more than five hours, making it much more convenient for air passengers’ trip to the tropical island, to the “Pearl of Andaman.”

News by Phuket Gazette

Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has confirmed that Phuket Aquarium renovation project that cost 2.2 million-baht scheduled to finish this month.

Bangkok-based Aquatic Company began repainting the facility on February 22, said one of PMBC officer, Surapong Banjongma-nee. It involved draining the large viewing tank with a glass walk-through viewing tunnel, as well as work on five smaller tanks.

“The paint on the back wall started to peel and wasn’t very beautiful. It needed to be fixed,” Mr Surapong said.

The smaller tanks have been repaired and are in the water-testing stage while work continues on the larger tank, where lights are now being installed, he said.

Later this week the project will proceed to the fulfillment of larger aquarium with water and let it sit in for a while before draining it again. It is important to do that a few times in order to flush out unwanted chemicals and odors.

“The construction will finish on July 21, but we have to make sure the quality of water is high. After that we can release the animals in the water, probably by the end of the month,” said Mr Surapong.

Whilst the project was still running, some sections of Phuket Aquarium remain open to visitors.

News by Phuket Gazette

“The Computer Clinics bring together PC users, from complete novices to Phuket’s most knowledgeable PC gurus. Everybody has questions – which Internet connection works best, where to take a PC for repair, how to build a website, or clean out viruses. We all try to solve each others’ problems,” says “Khun Woody” Leonhard, author of many For Dummies books, Phuket Gazette computer columnist, and Microsoft MVP.

Began from a humble beginning three years ago, nowadays this clinic is large enough to gather frequently run standing-room-only, free of charge clinics that have drawn international attention and recognition.

“It’s a group effort. Phuket is home to a wide variety of computer experts. Heaven knows we all have computer problems. Combine that with a stream of news, particularly about Internet service in Phuket, and trail-blazer experiences with mobile phones, high def TV, online banking, home security and the like, and you can see why the clinics have become so popular,” said Mr Leonhard.

The all-volunteer effort has grown beyond the confines of the weekly meetings. Phuket now has the most comprehensive Internet speed-reporting site in Southeast Asia. In one of the seminar series, explanation about how to create travel logs, using simple PC tools is delivered. Work is also underway to refurbish used PCs and donate them to local charities. More seminars are in the works.

“We welcome everyone – from people who just starting out with PCs to advanced users with specific problems, to vendors with products or services to show or sell, to folks who want to know which TV or phone to buy. It is all free, all of the time. Bring your PC if you can, and join us,” says Mr Leonhard.

Co-sponsored of this even are Khun Woody’s Sandwich Shoppes and the Phuket Gazette. These clinics run every Sunday morning from 10am to noon. Locations rotate among the Sandwich Shoppes on the island. The June 13 gathering will be at the Sandwich Shoppe near the entrance to Laguna. Whether for the 3rd year anniversary Geekfest on June 20 will takes place at the Sandwich Shoppe in Chalong.

News by Phuket Gazette

Due to the new chief of Muang District’s anxiety, Supachai Pochanukul’s anxiety toward the acts of violent crimes happened at Saphan Hin park, made the park as a dangerous place to go after dark, the government then mobilize volunteers dressed in Orange uniform ride on bicycles. Those Orange Guardians will patrolling Saphan Hin park in a new drive to make people feel safe at night.

“Saphan Hin park is a favorite location for tourists and locals alike,” he said. People come for various reasons, whether playing sports or just relax. Sometimes they remain in the park until late at night and we hope that the volunteers can help them to feel safe for the presence of orange bike guardians.”

An opening ceremony took place at Saphan Hin on March 6 to launch the initiative, which will attended by around 20 Phuket Volunteer Security Force members patrolling the park from 6:30pm to 11:30pm every night. This “bicycle guard” project, Chief Supachai said, is a collaboration between Phuket City Hall and the Rotary Club of Phuket. The program itself involved a total of 80 volunteers taking part.

“Feedback has been very good since the start of this project. People are friendly to us and some have said they would like us to stay further into the night,” said a volunteer organizer who wished to remain anonymous.

“We often encounter teenagers taking drugs, but they quickly run away. As we are only on bicycles, we cannot chase after them. Actually, it is not our duty to pursue and arrest,” he said.

Another volunteer added, “If we encounter serious problems like accidents, each of us has a radio with and help us to immediately contact the police.”

Chief Supachai would like to see the project extended to other areas such as King Rama IX Park, Rang Hill, and even the beaches.

“However, one thing I am concerned about is the maintenance support for the project. It is due to the kindness hearts of those volunteers who get no payment for this job whilst they sacrificing their time for it,” he said.

News by Phuket Gazette

Response toward cemetery land shifting to a new police office arise by the group of Moken sea gypsies who against that plan. Around 50 members of the Ban Laem La and Ban Hin Look Diow Moken communities voiced their rejection at the Treasury Department’s plan to grant nearly half of their public cemetery to the Provincial Police.

Members of the two communities in Mai Khao said the decision was made without any act of discussion with them. The protesters petitioned the Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop and order all parties involved to come to a good solution. According to the Treasury Department, a meeting was held a day after the protests in which all parties agreed for a full re-evaluation of that plans.

In 1967 a survey by the Thalang District Chief and the Moken measured the cemetery at 75 rai, but over the years encroachment has reduced it to just 17 rai. The Tsunami Memorial Cemetery is also located within the 17 rai plot.

News by Phuket Gazette

Multiple fires happened along the bypass road in recent days make Phuket firefighters keep battling it. The first broke out in a field opposite Tesco-Lotus in Rassada at about noon on Sunday. There were four car-fires and 20 firefighters tried to extinguish the fires that gradually became big due to the forest’ dense and dried state.

“As we arrived there, we saw one guy who had been burning trash in the area fleeing the scene,” one firefighter said.

There was some assisting from around 20 officers of Phuket Provincial Wildfire Prevention Unit and some 10 local volunteers. Fortunately, the flames did not spread to structures on nearby Songkhla Road, which is separated from the lot by a two-meter-high concrete wall. A recycling warehouse on the road nearby is filled with paper, plastic and other flammable materials.

Firefighters thought they had the fire under control late Sunday, but it reignited three more times: yesterday morning, again at about 8:30 last night, and again at around noon today. The latest flare-up was extinguished at about 2pm today. Over 100,000 liters of water have been used in the operation: 60,000 liters for the first fire, 20,000 for the second and 30,000 liters for the most recent.

“It is very difficult to stop the fire because we can’t see it flame beneath the surface, and this is why it continues to reignite… The best method is to spray the entire area to ensure everything is saturated,” one firefighter told the Gazette.

An even larger fire broke out at about noon today opposite the Chevrolet showroom on the bypass road northbound, also in Rassada.

Firefighters continue to battle the blaze this evening, but say they are sure it can be contained. Already about 30 rai have burned up.

There have been 15 fires in Rassada this month alone.

“This year is worse than last year because the weather is very hot and dry. When people burn their trash, it is very easy for the fire to spread and become uncontrollable,” the firefighter said.

Earlier this month, there was a fire at a recycling plant in Wichit.

News by Phuket Gazette

A remarkable event is happening on the ever-remarkable Andaman Sea coastline as a big mother leatherback is back. Weighing as much as 300 kilos and stretching to two meters wide, this giant has been coming ashore in the past few weeks at one specific location in Phuket to lay eggs.

Marine biologists have been recording the visits of the leatherback to the Phang Nga beach. She only comes back to lay eggs every 25 years, and her time is now. In December, she left 99 eggs in the sand. In early January, she left 113. Biologists know she will be back soon to leave more eggs. And the hatchings should begin to take place from February 24, with the second batch due to hatch in early March. The leatherback will return five or seven times, every 12 to 15 days, each time depositing more eggs.

Parrob Plannga, head ranger of the Forests Office in Phang Nga, says the site of the hatchings is being watched day and night to protect the eggs.

“Last year we had just one leatherback turtle appear and lay eggs just once. This turtle is larger and has so far kept to her egg-laying pattern,” he told Phuketwan

Leatherbacks go back 150 million years, he said. “They will return to the beach where they hatched just once every 25 years,” he said.

Biologists are concerned that the leatherbacks may be laying more female eggs than males because they can tell from the laying-point on the beach whether each batch is predominantly male or female.

The first year or so of the life of most Andaman coast turtle species remains a mystery.

Once home to five species, Phuket no longer has any turtles hatching on its shores because of increasing development at the cost area that is noise and light.

News by Phuketwan

A photo of Phra Tossaponchana Kommasutho of Wat Tamtheppratan in the Muang District of Krabi was published in the mass-circulation Daily News on November 10. The feature showed the monk begging for alms in Tambon Tab Prik aboard a Yamaha Nouvo motorbike. The report asserted that Phra Tossaponchana didn’t care that the public tends to view it as inappropriate for a monk to use a motorbike, especially when collecting alms. In other side, Phra Tossaponchana said the reporter never asked him why he needed to use a motorized conveyance to conduct his alms round.

The negative publicity had badly damaged his reputation, he said. None of the 227 precepts for clerical conduct set down by the Lord Buddha specifically forbids the use of a motorbike, he said.

In addition, he had already asked for, and been granted, permission by higher-ranking monks to use the motorbike. Phra Tossaponchana said he needed to use a motorbike because of the length of the route. The real reason behind the report is a land dispute with a high-ranking government official who wanted to develop over 30 rai of beautiful temple land with caves as a tourist attraction, he said.

Phra Tossaponchana presented a certificate issued by the Forestry Department to back up his claim that the temple had the right to the land. When Phra Tossaponchana resisted, the aforementioned official began a smear campaign against him, causing local residents to denounce him as profane.

“Claims that I spoke harshly with villagers are completely false. I only spoke in such tones to those who would despoil temple grounds,” he said.

Phra Tossaponchana said he had already filed a complaint about the article with the Muang District Police about the alleged defamation and encroachment on temple grounds. He has already petitioned the Ministry of Education, Government House and the National Counter Corruption Commission about the case, he told reporters, adding that he expected action soon.

News by Gazette

To fight the spread of the disease, the DDC will re-launch public awareness campaigns encouraging people to cover their noses and mouths when coughing or sneezing, avoiding high-risk areas and immediately taking time off from work or study if experiencing flu-like symptoms.

From April 28 to November 14 this year, there were a total of 28,939 cases and 185 deaths in Thailand cause by this A(H1N1). Of these, 3,709 cases and 30 deaths were in the South. The seven upper south provinces accounted for most of these, with 23 deaths from a total of 2,365 cases. Deaths have been recorded in six of the seven provinces.

There have been two deaths reported in Phuket, both in patients with compromised immune systems. As before, the MoPH expects its community health volunteers to play a key role in reporting cases of infection and ensuring those who come down with the flu get proper treatment and information about how to prevent the virus from spreading to others.

News by Phuketgazzette