| |
|
|
|
 |
|
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Software anti-piracy agency doubles reward
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is preparing to double its rewards for people who report illegal software use at the corporate level, from 250,000 baht to 500,000 baht.
From today to September 30, 2008, concerned software users who call the BSA hotline to provide information that leads to successful action against business organizations using pirated or unlicensed software will be eligible for the new cash reward.
The hotline number, in Bangkok, is 02-711-6193. Caller identities are protected, the agency says.
"Anyone who calls the hotline to report unlicensed software use is eligible – but the bigger the company accused of illegal use, the better," said Tarun Sawney, the BSA's Director - Anti Piracy, Asia.
"It's not important who calls the hotline.
"The key is to have good information. It could be an employee, a vendor, even someone completely outside the company.
"Whoever has accurate information about unlicensed software use will be rewarded."
The announcement is part of the BSA's strategy to combat software piracy in Thailand.
Under current copyright laws in Thailand, companies and senior managers face fines of up to 800,000 baht and/or jail terms of up to 4 years; notwithstanding civil damages.
Guidelines regarding software laws and compliance are available for business executives here. Thailand's software piracy rate is currently 78 per cent, and the subject of much discussion as the country's piracy rate ranks among the highest in the region.
The BSA applauds efforts of the police and the Department of Intellectual Property.
This year police have raided dozens of companies and the Department of Intellectual Property has conducted extensive outreach under a national software anti-piracy campaign. However, more consistency would be helpful in strengthening intellectual property protection, says the BSA.
"We were pleased to see the recent clampdown on software piracy," said Sawney.
"However, we hope to see the Thai authorities' dedication to protecting intellectual property rights [continue] with the same fervor all year round," he said.
|
Phuket, Thailand
19:09
local time (GMT +7) |
Thursday, August 21, 2008
South Africans confident of 'Monkey Island' Plan
PHUKET: Two South African conservationists who hope to open a Monkey Island primate sanctuary off Phuket paid a visit to Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, but their goal to open the center as a new tourist attraction by the end of next year still has a lot of red tape to clear before becoming a reality.
Zambian-born Tony Blignaut, CEO of Primates Resort Limited, and his partner Ronald Derek Taurog of the 'Touch a Monkey’s Heart Foundation' met with Gov Niran yesterday morning.
The South Africans last September applied for permission to develop the project on two small islands – Koh Aew and Koh Tanan – off Phuket’s southeast coast.
The project’s goal is conservation of primate species and other wildlife, increasing environmental awareness and supporting Phuket’s tourism industry, Mr Blignaut said.
The pair hope to open an attraction similar to their Monkeyland and Birds on Eden sanctuaries in South Africa’s Plettenberg Bay, which have become major tourist attraction since they first opened in 1998.
The investors envision setting up a world-class primate nursery, medical station, and educational and research center on Koh Aew, where access would be restricted to primate experts.
Tourists would have access to view the primates only at tiny Koh Tanan in Chalong Bay, where a pier 60 meters long would serve as a sort of “shopfront” for the main sanctuary.
For a fee, tourists could view some 30 primates on display there or enjoy a meal at any of 40 restaurant stalls to be run by local people, who would not be required to pay rent.
The local community in Chalong has expressed strong initial support for the project, which would be of particular benefit to longtail boatmen in Chalong Bay, Mr Blignaut said.
Mr Blignaut said he hoped to develop Koh Aew as a world leader in primate conservation and maintain healthy populations of various species there until such time as they can be successfully reintroduced into the wild – a process that could take hundreds, or even 1,000 years, he said.
“Since our application last year, the governor has appointed a working committee to consider the project. The committee has already considered the environmental impacts of the project. We also have a team from Prince of Songkla University in Haad Yai helping us study the environmental impact, both on land and in the sea,” he said.
The researchers, who need to conduct two more surveys, are expected to submit their findings in December, he said.
Strict environmental controls, such as not releasing sewage into the sea, would be put in place on both islands and strict quarantine procedures would be maintained to prevent the spread of simian diseases, he added.
To move forward, the project will need the support and permission of Wichit and Rawai Municipalities as well as a host of other government agencies.
Another matter that would have to be worked out would be whether the islands would be rented or the government would allow them to be used under a public-private investment scheme.
Despite the obstacles, Mr Blignaut seems confident of success.
“We expect that the project will be ready to open sometime between April and December next year,” he said.
“We estimate the total investment at about US$3 million. We are a non-profit organization, but we realize that conservation has to pay for itself. Our main goal is preserving primates, not return on investment – but whatever the cost is, we will find a way to come up with the money,” he said.
However, speaking with reporters a short time later, Gov Niran said that completing all the bureaucratic hurdles would be a long and difficult process.
The South Africans might have become unduly optimistic of success after the committee to study their proposal was formed, he added.
Both Wichit and Rawai municipalities already have their own plans to beautify the two islands and develop them into tourist attractions, he said.
“In my opinion, tourism promotion and development is always a positive thing, but the Thai government’s administrative system can cause many difficulties for potential investors,” he said.
|
Phuket, Thailand
18:14
local time (GMT +7) |
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Police nab Supercheap employee killer
|
|
Confessed murderer Korapat, in white, told police he was drunk at the time of the shooting.
|
|
RASSADA: Phuket City Police yesterday morning announced the arrest of a man who confessed to the murder of his former boss at Supercheap on the bypass road on Tuesday night.
Most of the details of the arrest were read out to the press in a statement by Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit.
The body of the victim, 34-year-old Supercheap employee Kanya Boonprajong, was found just after 8 pm lying next to her motorcycle along the northbound lane of the road, north of Tesco-Lotus and not far from the Phuket Namsaeng Rice Company.
She had died of a single shotgun blast to the chest.
K. Kanya’s husband, an employee of Mission Hospital who was driving past at the time, recognized his wife’s motorcycle and stopped. He cried as he hugged her lifeless body, which was later taken by Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers to Vachira Phuket Hospital.
Using eyewitness accounts, police at about 11 pm tracked down the alleged shooter, 31-year-old Korapat “Gus” Winnawat, to a rented home on Songkhla Rd, near the intersection with Yaowarat Rd in Samkong, where he was living with his in-laws.
At yesterday morning’s conference at Phuket City Police Station, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong and Phuket City Police Superintendent Nos Svettalekha presented the suspect together with his relative, 19-year-old Tanongsak “Gate” Thongsong.
Police said Gate confessed to helping Korapat dispose of the murder weapon, a homemade pistol designed to fire a single shotgun cartridge, in a shallow drainage ditch behind their home.
He has been charged with one firearms violation and for hindering a police investigation.
Police collected as evidence from the home a single 12-gauge shotgun cartridge, the clothes the suspect was wearing at the time of the murder and the Honda Wave motorcycle believed to be used in the killing.
Korapat planned the murder in advance and called the victim to ask her to meet him where the shooting took place, saying he wanted to “clear the air” over a previous dispute, police said.
Witnesses saw the couple meet, get off their motorbikes and begin arguing. Korapat then kicked Kanya to the pavement and stomped on her several times before drawing his weapon, firing it at close range and fleeing on the motorbike, police said.
Korapat answered “no” when asked if there had been any romantic involvement with the victim, as was reported by one Thai language newspaper.
He was motivated to kill Kanya out of revenge for incidents that took place several months ago while he was working under her as an employee at Supercheap, a position he eventually had to resign from, he told police.
Korapat has been charged with premeditated murder and one charge related to illegal possession and use of a firearm.
He also admitted that he was drunk at the time of the attack, police said.
|
Phuket, Thailand
15:37
local time (GMT +7) |
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tsunami warning system improvements stalled
PHUKET: Plans for Thailand to launch two more “tsunameters” off the Andaman coastline to improve its tsunami warning system capability have become bogged down by red tape and technical problems, leaving only one direct detection unit in place as the fourth anniversary of the 2004 disaster nears.
Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, who chairs the committee that directs the Nonthaburi-based National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC), last weekend told the Gazette that the NDWC was budgeted 165 million baht for the two tsunami direct detection units in 2007.
When deployed about 250 to 300 kilometers off Phuket, they will greatly enhance the NDWC’s ability to detect and warn of an impending tsunami, he said.
Technically known as Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (Dart) monitoring systems, the state-of-the-art tsunameters consist of a pressure sensor on the ocean floor that relays data to a surface buoy equipped with satellite technology.
The units enable national agencies, such as the NDWC, to detect a tsunami and issue a warning in real time. They also eliminate the need for expensive, panic-inducing false alarms that can occur when warnings are issued based on seismic data alone.
Unfortunately, the contractor the NDWC is negotiating with to provide the two tsunameters is unable to meet the technical requirements that Thailand and India agreed to in their effort to set up a regional system, Dr Smith said.
Describing himself as “only an employee”, Dr Smith said the authority to move forward with the purchase rests with the ICT Ministry and its Meteorology Department, which must first approve all technical aspects and sign off on procurement.
Two “tsunameters” have been deployed in the Indian Ocean since the tsunami. The first, launched by Thailand and the US on December 1, 2006, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, is still functioning normally and providing date to the NDWC.
Last year Dr Smith confirmed the suspicions of a Gazette reporter that the location of the first tsunameter was too far west of the subduction zone where the last tsunami originated to be of real benefit to Phuket should another tsunami-producing earthquake occur there, because by the time the west-moving tsunami wave reaches the sensor, its east-moving counterpart would already have reached Phuket beaches.
However, Dr Smith described as inaccurate reports attributed to Dr Plodprasop Surasawadee who, as assistant minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, was quoted by a Bangkok-based English-language daily in May as saying that the first Thai tsunameter was not working at all.
Jakarta-based David McKinnie, of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) serving as a coordinator for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS), also confirmed that the Thai tsunameter is still functioning normally.
“It is operating and providing full services to Thailand as well as other Indian Ocean nations,” he wrote the Gazette in an email. He encouraged readers to confirm this by visiting the website www.ndbc.noaa.gov/dart.shtml that displays monitoring data from the Thai station and many others from its global network.
He agreed, however, that the Dart unit needs better maintenance.“Under our agreement with Thailand, NDWC was to establish a maintenance contract for the system by December 2006. These systems need regular maintenance and the Thai station is long overdue for such routine work. We are concerned that no agreement is in place, though we understand NDWC and the Thai Meteorological Department are making progress in this area,” he wrote.
The second tsunameter, further south off the coast of Sumatra, is broken, he admitted.
“The second tsunameter deployed in partnership with Indonesia in September, 2007, was providing data to NDWC until it was vandalized by fishermen in March, 2008. We are working with Indonesian authorities to redeploy a tsunameter there as soon as possible,” he said.
“We know that NDWC is planning to purchase two additional tsunameters as well and that NDWC has issued a solicitation for procurement. Although we are aware of other elements of the Thai system, I do not have good information about NDWC plans for developing the Thai tsunami warning system or progress toward NDWC goals in this area,” he said.
Mr McKinnie also refutes claims that the location where the first Thai-US Dart unit was deployed was poorly chosen. In fact the siting is nearly optimal, he said.
“One of the basic siting considerations is that tsunami waves travel very fast in deep water and much more slowly in shallow water. The waters between Phuket and the Andamans are relatively shallow. The water from the source to the Dart station is relatively deep. A tsunami would reach the Dart station 1.5 to two hours before it would reach Phuket, thus the station provides a potential warning lead time of 1.5 to two hours. A tsunameter sited closer to Phuket would provide less, not more, lead time,” he wrote.
In a related development, Dr Smith confirmed that he is very worried about the possibility of a disaster in low-lying coastal parts of Bangkok and Samut Prakarn provinces should a storm similar to Cyclone Nargis, which devastated Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta region, make landfall and cause a storm surge there.
If such a tragedy did occur it would most likely happen between August and November, he said.
“It’s my duty to warn people of the danger. Whether or not they choose to believe me is up to their own judgment,” said Dr Smith.
As a former director of the Meteorological Department, Dr Smith lobbied the government of the time, in vain, to address the dangers of a tsunami years before the 2004 disaster.
|
Phuket, Thailand
11:21
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Suan Luang fish killers caught
|
|
City workers scoop the remains of the poisoned fish out of the pond at Suan Luang Park.
|
|
PHUKET CITY: Scores of municipal workers have been working since Saturday morning to remove thousands of rotting fish from the main pond at Suan Luang Park, after a group of fishermen were caught using poison to kill and capture them on Friday night.
An officer from Phuket City Municipality, who asked not to be named, told the Gazette that the municipal employees responsible for patrolling the park at night first noticed fish floating on the surface of the pond between 2 am and 3 am on Saturday August 16.
A subsequent search led to the detainment by security guards and eventual arrest by police of four fishermen who were using chemicals to kill the fish, which they then recovered using hand nets.
The men had planned to sell their catch at a local market, the officer said.
The officer described the chemicals used by the fishermen as “similar to look men (moth balls).”
Also collected as evidence were the fishing nets and 80 kilograms of dead fish, mostly pla nil (Nile tilapia) and pla duk (catfish). Both are staples of the Thai diet and are farmed extensively throughout the country.
The officer told the Gazette that she had heard that all of the suspects have been released on bail, but the Gazette has not yet been able to confirm this or get the names of the suspects from police.
Although there are red signs posted around the pond that make it clear that fishing is forbidden, the number of fish in the pond probably made it too attractive for the suspects to resist, she said.
People commonly release fish into the pond as part of merit-making ceremonies, she added.
The murky pond has four battery-operated paddle aerators to help keep oxygen levels in the pond high enough to sustain the fish that live there, she added.
Many smaller species of fish were able to survive the poisoning of the pond, she said.
“The water gets quite dirty, so we need to pump it to the treatment plant in Vichit,” she added.
Security guards and municipal officials did their job in helping to arrest the men so the public shouldn’t become unduly worried by the incident, she said.
|
Phuket, Thailand
16:28
local time (GMT +7) |
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Man killed in Samkong shooting
PHUKET CITY: Police are investigating the murder of a man killed by two shotgun blasts near his shack in Samkong early yesterday morning.
Pol Maj Pitakpol Sompong of the Phuket City Police told the Gazette that the wife of 40-year-old Rungroj Saekui reported finding her husband dead outside their unnumbered shack off Soi Samkong 1 at about 2 am yesterday.
The wife, whose name was not disclosed, told police she felt ill and went to sleep at about 8 pm the night before, just as her husband was going out to look after his chickens as usual.
She told police she thought she heard what sounded like gunfire about 10 minutes later, but didn’t go out to investigate.
When she awoke at about 2 am and wondered why her husband was not by her side, she went out to find him dead and screamed for help, police reported her as saying.
When police arrived at the scene, which is inaccessible by car, they found Khun Rungroj dead of two shotgun blasts to the pelvis. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers took the body to Vachira Phuket Hospital for examination and two 12-gauge shells were recovered as evidence, he said.
Police have dismissed initial speculation that the murder may have been motivated by a land dispute.
They questioned landowner Kanchana Na Ranong, who told them her family had given Rungroj permission to occupy the land back in 1983 and that he had lived there ever since without incident, he said.
The Na Ranongs are a family of wealthy Phuket landowners whose business interests include ownership of the Pearl Group of Companies and its flagship resort the Indigo Pearl in Nai Yang.
“I don’t think the killer was a professional. I suspect the victim knew his assailant and was probably having a conversation with him when the shots were fired from a distance of less than two meters,” Maj Pitakpol said.
The victim was known to enjoy drinking whiskey at his doorway, but had given up alcohol for the three-month Buddhist Lent that began in mid-July, he said.
The victim’s wife told police her husband never had any problems with anybody, he added.
Police are still questioning other suspects in the case, he said.
|
Phuket, Thailand
14:32
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
British tourist recovering after fall at Phuket resort
PHUKET: British tourist Dominic Chadwick who suffered neck injuries after a nasty fall at his hotel in Phuket is recovering nicely and is in good spirits.
According to his Malaysian traveling companion, Dominic fell about eight feet when he was walking up a ramp towards an entrance to the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa after a night out. As he fell, he grabbed the branch of a nearby tree, which broke and caused him to land on the back of his neck.
Several of Dominic’s family members are with him at the hospital and told the Gazette that they were upset that the Blackpool Gazette (no relation to the Phuket Gazette) had published a sensationalized version of the accident, making them reluctant to say anything more to any media.
However, Dominic’s brother James said that the Hilton was not at fault whatsoever, and that the Bangkok Phuket Hospital is excellent.
Dominic was sitting up in bed smiling when the Gazette visited him. He was able to speak coherently and is looking forward to returning home to England with his family in the near future. In the meantime, he is receiving physiotherapy at the hospital.
|
Phuket, Thailand
22:34
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Four die in weekend horror smashes
PA KHLOK: Four people were killed on Sunday night in two separate road accidents involving motorcycles. One of the victims was a five-year-old child.
At about 7 pm on Sunday, two women and a boy – members of the same family – were killed after the motorcycle they were riding collided with a pickup truck on the Baan Para – Baan Muang Mai Rd in Pa Khlok, on the route to the Mission Hills Golf Course, said Thalang Police Officer Pol Maj Seksan Konsakorn.
The driver of the pickup told police that he was driving his vehicle at about 80kmh when he saw the motorbike being driven at speed along the sidewalk. As the pickup approached, the motorbike veered into the side of the truck, causing the collision and knocking the three family members to the ground, he added.
The bodies of the three victims, all pronounced dead at the scene by Kusoldharm Foundation volunteers, were taken to Thalang Hospital for autopsy.
“The left side of the pickup suffered damage consistent with the information the driver gave us and the vehicle came to rest in the correct lane, which suggests the vehicle was being driven appropriately,” the policeman added.
Maj Seksan identified one of the women as 43-year-old Vassana Puengpak, a native of Srisaket province. The other woman and the child remained unidentified, although police said the child was about five years old.
“I will contact their relatives in Srisaket so funeral arrangements can be made,” he said.
On the same night, one man was killed in a horrific collision between a Mercedes-Benz and a motorcycle on Thepkrasattri Rd.
Pol Maj Prakorb Boonkwan of the Thalang Police said that at about 9 pm Pradit Mulikabutra was attempting to traverse Thepkrasattri Rd on his saleng (motorcycle with illegal sidecar) to reach the opposite lane.
Riding against the flow of traffic near Baan Nai Klum Mosque, Khun Pradit was killed instantly when the Mercedes-Benz smashed into his motorcycle at high speed, the policeman said. K. Pradit's left leg was crushed and his right leg ripped clean off, he added.
The car driver, Sittha Ngan-Sathit, 36, told police that he had been driving at about 90kmh when the saleng suddenly maneuvered straight into his path, making the head-on collision unavoidable.
“We cannot make presumptions about who is in the wrong in this case. The motorcycle driver drove in the wrong lane to reach the other side, and the Benz driver was going very fast,” said Maj Prakorb.
However, police have yet to file any charges against Khun Sittha, as is usually standard in all road accidents resulting in death.
|
Phuket, Thailand
17:58
local time (GMT +7) |
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
B20m CCTV system for Rawai
RAWAI: As part of a bid to crack down on crime in the area, Rawai Municipality has been granted 20 million baht in central government funding for the installation of 32 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos made the announcement at an August 15 ceremony held to announce a range of crime-fighting initiatives in Rawai.
Camera installation should begin in early 2009, with work scheduled for completion by the end of the year. An independent contractor is now being sought to install the cameras.
“We need to consider how this system will benefit Rawai after it has been installed. It won’t give us 100% protection against crime, but it will go some way to preventing robberies and muggings. It is certainly a lot better to have the cameras than to not have them. Tourists and residents will feel much safer with them installed,” he said.
Rawai, which falls under the responsibility of Chalong Police District, has been the site of numerous violent muggings in recent years, some conducted by armed youths against foreign tourists.
Also in attendance at the ceremony was Phuket Police Commander Maj Gen Apirak Hongthong and officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
Gen Apirak said that a special team of officers has been lined up to monitor Phuket’s motorcycle gangs and Internet shops frequented by suspected criminals.
Police will work with local government sectors to keep an eye on criminals in Rawai, he added.
The move comes as part of an overall goal to clean up the image of Rawai and the surrounding area in the eyes of tourists and residents alike.
According to statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, crime in Rawai has been steadily declining in recent months.
“We want tourists and residents to feel safe in the upcoming high season,” added Gen Apirak.
|
Phuket, Thailand
17:52
local time (GMT +7) |
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tourism steady despite economic woes
PHUKET CITY: Despite global economic problems, tourism in Phuket continues to grow, with 4.79 million tourists having passed through Phuket International Airport since the beginning of the fiscal 2008, up 600,000 from the same period a year earlier.
Anoma Thongyai, deputy director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) South Region 4 Office in Phuket, revealed the figures at the monthly Governor Meets the Press conference held on August 15.
Although fuel prices are still high and tourism destinations around the world have felt the strain of a volatile global economy, occupancy rates in Phuket's hotels remain at between 40% and 55%, about average for low season on the island, Khun Anoma added.
One area of change lies in the spending habits of tourists, who after shelling out for costly air tickets are more careful about spending and less likely to buy extravagant items on impulse, she said.
Tourists visiting Phuket this low season are come mostly from Australia, the Middle East, India, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan. The number of Japanese visitors is increasing, partially in response to the reopening of the direct Narita-Phuket route in July, which has seen load factors averaging about 90%.
There are also eight charter flights operating between Hong Kong and Phuket.
While the number of foreign visitors has remained steady, fewer Thais have been visiting, said K. Anoma.
She cited the reduction in domestic flights available from carriers low-cost Nok Air and One-Two-Go as a major factor.
PIA Director Wg Cmdr Wicha Nernlop said that after One-Two-Go and Nok Air ceased operating flights from Phuket, some100 tourists a day were left waiting for standby seats on flights out of PIA, leading to cramped conditions in the airport's waiting area.
THAI Airways is expected to announce the addition of several more flights between Bangkok and Phuket, he said.
However, a member of THAI Airways reservations department today told the Gazette that the only impending increase in carrying capacity would come on September 1, when flight TG 1221 from Don Meuang to Phuket, and its return leg, would resume service.
The flights were suspended starting March 30 for the low season, she said.
There are no new flights planned, but THAI might add special, non-scheduled flights to help meet passenger demand during peak periods, she added.
|
Phuket, Thailand
16:22
local time (GMT +7) |
Monday, August 18, 2008
Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2008 breaks records before it begins
|
|
Athletes charge for the water in the Laguna Triathlon 2007.
|
|
BANG TAO: With more than three months still to go until the Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2008 on December 7, the “Race of Legends” has already sold out.
Some 750 athletes and about 50 teams of participants rushed to secure | | |
