PHUKET CITY : PM Thaksin arrived in Phuket yesterday morning to hear complaints by Phuket residents about the government’s handling of the tsunami disaster.
The meeting, held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, was attended by some 500 people, including Cabinet ministers and scores of other government officials. The Cabinet ministers reported on the progress of the various relief programs assigned to them, after which local businesspeople and other members of the private sector were allowed to comment.
After the meeting, PM Thaksin told the press that the government would continue to support those whose homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by the tsunami.
“There is 20,000 baht [available] for each person affected by the tsunami. This is just initial relief funding; we will consider additional support on a case-by-case basis.
“The 20,000 baht may not help all victims fully recover, but it should at least get them back on their own feet,” he said.
“Most of us have done our best … and aid has reached the majority of those who need it, but there are still more details to go over. Some sectors may have not have been accounted for yet because they were less directly affected,” he said.
“However, we still need to push more operations to make things work better, as there are [still] some gaps between the central [government’s] policies and the operation of local government organizations,” he said, in reference to widespread complaints that distribution of funds has been slowed to a crawl by bureaucracy.
PM Thaksin added that he had received many phone calls from abroad asking about progress in the identification of dead bodies.
“I have expedited the process so that it moves quickly and accurately. If we can identify any of them, we will be ready to send them back. I think it is going to move very fast from now on because we got some DNA analysis [results] back from China already and we [are ready to] start the process of DNA matching.”
PM Thaksin, who is chairing an international conference in Phuket today on the establishment of a tsunami early-warning system for the Indian Ocean, said Thailand would first set up its own early-warning system based on seismic data alone. The system, to be budgeted at 10 million baht, could be operational within two months, he said.
The system would warn of any impending tsunami threat through radio networks and would serve as a stop-gap measure while the planned international early-warning system is being developed.
The PM added that the international warning system would be more accurate, as it would operate automatically using data taken directly from the sea.
“This will be a full early-warning system, and it will built using funds from many countries,” he said, adding that Thailand was ready to contribute the first US$10 million to the fund.
He added that Thailand would offer to host the system’s operational headquarters.
An inspection team representing major Scandinavian tour companies Star Tour, MyTravel & Tour, and Apollo Tours, yesterday announced that they will return home and spread the word that Phuket and the other Andaman provinces are safe tourist destinations.
The team of five yesterday wrapped up a week-long inspection tour that took in some 80 hotels in Phuket and Krabi, including their facilities and the surrounding infrastructure.
Engineer and team leader Thomas Bjur said, “I have inspected the structure of the hotels, and most of them are still good, only some of them need about a couple of weeks to repair.
“Some [hotels] have already started repairs, and I was surprised by the good work they have done.”
Fellow inspecting engineers Ulf Rydberg and Gert-Inge Mauritzon agreed. “After having checked the damaged areas, I can say there is nothing to worry about,” said Mr Rydberg.
Mr Mauritzon said, “I was worried about coming to Phuket when I was assigned the job, but I am very surprised that Phuket is very nice. Places have been cleaned up, are safe and the Thai people are very generous and cooperative.
“I would bring my family here again.”
“We have seen a lot negative images of the destruction in the Andaman provinces, but what we have seen [on the ground] is different,” he added.
MyTravel & Tour Quality Director Anders Enhagen said that, on returning to Sweden the team will announce their findings at a press conference.
“Most of the hotels in Krabi have already been repaired. Our government warning was removed a few weeks ago. Now we are free to resume tourism as usual,” he said.
Also at yesterday’s press conference, Kasinee Chuennaithum, Phuket Branch Manager of East West Siam, an agent for Apollo Tours, said that Apollo will resume its charter flights to Phuket on February 4, bringing about 1,000 tourists a we ek.
“There will be three charter flights a week from Sweden to Phuket, starting on February 4 and continuing until about April 30,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ender Turkyilmaz, Destination Manager of Danish tour operator Tyrkiet Eksperten, emailed the Gazette today to announce that his company will restart its Phuket operations on Saturday, bringing 100 people to the island, with 150 more on February 5.
“For the rest of the season, we are going to send about 300 people a week to Phuket,” he added.
An inspection team representing major Scandinavian tour companies Star Tour, My Travel & Tour, and Apollo Tours, yesterday announced that they will return home and spread the word that Phuket and the other Andaman provinces are safe tourist destinations.
The team of five yesterday wrapped up a week-long inspection tour that took in some 80 hotels in Phuket and Krabi, including their facilities and the surrounding infrastructure.
Engineer and team leader Thomas Bjur said, “I have inspected the structure of the hotels, and most of them are still good, only some of them need about a couple of weeks to repair.
“Some [hotels] have already started repairs, and I was surprised by the good work they have done.”
Fellow inspecting engineers Ulf Rydberg and Gert-Inge Mauritzon agreed. “After having checked the damaged areas, I can say there is nothing to worry about,” said Mr Rydberg.
Mr Mauritzon said, “I was worried about coming to Phuket when I was assigned the job, but I am very surprised that Phuket is very nice. Places have been cleaned up, are safe and the Thai people are very generous and cooperative.
“I would bring my family here again.”
“We have seen a lot negative images of the destruction in the Andaman provinces, but what we have seen [on the ground] is different,” he added.
MyTravel & Tour Quality Director Anders Enhagen said that, on returning to Sweden the team will announce their findings at a press conference.
“Most of the hotels in Krabi have already been repaired. Our government warning was removed a few weeks ago. Now we are free to resume tourism as usual,” he said.
Also at yesterday’s press conference, Kasinee Chuennaithum, Phuket Branch Manager of East West Siam, an agent for Apollo Tours, said that Apollo will resume its charter flights to Phuket on February 4, bringing about 1,000 tourists a week.
“There will be three charter flights a week from Sweden to Phuket, starting on February 4 and continuing until about April 30,” she said.
KOH SAMUI : Rescue services have today recovered a further seven bodies from the waters around Koh Samui, bringing the official number of dead following Tuesday morning’s speedboat crash to 14.
Pol Cpl Pongkasem Thanawanitnam, Koh Samui Police Station spokesman, told the Gazette that there are now two people still posted as missing.
Koh Samui Hospital gave the names and nationalities of those found today as: Nathan Christopher Zann, 23, Australian; Joel Wayne Woehr, 25, American; Constantin Jean Meac, 52, Swiss; Sara Lewis, British; Jessica Crystal Powell, 30, American; Pratana Songmuang from Surat Thani and Nongnuch Boonsong from Bangkok.
The hospital has identified one of the missing as 24-year old Australian Fameem Vlqhani Bhuiyan but has been unable to establish the name, nationality or even the sex of the other missing person.
Anyone who is concerned about a relative or friend who may have been aboard the boat is asked to call Koh Samui Police on Tel: 66 (0) 77 421095 or Koh Samui Hospital on Tel: 66 (0) 77-421399.
http://www.phuketgazette.net
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