Smith's killer get Life imprisonment-Phuket

Phuket criminals enjoy official protection, says consul

Larry Cunningham, Australia's honorary consul in Phuket, has told The Age newspaper that Thai police deserved praise for quickly bringing the killers of Perth travel agent Michelle Smith to justice.

But he said many of the criminals targeting tourists are never brought to justice and some have official protection.

"The major problem has always been the application of the law in Phuket where assaults continue unabated virtually every night and there are little or no arrests of the guilty parties, mainly because they have patronage protection," Australia's consul told The Age.

The death of 60-year-old Mrs Smith during a bag snatch attempt on June 20 prompted intervention from Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Thailand's top police, who ordered a crackdown on violence against tourists on Thailand's biggest resort island.

Justice, in Mrs Smith's case, was swift after the killers were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Agent killed on Phuket fam trip

An Australian travel agent has been stabbed to death and another woman hurt in a bag-snatch on the island of Phuket in Thailand.
The pair were part of a group of 10 travel agents visiting Phuket on a familiarisation trip to inspect the five-star Katathani Beach Resort.
It is understood the trip was organised by Asia Escape Holidays.
The victim was 60 years old and worked as a travel agent at RAC Travel in the Perth suburb of Joondalup. She died in front of her Phuket hotel after being stabbed in the heart.
According to reports from Phuket, the women were walking near their hotel complex in Kata Noi Bay, on Phuket's west coast, about 10.30pm yesterday when they were attacked by two men who approached them on a motorbike.
The men attempted to steal the women's handbags and lashed out with a knife when they could not grab the bags.
A spokeswoman for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said Thai police had launched an investigation into the woman's death.
The woman who survived the attack with a cut arm told local media she and the victim had been hassled and pushed in the street by the men but did not realise they had been stabbed until the men had fled.
"We were walking single-file along the road, coming back from dinner. These guys had gone past a couple of times, and that started to bother us," the woman told Phuket Wan.
"Then I heard a noise behind me and I turned to see what I thought was my friend being pushed in the chest. I tried to help her." The men rode off, empty-handed.
"We started walking again, and only then did we realise we'd both been slashed."
The deceased has been named as Michelle Elizabeth Smith.
Her companion who survived the attack was reported to be Tammee Lynn, 42, who works at an Attadale travel agency in Perth.


by TravelMole Asia

Bag snatching way of life and now death in Phuket

The death of an Australian travel agent in Phuket is the latest tragic incident to rock the holiday island.

Bag snatching by youths on motorcycles is one of the perils of Phuket, particularly for women out walking in isolated streets, says media outlet, Phuket Wan.

A young German visitor had her thumb cut off in a similar savage incident in Krabi Town, a province nearby, earlier this year

This week talk on Phuket has been about the mysterious deaths of two Canadian sisters whose bodies were found on Friday in a hotel room on Phi Phi, another holiday island a ferry ride from Phuket, or the six drownings of tourists that have occurred on Phuket beaches in the space of one month and a day.

Phuket police are likely to pull our all stops in their efforts to find the killers of the Australian travel agent, said Phuket Wan.

Jayson Westbury, chief executive of the Australian Federation Travel Agents, said it was a tragedy.'¨'¨

"Dreadful news for the family, dreadful news for the travel industry here in Australia,'' Westbury told ABC Radio.'¨'¨

"We're doing everything we can to try and reach out and see if we can assist.''
 



Bag snatching way of life and now death in Phuket

Chiang Mai proge Deaths of 6 tourists

Chiang Mai deaths probe identifies causes

The revelation of a sixth fatality and the results of an investigation by Thailand's Department of Disease Control has shed new light on the series of mysterious deaths of tourists in Chiang Mai. The sixth death involved a Frenchwoman - one of two who fell sick, a media release from the department seen by the Phuket Wan newswire says. It highlighted the exceptional nature of a complaint that appears to have struck down six young women aged 23-33 between January 9 and February 4 this year, killing three of them. These three deaths - the unnamed Frenchwoman, New Zealander Sarah Carter, 23, and a 33-year-old American - have been linked by the media to three other deaths, British pensioners George and Eileen Everitt, and Thai guide Waraporn Pungmahisiranon, 47. The investigation ''found four clinically confirmed cases of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and another two patients with mild symptoms. The media release says autopsies on two of the dead patients (American and French) were done by forensic medical experts from Chiang Mai University. ''The autopsies found nothing abnormal except for inflammation of the heart muscle,'' it says. The results will be studied by the World Health Organisation and health authorities in the US, France and the UK. The report carefully distinguishes between the cases involving the six young women and the other cases. ''In a separate episode, since 3 February, there were three other deaths in the same hotel where the three New Zealanders stayed,'' it says. ''This included an elderly British couple and a 47-year-old Thai woman. ''As these three deaths occurred outside the hospital, the police took charge of the investigation. ''The autopsies of the two elderly Britons found a high degree of coronary occlusion while the examination of the Thai woman found no inflammation of the heart muscle or any other clear evidence to explain the cause of her death,'' the report found.

Phuket tourism not affected by Thailand's political tensions

PHUKET, Feb 21 (TNA) -- Despite warnings by three major tourist-providing countries warning their nationals from traveling to Thailand due to the risk of civil unrest, tourism businesses in the southern resort of Phuket is booming with no hotel room cancellations, Somboon Jirayus, president of Phuket Tourist Association, said on Sunday.

Mr. Somboon said hotel occupancy in Phuket is about 80 per cent on average and is expected to drop to 70 per cent in March.

Warnings by the United States, Britain and Australia issued Friday saying that the political situation in Thailand is tense and their citizens should exercise great caution and avoid demonstrations or large gatherings that might turn violent while in Thailand have not impacted tourism businesses here, Mr. Somboon said.

Foreign tourists can now fly directly to Phuket and those who have visited the island earlier understand that it is far way from protesters against the government, he said.

Political tensions are growing in Thailand, especially in capital Bangkok, as a court is scheduled to deliver its verdict this Friday on whether or not to seize ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s Bt76 billion in frozen assets.

Representatives of the Phuket Tourist Association will set up a booth at Germany’s leading travel trade show in mid-March, aimed at attracting more German tourists to visit the island, Mr. Somboon said. (TNA)

Top Ten Cities for shopping Asia

Vietnam contributes three names to the top 5 and top 10 lists of the most attractive tourist destinations in Asia of the online travel magazine Smart Travel Asia: Hanoi, HCM City and Hoi An.

Hoi An ancient city enters the top five of Asian cities for festivals and relaxation in 2009, besides Thailand’s Bangkok and Phuket, Indonesia’s Bali, India’s Kerala and Hong Kong.

Among the top ten resort cities in Asia are Vietnam’s Hanoi and HCM City. Hanoi is also one of the top ten Asian cities for shopping while HCM City is in the top ten cities for businessmen in Asia.

Readers of the Smart Travel Asia voted the best tourism sites in Asia based on the following standards: the best cities for relaxation, the best cities for shopping, the best cities for businessmen and the best hotels, restaurants and airlines in Asia.

Bangkok – here I am. But where are the others?

During Thailand’s highest tourism season of the year, the lack of tourists makes Bangkok feel somewhat eerie. After arriving at the vast 563,000 square-meter Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday, we didn’t have to wait in long lines to clear customs.
The airport, which opened in 2006, is the second largest in the world and was slated by the government to be Southeast Asia’s major hub handing up to 45 million passengers per year.
But that’s not going to be the case this year because the airport was shut down by protestors. People were stranded in Bangkok and others were forced to bypass the country completely. Tourists have been blocked and diverted. Many people have canceled their travel plans to the region.
After the airport’s reopening, airlines flying in and out of the airport have cut flights and planes aren’t flying at capacity. But now that I’m here, there’s zero feeling of danger. Our itinerary was a victim of the airport’s closure and we were diverted to Singapore before continuing to Laos.
It seems safe to return and there’s lots of roomBangkok, “the City of Angels” is filled with upscale and architecturally dramatic and inviting hotels. It’s estimated room occupancy is down by approximately 70%.
The country’s lucrative tourist industry accounts for up to 12 percent of the country’s GNP. Tourism experts state that the long-term effect could be very damaging to Thailand’s economy.
As December is the country’s high season, the lack of tourists isn’t simply a blow to the hotels and hospitality industry but to retailers as well. Residents from this region traditionally come to Bangkok to do their Christmas shopping. Stores cater to all tastes and budgets.
Deep discounts aboundAlready there are deep-discounted sales in the toniest of shops. A walk through the Bangkok’s famed Night Market is distressing.
Contrasted with my last visit, there was a sense of depression visible on the faces of the vendors. One said that between the airport’s closing and the downturn in the economy, she wondered whether or not things would ever be the same.
Rather than negotiating for a pair of $10 pants, (and that’s always been a part of the give and take), it was easier on my conscience to pay the full asking amount.
Twenty-four boutique hotels and eleven travel agents have launched a “One Price for All Destinations” campaign to spur domestic tourism. The package features special room rates of 2,000 baht ($60) per night per person, including accommodations, breakfast and dinner plus airport transfers.
The participating hotels are in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pran Buri, Krabi, Chumpon, Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, Samui and Koh Phangan. Bookings are open both for Thai and foreign tourists booked now until Feb 28 allowing eligible stays until June 30th. Normally these boutique hotels would cost about 5,000 to 6,000 baht ($150-$180) per night.
Thailand’s resorts are quiet and now is the time to snag a deep-discounted luxury villa you could never have imagined affording.
Even medical tourism is sufferingMedical tourism has become a viable and growing industry in recent years. People from all over the world are checking into private hospitals and clinics for essential procedures as well as tummy tucks and other cosmetic procedures. But, even that side of tourism has suffered; at least in the short run. One plastic surgeon said his clinic’s business has taken a dramatic drop.
It’s sad to think that Travel & Leisure magazine conducted an online poll where Bangkok was picked as the best vacation destination city. And now, it’s begging for visitors. If only I could stay longer and enjoy what the city has to offer. But I have to be home for Christmas.
Karen Fawcett is president of BonjourParis and is sorry her trip to Asia is coming to an end.
Published on December 19, 2008 ·

Experience the 'Anantara Breeze' in Phuket

The Anantara Phuket Resort & Spa, set to open early October, is offering a special ‘Anantara Breeze’ rate from October until 23 December 2008.
The special rate will allow guests to stay in a Pool Villa for four nights and only pay for three, costing from THB 16,000+++ per villa per night. The Pool Villa features outdoor ‘made for two’ terrazzo tubs and a private pool.
The package also includes sparkling wine and fresh decanted juices on arrival, daily tropical fruit and breakfast in La Sala restaurant. Children under 12 years old sharing room with parents receive 50% discount for daily breakfast.
For conditions and more information go to http://www.phuket.anantara.com/.