good news for phuket

[Baz]

this article sounds good for developing phuket but first they have to improve the roads and to make sure drivers drive on the right side of the road. Being in the back of a tuk tuk driving at at 20 - 30mph and another one or a motor bike coming at you on your side of the road is not the best way to start a night out on the town, or two tuk tuk driver sandwiching a motor bike down the road. I must amit that when i was in bangkok at 2am with a few friends we got a couple of motor bike tuk tuks to race with us in the back to see who got back to the hotel quicker after a night out. it was mad what they would do for a few baht extra.

the article from phuket gazette

Billions of Baht for Phuket PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra dealt a major blow to the Democrat Party yesterday, announcing a multi-billion-baht plan to turn Phuket into the country's biggest economic and tourism hub over the next five years. The premier has pledged that more than Bt100 billion would be invested in the development program over the next 5-6 years. The Thai Rak Thai Party is using sizeable development promises to sway the loyalty of southern voters from the opposition party. "Forty years ago, Phuket was on a par with Singapore; there was no difference. Today Singapore is further ahead. Phuket has developed, but there are still many poor people,' Thaksin said in an address to 3,000 local residents at the Phuket Arcadia hotel. But he offered few original ideas, and several were floated by the Democrats and other parties years ago. The government will provide infrastructure and legal amendments to cater to software programmers in order to make Phuket an information-technology hub, Thaksin said. "These experts are expensive, so we want them to stay in Phuket, write software and export to other countries,' he said. Phuket would also become a duty-free city when the issue is finalized with the Customs Department and the details are agreed upon, he announced. Thaksin said the government would put an emphasis on health tourists. "We aim to bring in an additional 20 billion baht in foreign exchange within four years," he said. Thaksin said he had approved 300 million baht in funding to construct two more water reservoirs for the province, and 29 million to build a six-lane road in Thalang district. The government will also allocate funds to build a convention center and aquarium, he said. Smaller details, such as burying electrical cables underground along all main roads, have also been taken into account, he said. The government also plans to ratify aviation rights to allow large aircraft like Boeing 747s to land at Phuket International Airport, he assured his audience, noting that this would entail lengthening the runway by 700 meters. As for his party’s future, the prime minister appeared confident. "We will serve a full four-year term and will govern for a further four years,' he announced. Brought to you by: The Phuket Gazette 08:57 local time (GMT +7)