On January 7, a New Year reception for the media was held by PPAO at Mai Mon Seafood Restaurant, Phuket City. Mr. Paiboon Upattising, CEO, led a team of executives, council members and officials to meet and socialize with numerous attending media representatives.
The aim of the reception, said Mr. Paiboon, was to exchange views and create good understanding between PPAO and the media, which he believes is instrumental in broadcasting PPAO’s projects and its core concept to the wider public. Whilst praising the Phuket press of doing an excellent job and speedy reporting, Mr. Paiboon briefed the press of all PPAO projects completed during 2013, categorized into eight areas, as follows:
1. Operations, which includes administration and politics: Broadcasting Council meetings as a gesture of work transparency; Mobile PPAO to hear views of the people from grass root level; Phuket Clinic Center – set up to accept complaints from the public.
2. Health: PPAO hospital operating under the slogan “looking after patients like family members”; Phuket Care – a mobile medical unit to periodically visit housebound patients and disabled people; Promotion of Dao De Sinsi Exercise for Health project; One Tambon One Aerobic Session project.
3. Tourism: Phuket Road Show to encourage as many airlines to reach Phuket as possible; Promotion of cultural tourism and unique traditions of Phuket; Special training for professionals working in tourist industry; More lifeguards hired for various beaches; 24-hour tourist emergency call (1555).
4. Education: Raising the standard of education (by hiring more teachers to increase teacher-student ratio; Potential development training courses for English teachers (led by teaching professionals of native speakers); GAT PAT project to prepare students for exams; Financial support for building schools and schools’ annexes; Educational grant project.
5. Quality of Life: Promotion of all faiths and their religions’ activities; Establishment of Religious Ethical Centers; Renovation of Surin Beach football pitch to international standard; Construction of teachers’ housing for PPAO schools; Promotion of community social welfare fund.
6. Infrastructure: Improvement of islands at various intersections; Installations of traffic lights at known dangerous spots; Installations of high electricity poles; Local public transport system (rot potong).
7. Natural Resources and Environment: Establishment of green areas in Phuket; “Phuket Loves Environment” project; Nature and Environment Conservation Volunteer project; Dredging and cleaning of canals; Artificial coral reef project to revive marine ecology.
8. IT and Media: Installation of CCTV cameras (Phuket is known as having the most CCTVs in the south); Installation of GPS in public buses; Creating a website www.phuketcity.org featuring news in Thai and English.
