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Phuket cameras bust 10 speedsters a day
PHUKET: The four speed cameras that came online at the end of 2013 are booking about 10 drivers a day, confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen on Monday. Motorists caught speeding in Phuket face a fine of up to 1,000 baht, but have nearly one month to come to the police station and pay. “If they fail to do…
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Police stations given quotas for drunk driver arrests
PHUKET: Police officers were given the green light to pull over and arrest anyone suspected of drunk driving in Phuket, after it was revealed that they would now need to make more than 150 drunk driving arrests a month. The penalty for driving under the influence is up to two years in prison, a 10,000 baht fine or both, confirmed…
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Phuket gains 200 new police officers
PHUKET: A flock of new police officers has arrived on the island adding 200 more bodies to Phuket’s force. The new recruits, who recently graduated from the Provincial Police Training Center Region 8 in Surat Thani, were welcomed to the force on November 1, confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee. “With more officers we will be able to…
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50 Phuket schools join ‘less class time’ program
PHUKET: A total of 50 Phuket schools have joined a new national program that allows their students to spend fewer hours in the classroom. The policy of ‘Moderate Class, More Knowledge’ gives students the opportunity to pursue other interests outside of the classroom in the afternoon. “All 49 primary schools in Phuket joined the program on Monday. However, only one…
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Mayor fears fishing net killed dolphin
PHUKET: Officials believe that a dolphin found dead near Koh Bon, just off Rawai Beach, was killed by a fishing net today. “From a quick inspection, I could see marks on its head and upper body that looked like they were made by a fishing net,” said Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos. The dolphin was taken to the Phuket Marine Biological…
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Hundreds line up for Bike for Dad registration
PHUKET: More than 800 Phuket residents made their way down to Phuket Provincial Community Hall yesterday to register for the inaugural ‘Bike for Dad’ event. The event garnered so much interest that the website hosting the online registration crashed due to the overwhelming number of entries. For the Phuket event, participants will bike for 29 kilometers from Provincial Hall to…
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Opinion: Tourism to the stars
Dr Utane Sawangwit, 33, has been an astronomer at the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) since 2012. He is a Phuket native who earned a PhD in Physics from Durham University in the UK in 2011 and his Bachelors and Masters of Science from the University of Cambridge. Here, he talks about how astronomy should be incorporated into…
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Organic Corn Farm promotes agritourism on Phuket
PHUKET: Though agricultural tourism hasn’t really developed enough to make it a serious market segment on the island, that hasn’t stopped the government push for exploring yet another avenue for revenue. In 2014, then Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut threw his weight behind elephants, goats and pineapples in hopes of seeing growth in Phuket agritourism and its One Tambon One Province…
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Kata Group readies for King’s Cup
PHUKET: The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is preparing to set sail again, swelling Phuket visitor numbers and making a contribution to Thailand’s overall tourism performance. Sponsored by Kata Group Resorts Thailand, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2015 will be held at Kata Beach Resort and Spa from December 5 to December 12 and will host international racing classes with about…
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Phuket Rajabhat University student passes The Voice Thailand Battle Round
PHUKET: Phuket Rajabhat University student Smat Niema-ard is the only Phuket native to make it through last week’s Battle Round on The Voice Thailand. Since crooning his way through the blind auditions on October 11, 20-year-old Smat’s YouTube video of his performance garnered three million views, while his recent Battle Round video received one million views. “I’m very glad that…
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Governor clamps down on airport taxis
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has ordered all relevant officials to keep a stricter eye on airport taxi services after a customer complaint went viral on Saturday. Montira Sakorn’s Facebook post alleged that the taxi she hired from the airport to Patong failed to bring her and her boyfriend to their destination. Instead, it left them waiting at the taxi…
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Patong restaurant owner found dead
PHUKET: A Belgian expat was found dead at his rental room in Patong yesterday after he was allegedly unable to pay rent for his businesses. Ronald Desruelles, 60, was found hanging by a rope in his bathroom at Prince Edouard Seaview Apartments and Resort by his girlfriend Paweeni Sooksan, 30. Ms Paweeni told police that Mr Desruelles owned three restaurants…
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Meth smugglers caught at checkpoint
PHUKET: Three meth smugglers were arrested at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint after police caught them with 900 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) yesterday morning. Police were searching vehicles with out-of-province licence plates when they stopped the black Honda driven by Chaipichit Kaewkan, 28. Though the initial search of the vehicle did not reveal any drugs, police were suspicious…
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Law catches up with alleged foreign skimmers in Phuket
PHUKET: Three alleged ATM skimmers were arrested in Chalong on Saturday night after police tracked them down using the GPS signal from a stolen iPad. Brazilians Lucidio Firmino Da Silva Junior, 24, and Juan Pablo Da Costa Varao, 21, along with 26-year-old French national Phellipe Andre Dias, were apprehended in their rental room in Chalong. The arrests followed Koh Tao…
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Laguna kicks off Talad Canal weekend market
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket kicked off the high season on Saturday with the launch of its ‘Talad Canal’ weekend market. The event was held at the resort’s Canal Shopping Village, which comprises more than 30 shops that offer a wide selection of quality goods and services, such as handicrafts, clothing and jewellery. Talad Canal market, which will be held every weekend…
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Luck of the Irish: zooming tourist survives crash with speed limit sign
PHUKET: An Irishman narrowly escaped serious injury when his car veered off the road and into a speed limit sign yesterday morning. Derek John Essen, 67, lost control of the vehicle as he descended the hill between Patong and Kamala, confirmed Lt Col Somnuek Damkham of the Kamala Police. “An eye witness saw Mr Essen driving extremely fast down the…
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Surin beach clubs to be demolished in January
PHUKET: After much controversy and delay, Surin beach clubs are finally expected to be torn down in January*, confirmed Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “I’m back in Phuket to implement both former and new plans. The beach clubs on Surin Beach are one of them,” said Governor Chamroen. The governor took a strong but cautious stance…
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Business Buzz: Target your customer, not your competitor
PHUKET: We see it all the time in marketing, company X trying to prove they are better than company Y, engaging in tit-for-tat marketing and social media battles trying to out-compete the competition. Now, while there is the theory that any publicity is still beneficial, I would argue it is far better to engage your potential customers directly and build…
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Finance: Neil Woodford, financial genius?
PHUKET: I know this has been written about in other media already, but as this fund and its manager have a great track record and I believe we are nearing a sale in stocks, it is a good discussion to review. For those of you who don’t know the fund or manager, Neil Woodford ran the Invesco Perpetual Income Fund…
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Phuket Vice Governor’s virgin beach dream
PHUKET: Although the fate of Phuket’s beach management system remains undecided (story here), Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat has revealed that he wants the plan to include ‘virgin beaches’. “There will be some beaches that will not have a 10 per cent zone, which means there will be nothing there – no umbrellas, no businesses, nothing. All 100 per cent natural,”…
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Phuket beach management plans delayed again
PHUKET: Local officials are still wrangling over how to manage Phuket’s beaches, forcing Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat to postpone revealing details of the new plan beyond his self-imposed November 1 deadline. V/Gov Chokdee admitted to the Phuket Gazette yesterday that the release of a concrete plan regarding the future of the island’s beaches would be delayed for at least another…
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Phuket City serial thief caught
PHUKET: A serial thief was arrested in Srisoonthorn last night after police were able to track down the motorbike he used during the crime spree. Jessadakorn Sukkrajang, 18, was apprehended at his home at about 9pm, confirmed Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of the Phuket City Police. Within just one month, Phuket City officers received five different reports of broken car…
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UNODC anti-human trafficking program launched in Phuket
PHUKET: An international e-learning program designed to train law enforcement units to tackle human trafficking was launched in Phuket yesterday. About 40 Phuket officers will be the first in all of Asia to undergo the training developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “The program is designed to provide background information, offer techniques on how to…
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Mentally unstable man attacks Phuket ATM
PHUKET: Police arrested an allegedly mentally ill man who attacked an ATM machine in Phuket Town with a metal bar yesterday morning. The man, who police declined to name due to his condition, fled the scene without attempting to take any money from the Krungsri Bank ATM. “A police car on patrol in the area quickly responded to the incident,”…
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Phuket man killed in single-vehicle crash
PHUKET: One man died and another was injured after their pickup truck crashed into a utility pole in Thalang early this morning. The impact caused the out-of-control truck to split in two as it careened into a nearby wall. “The 33-year-old passenger, Surin Rotloisap, was thrown from the vehicle and killed after hitting another pole and then a wall,” explained…
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Truck driver slams into parked 18-wheeler and dies
PHUKET: The driver of a pickup truck died early this morning after slamming full throttle into the back of a parked 18-wheeled truck on Thepkrasattri Road. Annurak Chompoo, the 40-year-old driver of the 18-wheeler, told police that he had parked on the side of the road with his hazard lights turned on as he prepared to make a delivery to…
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Gaur killer surrenders to police
KRABI: The killer of a beloved gaur, a protected species of bovine, surrendered to police in Krabi yesterday morning. Preeda Paklaw, 41, presented himself, along with his shotgun, to the Plai Phraya Police. “Mr Preeda said that while he was hunting, he saw something in the dark that looked like a serow. He then shot twice,” said Maj Somporn Deeduang…
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AMCHAM: Discover how well Phuket hotels actually perform
PHUKET: American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Greater Phuket Chapter is breaking down how the island’s hotels are really performing in the current, challenging market conditions at the ‘By The Numbers’ event tomorrow night. The event will be led by STR Global’s Area Director Asia Pacific Jesper Palmqvist at Outrigger Laguna Phuket. STR Global’s mission is to democratize data intelligence and…
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New top cop to focus on crime prevention
PHUKET: Phuket’s new top cop has vowed to focus his attention on crime prevention instead of crime suppression. Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen will be taking the reins as the island’s top policeman on Friday when Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit is transferred to Ratchaburi. The transfer is part of a nationwide reshuffle of top provincial-level officers that…
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Sea turtle caught with mouthful
KRABI: A local fisherman caught quite a surprise yesterday when he found a sea turtle with a half swallowed fish. Madyah Thamsuan, 63, was fishing near his home in Khlong Thom District when he noticed a turtle with a fish tail hanging out of its mouth. “The turtle appeared to be very weak and was unable to either swallow or…
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