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Alleged ladyboy killer nabbed in Phuket Town
PHUKET CITY: The suspected killer of a ladyboy found dead in Wichit on Saturday morning was caught early Wednesday morning at a short-time hotel near Saphan Hin. A Phuket City Police press release identified the suspect as 22-year-old Phichai ‘Muk’ Lakkor. Mr Phichai was initially arrested by Phuket City Police crime suppression officers for the illegal possession of a firearm.…
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Fear of girlfriend leads to death plunge
BANGKOK: A man fell to his death November 15 as he tried to lower himself onto the balcony of his fifth floor flat – rather than go in through the front door and meet his angry girlfriend. The body of 29-year-old Surasak Kasan was found lying on the ground under the balcony of his apartment in Din Daeng. He had…
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Phuket TV star in ICU following smash
PHUKET: A Thai soap star and former Miss Teen Thailand from Phuket is in serious condition following a car accident in Pathum Thani. Ameria ‘Amy’ Jacobs, 21, and 25-year-old Buphakorn Nilat are being treated in Krung Siam St Carlos Hospital in the central Thai province. Mr Buphakorn was driving Miss Jacobs home to Nonthaburi province when he lost control of…
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German tourist takes on foul latrine in Kamala
KAMALA, PHUKET: A German tourist disgusted with the state of a public toilet at Kamala Beach has taken it upon himself to give the bog a thorough cleaning every day. The German, 56-year-old Rohlofe Jeck, is in Kamala on a one-week holiday, staying in a rented accommodation near the Kamala Public Health Office. Yesterday afternoon, Mr Jeck was spotted by…
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Dutch biker killed in Phuket collision
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Dutchman Klaas Verbeek was killed and his Thai passenger seriously injured when the motorbike they were riding collided with a pickup truck driven by a policeman in Tah Chat Chai early yesterday evening.Mr Verbeek, 53, was an annual visitor to Phuket for at least 15 years and was highly regarded in Phuket’s expat community.His body is being…
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Patong Carnival plans announced
PATONG, PHUKET: Plans for this year’s Patong Carnival are starting to take shape, with entertainment set to include shadow puppetry, Northern Thai drumming and a host of Thai musicians of various genres. The event sponsor, Beer Chang, is spending more than 40 million baht to ensure there are plenty of famous names on the bill for the festival, which takes…
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Reckless driver kills Phuket monk, merit-maker
PHUKET CITY: A man drove a pick-up at high speed into an elderly monk and a man donating alms on his 23rd birthday early this morning, killing both. Luangpor Samarn Narakea, 60, was accepting alms from Grissada Nootngiewngarm, 23, when they were hit by an Isuzu pick-up at around 6am. The pair were standing on Takuapa Road, across the canal…
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Phuket police nab fugitive murder suspects
PHUKET CITY: Chalong Police on Sunday arrested two brothers wanted for armed robbery and murder in Ratchaburi province last year. Police identified the pair as 28-year-old Aekapop Soonthorn and his brother Anurak Soonthorn, 25. Both are Ratchaburi natives. Mr Aekapop was arrested first on Soi Anusorn in Chalong Village 2. Mr Anurak was picked up later the same day at…
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Phuket Buddha image thief shot dead
PHUKET CITY: A suspected serial robber was shot dead in an intense shootout between police and alleged thieves earlier today in Rama IX Park.The deceased, identified as 32-year-old Phuket City resident Amnard Rodpradit, was wanted by police in connection with a recent spate of robberies of Buddhist images from stores and homes around Phuket.Police told the Gazette that Mr Amnard…
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HRH Princess Bejaratana birthday celebrations in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Religious ceremonies marking the 84th birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda Sirisobhabannavadi will tomorrow be held by Buddhist, Islamic, Christian and Sikh groups around the island. The Muslim ceremony will be held at the Dubai Mosque in Koh Kaew where students at the Muslim Witthaya School, on the same grounds as the mosque, will hear about…
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Phuket Rajabaht student stabbed to death
RASADA, PHUKET: A Phuket Rajabhat University student handed himself in to police after stabbing a fellow student to death early on Saturday morning, Wutiphong Meemai, a first year student from Krabi, confessed to stabbing 20-year-old Kritsana Lao-orn in the chest outside the ‘Wihok’ bar on Rassada Anuson Road in Tambon Rasada earlier that night. When police, including Lt Col Wijak…
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Phuket Spa Association to push for licensing
PHUKET: In a bid to improve health and safety standards, the Excise Department has canceled excise tax for spa treatments in licensed spas. It is good news for licensed venues, but not the vast majority of Phuket spas that are unlicensed and will have to continue paying the tax after the new regulation takes effect on January 20. Even worse…
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Phuket ladyboy found dead from gunshot wound
WICHIT, PHUKET: Phuket City Police are searching for the killer of a 35-year-old ladyboy found dead on Saturday morning with a single bullet wound to the head. The body of Wanchai Tongwijit, a restaurant employee from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, was found in an abandoned workers’ camp off Sakdidet Road Soi 7 in Tambon Wichit at around 6.45am. Mr Wanchai’s body…
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Phuket Governor treks and checks road project land
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop on Thursday set off on an extensive walking tour of the strip of land he would like to see become the island’s second north-south road artery. The first day of the tour started off on the bypass road, opposite the newly-opened Premium Outlet Mall, and proceeded all the way past the British International School,…
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Belgian beauties smash papaya in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Twenty contestants in the Miss Belgium 2010 beauty pageant took part in a Thai cooking class on Wednesday night. The class, conducted by celebrity chef Nooror Somany-Steppe, was held at the Chin Pracha Mansion in Phuket Town, where the Blue Elephant Phuket will soon open its doors as a royal Thai cusine restaurant and cooking school. The dish…
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Handicraft bargains at Phuket OTOP fair
PHUKET CITY: Carved wooden ornaments, stylish cloth bags and Lanna-style garments are just some of the hundreds of hand-made products from northern Thailand currently on sale at an OTOP market fair at Saphan Hin until tomorrow.Over 100 booths are selling the handicrafts from 10am to 9pm at the fair dubbed ‘OTOP: From Lanna to Andaman Sea’.There’s also plenty to eat…
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Phuket murder suspect collared in coffin shop
CHALONG, PHUKET: Police yesterday morning arrested two suspects for the November 4 shooting murder of 38-year-old Weerathep Kamchan inside a flower shop on Chao Fa East Road. Police initially suspected romantic jealousy as the motive for the murder, as the victim was known to be having a relationship with 36-year-old Boonruen Buasi, a married woman. Mrs Boonruen, who was with…
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Tsunami warning critic to launch new system
PHUKET CITY: Former National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) director and a critic of the current warning system’s administration plans to launch an additional disaster warning system with the aim of better informing the public of impending disasters. The man behind the new warning system, Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, is preparing to launch the ‘parallel’ national tsunami warning system on December 26, the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean…
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Phuket City seeks funding for stadium
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality has applied for 154 million baht in funding to build an international-standard indoor sport stadium at Saphan Hin.Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwanasupana made the announcement at a press conference at Phuket City Hall last week.Funding is being sought from the Ministry of Finance under the central government’s Thai Khem Kaeng (Strong Thailand) national development scheme.Mayor Somjai…
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Middle Way meditation on Sunday
PHUKET CITY: There will be a Middle Way meditation training session at the Phuket Meditation Center from 3pm to 5pm on Sunday. The teaching monk will be Phra Thada Jaranatharou, who has re-arranged his busy schedule and will fly in from Bangkok for the session. Fluent in English, Phra Thada has a bachelors’ degree in industrial electrical technology from King…
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Foreign diver found dead in Patong
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police are still trying to determine the identity of a foreign woman found dead in Patong Bay on Tuesday afternoon. The body, presumed to be that of a middle-aged Caucasian woman, was pulled from the water at about 5pm by Kusoldharm Foundation workers. The bloated corpse was discovered floating at 4:30pm about four meters offshore from Paradise…
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Hold outs against jet-ski insurance scheme
PHUKET CITY: The majority of jet-ski operators on the island have applied for compulsory insurance, but five operators are holding out against the new regulation. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop yesterday afternoon held a meeting with 15 jet-ski operators to discuss compliance with a provincial policy requiring all jet-ski operators to apply for policies by the deadline that passed on Monday.…
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Tsunami detection buoy coming soon: NDWC
PHUKET CITY: Phuket will get a new tsunami detection buoy just in time for the fifth anniversary of the 2004 tsunami disaster, the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) says. Group Captain Somsak Khaosuwan, director of the NDWC’s warning system management team, told the Gazette the new buoy is being shipped to Thailand from the US and should arrive by the…
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Phuket bag charge delayed by two months
PHUKET CITY: The launch of a plastic bag charging scheme which aims to reduce the amount of garbage generated on Phuket has been postponed for more than two months. Phuket Energy Office chief Jirasuk Tummawetch said the slated December 5 launch date did not leave enough time to promote the project sufficiently. The scheme will see major retailers such as…
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Phuket prepares for HRH Princess Bejaratana’s birthday
THALANG, PHUKET: Phuket will join the rest of the nation in celebrating the 84th birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda Sirisobhabannavadi on November 24. Tha Rua Temple in Thalang has been chosen as the focal point for the celebrations. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop will open the activities at the temple at 9.30am. Locations for celebrations held by the…
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Fury over flooding in Patong
PATONG / PHUKET: Pedestrians and motorists were struggling through meter-deep floodwater on Nanai Road this evening following heavy rains earlier today. Local residents fed up with the flooding, which they claim has become worse over the past few months, have nicknamed the 50-meter stretch of road ‘Nanai River’. Several local residents who spoke to the Gazette in May predicted severe…
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Phuket man demands justice after cops’ “black bag’ threat
PHUKET CITY: A foreign exchange teller questioned in connection with the theft of 1.8 million baht from a Patong bank claims Kathu Police officers threatened to send him home ‘in a black bag’ unless he confessed to the crime. Samarn Pul-ied, who spent around 24 hours in custody at Kathu Police Station on November 8 and 9, also claims officers…
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Reef relief: Phuket fishermen get massive haul
KARON, PHUKET: An artificial coral reef sunk off Phuket’s Karon Beach two years ago is thought to be responsible for a bumper haul of fish caught by local fishermen earlier this month. Around 400 jacks weighing four to five kilos each were caught in a single day by a small group of fishermen using a local type of net called…
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Expectations high for Phuket’s high season
PHUKET CITY: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced that hotel occupancy rates in Phuket should hit 80 percent during the high season. According to the new TAT South Region 4 office director Ms Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, Phuket hotel and tour operators say advance bookings are on the rise. Occupancy rates should climb to 80 percent after the Christmas and New Year…
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Belgian beauties arrive on Phuket
PHUKET: Twenty Miss Belgium 2010 contestants began an eight-day stay on Phuket today with an introduction to the media at the Cape Panwa Hotel and Spa.The beauty pageant finalists are in Phuket by invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and will be taking part in photo and video shoots, kayaking and Thai cooking classes around the island.TAT South…
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