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Patong bars to fight 2 am closing
PATONG: Bar, discotheque and pub owners will be given a 90-day grace period before police begin to strictly enforce a 2 am closing time at all nightlife venues on the island, authorities have announced.Starting at 2 am on February 27, police presence was unexpectedly heavy on Soi Bangla and along nearby roads that make up the heart of Phuket’s nightlife…
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Four Phuket police stations upgraded
PHUKET: As part of a nationwide reorganization of the Royal Thai Police Force, Phuket’s four subdistrict police stations have been upgraded to district police stations, effective from an order dating back to January 16, the Gazette has learned.Col Phuwanart Rithawej, Phuket Provincial Police Superintendent of General Staff, told the Gazette that the order is intended to improve investigation and budget management…
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Thanyarat wins Senate race, again
PHUKET: Unofficial results of yesterday’s senatorial election indicate that Thanyarat Achariyachai won the contest, garnering 39,574 votes to win a surprisingly close race over second-place finisherAdirek Engchuan, with 35,471votes.In third place was Cherdchai Wongseree, with 9,947 votes.The results, posted on the Phuket Election Committee (PEC) board at Saphan Hin, will be announced officially only after Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha, in…
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Two Princesses to visit Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will visit Phuket on March 11 and HRH Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya will visit Phuket City on March 14, the Phuket Provincial Office announced at a meeting held on February 26 in preparation for their arrival.Princess Sirindhorn will make stops in Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga during her trip.On March 11, Princess Sirindhorn will…
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Top cop toppled after Phuket visit
THALANG: Royal Thai Police Commissioner Gen Sereepisut Taemeeyavej had a busy day in Phuket yesterday, attending two important dedication ceremonies.However, it turned out to be his last day as national police chief as Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej today announced his abrupt transfer to a temporary post in the Prime Minister’s Office.Gen Sereepisut arrived in Phuket from Bangkok yesterday and at…
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Foreigners charged over ATM card forgery in Patong
PATONG: Two European men arrested by Kathu Police last Sunday night for scanning information allegedly to be used in committing bank card forgery remain in jail without bail, the Gazette has learned.Maj Narong Laksanavimol said that the two men arrested, whom he named as German national Hota Bogdan Nicolae and Romanian Andrei Gugioman, both 25, are part of a larger…
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Classic ketch gutted in boatyard blaze
RASSADA: Police suspect that a smoldering cigarette butt caused an early-morning fire that gutted a 25-meter yacht in dry dock at Phuket Fishing Port. Maj Wicharn Suwannasit of Phuket City Police told the Gazette that he was notified of a boat ablaze just before midnight on Monday night. Police and firefighters arrived to find several people trying to douse the…
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Dr Anuroj dies of cancer
PHUKET CITY: Dr Anuroj Tharasiriroj, 66, founder of Phuket International Hospital, passed away at 3 am today after a long battle against cancer of the large intestine.Dr Anuroj founded Siriroj Hospital on Krabi Rd, Phuket City, in 1982. The hospital opened with just 35 beds.The hospital moved to its current site on the bypass road in 1993 and began trading…
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Mischievous monkey meddlers meet their match
SRISAKET: A man was arrested in the early hours of February 21 for kidnapping monkeys from a popular tourist spot in Rasi Salai District. Police believe the monkeys were to be smuggled to Korea, to be eaten for perceived health-giving benefits.At 3:30 am, Pol Lt Col Wisanu Reuangsri, an investigating officer at Rasi Salai District Police Station, received a phone…
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Revered Abbot passes away
WICHIT: Phra Ratchakiti Soonthorn, revered Abbot of Wat Thepnimit died of congestive heart failure at Thalang Hospital on Sunday night at the age of 78.As head of Phuket’s provincial monastic council, Phra Ratchakiti Soonthorn was Phuket’s highest-ranking Buddhist cleric at the time of his death.Born as Sommart Kinkaew, the Phuket native entered the monkhood at the age of 22, when…
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Outrigger to operate West Sands resort
MAI KHAO: Lifestyle-property developer and management company Outrigger Enterprises Group announced on Thursday that it will manage West Sands Resort, Phuket, a mixed-use luxury resort and residential development currently under construction by Central & City Developments at Mai Khao Beach.West Sands is seen by Outrigger Enterprises as a showcase resort as the company moves to establish a strong presence in…
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Missing monk found dead in PSU lagoon
KATHU: Police are treating as a case of accidental drowning the death of a monk whose body was found in a pond at the Phuket campus of Prince of Songkla University on Sunday.Maj Passakorn Sonthikun of the Tung Tong Police identified the monk as Phra Thawat Theerawiniyo.The body of the 29-year-old monk, originally from Nongkhai province, was discovered by a…
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Blues Fest rocks Karon
KARON: Blues fans were treated to a lineup of local and international acts last night at the first night of the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa. Gates opened at 6 pm and the crowd slowly swelled as the acts played late into the night. Bangkok-based Soi Dog Blues Band were the first…
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Young love ends in ya bah bust
PHUKET CITY: A Muang District special operations unit arrested a pair of young lovers and seized 697 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills in a sting operation early this morning.The arrests were announced by Phuket Vice Governor Worapoj Ratthasima and Muang District Chief Wisit Kurattanavej at a press conference at Muang District Office at 9:30 this morning.The couple were identified as Nakhon…
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Holdout halts Rawai road project
RAWAI: The incomplete section of Wiset Rd near Soi Romjai [in Thai, Soi Ruamjai] remains unfinished because the owner of the land refuses to sell, Saroj Suvinchai, director of the Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) has told the Gazette.Repeated attempts by the PPHO to buy the land, measuring 20 meters by five meters, have failed, K. Saroj said, adding that…
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Runaway truck causes Patong Hill pileup
KATHU: Tailbacks several miles long streamed from both sides of Patong Hill yesterday evening after a broken-down truck rolled backwards, setting off a chain reaction smash-up that left five cars and a motorbike damaged.Maj Passakorn Sonthikun of Tung Tong Police in Kathu said, “About 5 pm, a six-wheeled truck broke down halfway up the hill on its way to Patong.…
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Three coastal projects denied building permits
PHUKET: The Provincial Natural Resources and Environment (PNRE) committee chaired by Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima has denied building permits for three marine projects, citing Interior Ministry regulations prohibiting such construction in six tambons.Declined were an application from Trisara resort developer Three Dolphins Co Ltd to build a wharf in Cherng Talay for boats under 20 tons displacement; an application for a floating…
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Phummisak appointed to Senate
PHUKET: Former Phuket City Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok has been named by the Election Commission (EC) in Bangkok as one of 74 appointed senators who will serve in the 150-member upper house, the EC announced yesterday.The new Senate will convene after the March 2 election for the other 76 seats. While the elected 76 senators will serve a six-year term, the selected…
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When is a Rooney not a Rooney?
PATONG: Following the Gazette‘s report “Wayne Rooney arrested in Patong“, in which an Englishman was involved in an accident in which a Thai motorcyclist died on Sunday, police have now confirmed that the Englishman’s name is Wayne Robert Washbourn. The Englishman was initially named by Lt Col Serm Kwannimit of Kathu Police as Wayne Rooney, the same name as the…
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Tanked-up tiger taming leads to trauma
AYUDHAYA: Taming big cats, whether they are lions or tigers, generally requires a long period of dedicated training – and no small amount of skill and courage. After a drinking session recently, one man in Ayudaya Province persuaded his zoo-keeper friend to let him have a go at taming a large tiger – with sadly predictable results. Prasert Yomprakong, originally…
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SIPA called in to track visiting yachts
PHUKET CITY: In the name of better security, the Phuket office of the Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) has been given until the end of April to develop a device that allows Thai authorities to track yachts visiting Thai waters.The proposal was announced on Thursday at a meeting of a special committee formed to review security, Customs and Immigration procedures…
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Englishman arrested in Patong
PATONG: An Englishman has been charged with careless driving causing death after being involved in an accident at the southern end of Patong on Sunday afternoon in which a Thai motorcyclist died.Lt Col Serm Kwannimit of Kathu Police today told the Gazette that Wayne Robert Washbourn*, 38, was driving a pickup truck from Patong to Karon and had just turned…
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German death-plunge treated as “suicide’
PATONG: In what police are treating as a case of suicide, a German man fell to his death from the 20th floor of the Royal Paradise Hotel yesterday morning.Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnark identified the man as Alexander Staubl, 35.Police received a report of the death from hotel staff about 11 am. Mr Staubl’s body was found dressed in…
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Sea gypsies petition Governor over violence – again
PHUKET: Villagers from the Rawai sea gypsy community have once again petitioned Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, saying that their safety and way of life continues to be threatened by the bullying tactics of some tourism business operators.On Thursday, 10 sea gypsies led by Niran Yangpan submitted a formal letter of complaint addressed to Governor Niran and the Damrongtham Center at…
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150 couples take the plunge on Valentine’s Day
PHUKET: Many couples registered their marriages yesterday, Valentine’s Day, with added incentive of the island’s three District Offices offering gifts to newlyweds, including passes to Phuket FantaSea, stays at hotels and resorts and dinners at restaurants on the island.However, the figure was down compared with last year, when 202 couples wed on the international day of love.As expected, florists have…
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American extradited on child molestation charges
PHUKET (Gazette, Nation, Kom Chad Luek): A man wanted for child molestation by police in the US state of Missouri was arrested Tuesday afternoon and has been turned over to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for extradition.During questioning, the suspect, Earl Russel Bonds, tried to kill himself by cutting his left wrist with scissors, but police seized the…
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Boat explodes, sinks at Boat Lagoon
KOH KAEW: Two Thai men are being treated for serious burns in the intensive-care unit (ICU) at Vachira Phuket Hospital after the speedboat they were working on exploded at the Boat Lagoon about 11:30 am today.Eyewitness Pisek Manasit told the Gazette that the gas tank on board the 35-foot fiberglass speedboat Sakila 6 caught fire and exploded within minutes.“The fire started…
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Young writers set to jet to Dublin
BANGKOK (Nation): The winners of the 4th Annual Junior IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards for Thailand were announced yesterday.The writing competition theme, “If We Could Change the World” proved challenging enough to attract entries from almost 1,000 students throughout country.The competition was open to Thai students between 14 and 18 from Thailand’s four main regions – North, Northeast, South and Bangkok/Central.…
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Danish tourist believed murdered: police
PATONG: Kathu Police are now treating as a murder case the death of Danish tourist Henrik Rasmussen, 47, whose body was discovered in a canal behind the Royal Paradise Hotel on February 7.Citing information from doctors at Patong Hospital who examined the body, Kathu Police Investigations Inspector Pol Capt Pratuang Pholmana told the Gazette he now believes Mr Rasmussen died…
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Seaplanes ordered to land further from Patong shore
PHUKET: Phuket Vice-Governor Smith Palawatvichai this morning confirmed that Destination Air has been ordered to land its seaplanes further from the shore at Patong Bay. “After flying with Destination Air, I can now understand the noise problem, even though the planes require only about one-and-a-half minutes to take off. “The planes should not disturb the tourists on Patong Beach much, but they still…
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