Year: 2000

  • Phuket NewsInterpol to be contacted over murder suspect | Thaiger

    Interpol to be contacted over murder suspect

    KAMALA: Police have applied to the Governor of Phuket for an arrest warrant for Walter Ober Lener, 39, who is wanted in connection with the November 13 murder of his 21-year-old Thai girlfriend, Waraporn Tawaetwong. “The Chief of Kathu District has sent a request to the Governor which, once signed, will authorize us to notify Interpol that Lener is a…

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  • Phuket News40 illegals, 5 employers netted in crackdown | Thaiger

    40 illegals, 5 employers netted in crackdown

    PHUKET: About 40 illegal workers and five people employing them have been arrested since a crackdown on illegal labor began last Friday. Vowing to continue to arrest illegal workers and their employers, Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday noted, “There are people who do not agree with me for cracking down. “I have even heard that some employers may raise a…

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  • Phuket NewsKing’s Cup sees better conditions on Day 2 | Thaiger

    King’s Cup sees better conditions on Day 2

    KATA: After a first day’s racing that ended with no results in most classes thanks to lack of wind, yesterday’s King’s Cup racing saw better conditions. An enthusiastic start to the Boathouse-QBE race saw a collision on the start line between Mats Johansson’s Diah Tantri and Rodney Cran’s Slice of Heaven in the Performance Cruising class, which cost the former…

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  • Phuket NewsS & P maintains ratings, outlook for Thailand | Thaiger

    S & P maintains ratings, outlook for Thailand

    NEW YORK (AFP): U.S. ratings agency Standard and Poor’s yesterday announced that it has maintained all its credit ratings on Thailand and that its outlook on the country remains stable. The agency predicted no change in Thailand’s general economic policy and reform efforts following national elections on January 6. But it also warned that ratings could weaken if the pace…

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  • Phuket NewsRoad accident figures improving | Thaiger

    Road accident figures improving

    PHUKET: A total of 855 people were killed or injured in traffic accidents between September 20 and October 20, according to statistics from the Wachira, Thalang and Patong government hospitals. Of the 12 fatalities during the period, nine involved motorcycles while the remaining three involved cars. The death rate was lower than the average per month for the year to…

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  • Phuket NewsSecond singer kills herself | Thaiger

    Second singer kills herself

    PHUKET TOWN: Kannika Chuaynuphap, 23, a singer from Phattalung, killed herself on Saturday by hanging herself with a sarong from the bars across a window of the room she rented on Wichitsongkram Rd. She was the second singer to commit suicide in Phuket in the space of 48 hours. A friend who found the body told police that she had…

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  • Phuket NewsSinger commits suicide | Thaiger

    Singer commits suicide

    PHUKET TOWN: A singer was found on Thursday hanging from a beam behind the room she rented on Soi Bornam in Tambon Taladyai. Chanpen Srirat, 26, a native of Phang Nga, left a note saying that she had been living with a baldheaded pimp who had spent all her savings. She had no money to pay the rent, the note…

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  • Phuket NewsAnother murder in fishing port | Thaiger

    Another murder in fishing port

    PHUKET TOWN: A man believed to have been a Burmese fisherman was found murdered near the fishing port yesterday morning. This was the second such murder in the space of 24 hours, and the 13th in or around the fishing port this year. Pol Maj Adul Nirapai of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that the man, as yet…

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  • Phuket NewsMass reburial of unclaimed bodies planned | Thaiger

    Mass reburial of unclaimed bodies planned

    PHUKET: The Kusonlatham Foundation has announced that it will exhume and rebury some 2,000 unclaimed bodies between February 7 and March 27 next year. This will be the fourth time that unclaimed bodies in Phuket have been reburied. The first time was in 1976 and the most recent was in July 1989. About half of the corpses involved in the…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket tops list for AIDS in pregnant women | Thaiger

    Phuket tops list for AIDS in pregnant women

    PHUKET: The island has Thailand’s highest rate of HIV infection in pregnant women, the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office, Dr Boonrieng Chuchaisangrat, has revealed. He said that of every 100 woman going to the province’s hospitals for pre-natal care or to give birth, four test positive for the deadly disease. Dr Boonrieng stressed that all government departments should…

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  • Phuket NewsDonations sought for flood victims | Thaiger

    Donations sought for flood victims

    PHUKET TOWN: The Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel has joined with TV’s Channel 7 to collect donations for the victims of Southern Thailand’s recent floods, which left thousands homeless. Juejan Panvickarn, PR manager of the hotel, told the Gazette that no money will be accepted. “People hit by the disastrous flooding need immediate help in the form of canned food, clothes…

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  • Phuket NewsHotels lose battle to stop tax | Thaiger

    Hotels lose battle to stop tax

    PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has finally won its battle to introduce a tax on hotel room revenue. The tax is payable at a rate of 0.2%, effective November 1 this year. The announcement was made yesterday at The Metropole hotel in Phuket Town by senior members of the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA), the Thai Hotels Association –…

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  • Cannabis NewsPolice crack down on pubs | Thaiger

    Police crack down on pubs

    PHUKET TOWN: In the run-up to national elections, Phuket Town police have been cracking down on errant entertainment venues. In a series of raids in the town between Monday and Thursday last week, establishments known for ignoring opening and licensing laws were targeted, resulting in 18 pubs and restaurants being charged with a variety of offenses. Boopachon Pub, Sip Tam…

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  • Phuket NewsThree Germans arrested on paedophile, theft charges | Thaiger

    Three Germans arrested on paedophile, theft charges

    BANGKOK (AFP): Three German fugitives, wanted on a range of serious charges including child rape, theft and murder, have been arrested at the seaside resort of Pattaya, police said this afternoon. Thai immigration police said the three men were detained separately over the weekend. Jahn Robert, 37, faces two paedophile charges after attacks on children in Munich. Heinz-Peter Ohlenschlager, 52,…

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  • Phuket NewsPrison cancels Open Days | Thaiger

    Prison cancels Open Days

    PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Prison has canceled its Open Days, scheduled to take place between December 2 and 8, following the breakout and hostage drama at Samut Sakhon prison last week. Pairoj Pankaew, chief of the prison, told the Gazette today that he had received instructions from the director of the Region 8 Prison Service, in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, that Open…

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  • Phuket NewsSenior policeman dies after car smash | Thaiger

    Senior policeman dies after car smash

    PHUKET: Pol Lt Col Kamtorn Preecha, Deputy Superintendent of the Tai Muang Police Station in Phnag Nga province, died in a car accident in Phuket early Saturday morning, while on his way home from a party given by the Phuket police. Lt Col Kamtorn’s Honda CRV smashed into a coconut tree near the Ta Chat Chai police checkpoint on Thepkrasattri…

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  • Phuket NewsAirport passenger figures rise | Thaiger

    Airport passenger figures rise

    PHUKET: Passenger throughput at Phuket International Airport in October was up by 8.07% compared with the same month last year, according to figures just released by airport officials. The number of people arriving or departing on domestic flights rose by 3.17% to 184,210, while 98,852 people used the airport for international flights, representing an 18.55% increase. Cargo shipments, however, fell…

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  • Phuket NewsCyberport meeting identifies challenges | Thaiger

    Cyberport meeting identifies challenges

    PHUKET TOWN: Experts who gathered on Thursday in Phuket all agreed that the island has the potential to be a “cyberport” — a center for information technology — but that it still has challenges that need to be met. “We still need to address three important factors,” said Prof Dr Pairash Thajchayapong, president of the National Science and Technology Development…

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  • Phuket NewsGovernor backs IBAP | Thaiger

    Governor backs IBAP

    PHUKET TOWN: At a meeting also attended by the Senator for Phuket, Paiboon Upatising, Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi today gave his support to the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP). The Governor said that he could see IBAP’s potential as a forum in which Thais and foreigners could work together to come up with new ideas to benefit society. Also…

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  • Phuket NewsTough ‘B’ visa rules introduced in Penang | Thaiger

    Tough ‘B’ visa rules introduced in Penang

    PENANG: In the beginning there was light. Then there was darkness. First, in September, the Thai Consulate in Penang introduced 12-month, multiple-entry non-immigrant B visas. Then, with effect from this month, the consulate began demanding a pile of paperwork, some of it consisting of copies of highly confidential company documents. According to an announcement issued by the consulate to any…

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  • Phuket NewsLocal investment at centre of IBAP meeting | Thaiger

    Local investment at centre of IBAP meeting

    PHUKET TOWN: At a public meeting tomorrow, (November 24), Phuket Senator Paiboon Upatising and Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi will join local business leaders to hear the views of a distinguished economist and a cyber-expert about the future of investment in Phuket. Addressing a meeting of the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP) will be Chulalongkorn University lecturer Thitinan Pongsudhirak and…

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  • Phuket NewsHostage-takers die in hail of gunfire | Thaiger

    Hostage-takers die in hail of gunfire

    KANCHANABURI (AFP): Thai security forces today shot and killed a band of nine Burmese who had held a jail governor and two other prison staff captive overnight, police said. The governor, his deputy and a policeman were injured in the rescue attempt and had been taken to hospital for treatment, officials said. “The prison governor is seriously injured. He is…

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  • Phuket NewsEight Burmese in jail-break hostage drama | Thaiger

    Eight Burmese in jail-break hostage drama

    SAMUT SAKHON (AFP): Eight armed Burmese prisoners holding the jail governor and six of his staff hostage have broken through the gates of the prison here and driven outside the compound in a pick-up truck, police said this afternoon. Provincial police chief Major General Surasri Sunthornsarathoon said negotiators were now trying to win the release of the hostages, two of…

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  • Phuket NewsLoch Palm murder victim “not Thai’ | Thaiger

    Loch Palm murder victim “not Thai’

    TUNG TONG: The police, continuing their investigation into the murder of an unidentified woman found near the Loch Palm Golf Club on October 6, have decided that she was probably not Thai. “I think the victim could not have been Thai because the clothes, bra and bikini that she wore were cheap. I’m certain she bought [her clothes] from the…

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  • Phuket NewsDeath of jet-ski operator solved | Thaiger

    Death of jet-ski operator solved

    PATONG: The mystery of the jet-ski operator found dead on the rocks below Nakalay viewpoint on November 10 has been solved. In a confession to police, Kwanchai “Dum” Chookum admitted that he had caused the death of Boonsung Wassana, 26, but said that he had done so accidentally. Pol Capt Ardinan Benjasamai from Kathu police station said that Dum had…

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  • Phuket NewsPolice issue warning over gambling gang | Thaiger

    Police issue warning over gambling gang

    KATA: Police have issued a warning to the public to be on the lookout for a gang of Thai con artists who use a combination of flattery, threats, insults and drugged drinks to separate people from their money. The warning came after Narumon “Mai” Busaphanag, 34, from Bangkok, reported to police that the gang had subjected her to a five-hour…

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  • Phuket NewsThai team wins sportfishing contest | Thaiger

    Thai team wins sportfishing contest

    PATONG: Hong Tong, a team of Thai anglers, won the top award in this year’s Phuket International Sportfishing Classic competition. Second place went to Oily Reelers, a team with members from Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the USA. The award for top captain and crew went to the boat “Andaman Hooker”. The winner of the Lady Angler Trophy was Toola…

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  • Phuket NewsInternational hunt for murder suspect | Thaiger

    International hunt for murder suspect

    KAMALA: Police are trying to track down a German national, 39-year-old Walter Ober Lener, who is wanted in connection with the murder of his 21-year-old Thai girlfriend, Waraporn Tawaetwong, on Monday. The hunt began after K. Waraporn’s body was found yesterday afternoon in the house she shared with Lener. Her neck had been broken and she had been sexually mutilated.…

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  • Phuket NewsFrench deputy mayor killed in bike smash | Thaiger

    French deputy mayor killed in bike smash

    PATONG: A deputy mayor of the French ski resort of Chamonix died in a motorcycle accident in front of Phuket Simon Cabaret early yesterday morning. Pol Maj Pisit Cheanpeth of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that at around 2.30 am, the man, whom he named as Jean-François Girod, aged about 38-40, crashed his rented motorbike into a culvert at…

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  • Phuket NewsPoliceman murdered on bypass road | Thaiger

    Policeman murdered on bypass road

    PHUKET TOWN: Pol L/Cpl Piyanut Singkaew, 31, of Phuket Town Police Station, was found murdered late last night opposite a deserted building on the bypass road, about 200 meters past the Gems Gallery. Responding to a call at 11 pm, police found the victim lying face down beside the road. He had been shot seven times with a 9mm pistol,…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Rugby Sevens canceled | Thaiger

    Phuket Rugby Sevens canceled

    PHUKET TOWN: It was announced yesterday that this year’s Phuket International Rugby Sevens tournament has been canceled. The announcement came just 10 days before the tournament was due to start. The Thai Rugby Union (TRU) blamed the cancellation on a 2-million-baht shortfall in sponsorship. No hint of these problems was given in the last meeting between organizers and sponsors, held…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket to crack down on illegal workers | Thaiger

    Phuket to crack down on illegal workers

    PHUKET TOWN: Phuket’s Governor, Pongpayome Vasaputi, has warned that illegal Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian workers – and those who employ them – will be singled out in a crackdown starting December 1. The proposed crackdown follows a cabinet meeting on August 29 at which a limit was set of 5,308 work permits for Laotian, Burmese and Cambodian workers in Phuket.…

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  • Phuket News

    Four held for trying to rob currency exchange firm

    PHUKET TOWN: Four men who had lost money gambling decided on Saturday to take an even bigger gamble – they held up a currency exchange company. But their luck was still bad. They came away empty-handed and were nabbed soon afterwards by police. The four, identified by police as Jaroen Sakjapitak, 42, from Sakhon Nakhon, Jantai Singkam, 34, from Loei,…

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  • Phuket NewsPolice suspect murder in death of jet-ski operator | Thaiger

    Police suspect murder in death of jet-ski operator

    PATONG: The body of a Thai jet-ski operator was found near the Nakalay viewpoint, near the Thavorn Beach Village Hotel, on Friday afternoon. Although the cause of death has yet to be established, the police are treating it as murder. Local fisherman, who had noticed a foul smell, discovered the body on the rocks 20 meters below the Nakalay viewpoint…

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  • Phuket NewsMonk hacked to death with axe | Thaiger

    Monk hacked to death with axe

    PAK THO (AFP): The continuing scandals in the Thai clergy took a gruesome turn on Wednesday with the discovery of the body of a 37-year-old monk who had been hacked to death with an axe in a temple near the western Thailand border. Police said today that the body of Phra Ko Muang, who was originally from Burma, was found…

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  • Phuket NewsWarning over fake 500-baht notes | Thaiger

    Warning over fake 500-baht notes

    PHUKET: The Bank of Thailand has issued a statement advising banks and the public on how to identify forged 500-baht notes currently circulating in Thailand. “The counterfeit notes are printed on thinner paper [than the real ones] and the surface of the paper is more slippery than genuine notes,” explained Boonserm Jitsamreang, the marketing officer of Bank of Asia, Phuket…

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  • Phuket NewsLocal student wins speech contest | Thaiger

    Local student wins speech contest

    KATHU: Twenty-one-year-old Philippe Berthe, a first-year hotel and tourism management student at Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus (PSU), won the first round of the National Speech Contest held at PSU on Wednesday. Mr Berthe, whose father is French and whose mother is Thai, was born in Phuket. The runner-up was Siwaporn Arjariya, a second-year student at Walailak University, Nakhorn…

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