Month: February 2002

  • Phuket News207 arrested in labor crackdown | Thaiger

    207 arrested in labor crackdown

    PHUKET TOWN: More than 200 Burmese have been arrested this week by the Phuket Immigration Police as part of national crackdown on illegal workers launched on February 10. Pol Maj Gen Ukrit Phatchimsawas, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), visited officers at the Phuket Immigration Office today to check on local progress in the…

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  • Phuket NewsGambling again leads arrest stats | Thaiger

    Gambling again leads arrest stats

    PHUKET: Gambling once again topped the arrest statistics this month, with 176 people caught in 82 raids. However, police statistics show that the arrests for illegal gambling between February 1 and 24 were down from the same period in January, when 193 people were arrested in 113 raids. The police also arrested 139 people for drug-related offences, down slightly from…

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  • Phuket NewsProbe promised on illegal fishing

    Probe promised on illegal fishing

    KRABI: A senior official of the Koh Lanta National Park has promised swift action over photographic evidence of fishing at the protected Hin Daeng reef 10 days ago. Hin Daeng was recently also the target of dynamite fishing, with considerable destruction of its famed coral and marine life. The photographs, copies of which were passed to the Gazette, were originally…

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  • Phuket News“Behave yourselves today,’ citizens told | Thaiger

    “Behave yourselves today,’ citizens told

    BANGKOK (AFP): Police enforcing Thaliand’s “social order” campaign aimed at curbing drugs and sleaze, today urged citizens to be on their best behavior to mark Makha Bucha Day. Pol Maj Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen told reporters that officers nationwide would strictly monitor entertainment venues for any activity that violated the spirit of the Buddhist festival. “We ask all entertainment venue owners…

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  • Phuket NewsGovt steps back from fight with FEER | Thaiger

    Govt steps back from fight with FEER

    BANGKOK (AFP): The government today demanded that the Hong Kong-based current affairs magazine, the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), apologize for an article published in January, or face the expulsion of its two Bangkok-based journalists. FEER’s Rodney Tasker and Shawn Crispin have lodged an appeal against deportation orders served at the weekend, after they were named on Friday in an…

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  • Phuket NewsWoman arrested over protected fish | Thaiger

    Woman arrested over protected fish

    RAWAI: Phuket Marine Police today arrested a woman for being in possession of protected fish with the intent to ship them to Bangkok for sale. Acting on a tip-off, officers arrested Ammarin Sailuenam, 27, in a raid at about 3:30 pm. They found about 500 fish belonging to protected species in tanks in the back of the house in Moo…

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  • Phuket NewsGreen light for walking street project | Thaiger

    Green light for walking street project

    PHUKET TOWN: Thalang Rd will become a regular “walking street” between 1 pm and 11 pm on Sundays, starting from April 7. The first seven Sundays will have a “Seven Wonders” theme to attract Thais and foreigners with special activities in one of Phuket Town’s oldest and best-known streets. Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok met today with municipal officers and…

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  • Phuket NewsBars urged to close on Tuesday | Thaiger

    Bars urged to close on Tuesday

    PHUKET: Interior Minister Purachai Piemsomboon has ordered all Governors to urge bars and nightclubs to close on Tuesday, and to request businesses in their provinces to refrain from selling alcohol between noon and midnight on that day. Tuesday is Makha Bucha Day, commemorating the Patimoke Sermon by the Buddha and the first occasion on which a Buddhist monk attained Nirvana.…

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  • Phuket NewsWoman fined for seeking donations | Thaiger

    Woman fined for seeking donations

    PATONG: A 57-year-old Ukranian woman has been fined 100 baht for soliciting donations from tourists without permission. Police said the woman, whom they named as Nipa Vira Panchuk, had been seeking donations for a religious organization, and told them she did not realize permission was required. Pol Lt Serm Kwannimit, of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that other foreigners…

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  • Phuket NewsThree accused of B1.9m fraud | Thaiger

    Three accused of B1.9m fraud

    PHUKET TOWN: The manager of the high-end Prangtong Village housing estate on Kwang Rd, along with two others, has been arrested for misappropriating 1.9 million baht from the estate’s developer. Police named them as Nopparat Tongton, 53, the Manager of Prangtong Village, his wife, Jaruwan Tongton, 56, and his clerk, Arunrat Sa-ngeam, 33. Nopparat is the nephew of Tanakij Tongton,…

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  • Phuket NewsAAT warns of Phuket flight delays | Thaiger

    AAT warns of Phuket flight delays

    PHUKET: The Airports Authority of Thailand (AAT) advised today that, because of increased security, outbound international passengers should make sure they allow three hours to clear processing at Phuket Airport. In some cases, flights have been delayed because tourists – or their agents and guides – have failed to allow enough time for clearing security, customs and immigration. The AAT…

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  • Phuket NewsPM goes walkabout in Patong | Thaiger

    PM goes walkabout in Patong

    PATONG: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra went walking in Patong this afternoon to view its problems first-hand, and later said that the environment, garbage disposal, land encroachment and public transportation were the main issues facing Phuket. He met and talked with tourists and Thais on the beach. At one point, Patong’s ex-mayor, Pian Keesin, approached the PM and gave him a…

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  • Phuket NewsASEAN pledges joint action on terrorism | Thaiger

    ASEAN pledges joint action on terrorism

    PHUKET (AFP): Southeast Asian ministers today pledged a “new era” of cooperation against the global terrorist threat, with plans to link efforts to combat militancy and promote the region as a safe place for tourists and investors. At an informal retreat at the Amanpuri resort, the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers moved to counter a growing…

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  • Phuket NewsStaff believe Shark will reopen | Thaiger

    Staff believe Shark will reopen

    PATONG: Loyal Shark Club staff still camping outside the darkened disco in protest over its closure expect the club will eventually reopen, one of their leaders told the Gazette today. The staff also hope that expelled Canadian manager-shareholder Kevin Radke will return to run the business. The club’s Chief Engineer, Sayan Ongvimonkarn, told the Gazette that he believed the closure…

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  • Phuket NewsPolice nab naked man | Thaiger

    Police nab naked man

    KATHU: Police found a man wandering naked in Kathu about 11 o’clock last night and held him at Thung Thong Sub-District Police Station until his wife arrived to pick him up. Police named the man as Andrew Tang, 31, a Chinese-American. His wife told officers that her husband had a mental condition. She added that credit cards, cash and two…

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  • Phuket NewsKnife-death bouncer surrenders | Thaiger

    Knife-death bouncer surrenders

    CHALONG: A bouncer wanted for stabbing a man to death in a brawl in Kata Center on January 20 has turned himself in, police said today. Tanakrit “Bud Easy” Taweesaman allegedly knifed Chaiwut Yodkaew after an altercation near where Tanakrit worked at the Easy Rider pub on Tina Rd. (See also https://thethaiger.com/news/index.asp?Id=1872 .) Police Col Sati Malakanond, Superintendent of Chalong…

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  • Phuket NewsPM to make lightning tour of Phuket | Thaiger

    PM to make lightning tour of Phuket

    PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives in Phuket tomorrow afternoon for a lightning tour that will take in Phuket Town, Patong and the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ retreat at Amanpuri. The PM’s schedule is as follows: * 1:30 pm – Arrival at Phuket International Airport and then by car to Pa Khlok; * 1:50 pm – Visit “One Tambon, One Product”…

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  • Phuket NewsBus service “to start April 1′

    Bus service “to start April 1′

    PHUKET TOWN: The island’s first public buses will arrive on March 20, and full regular services will begin on April 1, the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) announced today. The announcement was made at the formal signing of an agreement between the OrBorJor and Bangkok-based Thonburi Automotive Assembly, which will build and rent 12 buses to the OrBorJor. Wisut Santikun,…

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  • Phuket NewsCountry singer’s crew in bad smash | Thaiger

    Country singer’s crew in bad smash

    PHUKET: Four members of the road crew supporting country music star Got Jakraphan were seriously hurt in the early hours of yesterday morning when their 10-wheel truck overturned on the bend next to Pop Cottage in Kata after the brakes failed. While visiting the injured men at Wachira Phuket Hospital, Got told the Gazette, “I’m currently on tour around the…

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  • Phuket NewsShark Club boss kicked out of Thailand | Thaiger

    Shark Club boss kicked out of Thailand

    PATONG: Kevin Radke, manager-shareholder of Patong’s Shark Club, was expelled from Thailand on Friday and was told he will not be allowed back into the country, after authorities decided his activities on the island were in conflict with Thai morals. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Police, told the Gazette that the police cancelled Mr Radke’s visa on…

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  • Phuket NewsPrison drugs check turns up only porn | Thaiger

    Prison drugs check turns up only porn

    PHUKET TOWN: A spot check for narcotics at Phuket Provincial Prison by Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi and other senior officials yesterday drew a blank. All that was found was four pornographic magazines. The inspection team, which included Pol Lt Gen Veerasin Kwanseng, Deputy Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, was organized by Prison Director Tanu Maikaew. Warders at the prison were…

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  • Phuket NewsBurning garbage stinks up Patong | Thaiger

    Burning garbage stinks up Patong

    PATONG: The stench of burning garbage has brought increasing complaints from tourists in Patong – and so far very little appears to have been done to fix the problem. Wolfgang Meusburger, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Resort, told the Gazette today that his guests had been complaining since December about the trash being burned near the Patong Wastewater Treatment…

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  • Phuket NewsAirport throughput still falling | Thaiger

    Airport throughput still falling

    PHUKET: Year-on-year figures for January show a fall of almost 10% in the number of passengers passing through Phuket International Airport. December’s figures were also lower, down by 3.32% compared with December 2000. Travel in and out of Phuket and to most destinations around the world has continued to decline since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.…

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  • Phuket NewsItalian fugitive caught in Patong

    Italian fugitive caught in Patong

    PATONG: Alleged Italian drug trafficker, Massimo Goggi, 47, was arrested by Phuket Immigration Police on Valentine’s Day while walking along Patong Beach. Goggi is wanted in Italy for drug trafficking, and an international warrant was issued for his arrest eight years ago. But it was only 10 days ago that Italian police tracked him down to Phuket and asked local…

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  • Phuket News90 Burmese arrested at Wat Chalong Fair | Thaiger

    90 Burmese arrested at Wat Chalong Fair

    CHALONG: Police arrested 90 Burmese at the Wat Chalong Fair on charges of illegal immigration or violating the 8 pm curfew imposed on Burmese, Cambodian and Laotian laborers. Immigration police, together with police from Chalong, swept into the Wat to make the arrests at around midnight on Wednesday. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Office, said that police…

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  • Phuket NewsAmerican drowns at Nai Harn | Thaiger

    American drowns at Nai Harn

    NAIHARN: American resident John Scott, 55, drowned while swimming at Nai Harn Beach early yesterday afternoon. Pol Capt Teerapol Liamsuwan of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette, “I received a report at 1:30 pm that a foreigner had drowned while swimming at Nai Harn beach. “We reported the death to the US Embassy in Bangkok.” Friend Don Battles told the…

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  • Phuket NewsSecret tape sparks corruption probe | Thaiger

    Secret tape sparks corruption probe

    PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has ordered the Chief of Kathu District to investigate allegations of corruption in the Patong Municipality and has pledged to establish a committee of inquiry if the allegations appear to have foundation. The allegations were made by former mayor Pian Keesin, now in opposition in the Council. On Wednesday, at an extraordinary meeting in the…

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  • Phuket News‘Tired’ Jensen to sell Valhalla | Thaiger

    ‘Tired’ Jensen to sell Valhalla

    PATONG: The owner of V-Plaza on Soi Sunset, better known by its former name, Valhalla, quashed rumors today that he is again in trouble with the authorities. “There’s no problem. No problem at all,” Jan Jensen told the Gazette. Mr Jensen did, however, confirm another rumor that V-Plaza is up for sale, saying that he was “tired of the business”.…

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  • Phuket NewsGuides protest over tour prices | Thaiger

    Guides protest over tour prices

    PHUKET: A group of about 70 Japanese-speaking tour guides protested today to Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi about a tour operator who, they claim, is offering tour prices to Japanese that are lower than officially agreed rates. The guides say that the lower prices are quoted in maps in Japanese, distributed in the restricted area at the airport by tour company…

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  • Phuket NewsPrevention for unwanted Valentine’s gifts | Thaiger

    Prevention for unwanted Valentine’s gifts

    PHUKET TOWN: On a day when love is the traditional gift, the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has been trying to ensure that no one gets an unwanted byproduct of love. The office chose Valentine’s Day to hand out free condoms to gas stations as part of a campaign to curb the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). Phuket Vice Governor…

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  • Phuket NewsWrong-way couple win Valentine’s divorce | Thaiger

    Wrong-way couple win Valentine’s divorce

    PHUKET: One registrar refused to divorce a couple who wanted to split on Valentine’s Day, but another registrar decided that she had to do her duty, so a second couple actually achieved their wish. The Registrar at Muang District Office, Nittaya Chaya-apichart, told the Gazette, “Today is a day of love, so I refused to divorce one couple.” But the…

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  • Phuket NewsAlmost a last meal for prisoner | Thaiger

    Almost a last meal for prisoner

    PATONG: A 50-year-old Finn who was arrested on Wednesday evening for gambling, and then left to sleep off the night’s alcohol consumption in the Patong Police Station lockup, probably thought life could not get much worse. But it did. After the man, named by police as Peter James, was put in the cell, his girlfriend brought him some water, some…

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  • Phuket NewsLove is a 19,000-baht bunch of blossoms | Thaiger

    Love is a 19,000-baht bunch of blossoms

    PHUKET: Valentine’s Day will be marked by smiling lovers and red roses if today’s informal survey of 10 florists by the Gazette proves accurate. But the biggest smile will probably be seen on the face of a woman who receives a bunch of rare black roses from Holland, this year’s most valuable blossoms at 19,000 baht a bunch. Metha Supasri,…

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  • Phuket NewsPileup on Patong Hill | Thaiger

    Pileup on Patong Hill

    PATONG: Police are seeking a bus driver who fled the scene after his vehicle was involved in a collision with a car and a truck on Patong Hill yesterday. The bus, a 24-seater vehicle owned by a Bangkok company, was empty apart for the driver when the crash happened at about 5:15pm, 300 meters west of the Chinese shrine. Pol…

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  • Phuket NewsTourist drowns in hotel pool | Thaiger

    Tourist drowns in hotel pool

    PATONG: Tourists dived to the rescue of a Taiwanese guest who had sunk to the bottom of a hotel swimming pool on Sunday, but were unable to save his life. Wang Jeng Chuan, 31, arrived at the Merlin Beach Hotel on Thaweewong Rd, Patong, on Sunday morning. He was swimming in the hotel pool around 4 pm that day when,…

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  • Phuket NewsUS command ship visits Phuket | Thaiger

    US command ship visits Phuket

    PHUKET: The US Navy’s 7th Fleet command ship, the USS Blue Ridge, arrived here today. While in port, 7th Fleet Commander, V/Adm James Metzger, and his staff will have a series of meetings with Thai military and civilian leaders to discuss regional issues of concern, including the fight against terrorism. They will also discuss holding combined exercises with the Royal…

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  • Phuket NewsOrBorJor denies collapse of bus plan | Thaiger

    OrBorJor denies collapse of bus plan

    PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) today dismissed rumors that plans to launch a local bus service had been scrapped, insisting that bus services will start next month. Wisut Santikun, Deputy President of the OrBorJor and Chairman of the Public Transportation Board, told the Gazette, “The OrBorJor is 100% sure that Phuket will have a bus service this…

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