Month: October 2003

  • Phuket NewsKarma raid suspects out on bail

    Karma raid suspects out on bail

    PHUKET: The three people arrested in Sunday morning’s raid on the Karma Lounge Music CafĂ© in Karon have been released on bail. One of those charged, Reinhard Haiber, spoke with the Gazette, and confirmed that both he and his girlfriend, Tassanee “Lek” Pompasa, were released yesterday after posting bail of 200,000 baht each. Haiber said that the American arrested in…

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  • Phuket NewsExpo center to be built at Saphan Hin | Thaiger

    Expo center to be built at Saphan Hin

    PHUKET: Phuket’s International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) will be built on land reclaimed from the sea off Saphan Hin, a site favored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) but opposed by many island residents. The controversial decision is understood to have been made yesterday when Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak met with the TAT Governor Juthamas Siriwan, Phuket…

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  • Cannabis NewsThree held after Karma Lounge drug raid

    Three held after Karma Lounge drug raid

    KARON: The Karma Lounge Music CafĂ© in Karon is likely to be closed after police raiding the place allegedly found the illegal drugs Ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and marijuana there, as well as a lesbian sex show underway, Governor CEO Udomsak Usawarangkura said. Police carried out the raid at 2:30 am on Sunday and said they seized a gram of cocaine,…

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  • Phuket NewsRawai houses flooded, crops destroyed | Thaiger

    Rawai houses flooded, crops destroyed

    RAWAI: Incessant rain has left homeowners parts of Rawai scrambling to sandbag their houses while farmers scurry to save what crops they can. Prakaikhum Jeepukhum, 43, who has a 1.5-rai vegetable farm near Mimmi’s restaurant, on Saiyuan Rd, said that she had lost nearly her entire crop and that her husband and local villagers scrambled to sandbag their property line.…

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  • Phuket NewsAlleged murder masterminds get bail

    Alleged murder masterminds get bail

    PHUKET TOWN: Murder suspects Wipa Jantong and her husband Sompong Jantong, charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the May 5 slaying of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat, were released from the Phuket Provincial Court Prison on Friday after posting bail of 1.5 million baht each. The couple were arrested on October 1 in front of the offices of the Phuket…

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  • Phuket NewsOffshore oil plan causes alarm

    Offshore oil plan causes alarm

    KARON : A plan to unload large quantities of crude oil in the open sea north of Phuket and store it in Phang Nga has brought expressions of concern from Pamuke Achariyachai, Chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, at a meeting with senior government ministers over the weekend. But his objections may be too late. “We are afraid of…

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  • Phuket NewsPatong faces anti-drugs “X-ray’ | Thaiger

    Patong faces anti-drugs “X-ray’

    KATHU: Patong will come under “X-ray” scrutiny in the government’s current campaign to eliminate drugs, Phuket Governor CEO Udomsak Usawarangura said yesterday. Speaking at an anti-drugs concert at the Kathu District Office, the Governor said, “Phuket is moving to get rid of the 5% left [of people involved in drugs]. The marked area is Patong, where we must strictly ‘re-X-ray’.…

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  • Phuket NewsFlooding swamps Phuket Town | Thaiger

    Flooding swamps Phuket Town

    PHUKET TOWN: More torrential rain overnight triggered landslips and flooding that has left many streets in Phuket Town looking like rivers, with gridlock being the order of the day. Cleaning up and making repairs will cost 50 million baht in municipal funds, new Governor CEO Udomsak Usawarangkura said this morning. The latest downpour topped up a wild and wet start…

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  • Phuket NewsAll go for green in Phuket Town | Thaiger

    All go for green in Phuket Town

    PHUKET TOWN: A range of projects announced yesterday by Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok will add more green to the center of town. The projects include a nine-rai park, a huge canopy to cover Lan Nawamin Square, and three high-tech traffic lights to be fitted at major junctions on Mae Luan Rd. The park, already under construction on the site…

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  • Koh Samui NewsDulwich mulls opening school on Samui | Thaiger

    Dulwich mulls opening school on Samui

    KOH SAMUI: Dulwich International College (DIC) may open its doors on Koh Samui following a recent decision by the college’s governing body to go ahead with a feasibility study. “The study will, we hope, provide the evidence to support such a venture. The initial response from all parties has been overwhelmingly [favorable],” said DIC Headmaster, David Cook. If the study…

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  • Phuket NewsFour arrested for double homicide

    Four arrested for double homicide

    THALANG: Four people have been arrested in connection with the May 5 shooting murders of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat, 67-year-old parents of Thepkrasattri Mayor Prasong Trairat, at their shophouse home in Thalang. One more suspect, identified as the shooter, remains at-large. According to police sources, the hit on the elderly couple was carried out by a team of three hired…

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  • Phuket NewsThird bus route under consideration | Thaiger

    Third bus route under consideration

    PHUKET TOWN: The town’s bus service may be expanded to include a third route, it was announced yesterday. The announcement followed the signing of a one-year extension of the contract between Andaman Trans (Thailand) and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) to manage the OrBorJor‘s bus company. OrBorJor Deputy President Samroeng Chaisorn told the Gazette, “The bus service is going…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket masseuses get hands-on training | Thaiger

    Phuket masseuses get hands-on training

    PHUKET TOWN: Practitioners of traditional Thai massage are getting some hands-on training this week, thanks to a workshop sponsored by the Department of Skill Development [DSD] and the Royal Spa and Health Club. The training, being held October 2-6 on the 2nd floor of the Big C Supercenter, is intended to improve the skills and professionalism of the island’s masseuses.…

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  • Phuket NewsWarning over forged Immigration stamps

    Warning over forged Immigration stamps

    PHUKET: The Superintendent of the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office, Pol Col Sayan Krasaesan, has warned foreigners not to use the services of companies or individuals offering immigration services. His warning comes after 12 foreigners were arrested at Sadao Immigration office and others in Bangkok for having forged entry stamps in their passports. The foreigners, including British, New Zealand and French…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket flooded in wet season washout

    Phuket flooded in wet season washout

    PHUKET: Torrential rain throughout the morning left houses on the island knee-deep in floodwater, blocked major roads, caused landslides and turned much of Phuket Town into a giant traffic jam. Metha Mekarat, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), told the Gazette that he had received reports that 18 bungalows on low-lying land in Soi Tanod,…

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  • Phuket NewsNew Gov aims for transparent administration | Thaiger

    New Gov aims for transparent administration

    PHUKET TOWN: Transparency in government and sorting out Phuket Town’s traffic congestion were the issues that the island’s new Governor CEO, Udomsak Usawarangkura, chose to highlight on his first day in office yesterday. Phuket needs to involve locals and visitors in an open style of government, and to ensure the safety of the four million overseas tourists who visit each…

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  • Phuket NewsUnderground lottery kingpins busted | Thaiger

    Underground lottery kingpins busted

    PHUKET TOWN: On his first day on the job, newly-installed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic held a press conference to announce the arrest of two women who were allegedly running an underground lottery operation. The statement was made jointly with Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of the Phuket Town Police. The first suspect was identified as Bunruen…

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  • Cannabis NewsPolice struggle to hit arrests target | Thaiger

    Police struggle to hit arrests target

    PHUKET: Official police statistics show that during the period from September 1 to 25, two murders were reported with no arrests made, two attempted murders with one arrest, two cases of manslaughter with one arrest, and one rape was reported with one arrest made. There were also 15 cases of assault reported, with seven arrests made. Also during September, 24…

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