Year: 2003
- Phuket News
Green-and-purple piddle puzzles police
PHUKET TOWN: A drug-test raid on restaurants and karaoke bars early yesterday morning along Wanich Rd produced 12 positive purple tests – and one new green-and-purple result that police had not seen before. While the 79 people who were tested went about their business as usual today, police puzzled over the unusual sample. “It was quite weird,” said Pol Capt…
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Swedish tourists die in car crash
KARON NOI: Two Swedish tourists died instantly and a third suffered serious head injuries late on Monday night when the jeep they were traveling in ran off the road and hit a tree near the entrance to Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort. Pol Maj Boonlert Onklang, an inspector at Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that the accident happened 200…
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Child wounded as hitmen kill neighbor
PHUKET TOWN: A four-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder as hitmen murdered a man in what police say they suspect was another drug-related execution yesterday afternoon. Bullets hit pig keeper Jaruek Sae Tan, 35, in the chest, chin, back, neck and head and he died outside a no-name restaurant on Chao Fa Nai Rd, behind the Suan Luang Park,…
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B20m revamp for FantaSea
KAMALA: Phuket FantaSea is to spend up to 20 million baht on renovations, new technology and changes to the show as part of a plan to boost the number of visitors this year. Pin Kewpaisal, President of Phuket FantaSea, said on Monday, “We need to do this to ensure that tourists who have seen our show already can come back…
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Last chance for dealers, addicts
PHUKET: Drugs dealers and addicts in Phuket have until Friday to turn themselves in and receive lenient treatment under the province’s amnesty program, part of the national War On Drugs. But from next Saturday (March 1), no mercy will be shown, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi warned yesterday, stressing that, from the end of this month, there will be no more…
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Karaoke singer dies in tin lagoon
PHUKET TOWN: Police hope distinctive tattoos will help to identify a woman whose body was found floating in a disused tin mine lagoon yesterday afternoon. The woman, a karaoke waitress in her early twenties, is believed to have drowned in the tin lagoon behind the old tantalum factory, in a soi off Thepkrasattri Rd, Rassada, after sniffing glue. Pol Lt…
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Paying bills just got easier
PHUKET TOWN: Bangkok-based Counter Services Co has opened five counters in Phuket Town where people can settle a range of accounts, including utility bills and credit card accounts. The five counters are at: • Bo Dang, Big C supercenter (9 am-10 pm, every day); • Future AV, Tesco Lotus supercenter (10 am-10 pm, every day); • Amorn, Phang Nga Rd…
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Tah Chat Chai wins expo center vote
PHUKET TOWN: Tah Chat Chai in Tambon Mai Khao received overwhelming support as the site for the proposed International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) this morning. At a meeting of 262 government officials, leaders of business organizations and members of the public, chaired by Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit at the Provincial Government Financial Center on Narisorn Rd, 226 people voted for…
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Bust nets 19 gamblers, B380,000
PHUKET TOWN: Police early this morning arrested 19 gamblers and seized almost 380,000 baht in a raid on an impromptu gambling den set up in an empty office behind the Thavorn Hotel on Rassada Rd. A squad of 12 police officers, led by Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, raided the room after receiving an anonymous…
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Pattaya or bust turns to French nightmare
CHON BURI: Most foreigners have fond memories of their first visit to Thailand. For many, especially those on their way to Pattaya, it brings back memories of being a child on Christmas morning. But for 29-year-old Frenchman Tony André Marichaud, the excitement was just too much to contain. Marichaud and his friend, 28 year-old Richard Henri Detroit, had just arrived…
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Killing two vices with one stone
PATTAYA: Police officers broke into a gambling den in Pattaya and found seven men gambling, not for money but for drugs. Apparently unaware that it is “open season” on drug offenders, the men were doubling up on their pleasure by combining the twin national vices into one fun activity. All was going well, until their uninvited guests arrived. All seven…
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Trigger cocked over fighting cock
SURAT THANI: Boys will be boys, and brothers will be brothers. When it comes to sibling rivalry, anything can happen, and usually does. If your brother’s dog savaged your favorite fighting cock, you’d probably have a few words to say, which is just what Somjit Kongtee did. Regrettably, they were some of the last words the 45-year-old uttered. Ten minutes…
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Meeting aims to improve Phuket tourism
KARON: A meeting on the topic of “Increasing Phuket’s Competitiveness in the International Tourism Market” was held on Tuesday at the Phuket Arcadia Beach Resort. The event was organized jointly by the Phuket Tourist Association and the Kenan Institute Asia (KIA). Objectives of the meeting included finding ways to develop the province as a world class tourist destination; identifying ways…
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Health Chief issues dengue fever warning
PHUKET TOWN: The rising number of people contracting dengue fever has prompted Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong to issue a public health warning and to implement a mosquito culling program. Speaking at a press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall on Tuesday, Dr Wanchai said, “About 10 people in Phuket had dengue fever in February last year,…
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Public to vote on park’s troubled bridge
PHUKET TOWN: The people of Phuket Town will vote to decide the future of a controversial bridge that was to be built as part of a 300-million-baht redevelopment of King Rama IX Park. Phuket Town Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok yesterday called for the referendum after talking to government officials and about 60 members of the Rak Suan Luang Club (RSLC) –…
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Crackdown on teen violence at Saphan Hin
PHUKET TOWN: Police have announced that special measures will be taken to improve public safety in the Saphan Hin area. The announcement came just two days after a 21-year-old man was shot and seriously wounded in the area, which is a popular hangout for gang members – some as young as 10 years old. Many carry weapons, including knives, brass…
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Convention Center site vote this Friday
PHUKET: A final decision on the location for the proposed new International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) will be made this Friday by popular vote. Four places are in the running. Two are in Phuket Town – Saphan Hin and a site opposite Suan Luang Park. The other two are at Khao Khad, overlooking Ao Makham; and at Tah Chat…
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61 volunteer for drug testing
KATHU: Sixty-one volunteers turned up at the Kathu Meeting Hall today to have their urine tested for drugs – and two of the tests turned purple. At another meeting in Phuket Town, 73 people with drugs in their past made a solemn pledge to stay away from drugs from now on. Kathu District Chief Sutin Uthaitamrong – who, along with…
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Motorbike gunmen strike at Saphan Hin
PHUKET TOWN: A 21-year-old man was shot and seriously injured at Saphan Hin yesterday. The gunman fled on a motorbike ridden by an accomplice. Witnesses to the shooting took the victim, Niruj Mokakom, to Wachira Phuket Hospital about 3:20 pm. He was in the intensive care unit today with wounds to his chest and right arm, and in no condition…
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Politician survives assassination bid
PHUKET TOWN: Local politician Supachai Rakmit was fighting for his life in Wachira Phuket Hospital today after two hitmen dressed in black gunned him down in broad daylight at the weekend. Police believe the execution attempt may have been over a drugs case last year or some other business dealings. The shooting followed three other recent similar attacks in Phuket…
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11 police “involved in drugs’
PHUKET TOWN: Just 15 days since the launch of the nationwide campaign to eradicate illegal drugs in Thailand, 17 Phuket government officers and elected officials, including 11 policemen, stand accused of being involved with illegal drugs. Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi announced the findings at a press conference at the Phuket Against Drugs Center at Provincial Hall on Saturday. Gov…
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A less-than-romantic evening
PATONG: In keeping with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s drive to stamp out illegal drugs within three months, the authorities conducted a surprise raid on the popular Tiger Pub on Soi Bangla on Friday evening – Valentine’s Day. As police swooped in, a large number of tourists – mostly foreigners – managed to escape, leaving just 70 romantic revelers in the…
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Man found dead with bag over head
RAWAI: A Frenchman who had been living on Phuket for more than five years was found dead in odd circumstances, apparently the victim of a bizarre suicide. Police named the man as Gay Laurent, 43, who lived in the Happy House estate in Rawai. A friend of Mr Laurent contacted police about 7:30 pm on February 7, saying that he…
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Frenchman dies in road accident
CHALONG: Frenchman Jean Vidal, 39, was killed in a road accident on Chao Fa East Rd, near Soi Ta’iad Rd, in the early hours of February 9. Pol Capt Chana Sutthimas of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette today that he received an anonymous call about 2:30 am reporting an accident between a car and a motorcycle. When Capt Chana…
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Big day for big love
PHUKET: On the day marking the patron saint of lovers, St Valentine, 240 couples yesterday turned up at the three district offices on the island to tie the knot. At Thalang District Office, 49 couples got hitched, up from 30 couples last year, while 27 made vows of love at Kathu District Office. Happy with the turnout, up from 16…
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Murder victim dumped in port area
PHUKET TOWN: The body of an unidentified man was found floating in a canal in the Rassada port area in the early hours of Thursday. Pol Capt Rassada Kloung-Wong, of Phuket Town Police Station, said that a local fisherman discovered the body. “The man was shot twice in the chest with a 9-mm handgun. He was about 35 years old…
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Thailand “should tax sex workers and bribes’
BANGKOK (The Nation): Increasingly hungry for state revenues, the Thaksin government received an unusual proposal from the national think tank yesterday that the sex trade should be legalized to boost the country’s coffers. The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) also suggested legalizing some corrupt practices by, for example, turning bribes into “tips” to be shared by staff of…
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Dry season brings water shortages
PHUKET: The taps go on in Patong and off in Karon at 4 pm each day now, under new restrictions caused by Phuket’s shortage of water, and on in Karon and off in Patong at 7 am. Hotels are having to save reserves of water or buy it – and the Phuket Provincial Waterworks (PPW) has warned that other parts…
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Wachira seeks cash for equipment
PHUKET TOWN: Wachira Phuket Hospital is seeking donations so that it can buy medical equipment worth more than 10 million baht. Wachira Phuket Hospital has 522 beds for patients from Phuket and nearby provinces including Phang Nga, Krabi and Ranong. Visiting foreigners also go there for treatment. The equipment needed includes nine respirators for infants and four for children and…
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Reporters call for swift justice
PHUKET TOWN: Vichean Utsa, Chairman of Phuket Reporters Club, yesterday requested Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi to expedite the police investigation into shooting of local reporter Surapong “Od Patong” Rittee. The call came just 48 hours after K. Surapong, a local reporter for newspapers Thai Rat and Siang Tai, and for Channel 3 television, was gunned down early on Tuesday.…
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Mayor announces D-Day for illegal signs
PATONG: Patong Municipality Mayor Chalermsak Maneesri announced today that all Patong businesses will be given one month to remove signs that are out of compliance with municipal regulations. On March 10, at the end of the grace period, the Municipality will send out crews to remove all illegal signs. Vendors operating in restricted areas, especially the sidewalks along Thaweewong (Beach)…
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Man dies as bike crashes and burns
PHUKET TOWN: Police are investigating a crash last night that left a foreigner dead and his hired motorcycle a burnt-out shell. Two cars were also involved. The man, named by police as Etienne Jacques Payan, was carrying an international driving license issued in Britain. Today an officer went from Phuket Town to Krabi, where the motorcycle was rented, to investigate…
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Shark disco reborn as Star Wars
PATONG: The Shark discotheque, closed for more than a year after allegations of lewd behavior, is to reopen next month under new ownership and with a new name, Star Wars. The Patong landmark on the corner of Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd and Soi Bangla has been taken over by Maroot Tainikom, who also runs the nearby Tiger disco and plans…
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Vendors arrested over fake CDs
PATONG: Police arrested five vendors on Sunday after a Sony representative alerted them to the sale of illegal copies of CDs along the beach road. Three of the vendors were each fined 30,000 baht for being in breach of copyright laws. Police named them as Boonchu Saiwichian, Orasa Kritkamjorn and Kiatisak Krongsintham. Pol Lt Ampol Jantakul, of Kathu Police Station,…
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Police raid gambling den
KATHU: Sixteen gamblers were nabbed by police on Sunday after an informant led them to a rented house on Wichitsongkram Rd. Pol Maj Chawalit Petchsripia, of Kathu Police Station, was told that the popular dice game “High-Low” was being played there, so police raided the house about 9 pm. Those arrested, mostly couples, confessed that they rented the house for…
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TAT targets Europe, Africa
PHUKET TOWN: Tourists from South Africa and Switzerland will be the new targets as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) attempts to increase the number of visitors coming to Phuket. Anupharp Thirarath, Director of the local TAT branch, revealed the new aim yesterday at an Aviation Business 2003 Trends Conference at the Royal Phuket City Hotel. The TAT is planning…
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Reporter slain execution-style
PATONG: A newspaper and TV reporter was killed by two shots to the head in an execution-style killing in Patong early this morning. Surapong “Od Patong” Rittee, 43, was gunned down by two .38 rounds fired close to his left ear as he was walking out of the Aree Karnka mini-mart on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd at 3:30 am. His…
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