Year: 2006
- Phuket News
7 bomb blasts in Bangkok – 3 dead, 20 injured
BANGKOK (The Nation): Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has asked people to refrain from joining crowded new year parties following at least seven bomb attacks in Bangkok.The premier has ordered all security officers – police and soldiers – to reinforce security in many areas in the capital. He ordered crime scene inspectors to collect all evidence from the bomb sites in…
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“Chalong bomber’ still at large
PHUKET CITY A high-level provincial panel investigating last month’s bomb attacks on three new homes off Chao Fa East Rd and a land dispute in the area has made little progress, despite the Governor’s insistence that those responsible be brought to justice as soon as possible.Meanwhile, home construction continues in the area, part of which may be protected mangrove forest.Chalong…
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Deviantly deceived
Living life as a “woman of the second kind” is bound to hone a one’s skills of impersonation. To make the act convincing, many effeminate men walk, talk and act like a lady to fill their preferred gender role. After being fired from his job as an assistant nurse at Khon Kaen Central Hospital for pilfering medical equipment, aging ladyboy…
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Monkey biz
When, in the early hours of December 9 Pol Maj Narongwet Ohn-sungnen, an Inspector with the Amnat Charoen Highway Police, received a tip-off that a pickup truck with a cargo of illegally obtained wildlife was heading his way, he acted swiftly. He ordered road blocks to be set up and at 3:30 am an old bronze Mazda pickup – exactly…
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Going bananas
KOH SIREH: For almost the past month, fortune seekers from as far away as Phattalung, Phang Nga and Krabi have been traveling to Koh Sireh in the hope that a uniquely-shaped banana tree will somehow convey to them the winning digits in the upcoming lottery draws. Word of the tree’s miraculous ability to predict winning lottery numbers began about a…
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Monkey’s best friend
PETCHABOON: When the abbot of a temple in Tambon Taboh preaches about the need for love and social harmony, he has a good example to point to right on the temple grounds: an orphaned monkey and a crippled dog who grew up together and have become loyal, inseparable friends. Phrakhru Arun Pacharakij, Abbot of Pa Reirai Buddhist Temple in Petchaboon’s…
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Boy burglars busted
PATONG: Police on Monday arrested three male teenagers for a spate of Christmas burglaries carried out on Nanai Rd.The trio were nabbed on Monday after a 13-year-old member of the gang was caught red-handed by the owner of the house he and his accomplice were burgling.Pol Lt Weerapong Rakito of the Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that Anuchit Kuadet, 32,…
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Patong aglow with thoughts of remembrance
PATONG: More than 1,000 people amassed at Loma Park last night for the “Light Up Phuket 2006” ceremony to commemorate two years since the Indian Ocean tsunami.Tourism and Sports Minister Suwit Yodmanee opened the evening ceremony with a speech, during which he commended Phuket’s recovery and suggested that a remembrance ceremony be held in Patong every year.Phuket children sang about…
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Impact of investment crash “too early to tell’
PHUKET: While the stock market took the brunt of the “Black Tuesday” sell-off triggered by the capital controls put in place to stem speculation against the rising Thai baht, experts say that it is still too early to gauge the long-term impact on Phuket’s property market.Although the 30% withholding requirement on foreign capital inflows was quickly rescinded for certain transactions,…
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Hundreds turn out for tsunami memorial service
PATONG: More than 700 mourners joined local dignitaries for the tsunami memorial ceremony held at Loma Park this morning, two years after the tsunami struck the beach there.The ceremony, led by 99 monks from nearby Laem Petch Temple, was mostly conducted in silence, with only the sounds of the monks praying and the waves on the beach to be heard.Many…
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Leatherback lays eggs at Karon Beach
KARON: A giant leatherback turtle laid a nest of 103 eggs yesterday on Karon Beach, where a sea turtle has not been sighted laying eggs for more than 10 years.Karon Municipality officials had the task of recovering the eggs as local villagers had taken them all in hopes of selling them as a delicacy. All but two broken eggs were…
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Mah Song fraudster jailed for 15 days
THALANG: The would-be medium who skewered a pig’s tongue instead of his own during this year’s Vegetarian Festival has served 15 days at Baan Bang Jo prison for “deceiving the public”.Paitoon Khopwej, 27, a woodcarver from Chalong, took part in the festival as a mah song (“spirit medium”). He pretended to skewer his tongue with a sword, but in fact…
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Tsunami memorial services at Kamala announced
KAMALA: Tsunami memorial services will be held at the Andaman Tsunami Victims Monument at Kamala Beach on Tuesday, from 12:40 pm to 4 pm. Formal dress is requested for attendees.The ceremony schedule is as follows:12:40 pm-1:20 pm: Guest registration.1:20 pm: Mourning ceremony, a minute of silence for the victims.1:35 pm: Speech by Kazushi Miyashita, President of the Phuket Japanese Association.1:40…
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Jungceylon opens
PATONG: The Jungceylon mega-complex officially kicked its doors open last night with the grand opening of That’s Siam, the largest of the shopping zones in the complex.In addition to the opening ceremony, early-bird shoppers were treated to performances by traditional Thai dancers, street performers, a giant indoor Christmas display and a light and water show.That’s Siam comprises 10,000 square meters…
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Palad Nivit leaves Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Nivit Aroonrat left Phuket this afternoon to take up the position of Palad of Samut Sakhon Province.The transfer was announced December 13. Palad Nivit will officially take up his new duties in Samut Sakhon on December 25.Palad Nivit told the Gazette that he had applied for a transfer from Phuket after a stay…
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Woman hires teen to kill ex-lover
CHERNG TALAY: A woman has been charged with hiring a 16-year-old boy to kill her ex-lover for 3,000 baht.Construction foreman Krietiphum Saotan, 41, died after being blasted with a shotgun on Saturday near the site where he worked in Baan Pasak, Pol Col Jessada Sangsuree, Investigating Inspector at Cherng Talay Police Station, told the Gazette.K. Krietiphum was rushed to Thalang…
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Blue Canyon to host Johnnie Walker Classic
PHUKET (The Nation): The US$2.4-million Johnnie Walker Classic will return to Phuket in March, silencing rumors it could be moved to other countries due to the government’s attempt to ban alcohol advertising and sponsorship.Organizers Riche Monde, distributor of the beverage, insisted on keeping the tournament at Phuket’s Blue Canyon Country Club from March 1 to 4.“Our company has the firm…
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Former Kathu Police Deputy killed in Bangkok
BANGKOK (Kom Chad Luek,Gazette): Pol Lt Col Yuthathawee Nakhonkhorn, a former Deputy Superintendent of Kathu District Police Station, was killed in a traffic accident in Bangkok early yesterday morning.As Col Yuththawee was on his way home from a business meeting, his black Ford Escape sports utility vehicle was involved in a collision with a 10-wheel truck. The accident occurred about…
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Health Chief warns of “unhealthy’ foreign labor
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Wanchai Sattayawuthipong has warned that the large number of illegal migrant workers on Phuket is placing the island’s population at greater risk of an outbreak of communicable diseases.Dr Wanchai’s warning follows an order from the Ministry of Public Health in Bangkok to crack down on communicable diseases by targeting foreign laborers in…
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Sek Loso to star at Red Cross Fair
PHUKET CITY: The annual fund-raising fair of the Phuket branch of the Thai Red Cross Society this year will include live entertainment by a host of celebrities, including Thai rock stars Sek Loso and Clash as well as Thai country music (look thung) stars Duangjun Suwannee, Jeab Benjaporn and Luang Kai.The fair, at Saphan Hin from December 28 to January…
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Police hunt for Kamala rapist
KAMALA: Kamala police are searching for a Thai man accused of raping a 23-year-old French tourist in the early hours of December 7. Police declined to release the name of the suspect.Pol Maj Monsak Srisuwan, the Duty Inspector at Kamala Police Station, said that the woman, a waitress in France who was in Phuket on holiday, told police that about…
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Gov launches New Year road-safety campaign
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit held a meeting of provincial office chiefs yesterday to officially launch the provincial government’s road-safety campaign for the New Year holiday period from December 28 to January 3.As part of the campaign, the Phuket Provincial Office of Disaster and Mitigation (ODPM) has set a target of no more than three deaths and 39 people injured…
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Police trace DNA in Friendship Beach murder
RAWAI: The case originally described by police as a daylight rape-murder at Friendship Beach is being reexamined, as police found no trace of a struggle near the body of motorbike taxi driver Tada Sa-nguansak.Police report that they have sent DNA samples found at the scene to Bangkok for DNA tests against potential suspects. So far two suspects have been cleared.K.…
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TAT announces Tsunami Day memorial services
PATONG: The Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced the following program of events that will be held at Patong Beach on December 26 in remembrance of the tsunami.9:30 am Visitors and guests assemble at Loma Park, Patong Beach.9:45 am Address by Patong Mayor Pian Keesin.9:50 am Tsunami Day memorial service, a merit-making ceremony for guests to…
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Phuket strong in property awards
BANGKOK: Players in Phuket’s property industry scooped three national prizes and shared top honors for the country’s Best Villa Development at the inaugural Thailand Property Awards at the JW Marriott on Sukhumvit Rd, Bangkok, on December 13.The awards ceremony was attended by more than 200 guests from the real estate industry, including developers, agents, architects, interior designers and members of…
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Teenage gang arrested for highway robbery
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police have arrested nine teens aged between 13 and 18, including two females, for armed robbery.The youths, allegedly members of a violent gang, are accused of using weapons to threaten 12 motorbike drivers to hand over their vehicles and valuables late at night.The teens allegedly used machetes and axes to rob drivers in Phuket City, Chalong,…
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Dane released after road rampage
CHALONG: Lars Anders Olov Persson, 45, from Denmark, has been released on bail after being charged with auto theft, reckless driving and destruction of government and private property caused during a road rampage in a stolen a pickup truck last Wednesday morning.Persson hit more than a dozen motorcycles, a number of pedestrians and caused extensive damage to other vehicles.He was…
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Minimum wage raised
PHUKET: The Ministry of Labor has announced a five-baht increase in the minimum wage in Phuket, from 181 baht to 186 baht a day, with effect from January 1.Dacha Praikpatanarak, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Labor Office (PPLO), said the Ministry of Labor announced the new minimum wage rates for all provinces and Bangkok on October 30.The ruling was issued…
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Brit drowns off Kata beach
KATA: David Jeremy Cowen, 34, from the UK, drowned while snorkeling off Kata Beach on December 10.His body was found by a fisherman at 9:50 pm, who brought him to shore and contacted the police.Pol Lt Col Chokechai Suthimek, of Chalong Police Station, said that police presume that Cowen was knocked unconscious after being thrown onto rocks by waves while…
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Rubson Raid racer airlifted to Phuket after high-speed accident
KOH RACHA YAI: Russian Konstantin Byshevoy, 30, has escaped serious injury after the rigid inflatable dinghy he was racing in flipped at high speed off Koh Racha Yai.Mr Byshevoy was racing as part of the Ceresit team in the Rubson Raid Turquoise speedboat race. The dinghy flipped on the Day 6 leg of the race, from the Phi Phi Islands…
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Tourists suffer Immigration delays at airport
MAI KHAO: Despite having 60 Immigration officers stationed at Phuket International Airport, travelers landing on the island are having to suffer lengthy delays in being cleared through Immigration.Pol Col Surasak Authapanyawanich, Superintendent of Immigration at PIA, explained to the Gazette that the long delays are the result of a surge in the number of passengers from 3,000 a day this…
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Footballer beaten to death in Rawai
RAWAI: A fisherman and promising amateur footballer was beaten to death by a gang of young men while he was on his way home from a party in Rawai early yesterday morning.Police named the victim as 21-year-old Santi Naunyai, known locally as “Ai Boy”, who had gained a reputation in the local soccer league as a promising young player.Pol Lt…
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Fraud on the rise in Phuket
PHUKET: While gambling remains Phuket’s top vice, white-collar crime seems to be on the rise with 14 cases of fraud reported with five arrests made, and 10 cases of embezzlement with two arrests made.From November 1 to 30, 188 people were arrested for gambling offenses with 39 of those coming from the sale of illegal lottery tickets.Three murders were reported,…
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El Nino increases risk of Phuket forest fires
PHUKET: The Phuket Environmental Health Center has issued a warning that global weather changes resulting from El Nino and increased global pollution will increase the risk of forest fires on the island during the coming dry season.Ongart Chanacharnmongkol, Director of the Phuket Environmental Health Center, said, “We will be at the greatest risk of forest fires than we have been…
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Another victim murdered near fishing port
PHUKET CITY: The body of man who had been stabbed to death was found floating near the fishing port at Koh Sireh on Friday.Pol Lt Apichart Rainchana, Duty Officer at Phuket City Police Station, said that the man had been stabbed about seven times with a sharp implement and had been dead for less than five hours when his body…
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Four undersea volcanoes discovered off Phuket
PHUKET (The Nation): A team of Thai and German marine geologists have discovered four volcanoes under the sea about 200 kilometers from Phuket, the team leader announced yesterday.Dr Anon Sanitwong na Ayutthaya of Chulalongkorn University headed a 15-day survey that ended on December 6. It was conducted with support from the German government and from the National Marine Geology Institute…
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Drumstick wins King’s Cup after protest
KATA: After five days of racing, Toby O’Connell’s Dhevatara Drumstick won the 20th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta today after a protest.Three-time King’s Cup winner Neil Pryde protested against the race committee after the wrong flag was put on one of the marks on the course as the Racing 1 class results went down to the wire.Pryde’s boat Hi Fi finished…
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