Month: March 2006
- Phuket News
Ex-cop sought for Patong murder
PATONG: Kathu police have issued an arrest warrant for an ex-policeman, L/Cpl Anan Hincheeranan, formerly of the Special Branch of the Royal Thai Police and latterly a security guard at Soi Bangla’s Crazy Bar, for the murder of Metha Thongkaew, his counterpart at the Snack Bar on Soi Tiger. Both bars are foreign-owned.K. Metha, 28, from Haad Yai, was shot…
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Registrations open for Phuket Marathon
CHERNG TALAY: Laguna Phuket, known worldwide for its annual triathlon, will be the official host and presenting sponsor for the inaugural Phuket International Marathon, to be held on June 18. Raimund Wellenhofer, Managing Director of Bangkok-based event organizer, Go Adventure Asia, said, “We are thrilled to be working with Laguna Phuket. Their extensive experience with the triathlon makes them an…
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Mixed results for US boxers
SAPHAN HIN: A crowd of about 500 people turned up to the humid confines of Saphan Hin’s Gym 1 last night to watch the “Miss Lily Supermodel Muay Thai Championships 2006”, which pitted some of Thailand’s best female Muay Thai fighters against American fighters trained by Las Vegas-based Muay Thai trainer Thohsaphon “Master Toddy” Sitiwatjana.Some of the matches on the…
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Ranong quake rumor denied
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has denied rumors of a major earthquake in the Ranong area.Rumors circulating today stated that a quake of magnitude 7.5 on the Richter scale took place near Ranong this morning.But Patrawan Tuamlee of the NDWC said that this was not the case. She did say, however, that there had been a slew of…
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Jungceylon work to restart “by April’
PHUKET: The transfer of Manit Udomkunnatum’s 53% share in Phuket Square Co Ltd – the company that owns Jungceylon – to Rattanakamchai Co will take place on March 28, after which construction of the Patong mall will restart, the Gazette has learned.After the transfer, Rattanakamchai will pass the shares to Real Estate Capital Asia Partners (Recap), a US-registered investment fund…
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Burmese laborer murdered in Thalang
THALANG: A man was found dead of multiple stab wounds 400 meters from the Baan Laemsai School in Thalang District on March 8.Pol Capt Saichon Petsuwan of Thalang Police Station said witnesses told the police that the dead man was a 34-year-old Burmese laborer known as “San”. They said that three local men had attacked him with knives and, although…
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Political crisis worries tourism leaders
PHUKET: Key figures in Phuket’s tourism industry today called for a peaceful solution to the current political crisis, following the detonation of a small bomb yesterday outside the home of former Prime Minister Gen Prem Tinsulanonda in Bangkok, which slightly injured a British tourist.Kitti Pattanachinda, Vice-President of the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA), told the Gazette, “Our political problems are broadcast…
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Gazette Guide the No 1 seller
PHUKET: It may not qualify as a racy read, but the Gazette Guide 2006 has topped the best-seller list in the Se-Ed Book Center at Tesco-Lotus for the past two weeks.Janjira Katekaew, the shop’s Supervisor, told the Gazette that she was very surprised that the Gazette Guide was top of the list. “We’ve seen very good sales of it. Some…
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Park boss calls for help in curbing poaching
KRABI: Amarin Intarasombat, the Chief of Koh Lanta Marine National Park, has urged dive operators and other park visitors to notify him immediately if fishing boats are seen in the park.He made his call after seeing photographs, passed to him by the Gazette and taken by a local dive operator, showing dozens of dead sharks on the deck of a…
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Call for more care in water use
PHUKET: Arun Kerdsob, Chief of the Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), has urged islanders not to waste water.“The provincial office has set up a center to try to prevent severe shortages, while the managing committee is overseeing water distribution. There are 86 deep wells and 92 tin mine lagoons on the island, making up a total of…
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Deadbeat dive operators under the microscope
PHUKET: Following a February 23 meeting to discuss problems in Phuket’s recreational dive industry, a new committee will be formed to ensure that all dive operators are accurately reporting their income – and paying taxes on it.Phuket’s Chief Administrative Officer (Palad), Nivit Aroonrat, who chaired the meeting, said that the Phuket dive industry currently comprises 106 operators, of which about…
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Police to take tougher line on teen crime
PHUKET: Police plan to take a harder line on teenage troublemakers and adults who encourage them, Phuket City Police Superintendent Pol Col Nos Svettalekha has warned.Announcing the teenage crime statistics for the year, at the Phuket Excise Office on March 2, Col Nos addressed in particular the continuing problems of public safety in the Saphan Hin area after dark.“Governor Udomsak [Uswarangkura]…
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Woman survives four-day ordeal at sea
PHUKET: Australian mother-of-four Dominique Courteille, 57, survived an ordeal of four days adrift on the Andaman Sea and in the Straits of Malacca in a dinghy.Speaking to the media at Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP) today, the Belgian-born naturalized Australian said that on Thursday she and her crew went ashore on Koh Lipe, in Satun Province, to eat at a restaurant,…
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TRT candidates register for election
PHUKET: With little fanfare and facing an uncharted political landscape, Phuket’s two Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party candidates this morning went to register for the snap parliamentary election due to take place April 2.Arriving at 10 am at Phuket Provincial Community Hall were TRT District 1 candidate Dr Sriyada Palimapan and District 2 candidate Wisut Santikul, both of whom were…
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Democrats slam PM at Saphan Hin rally
PHUKET CITY: More than 10,000 people attended a Democrat Party rally held at Saphan Hin on Sunday as part of the party’s “Southern Mobile Tour”.Many held up signs protesting against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s perceived heavy-handed political and financial tactics. “We don’t want to be Thaksin’s washing powder!” read one. Another stated, “We don’t want to be Thaksin’s shoes!” while…
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Campaigner calls for child-sex tourism crackdown
KATA: The leader of a workshop on countering child sex tourism, yesterday called for hotel and tourism industry workers, and even tourists themselves, to report any behavior they suspect might be leading up to child sex abuse.The workshop, at the Kata Beach Resort, was aimed at teaching those present – 64 government officers, hotel staff, souvenir vendors, tour company and…
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Japanese tourist dies while diving
KOH RACHA YAI: Japanese tourist Akira Egoshi, 24, died while diving in Siam Bay, off Koh Racha Yai, on Wednesday.Pol Lt Col Chana Sutthimas, an Inspector with the Chalong Police, told the Gazette that a party of 11 Japanese tourists led by four dive masters from Kata Diving Co Ltd left Chalong Pier aboard the dive boat Laddawan 5 at 8:20…
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Tsunami aid theft case totters on
PHUKET: More than a year after 2.05 million baht in tsunami aid funds went missing from Phuket Provincial Hall, the police investigation against the sole suspect is still far from complete. The most recent delays have resulted from the wrong forms being submitted, twice, to the Police Forensic Science Office in Bangkok. Meanwhile, the man charged with the alleged theft,…
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Top Democrats head for Phuket
PHUKET: The Democrat Party is to hold a rally at Saphan Hin central stage from 5 pm to 11 pm on Sunday (March 5) as part of what it is calling its Southern Mobile Tour.Manoo Onksantipab, Chairman of the Phuket branch of the Democrat Party, told the Gazette that the rally’s purpose is to explain to the public what caretaker…
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Blue Canyon Lakes Course to be redeveloped
MAI KHAO: Blue Canyon Country Club (BCCC) has announced that its Lakes Course will undergo upgrading from April 3 on, with the end of this year penciled in as the target date to reopen the course.The Canyon Course will remain open for play.The redevelopment of the Lakes Course follows the announcement in December last year of a “strategic partnership” between…
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Phuket’s tour guide shortage addressed at seminar
PHUKET CITY: A seminar on the shortage of tour guides in Phuket attracted some 150 tourism industry employees to the Royal Phuket City Hotel on February 23. The seminar was chaired by Thanitta Maneechote, Director-General of the Office of Tourism Development, part of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. “We have held this seminar three times before – in Bangkok,…
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Gambling again crowns Phuket’s arrests inventory
PHUKET: Statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police again show gambling as the crime category with the highest number of arrests.Between February 1 and 21, 249 people were busted for gambling-related offenses; 24 of these cases involved the sale of illegal lottery tickets.There were nine cases of attempted murder, with five arrests made. Two murders were reported during the period,…
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Worker in grave condition after electrocution
PATONG: In a dramatic accident that took place in full public view, a young man was electrocuted and severely injured on Monday afternoon while hanging off the side of the Thaweewong Rd Post Office, welding a new sign.A bolt of high-voltage electricity shot through Roong-atit Piboon, 18, from Surat Thani, after he swung his arc welder and accidentally touched an…
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