Month: August 2006

  • Phuket NewsWant to wed in Phuket? Sorry, not now | Thaiger

    Want to wed in Phuket? Sorry, not now

    PHUKET: Want to get married in Phuket City? Thalang? Then you’re out of luck. Both offices have run out of marriage certificates. The only district office that still has supplies – now in very limited numbers – is Kathu.An official from the Muang District Registration Department, who asked not to be named, admitted that her department ran out of certificates…

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  • Phuket NewsPGTV News Friday 11th August 2006 | Thaiger

    PGTV News Friday 11th August 2006

    PGTV’s Phuket News today features a story about two rude Koreans who were refused entry to Phuket and who have since lodged a complaint, a protest against the proposed price hike for entry into public parks and we visit “The World” which docked overnight in Phuket. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features a…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket chosen as venue for TV adventure show

    PHUKET: The first Isuzu Adventure Race Thailand Championship, involving climbing and kayaking among other events, will be staged in Phuket from October 27 to 29. The competition will be filmed and broadcast by satellite to viewers worldwide, say the organizers. Teams of four people, each including at least one woman, will have to prove their physical and mental toughness over…

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  • Phuket NewsHospital “dream’ still mired in standoff | Thaiger

    Hospital “dream’ still mired in standoff

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr has spoken out against Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura’s decision to delay the buyout of the abandoned Phya Thai hospital.“The purchase of the abandoned Phya Thai hospital is like a dream that has fallen apart. I started the process with the Governor on January 13, and the provincial committee for this…

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  • Phuket News

    Turtle festival blocks city center road

    PHUKET CITY: Traffic Police have advised motorists that Ranong Rd will be closed today and tomorrow for the annual “Por Tor” Chinese Festival.The Por Tor Festival comes every year in July or August and is intended to make merit for the dead and for spirits. It centers around the making of large cakes in the shape of turtles, following the…

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  • Phuket News

    Tour operators protest plan to hike park fee

    PHUKET CITY: All of the operators running tours in Phang Nga Bay – some 500 of them – staged a peaceful protest at the TAT Southern Region 4 Office this morning to demand that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reconsider its plan to double entry fees for national parks with effect from September 15.Police blocked off a section…

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  • Phuket NewsPGTV News Wednesday 9th August 2006 | Thaiger

    PGTV News Wednesday 9th August 2006

    PGTV’s Phuket News today features a story about the latest tsunami drills, a ride with the Singapore Porsche Club in Phuket and we ask people how they will celebrate Mothers Day which in Thailand falls on the 12th of August. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features a documentary about the Soi Dog Foundation.…

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  • Phuket News

    Gov raps “overzealous’ Immigration officer

    PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura yesterday morning asked the head of Immigration at Phuket International Airport to transfer a subordinate who refused entry to two loud South Korean tourists on July 11.But the Immigration chief defended his officer’s actions and said he would refer the matter to his superiors before taking any action.The meeting, at the Governor’s Office at Phuket Provincial…

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  • Phuket NewsDive industry rules imminent | Thaiger

    Dive industry rules imminent

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Nivit Aroonrat confirmed today that although the new dive industry regulations have not yet been signed by Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura, he believes that they will be “soon”.Yesterday K. Nivit told the Gazette that the documents had already been signed but this afternoon, after rechecking, he said that they were currently awaiting…

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  • Phuket NewsPGTV News Tuesday 8th August 2006 | Thaiger

    PGTV News Tuesday 8th August 2006

    PGTV’s Phuket News today features a story about the lasting emotional scars of the tsunami, an art exhibition at Mom Tri’s Boathouse, and the Phuket board riders championships at Kalim beach. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features an interview with a young “Luk Kreung”. PGTV, produced by the Phuket Gazette, is aired daily on…

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  • Thailand NewsSnatch gang in sticky situation | Thaiger

    Snatch gang in sticky situation

    CHALONG: Over the years there have been several demonstrations in Patong by bar owners opposed to early closing times. Among the arguments most commonly proffered by the bar owners as to why they should be allowed to remain open later is that Patong is a lure to free-spending foreign tourists who want to revel late into the night. It is…

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  • Thailand NewsMajor embarrassment | Thaiger

    Major embarrassment

    A Senior Sergeant Major from the Border Patrol Police received a lesson in how victims of crime feel after an encounter with three attractive young women in Thung Song, Nakhon Sri Thammarat province. Officers from Thung Song Police Station were called to the JS Hotel. There, waiting for them wearing full dress uniform and a sorrowful expression, was Sgt Maj…

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  • Thailand NewsProgress for pilgrims | Thaiger

    Progress for pilgrims

    CHIANG MAI: Chiang Mai’s famous Phrasingha Temple has unveiled its new 1.6- million-baht public bathroom, which the temple clergy hope will claim this year’s coveted “Toilet of the Year” award. Monks at the temple, which receives hundreds of Thai and foreign tourists a day and as many as 3,000 on Buddhist holidays, saw the need for improvements to its restroom…

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  • Phuket NewsYa bah busts yield 4,692 pills | Thaiger

    Ya bah busts yield 4,692 pills

    KATHU: Thun Tong Police arrested two ya bah (methamphetamine) dealers on Saturday night in Soi Thida, Kathu, seizing 4,692 pills of the illegal stimulant.An undercover officer, posing as a dealer, paid 20,000 baht for 100 pills from Somsak Lertprakit, 34, from Korat. Once the sale was complete, officers led by Pol Maj Gen Theerachai Raktiprakorn of the Tung Tong Police…

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  • Phuket NewsPolice colonel linked to killing of editor | Thaiger

    Police colonel linked to killing of editor

    PHUKET: A police lieutenant-colonel has been arrested in connection with the murder of local newspaper editor Opas Noothong in April this year.The arrest came after a gun belonging to Pol Lt Col Hattakarn Klinlokai, Inspector for Crime Suppression at Tambon Suksamran police station in Ranong, was found in the car of another suspect, Veenakorn Boonyiun. Forensic tests later confirmed that…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket flights hold off on using Suvarnabhumi | Thaiger

    Phuket flights hold off on using Suvarnabhumi

    BANGKOK (The Nation): Despite caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal’s announcement yesterday that the new Suvarnabhumi Airport will be ready to accept domestic flights starting September 15, all Bangkok-bound domestic flights out of Phuket International Airport will continue to use Don Muang Airport until the new airport officially opens on September 28. Flights from major tourist cities, including Phuket and Chiang…

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  • Phuket NewsBaby boy found dead in trash | Thaiger

    Baby boy found dead in trash

    KATHU (Gazette/Kom Chad Luek): Police are unsure whether a newborn child found dead in a black plastic trash bag was stillborn or was deliberately murdered.Garbage collectors making their normal rounds made the gruesome discovery at about 4 am yesterday, as they were collecting trash opposite Phuket Country Club on Wichit Songkhram Rd. Tung Tong Police and workers from the Kusoldharm…

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  • Phuket News

    Security cameras deal signed

    PHUKET: The provincial authorities are to install Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) monitoring systems in parts of Patong, Karon and Phuket City in an effort to boost security in popular tourist areas.At Phuket Provincial Police headquarters yesterday, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura presided over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Phuket Provincial Police and CAT Telecom, which will install…

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  • Phuket NewsDemocrat wins Council by-election | Thaiger

    Democrat wins Council by-election

    PHUKET CITY: Despite active campaigning by all three candidates, voter turnout for the Phuket Provincial Council District 1 by-election on August 5 was low, with eventual winner Somkuan Tansakul of the Democrat party winning the vacant seat with just 839 votes. Coming second was engineer Wongwara Sa-nguansak, with 575 votes, while writer Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwittayaporn, who promised to bring…

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  • Phuket NewsPGTV News Monday 7th August 2006 | Thaiger

    PGTV News Monday 7th August 2006

    PGTV’s Phuket News today features a story about educating young people about the risks of contracting HIV, an update on security measures in Phuket to prevent bird flu, and a look at the local Thai Chess championships. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features an interview with Cindy Ratcliffe MBE. PGTV, produced…

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  • Phuket News

    Provincial Council by-election to go ahead despite complaint filed

    PHUKET CITY: Tomorrow’s District 1 Phuket Provincial Council by-election has been complicated by a complaint filed against one of the candidates, Somkuan Tansakul, to the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) by another candidate, Wongwara Sa-nguansak.K. Wongwara has alleged that K. Somkuan’s use of photos of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutra in his campaign material and her open support…

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  • Phuket NewsSurveys reveal tsunami’s mental toll | Thaiger

    Surveys reveal tsunami’s mental toll

    PHUKET: Many people in tsunami-affected areas of Thailand suffered from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for at least nine months after the disaster, according to two new studies.Both studies were conducted initially in February 2005, with follow-ups seven months later, focusing on people in Phang Nga, Krabi and Phuket, the three provinces worst hit by the tsunami.The results…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket teens targeted in HIV awareness drive | Thaiger

    Phuket teens targeted in HIV awareness drive

    PHUKET: The growing number of young adults testing positive for HIV/Aids in the province has prompted the launch of an awareness drive aimed at teenagers and those in their early 20s.At Phuket Provincial Hall, former Senator for Khon Kaen and women’s rights activist Rabiabrat Pongpanich, who is currently President of the Society for Promoting Happy Families, chaired a meeting of…

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  • Phuket NewsEnglish squire murdered, then burned | Thaiger

    English squire murdered, then burned

    PETCHABURI (The Nation): An English country squire was killed and his body burnt on a charcoal fire after he divorced his Thai wife because of her gambling debts.After being burned, the body of Toby Charnaud, 41, was then dismembered and parts scattered in Kaeng Krachan national park, a court in Phetchaburi was told on Monday.Charnaud had sold Latimer Farm near…

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  • Phuket NewsPGTV News Wednesday 2nd August 2006 | Thaiger

    PGTV News Wednesday 2nd August 2006

    PGTV’s Phuket News today features a story about the first Phuket flight to the new  Suvarnabhumi airport, a visit to the opening of the new Desjoyaux offices and has a spectacular photo of the latest victim of the Kata-Chalong hill road. In addition to these and other news stories focused on Phuket, this evening’s show features an interview with Phuket…

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  • Phuket NewsMAS doubles KL-Phuket flights | Thaiger

    MAS doubles KL-Phuket flights

    PHUKET: Malaysia Airlines today resumed its pre-tsunami schedule between Phuket and Kuala Lumpur, reverting to two flights a day. As of today, flights take off from Kuala Lumpur at 9:30 am and 6:10 pm every day, with return flights at 10:25 am and 7:20 pm. An introductory return fare of 2,222 baht is being offered for flights taken before or…

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  • Cannabis NewsPhuket police seize 7,568 ya bah pills | Thaiger

    Phuket police seize 7,568 ya bah pills

    PHUKET: Police seized 7,568 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills in Phuket and arrested 117 people in connection with drug offenses, statistics for the July 1 to 25 period show. Of the 117 arrested, 56 were held for possession of ya bah, 22 for sniffing glue or paint thinners, 29 for possession of marijuana; nine for possession of krathom, an indigenous plant…

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