Month: June 2007
- Phuket
“Farang’ robs Karon bank
KARON: Despite an intensive manhunt, police have yet to apprehend the Caucasian man who held up the Siam Commercial Bank branch on Patak Rd in Karon late yesterday afternoon, getting away with 420,000 baht in cash.At the monthly Phuket Provincial Security Committee meeting held at the ST Hotel in Phuket City this morning, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha…
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Krabi Airline to debut November 1
BANGKOK (The Nation): Soon to be Thailand’s newest carrier, Krabi Airlines is now being set up and plans to begin flight service to international destinations starting on November 1, just in time for the start of the 2007-2008 high season.Civil Aviation Department Director General Chaisak Angkasuwan said the airline, with four investors, including former Thai Airways International employee Kosol Vongsrisart,…
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Five major hotels to be re-branded
PHUKET: Three Phuket hotels will be renamed under the Central Group’s re-branding of its hotel and resort business, while another two will be taken over by the Marriott chain of hotels.Central Karon Village, Central Karon Beach Resort and Central Kata Resort will be renamed Centara Villas, Centara Karon Resort and Centara Kata Resort, respectively.Centara, the Central Group’s new hotel brand,…
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Night Station ordered closed
PATONG: Night Station discotheque, in Soi Sukhumvit on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, has been ordered closed for 60 days for late trading and allowing minors entry to the club.Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit signed the order Thursday, and the closure went into effect last night. The club is ordered to remain closed until August 27.Kathu District Chief Khantee Silapa told the…
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OrBorJor closer to buying Phyathai building
PHUKET CITY: After years of failed negotiations, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has taken a step forward in buying the abandoned Phyathai Phuket Hospital building and re-opening the facility as a hospital with public organization status.OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr met with Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit Wednesday afternoon to discuss buying the building for 327 million baht, with 273 million…
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Tsunami evacuation drills in Rassada, Phuket City
PHUKET CITY: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) will hold two planned tsunami evacuation drills over the next two days. The first will be at Laem Tokkae tomorrow morning and the second at Saphan Hin and parts of Rassada on Saturday morning.DDPM-Phuket Chief Aroon Kerdsom said the tests will be followed on July 25 by a regional testing…
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Phuket art gallery gutted by fire
PHUKET CITY: Firefighters were called to Phang Nga Rd this morning after flames engulfed the 111 Phuket Art Gallery building, destroying up to 50 paintings on sale at prices ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 baht each.A local resident alerted police and fire officers around 11:30 am after seeing smoke rising from the building, located behind the Sinthavee Hotel. Five fire…
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Rotting corpse found in Thalang
THALANG: Police made a grim discovery on Monday morning, when they found the badly decomposed body of an unidentified man lying in a ditch.A local fisherman alerted police of a sickening odor at Tambon Srisoontorn Village 1, where the body was discovered by Pol Lt Col Kritthana Putluecha and his team around 8:30 am.The victim, who suffered a fractured skull…
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Huge kratom bust in Thalang
THALANG: Police seized about 2,000 kilograms of kratom leaves and cut down kratom trees up to 15 meters tall at a house in Thalang last Thursday.In what is believed to be the biggest kratom bust in the district, officers raided the house in Tambon Sri Soontorn after obtaining a search warrant, applied for after an investigation led to a tip-off.Lt…
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Police bust ya bah ring
KATHU: On a night of rain, gunfights and car chases, a Phuket Provincial Police drug suppression unit smashed a major ya bah (methamphetamine) ring on June 19, arresting five people and seizing 1,384 ya bah pills and 115,000 baht in cash as evidence in the case. The operation started with a routine drug bust on June 18 in front of…
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Woman dies in Kata hit-and-run
KATA: Lamphun Kotpanna, 27, from Sakhon Nakhon, died last night after her motorbike was hit by a pickup truck on the steep hill near the Marina Phuket Resort.Sayan Thammapan, of the Phuket Ruamjai Rescue Foundation, told the Gazette, “She was riding her blue Honda Sonic motorbike on the hill in front of Marina Cottage Hotel in Kata, which has a…
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Police bust gang of motorbike thieves
PHUKET CITY: Police have busted a gang of motorbike thieves, including their leader, who have allegedly stolen about 50 motorbikes over the past four months.Col Nos Svettalekha, superintendent of Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette, “The leader of the gang is Krittanai ‘Max’ Buapeng, 36, from Krabi. We have followed him for about nearly four months.” Krittanai was arrested…
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Chinese tourist drowns
PATONG: Strong waves claimed the life Chinese tourist Wing Wong, 40, who drowned at Patong Beach about 1:30 pm yesterday.Sub Lt Naruwat Puthawiro, duty investigator of Kathu Police Station, today told the Gazette, “He and his friends were swimming at Patong Beach. Although I have yet to question his friends, at that time there were strong waves. I suspect that…
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Beauty applied
PATONG: Twenty-four beauties from Southern Thailand on Sunday signed up at Jungceylon to enter the Miss Thailand World 2007 beauty pageant organized by Thai TV Channel 3 and BEC Tero Entertainment.The applicants, from 17 to 24 years old, came from as far as Trang, Surat Thani and Songkhla hoping to be named to be the most beautiful woman in the…
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Body found in Klong Bang Yai
RASSADA: The body of a man aged 20 to 30 was found floating in Klong Bang Yai near the Chokthawee fish raft in the port area around noon on Sunday.Capt Krurg-rit Ritnuang of Phuket Police Station told the Gazette, “When I arrived at the scene, the body was still floating in the klong. Fishermen helped drag it to the fish…
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Danish “Queen of Jazz’ to perform in Phuket
PHUKET: In a concert titled “A Touch of Jazz Romance”, the soulful voice of Katrine Madsen will waft over the audience at the Beach Club of the Kata Thani resort this Sunday evening, July 1. She will be backed by the popular Jesper Bodilsen Trio. The Phuket event is a sequel to the star’s concert at Bangkok’s Thailand Cultural Center on Saturday,…
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Toddler killed in botched burglary
RASSADA: A two-year-old girl and her nanny have died after their throats were slit in a botched burglary by two local youths yesterday eveningPhuket Deputy Police Commander Chalit Tinthanee last night announced that the attackers, a 15-year-old student at Phuket Technical College (PTC) and his 17-year-old friend, entered the house of PTC teacher Narisorn Phueng-rang in Baan Kabout about 5 pm.Once inside they were…
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Charoen told to vacate SorPorKor plots
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an Appeals Court verdict and ordered Phuket businessman Charearn Thavornwongwongse to vacate four plots of SorPorKor land for landless farmers covering roughly 16 rai in Kamala and Kathu Districts.According to the court, K. Charearn could no longer be considered a farmer because he owned various businesses.He is the Managing Director of…
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Dutchman arrested for office hold-up
PHUKET CITY: A down-on-his-luck Dutchman was arrested yesterday for the June 15 robbery of the management office at the Phuket Villa California residential development.The man, identified as Jeroen De Valk, 35, allegedly made away with 74,000 baht – but not before CCTV cameras recorded his motorcycle license plate number.On June 15, a man dressed in black walked into the offices of the…
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Cops nab office thief
PHUKET CITY: Provincial bureaucrats will sleep better at night, following the arrest of a man wanted for stealing valuables from government offices on the island.At a press conference yesterday, Phuket City Police Station Superintendent Col Nos Sawetalek presented 30-year-old Prayuth Kruakaew as the thief, along with four laptop computers, three mobile phones and cash in baht, US dollars and Chinese…
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High and dry
PATONG: Six days after it washed up on the south end of Patong Beach, the 38-foot sailboat Sultan remains high and dry after several unsuccessful efforts to dislodge and re-float her.The Sultan washed up on the south end of Patong Beach during a strong storm about 1 am on Tuesday.Skipper Michael Wilson of the UK, who was asleep on the…
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Dutch ambassador to visit Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Dutch ambassador Pieter Marres will hold a reception for Dutch nationals only at the Royal Phuket City Hotel from 6 pm to 7:30 pm on June 29. Netherlanders will have the opportunity to meet Amb Marres and his wife, Josee. Also, from 2 pm to 4 pm, staff from the Netherlands Embassy Consular Section will be available for…
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