Month: November 2007
- Phuket
MP candidates call for local election commission to be replaced
PHUKET CITY: Six local MP candidates from four political parties held a press conference Wednesday afternoon, calling for the national Election Commission (EC) to replace all the members of the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) currently chaired by Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha.The six politicians charged that the PEC’s joint staging of an “anti-vote-buying” activity with the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor)…
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Chalong Police nab cable cutters
CHALONG: Chalong Police have arrested two suspects for late-night thefts of electric cable that left homes in Rawai and Chalong in blackout over the past month. At a press conference at Chalong Police Station yesterday morning, police identifed the culprits as Mana Sae-Tun and Sansern Klaseuk, both 23-year-old Phuket natives.The thieves were presented to the media by Chalong Police Investigtions…
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Rajabhat student stabbed
RASSADA: A first-year student at Phuket Rajabhat University was seriously wounded after being stabbed repeatedly by her boyfriend at her rented room in tambon Rassada on November 28, Phuket City Police Duty Inspector Lt Col Adul Nirapai told the Gazette.At about 10 pm, Sujitra Chatavee, a native of Phang Nga Province, was stabbed repeatedly by her boyfriend with a small…
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Digital Gazette takes off
(PHUKET): In a development which might surprise a number of “old media” publishers (and not surprise more modern ones at all), the Phuket Gazette‘s new “Digital Gazette” has sold 21 subscriptions into its tiny niche readership market within the first 24 hours of its launch as a paid product. Incorporating virtually the entire content of it’s now 64-page weekly hard-copy…
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Registered population continues to rise
PHUKET: As of October 31, Phuket’s official population stood at 313,835 persons, up 880 from September 30. The rise follows a provincial campaign to increase the registered population of Thais living in Phuket, as officially tallied from household registration forms, or tabien baan.Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Piya Bharatasilpin reported the increase during the monthly meeting of the Phuket…
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Yellow-top bikers oppose vote buying
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha gave out 200 yellow crash helmets to motorcycle-taxi riders at Phuket Community Hall on Monday November 26.The color yellow symbolizes devotion to the king and are part of a campaign to discourage vote buying in the upcoming government elections on December 23.The helmets were donated by Ruam Pong Motor Co Ltd. and are adorned…
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Dutch tourist stabbed near Downtown Market
PHUKET CITY (Kom Chad Luek/Gazette): A Dutch tourist is recovering in Bangkok Phuket Hospital after being stabbed twice by a knife-wielding thief outside the Downtown Market on Ranong Rd last night.The tourist, 51-year-old Thomas De Klerk, was shopping at the market with his wife Maria Kroezen at the time of the attack, staff at the hospital told the Gazette.The victim…
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Police investigate case of electrocuted Swede
PATONG: Kathu Police are investigating the death of 34-year-old Swedish tourist Robert Karlsson Svard, who was found dead in his room at a Patong guest house on the afternoon of November 23. Pol Sub Lt Thitikorn Rawang, Duty Officer of the Kathu Police, confirmed as accurate a report in a local Thai-language newspaper that said Mr Karlsson Svard died of…
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Mystery body surfaces in Klong Tha Chin
KOH SIREH: The body of an unidentified man was discovered in the Tha Chin river near Koh Sireh November 26. The body is believed to be that of an Indonesian or Burmese laborer who was attacked and then thrown into the sea, said Pol Lt Amporn Musikapan from Phuket City Police Station.Lt Amporn said, “I got a call on the…
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Five arrests in teen-stabbing case
PHUKET CITY: Five youths were arrested on Saturday for the murder of 14-year-old Theeraphong Thongklam, who died after being stabbed in the heart in the early hours of last Wednesday. Theerapong’s friend, who was riding pillion when their bike on crashed about 1 am on the night of the murder, told police that he and Theerapong were driving to Thalang…
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Incendiary behavior sparks murder at Saphan Hin
SAPHAN HIN: Phuket City Police are investigating the fatal stabbing of man whose celebration of the Loy Kratong Festival with firecrackers allegedly angered a group of young revelers, two of whom allegedly stabbed him in the back while he was urinating.Pol Capt Sathit Nurit, Duty Officer of the Phuket City Police, identified the victim as 29-year-old Apichart Kaewpanya, a resident…
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Russian tourist dies of heart failure
PATONG: A Russian tourist died of an apparent heart attack in his room at the Patong Resort Hotel early yesterday, a local Thai newspaper has reported.Kathu Police Duty Officer Pol Capt Padungpong Duksukaew was quoted in the report as identifying the tourist as Yury Bogdanov, 58.The death was reported by 56-year-old Irina Bogdanov, wife of the deceased, the report said,…
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New Karon Municipality offices open
KARON: Karon Municipality dedicated its new 63-million-baht office building yesterday morning with a ceremony presided over by Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit.The new offices, which took about 17 months to complete, are on three rai at Kata Beach, next to the Kata Beach Resort. The stately four-story building replaces two old, single-story wooden buildings at the same site.Beneath the building is…
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One reported dead, at least two injured in road accidents
PHUKET: A Russian woman has been reported to have died in an accident in Thalang late last night and a five-vehicle crash on the bypass road yesterday afternoon caused damage to several cars and left an American man in hospital.Pol Lt Sathawat Srirattanapong, duty officer of Phuket City Police, told the Gazette that the accident in the southbound lane of…
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Limo drivers vow to fight AOT over airport service
PHUKET CITY: Representatives of the Phuket Limousine and Business Services Cooperative (PBC) yesterday said they would continue to fight the Airports of Thailand (AOT) decision to slash the number of PBC vehicles operating at Phuket International Airport from 150 to 90.Following a meeting with Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, PBC Secretary Niphon Piromrit said, “We have 110 saloon cars and 40…
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German dies in head-on smash
PHUKET: German national Werner Josef Theisen died after the Nissan NV he was driving and a pickup truck collided on Airport Rd about midday last Saturday.According to Pol Lt Col Jamroon Plaiduang from Thalang Police Station, three vehicles were involved in the accident, which occurred as Mr Werner was driving from Phuket International Airport towards Phuket City.“Mr Werner swerved left…
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Security guards arrested for theft
KATA: Police arrested four employees of a private security firm for stealing valuables from the same people they were hired to protect: guests and staff at the Club Med Phuket resort in Kata.Chalong Police Superintendent Col Samarn Chainarong presented the four guards to the media at a press conference at Chalong Police Station yesterday morningThe first two presented were Nakhon…
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Swedish consulate to close
PHUKET CITY: The Swedish Consulate in Phuket will cease operations June 30 next year.The consulate, which opened in late 2004 to assist Swedish victims of the tsunami disaster, will be one of four Swedish diplomatic missions closing worldwide for financial reasons, acting Consul General Christina Palm told the Gazette.Swedish victim-identification work finished in June 2006, but the consulate remained open…
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Key areas hold first Municipal elections
PHUKET: The first-ever municipal elections in Rassada, Rawai and Wichit, all upgraded from tambon administration organization (OrBorTor) to municipality (tessabaan tambon) status in August, were held November 17.In Rassada, large crowds amassed at the vote-counting center at Phuket Rajabhat University. Suratin Lian-udom, leader of Raksa Rassada, won 3,264 votes to defeat Preecha Jai-ard of Rassada Prongsai party, with 3,241 votes.Somchai…
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Teen stabbed to death in Phuket City
PHUKET CITY: The latest casualty of teenage gang violence in Phuket was 14-year-old Theeraphong Thongklam, stabbed through the heart in downtown Phuket City early Monday morning.Phuket City Police Sub Lt Jakrapong Suchol said that Theeraphong, a resident of Rassada Village 7, fell off his motorbike near the Montri Rd-Phang Nga Rd intersection at 2:30 am after being stabbed by a…
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Rotary International awards One-Two-Go hero
THALANG: Rotary Club of Patong President O.B. Wetzell on November 20 presented a Rotary International “Family and Community Service Award” to Paiboon Papan, the One-Two-Go flight OG269 passenger who heroically saved the life of expat resident Robert Borland and other survivors of the crash on September 16.The ceremony was held at the offices of Thalang Trading Co Ltd , where…
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Great gobbler hunt now closed
(PHUKET): The Disaster Prevention departments of the following Phuket restaurants have now stepped in to announce traditional turkey feasts for Thanksgiving 2007 – Thursday, November 22. (See our earlier story here.) BYD LoftsPatong Beachfrom 8pm850 bahtReservations requiredTel: 076-343024/7 Don’sRawaifrom 5 pm320 bahtReservations recommended076-289314 Les AngesRoyal Phuket Marinafrom 12 noon til 9:30 pm1,500 baht076-360803 Tavern on the HillPatong Beachfrom 7:30 pm475…
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