Year: 2007

  • Phuket NewsIsland CCTV up and running

    Island CCTV up and running

    PHUKET: The next time you are having a night out on the town in Patong, Kata-Karon or Phuket City be sure to keep a smile on your face: you might be on TV.Pol Col Peerayuth Karachedi, Superintendent for Administrative Affairs at Phuket Provincial Police Station, told the Gazette that a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system has been fully tested and is…

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  • Phuket NewsThai sailor murdered in Phang Nga mutiny

    Thai sailor murdered in Phang Nga mutiny

    PHANG NGA: The captain of Thai fishing boat Muang Dam 2 was seriously injured and his First Mate killed on February 9, when nine Burmese crew members mutinied during a fishing expedition about 40 miles off the coast of Phang Nga Province.A tour boat found the captain of the boat, Chalermporn Phosung, floating adrift with serious stab wounds.After the incident…

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  • Phuket NewsTeenage murder suspects still at large | Thaiger

    Teenage murder suspects still at large

    PHUKET: Four teenagers of the nine suspects in the murder of transsexual and glue addict Keittirat Longnawa remain at large while police try to learn all of their full names so that a single warrant for their arrest can be requested from the court.Lt Col Adul Niraphai, an Investigating Inspector at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that he…

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  • Phuket NewsGrand Tropicana declared clear of Legionnaires’ disease | Thaiger

    Grand Tropicana declared clear of Legionnaires’ disease

    PHUKET: Breaking the silence regarding the reported outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the hotel in January, Phuket Grand Tropicana General Manager Apichart Asa announced that the hotel has been declared free from the bacteria and that all water fixtures in the hotel have been cleaned from top to bottom.Dr Wiwat Sritamanod, Civil Service Level C-9 of the Phuket Provincial Health…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket student wins national IMPAC award

    Phuket student wins national IMPAC award

    BANGKOK (Nation): Waranya Nawaluck has taken her personal experience from the 2004 tsunami and turned it into opportunity. The 17-year-old Kathu Wittaya School student yesterday was awarded the National 3rd Annual Junior IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for Thailand. The theme for the essay was “A Tale of Thai Grace and Compassion”.K. Waranya’s essay revolves around the impact that the disaster…

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  • Phuket NewsSIPA to launch online payments portal | Thaiger

    SIPA to launch online payments portal

    PHUKET: The Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) will launch its “One Click Finish All: One Stop Services” initiative through the www.thaionestop.org website on Saturday.The website, for now in Thai only, will accept online payments for water, electricity and telephone bills, but users must have an account with Bank of Ayudhya.The portal initially will be able to make payments to the…

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  • Phuket NewsFire destroys shops on Phi Phi

    Fire destroys shops on Phi Phi

    PHI PHI DON (Nation, Kom Chad Luek, Gazette): A fire raged through beachfront shops at the eastern end of Ton Sai Bay on Koh Phi Phi Don on Sunday, causing estimated damages of more than 2 million baht. No one was hurt in the blaze.The fire began at a beer bar around 11:30 am and swiftly raged through 10 other…

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  • Cannabis NewsGambling, prostitution top January arrests | Thaiger

    Gambling, prostitution top January arrests

    PHUKET: From January 1 to 20, police arrested 208 people for gambling and 115 people for prostitution in Phuket, according to the latest crime statistics from the Phuket Provincial Police.Cases involving ya bah (methamphetamine) totaled 99, with 108 arrests made and 5,681 pills seized.Thirteen people were arrested for sniffing glue or paint thinners, 25 for possession of marijuana and three…

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  • Thailand NewsCentipede on steroids | Thaiger

    Centipede on steroids

    RAWAI: Villagers in Rawai were dumbfounded when a huge centipede, reportedly half a meter in length, was spotted near a public waterhole in Village 2. At 1 pm on February 6, villagers in the area of Baan Thai Mai (New Thais Village, or “Sea Gypsy” village) on Wiset Rd were seen crowding around a 20-meter-tall sugar palm tree. All were…

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  • Phuket NewsLocal aid raised for Southern temples

    Local aid raised for Southern temples

    PHUKET CITY: The Seu See Khao (White Media for Peace) Club and Kanlayanamitr Club have been soliciting donations of food and money for Buddhist monks in the Deep South who are unable to collect food alms themselves due to fear of attacks by extremists.Food offerings were collected by 109 monks from Phuket who walked a path through Saphan Hin yesterday…

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  • Phuket NewsCall for safety during Chinese New Year | Thaiger

    Call for safety during Chinese New Year

    PHUKET: Don’t sell or play with dangerous fireworks – and be careful with lit joss sticks during Chinese New Year, government officials have warned.Fire safety and other issues regarding the festivities that begin February 18 prompted a press conference led by Phuket Governor Vorapoj Rattasima. Also addressing the press were Aroon Kerdsom, head of the Phuket Provincial Office of Disaster…

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  • Phuket NewsSea gypsies protest over fishing rights

    Sea gypsies protest over fishing rights

    PHUKET CITY: Some 100 sea gypsies from Rawai on Wednesday petitioned Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit to help settle an ongoing, violent dispute over fishing rights near resorts.The complaint follows sea gypsy Pratan Charncheow suffering decompression sickness after having his oxygen supply hose cut while diving off Nui Beach on December 31.Pratan was fishing with five other sea gypsies, including Alim…

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  • Phuket NewsMission Hills to host PM’s golf meet | Thaiger

    Mission Hills to host PM’s golf meet

    PHUKET: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi will meet Thai Prime Minister Gen Surayud Chulanont for a round of golf at Mission Hills Golf course Sunday afternoon. The PMs will fly in separately Sunday morning and fly out the following day.Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha confirmed both PM’s itineraries, saying that PM Badawi will stay at JW Marriott Phuket…

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  • Phuket NewsNewspaper Circulation Soars | Thaiger

    Newspaper Circulation Soars

    BANGKOK (The Nation): Worldwide newspaper circulation soared nearly 10 percent in the five years to 2005, according to a study released in Paris yesterday. The study’s findings sharply challenge the widespread notion that the print media is moribund.The World Association of Newspapers [WNA] said the number of paid-circulation daily papers reached a record 10,104 in 2005, an increase of 13 percent…

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  • Phuket NewsOrBorJor sets sights on education

    OrBorJor sets sights on education

    PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) will spend 160 million baht of its 340-million-baht budget for fiscal 2007 on education, OrBorJor President Anchlee Vanich-Thepabutr has announced.The dedication of nearly half the OrBorJor‘s annual budget follows seven schools transferring their administration organization from the central government to the OrBorJor by signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs).Improvements in educational standards in the…

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  • Phuket NewsYa bah addict gunned down after 4-hour standoff | Thaiger

    Ya bah addict gunned down after 4-hour standoff

    PHUKET CITY: A four-hour standoff between police and a drug-crazed pork vendor ended violently yesterday, with a Phuket City policeman sustaining two bullet wounds before returning fire and hitting the gunman three times.After being felled, the man tried to take his own life by shooting himself in the head – but his gun failed to fire.Phuket City Police Inspector Lt…

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  • Phuket NewsEight disaster-alert stations plundered

    Eight disaster-alert stations plundered

    PHUKET: Thieves have stolen copper cable from lightning rods at eight of the island’s 11 emergency radio network repeater stations, forcing the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) to spend some 2.7 million baht on replacement and repairs.News of the vandalism was reported by OrBorJor Vice-President Suthin Uthaithamrong at the January 30 meeting of provincial office chiefs at the Thavorn Grand…

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  • Phuket NewsMan killed by lover in drunken ‘accident’ | Thaiger

    Man killed by lover in drunken ‘accident’

    RASSADA: Banya Wosongkram, 20, a young laborer from Khon Kaen, died after being stabbed by his lover during a drinking session at a worker’s camp near the bridge to Koh Sireh on January 31.The incident occurred while K. Banya was drinking with two friends and his lover Siam Raisanguan, 32, a married woman from Kalasin province.Lt Col Ampolwat Saengreuang, Inspector at…

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  • Phuket NewsForeign teacher crackdown to continue | Thaiger

    Foreign teacher crackdown to continue

    PHUKET: Foreign teachers will continue to be the target of Immigration crackdowns, Thai Immigration Chief Pol Lt Gen Suwat Tumrongsiskul confirmed during his recent visit to Phuket on Monday.His agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education (MoE), will continue to conduct strict background checks on all foreigners applying for teaching jobs in the Kingdom.Gen Suwat said Immigration agreed with…

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  • Phuket NewsNine youths in glue-fueled stabbing frenzy | Thaiger

    Nine youths in glue-fueled stabbing frenzy

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police have arrested five of nine youths wanted for the savage murder of Keittirat Longnawa, a 31-year-old transsexual and glue addict who was beaten and had his throat slashed in Rassada on January 31.Police are still searching for four more suspects in the case. All nine suspects, including two girls, ranged in age from 14 to…

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  • Phuket NewsThai youth: Clever, constructive… copulating | Thaiger

    Thai youth: Clever, constructive… copulating

    PHUKET CITY: Valentine’s Day is traditionally a time when love is in the air, but according to officials at Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO), young love is too often finding its way under the sheets.PPHO Chief Dr Wanchai Satthayawuthipong said that as Valentine’s Day is a time of high risk for youths losing their virginity and contracting STDs, his office…

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  • Phuket NewsMen cleared of gold shop robbery | Thaiger

    Men cleared of gold shop robbery

    PHUKET CITY: The two suspects wanted for the January 27 robbery of the Thongroj gold shop in Dowroong Villa, on Chao Fa East Rd, have been cleared by police after they turned themselves in to proclaim their innocence.Police on January 30 released sketches of the two men as they had visited the gold shop earlier in the week.Pol Maj Sompong…

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  • Phuket NewsSurayud, Badawi to play a round in Phuket | Thaiger

    Surayud, Badawi to play a round in Phuket

    PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Surayud Chulanont and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi are scheduled to meet in Phuket on February 11 to play a round of golf and stay one night, before heading to Bangkok the following day.The stately visit was announced by Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha at a meeting yesterday at Phuket Provincial Hall.Citing a draft…

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  • Phuket NewsPublic surveyed on B70bn Ao Phuket project | Thaiger

    Public surveyed on B70bn Ao Phuket project

    PHUKET CITY: Public opinions of the 70-billion-baht convention center and hotel project proposed to be built on reclaimed land off Saphan Hin have been surveyed, but the survey results have yet to be analyzed, Vice-Governor Worapot Ratthasima and officials from Phuket Governor’s Office were told on Friday.Researchers Dr Aree Tirasatayapitak and Kamontorn Prompitak, from the Faculty of Service Industries at…

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  • Phuket NewsCall for security boost at Johnnie Walker Classic | Thaiger

    Call for security boost at Johnnie Walker Classic

    PHUKET CITY: Ministry of Tourism and Sports Permanent Secretary Sakthip Krairiksh has called for increased security at the Johnnie Walker Golf Classic, to be played at Blue Canyon Golf Club March 1 to 4.The call was made at a meeting with representatives of major sponsor Diageo Moet Hennessy (Thailand) on February 2 and senior provincial government figures, including Phuket Vice-Governor…

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  • Phuket NewsNew District Chief tackles Thalang traffic | Thaiger

    New District Chief tackles Thalang traffic

    THALANG: Newly-appointed Thalang District Chief Samart Waradisai plans to request a budget to build a tunnel and more dedicated U-turns in order to improve traffic flow and safety on Thepkrasattri Rd.Thalang District Office, working with the Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) and Thalang Police, has already taken steps to improve traffic flow at Heroines’ Monument.During peak hours, from 7 am…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket investors implicated in human trafficking bust | Thaiger

    Phuket investors implicated in human trafficking bust

    MAE HONG SON (The Nation): Twenty long-neck Karen women (Paduang) arrested while crossing the Thai-Burmese border on Wednesday night allegedly were to be sold to a group of Phuket investors for 10 million baht, police said on Thursday.Mae Hong Son Provincial Governor Direk Konkleeb urged officers to extend the investigation to arrest those behind the alleged human trafficking.One of the…

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  • Phuket NewsSouthern police reinforcements still on hold | Thaiger

    Southern police reinforcements still on hold

    PHUKET: Provincial Police are still waiting on reinforcements from the Deep South despite the request already having been approved by Royal Thai Police Headquarters in Bangkok, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha Budnampetch has told the Gazette.Gen Decha said that last year he requested 150 police officers to be sent from Police Region 9, which comprises Songkhla, Satun, Yala,…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket is “bird flu free’ – Livestock Office chief | Thaiger

    Phuket is “bird flu free’ – Livestock Office chief

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket is 100% free of H5N1 bird flu, says the island’s top government authority on the disease.Dr Sunart Wongvorachart, who heads the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO), told the Gazette that his officers last month began an inspection and sterilization program at 17 local poultry farms, where samples were collected and sent for laboratory analysis.Thus far, all results…

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  • Phuket NewsHeartthrob DJ shot through the heart | Thaiger

    Heartthrob DJ shot through the heart

    PHUKET CITY: Sombat Aremsamkok, 25, a popular DJ renowned for his good looks, died after being shot in the heart at point blank range at 4:30 am January 26.Pol Lt Sathit Noovicht of Phuket City Police Station said that K. Sombat was shot in the back at Takrai restaurant, where he worked as a DJ, in Phun Pol Night Plaza.The…

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  • Phuket NewsB300,000 reward offered for armed robber

    B300,000 reward offered for armed robber

    PHUKET: A 300,000-baht reward is on offer for information leading to the arrest of a brazen bandit who made off with gold jewelry worth more than one million baht in a daylight robbery on Saturday.Officers report they have been following tips called in by a woman claiming to be the robber’s girlfriend, scouring the areas where she said he has…

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  • Phuket NewsBarami 8 squatters pull up stakes | Thaiger

    Barami 8 squatters pull up stakes

    KALIM: Squatters living on government land on Soi Phra Barami 8 have slowly begun moving out, fearing court-ordered fines and possible arrest if they continue to stay in the area.The move comes about eight months after they received the first eviction notices.Poonsak Naksena, Chief Administrative Assistant of Patong Municipality, told the Gazette that the squatters in the first three homes…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Immigration exempt from “smile and wai’ training | Thaiger

    Phuket Immigration exempt from “smile and wai’ training

    PHUKET: Immigration officers at Phuket International Airport are not required to undergo the “smile and wai” training that their counterparts at Suvarnbhumi Airport have been ordered to complete, because they have been doing it for a year already, says Pol Col Surasak Atthapanyawanich, Superintendent at Phuket Airport Immigration Office.Thailand Immigration Bureau Commander Pol Lt Gen Suwat Tumrongsiskul ordered the 1,200…

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  • Phuket NewsLimo driver returns B200,000 in “lost luggage’ | Thaiger

    Limo driver returns B200,000 in “lost luggage’

    PHUKET: Airport limousine driver Prateep Seeponnok has been commended for returning almost 200,000 baht worth of cash and goods to their Norwegian owner who had left them in his car.K. Prateep, accompanied by Phuket Vice-Governor Worapot Rattasima and Tourist Police officers, returned the forgotten luggage to Rolf Bernharn Knobloch yesterday.K. Prateep told the Gazette that, “At 10 pm on January…

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  • Phuket NewsTourist Police nab Phang Nga murder suspect | Thaiger

    Tourist Police nab Phang Nga murder suspect

    PHUKET: Tourist Police have 23-year-old Wanasart “Bank” Jeensrikong, for his role in the June 28, 2003 murder of Sarawuth Yamying in Phang Nga’s Takuatung District.Following a tip-off, Wanasart was arrested on Thursday after he was found working as a chef at a hotel in Patong. Plainclothes police arrested the suspect at the hotel, which they declined to name.Wanasart had confessed…

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  • Phuket NewsNai Harn curve claims two lives | Thaiger

    Nai Harn curve claims two lives

    CHALONG: Two men, both 20, died in a motorbike accident when the driver overshot Ku Bua curve on Saiyuan Rd around 7:30 am yesterday.Pol Lt Col Sanguan Muangtam at Chalong Police Station said that the two men, one from Nakhon Sri Thammarat and the other from Trang, were friends who had come to Phuket to work.“The men were on their…

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  • Thailand NewsMembers only | Thaiger

    Members only

    RAWAI, PHUKET: Outraged residents of Village 2 are demanding the immediate removal of numerous Sivaleung (Shiva’s member, or lingam) statues that decorate a newly-built spa, claiming that the phalluses will embarrass tourists and other passers-by. On January 20 Aroon Solos, President of the Rawai Tambon Administration Organization, paid a visit to the Suppaya Spa (Suppaya means “Assets of the Supreme…

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