Month: June 2008
- Phuket News
Cherng Talay OrBorTor rallies against illegal billboards
CHERNG TALAY: Ma-an Sumraan, Vice-President of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration (OrBorTor), has launched a campaign to rid his neighborhood of all illegal billboards.Cherng Talay OrBorTor officials have started pasting warning notices on offending billboards as part of K. Ma-an’s “soft” approach to the problem.However, some people have interpreted the warning notices as somewhat hostile and simply ripped them off…
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Chalerm to inspect Phuket land
PHUKET: Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung is expected to arrive in Phuket tomorrow ahead of an inspection tour on Wednesday of land plots that he stands accused of helping his friends to acquire, Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit announced this morning.During the recent censure debate, K. Chalerm was accused by Democrat Party Secretary-General Suthep Thuegsuban of using his position to leverage the…
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Storm-stricken “Moonstar’ found
AUSTRALIA (ABC, Perth Now): A search plane this morning found the missing 13.5-meter sailing yacht Moonstar, which was badly damaged in a storm on Friday night and began taking on water. The yacht is believed to be about 140 kilometers off Fremantle, south of Perth. The yacht is also believed to be the same Moonstar that was rescued off Patong by…
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Evicted Vises Hotel tenants seek top-level redress
PHUKET CITY: After being told by Kathu Police last week that their forced eviction is not a police matter, long-term tenants of the Vises Hotel in Patong on Friday filed a complaint with the Phuket Consumer Protection Board at Provincial Hall.The tenants were met by Prapan Chansaeng, who explained to them that by law a hotel can rent rooms only on a daily…
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Korean drowns while trying to save his wife
KATA: A Korean man drowned off Kata Beach about 11 am yesterday after being dragged out to sea while trying to save his wife, who had swum into difficulty.Hun Sang Suk, 46, had swum out to rescue his wife, who had been dragged away from the shore by strong currents, said Lt Ratthaket Mingmuang of Chalong Police Station.“The red flags were…
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Phuket land sparks fury in parliament
BANGKOK (The Nation): The duel between Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung and Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaungsuban on Thursday night was the heavyweight main event concluding the censure debate.The irascible Chalerm, one of the most controversial ministers in Cabinet, was grilled by Suthep, a seasoned politician, who has proclaimed himself the “shadow interior minister”. Suthep claimed that Chalerm took advantage of…
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Disoriented false killer whales beach on Koh Racha
KOH RACHA YAI: Researchers at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) are today examining the remains of a False Killer Whale that was one of some 20 that beached on Koh Racha Yai, some 25 kilometers south of Phuket, late yesterday afternoon.Local hotel staff and tourists rescued another 10 beached animals that could not make their way back to deeper…
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Disoriented dolphins beach on Koh Racha
KOH RACHA YAI: Researchers at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) are today examining the remains of a False Killer Whale that was one of some 20 that beached on Koh Racha Yai, some 25 kilometers south of Phuket, late yesterday afternoon.Local hotel staff and tourists rescued another 10 beached animals that could not make their way back to deeper…
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Phuket prepares for tsunami drill
PHUKET: At 9:45 am on July 7, all 79 tsunami warning towers operated by the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) will sound their alarms as part of a comprehensive tsunami warning test for the six Andaman provinces.Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Ministry Suwit Kunkitti announced the drill on nationwide television at 3 pm yesterday.Co-ordinating the drill from a command center…
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Doctor arrested at Bang Tao clinic
CHERNG TALAY: A doctor at a clinic in Bang Tao has been charged with practicing medicine without a license after allegedly administering an injection that resulted in a local boy nearly losing the use of one of his legs.Cherng Talay Police arrested Tassaneeporn Kachane, 53, at Pannavej Clinic on Srisoonthorn Rd yesterday afternoon after Phuket Provincial Health Office Director Dr…
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Labor Office mulls 2-year work permits
PHUKET: The Ministry of Labor is considering issuing work permits valid for two years, Janya Yingyong, chief of the Work Permit Section at the Phuket Provincial Labor Office (PPLO), has confirmed.Under the current system, work permits are valid only as long as the holder’s ‘permit to stay’, which is issued by Immigration.“The visa and work permit will be based on the…
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Cops collar robed robber
PHUKET CITY: A man wanted for the theft of Buddha images and amulets valued at about 100,000 baht was arrested on Tuesday night after Phuket City residents helped police set up a sting operation.Capt Atthapol Wannasaengthong of Phuket City Police told the Gazette, “After the man’s description and the story of the robbery in Rassada was reported in a local newspaper…
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Rawai to move ahead with “Sea Natural History Museum’
RAWAI: In a bid to simultaneously preserve local flora and boost tourism, Rawai Municipality is renewing efforts to build a “Thai Island and Sea Natural History Museum” on 271 rai of government land north of the viewpoint at Laem Phromthep.Phuket Vice-Governor Smith Palawatwichai presided over a meeting on the new initiative on Tuesday morning at the Rawai Municipality Offices.Also attending…
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THAI Airways demotes its president
BANGKOK (The Nation): Thai Airways International’s board of directors has abruptly demoted president Apinan Sumanaseni today, citing his poor performance which has led to huge losses for the national carrier. The demotion takes effect immediately and Apinan has been ordered to focus on non-management matters. Norahat Phloiyai has been appointed as co-president, and will oversee all management issues.Meanwhile, Chamsri Sukchotrat, chief of…
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Gazette Mobile launches “Smart News’
PHUKET: After seven months under construction, Gazette Mobile has today launched ‘Smart News’, a mobile information service focused on Phuket. The product is substantially different from any other mobile news model currently available in Thailand. Subscribers to Smart News have the ability to choose both the frequency and nature of the information they wish to receive. There are three information packages, or…
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577 pills, 5 guns seized in ya bah bust
PHUKET CITY: Police yesterday afternoon announced the arrest of a six-person ya bah (methamphetamine) gang who allegedly sold the drug to youths at Saphan Hin.In an attempt to avoid capture, one of the gang members allegedly tried to shoot at police, but his homemade gun failed to fire.Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Apirak Hongtong identified the suspects as gang leader 23-year-old…
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A disarming mystery
BANGKOK: As the international media has been puzzling recently over the mystery of why five dismembered human feet have washed up on the beaches of British Columbia over the past year – the most recent find being on June 16 – Thailand now has its own body-part puzzle to ponder: a severed arm found on the tracks at Hualamphong Railway…
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Rogue monk defrocks self
NONG KHAI: As every good clergyman knows, improper sexual conduct is a quick way to get defrocked – cast out of the Buddhist clergy.Perhaps sensing that his own defrockment was inevitable, one naughty abbot in Tha Bor District decided to beat his detractors to the punch.At a meeting of villagers and local religious authorities to discuss allegations of sexual impropriety…
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PM and Foreign Minister seen as ‘Dead and Buried’
BANGKOK (Opinion from The Nation): As far as the media were concerned yesterday, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama were “defeated” in the first day of the censure debate in the House of Representatives.Headlines in almost all local newspapers, Thai and English, backed the opposition Democrat Party, saying Samak and Noppadon had lost the battle. The Democrat…
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Phuket rakes in B94bn in 2007
PHUKET: Suwalai Pinpradap, director of the Southern Region 4 office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), has announced that more than 5 million tourists visited Phuket in 2007, spending a total of 94.239 billion baht.She forecast that this year there would be 6 million visitors to the island.According to the TAT’s latest statistics, about 8 million tourists visited Phuket,…
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Police on lookout for “mock monk’ thief
RASSADA: Phuket City Police are on the lookout for a man who wears a monk’s robe but is wanted for the theft of about 100 amulets with a total claimed value of more than 100,000 baht.Phuket City Police Inspector Lt Col Wijak Tarom told the Gazette that police on Sunday evening responded to a call from a man claiming to have…
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Grissak vows to clean up Bangla
PATONG: In a bid to clean up the trash dumped on Soi Bangla every day, Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak has launched a garbage-disposal campaign to ease some of Patong’s waste woes.Col Grissak told the Gazette that he called on local vendors and municipal authorities to discuss the problem and develop a plan of action with the goal of…
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European tourists seized from yacht off Somalia
MOGADISHU (The Nation/DPA): Four European citizens have been seized from a yacht off Somalia’s pirate-infested coast, Somali officials said yesterday.The district commissioner of the Las Korey area said that the four – the captain of the yacht plus a family of three – were abducted overnight on Sunday as they sailed through the Gulf of Aden.The kidnappers reportedly abandoned the…
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Legal wrangle may leave Vises tenants homeless
PATONG: Tenants staying at the Vises Hotel on Sainamyen Rd in Patong have filed a complaint at Kathu Police Station over an eviction order requiring them to leave the hotel by July 15.A court notice attached to the hotel door warns that the hotel has been repossessed by Photipoom Co Ltd. The notice also warns that there is to be no…
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Appeal for infant in need of heart operation
PHUKET: The British International School (BIS) Phuket is calling for donations to help pay for specialized medical treatment for three-month-old Ruby, daughter of the school’s art co-ordinator, Claire Lester. Ruby has been diagnosed with DiGeorge’s syndrome, a genetic disorder that has left her with a partially collapsed lung, pneumonia and requiring a heart operation. She is currently hospitalized in Bangkok and…
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Rain forces landslide warning
PHUKET: Following heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours, the Meteorological Department of Thailand has warned of flooding and possible landslides in Phuket.Flood-risk areas include Thepkrasattri Rd near Super Cheap, just north of Phuket City, and warnings of possible landslides have been issued for Patong and Kata.While 10mm of rain has fallen in Phuket City, some 30mm was recorded within a three-hour period at the…
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Brit wins TriBallistic in rough conditions
NAI YANG: After the weather closed in on the Indigo Pearl resort yesterday, it was thought the swim leg of the third TriBallistic race in the current series would be canceled, but the seas calmed sufficiently to allow the senior race to start with the scheduled 600-meter, open-water swim. The athletes had to fight hard through large waves. Briton Bryan…
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Body found off Koh Bon
RAWAI: The unidentified body of a “white” man was found floating near Koh Bon about 11 am yesterday. The body was discovered by hotel staff working in the area.Lt Ratthakhet Manmuang, duty officer at Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette that the corpse was found about 300 meters from shore. The man is believed to have been around 40 years…
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Thai guides angered by Russian substitutes
PHUKET: A group of about 10 Phuket tour guides on June 17 filed a complaint with Phuket Senator Thanyarat Atchariyachai, claiming that Russians were stealing their jobs by working as guides for Russian tour groups.K. Thanyarat, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Tourism, was in Phuket with fellow committee members to sound out local businesspeople and report to Cabinet what…
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Investors start eyeing Ao Phuket project
PHUKET: Two men representing a Norwegian marine engineering firm yesterday met Governor Niran Kalayanamit to show their interest in the Ao Phuket development project.The Norwegians were just two of a host of potential investors who have been inquiring about the development, Gov Niran said.Geir L Kjersem, Managing Director of LMG Marin, met the governor at 1:30 pm, accompanied by his…
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Russian found dead in Phuket City apartment
PHUKET CITY: Mystery surrounds the death of a Russian man who missed his flight out of Thailand on Wednesday and was found dead in his apartment yesterday afternoon.Lt Col Wijak Tarom, Phuket City Police Inspector for Investigations, identified the deceased as Oleg Syrus, 38.Col Wijak was alerted to Mr Syrus’ death at 4:30 pm by the management of Thanaporn Apartments…
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Press freedom vanishing from Thailand
BANGKOK (The Nation): In his speech before the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Wednesday, Asean Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan delivered what might best be described as a severe reality check for Thai citizens. Citing statistics from Freedom House, the New York-based monitor of media freedoms around the world, he noted that less than a decade ago Thailand ranked 29th…
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Oleydong retains WBC title
PHUKET CITY: WBC strawweight champion Oleydong Sithsamerchai (27-0, 10 KOs) used sharp, combination punching and a masterful defense to batter outclassed Japanese challenger Junichi Ebisuoka (17-11-3, 7 KOs) before scoring a ninth round knockout at a temporary ring set up at Saphan Hin.Sithsamerchai, a southpaw, was in complete control of the bout from the outset, winning every round on the…
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PM in urgent meeting with Army and Police chiefs
BANGKOK (The Nation): Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Wednesday summoned Army chief General Anupong Paochinda and national police chief General Patcharawat Wongsuwant for an urgent meeting at his office.Sources said Samak ordered the two to beef up security at Government House in light of the threat by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to march to the seat of government on…
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Restaurant owner killed in Patong Hill shooting
TUNG TONG: Police are investigating the shooting murder of a seafood restaurant owner early yesterday evening that caused a multiple-car accident at the bottom of Patong Hill.Thung Thong Police Superintendent Col Arayapan Pukbuakao identified the victim as 38-year-old Sirichai “Yod” Chaikoo, part owner of the 99 Seafood Restaurant on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd in Patong, opposite the Royal Paradise Hotel…
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Landowner lays claim to Laem Hin access road
KOH KAEW: Irate residents in Koh Kaew on Monday filed a petition to Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit calling for aid in their ongoing dispute with a landlord over ownership of the road that leads to Laem Hin Pier.For about an hour on Friday, Apichart Kitprasarn blocked the road with a metal barrier, claiming that he was entitled to do so…
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AirAsia flight forced to land in Phuket – twice
MAI KHAO: AirAsia flight FD3024 from Phuket to Bangkok was forced to land twice shortly after takeoff at Phuket International Airport (PIA) yesterday evening.A passenger on the flight told a Gazette source, “I heard the sound of wind rushing and then the engines roar [shortly after takeoff] and thought something had happened, but the crew didn’t tell the passengers exactly…
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