Year: 2008

  • Phuket NewsHK billionaire to build mega-resort in Phang Nga

    HK billionaire to build mega-resort in Phang Nga

    PHANG NGA: The Year of the Rat is certain to change the fortunes of a sleepy area of Phang Nga province, as a Hong Kong company owned by billionaire Richard Li has announced plans for a mega-resort project along the beach in Thai Muang district.Land acquired by Li’s company Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited (PCPD) in late 2007 totals 1,081.25…

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  • Thailand NewsLustful teens get lewd in local library | Thaiger

    Lustful teens get lewd in local library

    NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: Most parents would be happy to know that their teenagers were spending their free time hanging out in the library. What better place could there be to engage in some extracurricular learning and curl up with a good book? In Nakhon Sri Thammarat public library, however, teenagers have been curling up for some X-rated extracurricular activities –…

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  • Thailand NewsRasta roadie nearly roasted at roadside | Thaiger

    Rasta roadie nearly roasted at roadside

    NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: A sound technician for the popular Thai reggae band “Marijuana” almost went up in smoke January 17, after the fuel system he had just installed in his sedan malfunctioned and exploded. The technician, identified only as Charin, was driving from Surat Thani to Nakhon Sri Thammarat when he was almost lit up. He was on his way…

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  • Thailand NewsSpineless heroes | Thaiger

    Spineless heroes

    LOPBURI: Dogs and horses are known for their faithful service in law-enforcement activities. In Lopburi Province, however, police recently found a new animal ally – the humble leech. On the evening of January 13, Pol Lt Col Theerayuth Yungthong, investigation inspector at Lopburi Muang District Police Station, received a call from the headman of Village 6 in Tambon Khao Sam…

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  • Thailand NewsRogue monks defrocked after temple-‘tech raid | Thaiger

    Rogue monks defrocked after temple-‘tech raid

    NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: Places of worship are not generally considered the best places to swig booze and get down to some bangin’ dance tracks. However, three young monks in Nakhon’s Wat Suan Pan turned their dormitory cell into a makeshift disco. News of the temple ‘tech came when neighbors told police that they had seen some monks leading a number…

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  • Phuket NewsPlans laid for B1.3bn airport in Phang Nga | Thaiger

    Plans laid for B1.3bn airport in Phang Nga

    PHANG NGA: The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) will request a budget of 1.3 billion baht from the new Cabinet to fund construction of a domestic airport in Phang Nga province.Plans have already been drawn up for the construction of an airport that would cover 1,400 rai on Koh Kho Khao, a 45,000-rai island in Takuapa district.The 1.3-million-baht would cover both the…

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  • Phuket NewsNew Phuket Airport director aims for expansion

    New Phuket Airport director aims for expansion

    PHUKET: Phuket International Airport (PIA) appointed 54-year-old Wing Commander Wicha Nurnlop as the airport’s new director on February 1, replacing former-Director Squadron Leader Pornchai Eua-aree, who has been transferred to the Airports of Thailand (AOT) headquarters in Bangkok. K. Wicha returns to PIA after spending the past four months as Director of Haad Yai International Airport. Before transferring to Haad…

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  • Phuket NewsMilestone merger adds luster to corporate Phuket | Thaiger

    Milestone merger adds luster to corporate Phuket

     

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  • Phuket NewsCity Hall officer found hanged | Thaiger

    City Hall officer found hanged

    PHUKET CITY: The body of Boonsri Sai-ngarm, 59, an officer at Phuket City Hall, was found hanged from a stair rail at her house on Saturday afternoon.A neighbor discovered the body and alerted police to the house on Mae Luan Rd, said Pol Lt Col Sompong Boonrat, deputy superintendent of Phuket City Police Station.“We found no wounds or signs of a…

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  • Phuket NewsDanish tourist missing in Patong

    Danish tourist missing in Patong

    PATONG: A reward of 10,000 baht is being offered for information that helps to find Danish tourist Henrik Rasmusen, 47, who was last seen about 10:30 pm on January 27 at the Royal Paradise Hotel, where he was staying.Mr Rasmusen, who has Down’s Syndrome, is tall, slim, has gray hair and a light gray beard and mustache.Anyone with information that may help locate…

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  • Phuket NewsBurasari confirms “Keith Floyd is fine’

    Burasari confirms “Keith Floyd is fine’

    PHUKET: Following reports that 64-year-old British celebrity chef Keith Floyd collapsed with breathing difficulties during a trip to the UK, Burasari Resident Manager Conor O’Leary has confirmed that there is no cause for alarm.Mr Floyd recently returned to the UK after spending four and a half weeks supervising his brasserie at the Burasari Resort in Patong during the peak of…

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  • Phuket NewsNew animal shelter nears completion | Thaiger

    New animal shelter nears completion

    PHUKET: The Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) has announced that a new dog shelter, animal hospital and education center will open next month in Mai Khao. Situated on 10 rai, the new facilities will not replace the government-run dog pound in Thalang, where the SDF has been operating for the past 15 months. In November, the SDF received a letter from…

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  • Phuket NewsAussies top tourist arrivals for Q1-3 2007 | Thaiger

    Aussies top tourist arrivals for Q1-3 2007

    PHUKET CITY: When all the figures are in, tourist arrivals to Phuket in 2007 are expected to exceed five million and generate as much as 70 billion baht in revenue, Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) Vice-President Bhuritt Maswongsa said yesterday morning.At a meeting chaired by Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit at Phuket Provincial Hall, K. Bhuritt said that Tourism Authority of Thailand…

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  • Phuket NewsOfficers befuddled by seaplanes in Patong

    Officers befuddled by seaplanes in Patong

    PHUKET CITY: Destination Air seaplanes landing and taking off near the Amari Coral Beach Resort have left government officers in a spin about what to do with complaints about noise, safety and even fuel left floating in the planes’ wakes.At a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, Kathu District Chief Khantee Silapa said, “For nearly three months I have received complaints from…

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  • Phuket NewsGov calls for “right’ Tourism Minister | Thaiger

    Gov calls for “right’ Tourism Minister

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit yesterday called on the new central government to appoint a Minister of Tourism and Sports who will push through the “mega-projects” Gov Niran believes will aid Phuket’s development.At the Phuket Provincial Security Committee meeting at Katina Hotel, Gov Niran said that after seven years as Phuket Vice-Governor and one year as Governor, Phuket still…

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  • Phuket NewsBomb scare in Rawai | Thaiger

    Bomb scare in Rawai

    RAWAI: Chalong Police closed the road along the Rawai beachfront at midday yesterday for about 30 minutes while bomb squad officers attended to a suspicious package left on the footpath opposite the Mama Klong restaurant.After local villagers reported the package to police, officers taped off a “safe zone” before moving in to disarm the suspected bomb.The incident caused much commotion and concern…

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  • Phuket NewsMan charged for robbing Adrian Zecha’s villa

    Man charged for robbing Adrian Zecha’s villa

    PHUKET CITY: Police yesterday announced that they had arrested a man for allegedly robbing Adrian Zecha’s villa at the exclusive Amanpuri, which the mogul developed himself as the first Aman boutique resort.At a press conference at Phuket City Police Station, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth presented Weerapol Laolang, 22, a resident of Soi Phaneang in Phuket City.Gen Decha said that…

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  • Phuket NewsRobber nabbed after fake-pistol heists

    Robber nabbed after fake-pistol heists

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police collaborated with Songkhla Police to bring in a robber who went on a one-month robbing spree around Phuket City armed with a fake pistol.Satun-native Narathon Uraiwong, 30, who was arrested on Saturday, admitted to robbing two grocery stores, one 7-Eleven and one tourist, stealing a total of 21,900 baht, said Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Col…

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  • Phuket NewsGlass adding to trash crisis – experts | Thaiger

    Glass adding to trash crisis – experts

    PHUKET CITY: With the volume of trash generated in Phuket increasing almost 20% annually, Phuket is facing a waste disposal crises that needs immediate attention, experts told a seminar at the Phuket Provincial Office on January 28. Monthip Srirattana Tabuganon, Deputy Director-General of Natural Resources and Environment Ministry’s Department of Environmental Quality Promotion led the meeting, much of which focused…

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  • Phuket NewsDesalination plant working at “near capacity’ | Thaiger

    Desalination plant working at “near capacity’

    KARON: After months of rectifying problems related to unstable power supply, Thailand’s second-largest desalination plant is finally working near full capacity, the Gazette has learned.The reverse-osmosis (RO) plant, located at the hairpin turn on the road from Karon to Patong, was completed mid-2006 at a cost of 528 million baht by REQ Water Service Ltd.By mid-2007, the plant was unable…

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  • Phuket NewsBanphaeo Hospital inks deal with OrBorJor

    Banphaeo Hospital inks deal with OrBorJor

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) and Banphaeo Hospital in Samut Sakhon signed a deal on January 26 at Phuket Merlin Hotel that will see the long-abandoned buildings of Phya Thai Hospital renovated and jointly run as a public organization under provincial administration.Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla and Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima witnessed the signing that will see…

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  • Phuket NewsTwo more candidates enter senatorial race | Thaiger

    Two more candidates enter senatorial race

    PHUKET CITY: Two local lawyers have registered to run in the March 2 senatorial election, bringing the final number of candidates in Phuket to three.The second candidate is Adirak Engchuan. The 46-year-old Phuket native, who holds a law degree from Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok, registered his candidacy Thursday morning.The final candidate to register was Cherdchai Wongseree, 47, who arrived at…

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  • Phuket NewsFour arrested for Phuket City muggings | Thaiger

    Four arrested for Phuket City muggings

    PHUKET CITY: Police have announced the arrest of four suspects charged with being part of gang believed to have mugged at least nine motorbike riders in Phuket City.In a press release, Phuket City Police Superintendent Col Nos Svettalekha identified one of the gang members as Prasit Intachoot, 24.Prasit and a 15-year-old boy were arrested in Surin Rd Soi 1 in Phuket…

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  • Phuket NewsThree die in Kalim horror smash | Thaiger

    Three die in Kalim horror smash

    KATHU: Two Italian tourists and a Thai teenager were killed in a head-on collision in Kalim on Thursday night, a local Thai-language newspaper has reported. The two Italians were named as Luiz Fransescopilato, 37, and his female companion Anna Montone, 30.The Thai victim was identified as 15-year-old Patong resident Theerawat Samarnmitr.Ms Montone was riding pillion on a blue Honda Click…

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  • Cannabis NewsGambling trumps crime statistics | Thaiger

    Gambling trumps crime statistics

    PHUKET: Yet again, gambling has topped the monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, with 284 arrests in December.During the period, drug-related cases accounted for 131 arrests, of which 55 involved ya bah (methamphetamine). A total of precisely 13,041.5 pills were seized.Thirty people were arrested for using cannabis, with a total of just 39.4 grams confiscated. There were 23…

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  • Phuket NewsNew limo service sparks strike at airport

    New limo service sparks strike at airport

    MAI KHAO: While Phuket Mai Khao Company launched its airport limousine and minibus service at Phuket International Airport yesterday morning, some 100 drivers and other staff of the Phuket Limousine and Business Services Cooperative (PBC), which already operates limos and minibuses at the airport, staged a five-hour strike in protest of the new concession.However, few passengers were inconvenienced as there…

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  • Phuket NewsDr Smith’s injuries not life threatening | Thaiger

    Dr Smith’s injuries not life threatening

    RANONG: The injuries sustained by Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, Director of the National Disaster Warning Center, during a car accident in Ranong late Wednesday afternoon are not life threatening, the Gazette has learned.A reliable source told the Gazette this morning that Dr Smith can speak, talk, watch television and read newspapers as normal, but he is being kept under close watch…

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  • Phuket NewsDr Smith injured in Ranong crash

    Dr Smith injured in Ranong crash

    RANONG: While returning to Bangkok from a seminar in Phuket yesterday, National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) Director Dr Smith Dharmasaroja sustained head injuries in a road accident in Ranong. Forty-eight-year-old Somchai Sriplienjan was driving Dr Smith’s blue Mazda BT50 pickup during heavy rain along Route 527 in Pakjun District, Ranong, when he lost control of the vehicle on a curve.…

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  • Phuket News“Gee’ ready for senate race | Thaiger

    “Gee’ ready for senate race

    PHUKET CITY: Former senator-elect Thanyarat “Gee” Achariyachai is the only candidate thus far registered to run in the senatorial election to take place in Phuket on March 2. K. Thanyarat arrived at Phuket Community Hall with her husband and supporters on the morning of January 21, the first day of the five-day registration period. She was given candidate number “1”…

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  • Phuket NewsNDWC to install more tsunami-warning buoys | Thaiger

    NDWC to install more tsunami-warning buoys

    PHUKET CITY: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has finally received 165 million baht from the central government to install two more tsunami-warning buoys in the Andaman Sea. They are to be installed by the middle of this year, NDWC Director Dr Smith Dharmasaroja told a conference in Phuket City on January 21.The conference, at the Royal Phuket City Hotel…

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  • Phuket NewsTOT broadband: 1Gbps by July | Thaiger

    TOT broadband: 1Gbps by July

    PHUKET (Nation/Gazette): TOT kicked off its project to build a new fiber-optic broadband-Internet service for Phuket with the awarding yesterday of a 136.8-million-baht network-construction contract.“We picked Phuket as the first location to launch the service because the island has affluent consumers who can afford the premium-priced service,” said Sayan Tinsamran, TOT senior executive vice president for marketing and product development.Under…

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  • Phuket NewsGerman caught robbin’ the hood

    German caught robbin’ the hood

    CHALONG: Jannik Norbert Volz, 19, from Germany, was arrested about 2 am on Sunday while he was attempting to steal a motorbike just after he had stolen a hunting bow and arrows from the Phuket Shooting Range.Police arrested Jannik and charged him with “nighttime theft”, which in Thailand carries a stiffer penalty than robbery in daylight, after he was seen stealing…

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  • Phuket NewsHotel room tax generates B65m | Thaiger

    Hotel room tax generates B65m

    PHUKET: About 65 million baht in tax on hotel rooms was collected in Phuket in 2007, some 5 million baht more than expected, Anchalee Vanich Tephabutra, president of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has announced.“Our target was 60 million baht. More tax was collected because we met with a large number of hotel operators and explained to them how the…

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  • Phuket NewsChalong Circle to be removed?

    Chalong Circle to be removed?

    CHALONG: Motorists in the southern end of the island may soon be missing their favorite landmark as the provincial highways office is considering removing Chalong Circle and installing traffic lights at the five-way junction.Saroj Suwinchai, director of the provincial office of the Highways Department, told the Gazette that the idea behind the proposal is to relieve traffic congestion at the…

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  • Phuket NewsChairat launches Patong beach food crackdown

    Chairat launches Patong beach food crackdown

    PATONG: Patong Municipality has warned Patong beach vendors against cooking and selling food on the beach, saying violators will be arrested.“If we find any vendors selling food on the beach we will arrest them. Only drinks can be sold on the beach and all vendors doing so must pay a tax and trash-collection fee to the municipality,” said Chairat Sukkaban,…

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  • Phuket NewsYear of the Rat a boon to Phuket tourism | Thaiger

    Year of the Rat a boon to Phuket tourism

    PHUKET CITY: Despite many public events being canceled in respect of the passing away of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana on January 2, the Tourism Authority of Thailand expects a 20% increase in the number of mainland Chinese celebrating the upcoming Chinese New Year in Phuket over last year.The lunar-based Chinese New Year celebrations, this year marking the arrival of the…

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  • Phuket NewsMarine tourism the cornerstone of 4-year provincial development plan | Thaiger

    Marine tourism the cornerstone of 4-year provincial development plan

    PHUKET CITY: The provincial government’s next four-year development plan aims to establish the island as a world-class marine tourism destination by 2012 while sustaining annual 10% increases in tourism-industry revenue over the four-year period starting in 2009.The ambitious plan, drawn up by the Governor’s Office, was presented to elected local officials and representatives of government agencies at a meeting at…

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