Year: 2009
- Phuket News
Naked Norwegians stun Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police arrested two young Norwegian men last Tuesday night for running naked up Soi Bangla, the center of Phuket’s adult nightlife entertainment scene. The pair were identified in a local Thai-language news report as Kulien Petter and Frederil Rarlses, both 19 years of age. The lads were apprehended by police officers at about 9:30pm as they were…
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Swine Flu case reported in Bangkok
PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry said yesterday it had detected a suspected first case of the deadly type A (H1N1) influenza in Thailand and is awaiting confirmation of the infection from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States. The result of the CDC’s tests are expected within seven days. No suspected cases of the type A (H1N1)…
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Phuket tsunami warning tower tested
SAPHAN HIN, PHUKET CITY: People enjoying their morning workouts at the Saphan Hin municipal park at 8am on Wednesday were a bit surprised when the Thai National Anthem was played through the tsunami warning tower there for the first time. Apart from rousing nationalist passion, the music also marked the latest testing of the National Disaster Warning Center’s (NDWC’s) tsunami…
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Mission Possible: non-profit hospital continues expansion
RASSADA, PHUKET: Work on a new canteen and car park project at Mission Hospital Phuket began in early May and is scheduled for completion some time in July, hospital management has told the Gazette. Assistant Chief Operations Manager Atikom “Tom” Sriratanaprapat said the 10-million-baht project, clearly visible from Thepkrasattri Road, is being designed and built on a turnkey basis by…
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Phuket City Police nab bike theft gang
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police arrested a gang of nine alleged teenage bike thieves this week. The suspects, eight boys and one girl, confessed to theft charges. They are also believed to have been responsible for a number of crimes across Phuket, the police say. The roundup of the gang members followed a series of arrests, some of which took…
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Phuket property developer under fire in one-sided news report
PHUKET: A leading UK news tabloid, the Daily Mirror, reported earlier this week that Chelsea football star Joe Cole invested in the Hua Hin Country Club and is now demanding his money back as the project has remained an empty field for the past two years. Phuket has figured into the headline grabbing news as Cole has alleged that local…
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Thalassemia Day
PHUKET: Today, May 8, marks Thalassemia Day.Thalassemia is a genetic blood condition that affects hemoglobin and causes anemia and other debilitating symptoms in sufferers of the disease, which is particularly prevalent among Thais, who have the highest rate of the disease in South East Asia.One out of every 100 Thais suffers from the effects of Thalassemia and 40 out of…
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Phuket Governor: ‘No bail for drug crimes’
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop has issued written orders to all police districts on the island instructing them not to allow people arrested on drug charges to be granted bail. The issue was a major topic of discussion during the monthly meeting of the Phuket Provincial Security Council, held at Phuket Provincial Hall on April 29. The governor, who…
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US Consular Outreach to Phuket on May 13
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok has announced an additional consular outreach visit to Phuket on May 13. Consular staff will be available to provide consular services for American citizens at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa from 8am to 12pm on Wednesday, May 13. The following consular services will be available during the outreach…
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No evidence of poisoning in Phi Phi tourist deaths
KRABI: Following the mysterious deaths on Phi Phi Island of three foreign tourists in just over a month, Krabi police and doctors are still unable to explain how the American and two Norwegians became fatally ill. Contrary to an initial local blog entry speculating that cyanide poisoning may have been the cause of the deaths, Krabi police told a Gazette…
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Phuket FC to face Yala on Sunday
PHUKET CITY: Looking for some excitement next Sunday? The Phuket FC soccer team will take on Yala at Surakul Stadium on May 10, starting at 5pm. Phuket FC, also known as The Sea Dragons, lost their opening two home matches in Division 2 Southern region play of Thai League Football, Thailand’s first professional football league. However, they showed marked signs…
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Body of Swiss tourist found on Krabi beach
PHUKET: The body of a female tourist from Switzerland was found on a beach in Krabi province today. Police said the tourist had apparently been strangled on Noppharat Beach in Tambon Aonang of Muang district. The beach lies roughly 20 kilometers east of Phuket by boat across Phang-nga Bay. She was found lying down with the strap of her handbag tied around her neck. She was…
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Mystery illness kills foreign tourists on Phi Phi
KRABI: Two foreign tourists have mysteriously died and two others are seriously ill from unknown causes after holidaying on Phi Phi Island. Much speculation surrounds the circumstances of the deaths as authorities have yet to make any official statements regarding the matter. Press Attache at the US Embassy in Bangkok Michael Turner told the Gazette that US citizen Jill St.…
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Two dead in Phi Phi poison mystery
PHUKET CITY: Two tourists died and two others became seriously ill after staying at the same guesthouse on Phi Phi Island in Krabi this week. US citizen Jill St. Onge, 26, died on May 2, shortly after being taken to hospital by her boyfriend Ryan Kells, who also fell ill. Both tourists were vomiting severely before Miss St. Onge’s admission…
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Phuket Governor leads pro-peace rally
PHUKET CITY: With Phuket gearing up to host the Asean+3+6 summits in mid-June, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop on Monday led a group of about 200 flag-waving people in a “Stop harming the Country” campaign at Phuket Provincial Hall. Participants at the event swore an oath and called on all parties involved in the current conflict to refrain from resorting to…
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Swine Flu diagnosis now possible in just four hours
PHUKET: Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital says it can now diagnosis a case of swine flu in just four hours. Until yesterday, it took up to 18 hours to determine if a patient has caught the Type A(H1N1) flu virus. “The procedure has become much quicker because we received ribonucleic acid, or the genetic material of the influenza virus prototype, for analysis…
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Flu scare cruise ship given the all clear
PHUKET: Phuket doctors declared all 1,900 passengers on board the holiday cruise ship Super Star Virgo free of the A(H1N1) influenza virus after the vessel docked at Ao Makham Deep Sea Port on May 4 for a seven-hour stopover. The passengers, comprising Chinese, Singaporean, Australian, Indian and European nationals, were all checked for flu symptoms before disembarking in the afternoon…
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Phuket to the world: Web forum zeros in
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has entered the booming online forum sweepstakes by signing a partnership agreement with ThaiVisa.Com, Thailand’s largest English-language Web board. The agreement results in the birth of the Phuket Gazette/ThaiVisa Forum, a collection of thousands of pages of reader knowledge and observations on just about every aspect of life in Phuket. The Gazette endows the venture with…
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Light rail service proposed for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: A Singapore-based firm has proposed building a light-rail service that would revolutionize transport in Phuket. The network, which would cost almost 13 billion baht to develop, would connect key points on the island including Phuket International Airport, Patong, Chalong Circle and Phuket City. Dr Allina Salima of Jade Trust Fund International presented the plan to Phuket Governor Wichai…
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Oledong to defend WBC title in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: Undefeated WBC minimum-weight champion Oledong Sithsamerchai (29-0-0) will defend his title against former IBF champ Muhammad Rachman from Indonesia (62-7-5) on May 29 in Patong. The fast-fisted Oledong, 23, is the pride of Trang’s Rassada District. He won the WBC title by beating fellow Thai Eagle Den Junlaphan on points in Bangkok in November, 2007. The contest will…
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Swine Flu: Phuket Immigration officials told to wear their masks
PHUKET: While Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai was waiting to welcome teachers and students who flew in from Mexico on Sunday night at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, he noticed that immigration officers were not wearing surgical masks to protect themselves, and were even asking arriving passengers to take off their masks for identification. “From this incident, I realized that immigration officers…
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Phuket friends out in force for Steve Swan
PHUKET CITY: Thanks to a strong response from Phuket’s expat community, accident victim Steve Swan has more than enough blood for his scheduled surgery today, his friends say. Mr Swan, an American who runs the Crow’s Nest bar and tattoo parlor on Soi Seadragon in Patong, suffered fractures of his left leg, hip and pelvis after being hit by a…
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Phuket man’s suicide now seen likely to have been result of strained finances
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Last week’s suicide of well-known businessman Mann “Benz Phuket” Suksawee now seems increasingly likely to have been the result of strained finances. Police were informed of the apparent suicide by local residents at about 10am on Thursday. Mr Mann, whose official residence is listed as downtown Haad Yai, was the manager of the Sanguan Panich group of…
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Thai media marks World Press Freedom Day
PHUKET: To mark World Press Freedom Day yesterday, seven Thai media associations on Sunday issued a list of demands. Journalists put freedom from government intervention in all forms of media as its top priority, calling for the legal prosecution of those who violate press freedom laws. They also called on politicians to understand the valuable role of the media in…
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Asean leaders seek 5km protest ban for meetings in Phuket
PHUKET: Asean leaders concerned about their safety have demanded a ban on protests within five kilometres of the conference venue as a condition to attend an Asean summit in Phuket or anywhere else in Thailand. “We will declare the meeting venue off-limits to gatherings and for that we have to see which legal avenue we can resort to in order…
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Swine flu begins to spread in Asia
PHUKET (ANN/The Nation): South Korea on Saturday reported East Asia’s second human case of swine flu as other countries in the region sought to minimize the risks of infection by canceling flights and imposing visa requirements on Mexico, the worst-hit country in the outbreak. No cases have been reported in Phuket or elsewhere in Thailand. The 51-year-old nun in South…
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Asean Summit: Phuket residents asked to help make it safe
PHUKET: The government yesterday called upon Phuket residents to ensure that the Asean Summit with its six dialogue partners, scheduled for mid-July, will go off without incident. Thailand was seeking to reassure Asian leaders that the regional summit would not end in chaos like the Asean meeting in Pattaya in April. That summit of leaders from the 10-member Association of…
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Lifestyle: Have mobs become a fashion statement in Phuket?
PHUKET: Just days after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government finally managed to restore order to Bangkok, mob militancy was back on the streets of Thailand. This time, it was closer to home. Protesters blockaded Srisoonthorn Road in Baan Bang Tao for almost 24 hours, causing disruption for both residents of the island and the tourists so crucial to our economy.…
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Blood Type ‘O’ Negative still urgently needed for Phuket accident victim
PHUKET: Donations of blood type O Negative are still urgently needed for Phuket motorcycle accident victim Steve Swan, the proprietor of the Crows Nest bar in Patong. Mr Swan is at Phuket’s Vachira Hospital and is suffering from internal bleeding due to severe leg, hip and pelvic injuries after being hit by a car on the Kata/Karon road near Chalong…
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Dead foreigner found floating off Phi Phi Islands
PHUKET: Police on Koh Phi Phi are trying to identify the remains of a foreign man whose body was found floating about 3 nautical miles off the Phi Phi Islands in Krabi. The body was recovered by workers from the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization’s Tourist Rescue Center, which operates out of Chalong Pier in Phuket. The exact time of the body’s…
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Another corpse found in Phuket’s Rasada area
RASSADA, PHUKET: Police have yet to identify the remains of a man whose badly decomposing body was discovered in a wooded area off the access road to Rassada Harbor on Wednesday. Local residents found the deceased lying in a thicket about 100 meters from the road. They called police, who found no signs of a struggle at the scene. Phuket…
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Phuket Marine Biological Center launches turtle project
CAPE PANWA, PHUKET: Researchers from Bangkok and Phuket are preparing to launch Thailand’s first artificial insemination project for sea turtles at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). Researcher Kanjana Adulyanukosol, who heads the PMBC Endangered Species Unit, said her team will work with researchers from Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science to extract semen from male sea turtles and store…
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Hilton Phuket Arcadia tipped to host Asean summit
KARON, PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban today leads the defense minister, commanders of the armed forces and the national police chief to visit Phuket ahead of the upcoming Asean summit. The group is meeting with tourism industry leaders and local government officials at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa this afternoon. However, it has yet to be formally…
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Phuket stars in The Dream Hotel TV series
PHUKET: Last month, the cast and crew of TV romance adventure The Dream Hotel celebrated completion of filming in and around Phuket for the German-speaking movie, which will be broadcast in Germany and parts of Scandinavia to approximately 12 million viewers in 2010. Dream Hotel is a popular German-speaking travel documentary TV series that highlights luxury resorts in exotic locations…
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Type “O’ negative donation urgently needed
PHUKET CITY: Friends of an American man injured in a road accident are appealing for anyone with type ‘O’ negative blood to contact Vachira Phuket Hospital immediately.Steve Swan, 48-year-old proprietor of the Crows Nest bar in Patong, was seriously injured on Wednesday night after his motorcycle collided with a car.He suffered a broken hip and broken pelvis. The driver of the car…
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Phuket charity box bandit nabbed by The Magnet
PHUKET CITY: For a combination of stupidity and lack of ethics, few crimes in Phuket in recent years match that of a man who tried to steal a charity donation box placed on the main counter of the Phuket City Police Station. At 12:30pm on April 21, a police officer noticed that the charity donation box for the Foundation for…
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Phuket dive site damaged by trawler
PHUKET: One of the airplanes at the artificial reef dive site off Phuket known as the “Coral Reef Squadron” has been damaged after being hit by the anchor of a fishing trawler. Rainer Gottwald, CEO of the Thai Dive Association (TDA) technical committee, said the damage probably occurred on the night of April 10. It was discovered the following day. A…
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