Month: March 2010
- Phuket News
Phuket’s new reservoir project: Klong Krata
CHALONG, PHUKET: The Klong Krata Reservoir project has been delayed by several months while the agency responsible awaits approval to use Forest Department land needed for construction. The 600-million-baht project will see the construction of a 25-meter-high dam spanning 730 meters across the existing Klong Krata stream, creating a 430-rai reservoir and recreational area. The Klong Krata catchment area comprises…
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NEWS Hound: New property tax moots exemptions for Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: The Fiscal Policy Office has completed drafting a new Land and Building Tax Law which requires owners of non-commercial land and buildings to pay tax of no more…
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No takers for Phuket beach guard contract
PHUKET: Despite sweetening the terms of reference, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) has once again failed to attract a single bidder for the tender to supply lifeguards at the island’s beaches. An officer at the PPAO supply unit yesterday confirmed that although two companies purchased the bid plans, they failed to show at the scheduled bid opening date on…
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Tehran-Phuket flights begin soon
PHUKET: A Bangkok-based tour company will run three direct charter flights from Tehran to Phuket on a trial basis beginning March 18. The company, Homa Travel & Tour, has chartered a Mahan Air Boeing 747 for the service, Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Dubai Office Director Pramote Sapyen announced. The three flights could bring in around 1,300 tourists from Iran this…
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NEWS Hound: Phuket to smell good next month
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: From April 22-26, The Pavilions in Phuket will hold ‘Passion For Perfume’, a unique three-day programme designed specifically for couples to indulge in the sensual pleasures of scent.…
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Frenchman fleeced in Phuket banking bungle
CHALONG, PHUKET: A Frenchman is demanding damages from his Thai bank after it let another man with the same name empty his account of at least 164,000 baht. One day last November, Claude Alfred Francois Marie Prigent walked into the Siam Commercial Bank branch in Chalong and asked for a new ATM card and bank book. The bank obliged. But…
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Four arrested for aquarium fish smuggling in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Four residents of a Sea Gypsy community in Rawai were arrested yesterday for smuggling protected marine species. The suspects, 34-year-old Pichit Bangjak and three minors, were arrested at 11am in a pickup truck parked along Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada, near the Phuket Highways Department Office. A search of foam coolers in the bed of the truck uncovered 250…
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Teen charged for fatal stabbing of boyfriend in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: A teenager charged with manslaughter said she was acting in self-defense when she stabbed her boyfriend to death early this morning. The suspect, 18-year-old Songkhla native Duangrat Romyen, was presented along with other criminal suspects at a press conference at Phuket City Police Station this morning. Miss Duangrat told police that her boyfriend, 32-year-old Phuket native Jamlong Soongnern,…
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Phuket Police nab murder suspect
PHUKET TOWN: Police on Saturday arrested a man wanted for the rape and strangling murder of 24-year-old Supercheap employee Thipkasen ‘Khwan’ Heep-phech last month. The suspect, identified as Nakhon Sri Thammarat native Sutthiporn ‘Khao’ Morasin, was arrested as he tried to leave the island at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint at 5pm on Saturday. He has denied all of the…
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German collapses, dies in Kata
KATA, PHUKET: An elderly Caucasian tourist died in the sea off Kata Beach on Friday. Witnesses said the man collapsed in the water at around 4pm. Tourists pulled him out but he was already dead. The man is believed to be a 69-year-old German who was staying at the Kanjana Guesthouse on Nanai Road in Patong. German Honorary Consul Dirk…
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Drug treatment at Vachira Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket police are at war on drugs. Rarely does a week go by without fresh arrests for narcotics possession, ranging from kids caught with a handful of pills to dealers trading shipments worth hundreds of thousands of baht. Ya bah (methamphetamine) remains the most popular, although Phuket Police recently warned that ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) is taking its…
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Dream delay: Phuket kayakers’ dream paddle on hold
PHUKET TOWN: Two Phuket-based men who were set to paddle a kayak 14,000 miles from Phuket to California have been forced to postpone their trip due to ‘financial constraints’. American Ryan Doran, 26, and Piya ‘Mr X’ Sukunthai, 28, were due to leave Phuket on March 10 aboard their 20-foot wooden kayak Say-Lee. The pair insist that their dream trip…
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NEWS Hound: Sabotage worries over Thailand protests
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: The Thai government’s Situation Monitoring Committee has received information indicating possible acts of sabotage, aimed at creating chaos during the March 14 political rallies in Bangkok. PM Abhisit…
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OPINION: Why lose face over public works?
PHUKET: Thailand has a long history of public works projects that are fully completed and ready to serve the people, but then stand idle while the various forces involved squabble over division of the associated spoils. Here in Phuket, we have two important projects that fall into this category, even though authorities in both cases had plenty of time to…
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NEWS Hound: Thailand traffic concerns during protests
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: In preparation for Thailand’s mass political rally scheduled for Bangkok next Sunday, authorities will cite traffic law to ban the ‘red shirts’ from bringing in their E-taen farm…
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Phang Nga plans world mass dive record in April
PHUKET: Phang Nga Province, Phuket’s immediate neighbor to the north, is asking divers from all over Thailand to pack their fins, tanks and regulators and head to a diving festival in Thai Muang District on April 3, when there will be an assault on the world record for a mass dive. Thai Muang is about a one hour drive from…
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Phuket to get more tsunami buoys
PHUKET CITY: The director of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has confirmed that its disaster warning system is working well and says two more tsunami direct detection units on order from Italy should be deployed off the Andaman Coast by year end. NDWC Director Viriya Mongkolveerapan told the Gazette that the government is spending more than 100 million baht…
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Historic building to become Phuket Peranakan museum
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Peranakan Association is seeking donations to help transform the old Standard Chartered Bank building into a 50-million-baht cultural museum. When completed, the classic two-story Sino-Portuguese building at the corner of Phuket and Phang Nga Roads in Phuket Town will be designated as the ‘Phuket Provincial Baba Museum’. Phuket Peranakan Association President Dr Kosol Teng-uthai said the…
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NEWS Hound: Officials concerned about Phuket as terrorism rises in deep south
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: Thai and U.S. officials are preparing for another year of unrest due to the continuing insurgency in the Muslim Malay-dominated provinces in Thailand’s ‘deep south’. Officials are bracing…
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Phuket leukemia patient bank info
PHUKET: A number of Gazette readers have expressed interest in donating money to help a schoolboy suffering from leukemia in Phuket. Jenarong Tupklaeng, 16, was diagnosed with leukemia one year ago and has been unable to attend classes at Dowroong Wittaya School since. For our previous stories, click here and here. Anyone wishing to help Jenarong can transfer funds, in…
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US consular outreach trip: Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok has announced a consular outreach visit to Phuket on March 19. Consular staff will be available to provide consular services for American citizens at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa from 8am to 12 noon on Friday, March 19. The following consular services will be available during the outreach…
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Phuket Gazette announcement
The Phuket Gazette would like to apologize to Miss Siriporn ‘Kat’ Saenpap for any public misunderstanding or loss of reputation related to her inclusion in an online news photo of her with her former husband, Mr Yvon Van Eyseren of Belgium, who was arrested by Phuket City Police on February 17 this year. Miss Siriporn has presented the Gazette with…
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Phuket Chinese cemetery fire set by spiritual arsonists
PHUKET TOWN: Arson was the cause behind a fire that raged among the graves of the Chinese cemetery near Rang Hill in Phuket Town yesterday. A villager living nearby said the fire started around 3pm. Phuket City Municipality firefighters put the blaze out, but it reignited again in the evening. It was set deliberately, the man said. “It normally happens…
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Burmese labor extortionist busted in Phuket sting
PHUKET TOWN: A man posing as a government official was arrested on Wednesday for extorting money at a Burmese construction workers’ camp. Leading the arrest was Thammarong Chuy-aksorn, deputy chief administrative officer of Thalang District, who led a team of 14 undercover officers to carry out a sting operation at the camp. Mr Thammarong said the action followed numerous complaints…
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Heroines’ Memorial Fair starts tomorrow in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket’s annual Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Srisoonthorn Fair starts tomorrow in Thalang. The fair, which runs until March 20, will take place at Thalang Victory Memorial Park near the Heroines’ Monument. Highlights will include a theatrical performance recreating the two heroines’ famous victory. The pair, known as Jan and Muk before they were ennobled with the title ‘Thao,’ led…
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Three US navy vessels in Phuket
PHUKET: Another three United States Navy vessels with over 500 crew members are in Phuket for five nights of rest and relaxation. The amphibious transport dock ship USS Cleveland and amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore docked at the Phuket Deep Sea Port at Cape Panwa on Tuesday, followed by the smaller USS Patriot the following day. All three vessels…
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Phuket taxi drives off with Finnish tourist’s bag
PHUKET: A Phuket taxi driver drove off with a Finnish tourist’s bag while she and her parents were carrying shopping back to their hotel room on Tuesday. The taxi picked up Sini Kukkonen, 17, Lauri Kukkonen, 61, and Tanja Kannerua, 59, on the bypass road between Central and Big-C around 10pm. While they were unloading their shopping at the Phuket…
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NEWS hound: Phuket to benefit from big airline sale
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: AirAsia is conducting another big sales promotion this month, offering more destinations, including Phuket, at even lower fares than their previous sale last August. Phuket is one of…
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Souped up spirit house
RAYONG: A police officer worried about keeping up with today’s criminals gave his guardian spirit a boost by donating a high-powered motorbike to his spirit house. Sen Sgt Maj Adisak Buphachat, who serves at Rayong Provincial Police Headquarters, spent more than 50,000 baht on a 400cc Honda CBR 400 sports bike to offer the spirit house at his home. He…
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Well-known DJ found dead in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: A DJ at the popular Boat Bar in Patong was found dead in his bedroom above the venue last night. Police believe 35-year-old Ratchanon Bawonsakulchart, known as ‘DJ Nat’, died of chronic health problems. Colleagues found Mr Ratchanon, who was from Bangkok, dead on his bedroom floor at around 8pm. Boat Bar, located on the access road to…
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Phuket water plant worker dies in freak accident
PHUKET: An employee at a desalination plant in Karon died yesterday when he was sucked into a high pressure intake hose at the facility. The worker, 40-year-old Tannit Pramungij, accidentally fell into a large vessel containing sea water while performing routine maintenance at the REQ Water Services plant about 2:30pm on Tuesday. Mr Tannit was sucked into a 30-meter length…
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Diligent dog keeps cascade clean
NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Rain or shine, Kalong the dog unflaggingly continues her mission to guard the cleanness of Wang Nen Waterfall in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Sung Noen district. The drought, seasonal heat and stress from heated political turmoil have sent Nakhon Ratchasima residents to seek refuge in natural attractions like the Wang Nen cascade. There they have a chance to admire this…
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Phuket residents fight loan scam
KOH KAEW, PHUKET: Hundreds of villagers in Phuket claim they have been cheated out of their homes by an unscrupulous loan company. The victims, mostly from Saensuk Village in Koh Kaew, say the company is demanding tens of thousands of baht to buy their homes back – and threatening to throw them out on the streets if they don’t comply.…
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Thai police seize internet chat logs
PHUKET: More than 20 police from the Economic and Cyber-Crimes Division (ECOTEC) have raided the offices of Thai state-owned telecommunications company CAT Telecom and confiscated chat-room conversation records and a server. Police Lieutenant General Tha-ngai Prasajaksatru, commander of ECOTEC, said the raid at CAT Tower yesterday focused on the Internet data center and was in response to a radical pro-Thaksin…
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More aid for young leukemia patient in Phuket
PHUKET: Several more organizations have donated additional funds to help the 16-year-old leukemia patient in Phuket who wrote a letter to HM The King asking for help. Jenarong Tapklaeng’s mother Wasuthida collected checks totaling 36,000 baht at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday. The money included 30,000 baht from Lions Club of Phuket Andaman Sea, 2,000 baht from Phuket Social Welfare Office,…
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NEWS Hound: Thai MPs opt for bullet proof vehicles
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily, pocket-sized packet of news from around the world, compiled by Phuket Gazette reporters for foreigners who want it short, sharp and straight to the point. PHUKET: Members of Thailand’s Council of Ministers have begun swapping their official sedans for bullet-proof vehicles following a warning by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. According to ThaiVisa.com, this was…
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Kapek almost kaput in Phuket
PHUKET: A rare type of wild rice introduced to Phuket more than 60 years ago is in danger of disappearing from the island, officials say. Four years ago there were seven farms growing Manchurian wild rice – known locally as kapek – for commercial purposes. Now there are only two left, said Pradub Chusakulvong of Kathu Agricultural Office. “The main…
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