Month: March 2011
- Phuket News
Big stink at Phuket fish factory
PHUKET: Following complaints from a neighboring hotel, the management of a seafood packaging plant in Phuket Town has been given three months to get the stink out. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak and a team of government officers inspected the Phuket Union Foods facility yesterday afternoon. Among those present were representatives from the Phuket Provincial Industry Office (PPIO), Phuket City…
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Phuket moves for Japan disaster relief
PHUKET: Bangkok Hospital Phuket has set up a drop-off box to collect donated items for survivors of the earthquake and tsunami disaster that struck Japan on Friday. Estimates of the earthquake’s magnitude made it the most powerful earthquake to ever hit Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world since record-keeping began in 1900. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto…
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Phuket Swindle: Romanians charged in Bt100mn ATM scam
PHUKET: Four Romanians were arrested by Phuket police yesterday and charged with running an ATM card scam that is claimed to have stolen 100 million baht. The four were named by police as Gavrila Florin Eugen, 33; Ene Bogdan Constantin, 23; Vilvoi Claudiu Constantin, 36; and Gavrila Alexandra, 26. All four suspects were arrested at their rented room at the…
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Phuket’s Heroines Festival hoped to attract record crowds
PHUKET: The “Thalang Historical Drama”, being performed nightly at Phuket’s annual Heroines’ Festival currently underway in Thalang, is expected to attract more than 2,000 people each night to watch the show. “The show last night went very well. Governor Tri Augkaradacha played the part of Rama I, but that was the only performance he will act in during the festival,”…
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Warrant issued for driver of overturned Phuket tour bus
PHUKET: Police have confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued for the driver of the tour bus that overturned in Phuket last week. Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakao told the Phuket Gazette the warrant was issued today. The double-deck tour bus overturned on Patong Hill just two kilometers short of its final destination. The 53 people on board were…
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Lady Pie is off to the Hong Kong Sevens
PHUKET: It will be the life of pie for hungry rugby fanatics later this month when a popular Phuket eatery sends 8,500 “scrummy” pastries to Hong Kong for the world-renowned Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Rugby Sevens tournament. A bulging crowd of 120,000 people are expected to descend on Hong Kong Park over three days, starting on March 25, to see which…
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Phuket Beach Safety: Why the guards are not there
PHUKET: As we move slowly away from the monsoon season and a record number of tourist drownings at the beaches, the Phuket Gazette asked the president of the Phuket Lifeguards’ Association why he and his 82 colleagues aren’t at work. Prathaiyuth Chuayuan, 43, a veteran of 23 years on the sand, says it’s all about a contract. In his words:…
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FC Phuket draws even with “Big Bang’
PHUKET: Despite some excellent chances by both sides, FC Phuket and Division One leaders Big Bang Chulalongkorn University (BBCU FC) FC played to a scoreless draw last night before a record crowd at Surakul Stadium. The final tally barely reflected the intensity of the exciting match. One of the best opportunities for FC Phuket came at 75 minutes, when Sarach…
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Man becomes dogs’ dinner
PHITSANULOK: A man who lived alone in a wooden shack on a fruit farm in Phitsanulok fell to his death and was half-eaten by the 20 dogs he kept to guard his orchards. When villagers living nearby noticed that Mai Khongthong, 66, wasn’t out watering his fruit trees as usual February 25, they called out to him but heard no…
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Phuket Taxi Fares: Motorcycle meters on tap
PHUKET: Meters for motorcycle taxis will hit the streets of Bangkok this month in an effort to regulate fares and reduce accidents – a scheme which will soon be tested in Phuket as well. Visitors to the Central World shopping complex in the Pathum Wan district of Bangkok will be the first to witness the meters in operation. Approximately 24…
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Drug Rehab: Phuket ‘camp’ for first-time offenders
PHUKET: Arrested under the ongoing nationwide police crackdown on drugs, 82 first-time offenders in Phuket last week began a voluntary rehab program as part of their suspended sentences. The five-day “camp”, run by the Phuket Heath Office, aims to help first-time offenders kick their habits before they become repeat offenders or get involved in serious drug crimes. “All of them…
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FC Phuket take on Chula tonight
PHUKET: FC Phuket will have a chance to take down top-of-the-table Big Bang Chulalongkorn University FC (BBCU FC) when the two sides take the field at Surakul Stadium tonight in the third weekend of Thai League Division 1 play. BBCU FC are in first with six points, while FC sit two points behind following their being awarded a 2-0 victory…
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Phuket Opinion: Keeping the cops out of the drug business
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette wishes the new City police superintendent the best of luck in his effort to rid Phuket of illegal drug use and police corruption. He is certainly going to need it. It is normal for newly-appointed government officers taking up key posts to state policy objectives, and those of Pol Col Chote Chitchai are irrefutably noble. Col…
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Woman arrested after stashing ya bah pills near Phuket school
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested a woman who stashed close to 2,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills on top of a phone booth in front of a primary school in Phuket Town. At a press conference at Phuket City Police Station today, officers asked the press not to release the identity of the woman as doing so could compromise the ongoing investigation…
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Phuket Crime: Swede arrested for major mobile phone theft
PHUKET: A Swedish tourist is in police custody in Phuket for the alleged theft of 85 Nokia mobile phones from a delivery vehicle in Patong. Patong Police duty officer Weerapong Rakkittoo identified the suspect as John Redling, age 38. The devices were reported stolen from a delivery vehicle in the basement parking lot of the Jungceylon shopping complex on March…
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Phuket travelers heading for Japan advised to continue to Bangkok
PHUKET: Following the devastating series of earthquakes and the tsunami that struck Japan’s main island of Honshu earlier today, travelers heading from Phuket to Japan are advised to at least continue their journey to Bangkok, an officer at Phuket International Airport told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon. “All flights [from Phuket] to Bangkok are continuing as scheduled. There are no…
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Phuket caveman to speak at IBAP meeting tonight
PHUKET: Eco-tourism advocate John Gray will be the keynote speaker at tonight’s meeting of the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP). Known as “The Caveman” for his pioneer kayak explorations into the unique karst formations of Phang Nga Bay, Mr Gray has spent 22 years in Phuket, most of it as owner of John Gray Sea Canoe. The Californian is…
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Japan hit by 8.8 earthquake; tsunami strikes coast
TOKYO (BNO NEWS): A series of enormous earthquakes struck off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan early this afternoon, seismologists said, generating large tsunamis that devastated coastlines with warnings for multiple countries. The 8.8-magnitude earthquake at 2:46pm local time (0546 GMT, 12:46 Phuket time) was centered about 179 kilometers east of Sendai in Japan. It struck about 10 kilometers deep,…
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Royal Paradise chosen as Phuket “landmark’ for Earth Hour
PHUKET: THE Royal Paradise Hotel and surrounding businesses in Patong will be plunged into darkness for one hour from 8:30pm on March 26 to mark Earth Hour 2011. About 500 people in Patong will hand out pamphlets promoting Earth Hour on March 24 to raise awareness of the event, said Meena Panun, who is coordinating the public campaign for Patong…
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Phuket Live Wire: To 3BB or not to 3BB?
PHUKET: I’m tired of paying so much for ADSL. I have ADSL lines in three of the four Sandwich Shoppes (CAT EV-DO in Villa Market), plus one in the bakery and two in my home office. That’s six ADSL lines. For years I’ve been using the TT&T, then 3BB, MaxNet Premiere 4 Mbps service. For years, I’ve been paying almost…
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Man dies in Phuket high-speed collision
PHUKET: A 31-year-old man died instantly in a high-speed collision north of Phuket Town early this morning as he rode his motorbike across Thepkrasattri Road but into the path of an oncoming car. Lt Patiwat Yodkhuan of Thalang Police reported that Meknoi Seekaew, originally from Phrae province, was riding northbound along Thepkrasattri Road about 2:20am when the accident occurred. However,…
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Blackouts: Phuket to enjoy obligatory Earth Hours
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced scheduled blackouts to carry out maintenance on high-voltage power lines, install new lines and move power poles. The dates and locations of the operations, which will be carried out from 9am to 5pm, are: March 15 – Chalong Along Luang Por Chuang Road, from the TOT office on Chao Fa West…
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Phuket serial thieves nabbed
PHUKET: Police today announced the arrest of three teenagers being charged with breaking and entering, and theft from, at least 20 Phuket homes. Chalong Police arrested the trio – aged 17, 16 and 14 – at about 4.30pm yesterday. The arrests followed Chalong Police officers on patrol in Soi Thanuthep spotting a young boy riding a motorbike that had been…
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Air Bagan launches direct flights to Burma from Phuket
PHUKET: Burmese airline Air Bagan will launch twice-a-week, direct fights between Phuket and Yangon on April 11. “The round-trip tickets for the flights, operating Mondays and Fridays, will cost around 10,900 baht and include in-flight food and drink,” said PB Travel Agency Center Managing Director Suranat Taweesap. Air Bagan will open an office in Phuket Town this month, but the…
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Korean owner of Phuket snake farm busted with drugs
PHUKET: The Korean owner of a Phuket snake farm was arrested at the Thai border with Cambodia this morning when he tried to smuggle ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and marijuana into the Kingdom. The Korean, identified as 51-year-old Eun Sooyong, was passing through a security checkpoint at the Phrom Daen border crossing in the Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaew Province,…
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Phuket special needs center facing crisis
PHUKET: The Center for Special Education in Phuket is facing a budgetary and staffing crisis because the number of disabled children on the island is going up every year, its director says. Wanida Suraban said the center, in Kathu, now looks looked after 191 children with problems including blindness, learning disabilities, communication problems, deafness, autism and other conditions. The center…
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Confessed Phuket murderer Fanelli on the inside
PHUKET: Murder suspect Ronald Fanelli has yet to enter a plea with the Phuket Provincial Court and the American says his detention at Phuket Provincial Prison is making him physically ill. Speaking through a telephone in the visitors’ center on March 1, Mr Fanelli said a court appearance scheduled for February 24 had to be postponed after “a timing mix-up”…
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Phuket ITB delegation Czechs out parliament
PRAGUE: The ITB 2011 delegation from Phuket visited the Czech Parliament yesterday morning and learned more about Czech advances in wastewater treatment technology. The tour of the parliament building followed a request by Phuket Provincial Organization Administration (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising, who is leading the delegation jointly with Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha. Also attending were Phuket Chamber of Commerce Chairman…
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Phuket land grab sparks full investigation
PHUKET: The hasty construction of a handful of shelters and houses on an undeveloped plot north of Phuket Town has sparked a full investigation by the Phuket Land Office into who legally owns the land. The issue came to a flash-point on February 22 when Pasinpon Sabtamrongkan arrived at the site to find about 40 local residents – and a…
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Teen dead, another injured in Phuket drive-by shooting
PHUKET: One teenager is dead and another man injured from gunshot wounds following a drive-by shooting in Phuket last night. Thalang Police duty officer Sarit Bootnongsaeng identified the deceased as 19-year-old Khomsun Srirat. Mr Khomsun was riding a motorbike with a passenger along the road from Pa Khlok to Muang Mai at about 8pm when two assailants rode up alongside…
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Extradition of Phuket “kickbox killer’ suspect “may take years’
PHUKET: The City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London has told the Gazette that the extradition hearing of British national Lee Aldhouse “can take months or years”. Aldhouse remains wanted in Thailand for the stabbing murder of American Dashawn Longfellow in Rawai in August last year. However, court official Russel Sykes said the former kickboxer remains remanded in custody at…
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One man dead in Phuket bus tragedy
PHUKET: One man has been confirmed dead as a result of a tour-bus accident on Patong Hill this morning. Patong motorcycle taxi driver Warin Yongyut, 51, died from chest injuries caused when the Patong Municipality bus overturned on Phra Barami road at about 8:30am, a Patong Hospital official said. Mr Warin was among 53 Patong Municipality volunteers on board the…
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ITB Berlin: Phuket officials ponder Czech waste-water solution
PRAGUE: In Europe for the upcoming ITB Berlin tourism and travel show, the Phuket delegation took time out of their agenda to talk waste-water. Led by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising, the delegation met with the heads of two companies that installed and operate 13 waste-water treatment plants in the Czech Republic. CEO of Prague Diamond Invest…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket bus overturns on Patong Hill, many injured
PHUKET: Many people were injured and one man is feared dead after a Patong Municipality bus returning from a funeral overturned on Patong Hill this morning. Rescue foundation volunteers, municipality officers and rescue workers from various agencies continue to pull people from the wreckage of the bus, which came to rest about 10 meters off the road near the Sea…
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Cops to be drug tested: Phuket Police chief
PHUKET: The new Phuket City Police chief today announced plans to introduce drug testing for police nationwide to ensure that the force remains completely drug free. “Police are the last line of defense in society’s war on illegal drugs, so if they themselves are involved, then its ‘game over’,” Phuket City Police Superintendent Chote Chitchai told a press conference today.…
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Phuket music fans: Mango House Festival kicks off in Koh Lanta, Krabi
PHUKET: Lovers of house music in Phuket may want to take a trip to Krabi this week, as the Lanta Lanta Festival in Lanta Old Town will feature five great nights of music, all free of charge. The Mango House Festival sessions run from 9pm to 1am nightly, starting tonight. The highlight will be sessions on Thursday and Friday by…
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Phuket blood center seeks Songkran stocks
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center run by the Thai Red Cross has announced the dates and locations of its mobile blood donation clinics in Phuket and the Andaman Coast region this month. Center director Pornthip Rattajak thanked those who responded to an emergency call for negative blood types last month. There are currently no shortages, but the center wants…
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