Month: April 2012

  • Cannabis NewsPolice crack Phang Nga drug network linked to “kingpin prisoner’

    Police crack Phang Nga drug network linked to “kingpin prisoner’

    PHUKET: Acting on a tip-off police raided two separate addresses in Phang Nga yesterday resulting in the arrest of six men and the recovery of drugs, weapons, cash and other valuables. The gang was reportedly controlled by an inmate at Nakhon Sri Thammar at Provincial Prison who ordered drugs to be delivered to one of the suspects netted in the…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket “aftershocks’ likely Sumatra-related: experts

    Phuket “aftershocks’ likely Sumatra-related: experts

    PHUKET: The eight small earthquakes that have rocked Phuket over the past 24 hours are most likely related to the much larger earthquakes off the coast of Sumatra last week, experts from the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) said. The latest quake, which hit at 12:18pm today, was a magnitude of 3.1 on the Richter scale, according to preliminary data released…

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  • Phuket NewsDane dies of blood loss after Phuket tsunami evacuation | Thaiger

    Dane dies of blood loss after Phuket tsunami evacuation

    PHUKET: A Danish tourist injured during the evacuation of Patong Beach last Wednesday was found dead of apparent blood loss in his Patong hotel room yesterday afternoon. Patong Police were notified of the death at 5pm by 40-year-old motorbike taxi driver Lamai Ouan – on. Arriving at the scene with Phuket Kusoldharm Foundation workers, police found the body of the…

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  • Phuket NewsTiger Group considers suing MP Chuwit as police probe fails

    Tiger Group considers suing MP Chuwit as police probe fails

    PHUKET: A spokesman for Phuket’s Tiger Group told the media over the weekend that his company is still considering legal action against politician Chuwit Kamolvisit following his allegation that a casino had operated out of one of the company’s venues in Patong. The threat of legal retribution follows the failure of two police investigations to uncover any wrongdoing at any…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Songkran Seven Days of Danger road toll latest: 3 dead, 32 injured

    Phuket Songkran Seven Days of Danger road toll latest: 3 dead, 32 injured

    PHUKET: With the Songkran “Seven Days of Danger” road-safety campaign ending at midnight tonight, the road toll for the Thai New Year stands at three people dead and a further 32 admitted to hospital as a result of road incidents. Witthaya Piraka, 42, died on April 12 when while under the influence of alcohol he drove his motorbike into a…

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  • Phuket NewsAmway to deliver B2.5bn boost to Phuket

    Amway to deliver B2.5bn boost to Phuket

    PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects the 18,000 Amway sales representatives arriving from China to spend up to 2.5 billion baht during their month-long stay on Phuket.Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak together with Director Bangonrat Shinaprayoon of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office welcomed and gave flowers to the first group of…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket struck twice by earthquakes | Thaiger

    Phuket struck twice by earthquakes

    PHUKET: Phuket was struck by a 4.3-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter believed to be in the center of the island just minutes before another quake struck off Sumatra this afternoon. San Jantharawong, chief of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) said his officers were now working on locating the exact center of the first…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police re-open road to Patong as earthquake fears subside

    Phuket Police re-open road to Patong as earthquake fears subside

    PHUKET: Police have re-opened the main road over Patong Hill, linking Phuket Town with Patong on Phuket’s west coast.The road was closed as a precaution following the earthquake felt across the island earlier this afternoon.Traffic remains heavy in the area.The Phuket Gazette urges all motorists to exercise caution and patience while travelling through the area.

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Earthquake: NDWC gives all-clear, removes alert watch | Thaiger

    Phuket Earthquake: NDWC gives all-clear, removes alert watch

    PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has removed its “alert watch” order for tsunamis and further earthquakes, the Phuket Gazette has been told.“The NDWC removed the alert watch just before 6pm,” said San Jantharawong, chief of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket).“The alert was removed because this was a much smaller earthquake than…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Earthquake: USGS reports Sumatra quake at depth of 14km

    Phuket Earthquake: USGS reports Sumatra quake at depth of 14km

    PHUKET: The USGS has reported that the earthquake struck at a depth of 14.7 kilometers, not two kilometers as originally reported. Click here to see the USGS report:https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc00094q0.html

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  • OpinionPhuket Opinion: Take off the gloves

    Phuket Opinion: Take off the gloves

    PHUKET: The recent ban on mixed martial arts (MMA) events by the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) is a sad but unsurprising development, and one which will deprive growing numbers of MMA enthusiasts in Thailand from watching these exciting events live, while costing the country millions of baht in lost revenue. (See current issue of the Phuket Gazette.) Thailand is…

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  • Phuket NewsBlazing a trail through Phuket

    Blazing a trail through Phuket

    PHUKET: AN EXHILARATING new event is coming to Phuket in the form of trail running with the first experience being episode two of the Columbia Trail Masters, 2012 Thailand Trail Running Championship. Organized by Active Management Asia, Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club will host the island’s maiden excursion into the world of off road running on May 6 with Khao…

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  • Phuket NewsBreaking News: No tsunami warning or evacuation order yet: Phuket DDPM

    Breaking News: No tsunami warning or evacuation order yet: Phuket DDPM

    PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) have confirmed that a tsunami warning has not yet been issued.“There has been no tsunami warning and no evacuation alert. We are still monitoring the situation,” DDPM-Phuket chief San Jantharawong told the Phuket Gazette.“We are now on alert watch. We will remain on alert watch until the…

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  • Phuket NewsBreaking News: 5.3 earthquake rattles Phuket | Thaiger

    Breaking News: 5.3 earthquake rattles Phuket

    PHUKET: The Thai Meteorologicial Department has reported a 5.3-magnitude earthquake striking off the coast of northern Sumatra at 4:46pm. See here: https://www.tmd.go.th/en/earthquake_report.php The earthquake struck at a depth of only two kilometers. The Gazette has received a report from Patong Beach that some people have left the beach area as a precaution. The Gazette has received no reports of any…

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  • Phuket NewsBreaking News: Reports of earthquake flood across Phuket | Thaiger

    Breaking News: Reports of earthquake flood across Phuket

    PHUKET: Reports of an earthquake being felt across all parts of Phuket are flooding in to the Phuket Gazette. Gazette staff felt the strong shudder at 4:45pm. Reports of other Phuket residents experiencing the same have been coming in from all parts of the island, including Chalong to the south, Phuket Town and Kathu in the center of the island…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police arrest armed drug suspects in Good Friday raids

    Phuket Police arrest armed drug suspects in Good Friday raids

    PHUKET: Phuket Police on Saturday announced the arrest of six drug suspects, two of them in possession of firearms.Phuket City Police Superintendent Chote Chitchai said the six were arrested on April 13, this year celebrated as Songkran Day (Thai New Year) and as Good Friday.The first suspect named was Pramin Narksuwan, 31, from Nakhon SriThammarat. He was found in possession…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s Patong one-way system to go anti-clockwise from June

    Phuket’s Patong one-way system to go anti-clockwise from June

    PHUKET: A long-awaited plan to reverse the direction of one-way traffic flow in Patong should go into effect in June, as soon public hearings and work to complete a new roundabout at the north end of the beach road is completed, local officials say.Phunsak Naksena, Patong Municipality Chief Administrative Officer, or “Palad”, said the public-hearing process to approve the project…

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  • Phuket NewsTwo dead in Phuket as pickup slams into house

    Two dead in Phuket as pickup slams into house

    PHUKET: A pickup truck travelling at high speed collided with a motorbike on the main road through Pa Khlok yesterday evening, killing the rider and passenger, and slamming into a house set back from the road at about 7:30pm. Emergency rescue first-responders from the Kusoldharm Foundation arrived at the accident scene, in front of the Pak Cheet Mosque about five…

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  • Phuket NewsRenowned Political Analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak speaks to Phuket

    Renowned Political Analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak speaks to Phuket

    PHUKET: Dr Thitinan Pongsudhirak Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University and a former op-ed contributor to the Phuket Gazette, spoke to the island’s International Business Association last week. In an exclusive interview before that talk, he sat down with Phuket Gazette News Editor Stephen Fein and News Manager Chris Husted to discuss several issues…

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