Month: May 2014
- Phuket News
Phuket police arrest man for rape of woman, her 14-year-old niece
PHUKET: Police arrested a Phuket resident today for the rape of a 24-year-old Myanmar national and her 14-year-old niece in the forest along Ao Yon – Khao Khad Road on May 8. The man, who turned himself in, was charged with rape, rape of a person under the age of 15, and theft. The 44-year-old suspect has denied all charges.…
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Fast and forgetful: speed reading apps driven by hype
PHUKET: As readers plug into the insurmountable volume of information pouring in from the internet, the desire for knowledge consumption – though not new – abounds. We want to download expertise. (We’ve all seen the Matrix.) We want information; we want it all; and we want it fast. Enter: speed-reading applications. Now, the hype surrounding speed reading apps such as…
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Chief departs Phuket with park encroachment raids
PHUKET: As his last major act as chief of Sirinath National Park, Cheewapap Cheewatham this morning led 50 officers on raids of businesses deemed to be illegally built on national park land near Nai Thon Beach. “Seven new shops – six on the beach, one on the beachfront road – have been built without permission from Sirinath National Park and…
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Phuket Governor off island to report to army base
PHUKET: Bangkok’s appointed leader to the island, Phuket Governor Maitri Insthusut, departed this morning to report to the Royal Thai Army base in Nakhon Sri Thammarat. Governor Maitri’s trip comes in the wake of Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha’s declaration of martial law, which took affect at 3am today (story here). Governor Maitri is expected to arrive at the base…
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Not enough time to prepare for Asian Games, says Thailand
PHUKET: A final decision on a country that will replace Vietnam as the host of the 2019 Asian Games will be made in September. That being the case, the question is whether Thailand, which has hosted many Games when others had thrown their hands up, will throw its hat into the ring. Vietnam laid out comprehensive plans to host the…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Raceweek sails into greener waters
PHUKET: Asia’s award-winning regatta, Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek, has become the first regatta in Southeast Asia to be bestowed the official title of a “Clean Regatta”, as approved by Sailors for the Sea. Phuket Raceweek, to be held this year off Panwa Cape from July 16-20, showcases the island’s natural surrounds, the health of which are inherently linked to…
Read More » - Thailand News
Martial law not a coup, says Army chief
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘This is not a coup’ says Thai army, as martial law declared Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s army declared martial law nationwide this morning to restore order after six months of street protests that have left the country without a proper functioning government, but denied…
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Sun still shining in Phuket, despite martial law order
PHUKET: The declaration of nationwide martial law as of 3am today has left Phuket officials unperturbed. “Officials are just working as usual,” Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa told the Phuket Gazette this morning. The martial law order, essentially giving the army control of the country, was issued by Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha (story here). After more than six months…
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Krabi squatters protest police force after man is shot
PHUKET: About 100 people rallied outside Krabi City Hall yesterday to condemn the police and related officials for using excessive force to disperse their rally on Sunday. The group also called for Krabi Governor Prasit Osathanont to launch an investigation and mete out punishment to those behind the incident on the Southern Sea Board Road, in which a protester reportedly…
Read More » - Thailand News
Army declares martial law
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Army chief declares martial law The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha Tuesday declared martial law that covers the entire nation. Martial law took effect at 3am. Gen Prayuth stated that the declaration was necessary to prevent people from committing violence and…
Read More » - World News
Floods affect over 1 million in Balkans, destruction ‘terrifying’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Floods affect over 1 million in Balkans, destruction ‘terrifying’ Reuters/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Bosnia said on Monday that more than a quarter of its 4 million people had been affected by the worst floods to hit the Balkans in living memory, comparing the “terrifying” destruction to…
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Cop denies pulling trigger in Phuket drive-by shooting
PHUKET: A police officer who left the Saraphan Pleng Pub in Chalong shortly before a fatal shooting early Friday morning appeared at the Chalong Police Station Saturday to declare his innocence. The Phuket Provincial Police officer, who police have declined to name, fell under suspicion after officers questioned staff at the pub about the murder of Nuchsika Klasuek, 35, who…
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Exercising off-duty cop nabs two animal touts in Phuket
PHUKET: An off-duty police officer leaped from his bicycle and arrested two out of six men on Soi Bangla who were offering tourists photo opportunities with animals yesterday. Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho swooped in to make the arrest of the six men after seeing them touting four iguanas and two slow lorises. He quickly arrested Suchai Jaroenpu, 32, from Phang…
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Tourist drowns, first victim of lifeguard-less Phuket beaches
PHUKET: A tourist drowned at a lifeguard-less Phuket beach yesterday afternoon, after a budget debacle delayed the signing of the Phuket Lifeguard contract. Supachet Ngamsong, 26, from Northern Thailand, had just finished dinner with five friends when he went into the sea alone at Karon at about 5pm, said Karon Police Deputy Superintendent Sopon Borrirak. “He called out for help…
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Chalong top cop back at work in home station
PHUKET: Chalong Police Superintendent Krittapas Dazintharasorn, who was transferred to the Thalang Police Station in early April when he and his officers came under fire for alleged extortion, returned to take up the reins in Chalong on May 1. The charges against the Chalong police were filed in the wake of 20 dive instructors being rounded up by Chalong cops…
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Mathayom 6 graduates killed in Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: Police are hunting for the driver who killed two teenagers in a hit-and-run crime in Phuket last night. Piyabut Thongngarm, 18, died at the scene, while Jenista Purisawane, 18, died en route to hospital, Capt Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police said. “It was raining when we arrived at the scene, near the Rawai shell museum. It was clear…
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Phuket sea gypsies offered free land in relocation deal
PHUKET: The provincial government has organized 50rai of land for the sea gypsy families living on Koh Sireh who are being sued by a private developer for allegedly squatting on private land. “Other sea gypsy families are living in houses allegedly built on private land, but have yet to face legal action,” explained Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa at a…
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West Ham United FC Academy to train Phuket youths
PHUKET: Having trained English Premier League stars Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard Jr, West Ham Academy’s coaches are coming to Phuket to do what they do best – teach others to play at the top of their game. The Elite Residential Soccer Course Phuket 2014, organized by the Bangkok Soccer School and featuring West Ham United FC Academy…
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Phuket officials vote to halt dredging of marina canal
PHUKET: The dredging of the Koh Kaew Canal, which provides access to two key marinas on the east coast of Phuket, has stopped due to environmental concerns. Sasorn Sassadeekul of the Marine Office Region 5 headquarters in Phuket agreed to halt the dredging of the canal at the request of Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak at a meeting at Provincial…
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Running after dark – Thanyapura Neon Night Run
PHUKET: Grab your glow sticks and get ready for the inaugural Neon Night Run, a glow-in-the-dark family fun run at Thanyapura Phuket. Entrance to the five-hour neon-themed races and festivities costs 300 baht and will kick off at 5pm on May 31. The fun run is stacked with events with four fun-run categories for kids, ranging from 500 meters up…
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Thai visa-van ban at Malaysian border not part of recent crackdown
PHUKET: The blockade preventing Thai visa-run vans from entering Malaysia on their way to Penang is not linked to the recent crackdown on visa runs in Thailand, confirmed a KBV Phuket Visa Run staffer. “Thai visa-run drivers and vehicles have not been allowed to cross the Malaysian border for more than a week now due to a small protest of…
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Wanted: Phuket home for Chinese Consulate
PHUKET: Unable to find a suitable property for the new Chinese Consulate in Phuket, officials from the Chinese embassy sought advice from Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa on Thursday. “We will certainly have a consulate in Phuket, and it will be open as soon as possible,” said Vice-Consul Wang Huijian, who will head the new consular office. “We have four…
Read More » - Business News
Jungceylon Patong sees first quarter spike in clients
PHUKET: Jungceylon Patong has announced a 20 per cent increase in clients for the first quarter this year over its figures during the same period in 2013. The increase has resulted in the daily averages at the Phuket shopping mall jumping from 45,000 – 50,000 visitors a day to 50,000 – 55,000, explained Chief Executive Officer of Jungceylon Patong Phuket…
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Serial sunscreen shoplifter snagged in sunny Phuket
PHUKET: A sunscreen shoplifter was arrested with over 20 bottles of the lotion by Phuket Police yesterday afternoon. Daoruang Budda, 31, was identified by police from CCTV footage at a Family Mart convenience store in Patong. “After we got the description out, one of our officers spotted her riding a motorbike in Patong. We followed and approached her at the…
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Rescued snorkeller stabilized, returns to Canada by air ambulance
PHUKET: After a tragic snorkelling accident that left him in the ICU for nearly a month, Canadian national Mike Reynolds and his medical team departed from Phuket Thursday afternoon and landed safely in Canada last night. Mr Reynolds, 73, suffered a drowning-induced heart attack while snorkelling off the coast of Phi Phi Island on April 22. After about 30 minutes…
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Mayor to tackle Patong corruption
Chalermluck Kebsup, 50, was voted in as Patong Mayor in the polls on April 26 (story here). She has a master’s degree in political science from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University and was Phuket Member of Parliament for 10 years, from 2001 to 2010. She is also a Patong native and a prominent businesswoman. Ms Chalermluck has also received the state…
Read More » - Opinion
Save the living dead: put down the smartphones
PHUKET: Having recently become addicted to the American TV show The Walking Dead, where the survivors of a zombie-virus plague battle for survival in the post-apocalyptic landscape of America, I couldn’t help but think about a more insidious zombie plague that is slowly taking over the world. The zombies are all around us, everywhere… they could be your best friend,…
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Balancing good and bad in a digital age
PHUKET: There is an apocryphal “curse” attributed to the ancient Chinese that is typically rendered as: “May you live in interesting times”. While its origins are sketchy at best, its popularity appears to be growing in this new era of digital information overload. The days of a popular culture developed through a limited mainstream media are long gone. Content consumers…
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Tourist visa runs are not dead: Immigration boss
PHUKET: Tourists who can prove that they are genuinely staying only short-term while travelling in Thailand will be allowed to leave on “visa-runs” and re-enter the country, Immigration Commissioner Pharnu Kerdlarpphon confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “Genuine tourists are fine. All they have to do is prove to the immigration officer at the border checkpoint that they really are tourists…
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Phuket woman gunned down in Chalong
PHUKET: A woman was gunned down at the Saraphan Pleng Pub in Chalong early this morning. Nuchsika Klasuek, 35, was shot in the head after leaving the popular live-music pub at about 4am by an unidentified suspect inside a pick-up truck. “Eyewitnesses said the pick-up truck was heading toward Chalong Circle on Patak Road when one shot was fired directly…
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Interpol, Russia notified of Phuket murder-kidnap suspects
PHUKET: Police have notified Interpol and the Russian authorities to be on the lookout for the two men wanted for the murder and kidnapping of Russian national Alexey Slabinskiy in Phuket in March. Prime suspects Oleksandr Boychuk, 44, and Aleksandr Novichkov, 58, both Russian nationals, are now believed to have fled Thailand by boat. “We have not been able to…
Read More » - Property
PREA auction of 500 properties starts today
The Phuket Real Estate Association (PREA), in association with real estate agency Harrison, is set to hold a massive property auction in Phuket this weekend, May 17 and 18. The auction, to be held at the Boat Lagoon Hotel and Resort in Koh Kaew, will see 500 properties worth 10 billion baht go under the hammer, including condos, villas and…
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Phuket TOT internet outages are over, but hiccups to continue
PHUKET: Staff at TOT Phuket have confirmed that a broken fiber-optic cable in Nakhon Sri Thammarat has been repaired, restoring internet access for thousands of TOT customers throughout Southern Thailand. The cable went down at 10am on Wednesday, Wiraporn Kumied, a technician at TOT Phuket, told the Phuket Gazette.“We were inundated with calls from customers in Phuket who could not…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News: Army warns may use full force; Quake villagers still in fear; Thai Mers cases under watch
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Army warns it will use ‘full force’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The mounting death toll of anti-government protesters has triggered the Army’s strongest reaction, saying it may need to resort to “full military force” if the bloodshed continues. “I want to warn every group,…
Read More » - World News
Brazilians protest World Cup spending, call for better services
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brazilians protest World Cup spending, call for better services Reuters/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Road blocks and marches hit Brazilian cities on Thursday as disparate groups criticized spending on the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament and sought to revive a call for better public services that swept…
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Phuket protesters safe after fatal attack in Bangkok
PHUKET: No Phuket protesters were injured in the grenade and assault rifle attack at Democracy Monument in Bangkok early this morning. The attack injured 22 protesters and killed two (story here). “It took place about 100 meters from our protesters’ tents at about 2:30am,” said Amnuay Kumban, a People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protest coordinator in Phuket. “Someone fired an…
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Phuket Tourist Police in fender bender on slippery road
PHUKET: A Tourist Police officer injured his back and damaged a tuk-tuk and two other cars when he lost control of his patrol car on a wet Thepkrasattri Road on Tuesday night. Local residents notified authorities of the accident near Baan Sapam Mongol Wittaya School at about 9pm. “When we arrived at the scene we saw a damaged white Toyota…
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