Month: February 2015
- Phuket
Meth-dealing mum busted in Phuket
PHUKET: A meth dealer told Phuket police yesterday that she was selling drugs in order to financially support her baby. Natthanicha Wongsopha, 34, was arrested in possession of 170 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills when police raided her house in Thalang at about 4pm. “She told us that she was selling the drugs so that she could have enough money to…
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Australian expat killed in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: An Australian expat in Phuket died in a motorbike crash early Thursday morning. The body of Adam Tepper, 34, was found in Sai Yuan Junction on Wiset Road below a destroyed traffic sign. The motorbike Mr Tepper was riding was about 30 meters away. “Mr Tepper was not wearing a helmet and struck his head on the sign –…
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Brakeless tour bus driver safely stops on Patong Hill
PHUKET: A tour bus driver’s cool head prevented a runaway bus on Patong Hill from becoming the latest serious accident in a seemingly endless string of crashes, some fatal, on this notorious road. When police arrived at the scene, the Amphol Seatiew tour bus had come to a stop after scrapping against a utility pole outside of Wat Suwankiriwong, at…
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Illegal alien caught in Phuket gambling raid
PHUKET: An illegal alien was snared when police busted a local gambling event in Patong last night. Police were tipped off by locals about a small group of people who were gathered to gamble at a rental room on Phra Metta Road. The three Thai nationals arrested in the bust were named as Nimit Thambanyo, 45; Thanaknut Narasukulpiphan, 35; and…
Read More » - Pattaya
Phuket charity drive for world record attempt crosses B1mn mark
PHUKET: Graham Haslam and Mark Cameron have already raised more than 1 million baht for a local charity without having driven their electric golf cart a single meter in a Guinness World Record attempt. Dubbed “The Longest Drive” the duo plan to drive the golf cart from Pattaya to Phuket, about 1,400km, as the raise funds for the Phuket Has…
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New, ‘better-staffed’ police station slated for Phi Phi Islands
PHUKET: Construction of a new police station in the Phi Phi archipelago is expected to go ahead this April, Krabi City’s top cop confirmed yesterday. The ‘well-equipped and better-staffed’ station will be located on Phi Phi Don, the largest and most heavily populated of the islands – all of which come under the administration of Krabi province. “We have already…
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Phi Phi “aquarium in the wild’ ordered to close
PHUKET: The “aquarium in the wild” boat anchored inside Phi Phi national park was ordered to close on Wednesday. The large fish hold of Lok Tai Taley (World Under the Water) had been converted to allow fish to swim freely into it and guests to walk among them. “We ordered them to stop the ‘fish pool’ service, which the owner…
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Phuket gifted B3.5bn boost over Chinese New Year
PHUKET: The Chinese New Year holidays brought a much-welcomed boost of 3.5 billion baht to the local economy this year, the chief of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office has announced. The island attracted more tourists who also spent more than those who came last year, Anoma Wongyai, director of TAT Phuket, told the Phuket Gazette. “Phuket had…
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The Return: 91.5FM Island Radio issued licence
PHUKET: The island’s best-known English-language radio station, Phuket Island Radio 91.5FM, is preparing to return to air following completion of re-licensing formalities required after the military coup saw the closure of thousands of stations throughout the country. Although the station’s new license was approved in September last year, it’s actual issuance did not occur until earlier this week. “This has…
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Kathu Bike Club doubles up on rides
PHUKET: About 100 people have joined the Kathu Bike Club, following its launch in November last year, inspiring the group to double-up on the number of rides the club holds each week. The project was organized to promote healthy living and exercising in the community, and is backed by the Kathu Municpality, which allocated funds for 40 bicycles. “The rides…
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Dear Mr Vard, file a complaint – we’ll take it from there, says Navy
PHUKET: The leading representative in Phuket for the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has called on Colin Vard to file a formal complaint so that the Royal Thai Navy can launch an investigation into allegations of inaction by police into death threats, kidnapping and property fraud. The call follows Mr Vard’s 15-year-old daughter Jessie posting a video on…
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Opinion: Making Phuket’s roads safe one step at a time
Dr Wiwat Seetamanotch, 57, from Yala, has been living in Phuket since 1987. He worked as director of Thalang Hospital for 17 years, followed by 10 years as deputy director for the Phuket Provincial Health Office. Now retired, Dr Wiwat has been working on road safety campaigns for the past six years, as well as running a clinic in Thalang.…
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Opinion: Ban anything, ban tourists – just be clear
PHUKET: The issue isn’t the beach management plan. It’s the lack of a plan or, at the very least, the lack of communicating the plan clearly and concisely. Phuket can junk up or freshen up its beaches as much as the government wants, but it won’t really matter – there are tourists suitable for each kind of beach. Of course,…
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Phuket Air Show & Fly’n to go ‘extreme circus’ tomorrow
PHUKET: The Phuket Aviation Club will host its first ‘Air Show & Fly’n’ event from 8am until sunset at Phuket Airpark in Pa Khlok tomorrow. Entry to the event is free of charge and the show will feature a wide variety of aviation activities and competitions. “For anyone who joins us tomorrow, a fun-filled day is guaranteed,” Show Director Pat…
Read More » - Property
Sri Panwa reveals modern tropical life in Phuket, Phang Nga
PHUKET: The family powerhouse behind Charn Issara Development Public Co Ltd is launching new developments at Phuket’s breathtaking Cape Panwa and another just over the bridge on Natai Beach in Phang Nga. The two projects are part of a series of 11 new developments throughout Thailand, announced CEO Songkran Issara, along with his sons Vorasit and Ditawat, on February 7…
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Opinion: Great balls of fire – sky lanterns a hazard over Phuket
PHUKET: Among the many recent edicts that have been issued by the government to bring some order to Phuket’s beach tourism industry, one that the Gazette hopes can be comprehensively enforced is the ban on the sale of khom loi, or sky lanterns, at public beaches (story here). The Gazette concedes that the sight of khom loi slowly rising after…
Read More » - Thailand
Prayut ready to testify in Abhisit impeachment case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prayut ready to testify in Abhisit impeachment case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said that he was ready to testify before the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) as defence witness for Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva in his impeachment case…
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Canned tuna from Thailand under scrutiny after four poisoned in Australia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Canned tuna from Thailand under scrutiny after four poisoned in Australia The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Four people in Sydney are suffering from suspected fish poisoning after eating sandwiches made with tuna imported from Thailand, agencies reported yesterday. The four had eaten at the same…
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Prison time mounting for Pongpat as court adds another 15 years
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prison time mounting for Pongpat as court adds another 15 years The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Pol Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan will serve almost 32 years behind bars, after the Criminal Court yesterday found him guilty in two more…
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Video Report: NCPO hotline chief investigator ditches Phuket call to prayer complaint
PHUKET: The chief investigator from the Prime Minister’s Office today confirmed that the national complaint center will not be taking any further action against a mosque at Cape Panwa for allegedly disturbing its neighbors by playing their daily calls to prayer too loudly. Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong last Thursday was forced to disband a mob of more than 100 local…
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Teen nabbed for selling illegally imported power tools in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Police arrested a teenager yesterday for illegally importing and attempting to sell power tools worth more than 50,000 baht. Sarawut Boonlai, from Nakhon Phanom, was arrested in possession of 65 different power tools – including planers, grinders, circular saws, and orbital sanders – after police received a tip-off that he had been selling the tools on the sidewalk of…
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Tour de France cyclist Baden Cooke to join Thanyapura Gran Fondo
PHUKET: Tour de France green jersey winner and former Australian national team “hard man” Baden Cooke will be joining the inaugural Thanyapura Gran Fondo bicycle road race on April 19. Cooke, who retired in 2013, is a veteran of six Tour de France campaigns and competed in the 2004 Olympics. At the 2003 Tour de France, he won the sprinters…
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