Month: August 2015
- Phuket News
Phuket police hunt illegal fishermen
PHUKET: Police are searching for the owner, or owners, of illegal fishing equipment found at Bang Yai Canal in Phuket Town yesterday. Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana led his team in collecting 24 illegal fishing nets, also known as ‘ai ngo‘ from the site. Ai ngo is one of four types of fishing gear made illegal by the National…
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Police arrest ladyboy packing fake shooter
PHUKET: A ladyboy and her teenage associate were arrested yesterday for robbing two convenience stores with fake firearms last week. Kan Polrob, 19, and a 17-year-old minor, who was not named by officers, were stopped at a police checkpoint in Rassada. “They were wearing full-face helmets, jackets and appeared nervous when they were stopped,” said Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of…
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Governor vows to resolve underpass problems
PHUKET: Protesters this morning handed Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong a formal letter of complaint about the dangerous road conditions along the Samkong intersection underpass construction site. More than 50 signatures were garnered by about 20 peaceful protesters at the much-delayed project site yesterday. “The protest started because people had been posting photos of potholes and accidents at the construction site,”…
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Monkey Beach gibbon tout arrested
PHUKET: Quick action by officers after receiving a tip-off from a Phuket Gazette reader saw a gibbon tout photographed working on the sands of Monkey Beach put behind bars last week (story here). Anan Nadee, 20, was arrested along with Bancha Songkhai, 24, in front of the Andaman Resort on Phi Phi Don while using ther illegally owned gibbons as…
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Breathe into this: Phuket tackles drunk driving
PHUKET: In an effort to reduce drunk driving and the road fatalities linked to it, 39 breathalyzers were donated to Phuket last week. Michael Woodford, the executive chairman of Safer Roads Foundation (SRF), and his wife Anunciacion Somavilla, presented the Lion alcolmeter SD-400s to Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong on August 27. “Hopefully, officers having these devices with them while they…
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Chinese currency devaluation could shake Phuket
PHUKET: Leaders of Phuket’s tourism and property industries are uncertain what the impact of the yuan’s tumble this month will be, as tremors continue to be felt throughout the world. A 138% surge in Chinese visitors during the first half of 2015 helped pave the way for the Thai tourism industry to bank more than 697 billion baht in total…
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Island View: Put it on a stick
PHUKET: Food on a stick is a very important staple of street food in Thailand. Coming from the midwest region of the US, I can assure you that we too have our obsession with food on a stick. Every year, we anxiously await the announcement of new food booths at the state fair to see what concoctions have been invented.…
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Up in the air: Lucky Air launches Phuket service
PHUKET: Good news for Phuket’s tourism industry came with the July 16 launch of thrice-weekly services between Kunming and Phuket by Lucky Air, China’s fastest growing airline. Lucky Air, with its hub at Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG), is 40 per cent owned by parent company Hainan Airlines Group. In operation since 2006, it has demonstrated phenomenal growth in recent…
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Phuket’s air quality returns to safe levels
PHUKET: The haze over Phuket caused by fires in Indonesia has dissipated and the air quality has returned to normal, confirmed Pornsri Suthanarak, director of the Regional Environmental Office. “The wildfire that began on August 22, started to affect Phuket nearly a week later [story here], causing a haze comprising more than 120 micrograms of particles per cubic meter, which…
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Myriad designs becoming more popular
PHUKET: As most villa projects in Phuket are individually owned and cater to the requirements of the individual buyer, one sees a plethora of interior designs ranging from very conservative to highly modern. However, those that are influenced by Thai architecture stand in sharp contrast to replicas of European styles. “Rightly called the Isle of Million Dollar Homes, Phuket has…
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Steer clear: Locals plan on-site protest of underpass delays
PHUKET: A group of concerned Phuket citizens will protest the road conditions and construction delays associated with the Samkong Underpass tomorrow morning, Sunday August 30. According to the Facebook page Seang Prachachon Kon Phuket (Voice of the Phuketian), about 50 protesters will arrive at the junction at about 11am. The protest is scheduled to last until 1.30pm. Drivers are urged…
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Phi Phi gibbon touts arrested
PHUKET: An animal tout who was photographed earlier this month showcasing her dressed up gibbon to tourists on Phi Phi Island (story here) has been arrested. Nattaporn Sithisak, 22, along with Saman Prabphet, 52, both from Krabi, were arrested in a joint effort raid by officers from the Thung Talay Non Hunting Zone and the Natural Resources and Environment Crime…
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Coral Island company apologizes for Turks’ arrests
PHUKET: A company has admitted to ‘making a mistake’ by allowing two Turkish men to work for them on Koh Hei, also know as Coral Island, without work permits. Ahmet Komurco, 37 and Altin Cern Salih, 49, were arrested on Thursday by plainclothes police for working illegally as customer service employees for Coral Management. “After receiving a complaint about foreigners…
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Video Report: Police get fright as 20kg python turns himself in
PHUKET: A 20-kilogram python gave police officers a fright at the Phuket City Police Station canteen on Wednesday morning. “This time we got a call from a police officer, not a local resident as usual, to catch a python at the police station,” said Sakun Naepnean, a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker. “The officer told us that he was going to…
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One dead, one injured after Chalong Pier shooting
PHUKET: A shooting in the parking lot of Chalong Pier left one man dead and another in critical condition last night. Illyas Malee, 28, was pronounced dead from a bullet wound to his neck on arrival at Vachira Phuket Hospital, while Humdee Jeklek, 18, was treated for wounds to his shoulder and leg. “At the scene, we found a blood…
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Island to get 200 new police officers
PHUKET: The never-ending call for additional police officers for Phuket will be answered when a slew of new graduates join the island’s police force this November. “We will have 200 more officers added to our roster following their graduation from the Provincial Police Training Center, Region 8, in Surat Thani,” confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee yesterday. The…
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Gibbon tout aping about on Monkey Beach
PHUKET: Gibbon and iguana touts were spotted showcasing their animals on Monkey Beach in Phi Phi National Park again on Wednesday. Police and national park officers were alerted to the presence of the touts at the popular day-trip destination last month when the Phuket Gazette forwarded photographs submitted by a reader . “We will immediately look into what’s happening on…
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Phuket haze thick with health concerns
PHUKET: Flying in the face of statements by the top official at the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD), the Regional Environmental Office has issued a health warning for the thick Indonesian haze that has settled over Phuket (story here). “The condition, like last year, is Transboundary Haze Pollution caused by the wildfires in Sumatra,” said Pornsri Suthanarak, the director of the…
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Business Buzz: Your business needs social media
PHUKET: These days you hear that every business should have a social media presence, but why is this the case? This week, we explore the main reasons why social media is so important and, if done correctly, what benefits it brings to your business. BRANDING & EXPOSURE To launch a company, create a brand name and even just to be…
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Phuket beach rules still at sea
PHUKET: Contrary to earlier reports, no final decision has yet been made by Governor Nisit Jansomwong on how to manage Phuket’s controversial beach chair situation. At a meeting on Thursday, Pun Thongchumnum, head of the research team from Prince of Songkhla University’s Phuket Campus, informed the governor of the results of the team’s investigation. The team suggested the government continue…
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Apple lines up Sept. 9 event, seen unveiling new iPhones
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Apple lines up Sept 9 event to unveil new iPhones Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Apple Inc has invited journalists to a Sept 9 event where the company is expected to unveil new iPhones and potentially a new version of its Apple TV set-top box. The…
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Scorned woman throws acid on friend
PHUKET: A Myanmar woman remains in hospital today with serious acid burns to 90 per cent of her body, including her eyes and ears, after she was attacked by a friend on Wednesday. Ka Ta, 24, was attacked by fellow Myanmar national Ta Zin Moe, 24. “Witnesses told us that Ms Ta Zin Moe had been waiting outside Ms Ka…
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British expat pleads guilty to North Korean meth smuggling charges
PHUKET: A former Phuket resident involved in an international plot to move enormous stockpiles of North Korean drugs through Thailand and into the United States pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. British national Scott Stammers, 46, was arrested in Phuket with four other foreigners in September 2013 as they prepared…
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Video Report: Rescue worker dances with king cobra
PHUKET: A two-meter-long cobra was successfully wrangled after hiding from rescue workers at the back of a rental room in Chalong yesterday evening. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers received the call from a woman who had seen the reptile while getting water from her well at Baan Na Bon. “When we arrived, we couldn’t find the cobra, but after searching around…
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Czech man killed after night out in Patong
PHUKET: A Czech man was killed after crashing his motorbike into a utility pole on his way home from Patong early this morning. Jaroslav Krupka, 44, was on his way to Phuket Villa in Kathu when he lost control on a curve, hitting and splitting a tree, before crashing into a power pole near Kathu Temple, confirmed Lt Sawanna Iadtrong…
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Chinese tourist runs over Phuket traffic cop
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist drove his rented motorbike into the back of a traffic police officer in Karon yesterday evening. Sen Sgt Maj Chaichana Phatikabot was only minorly injured in the incident. “There were four of them on two motorbikes. They had already been stopped and fined for driving without a licence at our checkpoint,” said Sgt Maj Chaichana. “After…
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Wanna-be gunmaker busted in Patong
PHUKET: Gun raids in Patong turned up a wanna-be gunmaker in the Kok Moo community on Tuesday. “We found Mr Sommart Wandee, 44, in possession of two illegal homemade guns and three partially constructed guns,” said Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. “Mr Sommart told us that he had bought the two guns from a Myanmar national, and…
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Finance: Greece’s economy not too big to fail
PHUKET: As the Greek crisis continues to rattle financial markets and the euro, investors need to understand that Greece being in default is actually business as usual for the country when you look more closely at its history: Greece’s first default occurred during the fourth century BC when around a dozen Greek city-states borrowed from the Temple of Delos at…
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Opinion: Cyclocops roam
PHUKET: THE recent launch of two-wheeled ‘Beach Police’ patrols at every police district on the island is a small, yet potentially positive pedal forward for a provincial police force that has developed a dubious reputation for ensuring tourist safety along our world-famous shorelines. But it’s sad that the initiative, ordered by Police Region 8, had to come in direct response…
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Fisherman mutilates co-worker’s genitalia
PHUKET: A man confessed to killing a fellow fisherman by stabbing him in the groin at Phuket’s main fishing port yesterday afternoon. “Witnesses told us that they saw a man dragging the body of Mu Sor and leaving it at Rassada Pier,” said Lt Col Chana Sutthimat of the Phuket City Police. Eventually, police were able to track down the…
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Well being: Male eating disorders on rise
PHUKET: Low-self esteem, poor body image and a perception of not meeting the modern ideal of masculinity are driving more men to consume over-the-counter body-building supplements, constituting what researchers believe is an emerging eating disorder. Supplements such as whey protein, creatine and L-cartinine are used to improve athletic performance and physique and are sold in grocery stores, vitamin shops and…
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Phuket haze not Indonesia’s fault, says expert
PHUKET: The Indonesian fire haze that has settled over Kula Lumpar is not associated with the thick haze that Phuket residents woke up to this morning, confirmed a top official at the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD). “This is ‘wet haze’, which is normal,” said Suntad Panbanpaew, director of the Phuket TMD weather center. “This weather condition often occurs with high…
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Krabi land grab leader shot dead
PHUKET: The leader of a group trying to grab a large unregistered palm oil plantation in Krabi’s Khao Phanom District was shot dead Tuesday, police said this week. Thammayut Sungrod, 57, was shot at a palm oil plantation in Na Khao subdistrict. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Khao Phanom Hospital, said Khao Phanom Superintendent Somdet Sukkarn. “There is…
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Food: Benny’s: a bite of classic Americana
PHUKET: Tucked away between four and five-star hotels by the sea in Surin, you’lll find Benny’s Cocktails and Grill. This eight-table eatery, created by gutting an old Thai-style house, offers a wonderfully intimate, cozy and comfortable ambiance, enhanced (somewhat uniquely for Phuket) by diner-friendly noise levels that enable conversation. “All of my cocktails are original recipes” says Italian proprietor Benedikt…
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Highway Office demands underpass road hazard be fixed
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office is pushing the repair of the dangerously rough road surface on both sides of the Samkong intersection underpass construction site. “Construction is well on its way at the site and it is scheduled to be finished by the end of the year,” said Samak Luedwonghad, director of the Phuket Highways Office. “However, there are some…
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Public invited to join search and rescue drill, exhibition
PHUKET: The general public is invited to watch as rescue boats and aircraft are deployed for a two-day Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) drill and exhibition at the Ao Makham deep sea port starting tomorrow. “The drill will run from 9am to 4pm both days,” confirmed Vice Admiral Sayan Prasongsamrej, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command. “There…
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Locals discover dolphin stranded in mangroves
PHUKET: Endangered species specialists are fighting to save the life of a spotted dolphin discovered stranded in the mangrove forests bordering Phuket Town yesterday. “When we arrived, villagers were helping the dolphin by holding the exhausted animal in the water, as it was unable to swim,” said Patcharaporn Kaewmong, a veterinarian at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). The locals…
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