Month: February 2018

  • News

    7 Krabi King cobras reported in one day – 5 captured and released

    The Ao Luek Rescue Team in Krabi received a report last night (February 20) at 8.30 pm from 23 year old Nutchanart Bangyabyeo, saying that she found a 4 metre king cobra under the dish washing sink. The team put a snake catcher under the sink and the cobra showed up after 5 minutes. The team tried to capture it…

    Read More »
  • News

    THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, February 21

    Four die in a Krabi road smash | More of the Bangkok driveway-blocking drama | A BIG find on a Gulf beach | Suthep announces new political party | New engine-size tax for motorbikes | Government caves into power plant protesters.

    Read More »
  • News

    Bangkok’s Great Driveway Drama – surrounding markets ordered closed

    The Bangkok governor has ordered the immediate temporary closure of five markets operating in Seri Villa housing project in Prawet district, in a bid to find an acceptable solution to the decade-long dispute between residents and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) over the presence of the markets. https://www.facebook.com/phuketgazette/videos/1620839177993904/ Governor Asawin Kwanmuang said on Wednesday that he would set up a…

    Read More »
  • News

    TAT seeks help to stop damage by Chinese tourists

    Frequent cases of Chinese tourists damaging coral reefs and other fragile sea natural resources have prompted the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to seek help from its Chinese counterpart. Phanu Woramitr, director of the TAT office for Hat Yai, Songkhla and Satoon said on Tuesday that TAT has sent a letter to the Chinese tourism agency asking it to warn…

    Read More »
  • News

    Road closures for Old Phuket Town

    Phuket municipality has announced road closures during the 19th Old Town festival and Chinese New Year celebrations. On February 21 to 23, from 3:00pm to midnight, the following roads are be closed: Thalang Road Soi Romanee Krabi Road, from the intersection of Thalang Road and Yaowarat Road until the Thai Hua Museum Soi Pradit Takuapa Road, from the intersection with Rassada…

    Read More »
  • News

    Worker dies, another injured, in Samkong worksite landslide

    https://www.facebook.com/phuketgazette/videos/1620819127995909/ Emergency responders are working to extract a worker from a construction site in Samkong near Vachira Hospital this morning following a landslide. One worker died in the work-site landslide.

    Read More »
  • News

    Thailand Yacht Show 2018 – starts tomorrow (Thursday)

    Some of the world’s most prestigious marine brands are assembling at the Ao Po Grand Marina for the third edition of the Thailand Yacht Show. It starts tomorrow (Thursday) and runs until Sunday. Buyers, charterers and locals are invited to climb aboard and experience the watercraft – superyachts, catamarans, sailboats, sports-fishers, dinghies, tenders, water sport boats and day cruisers, in…

    Read More »
  • News

    Rare animal – a moonrat – found in Krabi

    A small creature that looks like a mouse, with a nose and mouth shaped like a pig, has been found in Krabi. It is believed to be a moonrat. Krabi Defense Volunteer Officer, 53 year old Pornchai Sudrak, who found the animal, explains that he was jogging near his house in the evening and heard his dog barking so he…

    Read More »
  • News

    Four killed on a dangerous corner in Krabi

    A pickup truck reportedly lost control on a curve, crossed the traffic island in the middle of the road and crashed into another pickup truck on the opposite lane, killing four people in Krabi province. The accident occurred last night on Phetchakasem Road, Nuaklong – Klongthom route. At the scene, Nuaklong police found a gray pickup truck with Phang Nga…

    Read More »
  • News

    Suthep’s party to support Prayut as post-election PM

    From The Nation Suthep Thaugsuban, core leader of the now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), plans to found a political party to support Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha becoming premier after the next general election, a former Democrat party-list MP has claimed. Watchara Petchthong said on Tuesday that the party would be named the People’s Democratic Reform Committee Foundation, of…

    Read More »
  • News

    The legacy lives on – International Gill Dalley’s Remembrance Day

    PHOTO: John & Gill Dalley (soidog.org) February 13 is known by Soi Dog Foundation as the International Gill Dalley’s Remembrance Day, in order to honour the kind heart of the co-founder of the foundation, Gill Dalley, who had dedicated her life working on the strays’ issue in Thailand. Gill Dalley founded the Soi Dog Foundation in 2004 with her husband,…

    Read More »
  • News

    THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, February 20

    Woman NOT happy with pick-up parked over her driveway | Car chase for two Nigerians on Cambodian border | Vandals leaving their mark in Krabi | How NOT to reverse a container truck | 23 tourists stung by jellyfish | 62 year long-term resident in Pattaya giving back to his community. Coming to you from the Floating Donut in Laguna…

    Read More »
  • News

    301 ‘lucky number plates’ up for bidding

    The Phuket Land Transport Office announced the auction of 301 plates with ‘lucky numbers’. The profit from the auction will be donated to the road accident victims fund. The Chief of Phuket Land Transport Office, Banyat Kanta, said that the 13th auction will kick off on March 3 – 4 at the conference room of Phuket’s Rajabhat University. “This will help…

    Read More »
  • News

    23 tourists stung by ‘Bluebottles’ in Songkhla

    PHOTO: National Geographic Twenty-three tourists have been stung by bluebottle jellyfish, properly referred to as the Portuguese man o’ war (Physalis physalis), at two popular beaches in Songkhla during the past three days, a senior public health official reported today. Doctor Uthitsak Hariratanakul, chief Songkhla public health officer, said the 23 swimmers were injured by the jellyfish at the Chalathat…

    Read More »
  • News

    Tourists leave their mark on Railay Beach

    Tourists seeking to leave their mark on Thailand have vandalised a cave tunnel leading onto Krabi’s popular Railay Beach, carving their names and other graffiti in the rock walls and stalactites. Hard objects were used to scrawl names and messages along the 200 metre passage, said Somboon Ngafa, chairman of the Railay Bay Tourism Association Club. The beach and bay…

    Read More »
  • News

    Firefly’s direct Penang flights go daily from March 25

    Firefly are upping the direct flights from Penang to Phuket from four a week to daily starting March 25. The regional airline is owned by Malaysian Airlines and flies ATR 72s with 70 seats. Flying out of Penang, Firefly flies internationally to Banda Aceh on Sumatra, Indonesia and Phuket. Locally it serves Langkawi and Kota Baru. For now the new…

    Read More »
  • News

    Illegal immigrant arrested over fake US bank notes

    A 29 year old Nigerian, Chukwuemeka Anslem Njibigbo, has been arrested after exchanging a fake 100 dollar bank note at the Kasikorn Bank in Central Festival Phuket. Police received a report from the bank about the fake $100 bank note. After checking, police found that the Nigerian man went to exchange the money on February 13 and returned to the…

    Read More »
  • News

    Truck crash-reverses into ditch in Karon

    Traffic is closed between Patong and Karon as police and emergency responders try and clear a nearly-overturned container truck at the bottom of the hill between the Novotel Karon and Centara Beach resort. Police are expecting it to take at least a couple of hours to clear for traffic. https://www.facebook.com/phuketgazette/videos/1618908354853653/

    Read More »
  • News

    PIA air-conditioning breaks down, again

    …and this woman’s not happy about it. Hundreds of Facebook users have given their support to a woman’s complaint about a breakdown of air-conditioners at the Phuket International Airport, which she says causes heat to be trapped and body odour to spread inside the passenger building. “Is this a model of a green airport?” Facebook user Paithoon Tou Monpanthong asked…

    Read More »
  • News

    Phuket’s Rajabhat launches a fun run

    Phuket Rajabhat University Alumni has kicked off a fun run to ‘encourage a healthy lifestyle’. More than 2,000 runners registered for the event. Early yesterday (February 18), Phuket’s Vice Governor, Sanit Srivihok chaired the opening ceremony of the new fun run together with executives and seniors of the university as well as students and locals living around the university. “This…

    Read More »
  • News

    THAIGER TODAY Monday, February 19

    Airport has 200,000 passengers in one day | Bikie gang member locked out of Australia after visit to Pattaya | German and Thai held over under-age prostitution | Popular farang YouTuber dies | Phuket’s Ao Po Grand Marina gets dragged into Premchai investigation | Four soldiers injured in explosion in Narathiwat | 7/11 looking to introduce ‘Seven Bank’ banking in…

    Read More »
  • News

    Public cynical about justice for ‘influential people’ – Survey

    Although the investigation into construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta’s alleged illegal hunting is ongoing, the public says they have little confidence that he will ever be punished if found guilty. Nearly two-thirds, or 64.2 per cent, of people recently surveyed believe the case, where Premchai and three others are accused of poaching and possessing wildlife in a Kanchanaburi wildlife park, will…

    Read More »
  • News

    Personal grudge behind killing of rubber tapper in South – Police

    An elderly rubber tapper was shot dead early on Sunday morning in a rubber plantation in Narathiwat’s Yi Ngor district. Police suspect the fatal shooting might stem from a personal conflict, although they have not ruled out issues related to the deep South’s unrest and national security as a possible motive. Following a 6.20am report of a homicide, police went…

    Read More »
  • News

    Time to make her move

    By Somroutai Sapsomboon It has been almost six months since former PM Yingluck Shinawatra fled the country, just before a court verdict in a criminal case that stemmed from her government’s corruption-plagued rice-pledging scheme. She has lived in seclusion overseas for months until, shortly before the New Year, she was spotted in public in London. Just last week, Yingluck was…

    Read More »
  • News

    Ao Po Grand Marina gets dragged into Premchai investigations

    PHOTO: aopograndmarina.com Italian-Thai Development president Premchai Karnasuta is subject to another encroachment investigation as a firm in which he is major shareholder is accused of encroaching on mangrove forests and the public sea in Phuket. Jatuporn Buruphat, director general of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, said on Friday that he had instructed officials to conduct a probe against Ao…

    Read More »
  • News

    Machete attack in Chalong

    A jealous husband has slashed his wife and step son with a machete, resulting in severe injuries for both. Chalong Police have revealed that on Friday night they received a report that there had been an attack on two people – 47 year old Yaowapa Kowai and her son, 22 year old Songpon Thongsai. Yaowapa was slashed on her head,…

    Read More »
  • News

    Fire in Ban Thai’s spa in Patong

    About noon today (February 17), Patong police receieved a report about a fire in Spanakarn, a 4-story spa business, located inside the Ban Thai Hotel. The fire started in a room named Rachawadee on the third floor of the building. A staff member, Naetdao Kongsoongnern, who was a witness to the fire, told the police that she was at the…

    Read More »
  • News

    Anupas announces farewell to Honda cars in Phuket

    Anupas Vividhkarn announced it will end its four-branch Honda car sale representative offices and showrooms across Phuket and Pang Nga today (February 17) after 32 years in business. The Managing Director, Montri Hongyok, chaired the press conference today (February 17) at Novotel Phuket Phokeetra Hotel along with the Deputy Managing Director, Montawee Hongyok. “All shops will stop operations from March…

    Read More »
  • News

    Dirty water stains our beaches. And our reputation.

    Comment by Tim Newton Waste water, drainage, ‘dirty water’, organic sewerage, run off… call it what you want. It’s an ongoing blight on Phuket’s best assets – it’s beautiful stretches of beaches. In the past week, alone, black, sludgy run-off has been reported at Patong, Kamala, Surin and Karon. Officials have been getting their photo-opportunities, pointing at the dirty drainage,…

    Read More »
  • News

    Tourist visa extension mobile service for Krabi

    Krabi Immigration has launched a mobile van service for visa extensions targeting foreign tourists staying in Ao Nang. Krabi Privincial Immigration Office Superintendent, Pol Col Suparuek Pankosol, along with immigration officers, launched the mobile van and services at Ao Nang Beach yesterday (February 16). The new service will allow tourists to report their extension (other than 90 day reporting) without…

    Read More »
  • News

    Senior DSI official faces probe over alleged rape, extortion

    A disciplinary investigation is to begin next week into claims that a Department of Special Investigations official took a video of him raping a 38 year old Pattaya businesswoman at gunpoint in May 2015 and then used the tape to blackmail and extort 2 million baht from the woman. Justice Ministry deputy permanent secretary Thawatchai Thaikhiew said yesterday that the…

    Read More »
  • News

    Tougher screening for public transport drivers

    Beginning on March 1, applicants for licences to drive public transport will have to submit a medical certificate in a form approved by the Medical Council of Thailand. The Department of Land Transport announced this week that the aim is to standardise its processing and increase efficiency in screening out people with health conditions that prohibit them from driving. Department…

    Read More »
  • News

    Kalasin rape, shooting suspect turns himself in

    The 29 year old suspect, who allegedly shot a male third-year university student in the cheek in Kalasin’s Na Mon district early on Tuesday morning before abducting and raping a female sophomore student, has surrendered to police this afternoon (February 16). Rubber tapper Thisanu Phonarat, surrendered to Kam Moung police officers at a gas station belonging to his elder sister.…

    Read More »
  • News

    An Xin tour bus crashes in Phang Nga killing the driver, injuring 19

    A Chinese tour bus of An Xin Tour Company has crashed into an electric pole on Phetchakasem Road in Phang Nga today (February 16) killing the driver while injuring Chinese passengers. The tourists booked with CNR Travel were heading to the Ban Tha Noon Pier. At the scene of the accident on the Phang Nga – Takuatung route in Krasom…

    Read More »
  • News

    More drug dealers arrested at Phuket Gateway

    Five busts in two weeks. Three more people have now been arrested at Thachatchai checkpoint at the Phuket Gateway with 16.6 grams of methamphetamine and 542 amphetamine pills at just after midnight (February 16). The two men and one woman include 34 year old Anuchit Buathong from Phuket, 31 year old Mana Changnam from Krabi and 29 year old Nattaya…

    Read More »
  • News

    THAIGER TODAY Friday, February 16

    Gong Xi Fah Cai! | Bangkok’s pollution moves further north | New 50 kph speed zones in the capital | Alleged Kalasin rapist/shooter on the loose | Premchai’s gone missing | Authorities NOT going to close Maya Bay | Cambodian parliament introduces new laws restricting free speech | 74 year old Brit found on deserted island off Chumpon.

    Read More »
  • Thai Life

    Thailand Kite Festival returns to Hua Hin in March

    PHOTO: Peter Lynn Kites The ever-popular Thailand International Kite Festival is set to take to the skies on March 23-25, 2018 at the Army Non Commissioned Officer School, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan. Fancy Kite Show: This year, the event will see 20 kite-flying teams from around the world, including Switzerland, Germany and France. The displays of beautiful kites from all…

    Read More »