Legacy Phuket Gazette
- Phuket News
Top cop, officers charge down Bangla
PHUKET: A posse of police officers paraded down the island’s party soi Wednesday night in an effort to boost tourist confidence. The 150-strong group was led down Bangla Road by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teerapol Thipjaroen to scan the area for any suspicious activities. “The high season is coming,” said Gen Teerapol. “Christmas and New Year celebrations may attract criminals…
- Phuket News
Phuket woman begins her walk to the Grand Palace
PHUKET: A Phuketian set forth on her journey to Bangkok on foot yesterday in honor of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Malee Dokmai, 54, hails from Kathu and began walking early in the morning from Saphan Hin. Armed with pink running shoes, a picture of the King and a flag of Thailand, she aims to walk over Sarasin Bridge and…
- Phuket News
Phuket firefighters battle power pole blazes
PHUKET: Two power poles on the island caught fire in two separate incidents last night and early this morning, leaving locals in the dark for several hours in some areas. “We received reports of an electricity pole on fire in Srisoonthorn, Thalang, on Thepkrasattri Road southbound, at about 8:30pm last night,” Amnart Sujjit, a firefighter for Srisoonthorn Municipality, told the…
- Phuket News
Phuket bikers show love for His Majesty
PHUKET: At least 200 big bikers joined Phuket City Municipality officials in a mourning ceremony for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Saphan Hin on Tuesday night. The bikers, from Phuket and nearby provinces, created a formation to spell out the words ‘King’ and ‘Rama IX’ with their bikes. The ceremony was presided over by Phuket City Deputy Mayor Kawee…
- Phuket News
Brit arrested for tuk-tuk robbery in Phuket
PHUKET: A British tourist was arrested and charged with theft yesterday after stealing a tuk-tuk driver’s wallet and other possessions from inside the taxi’s cab while it was parked in Karon last week. After reporting the theft to Karon police on Saturday, the tuk-tuk driver, Tawatchai Namwong, posted a warning about the pilfering farang on social media. The post read:…
- Phuket News
Flood, landslide warnings issued throughout Krabi
KRABI: Flood and landslide warnings have been issued for Krabi residents after downpours affected at least 50 people over the weekend. On Monday, Klonghin OrBorTor President Sila Saiyid inspected an area where about 20 houses have been flooded at Baan Tung Kor, in addition to 400-500 rai of palm and rubber plantations. “Heavy rains caused excess water to collect in…
- Phuket News
Phuket bag thief on cam in denial
PHUKET: A Rawai local was arrested at his residence on Tuesday, after CCTV footage showed him stealing a bag from a tour booth in Patong last Friday. A 34-year-old tour operator, named as Warrathaya Kamklin, filed a complaint with Patong Police alleging that the suspect, Tuanaroon Chokkua, 26, had stolen a bag from his booth’s counter. Police asked the court…
- Phuket News
Chinese holidaymaker drowns at Patong Beach
PHUKET: A 31-year-old Chinese man on holiday in Phuket with his wife drowned at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon. The deceased, Gang Liu, 31, was pulled from the surf at 4:30pm and rushed to Patong Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:45pm. Patong Police chief Lt Col Weerapong Rakhito said yesterday that after questioning Mr Liu’s wife, it was clear…
- Phuket News
Raging Russian tourist hurls bricks at cars in Karon
PHUKET: A Russian woman was arrested and charged this morning after flying into a rage and throwing bricks at vehicles outside a hotel in Karon around 4am. Ms Bravova, 45, (full name withheld), cracked the windscreen of a Honda Jazz and damaged the back of a minivan during her tirade, reportedly shouting about something she had lost in front of…
- Phuket News
Russian bikers in brawl with Phuket taxi drivers
PHUKET: A Russian tourist was charged with assault after a fight broke out between him and a group of Karon taxi drivers Sunday afternoon. The incident went viral on social media after it was captured on video by an onlooker. The four injured taxi drivers, who insisted that the tourist started the fight, filed a complaint with the Karon Police.…
- Phuket News
Tuk-tuk drivers’ club leader murdered in Phuket
PHUKET: Police are hunting for an unknown number of suspects for the murder of the president of the Patong tuk-tuk drivers’ club earlier this morning. Sakol Srisompoch, 57, was found shot dead inside his tuk-tuk, which was parked in the middle of the road in front of King Kong Party Club, on Phra Phuket Kaew Road. Police were alerted to…
- Phuket News
Another drug bust nets B2mn worth of drugs
PHUKET: A Ranong man was arrested in Phuket last night with more than 11,000 amphetamine (ya bah) pills estimated to have a street value of two million baht. Region 8 Police led by Lt Col Prawit Engchuan of Ao Nang Police arrested Somchok Thanomjit, 36, when he showed up to receive the package at a private transportation company in Rassada.…
- Thai Life
Profile: His Majesty through foreign eyes
PHUKET: In surveying the scope of achievements made by His Majesty the King, the incalculable benefits he wrought for Thailand and its people rightly take precedent. But no picture of his 70-year reign can be complete without appreciating the central role he commanded in Thailand’s foreign relations. His Majesty not only set the tone for warm ties with foreign leaders…
- Phuket News
Phuket police charge six with category 1 drug offenses
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police today announced the arrests of four men and two women for narcotics offences, in the latest illegal drug crackdown in the province. Yuttana Sulsabai, 48, was caught at his house in Tah Chat Chai in possession of 35 amphetamine (ya bah) pills last Tuesday. Police charged him with possession and intent to sell the illicit drugs.…
- Opinion
Island View: Willing to go the distance for HM the King
PHUKET: The news of the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13 has brought immense sadness to all Thais. Facebook and other social media is filled with messages of love and condolences. Every time I see such messages, it brings tears to my eyes. People are commemorating his life and achievements by sharing his history, hard work…
- Phuket News
Young Russian found dead in jeep wreckage
PHUKET: A 20 year old Russian diving instructor was found dead yesterday after the NGV-powered jeep he was driving crashed and burst into flames on Khao Khad Road in Wichit. Locals ran to help after the vehicle slid off the wet road and crashed into a rocky embankment at about 3pm but were beaten back by the flames. Rescue workers…
- Thailand News
Crowds fill Sanam Luang for live recording of Royal Anthem
BANGKOK: Huge crowds of black-clad mourners from across the country poured into Sanam Luang this morning to join the mass singing of the Royal Anthem in the afternoon and express their love for His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej. People holding umbrellas in the scorching sun strolled on the huge ground, waiting for the mass singing to start at 1pm.…
- Phuket News
Married to the mob: wife implicated in van driver shooting
PHUKET: Police have arrested the wife of a van driver and three accomplices for allegedly arranging to have the driver killed in a drive-by shooting outside his house in Kathu. The victim, Chamnong Kaewprot, was shot in the back by a masked gunman as he entered his home after parking his van outside the house around 11pm on October 8.…
- Phuket News
Aussie extends visa to walk for King
SURAT THANI: Australian tourist David Hammill hopes to reach Bangkok on foot before his visa runs out, after setting off on Thursday from Surat Thani armed with a 28-day visa extension so he can make the 650km journey as a tribute to the His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Walking with a portrait of HM the King in hand, the 46-year-old…
- Phuket News
Ladyboy stabs friend to death in Patong
PHUKET: A ladyboy was arrested today for the murder of his friend in a Patong apartment, after the two had a falling out about money earlier in the morning. Capt Yingyong Chuoykij of Patong Police arrived at the scene about 3:30am. “The apartment door was locked and no one answered the door, so we had to break it down,” he…
- Business News
Demand for black clothes soars
PHUKET: The government and private sectors have joined hands to ensure that the demand for black-colored clothing is taken care of in Thailand, including in Phuket. The move came after the government announced that government officials must wear black clothing for an entire year during the official mourning period of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It is recommended, but clearly not…
- Phuket News
Foreign Consuls grieve for HM the King
PHUKET: Fourteen Consuls gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday to express their condolences for the passing of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej last week. The Consuls, including French, Austrian, Brazilian, English, Chilean, Chinese, Czech, Finnish, German, Irish, Dutch, Russian, Swiss and Danish, were dressed in black to express their sorrow for the passing of His Majesty. The gathering was hosted…
- Phuket News
French man jumps to his death from Patong hotel
PHUKET: A French man jumped to his death from the 16th floor of a hotel in Patong around 6:30 this morning. A horrified electrician working on the same floor of the hotel spotted the man as he prepared to jump and unsuccessfully tried to talk him out of it. Police confirmed that the 47-year-old man was a French national and…
- Phuket News
Two Russians killed in horrific midnight crash
PHUKET: Two Russians died today after the car they were travelling in crashed into an electric pole on the bypass road just after midnight. “The victims were trapped inside the car, which was seriously damaged and stuck to the pole. Rescue workers had to cut the car to pry it loose and release the victims, both of whom were already…
- Business News
Finance: Listen to price rather than opinions
PHUKET: It’s clear that the entire world is focused on the coming US elections as several of my non-US clients have asked me recently what the impact on their investments will be if Donald Trump actually is elected. One worried client even sent me an article from the New Yorker, highlighting the following lines: “The Economist Intelligence Unit, an economic-and-geopolitical-analysis…
- Opinion
Opinion: Mourning a much loved Monarch
PHUKET: It is with great sorrow that the Phuket Gazette joins the province and the rest of the nation in mourning the passing of a much loved Monarch. The sad news of the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej last Thursday, after the previous issue of the Gazette had gone to print, was surreal and profound, as the loss…
- Thai Life
Phuket graced by four royal visits
PHUKET: Phuket was graced by four visits of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej during his 70-year reign; the first was 57 years ago, on Sunday, March 8, 1959, accompanied by Queen Sirikit. The royal couple took a car ferry across the Pak Pra channel from Phang Nga to Phuket, arriving at Tah Chat Chai at 4pm, where they rested for…
- Phuket News
Ten baht minimum wage increase to be proposed for Phuket
PHUKET: A proposal to raise the minimum wage in Phuket by 10 baht a day is to be presented to the Cabinet by the Central Wage Committee of the Ministry of Labor. During a committee meeting held yesterday, an overall increase of 5-10 baht was proposed for 69 of the country’s 76 provinces, whereas the remaining provinces, including Nakhon Sri…
- Phuket News
Trade Department to investigate Patong restaurants overcharging Chinese tourists
PHUKET: The governor of Phuket has promised to crack down on restaurants in Patong allegedly overcharging Chinese tourists. Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamorthan vowed to have the Department of Internal Trade investigate restaurants in the tourist hotspot at a meeting with the Vice Consul General and Head of The Phuket Consular Office, Wang Huijuan, in Songkhla yesterday. “Ms Wang brought up…
- Phuket News
Mosque donation box thief still at large
PHUKET: Police are searching for a thief who broke into a mosque’s donation box in Koh Kaew and stole about 10,000 baht on Tuesday night. Capt Udom Petcharat of Phuket City Police arrived at the scene after he received the complaint at about 8:30am yesterday. “People were gathered around a broken donation box – a tyre iron lay nearby,” said…
