- Phuket News
3 held for serving up endangered animals
CHALONG: Two men, 45-year-old Chun Mo Yang and 35-year-old Lee Chund, and a woman, Yun Komja, 26, all from South Korea, were arrested yesterday afternoon at a farm on Soi Taead, Chalong, after officers discovered caged animals and a grisly array of animal parts there. Somsak Sanyanuphap, chief of Muang District, along with the Phuket Provincial Forestry Office and Chalong…
- Phuket News
MP tells how she lobbied Thaksin over bar problem
BANGKOK: Chalermlak Kebsab, Phuket’s Member of Parliament for Region 2, which includes Patong, was a busy woman yesterday morning, trying to persuade the government in Bangkok to relax the crackdown on bar closing times in Phuket’s entertainment capital. Her first port of call was a meeting of the Democrat Party, at which she sat with Pol Lt Gen Wannarat Kosharat,…
- Phuket News
29 sex slaves rescued in Bangkok raids
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai police commandos made raids on two houses and rescued 29 hilltribe women forced to work as sex slaves, officers said today. Six hilltribe men guarding the women, one of whom was chained by the ankle to a railing after a failed escape attempt, were arrested in the operation on Thursday, said Pol Col Sophon Pitsuthiwong. “She had…
- Phuket News
Patong bar owners claim victory
PATONG: The embattled bar owners of Patong appear to have won a reprieve from the enforcement of the 2 am closure law after putting intense pressure on the government, both locally and in Bangkok. The bar owners gathered this evening in the Pasha discotheque on Soi Sunset. There, the Mayor of Patong, Pian Keesin, announced that a tacit agreement had…
- Phuket News
Thailand’s Hotel Act to be overhauled
PHUKET TOWN: A forum, instigated by Phuket’s Democrat MP Anchalee Vanich Thepabutra, was held at The Metropole hotel on Saturday to brainstorm proposed amendments to the Hotel Act. The forum was attended by all three Phuket MPs; the Thai Hotels Association’s vice-president and president of the southern chapter, Sithi Tandavanitj; the honorary advisor to the Thai Hotels Association, Sampan Panpat;…
- Phuket News
Patong bars protest, say they’ll not open tonight
PATONG: About 1,000 bar owners and staff gathered at the football field on the beach road this afternoon to protest the Ministry of Interior’s refusal to exempt Patong from the 2 am legal closing time for entertainment venues in Thailand. Chairat Sukkaban, owner of the Safari Disco & Fun Pub, who led a petition drive two weeks ago, told the…
- Phuket News
American dies at police station
PHUKET TOWN: An American man died after falling off a chair early yesterday morning while in custody at the Phuket Town Police Station. Police named the 56-year-old man as William Bryan Brooks. Pol Maj Adul Nirapai of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that he had received a call late Monday night from staff at the Bai Fern restaurant…
- Phuket News
New QSI director denies closure rumors
KATHU: The new director of the QSI International School of Phuket, Dr Paul Finkbeiner, has emphatically denied rumors that the school is about to shut. “We are definitely not closing down. If that were true, then I wouldn’t be here,” he said, adding, “I plan on staying here for two years. But if things go well, they may have to…
- Phuket News
Popular Chalong merchant shot dead
RAWAI: Jenjira Samart, 42, a well-liked fresh fish merchant in Chalong, was shot dead on Saturday by an alleged ya bah dealer and addict. Pol Maj Jetsada Sangsuree, of Chalong Police Station, said that, after finishing work, K. Jenjira rode her motorcycle to her home at 35/1 Moo 4, Tambon Rawai, at around 3 pm. As she arrived, she was…
- Phuket News
Man found murdered near fishing port
PHUKET TOWN: A man believed to have been a Burmese fisherman was last Saturday found murdered at Baan Laem Tukkae, near the fishing port. Pol Lt Kanuang Pitakkulthorn of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that the man, as yet unidentified, had died from blows the face and head with a blunt instrument. The victim is estimated to have…
- Phuket News
Laser speed trap on airport road
PHUKET: Motorists traveling north towards the airport are advised to take their feet off the gas until the end of this week at least, or risk paying a fine for speeding. Every day until Saturday, police officers will be been perched atop the footbridge near the Muang Thalang School, armed with a pair of laser speed guns, while, 300 meters…
- Phuket News
OrBorJor reviews Rassada Port bids
PHUKET TOWN: Companies bidding for a 30-year lease management on the Rassada Port made presentations to the Phuket Provincial Organization Administration (OrBorJor) on Friday. The companies that delivered presentations were Sri Fuengfah Co Ltd, Port and Marine Enterprise Co Ltd, and Seatran Travel Co Ltd. A fourth bidder, Thepkrasattri Petroleum Co Ltd, pulled out. The OrBorJor’s decision as to who…
- Phuket News
Gambling tops arrest stats again
PHUKET: Gambling arrests topped the Phuket police scoreboard again in April, with 209 people held for gambling offenses between April 1 and 25. The figure does not include the 91 people arrested in raids on casinos on April 29. Provincial Police statistics released today showed arrests of illegal immigrants coming in second place, with 189 people locked up, followed by…
- Phuket News
German man dies of overdose
PATONG: A 49-year-old German man died yesterday of heart failure after swallowing a lethal mixture of vodka and sleeping pills. Pol Maj Pisit Cheanpetch of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that Patong resident Klaus Werner Blume was found dead in his room at Nanai Happy House, Soi Nanai. The victim’s partner, Noppawan Hemwanta, 24, told police that she returned…
- Phuket News
Malaysia puts harsh brakes on Thai drivers
KHUAN DON, THAILAND: In a move sure to bring frowns and grimaces to the Land of Smiles, Thailand’s neighbor to the south has introduced measures making it an almost hopeless enterprise for Thais to enter Malaysia by automobile. At the Khuan Don border (near Satun) this afternoon, Malaysian authorities in spiffy blue uniforms were handing out “Rules” flyers to scores…
- Phuket News
Thai Airways board members lose perks
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai Airways International board members, long accustomed to free flights and expensive perks, are to lose their privileges as part of an effort to streamline the national carrier, an airline official said this afternoon. Chairman Chai-Anan Samuddavanija, appointed with a new board of directors amid controversy this week, has vowed to cancel the perks offered since Thai Airways…
- Phuket News
Thalang police set up suggestions box
THALANG: Pol Col Prapakorn Saksupa, superintendent of Thalang Police Station, has announced that the station has established a PO Box for the public. The box is specifically for people in Thalang district who wish to write to the Thalang Police Station to express views, make suggestions, or provide information on suspected criminal activities. The police have stressed that only senior…
- Phuket News
Free dive master training for Thais
PHUKET: The Dive Operators’ Club of Thailand (DOCT), Phuket Chapter, is seeking Thai applicants to train as dive masters in response to the shortage of Thai dive masters on the island. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. They must have a working knowledge of English, a high-school education, be physically fit and able to swim, and have their…
- Phuket News
Police seize 2 tonnes of smuggled meat
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Marine Police yesterday evening raided a warehouse in Moo Bann Iravadee on the bypass road after receiving a report that it contained smuggled cigarettes. But instead of illegal smokes, they found about two tonnes of illegally imported meat, worth about 200,000 baht. Pol Lt Col Bunjerd Piriyavong of the Phuket Marine Police told the Gazette that…
- Phuket News
Mayor meets Governor over 2 am law
PHUKET TOWN: Thirty entertainment venue owners, led by Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, yesterday met with Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi at his home to inquire about the results of last week’s petition asking for Patong to be given an exemption from the 2 am limit on opening hours. The petition, signed by some 300 business owners in Patong, was handed to…
- Phuket News
Headless corpse at Freedom Beach
PATONG: A headless corpse was found floating in the sea near Freedom Beach on Saturday afternoon. Police have been unable to identify the decomposed body, but assume the victim was male. “It was impossible to determine whether he was a Thai or a foreigner because the body was so severely decomposed. He must have died more than two weeks ago,”…
- Phuket News
Thai Airways board appointments spark protest
BANGKOK (AFP): Hundreds of aviation industry employees rallied today outside the headquarters of Thai Airways to protest the company’s new board of directors, which they say is rife with cronyism. Wearing symbolic black dress, workers from Thai Airways and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand surrounded a limousine carrying Deputy Transportation and Communication Minister Pracha Maleenond, who will chair a meeting of…
- Phuket News
Thailand to woo investors
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand plans to expand the role of state investment promotion agencies in an effort to boost its damaged economy with fresh domestic and foreign investment, reports said today. During a two-day economic workshop chaired by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, officials pledged to transform Thailand into a “knowledge-based” economy through new investment spurred by tax incentives and special privileges.…
- Phuket News
Young Thais hooked on football betting
BANGKOK (AFP): Hundreds of thousands of Thailand’s young football fans are addicted to gambling on foreign matches, the government said in a report released today. Some 300,000 football-crazed students wager 50 million baht (1.1 million dollars) every day, according to ruling Thai Rak Thai party politician Poom Sarapon. A recent survey shows that most of the kingdom’s football gamblers are…
- Phuket News
Bars must display anti-drugs message
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi today announced that a new law is to be introduced requiring bars and entertainment venues to publicly display an anti-drugs message. The Governor urged district officers to enforce the requirement strictly, once it becomes law. The proposed penalty for not displaying an appropriate message is at least three days’ closure of the offending premises.
- Phuket News
Vagabonds stroll home over Marines
KOH KAEW: The Phuket Vagabonds Rugby Club (formerly the Phuket Gazettes) started their preparations for next month’s International Tens Tournament with a convincing 30-20 win on Monday over the US Marines from the visiting USS Boxer. The Vagabonds took the initiative early in the game, played at Dulwich International College, piling up a 15-point lead before the Americans finally forced…
- Phuket News
Provincial government gets on IT track
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi has announced a government drive to ensure that every provincial government department on the island will have its own web site by the end of the year, and that all departments will start using email to share information. His announcement came at a meeting of departmental heads at the Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, held…
- Phuket News
TAT rejects “Phuket too costly’ claim
PHUKET: Anuphap Teerarat, director of the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), today rejected criticism from a German movie producer that Phuket has priced itself out of the market as far as film-makers are concerned. The producer, Wolfgang Rademann, was quoted in the Bangkok Post as saying that he had opted to shoot his made-for-TV movie, which…
- Phuket News
Flight from Beijing lands in Phuket
PHUKET: Air China, in conjunction with the Chinese tour operator China Comfort Travel Co, is now operating twice-weekly charter flights direct from Beijing to Phuket. The charter service, aimed exclusively at mainland Chinese tourists, was launched with a maiden flight that landed at Phuket International Airport just after midnight on Saturday morning. “We’re operating only inbound charters right now, but…
- Phuket News
300 sign opening hours petition to Governor
PHUKET: Some 300 business owners in Patong today petitioned Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi to allow an extension of opening hours from 2 am to 5 am. The petition argued that the enforcement of the 2 am law would not achieve the government’s aim of reducing crime and drug abuse. The petition was handed to the Governor by Chairat Sukkaban, owner…
