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Police ramp up Phuket taxi mafia money laundering probe, identify targets in Patong
PHUKET: Officers from the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) will join the police investigation into taxi drivers who are possibly laundering money, as the Phuket taxi mafia crackdown continues with officers focusing their efforts on Patong. “We recently contacted AMLO and confirmed that a team from their office will come to Phuket this month to assist in our investigation,” Maj Gen…
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Phuket residents rail against Kata beachfront land stake
PHUKET: More than 100 Phuket residents gathered for three hours yesterday to halt the construction of a fence along Kata Beach, on land adjacent to Club Med Phuket, arguing that it was encroaching on public land. “We don’t understand how someone can build on this land; it is along the beachfront,” said Karon resident Wichit Yaowarot. “We want officials to…
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Police say leads exhausted in death of 7-year-old Nong Dear
PHUKET: The investigation into the death of a seven-year-old girl whose body was found dismembered in a Chalong forest late last year has reached a standstill. Nong Dear disappeared on her way home from a relative’s house on December 6 (story here) and her remains were found in a nearby wood on December 19 (story here). “This is a very…
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After recent damage, Krabi seeks ways to protect ancient fossils
PHUKET: Recent storm damage to fossil formations in Krabi’s famous Shell Cemetery has prompted local officials to declare the area off-limits and to request a budget to build a seawall at the site. “The fossils are 75 million years old,” said Pinij Engchuan, chief of Hat Noppharat Thara National Park. “They have been slowly cracking since the tsunami in 2004…
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Anti-lese majeste law lecturer released
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Key Nitirat member freed on condition he stays in country The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thammasat law lecturer Worachet Pakeerut, a leading member of the Nitirat group, was released yesterday on Bt20,000 bail with the condition of not joining in any political movement or going…
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Migrant worker exodus hits agriculture, construction sectors
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Migrant worker exodus hits agriculture, construction sectors The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Of the more than 100,000 Cambodian workers who fled Thailand, 60-70 per cent were in the construction and agricultural sector in the East, permanent secretary for Labour Jeerasak Sukhonthachart said yesterday. Over the…
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NCPO targets taxi mafia at Suvarnabhumi Airport
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Smart-card system for cabs to eliminate mafia role at Suvarnabhumi Airport The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will introduce a smart-card system for the taxi queue at Suvarnabhumi Airport in a bid to end the “mafia-style operation” there.…
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Iraq asks US for air support to counter rebels
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iraq asks US for air support to counter rebels Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Iraq has asked the United States for air support in countering Sunni rebels, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday, after the militants seized major cities in a lightning advance that has…
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Champions Spain crash out of World Cup
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Champions Spain crash out of World Cup, Dutch march on Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Holders Spain crashed out of the World Cup on Wednesday with barely a fight after their second shock defeat while 2010 runners-up the Netherlands continued their perfect start with another high-scoring…
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Rohingya camp conditions in Myanmar ‘appalling’ – U.N. official
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rohingya camp conditions in Myanmar ‘appalling’ – U.N. official Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A senior U.N. aid official said on Tuesday she had witnessed a level of human suffering never seen before in camps for some 140,000 stateless Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, displaced…
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After years of pressure, Japan bans possession of child porn
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community After years of pressure, Japan bans possession of child porn Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Japan’s parliament voted on Wednesday to outlaw possession of child pornography after years of international calls for a crackdown, but avoided a clampdown on sexually explicit manga comics and animation depicting…
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Mayor denounces reports that legal Phuket beach club structures face demolition
PHUKET: In an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette, Cherng Talay Mayor Ma-ann Samran this afternoon denied English-language reports in Phuket that buildings on the east side of the beachfront path at Surin Beach would be demolished. The news comes amid a flurry of reports about the demolition of beach club structures encroaching on the sand at the beach as…
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Former Turkish president Evren sentenced to life for staging 1980 coup
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Former Turkish president Evren sentenced to life for staging 1980 coup Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: General Kenan Evren, 96, who came to symbolise the “Pasha” officer class that dominated Turkish politics over decades, was sentenced to life in jail on Wednesday for leading a 1980…
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Israel re-arrests former Palestinian prisoners in hunt for teens
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Israel re-arrests former Palestinian prisoners in hunt for teens Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Israel re-arrested 51 Palestinians freed in a 2011 prisoner swap deal, the army said on Wednesday, in the sixth day of a hunt for three missing teenagers believed abducted in the occupied…
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China scolds Vietnam for ‘hyping up’ South China Sea oil rig row
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China scolds Vietnam for ‘hyping up’ South China Sea oil rig row Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: China’s top diplomat scolded Vietnamese officials during talks in Hanoi on Wednesday for “hyping up” a row over a Chinese oil rig drilling in disputed waters in the South…
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Junta to court martial anti-lese majeste law lecturer
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anti-lese majeste law lecturer arrested and faced military court The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The junta has detained and charged Thammasat University law lecturer Worajet Pakeerat for defying a junta order to report. Worajet, who is known for his campaign against the lese majeste law,…
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Brazil delivering great quotes to go with great goals
PHUKET: A World Cup that has delivered fantastic goals in the first round of group games has also produced gems away from the pitch with players and coaches coming up with memorable quotes. Croatia coach Niko Kovac got the tournament off to a fiery start by blasting the Japanese referee after their defeat by Brazil in the opening match. After…
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Phillipp Graf von Hardenberg takes the reins at Thanyapura
PHUKET: It takes one look at Phillipp Graf von Hardenberg’s resume to understand why he was appointed the new President and CEO of Phuket’s Thanyapura. Hailing from Germany, Mr Graf von Hardenberg wears many hats: business coach, entrepreneur, financier, educator, hotelier and if that is not enough – fundraiser and philanthropist. He has turned around the fortunes of the first…
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Pinkeye outbreak leads to cancellation of Phuket FC vs Phang Nga FC warm up match
PHUKET: In a statement posted on the Phuket FC official Facebook page, the club confirmed that tomorrow’s match against Phang Nga FC will not take place. The reason? A pinkeye outbreak. “Due to at least five of Phuket FC players suffering from pinkeye – a condition that can easily spread to other players – the warm up game between Phuket…
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Putin, Poroshenko discuss possible ceasefire in east Ukraine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin, Poroshenko discuss possible ceasefire in east Ukraine Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, discussed a possible ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and the deaths of two Russian journalists there in a late night telephone conversation, the Kremlin…
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Police join forces to hunt B1mn holdup robbers
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police are now involved in the hunt for two men on a motorbike who robbed gas station staffers at gunpoint and made off with nearly 1 million baht on June 11. The person riding pillion on the motorbike pulled out a gun and demanded money from the staffers transporting it from the Shell gas station on Phra…
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Sunken pillar at Chalong Marina poses threat to boats
PHUKET: Officials have posted a line of small red and white flags to mark a large metal pillar that lies submerged near Chalong Pier and is a possible danger to passing boats. The pillar, called a stanchion, had been attached to a pontoon and was part of the Chalong Marina still under construction. “The pillar broke during last weekend’s storm,”…
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Rooney hits back at media following England criticism
PHUKET: Wayne Rooney has criticized sections of the media who questioned his form and speculated that the England forward had been relegated to training with the reserves at their base in Brazil. The Manchester United striker came in for criticism following a muted performance in their opening 2-1 defeat by Italy in Group D on Saturday, with the Daily Mirror…
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Generating a passive income stream
PHUKET: The whole point of retirement planning is to get to a point where you no longer need to actively work to provide you with the things you need or want. This can be accomplished by saving enough money that you can draw it down slowly until you die, but the downside of this approach is that you obviously never…
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People with health issues may be banned from driving
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community People with health issues may be banned from driving The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Medical Council is planning to propose a driving ban for patients whose health condition could turn them into dangerous drivers. In foreign countries, people with heart diseases, severe forms of…
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Junta makes assurances to stop the exodus of migrant workers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta makes assurances to stop the exodus of migrant workers The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: To stem the exodus of much-needed migrant workers, notably Cambodians, the junta and the authorities yesterday quashed rumours of a crackdown, gave another chance to their employers and vowed to…
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U.S. captures suspected leader of 2012 Benghazi attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. captures suspected ringleader of 2012 attack in Benghazi Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The United States said on Tuesday it had captured a suspected ringleader of the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, a raid that killed four Americans including the…
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Phuket radio stations remain off-air as “collateral damage’
PHUKET: Popular English-language radio stations in Phuket remained off-air today, 27 days since the military seized power and silenced the airwaves with a ban on all private community radio broadcasts. The ban continues despite the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) announcing on Saturday that Voice TV, which is owned by fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra (story here), may…
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Surin beach clearout “70 per cent complete’ as deadline looms
PHUKET: Surin Beach is a flurry of activity as businesses big and small seek to comply with the June 18 deadline to dismantle illegal structures on the beach. The clear-out is part of an official crackdown on more than 100 businesses operating along the beachfronts at Surin, Bang Tao, Laypang and Layan beaches (story here). Vendors who refuse to comply…
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Interpol discusses Asean counter-terrorism in Phuket
PHUKET: More than 50 high-ranking police officers from eight Southeast Asian nations met in Patong this morning to discuss strategies to counter chemical and explosive terrorist attacks. Lt Gen Panya Mamen, Commander of the Royal Thai Police Region 8 division, welcomed the delegates, which included representatives from the Asean member states of Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Laos…
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