News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Phuket Aussie stab suspects denied bail, behind bars
PHUKET: The two men arrested for the fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith were denied police bail yesterday and are now being held at the Phuket Provincial Court holding cells awaiting the formal pressing of charges. Chalong Police officers presented suspects Surasak Suwannachote and Surin Tadthong to Phuket Provincial Court at 11:30 am yesterday. Surasak has confessed to stabbing…
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Poll: Boosting tourist safety in Phuket
PHUKET: The recent confession by two Thai migrant workers in Phuket arrested for the fatal stabbing of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith has once again raised the issue of tourist safety on the island to a national level. The latest Phuket Gazette online poll asks readers which of six measures would best improve tourist safety on the island: Increased CCTV…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket-bound tour bus crashes, 11 injured
PHUKET: A tour bus bound for Phang Nga and Phuket crashed in Prachuap Khiri Khan province late last night, injuring 11 people. The state-run MCOT news agency reported that the coach was carrying 35 passengers when it crashed into the median strip drainage gully on the Petchkasem Highway in Thong Mongkol subdistrict, Bangsaphan District last night. The exact time of…
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Phuket Sports: FIVB Grand Prix update
PHUKET: Thai ladies continue to live up to their reputation as some of the world’s best ball control artists, with the final round of the Féderation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) 2012 Grand Prix, providing the latest stage for them to demonstrate their considerable skills. Considered the women’s equivalent of the FIVB World League of mens volleyball, the annual tournament is…
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Phuket locals outraged by stab attack re-enactment
PHUKET: Police staved off scenes of chaos this morning as local residents shouted out insults at the two suspects who were required by police to carry out a public re-enactment of the botched bag-snatch that led to the fatal stabbing of Australian tourist Michelle Smith. Police intervened and kept the angry crowd members at bay. Surasak Suwannachote, who confessed to…
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Aussie murder fallout: CCTV saturation sought for Phuket
PHUKET: A top-level meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday heard that the island needs 10,000 CCTV cameras and more police officers to keep tourists and locals safe from criminals. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising said, “We want the government to provide a budget of about 2 billion baht to install…
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Phuket Gazette: Sides vying for military support; Nasa plan; Slain nurse’s mum to talk to ICC lawyer
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community All sides vying for military support Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: In the face of a political tug of war, the opposing camps are trying to claim the military as a prize trophy. It is strange but true that the army is a fixture in the…
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Phuket killer: “I just wanted the money’
PHUKET: Surasak Suwannachote, the man who earlier today confessed to stabbing Australian travel agent Michelle Smith, told a press conference after the re-enactment of the crime that he had no idea what he was going to spend the money on. “I just wanted to steal the money. I had no idea what I was going to do with it,” Surasak…
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Phuket man critically injured in head-on motorbike smash
PHUKET: A Thalang man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after suffering head injuries sustained in a head-on collision between two motorbikes last night. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at the Baan Lipon u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road at 9:15pm. Rushing to the scene with Kusoldharm Foundation workers, they found 40-year-old Chamni Ninyang lying unconscious on the…
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Phuket villagers plead for new road
PHUKET: Tired of plowing through the mud every time it rains in order to reach their homes, residents at Baan Nai Thon on Phuket’s west coast today filed a complaint at Phuket Provincial Hall to finally get the ball rolling on a road project that has stalled.About 20 villagers arrived at the Damrongtham Center (provincial Ombudsman’s Office) at about 10am…
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Phuket Police reveal identities of the Michelle Smith stab murder suspects
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police have announced the identities of the two men arrested today for the stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith which took place near Kata Beach last Wednesday night. Officers at Phuket Provincial Police headquarters in Phuket Town named Surasak Suwannachote, 26, originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, as the man who allegedly stabbed Mrs Smith, puncturing…
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Rabbit stew: Phuket FC thrash hapless Hares
PHUKET: Four goals each side of half-time saw a rampaging Phuket FC rout the hapless Chanthaburi FC “Hares” 8-1 last night. There was some concern that Phuket FC might be overconfident going into the match. The Islanders were coming off a big win against Bangkok FC, their first home win of the season, and taking on last place Chanthaburi, winless…
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Phuket Live Wire: Get legal, get locked down
PHUKET: Last week I talked about the likely increase in the amount of spam being generated by botnets running on PCs here in Phuket. I don’t have any numbers – nobody does – but Thailand’s Internet Service Providers are getting blocked left and right by spam filters, all over the world. The reason is simple. An enormous number of people…
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Weird World News: What the public just can’t handle: penguin sex, F-bombs and root foods
PHUKET: This week’s “Weird World News Round-up” is dedicated to those things deemed unseemly for the public, but have still wiggled into international headlines. The 100-year-old record of horrid penguin sex antics that was snuffed out before going to the public press has resurfaced; in parts of the US, laws are issued on public cursing; and it turns out root…
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Phuket Business: Boating industry shows signs of recovery
PHUKET: The yachting sector is showing signs of recovery following a three-year-period of stunted growth and sluggish sales brought on by global economic turmoil, a local industry expert has observed. “Despite what some figures indicate (see ‘Customs: more pleasure floating in’ below), it seems to me that our strongest years in terms of sales were from 2006 to 2008,” says…
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Phuket Business: Vespa dealer to kick-start sales
PHUKET: Drago Andaman Company, Phuket’s first and only authorized Vespa dealership, reported the sale of over 200 brand new scooters in 2011, the firm’s inaugural year of operation. “This year our sales target is 300,” showroom Manager Supamat Thammakoranont told the Gazette. The annual sales goal increase of 50% has already faced some bumps along the road, she admits. “Up…
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Phuket car crashes into overpass, 1 dead
PHUKET: A Phuket man was killed instantly this morning when his car slammed full force into a pedestrian overpass on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang District. Thalang Police were informed of the latest tragedy on Phuket’s deadliest road at 2:20am. Duty officer Somchai Nuboon, police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers raced to the scene, on Thepkrasattri northbound in front of the…
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Michelle Smith murderers still unidentifed: Phuket Police
PHUKET: One of the most intensive manhunts in Phuket’s history continues as police scour the island for the two men responsible for the shocking, stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith. Although police have numerous images and descriptions of the pair, their identities remain unknown, police confirmed today. Following a re-enactment of the crime near the Kata Thani Hotel…
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Bt300,000 reward for info leading to killers of Aussie tourist in Phuket
PHUKET: A 300,000 baht reward was offered yesterday for any information leading to the arrest of the snatch thieves that murdered Australian Michelle Smith earlier this week. The reward was announced by National Police Advisor Gen Chatchai Potranan; Police Region 8 Commissioner Santi Pensute, and Kata Thani Hotel and Beach Resort Director Sombat Atiset at a meeting in Phuket yesterday.…
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Pungent piggery prompts Phuket petition
PHUKET: Residents of a residential housing estate in Thalang have filed a letter of complaint to Phuket Provincial Hall, charging that filth from a nearby pig farm is contaminating the local water supply and casting a putrid pall over their community. Representatives of The Valley 2 housing estate in Srisoonthorn said they decided to file a formal complaint at the…
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Myanmar to lure Mice to Phuket
PHUKET: The emergence of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the opening-up of neighboring Burma will generate more high-yield visitors for Phuket and Thailand in general, delegates attending a recent tourism industry conference were told. Emerging opportunities, as well as accompanying challenges, were the primary topics of discussion at the first Thailand MICE International Forum (TMIF) held in Bangkok on…
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Phuket Sports: Olympic torch update
PHUKET On its way to London, the Olympic Torch traveled aboard the Tern one of the oldest steamers on Lake Windermere, England’s longest lake. The torch was carried by local schoolgirl Stephanie Booth on the vessel, which is operated by Windermere Lake Cruises. Managing Director Nigel Wilkinson said “The Tern was built in 1891, 5 years before the start of…
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Phuket Election: Kata-Karon set for July 15 polls
PHUKET: Registration closed yesterday for candidates to enter the Karon Municipality mayoral and council election, to be held on July 15.Tawee Thongcham, who has served as Karon Mayor for the past eight years, is running for re-election to his third term in office.His only contender in the poll is Narong Natang.Both men, accompanied by their prospective council teams, turned up…
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Phuket yachting legend Rolly Tasker dies, at 86
PHUKET: Australian yachting icon and long-term Phuket resident Rolly Tasker has died, age 86. Staff at the Rolly Tasker sail loft on Chao Fa West Road today confirmed that Mr Tasker passed away in Australia overnight (Phuket Time) after a long battle with cancer. The general manager of the loft, Michael Tasker (no relation), who had been working for Mr…
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Phuket update: Krabi Police tight-lipped over Belanger case
PHUKET: The governor of Krabi has named the provincial police commander as the only person authorized to release information to the media concerning the deaths of Noemi and Audrey Belanger, Canadian tourists who died of apparent poisoning on Phi Phi Island last week, the Phuket Gazette has learned. Recently-released media reports have revealed that the hotel’s CCTV system captured images…
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Phuket Gazette: Gender inequality; Public debt; 4 Forbes’ heroes
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gender inequality still a problem among police cadets, say female students Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: The Royal Police Cadet School is proud of a recent workshop it conducted on ending violence against women in the community. However, in practice, its female students still experience…
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Phuket Business: Why Facebook was never a sure thing
PHUKET: Personally speaking, I have never been one to jump on the Facebook band wagon. I just do not get the whole ‘let the world know what you are doing on an hourly basis’ scenario. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very useful application when, like ourselves, we enjoy the sun-soaked shores and we want to keep in touch…
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Phuket Live Wire: Goodbye to CAT EV-DO; Tips for iPad; PCs4Kids update
PHUKET:I remember the day well. October 1, 2007. The people at CAT let me take a sneak peek at their new “AirCard” service – the first wireless broadband service in Phuket. I’m sad to say that, by the end of this year, that service will be officially phased out. I call the service “EV-DO”, although the technology is actually called…
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Medical company steps in to help Phuket kickboxer fight for recovery
PHUKET: An international medical company has made a pledge to find the “best treatment” for an Australian muay thai fighter whose father fears was not in a motorbike accident as Phuket police believe, but was beaten and left for dead. Daniel Ketley, 22, was rushed to hospital in the early hours of June 8 after he was found in Nai…
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Phuket teenager hangs self after break-up with girlfriend
PHUKET: Police are treating as suicide the death by hanging of a 19-year-old construction worker in Phuket Town yesterday. Phuket City Police received a report at 1:15pm of man found hanged in a room on Soi Hatchana-Nivet on Srisena Road, Talad Yai. Police and Kusoldharm rescue foundation workers went to the scene and recovered the body of the teenager, Danupong…
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