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Phuket Police anti-drugs campaign targets kids
PHUKET: About 300 students yesterday began their first day of an “anti-drugs camp” as part of a new campaign by Phuket City police targeting youngsters. The children, from schools throughout Phuket Town, gathered at Srinagarindra The Princess Mother School Phuket (or “Chalermprakiat School“) in Saphan Hin for the four-day camp, which ends on Thursday. “Drug addiction is still a big…
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Phuket Gov first to be drug tested
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha today passed a drug test as part of the grand opening ceremony for the new drug testing center in Phuket. The governor officiated at the the event at the Regional Medical Sciences Center in Thalang this morning and offered a urine sample which was then screened for all five classes of illegal narcotics. After a…
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New test center to boost Phuket drug convictions
PHUKET: A Public Health Ministry center in Phuket is now conducting drug tests on urine and blood samples provided by police in a move that is expected to boost the number of drug convictions in Phuket. The tests will be conducted at the Regional Medical Sciences Center in Phuket, just north of the Heroines’ Monument on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang.…
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Guns, fights and ganja – but no election violence: Police
PHUKET: The police crackdown in Phuket in the run-up to the July 3 election landed a bumper haul of guns, drugs and arrests – but resulted in no arrests for violence related to the election. A total of 45 factory-made and homemade guns were seized and 350 people were arrested for drugs since May 12, according to statistics issued today…
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Korean owner of Phuket snake farm busted with drugs
PHUKET: The Korean owner of a Phuket snake farm was arrested at the Thai border with Cambodia this morning when he tried to smuggle ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and marijuana into the Kingdom. The Korean, identified as 51-year-old Eun Sooyong, was passing through a security checkpoint at the Phrom Daen border crossing in the Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaew Province,…
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Cops to be drug tested: Phuket Police chief
PHUKET: The new Phuket City Police chief today announced plans to introduce drug testing for police nationwide to ensure that the force remains completely drug free. “Police are the last line of defense in society’s war on illegal drugs, so if they themselves are involved, then its ‘game over’,” Phuket City Police Superintendent Chote Chitchai told a press conference today.…
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Ex-Phuket police officer’s house burns
PHUKET: The abandoned home of a former policeman went up in flames last night in what police suspect was a fire lit accidentally by people who broke inside to take drugs. Phuket City Municipal firefighters received a report of the fire on Phul Pon Road Soi 13 at about 11:30pm. Firefighters arrived quickly, but their fire truck could not access…
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German’s Phuket stay goes to pot
PHUKET: A 33-year-old German man is facing deportation after being found overstaying his visa and in possession of half a gram of marijuana. Chalong Police stopped Nico Bergmann about midday on Sunday as he drove through a checkpoint in Soi Thanuthep. Officers, led by Lt Col Weerayut Sitthirattanakul, believed Mr Bergmann was acting suspiciously and searched his car. In his…
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PHUKET OPINION: Saving lives is not an ‘internal affair’
PHUKET: The dismissal en masse of Patong-based volunteer rescue workers by the Kusoldharm Foundation once again raises the need for better standards in emergency medical rescue services – not just in Patong, but across all of Phuket. As a privately administered organization, the Kusoldharm Foundation has the right to dismiss volunteers whose conduct is inappropriate, but to terminate the services…
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Thieving meth-heads arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: The crime spree of three drug-addicted thieves came to an end on Monday, following a series of arrests that began when one gang member was caught smoking ya bah (methamphetamine). The trio were presented to the press at a conference held at Phuket City Police Station on Wednesday. Phuket City Police Commander Pekad Tantipong identified the accused as Adisorn…
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Phuket Police pinch pot peddlars
PHUKET: Phuket City Police yesterday arrested two men for possession of eight bars of dried marijuana. Phuket City Police Inspector Wijak “The Magnet” Tarom identified the pair as Iruphan “Heng” Latae, 34, and Worrapoj “Roos” Sairaya, 29. Lt Col Wijak and his team noticed Mr Iruphan acting suspiciously outside an unnamed apartment block on Soi Siangtai, off Thepkrasattri Rd southbound…
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August drug cases up 70% year-on-year: Phuket Police
PHUKET: August has seen a 70% jump in the number of reported drug cases year-on-year in Phuket, according to statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. According to the statistics, 333 were people arrested in 305 drug cases last month, a 70.1% increase on the number of cases reported in August 2009. However, the numbers for last month were down…
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Five murders in Phuket in June
PHUKET: June proved a murderous month for Phuket as a wave of violent crime swept across the island with five murders and 14 cases of manslaughter being reported, according to the latest crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. Among the unsolved cases is that of the murder of bar hostess Wanphen Pienjai, 33, whose naked body was discovered…
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Love in Phuket: Thai-foreigner marriages that fail
PHUKET: Thai-foreigner relationships accounted for well over half of all contested divorces in Phuket last year, according to the new chief justice of the Phuket Provincial Juvenile and Family Court (PPJFC). Chief Justice Methinee Thipmonthian said at a press conference earlier this month that in 2009 there were 24 Thai-foreigner divorces contested in Phuket, out of a total 36 cases…
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Aussie awaits Phuket drug trial
PHUKET: An Australian man arrested for possession of marijuana in Phuket faces a possible prison sentence of up to a year and a fine of up to 20,000 baht. Richard Beaver, 28, was arrested on March 16 by Chalong Police and presented in court the next day. The tourist, who is currently out on bail, is awaiting formal charges to…
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Aussie tourist on Phuket drugs rap
CHALONG, PHUKET: An Australian tourist was one of five drug suspects paraded by Chalong Police at a press conference in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Richard Beaver, 28, was allegedly caught with 0.9 grams of dry marijuana by police on Tuesday night. Mr Beaver was stopped on Soi Samakee 2 off Saiyuan Road at around 11:30pm. The tourist allegedly told police he…
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Embezzlement cases up in Phuket
PHUKET: While drug-related crimes remain Phuket’s most common criminal offense, white collar-crime seems to be on the rise with 33 reported combined cases of fraud and embezzlement recorded in November, according to crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. Of the 33 cases, just two arrests were made. There were 334 arrests for drug-related offenses for the period, a…
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Phuket car bangers busted
PHUKET: When Phuket police eventually arrested four men in connection with a spate of car break ins in Phuket City, they found the suspects in possession of stolen laptops, a camera, mobile phones, a diamond ring, guns, marijuana and tools for breaking into cars.Three of the men are suspected of breaking into more than 30 cars parked along Thalang, Yaowarat and…
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Phuket police report rise in prostitution
PHUKET CITY: Police reported a rise in arrests for prostitution in Phuket during August 2009, with 164 arrests representing a 70.8% increase over the same month last year. Statistics for August released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that drug-related offenses were the most common crimes, with 208 people arrested in 179 cases. The figure is a 50.4% increase year-on-year.…
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Phuket police weed out elderly dope dealer
PHUKET CITY: An elderly drug dealer who was caught on his motorbike with a small package of marijuana in his pocket turned out to have a kilo of the drug stashed at his Phuket house. Police said Tee Laohasuntaratam, 59, aroused suspicion when he began acting strangely while stopped at traffic lights outside Kajornkiat School on Chao Fa West Road…
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Chalong Police step up patrols
CHALONG: In an effort to step up security at the south end of the island, Chalong Police on October 4 set up checkpoints on all five roads leading to Chalong Circle and increased night-time patrols in the Rawai Beach area. On October 8, a duty officer told the Gazette that no more muggers were caught, but two foreigners were found…
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Speed, guns and ganja confiscated in crackdown
PHUKET CITY: Following his order of a crackdown on crime, Phuket’s top cop has announced that several drug- and gun-related arrests were made recently in different parts of the island.Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong said that recent swoops in various locations had included the seizure of 390 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills that had been stashed in a hole in the…
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Drug arrests coming down
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that the number of drug-related arrests in June was down to 44% compared with 66% in May.In June, there were 171 arrests for drug-related offenses, 104 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 7,052 pills seized.A total of 41 people were arrested for using cannabis, with 4,581.08…
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Number of drug arrests shoots up
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that the number of drug-related arrests in May was up 61% compared with the same month last year, while the number of arrests related to ya bah (methamphetamine) was twice the number for April.In May, there were 173 arrests for drug-related offenses, 101 of which involved ya bah, with a total…
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Crime statistics: prostitutes drop, gamblers rise
PHUKET: Arrests made for prostitution in Phuket decreased in March from the previous month, while the number of arrests for gambling shot up by 127 cases, according to monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police.During March, there were 304 arrests for gambling, 139 arrests for prostitution and 110 arrests for drug-related offenses, 58 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine)…
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Unsolved murders and drug arrests on the rise
PHUKET: According to monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, four murders committed in February remain unsolved, while the number of drug-related arrests was about 30% higher than the same period last year.There were also four attempted murders reported in February, with two related arrests made, and 15 reports of assault. One arrest was made for rape.There were 109…
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Police raid Patong bars in Chalerm’s crackdown
PATONG: Last night’s police crackdown on Soi Bangla entertainment venues trading past 2 am was in response to an order by new Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobumrung, Kathu Police chief Col Grissak Songmoonnak has confirmed.Col Grissak, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette today that he ordered the crackdown after Interior Minister Pol Capt Chalerm told police nationwide to get…
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Gambling and drugs crimes down in January
PHUKET: The number of gambling and drugs arrests in Phuket fell in January compared with the previous month, according to monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police.In January, there were 177 arrests for gambling and 101 arrests for drug-related offenses, 55 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 1,065.5 pills seized.Twenty-six people were arrested for using…
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Gambling tops crime stats
PHUKET: Gambling topped the latest crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, with 228 arrests in November.Drug-related cases accounted for 109 arrests, of which 49 involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 3,170.5 pills seized.Twenty-seven people were arrested for the use of cannabis, with 9.2 kilograms confiscated. There were 15 arrests for inhalant abuse and nine for possession of…
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Chalong dope bust: 3 arrested, 9 kilos seized
CHALONG: Chalong Police seized nine kilograms of marijuana last Wednesday after a sting operation that resulted in the arrest of three men.Chalong Police Superintendent Pol Col Samarn Chainarong told a press conference on Thursday that after gathering intelligence from informants, police received information about a group of men who had been selling marijuana in Phuket.Pol Maj Veerayut Sitthirattakul of Chalong…
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