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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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Phuket politician arrested on drugs, weapons charges
PHUKET: A local politician and two other men have been arrested and charged with possession and sale of narcotics after a raid on their jungle hangout in Phuket yesterday. At a police press conference at Phuket City Police Station this morning, Phuket Provincial Police Superintendent Pekad Tantipong identified the suspects as Cherng Talay subdistrict councilor Nakhin “Poo” Wisuttharom, 36, and…
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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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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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Drug cases top Phuket crime statistics for October
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police for October this year show decreases in most crime categories, with narcotics-related crimes once again the most common. There was no change in the number of Category 1 (heinous) crimes year-on-year, with 10 cases reported. There were four pre-mediated murders reported with two arrests in October this year and five cases…
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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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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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Brit biker sets record for Thai King
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. PHUKET: Away from his home in Chiangrai for more than three months, British expat Alan Bate completed his trip around the world in honour of His Majesty the King of Thailand yesterday and set a new record…
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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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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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45 murders in Phuket in 2009
PHUKET: Crime statistics compiled by the Phuket Provincial Police reveal 45 murders and 310 cases of manslaughter on the resort island in 2009. Based on the official population of just over 320,000, the figures put the total number of instances of murder and manslaughter at an alarming rate of more than one victim per 1,000 residents over the year. However,…
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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 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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Brit charged with drug dealing
KAMALA, PHUKET: A British man faces the prospect of a lifetime in jail after being caught at a Kamala Police checkpoint with cocaine, ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and marijuana on Wednesday. David Kevin Griffin, 49, was driving toward Patong when he was stopped by Kamala Police officers at around 1:45 am at the checkpoint in Nanok Village. Police say they…
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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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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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Drug arrests on the rise
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that the number of drug-related arrests was about 52% higher in April than for the same period last year.There were 120 arrests for drug-related offenses, 63 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 3,761 pills seized. However, arrests for gambling offences still topped the list with 202…
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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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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 trumps crime statistics
PHUKET: Yet again, gambling has topped the monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, with 284 arrests in December.During the period, drug-related cases accounted for 131 arrests, of which 55 involved ya bah (methamphetamine). A total of precisely 13,041.5 pills were seized.Thirty people were arrested for using cannabis, with a total of just 39.4 grams confiscated. There were 23…
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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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Knife-wielding burglar arrested
PHUKET: Police have arrested a burglar who broke into a home near Tesco-Lotus Sunday night and repeatedly slashed its female occupant with a knife before fleeing.Pol Capt Supachai Petchsakul of Phuket City Police said that the attack happened about 11 pm in a residential area off Songkhla Rd in Tambon Rassada, near the Tesco-Lotus intersection.The attacker, later identified as Rawai…
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Gamblers trump October crime stats
PHUKET: Gambling topped the latest crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, with 197 arrests in October.In second place, 94 people were arrested for drug-related cases, of which 64 involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 7,128 pills seized.Seventeen people were arrested for the use of cannabis, with 4346.74 grams (4.3 kilograms) confiscated. There were three arrests for inhalant…
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