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Koh Tao Murders: Mass DNA tests fail to identify suspects
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Koh Tao Murders: Mass DNA tests fail to identify suspects The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police hunting the killers of two British tourists on Koh Tao failed again yesterday to link suspects to the crimes, as DNA tests on 30 out of 64 samples collected…
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Reinforced by Thai military, Phuket park chief decides to stay
PHUKET: Emboldened by more military personnel to provide around-the-clock protection, Kitiphat Tharapiban has decided to stay on as chief of Phuket’s Sirinath National Park. Mr Kitiphat was convinced to stay during newly appointed Natural Resources and Environment Minister Gen Dapong Ratanasuwan’s visit to Phuket on Saturday. Gen Dapong’s visit – and the promise of more military security personnel – came…
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Samui’s tourism market hits mid-year glitch
PHUKET: While many of Thailand’s resort destinations think they are immune to what happens in Bangkok, the reality is that they are sadly mistaken. There is little doubt that the events which played out in the nation’s capital had a profound impact on tourism. Be it from martial law or the globally publicized curfews, there has been fallout in the…
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Patong bar employee drowns in dangerous Phuket surf
PHUKET: A teenage bar employee drowned at Patong Beach early this morning after ignoring red “no swim” flags and swimming in the dangerous Phuket surf in his jeans. Suksan Jaiyen, 19, and three friends were having drinks on the beach after closing the bar around 2am, explained Lt Thawatchai Srimai of the Patong Police. “We assume that Mr Suksan was…
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Phuket Police probe foreigner over woman found hanged
PHUKET: Police are questioning a foreign man for the possible murder of a woman who was found hanged at her home in Phuket late last night. Police declined to identify the foreigner as the investigation is ongoing. Officers were called to the scene, in Soi Bang Tao 4, Cherng Talay, just before midnight to find Kroramol Chittangkul, 51, from Bangkok,…
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Patong’s one-way system to change by year’s end
PHUKET: Plans to change the direction of Patong’s one-way traffic system in Phuket look set to go ahead by the end of this year, Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup has confirmed. “A public hearing was held on Friday to determine whether or not to change Patong’s traffic flow. I believe this could happen by the end of this year,” Mayor Chalermluck…
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European soccer roundup: Lampard haunts Chelsea, Real and Barca on goal spree
PHUKET: Frank Lampard scored against his old club Chelsea to earn champions Manchester City a 1-1 draw but Jose Mourinho’s men stayed on top of the Premier League. Manchester United dropped further down the table after losing 5-3 against newcomers Leicester City. Barcelona and Real Madrid scored 13 goals between them during a memorable La Liga weekend, when Cristiano Ronaldo…
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Tourist Police, charity rescue German beggar
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tourist Police, charity rescue German beggar The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Tourist Police and a German charity have come to the aid of a German man with excessively swollen legs, found begging near Khao San Road in Bangkok, after his photos were distributed and…
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Vietnamese men arrested for kidnap, extortion and torture
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Vietnamese men arrested for kidnap, extortion and torture The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Three Vietnamese men are in police detention for allegedly kidnapping and chopping off their victim’s finger in an unsuccessful attempt to extort Bt1.5 million from his family. The victim, who is also…
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Police to offer compensation for wrong imprisonment
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police to offer compensation for wrong imprisonment The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Soon individuals who were wrongly imprisoned or victims of serious crimes will be able to lodge a police complaint and simultaneously file for compensation with the Rights and Liberties Protection Department. Department chief…
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Navy marines arrested in Cambodia with fake dollar notes valued at $7.5 million
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Navy marines arrested in Cambodia with fake dollar notes valued at $7.5 million The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy has suspended from duty three marines after they were arrested in Cambodia for carrying fake US dollar banknotes. The fake notes had a…
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DNA samples to be sought of all Koh Tao residents
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community DNA samples to be sought of all Koh Tao residents The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police are collecting DNA samples of all people on Koh Tao, an island off Surat Thani province, in a bid to find the murderers of two British tourists. “We are…
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Former Phuket Governor named in billion-baht illegal land title probe
PHUKET: Former Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, along with a former Phuket Land Office chief and several other officials, has been named in a police complaint filed over illegal land titles issued for 80 rai in Sirinath National Park. Kitiphat Taraphiban filed the complaint, naming a network of 13 people, at Thalang Police Station on Thursday as one of his last…
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Chinese man joins Swedes in epic journey for Phuket post-tsunami orphanage
PHUKET: A Chinese man has joined the group of Swedes pedaling toward Phuket from Europe to raise money for a post-tsunami orphanage on the island (story here). Kunn Lee, who was originally supposed to be cycling southern China and Tibet, changed his plans after meeting Calle Wollgard and the team – he is now bound for the Barhem Muang Mai…
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Phuket knife-wielding robber makes off with cash, 7-Eleven stamps
PHUKET: Police are searching for a robber and his accomplice after a man threatened staff with a knife and robbed a 7-Eleven in Rassada, north of Phuket Town, at about 4:30am today. Police arrived at the scene, in front of the Rock Garden housing estate on Pracha-U-Thit Road, soon after the robbery. “Wareerat Sae-Chiaw, 21, and Mali Pimon, 25, who…
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Australian tourist ignores warning sign, injured in fall
PHUKET: An Australian tourist was injured after ignoring a warning sign and falling down a small cliff at the Susan Hoi Shell Cemetery, also known as the “Fossil Beach”, near Ao Nang in Krabi yesterday. According to police, David Grant, 40, was visiting the famous natural attraction with a friend when he decided to climb down the cliff to the…
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Thailand dodges US sanctions over human trafficking
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Relief as US opts against sanctions The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand yesterday welcomed US President Barack Obama’s decision not to impose sanctions against the Kingdom over its failure to combat human trafficking, assuring it would continue to work hard to improve its performance in…
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Koh Tao Murders: Police seek help from FBI on DNA
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police seek help from FBI on DNA The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police will request help from the United States’ Federation Bureau of Investigation to test semen found in the body of a female British backpacker brutally murdered on the resort island of Koh Tao…
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Phuket unveils waste-management teaching center
PHUKET: A sustainable waste-management teaching center opened in Saphan Hin earlier this week in a bid to teach island residents how to recycle organic waste and reduce Phuket’s carbon footprint. “More than half of daily household trash is organic waste that can be effectively turned into compost and fertilizer,” said Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana at the center’s opening ceremony…
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Budget approved for billion-baht prison in Phuket
PHUKET: A 1.1-billion baht budget was approved to build the island’s new prison, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut revealed today in an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette. “The budget has already been approved by the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] and transferred to the Department of Corrections. We will go ahead with the project as soon as possible,”…
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PACC delays charges over alleged dive extortion – again
PHUKET: The conclusion of an investigation of three Chalong Police officers for their alleged abuse of power has been set back again, confirmed the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC). “We still need more time to finish compiling our case,” said Lt Col Wannop Somjintanakul, the PACC officer leading the investigation. He declined to provide a specific date. Col Wannop told…
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Scots spurn independence but impatient for new powers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Scots spurn independence but impatient for new powers Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Scotland spurned independence in a historic referendum that threatened to rip the United Kingdom apart, sow financial turmoil and diminish Britain’s remaining global clout. A vote for the 307-year union is a relief…
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Taking Phuket tourists’ safety to heart
Malika Chergui, 61, originally from Morocco, has been a Tourist Police volunteer for nine years. Before retiring in Phuket, she was a successful business and family woman in Italy. Now, she spends her time helping tourists alongside the Phuket Tourist Police. She patrols the streets of Patong every night from 9pm, using her language skills – she is fluent in…
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The price of looks in Phuket
PHUKET: I’ve been disturbed by my electricity bills recently. Ever since I moved into a new, cheaper house a few months back, my electricity bills got substantially higher. In my search for the energy-sucking culprit, I spent one Saturday evening turning different household appliances and gadgets on and off, and checking the electricity meter readings. The result of this little…
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Two die, two injured, travelling four-up on Phuket motorbike
PHUKET: Two ethnic Mon men died and another two were seriously injured in Phuket after the motorcycle they were riding slammed into a tree last night. “According to witnesses the four men, all riding on the same motorbike, were travelling at high speed when they hit a tree on Thepkrasattri Road near Baan Tah Reua Shrine at about 11:40pm,” explained…
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The Royal and Ancient golf club votes to allow women members
PHUKET: The Royal & Ancient golf club’s decision on Thursday to allow women members after 260 years has been widely welcomed within and beyond the game. Here are a selection of reactions to the vote, which was passed with an 85 percent majority: Peter Dawson, chief executive of the R&A: “This is a very important and positive day in the…
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Hunt for Koh Tao killers stalls
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hunt for Koh Tao killers stalls The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police are confident that their investigation and the evidence obtained will help them catch the killers of the two British backpackers who were bludgeoned to death on Monday on the resort island of Koh…
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Prayuth apologises for bikini remark after global outcry
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prayuth apologises for bikini remark after global outcry The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday apologized for his bikini remarks in the face of an international outcry. Britain raised concerns after the junta leader suggested tourists in bikinis could be more vulnerable…
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Three men ambush British motorist in northern Phuket
PHUKET: Three men ambushed a British national and his wife as they slowed their motorbike at a speed bump in northern Phuket last night. “My wife and I were attacked and knocked off our motorcycle at 9:00… on the road that connects Sri Soonthorn Road with the Alan Cook Cricket Ground,” Iain Richardson told the Phuket Gazette. “Three teenagers were…
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AMCHAM forum sets course for New Phuket
PHUKET: Is Phuket lacking identity? What makes the Phuket brand? How can the island benefit from the current winds of change? These and other issues were addressed at the September 12 AMCHAM forum, titled “The New Phuket”. The latest installment in the AMCHAM seminar series took place at the Angsana Laguna Phuket ballroom and saw a number of speakers, both…
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