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Phuket Gazette to stop print edition of newspaper locally, reorienting hard-copy production for wider market in The Nation
PHUKET: It’s like Grandma’s little drinking problem. Everyone knows, but people don’t much talk about it. And so it goes with the publishers of hard-copy newspapers these days – worldwide. We know where print is headed, so the only real choices are whether to get out now or, say two years from now. We’ve opted for the former, meaning that…
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Middleman rips off 150 million baht’s worth of land from owner
PHUKET: A ‘disgruntled’ land owner claiming to have been cheated out of 150 million baht in the sale of land at Freedom Beach is now calling on authorities to resolve the matter. Peetharat Hootchai, 38, with her lawyer Pradit Chuaythani, held a press conference at the Phuket Merlin Hotel yesterday, explaining to the media that she was never paid in…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Holding the mototaxi lady
PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…
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Opinion: Tour guides must be fined
PHUKET: The recent fine levied on a tour guide for removing a starfish from the sea in a marine national park has once again drawn international attention to how erratic Thai law enforcement appears to be when it comes to issues involving mass tourism, environmental conservation and foreign guests. The latest uproar in social media came after a Thai tourist…
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Phuket hospital denies refusing treatment to injured British traveller
PHUKET: The management of Phuket International Hospital (PIH) has denied reports that they refused treatment to a British national injured in a motorbike accident after the victim’s mother claimed they denied assistance until payment had been guaranteed by the insurance provider. The hospital held a press conference yesterday to clarify that even though the insurance company did not guarantee payment,…
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Company land under investigation after hundreds of trees destroyed
KRABI: A walled, 100-rai tract of land on Koh Lanta Noi is under investigation after the title holders ordered that hundreds of trees be cut down. More than 30 officials from the Wetland Development Office (WDO) inspected the site yesterday. WDO chief Laywisit Baripan said that machines were used to fill up the land after the trees were destroyed. “A…
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One injured in single-vehicle Phuket crash
PHUKET: A 51-year-old man was injured after he crashed his pick-up truck into an electric pole on the side of the road in Mai Khao yesterday. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers arrived on the scene and administered first aid before transporting the victim to Thalang Hospital. “The driver’s side of the truck was tight against the pole, so rescue workers had…
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Serial thief apprehended in Phuket
PHUKET: A serial thief was arrested in Phuket early this morning, after at least ten incidents of coin theft from washing machine slots were reported by laundry shop owners in the span of a week (story here). “The suspect, Supachok Sudin, 36, is originally from Phang Nga. Over the last week or so, he has been driving around with a…
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Marine officials return confiscated coral to the ocean
PHUKET: More than 800 kilograms of coral was returned to the ocean this week, officials at Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park have revealed. “This is the amount that was seized from tourists at Krabi International Airport from April 2016 to date,” said Sarayuth Tantian, chief of the park. “This highlights the misconduct of tourists who take coral…
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Three migrant workers arrested in Phuket piracy raids
PHUKET: Police arrested three migrant workers and seized more than 300,00 baht worth of pirated goods from shops in Patong yesterday. Maj Korapon Liangboonchinda of Patong Police provided details of the arrests of two Vietnamese women and a Burmese man, all three of whom were arrested and charged for forging a registered trademark, as well as for entering, living and…
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Chinese tourists avoid charges after being caught with coral
PHUKET: Two Chinese tourists were let off with a warning after they were found taking coral out of the sea yesterday evening at Chalong Pier. “While passengers were coming ashore from a boat on the way back from Coral Island, I noticed that two Chinese tourists were carrying pieces of cloth wrapped around something that looked like coral. So, I…
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Alleged Phuket rapist arrested, denies charges
PHUKET: A woman who jumped off a Phuket Town building on Friday after having an argument with her girlfriend told police that she was raped. The 21-year-old, named by police as ‘Rat’, wrote a letter prior to the incident, in which she incriminated a man named ‘Ton’ in the alleged rape. “Upon questioning, Ms Rat gave us details of the…
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Phuket police, good Samaritans help ease traffic as another bus breaks down
PHUKET: Police officers and passersby banded together to help push a broken down bus to the side of the road in order to to avoid traffic a traffic jam in Rassada yesterday afternoon. Facebook user Wipongsak Mongkolbutr, who is also the Chief of the Andaman Tourism Association, recorded a video clip and shared pictures of the incident on his page,…
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Another foreign couple wanted for committing sex acts in public
SAMUI: Police are searching for an unidentified foreign couple who were seen ‘getting intimate’ at the side of the road at Nathorn Beach in Samui this morning. A video of the incident, about a minute and 45 seconds long, was posted on a Facebook page titled ‘Ruam Pon Khon Mui‘. The couple were seemingly unconcerned about making a spectacle, as…
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Serial coin thief wanted for swiping thousands from Phuket laundries
PHUKET: Police are searching for a serial thief suspected of stealing thousands of baht from washing machine coin slots in a series of at least 10 incidents over the past week. The thefts took place in Phuket Town, with a number of users posting warnings and details on social media. Facebook user Chon Pokaiyapat shared details of some of the…
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Ministry denies blocking Google services following connectivity issues
PHUKET: The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society denied that the government ordered the blocking of Google and YouTube after a technical issue with Thai internet provider 3BB meant that customers were unable to access Google services on Saturday, the Thai National News Bureau reported today. The issue seemed to affect anyone trying to access the sites from a Thai…
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Pregnant British woman killed in Phuket crash
PHUKET: A pregnant British woman was killed in a hit and run collision with an 18-wheeled truck on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang at noon today. “She was riding on a motorbike with her partner when they changed lanes to avoid a vehicle parked and blocking their path in the motorbike lane of the road. As they did this, the truck…
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Australian yacht crew rescues fishermen from sinking boat
PHUKET: Crew members of an Australian tourist’s yacht yesterday afternoon rescued three fishermen from a sinking boat in Vichit. Lt Wirach Pudpuang of the Marine Police received reports of the incident at about 4pm. “Two Thai fishermen, Adisak Kaewbamrung and ‘Phy’, and Burmese fisherman ‘Din’ were fishing at Koh Tapao Noi off Ao Makham when their boat started leaking and…
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Russian couple fined for sex in a Phuket tuk-tuk
PHUKET: Police have fined a Russian couple 500 baht each after a video clip of them appearing to have sex in the back of a tuk-tuk in Karon went viral. The 28-second clip was posted on Friday and shows a man and a woman moving suggestively in the tuk-tuk with the woman’s shirt lifted to expose her torso. Karon Police…
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One dead in Phuket after fatal overtake attempt
PHUKET: A man was killed last night after he crashed head-on into a minivan in Sakoo. Lt Thanakarn Uchanarasamee of Sakoo Police and rescue workers received the report at about 8pm. “Van driver Vitavat Jongsathichacorn, of PPKK Tour Service, told us that he was taking two Australian tourists to the airport while the motorcyclist, Panakorn Boonrong, was coming from the…
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Drug mule arrested in Phuket with 800,000 baht’s worth of pills
PHUKET: Police arrested a Phuket-bound man for transporting ya ba (methamphetamine) worth 800,000 baht at a Tah Chat Chai checkpoint yesterday afternoon. Lt Col Tawach Tansakul of Tah Chat Chai police and his team apprehended Anan Navarat, 39, at about 3pm. “Mr Anan was traveling by bus from Nakhon Sri Thammarat and looked suspicious to us during a routine check,”…
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Broken-hearted woman jumps off Phuket building
PHUKET: An agitated woman with relationship troubles was injured this morning after she jumped off the third floor of a building in Phuket Town. This is the second case of its kind within two days – the first incident took place early morning yesterday when another girl nearly drowned in the sea at Saphan Hin (story here). “Today’s incident took…
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Elderly couple returns lost British passport, bank book and cash
PHUKET: An elderly couple this morning returned a wallet containing a British passport, bank book and cash totalling more than 150,000 baht at Pakbang Beach in Rawai. Prayong Sukkaew, 79, and his wife were collecting bottles at about 6am to sell for money when they spotted the wallet, picked it up and handed it over to Rawai Police officers. “We…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Farang is always wrong
PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…
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His Majesty’s tunes to be played at jazz concert in his honor
PHUKET: Jazz lovers are in for a treat when the free concert ‘Jazz for King 2 – Andaman Jazz by the Sea’ kicks off in Phuket on May 20, featuring the music of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). The event will be held at Loma Park in Patong from 7-10pm, hosted by the Andaman Natural Resources…
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Army commander outlines new agenda for Phuket
PHUKET: The new Army Region 4 commander has announced his agenda for Phuket, ticking off a list of at least a dozen problems he feels need urgent resolution. During his visit last week, Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanit said that he was “generally satisfied with the state of tourism in Phuket”, but that getting rid of ‘powerful people’ and officers who…
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Phuket Police search for missing 11-year-old boy
PHUKET: Police are searching for an 11-year-old boy who was reported missing by his family on Tuesday night. Panaphat Chumrak (‘Nong Nu’) disappeared from his home in Soi Pasak 4, Don Chom Tao Road in Cherng Talay at about 8:30pm. “Nong Nu is about 132cm tall, weighs 30kg and has short hair. He was last seen wearing a red and…
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Phuket Police try to identify injured elderly foreigner
PHUKET: An injured, elderly foreigner ran amok shouting for help from passersby in Phuket Town last night. The man had head and back injuries, but officials were unable to identify him as he was incoherent. He had blonde hair and was wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers received reports of him by concerned locals at…
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Ex-security guard arrested for assault, theft in Phuket
PHUKET: An ex-security guard at a hotel in Pa Khlok was arrested and charged for assault as well as theft and possession of an illegal firearm and drugs, on Tuesday after he beat up a hotel staff member and robbed her last week. Thalang Police apprehended the suspect, Panya Jara, 28, at his rental house in Pa Khlok where they…
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Four injured as speeding car ploughs through motorists in Phuket
PHUKET: Four people were seriously injured after a car skidded off the road and slammed into two motorbikes, a pick-up truck and an electric pole early this morning in Chalong. Lt Sakarin Sangjaroen of Chalong Police and other officers arrived at the crash site on East Chao Fah road in the Kok Tanot area at about 2:20am. “We found a…
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