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The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...
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Poles are for climbing at Phuket Agricultural Fair
PHUKET: Seven kinds of goats could be found behind Tesco Lotus in Cherng Talay on Monday and Tuesday this week, during Cherng Talay’s ninth annual agricultural fair, which also entertained local residents with durian races, pole-climbing matches, cooking contests and animal competitions. “Tourism in Phuket has made agricultural jobs less important,” said Cherng Talay Subdistrict Administrative Organization (OrBorTor) President Ma-ann…
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“Jealous’ Belgian expat stabbed, left in coma by Thai girlfriend in domestic dispute
PHUKET: A domestic dispute got out of hand last night, leading to the brutal stabbing and hospitalization of a 62-year-old Belgian expat. In a moment of jealousy, Ferdinand Salden allegedly attacked his girlfriend of about six years, who then stabbed him multiple times with a thin, sharp piece of metal. Mr Salden had numerous stab wounds to the chest, as…
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Alleged encroachment on protected Phuket mangroves in cross hairs
PHUKET: An investigation was launched into allegations that a Rassada landowner was encroaching on a protected mangrove forest and preventing villagers from accessing the forest for fishing. At the property, Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak and his team were greeted by Koompha Thammapradit, who claimed to know the land owner and presented a Sor Kor 1 title deed for 300…
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Police open fire as drug suspect rams Phuket Town blockade
PHUKET: Police officers opened fire on a suspected drug dealer after he rammed his Honda Jazz into a police patrol pickup blocking his escape in Phuket Town early yesterday evening. Police were following the Honda Jazz of 28-year-old Thaweepong Kerdpol, a suspected drug dealer, after they received a tip-off that he was in the Chalong area. Mr Thaweepong stopped for…
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Phuket officials stage pre-emptive strike against canal-clogging flower
PHUKET: Acting early to prevent the flooding, and stagnant water, that plague the Ban Yai Canal area in Srisoonthorn every year, officials took action yesterday to remove the culprit: water hyacinths that grow rampant in the canal. “Local residents complain every year that the hyacinths block water flow and cause flooding and bad-smelling water,” said Somjit Limpattawong, Municipal Clerk of…
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Teenager found hanging in parents’ Phuket home
PHUKET: The body of a teenager was found hanging from a support beam of her parent’s house in Kathu on Tuesday.Police tentatively suspect that the 19-year-old Burmese woman committed suicide because of a breakup with her boyfriend.Thung Thong Police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers arrived at the scene at about 11:30am to find the body of Ms Lat already laid…
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Phuket Police turn to Skype to catch criminals
PHUKET: In a move to catch criminals faster, officers across Phuket are to use Skype so victims and witnesses can relate their descriptions of suspects directly to police artists in Surat Thani.Under the Royal Thai Police project called “Sketch on Skype”, experts from Forensic Science Region 8 in Surat Thani arrived in Phuket on Tuesday to explain the program to…
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Koh Kaew u-turn lane lengthened to relieve congestion
PHUKET: The northbound u-turn lane at the Koh Kaew intersection on Thepkrasattri Road is in the process of being lengthened in an effort to tackle the chronic congestion in the area.“Right now the u-turn lane is not long enough for all the cars that want to turn at the Koh Kaew intersection, and cars that can’t get into the turn…
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Phuket Airport Bus can start July 15, says bus owner
PHUKET: The soonest the airport bus can start running is July 15, the owner of the bus company, Prakob Panyawai, told the Phuket Gazette on Tuesday. “I wish the bus could roll on July 1 as the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) chief demands,” he said, “but we’re just not ready [story here].” “All the buses have been checked at…
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Phuket marks International Day against Drug Abuse
PHUKET: Phuket top officials yesterday marked the International Day against Drug Abuse with a mass swearing off drugs and a vow to eliminate drugs in Thailand before the Asean Economic Community (AEC) trade regulations come into effect in 2015.On stage at the Phuket City District Office, Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa read out a national message from Prime Minister Yingluck…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Rudd sworn in as Australian PM; Snowden still at Moscow Airport; Mursi talks Turkey changes; Gay marriage gets US push
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rudd sworn in as Australian PM Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Australian prime minister for the second time on Thursday, a day after toppling Julia Gillard and three months out from scheduled elections with polls suggesting the ruling Labor Party is staring…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: B10bn in drugs goes up in smoke; Haze easing; DSI supercar probe in twists and turns; Health officials contemplate morning after pill
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More than 3 tonnes of drugs torched The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Some 158,012 of the country’s estimated 2 million drug addicts underwent rehabilitation at 1,287 hospitals over the past nine months, Deputy Public Health Minister Cholanan Srikaew said yesterday. Of them, 84,404 were forced…
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Monsoon wind to spare Phuket from Indonesian haze
PHUKET: The Phuket weather office has predicted that the strong southwest monsoon wind that has caused the current rough seas along the Andaman coast will also keep the record-level hazardous haze from Indonesia away from Phuket. The haze, born of forest fires across Sumatra (click here for NASA interactive map showing fires and haze), saw air pollution reach record levels…
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Phuket beaches roped off after deadliest weekend
PHUKET: After Phuket’s deadliest drowning weekend, sections of Kata and Karon Beaches have been closed for the first time in the island’s history. “This is the first time we have ever had to hang ropes up across the beach to prevent people from entering dangerous sections of the water. Some of the rip currents run strong across 20 to 30…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Snowden saga; 37 arrested for Himalayan massacre; Homophobia reaches new levels; Wimbledon update
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin rules out handing Snowden over to United States Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: President Vladimir Putin confirmed yesterday a former U.S. spy agency contractor sought by the United States was in the transit area of a Moscow airport but ruled out handing him to Washington, dismissing U.S.…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Haze hits South; BRN demands troops out before Ramadan; Thailand off money laundering watchlist
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Narathiwat haze level now ‘adverse to health’ The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Seven provinces in Southern Thailand were affected by smoke from Indonesian forest fires yesterday, with Narathiwat the hardest hit after particulate-matter levels there reached the 129 micrograms/cubic metre considered adverse to health.Meanwhile, Pollution Control Department…
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Jaguar, Land Rover get new dealership in Phuket
PHUKET: Luxury car importer GB Automobile Co Ltd was recently appointed to be the sole, official authorized dealer for Land Rover and Jaguar cars in Phuket and the rest of Southern Thailand. The official grand opening of the new showroom is set for next month. Meanwhile, GB Auto is undergoing an extensive renovation of their showroom, which is adjacent to…
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AP Superyachts berths new office in Patong
PHUKET: Luxury boating firm Asia Pacific Superyachts (APS) Phuket is growing, reports General Manager Gordon Fernandes. “We’re pleased to announce our headquarters have moved to a brand-new, purpose-built office in preparation for the exciting times ahead as more yachts discover the amazing cruising available in Southeast Asia,” he says. While the new offices offer increased facilities and staff to service…
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Phuket crackdown on wastewater pollution in the works
PHUKET: The director of the Regional Environmental Office has warned Phuket businesses and housing developments to comply with legal requirements in the treatment and release of wastewater – or face the consequences.Dr Pornsri Suthanaruk told the Phuket Gazette she will be enforcing Section 80 of the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act BE 2535.“Business owners must have a…
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Helmeted motorbike driver survives Phuket hill crash
PHUKET: A helmeted motorbike driver was non-responsive but alive after crashing his motorbike into a drainage ditch while descending Patak Road toward Chalong this morning.Ruamjai foundation rescue workers quickly arrived at the scene and placed the man, Surat Udompol, 53, in a neck brace before loading him into an ambulance and rushing him to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.“At…
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Phuket Finance: One rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel
PHUKET: As of the middle of June, the portfolios of many active managers of both mutual funds and hedge funds alike were badly under-performing the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index. In fact, and despite a bull market that had seen the S&P index climb about 16% since the start of the year, over two-thirds of active managers were missing…
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Phuket Property Watch: Big bang of luxury
PHUKET: Welcome to rainy season in Phuket. It’s Friday morning as I ponder the sound of rain pelting down on the roof and it feels almost as if I’m in Syria taking incoming fire. My life is that of a minimalist. Give me a black t-shirt, shorts and a well worn pair of Sanuks. No watch, no jewelry, just an…
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Australian dies at hospital after leap from Phuket balcony
PHUKET: The Australian Embassy has contacted the relatives of a 25-year-old Australian man who succumbed to his injures around midnight last night after having plunged from the third floor of a Patong building.A food shop vendor along Soi Kepsap 2, off Sai Nam Yen Road, contacted Lt Col Jongserm Preecha of the Patong Police when she saw the Australian, Joshua…
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Russian drug smuggler wanted by Interpol arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Responding to a written request from the Russian embassy in Bangkok, Phuket Immigration last night arrested a Russian national wanted in his home country for “illegal transportation of drugs, committed on a large scale”.The request stated that Anatoliy Gural had been wanted by Interpol since November 2011, and provided details of a false passport he was using to travel.“Mr…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Woman held for trafficking Myanmar girls in Ranong
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Woman held for trafficking Myanmar girls The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police yesterday announced the arrest of a Thai woman suspected of human trafficking and the rescue of 13 Myanmar women – including a 16-year-old and three girls under 18 – allegedly lured into sex work at…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Rice rage afoot; Supercar probe changes gear; White masks rob 7-Eleven; Cartoonist surrenders
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt faces rice rage The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The government is facing mounting pressure with coalition parties criticising its move to cut the price for rice in its controversial pledging scheme and farmers massing in Bangkok today.The Chart Thai Pattana Party expressed dissatisfaction yesterday at the…
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Senator sets sights on Army to resolve Phuket land encroachment
PHUKET: A member of the Thai Senate is looking to call in the armed forces to wage war against the “big guys” behind land encroachment in Phuket.Pol Col (Rtd) Sontaya Sangphow was in Phuket on Friday to arm himself with information in order to pitch his suggestion to fellow senators in Bangkok.“We are concerned that District Officers are ‘unable’ to…
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Drunk, loaded and arrested: Man brandishes loaded pistol, nunchucks in Phuket Town street
PHUKET: Phuket City Police this morning arrested a man for brandishing a loaded pistol at local residents in Soi Paniang near Samkong, Phuket Town. Maj Rattaket Munmuang of the Phuket City Police – with about 30 other officers – arrived at the scene at about 8:30am to find that the man had exchanged the loaded gun for nunchucks. The 46-year-old…
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Mercedes-Benz driver runs over man on busy Phuket road
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of an unidentified man who was hit and killed instantly last night by a Mercedes-Benz as he was crossing Phuket’s busy Thepkrasattri Road.By the time police arrived at the scene, near the Srisoonthorn Municipality offices, the driver of the Mercedes-Benz sedan, Virat Aumarat, 56, was already en route to Thalang Police Station.“Mr Virat asked…
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Phuket surf leaves Russian tourist in coma
PHUKET: A Russian tourist in Phuket lies comatose in intensive care today after being pulled from the dangerous surf at Karon Beach yesterday afternoon. The tourist, named by Patong Hospital as Kho Khay Gym, 31, was pulled from the water by beach vendors at about 4:30pm. “He was rushed to Patong Hospital, and later transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital in…
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