News
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Holed up
SRISAKET: When the stresses of life and the pressure to be polite become too much, the idea of retreating into a little place to get away from it all can be quite tempting. This is exactly what one man in Srisaket province has done – for the past 20 years. While out visiting his charges in the province’s Nam Kliang…
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Fists of fury
LOP BURI: Not used to being on the receiving end of beatings, officers in Lop Buri’s Baan Pong District Police Station were given a nasty shock when a speed-crazed former World Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight world champion contender stormed into the station in frenzy in the morning of March 5. Police told reporters that Sgt Maj Ithipol Sawatdee was sitting…
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Pot luck with the spirits
UDON THANI: When two clay pots covered by a white sheet were found by the side of the road in Ban Pon Sawan village bear Udon Thani city on February 19, villagers nervously began to hypothesize what could be inside. The sheets, tightly tied around the pots, were covered in cryptic inscriptions, so no one dared to open the pots…
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Of monks and munitions
KALASIN: Police arrested 38-year-old monk Phra Phornphanom Sommai February 26 after villagers reported seeing him shouldering a gun while sitting pillion on a motorbike speeding through Nong Hua Ling village, Kuchinarai district. When police caught up with him, they found that he was drunk, said Maj Somchai Phukongchana, Investigating Inspector at Kuchinarai District Police Station. Police then went to search…
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Teen arrested with murder victim’s gun
PATONG: Police arrested Theerasak Sae-Ong, 18, last Friday after he was found carrying a short-barrel shotgun that he claimed he bought from Pongsakorn “Kho” Naksuk, who was shot dead on the south side of Phuket City a week earlier.Sub Lt Naruewat Putthawiro of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that a security guard at Night Station Pub and Disco on…
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Elderly Brit run over, killed
RAWAI: An elderly British man attempting to cross Wiset Rd in the early hours of April 10 died after being run over by a car about 300 meters from the Sea Shell Museum.Chalong Police Station Duty Inspector Lt Col Chokchai Sutthimek identified the victim as Alan H White, aged 81.Mr White was staying on Soi Sailom in Rawai at the…
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Police shooting sparks Thepkrasattri Rd blockade
KOH KAEW: About 1,000 people from Koh Kaew blocked Thepkrasattri Rd for four hours this afternoon after a 17-year-old local youth died after being shot by a policeman on the bypass road early this morning.The protest caused long tailbacks with some tourists forced to carry their luggage past the mob and continue their journey in another vehicle.The protest was sparked…
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Policeman charged over temple brawl
CHALONG: Chalong Police have charged a Crime Suppression officer with disturbing the peace following a brawl at a Songkran fair at Wat Karon.The officer, named by police as “Sgt Maj Bird”, or better known as “Ja Bird”, has not been suspended from duty.Lt Col Peeranut Chatinkaew, a Crime Suppression Inspector at Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette that he was…
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Historic bank to be converted to a museum
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Municipality will renovate two Sino-Portuguese buildings in the heart of Phuket City with the aim of preserving the town’s cultural past.The old Chartered Bank building at the intersection of Phuket Rd and Phang Nga Rd until recently housed the Phuket City branch of Siam City Bank, but will soon be converted to a cultural museum.The Sino-Portuguese…
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Tourist killed in Kata accident
KARON: A 34-year-old English tourist, Lee Jonathan Thomas Pettit, died in a motorbike accident in Kata about 4 am April 10.Lt Col Chockchai Sutthimek, Duty Inspector at Chalong Police Station told the Gazette that Mr Pettit was driving at high speed along Kata Rd when he was involved in a scrape with a motorbike waiting to turn right onto Ket…
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Teenager comatose after being shot in the head
PHUKET: A Phuket youth has been left comatose after being shot in the head as he rode his motorcycle at Saphan Hin early Monday morning.Police have yet to identify a suspect or determine the motive for the shooting.Jakkrid “Dong” Chukamchang was watching football and drinking at a friend’s house on Sunday night.Lt Col Somkid Boonyarat, an Investigating Inspector at Phuket…
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Phuket ready “To Be Number One’ province
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is one of two provinces in the South to compete in the To Be Number One Province finals, to be held on June 22 at the IMPACT Arena in Muang Thong Thani, in suburban Bangkok.Phuket will also be represented in the To Be Number One Community, by Baan Lipon Khao Lan; and in the To Be Number…
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Only one Songkran road death in Phuket so far
PHUKET: With tomorrow the last day of the official Songkran holidays, the Phuket Provincial Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) has announced that there has been just one road accident death in Phuket since April 11.ODPM Chief Aroon Kerdsom told the Gazette, “We have the total number of deaths from road accidents from April 11 to 15 – and…
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Soft opening for Phuket Welcome Gate
TAH CHAT CHAI: About 1,000 elderly people from around Phuket took part in an Elderly Day Ceremony at the Phuket Welcome Gate last Wednesday to preserve Thai culture during Songkran and encourage people to realize the importance of elderly members of the community.Although the official opening for the Welcome Gate has yet to be organized, Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor)…
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Teens injured in drive-by shooting
PHUKET CITY: Two teenagers were injured in a drive-by shooting in Rassada in the early hours of April 10.Maj Rassada Kluengwong, Duty Inspector at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that Apichai Thongsa-art, 17, and Somkuan Petsanun, 18, were sitting drinking with friends outside a house in the Saphan Ruam area in Rassada when a gang of about seven…
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Valentino faces encroachment charges
BANGKOK (The Nation): Malaysian national Tan Teik Hai, better known known as Phuket’s former honorary consul to Morocco “Valentino”, 56, is facing charges involving encroachment on more than 1,000 rai on Koh Yao Yai. After completing its investigation into a development project on Koh Yao Yai, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) recommended prosecution against Tan and his in-laws Bunlert…
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THAI to add 20 flights for Songkran
BANGKOK (The Nation): Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced it will add 20 special flights on domestic routes to Chiang Mai and Phuket from Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports, numbering 5,200 seats, in order to serve passengers traveling during the Songkran holiday.THAI President Apinan Sumanaseni said THAI would add 11 domestic flights between Suvarnabhumi and both Chiang Mai and Phuket,…
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Cabinet approves Business Act amendments
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Cabinet has approved the revised amendments to the Foreign Business Act, but it remains uncertain whether the bill will pass the National Legislative Assembly.The NLA will debate the amendments on April 18. Some 50 of its members have railed against the changes, saying they jeopardize foreign investment.Commerce Minister Krirk-Krai Jirapaet has said he is ready to…
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Songkran blessings
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit poured lustral water over the hands of some 100 top provincial officials during a Songkran ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion on Narisorn Rd on Tuesday morning.Phuket Vice-Governors Worapoj Rattasima, Tri Augkaradacha and Smith Palawatvichai all took part in the traditional ceremony, along with Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha Budnampetch and many other…
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Tata Young in Phuket
PATONG: More than 1,000 people from the Tata Young Fan Club traveled to Phuket to enjoy Tata Young’s live concert last night, held to mark the grand opening of Jungceylon. Tata, a 26-year-old Thai-American, became a superstar in Thailand at the age of 15 and launched a successful international career with the release of her first English-language album I Believe…
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Violent crime rises by 130%
PHUKET: Crime statistics for March 1 to March 31 released by Phuket Provincial Police show that reports of violent crime in Phuket rose by 130% compared with the same period last year.Three murders and nine attempted murders were reported, with two and eight arrests made respectively. There were 27 reports of assault with 16 arrests made and eight reports of…
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Dead baby found floating off Saphan Hin
PHUKET CITY: A dead baby boy was found floating near the mouth of Bang Yai canal in Sapan Hin on Thursday.The grisly find was reported to police at 8:30 am by a tourist.Lt Col Somkid Boonyarat, an Investigating Inspector at Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette that the body was that of a baby boy of Thai appearance.Doctors estimate…
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Kamala OrBorTor installs temporary President
KAMALA: Karoon Seeden has been installed as Acting President of Kamala Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) after a vote by the council’s 11 other members.K. Karoon was installed after a vote of seven to four in his favor. Three councilors voted for Prajak Yayee, and one councilor abstained.He replaces Jaral Sararak, who was removed from office by Kathu District Chief Khantee…
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Gang rivalry blamed for violent death
WICHIT: Police suspect gang rivalry as the motive behind the killing of a young Thalang man whose body was found riddled with bullets early on Saturday. Pol Lt Col Sompong Boonrat, a Deputy Inspector at the Phuket City Police Station, identified the victim as Pongsakorn “Kho” Naksuk, 24.Pongsakorn was shot several times in the upper arms, head and back with a…
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Daily tsunami warning tests deferred
PHUKET: Testing of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) tsunami warning system, scheduled for this morning, was canceled by the agency out of fear that it could create a public panic in areas where the public had not been adequately informed.Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, who heads the Nonthaburi-based NDWC, told the Gazette this morning that a comprehensive system test will take…
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Eight teenagers nabbed for muggings
PHUKET: Phuket City Police on Wednesday rounded up eight teenagers suspected of at least two gunpoint muggings.Police reported that the boys – all aged 16 or 17 – confessed to two attacks, one at Saphan Hin on Tuesday and one at Khao Rang viewpoint on March 29. In both cases, the boys used knives and a homemade short shotgun to…
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Tsunami warning tower daily tests start tomorrow
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has announced that about 9 am each day – starting tomorrow – it will audibly test its 79 tsunami warning towers along the Andaman Coast.NDWC staff hydrologist Jumleang Chutab told the Gazette that the siren towers have been regularly tested since their construction, but only on a “silent” basis.Under the new testing the…
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Dugong dies in illegal trap
PA KHLOK: A 126-kilogram male dugong was found dead in an illegal fish trap in Pa Khlok Bay on Monday.The discovery was reported to the Phuket Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Office (MCRC) by Juroon Rachaphol, a local conservation activist, at 7:30 pm.A 20-strong team of MCRC officers and volunteers were led to the site. They found the animal stuck…
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Water mains fiasco stalls Chalong roadworks
PHUKET: Work on widening Chao Fa West Rd has been further delayed due to a dispute over moving water pipes and the expiration of the contract with the company assigned to carry out the work.The Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) is still unable to give a completion date for the project, which began in 2005.PPHO Chief Supphasak Nunsang told the…
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Free rabies vaccinations
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) is offering free rabies vaccinations for cats and dogs at Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) offices until April 30.PPLO Veterinarian Veeraphap Termkeitpisan told the Gazette, “We have already vaccinated about 5,000 dogs and cats in the Phuket City, Rawai, Wichit and Chalong this year.”“The last human death from rabies in Phuket was in 1984,” K.…
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