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More work ordered on tsunami aid theft case
PHUKET: Orders for police to conduct further investigations into the disappearance of 2.05 million baht of tsunami aid money from Phuket Provincial Hall nine months ago have finally arrived in Phuket.The Special Public Prosecutor in the Phuket State Attorney’s Office, Bantoon Thongtan, told the Gazette yesterday that he had just received, from the Regional Director of Prosecutions in Surat Thani,…
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Free concert to feature top Japanese acts
PHUKET: In a bid to lure more Japanese visitors to Phuket this high season, “Sawasdee Phuket”, a free concert to be held in Patong on Saturday, November 19, will feature singers famous in Japan.The concert is scheduled to take place from 5 pm to 1 am at the soccer field on Thaweewong Rd.Performers will include Ai Kawasaki, Ryota Mitsunaha, Asuka…
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Low response to free tsunami trip offer
PHUKET: The government had expected some 10,000 relatives of tsunami victims to take advantage of its offer of free flights and a one-night stay for the tsunami anniversary commemoration ceremonies. In the event, only 400 people have signed up so far. The Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Region 4, Suwalai Pinpradab, told the Gazette that the government has…
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Additional tsunami anniversary events announced
PHUKET: The provincial government has announced more of its schedule for the upcoming tsunami anniversary, which is to run from December 24 to January 21.December 26: 10 am-11 am: simultaneous memorial ceremonies to take place at Patong Beach, Kamala Beach and Mai Khao Cemetery. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, along with members of the Thai government and VIP guests, will lay…
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Dog pound to have December grand opening
PHUKET: Sunart Wongchawalit, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office, has told the Gazette that, rather than closing down the controversial Mid Road Dog Shelter in Thalang, it is to have a grand opening in December.At a meeting on August 31, Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura stated that a decision would be reached by the end of September whether or not to…
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Fatal crash on Kata Hill
KATA: One motorcycle rider was killed and several motorists were injured when a water truck careened into traffic and overturned by Ban Kata School on Kata Hill, at around 2 pm on November 10.The K-Tech construction company lorry collided with two cars and a motorcycle, trapping the bike and its rider, Kittipong Aiyarak, under it. The injured man was rushed…
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432 entrants so far for tsunami memorial contest
BANGKOK: An astonishing 432 entrants from 44 countries have registered so far for Thailand’s Tsunami Memorial Design Competition. Registration closes next Tuesday (November 15). The aim of the competition is to gather conceptual designs for building a memorial at Khao Lak that will be “appropriate and interactive” and “serve as a permanent tribute” to those who lost their lives in…
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Red tape mix-up stalls tsunami aid theft case
PHUKET: Nine months after 2.05 million baht in tsunami aid money went missing from a strongbox at Phuket Provincial Hall, the investigation into the theft has apparently stalled temporarily due to poor communication between the police and the regional court now in charge of the case. The Region 8 Prosecutor’s Office in Surat Thani says it approved a request by…
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Call for stricter building law enforcement
PHUKET: Provincial government officials and the Phuket Real Estate Club today made a joint call for stricter enforcement of building regulations to be applied across the island.At the weekly meeting of the heads of provincial government offices at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, Chaloerm Rakmak of the provincial office of the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning,…
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Tour of Siam draws 150 top cyclists
PHUKET: Twenty-six teams have confirmed that they will compete in the 870-kilometer Bangkok-to-Phuket Tour of Siam 2006 bicycle race, to be held from January 15 to January 21. The event is being organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale and the Asia Cycling Federation. More than 150 international entrants are to participate, from South Africa, Australia, Denmark, Japan, USA, Singapore, the…
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Tourist complaints spark zoo check
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura inspected the Phuket Zoo on Friday after receiving written complaints from about 10 tourists about the maltreatment of animals and the quality of water in pools there.The Thailand Zoological Park Organization (TZPO), the Tourism Authority of Thailand and a number of NGOs have also received similar complaints about the private zoo, which opened in 1997.The…
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Award for Phuket from vegetarian mag
SAN FRANCISCO: Phuket during the Vegetarian Festival has been named as one of the “10 Best Veg Destinations in the World” by the San-Francisco-based VegNews magazine.In its third annual Veggie Awards, the magazine also singles out places, tours or events in Morocco, Italy, the UK, Mexico, Kenya, Maine in the US, the US Virgin Islands, Hawaii and Costa Rica.Of the…
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Four nabbed in B50m heroin bust
PHUKET: Three foreign men and a Thai woman were arrested yesterday on charges of attempting to smuggle 40 kilograms of heroin out of Thailand in a yacht.The arrests are understood to be the culmination of a four-month international operation involving police from Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Norway and the US.Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) Deputy Commissioner Pol Maj…
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Nation V event “a huge success’
KARON: Nearly 2,000 people, mostly from Thailand, Singapore, Japan and the US, joined the first day and night of Asia’s largest gay and lesbian party, the three-day Nation V, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel yesterday.The event features nine parties, each with a different theme, with 18 DJs from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the USA, Malaysia and Australia manning the turntables.Events…
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Clinton praises Tilly the heroine
NEW YORK: The 10-year-old British schoolgirl whose prompt action saved an estimated 100 lives on Phuket last December 26 has been praised by former US President Bill Clinton.Tilly Smith was welcomed at UN headquarters in New York on November 3 by staff of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, a Geneva-based UN agency that is trying to educate people worldwide…
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Gambling tops arrest statistics again
PHUKET: September statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police show that gambling again topped the list, with 137 people arrested for the offense. Twenty-two cases involved the sale of underground lottery numbers.Four murders were reported during the month with two cases solved, resulting in the arrests of two people. One case of attempted murder was also solved, leading to the arrests…
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Tsunami ceremonies program unveiled
PHUKET: Beach locations in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi have been chosen for the holding of official tsunami anniversary commemoration ceremonies on the morning of December 26. Thailand is offering free flights and accommodation for two nights to relatives of those who died or went missing in the tsunami, and to those who were injured in the tsunami, so that…
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Soi Dog Foundation “now official’
PHUKET: The Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) announced on October 31 that it has been granted official foundation status in Thailand. Margot Homburg Park, President of the SDF, said that it was a huge breakthrough for the charity, and that the move would allow it to expand its operations in Phuket. She added that she looked forward to working closely with…
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Gov takes tough line on airport taxis
PHUKET: Within two weeks meter taxis will have a desk inside the arrivals hall of Phuket International Airport, and three cabs at a time will be allowed to park right outside arrivals – the sacred territory of the island’s airport limousines.The decision was made by Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura after a meeting yesterday to discuss the simmering dispute between meter taxis…
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Phuket Carnival kicks off in Patong
PHUKET: The celebration to launch Phuket’s tourism high season starts today and runs through November 3, from 9 am to midnight daily. Previously known as the Patong Carnival, it has been revamped and dubbed Phuket Carnival 2005.The annual parade, from near Phuket Simon Cabaret, along Prachanukhro Rd to Thaweewong Rd and then north to Soi Bangla, takes place from 4…
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Austrian in bizarre suicide
PATONG: An Austrian tourist died of knife wounds to the chest at around midnight on Saturday. Police say that he purposely inflicted the wounds on himself.The dead man was named as Wolfgang Rodlauer, 36, a ski instructor. Pol Lt Col Prathung Pholmana of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that Mr Rodlauer was seen walking about the streets of Patong…
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Rough justice for knicker nicker
SAMUT PRAKAN: Stealing women’s underwear might be considered nothing but a prank in some countries, but it is a serious crime in Samut Prakan’s Muang District, where residents of Tambon Bangpoomai took the law into their own hands and nearly beat to death a man after he was caught pilfering panties. Yoybangpoo District Police reported the man’s arrest, which occurred…
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Croc makes good pillow and a snappy companion
PHICHIT: Some people like to argue about which breed of dog makes the best four-legged home security system, but a coffee vendor in this province has found that his 70-kilogram pet crocodile is just as effective at keeping burglars at bay as any Rottweiler, Pit Bull or Doberman. Prayoon “Khiat” Thong jorn, 43, bought the crocodile for 3,000 baht as…
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The Poodle Poo incident on Soi Green Soda
KARON: The owner of two Karon beer bars has filed a complaint with the Chalong Police against a neighbor who, she says, threw dog excreta at her. Yindee Sutipakdi, 39, filed the complaint against 22-year-old Piyathida Muangbang, after the latter drove up to her home on a motorcycle and hurled a bag containing poodle poo at her. The two women…
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Monkey man says he’s there to stay
KAMALA: A man living alone in a tree high up in the Kamala Hills has drawn so much interest that the local tambon president has had to order improvements to the path leading to his jungle hideaway, lest his many curious visitors continue injuring themselves in their efforts to reach him. News of the modern-day Tarzan hit the headlines on…
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Local phone book swamps server
PHUKET: Following a bulletin last Wednesday announcing that the deadline for listings in the 2006 Gazette Guide (local “yellow” pages) would be tonight, October 31, the Gazette web server has been under heavy pressure and has suffered sporadic downtime. In what may be a reflection of the recent surge in local business confidence, approximately 480 new listings and/or updates have been entered…
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HRH to return to Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will be in Phuket again from November 12 to 14, Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura announced yesterday morning.Although the official itinerary has yet to be announced, he said that the Princess will bring with her eight of the 12 adjudicators of the Prince Mahidol Award, which is given each year in recognition of exemplary contributions to…
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Tourism industry worries about labor shortage
PHUKET: The island’s tourism industry is suffering a shortage of skilled staff because many workers left the island during the slump after the tsunami, Dechar Peukpattanaruk, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Labor Office, said today.He said that although many people are applying for the estimated 4,000 vacancies in Phuket’s tourism industry, very few of them have the appropriate qualifications or…
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Police nab 7-Eleven Gang
PHUKET CITY: Police have rounded up a seven-member gang – three of them women – in connection with armed robberies of four 7-Eleven convenience stores over a five-day period, starting last Friday (October 21).Four of the gang were paraded before the press and identified as Jarin Tunrat, 26; Rungrudee Kaewchu, 27; Monya Lao-ngam, 18; and Komsan Pornlert, 27. All are…
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Tsunami siren test declared a success
PHUKET: One of Patong’s three tsunami warning towers was tested this morning, its siren being triggered remotely from the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) in Nonthaburi, near Bangkok.Adm Thaweesak Daengchai, Adviser to the NDWC, told the Gazette he was pleased with the test and with the fact that, this time, most people seemed to know that it was a drill…
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