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Finnish tourist slashed while fighting off bag thieves
PHUKET: A Finnish tourist was seriously wounded when she attempted to fight off bag snatchers in Phuket on Saturday night. “Two men drove by on a motorbike and attempted to swipe the bag off the shoulder of Mari Inkeri Ruohonen, 31,” explained Karon Police Superintendent Sompong Boonrat. “However, when she resisted, they pulled a box cutter out and attempted to…
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Police arrest drug runners with meth
PHUKET: Region 8 Police arrested two drug runners and seized nearly 70,000 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills in Phang Nga on Friday. Jiraporn Promnoo, 42, and Somnuek Rammani, 51, were arrested with 10,000 ya ba pills after a tip off from another drug suspect led police to intercept a scheduled delivery, confirmed Region 8 Police Commander Tesa Siriwato. The pair denied…
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German’s partner forces confession of deadly reckless driving
PHUKET: The partner of a German killed in an alleged drunk driving accident in Phuket last month vowed to push for the harshest penalties against the driver, who confessed to reckless driving leading to death. Jakarin Rodpradit, 26, originally denied responsibility for the crash between his car and the motorbike driven by Andreas Walter, 47, with his partner Patcharin Lammai,…
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TAT sets sights on Vietnamese, Indonesian tourists
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently announced its plans to promote Phuket’s image as a tourist destination in Vietnam and Indonesia. Anoma Wongyai, director of TAT Phuket, touched on the positive response seen from tourists during this holiday season, with an 83 per cent increase in visitor numbers and 4.2 million baht of revenue generation. “We now aim…
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Diver rescued in Similans by navy [video]
PHUKET: A medical student was saved by the navy after he fell unconscious during a dive in the Similan Islands on Saturday. The Royal Thai Navy was called to aid in the rescue of Thai national Tossawat Tassaworn, 24, a student at Rangsit University. According to a navy report, Mr Tossawat gave his dive master a distress signal at a…
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Video Report: Phuket snake bites tourist after attempted kiss, officials review safety measures
PHUKET: Officials are scrambling to reevaluate snake show safety measures after a Chinese tourist was bitten by a 2.5-meter-long python that she attempted to kiss in Phuket on Saturday. “After the show, I took the python out for the tourists to take photos with as usual. Then suddenly, a woman tried to kiss the snake without informing me of what…
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Rohingya escape Phang Nga shelter again
PHUKET: Officers are hunting for 11 Rohingya who escaped from the Phang Nga Shelter for Children and Families early Friday morning. The three women and eight children are among those who were recovered after an attempted escape in October last year (story here). Using CCTV footage, Khao Lak Police were able to determine that the group escaped through an open…
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U.S. flies B-52 over S.Korea after North’s nuclear test
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. flies B-52 over S.Korea after North’s nuclear test Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The United States deployed a B-52 bomber on a low-level flight over its ally South Korea on Sunday in a show of force following North Korea’s nuclear test last week. North Korean…
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No winner of record Powerball jackpot, next draw put at $1.3 billion
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community No winner of record Powerball jackpot, next draw put at $1.3 billion Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Jan 9 No one won Saturday’s record jackpot of nearly $950 million in the multi-state Powerball lottery, officials said, driving the haul for a winning ticket in the next…
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Officials mull waste management policies in Phuket
PHUKET: In an effort to improve waste management on the island, Phuket officials are working toward implementing more efficient rubbish disposal policies. “Waste management in Phuket is centralized in Phuket Town at the Saphan Hin incinerators. Currently, they are only able to handle up to 700 tonnes per day,” Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana said. Mayor Somjai noted that the…
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Australian Embassy announces consular outreach services for Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the Australian Embassy in Bangkok has announced that its staff will be in Phuket on January 18 to provide consular outreach services. The consulate staff will be available from 9:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Australian Consulate Office at 77/77 Unit 6D Moo 5, Chalermprakiat Rama 9 (bypass road) in Rassada. For…
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Killer Whale spotted in Phuket bay [video]
PHUKET: An English family holidaying in Phuket spotted a Killer Whale off Freedom Beach in Patong Bay yesterday morning. Susan and Thomas Halleron were on a longtail boat with their son Joe when they spotted the unusual sight. “We went for a one hour trip around the island, and on the way back we saw the whale [Orca]… it was…
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Triple circumnavigation of Phuket proves too much for Aussie
PHUKET: An Australian living and training on Phuket came to a staggering halt at about 6 kilometers from the end of his epic three-day, 430km challenge. The endurance sport attempt began on January 3 as Damien Rider, 40, set out to circumnavigate Phuket by prone paddleboarding, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) and running. After deciding to combine prone and SUP, Mr Rider…
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Phuket police arrest ladyboy for pimping 15-year-old
PHUKET: Police arrested a ladyboy for pimping children in Phuket Town yesterday evening. Boonsong Saetan, 23, was arrested after she received 1,500 baht given to a 15-year-old that she had lined up to offer sexual services to an undercover police officer. “The officer confirmed an appointment at a hotel in the Poonpon area at 5pm with a 15-year-old girl,” explained…
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Deadly roads: The fight to make island roads safe
PHUKET: Despite the devastating death toll during the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ annual road-safety campaign – reaching seven this year, more than triple last year’s total – the number of fatalities from road accidents on the island have gradually declined throughout the last seven years, confirmed the Thai Road Safety Network (RSN). The number of road deaths has reduced from…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: If no one sees, it didn’t happen
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 Stephff.…
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New US diet rules would take 20 per cent bite out of American sugar use
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New US diet rules would take 20 per cent bite out of American sugar use Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: If the US government has its way, Americans would cut their consumption of sugar and corn syrup by more than 2 million tonnes a year, the…
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U.S. firm blames Russian ‘Sandworm’ hackers for Ukraine outage
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. firm blames Russian ‘Sandworm’ hackers for Ukraine outage Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: U.S. cyber intelligence firm iSight Partners said on Thursday it has determined that a Russian hacking group known as ‘Sandworm’ caused last month’s unprecedented power outage in Ukraine. “We believe that Sandworm…
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Phuket police propose quick solutions to traffic congestion
PHUKET: Police have banned parking during rush hour in a number of locations on the island in order to decrease traffic congestion. “Vehicles won’t be allowed to park along Thepkrasattri Road near the Heroines’ Monument or the Koh Kaew Intersection, as well as along the bypass road, Chao Fa East Road and Chao Fa West Road from 7am-9am and 4pm-7pm,”…
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Opinion: Taking Patong to greater heights
Chalermluck Kebsup is a native of Phuket and has served as the mayor of Patong since May 2014. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Law at Ramkhamhaeng University and received her master’s in Political Science at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. Here she talks about the problems Patong faces due to the limited availability of area for development and how…
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On Deck: When only a fraction is enough
PHUKET: What happened to fractional boat ownership? In the not-too-distant past, shared ownership of boats seemed to be the ‘thing’. A great way to introduce non-boaters into boating, and then retaining leisure boaters, with a cost-effective form of ownership. A panacea. In Phuket the concept caught on, but was short-lived. Early pioneers included Simon James, Royal Phuket Marina and Twinpalms,…
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Opinion: Phuket, drive defensively
PHUKET: Despite some positive developments with law enforcement, the sobering results of this year’s ‘Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign shows that Phuket still has a long way to go before the island’s road safety is at an international standard befitting a world-class tourist destination. The introduction of more proactive law enforcement measures to catch motorists for moving violations is…
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Phuket Gateway to get some much-needed love
PHUKET: The dilapidated, mostly ignored Phuket Gateway in Mai Khao is slated for a facelift, confirmed officials. “The renovation is necessary to make the site more attractive, so that it becomes a popular stopping point for tourists on the island,” said Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) started building the Phuket Gateway, just before the…
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Speedboat driver charged for death of French snorkeller
KRABI: The speedboat driver who killed a French snorkeller in Krabi on Tuesday has been charged with reckless driving causing death, confirmed Maj Sophon Kongthong of the Krabi City Police. “Yothin Suebsak is currently out on bail while we collect additional evidence to be handed over to the public prosecutor,” said Maj Sophon. Sylvie Thiebau, 52, was snorkelling off Koh…
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Underage Phuket jet-ski rentals under fire
PHUKET: Concerns about operators allowing minors to rent out jet-skis in Phuket were raised at the monthly consulate meeting with the Governor on Wednesday. Seven Smulders, the Dutch honorary consul for Phuket, told meeting members that he was worried about the potentially dangerous situations created by allowing minors to operate jet-skis. Mr Smulders’ concerns come fast on the heels of…
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Business Buzz: How much is a “like’ worth?
PHUKET: A ‘like’ is a measure on Facebook of how popular a page or a post is with other Facebook users. Someone recently asked me what a ‘like’ on Facebook was worth to a business. It started me thinking, could an actual value be placed on a ‘like’? The answer of course is yes, but for each business this value…
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Finance: The ‘not so sexy’ New Year’s resolution
PHUKET: Many people like to make New Year’s resolutions, and the most common ones tend to deal with health. Sadly, most people do not stick with their resolutions for very long, and I will get to one of the main reasons for this in a bit, as well as how to avoid falling into this trap. But let’s consider a…
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Full Metal Dojo ready to kick off at Seduction nightclub
PHUKET: Thailand’s leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion, Full Metal Dojo (FMD), is returning to the island with its 8th event ‘FMD8: Return of the Mack’ on January 10 at Seduction nightclub in Patong. After launching its first two events in Phuket in 2014 (story here), FMD moved to Bangkok and has now returned to the Pearl of the Andaman,…
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Brothers arrested for role in Thalang Police Station riot
PHUKET: Officials arrested two additional suspects yesterday, wanted in connection with October’s Thalang Police Station riot that saw more than 6 million baht worth of damage to the station and nearby vehicles (story here). Brothers Manop Promkaew, 30, and Manit Promkaew, 27, were apprehended at their home in Thalang after police began to pursue 83 unserved riot-related arrest warrants issued…
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DDPM reports additional death during road-safety campaign
PHUKET: Despite the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office’s closing statistic of six road fatalities during the recent ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign (story here), last-minute data has forced them into a correction to their information, adding one more death to this year’s total. The December 31 death of Jordanian Yazeed Munieb Mustafa, 28, was not…
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