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Facebook group aims to keep Phuket visa runners safe
PHUKET: A new Phuket Facebook group was born on Thursday night with the goal of protecting the lives of resident expats during visa runs. The group “Phuket Visa Run Ride Share Network” (click here) was started by long-term expat Joe Blazy to unite residents who travel to the popular visa destinations of Ranong and Penang, Malyasia. “Some friends and I…
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Phuket beach pollution readings to remain secret
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) will not post the pollution readings of its seawater quality tests online, the Phuket Gazette has confirmed. Instead, the center will publish only its self-determined star rating system, PMBC Director Ukkrit Satapoomin told the Gazette this week. The PMBC issued a press release last week announcing that the reports were now available online…
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“Evil man of Krabi’ eligible for bail during appeal process
PHUKET: A tour guide was sentenced to 20 years in jail last week for the rape and assault of a Dutch tourist in Krabi last year. However, Chumpol Khanonuang, 27, can appeal the case in the Appeals Court, said Krabi Provincial Police Commander Nantadech Yoinuan. “Chumpol’s bail has been set at 700,000 baht,” he added. It was this bail that…
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Police raids uncover drug dens in Soi Ya Bah, Phuket Town
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested two men after separate raids on the same small street in Samkong, Phuket Town, resulted in the seizure of 1,818 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 4.99 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Acting on a tip-off, officers arrived at the house of Worasak Bamrung, 30, in Soi Prayoon 3/1 (map here) at 3am. A search…
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Bad egg arrested at Phuket Prison
PHUKET: A woman delivering an omelet to an inmate at Phuket Prison was arrested yesterday when guards discovered that the food concealed anti-anxiety pills.When Thitiporn Janerop, 20, was in the prison visiting room, officers conducted a routine search of the food that she had brought. Inside the omelet they found 40 pills of Alprazolam – popularly known as Xanax –…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Spain graft probe bites hard; Putin critic Khodorkovsky free; Indian push to lift gay sex ban
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Spanish police raid ruling party HQ in graft probe Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Spanish police searched the headquarters of the ruling People’s Party (PP) for 14 hours on Thursday and Friday as part of a corruption investigation that earlier this year threatened to destabilize the government of…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Suthep for cash; Baht falls; Temperatures plummet; Feb 2 polls to go ahead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community People show support by handing over cash to Suthep The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Apart from addressing social issues, the People’s Democratic Reform Committee led by former Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban has now started focusing on collecting donations.During the march down Bangkok yesterday, Suthep was seen waving…
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Colorful New Year coming to Phuket
PHUKET: “Colorful Countdown Phuket 2014” is set to usher in the new year with light shows and live concerts at Sanam Chai Park (map here) from December 29 to 31. This year’s theme for the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) event is “The Charm Wonderland of Light”, explained PPAO President Paiboon Upatising, also known as “the pink panther” for his…
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Phuket truck tumbles off Kata Hill
PHUKET: An empty holiday home narrowly avoided heavy damage yesterday afternoon when a truck loaded with pallets of cement bags plunged down Kata Hill. The six-wheeled truck rolled down the steep slope, spilling its load of cement bags as it tumbled. It came to rest after bumping into the front of the vacant house. “We arrived at about 1:45pm to…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Scores injured in London theatre collapse; Castro praises Obama handshake; World Bank names corruption Public Enemy No 1
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Scores injured in London theatre collapse Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Emergency services said nearly 90 people were injured on Thursday when part of the ceiling collapsed during a performance at a packed London theatre, bringing the city’s West End entertainment district to a standstill.The audience was showered…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: EC calls to reconsider election date; Yingluck accused of using state funds; DSI to press sedition charges against PDRC
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Reconsider poll date: EC The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Election Commission yesterday appealed for cooling-off period out of fears that the wrangling over when the snap election should be held could lead to an escalation in unrest and a dispute over the poll results.“The Election Commission…
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Skull fragment found in Phuket believed to be of missing 7-year-old
PHUKET: Fragments of a human skull have been found in Chalong along with clothing and slippers that match those of missing 7-year-old Natthapa “Nong Dear” Papkaew (story here). The relatives of the missing girl uncovered fragments of bone while searching the forested area near Palai Beach yesterday. Chalong Police were notified of the discovery at about 3pm. “While our forensic…
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Phuket Opinion: When democracy requires protest
Thitinan Pongsudhirak is a political science professor and Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and an MA from Johns Hopkins University, and from 1998 to 2005, worked at the Economist Intelligence Unit. Here, he explains the recent Thai protests as a battle between those…
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Phuket Opinion: Seduced by parking
PHUKET: I didn’t know what the Thai Watsadu superstore in Thalang sold when I pulled into the parking lot over the weekend, but I wasn’t there to shop in any case. I went just to enjoy the parking lot, which I had admired from the road. It’s completely covered, offering protection rain or shine, and very well laid out. That…
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Phuket Opinion: Hold the icy judgments of police volunteers
PHUKET: The arrest of well-known former Tourist Police Volunteer Gary Halpin, and the very serious charge of selling the illegal narcotic ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), rocked the Phuket expat community this week (story here). For many people in the local English-language media, the New Zealander was relied on as a valuable and trusted source of information on numerous high-profile cases…
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Firefighters battle blaze at Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa
PHUKET: Hotel staff have evacuated the Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa in Patong as firefighters battle the blaze that started at the hotel’s laundry facilities.The standalone building, part of one of Patong’s best-known resorts, caught fire at about 1:30pm, Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan told the Phuket Gazette.Firefighters have now contained the fire, which continues to burn.On site are five…
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German tourist collapses, dies at Phuket beach
PHUKET: A German man collapsed and died in knee-deep water only meters from the shore at Patong Beach just before sunset yesterday. Patong Police officers were called to the scene, in front the police box at the end of Soi Bangla (map here), at 6pm. “When we arrived, lifeguards were administering CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation]. They continued for about 10 minutes,…
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Phuket FC gets new blood for new year
PHUKET: Following a month-long break, Phuket FC last week assembled its new-look squad for pre-season training in preparation for the coming Yamaha League One (YL1) season, which is set to commence in February, 2014. Meanwhile, the club’s chairman and president announced a projected season budget of between 45 to 55 million baht – about the same as the 2013 season,…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Putin gambles on Ukraine bailout; White House curbs NSA; South Sudan strife spreads; Tokyo Governor resigns amid money scandal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community White House review panel proposes curbs on some NSA programs Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A White House-appointed panel on Wednesday proposed curbs on some key National Security Agency surveillance operations, recommending limits on a program to collect records of billions of telephone calls and new tests before…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: More Nui victims found; Chiang Mai freezes over; DSI targets PDRC assets; Suthep vows Bangkok jam
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bone discovery linked to serial killer Nui The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police have found several bones at an uninhabited spot in Loei where a confessed serial rapist and murderer allegedly attacked and strangled a girl earlier this year.DNA tests will be conducted to determine if the…
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Phuket teen killed by water truck in front of unopened Makro Rawai
PHUKET: A 15-year-old girl was killed by a water truck at the yet-to-be-opened Makro store in Rawai last night. The 48-year-old driver, Utai Suwannachoti, fled the scene, but surrendered to police this morning. “When we arrived at the scene, we found a water truck stopped in the middle of the road with a lot of onlookers surrounding it,” Capt Wuttiwat…
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Phuket to honor tsunami victims
PHUKET: The Phuket community will honor those who died in the devastating tsunami that struck the island nine years ago with a ceremony at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao followed by the traditional “Light Up Phuket” candle-lighting ceremony on Patong Beach. Thai official figures state that the tsunami killed 5,398 people and that more than 3,700 disappeared in…
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Phuket Gazette World News: India/US spat; South Sudan clashes leave hundreds dead; More Assad; British drug mules get 7 years in Peru
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community India removes U.S. Embassy security barriers in spat Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Indian police removed concrete security barriers outside the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday in apparent retaliation for the treatment of an Indian diplomat who was strip-searched after her arrest in New…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Hunt begins for more Nui victims; Suthep calls for rally Sunday, seeks election delay; Somchai cover-up continues
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police begin search for other young Nui victims The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police are in the process of identifying all the young victims of a confessed serial rapist and killer. The 36-year-old man, known only as Nui, has confessed that he raped and murdered two girls…
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Drowning of Phuket boy, 9, spurs lifeguard warning
PHUKET: The drowning of a 9-year-old boy at Karon Beach over the weekend has sparked a warning from Phuket lifeguards for parents to never leave children unwatched at the beach. “Children should never be left unattended near the surf, even if no red flags have been posted to mark it as a dangerous area to swim,” Kata-Karon chief lifeguard Uten…
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Phuket Police to target foreigners at night
PHUKET: Foreigners passing through checkpoints at night will be stopped and searched as part of a new effort to ensure the safety of people and property on Phuket, police announced today. The police initiative is motivated by two recent ATM robberies perpetrated by foreigners and the fact that the number of foreign suspects in criminal cases sharply increased this year,…
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Phuket land grab suspect arrested
PHUKET: Police charged a man with encroaching on a protected Phuket forest yesterday after he was found building two houses amid mangroves in Wichit. The arrest came during a raid led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak at a site near Klong Mudong (map here). The raid was inspired by a complaint filed by local villagers, Vice Governor Somkiet told…
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Chef murdered in Phuket likely bag-snatch victim
PHUKET: Police suspect that the chef who was fatally stabbed early yesterday morning while on his way to work was the victim of a bag-snatch. Eyewitnesses told police that Dithchart Insom was riding north on the Kathu-Naka road (map here) when two men on a motorbike rode alongside him and ordered him to stop. “When Mr Dithchart stopped, the men…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Child killer confesses; Democrats to vote on election boycott; Cold bites hard in North
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lessons learnt in sad fate of 6-year-old girl The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A former convict has confessed to raping and strangling a six-year-old girl in Bangkok earlier this month after she strayed briefly from her father’s attention. Police say she was just one of his many…
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Phuket mother denies rumor that 7-year-old daughter’s body was found
PHUKET: The mother of 7-year-old Natthapa “Nong Dear” Papkaew today dismissed the rumor circulating across Phuket that the body of her missing daughter had been found. “I have heard the rumor, but they’re not true. My little girl has not been found,” Jaroon Papkaew told Phuket Gazette today. Capt Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police confirmed that his officers had…
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