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Phuket government maintains workflow despite protest closures
PHUKET: The main government offices in charge of keeping the island’s economy ticking over have reported no major disruptions to workflow despite the more than week-long closure of Provincial Hall. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut agreed to close Provincial Hall on November 27, acquiescing to the firm request by thousands of anti-government protesters who rallied in front of the building (story…
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Phuket Immigration vows strictness on retirement visa requirements
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration has vowed to become stricter in its enforcement of retirement visas for married couples by upholding a law that came into effect in November 2008. The law states that foreign retired couples must each show evidence of 800,000 baht in their bank accounts in order to apply for or renew retirement visas, Phuket Immigration Inspector Napat Nusen…
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CCTV shopping images set police on trail of Phuket ATM thieves
PHUKET: Police have identified the men who robbed a Phuket ATM on Tuesday and are seeking arrest warrants. Based on CCTV images from a construction material store in Thalang, Phuket Police were able to identify the men purchasing supplies for the crime, which used a blowtorch to cut the back off the ATM. “We started by looking at CCTV images…
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Patong police make appointment for drug arrests
PHUKET: The arrest of one drug user in Patong on Monday morning allowed police to make an appointment with five other druggies later in the day. Acting on the orders of Phuket’s top cop to arrest anyone suspected of drug use, officers in Patong approached Komsak Tongsin, 21, in front of a SuperCheap store on Phrabaramee Road because he “looked…
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Ray Roberts eyes fourth King’s Cup trophy after Day 2 and 3
PHUKET: Cooler weather brought slightly lower wind speeds for the third day (December 4) of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, creating conditions that required good tactical decisions from all of the teams. In the IRC0 class, Ray Roberts’ OneSails Racing team continued their exceptional form to secure another win today in race four, and a 2nd place in race five,…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Mexico finds stolen radioactive material; Putin could free Pussy Riot members; France backing prostitution law; Japanese WWII submarine found near Hawaii
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mexico finds stolen radioactive material amid dirty bomb fear Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Mexican police have found dangerous radioactive medical material stolen by thieves that the United Nations said could provide an ingredient for a “dirty bomb,” the country’s national nuclear safety commission CNSNS said…
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Special Report – Thailand secretly dumps Myanmar refugees into trafficking rings
Special Report PHUKET: One afternoon in October, in the watery no-man’s land between Thailand and Myanmar, well-known to Phuket visa-runners, Muhammad Ismail vanished. Thai immigration officials said he was being deported to Myanmar. In fact, they sold Ismail, 23, and hundreds of other Rohingya to human traffickers, who then spirited them into brutal jungle camps. As thousands of Rohingya flee…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: In honor of HM The King’s 86th birthday
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community His Majesty the King still a guiding light for Kingdom The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: To mark his 86th birthday anniversary today, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej will grant a grand public audience at his Klai Kangwon Palace in Prachuap Khiri Khan. A huge number…
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Phuket honors HM The King with gala event
PHUKET: Leading Phuket officials, honorary consuls, prominent business people, notable dignitaries and social figures from across the island gathered at Phuket Rajabhat University last night to honor HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej for his 86th birthday. The event, which was open to the public, was held at the university’s main conference hall. All guests arrived in splendid formal attire or traditional…
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Phuket Police tracking Vietnamese ATM thieves
PHUKET: Police have been issued arrest warrants for a pair of Vietnamese ATM thieves who are believed to have fled to their home country after making off with 1.6 million baht from a Phuket ATM last month. Nguyen Thanh Quang, 25, and Tran Dang Hoa, 26, are wanted for robbing the ATM at the entrance to Boat Lagoon on November…
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No arrests for work permit delays caused by protests
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO), responsible for issuing work permits to foreigners on the island, remains closed today, but those with work permits set to expire or in process need not fear arrest, PPEO chief Yaowapa Pibulpol told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “At this stage we are not sure when we can re-open the office, but all…
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Phuket beach community honors His Majesty
PHUKET: Hundreds of locals from Phuket’s Cherng Talay beach community turned out in force on Saturday to join a cycling and beach cleanup event to celebrate the 86th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on December 5. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut officiated the opening of the event, organized by the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor), before leading the merit-making…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Truce in Bangkok; Suthep calls for People’s Assembly; More officials face rice-pledge probe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tactical truce reached in Bangkok The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The month-long political confrontation came to a pause yesterday as the nation prepares for His Majesty the King’s birthday tomorrow.In a televised statement, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra urged all Thais to unite, to show their love for…
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Conflicting reports of coral damage at popular Phuket dive site
PHUKET: Many members of the Phuket diving industry stand at odds with the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s (PMBC) assessment of damage to corals at Racha Yai caused by a storm that lashed the region late last month.“The storm that day [November 23] was not the first time corals in the area have been damaged by inclement weather,” PMBC Director Ukkrit…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Protesters enter Government House; Yingluck meets Army Chief; No more teargas, police ordered
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Protesters declare victory The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Anti-government protesters have declared victory today after they were allowed to enter Government House and the Metropolitan Police Bureau.The protesters were seen moving cement barricades earlier blocking their ways at both venues.Protest leaders declared the victory at the Rajdamnoen…
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Phuket marine life honored to celebrate HM King’s birthday
PHUKET: More than 500,000 marine animals were released in Phuket on Sunday to celebrate the 86th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on December 5. Among the animals were over 100 brownbanded bamboo sharks, released as part of an effort to rebuild declining shark numbers in Thai seas. Five species of shark were added to the Endangered Species list at…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Suthep targets police HQ; Protesters hit with live rounds; Train north derails; Woman dies in Rottweiler attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suthep targets city police HQ The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban insisted last night on taking a tough stance against the Yingluck Shinawatra government by calling on his supporters to continue with their efforts to seize the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) – which…
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Student protesters “satisfied’ with results of march on Phuket Police HQ
PHUKET: More than 1,000 student protesters departed from Phuket Provincial Police Station this afternoon satisfied with the results of their march, which had arrived at the island’s police headquarters to ask officers to join their campaign to remove Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office. “We would like all police officers to be working for the people of Thailand, not the…
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Russian tourists rescued from drowning at Patong Beach
PHUKET: Life guards at Patong Beach rescued two Russian men from drowning within 10 minutes of each other yesterday. Vladimir Himonov, 67, was rescued from the surf in front of the Ocean Plaza shopping center (map here) at 11am. “Life guards saw Mr Himonov swimming about 200 meters from shore. They realized that the Russian tourist was struggling in the…
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Phuket Poll: Millions of more tourists are on their way, but why do they come?
PHUKET: As the tourism high season looms nigh, Phuket residents and business folk are readying themselves for another record-setting onslaught of tourists to see the new year in. Right on cue, the Phuket Carnival “Fun Fest”, the island’s annual week-long party to unofficially mark the beginning of the high season, will start on December 15 (story here). Even before the…
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Australian real estate agent in arson murder-suicide over internet usage
PHUKET: Jealousy and his stepson’s obsession with the internet drove an Australian real estate agent to burn down his house around him with his family inside, the man’s wife told Krabi Town Police. Naruthai Port, recovering in Krabi Hospital from serious burns across 60 per cent of her body, told police that Australian Richard Port locked all the doors to…
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Mother, daughter escape falling Phuket power poles
PHUKET: A mother and daughter were unharmed by a power pole that came crashing through the roof of their home on Kata Hill early yesterday morning.The utility pole, which luckily had broken free from the live electrical cables attached to it when it fell, punched a hole through the car port roof attached to the house, explained homeowner Kanlaya Sripitak.“My…
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Phuket protesters promise not to target airport, bus station
PHUKET: Protesters in Phuket have vowed not to attempt to close Phuket International Airport or bus stations on the island as they continue their campaign to garner support from government officers. Last Wednesday thousands of protesters gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall demanding that officers walk away from their desks as a sign of support for the anti-government rally (story here).…
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Be a responsible investor – Phuket Finance
PHUKET: There is much wrong with our world unfortunately. I am guessing this is not news to most of you, and the corporate profit motive is widely accepted as being a major cause of many of the modern world’s largest problems. I am often asked by clients how they can invest in the markets without inadvertently supporting or contributing to…
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Phuket Gazette World News: New York train crash, 4 dead, 70 injured; Fast and Furious star dies; Honduras protests erupt; India space race overtakes China
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New York train derailment kills four, injures 70 Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A suburban New York train derailed on Sunday, killing four people and injuring 70, including 11 critically, when all seven cars of a Metro-North train ran off the tracks on a sharp curve, officials said.The…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Clashes leave 3 dead; Army heads Yingluck-Suthep meet; Social media peace surge
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hospitals say 3 killed, 58 injured The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Three people were killed in yesterday’s unrest and at least 58 injured, according to an official report by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Erawan Health Emergency Centre late yesterday.At least two of the victims died of gunshot wounds.…
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Rasmus Petreus and Melissa Hauschildt win Challenge Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Rasmus Petreus of Denmark and Melissa Hauschildt of Australia are the respective men’s and women’s champions of the inaugural Challenge Laguna Phuket, having crossed the finish line with times of 4:05:06 and 4:30:29, respectively. Mr Petreus was followed closely by Alberto Casadeli of Italy who clocked in at 4:07:13, and his Italian compatriot Alberto Alessandroni in 4:07:52. From strength…
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Phuket officials set date for Patong Carnival
PHUKET: The island’s premier party town of Patong is set to kick off the Phuket tourism high season with its annual carnival, from December 15 through December 20. “Phuket is ready to host thousands of tourists this coming high season. Be assured that you will have a wonderful time here and be impressed with the beauty of our island,” says…
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Phuket Opinion: Changing for a Safer Phuket
PHUKET: While wishing ‘Safer Phuket’ (story here) the best of luck in its difficult mission to raise marine-safety standards in local waters to international levels, it is clear that the new NGO’s success will depend on its ability to change a deeply-entrenched “culture of carelessness” that pervades locally, both on land and at sea. This will be no small challenge.…
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Australian real estate agent, step-son killed in suspected arson attack
PHUKET: Australian real estate agent Richard Port and his 17-year-old step-son were trapped and killed in a house fire that police suspect was intentionally started across the bay from Phuket early this morning, in Ao Nang.“Nobody was able to leave the house as the fire block all the exits. We could hear a woman screaming for help through the front…
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