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Abuse against women on the rise: study
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abuse against women on the rise: study The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Moves to stem the rising incidents of violence against women have not succeeded and in Thailand there are almost 100 abuse cases reported daily, with most of the attackers a partner or family…
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Deep South death sentences prompt fears of attacks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Deep South death sentences prompt fears of attacks The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Security officers were tightening security across the deep South amid fears of retaliatory attacks by insurgents following the Pattani Provincial Court’s verdict on Wednesday sentencing five men to deaths for their roles…
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NRC panel in favour of direct election of Cabinet and PM
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NRC panel in favour of direct election of Cabinet and PM The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A new parliamentary system that has never been seen before in Thailand – separation of the executive and legislative branches where the entire cabinet, including the PM, will be…
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Elections ‘unlikely before 2016’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Elections ‘unlikely before 2016’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The next general election could be delayed by a year, two top ministers said yesterday. In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, Finance Minister Sommai Phasi said bringing back democracy any time before mid-2016 was…
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Video Report: Dutch diplomat poses tough questions to Phuket Governor
PHUKET: The Dutch Ambassador to Thailand posed some tough questions during a visit with the new governor yesterday, honing in on the island’s biggest problems and the future of Phuket’s tourism sector. Due to numerous complaints that have streamed in to the Embassy from Dutch tourists visiting the island recently, Ambassador Joan Boer focused mainly on the high cost of…
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Testing reveals “female’ body washed up on Surin Beach is male
PHUKET: The unidentified body initially reported to be that of a woman found washed up on Surin Beach in September has turned out to be that of a man, police revealed to the Phuket Gazette today. “DNA testing has now confirmed that this is the body of a man – not a woman,” Lt Jeerasak Sungwisut of the Cherng Talay…
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Opinion: Bad timing for Phuket’s full-scale tsunami drill
PHUKET: The announcement of plans to conduct a full-scale tsunami evacuation drill in Phuket on Christmas Day was a surprise (story here), given that the next day marks the 10th anniversary of the most horrific loss of life and devastation in the island’s recorded history. Thankfully, the inevitable complaints about the timing have been lodged, and hopefully it is not…
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Challenge Laguna Phuket ready to break records (video)
PHUKET: A record 900 participants have registered to take part in the second annual Challenge Laguna Phuket triathlon on Sunday. The event’s inaugural edition launched last year with 602 entrants signing up to complete the 1.9 kilometer swim, 90km bike ride and 21km run. The Challenge Laguna Phuket triathlon will bring to a close the iconic week-long “Challenge Laguna Phuket…
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Australian cricketer Hughes dies after being hit by ball
PHUKET: Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died in a Sydney hospital on Thursday, two days after being struck by a ball that led to a “catastrophic” injury which caused “massive” bleeding to his brain and ultimately proved fatal. The international batsman was struck on the neck by a short-pitched delivery when batting in a domestic match on Tuesday, with the force…
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Body of Caucasian man found floating off Phuket beach
PHUKET: Officers are attempting to identify the body of a Caucasian man found floating in the sea off Phuket this morning. The body was spotted by Chaimongkol Yaemaroonpattana, a Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) officer, while he was patrolling the waters near Kata Beach. “I saw the body floating about one kilometer from shore. My colleagues and I retrieved it,…
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Phuket yachts wrap up race series with plain sailing
PHUKET: After the stormy conditions last Saturday, sunny skies and mild conditions greeted the competitors on the Sunday for the Ao Chalong Yacht Club’s (ACYC) Race Series 2 final race day. The final placings came down to who was the most consistent and which boats turned up regularly – persistence and commitment count, helped along for the first time this…
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Brakes not to blame for fatal car plunge from Bangkok mall car park: expert
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brakes not to blame for fatal car plunge from Bangkok mall car park: expert The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Brake failure has been ruled out as a likely cause behind a fatal accident at a Bangkok shopping mall on Tuesday, a police expert has reported.…
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British man arrested in Udon for sex offences in the UK
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British man arrested in Udon for sex offences in the UK The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A British man, wanted for 17 counts of sexual violation and molesting girls under 14 in the United Kingdom, was arrested on Tuesday at a local school in Kumphawapi…
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Military units to be opened for sale of cheap goods and ‘freebies’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Military units to be opened for sale of cheap goods and ‘freebies’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday he would open all military units in Bangkok and encourage business operators to hand out “freebies” to the public in the New…
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PM visiting Laos, Vietnam to discuss trade
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM visiting Laos, Vietnam to discuss trade The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha left Bangkok yesterday on a three-day trip for official visits to Laos and Vietnam to boost cooperation on trade and investment. Vientiane and Hanoi are the third and fourth…
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36 ‘illegal’ resorts face demolition in Thap Lan National Park
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 36 ‘illegal’ resorts face demolition in Thap Lan National Park The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thap Lan National Park officials set up signs early yesterday warning that 36 resorts allegedly encroaching on the park will be demolished, despite reports of officers being threatened while putting…
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Phuket truck driver charged over fatal motorbike collision
PHUKET: A helmet-less Phuket motorbike passenger was killed in an accident on Thepkrasattri Road this morning. Lt Col Sanit Nukong of the Thalang Police was called to the scene, in a northbound lane near the Baan Muang Mai u-turn, at about 10am. In the middle of the road, he found Wirat Sironghoi, 45, gripped with grief, leaning over the body…
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The global habit of printing more currency to alleviate debt pressure
PHUKET: Just as it seems that the United States’ money printing program is finally ending, other major players are taking steps to continue pumping money into the global economy. The prevailing theory for central bankers around the globe seems to include avoiding the less desirable part of the business cycle, which has been around throughout history, at all costs. What…
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Key Phuket vice governor ordered to post near Bangkok
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, 52, today confirmed that he has been ordered to take the post of vice governor in Nakhon Pathom province, on the outskirts of Bangkok, effective December 1. “I have no regret leaving Phuket. I did all my best during my time here,” Vice Governor Chamroen told the Phuket Gazette today. “I will miss Phuket.…
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Italian tourist slashed by teens in botched Phuket bag-snatch
PHUKET: Police have arrested three teenagers and are searching for the gang’s alleged female ringleader after a failed bag-snatch attempt in Karon left an Italian tourist injured. Italian tourists Herbert Wunderer, 49, and Karin Katherina Albert, 54, were walking back to their hotel after midnight on Monday when five youths on two motorbikes pulled up alongside them, said Lt Col…
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Illegal croc north of Phuket lands owner in hot water
PHUKET: An elephant camp owner will be charged only for the illegal ownership of a crocodile after confessing to police that he had also recently possessed a gibbon that died a few months ago. A complaint was filed to a variety of departments about the Khao Lak Elephant Camp, based north of Phuket, which tourists claimed tortured a gibbon and…
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B2bn cash, valuables stashed in police general’s secret home vaults
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community B2bn cash, valuables stashed in police general’s secret home vaults The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a series of raids last week, police discovered secret underground vaults at the home of former crimebuster Pongpat Chayaphan containing assets worth more than Bt2 billion. One of the…
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Sierra Leone man found, clear of Ebola
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sierra Leone man found, clear of Ebola The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Immigration authorities met the Sierra Leone man they have been hunting just as he was about to board a flight at Suvarnabhumi Airport. As of press time, Samuel Sesay, 31, was with officials…
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More U.S. troops deployed in Ferguson to guard against fresh riots
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More U.S. troops deployed in Ferguson to guard against fresh riots Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Missouri’s governor ordered hundreds more National Guard troops on Tuesday to a St. Louis suburb rocked by rioting and looting after a grand jury declined to indict a white policeman…
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Fears surge over Phuket sea gypsy child prostitution
PHUKET: After being contacted by the Phuket Gazette today, local officials and community leaders are taking action over fears that children and teens at the sea gypsy village in Rawai are entering a downward spiral of drugs and prostitution, with girls as young as 10 reportedly offering sexual services to adults. Rawai sea gypsy community leader Ngeem Damrongkaset, 69, told…
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Scores arrested in Beach Games crime crackdown
PHUKET: An island-wide crime sweep during the Asian Beach Games resulted in more than 150 arrests and turned up scores of weapons, illegal drugs and counterfeit items, Phuket’s top cop revealed yesterday. “We must maintain Phuket’s good image and uphold the policies of the Royal Thai Police. It is our job to keep everyone safe and to prevent crime,” Phuket…
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Phuket man killed in high-speed motorbike crash
PHUKET: A Phuket man riding a motorbike at high speed died instantly, after he crashed into the back of a 10-wheeled truck last night. The accident, near Baan Mak Prok in Thalang, took place near a u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road at about 9.30pm, Lt Thanom Thongpan of the Tah Chat Chai Police told the Phuket Gazette. “According to witnesses, 37-year-old…
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Phuket beach vendors fear police investigation
PHUKET: More than 100 out-of-work beach vendors gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday to file a complaint with the governor regarding a land encroachment investigation by the Karon Police. The vendors presented the letter to Governor Nisit Jansomwong – along with a letter from the Ministry of Interior, dated January 3, 2005, that gave permission for people to operate businesses…
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Comprehensive worldwide survey examines the expat experience
PHUKET: Online expatriate networking site InterNations recently released its first Expat Insider report, which provides insight into the experience of those who choose to live, retire or work abroad. The report is an agglomeration of survey results from about 14,000 respondents representing 165 nationalities residing in 169 countries. The questionnaire focuses on the traits of a host country, including quality…
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‘Billion baht’ police arrested linked to insurgency, oil smuggling
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Billion baht’ police arrested linked to insurgency, oil smuggling The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two crime-fighting agencies agencies have been assigned to investigate a series of high-profile arrests – including Central Investigation Bureau Commissioner Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan – over a longstanding contraband petrol trade…
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