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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Warning on wet-season power
PHUKET TOWN: The Manager of the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA), Sornchai Uparamai, has warned that wet and windy conditions during the monsoon season may cause electrical accidents. Anyone who sees broken power lines, poles, or other potentially dangerous situations is urged to call the PPEA on 076-210427/8.
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Convention center “benefits all’
KRABI: A regional improvement conference at Krabi has been told that an international convention and exhibition center (CEC) on Phuket would also benefit other provinces. Provincial Vice Governor Winai Buapradit told the conference on August 22 that the Thai Government was prepared to spend 800 million baht on the CEC and was in the process of choosing a site. Anupharp…
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26 arrested, but gambling boss escapes
PHUKET TOWN: Police raided a gambling den in a shack behind the Metropole Hotel early this morning, arresting 22 men and four women. Phuket Town Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, who led the raid, said, “We acted on tips from our sources who said there were people gambling behind the hotel. We arrested 26 gamblers, who are all being held…
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Prostitution? Odds are against it
PHUKET: Latest police statistics reveal a big contrast between the crimes of prostitution and gambling in the period between August 1 and August 25. While 223 people were arrested for gambling in that period, up by 21 over the same period in July, there was not a single arrest for prostitution, compared with the 12 made between July 1 and…
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Hundreds of Burmese deported
PHUKET TOWN: Hundreds of illegal Burmese were sent home today in trucks, and Immigration officers are hunting for hundreds more they say are still in Phuket. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Office, said, “We are seeking more escaped Burmese who are hiding out in all kinds of places.” The colonel also said that the department was investigating…
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We do, we do, we do
PHUKET TOWN: Six couples were married in a mass wedding today at Satree Phuket School in Phuket Town, with grooms coming from as far afield as Australia and the US. Naowarat Wongkaew, 33, from Chumphon, first met Australian architect Trevor Draydon, 48, six years ago in Bangkok. “My husband likes Thai culture, especially the wedding ceremony,” she said. The Gazette…
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Green fuel gets green light
AO MAKHAM: Viset Choopiban, President of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), this morning announced that the PTT will continue to offer fuel free of excise tax and VAT to the operators of Thai fishing boats. The project, called “Green Fuel for Fishermen in the Andaman Sea” because the tax-free diesel is dyed green, was launched as an experiment six…
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Sea Gypsy village raid nets 500 fish
RAWAI: Phuket Marine Police on Sunday seized more than 500 fish of protected species in a raid at the Sea Gypsy village off Wiset Rd. Two men seen in possession of the fish managed to escape. Pol Lt Col Prathuang Srilamontri told the Gazette that officers, acting on a tip-off, arrived at the village at 9 pm and surprised two…
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New tourism targets for the South
PHUKET TOWN: A sweeping plan for tourism in the Phuket region will give each destination a clear identity and a target market. The project, covering all southern provinces, seeks to suggest appropriate government budgets, and focus on the image of each spot. The plan will be overseen by MP Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr, as President of the Southern Thailand Tourism Improvement Planning…
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Marijuana arrests at full moon party
KAMALA: Police raided a full moon party at the Rhythm & Beach Cantina in Kamala and arrested three foreigners for allegedly smoking marijuana on the beach nearby. “There were 40-50 at the party, but only three foreigners who were smoking ganja on the beach,” said Pol Lt Col Narong Laksanawimol, of Kathu Police Station. Pilaiwan Maotaknoi, the manager of Rhythm…
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Earless body found in “Burmese Cemetery’
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a man with the ears cut off was found in the notorious “Burmese Cemetery” over the weekend. The man’s torso and face bore about 100 stab marks. Villagers found the man, lying face down and dressed only in underwear, in mangroves behind the fishing port on Sri Sena Rd about 8 am on Saturday. While…
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Tourism road show wins buyers
PHUKET: A “Southern Paradise” tourism road show to Singapore and Malaysia was so successful that the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) has decided to do another, to the Middle East. Panu Masirat, Vice-President of Marketing for the PTA, told the Gazette that the attractions of spas and Thai massage proved very appealing to people in both countries. There were 25 booths…
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Phuket-inspired music CD launched
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket-born album producer Jumpol “Goh Khai” (Older Brother Khai) Thongtan this week launched a limited-release album called “Pleng Phuket”, labeled in English as “Pleasant Tunes of Phuket”. The one-hour launch took place at the classic Sino-Portuguese home of Pracha Tantawanich, a well-known senior citizen of Phuket, whose house is a popular tourist sight in Phuket Town. K. Jumpol…
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Samui killer ‘may be box jellyfish’
PHUKET: A scientist and a yachtsman today suggested that the seaborne killer responsible for the deaths of two tourists in waters around Koh Pha-ngan may have been a box jellyfish, reputed to be the world’s most venomous marine creature. Two tourists were killed in separate incidents earlier this month at Koh Pha-ngan, near Koh Samui, with one victim’s legs bearing…
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Renewal date reminder for foreign labor
PHUKET: The one-year permits for registration of Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian laborers expire on September 25, the Phuket Employers Club (PEC) reminded members yesterday. The rules have also been tightened, the PEC said. The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare will allow only laborers who already have work permits to renew for another year. In addition, this year, freelance foreign…
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Killer jellyfish “unknown in Phuket’
SURAT THANI: A biologist said today that a killer jellyfish blamed for the deaths of two tourists in separate attacks near Koh Samui had never been seen in Phuket’s waters. Supot Chantrapornsyl, Marine Biologist at Phuket’s Marine Biological Center, told the Gazette that the “Portuguese Man of War” which was found in local waters could sting painfully and inflame the…
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Parents urged to ‘love their children more’
PHUKET: A government psychologist has urged parents to give their children more love and care in order to prevent them shacking up with girlfriends or boyfriends. Psychologist Pariyat Saengthat’s comments came in the wake of a survey by the local Provincial Public Welfare Office (PPWO) of 16- to 25-year-olds, conducted last month. K. Pariyat, who works with the PPWO, told…
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Four nabbed far from home
CHALONG: Three people from a northern hilltribe were arrested on Tuesday for being outside their legal residential area, and one more was charged with foreign currency exchange offenses. Ai-lhu Praiboonserm, a 23-year-old hillsman with Thai citizenship, was arrested in the Phuket Country Home estate where he was allegedly working as a tour guide without a licence. Police say he was…
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Burmese couple “ran Thai ID racket’
PHUKET TOWN: Police say that a Burmese couple arrested for running an illegal lottery also ran a racket creating Thai identities for hundreds of Burmese laborers. The racket extended across four provinces and police investigations are continuing into what officers suspect may have been be a “widespread conspiracy”. The couple, named as Rujikorn Kiawchaay and his wife, Jaidee, are Burmese…
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Housing auction disappointing
PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Government Housing Bank (GHB) sold just 12 of 75 repossessed properties at its most recent auction, a GHB official told the Gazette today. The auction, on July 27, at which bidding for most properties started at 80% of their estimated value, raised 12.4 million baht. The bank had expected to sell all 75 properties,…
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Patong develops a taste for pawn
PATONG: After a slow start, the Patong Municipality pawnshop on Ratpatanusorn Rd is picking up business. Pawnshop Manager Chalerm Koompani told the Gazette yesterday, “At the beginning only a few people came to the pawnshop because most people still didn’t know that Patong had one. “Now the store averages 40-45 customers a day. Most are Thai, even though the store…
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More blackouts in August
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced more scheduled blackouts for August, in order to continue work on high-voltage power lines. All blackouts will be from 9 am to 4 pm. They are as follows: August 21, Phuket Town: west side of Thepkrasattri Rd from the PPEA substation north of Phuket Town to Moo Baan Permsin Tani, and…
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Appeal for witnesses to attack on mayor
TUNG TONG: Police have made a fresh appeal for witnesses to the unsolved murder attempt on Patong Mayor Surasak Maneesri to come forward. But they believe that fear may be keeping witnesses quiet. Two months have passed since a gunman fired on the mayor’s Mercedes-Benz car at the traffic lights outside Tesco-Lotus. Three shots, fired at close range, went through…
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Dolphin ‘may be victim of epidemic&’
AO MAKHAM: Efforts by villagers, tourists and biologists to save a sick dolphin have been in vain, and a scientist has warned that more of the sick animals may be expected to wash up on Phuket’s shores, the victims of some kind of epidemic. The aging two-meter female striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), which was rescued from the beach at Karon…
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Washed-up dolphin wins reprieve
KARON: A two-meter dolphin was rescued from Karon beach today, given medication and food, and returned to the sea within hours. Villagers tried to help the stranded striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) after a passing tuk-tuk driver saw it washed up on the north end of the beach about 7 am. When Louise O’Brien from New Zealand jogged past about 9…
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Teenage snatch-and-ride robbers held
PHUKET: Police have arrested six teenagers, including a 14-year-old German-Thai girl, for bag-snatching and stealing motorcycles. They also arrested a 20-year-old man. The arrests follow a two-week police investigation, leading to the arrests last Friday of the 20-year-old, Somchai “Mike”Saewong, and his 16-year-old girlfriend who was three months pregnant (the couple already have two children). On Sunday, two teenage boys…
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Students attend anti-drugs camp
PHUKET TOWN: More than 70 students regarded as being “at risk” have completed a special seven-day camp at Khao Pra Taew Wildlife Conservation Center. The camp, which ended on Monday, concentrated on the dangers of drugs but also dealt with underage sex and aggressive behavior. Students who had seen others fall prey to ya bah (methamphetamine) or misuse cough syrup…
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Nature lays on the fireworks, too
PHUKET: In Saphan Hin the TAT will be firing off fireworks tonight and, if the clouds clear, Phuket residents will also have an excellent opportunity to watch a natural fireworks display, in the form of a meteor shower in the early hours of tomorrow morning. The meteor shower, an annual event known as the Perseids, is expected to be visible…
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Gov denies reassignment rumor
PHUKET: Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today scotched rumors that he will move from Phuket in October, saying that he wants to stay another year. Widespread rumors – which the Governor admitted had reached his ears – have predicted that he would leave in October’s annual rotation of government personnel. Some rumors even speculated as to the name of his…
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Chavalit backs devolution of power
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, today reaffirmed the government’s commitment to devolution of political power from Bangkok to the provinces. In a speech at the Royal Phuket City Hotel to 600 representatives of Provincial Administration Organizations (OrBorJors) from all over Thailand, Gen Chavalit stressed that local administrations are a way of distributing power. Despite…
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