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  • Phuket bouncers’ conduct to be reviewed after brutal beating | Thaiger

    Phuket bouncers’ conduct to be reviewed after brutal beating

    PHUKET: President of the Patong Entertainment Business Association Weerawit Kurasombat has called on representatives from nightlife venues in Patong to gather tomorrow to review policies concerning the conduct of bouncers. “I plan to implement strict rules about the use of violence by security,” Mr Weerawit said. “If any bouncer at any club is violent with a tourist, the club will…

  • Phuket Riot: Cause of motorists’ deaths confirmed, intent under investigation | Thaiger

    Phuket Riot: Cause of motorists’ deaths confirmed, intent under investigation

    PHUKET: The cause for the two men’s deaths that was the catalyst for the Phuket riot has been confirmed. However, Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat will continue his investigation for the Ministry of Interior on whether or not the officers who crashed into the men’s motorbike were using excessive force. “A doctor has verified that Patomwat Panarak, 22, and Teerapong…

  • Bangkok Airways’ Phuket-Hat Yai route launched | Thaiger

    Bangkok Airways’ Phuket-Hat Yai route launched

    PHUKET: Bangkok Airways officially launched its daily direct flights between Phuket and Hat Yai on Sunday. Bangkok Airways will serve daily flights between Phuket and Hat Yai, on a 70-seat ATR72-500/600, with flights from Phuket to Hat Yai departing at 7:25am and arriving in Hat Yai at 8:30am and Hat Yai to Phuket departing at 9:10am and arriving in Phuket…

  • Go Teng poles raised, Phuket Vegetarian Festival underway | Thaiger

    Go Teng poles raised, Phuket Vegetarian Festival underway

    PHUKET: Vegetarian Festival participants raised Go Teng poles at every Chinese shrine in Phuket at sunset yesterday to allow the Jade Emperor, one of the Nine Emperor Gods, to descend from the heavens – marking the start of the 2015 festivities. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada was one of hundreds of white-clad observers who attended the pole raising at the Jui…

  • Opinion: Government, police, families have much to answer for after riot | Thaiger

    Opinion: Government, police, families have much to answer for after riot

    PHUKET: Violence of any kind, regardless of who is involved, should be condemned in the strongest terms. But in the case of the 12-hour riot on Phuket over the weekend, it’s hard not to have at least some sympathy for those who instigated it. The mayhem was the direct result of the killing of two alleged drug dealers who were…

  • One dead as mob blockade delays rescue efforts | Thaiger

    One dead as mob blockade delays rescue efforts

    PHUKET: A Phuket rescue worker believes that the rioters who attacked Thalang Police Station and blockaded Thepkrasattri Road (story here) might have played a role in the death of a patient who was being transferred from a hospital in Krabi to a better equipped Phuket hospital. “An ambulance from Krabi was blocked from going to Bangkok Hospital Phuket by the…

  • Violent Phuket rioters to be hunted down | Thaiger

    Violent Phuket rioters to be hunted down

    PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada today swore to bring to justice the rioters who attacked Thalang Police Station on Saturday night. “I am sorry for the deaths of the two men; they were Phuket people. However, anyone who breaks the law must face justice. The people who set fire to the cars will not escape,” Governor Chamroen said. The investigation…

  • Flash floods hit Chalong | Thaiger

    Flash floods hit Chalong

    PHUKET: Heavy rains drenched Chalong, causing flash floods, while other parts of the island have remained sunny today. Lt Chollada Chokdeesrijun of the Chalong Police warned motorists to beware of flooding in the area after nearly an hour of heavy rain fall. “Small vehicles have started to be able to pass the area, as the water level is getting lower,”…

  • Island View: Indication of the inconsiderate | Thaiger

    Island View: Indication of the inconsiderate

    PHUKET: A few weeks back, driving from the Heroines Monument to Phuket Town, I was nearly run off the road half a dozen times by drivers who – other than not paying attention to their wing mirrors – failed to indicate while changing lanes. By the time I made it home, I was pretty much a nervous wreck. And, since…

  • Phuket-Satun bus fire claims life of 12-year-old | Thaiger

    Phuket-Satun bus fire claims life of 12-year-old

    PHUKET: A fire that broke out on a Phuket-Satun bus on Wednesday claimed the life of a 12-year-old girl on Saturday, confirmed Lt Sorasak Jandee of the Takua Thung Police. The girl, named by police only as Panida, is the second of four victims admitted to the Phang Nga Hospital ICU to die from smoke inhalation. The other two victims…

  • Phuket real estate shrugs off Bangkok slowdown | Thaiger

    Phuket real estate shrugs off Bangkok slowdown

    PHUKET: In terms of property, Phuket seems to be worlds away from Bangkok, where the market has experienced a slowdown, mostly because the island is more affected by events outside of Thailand than inside the Kingdom, Robert Collins, managing director of Savills (Thailand), said earlier this week. Because the Bangkok market has dipped, three real-estate associations recently urged the government…

  • Phuket mob attack on police yields results | Thaiger

    Phuket mob attack on police yields results

    PHUKET: Tension between police and local residents in Phuket province that escalated into a riot at a local police station on Saturday evening appeared to ease after an inquiry panel was formed to look into the death of two young men during a police pursuit. Police representatives met with families and relatives of Pathomwat Panarak, 22 and a 17-year-old teen,…

  • Investment strategies for large sums of cash | Thaiger

    Investment strategies for large sums of cash

    PHUKET: Consider the following investing dilemma: You have recently received a large sum of money (from a pension payout, inheritance, the sale of property or a business) and you want to put this money to work for you. However, interest rates and returns on what are considered to be the safest investments (for example US and European bank deposits and…

  • Locals attack Phuket police station, set fire to cop cars | Thaiger

    Locals attack Phuket police station, set fire to cop cars

    PHUKET: An angry mob attacked Thalang Police Station and blockaded Thepkrasattri Road in an attempt to get to Superintendent Amnuay Kraiwuttianan last night. The group of about 60 of the protesters descended on the station at about 6pm, setting fire to at least six police vehicles. The outraged mob claimed that police used excessive force in their attempt to arrest…

  • Police arrest minivan driver for drug running | Thaiger

    Police arrest minivan driver for drug running

    PHUKET: Police last night arrested a van driver at the Tah Chat Chai Checkpoint after officers discovered 3,921 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and four grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) in the vehicle he was driving. The driver, Sutthichai Kongsamut, 34, told police that he was running methamphetamine for a drug lord operating out of a prison in Nakhon Sri…

  • Phuket-Satun bus fire claims second life | Thaiger

    Phuket-Satun bus fire claims second life

    PHUKET: One of the four victims admitted to Phang Nga Hospital ICU from a Phuket-Satun bus fire died from smoke inhalation on Thursday. Sunisa Chookaew, 25, was the second person to die from injuries sustained in the fire. Daeng Thaharat, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three others remain in comas at the hospital. On Wednesday, a total of…

  • Gazette’s Vegetarian Festival’s must sees [video] | Thaiger

    Gazette’s Vegetarian Festival’s must sees [video]

    PHUKET: As the sun sets on Phuket on October 12, all Chinese shrines taking part in the annual Vegetarian Festival will raise their go-teng poles so that the Jade Emperor, among the Nine Emperor Gods, can descend from the heavens, heralding the beginning of this year’s event. It can all be overwhelming for first timers. So, here at the Gazette,…

  • A Decade Ago: Do you remember the TTVI Center? | Thaiger

    A Decade Ago: Do you remember the TTVI Center?

    PHUKET: Those new to the island – relatively speaking – might not have the visceral churning in their guts when they hear the name ‘TTVI center’. However, island residents who were here at least a decade ago know that TTVI stands for Thai Tsunami Victim Identification. The center was tasked with identifying 3,777 of the bodies recovered from the six…

  • Phuket Town meth network unraveled, guns seized | Thaiger

    Phuket Town meth network unraveled, guns seized

    PHUKET: Police confiscated four firearms, 194 rounds of ammunition, 3,507 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills and 31 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) during a two-day raid on a Phuket Town drug network. “The contraband seized was in the possession of the four suspects we arrested,” Lt Col Prawit Engchuan of Phuket Provincial Police said yesterday. The string of arrests started…

  • Opinion: Action against smog | Thaiger

    Opinion: Action against smog

    PHUKET: The unprecedented expanse of smog blanketing Phuket in recent months has quite rightly trained the spotlight on Indonesia, where out-of-control forest fires continue to belch smoke into the atmosphere at a dangerous rate. Although illegal in Indonesia, ‘slash-and-burn’ land clearing techniques that set off these annual conflagrations have long been a source of friction between Indonesia and its neighbors,…

  • Phuket air pollution back to safe level | Thaiger

    Phuket air pollution back to safe level

    PHUKET: Air pollution levels in Phuket have dropped back down to safe levels today, following the Indonesian haze descending on Phuket this week. “The 24-hour average was down to 89 micrograms [PM10] per cubic meter, which is already within safe limits,” said Pornsri Suthanarak, the director of the Regional Environmental Office. Average air pollution levels climbed up to 201 earlier…

  • Phuket Governor cautious, but ready to demolish Surin beach clubs | Thaiger

    Phuket Governor cautious, but ready to demolish Surin beach clubs

    PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada vowed to be cautious in his dealings with the numerous beach businesses, including several iconic beach clubs, occupying government buildings along Surin Beach. “If it was up to me, I would have them torn down,” Governor Chamroen said yesterday. “However, I don’t have the authority to do that. We will need to review the appropriate…

  • Haze causes more delays for flights at Phuket Airport | Thaiger

    Haze causes more delays for flights at Phuket Airport

    PHUKET: All flights were back on schedule by noon today after seven planes were delayed due to the dense Indonesian haze, confirmed Amnuay Sarachart, deputy director of the AoT Phuket Office. “However, we are worried about the conditions tonight and will be monitoring visibility closely,” said Mr Amnuay. This morning, pollution levels from the haze continued to climb with an…

  • Phuket night club fires bouncers after brutal beating of Aussie tourists | Thaiger

    Phuket night club fires bouncers after brutal beating of Aussie tourists

    PHUKET: Management from the White Room Night Club in Patong today denounced the violent actions of five of their bouncers in a confrontation with six Australian tourists last night. A video of security guards brutally beating two of the Australian tourists was shared on Facebook and quickly went viral. “We, the management of White Room Night Club, are shocked and…

  • Opinion: Fixing potholes and mindset | Thaiger

    Opinion: Fixing potholes and mindset

    Kanin Raksaraj, 31, owns a recycling business in Paklok, Phuket. A native of the island, he is also currently studying toward a bachelor’s degree in political science at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. He and his friends are noted as the team who fixed the potholes on the bypass road. Here he talks about why he and his friends find this…

  • Foreign Ministry shifts gear as smog tightens grip on South | Thaiger

    Foreign Ministry shifts gear as smog tightens grip on South

    BANGKOK: The Foreign Ministry is exploring all possible means, including diplomacy, in its bid to tackle the spread of haze into southern Thailand from agricultural fires in neighboring Indonesia. “We would like to assure people living in Thailand’s South and anyone affected by the haze that we are doing our best,” Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai said yesterday, as smog…

  • Phuket air pollution levels climb to new heights [video] | Thaiger

    Phuket air pollution levels climb to new heights [video]

    PHUKET: Pollution levels from the Indonesian haze that has descended on Phuket continued to climb over the last 24-hours, with an average of 201 micrograms (PM10) per cubic meter. Tourists are still going to Phuket’s beaches despite the health risks from the Indonesian haze. The reason: no one has told them a health warning has been issued. Video: PGTV The…

  • One dead, 12 injured in Phuket-Satun bus fire | Thaiger

    One dead, 12 injured in Phuket-Satun bus fire

    PHANG NGA: Locals were able to save the lives of all but one person trapped inside a flaming Phuket-Satun bus this morning. A total of 21 passengers were on the bus, which was parked on the hard-shoulder of Petchkasem Road, in Phang Nga province, while the 54-year-old driver, Prathueng Sakkaew, used a borrowed welding torch to fix his seat. “While…

  • Snorkelling tourist dies on Phuket day trip | Thaiger

    Snorkelling tourist dies on Phuket day trip

    PHUKET: Employees of a speedboat tour company were unable to save the life of a snorkelling client at Koh Kai yesterday evening. Despite their efforts, the 32-year-old Chinese tourist, Daliang Wang, was declared dead by medical staff upon arrival at Rassada Pier. “Employees explained that Mr Daliang was snorkelling when he was spotted struggling in the water. He appeared to…

  • Free air pollution masks distributed at Phuket hospitals, government offices [video] | Thaiger

    Free air pollution masks distributed at Phuket hospitals, government offices [video]

    PHUKET: Government hospitals and offices on the island are handing out free air pollution masks due to the steadily thickening Indonesian haze that has settled over Phuket. Tourists are still going to Phuket’s beaches despite the health risks fromthe Indonesian haze. The reason: no one has told them a health warning hasbeen issued. Video: PGTV “Due to the current air…