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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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Japanese tourist foils abduction attempt amid Phuket Police “media blackout’
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police have ordered a “media blackout” for Phuket, with only the local police superintendent authorized to release information to the media, the Phuket Gazette has learned. News of the blackout follows yet another disturbing report involving a tourist and a local, although this one has a happy ending – thanks to a brave Japanese tourist. According…
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Meth addicted woman terrorizes Phuket temple
PHUKET: A deranged, knife-wielding woman had people running for cover at a Phuket temple yesterday until she was finally stripped of the weapon and placed under police custody. Chalong Police were notified at 10:30am that a knife-wielding woman was terrorizing people on the grounds of the Wat Sawang Arom School, off Soi Happy Home in Rawai, according to Siangtai Daily…
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Bangkok oil refinery fire; under control
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fire at Bangchak’s oil refinery brought under control Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: A blaze at the Bangchak oil refinery in Soi Sukhumvit 64, Bangkok, believed to have been caused by a leak in a pipeline, has been brought under control with no injuries reported.…
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Thailand Sports: FIVB; Olympics; Golf; Snooker
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Spikers return in triumph from World GP Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: The Thai women’s volleyball team are still on cloud nine after clinching a best-ever finish of fourth in the FIVB World Grand Prix, which ended on Sunday. It was the first time that…
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Firemen scramble as Thai warship catches fire
PHUKET: Firefighters this morning scrambled to contain a fire that broke out on the retired warship RTMS Lanta, now a museum and tourist attraction in the heart Krabi Town. Fortunately, no people were injured in the blaze. Lt Col Thongchai Sengrod of the Krabi Town Police said that he received a report at 11am that smoke was billowing out of…
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Young couple caught in Phuket meth bust
PHUKET: Phuket Police last night arrested a man and a woman in their 20s in possession of category one drugs at their home in Thalang. The couple are suspected of selling drugs to teenagers in the area. Lt Col Prasan Towon, at about 11:20 pm last night, led a team of Thalang Police to raid an address in a housing…
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Oil slick endangers Krabi mangroves, clean-up ordered
PHUKET: Krabi authorities have launched a massive cleanup operation after a boat struck rocks and spilled a large volume of oil into the sea, resulting in extensive damage to protected mangrove forests in Neua Khlong District, about 130 kilometers east of Phuket across Phang Nga Bay. The spill was first reported at 9am Saturday morning. How much oil was spilled…
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Phuket Simon Cabaret van slams into parked cars to avoid head-on
PHUKET: A Phuket Simon Cabaret passenger van, returning after dropping off guests, late last night slammed into cars parked outside a roadside garage in Thalang as the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle. Thalang Police were notified of the crash at 12:30am today. Arriving at the scene, on a curved section of Srisoonthorn Road about a kilometer west of…
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Sweet words from Army; Rural docs plead; Thai suspect in Mekong killings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sweet words from the Army’s wary men in the middle Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Military leaders appear to be on the horns of a dilemma over whether they should stay out of politics, while standing at the center of the political landscape with opposing…
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World News: Russian roulette goes tragically wrong
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Florida teen kills self during game of Russian roulette Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: An American teenager, who was critically injured last week while playing a game of ‘Russian roulette’ with friends has died at a hospital in central Florida, police said on Sunday. The…
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Phuket Town “Blue Flag Fair’ to start Thursday
PHUKET: The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) office in Phuket Town will hold a “Blue Flag Fair” with cheap food and consumer goods at Saphan Hin on July 5-7. The event, to be held at the Central Staging Area at Saphan Hin Public Park, follows the success of the Blue Flag fair held at Sanamchai field, in the government office…
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Phuket Gazette: Roland might have key to longer life
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Naked mole rat may hold key to longer, healthier life for humans Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Finding out what causes the extremely long and active lifespan of naked mole rats could lead to longer and healthier lives for humans, American and Israeli researchers said…
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Phuket Business: Notice and redemption periods
PHUKET: One thing many investors don’t understand when looking at a fund fact sheet, is how long it will take to get their cash back when they sell. There are generally two pieces of information you’re looking for: one is the notice period and the other is the redemption period. These two things, in addition to a third factor –…
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Phuket tuk-tuk driver gets suspended sentence for attack on tourist
PHUKET: A Phuket tuk-tuk driver who confessed to assaulting an Egyptian tourist in Patong last week has been sentenced to a three-month suspended prison term and fined 3,000 baht. Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Kittipong Klaikaew identified the driver as 40-year-old Sirapob Ngamriab. Patong Police were notified of an assault on a tourist in front of the Jungceylon shopping complex on…
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Phuket police arrest Cherng Talay burglar
PHUKET: A member of a gang of burglars who target high-end homes of foreigners living in the Cherng Talay area was arrested over the weekend and presented to the Phuket press today. The suspect, 27-year-old Wittawat Maneesri, was presented to the press by Col Jirasak Siamsak along with over one million baht’s worth of stolen electronics and other valuable seized…
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Phuket Live Wire: The real meaning of ‘Do Not Track’
PHUKET: Professionally, I live in a world that’s just about equally divided between people who run around with tin foil hats on their heads, and people who don’t particularly care about internet privacy. In 1999, Scott McNealy, the former CEO of Sun Microsystems, famously said, “You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.” Steve Manes, the guy who wrote the…
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Seven injured as fishing boat explodes
PHUKET: Seven people were rushed to hospital after an explosion erupted on board a Phuket fishing boat queued up to take on ice at Por Pichai Company wharf, in Rassada, yesterday.Phuket City Police were notified of the explosion at 8:10am and rushed to the scene along with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers.At the scene, rescue workers found the Sathaporn 7 half…
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Phuket Business: The changing landscape of Phuket’s property sector
PHUKET: Demand on Phuket for condos is skyrocketing, highlighted by strong annual growth figures, which is in contrast with slumping sales of other housing types. A survey conducted by the Research & Development Department of Plus Property Co Ltd found that 2,641 new condominium units were sold on the island from April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012 – an…
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Phuket Gazette: Leap second added to compensate for Earth’s rotation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Horologists add leap second to compensate for Earth’s rotation time Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Horologists added a so-called leap second on late Saturday night, compensating for the Earth’s rotation which is gradually slowing down. It was the 25th leap second to be added but…
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Chinese tourist drowns at Patong Beach
PHUKET: A 19-year-old Chinese tourist drowned last night at Patong Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, after going for a night swim with a female friend.Sakhon Chaithong, chief lifeguard at Patong Beach, told the Phuket Gazette that two Chinese tourists were pulled from the surf near Laem Petch, at the north end of Patong, at about 7:30pm.Foreign tourists spotted the two…
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Phuket divided over best approach to surf safety: Poll
PHUKET: While there is a broad consensus that more needs to be done to warn visiting tourists of the dangers of monsoon-season surf, Phuket Gazette readers are divided over what method would be the most effective at getting the message out. In the online poll, the Gazette asked readers: “The monsoon season is here and once again hardly a week…
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Swedish Road Deaths: Crash driver sentencing deferred – again
PHUKET: The handing down of the court sentence to the driver of a refrigerator truck that killed four Swedish tourists and their Thai driver in Phang Nga early in February, has been deferred for the second time, the Phuket Gazette has learned. The driver, 27-year-old Muhummadyukee Jehyusoh, turned himself in to Khok Kloy Police on February 3, two days after…
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Phuket Police chief orders more night patrols
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul has ordered all police stations across Phuket to take part in the formation of a “Special Operations Unit” in order to boost patrols in key tourist areas from 9pm to 4am. Maj Gen Chonasit announced the news on Thursday at a meeting of the Regional Peace Keeping Council, Phuket Office, headed by Phuket…
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Drug suspect caught in Phuket after year on the run
PHUKET: A man wanted in connection with a police bust involving 9,600 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills last year was arrested last night while walking along Wiset Road in Rawai. The warrant for the man, Kriangkrai “Fad” Mahasod, 24, was issued by the Phuket Provincial Court on September 19 last year. The court issued the warrant pending charges being brought against…
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Two dead in Phuket as motorbike swerves to avoid fallen power pole
PHUKET: Two men died and one was seriously injured in Phuket this morning in a single-vehicle motorbike crash after the driver swerved to avoid a utility pole blocking the road in Mai Khao. Tah Chat Chai Police received the report at about 5am and arrived at the scene, about 100 meters from the Holiday Inn hotel, along with Kusoldharm rescue…
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Phuket Sports: Golf round-up and tips
PHUKET: After the excitement of the US Open, the PGA tour moved on to the TPC River Highlands golf course at Cromwell, Connecticut for the Travelers Championship. Newly crowned US open champion Webb Simpson and Masters Champion Bubba Watson started the first two rounds with Keegan Bradley. Going into the last round, Brian Davis was in second place on 10…
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Phuket FC draw Bulls, ready for derby match
PHUKET: Phuket FC held their own on Tuesday night against Thai Premiere League side Wuachon (Fighting Bulls) United, holding the Songkhla-based side to a 3-3 draw at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. Though only a friendly match, the Islanders came out gunning. They built up a 3-0 lead before the visitors from Songkhla realized that Phuket was not to be…
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Experts call for Phuket ‘Special Admin Zone’
PHUKET: Experts speaking at a public forum held in Phuket Town last week have voiced their strong support for Phuket to be designated a “Special Administrative Zone”, saying the move would pave the way to resolving many of Phuket’s long-standing problems. Dr Chantinee Boonchai, assistant to the president for Organization and Collaboration Development at the Prince of Songkla University (Phuket…
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James Lakin, founding member of Rawai Supports’ Club, passes away
PHUKET: James Lakin , long-term Phuket resident and one of the founding members of the Rawai Supporters’ Club, has died at the age of 38.Mr Lakin, nicknamed “Shaggy” by his friends, died on the evening of June 23, having suffered from a heart condition.His funeral will be held at Wat Sawang Arom in Rawai today and the wake will be…
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Weird World News: Vote for sex; Mandarin teachers strip and turtles – hold that position
PHUKET: We all know that sex sells, but this latest Weird World News Round-up is about pushing the limits: a female Mexican presidential candidate encourages women to withhold any “favors” if their husbands don’t vote; a instructional website that exposes pupils to flesh as well as Mandarin Chinese, and a pair of turtles is caught in their favorite position for…
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