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Top Phuket official issued urgent order to relinquish post
PHUKET: Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol has been ordered out of Phuket, effective October 28. Mr Veera told the Phuket Gazette that he received the “urgent order” to leave the province within 10 days at 3pm today. “I actually heard the news last night, but the official order came this afternoon,” he said. “I have not been given a precise…
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Phuket Opinion: Scare tactics to keep Chinese safe
PHUKET: A few weeks ago I was swimming at Racha Island, in Batok Bay. When I got out past the breakers I found myself face-to-face with a Chinese man on a boogie board. He immediately struck up a conversation with me, asking where I was from. After determining that I do not speak Chinese and have no plans to visit…
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Phuket Opinion: New top cop staying tough on drugs
The new Phuket Provincial Police Commander, Ong-art Phiwruangnont, 59, is from Yasothon. He graduated from the Royal Police Cadet Academy and has spent his entire career in the police force. Before coming to Phuket, Maj Gen Ong-art was Provincial Police Commander in Nakhon Ratchasima.Here he talks about why his priority is eradicating drugs from Phuket, and why gambling should be…
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Former Phang Nga official assassinated at relative’s funeral
PHUKET: A former Phang Nga official was assassinated by a single bullet to the head while dining at his cousin’s funeral in Ao Luek, Krabi, early yesterday morning.Sittipon Thongkum, 49, was shot dead while sitting down to eat with relatives at the funeral of Somchok Khammee’s brother. Mr Somchok is village headman of Moo 2, Khao Yai, in Krabi.“People said…
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Investigators find no bodies in charred ruins of SuperCheap, yet
PHUKET: Investigators searching the scorched remains of SuperCheap discovered no bodies yesterday but called for boots and rakes as they recommenced their search this morning.“I have already requested the equipment from the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor),” Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut told the press today.Amid concerns that the debris and smoke may pose an environmental hazard, officials from the Natural…
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Phuket SuperCheap blaze damage estimated at B500mn
PHUKET: After 18 years in Phuket, the main SuperCheap store and warehouse were gutted on Wednesday in the island’s largest-ever fire.Located on a 30-rai (4.8-hectare) plot once occupied by a factory, the main SuperCheap store – a legacy of the Anantajaroonwong family – had grown from being a rickety warehouse supported by wooden pillars and a corrugated-iron roof into a…
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Phuket Gazette World News: More bombs in Myanmar; Washington goes back to work; Wildfires threaten Sydney; Pirate attacks surge off Nigeria
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More bomb blasts in Myanmar as police arrest four suspects Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Several bombs exploded in northeastern Myanmar on Thursday, police said, the latest in a string of unexplained attacks, including a blast this week that injured an American tourist in a plush hotel in…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: PM orders flood action; Govt mulls ISA add-on; First-car scheme costs Bt30bn payout
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prime minister orders immediate action in flood-affected provinces The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A priority list of flood-relief provisions was issued yesterday by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to immediately tackle the problems faced by flood-affected residents, via a network of local administrative bodies under Interior Ministry supervision.The…
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Search begins for victims of Phuket SuperCheap inferno
PHUKET: Officers from Region 8 Police Forensics arrived at the aftermath of the Phuket SuperCheap inferno just before 4pm today. Within minutes, the team of investigators began their search for victims near the main entrance at the front of the store, and looked for possible causes of the fire. SuperCheap management and the police have yet to issue any public…
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Phuket backhoe driver killed in bedrock collapse
PHUKET: A backhoe driver working at a quarry in Kathu died today when a large chunk of bedrock fell onto the cab of his digger, crushing him and the cab.Officers have yet to determine why the huge slab of granite collapsed onto the backhoe operated by Sudrak Nawakoaksorn, 31, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat.Mr Sudrak turned up for work at the…
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Phuket Town landlord found hanged
PHUKET: Police are not treating as suspicious the death of a Phuket Town landlord who was found hanged in her three-story home in the heart of Old Phuket Town yesterday morning. Saranpitchaya Suwannacheep, 40, was found hanged at her shophouse home in Soi Soon Uthit (map here) at about 10am by her younger brother. “My sister owned an apartment building…
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One dead, one injured as Phuket locals head home from work
PHUKET: A 26-year-old man died early yesterday morning while he was heading home from work in Phuket Town after his motorcycle rammed into the back of an 18-wheel truck travelling slowly in the left lane. Truck driver Wichet Boonsong, 43, from Phattalung, was delivering a load of sheet metal from Songkhla when he heard something crash into the back of…
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Man borrows girlfriend’s motorbike for Phuket purse-snatching
PHUKET: A man borrowed his girlfriend’s motorbike on Tuesday, snatched two purses and rode home, only to be arrested a few hours later. Watchara Sornsud, 25, first grabbed the bag of Russian tourist Anastasia Zabello as she was walking in Soi Bang Yai behind Big C on Tuesday morning, said Wichit Police Superintendent Chaowalit Petchsripia. Ms Zabello noted that he…
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Patong’s flood problem largely solved by 2014, Phuket Governor says
PHUKET: Patong’s flood problems will be 85 to 90 per cent solved by the middle of next year, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut predicted this week. In addition to the 19 million baht gate that will be added to the canal at the south end of Patong, (story here), 9.7 million baht in funds have been requested to dredge the Pak…
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![Phuket SuperCheap Inferno: Search for victims delayed as fire continues [VIDEO] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAyOTUgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Phuket SuperCheap Inferno: Search for victims delayed as fire continues [VIDEO]
PHUKET: Flames continued to ravage Phuket’s renowned SuperCheap megastore this morning, stifling any efforts to search for victims caught in the inferno that broke out at the huge shopping facility last night. Fresh reinforcements of firefighters arrived early today to relieve those who battled the flames throughout the night. Plumes of smoke continued to rise into the morning sky. Inferno…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Last-minute deal buys US debt crisis delay
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. Senate passes deal to end debt crisis Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The U.S. Senate approved a deal on Wednesday to end a political crisis that partially shut down the federal government and brought the world’s biggest economy to the edge of a debt default that could…
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BREAKING NEWS: Main SuperCheap in Phuket Town demolished in blaze
PHUKET: The main SuperCheap shopping warehouse in Phuket burst into flames tonight, turning into an unstoppable inferno and sending a cloud of black smoke over a kilometer into the air. Every fire truck in Phuket was called to the scene, as well as trucks from nearby provinces. Fire fighters have yet to get the blaze under control and are now…
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Phuket beach encroachment: Keesin family will play by rules
PHUKET: Leading Patong figure Preechavude ‘Prab’ Keesin responded yesterday to the inspection that singled out his family’s resort by expressing his willingness to take down any structures found to be encroaching on the beach. Mr Prab, whose father is Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, told the press fears of erosion had led to sea walls being built on the beach in…
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Action to be taken on coral, wastewater at Racha Island
PHUKET: A framework to deal with longstanding problems at Racha Yai Island, particularly coral damage and wastewater, was drafted at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning. To prevent boat operators from damaging corals by dropping anchor on them, 20 more moorings will be added, though their locations have yet to be determined, said Tanet Munnoy, director of the…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Finn berry-picking fiasco probed; PM vague on special Chinese deal; Protestors get the itch to stay; MBK big plans include Phuket
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community DSI to probe berry-picking fiasco The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will take over a case in which workers from the Northeast were duped by a promise of berry-picking jobs in Sweden and Finland – then left unpaid and unaided abroad.Some workers…
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Phuket corruption scandal taken to PM Yingluck
PHUKET: Patong business owners – tired of inaction by Phuket authorities in tackling corrupt officials collecting an estimated 50 million baht a month – have filed a complaint directly with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. “I handed the complaint personally to Suranand Vejjajiva, the Secretary General to the Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra,” Phuket businessman and adviser to the Thailand…
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Phuket meth mule nabbed at island bridge
PHUKET: Police last night arrested a drug runner at the Tah Chat Chai Checkpoint who confessed to smuggling drugs from Surat Thani and selling them in Phuket Town.Acting on a tip-off, police stopped and searched a Honda Jazz being driven by Sitthichai Chusang, 39, at about 8:30pm while he was trying to leave the island.Officers found only 300mg of ya…
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Patong mayor’s resort targeted for land encroachment
PHUKET: The government’s self-branded “anti-mafia” campaign continued yesterday as Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak led local officers to inspect the Patong Bay Garden Resort on Patong Beach for suspected encroachment onto public land. The resort, owned by Patong Mayor Pian Keesin and his son Prab, was the only resort along Patong Beach that was inspected yesterday. However, the raid…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt considers extending Internal Security Act enforcement; Kids addicted to computer games; Dealer donates ya bah to ease suffering
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Students who opposed retreat to Lumpini Park draw further support The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A splinter group of the People’s Army against the Thaksin Regime has drawn so much growing support from the public that the government is now considering whether to extend the…
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Dozens charged over illegal fireworks at Phuket Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: Phuket City Police arrested 21 people for setting off dangerous fireworks during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which drew to a close at midnight on Sunday. A further seven people were arrested for selling firecrackers without a permit. Phuket City Police chief Sermpan Sirikong said celebrants were warned before the annual festival that police would be taking a dim view…
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Phuket roadworks driving motorists to alternatives
PHUKET: The local authorities responsible for main roads across Phuket will spend hundreds of millions of baht in road upgrades to make commuting in Phuket safer and faster. The news was delivered by the chiefs of the Department of Rural Roads Phuket Office and the Phuket Highways Office at a meeting with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut at Provincial Hall this…
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Phang Nga officer charged with trafficking kicked off force, awaits trial
PHUKET: The first police officer in Thailand to be charged with human trafficking has been discharged from the Royal Thai Police force. Weerayuth Feuangfu, formerly a sergeant major with the Phang Nga police, is free on bail as he awaits his trial in early November on charges of human trafficking, helping a refugee leave a shelter and abusing his position…
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Five in hospital in Phuket Vegetarian Festival Shrine food scare
PHUKET: Five people, including a 14-year-old girl, were rushed to hospital after eating a curry dished out to over 100 participants at a Phuket Vegetarian Festival Shrine yesterday.The five affected are believed to have suffered extreme reactions to alocasia included in a curry served at the Tah Reua Shrine in Thalang, doctors told the Phuket Gazette.Alocasia is in the Araceae…
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Phuket Sports: BISP and Cruzeiro unite
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) will be announcing the launch of its new football academy at the forthcoming international seven-a-side football tournament (November 8-9, 2013), which is held annually on the school campus. The aim is to develop a center of footballing excellence in Asia under the coaching auspices of the premier Brazilian football club, Cruzeiro EC. An essential…
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Racha islander: Health center necessary to save tourists’ lives
PHUKET: Racha Yai islanders on Saturday urged Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut to build a health center on the popular day-trip isle as one way to solve the problem of tourist drownings there. The Chinese embassy has already promised money to support the construction of the center, they said. “To save tourists’ lives, we need a health center on the island.…
![Phuket SuperCheap Inferno: Search for victims delayed as fire continues [VIDEO] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/phuketnews_The_ruins_of_the_building_this_morning_Firefighters_continued_to_batt_22519_MQETSdypzT_jpeg.jpg)
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