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Phuket Police put drug gang on ‘ice’
PHUKET: A planned police operation that took place throughout Phuket last week resulted in the arrest of seven members of a drug gang and the seizure of thousands of ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and half a kilo of ya ice (crystal meth).The arrests were announced at a press conference on Saturday, organized by the Crime Suppression Unit of the Phuket…
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Patong Tunnel by 2017: EXAT Governor
PHUKET: The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) Governor, Aiyanat Tinapai, has announced that the Patong Tunnel project may see the light of day by 2017.The news came at a meeting with Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa and other high-ranking officials at Phuket Provincial Hall on Friday.Mr Aiyanat explained that Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan assigned EXAT to…
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Missing Phuket tourist whitewater rafter found dead
PHUKET: After three days of searching, rescue workers this morning found the body of a man who disappeared on Friday after a horrific whitewater rafting accident in Phang Nga, north of Phuket. The Egyptian Embassy named the man as Hossamellein Mostafa Abdallas Hamada, 24, and confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today that the family had been notified and had already…
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Phuket Execution: Two suspects confess, one maintains innocence
PHUKET: Two of the three men arrested for the shooting execution of Sumittra Namfak in Phuket on Saturday have confessed to taking part in the murder. The third suspect continues to proclaim his innocence. Police today had the suspects stage a re-enactment of the crime at the victim’s house in Thung Thong. The house was empty during the re-enactment as…
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Phuket finishes seventh as Youth Games close
PHUKET: The 28th National Youth Games, dubbed the “Phuket Games”, officially closed yesterday with a full-scale closing ceremony at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town.Thousands turned out to brave the wind and rain, which somehow miraculously mostly missed the venue, allowing the onlookers and performers to enjoy the event.Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, Maha Sarakham Governor Chuen Warin, Sports Authority of Thailand…
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Phuket PAD protests reconciliation bills
PHUKET: Phuket supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), also known as the “yellow shirts”, burned effigies of 2006 coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin and fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in response to a red-shirt protest in Phuket on Friday. Rallying at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town on Saturday morning, the PAD members demanded that red-shirt supporters…
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R.I.P. “FC Phuket’: New “Phuket FC’ prevail in league cup
PHUKET: FC Phuket has finally been laid to rest and will from hereon be known as Phuket FC – the Islander. Club executives announced the news before the start of a league cup match in Sa Kaeo province on Saturday. Marking the climax of a suspenseful roller-coaster year in which the club was overshadowed by looming financial uncertainty, the change,…
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Landslide fears prompt Phuket Governor to push for Patong Hill road repairs
PHUKET Governor Tri Augkaradacha is pressing the central government for an emergency 80-million-baht budget to shore up Phra Barami Road on Patong Hill, which is deemed at high risk of collapse from landslide due to heavy monsoon-season rain. A section of the road, just west of the Chinese shrine at the top of the hill, is already earmarked for repairs…
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Pickups spin out of control on major Phuket road
PHUKET: Two pickup trucks spun out of control and ended up on the median strip of Phuket’s busy Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew last night after a third pickup truck screeched to halt after hitting a dog.Somchai Tankanya, 40, was driving in the right-hand lane when suddenly a pickup to his left, being driven by a 36-year-old who declined to…
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Suspects deny ‘execution’ of Phuket woman
PHUKET: The three men arrested for the shooting murder of 55-year-old Sumittra Namfak in Phuket yesterday have denied the charges. Ms Sumittra was shot in the head at close range at her home in Thung Thong, Phuket, yesterday afternoon. Savit Jongruk 28, Aroon Patan 28, and Sanguan Phu-]ngern 26, were arrested at Tah Chat Chai police checkpoint yesterday as they…
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Thai debutant Danchai denies Paine hat-trick victory at Laguna Phuket Marathon
PHUKET: A “last-gasp” burst by Danchai “Dan” Pankong of Surat Thani pushed him over the finish line to become winner of the Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) in Phuket today. The 29-year-old student, competing in his first-ever Laguna Phuket marathon and only his sixth-ever full 42-kilometer marathon, dashed the hat-trick hopes of two-time champion Stephen Paine of Australia. Paine led…
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Phuket Opinion: English language skills in urgent need of honest assessment
PHUKET: The results of last week’s online readers’ poll indicate stark differences in perception among foreigners and Thais about the level of English-language proficiency among local people working in the tourism industry. Most people who identified themselves as Thai thought these skills were good or excellent, while tourists and local foreign residents rated them quite poorly. [See story, page 8,…
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Phuket red shirts protest reconciliation bills
PHUKET: About 20 Phuket red-shirt supporters rallied at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday to protest the Constitution Court ordering Parliament to stop the third reading of the hotly contested “reconciliation bills”. Coinciding with the red-shirt protests in front of Parliament in Bangkok that began on Thursday, and concluded yesterday, the Phuket contingent filed a letter of complaint to Phuket Vice Governor…
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Phuket Gazette: Negotiators leave Iran nuclear talks empty-handed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community IAEA, Iran fail to reach deal on nuclear probe Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The United Nations (UN) nuclear watchdog says no progress was made after hours of talks with an Iranian delegation in an effort to seal a deal on resuming a long-stalled investigation…
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Police to crackdown on Euro 2012 football gambling
PHUKET: Police will target “likely” venues in a crackdown on gambling in Phuket during the Euro 2012 football tournament, which kicked off last night and culminated in a 1-1 draw between Poland and Greece.“We received an order [from the Police Region 8 Headquarters] about two weeks ago instructing us to target those areas likely to be venues for gambling,” Phuket…
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Phuket homeless man found dead at Saphan Hin
PHUKET: Phuket Police suspect that a homeless man found dead at Saphan Hin Park this morning died as a result of consuming too much alcohol in an attempt to keep warm during the current wet weather. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Nanon Pitakkultorn received a 191 hotline report at 7:30am informing him of a deceased man laying next to Gymnasium…
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Phuket officials render assistance to storm victims
PHUKET: Officials in Srisoonthorn and Cherng Talay, on Phuket’s west coast, today inspected more than 30 houses damaged by the storm yesterday. Many of the homes had portions of their roofs blown off by the strong winds, while others were battered by falling trees. The roof of a drinking water plant flew off and fell onto two houses in the…
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Phuket Sports: F1 – Behaving badly
PHUKET: Roll up, roll up for the Canadian GP at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The track, on a man-made island in the St. Lawrence River, is a series of straights held together with a few strange curves and a magnetic wall. It’s a power circuit, which has been dominated by Mercedes engines in recent years, so McLaren should do well.…
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Phuket “baraku’ bars still under the microscope
PHUKET: At a press conference held at Provincial Hall yesterday, Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada detailed the current state of affairs concerning the investigation into the island’s baraku bar business. During the meeting, V/Gov Chamroen stressed that all baraku bars – “baraku” being the Malay-derived word for hookah water pipes – could be adequately controlled using existing laws and regulations.…
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Phuket Gazette readership approaches 50,000 – new look, Property Review launched today
PHUKET: The launch of a series of new supplements and expansion of the Phuket Gazette‘s Andaman, Nationwide and Airline editions has driven the newspaper’s circulation to close to 50,000 readers a week. The Nationwide and Airline editions, both printed and distributed by Gazette partner newspaper The Nation, have kept pace with the rapid growth of the local Andaman edition here…
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‘Marathon Man’ flies in for Laguna Phuket run
PHUKET: Confirmed to take part in the Laguna Phuket International Marathon on Sunday is Australia’s renowned “Marathon Man” Trent Morrow, the Phuket Gazette has learned. Due to arrive on the island today, marathon and ultra-marathon runner Morrow has successfully completed 49 marathons and nine ultra-marathons since 2008 and is the only person to successfully complete a marathon in all states…
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International crime-fighters to meet in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket will host an international crime-fighting convention next month targeting money laundering and transfer of ownership of Phuket land to people or organizations overseas. The seminar, being organized by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), will feature experts from anti-money-laundering organizations such as the Ministry of Justice in Switzerland. Among them will be Peter Ritchie, senior adviser of the International…
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Phuket inks rice deal with Maha Sarakham
PHUKET: Trade representatives from Phuket and Maha Sarakham have entered into bilateral negotiations centered primarily on the supply of scented jasmine rice from the Northeastern Thai province. Marking the start of a promising commercial alliance, the development was highlighted by the signing of a trade memorandum at the Pearl Hotel in Phuket Town on Tuesday. The general terms of the…
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Phuket probe given 30 days to report on land clearing
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak has given local government 30 days to confirm whether or not the clearing of a plot of land in Srisoonthorn, Thalang District, was legal.The news follows V/Gov Somkiet’s inspection of the site yesterday, after a complaint was filed with the Phuket Governor’s Office.“The person who filed the complaint said he had previously filed a…
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Phuket storm rips open school roof, children evacuated
PHUKET: Children at Phuket’s Kajonkietsuksa School on Chao Fa West Road, Wichit, were evacuated from the school this afternoon after strong winds tore open a section of roof, allowing the driving rain inside.Rattana Ketkul, financial manager at the school, confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that no children were injured in the incident, but the students were moved to another building.“We…
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Phuket woman loses husband, then killed in hit-and-run
PHUKET: A Phuket woman was killed instantly while trying to cross Thepkrasattri Road in Srisoonthorn last night when she was struck by an unidentified car traveling at high speed.Thalang Police Duty Officer Somkid Khaosang received the accident report at about 9:45pm.Col Somkid and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers arrived at the scene to find the deceased woman lying on the northbound…
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Phuket lashed by storm, flash floods
PHUKET: Driving rain and strong winds continue to lash Phuket today as small flash floods blocked roads this morning, causing long traffic tailbacks across the island. In the 24 hours preceding 7am, the weather monitoring station in Phuket Town recorded 58.8mm of rainfall, while the monitoring station at Phuket International Airport recorded 56.0mm. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued…
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Phuket mother questions mental health care after screwdriver attack on 7-year-old son
PHUKET: The 7-year-old victim of a screwdriver attack by a mentally ill man in Phuket Town has recovered from his physical injuries, but his mother fears that the psychological trauma caused may take much longer to heal. Krittamet “Best” Kingsaiyut’s mother, Chareerat Naksri, was told by doctors that the stab wound to her son’s head was only two centimeters deep.…
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Phuket bar operators fined for holiday trading
PATONG Police arrested and fined some 12 bar operators for selling alcohol on the Buddhist holiday, Visakha Bucha Day, on June 4. Comments from bar owners that no warning was given for bars to close for the holiday fell on deaf ears, although one bar owner pointed out that only months ago a senior police officer in Phuket was reported…
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Thais in Phuket confident in English skills, but foreigners disagree
PHUKET: The results of the latest Phuket Gazette online poll show that a strong majority of foreign and expat residents find English-language skills in the local tourism industry very poor – but the small fraction of Thais who took part tended to rate them quite highly. A total of 1,864 people took part in the two-week poll launched on May…
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