News
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Krabi ya bah mules arrested at Phuket checkpoint
PHUKET: Police at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint on Saturday arrested two Krabi men in possession of 3,932 ya bah (methamphetamine) tablets with an estimated street value of nearly 1.2 million baht, police said. At around 11am, officers led by Lt Col Thawat Tansakul stopped the Krabi-registered pickup being driven by Sayan Dumkeaw, 30, with Thirapong Naun-on, 21, as passenger. “The…
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Single Asean visa would benefit tourism: Phuket poll
PHUKET: The results of the latest Phuket Gazette Poll show that a slight majority of readers overall think that a single Asean visa, similar to the Schengen visa used by 15 European countries, would benefit tourism to Phuket. Results of the poll showed that 53.2% of readers overall thought having a single Asean visa would bring more tourists to Phuket.…
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Phuket blackouts continue in Chalong tomorrow
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has scheduled another blackout in Chalong tomorrow to carry out maintenance on high-voltage power lines. The power cut is set to begin at 9am and expected to end around 4pm. The affected areas will be along the east side of Chao Fa West Road from Wat Chalong to Chalong Circle, including Soi Mae Lamai,…
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Phuket water shutdown postponed
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority (PPWA) this morning canceled the major water mains shutdown that was set to affect key parts of Phuket Town and nearby areas today and tomorrow. PPWA Manager Sayan Wareearoonroj said the new water mains could not be installed because some parts did not fit the old mains. The department needs a few more days…
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Thais eye nuclear power; steroids as gay lube; drug bust
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Is Thailand ready for nuclear energy? PHUKET: The Nation reports that energy officials and private operators renewed their support for nuclear power development in Thailand at a seminar on Friday, amid resistance from protesters as well as…
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Phuket calm while Thailand on red alert
PHUKET: In Phuket as well as the rest of Thailand today all eyes will be on the red shirts and the national security situation as protesters commemorate the fourth anniversary of the September 2006 military coup and the fourth month since the crackdown on the bloody rally in Bangkok. Security has been beefed up in Chiang Mai and Bangkok but…
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Phuket Opinion: Muslim prayer rooms are part of local life
PHUKET: News that Rawai Municipality is considering building a surau (Muslim prayer facility) at Laem Phromthep has ruffled some feathers among Gazette readers, though at this stage it is difficult to understand why. Few details have been made available about the project because it is just in the conceptual stages. However, that fact hasn’t stopped readers from expressing concern that…
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Storm off Phuket sinks trans-Pacific kayakers’ dream
PHUKET: While paddling nine kilometers off Phuket’s southeast coast just after midday on August 24, two men in a kayak braced as a wave shattered the support beam holding together their twin-hull sailing kayak. As strong winds lashed the raised sail, the kayak listed and seawater gushed into the left hull. The boat began to sink, and along with it…
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Korean commits suicide in Phuket
PHUKET: A Korean man found hanging by the neck at a Patong guesthouse this week had told his long-term Thai girlfriend he had safely returned to South Korea, police said. The body of 34-year-old Lee Jai Yup was discovered at Tina Guesthouse on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road on Tuesday afternoon. Just days earlier, Mr Lee had seen off his girlfriend…
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Phuket Town officials tackle Saphan Hin woes
PHUKET: Foul smells, litter strewn throughout the area and a downturn in local trade were named as three of the biggest problems arising from large-scale events being held at the Saphan Hin central stage area, officials were told on Wednesday. Located at the Tin Mining Monument roundabout, the stage and its large brick-paved open area (about the size of a…
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Phuket expats urged to complete on-line census
PHUKET: Foreigners living in Phuket can now take part in the 2010 National Census by completing an on-line data form available at the National Statistical Office (NSO) website: www.nso.go.th. After several failed attempts using a Firefox browser, the Gazette contacted the NSO and was informed by its ICT Center that the data entry “works better” using Internet Explorer. Participants must…
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Phuket Moon Festival celebrations begin Monday
PHUKET: The Chinese Moon Festival will be celebrated in Phuket with three nights of activities at Queen Sirikit Park on Thalang Road in Phuket Town, starting at 7pm on Monday. The event is organized by Phuket Municipality, the Muang District Culture Committee and the Old Phuket Foundation. Phuket Town Mayor Somjai Suwansupana announced details of the festival on Wednesday. “The…
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Two firsts for Phuket King’s Cup 2010
PHUKET: In a move to broaden the appeal of yacht racing and support youth sailing in the region, organizers of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta have announced two major changes to the annual international event. It was announced yesterday that, for the first time, in the regatta’s 24-year history, dinghies will race as part of the official King’s Cup Regatta…
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August drug cases up 70% year-on-year: Phuket Police
PHUKET: August has seen a 70% jump in the number of reported drug cases year-on-year in Phuket, according to statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. According to the statistics, 333 were people arrested in 305 drug cases last month, a 70.1% increase on the number of cases reported in August 2009. However, the numbers for last month were down…
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Phuket murder suspect Lee Aldhouse faces swift extradition from UK
PHUKET: The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in Bangkok has petitioned UK authorities to place Lee Aldhouse under provisional arrest when he is released from Wormwood Scrubs Prison in London on September 24. Mr Aldhouse, 28, is wanted for the stabbing murder of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in Rawai on August 14. The incident occurred after a brawl…
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New Phuket hospital to open next year: Paiboon
PHUKET: The long-awaited Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) Hospital is likely to open early next year, PPAO President Paiboon Upatising has told the Gazette. The hospital was scheduled to start offering limited medical services last month, but procedural delays have deferred the planned “soft opening”. The PPAO is still waiting for the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in Bangkok…
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Phuket sea gypsy cultural center moves ahead
PHUKET: The award-winning design of the Orang Laut Culture Center is one big step closer to construction now that the extra budget needed has been approved. The Phuket Cultural Office (PCO) announced they will soon be seeking tenders for construction. The center, which takes its name from the Malay Orang Laut, meaning “sea people”, will be built at Baan Laem…
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Phuket engineer slain in Cherng Talay
CHERNG TALAY: A construction engineer was gunned down yesterday evening on the main road linking Thalang Town and Cherng Talay. Cherng Talay Police received a report at 9:30pm that a man had been shot dead on Baan Don-Cherng Talay Road. Arriving at the scene, Superintendent Witoon Kongsudjai and duty officer Capt Tatchagrit Ritnuang found the bloody, bullet-riddled body of Sirichai…
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Phuket police grill prime suspect in karaoke girl murder
PHUKET: The prime suspect in the investigation into the murder of a karaoke hostess whose body was found south of Patong on Tuesday presented himself at Chalong Police Station yesterday morning. Phitsanulok native Nipon “Maew” Pongpanit, 20, was subjected to more than 10 hours of questioning by police. He was wanted for questioning over the rape and murder of his…
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Phuket blackouts: Chalong tomorrow, Rawai Friday
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced scheduled blackouts in Chalong tomorrow and in Rawai on Friday, in order to continue its work on power lines in those areas. The power outages will take place from 9am to 4pm on both days. The following areas will be affected: September 16, Chalong: East side of Chao Fa West Road, from…
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Qatar Air ready for Phuket; Sheraton Phuket eyes mice
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Qatar Air to launch daily flights to Phuket PHUKET: Qatar Airways will expand and strengthen its first and business class offerings with the addition of Phuket to the airline’s Thailand routes. The daily service to and from…
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Phuket’s dirtiest road set for October cleanup
PHUKET: After months of dumped trash piling up along Pracha Uthit Road in Rassada, efforts to clean up the mess will start October 1, Rassada Municipality has confirmed. Nichmon Keatmanee, Director of the municipality’s Public Health and Environment Division, said: “We admit that Pracha Uthit Rd is under the responsibility of Rassada Municipality. We have a private company to pick…
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Phuket police identify karaoke murder victim
PHUKET: Police this afternoon identified the body of the woman who was raped, murdered and abandoned in the hills just south of Patong. They told the Gazette the corpse was that of karaoke hostess Anicha Khaigunha, 21, from Khon Kaen. Her body was found about three kilometers from Sirirat Rd, halfway between Patong and Karon, by waterworks contractor Ong-ard Kongkaew,…
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SUCCESS: Phuket sea gypsies salvage oil carrier
PHUKET: A team of sea gypsy divers have successfully re-floated and towed ashore the Choke Taworn 6, which sunk in heavy seas off Phuket earlier this month with an estimated 25,000 liters of diesel fuel aboard. The team, led by Surin Pramongkij, successfully brought the vessel to the surface at 11am. The boat was then towed by its sister vessel…
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Phuket sea gypsies perform turtle exorcism ritual
PHUKET: Sea gypsies in Rawai held an exorcism ceremony on Mai Thon Island recently to seek forgiveness from their guardian spirit. They were hoping to appease spirit Balai Da Toe after two fellow sea gypsies died from food poisoning in June after eating Hawksbill turtle meat. Many others fell seriously ill, but survived the meal. The late-August ceremony, involving the…
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Phuket Town tackles power line problem
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality, working with the Provincial Electric Authority and public and private telecommunication companies, on Saturday began stripping down unused power lines and other overhead cables along Mae Luan Rd in Phuket Town. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana told the Gazette the pilot project is part of a municipal plan to beautify Old Phuket Town and surrounding areas.…
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“Passion for Fashion” show raises money for Phuket charity
PHUKET: Over 250 Phuket locals and tourists raised a whopping 250,000 baht for underprivileged children at the Andara Resort & Villa’s “Passion for Fashion” charity fashion show in Kamala on Sunday afternoon. Resort General Manager Andrew Whitaker said the event was a “win, win” for all involved, with 100% of proceeds from all tickets going to a worthy cause. The…
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Phuket siren song: DDPM chief says “pump up the volume’
PHUKET: The head of Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) pronounced this morning’s tsunami evacuation drill in Patong an overall success, but said he would call for an increase in the volume of the “siren song” from the Soi Bangla tower so that it can be better heard in windy conditions. More than 1,000 people, mostly students from…
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Call for action over illegal Burmese workers in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce (PCC) is demanding that action be taken to deal with the the large and growing population of Burmese in Phuket. Dr Sirichai Silapa-archa, chairman of the PCC and also a deputy director at Vachira Phuket Hospital, told the Gazette that the number of newborns at Vachira alone ranges from about 60 to 100 a…
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Art Village Weekend at Royal Phuket Marina
PHUKET: Art lovers will want to visit Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) on September 18 and 19, designated “Art Village Weekend”. The weekend includes several forms of art and music, including paintings, sculptures, mixed media, handmade products, batik apparel, postcards, tattoos, performance art, shadow puppet shows as well as performances by local bands and other talented artists. All are invited to…
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