News
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The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...
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Nepalis protest rape, extortion at Phuket police station
PHUKET: Over 200 ethnic Nepalese converged at Patong Police Station last night to protest the actions of a Thai man they allege raped at least four members of their community and stole and extorted valuables of several other Nepali women. The alleged rapist, 29-year-old Phakpoom Maneerat, was arrested in Phuket Town at about noon yesterday. A native of Nonthaburi province,…
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No landslides in Phuket: Officials
PHUKET: Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat and Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Chief San Jantharawong yesterday dispelled landslide warnings for two areas in the north of Phuket. The two top officials inspected Baan Phru Somparn in Thepkrasattri Subdistrict and Baan Mak Prok in Mai Khao, both in Thalang District, after the government Disaster Relief Committee included the two villages on its…
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Stars join Thai, Japan disaster relief event in Phuket
PHUKET: Guitarist Yuki Masahiko of popular Japanese rock band Lucifer will join a bevy of Thai stars at a “walking street” event on Thalang Road in Phuket Town on April 9 and 10. The event is being held to raise money for victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the recent flooding and mudslides in southern…
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Phuket LIve Wire: TOT shuts off international downloads
PHUKET: Out of the blue last week a friend of mine sent a panic message: Suddenly, for no reason he could discern, he was unable to download the security update to Adobe Flash. He was sure he had a virus, and the virus was blocking Flash updates. It’s a reasonable concern – in fact, my first reaction was to run…
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Phuket joins relief efforts for flood, landslide victims
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) today shipped 1,000 medical kits to hard-hit Nakhon Sri Thammarat province as part of its efforts to provide assistance to flood and landslide victims throughout Southern Thailand. Today’s effort follows the PPHO delivering 1,050 first-aid kits to flood-stricken areas yesterday. The kits were shipped to Weingsra Hospital and Phra-saeng Hospital in Surat Thani…
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PM visits, Phuket rescue teams assist in flooded South
PHUKET: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday visited parts of Krabi where rescue teams from Phuket are assisting victims of devastating mudslides and flooding earlier this week. The Thai premier, accompanied by high-ranking military staff including Royal Thai Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayut Chan-O-Cha, toured a shelter at Wat Tam Kob in Na Khao subdistrict, offering consolation and encouragement to victims staying…
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Phuket Police arrest snatch thief in Patong
PHUKET: Phuket Police yesterday arrested a man for a snatch-and-ride robbery in Patong the night before. Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Manop Rakharp. The arrest followed a complaint by Teerawat Pansopa, 23, that a man on a Yamaha Fino motorbike snatched his bag as he walked along Sirirat Road in Patong at about midnight on Wednesday. The white bag…
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Phuket expats to get microchip implants in new surveillance scheme
As of today, all foreigners living permanently in Phuket are to receive mandatory microchip implants in a move designed to keep track of their movements with new GPS technology. Phuket will be the first province to launch such a system, with the rest of the country expected to follow suit in the coming months. Retired expats will be the first…
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Storms smash Phuket fishing boats
PHUKET: This week’s storms have put the livelihoods of many of Phuket fishermen at risk after violent waves damaged more than 30 fishing boats and left fish farming pens washed up onto shoreline rocks. Kawi Saranakhomkun of the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office yesterday said that villagers from all three districts of Phuket had asked the office for help after their…
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Phuket officials deny “mudslide in paradise’
PHUKET: Authorities have dismissed media reports that an “immediate evacuation” was called for Phuket earlier today due to the risk of landslides. Officials at both the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) in Bangkok and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office in Phuket (DDPM-Phuket) said reports of an evacuation order for Phuket carried on Thai television news programs and…
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Phuket man shoots wife, kills self
PHUKET: A Phuket motorbike taxi driver shot his wife while she was sleeping and then turned the gun on himself this morning – all while the couple’s two children were sitting in the next room. Thung Thong Police led by Superintendent Kraithong Junthongbai were notified of the tragedy at 8:30am. At the scene, a home in the Ketho residential estate,…
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Navy rescues stranded tourists as Phuket storms continue
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command yesterday rescued Thai and foreign holidaymakers, including many bound for Phuket, who were stranded on the Similan and Surin islands due to the heavy seas. HTMS Bangpakong, under the command of Joint Rear Admiral Rangsarit Sattayanukul, at 2pm sailed to the Similans from its port at the navy base in Thap Lamu,…
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Phuket Update: One dead, four injured in Krabi mudslides
PHUKET: Officials in Khao Phanom District, Krabi, have dismissed Phuket-based media reports that “thousands are missing” following two landslides in the district. The confirmed toll this morning is one dead and four injured, two seriously, they say. An officer at the Khao Phanom District Office internal security division in Krabi told the Phuket Gazette, “The first mudslide occurred yesterday in…
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‘Japan crisis won’t hit Phuket tourism’: PTA
PHUKET: The Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) believes the crisis in Japan will not have serious effects on the island’s economy, though it has cautioned that numbers of visitors from affected areas are likely to fall. Somboon Jirayus, president of the PTA, said the 9.0-Richter earthquake and resulting tsunami that have devastated Japan would have psychological effects in the short term.…
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Phuket faces worker shortage
PHUKET: The Phuket tourism industry is facing a huge labor shortage, with more than 5,000 positions currently vacant on the island, the Phuket Employment Office chief has warned. Noppadon Ployyoudee said there was strong demand for workers in Phuket, particularly at hotels and businesses connected to the tourism industry. Among those needed are reception staff, service staff, sales people, handymen,…
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Double down: Ex-con nabbed in Phuket drug bust
PHUKET: Thalang Police on Friday night arrested a man they described as an “important” ya bah (methamphetamine) dealer who previously served an eight-year stretch in jail on drug charges. Panya Kumanchan, 39, told police he had been smuggling the ya bah from Bangkok to Phuket for two years before his capture. Mr Panya, alias “Nueng Mueang Non” (Neung from Nonthaburi),…
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Phuket storm: Gov orders landslide watch
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha today ordered all government officers to be on the lookout in high risk areas where the onslaught of rain may cause landslides. “As it has been raining heavily in Phuket for the past few days, it may cause problems with flooding and landslides,” said Gov Tri. Specifically, he ordered all three District Offices in Phuket…
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Phuket storm winds rip yachts off their moorings
PHUKET: Severe weather conditions in Phuket today broke several boats from their moorings and pushed them ashore at Ao Yon, near Cape Panwa. Many boat owners were caught unaware by the force of the storm as the bay had long been considered a safe shelter at this time of year. “Last night, very strong winds challenged the moorings and quite…
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Services for Phuket’s Lionel Cleary
PHUKET: A memorial service will be held for the late Lionel Cleary at Rawai Temple (Wat Rawai) tomorrow evening, starting at 7pm. Mr Cleary, a regular visitor to Phuket for 29 years and a resident for more than 18 years after that, died of organ failure on Friday. “People wishing to pay their respects are advised to arrive from 6pm…
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Southern storms delay Love Aid Phuket
PHUKET: The Love Aid Phuket concert due to take place this Saturday has been postponed because of wild weather that has wreaked havoc over Phuket and other southern provinces in recent days. The music event was being held to raise money for survivors of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. In a formal announcement this afternoon, organizers said the decision had…
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FC Phuket 2 – 0 RBAC
PHUKET: FC Phuket now sit atop Division 1 of Thai League Football, following a hard-fought 2-0 win in rainy conditions at Surakul Stadium this evening. A goal well into the second half by FC Phuket striker Kone Adama secured the victory for the Southern Sea Dragons over a scrappy RBAC side. Former table leaders Big Bang Chulalongkorn University (BBCU) failed…
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Phuket Opinion: Policy on Thai residency should not be secret
PHUKET: It’s time for the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to set up a special task force to begin fast-tracking the processing of the huge backlog of permanent residency (PR) applications it is now sitting on in silence. Such a move would have multiple benefits for all parties involved, including, especially, foreign investors (potential and extant) and Thailand’s all-important tourism industry.…
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Body of missing Phuket teen found in rubber plantation
PHUKET: The body of a teenage boy who went missing over a week ago was discovered by the side of the road in a Phuket rubber plantation yesterday morning. Villagers found the badly decomposing body of an unidentified male a few meters off the access road to Namuang Village, a rubber planting community off Thepkrasattri Road, about eight kilometers south…
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Phuket raises B2.2mn baht for Japan relief, with more to come
PHUKET: The official Phuket relief fund for Japan as of noon today had amassed 2,204,332.92 baht in donations to provide relief for those still suffering from the ongoing effects of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the main island of Honshu on March 11. The figure represents all donations made in person at the Phuket Tsunami Relief Center for Japan,…
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MET issues storm warning for Phuket, South
PHUKET: The Meteorological Department (MET) has issued a storm warning for Phuket and the entire southern region for the weekend and through until Tuesday. An “intense” high pressure system covering most of Thailand will bring torrential rain with isolated heavy rainfall across the south, according the warning issued at 10am today. Unusually heavy, wind-driven waves are expected in both the…
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Call for Gov, Phuket to support “Silvy The Star’
PHUKET: All of Phuket will be cheering on Pavida “Silvy” Moriggi this evening when the 15-year-old Kajonkietsuksa School student takes the stage in round three of the nationally-televised reality television series The Star 7. Only six contestants remain in the hugely-popular nationwide talent search; one will be voted off after this evening’s competition. Silvy’s mother and school principal called on…
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TAT targets yachties in new Phuket strategy
PHUKET: Phuket’s world-class marinas and vibrant yachting community are key to the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s new strategy to attract high-end tourists to the island. TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni believes the infrastructure already in place in Phuket means the island has the potential to become a world-class center for marine tourism. Phuket already has a number of marinas suitable for…
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Phuket “Beer’ ride ends in Surat Thani
PHUKET: A 20-year-old man was arrested on Thursday afternoon after taking a brand-new Mazda 2 for a test drive from Phuket Town all the way to Wiangsa in Surat Thani, about 200 kilometers away. Yutthapong “Beer” Malila, originally from Surat Thani, contacted the Anupas Mazda showroom on Ong Sim Phai Road in Phuket Town on Wednesday, asking to take a…
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Italian man arrested on rape charges at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: An Italian man was taken into police custody at Phuket Airport last night on an arrest warrant for the alleged rape of a Thai woman on Koh Samui. The suspect, in his 30s, was to fly out of the country last night. He was intercepted at the airport at 9:30pm after Immigration officers there were informed that Samui District…
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Phuket’s Lionel Cleary passes away
PHUKET: A wake for well-known and much loved long-term Phuket resident Lionel Cleary will be held at Nikita’s Beach Restaurant on the Rawai beachfront this Sunday from 3pm. After weeks in hospital due to a fall, he eventually succumbed to organ failure this morning at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. He was 76. Mr Cleary first arrived in Phuket with friends via…
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