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11 arrests in Phuket loan shark hunt
PHUKET: Two suspected loan shark operations in Phuket were shut down by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) Police yesterday morning, putting eleven suspects behind bars. “CSD police searched the two houses today because we received reports from locals of loan shark operations running rampant. We also recently heard that a man who vouched for a loan was attacked by a group…
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Phuket Gazette: SS Gairsoppa has silver lining
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 48 tons of silver recovered from WWII merchant ship Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Odyssey Marine Exploration on Wednesday announced it has recovered approximately 48 tons of silver bullion from a British cargo ship that sank off the Irish coast during World War II. The…
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Phuket Raceweek gets off to a lively start
PHUKET: The 2012 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek got off to a lively start last night with the opening party attracting over 500 guests.With thirty-four boats registered, competing over seven classes and divisions, day one looked looked set for some good competition as predicted winds of 10-12 knots gusting to 15, arrived on cue.Race Officer Simon James announced Windward/Leewards (Course…
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27 youths test positive for meth at Phuket drug checkpoint
PHUKET: Police and district officials rounded up 27 suspected drug users on Tuesday night at a random checkpoint set up on Soi Nakok in Chalong subdistrict, Phuket. Soi Nakok, adjacent to the TOT compound on Chao Fa West Road, is home to the housing estate where drugged-up burglar Kittikhun Wonghajak strangled 17-year-old Sunisa “Nong Som” Saiyoy on July 10. Suwat…
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New crab trap regulations not causing a snag in Phuket
PHUKET: Compliance with a new crab trap regulation established in late June was highlighted as one of the hot topics for the Traditional Fishing Preservation Group meeting held yesterday in response to their letter of complaint filed with the Phuket Provincial Office. In their complaint, the group highlighted two major issues facing the smaller local fishing operations: compliance with the…
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Phuket lifeguards save 333 swimmers after return to beaches
PHUKET: Officially back on the beaches May 28, after another contract signing saga, Phuket lifeguards saved 333 people in the following 31 days, according to an announcement made by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising yesterday. “Despite the work of the lifeguards, four people have drowned this year. They drowned because they either ignored the red warning flags…
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Woman faces lese majeste charge pending mental examination
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Woman to face royal insult charge pending mental examination Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung today confirmed police would charge a woman accused of insulting the monarchy if she was found to be sane in a mental status examination. “I confirm police…
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Blade runner – I will run quick
PHUKET: The London Olympics are just over a week away and one man knows he is lucky to be going. South African Oscar Pistorius, known as Blade Runner, had both his legs amputated below the knee when he was a baby and runs with the aid of carbon fiber lower legs. Pistorius will compete in the individual 400 meters and…
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Phuket Gazette: US fighting the flab
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US drug regulators approve weight-loss pill Qsymia Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved Vivus Inc.’s weight-loss pill Qsymia, the second new diet pill to be approved in the United States in the last month. Qsymia was…
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Phuket Gazette: National tourism update
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM demands action to ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday ordered agencies to expedite measures to alleviate the congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport. After inspecting the problem-plagued Bangkok airport, PM Yingluck said a committee would be formed to…
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Phuket Gazette: Thai sports news
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai Premier League can follow in EPL’s footsteps: Everton chief Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: The Thai Premier League could one day become as successful as the English Premier League (EPL), but the country has to be patient, Everton’s chief executive officer Robert Elstone said…
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Phuket poll: Will Patong “safety zone’ plan reduce tourist complaints?
PHUKET: Deputy National Police Gen Pansiri Prapawat recently announced a bold “Safety Zone” plan for Patong under which strict law enforcement would help reduce tourist issues related to tuk-tuks, jet-skis and personal safety – including assaults on tourists. What do you think will be the effect of this in the long-term? To have your say in Phuket’s most popular online…
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Phuket vendor wins Bt4m in Thai National Lottery
PHUKET: A kind-hearted Phuket vendor won a 4 million baht grand prize in the Thai National Lottery draw on Monday. The winner, 35-year-old Kaewtaa Khan-asa, reported the win to Chalong Police yesterday, asking that her possession of winning ticket number, “904050”, be recorded in the daily log as evidence. Mrs Kaewtaa, listed as a resident of Ban Doong District in…
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Man found dead floating in the sea with 13 stab wounds
PHUKET: Police believe the stab-riddled body of a man recovered in the waters off of the Rassada Fishing Port this morning is that of a Burmese fisherman. Phuket City Police at 7.30am received a report from staff at the Por Phichainava Company Pier, off Sri Sena Road in Rassada, about a body floating face-down just offshore. Led by Lt Col…
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Hand Foot and Mouth disease – Kingdom on alert
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hand Foot and Mouth disease – Kingdom on alert Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in the US Hand Foot and Mouth disease (HFMD) usually affects infants and children younger than 5-years-old, though it can sometimes…
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Counterfeit luggage bagged in Phuket
PHUKET: Customs Department investigators on Sunday intercepted a shipment of counterfeit luggage with an estimated street value of more than 900,000 baht, but no arrests were made. At a press conference held at the Port Customs House yesterday, Phuket Investigation and Suppression Unit chief Jaroen Chamnigarn revealed that 351 copies of famous brand-name suitcases and bags were recovered in an…
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Phuket Business: Risk on, risk off
PHUKET: There has been an increasing amount of correlation in the markets ever since the increased use of computers and algorithms. This has caused a lot of trouble with conventional diversification methods, and when markets get reactive to political tensions as they have been recently, it is common to see things moving in tandem across assets classes as developments are…
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Thailand News: Cristiano Ronaldo has a special message for Thai fans
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Holidaying Cristiano Ronaldo has special message for Thai fans Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: A sun-tanned Christiano Ronaldo delivered sweet lines for Thai fans after renewing a multi-million baht contract to represent Toyota Hilux Vigo Champ as its brand ambassador yesterday. Over 300 journalists descended…
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Crackdown on illegal loan sharks called for
PHUKET: A Rassada Municipality council member called for a crackdown on loan sharks after his brother was attacked and brutally beaten by a group of armed men he claims were hired by illegal moneylenders. Rassada Municipality council member Chainarong Pillavas and his brother Suthipong Pillavas, who claims to have been attacked by some 20 thugs hired by the loanshark, made…
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Phuket Live Wire: Why the Internet died
PHUKET: It is my sad duty to report to you how and why the Internet died last Monday (July 9). The DNSChanger virus took down the internet, and I for one will lament its passing. All of the major news sources warned you about it. Huffington Post said, “The end is nigh, according to the FBI. Internet Doomsday will strike…
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Three more suspects in custody for shooting of Phuket cop
PHUKET: Police in Phuket have arrested three more suspects wanted for the shotgun shooting of a Chalong police officer in a live music venue last month. The victim, Snr Sgt Maj Nikom Jeenyuen, received shotgun wounds to the neck, chest, stomach and arm in the June 19 shooting at Saraphanpleng Bar, a live music venue on Patak Road, about 300…
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Nong Som cremated
PHUKET: Sunisa “Nong Som” Saiyoy, 17, who was strangled to death in her home on July 10, was cremated yesterday at Wat Tai. Family members, classmates from Wichit Songkram School, Chalong Mayor Samran Jindapol and Chalong Municipality council members attended the afternoon ceremony. At the ceremony Khaneung Saiyoy, Nong Som’s father, thanked the police for quickly finding the killer Kittikhun…
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Phuket Gazette: HFMD blamed for deaths in Cambodia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hand, foot and mouth disease blamed for 54 deaths in Cambodia Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A severe form of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is believed to have been responsible for the deaths of more than 50 children in Cambodia in recent months,…
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More parking, CCTV for Phuket Bus Terminal 2
PHUKET: The committee responsible for operation of Phuket Bus Terminal 2 say the station will soon get additional parking and CCTV cameras. The announcement came following a meeting on Thursday of the ten-person committee that oversees operation of the station, which opened in April this year, 28 months after it was completed. Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) chief Teerayut Prasertpol…
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Abhisit Vejjajiva collects data for Phuket “blueprint’ at Simon Cabaret
PHUKET: Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva called on the people of Phuket recently to help develop a “blueprint” to solve the problems facing the tourism industry on the island. About a thousand local people who joined the seminar at the Simon Star Theater in Rassada were asked to help construct a clear picture of the issues to be faced. “Phuket…
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Phuket Deep Sea Port ‘not deep enough’
PHUKET: In an effort to kick-start the stalled Phuket Deep Sea Port expansion project, the head of the local Marine Department Office escorted representatives from two major cruise line companies to a meeting with Governor Tri Augkaradacha on July 12 to discuss the problems encountered by large ships using the facility. Located at Cape Panwa, the deep sea port has…
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Phuket Business: Google extending online reach for local businesses
PHUKET: Celebrating its inaugural year and 100,000 new businesses online, Google Thailand’s ‘Thai Businesses Go Online’ program (TBGO) has paved the way for the next stage in the evolution of an economically prosperous online ecosystem. Highlighting TBGO’s success, the IT and Marketing mega-icon’s country office reported that it has attracted more than 100,000 participants nationwide in a year – far…
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Phuket Sports: Thailand’s Olympic hopefuls
PHUKET: Since the arrival of the Olympic Torch in the United Kingdom during May, anticipation for the games has continued to grow. The torch is being carried across the UK by around 8,000 people ranging from athletes such as Sir Steve Redgrave, local people and celebrities. The torch will finish its 70 day relay by lighting the flame that will…
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Two elephants join Phuket migrant labor force
PHUKET: Two young elephants were approved to work in Phuket this week, bringing the total number of registered pachyderms on the island to 190, which is 14 more than the existing limit set by the Provincial Office in 2003. The increase in the number of elephants beyond the set limit was noted during the meeting by Phuket Provincial Livestock Chief…
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Phuket FC scorched by ‘Fire Power’, Joksic resigns
PHUKET: Serbian national Milos Joksic has resigned from his post as Phuket FC head coach, with a former Thai national team defender expected to fill in the vacancy immediately. First reported in Thai language on the Nok Sanarm website, the announcement comes at the climax of a tiring week marked by three back to back losses – the last two…
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