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Human remains discovered in Phuket forest believed to be those of a Burmese woman’s
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the cause of death of a woman whose skeleton was discovered in a Kathu forest yesterday afternoon. At about 4:45pm, police received a report from locals that they had found human remains in a forest beside the King Kong water park. Kathu Police Superintendent ML Pattanachak Jakkapan led a team to the scene to…
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Citing indelible memories and people, the Phuket Gazette bows out in a nostalgic farewell
PHUKET: Times change and old media continue to bow to the new. With great regret, the Phuket Gazette is retiring from the field and will cease operations with effect from the end of this month – midnight, July 31. Other than our office, owned by a shareholder (not the Gazette itself), our primary asset has long been the Gazette Online.…
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Eight murdered, three wounded in execution-style home massacre in Krabi
KRABI: A village headman and 10 members of his family were shot in the head in an execution style massacre at their home in Krabi. Carried out by several assailants yesterday, the massacre left eight dead and three others with serious injuries. Captain Suwit Kaewpreecha, deputy inspector of the Ao Luek Police Station in Krabi, was alerted to the massacre…
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67-year-old tourist drowns on Racha Island
PHUKET: Another Chinese tourist has drowned in Phuket, this time at Racha Island yesterday afternoon. “The family of the deceased, Dong Shukui, 67, said that they had arrived in Thailand on July 7 and were scheduled to fly back on August 4. They were staying at the Rayaburi hotel on Racha Island from July 9-11,” said Capt Somkiat Sarasit of…
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More than 4,000 cyclists join Phuket biking event
PHUKET: A 20-kilometer bike ride organized as part of the ‘Nation Bike Thailand 2017’ event was held in Phuket yesterday and attracted more than 4,000 cyclists to the island. “The event was held under the theme of ‘Pan Yon Muang, Chim Ahan, Laokhan Reung Muang Too at Phuket’, or ‘Cycling for city sight seeing, tasting food and telling stories of…
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German murder suspect slits own throat after girlfriend’s body discovered
PHUKET: The body of a missing woman was found in a forest in Kathu yesterday afternoon, shortly before her boyfriend, a suspect in the case, slit his throat when approached by police officers for questioning. The victim, Picha Nampadung, 35, was reported missing by her niece, Rujirada Ornkorat, on July 1 (story here). “Ms Picha’s relatives told us that she…
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35-year-old Phuket woman reported missing
PHUKET: Police are searching for a Phuket woman who has reportedly been missing for seven days. Relatives of 35-year-old Picha Nampadung filed a missing persons report with Chalong Police. Facebook user R’forey Rujirada (whose real name is Rujirada Ornkorat) shared a post on social media saying she was the missing woman’s niece. Ms Rujirada provided a picture of her aunt…
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Illegal migrant workers given 15 days to register
PHUKET: The Ministry of Labor has revamped its registration process for illegal migrant workers after a new law announcing heavy fines for their employers was revealed last month. Starting July 24, migrant workers will be given 15 days to submit their documents to the ministry in order to receive a work permit. Governor Norraphat Plodthong yesterday chaired a meeting at…
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Angry mob protests against arrest of mentally disabled man
PHUKET: Baan Thasak locals on Wednesday gathered in front of Thalang District Office to demand justice for a mentally disabled man who was allegedly attacked by police officers during a drug arrest earlier that day. About 50 locals gathered at the scene and demanded that the arresting officers be held responsible for what they did. On Wednesday evening, civil defense…
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Phuket business operators protest migrant labor exodus
PHUKET: More than 20 business operators and contractors gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall to protest against a newly announced migrant worker labor law yesterday morning. “A new executive decree on foreign workers’ management was launched on June 26, according to which operators who employ illegal foreign laborers may be fined up to 800,000 baht. This has caused thousands of laborers…
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Phuket Gov chairs opening ceremony of tourism fair
PHUKET: The opening ceremony of the ‘Andaman Hotelier and Tourism Fair 2017’, the biggest hotel fair in the south, was held at Homeworks yesterday afternoon. “The tourism industry is vital for Phuket’s economy. This event aims to enhance our standard of service and make us more competitive with other countries,” said Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong, who chaired the ceremony. The…
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Alleged zoophile ‘warned’ as video of sexual abuse of dog goes viral
PHANG NGA: Residents of Phang Nga registered strong criticism and disgust over the actions of a man who allegedly abused a dog by having sex with it at a public park yesterday. Facebook user Paitoon Somritdisook posted a video of the incident, which occurred at Phang Nga OrBorJor park, on Facebook. He said he shot it while exercising at the…
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Angry mob burns effigy to protest falling palm oil prices
KRABI: An angry mob of more than 100 people gathered outside Krabi Provincial Hall this morning and burned an effigy of the Deputy Director General of the Department of Internal Trade to protest against the falling prices of palm oil. Members of the protest, who had gathered from Krabi and nearby provinces, including Trang, Phanag Nga, Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani…
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One killed in collision with garbage truck
PHUKET: A 41-year-old biker was killed in a crash with a Phuket Municipality garbage truck early yesterday morning. “The victim, Chote Promphan, was driving toward Saphan Hin. The accident occurred at the Phuket Vocational College intersection,” said Lt Col Sakchai Chunyong of Phuket City Police. The severely injured driver was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital by Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers,…
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Slow loris released back into the wild
PHUKET: Officers from the Office of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) Phuket helped release a slow loris back into the wild on Monday. “A villager in the Baan Kuku area found the loris in the middle of the road, so he kindly brought it to us,” said NRE Director Kasem Sookwaree. The loris was delivered to Pongchat Chuehorm, head of…
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Zipline business under investigation for forest encroachment
PHUKET: A team of officials from the Royal Forestry Department (RFD) yesterday visited four ziplining facilities in Phuket and uncovered one allegedly guilty of forest encroachment. Nationwide raids of such facilities are being conducted after a tourist died in a ziplining accident in Chiang Mai late last year. Six operators in Chiang Mai and one in Rayong have been charged…
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Three-meter python found in Phuket apartment building
PHUKET: Rescue workers in Phuket helped capture a large snake at an apartment building in Kathu yesterday. The Kusoldharm Foundation received reports from residents of the Ratchaporn Apartment about a python found inside a drain there. The rescue team arrived at the scene with specialized equipment to capture the reptile. They removed the grill covering the drain and then used…
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Iraqi national arrested for allegedly stealing 60,000 baht from tourist
PHUKET: An Iraqi national was yesterday arrested for allegedly stealing 60,000 baht from a tourist at a Phuket hotel last week. The suspect, Ouday Kadim Rashek, 27, was arrested at a housing estate in Vichit. “The victim, a tourist from Qatar, told us that he came to Phuket with a friend on June 26 and was initially scheduled to go…
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New labor laws see hundreds of migrant workers fired, sent home
PHUKET: At least 400 Burmese migrant workers in Phuket were sent back home yesterday morning after their employers terminated them as a consequence of draconian new labor laws. Phuket Governor Norrphat Plodthong and other relevant officers oversaw the exodus. The workers gathered at the Tha Rua shrine near the Heroines Monument in Si Sunthon. They were then transported to Ranong…
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Dead whale washes up at Phuket beach
PHUKET: Another dead marine creature, this time a bryde whale rarely seen in these parts, washed ashore at a Phuket beach yesterday. The 10-meter-long animal was missing its tail. It was stinking and its skin was falling apart. Officials from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), National Park Preservation Unit 4 and Cherng Talay Police arrived at the scene at…
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Phang Nga airport plans shrouded in controversy
PHANG NGA: The proposal for a full-scale commercial airport in Phang Nga, first revealed by the Phuket Gazette a year ago, has a long way to travel before it can hand a prospectus to more potential investors. Enthusiasm from its lead drivers, however, Bangkok Airways and the Phang Nga provincial governor, continues unabated. Governor Pakkapong Tawiphat told the Phuket Gazette…
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Slow loris recovering from electrocution in Phuket
PHUKET: A slow loris was rescued and placed under the care of veterinarians after being electrocuted in Thalang Friday evening. “It seems the creature got lost while trying to find food and was electrocuted after climbing onto electric wires near the Ban Pa Krong Cheep School. He is fatigued and has suffered some burns,” said Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker Virat…
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Man survives road crash by jumping out of moving truck
PHUKET:A truck driver survived an early morning crash after he jumped out of his truck before it ran into a roadside barrier and trees on the Bypass Road yesterday morning. The incident took place in front of the Premium Outlet. “The driver, 24-year-old Bunlung Issara, told us that he was on his way back to Surat Thani after making a…
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One killed, several Chinese tourists injured in bus crash on Patong Hill
PHUKET: A motorbike driver died instantly last night when her head was crushed by a ‘broken down’ tour bus. The incident, which also sent more than 30 “shocked and moaning” Chinese passengers aboard the bus to hospital, occurred as the two vehicles descended Patong Hill westbound. The fatality, Ms Rattana Sukpisal, 44, had a passenger with her on the bike.…
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Phuket hosts tropical fruit festival
PHUKET: Central Festival Phuket yesterday hosted the launch of ‘Thailand Amazing Durian & Fruit Festival’ which is to be held in Phuket till July 4. Phuket Vice Governor Siwaporn Chuasawad presided over the opening ceremony. “Following successful feedback in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, we launched the festival in Phuket to support Thailand as a choice destination for tropical fruits, and…
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Gov announces plans to relaunch moribund Phuket Gateway
PHUKET: The Phuket governor has announced plans to renovate and re-brand the ‘Phuket Gateway’ as a tourist landmark by converting it into a shopping outlet selling Phuket-based products. Governor Norraphat Plodthong yesterday held a meeting with relevant officers to discuss the plans. The Phuket Gateway was built by the OrBorJor in 2006 as a ‘tourist center’ featuring a meeting room,…
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Deputy PM kicks off tourist safety drill in Phuket
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Third Area Command held its annual rescue and safety drill for tourists at the Marine National Park Operations Center yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn and Vice Admiral Surapol Koobtapun from RTN 3 presided over the ceremony. The drill was held in coordination with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation…
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American tourist badly injured in rock climbing fall
KRABI: Another tourist, this time an American, has been seriously injured while rock climbing in Phuket’s neighboring Krabi province. At about 2pm, a rescue team and the Krabi Tourist Police received a report from the ‘Railay Rock Climbing Club’ that American tourist Eduardo Keane had fallen off a viewpoint from the near-vertical cliff face at Railay Bay. “Mr Keane is…
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Masked robbers with a shotgun and an M16 foiled by a single man in Phang-nga
PHANG NGA: Police are hunting for two men who used an M16 machine gun in a failed attempt to rob a snooker hall in Phang-nga on Monday night. The 35-year-old owner, who refuses to be named, filed a complaint about the attempted robbery with the police in Phang-nga Town yesterday morning, along with evidence from CCTV footage. The footage shows…
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Minister hammers Phuket Airport, alleging that women are allowed to touch monks
PHUKET: Phuket Airport Director Phet Chan-charoen made a statement yesterday after mass circulation Thai Rath newspaper reported that an unnamed ex-minster is criticizing the airport for allowing female security staff to use hand-held metal detectors to search monks, instead of strictly limiting that process to male inspectors. “We have investigated the incident. It occurred on May 1 when a monk…
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