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Police hope peacock tattoo leads to identification of body
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify a dead man who was found hanging from a tree along the bypass road near the Bang Khu intersection this morning. The man, thought to be 25 to 35 years old, was found by a Koh Kaew local. Officers found no identification on the body. However, the man does have a prominent tattoo of…
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Phuket Regional Blood Center calls for O+ donors to replenish stocks
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is calling for blood donations from donors with blood type O-positive to help replenish stocks for use at local hospitals. Supplies of O-positive blood are down to just 20 units (pints) at the center, said PRBC Chief Pornthip Rattajak. The blood bank aims to maintain a daily minimum stock of 200 units of…
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One killed in Phuket drive-by shooting
PHUKET: Police are hunting the gunman in a Phuket drive-by shooting early this morning. Visan Khunmanit, 23, was shot in the chest at about 3:20am. He was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital, and pronounced dead at about 4am. “Witnesses told us that Mr Visan was visiting friends in Wichit. They were talking outside of his friend’s house when the shooting…
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Marine police arrest boat captain with shotgun
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police arrested a man piloting a boat with a hunting gun and ammunition on board just off Koh Yao yesterday. Officers discovered the firearm – a 12 gauge single-barrel shotgun – and eight shotgun cartridges during a random inspection of the boat. “Warayuth Mayer, 39, claimed that he was hired by Rung Nok Satun-Trang Ltd to protect…
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Second suspect arrested for fatal stabbing of French tourist
PHUKET: Police today arrested a second man in connection with the slaying of a French tourist in Patong yesterday. (story here). “We tracked down Somkid Lhemood, 30, after checking CCTV in the area, which showed that another man was involved in the fight,” said Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. The first suspect, 33-year-old Somporn Kakkaew, was arrested…
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U.S. frustration simmers over Belgium’s struggle with militant threat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. frustration simmers over Belgium’s struggle with militant threat Phuket Gazette / Reuters WASHINGTON: Shortly after last November’s attacks on Paris by a Brussels-based Islamic State cell, a top U.S. counter-terrorism official traveling in Europe wanted to visit Brussels to learn more about the investigation. When…
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Chinese man named in Bangladesh cyber heist to ‘answer everything’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chinese man named in Bangladesh cyber heist to “answer everything” Phuket Gazette / Reuters MANILA: A Chinese man settled in the Philippines who is suspected to have received part of the $81 million (£57.3 million) stolen from the Bangladesh central bank will reveal all he knows…
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Indonesia tells Grab, Uber to partner with transport firms
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesia tells Grab, Uber to partner with transport firms Phuket Gazette / Reuters JAKARTA:Taxi-hailing apps Grab and Uber Technologies Inc must partner with a transport business and register their cars by the end of May if they want to go on operating in Southeast Asia’s largest…
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YouTube video helps nab 30kg king cobra
KOH LANTA: A Koh Lanta local was able to catch a five-meter-long king cobra that made its way into his neighbor’s garden, using a stick-and-rope technique that he learned on YouTube. Worawut Longasan, 56, volunteered to nab the snake, which was hiding under a wooden bench. It only took him a few minutes to bag the nearly 30 kilogram cobra…
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Governor orders tsunami evacuation brochures
PHUKET: Tsunami evacuation brochures will be drawn up and printed following a request by Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office has been put in charge of the project, which will see the pamphlets handed out to locals and tourists via local authorities, tour operators, and hotel and business operators. “This project was thought up…
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Witnesses to superyacht crew death stay silent
PHUKET: Mystery still surrounds the death of a Bulgarian crew member who died after both his legs sustained massive injuries on board the superyacht Ocean Victory. Witnesses to the incident have remained silent and not responded to requests to be questioned by Kuraburi Police. “I have sent out letters to all relevant people who were on the yacht on the…
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Australian airports have sufficient security
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian airports have sufficient security Phuket Gazette / Reuters SYDNEY: Australia’s airports have sufficient security in the wake of the deadly attack in Brussels, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Wednesday, although a planned strike by immigration workers ahead of the busy Easter holiday weekend was…
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Belgians hunt Islamic State suspect after blasts kill 30
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Belgians hunt Islamic State suspect after blasts kill 30 Phuket Gazette / Reuters BRUSSELS: Belgian police are hunting an Islamic State suspect seen with two supposed suicide bombers shortly before they struck Brussels Airport in the first of two attacks that also hit the city’s metro,…
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Drunk drivers to lose vehicles for entire Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’
PHUKET: In line with national policy, Phuket’s top policeman vowed to impound drunk drivers’ vehicles during the Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign. Police will not return the vehicle until the end of the campaign. “Impounding a vehicle and seizing a driver’s licence in a drunk driving case is nothing new – it’s just common sense,” said Phuket Provincial…
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Frenchman, 23, stabbed to death in Phuket
PHUKET: A 23-year-old Frenchman was stabbed to death in Phuket early this morning. His Moroccan friend, also 23, was injured in the violent altercation in front of the Orchid Resortel on Soi Sansabai in Patong. The Frenchman’s name is being withheld by the Phuket Gazette pending confirmation that next of kin have been informed. “Said Missoury told us that they…
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Krabi City officials drowning in dead fish
KRABI: Krabi officials are scrambling to find a solution to the tens of thousands of dead fish found in a pond in Krabi City over the weekend. The pond, which houses numerous types of fish for fishing competitions, started emanating a bad smell as the fish started to die off on Sunday. “We tested the water for poisonous substances, but…
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Bus banned for smoking is alreay back in business
PHUKET: A Phuket bus that was banned from the roads for belching out black smoke and failing an exhaust emission test on Monday was back in business the next day. “The amount of black smoke in the bus’s emissions has been reduced from 99.8 per cent to 12 per cent,” confirmed Jaturong Kaewkasi, chief policy adviser at the Phuket Land…
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Tourists safe after Phuket bus catches fire
PHUKET: More than a dozen tourists are safe after the bus they were taking to Patong caught fire yesterday afternoon. The bus, owned by Jetour Thailand Limited Company, was delivering 14 Chinese tourists from Nonthasak Pier in Rassada to their hotel when the driver noticed smoke emanating from the dashboard. “I couldn’t stop the bus immediately because there was no…
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Attacks on Brussels airport, metro station kill about 20: Belgian media
PHUKET: A suicide bomber blew himself up at Brussels airport on Tuesday killing at least 11 people and a further blast tore through a rush-hour metro train in the capital shortly afterwards, claiming 10 lives, according to public broadcaster VRT. A witness said he heard shouts in Arabic shortly before two blasts struck the packed airport departure lounge. Pictures on…
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Explosions hit Brussels airport, one killed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Explosions hit Brussels airport, one killed Phuket Gazette / Reuters BRUSSELS: Explosions tore through the departure hall of Brussels airport on Tuesday morning killing one person and injuring several others, the Belgian news agency Belga said. The agency said shots were fired and there were shouts…
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The LifeCo: The business of healing
PHUKET: One doesn’t have to look far to find a spa in Phuket, but recent years have seen a marked shift in this trend, as new and established business are looking to cash in on wellness, as opposed to opulence and luxury. The LifeCo Phuket Well-Being Center based in Thalang is the first for the company outside of Turkey, and…
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Krabi raid nets a kilo of crystal meth
PHUKET: A Region 8 Police task force smashed a six-man drug trafficking ring in Krabi over the weekend, seizing more than 40,000 methamphetamine pills (ya ba) and more than a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine (ya ice), as well as cash and assets with a combined value of more than 4 million baht. Police were able to close in on the…
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South Korea confirms first case of Zika virus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community South Korea confirms first case of Zika virus Phuket Gazette / Reuters SEOUL: South Korea reported its first confirmed case of the Zika virus on Tuesday, in a 43-year old male who had traveled to Brazil, its center for disease control said. The World Health Organization…
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Indonesian taxi drivers to rally for ban on online taxi apps
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesian taxi drivers to rally for ban on online taxi apps Phuket Gazette / Reuters JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesian taxi drivers took to the streets of the capital Jakarta on Tuesday to protest ride-hailing apps like Grab and Uber, bringing parts of the city to a…
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Phuket ‘smart city’ set to receive Korean expertise, B430mn-budget
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak yesterday announced a budget of 430 million baht to further the ‘smart city’ project in Phuket. The announcement was made at a conference yesterday where the Deputy PM invited entrepreneurs from the South Korean city of Busan to invest in Thailand. Deputy PM Somkid chaired a signing ceremony between Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada and…
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Move to regulate diving industry [video]
PHUKET: Independent diving excursions have been banned in Phuket and Phang Nga following a government move to tighten regulations and increase accountability in the previously self-regulated industry. The move comes in the wake of a number of dive-related deaths and serious accidents in the region. “Though the diving industry does have its own regulations, we need to take greater responsibility…
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Calling all HOGs for record Harley convoy in Phuket
PHUKET: Hundreds of Harley-Davidson bikers from across the country are roaring in to Phuket on April 10 to set the record for the longest Harley-Davidson convoy in Thailand. Phuket’s HOGs (Harley Owner’s Group members) are calling on all Thailand chapters to join the attempt to set the record for the longest Harley parade with about 500 bikes and riders. The…
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Phuket etiquette course in wake of Chinese tourist prawn gorging [video]
PHUKET: Following Chinese tourists’ chaotic stampede and subsequent gluttonous gorging of piles of prawns at a buffet in Thailand, Phuket will be holding an etiquette course for guides working with Chinese tour companies. The internet was ablaze with vehement criticism of Chinese tourists this weekend after Chinese media company Shanghaiist published a 33 second video clip showing tourists in a…
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A Decade Ago: Beach chairs and a B40mn blaze
PHUKET: Fears that beach vendors’ unrelenting attempts to retake the beaches will eventually wear down Phuket officials’ willingness to enforce the 10 per cent zone and virgin beach regulations are well founded. Ten years ago, in the March 18-24 edition of the Phuket Gazette, we documented rental operators reneging on a deal – struck after the tsunami – between their…
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Russia mourns plane crash victims as investigation begins
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Russia mourns plane crash victims as investigation begins Phuket Gazette / Reuters ROSTOV-ON-DON: Relatives gathered to mourn the 62 victims of a passenger jet crash in southern Russia on Sunday and officials warned an investigation could take weeks to determine the cause of the downing. At…
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