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Livestock office shuts down illegal slaughterhouse in Kathu
PHUKET: A slaughterhouse operating illegally in a residential area of Kathu was shut down by the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) yesterday. Livestock officers carried out an inspection of the premises, in Moo 7 near Vichit Songkram Road, following complaints made the day before by residents in the neighborhood. “We found 19 pigs crowded in a small space and in…
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Bad weather causes Phuket flight delays
PHUKET: Bad weather prevented several flights from taking off and landing at Phuket International Airport this morning, causing delays of up to five hours for some passengers. Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan said a total of 19 flights from the following airlines were affected: Beijing Capital Airlines; Shanghai Airlines; Juney Ao Airlines; Spring Airlines; Asia Atlantic; China Southern Airlines and Bangkok…
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Contractors demand fairness from Employment Office
PHUKET: A crowd of more than a hundred local employers of migrant workers gathered this morning at Phuket Provincial Hall to protest difficulties registering workers under their employ. A representative of the group, Wirachai Saddom, handed a letter of complaint to Phuket Vice Governor Kajornkiet Rakpanitmanee at 11am, demanding fair treatment of migrant workers and their employers while they are…
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Bomb attacks in south ahead of vote
SONGKHLA: Four border policemen and a civilian were injured in a double bombing attack in Saba Yoi in Songkhla yesterday morning. Two village defence volunteers suffered minor injuries when a third bomb exploded in front of a school in Khok Pho in Pattani the same day. The policemen were injured in the first explosion at about 7am in Ban Daru…
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Quarantine for baby elephant found on Bangtao Beach
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) has quarantined a baby elephant found on Bangtao Beach after her owner was charged yesterday for moving the animal to Phuket without a proper permit. Livestock officers moved the six-year-old pachyderm named ‘Nang Chok’ after tourists and locals expressed concern for the animal’s well being. “Boonchu Rattanadilok Na Phuket, the owner of Nang…
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One killed in small plane crash in Bangkok
BANGKOK: The pilot of a small plane was killed and four others were injured in a crash in Bangkok yesterday. The plane, a 10-year-old Piper Chieftain registered as HS-FGB, belonged to Rabbit Wings Co Ltd. It was reportedly travelling from Nakhon Ratchasima province to Suvarnabhumi Airport when it crashed a few kilometers north of the runway. The people on board…
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Soi dog walks again
PHUKET: A puppy that had its two front legs hacked off earlier in May has been fitted with new prosthetic legs, the Phuket-based charity Soi Dog Foundation announced on Sunday. Theprachen Srisoda, 36, reportedly hacked off the puppy’s front legs with a sword because it had chewed one of his shoes left outside his house. Public outcry and a 96,000-signatories…
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Resort under investigation for alleged laundering
PHUKET: A four-star hotel in Koh Yao Yai has had it’s assets frozen, after officers from the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) began investigating whether the resort is being used to launder money and evade taxes for the embattled Tranlee Travel Co Ltd. During a joint task force raid on Saturday, AMLO officers said they were inspecting Blue Bay Resort’s land…
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Businesses look to exploit halal potential
PHUKET: Phuket-based businesses are being encouraged to join a drive to promote the plethora of halal products made in the province to benefit from the billion-baht Islamic product export industry. Speaking at the Phuket Andaman Halal Tourism 2016 seminar at the Phuket Graceland Resort on July 21, Komol Dumlak, Chairman of the Phuket Islamic Council, said the province has huge…
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Opinion: Lack of local involvement in politics
PHUKET: Tueanjai Subanjong is a Phuket native who has spent more than 20 years volunteering for local projects. She is a community representative of Srisoonthorn sub-district and is also involved in many Corporate Social Responsibility projects, such as saving preserved forests and volunteering for the National Human Rights Commission, among others. Here, she talks about the problem of lack of…
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Island View: And then there was beef
PHUKET: For me, one of the most exciting things about moving to Phuket was all the delicious Thai food one could ask for. However, once I had moved, there was just one thing I craved – a nice, juicy beef steak. Thai people can cook a lot of different kinds of food, with spices that can make the sweat drip…
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20-year-old Thai golfer makes history at British Open
THAILAND: Twenty-year-old Thai sportswoman Ariya Jutanugarn made history on Sunday when she became the first-ever Thai golfer to win a major title at the Women’s British Open Golf Championships at Woburn Golf Club in England. Ms Ariya led confidently by six shots at this year’s event as she birdied the long second and short sixth, surviving a second-half challenge from…
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Thief defecates on victims’ doorstep
PHUKET: A thief in Chalong defecated on one of her victims’ doorsteps early yesterday morning. The perpetrator reportedly broke into four homes, primarily occupied by foreigners, at the Nga Chang villa complex in Rawai. Police reported that the crapper focused on stealing cash, although she clearly had access to other valuables. Jake Newton, 19, an Australian Muay Thai fighter training…
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Three hurt as boat bursts into flames, sinks off Phang-nga
PHUKET: Seven crew members of a fishing vessel were saved in a dramatic rescue off Phang Nga yesterday afternoon when their boat burst into flames and sank after refueling at sea. Three crew members were injured in the fire, one of them suffering severe burns to at least 20 per cent of his body, mostly to his back and arms.…
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Kuwaiti father dies during swim at Patong Beach
PHUKET: A Kuwaiti man on holiday with his Thai wife and their child died while swimming at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon. Abudullam Haalmusawi, 71, was found floating face-down by other swimmers off Patong’s Loma Park. He was taken to Patong Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police confirm. Mr Haalmusawi’s distraught wife, Kamla Rungrueng, aged approximately 40 years old, said…
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Gov pushes BKK to finalize light rail project
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada is fed up. After years of talking and planning a province-wide light rail project, Governor Chamroen is ready for officials to put up or shut up. The governor has called on the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) in Bangkok to sort things out in his office next week or dismiss the…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Befriending local fishermen
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Opinion: All aboard the light rail gravy train
PHUKET: With so much media focus on the current government’s intentions with regard to democratic development, less attention is being paid to some fiscal moves that the administration has been making. One significant piece of new legislation, which seems to have largely slipped under the media radar, was the Cabinet approval last month of a new Land and Building Tax…
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Phuket Lobster Festival now on
PHUKET: The Phuket Lobster Festival 2016 announced its arrival with a splash at a press conference held at the Tukabkhao Restaurant in Phuket Town on Tuesday. The restaurant was decorated with a giant lobster attached to the door to commemorate the event. The festival officially begins August 1 and will last throughout the month. More than 30 local eateries from…
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Severe weather warning issued for southern provinces
PHUKET: Heavy rains and high seas are expected across southern and central Thailand, the Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has announced. DDPM officials have issued weather warnings for the weekend and into next week for Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Petchaburi, Prachuap, Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Suratt Thani, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Chonburi, Rayong, Chantaburi, Trat and Ranong provinces. DDPM officials…
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Farmers choose solar farm over our endangered spoon-billed sandpipers
SAMUT SAKHON: Given a choice between renewable energy and wildlife conservation, the people of Samut Sakhon have opted for a solar farm. Tractors and trucks loaded with soil were seen busily working in a field yesterday to fill a salt basin in Ban Khok Kham, where a three-megawatt solar farm project, costing about 180 million baht, is set to start…
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Probe launched into fierce cinema fire
BANGKOK: The fire at Major Cineplex Pinklao that caused part of Central Festival to collapse yesterday afternoon is being probed by investigators. Metropolitan Police chief Sanit Mahathavorn said an investigation team in cooperation with the local District Office is looking into the cause of the fire and the structural integrity of the building. The fire broke out in a theater…
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Pair arrested for illegal weapons
PHUKET: Two men were arrested after a police raid on their Kamala house turned up illegal firearms and ammunition on Wednesday. Col Sirisak Wasasiri of the Kamala police said officers were tipped off by informants that the suspects possessed illegally obtained and homemade weapons. “Thitiwat Prateep Na Thalang,19, a Phuketian, was found in possession of two guns and two .22…
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Foul-smelling fowl farm irks locals
KRABI: Krabi locals filed a complained about a less-than-sanitary chicken farm in Klong Hin sub-district, which led officials from the Krabi Livestock Office to inspect the premises on Wednesday. Dr Narong Benjakun led a team of officers to check the fly-infested, feces-covered facility. Farm manager Panthep Kanyuenyong helped with the inspection by showing officials around the farm and machinery control…
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Suspected Slovakian embezzler captured on Koh Samui
KOH SAMUI: A Slovakian man suspected of siphoning of 283,000 euros (about 10.9 million baht) while working as a hospital director in Zlate Moravce City was arrested in Koh Samui earlier this week. Police arrested Michal Grujbar, 38, in front of a Koh Samui hotel and initially charged him with overstaying his visa. “Police investigators later learned that the Slovakian…
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Massive blaze breaks out at Bangkok cinema
BANGKOK: A faulty billboard was blamed for sparking a massive fire at the Major Cineplex in the Central Pinklao shopping mall in Bangkok this morning. Police said the fire broke out at 11:15 and within 20 minutes had caused the third-floor roof to collapse, just as a team of firefighters pulled out of the building. No one was trapped inside…
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Boat Lagoon director awarded marina certification
PHUKET: Wicky Sundram, executive director of operations at the Phuket Boat Lagoon, was yesterday awarded ‘Certified Marina Professional (CMP)’ status by the Global Marina Institute (GMI). He joins the ranks of six other CMPs across the Asia/Pacific region and is the first to receive the certification in Thailand. Mr Sundram was presented with his CMP by Andrew Chapman, President of…
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Task force nabs four for working illegally
PHUKET: Two foreign tour guides and two photographers were arrested yesterday for working illegally in Phuket. The grand spectacle was led by Phuket Provincial Labor Office Chief Suttipong Saisakares and included a powerhouse of officers from the labor office, the tourist police, the provincial government office and civil defence volunteers, among others. The officials were acting on complaints from locals…
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Reptile raids Krabi cop shop, ambushed by police
KRABI: The Krabi provincial police station was raided by a baby monitor lizard yesterday. Officers on duty managed to ambush the beast measuring 30cm in length after it hid under a table. Police believe the lizard entered the station looking for food. No charges were brought against the cold-blooded carnivore. After posing for a few selfies with the reptile, the…
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Fridge on the fritz blamed for apartment blaze
PHUKET: A short-circuiting fridge is believed to have sparked a fire that gutted an apartment at Salabua Mansion Apartments in Wichit last night. The apartment’s occupant, Kriangkrai Suthammetha, 50, discovered his third-floor room was ablaze when he returned from an errand just after 6pm, Wichit Police Lt Patcharee Wongboon told the Gazette. Firefighters from the Wichit office of the Department…
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