News
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Opinion: Understanding cultural differences when travelling
PHUKET: As thousands of Chinese descend upon the island each week, it is hard to ignore the xenophobic and often crude comments made about their behavior, spending habits and general demeanor. A recent video showing dozens of Chinese tourists stampeding a Chiang Mai buffet and using their plates to shovel up two to three plates of prawns their way highlighted…
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Lawyers of Koh Tao murder convicts prepare for appeal
PHUKET: The legal team of the Myanmar nationals convicted for the Koh Tao double murder is focusing on the DNA evidence used against the men in their trial ahead of the appeal being filed next month, assisted by leading foreign lawyers and forensic experts. Lawyer Nakorn Chomphuchart told The Nation that he had got advice from many foreign legal experts,…
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Patong Bay safe for swimming, despite algae bloom, say experts
PHUKET: Officials confirmed that Patong Bay water was within safe parameters for recreational use, despite reports of swimmers developing rashes from the brown colored water. “The water turned brown last week due to a plankton bloom. However, there is no health risk,” said Suphasit Boonpeinphol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). Plankton blooms are often caused by excessive amounts…
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Five women confirmed dead in Krabi building collapse
KRABI: Rescue workers attempted to keep the cement wet as they searched for five women lost in the debris of a construction site building collapse yesterday. The bodies of all five women were eventually recovered. The women were named as: Jitranon Saikaew, 26; Kaliya Jandeewan, 22; Yad Kodorn, 42; Warin Ratchabut, 31; and Linthong Promsuvann, 37. Police are investigating the…
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Rolling Stones tell giant crowd
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rolling Stones tell giant crowd “times are changing” at Cuba debut Phuket Gazette / Reuters HAVANA: The Rolling Stones rocked a massive crowd at a free, outdoor concert in Havana on Friday, capping a week of engagement with the West for the Communist-led country that once…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Feeding rice to your cat
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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Finance: Investing in Oil – The Ultimate Risk
PHUKET: It may be tempting to call a bottom for oil prices and then go bottom fishing for oil stocks or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Unfortunately, oil is one sector that most investors (especially those who aren’t working in the sector) will want to stay away from now and for the foreseeable future. Thanks to a combination of too much…
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Opinion: Visa Overstay – Nefarious Intentions or Just Bad Planning?
PHUKET: The recent push to publicize the need for foreign tourists not to overstay their visas is long overdue, but we hope the Immigration Bureau will use its sweeping powers in fair and compassionate ways that consider extenuating circumstances – especially those involving victims of accidents or crime. The crackdown, which actually comprises little more than stricter enforcement of existing…
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Police to run plates of Phuket slow loris tout
PHUKET: Phuket police vowed to check the licence plate number of a motorcycle ridden by a slow loris tout who was caught on camera pushing the protected animal on tourists at Surin Beach last month. “We appreciate you forwarding the evidence to us, especially as these images show the man’s face and his motorcycle’s licence plate number,” Cherng Talay Police…
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Body of foreigner found on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify the body of a foreign man found on Surin Beach this morning. “We received a report at about 7am that someone working out on the beach had come across the body. The dead man was face down in the sand with his arms crossed and pressed against his chest, when we got there” said…
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Confirmed: Minors to dodge overstay blacklisting
PHUKET: Children will not be blacklisted for overstaying their visas, officials confirmed today. Thailand’s implementation of a regulation to blacklist overstayers will not affect those under the age of 18, explained Immigration Commissioner Nathathorn Prousoontorn. The news follows much uncertainty in Phuket after the regulations were announced earlier this month. “The new penalties came into effect on March 20. They…
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Breaking News: At least five missing in Krabi construction accident
KRABI: At least five women are missing after the building they were working on collapsed this afternoon. The foreman at the Institute of Physical Education – Krabi Campus construction site was unable to confirm the cause of the incident. Rescue workers are on site searching for anyone trapped in the wreckage. — Kritsada Mueanhawong
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Japanese man detained in Turkey for trying to join Islamic State
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Japanese man detained in Turkey for trying to join Islamic State Phuket Gazette / Reuters TURKEY: A Japanese man who had attempted to join the Islamic State militant group has been detained by Turkish security forces near the Syrian border early on Wednesday, security sources said.…
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Sidewalk barriers in Patong raise concerns
PHUKET: Patong officials have put in experimental traffic barriers to protect pedestrians and ease traffic congestion in the popular tourist town, confirmed Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup today. However, the new sidewalk railings on either side of Rat U-Thit 200 Pi Road outside of Tai Pan Discotheque and Rock City Pub have caused some concern. “The fence, all in all, is…
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Surin Beach wastewater to be wiped up with illegal buildings
PHUKET: The black sludge of untreated wastewater pooling on Surin Beach will remain until the illegal buildings on the sands have been destroyed, confirmed Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Ma-ann Samran yesterday. “The wastewater is from beachfront shops in the area. Some of the shops have acted responsibly and treated wastewater before releasing it, while others have not,”…
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Private company blocking beach access road ordered to meet with officials
PHUKET: Officials have called on Laem Nga Development Co Ltd to meet with representatives from the Marine Office and local authorities after receiving complaints that they were blocking an access road to Laem Nga Beach in Rassada. The complaint, submitted to the Damrongdhama Center (ombudsman’s office), saw members of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command and Damrongdhama Center inspect…
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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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Phuket police hunt slow loris tout on Kata Noi Beach
PHUKET: Karon Police are patrolling the sands of Kata Noi Beach in hopes of netting a slow loris tout who was spotted there yesterday. Police were alerted to the tout’s activities after being given photographic evidence that was originally sent to the Phuket Gazette by a concerned reader. “We will search the beach today. If he thinks he can earn…
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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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Phuket expat’s Row2Rio begins push to equator
PHUKET: The two men and two women undertaking the Row2Rio challenge have launched into the third section of the trip – the longest leg of the journey with the most unknown factors that could end up making or breaking this unprecedented adventure. “It’s a 950 nautical mile push to the equator. This stage will dictate whether we can get this…
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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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No red carpet for ‘Batman v Superman’ London premiere after Brussels attacks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community No red carpet for ‘Batman v Superman’ London premiere after Brussels attacks Phuket Gazette / Reuters LONDON: Movie studio Warner Bros went ahead with yesterday’s London premiere of “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” its new superhero movie, but skipped the traditional red carpet press interviews…
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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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