News
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Luxury cars gone in 60 seconds
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Luxury cars worth Bt100 million destroyed in semi-trailer fire Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: A semi-trailer transporting six luxury cars caught fire on the Mitraparp Highway in Nakhon Ratchasima early yesterday morning.The fire destroyed one BMW, two Lamborghinis and a Mercedes Benz, causing damage of about Bt100…
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Swedish Muay Thai fighter found dead on Koh Lanta
PHUKET: The body of a Swedish Muay Thai fighter was found yesterday at the popular tourist island Koh Lanta, across the bay from Phuket.Police and rescue workers arrived at a rental room at the Otto Bar after receiving a report of a dead foreigner. Police named the man as “Kasper Pobias Byreborg”, 29.“We believe he had been dead for about…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Court rules troops killed Italian reporter
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai court rules troops responsible for Italian reporter’s death Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Italian photojournalist who was shot dead in Bangkok while taking pictures of a military crackdown on an anti-government protest in 2010 was killed by a bullet fired by a soldier, a…
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Damaged Phuket tourist ferry to be recovered
PHUKET: Efforts are underway to recover the ferry Puean Foong II, which started taking on water in heavy seas yesterday afternoon with more than 100 tourists on board (story here). The boat was returning from Phi Phi Island to Phuket when strong waves punctured the hull, explained Samphan Aiyara, managing director of Friendship Sea Tour Co Ltd, which owns the…
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Australian ‘Couple on the Run’ to tackle Laguna Marathon
PHUKET: Australian ‘Couple on the Run’ Andrew and Sue O’Brien will take on the Laguna Phuket International Marathon on June 9 in the latest step of their worldwide running mission to promote shared exercise as a means of achieving personal goals.Melbourne based Sue and Andrew became known as the Couple on the Run in 2008 when they ran eight marathons…
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Phuket FC look to swoop down on Krabi Andaman Eagles tonight
PHUKET: Despite a tough away draw last Saturday in Trat, Phuket FC are in high spirits ahead of tonight’s Yamaha League One (YL1) Phang Nga Bay derby match with Southern rivals, Krabi FC. The all-Southern match-up, both sides 13th of the 34-fixture YL1 2013 season, will be played at Phuket’s Surakul Stadium with a 6:30pm kickoff (click here for map).…
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Women’s beach volleyball tournament to hit Karon Beach
PHUKET: The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour is to return to Karon Beach this year after an agreement to continue staging the annual event was recently signed by Pentangle Promotions Co Ltd and the Thailand Volleyball Association with the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). Several changes to the competition format have been made by the FIVB; the qualifying round is…
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Phuket motorbike thief blames island’s lack of public transport
PHUKET: A 24-year-old local handyman says Phuket’s lack of public transport is the reason he stole a motorbike to go visit a friend. Phuket City Police arrested Koson Hongthong yesterday morning at the old weekend market on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Town (map here). Mr Koson was found in possession of a Yamaha Fino that was reported stolen by…
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Phuket on alert for German fugitive
PHUKET: Police across Phuket are on alert for a German fugitive who managed to escape Australian police officers guarding him as they waited for a connecting flight at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.Carlo Konstantin Kohl, a 25-year-old burglary suspect, escaped from the airport’s “day room” – a waiting room for transit passengers who do not need to go through immigration formalities –…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Security boost in wake of bomb blast; Peace talks behind surge in South violence; Rural doctors’ pay fight escalates
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police track components of bomb used in Bangkok The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police investigating Sunday night’s bomb blast in Bangkok’s Soi Ramkhamhaeng 43/1 suspect the bomb components were purchased at a local store two to three days before the explosion.The motive for the bombing, which injured…
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Phuket Video Report: More than 100 tourists rescued from sinking ferry
PHUKET: More than 100 people were rescued from a tourist boat that started sinking while returning from Phi Phi Island to Phuket this afternoon after being damaged by big waves.No injuries were reported.The ferry, Puean Foong II, was near Chicken Island (Koh Kai), about 15 nautical miles from Phuket, when it took on water, said Phuket Marine Police Inspector Chatchai…
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Navy shore-leave to inject 1 million dollars into economy
PHUKET: The island’s economy – especially at the party town of Patong – will be getting an early low-season boost thanks to this week’s visit by the American Navy supercarrier, USS Nimitz along with its armed missile-cruiser escort, the USS Princeton, which both moored off Phuket early this morning. Topping off a week-long journey through the South China Sea, and…
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Phuket Immigration: Deporting, blacklisting foreigners for drug charges since 1979
PHUKET: Following the recent spate of foreigners being charged with minor drug offenses, the chief of Phuket Immigration today confirmed that all foreigners arrested for drug use, or any drug-related offense, are transferred to Bangkok and deported – following the Immigration Act BE 2522.“The law is not new. It has been in use since 1979. Any foreigners found guilty in…
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Phuket Business: Cashing in on Russian relations – Part II
PHUKET: Mr Phisak Nivataphand, the president of the Thai-Russian Chamber of Commerce and advisor for the Russian Studies Center of Chulalongkorn University, was in Phuket recently to give a speech as part of a seminar aimed at promoting Thai-Russian business relations . Organized by Thai-Russian media firm, Expert Media Co Ltd, the seminar was held at the Royal Phuket Marina.…
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Bangkok Hospital Phuket to invest B600mn in facility
PHUKET: Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP) has announced that it will invest 600 million baht to open a new hospital on the island by early next year. The site of the as yet unnamed hospital will be on Chao Fah West Road, just opposite the Chao Fa Villa Phuket housing development in Mueang district. Director of Bangkok Hospital Phuket Dr Narongrit…
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Phuket tourist safety, security tops Chinese ambassador’s agenda
PHUKET: The Chinese Ambassador to Thailand has placed tourists’ safety and security at the top of his agenda for his visit to Phuket tomorrow, the Phuket Gazette has learned.Ambassador Guan Mu will meet with Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa to discuss a range of issues affecting tourists and expats.“The Chinese Ambassador and his team are going to discuss Chinese tourists’…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Gangs suspected in Bangkok blast; Red shirts, white masks; Tusks trimmed after fatal elephant attack; All silent on Bangkok F1 noise
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police suspect gang rivalry behind Ramkhamhaeng blast The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police suspect that conflict between gangs involved in extortion from roadside vendors was behind the small explosion on Ramkhamhaeng Road, near Ramkhamhaeng University, on Sunday night. Police and National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Syria fighting intensifies; UK, France clear to send arms; US McCain meets rebels; Turkey forgers busted; Ireland defends Apple tax
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Syria fighting rages, more chemical attacks reported Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Heavy fighting raged around the strategic Syrian border town of Qusair and the capital Damascus on Monday and further reports surfaced of chemical weapons attacks by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces on rebel areas.The Syrian military pounded…
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Gas tanker leaks 2.5km trail of fuel through Phuket Town
PHUKET: A six-wheeled gasoline tanker truck leaked a trail of fuel 2.5 kilometers long through Phuket Town yesterday, causing motorbikes to skid and fall, resulting in at least one hospitalization. Police responded to a report at 11am that a gas tanker had leaked “gasoline” along Yaowarat Road, from the intersection with Mae Luan Road (map here) all the way to…
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Phuket lifeguards linger on beaches another month, contract pending
PHUKET: Lifeguards are staying on Phuket’s key tourist beaches for another month, as the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) wades through the Phuket Lifeguard Club’s contract again this year, beginning yet another saga (story here). To ensure the safety of tourists and residents at the approach of monsoon weather – often the cause of dangerous swimming conditions – the PPAO…
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Thai Football: Phuket Islanders halted by Trat Elephants
PHUKET: Picking up their seventh draw in 12 matches, Phuket FC let a two goal lead slip in their away match to Trat FC on Saturday night, which ended with a final score of 3-3. It was a roller coaster ride for the hundreds of fans across the island – tuned in to the live Football Siam TV broadcast –…
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Burmese man slashed in Phuket gas pump fracas
PHUKET: A Burmese man working as a pump attendant at a Phuket gas station was slashed yesterday after he punched one of five Burmese customers who did not have the money to pay for the gas they had just received. Patong Police inspector Pratuang Polmana arrived at Patong’s only gas station, the Esso gas station on Phra Barami Road (map…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Rape victims silenced by state payouts; Govt to hunt down Vendetta Facebook attackers; Bang Fai rocket kills 2
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rape victims in Deep South silenced by state payouts: Angkhana The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Angkhana Neelaphaijit, a leading rights advocate for Thai Muslims, has voiced concern over continued sexual assaults against Muslim women by security officials stationed in the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.The…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Japan writes off US$2bn in Myanmar debt aid; Merkel, Li cross solar swords; Syria in Geneva; Stockholm settles
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Japan’s Abe ends Myanmar visit with aid, debt write-off Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Japan on Sunday endorsed Myanmar’s reform programme by writing off nearly $2 billion (£1.3 billion) in debt and extending new aid, some of which will help support an industrial zone being developed by Japanese…
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Rough seas along Krabi coast capsize 60 boats, two injured
PHUKET: Heavy weather wreaked havoc on the Krabi coast, across the bay from Phuket, flipping over 60 long-tail boats and injuring at least two this afternoon. Around noon today, rough seas capsized 10 longtail boats anchored close to shore, injuring one tourist, said Krabi Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Chief Thalerngsak Phuwayanapong. “One tourist was reported injured, and was transferred to…
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Islamic Festival kicks off, expects to draw record numbers in Phuket
PHUKET: The Alhamdulillah Talk-show Festival, expected to draw over 20,000 participants, is underway in Cherng Talay and will be running until midnight Sunday – rain or shine. “There will be talk shows about Islamic teachings and philosophy at the festival. We want to introduce Islam to the world, not just as a religion but also as a way of life,”…
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Steep road construction investigated, locals fear landslides across the bay from Phuket
PHUKET: Business owners’ fears of landslides that could be caused by a recently constructed road on a steep hill in the Ao Nang area across the bay from Phuket, led to an investigation on Thursday of the construction site.Locals also claimed that the road had been developed on Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park land. However,…
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Nine dead in Phuket wedding guest truck crash
PHUKET: Nine died and seven were injured after two pickup trucks – one carrying wedding guests returning to Trang from Phuket and one ferrying road construction workers – collided in Krabi last night. Police were called to the scene at the dangerous curve known as harm tai (“forbidden to die”) in Sai Khao district at 8pm. There they found two…
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Phuket Sports: May the tread be with you – F1
PHUKET: Last week, the world’s press was attacking Pirelli for its tyres. This column supported Pirelli, and received grumpy responses from those who supported the Red Bull tirade (click here for article). When Pirelli agreed to change their tyres from the Canadian GP, Ferrari and Lotus felt Red Bull had pressured Pirelli into conforming to their demands. The ‘Tyre Wars’…
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Governor: Phuket’s billion-baht prison desperately needed
Phuket’s billion-baht prison slated for construction in 2015 will provide welcome relief to the inmates at the current facility, whose number is now more than three times the century-old prison’s original capacity. With Cabinet approval already secured for the funding, all that remains to make the dream prison a reality are for the plans to be finalized and the construction…
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