News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Gazette Mobile launches “Smart News’
PHUKET: After seven months under construction, Gazette Mobile has today launched ‘Smart News’, a mobile information service focused on Phuket. The product is substantially different from any other mobile news model currently available in Thailand. Subscribers to Smart News have the ability to choose both the frequency and nature of the information they wish to receive. There are three information packages, or…
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577 pills, 5 guns seized in ya bah bust
PHUKET CITY: Police yesterday afternoon announced the arrest of a six-person ya bah (methamphetamine) gang who allegedly sold the drug to youths at Saphan Hin.In an attempt to avoid capture, one of the gang members allegedly tried to shoot at police, but his homemade gun failed to fire.Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Apirak Hongtong identified the suspects as gang leader 23-year-old…
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A disarming mystery
BANGKOK: As the international media has been puzzling recently over the mystery of why five dismembered human feet have washed up on the beaches of British Columbia over the past year – the most recent find being on June 16 – Thailand now has its own body-part puzzle to ponder: a severed arm found on the tracks at Hualamphong Railway…
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Rogue monk defrocks self
NONG KHAI: As every good clergyman knows, improper sexual conduct is a quick way to get defrocked – cast out of the Buddhist clergy.Perhaps sensing that his own defrockment was inevitable, one naughty abbot in Tha Bor District decided to beat his detractors to the punch.At a meeting of villagers and local religious authorities to discuss allegations of sexual impropriety…
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Phuket rakes in B94bn in 2007
PHUKET: Suwalai Pinpradap, director of the Southern Region 4 office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), has announced that more than 5 million tourists visited Phuket in 2007, spending a total of 94.239 billion baht.She forecast that this year there would be 6 million visitors to the island.According to the TAT’s latest statistics, about 8 million tourists visited Phuket,…
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Police on lookout for “mock monk’ thief
RASSADA: Phuket City Police are on the lookout for a man who wears a monk’s robe but is wanted for the theft of about 100 amulets with a total claimed value of more than 100,000 baht.Phuket City Police Inspector Lt Col Wijak Tarom told the Gazette that police on Sunday evening responded to a call from a man claiming to have…
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Grissak vows to clean up Bangla
PATONG: In a bid to clean up the trash dumped on Soi Bangla every day, Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak has launched a garbage-disposal campaign to ease some of Patong’s waste woes.Col Grissak told the Gazette that he called on local vendors and municipal authorities to discuss the problem and develop a plan of action with the goal of…
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European tourists seized from yacht off Somalia
MOGADISHU (The Nation/DPA): Four European citizens have been seized from a yacht off Somalia’s pirate-infested coast, Somali officials said yesterday.The district commissioner of the Las Korey area said that the four – the captain of the yacht plus a family of three – were abducted overnight on Sunday as they sailed through the Gulf of Aden.The kidnappers reportedly abandoned the…
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Appeal for infant in need of heart operation
PHUKET: The British International School (BIS) Phuket is calling for donations to help pay for specialized medical treatment for three-month-old Ruby, daughter of the school’s art co-ordinator, Claire Lester. Ruby has been diagnosed with DiGeorge’s syndrome, a genetic disorder that has left her with a partially collapsed lung, pneumonia and requiring a heart operation. She is currently hospitalized in Bangkok and…
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Rain forces landslide warning
PHUKET: Following heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours, the Meteorological Department of Thailand has warned of flooding and possible landslides in Phuket.Flood-risk areas include Thepkrasattri Rd near Super Cheap, just north of Phuket City, and warnings of possible landslides have been issued for Patong and Kata.While 10mm of rain has fallen in Phuket City, some 30mm was recorded within a three-hour period at the…
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Brit wins TriBallistic in rough conditions
NAI YANG: After the weather closed in on the Indigo Pearl resort yesterday, it was thought the swim leg of the third TriBallistic race in the current series would be canceled, but the seas calmed sufficiently to allow the senior race to start with the scheduled 600-meter, open-water swim. The athletes had to fight hard through large waves. Briton Bryan…
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Body found off Koh Bon
RAWAI: The unidentified body of a “white” man was found floating near Koh Bon about 11 am yesterday. The body was discovered by hotel staff working in the area.Lt Ratthakhet Manmuang, duty officer at Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette that the corpse was found about 300 meters from shore. The man is believed to have been around 40 years…
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Investors start eyeing Ao Phuket project
PHUKET: Two men representing a Norwegian marine engineering firm yesterday met Governor Niran Kalayanamit to show their interest in the Ao Phuket development project.The Norwegians were just two of a host of potential investors who have been inquiring about the development, Gov Niran said.Geir L Kjersem, Managing Director of LMG Marin, met the governor at 1:30 pm, accompanied by his…
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Russian found dead in Phuket City apartment
PHUKET CITY: Mystery surrounds the death of a Russian man who missed his flight out of Thailand on Wednesday and was found dead in his apartment yesterday afternoon.Lt Col Wijak Tarom, Phuket City Police Inspector for Investigations, identified the deceased as Oleg Syrus, 38.Col Wijak was alerted to Mr Syrus’ death at 4:30 pm by the management of Thanaporn Apartments…
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Press freedom vanishing from Thailand
BANGKOK (The Nation): In his speech before the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Wednesday, Asean Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan delivered what might best be described as a severe reality check for Thai citizens. Citing statistics from Freedom House, the New York-based monitor of media freedoms around the world, he noted that less than a decade ago Thailand ranked 29th…
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Oleydong retains WBC title
PHUKET CITY: WBC strawweight champion Oleydong Sithsamerchai (27-0, 10 KOs) used sharp, combination punching and a masterful defense to batter outclassed Japanese challenger Junichi Ebisuoka (17-11-3, 7 KOs) before scoring a ninth round knockout at a temporary ring set up at Saphan Hin.Sithsamerchai, a southpaw, was in complete control of the bout from the outset, winning every round on the…
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Restaurant owner killed in Patong Hill shooting
TUNG TONG: Police are investigating the shooting murder of a seafood restaurant owner early yesterday evening that caused a multiple-car accident at the bottom of Patong Hill.Thung Thong Police Superintendent Col Arayapan Pukbuakao identified the victim as 38-year-old Sirichai “Yod” Chaikoo, part owner of the 99 Seafood Restaurant on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd in Patong, opposite the Royal Paradise Hotel…
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Landowner lays claim to Laem Hin access road
KOH KAEW: Irate residents in Koh Kaew on Monday filed a petition to Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit calling for aid in their ongoing dispute with a landlord over ownership of the road that leads to Laem Hin Pier.For about an hour on Friday, Apichart Kitprasarn blocked the road with a metal barrier, claiming that he was entitled to do so…
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AirAsia flight forced to land in Phuket – twice
MAI KHAO: AirAsia flight FD3024 from Phuket to Bangkok was forced to land twice shortly after takeoff at Phuket International Airport (PIA) yesterday evening.A passenger on the flight told a Gazette source, “I heard the sound of wind rushing and then the engines roar [shortly after takeoff] and thought something had happened, but the crew didn’t tell the passengers exactly…
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Sirens sound for tsunami drill
BANG TAO: The tsunami warning sirens at Bang Tao Beach sounded at 10:30 am today in a tsunami evacuation drill organized by the provincial government to ensure local villagers, especially the teachers and students at the local school, are prepared for an emergency.The sirens were triggered locally for the simulation, which lasted about 60 minutes. School children were evacuated to…
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Number of drug arrests shoots up
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that the number of drug-related arrests in May was up 61% compared with the same month last year, while the number of arrests related to ya bah (methamphetamine) was twice the number for April.In May, there were 173 arrests for drug-related offenses, 101 of which involved ya bah, with a total…
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Clerk in bribe case to be summoned to court
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Supreme Court fact-finding committee on the 2-million-baht bribery scandal will later this week summon the lawyer’s clerk who allegedly handed a bag containing the money to a senior court official, a source said yesterday.The probe team, which consists of three Supreme Court judges, has spoken to the official in question, who said the clerk gave her…
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Burmese man held for “death truck’ tragedy
PHUKET: Phuket police have arrested a Burmese man suspected of organizing the human smuggling ring that led to the death of 54 Burmese migrant workers on April 9.He is also suspected of involvement in the execution of former Kathu Police officer Decho Kaewnabon last Wednesday.Speaking after the Governor Meets the Press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, Phuket Police Commander Maj…
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Governors warned over ASTV ban
BANGKOK (The Nation): The Democrat Party yesterday warned provincial governors they would be at risk of violating the Constitution if they blocked ASTV broadcasts in line with Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung’s instruction.Although Chalerm backpedalled from Friday’s threat by arguing he wanted cable operators to just gag inflammatory comments instead of imposing a total ban on ASTV broadcasts of the Bangkok…
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Aussie wins Laguna Marathon
CHERNG TALAY: Australian Stephen Paine completed the 42-kilometer course around the north end of the island in 2 hours 37 minutes and 52 seconds this morning to win the men’s championship title in this year’s Laguna Phuket International Marathon. In second place was defending champion Brent Roeger from the US. He rounded the course in 2:41:57, six minutes faster than…
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Oleydong to defend WBC title in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Boxing fans are in for a treat on Wednesday afternoon when undefeated WBC minimum-weight champ Oleydong Sithsamerchai (26-0, 10 KOs) makes his first title defense against 15th-ranked Junichi Ebisuoka of Japan. The 12-round title bout will take place at Saphan Hin. Admission is free of charge.Oleydong, whose real name is Kittipong Jaikrajang, is the pride of Rassada district in…
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Government threatens legal action against local TV networks
BANGKOK (The Nation): Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung Friday threatened to invoke Article 85 of the Criminal Code to take legal action against ASTV for broadcasting demonstrations of the People’s Alliance for Democracy [PAD].Chalerm said cable TV operators in the provinces who relay broadcasts of ASTV to their subscribers would also be taken to task by the government if they do…
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Crooked conductor caught in Mai Khao
THALANG: The Phuket Highway Police have arrested a bus conductor for stealing the equivalent of more than 18,000 baht from a young Aussie on his way to Phuket from Surat Thani.At a press conference yesterday afternoon, Phuket Highway Police Inspector Maj Jittrapol Kesornrak identified the suspect as Udon Thani native Rakpong Passawong, 22.His victim, 21-year-old Australian Jai Ruben Wadick, boarded a bus in…
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“Pastrygate” scandal intensifies
BANGKOK (Daily Xpress): Top Supreme Court Justice Kriengchai Jungchatupit says he would have arrested the lawyer suspected of attempting to bribe judges “on the spot”.“If I had been there, I would have arrested him on the spot,” says Kriengchai. “I would not have let him take the money back. I would have charged him with contempt.“I have learned that the person who…
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Ex-cop executed in Patong
A former Kathu Police sergeant, dismissed for involvement in human trafficking and blacklisted as a threat to society, was shot dead early yesterday morning outside his home in Patong. After receiving a call at about 4:30 am, Kathu Police officers found the body of Decho Kaewnabon, 37, also known as “Sia Decho” or “Sergent Decho”, beside his car in Soi Kuan…
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