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Squirrel hunter finds hanged Cambodian near Phuket retreat
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Cambodian national found hanged with his hands bound in a Phuket jungle area yesterday. A 36-year-old Myanmar national discovered the body when he was setting squirrel traps in the wooded area in the vicinity of the Pitak Samanakij Dhamma retreat in Phuket Town. The victim was identified only as Mr Wit, explained…
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Korean honeymooner dies after diving lesson
PHUKET: Officials are investigating the death of a Korean honeymooner who died after an introductory diving lesson at Koh Hei on Tuesday. Hyunju Ahn, 36, was in about one meter of water with her new husband Minchul Shin, 33, when she informed instructors that she was having trouble. “Diving instructors and staff helped Ms Ahn out of the water. She…
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Police arrest 13 in kratom bus-delivery bust
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police arrested 13 suspects as they picked up packages containing 41 kilograms of kratom from a bus company office on Tuesday morning. Officers waited at the office of Srisuchart Transport (1989) Co Ltd on bypass road after receiving a tip-off from one of their sources that packages of kratom would be transported from Bangkok on one of…
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Thanyapura athletes win big at World Travel Joy
PHUKET: It was a clean podium sweep for Thanyapura at the World Travel Joy East Coast Challenge in Ranong last weekend where their athletes won HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Cup in the 151 kilometer race. Phuket’s former Tour de France cyclist Nick Gates triumphed in first place, followed shortly by four-time World Champion Chris McCormack. Clint Kimmins came in…
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Video Report: Light up the night with Loy Krathong
PHUKET: Tourists and island residents don’t have to go far to explore the wonders of Thailand’s rich cultural heritage as one of the country’s most romantic, tranquil and beautiful holidays is just around the corner. Loy Krathong, the ‘Festival of Light’, takes place on the full moon of the 12th lunar month of the year, falling this year on November…
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Thalang Police Station rioter arrested for unrelated crime
PHUKET: A teen wanted for his role in the Phuket police station riot last month was arrested for an unrelated crime two weeks ago. The 16-year-old, who police declined to identify, was arrested for possession of kratom in Thalang, explained Thalang Police Superintendent Chanuchan Cholsuwat. “When we ran his name in the system, an arrest warrant for his alleged involvement…
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Uber can’t appeal class certification order in U.S. driver lawsuit
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Uber can’t appeal class certification order in U.S. driver lawsuit Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday denied ride service Uber’s request to immediately appealan order approving class certification in a lawsuit filed by drivers who wish to be deemed employees. The…
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Phuket to host southern region Bike for Mom photo exhibition
PHUKET: Phuket has been chosen as the southern region’s venue for the Bike for Mom photo exhibition, which will be held November 21-24 at Limelight Avenue. “The exhibition will display the best photos from the Bike for Mom nationwide photo contest and about 1,000 other memorable images for the people of Phuket and the southern region to enjoy,” said Limelight…
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Fingerprints from Paris bomber match man registered in Greece – prosecutor
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fingerprints from Paris bomber match man registered in Greece – prosecutor Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Fingerprints from one of the suicide bombers behind the attacks at the Stade de France inParis matched the prints of a man registered in Greece in October, a French prosecutor…
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On World Toilet Day, one billion people have nowhere to go
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community On World Toilet Day, one billion people have nowhere to go Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Some 2.4 billion people around the world don’t have access to decent sanitation and more than a billion are forced to defecate in the open, risking disease and other dangers,…
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A Decade Ago: Chasing the white dragon
PHUKET: Headlines about methamphetamine, kratom, marijuana and even a little cocaine find their way into the Phuket Gazette fairly regularly. But, heroin… that’s a beast that rarely surfaces on this paradise island. There was of course 22-year-old John Cawley, who was busted for running ‘birdie powder’ from Phuket to Koh Samui in 2013, but smack in general is either very…
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Opinion: Positive effects of alcohol zones
Pairuch Kulima, 54, has been the chief of the Phuket Excise Office (PEO) since 2011. He is a Phuket native and graduated with a master’s degree in public administration from The National Institute of Development Administration. Here he talks about the responsibilities of the PEO, the pros and cons of selling alcohol and the positive effects that the new alcohol…
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Kratom package seized at Phuket Town Post Office
PHUKET: Phuket Marine police seized a 5-kilogram package of kratom leaves at the Phuket Town Post Office this afternoon. “After receiving a tip-off about the delivery from our source, we arrived at the post office at 9am,” Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana told Phuket Gazette. “However, when no one showed up by 3pm to claim the package, we seized…
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Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya see glimmer of hope in Suu Kyi victory
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya see glimmer of hope in Suu Kyi victory Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Noor Bagum would have to have been able to vote for Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) but, like the majority of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority,…
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Illegal migrant workers, boat captain arrested
PHUKET: Three illegal migrant workers were arrested on a fishing boat during a random check by the Phuket Marine Police and the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command on Friday. “Myanmar nationals Jor Heng, 30; Nai, 25; and Mong Pu, 24, were arrested on Choksarawut 18 at Ao Makham port, along with the boat’s captain Kittisak Limwattanakpat, 37,” confirmed Phuket…
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Island View: Facebook an invaluable moving tool
PHUKET: Being a newcomer to the island, I can’t help but marvel at the relative ease with which the transition was made. I had visited Phuket a few years ago as a tourist and fallen in love with it. This year, I decided to move here to pursue certification for Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). After a quick…
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Regional tensions, Paris attacks hang over APEC summit
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Regional tensions, Paris attacks hang over APEC summit Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Regional tensions over the South China Sea and security concerns after the attack by Islamistmilitants on Paris could eclipse efforts by Pacific-rim leaders this week to boost trade and growth across a region…
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Mobile units to tackle Phuket speed demons
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Government has asked that the Royal Highway Police step in to help bring the deadly chaos on Phuket’s roads to a potentially manageable level. “There are three types of factors that lead to the number of accidents on our roads: the driver, the vehicle and road conditions,” said Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat last week. “We are…
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France in shock after Islamist attacks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community France in shock after Islamist attacksPhuket Gazette / ReutersPHUKET: French prosecutors said on Saturday that three coordinated teams of gunmen and suicide bombers carried out a wave of attacks across Paris that killed 129 people in what President Francois Hollande called an “act of war” by Islamic…
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Over 600,000 riders registered for Bike for Dad
BANGKOK: More than 600,000 people throughout Thailand and overseas have registered for the upcoming Bike for Dad event – the historic cycling parade to mark the 88th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Krisda Boonraj, permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry, said about 100,000 of the registered participants were from Bangkok, with the majority of the rest being from the…
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Three Phuket “virgin beaches’ revealed
PHUKET: Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat announced the designation of the island’s first three “virgin beaches” last week, after revealing the plan to have such beaches to the public on October 31 (story here). Freedom Beach, Nui Beach and Lay Pang Beach were all named by Vice Governor Chokdee as beaches that will soon return to their natural state. “There are…
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University aids in Phuket safe-sex campaign
PHUKET: University students helped the Phuket Loves You Club (PLU) with a safe-sex campaign in which they distributed thousands of condoms to locations on Soi Paradise in Patong and Prince of Songkla University (PSU). About 200 PSU students packed 20,000 of the 100,000 condoms donated to PLU by Carex into individual packages with lubricant and a safe-sex message written in…
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Business Buzz: Learning from industry leaders
PHUKET: While recently I talked about focusing on your customer, not your competitor, it is also a very good idea to see what the leaders in your industry are doing and get creative ideas and inspiration from the best. If you are a small to medium enterprise, then there is a very high chance that you do not have a…
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Phuket moment of silence for Paris attack victims
PHUKET: The French Consulate in Phuket has invited the public to come together in a moment of silence at 6 tonight for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris (story here). “It is requested from the French Embassy in Bangkok to call on all French nationals who live in the area to join in the moment of silence,” French…
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Patong restaurant fire quickly extinguished
PHUKET: Municipality workers were able to quickly extinguish a restaurant fire on Taweewong Road in Patong this morning. A firetruck and three water trucks put out the flames in about 5 minutes, Patong Municipality Fire Department Officer Sampawat Wannasangkam told the Phuket Gazette. The fire started in the kitchen of Chabadang at about 10am. The structure incurred only minor damages.…
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Umbrella zones pop up on Kata, Karon and Surin beaches
PHUKET: The 10 per cent beach management zone policy first established in Patong (see here) was expanded to Kata, Karon and Surin this week. “Each local government has already measured and decided where the zones will be,” Vice Governor Chokdee said, as he led a team that was establishing temporary landmarks for the zones. Two umbrella zones were set up…
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Saphan Hin curfew starts Monday
PHUKET: Phuket Municipality, in conjunction with the Phuket City Police, have announced new curfews for Sapan Hin in an effort to reduce teen violence in the area. The new policy follows orders from the Phuket Provincial Office to strengthen security at Saphan Hin after gang violence led to the shooting death of a 15-year-old bystander during the final hours of…
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Navy steps in to untangle fishing conflicts
PHUKET: The water around Phuket started to heat up when two groups with dramatically different commercial fishing practices clashed this week. To bring order to the situation, the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center Area 3 was forced to step in and establish a tentative plan to resolve the conflict between Satun and Phuket fishermen. “The first complaint I received was…
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Finance: Untangling international pensions
PHUKET: I have never had so many questions and so many misunderstandings of the current options with regard to pensions for international expats as have arisen over the last year. It doesn’t help that governments are changing their rules faster than ever. Today I will give a brief overview of the current situation for UK expats. First I will address…
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Opinion: Phuket beach confusion never ceases to amaze
PHUKET: The establishment of Patong Beach as the first strand to implement the ’10 per cent’ rule on beach use brings yet another surprising development in the utterly confusing and unpredictable effort to restore some semblance of order and predictability to Phuket’s beaches. When the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) took power more than a year ago, the…
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