News
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NACC stands by case against Yingluck, asks if all files read
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NACC stands by case against Yingluck, asks if all files read The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Panthep Klanarongran, chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), reiterated yesterday that former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra had been derelict in her duty, which led to huge losses in…
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Sukhothai fights flood, as barrier on Yom breaks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sukhothai fights flood, as barrier on Yom breaks The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Floods have wreaked havoc in 25 provinces and claimed eight lives over the past two weeks. Five of the flood-hit provinces – Sukhothai, Nan, Chaiyaphum, Tak and Nakhon Sawan – are still…
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U.S. moves to gain allies against ISIS
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. moves to gain allies against ISIS Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The small country of Georgia, one of the United States’ key partners in Afghanistan, will discuss ways it might be able to help in the battle against Islamic State fighters during a visit by…
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Phuket Marine chief plays down ‘get AIS connected or go to jail’ order
PHUKET: Phuriphat Theerakulpisut, chief of the Phuket Marine Office, today played down an alarming report that all foreign yachts in Phuket had to be fitted with AIS (Automatic Identification System) devices by October 1 or face six months in jail. The news follows Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday signing an order to make AIS receivers mandatory on all craft in…
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French tourist smashes motorbike through Phuket salon window
PHUKET: A French tourist injured her leg today after she lost control of her rented motorbike and crashed through the glass window of a Phuket Town beauty salon. Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation called to the scene on Phang Nga Road by the startled salon owner found Nastasya Kotnarovsky, 27, with minor injuries to her left leg and scratches…
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Phuket Cycling Fest 2014 ready to roll
PHUKET: If you have some untouched reserves of stamina and feel like exploring the beauty of Phuket in a more natural, personal manner, head for the Phuket Cycling Fest 2014, which kicks off tomorrow, September 6, at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town. A bustling bicycle fair boasting booths and stalls from bicycle specialists will be held at the park,…
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Authorities to sweep Phuket for illegal tour companies, guides
PHUKET: Authorities will sweep through Phuket from Monday in a move to rid the island of illegal tour companies and illegal, foreign guides. The news follows a brainstorming session yesterday between Phuket officials, authorities and officers from the MOTS Phuket office on how to tackle the issue of illegal tour companies and guides operating on the island. “We have 1,601…
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Phuket officials order illegal beach wall to be demolished
PHUKET: An illegal beach wall built near Bang Tao Beach after the tsunami in 2004 will be demolished today, officials have told the Phuket Gazette. “We received a complaint from a local landowner who said the wall cuts off his legally-owned plot of land from the beach,” said Cherng Talay Mayor Ma-ann Samran. “Following an inspection of the area [yesterday],…
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Prayuth assures fair selection of reform council members
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prayuth assures fair selection of reform council members The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday gave his assurance that members of the National Reform Council (NRC) would be selected fairly and carefully, with none of the candidates being especially favoured because…
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Ukraine, rebels back peace plan, ceasefire from Friday
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine, rebels back peace plan, ceasefire from Friday Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the main pro-Russian rebel leader said they would both order ceasefires on Friday, provided that an agreement is signed on a new peace plan to end the five-month…
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DDPM prepares to combat potentially deadly blazes in Phuket
PHUKET: A full-scale fire drill was held today as the Phuket-based Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office, Region 18 (DDPM-Region 18), prepared to prevent any further deadly blazes on the island. “Though the fire drill must be carried out annually by law, we are really doing this to make sure that when the time comes, we are able to…
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Phuket Opinion: A sobering approach
PHUKET: Recent reports of “sobering new alcohol laws” by some English-language news outlets have led to a great deal of bar-stool conversation, as well as speculation among social media. The truth of the matter is that the Alcohol Sales Act of 2008, and subsequent ministerial regulations, have remained completely unchanged since the National Council of Peace and Order (NCPO) took…
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Phuket beach vendors given more time to lodge complaints
PHUKET: The doors of the Kathu District Office will remain open to Phuket beach vendors who wish to lodge complaints or register for financial assistance, officers confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. More than 370 vendors, who lost their jobs during the Patong and Kamala beach cleanups, registered their complaints with the Kathu District Office last month (story here) and…
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Serena crushes Pennetta to reach Open semi-final
PHUKET: Two-times defending champion Serena Williams, in her black and white leopard dress, started quietly before roaring past 11th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the U.S. Open on Wednesday. The world number one lost her first two service games to Pennetta to fall behind 3-0 before snapping to attention and rattling off the next six…
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Attorney General declines to prosecute Yingluck – for now
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Attorney General declines to prosecute Yingluck – for now The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Attorney-General’s Office on Thursday decided to set up a joint committee of public prosecutors and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to conduct further investigations into the rice-pledging case against former…
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Men hunted down, hacked to death in Phuket
PHUKET: Police are continuing an investigation in the hope of identifying two men who were hunted down and hacked to death at a fish-processing plant in Phuket last night. Witnesses told police they saw a gang of five men chasing two others from Sri Suthat Road into a fish-processing compound in Rassada at about 10:30pm. “Both of the victims were…
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Sleepy Chinese tourist lands motorbike in Phuket roadside ditch
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist was badly injured after he dozed off and drove his motorbike into a roadside ditch in central Phuket early this morning. Rescue workers and officers from the Thalang Police were called to the scene in Pa Khlok at about 1:10am, where they found a helmet-less Zhong Li Fong, 38, lying in a one-meter-deep ditch. Mr Zhong’s…
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Surrogate dad Shigeta to see police ‘soon’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Surrogate dad Shigeta to see police ‘soon’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The lawyer of Mitsutoki Shigeta, a 24-year-old Japanese man who fathered over a dozen children via surrogate mothers in Thailand, has affirmed Shigeta would give information to police in person soon, an assistant…
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Wanted bomber plans new attack, Hat Yai security sources say
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Wanted bomber plans new attack, Hat Yai security sources say The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Insurgent suspect Faisal Hayeesama-ae, wanted for the 2004 bomb attack at Songkhla’s Hat Yai Airport, may be in the Hat Yai area to make a bomb or provide training to…
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Two top cops among land encroachment suspects
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two top cops among land encroachment suspects The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: TWO high-level police officers are among suspects involved in alleged land encroachment in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district, a senior Army officer said yesterday. Army Region 2 chief of staff Colonel Sommai Budsaba…
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Al Qaeda announces India wing, renews loyalty to Taliban chief
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Al Qaeda announces India wing, renews loyalty to Taliban chief Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri on Wednesday announced the formation of an Indian branch of his militant group he said would spread Islamic rule and “raise the flag of jihad”…
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U.N. says US$600mn needed to tackle Ebola as deaths top 1,900
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.N. says $600 million needed to tackle Ebola as deaths top 1,900 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The United Nations said $600 million in supplies would be needed to fight West Africa’s Ebola outbreak, as the death toll from the worst ever epidemic of the virus…
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Saudi religious police issue rare apology for beating Briton
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Saudi religious police issue rare apology for beating Briton Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Saudi religious police issued a rare apology on Tuesday for the beating by its personnel of a British man residing in the kingdom in a supermarket in the capital Riyadh. The…
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Putin unveils Ukraine ceasefire plan, France halts warship
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin unveils Ukraine ceasefire plan, France halts warship Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: President Vladimir Putin outlined plans for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday but Ukraine’s prime minister dismissed the proposal, while France expressed its disapproval of Moscow’s support for separatist forces by halting…
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Bread truck kills man crossing Phuket road
PHUKET: A man was killed today in Phuket after being hit by a speeding Farmhouse delivery truck while he was trying to cross the road. The van, belonging to President Bakery Public Co Ltd, was delivering the well-known Farmhouse brand of bread when it struck the man on Thepkrasattri Road. “The victim, an unidentified male, is thought to be in…
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Phuket’s taxi mafia ‘our only target’, says Region 8 commander
PHUKET: Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Paween Pongsirin today affirmed that his officers’ mandate was to crack down on Phuket’s taxi mafia, not to tackle any corrupt activities allegedly perpetrated by the island’s police officers. “My specific orders are to crack down on Phuket’s taxi mafia,” Maj Gen Paween said. “There are about 10 officers in my team who are…
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NCPO chief to consider lifting martial law in tourist destinations
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NCPO chief to consider lifting martial law in tourist destinations The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: First Army Area Commander Lt Gen Thirachai Nakwanit revealed today that he would propose to National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha to consider lifting martial…
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Phuket police taser, fire rubber bullets on hysterical hatchet-wielding man
PHUKET: Police tasered and fired rubber bullets on a hysterical Phuket man who was threatening to attack his family and neighbors with a hatchet this morning. “Police officers on patrol on motorbikes were the first to the scene, in Soi Hutchananiwet [in Rassada], near the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization [PPAO] Hospital,” Phuket City Police Superintendent Sermphan Sirikong told the Phuket…
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Bioplastics break into local market
PHUKET: Dairy Home, a leading dairy producer, has agreed to use bioplastics for all of its yoghurt packaging, in a deal struck with NatureWorks Asia Pacific, an affiliate of PTT Global Chemical, marking significant progress in PTTGC’s aspiration to turn Thailand into a hub of the bioplastics industry in Asia. Dairy Home Managing Director Pruitti Kerdchoochuen said he expected other…
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BISP students to train like the tennis champs
PHUKET: Even if you’ve never held a tennis racket and you don’t follow tennis news, you probably know the name of Rafael Nadal. Ranked number one by ATP, Olympic Gold medalist in Beijing, eight-time winner of the French Open, two-time Wimbledon Champion, two-time US Open Champion… the list goes on. But Nadal isn’t the only Spaniard to conquer the world…
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