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AMLO follows money trail to bring down Siamese rosewood smuggling cartel
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AMLO follows money trail to bring down Siamese rosewood smuggling cartel The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: With the anti-money laundering law covering trade in endangered Siamese rosewood, investigators have been able to follow the money trail related to the timber smuggling gangs and have come…
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Attempt to kill former red shirt leader linked to ‘personal dispute’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Attempt to kill former red shirt leader linked to ‘personal dispute’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The attempt to kill a key red shirt leader in Chiang Mai on Saturday evening was likely the result of a personal conflict, police said. Niyom Luangcharoen, “DJ Lae”,…
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Thais split on whether Yingluck will come back
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thais split on whether Yingluck will come back The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: About half of the people who responded in a recent survey support the junta’s granting of permission for ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to take a short trip out of the country,…
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Tourists injured in Pattaya banana boat crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tourists injured in Pattaya banana boat crash The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A 12-year-old girl and another Chinese tourist were sent to hospital yesterday after their banana boat crashed into a sightseeing ship off Pattaya. Two other Chinese holidaymakers riding the inflatable boat were dislodged…
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Phuket Raceweek: Foxy Lady breezes to victory
PHUKET: Bill Bremner’s Foxy Lady VI breezed around the course off the east coast of Phuket today to win the IRC Racing I Class of the 2014 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek Regatta. Placing fourth in today’s race was little more than a formality for the too-hot-to-handle Foxy Lady (story here) crew to ensure they had enough points to allow…
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Special Report: Tackling Phuket’s kid thugs is no child’s play
A growing number of teenagers in Phuket are becoming involved in drug abuse and violent crimes in a shift that is concerning local officials involved with juvenile cases, from court judges who hand down sentences to the minors to the counselors tasked with reforming them in the hope the children do not become repeat offenders. The Gazette’s Saran Mitrarat reports.…
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Phuket Police launch 10pm street curfew for minors
PHUKET: Following the recent spate of violent teenage attacks throughout Phuket, the island’s top-ranking police officer has ordered a 10pm curfew for all minors, effective immediately. “I have ordered officers from every police station in Phuket to start cracking down on children under 18 years old who are found roaming the streets at night,” Provincial Police Commander Krajang Suwannarat told…
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Phuket Raceweek: Doldrums leave fleet hanging on for final day
PHUKET: The signs were ominous as the boats left the anchorage this morning for Day 3 of the 2014 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek. Grey skies, no rustling in the trees and confusing reports from the weather professionals. Wind Guru was predicting anything from zero to four knots and Windfinder were predicting in the eight knot range, while the Thai…
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Phuket migrant worker center to combat slavery to open July 22, as deadline looms
PHUKET: Phuket’s one-stop registration center where employers will be able register their illegal migrant workers will be open for 30 days, starting on July 22. “The center will be located at the Phuket Provincial Community Hall in Phuket Town,” Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) Chief Yaowapa Pibulpol confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. “The one-stop center will be open from…
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Phuket thief smashes car window, makes off with 20,000 baht
PHUKET: Police have warned motorists against leaving valuables in their cars after a Phuket thief this morning smashed a car window with a rock and made off with a bag containing 20,000 baht. Phuket City Police were called to the scene on Wirat Hongyok Road, near Suan Luang Park (also called Chalermprakiat Ror IX Park or King’s Park), at about…
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Phuket beach tear-down debris stabs tourist through foot
PHUKET: A Phuket tourist exercising barefoot on Kamala Beach yesterday was stabbed through the foot by a one-foot-long metal rod that was hidden beneath the sand. Local rescue workers called to the scene near the Kamala Cemetery found Benedict Tauber, 55, sitting on the ground with the metal rod sticking through the bottom of his foot. “We had to cut…
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Protest over Club Med lease brings promise of public hearing
PHUKET: A protest in April over renewing the lease for Club Med’s beachfront property in Kata has won locals the promise of a public hearing before any decision is made. “We will have a hearing next month,” Phuket Provincial Administration Organization [PPAO] Vice President Chawalit Na Nakorn told the Phuket Gazette this week. “The interest of the majority is our…
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Police raid illegal Phuket forest homestead
PHUKET: A Phuket police raid on an illegal homestead in the Kamala Forest yesterday found no people but did turn up a registered rifle which police are using to pursue suspects. More than 30 Phuket police officers and a special squad from Region 8 Police went to the site, located three kilometers away from the nearest road, after local residents…
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Next Target: Land-snatching Phuket officials
PHUKET: National level politicians involved in commandeering more than 1,000 rai of public land in Phuket will face fire as a joint agency operation pushes to shake out the long history of illegal land titles plaguing Sirinath National Park. “The people at the root of the issue of encroachment in Sirinath Park go all the way up to the top……
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Phuket Raceweek: Foxy Lady stretches her legs with four straight wins
Bill Bremner’s Foxy Lady VI, out of Singapore, scored two more firsts in the Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek Regatta today to card four straight wins in the IRC 1 Racing class. Winds eased to 10 to 12 knots off the east coast of Phuket, where the fleet of 35 yachts competed in the second day of racing in slightly…
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Nominations being accepted for Thailand’s first Expat Entrepreneur Awards
PHUKET: Bangkok-based publisher, The BigChilli Company, has announced that it will be hosting Thailand’s first Expat Entrepreneur Awards 2014 on September 25 in Bangkok. The accolades will be awarded in a variety of categories such as arts and culture, education, hospitality and travel to highlight the contributions that foreign-owned/managed companies have made to Thailand’s economy. The awards ceremony is jointly…
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Indian diver pulled unconscious from sea near Phi Phi
PHUKET: An Indian woman diving on a day trip near Koh Phi Phi was pulled from the water unconscious on Wednesday and rushed to hospital, where she remains. Deetti Tirumalaraju, 28, encountered difficulties at about six meters, Phuket Marine Police Inspector Chatchai Sakdee was told. She was brought to the surface and given first aid on her dive boat, the…
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Dig up the land titles next
PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) deserves the island’s full support for the ongoing efforts to rid public beaches of illegal encroachment in all its myriad forms. The results, which have been nothing less than stunning so far, are sure to go a long way towards restoring the island’s attractiveness to quality tourists, of both the foreign…
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Sea Sheperd rails against allegedly wild caught dolphins for Phuket Dolphinarium
PHUKET: Sea Shepard Global has put out a call to stop the Nemo Dolphinarium from being built in Phuket. Phuket Aqua Project Co Ltd’s application for the facility has been handed over to the Department of Fisheries’ head office in Bangkok, confirmed Kiattikhun Charoensawan, chief of the Phuket Fisheries Office, to the Phuket Gazette today. “I don’t see the construction…
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Video Report: Pony Up – Phuket marine conservationists launch international seahorse specialty course
PHUKET: Marine conservationists in Phuket today announced the international launch of a seahorse diver specialty course to promote accurate crowdsourcing as Thailand, and the rest of the world, attempts to protect endangered populations. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) course will teach student divers the basics of seahorse biology and conservation, how to identify and search for seahorses and…
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Pipe to bring water to Phuket from mainland takes another step toward reality
PHUKET: A pipe that would supply Phuket with water from the mainland came a step closer to reality yesterday with the conclusion of the feasibility study and second public hearing. “With the feasibility study completed, the next step is to run an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and get approval, then we can determine the budget,” said Chamnian Muangchan, director of…
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Phuket to be waste management model for nation
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy has vowed to find a budget to fix Phuket’s third incinerator, broken since 2012, and make the island a model of garbage management for other provinces to follow. Royal Thai Navy Commander Narong Pipathanasai made the pledge after touring the island’s waste facility at Saphan Hin on Monday. On a similar tour in March (story…
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Phuket dog turns in fugitive
PHUKET: An astute dog led police to arrest a fugitive who had escaped from a Phuket police pick-up truck yesterday as it was stopped at a red light (story here). About 7 hours after 22-year-old Boonrit Boontang, arrested for motorbike theft, escaped from police custody while being transferred to Phuket Provincial Court, a barking dog gave up his hiding spot.…
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Ukraine says Malaysian airliner shot down, 295 dead: agency
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine says Malaysian airliner shot down, 295 dead: agency Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Malaysian airliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine by militants on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard, a Ukrainian interior ministry official was quoted as saying by Interfax-Ukraine news agency. The…
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Phuket officials board fishing vessels to check for human trafficking victims
PHUKET: Officials stepped off Phuket to spot-check five fishing vessels this morning as Thailand ramps up its efforts to stifle human trafficking. “We came out to the boats to ensure that there were no trafficking victims on fishing boats in the province. We also talked with the fishermen to establish whether or not they were being treated fairly by their…
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Thai MICE sector secures major international events
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai MICE sector secures major international events Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Thailand and Convention Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has announced that the country will play host to several major international MICE events (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions), including the 74th “FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical…
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Be alert, Phuket: Traffic violation clampdown begins today
PHUKET: Police officers throughout Phuket are ready to dish out fines for motorists who violate traffic laws as part of a nationwide crackdown on road safety starting today. The Royal Thai Police identified 199 intersections throughout the country known for being traffic-heavy and dangerous, three of which are in Phuket, said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Sakchai Limcharoen yesterday. They…
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Phuket police hunt handcuffed thief who fled from police vehicle at red light
PHUKET: A handcuffed man left behind only his slippers today when he jumped from a police pick-up truck while it was stopped at a red light. Boonrit Boontang, 22, who has been evading police since his escape, had been arrested on July 15 for stealing a motorbike. He was being transferred to Phuket Provincial Court at about 11:30am when he…
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Phuket Raceweek: Foxy Lady too hot to handle
PHUKET: Bill Bremner’s Foxy Lady VI scored two firsts in the opening day of racing in the Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek Regatta, which began today off the east coast of Phuket. Peter Ahern’s TP52 Oi! cut a clear lead from the fleet from the outset, but a spinnaker error at the leeward mark handed the advantage to Foxy Lady,…
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Phuket Raceweek: Fast boats, slick crews to make most of blustery weather
PHUKET: The shift to heavy weather this week has set the scene for dramatic racing off Phuket’s east coast as a fleet of 36 yachts compete in this year’s edition of the renowned Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek Regatta. Racing began today following last night’s gala opening party. Setting the courses over the next four days is Simon James, who…
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