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Ask people to name the most beautiful places in Thailand, and you'll often hear Phuket and Koh Samui being mentioned. Who would disagree? One is renowned for its bustling nightlife, vibrant culture, and lively beach scene, while the other is...
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Opinion: Vegetarian Festival more trendy than traditional
PHUKET: I wonder how many people, including tourists and locals, actually know the history and meaning of the Vegetarian Festival, because it is nothing like it was in the past. If people were to judge the festival solely by what they see and hear now, then their reaction will most likely be one of fear, dismay or misunderstanding. A lot…
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‘The Race of Legends’ on horizon
PHUKET: The 22nd Laguna Phuket Triathlon will be taking place on Sunday, November 22, marking the beginning of Laguna Phuket’s week long Tri-Fest. The event consists of a 1.8 kilometer swim, 55km bike ride and a 12km run. This year’s triathlon will celebrate its 22nd year, while simultaneously welcoming the return of the Challenge Laguna Phuket on Sunday, November 29.…
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Arrest warrants issued for Vegetarian Festival killers
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Court issued arrest warrants for five members of the Wan Wai gang following the killing of a 15-year-old bystander during a shootout at the closing ceremony of the Vegetarian Festival early yesterday morning. Thanakij Sawirum, 15, was shot dead behind the Lucky Complex, the abandoned building at the entrance to Saphan Hin, just after midnight (story here).…
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Rains water down Phuket air pollution
PHUKET: Morning showers helped to lower air pollution levels in Phuket, despite the 24-hour average spiking to 109 micrograms [PM10] per cubic meter by 12 noon today. “The 24-hour average by 3pm was down to 102. However, the hourly level was at just 34,” explained Pornsri Suthanarak, director of the Regional Environmental Office. “The average remains high due to increased…
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Krabi fisherman nets mutant horseshoe crab
KRABI: A Krabi fisherman discovered a mutant horseshoe crab with six tails last week. “I was surprised to find the strange horseshoe crab among the fish and shrimp in my net,” said 63-year-old Matya Thamsuan. “Normally, they only have one long tail, but this one had six small curving tails that look like tiny elephant tusks – each about 2…
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Government promises beach rule clarity by high season
PHUKET: With Phuket’s high season starting next month, the details of exactly how the beach “management” system on the island will be maintained and implemented remain hazy. “The beach management system is a very sensitive topic and must be handled with care. There are a great many stakeholders involved, including tourists,” Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat told the Phuket Gazette…
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Officers investigate land encroachment at prime Phuket locations
PHUKET: An investigation by Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) officers into four plots of land will dig to the root of the issue and reveal any officials neglecting their duties or acting illegally, says NED Region 5 Deputy Commander Montri Pancharoen. A one rai plot of land currently occupied by a barbershop on Soi Bangla and a…
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Foreigner urinates at Veg Fest offering table
PHUKET: Police nabbed a foreigner found urinating behind a Phuket Vegetarian Festival offerings table in the middle of the explosive festivities near Surin Circle last night. The shirtless, inebriated man was found on his knees delivering a most unwanted offering of his own behind a table of fruits, joss sticks and drinks that were being offered up to the spirit…
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Popular British International School access road temporarily opened
PHUKET: Access to Soi Koh Kaew 33 from Thepkrasatri Road, a popular road alongside the Isuzu showroom and the Phuket Gazette office that leads to the British International School, has been ‘temporarily’ re-opened. The road was closed in late July after nearly half of its width had fallen into a parallel drainage ditch. Since then, the Koh Kaew Tambon Administration…
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Teen slain during Vegetarian Festival celebrations
PHUKET: A teen was gunned down and three bystanders injured by stray bullets during the explosive final festivities of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival early this morning. Thanakij Sawirum, 15, was shot dead behind the Lucky Complex, the abandoned building at the entrance to Saphan Hin, just after midnight, said Maj Pornthip Chumsri of the Phuket City Police. The three boys…
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Navy hunt for refugee returns empty handed
PHUKET: A Royal Thai Navy humanitarian mission into the Andaman in search of refugees returned to Phuket yesterday without having made contact. Led by the head of the Royal Thai Navy’s public relations department, Captain Benjamaporn Wongnakornsawang, the HTMS Angthong set out on the half-day search with food, water, medical supplies and translators to assist any refugees passing through Thai…
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On Deck: Ocean Emerald first to receive superyacht licence
PHUKET: The visually stunning superyacht Ocean Emerald is the first superyacht to receive one of the recently launched 12-month superyacht licences. Currently based in Pattaya at Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Ocean Emerald is being heavily promoted in Phuket by numerous locally-based charter agents. Designed by Norman Foster and built in Italy, the 41meter Ocean Emerald is one of four built…
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Busted: fleeing thief crashes bike
PHUKET: Patong Police arrested a snatch thief after he crashed his motorbike in the party town Monday night. Boonlert Sitsuwan, 26, was seen by police leaving the area where a woman was shouting for help. “The victim yelled for help after Mr Boonlert snatched her necklace. Police on patrol saw Mr Boonlert fleeing, radioed in the crime and followed him,”…
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Phuket Marine Office to play hard ball with foreign yachts
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office has vowed to toughen its stance on foreign yachts needing to install Automatic Identification System (AIS) devices and report to the Phuket Yacht Control Center when arriving and departing the region. In September last year, Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut told the boating community that all foreign yachts in Phuket had to be fitted…
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Indonesian haze returns to Phuket
PHUKET: The Indonesian haze that reached harmful levels earlier this month began to creep back over the island yesterday afternoon. However, air pollution remains at a safe level. “The 24-hour average for Phuket was only 40 micrograms [PM10] per cubic meter by 6am this morning, which is not a health concern,” confirmed Pornsri Suthanarak, the director of the Regional Environmental…
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A Decade Ago: Mom Tri dreams of developing new International Baccalaureate school
PHUKET: Mom Luang Tridhosyuth Devakul, probably better known on the island simply as ‘Mom Tri’, scored page one a decade ago with his dream of developing a new International Baccalaureate (IB) school for the island. With a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard – the real Harvard – Mom Tri was an early visionary leader, recognizing Phuket’s potential and was…
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Religious leaders to advise in Phuket beach management
PHUKET: The island’s religious leaders will be joining one of four committees tasked with ensuring the successful implementation, upkeep and management of Phuket’s 10 per cent beach zone policy. The four-pronged approach will include a consultant board, a management board, local government representatives and a public relations team. “Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has ordered me to set up the beach management…
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Phuket Riot: Drug tests come back negative
PHUKET: Post-mortem urine tests on the suspected drug dealers whose deaths caused the Thalang police station riot have come back negative. “As has already been mentioned, doctors have confirmed that the deaths of the two men were caused by the collision during the police chase. There were no signs of additional violence,” said Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat, who was…
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33 arrest warrants issued for Phuket rioters
PHUKET: A total of 33 arrest warrants have been issued for alleged instigators of the Thalang Police Station riot, which saw more than 20 police officers injured and more than 6 million baht in damages done. A further 14 arrest warrants are expected to be issued today, confirmed Region 8 Police Commander Tesa Siriwato. Early on in the investigation Provincial…
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Phuket red-light runner killed, son injured
PHUKET: A Koh Yao man was killed and his 4-year-old son injured after they ran a red light in Phuket Town yesterday. Rakchart Koondee, 36, and his son Chinnapat Koondee, who was riding passenger in front of him, were turning right onto Korjan Bridge in Phuket Town when they failed to stop at the traffic light, explained Maj Sakon Krainara…
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B6k baht not enough to keep Phuket rubber tapper alive
PHUKET: Police are hunting a group of men who killed a Myanmar rubber tapper who was only able to give them 6,000 baht cash – not enough for them to spare his life. When officers arrived at the scene last night, they found the body of 34-year-old Kyaw Soe. Also at the scene was Mr Kyaw’s wife, named by police…
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Gov calls for peace as second riot rumors swirl
PHUKET: The Phuket governor this weekend squared off against rumors that another riot will strike the island due to suspicions over the fairness of the investigation into the deaths of two suspected drug dealers earlier this month. “As the Phuket Governor who has taken responsibility for the riot, I plead with you, the people of Phuket, especially those who are…
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Governor denies rumors of transfer over Phuket riot
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada yesterday denied that he would be transferred from the province due to the Thalang riot. “Due to the recent rumor that I will be transferred from the island, which is confusing people, I would like to assure you that I have yet tor receive such an order,” Governor Chamroen wrote on his Facebook fan page.…
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Video Report: Millions watch Krabi man rescue stuck-in-the-mud Norwegians
KRABI: A man’s act of kindness went viral on Friday after he rescued a Norwegian photographer and his partner from the mud along the banks of the Krabi River. Chat Ubonjinda, 44, spotted the tourists stuck knee-deep in the mud, unable to free themselves. Arild Hagen had originally waded into the muck for a photograph and had become stuck. Yanxiang…
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US complaint leads to raid on Patong pirate shops
PHUKET: A United States Embassy complaint led to officers seizing more than 4 million baht worth of fake, copyrighted goods in Patong yesterday. Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) Division 4 stormed 12 shops in the Patong area, rounding up pirated brand name bags, glasses, clothes and shoes. However, shop owners managed to evade arrest. “We received a…
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CFA dips into feline health care sector
PHUKET: The team behind the Chaofa Andaman (CFA) Pet Hospital has stepped forward to corner the feline segment of the pet healthcare market by opening Thailand’s first-ever cat-specific hospital next to their existing business on Chaofa East Road in Chalong. Open since July 2010, CFA Pet Hospital grew increasingly aware that cats were more stressed than other animals while visiting…
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Battling mob mentality
PHUKET: Though blockades, protests and other forms of mob rule appear to be an effective way for local Phuket villagers to kick-start official action, justice eventually catches up with the instigators, says Teenachat Jindangen, Commanding General of the 41st Military Circle. The commander’s comments come fast on the heels of an unprecedented riot and attack on the Thalang Police Station…
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Police mum on rioters’ arrest warrants
PHUKET: Police officials are still playing mum on the distribution of arrest warrants for those who instigated last weekend’s riots at Thalang Police Station. Deputy National Police Chief Chalermkiat Srivorakarn paid a visit to the island yesterday to commend officers for their patience and hard work over the last week, and to offer support to those who were injured. “I…
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Video Report: Haze doesn’t hamper Aussie’s fight against child abuse
PHUKET: As part of his battle against child abuse, Damien Rider successfully circumnavigated Phuket on his standup paddle board (SUP), despite the dense Indonesian haze leaving him lost at sea earlier this month. Mr Rider, a victim of child abuse, first caught the media’s attention with Paddle Against Child Abuse (PACA) when he completed an 800 kilometer prone paddle through…
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Grieving family to sue Phuket riot instigators
PHUKET: Family members of the patient whose death may have been prevented if rioters had not blocked the ambulance he was in from reaching a hospital last weekend, are prepared to sue those responsible for initiating the mob (story here). Chian Srichoo, 73, was being transferred from Krabi Hospital to the better equipped Bangkok Hospital Phuket for coronary stenosis [blockage…
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