News
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Phuket police slash red tape for Phi Phi rape cases
PHUKET: A major leap forward has been taken to bring Koh Phi Phi rapists to justice, following concerns raised by the Norwegian Honorary Consul regarding jurisdiction issues which led to island rape cases failing to be fully investigated. “We want to see police treat rape as a serious crime. We want police to bring rapists to justice. We want to…
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Police, Navy teams end search for missing American
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy and Phuket Marine Police will no longer send out dedicated search teams to find the body of missing American Joshua Devine, who disappeared from a dive boat off the coast of Phuket on April 11 (story here), officers confirmed today. “We have searched for several days and have yet to find any sign of Mr…
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Phuket tour boats, ferries forced to install AIS locators
PHUKET: New regulations to come into effect from Sunday will require all boats and ferries in Phuket that are registered to carry 25 or more passengers to be fitted with an AIS locator device. The news was delivered at a meeting of marine officials with more than 220 Phuket boat operators at the Katina Hotel in Phuket Town yesterday. “Also,…
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Patong teens nabbed for exchange-booth robberies
PHUKET: Two teenagers were arrested in Patong on Wednesday, and police are searching for three more, for their involvement a series of currency-exchange booth robberies and motorbike thefts. The two, who cannot be named as they are minors, were caught on Wednesday night after police identified them in CCTV footage collected from a currency-exchange booth on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road…
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Phuket hosts Asean and Asia Conference on Literature and Culture
PHUKET: Phuket for the first time ever is hosting the Asean and Asia Conference on Literature and Culture, which is being held at the Phuket Merlin Hotel. The conference, which aims to encourage Asian writers and help Asian people exchange culture and traditions, has drawn writers and cultural experts from 16 countries throughout the region. “We are family. We support…
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No alcohol ban on Phuket passenger, tour boats
PHUKET: The Phuket marine chief will not order a ban on the sale or consumption of alcohol on any passenger or tour boats operating to or from Phuket. The decision was made at a meeting of marine officials and more than 220 Phuket boat operators at the Katina Hotel in Phuket Town yesterday. “At this stage, we will not ban…
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Opinion: Social media’s role in unwanted pregnancy
Yaowanit Nongkom, 33, a Vachira Phuket Hospital psychologist originally from Roi Et province, has been working at Vachira Phuket Hospital for nine years. She graduated with a degree in clinical and community psychology from Ramkhamhaeng University. Ms Yaowanit is head of the One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC) at the hospital. Here, she talks about how social media networks can play…
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Opinion: Lovin’ the python
PHUKET: I love snakes. Whenever there is a news story about snakes sneaking into houses during the southwest monsoon season – I’m clicking on it. Snake in the road? I’m getting as close as possible to get a picture – which I admit is probably not the best idea in some situations, depending on the type of snake. So, naturally,…
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Golfers flock to Laguna
PHUKET: The newly re-designed Laguna Phuket Golf Club is winning the hearts of golfers with the island’s very first offer of shorter, five or 10-year memberships, Paul Wilson, the club’s director, told the Phuket Gazette. This new product sits between a lifetime membership and the one-year access card that most clubs, including Laguna, offer. The new memberships target several key…
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Business Buzz: Cashing in on Google’s greed
PHUKET: When asked what Google is, most people answer ‘where to find things’, while the more technically minded reply ‘a search engine’. Google’s own mission statement is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. What many people do not realize is the true dominance that Google already has in the online world. Put simply, Google…
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Trial over lethal Phuket Tiger Disco inferno begins
PHUKET: The long-awaited manslaughter trial over the deaths of four people in Patong’s notorious Tiger Disco inferno began yesterday with the presentation of witness testimonies. The lethal blaze killed four people and injured 11 others after fire broke out in the busy nightclub on Soi Bangla in the early hours of August 17, 2012. The flames claimed the lives of…
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Phuket tsunami drill to be held away from tourist fleshpots
PHUKET: A full-scale tsunami evacuation and emergency-response drill will be held on Koh Sireh, on the east side of Phuket Town, on May 7. The full-scale annual drill was originally slated to be held on Christmas Day last year (story here), but was later postponed due to sensitivities over the exercise being held one day before the 10-year anniversary of…
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NACC accuses former ministers of fabricating G2G rice scheme
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NACC accuses former ministers of fabricating G2G rice scheme The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Claims of rice stockpiles being sold through government-to-government (G2G) scheme by the Yingluck Shinawatra administration were “total lies”, National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) member Vicha Mahakhun told members of the National Legislative…
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Patong book place in cricket league final
PHUKET: A dominant victory over Village CC by an innings and 257 runs at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) in Thalang last Sunday secured Patong CC the minor premiership and place in the league final, to be played on May17. Both teams were missing many of their regular players, who were busy with work, travel commitments or out with injuries,…
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US admits it killed US, Italian hostages
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US admits it killed US, Italian hostages Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A U.S. drone strike in January targeting an al Qaeda compound in Pakistan near the Afghan border inadvertently killed an American and an Italian who had been held hostage for years by the group,…
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Opinion: Stop paying the power bill, Phuket
PHUKET: It’s hard to argue with the objective of the Ministry of Energy’s campaign to reduce electric power consumption on the island by 10 per cent within six months, but the Gazette hopes that more energy will be saved in the effort than calories expended. As mentioned in an announcement by Ministry of Energy Inspector Pramoul Chanpong, primary targets include…
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Phuket immigration 90-day check-in now online
PHUKET: An online option for 90-day immigration check-ins is now available in all provinces throughout Thailand. “We tested the system for two months [story here] before officially launching it on April 1,” Phuket Immigration Office Chief Sunchai Chokkajaykij told the Phuket Gazette. “However, it is only compatible with the Internet Explorer browser.” The same rules apply for checking in after…
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Indian tourists injured as Phuket tour bus slams into taxi
PHUKET: Three Indian tourists were injured when a tour bus slammed into a taxi and a pick-up truck south of the Heroines’ Monument on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday. The taxi, carrying an Indian family of three, and the tour bus, which had just dropped off a group of Chinese tourists at Phuket International Airport, were travelling southbound on Thepkrasattri Road when…
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Video Report: Phuket Oilfield Classic golfers drive the fair way
PHUKET: The 7th annual Phuket Oilfield Classic 2015, played at two Phuket golf courses earlier this month, brought more than 120 golfers to the island, together raising more than 2 million baht for charity. Team Hellespont, comprising Andy Lidgard, Candice Lidgard, Rod Nicolson and James Bissett, took top honors in the traditional Texas Scramble at Red Mountain Golf Course on…
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Police launch probe after digging up infant corpse
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police launch probe after digging up infant corpse The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have launched an investigation after discovering an infant’s corpse, covered in gold leaf and inside a glass coffin, under a Brahma shrine in Chiang Mai province. Police dug up the coffin…
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Bonanza execs face charges over park encroachment
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bonanza execs face charges over park encroachment The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ongoing investigations into alleged encroachment by three big businesses in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district, namely Bonanza, Kirimaya and Moon Dance, have progressed significantly. Police have now decided to press charges against three…
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Officials clear restaurant from Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police have been tasked with pursuing beach encroachment charges after a team of officials cleared a restaurant’s tables and chairs from the sand at Bang Tao Beach on Tuesday morning. About 20 officers led by Thalang District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol arrived and removed 34 pieces of beach furniture following complaints of beach encroachment being filed with the Thalang District…
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Chinese tourists safe as car slams into Patong drain
PHUKET: A Chinese couple escaped serious injury yesterday when their rented car plunged into a large open drain under construction in Patong. The tourists, Po Fai Choy and his female companion Kai Yin Fox, slammed into the open drain near Phuket Simon Cabaret at about 830am. Mr Po and Ms Kai were recovered from the vehicle and taken to Patong…
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Phuket Gran Fondo draws world cyclists
PHUKET: More than 220 cyclists from around the globe joined the Thanyapura Gran Fondo road race last weekend. Cyclists completing the 120km course started in Phuket and completed a lap through Phang Nga before heading back to the finish line at Thanyapura. Riders were individually chip timed and had the right of way at all intersections. The event also included…
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Foreign crewmen rescued in Bangkok
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Foreign crewmen rescued in Bangkok The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Twelve Chinese and Myanmar crewmen aboard a cargo ship stranded on the Chao Phraya River were rescued yesterday. Rachen Rangmarerng, head of the Port Authority of Thailand’s labor union, said the crewmen, seven of who…
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Net spreads wider over UFUN
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Net spreads wider over UFUN The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Investigation into allegedly fraudulent schemes linked to UFUN Co Ltd’s purported branch UFUN Thailand will expand to cover another three or four related firms, as well as focus on 30 key suspects, the Department of…
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Governor revokes land deeds for Bonanza speedway
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Governor revokes land deeds for Bonanza speedway The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Nakhon Ratchasima Governor Thongchai Lue-adule has already approved the revocation of land right documents held by Bonanza International Speedway, which is now mired in an encroachment scandal. Solid evidence suggests the firm illegitimately…
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Seven suspects eyed for Samui car bomb attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Seven suspects eyed for Samui car bomb attack The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Arrest warrants will be issued for up to seven Koh Samui car bomb suspects once sufficient evidence has been collected, national police chief Gen Somyot Poompanmuang said yesterday. Meanwhile, high-ranking Internal Security…
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Suthep provides clips of ‘men in black’ in 2010
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suthep provides clips of ‘men in black’ in 2010 The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday gave the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) video clips and pictures of the “men in black” while testifying in the case in which he is…
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Phuket career car robber flunks again
PHUKET: Police have arrested a man who has confessed to breaking into and stealing items from five cars in Phuket Town on Friday and Saturday night. Pongphol Boondetpiti, 25, was arrested at a house in Rassada yesterday. “Officers searched his house and found several items reported stolen from the robbed cars,” Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Somsak Thongklieng said this…
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