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On your mind: Realpolitik defines US/Thai relationship
PHUKET: Webster’s dictionary defines realpolitik as a system of politics based on a country’s situation and its needs, rather than on ideas about what is morally right and wrong. No doubt, US government officials would deny that realpolitik defines American policies, but it is hard to see any clear moral imperative with regard to that country’s relationship with Thailand. The…
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Phuket officials issue landslide, flash flood warning
PHUKET: The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office has issued an official landslide and flash flood warning for several areas on Phuket following days of heavy rain. The alert was issued for parts of Kamala, Cherng Talay and Thepkrasattri. “Earlier this week, we asked every local government office to be aware of the weather conditions that could lead to…
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Special Report: ‘Pink Panther’ passes
PHUKET: Legendary champion of Phuket people and the highest elected official on the island Paiboon Upatising lost his battle against colon cancer on August 2 at the age of 58, with his wife and eldest son by his side. The former Phuket senator, suspended President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) and charter President of the Rotary Club of…
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Phuket Governor announces beach chair judgment day
PHUKET: The island’s beach chair dilemmas will see one final meeting before the controversial subject is laid to rest, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong told the Phuket Gazette in an exclusive interview yesterday. “Prince of Songkhla University (PSU) Phuket campus will present their results to me on August 20,” Governor Nisit said. “We will consider the information they bring to the…
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China removes cross from church after month-long protest ends
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China removes cross from church after month-long protest ends Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Chinese authorities removed a cross from a church on Friday after Christian protesters ended a month-long sit-in on the building’s roof in a bid to protect the cross from what they said…
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Two-day Phuket demolition comes to end
PHUKET: Two days of demolishing illegal buildings on Phuket’s west coast came to an end yesterday with local officials vowed to return and remove any other illegal structures found. “The owners of two venues, including Octopus restaurant, were fully aware of the orders to vacate the premises and tear down the structures,” said Thalang District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol, who led…
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Python caught prowling at sacred Phuket shrine
PHUKET: A large python was discovered seeking highland near a Phuket shrine permeated with local lore. The estimated three-meter-long snake, weighing about five kilograms, was quickly bagged at the Baan Toh Sae shrine in Kathu Wednesday, Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker Kasun Naepnean told the Phuket Gazette. The shrine was built in honor of the legend of Toh Sae, who arrived…
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Severe flooding at Samkong intersection
PHUKET: Flash floods at the Samkong intersection created long tailbacks as the weather warning issued by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) remained in effect this morning (story here). “To deal with the flood at the junction we added one more water pump to the construction site, in addition to the two that are already there,” Samak Luedwonghad,…
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Phuket’s small boat warning remains in effect
PHUKET: The warning issued by the Phuket Marine Office for all boats less than 10-meters long to stay ashore remains in effect today. “However, it is fine for smaller boats to access nearby islands, such as Coral Island, Koh Lon or islands in Phang Nga Bay,” said Natchapong Pradit of the Phuket Marine Office. The letter issued by the Department…
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Trump draws boos as he bristles at ‘War on Women’ question
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Trump draws boos as he bristles at “war on women” question Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: White House contender Donald Trump, known for his inflammatory rhetoric, reacted with pique at a Republican presidential debate yesterday when asked about his past comments calling women “fat pigs”, “dogs”,…
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Video Report: Boat Arcade to open next month
PHUKET: With a lot of activities for children and their doting parents, the brand new Boat Arcade, branding itself as the ‘East Coast Edutainment & Family Center’, expects to be a smash hit when it opens its doors next month. The two-storey, high-street style shopping, dining and edutainment complex is dedicated to the island’s international community. Located at the Boat…
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Phuket tourist saves turtle from fishing net
PHUKET: A tourist saved the life of a sea turtle on Lay Pang Beach by alerting lifeguards after finding it entangled in a discarded fishing net on Tuesday morning. “We helped to cut the turtle free after the tourist told us about it,” Aknek Santrawa, a lifeguard of Angsana Laguna Phuket, told the Phuket Gazette. The approximately one-year-old turtle had…
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Patong Police on high alert for flash flooding
PHUKET: Officers working at low-lying Patong Police Station are on high alert after their station succumbed to flash floods again earlier this week (story here). “The water has drained from the office now,” Lt Col Pongpichan Chayanonpiriya of the Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “We will be better prepared next time, and pay closer attention to weather warnings.”…
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School laptop thief arrested at worker camp
PHUKET: Police arrested a Myanmar national on Tuesday for allegedly swiping laptops costing an estimated 240,000 baht from Satree Phuket School’s science and math center last month (story here). “We were able to arrest the suspect, known only as Mr Lek, at about 2pm in a worker camp. At his place were seven of the 10 stolen laptops and the…
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Facebook post helps identify drowned woman
PHUKET: Facebook users were able to identify the woman who plunged to her death off Rawai Pier yesterday, after pictures of her body were posted on the social media platform. Witnesses saw Sriwann Sarapoo, 49, walk down the pier in the heavy rain at about 8:30am. “We were told that she walked to the end of the pier, where the…
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Police fatally shoot ax-wielding man at Nashville movie theater
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police fatally shoot ax-wielding man at Nashville movie theater Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A man with a history of mental health issues who wielded an ax and a pellet gun at a Nashville-area movie theater was shot dead by police on Wednesday, authorities said. The…
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Phuket DDPM warns of heavy rains, flash floods and landslides
PHUKET: The Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has issued a five day weather warning for Phuket starting today. “As there will be heavy rains, as well as the possibility of flash floods and landslides, for the next five days, everyone needs to be very careful,” said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the DDPM Phuket Office. “I have already forwarded…
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Australia says initial MH370 debris drift models gave wrong clues
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia says initial MH370 debris drift models gave wrong clues Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Initial models of where potential debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines passenger jet mightfirst wash up had incorrectly identified Indonesia as the most likely location, the Australian body leading the search…
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German justice minister sacks top prosecutor over treason row
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community German justice minister sacks top prosecutor over treason row Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Germany’s government sacked the top public prosecutor on Tuesday after he accused the justice ministry of interfering in a widely criticised treason investigation against a news website. In a rare clash between…
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India floods derail two trains, killing at least 20; hundreds rescued
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community India floods derail two trains, killing at least 20; hundreds rescued Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Two express trains were partially swept off a flooded bridge over a river in centralIndia overnight, killing at least 20 people and injuring 100, the government said on Wednesday. Divers…
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Thailand arrests five for trafficking women into sex slavery in China
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand arrests five for trafficking women into sex slavery in China Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Thailand has arrested five people suspected of trafficking Thai women into sex slavery in China and believed to be part of a ring that has also trafficked women into Malaysia…
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Police officer’s son caught dealing drugs from barracks
PHUKET: A police officer’s son, along with three other men, were arrested with nearly three million baht worth of drugs at a residence at the Ao Luek Police Station barracks in Krabi on August 2. The four men were caught in possession of one kilogram of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and nearly 8,000 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine). Ao Luek…
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Unique Four Regions Fair’ to start on Mother’s Day
PHUKET: A special ‘Unique Four Regions Fair’ will take place on Mother’s Day, HM Queen Sirikit’s birthday, on August 12 and continue through August 16 at Sanam Chai Park in Phuket Town. Organized by the Royal Thai Navy’s Phuket-based Third Area Internal Security Operations Command [ISOC] and sponsored by the provincial police and municipality, this nationwide event is the fourth…
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Australian weather bureau: El Nino has emerged and is expected to strengthen
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community El Nino has emerged and expected to strengthen – Australian weather bureau Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: An El Nino is now well established and continues to strengthen, the Australian Bureau ofMeteorology (BOM) says, with models indicating that sea-surface temperature anomalies in the central Pacific Ocean…
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Idaho woman comes under fire for celebrating her killing of giraffe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Idaho woman comes under fire for celebrating her killing of giraffe Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A big-game trophy collector from Idaho has ignited a firestorm of criticism fromanimal-rights activists for flaunting online images of herself posed with the carcasses of a giraffe and other wildlife…
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Obama administration faces criticism over human trafficking report
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama administration faces criticism over human trafficking report Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Several U.S. politicians sharply criticized the Obama administration on Monday over an annual global report on human trafficking in response to a Reuters article chronicling how senior U.S. diplomats had watered down rankings…
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Swedish tourist falls from Phuket hotel
PHUKET: A Swedish tourist and a Thai woman took a tumble from the balcony of their room at the Phuket Paradise Hotel in Patong early this morning. “When we arrived at the scene, Dahlin Erik Conny, 33, was unconscious and Numpueng Kumpuong, 26, was crying out in pain on the ground,” said Lt Col Jessada Saengsuree of the Patong Police.…
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Kratom user takes anger out on ATM
PHUKET: An unruly kratom user was arrested at his apartment in Rawai this morning after CCTV footage showed him smashing the screen of an ATM on his way home from Phuket Town. “We received the report of the broken ATM at about 4am this morning. At the scene, we found a big piece of concrete, as well as a smashed…
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Rescuers in Myanmar struggle to reach flood-hit areas, toll seen rising
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rescuers in Myanmar struggle to reach flood-hit areas, toll seen rising Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A death toll of 27 from flooding across Myanmar was expected to rise as rescue workers struggled on Monday to reach some of the hardest-hit and most remote inundated areas,…
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Opinion: Fishing for change
Capt Preecha Tuntiruk, 41, of the Third Naval Area Command is head of Phuket’s Port In-Port Out (PIPO) Center. Originally from Samut Songkhram, Capt Preecha graduated from the Royal Thai Naval Academy in 1997. Here, he talks about why PIPO is necessary in Phuket and what role it takes in fighting the battle against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing vessels.…
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