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It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
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Local bodies awash with graft, PACC says
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Local bodies awash with graft, PACC says The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Many of the 8,000 local administrative bodies nationwide are hotbeds of graft and corruption, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission said yesterday. Prayong Preeyajit, chief of the PACC, said there was little oversight for…
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Police corruption scandal: Pongpat, 5 others face dishonourable discharges
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police corruption scandal: Pongpat, 5 others face dishonourable discharges The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former Central Investigation Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan and five officers accused of racketeering and intimidation are to be dishonourably discharged after being found guilty of severe malfeasance by…
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Norwegian tourist dies after hit by boat propeller off Koh Tao
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Norwegian tourist dies after hit by boat propeller off Koh Tao The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Norwegian tourist was fatally injured by a boat propeller while diving off Koh Tao in Surat Thani’s Koh Pha Ngan district yesterday. The 22-year-old tourist, Silje Fauskerud Mathisen,…
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Teen mum yet to be charged for attempted infanticide
PHUKET: Phuket police have yet to charge a teenage mother who tried to drown her newborn in the cistern of a public toilet. Thung Thong Police were called to the scene at a public toilet in Kathu Municipality Park, where they found the mother locked in a toilet stall with her newborn baby. “A concerned passersby told me that a…
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Phuket man blasts penis with make-shift pesticide torch
PHUKET: One member of a make-shift pest-control team suffered damage to his penis after a flaming bottle of pesticide backfired on him and his partner as they attempted to kill a colony of wasps today. Prapanpong Sinmalee, 29, and his 22-year-old co-worker Phollawat Suwong were moving spools of power-cables from a truck into a field along Thepkrasattri Road near Baan…
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Germans rescued from wrecked Phuket tour boat
PHUKET: A group of tourists were rescued from a tour boat after it grounded on the rocks off Laem Ka Cape, on the east coast of Phuket’s Rawai area, yesterday. The 12 people on board Electric Blue, including nine German tourists and one Thai tourist, were rescued after locals spotted the crashed boat and dispatched three longtails and a rescue…
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Laguna Phuket’s revamped course ready for New Year tee-off
PHUKET: The revamped Laguna Phuket championship golf course, which officially re-opens on January 1 after a full makeover, now has a “real sense of place and belonging” according to its designer, Paul Jansen. The former lead architect for Faldo Design, who created Laguna Phuket’s award-winning sister course in Vietnam, says the layout retains much of its former character and appeal,…
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Phuket golfers raise B1.2mn for Life Home Project charity
PHUKET: Local golfers in colorful dress on the fairways of Phuket have raised 1.2 million baht for island-based charity the Life Home Project Foundation. The 4th Annual Life Home Project Charity Golf Event took place at the Blue Canyon Country Club on November 15, when more than 100 golfers took to the fairways and greens of the spectacular Lakes Course.…
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Army flood-relief helicopter crashes in Yala
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Army flood-relief helicopter crashes in Yala The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Army helicopter flying flood-relief missions crashed in Yala yesterday, injuring the four crewmen on board. The helicopter, from the Royal Thai Army’s Region 4 base in the South, crashed in Yala’s Muang district…
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No ban on alcohol sales for the New Year
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Narong aiming at reform priorities The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Partygoers will be able to buy booze during New Year celebrations as the Alcohol Control Committee has decided to defer its decision on banning the sale of alcohol during this period. The ban was proposed…
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Warrants issued for police over links to online gambling
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Warrants issued for police over links to online gambling The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Arrest warrants have been issued for three suspects, including two police, in connection with an online gambling organization allegedly run by an Indian businessman with ties to disgraced and now-arrested former…
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China arrests 30,000 in porn, gambling crackdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China arrests 30,000 in porn, gambling crackdown Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: China has detained over 30,000 people during a two-month clamp down on pornography andgambling, state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday. In the latest arrests, police in the southern province of Guangdong arrested 3,014…
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Phuket’s “abductor soldiers’ arrested by mistake, says military
PHUKET: The military’s highest-ranking officer in Phuket under martial law has called the arrest of five soldiers for the alleged abduction of two Ukrainians on Friday a “mistake”. The soldiers, named by the Chalong Police on Friday (click here), were acting as “mediators”, Maj Gen Theenachat Jinda-ngern, Commander of the 41st Military Circle, told a press conference at Phuket Provincial…
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Phuket to celebrate Christmas with ancient Thai boxing contest
PHUKET: An international contest among disciples of muay khat chueak – the ancient form of Thai boxing where fighters tie rope around their fists – will be held on Christmas Day, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong announced this week. Fighters from France, Cambodia, Morocco and other countries around the world will be stepping into the ring to battle it out during…
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NFL Week 16: Jaguars square off against rivals Tennessee Titans
PHUKET: In a showdown on Thursday Night Football two of the worst teams in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars improved their record to 3-12 with a 21-13 home win over AFC South division rivals the Tennessee Titans (now 2-13). Despite both teams having long been eliminated from playoff contention, it was still a closely contested match; it did not appear…
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Army soldiers taken into custody for abducting foreigner in Phuket
PHUKET: Police took ten people into custody for the abduction of a Ukraine businessman and his wife in Phuket yesterday. Five of the men taken into custody are soldiers based in Thailand’s restive Deep South provinces, said Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Chukiat Imjaitam. Igor Iermakova, 37, was allegedly abducted by the group from Mitraphap Beach in Rawai on Thursday morning.…
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Cricket: Island CC wrestles victory from jaws of defeat in Phuket
PHUKET: Fiery old rivalries were reignited on Sunday when Patong CC faced Island CC in the second fixture of the 2014/2015 Senior League season at the Alan Cooke Ground. In a match that saw the T20 finalists face Patong’s players hoping to exact retribution after their defeat in September, it was the Islanders who claimed victory by a solitary run…
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Phuket police investigate apparent murder-suicide
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play in what appears to be a murder-suicide by a Trang official at a Patong hotel yesterday. Officers were called to Baan Ton Sai Garden Resort Hotel at 4pm, said Lt Col Pratuang Polmana of the Patong Police. The body of Yuwadee Sriket, 29, was naked on the bed, covered by a…
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Phuket beach vendors return for trial run
PHUKET: Vendors renting out umbrellas, offering massages or selling food and drinks are allowed to return to Phuket’s beaches – but not vendors who rent out sun-loungers or beach chairs. Governor Nisit Jansomwong delivered the news at a meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday, when he laid down a stringent list of conditions under which beach vendors will be permitted to…
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Opinion: Fine solution for Phuket
PHUKET: The allegation of a 5,000-baht fine levied against a tourist for illegally parking a motorbike in a restricted zone in Karon (story here) raises several issues about the future role of local administrative bodies, both in terms of how they raise revenue and how they use these funds. The fact that Karon Municipality now appears to be taking a…
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Phuket takes to water for New Year “Seven days of Danger’ campaign
PHUKET: Safety measures to reduce and prevent accidents on Phuket’s roads, as well as the surrounding sea, will be rolled out on December 30. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) will be heading the annual Seven Days of Danger safety campaign for the New Year holidays. The campaign will run from December 30 through January 5. On the…
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Govt seeks help over fugitives
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt seeks help over fugitives The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Royal Thai Government will try to convince other countries not to allow Thai fugitives to engage in anti-government activities, particularly those who commit lese majeste, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said yesterday. He said…
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Nine South provinces face floods, landslides
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nine South provinces face floods, landslides The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: As the National Disaster Warning Center issued a warning yesterday that nine provinces in the South face the risks of floods and landslides until Saturday, a soldier died in a boat accident while helping…
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Cuba’s Castro hails new era of ‘living together’ with U.S.
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Cuba’s Castro hails new era of ‘living together’ with U.S. Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Cuban President Raul Castro hailed a landmark exchange of prisoners with the United States on Wednesday and praised U.S. President Barack Obama as the two countries agreed to normalize relations after…
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Phi Phi resort partner, dive boat captain arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a dive boat captain who is also a co-owner of a bungalow resort on Phi Phi Island for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia yesterday. Acting on a tip-off, officers arrived at the house of 45-year-old Preecha Riabrieng, in Rassada, at about 6:30pm. “We received information from a source about a suspected drug dealer operating on Phi…
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Phuket 7-Elevens to join crime-fighting campaign in New Year
PHUKET: All Phuket 7-Eleven convenience stores are set to join a campaign to improve police response times by early next year, it was announced this week. The campaign, taking advantage of the number of 7-Eleven stores on the island and their visibility, will see staffers trained to receive crime reports and contact police on the behalf of victims. Representatives from…
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Police raid nets “unusual’ quantity of cough syrup
PHUKET: Police are investigating a shipment of more than 35,000 bottles of cough syrup, suspicious that at least some of the order was destined to be used in an illegal cocktail made with kratom leaves. At about 2pm on Tuesday, Phuket City Police and officers from the Phuket Custom House suppression unit seized 35,700 bottles of cough syrup to be…
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Illuzion offers sneak peek in Phuket tonight
PHUKET: Illuzion, an interactive show and discotheque, will offer a sneak preview tonight of the dazzling grand-opening show on Soi Bangla tomorrow. In the center of Jungceylon, near the water fountain, a Rihanna tribute band will kick off the pre-opening show at 6pm. Following Rihanna on stage will be a Lady Gaga tribute, with what organizers are calling a “Paparazzi…
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Australian Embassy to hold consular outreach in Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the Australian Embassy in Bangkok will visit Phuket on January 21 in order to offer consular, passport and notarial services to Australians in Phuket. The outreach visit will be held from 9am to 3pm at the offices of Hawryluk Legal Advisors on the bypass road (map here). During this visit, the consular staff will provide…
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Body found in pond behind Phuket temple
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify the body of a man found floating in a pond behind Wat Saensuk, in Phuket Town, on Tuesday. The body was spotted floating on the water’s surface by the owner of the nearby Soi Thong restaurant. “I was at my restaurant feeding the fish in the pond when I saw what looked like a…
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