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Is tap water in Thailand safe to consume?
Wondering if you can drink the tap water in Thailand? From brushing your teeth to filling up a bottle, it’s helpful to understand a few basics. Tap water safety in Thailand varies by location, and while some people use it...
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Stranger Danger: Police vow to catch creepy peeper
PHUKET: Foreigners in Chalong and Kata have asked police for help, claiming that a mysterious man has entered their homes on several occasions. Facebook user ‘Sanna Hakala’ yesterday posted pictures and a video of a man on her page with both Thai and English captions as follows: “[People in] Chalong, Phuket area – beware of this creeper! This man has…
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87-year-old escapes Phuket Town house fire
PHUKET: An 87-year-old lady is safe after her Phuket Town house caught fire last night, causing damages estimated at 100,000 baht. The house, which is located near the Government Savings Bank in Talad Yai, caught fire at about 8:20pm. Firefighters from Phuket City Municipality were called in to help. “A total of four fire trucks were at the scene doing…
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Red light jumper caught with gun, drugs
PHUKET: A man was arrested after running a red light in Karon, but later found to be in possession of illegal substances. Sen Sgt Maj Hatthaporn Thongkhaobua of the Karon Traffic Police was on duty at a traffic light in Karon when he saw a white Isuzu pick-up truck moving from Karon toward Chalong Circle. The driver cruised right through…
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Bail set at B1mn each for suspects in amulet fraud
PHUKET: Two of the accused in a ‘magic’ amulet fraud case presented themselves for questioning at Phuket Provincial Police Station, but denied all charges and are currently out on bail of 1 million baht each. Last week, more than 20 people filed a complaint at Chalong Police Station against Sumalee Lertwilai, claiming that she and her accomplices had cheated them…
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Royal Family provides aid to Phuket animal shelters
PHUKET: A representative of the Royal Family, as well as a delegation of officials including Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong, yesterday visited two animal care foundations in Phuket to donate food and resources. R/Adm Thawatchai Srikaew flew in on an air force plane and arrived at Phuket International Airport at 10am. He formally donated 20 bags of dog food to the…
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Drug dealer busted at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint
PHUKET: A drug dealer was arrested with more than 4,000 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) worth more than 400,000 baht at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint Sunday evening. Chaiwat Urairot, 28, was arrested while trying to enter Phuket from Songkhla at about 6pm. “We aim to thoroughly check every vehicle entering Phuket. During one of our routine checks, we found Mr…
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Canadian boxer found dead in rental home
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the cause of death of a Canadian boxer whose body was discovered in his rental home in Patong yesterday morning. “The incident occurred at 50 Pi Road, where the victim, 27-year-old Matthew Darling Richardson, was staying. We found his body lying face down in the bathroom. He was dressed in black shorts and had…
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Tragedy averted after Phuket woman threatens to end her life
PHUKET: A Phuket woman is reportedly safe after widespread alarm was raised over a video clip she shared on Facebook last week announcing her intention to end her life. The woman, whose name her family has asked to withhold, said she was hurt by her boyfriend and no longer wished to continue living. “I love you, and when the time…
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Man attacked by wild monkeys at Khao Toh Sae
PHUKET: A 52-year-old man was attacked by a troop of monkeys in Phuket at Khao Toh Sae (also known as ‘Monkey Hill’) this morning. The victim, a Thai man named by rescue workers only as ‘Lee’, had bought peanuts to feed the monkeys. While walking up the hill, the monkeys tried to snatch the peanuts from his hand. Mr Lee…
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Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek 2017 underway
PHUKET: A busy day on the water yesterday saw some excellent competition, close calls and racing incidents which resulted in a busy evening later for the Protest Committee onshore. The sailors were happy to be back out on the water as a forecast-defying 8-10 knot breeze got the fleet underway on Day 2 of the Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek…
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Two Phuket nightlife venues raided, charged with operating illegally
PHUKET: Officers from the Crime Suppression Division yesterday raided two nightlife venues in Phuket Town for providing services to underage customers and operating without a proper permit. “We found two illegal venues during the raid. The first one was ‘Room Bar and Restaurant’. The owner, Rattachat Phothong, was charged with operating a nightlife venue without permission,” said Phuket Provincial Police…
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Wat Arun restoration enters final month
BANGKOK: Restoration work on the world-famous stupa ‘Wat Arun’ in Bangkok, which has been underway since 2013, is expected to conclude next month. The Fine Arts Department announced Friday that it would install decorative lights on the ancient structure and flip the switch from September onward. Built in the Ayutthaya period, Wat Arun is also widely known as the ‘Temple…
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Australian tourist attacked by stray dog in Khao Lak
PHUKET: A 68-year-old Australian tourist was attacked by a stray dog in Khao Lak yesterday afternoon. Janet Frances Heath was on her way back from Sairoong waterfall with her husband when the incident occurred. She was taken to Takuapa Hospital for treatment and given a rabies shot. Ms Heath is reportedly safe. “We have found more than five fierce strays…
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Drunk man rescued from ditch at Phuket Bus Terminal
PHUKET: An elderly drunk was injured when he fell into a ditch behind some bushes at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 yesterday evening. The ditch is about 3.5 meters deep and half a meter from the perimeter wall. The man, named by rescue workers only as ‘Samran’, 60, reportedly went behind the bushes to urinate when he fell in. He shouted…
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Turkish Airlines announces direct flights to Phuket
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced the launch of new Turkish Airlines flights to Phuket this week. There are now four direct flights per week from Istanbul. “This new Istanbul-Phuket service is part of the collaboration between the TAT and Turkish Airlines to meet the growing demand for travel to Thailand from holiday-makers from Turkey, Europe and…
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Deceased tourists’ family awarded B6mn in compensation
PHUKET: The family of two Chinese tourists who were killed in an accident on Patong Hill was awarded a total of 6 million baht in compensation yesterday. Lyu Fei, 36, and his 10-year-old son were both killed on July 10 when the tour bus they were travelling on flipped over in the curve at the bottom of Patong Hill (story…
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Phuket residents express concerns about destruction of historic building
PHUKET: Residents of Phuket Town have raised concerns about the destruction of an abandoned 100-year-old building on Damrong Road in Talad Yai, which they say is of historic value to the island. The Phuket Treasury Office yesterday confirmed that they are just clearing out the landscape and did not aim to destroy the building. “We are beautifying the landscape by…
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German man confesses to Thai girlfriend’s murder in Phuket
PHUKET: A German man has confessed to the murder of his Thai girlfriend, ten days after police found her body wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a forest in Kathu. The victim, Picha Nampadung, 35, was first reported missing by her niece, Rujirada Ornkorat, on July 1 (story here). Her body was eventually found on July 9 (story here),…
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Phuket locals complain after “magic amulet’ fails to deliver
PHUKET: A group of 20 locals yesterday filed a complaint at Chalong Police Station, claiming they were cheated into buying religious amulets worth more than 100 million baht. “They filed a complaint against Sumalee Lertwilai, claiming that they were cheated into investing in ‘magic’ amulets via Facebook,” said Col Vitoon Kongsutjai of Phuket Provincial Police. According to a representative of…
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Phuket Lobster Festival to be held next month
PHUKET: The ‘Phuket Lobster Festival’ is to be held from August 1-31 and is expected to generate revenue of 200 million baht for local businesses. Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong and Wirachai Pranveerapaibool, Managing Director of Pracharath Rak Samakkee (Social Enterprise) Co Ltd, Phuket, yesterday held a press conference at the Dibuka Cafe & Restaurant in Phuket Town. “I would like…
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Missing Chinese tourists’ bodies found at Phuket Beach
PHUKET: The bodies of two Chinese tourists who had been missing since they went swimming in a red-flagged zone at Freedom Beach on Sunday, were found this afternoon. Xidong Wang, 20, and Weijie Liu, 21, were on holiday in Phuket with another friend, Weijie Liu. Both men reportedly ignored the red flags and warning signs placed at the beach. Mr…
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Rohingya man arrested for theft in Phuket
PHUKET: A Rohingya man was arrested in Kamala last night for allegedly stealing equipment from several construction sites in Phuket. Sadit Khunrit, 29, was nabbed in a rental house in Kalim Soi 9 at about 10:30 pm. He was found in possession of a total of 156 pieces of equipment, including drills, crush machines, circular saws, stone grinders, feed pumps,…
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Phuket Gov announces checkpoint as “temporary solution’ for accidents
PHUKET: The Phuker Governor has announced plans to build a checkpoint to inspect the condition of cars and drivers on Patong Hill in order to avoid accidents in that area. Governor Norraphat Plodthong held a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall with Patong Police officers and Patong Mayor Chalermluk Kebsup yesterday afternoon. “The sloping road of Patong Hill has been a…
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Major drug ring members arrested with 5 million baht worth of drugs
PHUKET: Two key members of a major drug dealing network were arrested in Phuket with about 7.5 kilograms of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and other drugs worth a total of more than 5 million baht. The suspects confessed to ordering more than 50kg of drugs each time from a dealer in the North in order to sell them in and…
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Seven arrested for village headman and family’s massacre
KRABI: Police have apprehended a group of seven men for the massacre of eight members of a family in Krabi last week. Eight people – three of them children – were murdered en masse in the house of Worayuth Sunglung, a village headman in Ao Luek district. The victims were shot in the head execution-style, police said (story here). National…
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Chinese tourists missing after ignoring red flag at Phuket beach
PHUKET: Police are searching for two Chinese tourists who have been missing since yesterday afternoon when they disregarded red flag warnings and entered the water at Freedom Beach. Patong Police officers and rescue workers rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the situation. “The waves were very strong, which is why there were red flags in the area. Rescue…
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Phuket taxi driver charged with sexual harassment and indecent exposure
PHUKET: A Phuket motorbike taxi driver was charged with sexual harassment and indecent exposure after he was recorded ‘pleasuring himself’ in public yesterday afternoon. A teacher from a well known Phuket school posted a video of the incident on Facebook to express her anger and to warn others to be aware of the suspect, who was later revealed to be…
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Police hunt for suspects in murder of Krabi headman and family
KRABI: Police are still searching for suspects involved in the murder of a village headman and his family on Tuesday. Worayuth Sunglung, a village headman in Krabi’s Ao Luk district, and seven of his family members were gunned down at their home while three others survived with serious injuries (story here). The only family member unscathed was Mr Worayuth’s three-month-old…
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Shooting suspect surrenders, denies “attempted murder’ charges
PHUKET: The second suspect in the shooting of a police assistant surrendered himself to police yesterday. Suthiwut Thawan, 21, is a native of Phang Nga. Following the shooting, he returned to his family home in Phang Nga, but surrendered himself after police appraised his family of the situation. Mr Suthiwut and another suspect named Sathaporn Kuoaywanich were involved in a…
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Amanpuri luxury villa fire causes 3 million baht in damages
PHUKET: A luxury villa at the prestigious Amanpuri in Phuket caught fire last night, causing about 3 million baht’s worth of damages. “This is a standalone villa connected to the resort. It has five rooms, three of which (covering an area of 210sqm) caught fire. Firefighters took an hour and a half to control the flames and prevent them from…
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