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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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Phuket gold thief identified, still on the run
PHUKET: Police have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect who stole a gold necklace from a jewelry shop in Thalang yesterday morning. “The ‘Jip Leng Hong’ gold shop, located beside Kasikorn Bank’s Tarua branch, got robbed of a gold necklace made of one baht of gold,” said Capt Warawut Sensop of Thalang Police. Police used CCTV footage to identify…
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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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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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Chinese tourist rescued from drowning by Patong lifeguard
PHUKET: A Patong lifeguard rescued yet another Chinese tourist who nearly drowned after being washed away by strong waves in a red-flagged zone at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon. The ‘Phuket Lifeguard Service’ posted an update of the incident on their Facebook page at about 1:30pm. It briefly read: ‘Another rescue at Patong Beach today. The lady is safe and on…
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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 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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Phuket under pressure as tourism growth exposes flaws in hotel sector
PHUKET: According to a new report released today by hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks, millions of travellers who visit Phuket each year could be staying in unlicensed – and effectively illegal – hotels. The report also states that less than a quarter of the hotels in Phuket (429 out of 1,724) are currently licensed. This issue was brought into sharp…
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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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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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American tourist, tuk-tuk driver charged for fighting
PHUKET: An American tourist and a tuk-tuk driver were fined 2,000 baht each after they quarreled and landed blows on each other outside a hotel in Patong yesterday. A video of the incident, recorded by a passerby, was shared on social media. The video showed the tourist and driver arguing and fighting in front of Poppa Hotel at Patong Beach.…
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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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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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Phuket governor announces temporary ban on parasailing following deadly accident
PHUKET: The Phuket governor has requested parasailing operators to cooperate with a temporary ban on the activity after an Australian national was killed in another parasailing accident on Tuesday. Roger John Hussey, 71, fell to his death while parasailing at Kata Beach (story here). Governor Norraphat Plodthong announced his decision after an official meeting held to discuss the matter at…
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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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Joint venture to develop senior living village in Phuket
PHUKET: A joint venture company, Kamala Senior Living Co Ltd, has been set up to develop an upscale ‘Lifestyle Senior Living Village’ worth 3.5 billion baht in Phuket. The company is a partnership between property firm Nye Estate Co Ltd, Chewathai Public Co Ltd, LPN Development Plc and CH Karnchang Plc. The project would be equipped with a full range…
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Australian plunges to death in parasailing mishap
PHUKET: A 71-year-old Australian man fell to his death while parasailing at Kata Beach yesterday afternoon. “Roger John Hussey was pronounced dead at Patong Hospital after he fell from a height of 40 meters, which caused severe injuries,” said Lt Suwisit Srirak of Karon Pplice. Mr Hussey was married to a Thai woman named by police as Boosabong Tongsanga who…
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Police assistant shot at checkpoint, hospitalized in critical condition
PHUKET: A Phuket City Police assistant was shot early this morning while attempting to stop a motorbike at a checkpoint. “We had set up a checkpoint on Anuphatkarn Road. Two men on a motorbike were coming toward the checkpoint, but turned around to flee as soon as they saw the officers there,” said Lt Col Sakol Krainara of Phuket City…
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Human remains discovered in Phuket forest believed to be those of a Burmese woman’s
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the cause of death of a woman whose skeleton was discovered in a Kathu forest yesterday afternoon. At about 4:45pm, police received a report from locals that they had found human remains in a forest beside the King Kong water park. Kathu Police Superintendent ML Pattanachak Jakkapan led a team to the scene to…
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Eight murdered, three wounded in execution-style home massacre in Krabi
KRABI: A village headman and 10 members of his family were shot in the head in an execution style massacre at their home in Krabi. Carried out by several assailants yesterday, the massacre left eight dead and three others with serious injuries. Captain Suwit Kaewpreecha, deputy inspector of the Ao Luek Police Station in Krabi, was alerted to the massacre…
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67-year-old tourist drowns on Racha Island
PHUKET: Another Chinese tourist has drowned in Phuket, this time at Racha Island yesterday afternoon. “The family of the deceased, Dong Shukui, 67, said that they had arrived in Thailand on July 7 and were scheduled to fly back on August 4. They were staying at the Rayaburi hotel on Racha Island from July 9-11,” said Capt Somkiat Sarasit of…
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Video: Ten-year-old tourist and father killed in another Phuket bus crash on Patong Hill
PHUKET: Two Chinese tourists were killed and 22 others injured after a tour bus flipped to its side while coming down Patong Hill, hitting several motorbikes and houses near the Suwankiriwong Temple last night. The bus driver, Kritaporn Nuandua, 36, blamed ‘brake failure’ for the incident. “The accident occurred at about 11pm. A 10 year-old boy died at the scene…
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More than 4,000 cyclists join Phuket biking event
PHUKET: A 20-kilometer bike ride organized as part of the ‘Nation Bike Thailand 2017’ event was held in Phuket yesterday and attracted more than 4,000 cyclists to the island. “The event was held under the theme of ‘Pan Yon Muang, Chim Ahan, Laokhan Reung Muang Too at Phuket’, or ‘Cycling for city sight seeing, tasting food and telling stories of…
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35-year-old Phuket woman reported missing
PHUKET: Police are searching for a Phuket woman who has reportedly been missing for seven days. Relatives of 35-year-old Picha Nampadung filed a missing persons report with Chalong Police. Facebook user R’forey Rujirada (whose real name is Rujirada Ornkorat) shared a post on social media saying she was the missing woman’s niece. Ms Rujirada provided a picture of her aunt…
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Illegal migrant workers given 15 days to register
PHUKET: The Ministry of Labor has revamped its registration process for illegal migrant workers after a new law announcing heavy fines for their employers was revealed last month. Starting July 24, migrant workers will be given 15 days to submit their documents to the ministry in order to receive a work permit. Governor Norraphat Plodthong yesterday chaired a meeting at…
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