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Three suspects questioned about murder of British tourists on Koh Tao
PHUKET: Three Myanmar workers were detained on Tuesday to be questioned about the murder of two Britons on Koh Tao, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said today. The bodies of David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found early Monday morning with severe head wounds. A bloody hoe was found 35 meters from the murder scene. Police will question…
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Phuket Governor nominated for Interior Ministry promotion, successor revealed
PHUKET: Maitri Inthusut has been nominated for promotion from his current position as Governor of Phuket to Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, effective October 1. Governor Maitri was among more than 30 high-ranking officials nominated by the Ministry of Interior for promotion or transfer in a list to be presented to the Cabinet today, reported The Nation. Any…
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Brigade of Krabi officials tear down more than 100 illegal structures
PHUKET: An 800-strongbrigade of Krabi officials removed 80 squatters from an old palm oil plantation and demolished more than 100 illegal structures today. “We told the people that they had to leave the area before noon,” said Bunnsueb Samakrad, director of the Forest Resource Management. “This land belongs to the Royal Forest Department. After the palm oil company’s licence for…
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Sixteen corrupt officials to be charged for B100bn national park land scandal
PHUKET: Sixteen officials will face negligence charges for their alleged involvement in causing more than 100 billion baht of damage by illegally issuing land documents in Phuket, the Royal Forestry Department revealed in Bangkok yesterday. The accused officials had been involved in issuance of illegitimate land deeds and documents since 1987, department head Theerapat Prayurasiddhi said. Eight of the officials…
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Phuket fisherman drowns after returning to port for safety
PHUKET: A fisherman who returned to port due to rough seas collapsed and fell into the water at the fishing port area in Rassada, on the east side of Phuket Town, yesterday, and was found dead two hours later. Witnesses told police that Songyot Choophol, 39, fell from the fishing boat Sor Narongrit 1 while he was casting out mooring…
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Phuket local finds cobra curled up in bathroom sink
PHUKET: A Phuket villager was shocked to find a cobra curled up in his bathroom sink when he went to hang up his underwear to dry last night. The startled man called Ruamjai Rescue Foundation workers to the scene to have the reptile removed. “The home owner said that he had gone into the bathroom to hang up his clothes…
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Aussie yachties dodge 10,000 baht fine east of Phuket
PHUKET: A 10,000 baht fine lodged against an Australian-owned yacht was dropped after officials confirmed that the vessel was registered with the Phuket Marine Office. Over the weekend, four Australian yachties claimed that a group of six uniformed Thai marine officers had shown up on a dinghy and had attempted to extort money from them while at sea in Phang…
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Phuket startup to launch Formula 1 simulators
PHUKET: Calling all speed freaks and racing fanatics, the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 simulator is nearly within reach at the soon-to-be-unveiled GR Phuket Racing Center in Patong. Slated for an October 1 grand opening, the venue is in the process of preparing the simulators and staff for hordes of eager enthusiasts. The eight simulators…
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Naked man found murdered, washed up on Phuket beach
PHUKET: The naked body of a man with his feet and hands bound was found washed up on a Phuket beach on Saturday morning. “We received a call at about 8am from a local villager, saying that the body of a man had been washed up on Tah Nun Beach, about half a kilometer from the Sarasin Bridge,” Capt Terdsak…
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Phuket storms prompt warning for boat operators to put tourists’ safety before profits
PHUKET: Small boat and landslide warnings have been issued from today through Thursday due to high waves and heavy rains caused by the annual southwesterly monsoon weather. San Jantharawong, chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office, said the anticipated poor conditions should prompt boat operators to put the safety of tourists before their businesses. Beach-goers…
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Forensic police to probe fire at B20mn Phuket mansion
PHUKET: Phuket Forensic Police have been called in to investigate a fire that broke out yesterday afternoon at a home costing 20 million baht under construction in Cherng Talay. The house, named Baan Palita, is about 90 per cent complete, said Lt Thanapop Rattanaburi of the Cherng Talay Police. “Damage caused by the fire is estimated at about 1 million…
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Phuket yachts brave 25-knot gusts for weekend regatta
PHUKET: A brave few challenged the windy and wet conditions on Chalong Bay yesterday for Race 4 of the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) Series 2 2014 weekend regatta. Catamarans Galeforce and Shiraz accompanied by monohull Sansiri started the course with a downwind run. Even though Kirril Stashevskiy’s Galeforce crossed the start line some 10 minutes after “Capt Ron” Ellis’s…
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Govt warned of ‘fishy’ deals, like microphones for the Cabinet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt warned of ‘fishy’ deals, like microphones for the Cabinet The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Almost half the local leaders from 600 communities surveyed by Master Poll wanted the government to cancel a plan to buy 89 high-tech microphones for the Cabinet room that cost…
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Phuket police or caprice?
PHUKET: The arrest of former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin (story here), his scion “Prab” and the younger heir to Pian’s Pisona Group empire, Mr Pattawee, offers a priceless opportunity for Phuket’s future. Why don’t we take the under-the-table money for “extra services” tacitly – and corruptly – permitted by officials, and use it to bolster the salaries of government officers,…
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Drug dealer pulls gun on Phuket police
PHUKET: A drug dealer pulled a gun on a group of Phuket police officers as they moved in to make an arrest at a Srisoonthorn community housing project today. “When officers presented themselves to 28-year-old Kriengkrai Chookeaw, he attempted to fight back and pulled out a gun,” said Lt Col Jarun Bangprasert of the Phuket Provincial Police. After a short…
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Phuket Hotel Association to be the voice of island’s tourism industry
PHUKET: Speakers at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) forum yesterday proceeded to create a private enterprise council composed of leaders in the tourism industry in order to develop a single voice and brand identity for Phuket. “[It] all starts with the initiation from us here… People will not listen to just one single person,” said Wichit Na-Ranong, owner and…
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Phuket “ya ice butcher’ facing murder charges for meat-cleaver attack
PHUKET: A Phuket man, who in a drug-crazed fit killed his friend, injured his girlfriend and tried to commit suicide, is facing serious charges for the horrific August 14 attack. Niwat Sampoosri, 25, who later tested positive for ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), is facing charges for murder, assault with a deadly weapon and use of an illegal drug, confirmed Capt…
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Time to build a Phuket bus culture
PHUKET: Efforts by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to rid Phuket of its notorious transport syndicates and establish safe, reasonably-priced public transport took another big step forward with the recent introduction of real metered taxis. The term “real metered taxis” refers to those allowed to pick up and drop off passengers anywhere, as is normal in Bangkok…
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Phuket coconut collector takes fatal plunge
PHUKET: A Phuket man collecting coconuts died today after about a 14-meter fall from the top of a tree. Rescue workers arrived at the scene at Baan Bang Lieng coconut farm at about 9:30am to find Thammanoon Prateep Na Talang, 34, unconscious on the ground. “Mr Thammanoon was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where a medical team did their best…
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Maimed sea turtle found tangled in net on Phuket beach
PHUKET: A maimed sea turtle tangled in a fishing net washed up on Phuket’s popular Kamala Beach yesterday afternoon. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were called to the scene by locals, and brought the badly injured Olive Ridley sea turtle to the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) at Cape Panwa. “The turtle had grown tired from dealing with the big waves…
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Men charged for B12mn land grab near Phuket’s Freedom Beach
PHUKET: A Phuket man was slapped with a second land encroachment charge yesterday for the same multi-million baht plot of land in a protected forest near Freedom Beach. Parin Ruangrattanawanit, who owns “about three rai” of the land along the border of Patong and Karon, explained to Royal Forest Department (RFD), Navy and local officials that he was in the…
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Lucky escape as foreigner dives out of path Phuket tour bus
PHUKET: A foreigner escaped being run over by a Phuket tour bus loaded with Chinese tourists in Rawai this afternoon as he dumped his motorbike and dived to safety. The foreigner, who asked not to be named, was waiting to turn right at the intersection in front of the Rawai Municipality offices. “The tour bus crossed the center of the…
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![Phuket dolphin park link to Taiji massacre confirmed: Sea Shepherd [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1_2014912135414332_UNsjdpwDFxWwybXjEsOPfhqVowqbiqCwHkVtkqfi_jpeg.jpeg)
Phuket dolphin park link to Taiji massacre confirmed: Sea Shepherd [video]
PHUKET: A direct connection between five wild caught dolphins bound for Phuket’s dolphinarium and the annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins at the Taiji cove in Japan has been confirmed, the Asia Director of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society told the Phuket Gazette by email today. Initial reports said that a total of six dolphins would be transported to Phuket…
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Phuket workers save Polish man from hanging
PHUKET: Two workers wiring up an internet connection inside a house in Chalong yesterday came outside to find a foreigner, who lived in the house they were working in, hanging from a tree in the front yard. “We saw him walking around the yard when we went in to the house,” said one of the 3BB Internet workers, who asked…
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Five Phuket names to be sent to Bangkok today for NRC selection
PHUKET: The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) yesterday released the names of candidates vying for a chance to represent the island on the yet-to-be created National Reform Council (NRC). “A special provincial committee will submit the names of five final candidates from the list to the Election Commission [EC] in Bangkok,” PEC Director Kitipong Thiengkunakrit told the Phuket Gazette. The five…
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Phuket dive tour boat ablaze, sinks in Chalong Bay
PHUKET: Phuket boat Chok Somboon 15, of local dive tour company Andaman Ocean Safari, caught fire and sank in Chalong Bay before dawn this morning. Marine Police were notified of the fire at about 2am, and responded by dispatching a boat and eight officers to douse the blaze. “While trying to put the fire out, we dragged it away from…
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‘Men in black’ arrested
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Men in black’ arrested The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have arrested four men and one woman in connection with the killings of several soldiers in Bangkok, including Colonel Romklao Thuvatham, during the political unrest in 2010, and are hunting for two more suspects. Romklao…
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Dutch national quarantined for suspected Ebola
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dutch national quarantined for suspected Ebola The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry has quarantined a 52-year-old Dutch national, who had high fever after returning from a business trip to Ebola-hit Nigeria, said Dr Sophon Mekthon, director general of the Disease Control Department.…
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Bondi Bar Bashers put paid to Laguna’s playoff hopes
PHUKET: Confirming their domination of the Outrigger T20 cricket league, The Bondi Bar Bashers (Tri Bs) claimed a seventh victory in eight games with a win against Laguna on Sunday at the ACG. Tri Bs must now wait for the result between Thalang and ICC from which their opponents for September 22 will be decided. Seemant Raju (21) and Mike…
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Phuket lifeguards bring home gold from Vietnam
PHUKET: The island’s own Phuket Lifeguard Club brought home gold on behalf of Thailand from the Da Nang International Lifeguard Competition in Vietnam, held on September 7. Seventeen rescue teams, including the Phuket team representing Thailand, took part in Vietnam’s first-ever lifeguard competition. “We won the first-place trophy in the three-man rescue board relay. This activity is one of the…
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