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Health ministry probes surrogacy case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Health ministry probes surrogacy case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry has launched a fact-finding probe into a case of surrogacy in which a baby boy born with Down’s syndrome and congenital heart problem late last year was left with the Thai…
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Police open fire on student’s car, may face attempted murder charges
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Shooting at student’s car ‘can be construed as attempted murder’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The action of three Bang Chan policemen who opened fire at a university student’s car during a drug bust falls within the frame of attempted murder, Sunthorn Payak, the vice…
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Boy, 9, killed and 14 hurt as packed songthaew crashes
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boy, 9, killed and 14 hurt as packed songthaew crashes The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Prathom 3 student was killed and 14 others injured when a songthaew, a converted truck used to transport passengers, slammed into a parked 10-wheeler in Nakhon Pathom’s Sam Phran…
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Woods not yet ready to decide if he can play in PGA – agent
PHUKET: Tiger Woods, his back again in pain, has not yet decided if he can play in the PGA Championship starting on Thursday in Kentucky, his agent said on Monday. The former world number one withdrew during Sunday’s final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational because of back pain and returned home to Florida for medical evaluation. “Way too early. He…
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Military court to try first civilians
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Military court to try first civilians The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former education minister Chaturon Chaisang and academic Worachet Pakeerat yesterday became the first civilians to be tried in a military court under martial law since the coup after the court’s prosecutors resolved to indict…
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Iraqi PM orders air force to help Kurds fight Islamic State
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iraqi PM orders air force to help Kurds fight Islamic State Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered his air force for the first time to back Kurdish forces against Islamic State fighters after the Sunni militants made another dramatic push through…
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Killer gynaecologist released for good behaviour after a decade in jail
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Killer gynaecologist released for good behaviour after a decade in jail The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A gynaecologist found guilty of murdering and flushing his wife’s dismembered remains down the toilet in 2001 was released from jail yesterday. Dr Wisut Boonkasemsanti was sentenced to death…
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500 foreign hikers rescued after deadly landslide in Nepal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More than 500 foreign hikers rescued after deadly landslide in Nepal Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than 500 foreign tourists and their guides have been rescued after a deadly landslide in Nepal blocked a major highway, leaving them stranded in a border town over the…
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Jet-ski operators back on beach, vow to protect Phuket tourists
PHUKET: Jet-skis are back on Phuket’s beaches after operators vowed to double up as beach cleaners, as well as volunteer lifeguards, Phuket Jet-Ski Club Nucha Petchvimol told the Phuket Gazette today. However, their return to the beaches may be temporary, confirmed Commanding General of the 41st Military Circle Peerapol Wiriyakul. “I have yet to receive a full report. All I…
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Phuket Poll: Overwhelming support for the “clear the beaches’ campaign
PHUKET: The bold campaign to clear Phuket’s beaches of all structures has received overwhelming support from Phuket Gazette readers. The support was voiced in an online poll launched on June 22, which attracted more than 3,300 respondents. Central to the debate over whether or not any structures should remain on the beaches has been the tearing down of parts of…
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Breaking News: Fire breaks out in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: Firefighters contained flames to a single guest room of the Pearl Hotel in the heart of Phuket Town this afternoon. No injuries were reported. A hotel staffer declined to comment to the Phuket Gazette. The fire is the second to make headlines after a blaze early Saturday morning killed four people (story here). — Woranut Pechdee
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McIlroy wins Bridgestone to claim world number one ranking
PHUKET: Rory McIlroy continued his dominating form when he won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by two strokes on Sunday and regained the world number one ranking, replacing Australia’s Adam Scott. McIlroy made a sizzling start to the final round with three consecutive birdies to quickly erase a three-stroke deficit and surge past Sergio Garcia at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.…
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Practice safe parasailing, says DDPM Phuket chief
PHUKET: A parasailing safety warning was issued over the weekend by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket. The announcement follows the news of a Patong Beach parasailing operator plummeting from the sky after he lost his grip on the parachute ropes (story here). “All the equipment should be checked before taking off, including the harness and safety…
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Navy steps in as hitman death threats issued to Phuket park chief
PHUKET: Navy security personnel have been assigned to protect Sirinath National Park Chief Kitiphat Taraphiban after his office was warned that professional hitmen have been hired to kill him. The 24-hour military bodyguards were called in after Mr Kitiphat’s assistant was told over the phone that “five M16s are ready to get him [Mr Kitiphat] over beach restaurants”. “The caller…
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New dean pledges to start new chapter at Sasin
PHUKET: THE NEW DEAN of the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration, Dipak C Jain, wants to turn the institution into a top business school in Southeast Asia, one that is Asean-focused and driven by some of Thailand’s core strengths. The highly respected educator caught the business school world by surprise when he announced on July 7 that he had…
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Thailand eyes genetics regional database for wild cats
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand the great hope in saving the tiger The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The planning for a genetics regional database for wild cats in Thailand has begun in hopes of rescuing wild breeding tiger populations in the region – but serious law enforcement is still…
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Mother warns against surrogacy as donations pour in for Down syndrome baby
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Don’t be a surrogate for money, mother warns The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A surrogate mother yesterday warned her fellow Thais not to get involved in commercial surrogacy for foreign customers – as she now faces financial, legal and ethical difficulties after poor Gammy, her…
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Censured over shelter deaths, Israel declares seven-hour Gaza truce
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Censured over shelter deaths, Israel declares seven-hour Gaza truce Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Israel said it would unilaterally hold fire in most of the Gaza Strip on Monday to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and allow some of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians…
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Roadside drug tests in Phuket snag 37 users
PHUKET: Five checkpoints manned by 150 military personnel and local officials in northern Phuket netted 37 drivers that tested positive for drugs yesterday. The checkpoints were set up as part of Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut’s ongoing campaign to combat illegal drugs and weapons in Phuket. “We set up [the checkpoint] at 5pm to crackdown on illegal drugs and weapons,” Thalang…
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Government responsible for Phuket beach vendor compensation, says poll
PHUKET: More than 90% of locals believe that the government is responsible for helping those adversely affected by the island’s beach reboot, according to results released by the Phuket Provincial Statistics Office on Friday. The results are based on a questionnaire cataloging 480 locals’ opinions about the National Council for Peace and Order’s (NCPO) move to return Phuket’s beaches back…
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NCPO calls on unemployed Phuket beach vendors to voice concerns
PHUKET: As structures built on the sands of Phuket’s beaches continue to be pulled down and more people are put out of work, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has called on displaced vendors to put into words the troubles they face as a result of the mass cleanup. The comments – and suggestions for solutions – will…
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Phuket Poll: How much is a fair fare?
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) is pushing for a new fleet of standard metered taxis to serve tourists and residents on the island. The PLTO has asked the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to approve the move, which also includes increased fares for metered taxis (story here). In addressing the issue, PLTO Chief Terayout Prasertphol has…
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Family found huddled together, dead after Phuket Town blaze
PHUKET: A family of three and one woman were found dead this morning in a smoldering Phuket Town furniture shop after firefighters spent three hours battling the deadly flames. The family was found huddled together and the woman was found near a barred window. A fifth person, the owner of the building, managed to leap to safety from the second…
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Water rescue course to promote Phuket beach safety
PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club will hold its fourth annual five-day surf lifesaving training course this month. “The surf lifesaving course will be held from August 25 to 29 at Bang Tao Beach. Accommodation and meals will be provided for the entirety of the course, which is sponsored by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization [PPAO],” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut…
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Breaking News: Four dead in Phuket Town fire
PHUKET: Four people died in a furniture shop blaze in Phuket Town early this morning. One of the five people trapped by the flames managed to leap from the second storey of the building to safety. It took about three hours for firefighters to contain the fire. — Saran Mitrarat
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Obama says that after 9/11, ‘we tortured some folks’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama says that after 9/11, ‘we tortured some folks’ Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: President Barack Obama said yesterday that the CIA “tortured some folks” after the September 11, 2001, attacks, and that the White House had handed over to Congress a report about an investigation…
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Any Phuket police failure to protect legal taxis will have consequences, says military
PHUKET: The military issued a threat today to any Phuket police officers who fail to protect people wanting to become legal metered taxi drivers. “The military will ensure that police look after the safety of customers and their drivers. If officers are found doing otherwise, they will face firm action,” said Capt Petcharat Teanjun of the Third Naval Area Command…
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One-stop registration center good news for Phuket’s taxi-driver hopefuls
PHUKET: In a push to standardize taxi services throughout Phuket, an exhibition with a one-stop service center will open next week to help drivers register their cars to become legal metered taxis. The exhibition will be held from August 9 to 12 at the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), said Jaturong Kaewkasi, chief policy adviser of the PLTO. “There will…
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Patong beach vendors plagued by sharks – Phuket loan sharks
PHUKET: More than 90 per cent of Patong Beach vendors are in loan sharks’ books revealed Phuket police after busting a gang of four yesterday. “We received a tip-off from an out-of-work, debt-ridden beach vendor about four men in Patong who were charging 20 per cent interest on loans and harassing customers who weren’t able to make their daily payments,”…
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Army protection from mafia gives Phuket airport bus owner confidence to drive to Karon
PHUKET: The Phuket Airport Express Bus is prepared to push through Patong as its owner looks to roll out a new final stop in Karon by mid-August. Airport Express Bus owner Prakob Panyawai is working out the final details of the new route, which will terminate at Karon Municipality. The airport bus was initially planned to run to Kata-Karon, but…
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