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Ball Hockey: Phuket Pucks suffer in first taste of Mekong Cup
PHUKET: Phuket’s first foray into the annual Mekong Cup ball hockey tournament, held in Karon last Saturday, ended with an ousting in the round-robin stage, but the competition for Southeast Asia’s most coveted ball hockey trophy has been hailed a success. Though this was the fourth straight year that the Mekong Cup was staged at the Centara Karon Resort Phuket,…
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Phuket Cycling Fest peddles back into view (video)
PHUKET: The Phuket Cycling Fest returns for its second edition on March 28-29 with a weekend of cycling fun, including a 46km tour of the south of the island. The event is being held to promote tourism by bike in Phuket, with the primary goal of tourists and cycling enthusiasts seeing new areas and places to cycle, while promoting the…
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Phuket lifeguards vie for Vietnam contest selection
PHUKET: Members of the Phuket Lifeguard Club, best known for their life-saving role patrolling the island’s beaches, are in training for an international life-saving skills competition in Vietnam at the end of April. Last year, Phuket lifeguards won gold in the three-man board rescue relay and placed second overall at the annual event, called the Da Nang International Lifeguard Competition…
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Records tumble at Andaman Freedive Challenge
PHUKET: Freedivers from Phuket showed well as 12 national records were smashed at the three-day Andaman Freediving Challenge by Blue Planet Apnea from Blue Planet Divers on Koh Lanta, Krabi. “Among the competitors, we had a few known faces who had competed in Phuket before and some competitors who were completely new to competitive freediving,” said Association Internationale pour le…
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AMLO freezes B7bn of Klongchan Credit Union assets
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AMLO freezes B7bn of Klongchan Credit Union assets The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: THE Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) yesterday decided to freeze 7 billion baht of assets after learning that the money had been unlawfully transferred to different people by Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative’s former…
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No figures on civilians being tried by military court
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community No figures on civilians being tried by military court The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: At the heart of the fierce debate over whether civilians should face a military tribunal under martial law is the mystery and disagreement on the exact number of civilians who are…
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Woman held over court attack may be key operative
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Woman held over court attack may be key operative The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police believe a suspect arrested for her alleged role in the March 7 hand-grenade attack on the Criminal Court is a key operative coordinating with a high-profile US-based suspect who has…
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Stop hiring relatives, NRC members told
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Stop hiring relatives, NRC members told The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Reform Council has instructed its members to terminate the employment of their relatives after it was revealed that 12 NRC members had hired family members to work for them, Wanchai Sornsiri, spokesman…
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Netted: Phuket task force seizes pirate Southern Ocean trawler
PHUKET: A joint task force in Phuket has seized one of six known illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) vessels wanted for fishing for toothfish in the Southern Ocean after it falsely reported and offloaded its cargo. The ship, which recently had its name changed from Kunlun to Taishan, had already fled from the navies of New Zealand and Australia, as well…
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Fishing net suspected of killing whale shark near Phuket
PHUKET: A fishing net may have caused the death of a 500-kilogram whale shark whose carcass was found near Koh Pu, off the coast of Krabi, this morning. A veterinary team from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) arrived on scene after receiving a report that local fisherman had found the five-meter-long fish and dragged it to shore. On examining…
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Helmet-less motorcyclist killed in Phuket crash
PHUKET: A Myanmar national driving without a helmet was killed in a motorbike accident on Chao Fa West Road last night. The victim was named by police as Than Htay Aung, 24. “He was driving his motorbike with a friend riding pillion at about 11:30pm when he lost control on a bend in the road and crashed into a traffic-light…
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Fire breaks out at Phuket landfill
PHUKET: Two rai of the overflowing 120-rai Sapan Hin landfill were destroyed in a fire yesterday evening. Five firetrucks immediately responded to the fire and were able to contain and douse the flames within two hours, said Phuket City Municipality Environmental Division chief Prachum Suriya. “We are unsure of the cause of the fire, it might have been caused by…
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Missing temple cleric charged over court grenade attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Missing temple cleric charged over court grenade attack The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police yesterday took custody of a key suspect – accused of involvement in the grenade attack on the Criminal Court – from the military. The woman was then charged with terrorism and…
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Boonsong, 20 others indicted over rice deals
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boonsong, 20 others indicted over rice deals The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and 20 others were indicted by the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) yesterday in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders for alleged wrongdoing over “fake…
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Immigration police round up foreign fugitives
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Immigration police round up foreign fugitives The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Immigration Police have rounded up four foreign fugitives – three Americans wanted for fraud and theft, and a Finn sought for child sexual abuse – as well as a clutch of Somalis. Immigration Bureau…
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Haze worsens with highest ever reading at Doi Saket
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Haze worsens with highest ever reading at Doi Saket The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The haze in Northern Thailand worsened yesterday with Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district reporting the highest amount of particulate matter (PM10) at 369 micrograms per cubic meter of air. This was…
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Netanyahu claims victory in Israel election
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Netanyahu claims victory in Israel election Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in Israel’s election after exit polls showed he had erased his center-left rivals’ lead with a hard rightward shift in which he abandoned a commitment to negotiate a Palestinian…
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Phuket police warn of lid robberies by Mercedes-Benz hopefuls
PHUKET: Police have issued a security warning to convenience store staffers after dozens of Ichitan drink lids – which are part of a promotion to win a free Mercedes-Benz – were stolen from a SuperCheap in Rawai. The warning follows a Facebook post by an employee named Joy Hudrudchai that complained about lids of Ichitan and Yen Yen drinks being…
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Police hunt mysterious Brit burglar Charlie Machin
PHUKET: Police are trying to track down a foreign thief, believed to be a British expat, who is wanted for robbing a Swedish man’s home of about 200,000 baht in valuables in Kata. Known so far only by his alias “Charlie Machin”, the suspect is known to frequent bars in Bang Tao and Rawai. “At this stage, all we know…
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Villa Market opens Boat Lagoon branch
PHUKET: The doors to Villa Market’s third branch on the island open on March 20 with the Grand Opening Ceremony in Boat Lagoon taking place on March 27. The grand opening, organized by Kanittha Prasopsirikul from ‘By Kanittha’, will be the highlight of the Boat Lagoon’s monthly Lighthouse Market, which offers a variety of vendors the opportunity to showcase their…
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New York tycoon charged with murder after movie confession
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New York tycoon charged with murder after movie confession Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: New York real estate scion and accused murderer Robert Durst’s bathroom muttering that he “killed them all” would likely be admissible evidence in a murder trial, legal experts said on Monday. Durst,…
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Malaysia arrests Anwar’s daughter for sedition
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysia arrests Anwar’s daughter for sedition Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Malaysian police arrested opposition politician Nurul Izzah Anwar, daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, for sedition on Monday, prompting the U.S. State Department to express concern over the freedom of expression in Malaysia. The…
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Underboob selfies ban brings threat of jail
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Underboob selfies ban brings threat of jail Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s military government warned women on Monday against posting ‘selfie’ photos of the lower half of their breasts – a social media trend that has gone viral – saying their actions could violate the…
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Phuket flight denied landing as smog shrouds Chiang Mai
PHUKET: A flight from Phuket was forced to abort landing at Chiang Mai International Airport today after smog reduced visibility over the northern city to 800 meters, reported The Nation. Air Asia Flight FD3161 departed Phuket on time at 10:35am, but was unable to make its scheduled landing at Chiang Mai at 12:30pm for safety reasons. Bangkok Airways Flight PG241…
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Phuket taxi slams into power pole
PHUKET: A taxi driver who crashed into a power pole after dropping his passengers off at Phuket International Airport earlier today has been charged with reckless driving. Pongsatorn Suwanurak, 27, told police that he fell asleep at the wheel while he was returning to Phuket Town at about 10:15am. Rescue workers arrived at the scene, on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang,…
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Phuket masseuse suicide sparks manhunt for brutal boyfriend
PHUKET: Police are looking for a man wanted for beating his masseuse girlfriend who was found dead by apparent suicide in Phuket Town yesterday morning. Friends discovered the body of Taweepat Boontawee, 33, at her apartment at a four-story complex on Phun Pol Road Soi 7. She was found hanged by a bathrobe sash tied to a light fitting. “The…
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Experienced diver’s death at Similans baffles park officials
PHUKET: Officials have yet to learn what was the catalyst for the death of an experienced diver who fell unconscious during a mass-diving volunteer project at the Similan Islands on Saturday. Suthat Suktuk, a 45-year-old businessman from Songkhla province, went into shock while diving beyond recreational depths to 47 meters at a site south of Koh Miang, also called Koh…
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German expat on top after robbed over iPhone sex swap
PHUKET: Two women have been charged for robbing a German expat after he allegedly reneged on a deal to buy one of them an iPhone and clothes in exchange for sex. Rattriya Sirijumpa, 25, and Nongluck Homhuan, 26, were arrested at Tina Salon in Thalang on Saturday, after police spotted the German’s stolen car in front of Ms Rattriya’s salon.…
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Aid teams report devastation and death after Vanuatu cyclone
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Aid teams report devastation and death after Vanuatu cyclone Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Early reports from the outer islands of Vanuatu on Monday painted a picture of utter destruction after a monster cyclone tore through the South Pacific island nation. Authorities in Vanuatu were struggling…
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Mastermind of court attack reportedly in Australia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mastermind of court attack reportedly in Australia The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police will seek the extradition of a man suspected of masterminding the hand-grenade attack on the Criminal Court last week, who is also wanted for allegedly committing lese majeste and failing to report…
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