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Phuket man found hanged
PHUKET: Police do not suspect foul play was involved in the death of a man found hanged in his company accommodation room yesterday morning. Fong Waikru, a packer at Faktong Transport Co Ltd, raised the alarm after he discovered the body of his workmate Sompol Buayai, 39, hanged. Mr Fong told police that he noticed the door to Mr Sompol’s…
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Phuket lands B20bn slice of Mall Group B80bn shopping center mega projects
PHUKET: The Mall Group is set to invest 20 billion baht in the development of a 150 rai mega-project in Phuket’s Kathu district as part of an 80bn baht venture to open six world-class shopping centers in expectation of Thailand’s market flooding when the gates of the Asian Economic Community (AEC) open next year. “The BluPearl project [in Phuket] will…
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Thailand News: TV stations occupied, fears of clashes rise; July 20 poll in doubt; Sacred oxen predict a good year
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Final fight’ to bring down govt The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Anti-government protesters yesterday began their “final fight” to topple the embattled government by occupying the country’s five major television stations and other key locations, amid mounting fears of street clashes between rival political groups.…
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Rights groups call for US sanctions against Thailand over trafficking
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Groups say Thailand should face U.S. sanctions over trafficking Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand should be liable to potential U.S. sanctions for failing to crack down on trafficking in migrant workers, a group of human rights and labour organisations said on Friday. In a letter…
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Phuket kids to save Karon
Yuphayao Alshammary, 50, has been Director of Suwan-keereekate School in Karon since May 2013. She has an MA in Education Management from Maha Sarakham University and is now pursuing a PhD. Before coming to Phuket, she was director of two rural Northeast schools for more than 15 years. Here, she talks about how supporting education can help solve Karon’s social…
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Legal enigmas: foreigners beware
PHUKET: The news stories that have spilled across the pages of the Phuket Gazette over the past few weeks have thrown into sharp relief what it takes for a foreigner to live on this paradise island. A Russian woman who had made her home here being refused re-entry to Thailand last month because officers from the Immigration Bureau suspected her…
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Russian denied entry at Phuket International Airport over “visa’ crackdown
PHUKET: A Russian national was denied entry into Thailand by Phuket International Airport Immigration officers on April 21 and detained until she could be deported the next morning. Officers denied entry to Mariia Sgibneva, 26, more than a week before the May 3 crackdown on the “three-visa-and-out rule” aimed at stymieing international crime. “They stopped me at immigration, and ask…
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Water, tear gas fired on protesters in Bangkok
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Water, tear gas fired on protesters in Bangkok The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police guarding the government’s Centre for the Administration for Peace and Order (CAPO) fired water and teargas at anti-government protesters and senior monk, Phra Buddha Issara, who led Friday’s protest to the…
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High-wire monkey causes Phuket blackout
PHUKET: Rescue workers were called last night to save a bean-picking monkey that had escaped from the home of its owner and become stuck at the top of a power pole. “When we arrived, the owners were trying to undo the rope tied to the monkey’s neck, because it had become tangled on the pole,” said a Kusoldharm Foundation Rescue…
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Teen worker dies in five-storey fall at Phuket hotel construction site
PHUKET: Sarawut Kumwong, 17, died yesterday afternoon after falling from the fifth floor of a seven-storey hotel under construction in Phuket Town. Mr Sarawut’s employer, Ekkapong Jiasakul, told police that Mr Sarawuth was being handed pieces of timber by Komkrit Jantorarat, 15, when he fell. “We do not know what happened exactly. He might have slipped while reaching for the…
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Hong Kong property tycoons stand trial in city’s biggest graft case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hong Kong property tycoons stand trial in city’s biggest graft case Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thomas and Raymond Kwok, the billionaire co-chairmen of Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd, Asia’s largest developer, went on trial on Thursday in Hong Kong’s biggest corruption case since the city’s…
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Thailand News: Yingluck corruption indictment; Blasts hit Bangkok; PDRC vows to announce new government today
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Deadlock remains despite Yingluck dismissal, indictment The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The political deadlock remains steadfast despite former caretaker prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra being dealt a double blow this week, with the Constitutional Court sacking her on Wednesday and the National Anti-Corruption Commission indicting her…
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Families of South Korea ferry dead march on presidential palace
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Families of South Korea ferry dead march on presidential palace Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Parents of children killed when a passenger ferry sank last month led a sombre march on South Korea’s presidential palace in the early hours of Friday morning, where they demanded to…
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Video Report: “Smart Province’ project will bring free WiFi to Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket is slated to have free WiFi throughout the island as part of it becoming Thailand’s next “Smart Province”. “Access to free WiFi is one of the many benefits of the technology we are using to connect the nation,” said Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) Surachai Srisarcam. “Through our ‘Smart Country’ project, local…
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Phuket lifeguards put lives first, agree to PPAO conditions
PHUKET: Lifeguards are set to return to Phuket beaches on May 21 as the lifeguard club gave up its demands for an increased budget at a meeting with the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) this morning. “The conditions they offered us today were the same: 22 million baht to pay for our expenses and an increased salary for 88 guards,”…
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Aussie lifeguards help bring man back to life
PHUKET: After 30 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and six injections of adrenaline, Mike Reynolds’ heart started to beat again. His 18-year-old daughter, Kristi, rushed into the emergency room as the two holidaying Australian lifeguards that had saved him from a drowning-induced heart attack while on a trip to Phi Phi Island waited outside. Also standing outside the room was…
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Don’t pay money under the table, fight it in court – says Employment chief
PHUKET: All foreigners who believe that they have been wrongfully arrested for breaching the conditions of their work permit must fight for their rights, said the chief of the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO). “If the police insist on arresting you, let them do it. If they threaten to detain you, let them. You have the right to deny the…
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Video Report: 2nd Phuket International Tae Kwon Do Championship 2014
PHUKET: The 2nd annual Phuket International Tae Kwon Do Championship saw 689 fighters from 43 teams face off against each other at the indoor sports stadium in Saphin Hin last Saturday. The all-day event was organized by the Tae Kwon Do Dragon Club Gym and supported by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization and the Sports Authority of Thailand. The event, attracting…
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Phuket Open cancelled
PHUKET: The promoters of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Open in Phuket have decided to cancel the event scheduled for October 15 to 19 quoting continued political unrest in Thailand as the reason for their decision. With the safety and security of players and officials of paramount importance, the FIVB have accepted the promoter’s decision to cancel the event. The next…
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Snatchers snitch on sex drug seller
PHUKET: Using a tip-off from recently arrested bag-snatchers, police raided a Phuket pharmacy on Tuesday evening, seizing more than 10,000 pills of drugs being sold illicitly. Among the pills were sex aids, antidepressants, steroids and the notorious “date rape” drug Rohypnol. “Four bag-snatchers told us they planned to buy Zolam at a pharmacy in Patong,” said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent…
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Fast and Furious: Patong joy ride in boss’ car ends in crash
PHUKET: A drunk driver injured a Phuket motorcyclist early yesterday morning during a high-speed joy ride in his boss’ Toyota Fortuner; the ride ended abruptly when he slammed the SUV into a utility pole. “At about 6:40am we were notified that a driver in a Toyota Fortuner had knocked a man off his motorcycle and crashed into a power pole…
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Vietnam says China rammed ships in South China Sea
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Vietnam says China rammed ships in South China Sea Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Vietnam said on Wednesday a Chinese vessel intentionally rammed two of its ships in a part of the disputed South China Sea where Beijing has deployed a giant oil rig, sending tensions…
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Thailand News: Yingluck ousted; Govt pushes for election; Villagers fight to save quake-hit homes; Reward for Haad Yai bombers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Yingluck Ousted The Nation/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s first female prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from office yesterday after serving as premier for two years, nine months, and two days. The dismissal followed a Constitutional Court ruling that she had violated the charter by unlawfully…
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Putin to Ukraine rebels: postpone secession vote
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin to Ukraine rebels: postpone secession vote Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Russian President Vladimir Putin called on pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine to postpone a vote on secession just five days before it was to be held, potentially pulling Ukraine back from the brink of violent…
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Chinese Consulate lands on Phuket shores
PHUKET: The Chinese Consulate is searching for a Phuket locale from which they can serve the ever-increasing number of Chinese tourists visiting the island – a number that is expected to hit two million this year. Wang Huijian, vice consul of the Chinese Consulate in Haad Yai, will head up the new Phuket Consulate. Ms Wang met with Governor Maitri…
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Court demands Yingluck step down
A Thai court found Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty today of violating the constitution and said she could no longer serve as caretaker premier, a decision likely to increase tensions in the bitterly divided nation. Judges delivering the verdict said Ms Yingluck had abused her position by transferring the country’s National Security Council chief to another post in 2011 so…
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Phi Phi cargo boats engulfed in flames
PHUKET: Police are investigating the cause of a fire which gutted two Phi Phi cargo boats anchored off Krabi early yesterday morning. Fire fighters responded to reports that Unity 2 and Unity 3 were ablaze near the Ko Huang Fishing Pier in Saithai Sub-district at about 5am. “The boats were too far from shore for firefighters to try to save…
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Phuket chief wages war to bring common sense to employment laws
Special Report Poor definitions in work permits have left loopholes that allow criminal foreigners to skirt the law and corrupt officials to take advantage of law-abiding foreigners. To this, Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) chief Yaowapa Pibulpol is waging a war to bring common sense to the enforcement of employment regulations. The Phuket Gazette’s Saran Mitrarat reports. PHUKET: The events…
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Thailand News: Haad Yai blasts wound 10; Yingluck’s fate decided today; Aftershocks continue; AMLO busts Bt1bn smuggling ring
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two blasts rock Haad Yai, wounding 10 people The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two large bomb attacks were carried out yesterday in Haad Yai business district of Songkhla province, wounding 10 people and causing large fires and heavy property damage. Initially it was reported that…
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Nigeria gunmen abduct 8 more girls
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gunmen abduct 8 more girls in northeast Nigeria Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped eight girls from a village near one of the Islamists’ strongholds in northeastern Nigeria overnight, police and residents said on Tuesday. The abduction of the girls, aged 12…
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