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  • Body of Caucasian man found floating off Phuket beach

    Body of Caucasian man found floating off Phuket beach

    PHUKET: Officers are attempting to identify the body of a Caucasian man found floating in the sea off Phuket this morning. The body was spotted by Chaimongkol Yaemaroonpattana, a Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) officer, while he was patrolling the waters near Kata Beach. “I saw the body floating about one kilometer from shore. My colleagues and I retrieved it,…

  • Phuket yachts wrap up race series with plain sailing

    Phuket yachts wrap up race series with plain sailing

    PHUKET: After the stormy conditions last Saturday, sunny skies and mild conditions greeted the competitors on the Sunday for the Ao Chalong Yacht Club’s (ACYC) Race Series 2 final race day. The final placings came down to who was the most consistent and which boats turned up regularly – persistence and commitment count, helped along for the first time this…

  • Brakes not to blame for fatal car plunge from Bangkok mall car park: expert

    Brakes not to blame for fatal car plunge from Bangkok mall car park: expert

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brakes not to blame for fatal car plunge from Bangkok mall car park: expert The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Brake failure has been ruled out as a likely cause behind a fatal accident at a Bangkok shopping mall on Tuesday, a police expert has reported.…

  • Five more caught in police graft scandal

    Five more caught in police graft scandal

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Five more caught in police graft scandal The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Five civilians accused of involvement in the corruption scheme engulfing crime buster Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan have been apprehended and are going through the criminal process, National police chief Gen Somyot Poompanmoung said…

  • Military units to be opened for sale of cheap goods and ‘freebies’ | Thaiger

    Military units to be opened for sale of cheap goods and ‘freebies’

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Military units to be opened for sale of cheap goods and ‘freebies’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday he would open all military units in Bangkok and encourage business operators to hand out “freebies” to the public in the New…

  • PM visiting Laos, Vietnam to discuss trade | Thaiger

    PM visiting Laos, Vietnam to discuss trade

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM visiting Laos, Vietnam to discuss trade The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha left Bangkok yesterday on a three-day trip for official visits to Laos and Vietnam to boost cooperation on trade and investment. Vientiane and Hanoi are the third and fourth…

  • 36 ‘illegal’ resorts face demolition in Thap Lan National Park

    36 ‘illegal’ resorts face demolition in Thap Lan National Park

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 36 ‘illegal’ resorts face demolition in Thap Lan National Park The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thap Lan National Park officials set up signs early yesterday warning that 36 resorts allegedly encroaching on the park will be demolished, despite reports of officers being threatened while putting…

  • Phuket’s new vice governors to arrive on Monday | Thaiger

    Phuket’s new vice governors to arrive on Monday

    PHUKET: Two senior officials will arrive in Phuket on Monday to start their new roles as vice governors, providing Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong with his full complement of three deputies. According to the official order published by the Ministry of Interior, Phuket’s new vice governors are Suthee Thongyam and Pranrob Singhasanee. Mr Suthee was promoted from his post as Provincial…

  • The global habit of printing more currency to alleviate debt pressure

    The global habit of printing more currency to alleviate debt pressure

    PHUKET: Just as it seems that the United States’ money printing program is finally ending, other major players are taking steps to continue pumping money into the global economy. The prevailing theory for central bankers around the globe seems to include avoiding the less desirable part of the business cycle, which has been around throughout history, at all costs. What…

  • Key Phuket vice governor ordered to post near Bangkok

    Key Phuket vice governor ordered to post near Bangkok

    PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, 52, today confirmed that he has been ordered to take the post of vice governor in Nakhon Pathom province, on the outskirts of Bangkok, effective December 1. “I have no regret leaving Phuket. I did all my best during my time here,” Vice Governor Chamroen told the Phuket Gazette today. “I will miss Phuket.…

  • Italian tourist slashed by teens in botched Phuket bag-snatch

    Italian tourist slashed by teens in botched Phuket bag-snatch

    PHUKET: Police have arrested three teenagers and are searching for the gang’s alleged female ringleader after a failed bag-snatch attempt in Karon left an Italian tourist injured. Italian tourists Herbert Wunderer, 49, and Karin Katherina Albert, 54, were walking back to their hotel after midnight on Monday when five youths on two motorbikes pulled up alongside them, said Lt Col…

  • Gone in 60 seconds: Prolific Phuket motorbike thieves busted

    Gone in 60 seconds: Prolific Phuket motorbike thieves busted

    PHUKET: It took a gang of motorbike thieves operating in Phuket less than one minute to make off with a single bike, a process which the criminals admitted to repeating hundreds of times. The revelation comes as police netted four members of a group operating on the island that has managed to ride off with more than 200 motorbikes over…

  • B2bn cash, valuables stashed in police general’s secret home vaults

    B2bn cash, valuables stashed in police general’s secret home vaults

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community B2bn cash, valuables stashed in police general’s secret home vaults The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a series of raids last week, police discovered secret underground vaults at the home of former crimebuster Pongpat Chayaphan containing assets worth more than Bt2 billion. One of the…

  • Sierra Leone man found, clear of Ebola

    Sierra Leone man found, clear of Ebola

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sierra Leone man found, clear of Ebola The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Immigration authorities met the Sierra Leone man they have been hunting just as he was about to board a flight at Suvarnabhumi Airport. As of press time, Samuel Sesay, 31, was with officials…

  • More U.S. troops deployed in Ferguson to guard against fresh riots

    More U.S. troops deployed in Ferguson to guard against fresh riots

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More U.S. troops deployed in Ferguson to guard against fresh riots Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Missouri’s governor ordered hundreds more National Guard troops on Tuesday to a St. Louis suburb rocked by rioting and looting after a grand jury declined to indict a white policeman…

  • British banks’ rotten culture will take generation to fix, says think tank

    British banks’ rotten culture will take generation to fix, says think tank

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British banks’ rotten culture will take generation to fix, says think tank Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET:Bad behavior that has cost British banks 38.5 billion pounds ($60 billion) in fines and compensation over the past 15 years will take a generation to fix, an independent think…

  • Scores arrested in Beach Games crime crackdown

    Scores arrested in Beach Games crime crackdown

    PHUKET: An island-wide crime sweep during the Asian Beach Games resulted in more than 150 arrests and turned up scores of weapons, illegal drugs and counterfeit items, Phuket’s top cop revealed yesterday. “We must maintain Phuket’s good image and uphold the policies of the Royal Thai Police. It is our job to keep everyone safe and to prevent crime,” Phuket…

  • Phuket man killed in high-speed motorbike crash

    Phuket man killed in high-speed motorbike crash

    PHUKET: A Phuket man riding a motorbike at high speed died instantly, after he crashed into the back of a 10-wheeled truck last night. The accident, near Baan Mak Prok in Thalang, took place near a u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road at about 9.30pm, Lt Thanom Thongpan of the Tah Chat Chai Police told the Phuket Gazette. “According to witnesses, 37-year-old…

  • Phuket beach vendors fear police investigation

    Phuket beach vendors fear police investigation

    PHUKET: More than 100 out-of-work beach vendors gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday to file a complaint with the governor regarding a land encroachment investigation by the Karon Police. The vendors presented the letter to Governor Nisit Jansomwong – along with a letter from the Ministry of Interior, dated January 3, 2005, that gave permission for people to operate businesses…

  • Shots fired in protests over Ferguson verdict

    Shots fired in protests over Ferguson verdict

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Shots fired in protests over Ferguson verdict, Obama calls for peace Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Missouri grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer on any charges in the fatal August shooting of an unarmed black teenager unleashed a wave of violent…

  • ‘Billion baht’ police arrested linked to insurgency, oil smuggling

    ‘Billion baht’ police arrested linked to insurgency, oil smuggling

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Billion baht’ police arrested linked to insurgency, oil smuggling The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two crime-fighting agencies agencies have been assigned to investigate a series of high-profile arrests – including Central Investigation Bureau Commissioner Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan – over a longstanding contraband petrol trade…

  • Police, health officials hunt Sierra Leone man amid Ebola fears

    Police, health officials hunt Sierra Leone man amid Ebola fears

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police, health officials hunt Sierra Leone man amid Ebola fears The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry has sought police help to try to locate a Sierra Leone man who failed to report for a mandatory 21-day observation to see if he develops…

  • Video Report: Laguna Phuket Triathlon marks historic victory

    Video Report: Laguna Phuket Triathlon marks historic victory

    PHUKET: Italians Massimo Cigana and Alberto Casadei made history together at the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) yesterday as they crossed the finish line as one and became LPT’s first dual champions in the annual event’s 21-year history. Cigana, who won in 2008, 2010 and 2011, also became the triathlon’s first four-time champion, and once again carved his name into the…

  • Coral poachers pounce on Phi Phi, south of Phuket

    Coral poachers pounce on Phi Phi, south of Phuket

    PHUKET: Residents and tourists must immediately report any signs of coral poaching to officials, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Region 5 Chief Tanet Munnoy told the Phuket Gazette on Saturday. “Quick action is necessary to clamp down on corals being stolen from marine national parks, because the criminals behind the work move rapidly,” Mr Tanet said. “They have…

  • Spectacular finale at Phuket’s Asian Beach Games

    Spectacular finale at Phuket’s Asian Beach Games

    PHUKET: The 4th Asian Beach Games in Phuket came to a spectacular close at the Saphan Hin Sports Center last night, with fantastic stage shows featuring more than 800 performers, as well as sound-and-light shows. The ceremony, with Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul presiding, started with the performance titled “Magic of Dream Destination”, which reflected the invaluable essence of…

  • Billions of baht found at police general’s home

    Billions of baht found at police general’s home

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Billions of baht found at police general’s home The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have found billions of baht’s worth of assets at the home of Central Investigation Bureau commander Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan, who has been suspended from service after being charged with several…

  • Deep South Army officer found dead in Phuket pond

    Deep South Army officer found dead in Phuket pond

    PHUKET: Police will conduct an autopsy on the body of a Deep South Army officer whose remains were found in a Phuket pond yesterday. Police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were called to the scene, behind Rock Garden Village in Rassada, at about 3:45pm, where the body of Sgt Jassada Suton, 31, was found. Sgt Jassada was stationed with the…

  • Thailand crowned Asian Beach Games champions

    Thailand crowned Asian Beach Games champions

    PHUKET: Thailand closed the final day of the 4th Asian Beach Games in Phuket yesterday with two more gold medals in the beach sepak takraw to be crowned official Games champions for the second time with a haul of 56 gold, 37 silver and 33 bronze medals. Defending champions China placed second overall, with 16 gold, 11 silver and 21…

  • After fierce snowstorms, New York braces for floods

    After fierce snowstorms, New York braces for floods

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community After fierce snowstorms, New York braces for floods Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Emergency workers filled thousands of sandbags on Sunday as the area around Buffalo, New York braced for potential flooding as warming temperatures began to melt up to two meters of snow. Creeks appeared…

  • One injured in boat engine explosion north of Phuket

    One injured in boat engine explosion north of Phuket

    PHUKET: Navy officers conducted a helicopter rescue mission north of Phuket after a man was injured in an engine room explosion early this morning aboard a boat transporting olive oil to Myanmar. Royal Thai Navy Region 3 rescue teams were dispatched by helicopter and speedboat, with a Vachira Hospital medical team in tow, after they received the report of the…