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Phuket Gazette World News: Suharto family tests Indonesia political comeback on strongman’s legacy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suharto family tests Indonesia political comeback on strongman’s legacy Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: It was Indonesia’s most ubiquitous smile. Once dubbed the smiling general despite his iron rule of more than three decades, the image of former President Suharto now waves genially from the election…
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Phuket Gazette World News: U.S. calls for end to humanitarian curbs in Myanmar’s Rakhine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. calls for end to humanitarian curbs in Myanmar’s Rakhine Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The United States called on Myanmar on Wednesday to lift travel restrictions on U.N. and other humanitarian staff to allow them to resume work in the country’s Rakhine State, which has…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Chile assesses damage after massive quake, tsunami
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chile assesses damage after massive quake, tsunami Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Chilean authorities on Wednesday were assessing the damage from a massive earthquake that struck off the northern coast, causing a small tsunami, but the impact was mostly limited, according to early indications. Thousands of…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Search for missing Malaysian jet drags on, as probe narrows to crew
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Search for missing Malaysian jet drags on, as probe narrows to crew Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Malaysian police have ruled out involvement of any passengers in the disappearance of a missing jetliner, while Australian officials warned bad weather and a lack of reliable information were…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Fatal gunman rampage at Fort Hood US Army base
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Shooting at Fort Hood Army base in Texas, injuries reported Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: One person was killed and 14 wounded in a shooting on Wednesday at a U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas, the site of another rampage in 2009, a U.S. official…
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Video Report: Phuket beach chair mogul pushes solutions to beach space battle
PHUKET: The Nai Harn Beach Chair Club president took to the sand on Saturday in an attempt to dissolve lingering tension between lounge chair operators and a group of expats after a conflict erupted on March 15 over shared beach space. Two weeks ago, during the “Clean the Beach Boot Camp” at Nai Harn Beach, a battle over space flared…
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Chalong top cop out after Phuket divers’ extortion charges
PHUKET: Graft charges levied against Chalong Police officers by the dive community have resulted in the transfer of the Superintendent of the Chalong Police Station to Thalang. “I moved Col Krittapas Dazintharasorn out of Chalong partly because of the extortion charges (story here), but also because he has been there a long time and developed close relationships with his men,…
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Phuket top cop confident body found is of missing Russian
PHUKET: Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiewruangnont today said he is “80 per cent sure” that the decomposed body found on Saturday (story here) is that of missing Russian Alexey Slabinskiy. The skull had been separated from the body and was no longer identifiable, and police are seeking to identify the remains with DNA tests and through dental records. “We are…
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Kidnapping of Phuket boy, 4, foiled at bus terminal
PHUKET: Quick action by a Phuket village headman last night stopped a couple about to board a bus to Bangkok with a 4-year-old boy who had been abducted from his home in Koh Kaew. Worried parents of the boy, named by police only as “Nong Ice”, reported their son missing from their home in Koh Kaew Soi 10 at about…
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Phuket Poll: How good is Phuket Airport?
PHUKET: First impressions are critical in how people remember their holidays, and officials at Phuket International Airport are hoping that 12 million travellers judge their facility favorably this year. The sole runway and the main terminal cater to about 210 flights and 32,000 passengers per day. The main terminal can support up to 2,400 passengers per hour, but rush periods…
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No charges yet in Krabi boat collision case
PHUKET: Police have yet to charge anyone involved in the speedboat crash that occurred off the coast of Krabi in February, as they have not been able to determine fault, confirmed Sophon Kongthong of the Krabi City Police. Six people were injured, two of whom were hospitalized, after the Chainartnumchork 8 and the The Pimmasa 5 collided near the popular…
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Package tour purchasers beware, says TAT
PHUKET: Fifty tourists recently found themselves abandoned by a resort, without rooms to check in to, after buying low-price tour packages, prompting the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Krabi to issue a warning to tour buyers. “Several tourists booked and paid for Krabi tour packages at a travel fair in Bangkok, and even received booking confirmations. But when they arrived…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Massive 8.0 quake off Chile, tsunami alert for South, Central America
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Massive 8.0 quake off Chile sparks tsunami alert for Pacific coast of South, Central America Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A major earthquake of magnitude 8.0 struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami that hit the northern part of the country and…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Gunfire slays protester; Min Buri bomber identified; Military urges Songkran talks; PM calls witnesses in graft probe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gun attack targets anti-govt protesters The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: One protester was killed and four others injured yesterday when gunmen fired in broad daylight at their convoy while travelling on an expressway in Nonthaburi province, in a further inflammation of the political conflict. The…
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Officers to inspect all Phuket dive shops, instructors as part of police extortion probe
PHUKET: Extortion charges against the Chalong Police have led to a proposed inspection of every dive company and working instructor in Phuket. Groups led by Phuket Employment Office staff will check the work permits of all 190 dive instructors working at the 114 dive companies on the island, Governor Maitri Inthusut said today. The immigration documents of customers will also…
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Governor pushes for black water solution after Karon Beach water runs foul again [video]
PHUKET: The Phuket governor was on-site yesterday when a fresh flow of black water washed into the sea at Karon Beach. Governor Maitri Inthusut happened to be on location to lead an investigation into black water and lines of trash that plagued the beach on Friday (story here). The governor denied that wastewater was the cause of the black water…
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After fatal building collapse, officials reassure that Phuket underpass is safe
PHUKET: Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad has called for confidence in the construction of the island’s first underpass in the wake of a fatal building collapse which killed 10 people in Samut Prakarn last month. The Phuket underpass, on the bypass road near the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, is under construction by the same developer involved in the…
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Phuket rain brings flash flood
PHUKET: Heavy rain across Phuket last night brought on minor flash flooding in several parts of the the island. On Thepkrasattri Road in Srisoonthorn, north of Phuket Town, cars and motorbikes stalled as motorists attempted to plow through water that had flooded the road. “More than 10 people from Srisoonthorn Municipality were called in to help motorists as the flood…
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Phuket Gazette World News: France’s Hollande names new PM, pledges tax cuts after poll rout
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community France’s Hollande names new PM, pledges tax cuts after poll rout Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: President Francois Hollande named centrist Interior Minister Manuel Valls as his new prime minister on Monday, replacing Jean-Marc Ayrault who quit after ruling Socialists were trounced in local French elections.…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Army ponders ending deadlock; Bangkok Gov steps down; Police acquitted of Saudi diamond murder; Cadets die in parachute plunge
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Top brass to step in, assess strategy to end political strife The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a rare move, top military leaders will meet tomorrow to discuss a possible solution for the country at a time of political deadlock and likely confrontation between pro-…
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SilkAir celebrates 25 years in Phuket’s skies
PHUKET: Full-service regional carrier SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, celebrated its silver anniversary in Phuket on Saturday, as its chief executive highlighted the company’s growth goals. Phuket was one of the five original destinations for the regional airline when it was re-branded from Tradewinds the Airline to SilkAir on April, 1, 1992. The number of destinations served by the…
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ITF Seniors Tennis Tour comes to Thanyapura [Video]
PHUKET: Thanyapura Phuket says it is honored to be hosting its very first International Tennis Federation (ITF) seniors event next week, with play taking place from Monday, April 7 to Saturday, April 12. Careful not to let the word “Seniors” lead you to imagine elderly people with walking canes donning their tennis whites for a friendly rally. The six days…
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Action stunt leaves fleeing Phuket thief with broken neck
PHUKET: A man broke his neck after falling from the fourth floor of a Phuket apartment building while trying to escape two women who caught him red-handed stealing from their room. Patong Police were notified at about 1pm yesterday that 32-year-old Mongkolchai Na-Tawan had fallen after trying to jump from a fourth-floor room in one apartment building into another room…
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Chief medical inspector counters CBC’s Belanger sisters’ death report
PHUKET: The chief medical inspector called in to investigate the mysterious deaths of Canadian sisters Noemi and Audrey Belanger on Phi Phi Island in 2012 has dismissed reports that said the sisters died from poisoning from a specific pesticide. The news follows a report by Canadian news network CBC quoting Dr Pasakorn Akarasewi as saying, “The most likely explanation is…
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Phuket Countdown to confusion
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has learned that Phuket has been named as the pilot province for a nationwide project that will eventually see all “countdown” traffic lights retrofitted to show Thai numerals instead of the more popular Arabic numbers currently used in most countries, including Thailand. Deadline for completion of the 187-million-baht Phuket project is October 15. The move is…
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Phuket lawyer wins senator poll, “No Vote’ comes second
PHUKET: Unofficial results of yesterday’s senatorial election on the island indicate that local lawyer Chaiyot Panyawai, 47, has won the contest to become Phuket’s new representative in the Upper House. Mr Chaiyot, president of the Phuket branch of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, garnered 19,262 votes, confirmed Phuket Election Commission (PEC) Director Kittipong Thiengkunakrit. Voter turnout was low yesterday, with…
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Russian withdrawal: Chinese tourist scammed out of B400,000
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist issued a warning to other Phuket visitors of skimmer gangs after thieves in Russia withdrew 400,000 baht from his account. “On March 24, my bank called to ask me where I was, because my account showed several withdrawals in Russia between March 22 and 24,” said Haohao Sun. “At the time the 400,000 baht was taken…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Turkish PM Erdogan wins polls, warns enemies they will pay a price
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Turkish PM Erdogan wins polls, warns enemies they will pay a price Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in local polls that had become a referendum on his rule and said he would “enter the lair” of enemies who have…
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Body of Russian expat, kidnapped in Phuket, believed found
PHUKET: Police have found a body they believe is that of missing Russian expat Alexey Slabinskiy, first reported as suspected of being kidnapped three weeks ago (story here). “We learned that the suspects – Russians Oleksandr Boychuk, 44, and Aleksandr Novichkov, 58 – had rented a house in Soi Koktanode in Cherng Talay,” Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont told the…
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Phuket officials call for healthy turnout for “Senate poll Sunday’
PHUKET: About 100 officials led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak gathered yesterday to call on the people of Phuket to vote in the nationwide Senate election on Sunday. Speaking at Sanam Chai, the field in front of Provincial Hall that is occupied by anti-government protesters every night, Vice Governor Somkiet reminded passers-by that the polls will be open across…
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