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Breaking News: Divers recover body of Korean tourist from sunken speedboat
PHUKET: Search and rescue divers pulled the body of one of the two missing Korean tourists from the wreckage of the speedboat that now lies at the bottom of Phang Nga Bay, east of Phuket, confirmed Lt Col Chatchai Sakdee of the Phuket Marine Police. Marine Police named the Korean woman as An Sun Yong, 28. One Korean tourist is…
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Phuket Governor makes clean beaches priority
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Chansomwong got on the clean-Phuket bandwagon, as he led locals, students and officials onto Patong Beach for “Beach Cleaning Day” on Sunday. “This activity is organized to strengthen the love and unity of the people within the community; help them develop a love for their hometown; help them keep it clean; and preserve our natural resources and…
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Triple homicide: suspect flees into jungle north of Phuket
PHUKET: Police in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, are hunting a man who killed his estranged wife and her parents after he was allegedly denied entry into their house. The bodies of Piyawan Jankerdkaew, 28; Prakob Jankerdkaew, 54; and Vas Jankerdkaew, 59, were found with gunshot wounds to the head yesterday afternoon in Kura Buri, Phang Nga. “We were called…
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Angry mob prevents suspected hired assassin from reenacting Phuket stabbing
PHUKET: An angry mob of villagers yesterday prevented police from carrying out a full reenactment of the stabbing murder of a woman by a suspected hired assassin in Phuket earlier this year. “Chatchai Torkeaw, 25, was apprehended on Saturday after he successfully evaded arrest for almost six months,” Thalang Police Superintendent Sirisak Wasasiri told the Phuket Gazette. He was arrested…
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‘The Jungle Book’ puppet production swings into Phuket
PHUKET: In the next installment of quality island entertainment, Events International and the Phuket Gazette are proud to present the Jungle Book Puppet Theater. Suitable for children of all ages, the sparkling new puppet theater adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book will swing into British International School Phuket (BISP), HeadStart International School and Kajonkietsuksa International School next month. This…
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Three Phuket tourists tumble, mayor aims to increase safety at Promthep Cape
PHUKET: Officials are considering more options to boost safety at Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape after three tourists – two Chinese and one Thai – slipped from the rocks this weekend. However, building a protective fence remains off the table. “During the [southwest] monsoon season, there is a lot of rain and the waves are high. These conditions make it easy…
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Bag blamed for Phuket speedboat crash [video]
PHUKET: The speedboat driver who crashed into a fishing trawler yesterday has blamed a plastic bag for the accident. The Seastar speedboat sank after hitting the trawler, leaving 35 injured and two missing (story here). “About 20 minutes after we departed from Maya Bay [on Koh Phi Phi] the sky got very dark and a black plastic bag flew under…
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Video Report: Patong’s first mayor cremated, honored by Royal Household Bureau
PHUKET: Patong’s first mayor, Pian Keesin, was cremated at Wat Laem Singh in Phuket on Saturday. Mr Pian died from a heart-valve disease in his home at the Rock Garden housing estate on October 7 at the age of 70. A fai prachataan provided by the Royal Household Bureau was used to ignite the cremation pyre in recognition of Mr…
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Registration remains open for the Challenge Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Registration is still open for the 2014 half-distance Challenge Laguna Phuket in Thailand – and the opportunity still exists to compete in this unique destination event that has captured the hearts of triathletes all over the world. The race, set for November 30, will be the second Challenge Family series race to be staged on this paradise tropical island,…
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Teen goes missing after selling gold in Phuket
PHUKET: A relative of a 16-year-old girl has made a public plea for help in finding the teen, who went missing yesterday. Kanyarat “Nong Chor” Kananthai was last seen at 11am in Kathu selling her gold necklace for 4,300 baht to a shop near her house. “Nong Chor came from Udon Thai province with our grandmother about two months ago…
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Breaking News: Two missing, 35 injured in Phuket speedboat crash
PHUKET: Two tourists are missing after a speedboat crashed with a fishing boat between Koh Yao Noi and Phi Phi Island, east of Phuket, this afternoon. Marine Police have rescued 35 of the 37 tourists who were on board the speedboat. All suffered varying degrees of injury, it was confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. Rescue workers and hospital staff, prepared…
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Jet-skis allowed on Kamala Beach, confirms Phuket Governor
PHUKET: Jet-ski operators are allowed to park their craft on Kamala Beach until the end of the month, confirmed Governor Nisit Jansomwong to the Phuket Gazette today. Watchara Koysakul, head of the Kamala Jet-Ski Club, said that it was a similar situation to the one in Patong, where jet-ski operators were allowed to return to work in August as long…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta returns [video]
PHUKET: Revered as Asia’s most prestigious sports yachting trophy and attracting crews and boats from every corner of the globe, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta returns to the unpredictable seas of the Andaman, bringing with it split-second racing action, camaraderie and a series of legendary party events. The 28th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Under Royal Patronage, the region’s largest regatta,…
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Opinion: Beach Games to showcase new Phuket
PHUKET: There has been a great deal of discussion and debate recently about how Phuket should “rebrand” itself as a world-class tourist destination in the wake of the National Council for Peace and Order’s unprecedented anti-corruption drive. Hopefully, the 4th Asian Beach Games next month will serve as the perfect showcase for the so-called “new” Phuket, spreading the message far…
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Phuket police raid rounds up pirated goods
PHUKET: About 1,500 fake brand-name items were seized from three shops in Patong on Thursday. “The retail value of the counterfeit goods is about 1 million baht,” said Kitti Sapaothong, deputy commander of the Economic Crime Division of the Royal Thai Police. The majority of the items seized were polo shirts. However, bags, purses, luggage, watches and other items were…
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Phuket loses an ‘original’ expat: Eric Snyder departs
PHUKET: Well known long-term Phuket expat Eric Snyder, 70, has departed the island he loved, succumbing to skin cancer earlier this week. Eric Snyder arrived in Phuket in 1975 and remained in residence here for 39 years. Initially, he lived with a Muslim family on Kamala Beach for several years, growing his own food and catching his dinner from the…
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Investing time to develop passive income
PHUKET: I recently became involved in marketing products for the health and wellness industry, which follows a very different business model than any I have previously encountered. In fact, the investment consists mainly of time, as start-up capital required is extremely limited. “Human capital” is developed, rather than the standard brick-and-mortar business. The great thing about this style of investing…
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Marketing duo to breathe new life into RPM
PHUKET: A duo of marketing experts have joined the ranks of Royal Phuket Marina to put it back on the Phuket map and in the minds of the island’s residents. “I had forgotten about RPM,” says Ian Spurdle, the marina’s new Director of Sales and Marketing for Luxury Property. “I’ve been in Phuket for 12 years, and have known RPM…
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Annual Patong carnival to hit sands of Phuket
PHUKET: Patong’s annual carnival, this year themed “Blissful Beach @ Patong”, is set to hit the beach town’s sands on November 1, ahead of Phuket’s tourism high season. The event, now in its 29th year, will take place from November 1-3, and aims to attract locals and tourists alike with concerts, a mini-marathon, a photography contest (story here) and a…
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Man and wife charged with rape, await court date in jail
PHUKET: A man charged with raping a 14-year-old undocumented Myanmar migrant worker, and his wife who helped him carry out the crime, remain incarcerated pending a court date. “We are still preparing evidence against both suspects – including fingerprint testing,” Lt Palita Kangsing of the Khuk Khak Police told the Phuket Gazette today. Lt Palita said Mr Ko-Nai and his…
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Phuket shrines gear up for second Vegetarian Festival [video]
A much-anticipated aspect of the Vegetarian Festival is the bountiful array of interesting foods. PHUKET: Kathu Shrine is preparing to hold the second go-round of Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival from October 24 to November 1. Governor Nisit Jansomwong has urged all island-dwellers to take part in this special event, as a few shrines on the island are expected to hold even…
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Prisoner kingpin implicated in Phuket drug-network raids
PHUKET: The kingpin of a major drug ring operating out of a Thai prison was identified after a series of raids in Phuket, police said yesterday. The raids, which began on Sunday, saw more than 2 kilograms of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) seized. “The major dealers arrested implicated a female inmate, who we will name only as ‘Ms B’ until…
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Russian man who disappeared into sea found drowned in Phuket
PHUKET: The body of a Russian man who walked into the sea and disappeared on Wednesday night after an argument with his girlfriend was discovered this morning. “We were alerted by a local that a body was found floating between Freedom Beach and Paradise Beach at about 9am,” Sampawat Wannasangkam of the Patong Municipality Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation…
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Human trafficking victims moved out of Phang Nga, await deportation
PHUKET: The first wave of human trafficking victims have been moved from Phang Nga, north of Phuket, to Ranong and Songkhla provinces, where they will await deportation. Police yesterday questioned 80 of the human trafficking victims that were rounded up in Phang Nga in two raids earlier this week (stories here and here). Most of the refugees claimed to have…
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Man caught peeping in Phuket restroom to fuel sexual fantasies
PHUKET: A Myanmar national has confessed to watching women use a public restroom to fuel his sexual fantasies. The 18-year-old, named by police only as “Mr Joe”, was caught looking through a crack in the wall of the bathroom at Star Wash car care yesterday afternoon. “I saw his eyes watching me through the crack while I was using the…
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Russian man walks into Phuket sea, presumed drowned
PHUKET: Rescue workers have given up a search for a Russian man last seen walking into the sea after a fight with his girlfriend in Phuket. “We saw four people – two men and two women – walking on the beach. They all looked drunk,” said eyewitness Apirat Chanpradab. “They sat down, then after about 30 minutes one of the…
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Chalong Bay Marina shut down for one year
PHUKET: Boats will be prohibited from mooring within 200 meters of Chalong Bay Marina for one year, effective today, as seawall construction and renovations take place, confirmed the Phuket Marine Office chief. The order handed down and signed off by Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut was followed by the expulsion of all boats moored in the marina. “The marina…
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7-Eleven counters in Phuket beach towns now accepting police reports
PHUKET: Victims of crimes in Kata and Karon can now file reports with police by visiting any 7-Eleven convenience store in the area. “Tourists in Kata-Karon now have an alternative and easy way to reach police. Our hope is that this will boost tourists’ confidence in their safety during their stay on the island,” Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth…
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Phuket mystery: Autopsies yield no results for reef fish deaths
PHUKET: Autopsy results of dead fish collected at Koh Racha Yai off the southern coast of Phuket have yielded no clues as to why scores of reef fish are being found dead in the area (story here). “We have yet to determine the cause of death. Experts conducted autopsies, but the results were inconclusive,” Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) Director…
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Six illegal elephants to be expelled from Phuket
PHUKET: Six elephants with no valid documentation to stay in Phuket are to be booted off the island within the next few weeks, Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. Phuket Livestock Office personnel will re-check documents which were presented by the owner of the elephants to officers at the Phuket Animal Quarantine Station at Tah Chat Chai…
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