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  • Phuket Gazette World News: Spain’s PM won’t resign; Rohingya relief – Myanmar disbands Border Patrol force; Asiana to sue over names gaffe; Cartel kingpin caught; Hundreds netted in child sextortion ring

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Spain’s Rajoy rules out stepping down in blackmail scandal Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Monday rejected calls to resign over a ruling party financing scandal and said he would not allow the matter to hold back his reform plans.The political pressure mounted…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: BoT Gov slams Govt policies; Thaksin b’day party near Bangkok; Lottery surge; PM placates Isarn; Nenkham’s B300mn

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community BoT Gov slams Govt policies as unsustainable The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Bank of Thailand Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul has slammed government policies as geared towards short-term consumption, saying they have shortcomings and cannot sustain economic competitiveness in the long term.In a speech to Asean ambassadors and high-ranking…

  • Phuket Pythons: “Magic’ baby snake appears in locked locker

    PHUKET: A soybean milk vendor was given a fright today after a baby python pulled a Houdini and appeared in a her locked locker. Phuket Kusoldham Rescue Foundation workers, responding to the frightened woman’s emergency call, were able to wrangle the one-meter python from its new resting place. “The shop owner closed her shop normally last night, and there was…

  • First cop to be charged with trafficking suspended from force | Thaiger

    First cop to be charged with trafficking suspended from force

    PHUKET: Sgt Maj Weerayuth Feuangfu, the Phang Nga policeman believed to be the first Royal Thai Police officer charged with human trafficking (story here), was indefinitely suspended from active duty last week. “He was suspended from the Royal Thai Police last week pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation,” Phang Nga Provincial Police Commander Chalit Kaewyarat told the Phuket Gazette…

  • Bullets, but no guns: Phuket man charged for illegal possession

    PHUKET: Police caught a Phuket man illegally in possession of over 50 rounds of ammunition for multiple types of handguns, but were unable to uncover any weapons during their raid yesterday morning. Phuket City Police secured a search warrant for the house of Suwat Saramas, 30, after receiving a tip-off that he was in illegal possession of firearms. “After we…

  • Phuket man mutilates self in jealous rage

    PHUKET: A 19-year-old man charged for assisting in the attack on Vorasit “Pla wan” Issara last year (story here) was found bleeding heavily in his Phuket Town room early yesterday morning after he reportedly stabbed himself in the leg in a fit of jealous rage. Police arrived at the scene, an apartment off Phun Phol Road, at about 3:50am to…

  • VIDEO REPORT: Go Eco Phuket scrambles to remove fishing net at top dive site

    PHUKET: Local marine conservation group Go Eco Phuket on Friday launched two dive boats in an emergency procedure to remove a fishing net at one of Phuket’s top dive destinations, Shark Point. At a Go Eco Phuket meeting last week, in preparation for the group’s annual massive reef and beach cleanup (story here), local dive company Sea Bees revealed video…

  • Thai skipper sails Sansiri into the lead at TRANSPAC

    PHUKET: The 2013 Transpacific Yacht Race (TRANSPAC) started in perfect Southern California conditions on Monday July 8 with Thai entry Sansiri in the first of three starts in a westerly breeze of 15 knots. Co-skippered by Michael Spies and Thai sailor Patinyakorn Bunranrom, the five-strong crew on Sansiri are the first ever Thai entry in a global Ocean Race and…

  • Two more suspects sought in Phuket attack on Malaysian royal bodyguard

    PHUKET: The five people accused of attacking a Malaysian royal family bodyguard in Patong in May continue to be held in Phuket as police pursue two additional suspects. “The court has issued arrest warrants for two Malaysian suspects,” said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Arun Kaewvatee. “We have sent the warrants to Malaysian police, who are searching for them,” he…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Cat meat trade discovered

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand continues to slaughter cats for meat trade Coconuts Bangkok / Phuket Gazette The National News Bureau of Thailand reports that law enforcement officials have apprehended a “transnational” cat smuggler on the border between Thailand and Laos. The miscreant was caught transporting 90 cats into Laos,…

  • Special Report: Rice smugglers hitch ride on Thai pledge-price profiteering

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rice smugglers hitching ride on pledge-price profiteering Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Hidden in 18-wheeler trucks, carts and pickup vans, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of rice are being smuggled from Cambodia and Myanmar into Thailand, although the country holds enough stocks to meet half the world’s annual…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Obama calls for calm in Zimmerman protests; Thein Sein in UK; Uganda fears refugee crisis; Italian lawmaker becomes monkey man; Aussie gored in Pamps bull run

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama calls for calm after Zimmerman acquittal; protests held Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: U.S. President Barack Obama called for calm on Sunday after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of black teenager Trayvon Martin, as hundreds of civil rights demonstrators turned out at rallies…

  • Phuket Opinion: Keeping Chinese tourists safe by certifying more guides

    Chaifu Saelee, 43, is a Chiang Mai native with a diploma in tourism from Srinakharinwirot University in Bangkok. He worked as an interpreter for two years before joining Phuket Huang Tai Tour as a guide. He is now a guide with Phuket Super Holiday Travel. Here, he talks about how to increase safety for Chinese tourists in Phuket by helping…

  • Phuket Opinion: Thanks giving for 4th of July celebrations at Phuket Airpark

    PHUKET: We would like to extend a most heartfelt thanks to every one of the many volunteer groups who worked together so well to make last weekend’s inaugural Phuket Airshow and Family Picnic such a successful charity event. The splendid festivities, timed to celebrate the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence 237 years ago, had so much going…

  • Phuket Opinion: It doesn’t hurt to give

    PHUKET: On this lovely island renowned for its wonderful spas, the place I’ve felt most pampered is not one. It’s the sleek and modern Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) next to the employment office, staffed by professionals delivering five-star service to those of us who give about 45 minutes of our time and about 10 per cent of our blood.…

  • Phuket top province for Dengue Fever outbreak

    PHUKET: Phuket is now listed as the highest ranking province in Thailand for Dengue Fever outbreaks, Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) Deputy Chief Dr Krit Sakulpat confirmed to the Phuket Gazete today. Despite the ranking, there is no reason to panic, said Dr Krit. “For the statistic, the number of patients is divided by the registered population, which in Phuket…

  • DSI denounces con artists’ use of department name to squeeze criminals for “protection money’

    PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation denied providing “protection services” for illegal businesses in a notification released yesterday, which claimed that con artists in Phuket were using the department’s name to squeeze people for protection money. “We received reports that there are people using the DSI’s name to collect money from business owners who are involved in the illegal employment…

  • Man caught on CCTV nicking clean Phuket knickers

    PHUKET: Police are now sniffing out the trail of a chronic underwear thief who was caught on CCTV stealing over twenty pairs of drying panties from an apartment complex in Phuket Town.After receiving multiple complaints from residents of Chaloemlarp Apartment about their underwear being stolen, the owner of the complex set up a CCTV camera system.“On July 2 at about…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Army will not meddle in politics; Ramadan peace push; Monk to return with “bigger greatness”

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Army will have nothing to do with Thaksin return: Thanasak The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Supreme Commander General Thanasak Pratimapakorn said yesterday that the issue of whether former PM Thaksin Shinawatra will be allowed to return as a free man was not up to the…

  • Junior Phuket Raceweek set to ‘come of age’

    PHUKET: Junior Phuket Raceweek is set to take place Saturday, July 20 off Phuket’s Southeast coast. Sister event to its bigger brother Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek, which celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year, Junior Phuket Raceweek gives budding young sailors an opportunity to race in an international-standard regatta. “There are limited competitive sailing opportunities for youngsters on Phuket, and…

  • Phuket Airport Express bus ready to roll on July 19

    PHUKET: In what seems to be the last shuffle of dates for the launch of the long-awaited Phuket Airport Express bus service, wheels are now to be rolling by July 19, operator Prakob Panyawai confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “The airport buses will be ready to run on July 19. We thought we could start on July 15, but we…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Northern Ireland troubles flare-up; al Qaeda attack means war; French train crash – 6 dead

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Violence flares around Northern Ireland marches Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Protestant marchers in Belfast threw objects at police, who responded with water cannon as Northern Ireland’s annual parade season descended into violence on yesterday. Pro-British Protestants march every summer in the British-ruled province, a regular…

  • Phuket Poll: blimp takes back seat to light-rail system

    PHUKET: In response to the 2.6 billion baht that remains unaccounted for after Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi last month confirmed that Phuket will not be bestowed an International Convention and Exhibition Center “unless they vote for Pheu Thai” (story here) – readers of the Phuket Gazette have opted to have a light-rail system built instead. The latest Phuket Gazette…

  • Swiss man breaks leg in fall from motorcycle

    PHUKET: A Swiss man is recovering well following surgery after a motorcycle accident in Thalang yesterday afternoon. Carlo Somaini, 54, was about 300m north of the Heroine’s Monument riding north on Thepkrasattri Road when a motorbike emerged from a soi in front of him. “He was startled,” said Thalang Police officer Thani Petchswee. “He tried to avoid the motorbike, and…

  • Thailand’s Human Rights Commission silent on Rohingya shootings

    PHUKET: Thailand’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) yesterday told the Phuket Gazette they were “unable to report” on their own investigation into reports of Royal Thai Navy sailors opening fire on a boatload of Rohingya, allegedly killing at least two of the refugees, in February. The news comes four months after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra promised the international press the allegations…

  • Phuket’s footy club turnover doubles

    PHUKET: Ticketing and merchandising revenue for the island’s pro soccer club, Phuket FC, doubled year-on-year, while the club’s fan turnout has swelled by 93% during the same period. Now at the mid-season point, business seems to booming for the island’s pro soccer club, at least compared to this time last year when fan support for the club was dwindling. But…

  • Woman rescued two hours after fall from Phuket bridge

    PHUKET: A 43-year-old woman was rescued from the fast-flowing water in the channel separating Phuket from the mainland two hours after she was seen standing at the railing of Thao Thepkrasattri Bridge. Rescue workers and Tah Chat Chai Police rushed to the scene soon after 10pm, when villagers reported seeing a woman stop her car halfway across Thao Thepkrasattri Bridge…

  • Phuket’s bulging market

    PHUKET: In the latest drive to promote the island’s medical tourism industry, Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP) recently held an innovative “boob job” seminar. Entitled ” Breast Augmentation Using Contour Profile Gel Implant Live Surgery Workshop”, the seminar was attended by some 25 cosmetic surgeons from Asia Pacific countries, especially Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines Dr. Narongrit Havarungsi, BHP director,…

  • Trail cold but Phuket mother still hopes to meet daughter missing since 2011

    PHUKET: A girl who seemed to have vanished into thin air after a Facebook session in Phuket Town in December 2011 remains missing, confirmed Chalong Police. The girl, Samudchaya “Nong Pin” Yanpunya, was 12 years old at the time of her disappearance (story here). “I transferred the case to the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok before I was transferred to…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Microsoft implicated in NSA Prism scandal; Ireland passes limited abortion law; Russia alleges Syrian rebels used chemical weapons

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Microsoft helped NSA, FBI access user info – Guardian Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Microsoft Corp worked closely with U.S. intelligence services to help them intercept users’ communications, including letting the National Security Agency circumvent email encryption, the Guardian reported on Thursday.Citing top-secret documents provided by former U.S.…