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This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
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Suspected druggy arrested for Phuket pharmacy robbery
PHUKET: A 16-year-old suspected to be under the influence of drugs was arrested after robbing a Phuket Town pharmacy at knifepoint last night. The teen – named by police only as Nan – entered Rukya Pharmacy and threatened the owner with a knife. “Chanikarn Longsama, 30, was in the pharmacy alone when she saw the teenager park his bike in…
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Fourth quake shakes in Phang Nga Bay
PHUKET: A fourth earthquake, measuring 2.7 in magnitude, rattled Phang Nga Bay just after noon today. The Thai Meteorological Department reported the quake as striking at 12:14pm, with its epicenter halfway between Phuket and Koh Yao Yai. It struck close to the epicenter of the 4.6 magnitude earthquake that occurred before dawn Wednesday (story here) and subsequent tremblors at 12:25pm…
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Phuket’s Port in-Port out Control Center open for business
PHUKET: The Port in-Port out Control Center (PIPO) at the main fishing port in Phuket officially opened on Wednesday as a measure to help with Thailand’s crackdown on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishers. The center is set up at the Coastal Fisheries Radio Station Phuket office near Rassada Pier. “All 26 coastal fishery radio stations across the country opened…
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Rescue efforts fail to save striped dolphin in Phuket
PHUKET: A striped dolphin spotted close to shore at Bang Tao Beach died last night, despite rescue workers’ and experts’ efforts to save the marine mammal. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers arrived on the scene in front of Sunwing Resort and Spa at about 6:30pm to find tourists attempting to keep the dolphin from beaching itself. Soon thereafter, experts from the…
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Trafficking feared to drive away investment, tourists
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Trafficking feared to drive away investment, tourists The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Extensive news coverage on the mass graveyards of migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh in Ranong could drive away potential investment into the southern province, said a prominent businessman. Nit Uitekkeng, former chairman of…
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Asleep at the wheel: Krabi hotel employee killed in head-on collision
PHUKET: An Ao Nang hotel employee was killed in a head-on collision with a 10-wheeled truck in Krabi yesterday. Klongthom Police and rescue workers were called to the scene at about 5:30pm to find 26-year-old Isahark Thammajit critically injured and trapped inside his pick-up truck. The driver of the 10-wheeled truck, which was abandoned on the side of the road,…
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Full-scale Phuket tsunami drill postponed
PHUKET: The full-scale tsunami evacuation and emergency-response drill scheduled to be held today on Koh Sireh, on the east side of Phuket Town, has been postponed to May 19. The decision to postpone the event was made last week, said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). The earthquakes that shook…
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Human smuggler busted with 10 illegal immigrants in Phang Nga
PHUKET: A Thai national was arrested for attempting to smuggle 10 illegal Myanmar laborers through a checkpoint in Phang Nga last night. Ranong native Pidech Janjue, 36, had picked up the illegal workers at a fishing port in Phang Nga’s Kuraburi district and was transporting them through Takuapa district to the Khok Kloi bus station. From there, the group was…
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Video Report: Third quake in 24 hours sends Koh Sireh villagers running for hills
PHUKET: Island officials are aiming to educate local residents about earthquakes and tsunami warnings after the third earthquake to rattle Phuket in 24 hours sent Koh Sireh villagers running for the hills early this morning. The quake, which measured 4.5 in magnitude, shook Phuket at about 12:30am. The Thai Meteorological Department reported its epicenter at 15 kilometers southeast of Phuket,…
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Officials play down Phuket earthquakes
PHUKET: Officials today played down fears that the 4.6 magnitude earthquake off Phuket this morning signaled potentially more destructive temblors from the same fault line in the future (story here). The quake struck at 4:18am, with an epicenter about 20 kilometers off Phuket’s east coast, Governor Nisit Jansomwong told the press this morning. Following the governor’s announcement, a second, lighter…
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Opinion: Fill legal loopholes with strong morals
Winai Chidchiew, 42, is the Subdistrict chief (Kamnan) of Karon. Phuket-born Mr Winai has a political science master’s degree specializing in local development and a bachelor’s degree in law, both earned from Ramkhamhaeng University. He also has a bachelor’s degree in community development from Rajabhat University. Here, he talks about the importance of involving local authorities in decisions made for…
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Second, lighter earthquake rattles Phuket
PHUKET: A second earthquake, measuring 3.2 in magnitude, shook Phuket just after noon today. The Thai Meteorological Department reported the quake as striking at 12:25pm, with its epicenter halfway between Phuket and Koh Yao Yai in Phang Nga Bay. It struck close to the epicenter of the 4.6 magnitude earthquake that occurred before dawn today (story here). The most recent…
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Aussie lad gets head stuck on Phuket International Airport escalator
PHUKET: A 12-year-old Australian boy is safe after getting his head caught between an escalator handrail and a wall at Phuket International Airport yesterday evening. The boy, who the airport director declined to name, was travelling back to Melbourne after flying in to Phuket with nine of his family members to visit Khao Lak. “After checking in at Terminal 2,…
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UK election: Last chance for Cameron, Miliband to break deadlock
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UK election: Last chance for Cameron, Miliband to break deadlock Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Campaigning in Britain’s most unpredictable election in a generation enters its final day on Wednesday with the two main parties level in most polls and neither on track to command a…
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More graves found at second migrant camp in South
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Five graves discovered at migrant camp in South The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned of tough action against state officials linked to human trafficking, a government spokesman said yesterday. The warning came as five more graves were found at…
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Suspected human-trafficking victim’s body uncovered in Phang Nga
PHUKET: A suspected human-trafficking victim’s body was uncovered in a shallow grave north of Phuket in Phang Nga this morning. The discovery follows the news of police uncovering mass graves in the Thai-Malaysian border province of Songkhla last weekend (stories here and here). The badly decomposed body, believed to be that of a woman, was unearthed after officials launched a…
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Soldier nabbed for bag-snatch theft in Phuket
PHUKET: An army private and his friend were arrested in Thalang last night for bag-snatching. “We were able to identify the suspects from a description given to us by the victim,” Cherng Talay Police Superintendant Serm Kwannimit told the Phuket Gazette today. “The two suspects grabbed the victim’s bag and sped off together on a motorbike.” Private Chonlatea Krolek, 23,…
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Hotly contested Phuket land earmarked for public park
PHUKET: A plan by Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup to transform an area of 69 rai of long-contested land near Tri Trang Beach into a public park received special attention last weekend. Maj Gen Intarat Yodbangtoey, adviser to Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya, inspected the site on Saturday. Gen Intarat explained to the accompanying members of the press…
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Four arrested over death camp grave sites
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Migrant graveyard arrests The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The authorities have arrested four of eight suspects wanted in connection with an alleged extortion and murder camp in Thailand’s southern border province of Songkhla. In custody are Asan Intanu, 48, Ro-aey Sonyalae, 41, Alee Lahmoh, 47…
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Phuket officials probe return of jet-skis at Surin Beach
PHUKET: Marine officials are investigating reports that jet-ski operators have returned to Surin Beach, where the wave-riding machines are banned. The investigation, led by Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuriphat Theerakulpisut, follows recent reports and photographs of jet-ski touts bringing the machines onto Surin Beach, as well as allowing them to be driven dangerously close to swimmers. “I will have my…
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Phuket’s Chalong Marina given “final’ B172mn
PHUKET: The Transport Ministry has granted the Phuket Marine Office a total of 172 million baht in order to complete the seawall and marina in Chalong Bay. Transport Deputy Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith on Saturday revealed the news during his inspection of the facilities, which are currently under construction. “The Marine Department has approved 98mn baht to complete the final phase…
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46 condo units seized in UFUN raid
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 46 condo units seized in UFUN raid The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police seized 46 condominium units yesterday at a project on Sukhumvit Soi 66/1 in Bang Na in Bangkok that were bought by suspects in the alleged UFUN pyramid scheme. UFUN executives reportedly acquired…
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Lottery changes a bid to reduce ‘gray money’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lottery changes a bid to reduce ‘gray money’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The government says its move to try and solve the problem of expensive state lottery tickets is a bid to control so-called “gray money”. The so-called “gray money” earned from selling the…
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Three killed as car plows into cyclists
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Three killed as car plows into cyclists The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Three cyclists were killed and two others seriously injured when an alleged drunk driver crashed her car into their bicycle rally in Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district yesterday morning. The tragedy happened on…
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William and Kate eschew crowns for life with nappies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community William and Kate eschew crowns for life with nappies Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: They are one of the most famous couples on the planet, one day destined to be Britain’s king and queen. But royal experts say what Prince William and wife Kate really want…
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Mayweather beats Pacquiao via unanimous decision
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mayweather beats Pacquiao via unanimous decision Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Floyd Mayweather Jr. cemented his place among the pantheon of boxing greats by improving to 48-0 with a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao on Saturday in a fight that lived up to its immense hype…
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Phuket gifted B1.3bn for roads; underpass motorcyclists to face law
PHUKET: Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith today announced that Phuket will receive funding of more than 1.3 billion baht to build underpasses at Bang Khu on the bypass road and at Chalong Circle. Included in the funds is 200 million baht to build a flyover at the Koh Kaew Intersection on Thepkrasattri Road and another one at the main airport…
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Mayweather vs Pacquiao “Fight of the Century’ to break records
** Fight of the century live, 10am Phuket time this Sunday ** PHUKET: Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao weighed in for what has been labeled the ‘Fight of the Century’ on Friday, promising to deliver on the massive hype and give fans the excitement they deserve. What had been a subdued buildup to the most anticipated fight in decades…
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Rock-throwing teens surrender to police
PHUKET: Two teenagers surrendered to authorities yesterday after photos of them throwing rocks at a Swedish man’s car went viral earlier this week (story here). The teens – named by police only as “Yu”, age 15, and “Phong”, 16 – surrendered to Kamala Police Superintendent ML Pattanachak Jakkapan and Lt Col Sophon Borirak at about 4pm. “They said they were…
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Phi Phi tour boat oil dumpers charged
PHUKET: The captain and engineer of a tour boat anchored off Phi Phi Island have been charged with dumping oil into the sea after officials saw Facebook photos that had gone viral. Krabi Marine Police, the Krabi Marine Office and officers at the national park at Phi Phi yesterday called upon boat captain Karin Onkaew and engineer Kriangdet Polsakdet to…
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