News
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Sponsored A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day
The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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Pre-emptive strike: Phuket Police net drugs, guns ahead of Loy Krathong
PHUKET: A recent crackdown on drugs and guns in Phuket has resulted in mounting concern over muggings during the Loy Krathong Festival this week. “There will be a great number of tourists and locals participating in the festivities, and we know that criminals look to take advantage of people during events like this,” Arayaphan Pukbuakao, a deputy commander of Phuket…
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![Bangkok officials check controversial Phuket dolphinarium [video] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAzMjcgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Bangkok officials check controversial Phuket dolphinarium [video]
PHUKET: Department of Fisheries officials from Bangkok examined the hotly contested Nemo Dolphinarium today. “Five officers came to inspect the facility and question the owners,” Suchart Youngsup, acting chief of the Phuket Fisheries Office told the Phuket Gazette. “Everything is being taken care of by Bangkok officials. We are just supporting them as necessary.” With renowned dolphin-rights activist Ric O’Barry…
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Phuket Governor calls for AIS devices on speedboats, fishing vessels
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong called on the Phuket Marine Office yesterday to require all vessels, including speedboats and fishing trawlers, to be equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver. The use of an AIS receiver is standard safety policy in many places around the world, as they inform skippers of small craft of the location, direction and speed of…
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Mosque gate crashers: Phuket Police chase down armed drug runners
PHUKET: Police arrested four armed men after the suspects crashed into the front gates of a mosque in central Phuket while attempting to dodge a police checkpoint this morning. Police began their pursuit of the Isuzu pickup truck, bearing Trang license plates, after witnessing it turning around in order to avoid a checkpoint in Thalang at about 9am. “While we…
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Time running out for Phuket Immigration to explain extortion allegations
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration has two days left to clarify why a foreigner filed a formal complaint alleging extortion by officers at the Patong branch. The complaint claimed that immigration officers were charging foreigners fees for services that are supposed to be free. Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong promptly gave the Patong Immigration chief 15 days to explain the details of the…
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Satire: Schizoid about English teachers
PHUKET: Some time ago, a website called EnglishClub.com ran an article announcing that foreigners wishing to teach English in Southeast Asia may soon be subjected to draconian screening procedures. According to the article, Asean education officials were proposing a whole battery of tests for foreign English teachers, beginning with police background checks and tests for drugs and personal hygiene. There…
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Inheritance tax draft includes property tax rates to be presented to Cabinet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Inheritance tax draft includes property tax rates to be presented to Cabinet The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The draft inheritance-tax bill will be proposed to the Cabinet meeting next Tuesday with an expected fixed rate of no more than 10 per cent to be imposed…
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Bosses urge delay in signing global labor-rights pacts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bosses urge delay in signing global labor-rights pacts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A business lobby has urged the government to delay the endorsement of the International Labour Organization (ILO) workers’ rights covenants, claiming Thailand’s labor structure is undergoing reform and the country is not…
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His Majesty treated for diverticulitis
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community His Majesty treated for diverticulitis The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej is receiving treatment for diverticulitis and is being administered relevant antibiotics, the Royal Household Bureau announced on Tuesday. In the eighth announcement after His Majesty’s admittance to Siriraj Hospital, the bureau…
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Khon Kaen Airport closed after Thai Airways aircraft skids off runway
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Khon Kaen Airport closed after accident The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: All flights to and from Khon Kaen Airport have been cancelled in the wake of an accident involving a Thai Airways International aircraft, which skidded off the runway on Monday night. With operations to…
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Tourists warned of storm dangers as Similans closed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tourists warned of storm dangers as Similans closed The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Phang Nga’s Similan Islands National Park ordered the Similan and Tachai islands to be closed until Friday as a precaution for tourists’ safety from storms and high waves. Park chief Nat Kongkesorn…
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![Triathlon stars to vie for Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest titles [video] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAzMjggMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Triathlon stars to vie for Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest titles [video]
PHUKET: The annual Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest this year will see thousands of international athletes from around the world arrive on the island for the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on November 23, followed by the 2nd Challenge Laguna Phuket a week later on November 30. “The enduring appeal of Laguna Phuket Triathlon and the unique challenges of Challenge Laguna Phuket…
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The Pirate Bay co-founder arrested in Nong Khai
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community The Pirate Bay co-founder arrested in Nong Khai The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Immigration police have arrested a co-founder of The Pirate Bay, a torrent index site and tracker, while he was trying to cross the border from Laos into Nong Khai. Hans Fredrik Lennart…
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Gun-toting Phuket Town gang, druggies busted
PHUKET: Police swept up a Phuket Town gang yesterday after arresting three men and three minors in possession of illegal firearms and ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). “Col Sermphan Sirikong and his team seized a Norinco 9mm Glock, another 9mm handgun, three 9mm magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and 200 grams of ya ice,” Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang told the…
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Tourist speedboat struck by lightning, rescued north of Phuket
PHUKET: A speedboat, struck by lightning while returning from a day trip to the Similan Islands last night, has been recovered safely with all 32 tourists and five crew on board alive and well. Officials lost contact with the boat Je T’Aime, operated by the Love Andaman tour company, at about 8:30pm. “They were returning from Koh Tachai to Baan…
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Phuket storm topples trees, causes major power outage
PHUKET: Heavy rain brought down several trees that fell onto power lines on Kathu-Nakok Road last night, causing a four-hour power outage in the area. Officers were notified at 7pm that dangerous, high-voltage power cables were strewn across the road, which is often used as a shortcut from Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew to Patong. “We had to cut off…
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Police transfers follow Army raid on pub, parlour
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police transfers follow Army raid on pub, parlour The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Chief of Prawet police station in Bangkok and two senior officers have been transferred to inactive posts following a raid by soldiers on a local pub, where prostitution of underage migrants and…
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Chinese pair arrested over big pyramid fraud
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chinese pair arrested over big pyramid fraud The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two Chinese suspects have been arrested in Thailand on suspicion that they have taken more than Bt4 billion from victims through frauds. The Immigration Bureau has tracked down Lu Wei, 47, and Chen…
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Moves to remove police from Koh Tao murder probe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Moves to remove police from Koh Tao murder probe The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Human Rights Commission will discuss next week what action should be taken after police again failed to answer a summons related to the much-publicised murders on Koh Tao.Despite the…
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British schoolboy jailed for stabbing teacher to death in class
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British schoolboy jailed for stabbing teacher to death in class Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A teenage British schoolboy was jailed for at least 20 years on Monday after pleading guilty to stabbing to death a teacher he had developed a hatred of in front of…
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Russian tourist dies after fall from Phuket jet-ski
PHUKET: A Russian tourist died after he fell and struck his head on a rented jet-ski he was riding in strong surf at Patong Beach today. Police named the tourist as Iliya Muryndin, 29. “He rented a jet-ski at about midday,” said Maj Weerapong Rakito of the Patong Police. “He fell and hit his head on the jet-ski while riding…
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Video Report: Phuket rush-hour shooter surrenders to police, claims self-defence
PHUKET: The killer who gunned down a man in rush-hour traffic last Thursday has surrendered himself to Phuket police, claiming he shot the victim in self-defence. Suwat Sae-jong, 62, was taken to the scene at the Wor Kor Intersection near Phuket Rajabhat University yesterday to re-enact the fatal shooting, under the protection of about 50 police officers. Mr Suwat acted…
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Flash-floods strike amid weather warning for Phuket
PHUKET: A flash flood and landslide warning has been issued for Phuket after heavy rain caused minor flooding and traffic tailbacks at many locations on the island this morning. Flash flooding forced traffic to a standstill in Chalong in front of the TOT office on Chao Fa West Road, where floodwater was about 50 centimeters deep. Roads in Patong also…
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Police chief orders probe into bribery scandal over Srinakarin resort
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police chief orders probe into bribery scandal over Srinakarin resort The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The national police chief has ordered a probe into an allegation that local and central police were taking kickbacks from a resort on Srinakarin Road, Royal Thai Police spokesman Pol…
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Lese majeste complaints top 10,000
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lese majeste complaints top 10,000 The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have dealt with more than 10,000 complaints of lese majeste in recent years, but the big figure was not because they had “got serious” with offenders after the coup in May, a senior police…
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Guard finds suitcase with ‘ice’ worth Bt30 million
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Guard finds suitcase with ‘ice’ worth Bt30 million The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A security guard at a factory in Ayutthaya found a suitcase with “ice” (crystal methamphetamine) worth Bt30 million hidden in a thick bush near a road, police said yesterday. Bunhom Wongchanla, 48,…
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Phuket police parade down Soi Bangla to promote high season, public safety
PHUKET: Police forces paraded Phuket’s famed Bangla Road on Friday night to welcome in the tourism high season and promote public safety. Police must remain vigilant over the next few months, as the high season and prominent international sporting events could act as magnets for criminals, said Royal Thai Police Assistant Commissioner Korkiat Wongworachat. “Not only is this the high…
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Virgin Galactic appears to have broken apart in flight – NTSB chief
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Virgin Galactic appears to have broken apart in flight – NTSB chief Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The head of the federal agency examining last week’s fatal crash of a Virgin Galactic passenger spaceship during a test flight in California’s Mojave Desert said on Sunday the…
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NACC unveils Cabinet members’ assets
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NACC unveils Cabinet members’ assets Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) yesterday announced the assets and liabilities of 33 Cabinet members who were endorsed on September 4. As per the declaration, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has net assets worth 128 million baht, including 12…
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Phuket jet-skis face new rules for tourism high season
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this week that his office has granted operators permission to continue to rent out jet-skis, despite widespread public furor over the industry’s history of horrific accidents, extortion and violence against tourists. His reasons for bowing yet again to the operators’ wishes continue shrouded, his only concessions to the…
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