News
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Sponsored Is tap water in Thailand safe to consume?
Wondering if you can drink the tap water in Thailand? From brushing your teeth to filling up a bottle, it’s helpful to understand a few basics. Tap water safety in Thailand varies by location, and while some people use it...
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Comment: Gazette Forum back on line after major revamp
PHUKET: Critics, complainers, doomsayers, drifters, fraudsters, panhandlers, trolls and all the other intellects lurking among the cognoscenti of Phuket, can get back to their keyboards. The island’s largest online forums are back up and running after a major revamps. The Phuket Forum was taken off line earlier this month as record traffic, mostly from the local marine department, cops and…
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Fishing boat explosion leaves seven crew seriously injured
PHUKET: Seven Myanmar fishermen were seriously injured after a battery allegedly exploded, sparking a fire inside their fishing boat off the coast of Phang Nga early this morning. One of the Myanmar nationals, whose name was withheld by hospital staff, is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Vachira Phuket Hospital after he sustained severe burns to his entire body,…
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Shocked Danish tourist allegedly pushed from dive boat after hit-and-run accident
PHUKET: Marine Police are waiting at Chalong Pier for the arrival of a dive boat that allegedly hit a sailboat and fled after throwing one of the Danish crew members seeking the safety of the dive boat into the water. “Everyone was screaming. I realized that we hit the boat, and my friend fell into the water,” 21-year-old Jens Ole…
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Krabi officials launch tourist boat-safety inspections following deadly ferry fire
PHUKET: Krabi officials are launching a series boat-safety inspections, starting today, to ensure that all tourist boats are safe for use during the long Songkran holiday. “The checks will run until Wednesday. Uniformed officers will be stationed at popular tourism spots to inspect the boats and help tourists,” said Maj Anurak Parinyasathiragul of the Krabi Marine Police. “We will have…
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Phuket Police boost security following Koh Samui bombing
PHUKET: A Phuket top cop has confirmed that he will boost security measures on the island following a car bomb exploding on the resort island of Koh Samui last night. “In short, we will strengthen our security measures and keep a closer eye on tourist locations, as well as areas where the public generally gathers,” Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander…
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Video Report: Goldie, Eka take stage tonight for Music is My Life at Xana
PHUKET: World renowned, British DJ Goldie is joining forces with Number One Hit Canadian soul artist Eka for the charity jam ‘Music is My Life’ at Xana Beach Club on tonight, starting at 9pm and running late. The show is a tribute to passionate underground Phuket DJ Josh Ezelle, who died in a motorbike crash last year on his way…
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Five injured in Central Festival Samui bomb blast
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four Thais, one foreigner injured in Samui car bomb blast The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A bomb hidden in a car parked at the Central Festival Samui exploded late last night, injuring five people, including a foreigner. The five injured were identified as Sudarat Deepenkaew,…
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Pre-Songkran road-safety blitz nets bus driver on drugs
PHUKET: A bus driver was fined for driving under the influence today during a Songkran road-safety blitz at the bottom of Patong Hill in Kathu. Thung Thong Police and the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) set up a checkpoint from 9am-11am to randomly check vehicles passing through, said Jaturong Kaewkasi, the chief policy adviser at PLTO. One bus driver, who…
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Opinion: Practice Songkran Phuketiquette
PHUKET: As the Songkran holiday nears, we are continually reminded of the dangers on the road during the Thai New Year festival. Drivers fight traffic on wet, slippery roads while simultaneously getting pummelled in the face with ice water. Officials have made it clear that this year they are determined to make the holiday more about tradition and less about…
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Opinion: No time to let our guard down
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) and the Phuket Provincial Governor’s Office must take emergency measures to return lifeguards to active duty at west coast beaches as soon as possible. The two key governmental offices must also work out a long-term solution to end the annual contract disputes that have left beaches unpatrolled for long periods in recent years…
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Phuket Immigration, other government offices to close for Songkran
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration Office, as well as other government offices on the island, will be closed starting tomorrow in celebration of the Songkran holiday. Doors will re-open on April 16, confirmed Phuket Immigration Chief Sunchai Chokkajaykij. “Our office and the Patong Immigration Office will both be closed for five days, starting tomorrow,” he told the Phuket Gazette today. “Any…
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Survivors of Phuket ferry inferno start flying home
PHUKET: Ten of the tourists who survived the lethal ferry blaze that killed 12-year-old Israeli girl Shani Manil on Wednesday (story here) have flown home, police confirmed. “The 10 people who flew out of Phuket yesterday said that they needed to get back home,” said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Samarn Chainarong. “We have their statements already, so there was…
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Phuket Bike Week riders mount up for charity (video)
PHUKET: Riders joining the Phuket Bike Week 2015 festivities, which get underway at Loma Park in Patong today have their hearts and their helmets set on doing more than just showing off the best motorbikes in the region. Among the activities this year is a mass release of sea animals at the Royal Thai Navy base at Cape Panwa to…
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Body of man found floating off Phuket
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify a man whose body was found floating offshore from Layan Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, this morning. Passing fishermen spotted the body about 13 nautical miles from Koh Kata, the small island immediately offshore from Layan Beach, at about 9:30am. Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation and the Cherng Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor) recovered…
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British, Australian expats arrested for ATM card fraud
PHUKET: An Australian and a British expat have been arrested for using data from skimmed ATM cards to withdraw cash in Phuket. British national Jamie Steven McKee, 31, and Australian Darrin John Williams, 48, were arrested near Karon Circle on Wednesday night after police received a tip-off. “Our officers identified the men from the description given, and approached them at…
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Shotgun, drugs seized in pre-Songkran raids
PHUKET: Patong Police arrested seven suspects in possession of an illegal weapon and drugs yesterday as part of a series of raids to be carried out through the Songkran holiday. Police first arrested Songchai Warisayakorn, 37, at his rental room in Patong, after being tipped off by nearby locals. “We found a Remington shotgun and a 9mm Glock pistol, as…
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Songkran revellers warned of fines, jail for high-pressure water guns
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Songkran revellers warned of fines, jail for high-pressure water guns The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police Consumer Protection Division yesterday warned that people caught selling high-pressure water guns could be jailed for up to five years and/or fined 500,000 baht. People who…
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Hungarian dope smuggler arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Hungarian national Kocsis Szabolcs Laszlo, 41, was presented to the press in Bangkok by Immigration Bureau commissioner Sakda Chuenpakdee yesterday after his arrest in Phuket on March 15. Mr Laszlo was wanted for allegedly smuggling 35 kilograms of marijuana from the Netherlands to Hungary on seven occasions, Lt Gen Sakda explained. The Immigration Commissioner said that police had arrested…
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North hit by destructive hailstorm
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North hit by destructive hailstorm The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Local officials yesterday inspected the damage at more than 1,000 homes following a hailstorm that hit parts of Chiang Rai on Wednesday night. In hardest-hit Wiang Chiang Rung district, Singkham Jomsawan, president of the Thung…
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Huge oil reserve found at Gatwick, near London
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Huge oil reserve found at Gatwick, near London Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A small British oil producer said it had discovered a possible world class oil resource in the countryside to the south of London that could contain billions of barrels of oil. The London-listed…
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Phuket FC whale on Dolphins
PHUKET: Phuket FC’s 2-0 victory over the Pattaya Dolphins at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town last Saturday elevated the home side move from 10th to sixth place on the Yamaha League One table. Phuket FC striker Andre Louis Rodrigues Lopez of Brazil opened the scoring in the 59th minute, with fellow forward Berlin Nlome Ndebi sealing the match with a…
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Australian arrested for Phuket plantation scam
PHUKET: An Australian man and his alleged Thai accomplice have been arrested in Khon Kaen for allegedly swindling money out of many foreigners in Phuket. Shaun Michael Albert Maher, 41, and Rossarin Phowichai, 25, were arrested in Khon Kaen province on Tuesday. The arrests are related to complaints filed in Phuket province by many foreigners, who say the two suspects…
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Police recover body of Israeli girl, ferry fire victim Shani,12
PHUKET: The Krabi Marine Police have confirmed that they have recovered the body of Israeli girl, Sani Manil, 12. Shani was the sole victim in the fire that gutted and sank the Ao Nang Princess 5 ferry while en route from Krabi to Phuket on Wednesday (click here). Rescue workers recovered the girl’s remains from the sunken wreck at about…
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Israeli girl missing after tour boat catches fire and sinks near Krabi
FILE PHOTO: Identical vessel to the one that caught and sank yesterday A 12 year old Israeli girl remains missing from a tourist boat incident, whilst travelling to Phuket from Krabi. The boat caught fire and eventually sank yesterday afternoon (Monday) around 3.30pm. About 100 other foreign tourists were safely rescued. The ferry belongs to Ao Nang Travel Tour Company. The boat, named Ao Nang…
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Tourists rescued from blazing Phuket ferry
PHUKET: More than 80 passengers, including tourists, and five crew were safely evacuated from a ferry that caught fire while en route from Krabi to Phuket this afternoon. Maj Anurak Parinyasathiragul of the Krabi Marine Police confirmed that he received a report that the Ao Nang Princess 5 was in distress at 4pm. Staff at Ao Nang Travel and Tour…
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Customers flee as fire guts Phuket SuperCheap
PHUKET: Staff and customers fled for their lives early this morning as flames engulfed a SuperCheap mini-mart store in front of the Phuket Villa 5 housing estate on Chao Fa West Road. “One of the staffers said that there were about 10 customers in the shop when they noticed flames coming from a fridge,” said Lt Col Peerapan Meemak of…
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Billionaire seeks police help for alleged extortion
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Billionaire seeks police help for alleged extortion The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A billionaire businessman lodged a complaint yesterday against a former board member of the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Educational Personnel for alleged detention, extortion and intimidation. “Several times…
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Exhumation of Tikrit mass graves begins
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Exhumation of Tikrit mass graves begins Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Iraqi forensic teams began on Monday excavating 12 suspected mass grave sites thought to hold the corpses of as many as 1,700 soldiers massacred last summer by Islamic State militants as they swept across northern…
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Senior transport officials to discuss aviation crisis with ICAO, Germany and Australia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Senior transport officials to discuss aviation crisis with ICAO, Germany and Australia The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a bid to ease the country’s current aviation woes, the Transport Ministry is seeking help from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and preparing a team to…
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Bonanza racetrack deemed to be on state land
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bonanza ‘encroached on forest land’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: THE Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) has found that Bonanza businesses, owned by former politician Paiwong Taechanarong and his family, have encroached on forestland. They have expanded their facilities beyond the scope of…
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