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Tuk-tuk drivers sentenced for massive Patong blockade
PHUKET: Thirteen tuk-tuk drivers who were charged for their involvement in a massive blockade of Patong in March last year were fined and sentenced to one year’s probation yesterday morning. The 13 drivers were part of a group of 68 drivers who were arrested and charged for blockading major roads in the party town in protest of the arrests of…
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Whale spotted off Krabi coast
PHUKET: A whale spotted near Koh Haa, off the coast of Krabi, on Monday has both excited and alarmed divers and local officials. Both groups have cited an improving marine environment as a possible reason for the sighting, but have also warned against any actions that could hamper the Andaman Sea’s recovery in the region. The marine mammal, thought to…
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Teachers visiting Phuket turn in purse full of cash
PHUKET: Police are searching for the owner of a black purse containing 40,000-baht-worth of mixed currency, which was found by a group of teachers inside the women’s restroom at a PTT gas station in Thalang yesterday. “The teachers told Phuket Tourist Police that they found the purse near a sink in the women’s restroom. They opened it and found both…
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Water-meter thief nabbed in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: Police arrested a man on Tuesday after finding him in possession of 18 water meters stolen from residential homes in the Cherng Talay area. Youngyut Matchawet, 25, was arrested at his house in Cherng Talay, after police tracked him down through CCTV footage. “We began receiving complaints from local residents on Saturday about their water meters disappearing,” said Lt…
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Opinion: Tourism – Once Thailand’s golden goose
PHUKET: Thailand should decide if it wants tourism, or not. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has spent billions of baht over the past 15 years to build the tourism industry into a major force, and it has been largely successful in spite of political turmoil, a tsunami, floods, corruption and fluctuations in currencies worldwide. One estimate published in 2003…
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American hit-and-run fugitive arrested in Koh Lanta
PHUKET: An American hit-and-run fugitive was arrested on Koh Lanta on Tuesday. Police arrested Kelly Lynn Miller, 36, in the parking lot of the Poonsap Resort, after officers received a report from the United States Embassy in Bangkok that she was illegally staying in Thailand. “We have been looking for Ms Miller since we received the report about two weeks…
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Phuket police volunteers return to Bangla beat
PHUKET: Police volunteers are back on the beat in Phuket’s primary party town, following a six-day strike starting on March 5 (story here). Region 8 Police volunteers met yesterday with Patong Police Superintendent Chaiwat Auikam and his two deputy superintendents to table a number of growing concerns that led to the strike. “The meeting went very well today. We will…
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Laguna secures cricket victory over the Village
PHUKET: As Songkran approaches, the temperature rises in the Phuket Cricket Group’s (PCG) senior league. On March 8, Laguna beat the Village at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG). Laguna, who were coming off the back of a good win against Thalang in their previous match, were looking to consolidate their position in the race for the minor premiership. Meanwhile, the…
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Charter-flight buses to resume parking near Phuket airport terminal
PHUKET: Buses will resume parking near the main Phuket International Airport terminal within two months, an Airports of Thailand (AoT) official confirmed to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. The announcement follows a change in policy earlier this month that forced incoming charter-flight passengers to hike to their buses, which now have to be parked far away from the terminal due to…
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Gov vows to maintain Phuket beach rules, despite protests
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong vowed today to keep the Phuket beach-management system in place, despite beach vendors overstepping the provincial government and filing a complaint in Bangkok. About 150 beach vendors arrived at the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangkok on March 3 and submitted a letter of complaint to be given to Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, alleging that the…
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Australian expat kills Phuket nightclub bouncer
PHUKET: An Australian expat confessed to killing a nightclub bouncer near the entrance of Phuket’s primary party street – Soi Bangla – early this morning, Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette. Long-term Phuket expat Mark Hamilton Pendlebury, 59, fatally stabbed 25-year-old Sanya Khueawaengmon after an argument on the street, explained Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. “Nightclub staffers…
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Phuket Police volunteers strike in Patong
PHUKET: Volunteer police officers working the beat in Phuket’s main party town have gone on strike until the Patong Police are able to address a series of issues. “We will have a meeting tomorrow at 10am to explain our frustrations, and also to discuss how the volunteers can continue working with police in assisting foreigners and tourists in need,” Wal…
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British expat found dead in Phuket home
PHUKET: A 58-year-old British national was found dead at his home in Phuket yesterday. Police and rescue workers arrived on the scene in Srisoonthorn at about 3:30pm to find the body of Dennis Arthur New. “We believe Mr New had been dead for about 10 hours before we arrived. There was no sign of a struggle,” Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop of…
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Man arrested in possession of meth worth nearly B1mn
PHUKET: Police arrested a man in possession of nearly 1 million baht worth of ya bah (methamphetamine) pills in a sting operation in Phuket Town on Friday. Phuket Provincial Police arrested Somboon Lewplodpai, 33, at about 3:30pm, after receiving a tip-off about him dealing drugs in the area. “An undercover officer set up an appointment with Mr Somboon to meet…
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Phuket officials firm on beach wedding ban
PHUKET: A resort in Cherng Talay received a warning this morning for holding a wedding ceremony on Pansea Beach on Friday. “I have only issued a warning, as this is the hotel’s first offence. If the hotel holds any more banned events, it will be fined up to 2,000 baht, under the Public Health Act,” Ma-ann Samran, president of the…
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Fire ravages two homes in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Two men escaped injury after their houses caught fire in Phuket Town early this morning. Firefighters were called to the scene, inside the Sapan Ruam 1 Community, at about 6:30am and spent an hour battling the flames. The owners of the homes, Sombut Dechapan, 49, and Prakob Suwan, 62, were both asleep when the fire broke out, but managed…
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Arrested ATM skimmers thought to be part of larger network
PHUKET: Police are investigating whether or not two Frenchmen who were arrested in Krabi for skimming ATMs in Krabi and Phang Nga are part of a network that includes five French nationals who were arrested for skimming in Phuket on February 28 (story here). Julien Patrick Alandis, 22, and Adrien Char Baptiste Hemour, 21, were arrested yesterday by Krabi City…
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Man arrested for smuggling more than 300 species of rare fish
PHUKET: A man was arrested by police yesterday in possession of more than 300 live, rare species of fish that were being smuggled in plastic bags. Kan Amtrakul, 63, was arrested at about 5pm on Wiset Road near the Chalong Circle, heading from Rawai to Chalong in a Toyota pick-up truck. “Mr Kan was pulled over by police and found…
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Bang Tao beach vendors fined for encroachment
PHUKET: Nine beach vendors who had crept back onto Bang Tao Beach with sunloungers and makeshift stalls were fined 2,000 baht and had all of their items seized yesterday. “We went to inspect the beach and found that nine vendors had violated the new beach rules by setting up sunloungers, stalls, tables and other structures on the sand,” Ma-ann Samran,…
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Police hunt alleged leader of Russian ATM skimming gang
PHUKET: Police are hunting a Russian national allegedly behind an ATM-skimming operation in Phuket, following the arrest of three suspected skimmers yesterday. Russian nationals Stanislav Komarob, 34; Vitalii Korobkov, 39; and Panteley Akbash, 36, who also holds a Moldovan passport under the name Panteli Acbas, were arrested at a shop in Kata in possession of 33 counterfeit ATM cards, a…
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Video Report: PGTV wins “Best Local TV – News’ at Phuket Reporters Club Awards
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette‘s own PGTV won the “Best Local TV – News” award last night at the first ever Phuket Reporters Awards ceremony, held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel. PGTV won for a segment on the ‘Phuket Today’ show called ‘The Rubber Tapper’s Lament’, in which Karl Vandenhole investigates the plight of Krabi rubber cropper Sangwien. PGTV won…
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Phuket’s first Aussie Rules match kicks off tomorrow
PHUKET: Australian Rules football is due to make its long-awaited appearance on Phuket tomorrow, as the Thailand Tigers take on the Malaysian Warriors at the Alan Cooke Ground. The action will begin at 11:30am, with a junior Auskick clinic to introduce children between 5 and 14 years old to the game – all are welcome to attend, regardless of experience.…
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Dry-season fire warning issued for Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket firefighters issued a fire warning yesterday, following a field blaze south of the Heroines’ Monument on Thepkrasattri Road. “This time of year, during the drought season, the grass fields get very dry and become fire hazards. People must be very aware of this and not throw away anything that could start a fire, such as cigarette butts,” Amnach…
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Slot machine stash discovered in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Police are hunting for the owner of 40 illegal slot machines, worth about 2 million baht, which were discovered in Phuket yesterday. The gambling devices were found packed into a small rental house on Yaowarat Road by the owner of the rental property, who police declined to name. “The owner of the property said that a Myanmar woman had…
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Luxury lifestyle makes Phuket heavy hitter in Asia yachting scene [video]
PHUKET: Phuket’s marine industry is tapping global growth in the lucrative superyacht segment thanks to the unique luxury lifestyle the island offers and a sharp rise in the number of such vessels coming to Asia. Thailand’s largest island is already well established on the regional and global sailing circuits. However, industry players say increased investment in specialist facilities could see…
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Patong’s bowling puts them on top against ICC
PHUKET: Island Cricket Club (ICC) hosted Patong Cricket Club (PCC) at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) in Thalang last Sunday, kicking off the first game of March. ICC won the toss and sent Patong into bat, in playing conditions that were unexpectedly warm and dry – unusual for this time of year in Phuket. Patong openers Imtiyaz Mustaq and Waseem…
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Opinion: Jessie Vard Fighting for fairy-tale ending
PHUKET: Reaction on social media to pleas for justice from Jessie Vard through a series of recent Facebook videos that went viral, should serve as an interesting case in observing the extent to which social media can impact the Thai criminal justice system. It goes without saying that there are two sides to every story and that what is known…
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Felling of century-old banyan tree outrages local conservation group
PHUKET: The felling of a more than 100-year-old banyan tree has outraged a local Phuket conservation group, with members vowing to find the culprits behind the act. Members of the Big Tree Club – a group of local engineers and architects who fight against the felling of old trees in Phuket – contacted the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) and…
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Phuket governor remains calm despite beach protest in Bangkok
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has asked that all information about the beach vendor protests in Bangkok be sent to him in Germany. “Governor Nisit has not made any comment or instructed us to take any direct action at this point. I believe we will discuss this problem together after he flies back to Phuket,” Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak told the…
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