News
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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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F1 season predictions: Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes
PHUKET: The headline is the prediction for the car that will win at Melbourne, the team that will win the Constructor’s Championship and the team that will provide the World Champion this season. It’s the beginning of the new Formula 1 season. Melbourne is the first race. And there has been enough hype to fill an Agatha Christie bibliography: The…
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Justice team investigates alleged illegal Chanotes, buildings
PHUKET: The Deputy Permanent Secretary of Justice today inspected four of 20 land plots believed to have been obtained through illegal land-title deeds or illegally developed. The plots examined today are on Koh Raet, along Surin Beach and in Kamala, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Justice for the Ministry of Justice Dussadee Arayawuth explained. Col Dussadee was the head investigator for…
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Tourist Police intercept kratom shipment to Phuket
PHUKET: A shipment of 45 kilograms of kratom leaves from Nonthaburi to Phuket was intercepted by Phuket Tourist Police today. “We had been tipped off by a source that a truck with the Bangkok licence plate 61-6211 would be delivering the leaves today,” Tourist Police Division 5 Superintendent Chusawat Janrojanakit said. When police spotted the truck, they pulled it over…
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Raid busts Phuket karaoke owners for alien employees
PHUKET: Anti-human trafficking raids of Phuket’s nightlife venues last night netted two employers for hiring illegal migrant workers from Myanmar. Saengthian Luepanya, 24, owner of the Happy Sea Man karaoke, was arrested for employing Myanmar nationals Lwin Thuza Myint, 26, and Thi Dar, 42, Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Khunnadet Nanongkhai told the Phuket Gazette. Later that night, police discovered…
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Warriors tame Tigers: Phuket hosts first Aussie Rules match
PHUKET: Australian football arrived in Phuket last Saturday, as the Thailand Tigers took on the Malaysian Warriors at the Alan Cooke Ground. The game was well attended by Phuket residents and families, as well as other supporters, many of whom were new to the game. The day also involved an Auskick clinic for junior players, which was a hit among…
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German, French tourists go to court over jet-ski accident case
PHUKET: A German tourist who was hit by a Frenchman riding a jet-ski in Phuket last month is now in court with the Frenchman settling the matter. Erich Heim, 55, was knocked unconscious by Chadd Attard, 20, while swimming at Paradise Beach on February 28 (story here). Mr Heim was taken to hospital that day, and discharged on March 5.…
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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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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: Phuket defining boating culture
Erwin Bamps is CEO of Gulf Craft, listed among the world’s top 10 superyacht builders as per the 2014 Global Order Book, a report issued annually by the Boat International Group. Before his appointment to CEO in June 2014, Mr Bamps had been the chief operating officer of the company since 2009, during which the company grew from a few…
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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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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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Officials act on rank Koh Racha canal
PHUKET: Following years of complaints by residents about the stagnant, polluted water that has built up in Koh Racha Yai’s Patok Canal, authorities began dredging work last Saturday. The dredging of the one-kilometer-long canal will take about 10 days to complete, explained Capt Borworn Promkaewngam of the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Area Command in Phuket and head of the Koh…
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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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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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Phuket Immigration extortion allegations denied
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration chief has asked foreigners who believe they have witnessed extortion at the hands of his officers, while applying for address verification letters and other free services, to report such incidents directly to him. “There is no fee for this service or for 90-day reporting. If any foreigner is asked to pay for these services by one…
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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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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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Migrant worker stabbed to death in Rawai
PHUKET: Police are hunting a Myanmar migrant laborer for the stabbing death of a co-worker at a Rawai workers’ camp yesterday. The suspect, who police declined to name, allegedly got into an argument with Min Thu, 43, who he was drinking with that night. “Witnesses said that the two had been drinking and got into an argument that led to…
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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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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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Marine Police sign MoU against human-trafficking with fishing business operators
PHUKET: In an effort to stamp out human trafficking and the employment of illegal migrants, Phuket Marine Police are approaching businesses in the fishing industry to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). “Fighting against human trafficking, especially that of children, women and illegal migrant laborers, is of the highest priority,” said Lt Col Panya Chaichana of the Phuket Marine Police.…
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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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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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Finance: Demystifying the ever-ending UK pension reforms
PHUKET: Since radical UK pension reforms were announced last year, the changes just keep on coming. For those retiring in Phuket with pension rights that they have accumulated over the course of their career, the situation can be very confusing. Indeed, even for a professional in the industry, keeping pace and getting your head around what all the changes means…
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