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  • Phuket Gazette World News: US fiscal talks stumble; Putin political rival facing jail time; al Qaeda suspect pleads innocent

    Phuket Gazette World News: US fiscal talks stumble; Putin political rival facing jail time; al Qaeda suspect pleads innocent

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. fiscal talks stumble as lawmakers race against time Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Stop-start negotiations to end the U.S. fiscal impasse left congressional leaders and President Barack Obama desperately searching yesterday for a way to reopen the government and raise the country’s debt limit ahead of a…

  • Phuket corruption scandal taken to PM Yingluck

    Phuket corruption scandal taken to PM Yingluck

    PHUKET: Patong business owners – tired of inaction by Phuket authorities in tackling corrupt officials collecting an estimated 50 million baht a month – have filed a complaint directly with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. “I handed the complaint personally to Suranand Vejjajiva, the Secretary General to the Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra,” Phuket businessman and adviser to the Thailand…

  • Phuket meth mule nabbed at island bridge

    Phuket meth mule nabbed at island bridge

    PHUKET: Police last night arrested a drug runner at the Tah Chat Chai Checkpoint who confessed to smuggling drugs from Surat Thani and selling them in Phuket Town.Acting on a tip-off, police stopped and searched a Honda Jazz being driven by Sitthichai Chusang, 39, at about 8:30pm while he was trying to leave the island.Officers found only 300mg of ya…

  • Patong mayor’s resort targeted for land encroachment

    Patong mayor’s resort targeted for land encroachment

    PHUKET: The government’s self-branded “anti-mafia” campaign continued yesterday as Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak led local officers to inspect the Patong Bay Garden Resort on Patong Beach for suspected encroachment onto public land. The resort, owned by Patong Mayor Pian Keesin and his son Prab, was the only resort along Patong Beach that was inspected yesterday. However, the raid…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: US deal today – maybe; Russian police round up 1600 migrants; Major quake hits Philippines, no tsunami threat

    Phuket Gazette World News: US deal today – maybe; Russian police round up 1600 migrants; Major quake hits Philippines, no tsunami threat

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. senators hint at possible fiscal deal today Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A month of combat in the U.S. Congress over government spending showed signs of giving way to a Senate deal to reopen shuttered federal agencies and prevent an economically damaging default on federal…

  • Dozens charged over illegal fireworks at Phuket Vegetarian Festival

    Dozens charged over illegal fireworks at Phuket Vegetarian Festival

    PHUKET: Phuket City Police arrested 21 people for setting off dangerous fireworks during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which drew to a close at midnight on Sunday. A further seven people were arrested for selling firecrackers without a permit. Phuket City Police chief Sermpan Sirikong said celebrants were warned before the annual festival that police would be taking a dim view…

  • Phuket roadworks driving motorists to alternatives

    Phuket roadworks driving motorists to alternatives

    PHUKET: The local authorities responsible for main roads across Phuket will spend hundreds of millions of baht in road upgrades to make commuting in Phuket safer and faster. The news was delivered by the chiefs of the Department of Rural Roads Phuket Office and the Phuket Highways Office at a meeting with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut at Provincial Hall this…

  • Phang Nga officer charged with trafficking kicked off force, awaits trial | Thaiger

    Phang Nga officer charged with trafficking kicked off force, awaits trial

    PHUKET: The first police officer in Thailand to be charged with human trafficking has been discharged from the Royal Thai Police force. Weerayuth Feuangfu, formerly a sergeant major with the Phang Nga police, is free on bail as he awaits his trial in early November on charges of human trafficking, helping a refugee leave a shelter and abusing his position…

  • Construction worker drowns on northern Phuket Beach | Thaiger

    Construction worker drowns on northern Phuket Beach

    PHUKET: Phuket’s surf claimed another life over the weekend when a construction worker from Sisaket province drowned at Nai Yang Beach.Pech Pengjam, 40, had been relaxing on the beach and drinking with friends when he decided to take a swim, his friends told police yesterday.“He went into the water still wearing his jeans, then disappeared from sight,” said Lt Thanom…

  • Phuket Sports: BISP and Cruzeiro unite

    Phuket Sports: BISP and Cruzeiro unite

    PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) will be announcing the launch of its new football academy at the forthcoming international seven-a-side football tournament (November 8-9, 2013), which is held annually on the school campus. The aim is to develop a center of footballing excellence in Asia under the coaching auspices of the premier Brazilian football club, Cruzeiro EC. An essential…

  • Racha islander: Health center necessary to save tourists’ lives

    Racha islander: Health center necessary to save tourists’ lives

    PHUKET: Racha Yai islanders on Saturday urged Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut to build a health center on the popular day-trip isle as one way to solve the problem of tourist drownings there. The Chinese embassy has already promised money to support the construction of the center, they said. “To save tourists’ lives, we need a health center on the island.…

  • Phuket officials arrest bar owner behind Rihanna fiasco

    Phuket officials arrest bar owner behind Rihanna fiasco

    PHUKET: Local Phuket officials on Saturday night arrested the Patong bar owner who staged the lewd show at the epicenter of comments posted online by global celebrity Rihanna. The international pop star stirred an online furore last month after she posted photos on Instagram of slow loris touts on Bangla, and posted a Twitter message about a “shocking” adult show…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Moscow riots; Eiffel Tower evacuated; Colombian talks stall; 89 dead in Hindu temple stampede

    Phuket Gazette World News: Moscow riots; Eiffel Tower evacuated; Colombian talks stall; 89 dead in Hindu temple stampede

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rioting erupts in Moscow after killing blamed on migrant Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Demonstrators, some chanting racist slogans, vandalised a shopping centre and scuffled with police in a Moscow neighbourhood on Sunday after the killing of a young man that residents blamed on a migrant from the…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt House sealed off; Flood victims get counselling; Red Shirts remember 1973

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt House sealed off; Flood victims get counselling; Red Shirts remember 1973

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt House sealed off after threat of protest The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police yesterday began closing 14 roads around Government House to traffic for fear that anti-government protesters may move their rally to the area.The move came as an anti-government group threatened to hold a large…

  • Man slain in Phuket kindergarten shooting

    Man slain in Phuket kindergarten shooting

    PHUKET: A business partner at a popular local kindergarten in central Phuket was shot dead this morning after an argument escalated over noise and dust caused by an electric sander drifting into a neighbor’s house. Pairote Sompet, 48, who lives in a house next to the school, presented himself to police before officers had the chance to arrest him for…

  • Phuket Town restaurants grilled over grease traps | Thaiger

    Phuket Town restaurants grilled over grease traps

    PHUKET: Heavy pollution in the waterways throughout Phuket Town has prompted officials to lay down the law against all restaurants that do not install grease traps. Any restaurants that do not have grease traps installed will not have their permits to operate renewed, Phuket City Deputy Mayor Dr Kosol Tang-Uthai warned yesterday. “Part of the flooding problem in Phuket Town…

  • Phuket aircon technician survives three-storey fall

    Phuket aircon technician survives three-storey fall

    PHUKET: A man luckily survived a fall from a multi-storey bookstore in the heart of Phuket Town yesterday evening, after landing on the company pickup truck he drove to the store. Lt Phoom Semmaworanon of the Phuket City Police arrived at the scene, a shop called The Book Shop on Yaowarat Road, with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers at 6:20pm. “Mr…

  • Phuket Airport taxis face overhaul, upgrade

    Phuket Airport taxis face overhaul, upgrade

    PHUKET: An open meeting at the Airports of Thailand (AoT) Phuket office yesterday morning has resulted in a slew of new measures to be introduced to improve the quality of service of taxis serving Phuket International Airport. The news follows weeks of controversy over current arrangements. “What has been agreed on is that each taxi operating to and from the…

  • Phuket Sports: Talking tennis with a pro

    Phuket Sports: Talking tennis with a pro

    PHUKET: Darran Ferre was recently appointed as a tennis pro by the Regent Phuket Cape Panwa where he will be launching an academy aimed at coaching young players to a high level. We spoke to Darren about his passion for tennis and his new role at the Regent.Who is your favourite player and why?Darran Ferre: Players inspire me for different…

  • Phuket to sport armed patrol cars for night duty

    Phuket to sport armed patrol cars for night duty

    PHUKET: Provincial Police are currently refitting and upgrading three patrol cars to police known crime hotspots in Phuket in order to enhance tourists’ safety at night during the high season. “Following the appointment of the new Phuket Provincial Commander, Maj Gen Ong-art Phiwruangnont [story here], we have been instructed to redouble our efforts to improve safety for tourists,” Phuket Provincial…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Dozens dead in new migrant boat sinking off Sicily; US inches toward debt deal; Kenya mall attack suspect charged

    Phuket Gazette World News: Dozens dead in new migrant boat sinking off Sicily; US inches toward debt deal; Kenya mall attack suspect charged

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dozens killed in new migrant shipwreck south of Sicily Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Dozens of people died on Friday when a boat carrying around 250 migrants capsized between Sicily and Tunisia, in the second such shipwreck this month, the Italian coastguard said. The Italian news…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Firebombs at Bangkok rally; Hospital warns thieves drug patients; Chiang Mai quake; Flood defenses down

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Firebombs at Bangkok rally; Hospital warns thieves drug patients; Chiang Mai quake; Flood defenses down

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Patients robbed after thieves spike water with animal sedative The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: “Watch out!” the Public Health Ministry is warning all hospital users nationwide, after the recent sedation of a number of patients at major Bangkok hospitals when they unwittingly ingested a dangerous…

  • DOG DAYS: Phuket murder fugitive ‘Mick the Pom’ living openly in sunny Philippines

    DOG DAYS: Phuket murder fugitive ‘Mick the Pom’ living openly in sunny Philippines

    PHUKET: British murder fugitive Michael John Taylor, better known in Phuket as “Mick The Pom”, has been found alive and well in the Philippines, and now uses the online monikers “Mick Doggard”, or just “Mickdog” for short. Taylor, who celebrated his 50th birthday on September 20 this year, remains wanted for the murder of his girlfriend Jantra Weangta, 27, who…

  • Phuket Opinion: Keeping the glory

    Phuket Opinion: Keeping the glory

    PHUKET: Standing at the top of the tower at Khao Khad View Point, one is surrounded by a breathtaking vista. What a marvelous project it is, with footpaths meandering through the pleasant woods below – and, yet, on closer inspection, this iconic Phuket landmark is crumbling to pieces. The painted cement “boards” of the walkways below have caved in and…

  • Phuket project launched to tackle Thailand’s missing shark mystery

    Phuket project launched to tackle Thailand’s missing shark mystery

    PHUKET: One of the largest projects ever designed to document the worrisome trend of declining shark sightings in Thailand was announced today in Phuket. In the wake of professional diver testimonials showing a 95 per cent decrease in shark sightings at Thailand’s renowned dive destination the Similans, the founders UK NGO Shark Guardian have moved forward with the Thailand E-Shark…

  • Phuket Opinion: Signs of Chaos

    Phuket Opinion: Signs of Chaos

    PHUKET: Thailand can claim credit for some of Southeast Asia’s most high-profile land transport boondoggles, yet often overlooked is the long-standing and scandalously in-your-face inadequacy of the Transport Ministry to provide drivers with one of the most basic motoring necessities: accurate and informative road signs. We live in an age of amazing geographic technology. Cars, cameras and other electronic gadgets…

  • Patong pharmacy raid targets cough syrup sales to teens

    Patong pharmacy raid targets cough syrup sales to teens

    PHUKET: Public health officials are investigating a Patong pharmacy suspected of selling cough syrup to Phuket teenagers for the purpose of making the illegal 4×100 narcotic cocktail. Cough syrup is a key ingredient of the cocktail, which includes kratom leaves. “After receiving worrying reports concerning the Chanulak Pharmacy, I contacted the Phuket Public Health Office [PPHO] to inspect the outlet,”…

  • Phuket Vegetarian Festival sends hotel occupancy soaring

    Phuket Vegetarian Festival sends hotel occupancy soaring

    PHUKET: Occupancy at beach and Phuket Town hotels during the Vegetarian Festival is at 85 per cent or higher, said Governor Maitri Inthusut. As he took part in festivities at the Tha Rua shrine yesterday, the governor noted that hotels along parade routes in Phuket Town were fully booked. Even hotels not on the parade routes – those at island…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: US credit default talks begin; West eyes modernizing nukes; German bishop scandal goes to Pope

    Phuket Gazette World News: US credit default talks begin; West eyes modernizing nukes; German bishop scandal goes to Pope

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Western powers talk nuclear disarmament, upgrade what’s left Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons is a quarter of the size it was at its Cold War peak in the 1980s – but the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain are all considering…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: PM seeks Japanese transportation deal; People’s Army on the move; Thaksin no terrorist; Floods not a crisis

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: PM seeks Japanese transportation deal; People’s Army on the move; Thaksin no terrorist; Floods not a crisis

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM seeks Japanese role in Bt2-tn transportation project The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has invited Japan Inc to take part in Thailand’s Bt2-trillion transportation development project.She also proposed to Myanmar to jointly develop a “trilateral highway”, creating land bridges between India, Myanmar and…