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  • Lawbreakers face tough action, Prayuth warns

    Lawbreakers face tough action, Prayuth warns

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lawbreakers face tough action, Prayuth warns The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday threatened tougher action against law violators, particularly opponents of the military’s power seizure, in a move that is in line with the junta’s priority of maintaining law and order. Prayuth,…

  • Pattani bombs hit families hardest

    Pattani bombs hit families hardest

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pattani bombs hit families hardest The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Among the many victims of simultaneous bomb attacks in Pattani last Saturday were the Sideh family. They lost a son, Isfan, and their bread-winning father was hurt too badly to continue working as a taxi…

  • PDRC leaders freed on bail, face sedition charges

    PDRC leaders freed on bail, face sedition charges

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PDRC leaders freed on bail, face sedition charges The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Suthep Thaugsuban and 12 other leaders of the anti-“Thaksin regime” People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) were yesterday freed from several days of military detention after acknowledging sedition charges. PDRC co-leader Anchalee Paireerak…

  • Finance seeks Bt50-bn term loans to pay off rice farmers

    Finance seeks Bt50-bn term loans to pay off rice farmers

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Finance seeks Bt50-bn term loans to pay off rice farmers The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Finance Ministry has invited 32 state and private banks to bid for the first phase of a three-year programme of bridge loans totalling Bt50 billion to pay rice farmers…

  • Thailand Tourism President calls for curfew to be lifted in Phuket

    Thailand Tourism President calls for curfew to be lifted in Phuket

    PHUKET: The president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), Piyaman Tejapaibul, has petitioned the ruling junta to lift the nightly curfew in Phuket and other tourist hotspots throughout the country. Ms Piyaman told the Phuket Gazette today that she filed her request with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) at a meeting yesterday. “I asked for General…

  • Swedish cyclists bound for Phuket push through Turkey on epic journey to help island orphans

    Swedish cyclists bound for Phuket push through Turkey on epic journey to help island orphans

    PHUKET: The four intrepid men biking their way from Sweden to Phuket to raise funds for the Barnhem Muang Mai orphanage in Phuket found themselves in a small Turkish village called Kandira yesterday. With about 3,600 kilometers under their belts, and thousands more to tackle before crossing Sarasin Bridge, morale is still high for Calle Wollgard, Fredrik Jessen, Tomi Blumen…

  • Toes to the nose: Surf comp success at Kalim Beach

    Toes to the nose: Surf comp success at Kalim Beach

    PHUKET: The monsoon arrived just in time for the first Pearl of the Andaman Longboard Classic hosted on the rocky coast of Kalim last Saturday. A bit of afternoon rain and a military coup couldn’t keep 30 contestants and more than 40 spectators from turning out. A few days of consistent ground swell marched its way through the Andaman to…

  • See you tomorrow, vow beach lifeguards

    See you tomorrow, vow beach lifeguards

    PHUKET: Lifeguards are gearing up to return to Phuket’s beaches tomorrow after signing their new 22-million-baht contract on Friday. “We’ve signed a contract that will pay for 88 guards to man 38 stations throughout the island,” confirmed Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan. “We are all set and ready to work tomorrow.” Kata-Karon chief lifeguard Uten Singsom confirmed that his…

  • Video Report: A place to call their own

    Video Report: A place to call their own

    PHUKET: St James Properties has entered the foray to secure its role in Patong’s burgeoning family tourism market with the recent opening of The Kids Club, located off Soi Bangla, touted as the biggest indoor playground in Phuket. Located at the Patong Promenade shopping mall, The Kids Club is presented as a premium children’s venue, which is now fully operational…

  • Video Report: Phuket officials angered by illegal fishing at King’s Park | Thaiger

    Video Report: Phuket officials angered by illegal fishing at King’s Park

    Those found illegally fishing in the park can be fined up to 1,000 baht. Video: Drummer.kong PHUKET: Phuket City officials are calling on the public to notify officers immediately of any illegal fishing carried out at Suan Luang Park (also called Chalermprakiat Ror IX Park or King’s Park) in Phuket Town. The call for public assistance follows a video posted…

  • Phuket students back in class today

    Phuket students back in class today

    PHUKET: Students in Phuket and nationwide went back to class today, despite rumors online stating that schools would remain closed. “I can confirm that all schools, both public and private, are open as usual today,” Chalam Attatham, director of the Phuket Primary Educational Service Area Office, told the Phuket Gazette. “False information was spread throughout social networks yesterday claiming that…

  • Five-part Andaman carnival series to kick off in Ranong on June 8

    Five-part Andaman carnival series to kick off in Ranong on June 8

    PHUKET: The first in a five-part series of carnivals to be held in Andaman provinces will take place in Ranong on June 8. Ranong, perhaps best known among expats as a visa-run destination, has plenty of things for tourists to enjoy, said Ranong Vice Governor Supawat Sakda, who announced the carnival with Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa on Friday. “We…

  • Junta to receive royal endorsement

    Junta to receive royal endorsement

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta to receive royal endorsement The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha will be given a royal command, appointing him as the head of the NCPO, and a ceremony will be held at 10.49am today at the Royal Thai Army headquarters on…

  • The Nation reporter taken into custody

    The Nation reporter taken into custody

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community The Nation reporter taken into custody The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Nation’s senior reporter Pravit Rojanaphruk yesterday morning reported to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and has been moved into custody to an unidentified military base. Nation Multimedia Group editor-in-chief Thepchai…

  • Three killed in Pattani bomb blasts

    Three killed in Pattani bomb blasts

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Three killed in Pattani bomb blasts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Insurgents launched simultaneous bomb attacks on 15 locations in Pattani late Saturday evening, killing three people and wounding 73. A Navy patrol boat and five convenience stores were damaged, while power and water utilities…

  • Ukrainians back Poroshenko to find way out of crisis

    Ukrainians back Poroshenko to find way out of crisis

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukrainians back Poroshenko to find way out of crisis Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire chocolate manufacturer, claimed the Ukrainian presidency with an emphatic election victory on Sunday, taking on a fraught mission to quell pro-Russian rebels and steer his fragile nation closer…

  • Red shirt terror plot subverted, suspects arrested

    Red shirt terror plot subverted, suspects arrested

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Red shirt terror plot subverted, suspects arrested The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Army says 22 in custody after being found with weapons; says they had orders from red-shirt leaders to carry out attack in Khon Kaen Twenty-one men and one woman, who were arrested over…

  • HM The King acknowledges coup | Thaiger

    HM The King acknowledges coup

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community King acknowledges to coup The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: His Majesty the King has acknowledged that the power seizure was carried out by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the junta said in a statement yesterday. In the statement, signed by Army chief…

  • Coup leaders dissolve Senate; sack police, DSI chiefs | Thaiger

    Coup leaders dissolve Senate; sack police, DSI chiefs

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta dissolves Senate, set to form legislative assembly The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Junta chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also the acting prime minister, has dissolved the Senate, the only remaining legislative body, and is set to assume legislative power, according to an order…

  • Police recruit translators to help Phuket tourists

    Police recruit translators to help Phuket tourists

    PHUKET: Police stations throughout Phuket will have video conference capabilities installed so that tourists can communicate with translators in Bangkok at any time, one of the country’s top-ranking policeman announced in Phuket yesterday. The initiative is to prevent misunderstandings between tourists filing complaints and police, said Assistant National Police Chief ML Pansak Kasemsant, speaking at Phuket Provincial Police Station. The…

  • Thai ex-premier Yingluck detained, junta to face media on coup

    Thai ex-premier Yingluck detained, junta to face media on coup

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai ex-premier Yingluck detained, junta to face media on coup The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former premier Yingluck Shinawatra has been detained by leaders of Thailand’s military junta, a source in her party said today as the army prepared to brief the media for the…

  • Phuket battered by coastal erosion

    Phuket battered by coastal erosion

    PHUKET: Officials yesterday expressed deep concern about the rate of coastal erosion, especially at Bang Tao Beach and coastal areas inside Sirinath National Park on Phuket’s west coast. The issue was raised at a meeting chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa yesterday at The Metropole Phuket hotel in Phuket Town. Coastal erosion has ravaged areas in all six provinces…

  • Expat Frenchman arrested for ATM fraud, marijuana

    Expat Frenchman arrested for ATM fraud, marijuana

    PHUKET: Acting on a tip from a bank, police yesterday arrested an expat Frenchman with counterfeit ATM cards and a stash of marijuana. Jawad Naci, 32, was caught after Siam Commercial Bank in Bangkok called Phuket police to say a counterfeit electronic card had been used at an ATM in Srisoonthorn, in central Phuket. Police went to the ATM in…

  • Governor asks coup leaders for flexibility in Phuket curfew

    Governor asks coup leaders for flexibility in Phuket curfew

    PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut requested that Phuket be given a flexible curfew as it is a tourist destination, he told a meeting of more than 100 high-ranking government officers today. He made the request at yesterday’s briefing of governors and police chiefs at the Royal Thai Army Fourth Area Command in Nakhon Sri Thammarat (story here). While he did not…

  • Patong facing ruin if curfew continues, says entertainment boss

    Patong facing ruin if curfew continues, says entertainment boss

    PHUKET: Patong, known throughout the world for its throbbing nightlife, now faces its second night under the military curfew imposed by coup leader Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha. The curfew bans all unsanctioned travel on the streets from 10pm to 5am (story here). Phuket Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiewruangnont at 5pm today confirmed that the curfew will remain in effect throughout…

  • Hospital presents B100k compensation for childbirth deaths

    Hospital presents B100k compensation for childbirth deaths

    PHUKET: The man who lost his wife and son to complications of childbirth has received 100,000 baht in compensation from Vachira Phuket Hospital. Hospital Director Jessada Chungpaibulpatana expressed sorrow on behalf of the hospital, and presented the check to grieving father Numporn Intawong. “We would like to express our deepest condolences for this tragic loss of lives. We hope that…

  • Phuket Police seek naughty Patong maid

    Phuket Police seek naughty Patong maid

    PHUKET: Patong Police are calling for any information that might lead to the arrest of a woman who applies for work as a maid, then literally cleans the place out, absconding with valuables. “We’ve received many complaints about this woman,” said Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Police. “Today we received another complaint, this time from Karlsson’s Hotel,” he…

  • Phuket medical waste threatens bacterial fallout

    Phuket medical waste threatens bacterial fallout

    SPECIAL REPORT With Phuket’s primary incinerator out of action while awaiting repairs, an environmental expert is concerned about the facility’s capacity to burn medical waste properly. Chief among the concerns is avoiding the potential bacterial cloud from inundating the surrounding community at Saphan Hin. The Gazette’s Saran Mitrarat reports. PHUKET: The new 960-million-baht incinerator that fired up at Saphan Hin…

  • Patong tunnel plans eyed for potential traffic jam woes

    Patong tunnel plans eyed for potential traffic jam woes

    PHUKET: Officials in charge of the Patong tunnel project are reviewing strategies they can use to avoid creating bottleneck traffic jams at the Thung Thong Intersection in Kathu. The tunnel project, budgeted to cost 9.57 billion baht – 6.80bn for materials, 2.56bn for land expropriation and 200mn baht for salaries – aims to provide a safe alternative to the notoriously…

  • Navy deploys security personnel to patrol Phuket

    Navy deploys security personnel to patrol Phuket

    PHUKET: Navy security personnel have been ordered to accompany police patrols in Phuket to ensure peace is maintained. “You may see officers at some locations, for example, at the airport,” Capt Petcharat Teanjan, Deputy Director of the Civil Affairs Division at the Third Naval Area Command, told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “There’s no reason to be concerned,” Capt Petcharat…