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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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Police Corruption Scandal: Border patrols hunt for more Pongpat associates
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police Corruption Scandal: Border patrols hunt for more Pongpat associates The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Arrest warrants have been issued for two more suspects allegedly involved in a series of intimidation cases associated with former crime-buster Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan, Phra Khanong police said yesterday.…
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BMA ready to order Aetas hotel demolition
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community BMA ready to order Aetas hotel demolition The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Aetas hotel will be the largest building to face a demolition order from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for breaking regulations, its BMA deputy permanent secretary Kritsada Kluntanont said yesterday. “We have ordered…
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Koh Tao suspects not coerced, police tell human rights panel
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Koh Tao suspects not coerced, police tell human rights panel The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have not used any violence against two Myanmar nationals detained over the murders of two British tourists on Koh Tao, a senior police officer told a subcommittee of the…
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Critical Phuket underpass intersection to close for three months
PHUKET: Phuket City Police have announced that the lanes of traffic flowing between Kathu and Samkong at the Samkong Intersection, the site of the Tesco underpass, will be closed from December 6 to March 1. During that time, motorists approaching the intersection from the east or the west will be forced to make a left turn, and then proceed to…
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No Phuket search for missing South African
PHUKET: Top island officers have yet to receive an official request to find a South African man who was last known to be in Phuket in June. Arayaphan Pukbuakao, a Phuket Provincial Police deputy commander, told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that he had not received a report about Ezra Jansen, 31, who is being treated by the South African Embassy…
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Pregnant mum survives horror Phuket crash
PHUKET: A five-month pregnant woman and five other people are in hospital after the pick-up truck they were travelling in crashed into a power pole on Thepkrasattri Road early this morning. Jantree Harnhong, 30, was on her way to Phuket with her 33-year-old partner Noppol Karnjanaburi and four others when the accident occurred in front of Muang Thalang School at…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta: Light winds lead to tricky, tight racing
PHUKET: Following Day One’s extremely close racing, Day Two of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta served up a trickier challenge to crews in the form of very light wind conditions. All of the classes were fought in close-quarters positions, reflecting well on this year’s revised class structure, which was designed to encourage very tight and visually impressive racing action. Karl…
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Prosecutors claim case against Koh Tao Myanmar pair is solid: source
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prosecutors claim case against Koh Tao Myanmar pair is solid: source The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Public prosecutors expect the case against two Myanmar suspects accused of murdering two British tourists on Koh Tao to be treated seriously by a court in the South because…
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Charter panel brushes aside call for direct election of Cabinet, PM
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Charter panel brushes aside call for direct election of Cabinet, PM The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The suggestion for Thais to directly elect both the prime minister and members of Cabinet has been brushed aside by a subcommittee of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) working…
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Missing Karen activist ‘never released’ after arrest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Missing Karen activist ‘never released’ after arrest The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A police probe into CCTV footage suggests that missing Karen activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen was never released following his arrest on a petty offence by Kaeng Krachan National Park officials, police investigators said…
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Police Corruption Scandal: Seized artifacts to be repatriated
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police Corruption Scandal: Seized artifacts to be repatriated The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Some of the 50 artifacts worth more than 50 million baht found in the treasure trove seized by officers raiding the homes of disgraced former crime-buster Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan will be…
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Royal family to hold much-awaited public audience
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Royal family to stage much-awaited public audience The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Their Majesties the King and Queen, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, will grant a much-awaited public audience at the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall at 10.30am on Friday.…
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Live grenades found in Phuket residential area
PHUKET: A Burmese trash-burner discovered two live M26 hand grenades at a dump near a Phuket residential area in Rawai this afternoon. The man, named by police only as Mr A, identified the dangerous weapons of war and immediately informed his employer, who promptly reported the find. Phuket’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit arrived shortly thereafter. “The two standard M26…
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Phuket beach vendors protest with national anthem
PHUKET: Dozens of Phuket beach vendors gathered at the Patong Police Station and sang Thailand’s national anthem yesterday, after they were forced off the beach by police and municipality officers. “The Navy told us that we were allowed – that only umbrella vendors were prohibited,” one vendor told the Phuket Gazette. “We are just trying to make a living. Why…
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Father, son arrested for Phuket bag-snatch
PHUKET: Police arrested a father-and-son bag-snatching duo for robbing a woman in Phuket Town yesterday, allegedly in order to make payments for the motorbike used in the crime. Officers arrested Narongchai Aroonmek, 39, and his 15-year-old son at a rented room in Rassada at about 7pm. “We tracked them down after reviewing CCTV footage in the Vanich Road area of…
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One dead, three injured in family trip to Phuket
PHUKET: One woman died and a father and daughter were rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital with critical injuries after their car crashed into a roadside canal yesterday in northern Phuket. Police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were called to the scene, on Thepkrasattri Road northbound, about 200 meters from the Hongyok Bumrung School in Baan Suan Maphrao, at about 5:15pm.…
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Australian terrorism warning for Phuket unfounded, say officials
PHUKET: Island officials yesterday denounced the Australian government’s warning of possible civil unrest and threat of a terrorist attack in Phuket. “We continue to advise Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in Thailand overall due to the possibility of civil unrest and the threat of terrorist attack, including Bangkok and Phuket,” said the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs…
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U.S. Congress deals blow to plan to shut Guantanamo prison
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. Congress deals blow to plan to shut Guantanamo prison Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: U.S. lawmakers dealt a blow to President Barack Obama’s five-year-long effort to close the prison camp at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba by omitting a plan to shut the…
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VAT hike will give more room for budget deficit: Sommai
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community VAT hike will give more room for budget deficit: Sommai The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Finance Ministry is likely to increase the value-added tax (VAT) by at least 1 per cent at the end of next year, giving it room to widen the budget…
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Plan to tear down palace wall opposed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Plan to tear down palace wall opposed The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: THE Fine Arts Department has registered the whole compound of King Taksin’s palace, including its wall, as a historical site since 1929, ruling out any moves to have it dismantled. The Royal Thai…
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Anti-mine protest leader shot dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anti-mine protest leader shot dead The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The leader of protests against a barite mining operation was shot dead in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Nopphitam district on Sunday night, police said. Pithan Thongpanang, 45, was shot two times – once in the body…
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Prosecutors set to arraign Myanmar men for Koh Tao killings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prosecutors set to arraign Myanmar men for Koh Tao killings The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Public prosecutors are preparing to arraign two Myanmar suspects today on charges related to the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao in September. “Evidence presented by investigators is…
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Police corruption scandal: B1mn reward for ‘Sia Jo’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police corruption scandal: B1mn reward for ‘Sia Jo’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A bounty of 1 million baht has been offered for information leading to the arrest of a much-wanted Pattani-based businessman accused of trading in contraband petrol and bribing police. Royal Thai Police…
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Phuket officials demand Uber vow against illegal taxi revival
PHUKET: Fears of technology company Uber, which provides an alternative way to catch a cab, thereby potentially allowing a resurgence in illegal taxi drivers operating in Bangkok and Phuket, led to the Department of Land Transportation (DLT) deeming the services illegal prior to a full investigation. The Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) has suggested that Uber clarify its current role…
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Father’s Day festivities kick off in Phuket
PHUKET: The first of a five-day Father’s Day celebration kicks off for Phuket residents and tourists tonight in Saphan Hin. Every year on December 5, Thai people nationwide celebrate the birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. As HM The King is deeply respected and much loved as the father of Thailand, Thai people also use the day to celebrate their…
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Facebook posts snare Phuket road rage thug
PHUKET: A man who appeared in photos and video clips on Facebook threatening two people with a gun in Phuket on Saturday has been arrested on drug charges. Prasopchok Somboon, 29, from Phang Nga, was caught on camera by people in passing cars intimidating a man and a woman with the gun near the Chinese shrine at the top of…
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Police suspect sex drug in death of Phuket man
PHUKET: Police believe a 72-year-old man who was found dead in a drive-in hotel yesterday morning may have died after taking a generic version of Viagra, an erectile dysfunction drug. Police were called to the scene on Komaraphat Road in Phuket Town and found the man, from Rawai, on the bed, and a shocked 44-year-old woman who said she had…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta: Youth dinghy racers lead the way
PHUKET: Promising young Thai sailors took to the waters in Optimist and Laser dinghies to mark the first competitive class racing action under the umbrella of this year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, in the 5th Phuket Dinghy Series. Twelve back-to-back races ran in front of the Sailing Club at the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Command at Cape Panwa, on…
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Thai veteran wins King’s Cup golf tourney for record 18th title
PHUKET: Thaworn Wiratchant crafted his way to the best birdie putt of the year to beat India’s Anirban Lahiri for his long-awaited King’s Cup title and a record 18th Asian Tour victory at the Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Course yesterday. A stroke ahead of the current No 2 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit ranking, the 47-year-old Thai…
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AIDS campaigners say pandemic has finally reached tipping point
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AIDS campaigners say pandemic has finally reached tipping point Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The world has finally reached “the beginning of the end” of the AIDS pandemic that has infected and killed millions in the past 30 years, according to a leading campaign group fighting…
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