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Might not be Phuket “Minute Man’ bank robber’s first heist: Police
PHUKET: The “Minute Man” who made off with 2.7 million baht in a bank robbery yesterday displayed similar behaviors to the uncaught bank thief who robbed a Kasikorn Bank branch in Witchit January last year, said Phuket City Police Superintendent Sermphan Sirikong. In both cases, the robbery was made at gunpoint by a man wearing a helmet and took less…
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Phuket Halloween kratom party a bust
PHUKET: Police arrested a Phuket hotel staff member with five kilograms of kratom leaves, allegedly being prepared for a “kratom party” on the island. On the eve of Halloween, Thanit Praditnipol, 21, was picked up by a sortie of officers led by Muang Chief Administrative Officer Thammarong Chuayaksorn as Mr Thanit stepped off a bus arriving from Trang province at…
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B100k reward offered for Phuket bank robber
PHUKET: Police are offering a 100,000-baht reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the man who robbed a Kasikornbank (KBank) branch on the north side of Phuket Town yesterday. The robber escaped with an estimated 2.7 million baht. Police believe the man received “inside assistance” in carrying out the robbery and are now questioning six suspects for…
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UN says Myanmar must protect Rohingya minority Muslims
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar must protect Muslims and halt discrimination, U.N. says ReutersPhuket: U.N. human rights investigators called on Myanmar yesterday to halt deadly sectarian violence and warned it not to use the conflict as a pretext to remove Rohingya minority Muslims. Some 89 people have been killed in…
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Cheats, thugs will not be tolerated, Governor assures Phuket honorary consuls
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut has assured the honorary consuls resident in Phuket that the provincial administration will do its utmost to rid the island of cheats and thugs targeting or attacking tourists. The news came at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday where Czech Republic Honorary Consul in Phuket Anurak Tansiriroj and Finland Honorary Consul in Phuket Pamuke…
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Futsal world rankings updated ahead of World Cup; Thailand falls to 14
PHUKET: Hosts of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012, Thailand have dropped three spots in the world rankings list down to 14th from 11th previously. The world rankings list was recently updated ahead of the sport’s most prestigious tournament, which kicks off tonight in Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. The world’s top 8 sides, however, remained unchanged, with Spain prevailing as…
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Phuket bank robber escapes with B2.7mn in 60 seconds
PHUKET: An armed man clad in a black jacket and wearing a motorbike helmet robbed the Kasikornbank branch near SuperCheap, just north of Phuket Town this afternoon, making off with 2.7 million baht. The man was recorded by the bank’s CCTV cameras entering the branch on Thepkrasattri Road at about 3pm. Armed with a homemade handgun, the man threatened one…
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Phuket’s 100% helmet campaign rides on
PHUKET: More than 15 people die every month in road accidents in Phuket, most riding a motorbike without a helmet.The news came at a road safety awareness seminar at Phuket Rajabhat University on Monday, headed by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavaviwat.Also present at the seminar were Phuket Provincial Health Office Deputy Director Dr Wiwat Seetamonotch and officers from other…
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Phuket Business: Rebalancing your stock portfolio
PHUKET: One thing you should do at least once each year as an investor, is re-balance your investment portfolio. I have come across many people who put together a good portfolio, but then, because of not re-balancing, have rode many of their best holdings up and back down. Simultaneously, they are under-invested on holdings that have their best returns many…
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World Sports: Arsenal battled back in goal fest – League Cup update
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World sporting news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Reuters / Gazette EditorsPHUKET: Arsenal battled back from 4-0 down to beat top-flight rivals Reading 7-5 last night, powering their way into the League Cup quarter-finals after one of the most extraordinary matches in the competition’s 52-year history. Manager Arsene Wenger said last week that…
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Missing Phuket tourist scare prompts park safety review
PHUKET: Local officials are looking into how to make trekking in Phuket national parks and wildlife reserves safer, following two British tourists losing their way and having to spend the night in the wild at Khao Phra Thaew Wildlife & Forest Reserve. Mohammed Samir El Shimi, 28, and Hanna Zareen, 26, were discovered early this afternoon by a local villager…
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World News: Myanmar’s volatile Rakhine region gripped by fear
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fear, mistrust grip Myanmar’s volatile Rakhine region Reuters / Gazette EditorsPHUKET: As security forces police the edgy aftermath of sectarian bloodshed in western Myanmar, fearful Buddhists and Muslims are arming themselves with homemade weapons, testing the government’s resolve to prevent a new wave of violence.Despite government claims…
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Live Wire: A 3G auction in a 4G world – part 1
PHUKET: After years of delays, political infighting, legal maneuvering and insider manipulation, the trough finally stabilized long enough for Thailand to complete its auction of “3G” airspace. As I’ve remarked before, Thailand appears to be the last country in the world to officially allocate channels for HSPA (“3G”) signals. North Korea and Zimbabwe, the other two global holdouts, have offered…
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Phuket Business: New trade records set for the island
PHUKET: The Phuket Customs House reported another record-breaking year for international trade, with the island’s surplus of exports over imports in 2012 peaking at 11.4 billion baht, a 10% annual jump. According to Phuket Customs’ receipts for the 2012 Thailand Government fiscal year (October 2011 – September 2012), the value of Phuket’s exports reached a new milestone of 13.5bn baht,…
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Local finds missing Phuket tourists alive and well
PHUKET: The two tourists who disappeared yesterday while trekking through the Khao Phra Taew Wildlife & Forest Reserve in central Phuket were found alive and well today.British tourists Mohammed Samir El Shimi, 28, and Hanna Zareen 26, were discovered early this afternoon by a local villager named only as “Ms Suphatra” who was walking through the park.Police and park officers…
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Phuket Business: Krabi marina to steam ahead
PHUKET: Two months ahead of Krabi Boat Lagoon’s (KBL) first anniversary, the owners of the Thai Andaman coastal province’s only full-service, full-facility marina, remain optimistic about the region’s tourism, hospitality and boating future. Speaking to the Phuket Gazette at KBL’s 18-year-old brand-parent Phuket Boat Lagoon (PBL), Sriya Yongsakul, the deputy managing director of both marinas, affirmed that all objectives for…
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World News: Mother claims child abduction to get faster police response
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mother falsely claims child abduction to get faster police response Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: A Maryland mother was arrested and charged after she falsely claimed her three children were abducted, in hopes of obtaining a faster police response to investigate the theft of her car near…
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World Sports: FA launch an investigation following Chelsea’s complaint
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World sports news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The English Football Association has launched an investigation after Chelsea accused referee Mark Clattenburg of using “inappropriate language” towards two of their players in Sunday’s defeat by Manchester United. “The FA has begun an investigation relating to allegations made following Sunday’s fixture at Stamford Bridge…
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World News: “Frankenstorm” hits New Jersey; Campaign events cancelled
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Massive storm Sandy crashes ashore in New Jersey PHUKET: Sandy, one of the biggest storms ever to hit the United States, roared ashore with fierce winds and heavy rain earlier this morning (Phuket time) near the gambling resort of Atlantic City, New Jersey, after forcing evacuations, shutting…
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Baby boy’s body found in back of Krabi trash truck
PHUKET: The body of a newborn boy was found wrapped in a plastic garbage bag in the back of a Krabi trash truck this morning. Police believe the baby was discarded by his mother shortly after birth, just hours before the body was found. “The baby seemed to have fully developed organs. It was found along with the placenta,” said…
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Futsal World Cup: Thailand faces an uphill group stage campaign
PHUKET: With the entire futsal world’s eyes now focusing on Thailand, pressure is mounting for the host country to put on a respectable performance in the World Cup, which kicks off in Bangkok this Thursday. Having failed to progress past the group stage in their three previous World Cup appearances, Thailand face the high probability of history repeating itself. Though…
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Krabi Police not to investigate British “sex attack’ claims – for now
PHUKET: The police officer investigating the vicious gang attack in Krabi last Monday night has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that – at this stage – he is not investigating any allegations of an attempted rape . The news follows British tourist Jack Daniel Cole being reported as saying that “he feared the gang – mostly young men with perhaps…
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Experts say don’t panic over supernova, superior conjunction
PHUKET: Scientists at the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Narit) have dismissed fears of any devastating effects of the Saturn-Sun-Earth constellation alignment, which began on Thursday and is expected to affect the Earth for the next four weeks. “This is a simple phenomenon called a ‘superior conjunction’. It happens every 378 days,” explained Dr Utane Sawangwit, of Narit’s Research…
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First female double World Champion to race at Laguna Phuket’s Ironman
PHUKET: Leanda Cave, the recently-crowned 2012 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 triathlon double World Champion, has confirmed that she will compete in the Ironman 70.3 Laguna Phuket on December 2. Ms Cave of Great Britain, is the first woman, and only the second triathlete, to win both World Championship titles in the same year. She sits atop a stellar line-up of…
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Minister denies Phuket “robbed’ of ICEC 2.6bn baht
PHUKET: The Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office has denied claims that the government has “stolen” the 2.6 billion baht sequestered from the now-shelved plan to build a Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC). In Phuket on Saturday to oversee the preparations for the upcoming three-day Andaman Culture Festival, to be opened by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in…
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Phuket FC prevails: 4-0 win over JW Rangsit ensures division survival
PHUKET: The Islanders ended their season in great form, sealing their Thai Division 1 status with a 4-0 win over JW Rangsit FC on Saturday night. Going into the final match of the season, 13th-placed Phuket were under pressure to win in order to avoid relegation. Meanwhile, their 16th-placed opponents — third from bottom of the 18-team table — had…
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U.S. Election campaign heats up in eye of the storm
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney campaigned feverishly in closely contested battleground states yesterday but changed travel plans to avoid Hurricane Sandy, the massive storm approaching the U.S. East Coast. With just 10 days before Election Day and polls showing the national race a dead…
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‘Mentally unstable’ man found dead with knife in neck
PHUKET: A man was found with a knife in his neck after witnesses claimed to have seen him pouring petrol around his rented one-room house and attempting to light it on fire today.Thalang Police duty officer Somkit Kaosung received a report at about 10:30am of a “mentally unstable” man pouring petrol around the house, north of Phuket Town.Arriving at the…
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Phuket Opinion: Forgetting children in island development
PHUKET: This week’s news story of the healthy newborn girl being abandoned by her mother at Thalang Hospital raised again the bleak specter of what the future holds for such children. One comment in the Phuket Gazette online forum rightly pointed out that with most adults on the island focusing on boosting tourism numbers and generating income through any and…
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Fireworks row ignites corruption scandal
PHUKET: Winai Chidchiew, the chief of Karon Subdistrict (Kamnan), has found himself amid another corruption scandal, this time over allegedly threatening municipal officers into allowing firework displays to be held late at night, while facing allegations of paying bribes to the Chalong Police.Kamnan Winai found himself in the center of corruption allegations involving the Chalong Police last year, when he…
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