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  • Police find “nothing suspicious’ in Chinese drownings

    Police find “nothing suspicious’ in Chinese drownings

    PHUKET: Chalong Police will not be conducting further investigations into two separate drowning deaths of Chinese tourists off Phuket this week, the Phuket Gazette has learned. Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Boonlert Onklang told the Gazette yesterday that he received a report at about 11:30am on Tuesday informing him that a Chinese woman had died while on a snorkeling trip to…

  • Phuket kindergarten students get head start on Mother’s Day celebrations

    Phuket kindergarten students get head start on Mother’s Day celebrations

    PHUKET: As Phuket gears up to celebrate HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday on Sunday (August 12), which will also be honored as Mother’s Day in Thailand, Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising yesterday led a Mother’s Day activity at the PPAO’s Sathit Ruam Pattana Kindergarten in Phuket Town. “We are holding this activity to honor HM The Queen…

  • PHUKET OPINION: Football hooligans score own goal

    PHUKET OPINION: Football hooligans score own goal

    PHUKET: The recent threat of violence against Phuket FC fans who made the journey to Krabi Provincial Stadium should serve as a wake-up call to the Thai Premier League (TPL) Co Ltd to ensure that better security measures are in place for future matches in Krabi, especially those involving southern rivals. The TPL leagues have been an undisputed boon to…

  • Phuket Sports: Laguna reigns over the Village

    Phuket Sports: Laguna reigns over the Village

    PHUKET: Defending T20 champions Laguna took on the Village in the Outrigger T20 league on Sunday, August 5 at Phuket’s ACG. The Village were hoping to avenge their defeat by Laguna in the final of the Island Furniture League. However, Laguna came out winners once again after setting a target of 152 runs, while the Village could only manage a…

  • Phuket Gazette office closed on Monday | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette office closed on Monday

    PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette would like to inform readers that our office will be closed on Monday, August 13, to observe the public holiday in honor of HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday on August 12.All government offices and all bank main branches will also be closed on Monday.Advertisers in the Gazette Classifieds are assured that this will not affect any…

  • Thai News: AirAsia seeks hub; Prissana bowls over judges; Kaew’s goldrush

    Thai News: AirAsia seeks hub; Prissana bowls over judges; Kaew’s goldrush

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AirAsia seeks Don Mueang for budget hub Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: AirAsia, Asia’s biggest low-cost carrier, has urged the Thai government to promote Don Mueang Airport as a regional hub for low-cost carriers.“Its international airport tax should be lowered from Bt750 to Bt250,” Tony Fernandes, chief…

  • World News: Bomb at the FBI undiscovered for 3 weeks

    World News: Bomb at the FBI undiscovered for 3 weeks

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Guards fired after bomb goes unnoticed at federal building in Detroit Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: A federal report released on Thursday has harshly criticized the handling of an improvised explosive device (IED) that was discovered at a federal building in Detroit in March 2011 but had…

  • Phuket set to celebrate Queen’s Birthday, Mothers’ Day

    Phuket set to celebrate Queen’s Birthday, Mothers’ Day

    PHUKET: A host of special ceremonies are being held at different locations across the island to honor and celebrate HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday and to celebrate Mothers’ Day on Sunday, August 12. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha on Wednesday presided over the opening ceremony of a tree-planting event at King Rama 9 Park (Suan Luang) in Phuket Town to honor…

  • Resort developers charged over island land encroachment

    Resort developers charged over island land encroachment

    PHUKET: Following the July 31 high-profile raid on a resort under construction on Rang Noi Island, off Phuket’s east coast, the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Unit (NREC) has pressed charges against the developers for encroaching onto protected forest land. Kan Krao Company and Bridge Rang Noi Company were both charged yesterday with “possession [of] forest [land] without permission”.…

  • Silence shrouds release of Phuket baby elephant DNA test results

    Silence shrouds release of Phuket baby elephant DNA test results

    PHUKET: The DNA test results expected to determine the legality of three baby elephants seized from camps in Phuket were expected to be announced in the first week of June, but have yet to be released confirmed the Regional Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division. On May 31, Watcharin Phusit, the superintendent of the regional Natural Resources and Environment…

  • Crash helmet saves minibiker at Phuket “curve of death’

    Crash helmet saves minibiker at Phuket “curve of death’

    SPECIAL REPORT By Thawit Bilabdullar and Orawin Narabal PHUKET: A high-quality crash helmet is credited with sparing a “minibike” enthusiast from critical injury after he lost control and crashed at one of Phuket’s most notorious traffic accident blackspots late last night. News of the crash was reported to Phuket Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers at 11:30pm. At the scene, on Thepkrasattri…

  • Top Muay Thai bouts to honor Queen’s Birthday

    Top Muay Thai bouts to honor Queen’s Birthday

    PHUKET: Thai kickboxing fighters will face-off in six World Muay Thai Council (WMC) championship bouts in Phuket on Sunday in celebration of HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday.The event starts at 5pm and will be held at Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong, which has a capacity of 3,000 people.VIP ticket prices start at 2,500; ringside tickets are 2,000 baht and stadium…

  • Thailand News: Myanmar allows visits to Thai detainees

    Thailand News: Myanmar allows visits to Thai detainees

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar allows relatives to visit Thai detainees for first time Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: For the first time since their arrests on July 4, almost all of the 92 Thais detained in Myanmar were given a chance to meet with their relatives yesterday. The…

  • Thailand News: Reward for Chiang Mai rape-murder case; Drunk driving law tightened; Going for gold

    Thailand News: Reward for Chiang Mai rape-murder case; Drunk driving law tightened; Going for gold

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British victim’s mother offers Bt493,000 for infomation Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: The mother of a British woman who was raped and murdered in Chiang Mai 12 years ago yesterday offered 10,000 British pounds (nearly 493,000 baht) to anyone who comes forward with information leading to an…

  • Asian News: Heavily armed gunmen ambush army patrol

    Asian News: Heavily armed gunmen ambush army patrol

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gunmen kill four at university in the southern Philippines Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Heavily armed gunmen ambushed an army patrol at a university in the southern Philippines late Wednesday evening, triggering a 30-minute gunfight in which three soldiers and a young child were killed, military officials…

  • Burmese worker nabbed for Phuket gold heist

    Burmese worker nabbed for Phuket gold heist

    PHUKET: Phuket Police today arrested a Burmese man who robbed a gold shop in Karon last night and made off with nearly two kilograms of solid gold, despite being shot by the shop owner. Burmese national Lacheman Kumar, 19, was arrested this morning at his home in Patak Rd Soi 10 in Karon, where he lived with his father, mother…

  • Nearly blind prisoner escapes hospital after surgery

    Nearly blind prisoner escapes hospital after surgery

    PHUKET: Escaped prisoner Nantachai Boomrak, 23, having absconded from Vachira Phuket Hospital on August 4, found himself back behind bars the next day. Mr Nantachai was originally placed in the hospital by Provincial Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon, who said doctors had informed him that Mr Nantachai would go blind if he did not receive immediate treatment for cataracts.“The Phuket Prison…

  • Phuket Live Wire: Don’t get mugged by your mates

    Phuket Live Wire: Don’t get mugged by your mates

    PHUKET: I have been holding off writing about more email scams, waiting so I can write about nailing somebody and getting them thrown in jail. So far, no luck. But in the past week I’ve received two messages from people I know, here in Phuket, who have had their email accounts hijacked. That’s quite a coincidence – if it is…

  • Weird World News stumbles back onto the podium with Olympic torch

    Weird World News stumbles back onto the podium with Olympic torch

    PHUKET: After several weeks of being missing in action, the Phuket Gazette‘s Weird World News Round-up takes the stage again as Olympic gaffs from alleged satanic rituals, that nasty feeling of having overslept something important and a little flag waving – wait that’s not my flag – have kept the people of the world glued to their screens. Can’t see…

  • Olympics Update: Thailand gets 2nd medal; Kaew wins; Rangsiya still has a chance

    Olympics Update: Thailand gets 2nd medal; Kaew wins; Rangsiya still has a chance

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taekwondo fighter Chanatip hands Thailand bronze Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Chanatip Sonkham made Thailand proud this morning as the 21-year-old from Phatthalung mercilessly crushed Elizabeth Zamora Gordillo from Guatemala 8-0 in the bronze-medal match of the women’s Taekwondo 49kg class in the 30th Olympic…

  • World News: Daring rescue mission in Antarctica

    World News: Daring rescue mission in Antarctica

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia to the rescue in Antarctica Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: An Australian rescue plane took off from New Zealand yesterday evening to carry out a daring rescue mission in Antarctica, where an American citizen at a research station is in urgent need of surgery,…

  • Thai Jonah: the fishy tale of Rewat Nongwong | Thaiger

    Thai Jonah: the fishy tale of Rewat Nongwong

    PHUKET: A 24-year-old man who claims he have spent three days underwater without dying was the subject of a miracle, according to some Ayutthaya residents who believe his tale. To others, including rescue workers who spent three days looking for him in the filthy Chao Praya River, the man, Rewat Nongwong, is a liar – one who should face criminal…

  • Phuket FC sink Navy, 1-0

    Phuket FC sink Navy, 1-0

    PHUKET: A beautiful second half goal by defender Nontaphan “Berm” Jiensathawong was enough to secure Phuket FC a 1-0 win over higher-ranked Navy in a match at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town last night. Just over 2,000 fans turned up for the match, which was played in perfect conditions and heavy security, including a detachment of uniformed Navy servicemen. Navy…

  • Prosecutor calls for new evidence in off-duty police shooting

    Prosecutor calls for new evidence in off-duty police shooting

    PHUKET: The off-duty police officer alleged to have shot and killed a man in Phuket Town on May 5 has been placed on inactive duty pending a review of new evidence by the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. The officer, Cpl Rachaporn Semaksorn, was assigned to the Patong Police at the time of the incident, during which it is alleged he shot…

  • BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Smith killers get life in prison

    BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Smith killers get life in prison

    PHUKET: The two men charged with killing 60-year-old Australian tourist Michelle Smith in a bungled bag snatch in Phuket on June 20 have been sentenced to life in prison. The sentences were handed down at Phuket Provincial Court this afternoon. The judge presiding over the three-day trial commuted death sentences to lifetime imprisonment after both men pleaded guilty. Surasak Suwannachote…

  • World News: Syrian PM Riyad Hijab defects; Amnesty raises concerns

    World News: Syrian PM Riyad Hijab defects; Amnesty raises concerns

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM Riyad Hijab defects from Assad regime Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab on Monday announced his defection from the Assad government and said he is joining the opposition, his spokesman told reporters. It is the highest-profile defection since the uprising began…

  • 18-wheeler wipes out pickup truck, noodle stand: 1 dead, 6 injured

    18-wheeler wipes out pickup truck, noodle stand: 1 dead, 6 injured

    PHUKET: Thalang Police are searching for the driver of an 18-wheel truck and trailer that slammed into a pickup, plowing the vehicle into a roadside noodle stand in Phuket last night. The driver of the rig fled the scene, where one person was killed and six more injured. Thalang Police were notified of the accident, on Thepkrasattri Road northbound near…

  • Surin dared killer into bag snatching, court told

    Surin dared killer into bag snatching, court told

    PHUKET: The man who wielded the blade in the bungled bag snatch in which Australian tourist Michelle Smith was killed on June 20 was teased into it by his accomplice, the Phuket Provincial Court heard today. In presenting police evidence in the charges against the accused, Surasak Suwannachote and Surin Tadthong, Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of Chalong Police today read…

  • Raid on suspected Phuket casino ‘not spiteful’: Environmental Crime chief

    Raid on suspected Phuket casino ‘not spiteful’: Environmental Crime chief

    PHUKET: The investigation of a suspected casino under construction on Rang Noi Island, just off the coast of Phuket Town, was carried out last Tuesday without prejudice and was not intended to defame or spite anyone, the top officer leading the raid has told the Phuket Gazette. Armed with a search warrant issued by the Phuket Provincial Court, more than…

  • Patong political hopefuls flock to register candidacies

    Patong political hopefuls flock to register candidacies

    PHUKET: It was a busy morning at the Patong Municipality Offices yesterday, when two rival teams of Phuket politicians registered their candidacies for the upcoming municipal election scheduled for September 2. Incumbent Mayor Pian Keesin led his blue-shirted Rak Patong (“Love Patong”) team to the office, while rival mayoral candidate Kittisan Kuru led his yellow-shirted Patong Gao Na (Patong Progress)…