News
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Phuket Governor orders probe into alleged land grab
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut today ordered a task force to investigate claims by local residents in Pa Khlok, on Phuket’s central east coast, that public land had been encroached on.The villagers, numbering about 50 and led by Baan Bangla village headman Samarn Bumroongna, arrived at Provincial Hall at 10am in protest.Chief among their complaints was that someone who claimed to…
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Phuket travel consortium casts doubt on local support for mafia crackdown
PHUKET: A consortium of four major travel organizations yesterday publicly voiced their doubt that top local officials fully support the ongoing multi-agency crackdown to clean up rampant corruption and “mafia” operations in Phuket.Top figures representing the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), the Thai Hotels Association Southern Chapter, the Phuket Spa Association (SPA) and the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) called a…
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Drug web unravels as police make arrests from Phuket Town to Thalang
PHUKET: In a cascading string of confessions, police arrested five drug dealers on Saturday, collecting along the way over a kilogram of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and almost 4,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills. The first arrests that started the domino effect were at Suan Luang Park (Rama IX Park) (map here) when police noticed a man and a woman acting…
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Phuket Town drinkers take down armed robber
PHUKET: Two men sitting in front of their house drinking in the early hours this morning made a citizen’s arrest, taking down a man who had just robbed a Phuket Town convenience store at knifepoint. Phuket City Police were notified of the arrest at 3:40am. “By the time we arrived, Ronnarit Klinchuen, 21, and his friend Ponlawat Kaensub, 22, had…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Floods close factories; Laos crash bodies to return home; Chalerm in relapse; Jakkrit mourned
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Industrial estate battles floodwater The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Amata Nakorn Industrial Estate in Chon Buri is facing a severe battle keeping out floodwaters, which have forced 15 factories in its compound to suspend operations.Another 78 factories outside the protection of estates, mainly in the Northeast,…
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Failed motorbike ram attempt wins policeman B10k reward for bravery
PHUKET: A patrol policeman who broke his collar bone while ramming bag-snatchers with his motorbike in an attempt to stop their getaway was rewarded with 10,000 baht yesterday morning for his bravery. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont issued the bonus on hearing how Sgt Songwut Noosuk of the Phuket City Police attempted to apprehend the perpetrators on Saturday afternoon.…
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Mortician joins the dead over business conflict, say Krabi police
PHUKET: Police suspect that the motive for the shooting murder of a mortician in Krabi, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, was a business conflict.Ajin Chormai, 55, found the body of her husband Niyom Chormai, 60, in a palm oil plantation on Sunday morning. He had eight gunshot wounds to his chest.Mr Niyom left the house at 8:30am to round…
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Judge sets sentence date for American Marine-killer in Phuket
PHUKET: A judge today set the sentencing date of Lee Aldhouse for the murder of American Marine Dashawn Longfellow (story here). “The judge set the sentencing date for November 28,” Phuket Provincial Prosecutor Tawan Suknirundorn told the Phuket Gazette. At the hearing today, Aldhouse signed a copy of Mr Longfellow’s passport, writing that he, Lee Aldhouse, had stabbed “this man”.…
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Balloon vendor dead on arrival at Phuket bus terminal
PHUKET: A festival balloon vendor was found dead on arrival at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 in the early morning hours today.Prasan Piyawong, 66, was discovered dead on the top deck of a tour bus by a friend who was travelling with him.Police and rescue works sped to the scene after being notified of the incident at about 4:30am today.“Mr Prasan’s…
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Krabi ready to take the plunge
PHUKET: Is throwing yourself off an 8-storey-high cliff a good idea? Sure it is! Especially to the brave contenders of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. If you wish to see these daredevils, the season finale will take place in Krabi, a few hours drive from Phuket, on Saturday, October 26. Ten of the world’s best cliff divers launch…
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Rayong all but secure promotion at Phuket’s expense
PHUKET: Despite drawing first blood in a difficult away fixture on Saturday evening, Phuket FC went on to lose 3-2 to Thailand’s Yamaha League One (YL1) powerhouse, PTT Rayong. The match, both side’s 32nd of 34 scheduled fixtures in the YL1 2013 season, was played in front of 3,669 spectators at PTT Stadium on the lower part of Thailand’s Eastern…
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UK embassy shakeup to free Phuket consul for frontline work
PHUKET: Sweeping changes in how standard documents are issued at the British Embassy in Bangkok will free Phuket Honorary Consul Martin Carpenter to focus on providing assistance to British tourists and expats in need. The changes are part of a reform in procedures at British embassies around the world, explained an embassy statement issued to the Phuket Gazette. Consequently, from…
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Krabi carp monster set to break world record
PHUKET: A British angler on holiday in Thailand is set to break a world record after landing a 60.9kg (134.4lb) Siamese carp in Krabi, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, earlier this month.Keith Williams, of Carshalton in Surrey, England, landed the monster carp on October 10 while on holiday with friends at the Gillhams Fishing Resort to celebrate his 56th…
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Phuket Property Watch: Lost in Chiang Mai
PHUKET: I’ve always had an aversion to things that go bump in the night, but as our Thai Smile jet ramps up to 33,000 feet, an extended period of turbulence has left my forehead battered, but not bruised. Yes, the flight attendants shock orange uniforms put me into a Halloween mood, yet they move about the cabin like apparitions –…
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Fire engulfs shop units at Karon Plaza
PHUKET: Police are investigating the cause of a fire on the Karon beach road that engulfed seven shop units at the Karon Plaza shopping bazaar early on Saturday.Three firetrucks from Karon Municipality were called in just before 6am to contain the blaze, which took 30 minutes to extinguish.“The plaza sells fashion items, such as clothes and shoes, and many other…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Clown kills Mexico cartel head; Arab League sets date for Syria; Tito’s widow is dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gunman in clown suit kills senior Mexican drug cartel member Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A gunman in a clown costume shot and killed the oldest brother of one of Mexico’s most notorious drug trafficking families in the resort of Los Cabos, authorities said on Saturday.Francisco Rafael Arellano…
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Safety net for Phuket SuperCheap staff after blaze
PHUKET: Employees of the razed SuperCheap store may continue working or resign and receive unemployment compensation, it was announced in Phuket on Thursday. The 3,436 employees, 700 of whom are foreign workers, will be sent to other branches to work, said SuperCheap Owner Boonsom Anantajaroonwong. “We continue to pay about a total of a million baht a day to staff…
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18-year-old Phuket cashier still missing after SuperCheap inferno
PHUKET: An 18-year-old Phuket cashier and one other woman are still missing after the SuperCheap megastore burned to the ground on Wednesday night (story here). Eleven formal missing person complaints have been filed since the blaze. “So far, 10 of the ‘missing people’ have been found. The only person who remains on our list is Thanaporn Sammanit, 46. The complaint…
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Phuket Police believe shooting linked to teasing
PHUKET: Police are searching for the gang responsible for a drive-by shooting that left a man in Rassada injured last night.Anupol Noochua, 31, was shot in the leg in front of his house at about 10pm. Mr Anupol told police that at about 7pm last night, while he was sitting outside drinking with friends, a young woman rode by on…
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Air pollution top environmental concern post SuperCheap blaze
PHUKET: Possible air and water pollution from the inferno that devastated the main SuperCheap in Phuket on Wednesday are now the top concern of the Regional Environmental Office 15.“The microscopic particles in smoke can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they can cause health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose and illnesses such as bronchitis,” Khanchit Soontrakorn,…
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Phuket Sports: Get ready Karon – FIVB is coming
PHUKET: This year’s Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT, the penultimate event of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, sees Brazil, Germany, Thailand and the USA with three teams apiece in the main draw. Italy has two teams and the remaining direct acceptances are made up of one team apiece from Argentina, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland,…
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Special Report: The search for closure: Family makes heartfelt plea for finding lost crew of MV Hope
Special Report PHUKET: The family of Captain Rajib Chandra Karmaker, master of the Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Hope, has launched a public appeal for any information that may lead to the recovery of the missing captain’s body and those of his lost shipmates. The Hope, laden with ball clay, was struck broadside by large waves and listed heavily in stormy…
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Special Report: Permission to function in Phuket
Special Report PHUKET: The separate arrests of a German man and a Swiss man at their homes in Chalong late last month (story here) by Immigration officials sent a chill through the law-abiding expat community in Phuket. The two men were arrested despite their protests that they were each building their own boat for their own private use. The Phuket…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Drone strikes killing civilians; Brazil sugar blaze paralysis; South Africans demand justice for child murders; Aussie wildfire kills one
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pakistan tells U.N. at least 400 civilians killed by drone strikes Reuters/Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pakistan has confirmed that of some 2,200 people killed by drone strikes in the past decade, at least 400 were civilians and an additional 200 victims were deemed “probable non-combatants,” a U.N.…
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Top Phuket official issued urgent order to relinquish post
PHUKET: Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol has been ordered out of Phuket, effective October 28. Mr Veera told the Phuket Gazette that he received the “urgent order” to leave the province within 10 days at 3pm today. “I actually heard the news last night, but the official order came this afternoon,” he said. “I have not been given a precise…
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Phuket Opinion: Scare tactics to keep Chinese safe
PHUKET: A few weeks ago I was swimming at Racha Island, in Batok Bay. When I got out past the breakers I found myself face-to-face with a Chinese man on a boogie board. He immediately struck up a conversation with me, asking where I was from. After determining that I do not speak Chinese and have no plans to visit…
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Phuket Opinion: New top cop staying tough on drugs
The new Phuket Provincial Police Commander, Ong-art Phiwruangnont, 59, is from Yasothon. He graduated from the Royal Police Cadet Academy and has spent his entire career in the police force. Before coming to Phuket, Maj Gen Ong-art was Provincial Police Commander in Nakhon Ratchasima.Here he talks about why his priority is eradicating drugs from Phuket, and why gambling should be…
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Former Phang Nga official assassinated at relative’s funeral
PHUKET: A former Phang Nga official was assassinated by a single bullet to the head while dining at his cousin’s funeral in Ao Luek, Krabi, early yesterday morning.Sittipon Thongkum, 49, was shot dead while sitting down to eat with relatives at the funeral of Somchok Khammee’s brother. Mr Somchok is village headman of Moo 2, Khao Yai, in Krabi.“People said…
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Investigators find no bodies in charred ruins of SuperCheap, yet
PHUKET: Investigators searching the scorched remains of SuperCheap discovered no bodies yesterday but called for boots and rakes as they recommenced their search this morning.“I have already requested the equipment from the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor),” Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut told the press today.Amid concerns that the debris and smoke may pose an environmental hazard, officials from the Natural…
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Phuket SuperCheap blaze damage estimated at B500mn
PHUKET: After 18 years in Phuket, the main SuperCheap store and warehouse were gutted on Wednesday in the island’s largest-ever fire.Located on a 30-rai (4.8-hectare) plot once occupied by a factory, the main SuperCheap store – a legacy of the Anantajaroonwong family – had grown from being a rickety warehouse supported by wooden pillars and a corrugated-iron roof into a…
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