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Man arrested for Nanai Rd murder
PATONG: Phuket City Police early Saturday morning arrested a man for the stabbing murder of a woman who ran a snooker club and bar on Nanai Rd. Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak identified the deceased as 31-year-old Krongjit Kantakart, from Lamphun province. Miss Kronjit’s murder was reported to Kathu Police at 1 am by her boyfriend, Suppachai Julawong, owner…
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Pork sales plunged during Vegetable Frenzy
PHUKET CITY: Much has been written about high prices of vegetables during the Vegetarian Festival, especially with recent flooding in other parts of the country destroying crops. But the 10-day period of vegetable-only consumption also had an impact on meat prices, especially in Phuket City, where the ethnic Chinese who make up the bulk of those taking part are typically…
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Deputy PM Chavalit resigns
BANGKOK (The Nation): Deputy Prime Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh tendered his resignation this morning to take responsibility for police brutality against anti-government demonstraters in Bangkok last night. For photos of the violence, click here. Gen Chavalit was deputy prime minister in charge of security. He is reported to have resigned in shame at the use of violence by the government…
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Guns seized at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint
TAH CHAT CHAI: Provincial and regional police held a press conference on October 5 to announce the seizure of 10 guns recovered during random checks at the Tah Chat Chai road checkpoint over a three-day period. The press conference was conducted jointly by Police Region 8 Commander Lt Gen Santarn Chayanon and Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong. The seizures…
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Phuket PAD to join Bangkok protest after Veg Fest
BANGKOK (The Nation, Gazette): Despite the recent arrests of two key People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders, the group’s Phuket members will refrain from taking any action in the province until the end of the Vegetarian Festival 2008 that ends tomorrow, its leadership has confirmed.Following the arrest of core PAD leader Chaiwat Sinsuwong last Friday, Southern region PAD coordinator Sunthorn…
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Child Labor in Phuket shames Junta
PHUKET: Burmese daily newspaper True News was ordered by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Board of Myanmar to suspend publication for two months, following its publication on September 30 of a large image depicting a Burmese child working on a construction site in Phuket.Mr Yeni, News Editor at The Irrawaddy, told the Gazette that, “An anonymous freelancer in Rangoon told…
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Phuket to host huge medical tourism conference in ’09
PHUKET: In September 2009, Phuket will host more than 1,200 delegates of The World Medical Health Tourism Conference: A New Way Forward in 2009, Karon-based event organizers SOS Medical Tourism Services have announced. Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB)’s participation and sponsorship of the event aims to promote Thailand as a destination for medical tourism, as well as for international…
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PAD Leader Chamlong Arrested
BANGKOK (The Nation): Political peace efforts suffered another big blow this morning with the arrest of key PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang. Eye-witnesses said Chamlong was arrested and detained at a voting booth for today’s elections for Bangkok governor. Chamlong had gone there to cast his own vote. He was arrested at 8 am when the polling station opened. His arrest…
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VIPs get familiar with Bangla
PATONG: Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat last night greeted tourists amidst the bright lights and booming sounds of Patong’s Soi Bangla, the heart of the island’s adult nightlife entertainment industry. Mr Weerasak was accompanied by Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban, Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnark and a number of foreign ambassadors. The diplomats are…
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Dengue conference will go on, says Hilton
KARON: Reports that the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa is planning to cancel the upcoming international summit on dengue fever out of fear of a People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest at the resort are unfounded, a hotel spokesperson has confirmed. The Thai-language Manager online news service this morning reported that the hotel’s management called the Ministry of Public…
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‘Immigration Cards’ coming by year end
BANGKOK (TNA): A new immigration card will be introduced for Thais and foreigners who frequently enter and leave Thailand, the state-run Thai News Agency (TNA) has reported. The agency quoted Immigration Police chief Pol Lt Gen Chatchawan Suksomchit as saying holders of the “Immigration Card” will include those who travel in and out of the country three to five times…
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Big turnout for Samkong Shrine procession
PHUKET CITY: Crowds lined the streets in Samkong this morning for the Vegetarian Festival procession starting at Lim Hu Tai Su Shrine, which kicked off at the auspicious time of 7:19 am after two hours of religious ceremonies. Visual highlights of the spectacle included dancing dragons and teams of men carrying ornate Chinese palanquins, with the deafening sounds of exploding…
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Can I have your wife?
LOEI: A long friendship ended in tragedy on the night of August 30, when a man visiting his buddy’s house without warning asked if he could have his friend’s wife.At 7 am on August 31, Pak Chom Police duty officer Thongphum Premlao received a call from a villager, who reported a dead body hidden in a banana plantation near Ban…
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Phuket gets dismal rating for human security
BANGKOK (The Nation): Out of Thailand’s 76 provinces, human security is best in Chiangmai, worst in Bangkok, and second worst in Phuket, according to a 2007 government survey. “Phuket is second from the bottom,” Suwinai Wattatham, a senior official at the Human Security and Social Development Ministry, told a seminar yesterday. Against the average human-security score for the whole country…
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American assault victim thinks she has found her attacker
RAWAI: One of two American women brutally assaulted by motorcycle-borne snatch bandits in recent months called the Gazette late this afternoon to say she is “100% certain” that the man who assaulted her was the same man arrested by Chalong Police early Sunday morning. For background on the case, see the two previous stories here and here: Sheila McCormick, who…
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Veggiefest 2008 underway
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit yesterday celebrated the first official day of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival like thousands of other Phuket residents, by dressing up in white and enjoying a meat-free meal at a local shrine, in this case the Jui Tui Shrine on Soi Phuton. Gov Niran intends to refrain from meat and observe other rituals throughout the…
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Chalong cops nab snatch-and-run bandit
KATA: With the wave of snatch-and-run robberies in Chalong Police District making national television news in recent days, police there have been under intense pressure to put the guilty behind bars. Their first break came early yesterday morning with the arrest of a construction worker whose crime spree came to an abrupt halt at about 4 am when he crashed…
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Muggings in Rawai continue
RAWAI: A year after the still-unsolved murder of Norwegian Simen Knudsen, violent robberies against foreigners on motorcycles continue in Rawai – with the the perpetrators now carrying out attacks in populated areas during broad daylight.The latest victim is 38-year-old Sandra Ullrich, who suffered two fractures to the back of her skull when a pair of Thai men on a motorcycle…
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PAD vows no further disruptions to Phuket tourism
PHUKET: Although there were attempts at Suratthani Airport to disrupt Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat’s visit to Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday, Phuket International Airport (PIA) will not be closed again. The Director of PIA, Wing Commander Wicha Nernlop, said that Phuket’s airport security has been increased and that no protesters are expected to disrupt operations there again. Phuket’s airport was shut…
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Renowned awards see Bangkok best for leisure
LONDON: Bangkok has been named “Best Leisure Destination” in the Asia-Pacific Region, and Phuket came in second best in the rankings by readers of Business Traveller Asia Pacific magazine in its Annual Travel Awards 2008. Bangkok’s Ascott Sathorn and Fraser Place Langsuan were voted first and third, respectively, in the category of “Best Serviced Residence” in Asia-Pacific, while Novotel at…
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Unlicensed foreigners in 60% of Patong motorbike accidents
PATONG (TNA, Gazette): The poorly-regulated “motorbike for hire” industry in Patong has contributed to an alarming number of motorcycle accidents in Kathu district, where more than half of the 500 accidents reported to Kathu Police involved unlicensed foreign motorcyclists, the government’s Thai News Agency (TNA) has reported. With many motorcycle rental shops in Patong, foreign tourists and expats can easily…
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Kamala hillside projects halted; others under investigation
KAMALA: A special adviser to the Minister for Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) on September 16 toured several sites in Kamala to inspect reports of encroachment and other building violations on projects there, as well as work on two hillside projects in the area that had already been ordered halted pending further investigation. Maj Gen Intarat Yodbangtoey toured the sites…
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Court denies bail for motorcycle taxi driver
PHUKET CITY: Chainart Yuyen, the Patong motorcycle taxi driver arrested for the September 13 shooting murder of another motorcycle taxi driver from a rival queue, has been denied bail by the Phuket Provincial Court. Accompanied by relatives, Chainart, 31, turned himself over to police on September 15. He has allegedly confessed to the murder of 31-year-old Pornchai “Ko-Cherd” Suwannakin, who…
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American drowns off Karon Beach
KARON: Despite relatively calm conditions at the time, an American man drowned at Karon Beach Wednesday afternoon.Chalong Police Duty Officer Sanguan Muangtham identified the deceased as 54-year-old Michael Stephen Jones, holder of an American passport. At around 4:30 pm on Wednesday, tourists and members of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Beach Guard noticed Mr Jones was in trouble about 20…
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Two injured at Patong construction site
PATONG: Two construction workers were lucky to escape with their lives when the floor of a building they were working on suddenly collapsed on the afternoon of September 18. Kathu Police Duty Officer Patak Khwunna, who was informed of the accident at about 12:20 pm, rushed to the scene with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers. The site of the floor collapse…
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Phuket’s “Android Humanoid’ shuts down
PHUKET CITY: Phuket lost one of its local characters on Friday when Andrew Newman passed away in Bangkok Hospital Phuket, aged 57, presumably of a heart attack. Andrew, a well-loved member of the local sailing community, was responsible for several local websites as he was first and foremost a computer programmer known as “Android Humanoid”. This self-penned nickname came from…
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Phuket divers unite for underwater cleanup
PHUKET: Several boatloads carrying teams of experienced divers visited local reefs over the weekend, taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup Day 2008 activities organized by the UN-affiliated Green Fins Thailand initiative. Off Koh Maiton, about 10 kilometers southeast of Cape Panwa, some 30 divers led by Sea Bees Diving tour operator Stefan Hinterberger descended on an open-water dive site…
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Patong Hospital creaking under workload
PATONG (The Nation): Medical workers, including the director at Patong Hospital in Phuket, have quit the Public Health Ministry due to the enormous workload in the area, the hospital’s director, Dr Taveesak Netwongse, said. As Phuket attracts many tourists, Patong Hospital was forced to expand from a 10-bed hospital to a 60-bed one to treat the increasing number of locals…
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Morning of the living dead
NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Anyone calling in to Wat Pa Satharuam on August 22 could be forgiven for thinking they’d stumbled upon the aftermath of a natural disaster, seeing row after row of coffins lined up on the the temple grounds.Anyone waiting a little longer, however, would get even more of a shock when, after watching the death rites, the occupants of…
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Canadian warship ports in Phuket
CAPE PANWA: The HMCS Calgary arrived in Phuket yesterday from Oman, where its mission was to boost security against pirates, Vuti Jitratkosol, ordinary consul to Phuket for the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok, told the Gazette today. Although the advanced warship’s crew of 230 sailors were called back to the ship yesterday, the seamen were allowed to resume their RnR (rest…
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