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Hostage suspect tests negative for drugs
PHUKET TOWN: The suspect arrested in yesterday’s dramatic murder and hostage taking on Soi Hutchana Nivet was found to have no trace of ya bah (methamphetamine) in his system, though during the hostage negotiations he had claimed to have taken the drug in large quantities over the past few weeks. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station,…
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Broken-hearted man hangs himself
PHUKET TOWN: A young man committed suicide by hanging himself from a beam because his boyfriend had left him for a woman, police said today. Pol Capt Chokechai Suttimake, of Phuket Town Police Station, said the body of Thanuthong Patchim, 21, was found in his house in Tambon Rassada by neighbors on Wednesday morning. He added that K. Thanuthong had…
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Brutal double murder in Chalong
CHALONG: Police are searching for a Burmese rubber tapper after the discovery on Tuesday in Soi Nakok, Moo 5, of the mutilated bodies of a man and a woman, in what police are calling a “love triangle” double homicide. Pol Capt Anak Mongkul, of the Chalong District Police Station, said the bodies were found in a rubber plantation 100 meters…
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Robber caught, another on the run
CHERNG TALAY: Police yesterday arrested Laotian construction worker Kae Kampukao, 19, for his part in a robbery in which a woman was threatened with a hammer, and are hunting his Thai partner-in-crime. Pol Maj Gen Kongpol Suwannaraks, Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, said this afternoon that at about 4:30 pm on Tuesday, local resident Saowarak Inyam, 28, reported to police…
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Drug abuse in Phuket “on the rise’
PHUKET: A two-day conference involving 60 officers with an interest in controlling drug abuse was told today that the number of narcotics cases in Phuket could rise dramatically this year. “There were about 1,500 cases last year. This year the number may be 2,000,” Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi told the conference. Concern is also growing about the increasing use in…
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Craft fair to mark 100 years of jail
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket is to host an unusual national craft fair at Saphan Hin from July 20 to 26. The fair will mark the 100th anniversary of the island’s prison and will be titled, appropriately, “Neung Roi Phi Kangmanmook” – 100 Years of the Prison. National Corrections Department director general Siva Saengmanee flew in yesterday morning from Bangkok to announce…
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Dengue danger “greater this year’
PHUKET: Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong, chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) warned yesterday that the chances of people contracting dengue fever this year are higher than they were last year. According to figures released from the Ministry of Health, in the year to June 29 there have been 43,893 reported cases of the mosquito-borne disease in Thailand, and 64…
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Sri Lanka diplomat in talks over weapons
PHUKET: Nimal Sirinathan, First Secretary of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Thailand, today met with senior police officers from Phuket to discuss the weapons seized at the fishing port last week. Mr Sirinathan met with Pol Maj Gen Kongpol Suwannaraks, Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, and Phuket Town Police Superintendent Pol Col Paween Pongsirin. After the meeting, Col Paween said…
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Thai-Burma border “may reopen soon’
RANONG: Speculation is growing that Thailand’s border with Burma, closed since May 22, may reopen later this month. Closure of the border has resulted in major economic losses on both sides of the border, and has restricted visa run options for foreigners in the South of Thailand An officer at the Immigration Department in Ranong told the Gazette today, “We’ve…
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Rough seas hurl two boats onto the rocks
PATONG: Two tour boats being towed from Phuket to Ranong ended up on the rocks on Saturday afternoon after the line connecting them to their tugboat snapped in rough seas. A call came in to Marine Police from a friend on shore who had received a distress call from four crewmen on the “Salten 2”, caught on the rocks near…
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Swiss tourist ignores warning, drowns
KARON: A Swiss tourist drowned and another man was pulled from the water after ignoring a beach guard’s warning not to go swimming yesterday. The visitor, named by police as Peter Dominik Kennel, 40, was pulled from the sea unconscious and died on the way to hospital. Officers said that at about 3:30 pm the two friends finished drinking in…
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Another body found in “Burmese Cemetery’
PHUKET TOWN: The string of murders of Burmese fishermen continues with yet another body found in the notorious “Burmese Cemetery” area at the weekend. The body, stabbed more than 10 times, was found face-down at the end of Laem Tukkae, near Sri Sena Rd, on Sunday afternoon. The killing follows murders in two separate incidents last week. It brings the…
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Island facing drought crisis
PHUKET: The current water shortage on Phuket could become a crisis by the end of this month unless substantial rain falls in the meantime. Water is no longer being supplied from Bang Wad Dam, the island’s main reservoir, for fear that the dam wall may crack if the level falls too far. Water from nine former tin mines is now…
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Gov defends “average’ satisfaction rating
PHUKET TOWN: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today defended his performance during his first six months as Governor CEO, from October last year to March. The Governor’s defense of his record followed the release of the results of a survey by the Rajabhat Institute Phuket of local levels of satisfaction with Gov Pongpayome’s performance. Addressing a public forum held at the…
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Sex-change operation draws a crowd
PHUKET TOWN: A large audience of doctors, hospital staff and representatives of the press today watched a man become a woman during six hours of sex-change surgery. The onlookers, including some 40 visiting members of the Thai Physicians of America Association, snacked on lunch while they watched the video conference broadcast. Phuket’s own world-renowned sex-change expert, Dr Sa’nguan Kunaporn performed…
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Manhunt for second war weapons suspect
PHUKET: Police yesterday began a search for a second man they believe was involved in the transport of weapons seized at the fishing port Tuesday, after they discovered he was the registered owner of the pick-up truck seized for allegedly being used to transport the weapons of war. When Prachumpon Raampung, who had been driving the Toyota Tiger pick-up, was…
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Governor shuts three nightspots
PHUKET TOWN: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has ordered three entertainment venues to close for 30 days because under-age patrons were found on the premises. Random checks by police on other venues are to continue between midnight and 2 am as part of the “better social order” policy of the province. The three venues are the Jammin Music Club on Poonphol…
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Property auction nets B239m
PHUKET: An auction at the weekend of 51 properties repossessed by banks brought in more than 239 million baht, and the Phuket Legal Execution Department (PLED) says there’s much more to come. Properties coming up in two more auctions could take the total over one billion baht, the PLED estimates. Saeksan Suksang, chief of the PLED, said the first day…
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Woman robbed in motorbike ambush
WICHIT: Three men on two motorbikes early yesterday morning forced a woman riding her motorbike along Sakdidet Rd to pull over and then robbed her of her mobile phone and 2,000 baht. Pol Lt Parichat Chaturonpan, from Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that Jiemjit Baewtungnoi, 31, reported the robbery at 7 am yesterday. He said that K. Jiemjit…
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Man drowns in rescue attempt
NAI THON: A young man drowned off Nai Thon Beach Saturday evening while trying to rescue one of his friends. The victim was named as Prisana Sripetch, 23, from Trang, who worked as a loss prevention officer at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa. Pol Maj Suppawat Suksiri, an inspector at Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette…
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Fireworks festival postponed
PHUKET TOWN: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has rescheduled its fireworks festival, which was originally slated to be held at Saphan Hin on July 26. Naphasorn Kakai, Assistant Director of TAT Region 4, today announced that the 45-minute spectacular, using more than 4,000 skyrockets costing about 2 million baht, will now be held on August 12. She explained that…
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Illegal aliens top arrest stats again
PHUKET: The number of illegal immigrants arrested between June 1 and 25 was more than double the number for the same period in May, according to the latest statistics from police. Last month, police arrested 198 illegal aliens, compared with 75 during the same period in May. However, May saw a huge drop in the number of aliens arrested, falling…
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Workplace anti-drug program announced
PHUKET: The Office of Labor Protection and Welfare of Phuket (LPWP) is urging businesses to join the “White Service Business” scheme, which aims to protect workers from illegal drugs. To join the scheme, a business must follow eight rules: 1. Have a clear policy about illegal drugs in the workplace. 2. Display anti-drug messages on signs. 3. Set up a…
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Drug offenders continue to fill prison
PHUKET: Of the 1,232 inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison, 622 have been convicted or are awaiting trial on drug-related charges, according to the latest statistics, released by prison officials on Thursday. A total of 488 men and 134 women are incarcerated in connection with narcotics offenses – more than half the prison population. Of the remaining prisoners, 220 are being…
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Dolphin rescued by Patong villagers
PATONG: A 1.83-meter striped dolphin, or Stenella coeruleoalba, washed up on Patong Beach yesterday evening and was rescued by villagers. It is now being cared for at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). The 60-kilogram male dolphin was found at around 6 pm, stranded at the rocky north end of Patong Beach, by villagers who spent more than four hours…
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Rotted corpse found behind Wat Chalong
CHALONG: The badly decomposed body of an unidentified man, who police believe may have died about six months ago from a drug overdose, was found behind Wat Chalong yesterday morning. Pol Col Sati Malakanont, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station, today told the Gazette that he and other officers went to investigate the gruesome discovery after a local resident called the…
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Gov arrests two, nets 600 ya bah pills
PHUKET TOWN: A squad of 12 officers handpicked by Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi this afternoon arrested a couple, Lateng Artharn, 46, and Sa’ard Somwang, 35, on charges of possession and trafficking in ya bah (methamphetamine). The officers, all members of Phuket’s Provincial Defense Office (PDO), arrested the couple at 12:30 pm in a sting operation at the 999 hotel on…
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Mayor denies he staged shooting
PATONG: The Mayor of Patong, Surasak Maneesri, today shrugged off allegations that he had staged Sunday’s assassination attempt on him in a bid to garner sympathy votes for the upcoming mayoral election. He also said it was not the first time that someone had paid to have him shot. In a previous incident, he explained, a gunman who was about…
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Four accuse police of shake-down
PHUKET TOWN: A group of four men from Patong today alleged that police officers in the town had falsely accused them of betting on soccer and coerced them into providing “evidence” for their own conviction. Suwat “Dong” Kitsa-nga, 33, a roadside vendor, and three of his employees made the accusations to leaders of the Phuket Reporters Association (PRA) at the…
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Another stabbing in “Burmese Cemetery’
PHUKET TOWN: The body of a man believed to have been a Burmese fisherman was found floating in the water near Sri Sena Rd on Monday afternoon. The victim had been stabbed about 30 times. Pol Lt Col Tawate Pleumsuk, an inspector at Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that the man was found by villagers floating face down…
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