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Thai Obama sings to a different tune
SARABURI: While your average Southeast Asian would struggle to make his way in the world as a Gerorge W Bush lookalike, America’s dashing new president is providing some exciting new career prospects for some men across the region. One Indonesian has already found fame in the Philippines owing to his uncanny resemblance to President Barack Obama. He was well compensated…
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Irishman fights off crazed attacker
RAWAI, PHUKET: An Irish guesthouse operator is lucky to be alive after fending off a brutal nighttime assault by a crazed, gun-wielding intruder on Tuesday, March 3.Roger Corrigan, 48-year-old proprietor of the Majestic Villas resort on Saiyuan Rd, was awoken at about 4:30 am by a man who jumped on him as he slept in his bed and began beating…
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Billionaires Lead Phuket’s Top 5 Rich and Famous Villa List
PHUKET: Thailand’s resort island of Phuket is fast becoming the place for the rich and famous in search of tropical island living coupled with great investment. According to the recently-launched Phuket Insider blog, two of Forbes magazine’s leading billionaires have uber-luxury villas in Phuket. Phuket’s “Top 5” are reported as: 1. New Zealand’s wealthiest brothers, Richard and Christopher Chandler (one…
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Dive boat disaster: Japanese victim recovered
PHUKET CITY: The body of missing Japanese dive tourist Hirotsuga Yuba was recovered by divers this morning, leaving only the Thai cook of the ill-fated Choke Somboon 19 unaccounted for after the vessel sunk during a storm on Sunday night. The bodies of four European tourists who were trapped in their cabins when the vessel capsized were recovered by divers…
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Trang woman commits suicide in Rassada
RASSADA, PHUKET: A woman who committed suicide by hanging was found in the living room of her daughter’s home late Tuesday morning. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Anek Mongkol identified the deceased as 45-year-old Lamoon Injan, a resident of the Wangwiset District in Trang. At about 11:30 am, Mrs Lamoon’s daughter discovered her mother’s body suspended by the neck from…
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Slight drop in demand for residential properties
PHUKET CITY: Demand for residential projects in Phuket has dropped slightly due to the global economic downturn, the Government Housing Bank’s Real Estate Information Center (REIC) confirmed recently. According to an REIC survey, residential projects ready for sale in Phuket now numbered 139, or 12,334 units, said REIC Director-General Samma Kitsin at a recent seminar at the Royal Phuket City…
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Four bodies found in sunken dive boat
PHUKET: The Phuket branch of the Department of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) confirmed this afternoon that the bodies of four more victims from the dive boat Choke Somboon 19 have been discovered inside the sunken vessel.Deep sea divers have been working with Marine Police since first light this morning to reach the sunken vessel, which lies 70 meters below…
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Phuket has a serious new blog
PHUKET: ThePhuketInsider.Com, a major new blog described as “The Source for All Hotel & Real Estate News”, was launched today by Phuket Gazette columnist Bill Barnett, the well-known local property and hospitality consultant. Barnett is the Managing Director of Phuket-based C9 Hotelworks. His blog is slated to become something quite special for readers with an interest in the ‘Greater Phuket’…
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Red Cross Vigo auction on March 18
PHUKET CITY: The Toyota Vigo that was top prize in the 2009 Phuket Red Cross Fair raffle is to be auctioned on March 18. The 650,000-baht pick-up remained unclaimed at the midnight deadline on Saturday February 28, prompting the auction. Bidding will take place at the Phuket Red Cross Office on Narisorn Rd. Prospective buyers should arrive at the office…
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Thai AirAsia to add direct Hong Kong flights in June
PHUKET / BANGKOK: Thai AirAsia is planning to start direct flights between Phuket and Hong Kong in June and will push Phuket as a second hub in Thailand. An executive of the budget airline said daily flights between the two cities would use new A320s, scheduled for delivery in June. Phuket will be given more links with major destinations in…
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Drowning victim’s body recovered off Rawai
RAWAI, PHUKET: A fishing trip ended in tragedy on Sunday, when a small fiberglass boat with three men aboard sank in a storm off Koh Bon in Rawai. Kathu resident Attakorn Chaiboon, 40, drowned in the accident, which happened at around 8.30 pm. His body was finally recovered from the sea at 3.10 pm on Tuesday. Two survivors, 33-year-old Sittichai…
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Body of sunken dive vessel victim identified
PHUKET CITY: The identity of the female tourist whose body was recovered by a Royal Thai Navy vessel this morning has been confirmed as that of Austrian national Gabrielle Jetzinger, a source at the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) has revealed. Ms Jetzinger was among seven passengers still listed as missing after the dive…
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Body of Caucasian woman recovered at sea
AO MAKHAM, PHUKET: The body of a Caucasian woman was this morning found floating near the site of the sinking of the Choke Somboon 19, which capsized about 12 nautical miles off Phuket on Sunday night. For the original story, click here. The identity of the woman has not yet been confirmed. Her body, recovered by a Royal Thai Navy…
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Strong evidence against alleged British pedophile: Kathu Police
PATONG, PHUKET: A British man arrested for allegedly molesting four young boys was returned to Kathu Police Station for a press conference last night, but the conference was delayed pending the arrest of a second suspect on similar charges. A team of Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officers, with the assistance of Kathu Police, arrested 41-year-old UK national Dax J.…
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Seven still missing after freak storm sinks boat near Phuket
PHUKET: Following the sinking of a boat last night that was carrying tourists returning to Phuket from a diving trip near the Similan islands, six foreign tourists and one Thai member of the boat’s crew are still missing. Police have issued the following list of seven people who were on the boat but remain unaccounted for: German national Ms Jetzinger…
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British expat denies child molestation charges
PATONG, PHUKET: A British man is being held for alleged sexual assault on four young schoolboys between the ages of nine and 14. Department of Special Investigations (DSI) officer Pol Maj Jatuporn Arunleaktawin identified the suspect as British national Dax J. Young, a 41-year-old Caucasian arrested by DSI officers and Kathu Police over the weekend in his rented home in…
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Jyoti scuba dives his way to win the Singha Thailand Open
LAGUNA PHUKET: After starting the day as joint leader in the final day of the Singha Thailand Open golf tournament in Phuket, Indian national Jyoti Randhawa won the four-day event to take home the King’s Cup and nearly US$80,000. Jyoti led at the 40th Singha Thailand Open at the start of today’s play with fellow Indian SSP Chowrasia and Welshman…
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Another murder as meatball dispute turns fatal
RASSADA, PHUKET: A dispute between rival meatball (look chin) vendors ended in murder last night when one man slashed the other’s throat and left him lying dead in a pool of his own blood. The murderer turned himself in to police soon after, claiming that he had acted in self defense. Phuket City Police Duty Inspector Peeraphan Meemak was informed…
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Six arrested in Degioanni murder case
PATONG, PHUKET: The suspected mastermind behind the murder of Canadian real estate developer Francis Alex Degioanni is in police custody. Police say Singaporean national Go Li Fun, 32, confessed she had Mr Degioanni killed after he refused to pay several million baht in personal loans. Better known as “Diana”, the Singaporean is alleged to have paid four men from Petchaburi…
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Warrant issued in Farang restaurant murder case
PHUKET CITY: Police have issued an arrest warrant for the man suspected of murdering the owner of Phuket’s popular Farang restaurant chain. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit revealed the name of the wanted man as Prapan Inkong, 27. He declined to release the man’s address or other information for fear of jeopardizing the investigation. Police believe that Prapan was…
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Drug crackdown in Patong pubs
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police last night dispatched three groups of officers to conduct random drug checks of staff and patrons at nightclubs in Phuket. One group of officers checked bars along Soi Bangla, another group checked bars along the beach road, and a third group went to Phang Muang and Sirirat Roads at the south end of Patong. Kathu Police Inspector…
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Senate panel proposes ‘Special Economic Zone’ status for Phuket
BANGKOK / PHUKET: A special Senate committee proposed this afternoon that the government turn Phuket into a Special Economic Zone [SEZ] for tourism to facilitate tourism developments on the island province. Songkram Chuenban, the chairman of the ad hoc panel, said the committee made a trip to the province and found that it had a lot of problems that could…
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Five arrested for Degioanni murder
KATHU, PHUKET: Kathu Police have arrested five men in connection with the murder in Phuket of Canadian real estate developer Francis Alex Degioanni. One man was arrested yesterday and a further four today, following the issuance of arrest warrants. Police were unwilling to release the suspects’ names at the time of filing this report. It is understood that the mastermind…
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63s lead the way on day one of Singha Thailand Open
LAGUNA, PHUKET: Indian Digvijay Singh and Australian Mitchell Brown set the first round of the Singha Thailand Open alight after the pair posted superb seven-under-par 63s, to lead the field by one stroke. Singh who started with an eagle on the first, produced a flawless round which culminated with a another eagle at the last hole after his approach from…
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Tee time! Singha Thailand Open underway
LAGUNA PHUKET: The 2009 Singha Thailand Open golf tournament starts today, with the stars of the Asian Tour well prepared after several practice days on the fairways and greens of the modified Laguna Phuket championship course. Among those with high hopes to win the event is Thai superstar Thongchai Jaidee, fresh from his victory at last week’s Indonesian Open. The…
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Fire on Soi Kebsup
PATONG, PHUKET: A fire broke out at the Kebsup Shopping Plaza along the beach road in Patong last night, causing over a million baht in damage – but no injuries. The blaze broke out at around midnight at one of the many stalls selling tourist-oriented items at the mouth of the soi, well known for its tailor shops, bars and…
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Phuket roads among Thailand’s most dangerous
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is among Thailand’s top five provinces in terms of the number of road injuries and deaths each year, according Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Chalit Tinthanee. Figures from state hospitals in Phuket show that in 2008 there were 13,840 injuries and 136 deaths resulting from road accidents. Actual figures are significantly higher, as admissions to Phuket’s three…
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School milk below standard quality, but safe
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Public Health Office has released test results indicating that milk provided to government school students under the free “school milk” scheme is below standard in terms of nutrition, but safe to drink. Office chief Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang said samples of milk from three government schools in Phuket were last week sent for analysis to the Ministry…
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Arrest warrant issued for Farang Restaurant killing
PHUKET CITY: Police have issued an arrest warrant for a man suspected of carrying out the murder of the owner of the popular Farang restaurant chain. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit gave the name of the wanted man as Prapan Inkong, 27. He declined to release the man’s address or other information for fear of jeopardizing the investigation. Police…
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Top cop expects arrests in three murder cases ‘soon’
PHUKET CITY: The Royal Thai Police Region 8 Commander has ordered Phuket Provincial Police and three local police stations to expedite their investigations into three high-profile murders that have taken place on the island in just the past ten days – two involving foreigners. After meeting with the heads of the Kathu, Phuket City and Tung Tong Police Districts where…
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