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Sneaky thief
BANGKOK: After waking up to find that their house had been broken into, a high-society couple in Bangkok were left more than a little confused when they discovered that the thief had ignored a selection of diamond and gold jewelry – instead making off with more than 20 pairs of shoes. The crime scene, an elegant European-style house that had…
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Road widening causing traffic delays
WICHIT: Motorists using Chao Fa West Rd are feeling the pinch as work on the Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) project to resurface and widen the main artery to four lanes progresses.Project contractor SCG Construction Company Ltd is currently working on two stretches of the road. The first starts just south of the Darasamut/Central Festival Intersection and ends approximately 1.5 kilometers south…
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THAI to increase flight prices
THAILAND: Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced that it will increase its ticket prices on both domestic and long-haul international flights yet again, citing increased fuel costs.But prices on flights to some destinations within Southeast Asia will be cut.The new prices will come into effect from June 1.The price adjustments will be calculated based on the distance flown. This means that while…
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Meechai takes care of his dad
SONGKHLA: Acquaintances of 45-year-old Meechai say he has a history of mental confusion that requires occasional incarceration and treatment; and indeed, as events proved in the early hours of April 16, he has difficulty sorting out questions of right and wrong. Nonetheless, all things considered, his heart seems to be in the right place. Meechai had gone with his aged…
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Veteran CBC broadcaster dies snorkeling
PHUKET: Veteran Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) broadcaster Lorne Saxberg died on Saturday while snorkeling with friends off Koh Khai, Phang Nga. The 48-year-old Ontarian had been holidaying in Phuket. An officer from Phuket City Police Station told the Gazette, “We received a report at about 4 pm on Saturday that a man had died while swimming in Phang Nga Province.…
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Mission to salvage human torpedoes
PHUKET CITY: Chalong-based marine engineer Capt Chris Parton yesterday asked Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura for permission to salvage two World War II Chariots – sometimes know as “human torpedoes” – from the sea floor off Koh Dok Mai.The Chariots – torpedoes powered by batteries and converted to carry scuba divers – were used 62 years ago by Britain’s Royal Navy…
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Rainy season blows in
PHUKET: The annual southwest monsoon has arrived, dumping millions of tons of water on Phuket yesterday and flooding part of Karon.Chumnong Chitpukdee, Director of the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) Phuket told the Gazette today that more heavy rain can be expected in the coming few days, especially in the afternoons and evening – along with more flooding.He said that…
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Company accountant shot while jogging
PHUKET CITY: Police are scratching their heads after company accountant Somporn Pattanakij, 61, was shot dead by a gunman while jogging with his wife near Suan Luang Park early yesterday morning.The gunman shot K. Somporn once in the face with an 11mm pistol before jumping on a motorcycle and being driven away by an accomplice.K. Somporn died while being taken…
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New “Mayor’ for Laguna
CHERNG TALAY: Michael Ayling will take over from James Batt next month as Managing Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels PCL (LRH), the Gazette has learned.Mr Ayling, who was born in Kent, England, is an Associate Chartered Accountant of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and holds a BA (Hons) in accounting and finance from Manchester Metropolitan…
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Gumballers launch from Phuket
PHUKET: Movie star Darryl Hannah of Kill Bill fame, stuntman extraordinaire Ryan Dunn, Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Jackass’s Bam Margera, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, hip-hop superstar Missy Elliot, singer Pink and many others were among participants in the Gumball 3000 race, which took off with smoking tires from Phuket this morning, headed for Bangkok.The rally participants, driving everything from ancient…
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World music festival for Patong Beach
PHUKET: Popular entertainer Todd Thongdee and Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura met this morning to discuss a festival of world music to be held in Patong from December 26 to 30.The aim of the event, which will be called Music World, is to bring together musicians from 14 tsunami-affected countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Malaysia, Indonesia and Somalia, to perform live on…
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Officials launch crackdown on smuggled fuel
PATONG: Marine Police and Customs officers are conducting random inspections of ships in the Andaman region while police officers and Department of Energy officials are inspecting gas stations on the island in a crackdown on fuel being smuggled into Thailand.Arthon Keesiri, Director of the Investigation and Suppression Office, Excise Department, Ministry of Finance, announced at a seminar on Saturday, “The…
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Beware of police impostors – Police Chief
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Decha Budnampeth yesterday warned people to be on the lookout for gangsters impersonating police officers.“Many rubber plantation owners have complained that thieves are disguising themselves as police, and even carrying pistols, in order to demand money from their Burmese laborers,” Gen Decha said.“Most cases reported have been from labor camps in…
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Chinese official calls for greater safety for tourists
PHUKET CITY: Yao Bomin, China’s Consul-General in Songkhla, has called for the Thai government to help make travel to Phuket safer for Chinese tourists following the deaths of three Chinese nationals from accidents in Phuket earlier this year.“The Chinese government is very concerned about the safety of Chinese tourists, especially as three have died as a result of accidents in…
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CAT cuts overseas call rates
THAILAND: CAT Telecom yesterday cut international call rates to 10 countries to 5 baht a minute, whether calls are made from a fixed-line phone or a mobile phone.CAT Deputy Managing Director Maroot Buranasettakul said that rates for all 009-prefix calls to Brunei, Canada, China (including Hong Kong and Macao), Guam, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore and the US (including Alaska…
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Publisher assassinated
PHUKET CITY: Opas Noothong, 59, owner of the recently-launched newspaper Fahkumnod (“Natural Order”) and of the Jao Khun Karaoke on Luang Por Rd, was gunned down by two teenagers while walking back to his office about 11:30 pm on Saturday.Pol Capt Rassada Kluengwong, of Phuket City Police Station, told the Gazette, “Witnesses said that K. Opas was walking from Chatuchak…
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THAI, Bangkok Airways sign cooperation deal
BANGKOK: Rivals Thai Airways International (THAI) and Bangkok Airways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Thursday aimed at helping THAI coordinate its flights with services to Koh Samui and give it better access to destinations in China.THAI Acting President Somchainuk Engtrakul said that the signing of the MOU signifies development of network coordination between the two carriers.“This has an…
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Work permits renewed in 15 minutes
PHUKET CITY: Work permits are being renewed in just 15 minutes and new work permits approved faster than ever thanks to streamlined procedures recently introduced at the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO).PPEO Chief Boonchok Maneechot explained, “We have been using the new system for two weeks. I consulted with work permit officers for a month to find out the best…
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By-election canceled
PHUKET: The by-election for Phuket Voting District 2, which includes all areas outside of Phuket City and its surrounds, has been canceled following a ruling by the Central Administration Court (CAC) that the by-election had been called at too short notice.The CAC at 4 pm today announced that all 14 by-elections that were to be held in nine provinces had…
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On yer bikes – Gov tells officials
PHUKET CITY: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura this morning urged government officers to ride bicycles instead of using motor vehicles in order to save fuel, in light of the recent price hikes at Phuket gas pumps.At the monthly meeting of provincial chief officers, Gov Udomsak said, “We have to save fuel and save money. Please think of ways to do this.…
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Tsunami warning system “90% complete’ – Smith
KATA: Dr Smith Thammasaroj, who was appointed to establish the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) after the 2004 tsunami, today expressed satisfaction with progress on the country’s disaster warning system.“Tourists can sure of traveling safely in the Andaman region. Ninety percent of the warning towers are complete. The rest will be finished in the next three months,” he said.“The towers…
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Jammin’ to reopen Friday
PHUKET CITY: The popular Jammin’ nightclub will reopen Friday, following a month of rebuilding after the club caught fire early on April 1, causing an estimated 2 million baht in damage. The fire is believed to have been started by an electrical fault in the DJ pit. (See earlier story here.) Co-owner Mel Perdue told the Gazette today, “It’s all…
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Second by-election for District 2 voters
PHUKET: Voters in Phuket’s District 2 face a second parliamentary by-election next Saturday (April 29) after Thai Rak Thai candidate Wisut Santikul, running unopposed, again failed to meet the requirement of getting the votes of 20% of the electorate.K. Wisut received 8,920 votes, equivalent to 8.56% of the electorate.The one opponent who did step up, Prayoon Poonchan of the Pattana…
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Controversial plan for dolphins to “treat’ disabled people
CAPE PANWA: The Phuket Marine Biological Office (PMBC) is considering building a 200-million-baht “Dolphin Center” near its aquarium as a way of treating people with disabilities and promoting tourism. The project, which has already been approved in principal by Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura, would be run jointly with Danish marine biologist and dolphin expert Judith Kongsted. PMBC Director Wannakiat Thapthimsang…
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Angry monk beats dog-lover
PHUKET CITY: With no end in sight to Phuket’s stray dog problem and residents continuing to dump unwanted pets at temples around the island, monks find it difficult to keep temple grounds clean. On Friday morning last week, one senior monk grew so angry with an elderly dog lover who had come to his temple to feed the dogs that…
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Sriyada is Phuket’s first TRT MP
PHUKET: Dr Sriyada Palimapan yesterday became Phuket’s first Thai Rak Thai (TRT) member of parliament, despite amassing only 7,893 votes – equivalent to just 8.18% of the electorate in Phuket District 1.Her opponent, Thongchai Kaewthong of the Siam Party, received 2,456 votes.In District 2, TRT candidate Wisut Santikul failed to win a seat in Parliament because he ran unopposed and…
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PAD urges Phuket to vote “no vote’
SAPHAN HIN: People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders Sondhi Limthongkul, Chamlong Srimuang, Sarocha Porn-udomsuk and Suriyasai Katasila last night joined local PAD members to exhort Phuket voters to “vote for no one” in the parliamentary by-election tomorrow. The protest, the second large PAD rally in the province, got underway at dusk and finished about 2 am, attracting about 10,000 people…
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Anchalee raps Gov over hospital deal
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is ready to buy the abandoned Phya Thai Hospital but the deal is stalled because Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has not yet approved a request for 215 million baht in bank loans to seal the deal, says OrBorJor President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr.Speaking at a press conference at the OrBorJor offices, K. Anchalee said, “[The Governor]…
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Election observers “impressed with polling’
PHUKET, PHANG NGA: Girawadee Khao-orn, one of the eight UN-affiliated election monitors who came to Phuket to check out yesterday’s poll, told the Gazette today that the observers were impressed with how voting was conducted in Phuket and Phang Nga. “We could see the efforts made by the Regional Election Commission, which tried to serve people in all areas, even…
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“Live with it,’ TAT tells complaining Kamala hotels
KAMALA: The losses hotels have suffered from tourists canceling bookings after seeing the rebuilding work on Kamala Beach are just a sacrifice they have to make, Wanchai Ruang-udom, the landscaping coordinator hired to complete the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Kamala beautification project, told the Gazette yesterday.“This is a sacrifice they have to make. This project was approved by Kamala…
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