News
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Sponsored Celebrity meet-and-greet events to look forward to in Thailand (2025)
Meet-and-greet with your idols? That’s exactly what 2025 has in store. This year, plenty of world-famous stars are coming to Thailand to meet their fans in more intimate settings. From dining with a sports legend to seeing your favourite K-drama...
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German dies in head-on smash
PHUKET: German national Werner Josef Theisen died after the Nissan NV he was driving and a pickup truck collided on Airport Rd about midday last Saturday.According to Pol Lt Col Jamroon Plaiduang from Thalang Police Station, three vehicles were involved in the accident, which occurred as Mr Werner was driving from Phuket International Airport towards Phuket City.“Mr Werner swerved left…
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Security guards arrested for theft
KATA: Police arrested four employees of a private security firm for stealing valuables from the same people they were hired to protect: guests and staff at the Club Med Phuket resort in Kata.Chalong Police Superintendent Col Samarn Chainarong presented the four guards to the media at a press conference at Chalong Police Station yesterday morningThe first two presented were Nakhon…
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Swedish consulate to close
PHUKET CITY: The Swedish Consulate in Phuket will cease operations June 30 next year.The consulate, which opened in late 2004 to assist Swedish victims of the tsunami disaster, will be one of four Swedish diplomatic missions closing worldwide for financial reasons, acting Consul General Christina Palm told the Gazette.Swedish victim-identification work finished in June 2006, but the consulate remained open…
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Key areas hold first Municipal elections
PHUKET: The first-ever municipal elections in Rassada, Rawai and Wichit, all upgraded from tambon administration organization (OrBorTor) to municipality (tessabaan tambon) status in August, were held November 17.In Rassada, large crowds amassed at the vote-counting center at Phuket Rajabhat University. Suratin Lian-udom, leader of Raksa Rassada, won 3,264 votes to defeat Preecha Jai-ard of Rassada Prongsai party, with 3,241 votes.Somchai…
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Rotary International awards One-Two-Go hero
THALANG: Rotary Club of Patong President O.B. Wetzell on November 20 presented a Rotary International “Family and Community Service Award” to Paiboon Papan, the One-Two-Go flight OG269 passenger who heroically saved the life of expat resident Robert Borland and other survivors of the crash on September 16.The ceremony was held at the offices of Thalang Trading Co Ltd , where…
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Great gobbler hunt now closed
(PHUKET): The Disaster Prevention departments of the following Phuket restaurants have now stepped in to announce traditional turkey feasts for Thanksgiving 2007 – Thursday, November 22. (See our earlier story here.) BYD LoftsPatong Beachfrom 8pm850 bahtReservations requiredTel: 076-343024/7 Don’sRawaifrom 5 pm320 bahtReservations recommended076-289314 Les AngesRoyal Phuket Marinafrom 12 noon til 9:30 pm1,500 baht076-360803 Tavern on the HillPatong Beachfrom 7:30 pm475…
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Australia wins Rugby 80-80 opener
PHUKET CITY: Australia converted a last-minute penalty to beat Thailand 34-24 yesterday in a quality opening match at the international Rugby 80 tourney being played at Sanaam Chai in Phuket City. The Thai national squad opened the scoring with a penalty in the 11th minute. Australia then rallied to lead 17-16 until the 42nd minute, when Thailand converted another penalty…
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Turkey emergency prompts appeal for help
(PHUKET): American pilgrims on Phuket are up in arms at what appears to be a conspiracy by the island’s restaurateurs and F&B managers to deprive them of a basic gastronomic right: their annual indulgence in a feast of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce….Wesley Gobbler, head of the Special Investigations Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, told…
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Italian tourist dies in bathroom fall
PATONG: An Italian tourist died on Thursday from head injuries sustained after an accidental fall in the bathroom of his hotel.Pol Maj Vicharn Suwansit of Phuket City Police identified the deceased as Mr Luca Magozzi, 47.Mr Magozzi was rushed to Patong Hospital after he slipped on the bathroom floor of his hotel in Patong early Thursday.After slipping into a coma, he…
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Man drowns at Kata Beach
KATA: An elderly German tourist on holiday with his wife drowned at Kata Beach late Thursday afternoon.Chalong Police duty officer Capt Parichat Jaturonpan identified the deceased as Rudolf Breidach, 67, a guest at the Thavorn Palm Beach Hotel in Karon.Mr Breidach, his wife and a female friend, also German, went swimming about 5 pm. There were no Phuket Provincial Administration…
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Seized Buddha images donated to Thalang museum
MAI KHAO: In a small ceremony at Phuket International Airport, Airport Customs officials yesterday handed over to the Thalang National Museum 93 Buddha images seized from departing tourists over the past year.Phuket Airport Customs Director Ruthai Lertkietdamrong told the Gazette most of the images were seized from tourists who bought them from shops unaware that they needed permission from the…
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Teenage ladyboy slain in Patong
PATONG: Kathu Police are investigating the grisly murder of a teenage ladyboy whose strangled and beaten body was discovered near the road to Tri Trang Beach on Monday morning.Kathu Police Superintendent Pol Col Grissak Songmoonnark identified the victim as 19-year-old Thanawoot Wiriyananon. A native of Phatthalung province, K. Thanawoot worked in the Patong nightlife industry, he said.“About 11:30 am, we…
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Police baffled: Burglary or buggery?
NAKON SRI THAMMARAT: When villagers in Chawang District heard the abbot of a local temple shouting he was being assaulted by a thief on October 14, they naturally rushed to assist. When police, led by Lt Samphan Wathanasong, arrived, they came upon a throng of more than 10 people happily beating the suspected thief and abbot assaulter. Police put a…
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Knife-wielding burglar arrested
PHUKET: Police have arrested a burglar who broke into a home near Tesco-Lotus Sunday night and repeatedly slashed its female occupant with a knife before fleeing.Pol Capt Supachai Petchsakul of Phuket City Police said that the attack happened about 11 pm in a residential area off Songkhla Rd in Tambon Rassada, near the Tesco-Lotus intersection.The attacker, later identified as Rawai…
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Thailand’s first “mobile registration van’ to launch in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Thailand’s first “mobile registration van” will go into service December 3, when it makes its first scheduled stop in Koh Kaew, north of Phuket City.Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit cut the ribbon to officially launch Phuket’s high-tech Mobile Registration Service Van on November 8 in the car park of the BanThai Beach Resort & Spa in Patong, which donated…
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Former Phuket Governor jailed for 36 years on child-sex charges
BANGKOK (Nation, Kom Chad Luek, TNA): Chalerm Phromlert, who was Phuket Governor from 1987 to 1991, was sent to Pathum Thani Prison yesterday after the Supreme Court upheld his 36-year jail sentence for multiple counts of statutory rape.Judge Samart Ardnarong handed down the verdict against Chalerm, who was accused of having sex with four schoolgirls aged between 13 and 16…
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International rugby returns to Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Back after a one-year hiatus because of the 2006 coup, 80-80 rugby returns to Phuket November 16 – albeit downsized from what organizers had hoped would be a large-scale, international tournament. The King’s Cup Rugby-80 tournament, ro be played at Sanaam Chai in Phuket City, will run until November 23. Although teams from nations including Wales, England…
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Case closed on Korean’s death plunge
PHUKET CITY: Police investigations following the death of Korean tour guide Kim Kyoung Hoon, 39, who fell to his death from the roof of The Metropole hotel in downtown Phuket City on November 2, have concluded that Mr Kim’s death was a suicide.Phuket City Police Capt Krerkrit Ritnuang told the Gazette that Korean embassy officials initially suspected that Mr Kim’s death…
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Health Office issues cholera advisory
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has issued an advisory for the public to exercise caution regarding food cleanliness following a surge in the number of cholera cases nationwide.PPHO Chief Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong said Phuket is among 40 provinces with reported cases of cholera. “There have been 62 reported cases of the disease in Phuket, but the situation is…
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Tour agent’s throat slashed
KATHU: Tung Tong Police are investigating the death of Sommai Chumee, 37, a travel agency representative found with his throat slashed in his home at the Irawadee Ketho residential development on Friday afternoon.Tung Tong Police Inspector Lt Col Kittipong Klaikaew confirmed reports in the local and national press that the victim had been stabbed repeatedly in the neck but had…
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Customs seize B5m of fake goods
PHUKET CITY: Thai Regional Customs Bureau 4 and the Phuket Customs Office at 10 am yesterday held a press conference at the Phuket Customs House on Phuket Rd to announce the seizure of counterfeit goods worth 5 million baht from a wholesaler in Patong.Regional Customs Bureau 4 Director Rakop Srisuppa-at and Phuket Customs chief Jakson Kitarmorn showed the media the…
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Patong porn director caught red-handed
PATONG: A Kathu Police investigations unit early yesterday morning arrested an Indonesian adult-film producer in his hotel room after he was caught conducting a photo shoot with one of his starlets – a Thai ladyboy.Pol Sub Lt Nitikorn Rawang, duty officer of Kathu Police Station, said the bust took place at 4:20 am.After receiving a tip-off that a video shoot…
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Elite Calendar girls coming to Phuket
PHUKET: Twelve top international models will be in Phuket next week to shoot the Phuket Calendar 2008 in a bid to raise the island’s image as an exotic holiday destination.The calendar, to be produced at a cost of 5 million baht by Elite Model Management South East Asia, will feature 12 sexy models in swimsuits, batik and casual wear at a…
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Man stabbed in karaoke brawl
TALAD YAI: A 25-year-old man was stabbed at a karaoke bar early Monday morning after an argument broke out over which song to sing, said Pol Sub Lt Jakkrapon Suchon of Phuket City Police.Komson Kampan, 25, was drinking with four friends at Phaithong Karaoke on the road to Koh Sireh when three younger men entered the bar, said Lt Jakkrapon.“The…
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Deadline for local ‘yellow pages’
PHUKET: Businesses wishing to appear in the 2008 Gazette Guide, Phuket’s ‘yellow pages’, have until 6pm on Monday, 12 November, to enter (or update) their listings. New listings and updates received before the deadline will appear online within 48 hours and will be included in the hard-copy book for 2008, due out mid-January. New listings or updates received after the…
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Prominent architect Tucker Bishop passes away
PHUKET: One of the island’s most prolific architects, Tucker Bishop, passed away last night at the age of 57 at Bangkok Hospital Phuket.Although he had been suffering from long-term kidney complications, Mr Bishop continued to work on many high-profile jobs up until his death.Bill Barnett of C9 Hotelworks, who had worked with Mr Bishop on several projects, said, “With a…
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Gamblers trump October crime stats
PHUKET: Gambling topped the latest crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, with 197 arrests in October.In second place, 94 people were arrested for drug-related cases, of which 64 involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 7,128 pills seized.Seventeen people were arrested for the use of cannabis, with 4346.74 grams (4.3 kilograms) confiscated. There were three arrests for inhalant…
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Global pub crawl to tour Phuket
PHUKET: A group of fun-seeking Australians will be quenching their thirst on the island next year as part of the first Round-the-World Pub Crawl organized by Australian tour company Thirsty Swagman. The group of 25 drinking travelers will enjoy a month-long party, traveling “Around the World in 60 Pubs”, starting from London on March 24, 2008. They will be draining…
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Cherng Talay Tesco saga continues
PHUKET: As construction of the controversial Tesco-Lotus Express store in Cherng Talay reaches its final stage, the legality of an alleged ban on its construction remains unclear and local authorities admit they are unsure which authority is responsible for approving – or halting – the store’s construction.On October 31, Samarn Krohlek and Apisit Ngarnpresertkit, leaders of a local protest against…
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Spa tax to be scrapped
PHUKET CITY: The controversial 10% tax on spa services will soon be scrapped, a member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has said during a recent visit to the Phuket Provincial Health Office. Sangsit Piriyarangsan, head of the NLA’s finance committee and chair of a special panel set up to review the spa tax, said his members heard from representatives…
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