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Foreigner Death Toll On The Rise
PHUKET TOWN: The number of foreigners who have died in Phuket so far this year has surpassed the total recorded in 1997, Phuket Tourist Police told the Gazette today. A total of 33 foreigners died in the province from January 1 through November 25, 1998. By comparison, 23 deaths were recorded in calendar year 1997. Of the 33 deaths recorded…
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Immigration To “Encourage” Registration
PHUKET TOWN: Pol Col Phirojana Paresakul, Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, told the Gazette today that his office will be “encouraging” all aliens who remain in Thailand for longer than 90 days to notify the department of their residential address every three months as required by law. He stated that the law would be strictly enforced by his officers…
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Survey Reveals Room At The Inn
PHUKET TOWN: Last-minute vacationers hoping to reserve a room along Phuket’s sun-drenched beaches for a year-end holiday are coming up empty. But while seaside accommodation from Nai Yang to Nai Harn is booked solid from Christmas through the first weekend of the New Year, there is room at the inn in Phuket Town. A random telephone survey conducted today by…
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Suspect Nabbed In Yacht Burglary
CHALONG BAY: Police arrested a suspect yesterday in the theft of nearly 200,000 baht in cash and personal effects from a foreign flag yacht moored in this popular bay. Prakit Thongnok, 23, was charged in connection with a theft last month of items on board a yacht owned by Maria Gonzales. According to police, the suspect, a Songkhla native who…
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Activists Call For End To “Rape” Of Maya Bay
PHUKET TOWN: A group of 20 environmental activists staged a rally outside two city venues on Saturday afternoon to protest the changes underway at Phi Phi Leh Island’s Maya Bay to accommodate the shooting of the Hollywood film The Beach. Flanked by fellow activists from Krabi and Trang provinces, Wisanu Mula of the Phuket Environmental Club called on the public…
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Student Prostitutes Among Seven Arrested
PHUKET TOWN: Undercover officers from the Phuket Tourist Police raided a home near Sapan Hin and arrested a 50-year-old man along with six female suspects – including two 15-year-old twins – on prostitution charges. Posing as customers, the two plainclothes officers entered the residence on Soi Tonphol, Phuket Road, shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday and inquired about sex services from…
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Europeans Fuel September Gain
BANGKOK: International tourist arrivals at Bangkok International Airport registered a 17.8 percent year-on-year gain in September, the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced. European markets, led by the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, contributed to the double-digit increase. A total of 29,315 UK tourists arrived at the airport during the month, a gain of more than 10,000 arrivals compared to September last…
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Poll Confirms Perceptions Of Local Driving
PHUKET TOWN: In the Gazette Poll for the week ended at noon today, 71.8% of the 662 participants responded “Yes, absolutely” to the question, “Do you feel that driving in Phuket is too risky?” 21.4% voted “No, not really,” and 6.8% said they didn’t know. The perception that driving here is excessively risky was strongest among local foreign residents, 85%…
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Murder Trial On Court Docket
PHUKET TOWN: Testimony is scheduled to resume next Monday morning at 9 a.m. at the Phuket Provincial Courthouse in the trial of two adult suspects charged in connection with the brutal stabbing death of Roger Jennings. Nongnut Tungkaburi, the common law wife of the slain 56-year-old British publican, is standing trial along with Kraisorn Kamnoun on charges of participation in…
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Dengue Fever Cases Skyrocket
PHUKET: Reported cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in the province during the first ten months of 1998 have surpassed the combined total of the past three years. Provincial Health Officer Dr Boonriang Chuchaisangrat told the Gazette today that 755 cases of the mosquito-borne virus were documented by his department through the end of October. The ten-month total is more…
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Leonids Viewing Washed Out
PHUKET: The much-anticipated sighting of the Leonids meteorite shower never materialized for local stargazers who gathered overnight at two popular viewpoints. By 11 p.m. on Monday, small groups had arrived at Laem Promthep, (at the southern end of the island), hoping to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon predicted to appear between midnight and 5 o’clock this morning. Over at…
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Tests Confirm Drugs in 15 Samples
PHUKET TOWN: Fifteen of 51 urine samples sent to a regional health department testing laboratory in Trang following the raid at the At Eaze Music House in September have tested positive for amphetamines, Phuket Provincial Health Officer Dr Boonriang Chuchaisangrat told the Gazette today. The urinalyses were carried out to confirm initial results obtained by local health officers who conducted…
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Seven Held On Oil Smuggling Charges
PHANG NGA: One vessel was impounded and seven suspects arrested following a raid on an oil smuggling boat operating in the waters off Khura Buri district. Marine police boarded the Chok Krating 7 off the coast of Surin Island at around 10 o’clock Saturday night and took the vessel’s skipper and crew, all Thais, into custody after discovering a total…
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Local Internet Poll Launched
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Gazette has announced the launching today of a weekly opinion poll on its websites. Focusing on strictly local issues of interest to the island’s residents and legions of tourists, the Gazette Poll appears on both the Phuket Residents’ Page (www.phket.loxinfo.co.th/~gazette) and on the Phuket Gazette Online at thethaiger.com. The results of each poll, broken down into…
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Business Start-ups Outpace Closures
PHUKET TOWN: Nearly 100 new businesses filed registration documents during September and October, the Phuket Commercial Registration Department reported. A total of 57 ‘company limited’ and 41 partnership registrations were recorded. The department said that 21 firms ceased operations in the province during the period, of which 17 were limited liability companies and four were partnerships.
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All Eyes Will Be On The Sky
PHUKET: Plans are underway to accommodate local astronomy buffs hoping to catch a glimpse of the Leonids meteorite shower predicted for next week. Sakchai Petchchuay, an astronomy professor at Rajabhat Institute Phuket, will be on hand at the school’s soccer field late Tuesday night and well into the wee hours of Wednesday morning to assist students and residents in spotting…
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Dulwich Principal Honored
PHUKET: Dulwich International College Thai Principal Dr Pimon Ruetrakul was recently named as this year’s “Model Citizen in Educational Administration” by the Foundation for Thai Society. The organization honors distinguished Thai citizens for their contributions in various fields. Past recipients of the society’s model citizen award include Prasit Ourairat, Uthane Techapaiboon, Chatree Soponpanich and Dr Jirayu na Ayutthaya.
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Child Advocacy Group Gets Formal OK
PHUKET: After a two-year procedural undertaking, the island’s children’s advocacy organization is now legally registered. The Child-Watch Phuket Association announced it has received formal approval of its registration by the National Culture Committee. The association currently has five ongoing projects to help improve the quality of life for Phuket’s underprivileged children. Among the projects are three facilities: a child recreation…
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Animal Support Group Fundraiser
CHALONG: The Phuket Animal Support Group (PASG) has announced it will hold a fundraiser on Wednesday, November 18, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Jimmy’s Lighthouse. Tickets, priced at 300 baht apiece, include a Thai buffet, one drink and entertainment. Organizers will also conduct raffles and auctions as part of the event. Proceeds will go toward PASG’s ongoing programs…
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Monkeys Move To Prime Time
PHUKET TOWN: Early morning visitors to Rang Hill are getting more than a panoramic view of the city. Reports of monkeys swinging in the trees and foraging for food are giving the well-known park some new attention. Natthanit Nithiwiroon, the morning disc jockey on radio station FM 89, said she’s been spotting up to two dozen monkeys a day in…
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Local Tourism Grads Landing Jobs
PHUKET: Graduates of Prince of Songkhla University’s Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management program are faring better than fellow grads of the school’s other campuses when it comes to landing a job. Nine out of ten Bachelor’s degree recipients from PSU’s Phuket campus, where the four-year program is offered, found employment following their graduation in September, according to a poll…
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Fundraiser Total Tops 300,000 Baht
PHUKET: Organizers of a fundraiser for motorbike accident victim Michael Ilijash have reported that 338,000 baht was raised at last Thursday night’s event at Jimmy’s Lighthouse. Proceeds from the evening will be used to help settle outstanding medical bills totalling approximately 600,000 baht at Wachira General Hospital in Phuket and Songkhla Nakarin Hospital in Hat Yai. The event was attended…
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Pupils Have It Made In The Shade
KOH KAEW: Dulwich International College students will be busy planting trees today and tomorrow as part of the ongoing “Shadier Phuket” project. Led by Phuket Provincial Council member and Shadier Phuket Director Dr Prasit Konavipong, pupils and staff will be planting 400 donated seedlings on the campus grounds and another 600 on adjacent property.
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Carrier Offers Half-Price Tickets
PHUKET: Pacific Leisure (Thailand), a preferred agent for Lauda Air, has announced that the carrier is offering a 50 percent discount on one-way and round-trip business class seats between Thailand and Europe in celebration of its expanded flight service. The special offer applies to business class seats on Lauda Air flights originating at Phuket or Bangkok. The discount, however, does…
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Huge Turnout For Fundraiser
CHALONG: Local residents packed Jimmy’s Lighthouse last night to raise money to help pay for medical expenses incurred by motorbike accident victim Michael Ilijash, an Australian resident of Phuket who died last Tuesday after a valiant fight for his life. Expressing his appreciation to the crowd, the young man’s uncle, Mark Briet, said the event was “a celebration of Michael’s…
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Officials Report 15 New AIDS Cases
PHUKET TOWN: Government health officials recorded 15 new cases of AIDS in Phuket province and three deaths from AIDS-related complications during the one-month reporting period ending October 19. The Phuket Provincial Health Department has recorded 780 cases of AIDS since it began keeping records in January, 1989. A total of 265 deaths attributed to AIDS-related complications have been recorded during…
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Foreign Ministers Meeting In Phuket
KARON: Foreign Affairs Minister Surin Pitsuwan is in Phuket today as part of an official visit by his Bangladeshi counterpart, Abdul Samad Azad. This morning, the two participated in a roundtable discussion with leaders of the local Muslim community at the Phuket Arcadia Hotel and Resort. Before returning to Bangkok later today, the Thai minister will lead an orientation tour…
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Another Year Floats By
PHUKET TOWN: The island was aglow last evening as residents and visitors observed Loy Krathong at city parks, the seaside, resort hotels, and just about anywhere else you could find a body of water. In Phuket Town, crowds lined the reflecting pool at Saphan Hin and sent their decorative offerings on their way. Krathong vendors reported doing a brisk business,…
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Siblings Drown In Kata Tragedy
KATA BEACH: Three Thai children from the same Karon family drowned Saturday after they went swimming in heavy surf without adult supervision, Chalong district police reported. The bodies of 17-year-old Methanee Chuanchid and her sister Sasithorn, 11, were pulled from the water at approximately 9:30 Saturday night by members of the Kusonlatam Foundation Public Rescue Unit. The body of their…
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Over 300 Netted In Crime Suppression Effort
PHUKET TOWN: District patrolmen and crime suppression officers arrested more than 300 suspects on various criminal offences during the Phuket Provincial Police Department’s latest reporting period. In its crime report covering October 1 through October 25, the department said officers charged one suspect with murder, eight with assault, one with criminal sexual assault, 52 with theft, and seven with firearms…
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