News
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Tsunami evacuation drills tomorrow
PHUKET: All residents of coastal areas should be reminded that the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) tomorrow morning will conduct the first full-scale regional testing of its 79 tsunami warning sirens along the Andaman Coast, including 19 towers in Phuket. Evacuation drills in tsunami-risk areas will be conducted by local administrative bodies working together with district offices and members of…
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New bus station planned near Supercheap
RASSADA: The Phuket Provincial Transport Office (PPTO) has agreed to buy 10 rai of land near Supercheap on Thepkrasattri Rd to build a new inter-provincial bus station.The existing bus station, on Phang Nga Rd in Phuket City, will be used for only local buses, vans and songtaew, most of which now leave from Ranong Rd.PPTO chief Chatchawarn Ngarmtup told the Gazette…
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Somtam Express wins Phuket Raceweek
AO CHALONG: After four days of racing in and around Chalong Bay, Scott Duncanson’s Somtam Express has won the IRC 1 class in this year’s Phuket Raceweek regatta.Shifting winds played havoc with the start of the final race in the regatta yesterday and the fleet waited four hours for it to swing around to allow the race to start.Once underway,…
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Somtam Express extends lead in Phuket Raceweek
AO CHALONG: Scott Duncanson’s Somtam Express today secured yet another win to stretch their lead to five points in the IRC 1 class of the fourth annual Phuket Raceweek regatta being raced in and around Chalong Bay and the surrounding islands. Peter Ahern’s Yo! 2 finished three minutes behind Somtam Express on corrected time to hold onto second place overall…
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Somtam Express takes Raceweek lead
AO CHALONG: Scott Duncanson’s Somtam Express moved into first place in the IRC 1 class of the Phuket Raceweek regatta after finishing first and second in the two races for the class today. Peter Ahern’s Yo! 2 was relegated to second place overall in the class after finishing third and fourth in today’s races. Jim Poulsen’s Vino holds steady in…
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Extortion racket taken down in “sting’
PATONG: Kathu Police on Wednesday night arrested four men for allegedly attempting to extort 100,000 baht from the Thai-Nepalese owner of a tailor shop.The four suspects were presented to the media at a press conference at Kathu Police Station at 3 pm yesterday. They were identified as 40-year-old Burmese national Chom “Johnnie Lek” Bunyawej, the ringleader, and his three accomplices:…
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Yo! 2 leads Phuket Raceweek
AO CHALONG: Peter Ahern and his crew on Yo! 2 are in first place overall in the IRC 1 class in the fourth annual Phuket Raceweek regatta, being held in and around Chalong Bay until Sunday. Phuket-built Somtam Express drew first blood, winning Race 1 after a midday start in light conditions that teased crews with breezes of two to…
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Pistol penisectomy
NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT (Gazette, Kom Chad Luek): A Buddhist ordination ceremony in Phraphrom District took a turn for the worse on July 6 after an outbreak of violence led to a firearms incident which left one unlucky follower of the Middle Way with a serious pain in his crotch. The evening began jovially at the ceremony held in Na Phru…
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It’s no yolk! Egg theft ring cracked
NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Accounts of police breaking up rings of drug dealers, armed robbers and teenage motorcycle thieves are a fairly common occurrence in Thailand these days. Officers from Chalermprakiat District Police had a more unusual task at hand on June 20, however, when they managed to crack a ring of egg thieves who had been terrorizing chicken coops across Khorat.…
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Rawai resident drowns at Nai Harn
NAI HARN: John Chatteris, founder of Atsumi Healing Center in Rawai, drowned while swimming at Nai Harn Beach late yesterday afternoon.Ian Lenton, who works at the center, told the Gazette that Mr Chatteris, 61, went to the beach with his family at about 5 pm.Although red flags were posted at the beach, indicating that the surf was unsafe for swimming,…
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Brit charged over child’s death
KATHU: Englishman David Murray, 37, has been charged over the death of his eight-year-old stepson, Narid “Curry” Budtharai, who allegedly died after his head hit the floor while he was being beaten for being a poor student.Pol Lt Col Passakorn Sonthikul of Tung Tong Police told the Gazette that the incident occurred at Murray’s condo home in Moo Baan Irawadee,…
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Locals “uninformed’ about Ao Phuket project
PHUKET CITY: A public opinion survey conducted by researchers from the Prince of Songkla University (PSU) found that 86% of people who stand to be affected by the proposed Ao Phuket development plan said they knew little or nothing about the project drawn up by the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB).After being brought up to…
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Chalong Marina plans under review
CHALONG: Plans for the second phase of construction of the Chalong Marina Project may be revised by the Marine Department’s Technical and Planning division after a bitter dispute with local residents and workers.The first phase of construction of the controversial marina, which involves building 44 of the originally-planned 210 yacht slips, will be completed by September 30 at a cost…
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Royal Lighthouse escapes break-in
LAEM PROMTHEP: Kanchanaphisek Lighthouse, built in 1996 at Laem Phromthep to celebrate the 50th anniversary of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s ascension to the throne, was the scene of an attempted robbery on Thursday.The would-be thieves, who smashed through one of the glass panels at the entrance to the lighthouse about 9 pm in order to get to a donation box,…
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Tsunami evacuation drills planned for July 25
PHUKET CITY: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC), together with provincial and local authorities, will conduct the first full-scale test of its 79-tower tsunami warning system in the six Andaman Coast provinces on the morning of July 25. The exercise has been dubbed “Andaman Wave 007” by the agency.To prepare for the test, which will include evacuation drills in all…
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Three die in Rawai smash
RAWAI: An accident on Wiset Rd left a father, his daughter and his niece dead, and his wife seriously injured after the motorbike they were riding and a car collided on Sunday evening.Chalong Police were alerted to the accident in front of Baan Haad Rawai Bungalow about 8 pm. Pol Lt Col Peeraphan Meemak, inspector of Chalong Police Station, told the…
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Singaporean tourist drowns
PATONG (Nation, TNA): A Singaporean tourist drowned after he and a friend ignored red warning flags and went swimming in rough, monsoon-season seas at Patong Beach yesterday.Chua Holk Beng, 34, was found dead just before 3 pm.His friend, identified as Edwardgos Tingtos, 34, was rescued by members of the Phuket Provincial Administration (OrBorJor) beach guard.He was taken to Patong Hospital,…
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Russian tourists say “yes’ to Phuket
PHUKET: Russian tourists now account for the fourth largest group of foreign holidaymakers visiting Phuket behind Sweden, the UK and Australia, said Anoma Wongyai, assistant director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) South Region 4 Office in Phuket.K. Anoma attributed the boost, which nudges China down to fifth place, to the success of the TAT-organized “Leisure 2006” roadshow to…
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Turtles, dolphins continue to wash ashore
BANG TAO: A green turtle weighing about 5.7 kilograms was found at Le Phang Beach at about 9 am Tuesday.Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, a biologist at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), told the Gazette that the female sea turtle, bearing a hard shell 39.5 centimeters long and 37cm wide, was suffering from exhaustion and had difficulty breathing.The turtle was taken to…
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New incinerator for Phuket “on hold’
PHUKET CITY: Proposed plans for a new incinerator on Phuket were put on hold this week despite Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwannasuppana insisting that the island’s garbage problem is too big to wait.The proposal came after large quantities of fish were killed in waters polluted by leaked toxins from the island’s sole incinerator in Saphan Hin.The incinerator, which can burn…
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Man surrenders over road rage shootings
PHUKET CITY: After a four-day manhunt, a Patong man wanted in connection with the shooting murder of two youths in front of Kaset Market, the fresh market near Robinson department store, turned himself in to police early yesterday morning.The suspect, 33-year-old building contractor Sukkasem Charoenrat, has denied the charges.Police say they have testimonies confirming that Sukkasem was pulling his Honda Phantom…
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Woman’s remains identified
THALANG: Police believe they have identified the woman whose remains were found in a wooded area in Tambon Thepkrasattri last Wednesday evening.A cousin of Anutch Maneekwan has come forward, saying that K. Anutch, 40, had not been seen since June 27.The cousin reported that K. Anutch was living in a rented room near Super Cheap, where she worked.“On June 27 she…
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Pharmacy worker arrested after shooting debt collector
PATONG: An employee who shot and injured a private debt collector who tried to collect past-due rent was arrested for attempted murder on Friday.Uthai Petchara, 26, was working with Sarawuth Sukanek, 22, and another employee at Tak Pharmacy, near Loma Park on Thaweewong Rd, when four men entered the shop around 5 pm Friday.Narong Duangmusik, 32, and his accomplices approached…
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German to be deported over no work permit
PHUKET CITY: German architect Frank Witzel is awaiting deportation following his arrest on June 22 by Immigration officials. He had been arrested in February as well, for working without a work permit while on a building site in Patong, and for performing work prohibited to foreigners. Witzel had pleaded guilty to the charges in court in February. He was fined 1,000 baht and handed a one-month…
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TTVI staff pay delayed
PHANG NGA (Kom Chad Luek, Gazette): Thailand Tsunami Victims Identification (TTVI) officers working at Bang Maruan cemetery, where 400 bodies remain unidentified, worked without pay for two months because of red tape that prohibited the new TTVI boss from authorizing their salaries. The problems began after former TTVI chief Pol Col Khemmarin Hassiri was transferred to an inactive post in…
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Weerapoj and Suwat win Patong by-election
PATONG: Weerapoj Iamsup of the Sor Tor Kaow Mai Party and Suwat Somnam of the Patong Gao-na Party were elected to Patong Municipal Council in the resort town by-election on Saturday.Boonsong Nawarak, acting chief administrative officer at Patong Municipality, told the Gazette that K. Weerapoj drew 898 votes, K. Suwat 646 votes, Somkiat Kuru 637 votes, Wig Tonghom 587 votes,…
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Police have krathom bust in the bag
KOH SIREH: Police staging a krathom raid on a house on Koh Sireh had a surprise on July 4 when a woman carrying a sack full of the contraband leaves accidentally walked in on the raid.Pol Maj Chalermchai Hernsawat led the warrant-endorsed raid on the house of Jarern Musika, 56, about 3:30 pm after an investigation discovered that krathom was…
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Phuket wins To Be Number One prizes
PHUKET: Phuket province was honored with two prizes in this year’s To Be Number One competition, held at Impact Muang Thong Thani in Nontaburi on June 25: one for committed support of the competition and another for dedicated participation.The competition recognizes community projects put forward to tackle drug abuse by local youths.Phuket, Yasotorn and Khon Kaen provinces were each awarded…
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Dead dolphin washes ashore at Kamala
KAMALA: A dead dolphin two meters long and weighing about 40 kilograms was found on Kamala Beach yesterday.Kanjana Adulyankosol, a biologist at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), told the Gazette that the dolphin had been dead for about five days.However, the dolphin’s sex and exact species could not be determined due to decomposition of the carcass, she added.The cause…
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Skeleton found in Thalang
THALANG: Police are investigating the identity of woman’s skeleton found in woods in Tambon Thepkrasattri on Wednesday evening.Col Chinnarat Rittakananond, superintendent of Thalang Police Station, told the Gazette that the woman was about 40 years old and had been dead for about one month.The skeleton, found near Soi Kok Mu in Moo 1, was dressed in a dark blue T-shirt…
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