News
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Canoe Manager Shot Outside Office
PHUKET TOWN: Police are hunting for two suspects in connection with the shooting earlier today of Panwong Hirunchai, the Day Trip Operation Manager for Sea Canoe Thailand’s Phang Nga-based operations. According to Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Somjai Sirikul, the 39-year-old manager was shot as he arrived at Sea Canoe’s offices on Yaowarat Road at 10:20 a.m. The gunman, described…
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THAI Winter Program Announced
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced its new Winter Program, which will be in effect from October 25, 1998 to March 27, 1999. The carrier will maintain its flight frequencies on Northern Pacific routes, including seven flights per week on the Bangkok-Osaka-Los Angeles route. The total number of weekly flights operated between the Kingdom and Europe will be increased…
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“Dark Horse’ Wins Laguna Triathlon
CHERNG TALAY: Marc Lees broke away from the pack and held on to capture the men’s pro division title in today’s Thai Airways Laguna Phuket Triathlon. Lees, who had been off the race circuit since tearing hamstring muscles in May, finished in 2:29, nearly five minutes ahead of fellow Australian Greg Welch. “I wanted to be the dark horse,” Lees…
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Toll Rises To Five In Ferry Tragedy
KOH SAMUI: The death toll in Wednesday’s ferry boat accident has risen to five as authorities recovered the bodies of two more victims yesterday afternoon. Searchers discovered the bodies of two Thai male passengers floating in the water at around 1:30 p.m. Friday near the point where the Panmaneesap 9 capsized and sank. Pol Lt Col Wisoot Seekong, Deputy Superintendent…
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Boxing Champ To Kick Off Festivities
PATONG BEACH: Former international muay Thai champion Samart Payakaroon will be on hand this evening to help launch a new 20-million-baht multi-purpose entertainment venue at the Phuket Simon Shopping Arcade on Soi Bangla. The kick boxer is scheduled to step into the ring at 9 p.m. for a one-hour demonstration of the very traditional Thai sport. A spokesman for Phuket…
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Ferry Boat Accident Claims At Least Three
KOH SAMUI: Three passengers, including two foreigners, drowned and more remain missing and feared dead after a ferry boat bound for Koh Tao capsized early yesterday morning north of Surat Thani. Authorities believe a heavy storm caused the overladen Panmaneesap 9 to take on water and capsize off the coast of Koh Wow, a small island northwest of Koh Samui,…
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Delegation Heading To Las Vegas
PHUKET TOWN: A 30-member delegation led by Phuket Governor Chadej Insawang is scheduled to visit Las Vegas November 2-8 in a biennial Sister Cities visit, the governor’s office announced today. Local officials, prominent business operators, and members of the media will accompany the governor on the overseas trip, designed to develop stronger ties between the two popular tourist destinations. Las…
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Donors Help Save Accident Victim
PHUKET TOWN: Local residents answered a plea for blood donations over the weekend and helped save the life of local resident Michael Ilijass, who was severely injured in a motorbike accident last Friday night. Early Saturday morning, calls for donations of type A Positive blood went out to the general public while doctors at Wachira General Hospital battled to save…
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Enhancements For Sunset Lovers
RAWAI: Plans are afoot to improve facilities at Cape Promthep, one of Phuket’s most popular sunset viewpoints. Aree Somboon, Chairman of the Rawai Tambon Administration Organization, told the Gazette today that his office is seeking funding from the provincial government to upgrade lighting, expand parking, and install new seating areas to accommodate the large crowds that descend on the picturesque…
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Sea Walker Guide Arrested
CHALONG: Tourist Police apprehended an unlicensed guide who was allegedly conducting sea walker expeditions at Coral Island. The Region 2 Tourist Business and Guide Office notified Tourist Police on Thursday that a Thai male was leading a group of tourists to the popular offshore island for a sea walking trip. At approximately 3 p.m., Tourist Police intercepted a boat as…
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Authority Plans New Sports Complex
PHUKET: If all goes as planned, a 220-rai site in Thalang district will become the home of southern Thailand’s newest major sports venue. Officials of the Sports Authority of Thailand are planning to construct a 20,000-seat multi-purpose stadium, a 5,000-seat gymnasium, a shooting range, and athlete housing on a tract located along Thepkasattri Road in Tambon Tachatchai at the northern…
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Pian Regains Mayor’s Chair
PATONG: Rak (Love) Patong Party leader Pian Keesin was installed as mayor this morning following a vote earlier this week by the city council. Khun Pian, who finished second in the municipal election on October 4, received six of eleven council votes on Monday, with council member and former mayor Dr Anan Anantanawat abstaining. Council members also elected Uthai Karnchana…
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U.K. Tourists Lead The Way
BANGKOK: International tourist arrivals to Thailand surpassed the five million mark during the first eight months of the year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced. From January 1 through August 31, a total of 5,043,449 tourists were recorded by the TAT – a 5.6 percent increase over the same period last year. European markets, led by the United Kingdom,…
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New Tuna Vessel Launched
PHUKET: In the latest bid to maintain Thailand’s position as the world’s leading exporter of canned tuna, officials launched the country’s newest deep sea tuna fishing vessel in a ceremony last Friday at Ao Makham. Pongphon Adireksarn, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, along with representatives of the Thai Deep Sea Tuna Fishing Cooperative, was on hand to christen the 61-meter-long…
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Pitak To Guide Thai Tourism
BANGKOK: Newly-appointed Prime Minister’s Office Minister Pitak Intrawithayanunt has assumed supervision over the Tourism Authority of Thailand, replacing Phang Nga MP Julin Laksanawisit, the TAT has confirmed. The change follows the cabinet reshuffle approved earlier this month. In his new position, Khun Pitak will be the minister responsible for the government’s tourism policies.
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Speedboat Crew Rescues Tourist
KOH HAE: Quick response by the crew of a local speedboat tour company helped save the life of Huang Chun Ming, a Taiwanese tourist who nearly drowned while swimming at this popular offshore island last Friday. A spokesman for Phuket International Hospital, where Ming was being treated, told the Gazette earlier today that the 27-year-old man suffered a cramp while…
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Pirates Caught In Border Province
RANONG: Authorities arrested nine suspects and seized a cache of weapons believed to have been used in pirate attacks on fishing trawlers plying the waters off Ranong province. On Monday, patrol officers from the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet uncovered weapons and ammunition buried in the sand of a small island off the Ranong coast. The cache included three M-16…
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Venue To Give Kick To Soi Bangla
PATONG: Visitors to Soi Bangla will soon be getting a triple dose of entertainment with the opening this month of the strip’s newest multi-purpose venue. Phuket Simon Entertainment Company announced it would be offering Thai boxing events along with late night go-go shows in a 1,500 square meter area of the Phuket Simon Shopping Arcade. The 20 million baht project…
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New Chapter For Book Thieves
PATONG: Four men were apprehended by police on Thursday afternoon after they allegedly stole English language reading material from The Books bookstore on Rat-U-Thit Road. Kathu district police told the Gazette store manager Sarayuth Mallam called the authorities shortly after noon on Thursday after a group of Thai men ran from the shop with an armful of books and fled…
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Police Make Big Dent In Fake Watches
PATONG: Authorities confiscated nearly 10,000 counterfeit items with a street value in excess of 15 million baht from two shophouses on Monday afternoon in what one private investigator said was the largest-ever seizure of fake watches in Thailand. Armed with a search warrant, Pol Lt Col Arthit Panphitpat, Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Pollice and Kathu district police officers raided…
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New U.S. Aid Programs Implemented
BANGKOK: American Ambassador William Itoh and Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan jointly announced on Monday the implementation of two new U.S. programs to help meet social needs in Thailand during the current economic crisis. The American Embassy announced US$1.5 million in assistance to provide vaccinations against rabies, Japanese encephalitis and polio. The funds will enable health officials to administer 40,000…
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Chalermlak Tops Patong Balloting
PATONG: Businesswoman Chalermlak Kepsap of the Patong Progressive Party was the top vote-getter in last Sunday’s municipal election. The Patong Municipal Office announced that the 35-year-old Chalermlak, who campaigned for cleaner streets and building height limitations, received 2,850 votes. Pian Keesin of the Rak (Love) Patong Party received 2,474 votes. Dr Anan Anantanawat, who served as Patong Mayor until the…
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Officials Record 20 New AIDS Cases
PHUKET TOWN: Government health officials recorded 20 new cases of AIDS in Phuket province and six deaths from AIDS-related complications during the one-month reporting period ending September 19. The Phuket Provincial Health Department has recorded 765 cases of AIDS since it began keeping records in January, 1989. A total of 262 deaths attributed to AIDS-related complications have been recorded during…
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FantaSea Aims for Mid-December Opening
KAMALA: Developers of Phuket FantaSea are shooting for a mid-December grand opening of the 3.3 billion baht entertainment complex, Director of Marketing Surin Bamrungphol told the Gazette earlier today. He said 85 percent of the construction work has been completed at the 350-rai site. With the buildings and infrastructure in place, work is continuing on interior improvements and the installation…
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Island Swept By Snoopy Mania
PHUKET: Hong Kong tourists were packing more than T-shirts and cashew nuts into their suitcases last month as they snatched up hundreds of Snoopy dolls from the island’s two McDonald’s restaurants. Faced with long queues and limited selections back home, collectors of the Happy Meal prize items helped clean out the stock at the burger emporium’s Phuket Town and Patong…
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Bike Riders In Relapse
PHUKET TOWN: Just hours after Governor Chaedej Insawang announced that he had directed police to relax enforcement of the mandatory helmet law for passengers of motorbike taxis, (and only for passengers of motorbike taxis), local residents took to the streets in large numbers last night without headgear. A Gazette reporter posted under the clock tower at the intersection of Phuket…
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Taxi Driver Testifies In Murder Trial
Taxi Driver Testifies In Murder Trial PHUKET TOWN: A taxi driver testified in court today that he picked up murder suspect Kraisorn Kamnoun and another Thai male on the Patong-Karon Road one evening last December. Suwit Hemlek, a 34-year-old tuk tuk driver, was the first of two witnesses to testify this morning before Phuket Provincial Court Judge Amornpoj Kulwijit in…
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Governor Relaxes Enforcement Of Helmet Law
PHUKET TOWN: The Governor of Phuket directed police to relax enforcement of the helmet regulation for motorbike taxi passengers following a vocal protest in the heart of Phuket Town yesterday afternoon. An estimated 800 protesters gathered at the Suriyadet Circle fountain at noon to listen as spokesmen called for an end to the enforcement of the regulation requiring both drivers…
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International Field Set For Soccer Cup
KOH KAEW: Organizers of the Phuket International Football Cup have confirmed eight participants in the two-day tournament set for October 31 and November 1 at Dulwich International College. Competitors include two teams from Vietnam – Olympic Saigon and the Saigon Saints – along with the Miguel Lions from Taipei and The Swiss Club from Singapore. They will be joined by…
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Murder Trial On Thursday’s Docket
PHUKET TOWN: Testimony in the trial of two suspects charged in connection with the murder of Patong resident Roger Jennings is scheduled to resume at the Phuket Provincial Courthouse on Thursday, October 1, at 9 a.m. Nongnut Tungkaburi, Jennings’ common law wife, and Kraisorn Kamnoun are standing trial for their suspected roles in what prosecutors contend was a murder-for-hire scheme.
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