News
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Eleven Injured By Fireworks
PHUKET TOWN: Despite a plea from Governor Chadej Insawang to exercise extreme caution when lighting fireworks on the final night of the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival, eleven local residents were admitted to Wachira General Hospital Wednesday with fireworks-related injuries. A hospital spokesman told the Gazette that one of those admitted, a 15-year-old boy, had to undergo amputation of his left…
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Foreign Residents Face Crackdown On Registration
PHUKET TOWN: Pol Col Phirojana Paresakul, Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, confirmed yesterday that immigration authorities nationwide have begun to enforce a law requiring all aliens who remain in Thailand for longer than 90 days to notify the department of their residential address every three months. The superintendent said the alien registration requirement has been on the books for…
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Sea Canoe Manager In Stable Condition
PHUKET TOWN: Panwong Hirunchai, the Day Trip Operation Manager for Sea Canoe Thailand’s Phang Nga-based operations, was reported in stable condition at Bangkok Phuket Hospital this morning, one day after being shot outside the expedition company’s office. Sea Canoe Director and General Manager Noah Shepherd, who visited Khun Panwong earlier today at the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, told the Gazette…
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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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“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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Stage Set For Triathlon
CHERNG TALAY: Final preparations are underway for tomorrow’s Thai Airways International Laguna Phuket Triathlon. Australian pros Greg Welch and Jackie Gallagher will be seeking to defend their men’s and women’s titles, as are Paisarn Sangvirul and Napaporn Boonthum, last year’s top finishers in the Thai men’s and women’s amateur divisions. The race will also boast a large contingent of local…
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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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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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It’s Time To Wear Your Whites
PHUKET TOWN: Vendors along Ranong Road got a jump on the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival last night when they started serving up spring rolls, dumplings and other treats. Booths selling white cotton T-shirts and pants were doing a brisk business as residents prepared for the nine-day festival, which runs from October 20-28. A schedule of events, including a map of…
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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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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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Drug Rehab Program Launched
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Governor’s office has announced the start-up of a new confidential drug treatment program to provide counselling and treatment for substance abusers. The Phuket Drug Prevention and Suppression Center was launched by the governor’s office in conjunction with provincial health officials as part of a nationwide initiative by the prime minister’s office to deal with drug addicts…
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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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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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Hundreds Head To Helmet Sale
PHUKET TOWN: Over 700 helmets were sold during a one-week sale sponsored by the Phuket Provincial Internal Trade Office. Commercial Administrative Officer Borirak Chusit told the Gazette this morning that the effort was a “tremendous success,” with local motorbike riders purchasing more than 100 helmets every day of the sale, which ended yesterday. The project, held in cooperation with the…
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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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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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Domestic Arrivals Fuel Increase
MAI KHAO: Passenger arrivals at Phuket International Airport through the first three quarters of 1998 were up ten percent compared to the same period last year, an airport spokesman announced today. From January 1, 1998 through September 30, 1998, a total of 1,112,377 passenger arrivals were recorded at the airport – a year-on-year increase of 100,728 passengers. A recent surge…
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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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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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Australian Navy Ships To Arrive
PHUKET: The Australian Embassy has announced that three warships from the Royal Australian Navy will arrive for goodwill visits as part of their Southeast Asian deployment. HMAS Adelaide, HMAS Brisbane and HMAS Hobart are scheduled to arrive at Phuket’s Ao Makham Port on October 8 for a five-day visit. HMAS Adelaide, a William Hazard Perry class frigate, has a complement…
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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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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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