News
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Three drown off Karon Beach
KARON: Three construction workers from Isarn drowned in front of the Nong Harn inlet yesterday afternoon. Pol Capt Teerawat Liamsuwan, of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette, “Two 21-year-old men, Teung Suthamma and Duangden Sawangwong, and a 17-year-old girl, Jaruwan Pakya, were swimming with three friends when a large wave crashed down on them, pushing them underwater.” Of the three…
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Power grid ‘will improve radically’
PHUKET: By December next year, Phuket will have a much more sophisticated and reliable electricity supply, according to experts from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) and the European Union (EU), which is providing some of the funds for upgrading the system. The upgrade includes the construction of two new substations in addition to the existing two and the laying of…
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Fall in tourists “our own fault’ – Gov
PHUKET: Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi has blamed the falling number of tourists on Phuket’s poor attitude towards tourism. Speaking after the release of Phuket International Airport’s latest statistics on passenger throughput, he described Phuket as a “golden island that attracts fortune seekers”. But, he said, “Once all the gold has been dug up, it will just be an ordinary island.” The…
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Local phone numbers to get longer
BANGKOK: The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has announced that the telephone numbering system for the entire country will be changed. With the new system, which comes into effect on July 5, people making local calls will have to include the province’s area code in the telephone number. A person calling within Bangkok to, say 575 7310, will need to…
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THAI emergency landing under investigation
HANOI (AFP): Thai Airways is investigating a fuel leak on a Boeing 777 which forced it to make an emergency landing in central Vietnam, airline officials said today. The aircraft landed in Vietnam’s third city of Danang early yesterday after the pilot reported plummeting fuel levels on a flight from Taipei to Bangkok, the officials said. Aviation fuel leaked all…
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Gambling continues to top arrest stats
PHUKET: Yet again, gambling topped the arrest statistics in May, with 258 people held for gambling offenses between May 1 and 25. The Provincial Police statistics showed arrests of illegal immigrants coming in second place, with 95 people arrested, followed by narcotics offenses, with 43 people arrested for offenses related to “ya bah” (methamphetamine). A total of 1,528 ya bah…
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Kathu lays out entertainment zones
PHUKET: Kathu District has become the first district in Phuket to map out entertainment zones to meet the requirements of proposed new legislation that would eventually see entertainment businesses such as bars, discos and karaoke venues restricted to certain areas. Vice-Governor Amnuay Sanguannam told the Gazette that the Kathu plan sees five entertainment zones – three in Patong and one…
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Gazette goes on sale today in Bangkok
BANGKOK: As part of a recently concluded cooperation agreement between The Nation Multimedia Group and The Phuket Gazette Company, the Phuket Gazette is now on sale at ten major outlets of Asia Books in Bangkok. The agreement with The Nation complements the Gazette’s long-standing distribution arrangements with Flower King at Bangkok’s domestic and international air terminals. “We are very happy…
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Unidentified body washes ashore
THALANG: Local villagers discovered the body of an unidentified man washed ashore on the beach at Sirinath National Park around 11 am yesterday. Pol Capt Sappawat Suksiri, of Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette that the man, who is believed to have been between 30 and 40 years old, was clad in a white and blue T-shirt, but…
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Embassy clarifies visa rules – sort of
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has clarified the reasons for its recent imposition of harsh “old” requirements for a Non-Immigrant B visa, in particular as they apply to any foreigner wanting to go to Thailand on a business trip. As reported by the Gazette Online yesterday the consulate in KL has, since May 21, been handing…
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All three vice-governors to be transferred
PHUKET: All three of Phuket’s vice-governors will be transferred to other provinces in the annual October 1 reshuffle of government officials, Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi confirmed today. Noting that 20 governorships around the country will become vacant at the end of September, he said, “We have three senior vice-governors here. Two of them – Amnuay Sanguannam and Wittaya Pintapat – have…
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KL consulate tightens up B visa rules
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Thai Consulate in Kuala Lumpur has joined its counterpart in Penang in making it a great deal more difficult for foreigners working in Thailand to obtain a Non-Immigrant ‘B’ visa. A memorandum, dated May 21 and handed out to applicants on their arrival at the consulate, lists 10 documents – including confidential company papers – that…
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Teenagers break out of detention center
PHUKET: Three teenagers escaped from the Phuket Observation and Protection Center (OPC) late on Monday night. To escape, the boys used an iron bar from a bed frame to force open a window, then scaled the center’s perimeter wall. An officer at the OPC, who asked not to be named, said that the teenagers may have been frightened by a…
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Thaksin fires central bank governor
BANGKOK (AFP): The government of Thaksin Shinawatra today sacked Bank of Thailand governor Chatumongkol Sonakul following a week-long wrangle over interest rate policy, a senior official said. “This change is to enhance the efficiency of the government’s work,” government spokesman Yongyuth Tiyapairat told reporters after a cabinet meeting in which the decision was made to get rid of Chatumongkol. Public…
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Police step up fight against foreign gangs
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration Police will step up surveillance on suspected foreign criminals in order to minimize organized crime, Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Police, has told the Gazette. He singled out Nigeria as a consistent source of criminals, with a large number of Nigerians having been arrested for involvement in such crimes as drug running and fraud.…
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Seatran wins port tender with 90m baht bid
PHUKET TOWN: Seatran Travel Co Ltd has won the tender to run the Rassada Port with a bid worth more than 90 million baht over the 30 years of the lease. The port is owned by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor). The decision was announced on Friday by the OrBorJor’s Deputy President, Wisut Santikun, who headed the committee examining…
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Clean sweep for Phuket Barbarians
SAPHAN HIN: The Phuket Barbarians made a clean sweep of their matches to win Group A of the Phuket Island Lager International Rugby Tens today. The Phuket Vagabonds, in Group D, won one game and lost two to come equal second. Favorites and last year’s winners of the tournament, British Club of Bangkok, crashed to the bottom of Group A,…
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Gov to lobby against flight change
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi is to request the government to reconsider the switching of a Thai Airways International (THAI) service from Phuket to Bangkok. THAI has announced that its twice-weekly service between Perth, Australia, and Phuket will be canceled. Starting from October 1, the flights will land in Bangkok instead. Governor Pongpayome said yesterday, “I don’t agree with this…
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Prawn farm boss on murder conspiracy charges
PHUKET TOWN: Somsak Wongsawanond, the owner of the Wachara Prawn Farm in Pa Khlok, was arrested yesterday on charges of conspiracy to murder environmental activist Jurin Rachapol at the end of January. K. Jurin died on January 30 after being shot three times while collecting cashew leaves in a forest near the farm. The man accused of carrying out the…
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Thai tourist feared drowned off Patong
PATONG: Prawit Butdon, a 19-year-old tourist from Haad Yai, is feared to have drowned while swimming with friends off Patong Beach yesterday. Pol Capt Chawarit Patseepear of Kathu District Police Station said he received a call at about 6 pm, notifying him that Prawit had disappeared. Officers from Kathu and from the Marine Police rushed to the scene, along with…
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THAI “sucks”, says Thaksin
BANGKOK (AFP): Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today slammed Thailand’s national airline, Thai Airways International (THAI), for its high ticket prices, uncomfortable seats and poor service. In an interview today, he said, “If I were not a public figure, I wouldn’t fly with THAI. It sucks. “Business class on other airlines is better than THAI’s first class. Our fares are also…
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Copyright raid reports keep Net cafés closed
PHUKET TOWN: Dozens of businesses that use computers stayed closed today after reports that police were raiding Internet cafés and other computer-intensive businesses, looking for pirated software or copies of legitimate software being used without licenses. A source claiming to be close to the police in Bangkok responsible for enforcing copyright law told the Gazette that raids were being conducted…
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Gov urges businesses to tell him of problems
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi today urged foreign investors in Phuket to inform him of their suggestions, complaints and problems so he could deal with them or pass them on to the government. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the International Business Association of Phuket at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, the governor also stressed that corruption in government…
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Angel Air to fly Phuket-HK and Phuket-Osaka
BANGKOK : Thailand’s second airline, Angel Air, is to launch two new services to Phuket next month – one from Osaka in Japan, and one from Hong Kong. The airline said today that it would begin daily flights from Japan’s second-largest city to Phuket, via Bangkok, on June 21. It will also introduce twice-weekly flights between Phuket and Hong Kong…
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Charity collectors “may be thieves’
KAMALA: Police have issued a warning for people to be wary of thieves operating in Kamala. The thieves impersonate volunteers soliciting donations for a legitimate cause. One local resident explained to the Gazette, “A man in a blue safari suit came to my house on Sunday morning. The guard let him onto the property because he thought the man was…
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Tourist dies in motorcycle accident
KARON: Australian tourist Samantha O’Donnell, 23, died instantly in a motorcycle accident early Monday morning. Pol Capt Sanae Panmee of Chalong Police Station said, “Ms O’Donnell was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by a friend, Craig Eades. They were riding back from Patong at about 2 am. “He tried to overtake a Road Tran Tours coach on the corner…
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Warning over door-to-door cheats
PHUKET TOWN: Charan Sandsarn, owner of Charan Kreunglek & Faifha on Ong Sim Pai Rd, has warned householders to beware of a gang of foreign cheats who, he says, are using the name of his shop to sell electrical goods door-to-door. K. Charan said that the foreigners – thought to be from West Africa – claim to be sales representatives…
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Crooked community police arrested
WICHIT: Anucha Kaewkuen, 33, and Udomchai Faipetch, 37, from the Tambon Wichit Community Police office, were arrested recently after demanding 4,000 baht from an employer who had hired an illegal Burmese worker. The men went to an unnamed employer’s construction site and arrested a Burmese laborer. They then demanded the employer pay them 4,000 baht, claiming that the money wasn’t…
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3 held for serving up endangered animals
CHALONG: Two men, 45-year-old Chun Mo Yang and 35-year-old Lee Chund, and a woman, Yun Komja, 26, all from South Korea, were arrested yesterday afternoon at a farm on Soi Taead, Chalong, after officers discovered caged animals and a grisly array of animal parts there. Somsak Sanyanuphap, chief of Muang District, along with the Phuket Provincial Forestry Office and Chalong…
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MP tells how she lobbied Thaksin over bar problem
BANGKOK: Chalermlak Kebsab, Phuket’s Member of Parliament for Region 2, which includes Patong, was a busy woman yesterday morning, trying to persuade the government in Bangkok to relax the crackdown on bar closing times in Phuket’s entertainment capital. Her first port of call was a meeting of the Democrat Party, at which she sat with Pol Lt Gen Wannarat Kosharat,…
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