News
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Deputy PM to lead Xmas Day raids
PHUKET: A Christmas gift to vendors with dodgy goods and iffy advertising or consumer contracts: Deputy PM Korn Dabbaransi will be in Phuket on Christmas Day to inspect companies about which the Consumer Protection Board has received complaints. It was announced today that DPM Korn will arrive in Phuket on December 24 and stay at The Metropole hotel. The announcement…
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Burmese blamed for healthcare drain
PHUKET TOWN: The chiefs of the five government hospitals in Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi and Phuket yesterday singled out Burmese laborers as a burden on hospital funds in the Andaman region. The comments were made at a top-level meeting of Public Health officials, including Public Health Deputy Minister Pol Gen Pracha Promnog and Public Health Inspector Dr Narong Chayakul, at…
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Antiques seized in raid on shop
PHUKET TOWN: Police this morning raided antiques store Tommy Vintage and Collectibles, on Thalang Rd, and seized two antique carved wooden doors and an ornate Buddhist prayer table, all believed to be about 100 years old. Thamrongsak Sukhajiradej, the store’s Manager, was charged with selling antiques without a proper license. He told the Gazette that the antiques belonged his father.…
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Speedboat seized, owner sought
MAI KHAO: Phuket Marine Police last night seized the speedboat “Cedar Swan Tender” from a house near the Yacht Haven Marina. Pol Col Phira Boonliang, Superintendent of Phuket Marine Police, said, “The boat had been brought into the country illegally without any import duty paid on the hull or the engine.” He added that officers had tried to contact the…
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Officers to play hero for a day
PHUKET: Emergency rescue service teams will stage several rescue exercises this Saturday (December 14) to boost people’s confidence in the authorities’ ability to cope with emergencies. Starting at 10 am in Patong Bay, officers will simulate rescuing people from a boat on fire, then perform a cliff rescue at Laem Phromthep. They will then perform a rescue of a scuba…
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Policeman shot with own gun
THALANG: A policeman’s wife used her husband’s own pistol to shoot him dead yesterday morning after they had a heated argument near the Sarasin Bridge. Pratheuang “Tim” Saesue, 45, shot Pol Sgt Maj Siripong Aimjad, 35, of Tah Chat Chai Police Station, at 10 am in front of many witnesses. She did not try to flee the scene. Pol Lt…
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Immigration Chief promoted
PHUKET TOWN: Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO), has been promoted to Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police. He will take up his new post on Monday (December 16). Speaking with the Gazette, Col Apirak said that in his new post he would continue the fight against all aspects of the illegal drugs trade. “We’ve…
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Taxi, tuk-tuk drivers block road in protest
KATA: A mob of 200 tuk-tuk and taxi drivers this morning blocked Koktanode Rd to protest safari tour companies depriving them of customers. The mob gathered at about 7 am near the junction with Patak Rd and demanded that four safari companies – Siam Safari, Island Safari, Southern Eco and Amazing Bhukit – continue to honor a verbal agreement reached…
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Yo wins King&’s Cup
KATA: A fifth place in today’s race off Kata was good enough for Peter Ahern and his crew on board Yo! to take provisional first place overall in the Racing Class of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Yachts crossed the start line at 8:30 am with a breeze of up to 15 knots breathing new life into the regatta, which…
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Property auction sparks protest
PHUKET TOWN: About 50 people gathered outside the Merlin Hotel this morning to protest the sale of repossessed houses and land by Bangkok Bank. Noppon Siemhan, a lawyer and member of Phuket Property Protection, said that many properties at today’s auction would be sold at 50%-80% of the original value. “I think they should give a discount of 50%-80% to…
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Police find Kamnan killer’s shotgun
THALANG: Police have found the gun used in Sunday night’s hitman-style slaying of Moo Baan Saku’s village leader Somboon Panyawai, the area’s police chief said today. Pol Lt Col Jakrit Srisuwan, Chief of Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette that the gun was found 300 meters from the scene of the shooting during an extensive search of the…
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Park chief deals with abuse claims
PATONG: Authorities at the Similan National Park are making changes to the ticketing system to stave off allegations of abuse and corruption. Representatives from about 30 dive companies met yesterday evening at Crissey Village with the park’s chief. Alistair Beveridge, President of the Phuket Chapter of the Dive Operator’s Club of Thailand (DOCT), told the gathering that he had been…
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999 ride for the King’s birthday
THALANG: A total of 999 bicycle riders headed off today from Thalang District Office to Surin beach and back on a ride to celebrate the 75th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Sending them off on the 30-kilometer round trip were the President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization, Prasit Koeysiripong, and MP Chalermlak Kebsab. Dr Prasit said, “I’m very…
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Naked lady clue to mystery body
CHALONG: Police are hoping the tattoo of a naked lady will help them identify the body of a man found floating yesterday in Ao Chalong, near Koh Lone. The tattoo is on the right leg of the man, who appears to be either Thai or Burmese. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and baggy trousers and police think he…
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Winds tease King’s Cup racers again
KATA: The wind faded again after a good start to racing on day two of the King’s Cup Regatta yesterday. Winds of 10 to 12 knots at Phi Phi as the fleet headed for Kata on Phuket had faded by lunchtime. Some of the Racing Yachts failed to complete the course. In other groups, the first race was shortened to…
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New lists of visa exemptions
PHUKET: A revision of the lists of countries whose citizens can obtain a 15-day visa or a 30-day visa on arrival will come into effect on December 29. Visitors holding passports from specified countries for a temporary visit not exceeding 15 days can obtain a tourist visa on arrival at the airport. This list has been reduced from 96 countries…
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New Pay at Post service
PHUKET: The Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) has launched a service called Pay at Post, under which customers can pay various bills and traffic fines at any post office. Services – some at a fee of 40-50 baht – include annual vehicle tax payments, compulsory motor insurance, general vehicle insurance, third party insurance payment service, traffic fines, mobile phone services…
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Beauty in a million
PHUKET: The new Miss Andaman 2002, Waraporn “Oy” Ongkaloy, was crowned on Saturday night and received her prizes – one million baht, a pearl necklace, a pearl crown, and the chance to spend a year promoting the Andaman coast. K. Oy, 21, also won the titles of Miss Photogenic and Miss Popular, netting another 150,000 baht. For the next year…
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Shotgun slaying by after-dinner killer
THALANG: A dinner with family and friends ended in the execution-style shotgun murder of a local leader at Nai Thon last night. Somboon Panyawai, 44, Kamnan of Baan Saku, was blasted as he walked across the road to return to his car parked about 40 meters away. His wife was already in the car. Police believe the killer, waiting among…
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Gusts hamper King&’s Cup opener
PHI PHI: A good breeze that aided the start of King’s Cup racing today vanished around noon, leaving some yachts fighting variable winds or drifting past the wrong side of gates. The wind was described as “very flukey”. In some instances, yachts were becalmed while others not far away managed to capture gusts. Despite conditions, there were finishes in every…
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World darts champ to take on island&’s best
PHUKET: British darts legend John Lowe is in Phuket and has thrown down the gauntlet to the island’s players to “send me your champion”. Four bars on the island – Heroes in Patong, the Whispering Cock in Cherng Talay, Duncan’s in Phuket Town and the Anchor Bar in Kata – are hosting preliminary rounds this week to sort out who…
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Sand sculpting a big draw despite rain
KARON: About 300 people gathered at Nong Harn yesterday and braved sporadic showers for the second Chula Phuket Sandsculpting Festival. More than 30 teams of five competed to make the best sand sculptures in four categories of entrants: school, college, hotels and the general public. Between 9 am and 3 pm, entrants took to the sand and made the best…
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Aussie, Canadian win triathlon
CHERNG TALAY: Australians once again had a strong showing in the annual Laguna Phuket Triathlon, even though last year’s men’s and women’s champions both failed to reclaim the top spots in this morning’s competition. Among the men, Craig Alexander of Australia took first place, followed by American Tim De Boom, while last year’s winner, Courtney Atkinson of Australia, finished third.…
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King’s Cup racing to start Monday
PHI PHI: An expected 80 entries are gathering today at Phi Phi in preparation for the 16th King’s Cup Regatta (KC). The week of racing begins Monday off Phi Phi, followed by a Phi Phi-to-Phuket race, then three days of racing off the west coast of Phuket. The regatta wraps up in Kata on Saturday. Pundits are tipping Linklaters Mandrake…
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Tourists secure, Gov tells Scandinavians
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today reassured a group of visiting Scandanavian travel agents and print and TV journalists that Phuket was a secure destination for tourists. His visitors came from Denmark and Norway, which, after the Bali atrocity in October, were among the first countries to issue travel advisories warning their citizens to exercise extreme caution when…
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Immigration arrests drop substantially
PHUKET: The number of people arrested for illegal immigration dropped by more than half between October and November, police statistics show. Figures from November 1 to 25 show 95 people being arrested for illegal immigration, compared with 239 in the comparable period in October. Narcotics arrests and incidents remained about the same with 68 cases reported, and 93 arrests. This…
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Tourist drowns at Kamala
KAMALA: A 63-year-old Swiss tourist died in an ambulance on the way to hospital yesterday after being pulled from the sea at Kamala. Police named him as Alexander Jost, a regular visitor to the island who had been in Phuket on his latest visit since November 20. Pol Capt Narong Loypatumviroj, Inspector of Kathu Police Station, said that Thais and…
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Mechanic found dead at fishing port
PHUKET TOWN: The naked body of Thai boat mechanic Lertchai “Tui” Thammajong, 36, from Kanchanaburi, was found yesterday morning at the Saeng Aroon raft in the Rassada port area. Officers arrived about 7 am to find the body lying among barrels of boat fuel on the raft. His clothes were found nearby. A post-mortem showed that K. Lertchai had been…
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Taxis protest over airport ban
PHUKET TOWN: Fifteen drivers from the new metered taxi company Natong Phuket Co Ltd (NPC) gathered at Provincial Hall this morning to lodge a complaint with Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi after being refused entry to Phuket International Airport (PIA). NPC’s Managing Director Adul Lakman and 10 drivers spent an hour discussing the issue with the Governor and PIA Director Lt…
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Italian killed in head-on smash
KATHU: Italian Gian Piero Sala, 32, died when his motorbike was in a head-on collision with a pick-up truck on Wichit Songkram Rd early on Saturday morning. His Thai companion, who was riding pillion, was left in a coma. Pol Capt Kittipong Klaykaew, an inspector at Tung Tong Police Station, told the Gazette, “We rushed to the scene after receiving…
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