Phuket

Police step up fight against foreign gangs

Published

18 years ago

May 28, 2001

Police step up fight against foreign gangs | The Thaiger

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. To ensure that police efforts are not wasted, Col Apirak said the immigration police will liaise with embassies, which can inform them of the arrival of known criminals from their countries. He also noted that the underworld itself is a good source of information, as criminals often inform the police about rival gangs’ activities. But the fight against organized crime is not easy, he said. “Most [foreign] gangs have a Thai lawyer, [and] aware of how strict the Governor is about regulating foreigners, they have all their papers in order. “Also, the police used to have the authority to issue search warrants. Now, only judges have the power to issue them. This makes our job more difficult, especially when we have to wait a long time for a warrant,” Col Apirak said. “Sometimes, the warrant is effective only for a couple of hours. [In drug cases,] this makes our job doubly difficult because we cannot arrest the criminals if there are no illegal substances on the premises during that [brief] period,” he added. “We can tap their telephones, but I think they know about this because they don’t talk too much on the phone,” he said.

Phuket

Motorbike driver smashes through glass window after accelerator malfunctions

Published

12 hours ago

March 22, 2019

Kritsada Mueanhawong

Motorbike driver smashes through glass window after accelerator malfunctions | The Thaiger

A female motorbike driver has sustained injuries after her motorbike’s hand grip malfunctioned and she collided with a glass wall.

Chalong Police were notified of the incident at an air conditioning shop at 6pm yesterday on Chao Fa West Road in Chalong.

Police and emergency responders arrived and found the shattered glass wall and a damaged motorbike.

The injured 40 year old Naowarat Jankarn had already been taken to Chalong Hospital. She sustained injuries from cuts from the broken glass. polls of blood were found on the floor.

Ms Naowarat told police that she had parked her motorbike in front of the shop since Wednesday . The motorbike was underivable because the hand grip accelerator was malfunctioning.

Yesterday she started the motorbike, claiming she had forgotten about the broken accelerator.

Phuket

Police hunting for driver who threatened others with a gun on Phuket road – VIDEO

Published

14 hours ago

March 22, 2019

Kritsada Mueanhawong

Police hunting for driver who threatened others with a gun on Phuket road – VIDEO | The Thaiger

PHOTO: Tiw Tiw

The Thalang Police are hunting for the driver who was threatening other motorists on Thepkrasattri Road by waving a gun around out of the driver’s window of his red sedan in Thalang this morning.

A Facebook user ‘Tiw Tiw’ has posted the video with a message reading “where are the police, please follow him. The incident happened this morning in Thalang.”

The video shows a car switching from one lane to another. The driver shows a gun in his car window and then appears to throw it out (at least he used his indicator).

The Thalang Police are investigating the incident and want to find the car driver for questioning.

Phang Nga

Phuket’s hotel and property players look north

Published

16 hours ago

March 22, 2019

Bill Barnett

Phuket’s hotel and property players look north | The Thaiger

by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com

One of Greater Phuket’s real estate and hotel market’s that has a decided buzz of late is the area north of Phuket over the Sarasin bridge in Phang Nga.

In Natai Beach, the entry of the Baba Beach Club and nearby Akyra has created renewed visibility for the broad West Coast stretch of white sand beach, extending north beyond Phuket.

Two upscale hotels are in the development phase in the vicinity, with one being flagged to an international hotel operator.

Up at the 1,000 plus rai Thai Muang mega-project, movement is once again underway, as is a nearby massive Japanese-led mixed-use project including a golf course.

Land values are currently running amuck in the Koh Kloi area where the AOT (Airports of Thailand) has reportedly acquired land for an upcoming Phang Nga airport which will provide Phuket with a second gateway alternative.

Premium land transactions are taking place, with the most notable being the recent trade of the former oceanfront site in Bodan that was to be at various stages first a Raffles and later a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.

Looking at Phuket’s light-rail initiative, one knock-on effect will be the eventual linkage between the island and larger connection to a broader rail terminus in Koh Kloi. This will likely spur real estate speculators to acquire peripheral locations.

As Phang Nga’s West Coast four land highway expansion moves forward to Khao Lak and beyond, Phuket’s Northern neighbor is seeing a renewed push in its tourism, property and infrastructure.