Search Results for: cat
- Phuket News
18-year-old held over fake diplomas
PHUKET: Police have arrested an 18-year-old Bangkok student and are checking whether Dulwich College certificates were among fake diplomas she is alleged to have sold over the Internet. Officers spent two weeks tracing the student through an email “sting”. They raided her Rachaburi home yesterday and found fake diplomas and certificates in her computer. The girl, named only as Daeng,…
- Phuket News
Ya bah found under mattress
PHUKET TOWN: Police arrested a couple in a raid over the weekend and discovered illegal drugs hidden under a mattress in their hotel room. Acting on a tip-off that a delivery of ya bah (methamphetamine) had just been made, Marine Police took Rhom Chantarat, 48, and Jinawal Phromharn, 22 into custody early on Saturday. In a plastic bag under the…
- Phuket News
Villagers lobby for expo center
MAI KHAO: About 200 people from Mai Khao yesterday lobbied Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi to designate Tah Chat Chai as the location for the proposed International Exhibition and Convention Center (IECC), so that visitors will spread income among local people. Somporn Tansakul, the leader of the Mai Khao deputation, said that if the government decided to build the center in…
- Phuket News
Brutal double murder in Chalong
CHALONG: Police are searching for a Burmese rubber tapper after the discovery on Tuesday in Soi Nakok, Moo 5, of the mutilated bodies of a man and a woman, in what police are calling a “love triangle” double homicide. Pol Capt Anak Mongkul, of the Chalong District Police Station, said the bodies were found in a rubber plantation 100 meters…
- Phuket News
Gov defends “average’ satisfaction rating
PHUKET TOWN: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today defended his performance during his first six months as Governor CEO, from October last year to March. The Governor’s defense of his record followed the release of the results of a survey by the Rajabhat Institute Phuket of local levels of satisfaction with Gov Pongpayome’s performance. Addressing a public forum held at the…
- Phuket News
Sex-change operation draws a crowd
PHUKET TOWN: A large audience of doctors, hospital staff and representatives of the press today watched a man become a woman during six hours of sex-change surgery. The onlookers, including some 40 visiting members of the Thai Physicians of America Association, snacked on lunch while they watched the video conference broadcast. Phuket’s own world-renowned sex-change expert, Dr Sa’nguan Kunaporn performed…
- Phuket News
Workplace anti-drug program announced
PHUKET: The Office of Labor Protection and Welfare of Phuket (LPWP) is urging businesses to join the “White Service Business” scheme, which aims to protect workers from illegal drugs. To join the scheme, a business must follow eight rules: 1. Have a clear policy about illegal drugs in the workplace. 2. Display anti-drug messages on signs. 3. Set up a…
- Phuket News
Rotted corpse found behind Wat Chalong
CHALONG: The badly decomposed body of an unidentified man, who police believe may have died about six months ago from a drug overdose, was found behind Wat Chalong yesterday morning. Pol Col Sati Malakanont, Superintendent of Chalong Police Station, today told the Gazette that he and other officers went to investigate the gruesome discovery after a local resident called the…
- Phuket News
Man killed in drive-by shooting
PATONG: A young man was shot dead early yesterday morning in Loma Park by a motorcycle passenger in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity. Pol Lt Col Manop Kositanant, Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, named the victim as Vichit Srisangchai, 21, a worker in a Patong restaurant. He died from a single shot in the stomach…
- Phuket News
Tin maiden runner-up in national fair
PHUKET: Krongthong Thepsiriamnuay, from Moo 5, Tambon Wichit, has won second place in the metal products category of the “One Village, One Product” fair, which was held in Nonthaburi province on May 25-31. K. Krongthong told the Gazette today that she won the prize for a decorative tin plate she made. It featured a raised motif of Phuket island bordered…
- Phuket News
Man confesses to raping girl, 14
PHUKET TOWN: Witchapol “Joe” Jongsujarittham, 26, yesterday confessed to charges of raping a 14-year-old girl twice and of being in possession of an unregistered firearm, Phuket Town police said today. Pol Maj Bhanjong Amarit told the Gazette that officers arrested Witchapol outside his Phuket Town home at 9 am. Armed with a search warrant, they then checked his home and…
- Phuket News
Karaoke operators sing the blues
PHUKET TOWN: More than 200 karaoke operators gathered at the Phuket Provincial Hall this morning to protest about the closure of their premises and to petition the authorities to allow them to reopen. The protest comes after a three-day campaign by police to check karaoke bars for licenses. Many were found to have none, or to have licenses that had…
- Phuket News
TAT boss worries over child abuse
PHUKET: A major Scandinavian tour operator may stop sending tourists to Phuket if the authorities cannot stop child prostitution and other forms of abuse on the island, the local TAT boss warned yesterday. In a meeting at the Phuket Provincial Meeting Hall, Anupharp Thirarath, director of the TAT Phuket office, said that he had met a Swedish researcher looking into…
- Phuket News
Another yacht seized for forged papers
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Police today seized another yacht on charges that it was registered with the Harbor Master’s office using forged documents that purported to show the boat was made in Thailand. The yacht is the Samakki, a 40-feet fiberglass motor catamaran equipped with twin 200hp engines. The boat, which police say belongs to Thrinuch Kingkaew, who now lives…
- Phuket News
Two girls drown in pool
THALANG: Two girls, one 10 years old, the other 12, died while swimming in a pool near their home in the Thalang area yesterday. Police named the two girls as Kittima Butlada, 10, and Praemai Poltawee, 12. Cousins, they both lived in a house in Moo 8, Baan Prusompan in Tambon Thepkrasattri, where they went to school. Pol Maj Adul…
- Phuket News
Corruption: Thai police a “national scandal”
BANGKOK (AFP/The Nation): In a survey on corruption and political interference in justice systems in Asia, the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) found Indonesia at the bottom of the heap, and noted that Thailand had descended to second worst in the region. The survey, concluded last week, sought the views of expatriate business people in each of…
- Phuket News
Damaged cable slows Internet access
PHUKET: Access to large parts of the Internet has been slow, if not impossible, since Sunday when an undersea telecoms cable was damaged between Taiwan and Japan. It is unclear what caused the damage. One source at a local Internet service provider (ISP) said the damage was caused by sharks mistaking the cable for a large fish. But Thitiporn Panichphol,…
- Phuket News
Crackdown on Burmese labor imminent
PHUKET: In what it describes as an effort to protect Phuket’s image, the island’s work permit committee has announced that officials will soon begin arresting illegal Burmese laborers living “in a campsite on a mountain”. Vice-Governor Manit Wattanasen, chairman of the committee, said that a request has also been sent to the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare to reduce…
- Phuket News
Three toddlers drown in tin mine lagoon
PHANG NGA: Three toddlers drowned in a lagoon in an old tin mine on Sunday after wandering off from their grandfather’s home in Tai Muang. Pol Maj Somporn Paungthong, inspector of Tai Muang Police Station, said that Prapaet Jaikeaw, 53, called police to report that the bodies of his three grandsons, three-year-old Apiwat Jaikeaw, two-year-old Watcharin Chunak and two-year-old Supawat…
- Phuket News
Health Office issues dengue advisory
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has issued its traditional annual advisory about dengue fever. Dr Wanchai Sattayawutthipong, chief of the PPHO said today, “This is the time when the fever spreads. Because of the rain of the past few weeks, the number of cases has increased. The average is 10 a week, but last week 20 were reported.”…
- Phuket News
Oops! Auditor mislays B1.5 million
PHUKET TOWN: British vacationer Michael Michalke is a lucky man after recovering all of the 1.5 million baht he left in his Phuket hotel room at the weekend. Lucky and a little red-faced: back home, Mr Michalke is an auditor. The 50-year-old Brit and his 29-year-old Thai girlfriend, Rungtip Praujanteuk, checked into the Pearl Hotel on Montri Rd on Saturday…
- Phuket News
Phuket looks at creative ways to raise funds
PHUKET: Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi says he is seeking new ways to raise additional funds to develop the island. The provincial government, he explained, receives 3.2 billion baht a year from Bangkok. About 2 billion baht of this covers fixed costs such as salaries and equipment, while the remaining 1.2 billion baht is allocated for specific projects. So far this…
- Phuket News
Monsoon missed Phuket – weatherman
PHUKET: The weatherman said today that the strong southwesterly monsoon predicted to hit Phuket this week missed. Tawat Tantham-nu, director of the Southwestern Regional Meteorological center, told the Gazette that while there are still scattered clouds and isolated thunderstorms in the area, the southwestern coast will remain calm. He said that, with wave heights of only about one meter, people…
- Phuket News
Committee appointed to protect waterways
PHUKET: In an attempt to prevent flooding and landslides, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has appointed a committee to screen applications for excavation work affecting waterways. He also suggested today that excavation on private property may be forbidden if it is likely to affect waterways, or trigger landslides or flooding. “I think that we will have to propose that it be…
- Phuket News
Suicide pact with eerie echoes
THALANG: In a double suicide attempt with spooky echoes of a past tragedy, two deaf-mute women jumped from the Tao Thepkrasattri Tao Sri Soonthorn Bridge yesterday afternoon. One drowned, but the other was rescued by fishermen. Pol Capt Apidej Chuaykeau, of Khok Kloi Police Station, said that, despite driving wind and rain, the fishermen managed to rescue Sumalee “Roong” Pratheep…
- Phuket News
Seminar tackles dangers at sea
PHUKET: With the dangerous monsoon season approaching, a two-day seminar for 200 officers who may be required to take part in sea rescues is being held to improve life-saving procedures. Organized by the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet, the gathering also involves representatives from the Marine Police, the Tourist Police, the Harbor Master, the fishery and national parks departments and…
- Phuket News
Japan to pay for clinic for Burmese
PHUKET TOWN: Aeko Nakamura, first secretary to the Japanese Ambassador to Thailand, met with Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday to discuss Japanese government funding for a health clinic for Burmese immigrants. Details of the meeting were not released, but it is understood the governor used the meeting to lobby for further financial support to cover the running costs of the…
- Phuket News
Immigration tackles fake passports
PHUKET TOWN: A hundred officers from Phuket and neighboring provinces gathered over the weekend at the Pearl Hotel, on Montri Rd, for a training seminar on how to identify fake passports and visas. Pol Maj Gen Krerkphong Pukprayura, Commander General Staff Division of the Immigration Bureau, chaired the seminar, which is part of a nationwide program to crack down on…
- Phuket News
Dead foreigner identified
PATONG: Police yesterday announced that they had identified the man found dead in a derelict Patong building on Sunday as 60-year-old Bjorn Ola Ingemar Ahlin, from Sweden. Pol Lt Col Supamit Sukjaroen, Inspector of Tourist Police, told the Gazette that officers yesterday identified Mr Ahlin’s body after questioning staff at hotels in Patong and Karon about any guests who had…
- Phuket News
Move to close cruise company
PHUKET: Officials today moved to have Lifestyle in Asia – the company at the center of the “sex cruises” scandal – struck off as a registered tourism business. The move comes after allegations that one of the company’s boats was illegally registered, and after a raid on the company’s offices that allegedly uncovered pornographic videos and sex “toys”. Prachuab Tangka-arree,…
