Search Results for: fall
- Cannabis News
45 murders in Phuket in 2009
PHUKET: Crime statistics compiled by the Phuket Provincial Police reveal 45 murders and 310 cases of manslaughter on the resort island in 2009. Based on the official population of just over 320,000, the figures put the total number of instances of murder and manslaughter at an alarming rate of more than one victim per 1,000 residents over the year. However,…
- Phuket News
UPDATE: Phuket tuk-tuk assault case
PHUKET: A Patong tuk-tuk driver charged with assault for allegedly beating a Canadian tourist has been granted bail. Tassanarit Damthong, 30, handed himself in at Kathu Police Station at 3pm on Tuesday. He was arrested and charged with the assault of Canadian tourist Ivan Bob Anwar, 51. Mr Anwar claimed he was punched five times after refusing to pay 150…
- Phuket News
Phuket Gov pushes for ‘ring road’
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s Governor continues to push for new road projects on the island, the latest a ‘ring road’ though the east side of Phuket Town connecting Wichit and Rasada. Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop told a meeting of provincial department heads on Tuesday that he is hoping the controversial Klong Koh Pee (‘Ghost Canal’) Road project will get the green light…
- Phuket News
Phang Nga remembers the tsunami dead
PHUKET CITY: It was a somber time in Phang Nga on Saturday, when residents gathered to take part in ceremonies remembering those who died in the 2004 tsunami disaster that shocked the world five years ago. Early in the morning, 1,000 Buddhist monks took part in a mass alms giving ceremony in front of the Takuapa Police Station. At the…
- Phuket News
Phuket Police promise peace in Patong
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police and supporting organizations held a ceremony on Soi Bangla last night that included a brief photo shoot with tourists, assuring them that their safety is a top concern. Activities started at 7pm in front of the Baan Sukhothai Hotel & Spa on Soi Bangla. The large ceremony was presided over by Phuket Vice Governor Teerayut Eimtrakul.…
- Phuket News
Kathu police keep tabs on ladyboys
PATONG, PHUKET: A ‘ladyboy’ registration plan that went into effect in October has been hailed a success by Patong’s top cop, with a drop in the number of crime cases committed by members of Patong’s transgender community. The registration plan was established last October following concerns that US military servicemen on leave in Phuket might fall prey to gangs of…
- Opinion
OPINION: Phuket not yet ready for another tsunami
PHUKET CITY: With the fifth anniversary of the tsunami approaching, now is a good time to reflect on how well prepared Phuket might be should a similar disaster befall us in the future. The sad truth is that we are still a long way from where we should be, even though public awareness of the threat of tsunamis is understandably…
- Phuket News
Phuket residents protest destruction of ancient trees
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Protesters who have blockaded roads to the West Sands resort project began allowing partial access to staff today, but continue to deny access to any large vehicles involved in construction at the site. The blockade began on Tuesday, when local villagers discovered eight pine trees had been felled with chain saws along the border of the project…
- Phuket News
Melee in Chalong rice soup shop
CHALONG, PHUKET: A man smashed a stranger over the head with a bottle, sparking a brawl at a Phuket khao tom (rice soup) restaurant in the early morning hours on Saturday. Worakrit Wisutthitham, 40, lost a lot of blood and needed eight stitches to his head at Vachira Phuket Hospital following the attack. Mr Worakrit was eating with two friends…
- Phuket News
Patong floods: no end in sight
PATONG, PHUKET: In the latest developments on the Nanai Road flooding saga, the Patong municipality says a new pump is set to be installed under the road. However, disgruntled local residents will have to wait until next year for the project to be completed. Problems first began in April this year, when heavy rains caused floodwater three-feet deep to collect,…
- Phuket News
Phuket acid attack meters from cop shop
PATONG, PHUKET: A man threw acid in the face of a 27-year-old woman just 100 meters from Kathu Police Station in the early hours of this morning. The victim, Sirirat Nankham, is being treated at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Her left eye is swollen shut and she has blisters all over her body. Ms Sirirat, who works as a cashier at…
- Phuket News
Phuket Open: All Thai teams out
KARON, PHUKET: All five Thai teams in the FIVB Phuket Thailand Open volleyball tournament have been eliminated from competition. Defending Phuket Thailand Open champions Jen Kessy-Boss and April Ross of the US opened defense of their title by defeating 32nd seeds Julaluk Radarong and Manerat Udomchavee of Thailand 21-15 and 21-13 today. More bad news for the Thais came when…
- Phuket News
Robson in Thai debut with Phuket Kata Group Cup win
PHUKET CITY, PHUKET: Former Manchester United and England star Bryan Robson made a winning start as the Thai national team manager with a 2-0 win over Yadanarbon FC of Burma at a wet Surakul Stadium last night. Following a goalless first half, two headed goals in the second half were enough to seal a comfortable victory and a place in…
- Phuket News
Last night for Phuket Veg Fest ’09
PHUKET CITY: Devotees who have spent the last eight days without meat, alcohol or sex will be able to resume their usual ways at the stroke of midnight tonight when the Chinese Warrior Gods depart and the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival comes to an end. As in years past, Saphan Hin is expected to be the center of activity this…
- Phuket News
Swine flu under control in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The head of the Phuket Public Health Office has downplayed a report in the state-run media that lists Phuket as one of seven provinces with high incidences of A(H1N1) infection. The figures are skewed because they don’t take into account the island’s large ‘hidden population’, he said. Phuket Public Health Office director Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang said the total…
- Phuket News
Hearing held for two Phuket road megaprojects
PHUKET CITY: If Friday’s public hearing is any indication, there appears to be little grassroots opposition to two major road projects being considered for Phuket.The event at Royal Phuket City Hotel combined two public hearings into one.By coincidence, the two hearings were scheduled to take place at the same time in the same hotel, causing a great deal of confusion…
- Phuket News
Wet week predicted for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Phuket residents will get little relief from heavy rains and dark skies over the next week, but the severity of storms should lessen, according to the Meteorological Department office in Phuket. Methawee Nuanla-or, an officer at the Meteorological Department’s South (West Coast) station near Phuket International Airport, said current rainy conditions are expected for the rest of the…
- Phuket News
Phuket storms caused by killer typhoon
PHUKET CITY: The rain lashing down on Phuket this week is not normal monsoon rain but the outer rings of Typhoon Ketsana, which arrived in Thailand today, according to Phuket Meteorological Office. Phuket Meteorological Officer Sophon Sanggaew said the conditions would persist for another two or three days. Typhoon Ketsana was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in…
- Phuket News
Norwegian tourist drowns in calm waters off Phuket
WICHIT, PHUKET: An elderly Norwegian tourist drowned off Phuket in calm waters yesterday after the lilo she was sunbathing on drifted out to sea. Oslo native Jorunn Olden, 65, was on vacation with her husband in Ao Yon, on Phuket’s east coast, when the tragedy struck. Witnesses told Phuket City Police Inspector Anek Mongkol they saw her drift out at…
- Phuket News
Industry experts warm up for Hospitality Show
PHUKET: The region’s hospitality industry is heating up for the first International Hospitality Show, to be held at the RPM International Exhibition & Conference Center in Phuket from September 24 to 26. The three-day event will include a trade exhibition featuring: suppliers from all areas of hospitality; a demonstration forum, the Phuket Culinary Fair; and various industry-specific seminars. Exhibits will…
- Opinion
OPINION: Is Phuket ready for welfarism?
PHUKET: Thailand’s leading think tank has proposed a “survival strategy” for the nation: an exit from the current economic and political distress by transforming the country into a “welfare state” that would help bridge wealth and income disparity. The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), led by its chairman, Dr Nipon Poapongsakorn, says the group’s research has found that disparities in…
- Thailand News
Loan shark shaken by suicide cell
BANGKOK: A loan shark found the police were the least of his worries after being detained in a haunted cell. On September 1, Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers arrested Sombun Thong-kham, 39, for extortion and unauthorized money lending, and placed him in custody at CSD headquarters on Phahonyothin Rd. Around 3am the following morning, the duty sergeant heard Mr Sombun…
- Phuket News
UFOs drop into Phuket
PHUKET: A family in Phuket had a close encounter with unidentified falling objects at the weekend when about a hundred small spheres ‘dropped from the sky’ onto their roof and garden.The family of six said the transparent balls fell on their home in Wichit about 9am on Sunday directly after a rain shower.“After the rain had stopped, we heard the…
- Phuket News
Panic in Phuket: Supercheap roof collapse
RASSADA, PHUKET: Shoppers at discount retailer Supercheap got a scare early this morning when three sections of roof blew off and fell onto the merchandise below, causing considerable damage and a public panic. Fortunately, there were no deaths or injuries. The collapse saw around 200 square meters of roof fall on three different departments: seafood, compact discs and baby clothes.…
- Phuket News
Deputy PM orders investigation into Phuket jet-ski scams
PHUKET: Australian diplomats regard the problem of jet-ski rip-offs in Phuket so seriously they have complained to the prime minister, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said yesterday.As a result, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has ordered a thorough investigation into scams on the island, particularly those involving jet-skis and motorcycle taxis, Gov Wichai said.There are about 300 jet-skis on five beaches…
- Opinion
OPINION: Thaksin’s plea rang hollow in Phuket
PHUKET: Here in Thailand’s ‘Solid South’, a bastion of support for the Democrat party, Phuket people were unlikely to have been impressed with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s emotional plea to His Majesty The King in Bangkok yesterday. Under the backdrop of the red-shirt rally seeking a royal pardon for him, Thaksin made an emotional plea – like a closing statement…
- Phuket News
New swine flu cases down 50% in Phuket
PHUKET CITY: The number of new swine flu cases reported in Phuket has been reduced by almost half, with 271 reported cases and the death toll still at two. To help people who contract the type A(H1N1) virus that causes the disease, the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) has signed contracts with 12 private clinics to distribute the the antiviral…
- Phuket News
PM supports new Saphan Hin road: Phuket governor
PHUKET CITY: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva supports the controversial plan to build a new road connecting Saphan Hin and Sakdidet Road, according to Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop. Speaking at the project’s opening ceremony held near Chalermprakiat Somdejprasrinakarin Phuket School yesterday, Gov Wichai said he discussed the project with PM Abhisit last month. “The prime minister agreed with my project proposals,”…
- Thailand News
Afghan judo coach loses to ladyboy
BANGKOK: The coach of the Afghan judo squad attending the Asian Martial Arts Games in the Thai capital was robbed of hundreds of thousands of baht after falling for a ladyboy he met in the notorious Nana Plaza adult entertainment complex. Assaladee Sakala, 43, told police he and his team checked into the Grand Ayudhaya Hotel Bangkok in the Ratchada area and…
- Phuket News
Phuket warned of torrential rains, flash flooding
PHUKET: The national Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department [DPMD] has warned Phuket of torrential rains. Borne of the strong southwest monsoon currently prevailing over the Andaman region, the deluge, expected to cause flooding, is predicted to hit later today and to continue through tomorrow. The warning was issued late yesterday afternoon and includes three other Andaman provinces: Ranong, Trang and…
