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- Phuket News
Phuket property worst hit at “high end”
PHUKET: More than 10 residential projects with a combined market value of nearly 10 billion baht remain “on hold” in Phuket, because demand from both domestic and foreign buyers – especially for luxury homes – has fallen to less than half of last year’s level. Wanwipa Horbut, deputy managing director of luxury property developer Surin Hill Development, said demand for…
- Phuket News
Karon residents rally against Chalong Police
KARON, PHUKET: Citing dereliction of duty and a surge in crime, more than 200 residents of Karon on Monday rallied to call for the transfer of Chalong Police Superintendent Chinnarat Rittakananond. The protest, held in a field at Karon Temple starting at 1pm, was led by tambon chief Winai Chitchiew. Also taking part was Karon Mayor Tawee Tongcham. Mr Winai…
- Phuket News
Prison Products Fair underway in Phuket
SAPHAN HIN, PHUKET: There are only four days remaining in the 6th annual Prisoners Product Fair taking place at the central stage area at Saphan Hin. A wide variety of sturdy, handmade products including tables, wardrobes, beds and baskets are on display. Items made by Thai prisoners from the 14 provincial prisons in the southern region, as part of their…
- Phuket News
Phuket crime: 50,000 baht reward for clues in Australian assault case
PHUKET CITY: It has taken a phone call from the Australian diplomatic mission, but Phuket Police are now renewing efforts to catch the man responsible for a horrendous knife attack on a young Australian man several months ago.In early February this year, 20-year-old Jamie Shackleton was left with terrible facial injuries after being slashed in the face with a machete…
- Thailand News
Elite guard in alleged sodomy of senior, 71
TRANG: Police have arrested a People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) guard for the alleged rape of a 71-year-old man. The shocking announcement was made on June 11 by Thian Banthip, deputy superintendent of the Muang District Police in nearby Trang province. Lt Col Thian identified the alleged rapist as 44-year-old Phuan Thajeen, a member of the PAD’s elite “Srivichai Warriors”…
- Phuket News
Young Australian dies in Phuket motorbike crash
WICHIT, PHUKET: A young Australian man died just before dawn on Saturday morning when his motorcycle crashed at high speed on Chao Fa West Road. Inspector Yongyuth Kongmarai of Phuket City Police identified the deceased as 20-year-old Kain Bonow, an Australian national and long-time resident of Phuket. Police and rescue workers from the nearby Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation responded to…
- Phuket News
Swine flu cases surpass 200 mark
PHUKET CITY / BANGKOK: Thailand yesterday reported 51 new cases of swine flu, bringing the total number to 201, Public Health Ministry spokesman Suphan Srikamma has announced. Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said that nine schools have suspended classes to prevent spreading of the flu, all in or around Bangkok. Among them are such prestigious schools as St Gabriel’s, St Francis…
- Phuket News
Thirty suspected swine flu cases in Phuket
PHUKET: Four tourists in Phuket are suspected of being infected with swine flu and are currently in quarantine in Phuket hospitals. According to the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO), three of the quarantined tourists are Pakistani nationals. They were immediately quarantined at Patong Hospital after thermo scanners showed they were suffering from high fevers. The fourth tourist is a Thai…
- Phuket News
Chikungunya continues to rise in Phuket
PHUKET: Chikungunya continues to spread in the province, with 694 confirmed cases in the island’s official records. And the actual figure is probably far higher. Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) Director Dr Pongsawas Ratanasang confirmed that 669 Thais have received hospital treatment for the disease. Dr Pongsawas said a further 25 cases, all foreigners, have also been treated: 17 Burmese,…
- Phuket News
Phuket Health and Wellness Festival
PATONG, PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, in association with the Phuket Spa Association, public and private hospitals, and government agencies in Phuket, will hold the Phuket Health and Wellness Festival 2009 from June 11 to 13 at Jungceylon Shopping Complex in Patong. The event, an expansion of the Andaman Spa Invitation held since 2006, is aimed at promoting…
- Phuket News
Phuket gets another toy library from the Phuket Community Foundation
Community Foundations (CFs) are a powerful force for doing good in society. They are also financial powerhouses. For example, Rotary has total worldwide assets – that is, investments from which Rotary clubs draw an income – of around US$700 million. In contrast, the Tulsa Community Foundation alone has assets of US$3.l7 billion, and the top 10 in the US have…
- Phuket News
Phuket says farewell to Steve Swan
PATONG, PHUKET: A cremation ceremony was held last week for US serviceman Steve Swan, who survived for three weeks following a motorcycle accident on April 30 but died from complications on May 22. The following obituary is provided by Lee Thayer, also a retired US Navy serviceman and, together with Steve, an owner of the Crow’s Nest Bar on Soi…
- Phuket News
Frenchman and Thai drown in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: A Frenchman and his Thai companion drowned while swimming in heavy surf off Karon Beach yesterday afternoon. After the deaths were reported to Chalong Police, rescue workers from the Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation, Phuket Tourist Rescue Center and Karon Hazard Prevention Unit rushed out on surfboards and boats to find the victims. After about 20 minutes they found…
- Phuket News
Aussie family narrowly avoids drowning in Phuket
KARON, PHUKET: A family of Australian tourists who ignored red warning flags narrowly escaped drowning at Karon Beach on Tuesday afternoon. Chalong Police identified the victims as Mr Samir Mourad, 58, his daughter Zeinab, 16, and Mr Mourad’s wife, whose first name and age were not reported. According to the report, Mr Mourad was sunbathing while his wife and daughter…
- Phuket News
Phuket jungle walk marks World Environment Day 2009
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: More than 50 Phuket students on Monday morning completed an eight-kilometer jungle trek all the way from Bang Pae Waterfall to Ton Sai Waterfall, located inside Khao Phra Thaeo National Park. The event was organized jointly by PTT Exploration and Production Co (PTTEP), Radio Thailand, and the Phuket Public Relations Department. PTTEP External Relations Manager Sidhichai Jayant…
- Phuket News
New Phuket Chief Justice urges more mediation
PHUKET CITY: The new Chief Justice of Phuket Provincial Court held a press conference yesterday to promote greater use of the court mediation system to settle legal disputes, the backlog of which is overwhelming the provincial court system and leading to long delays between trial dates. Phuket Provincial Court Chief Justice Varangkana Sujaritkul said she will promote the use of…
- Phuket News
Thai Immigration crackdown on border runners
BANGKOK / PHUKET: In a crackdown on foreigners who “abuse” the tourist exemption rule allowing15-day visit extensions at border entry points, the Immigration Bureau has confirmed and informed ThaiVisa.Com of the following new regulation, which went into effect yesterday: A foreigner who has entered the kingdom four consecutive times on 15-day tourist exemption stamps will not be allowed to leave…
- Phuket News
Human smuggling suspects arrested in Ranong
PHUKET CITY: Immigration Police in the early hours of Saturday arrested 34 illegal Burmese immigrants and two Thais in a raid on a house in Ranong’s Muang District, seizing notebooks listing the names of members of security forces who had allegedly been bribed to secure safe passage for the migrants. At 4am, a team of Ranong Immigration Police led by…
- Phuket News
Phuket beach gets green carpet
PHUKET CITY: The beach at one of Phuket’s most popular recreational areas has been inundated with bright green seaweed since the middle of May. The affected area is at the tip of Saphan Hin park, which juts out into Phuket Bay. Fisheries specialist Ukkrit Sataphumin of the Phuket Marine Biological Center at Cape Panwa said the seaweed was first reported to…
- Phuket News
Bt20m for tourism improvements in Rassada
RASSADA, PHUKET: In a recent meeting, Rassada Municipality agreed to allocate almost Bt20 million to improve landscaping and build new facilities near the causeway leading to Koh Sireh, in a bid to promote tourism and improve the quality of life for local people. The work will take place near the Malikaew embankment in the Koh Sireh community in Rassada Village…
- Phuket News
German manslaughter suspect gets bail, whereabouts unknown
PHUKET CITY: German tourist Florian Zehentmair, charged with the manslaughter of his friend Sebastian Wolff in Khao Lak, has been released on bail. Police do not know where he is staying. In another development in the case, preliminary investigation into the cause of death by the police forensics institute in Surat Thani has determined the cause of Mr Wolff’s death…
- Phuket News
Body found on Nai Harn Beach Phuket remains unidentified
CHALONG, PHUKET: Phuket Police have yet to identify the remains of a heavily tattooed Caucasian man found washed ashore on Nai Harn Beach late last week. For the original report click here. Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the Chalong Police told the Gazette today that no missing person reports have been filed to aid in identification of the body, which…
- Phuket News
Swede dead in Phuket of apparent cocaine overdose
CHALONG, PHUKET: Police have confirmed that a 48-year-old Swedish man found dead in the room of a guesthouse late yesterday afternoon appears to have died of a cocaine overdose. The 48-year-old Swede, whose name is being withheld pending notification of kin, was found in a room at the Happy Days guesthouse, located at Chalong Bay. Chalong Police Duty Officer Thienchai…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s Vanich Foundation awards annual scholarships
RASSADA, PHUKET: The Boonrod Ekapojna Vanich Foundation on Thursday presented its annual scholarships totaling 105,400 baht to 30 needy students. This event took place at the Vanich Estate on Thepkasattri Rd in Rassada. The scholarships were presented to the lucky recipients by foundation vice-presidents Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr and her brother Apirak Vanich. Foundation chairman Boonrod Ekapojna Vanich, now 73 years…
- Phuket News
Thai senator stunned by ‘new media’
PHUKET: Thai people have little “need” for multiple media outlets such as cable TV and websites since most spread misinformation, Bangkok Senator Rosana Tositakul opined yesterday. “Do we really need so many media channels? And how could we “control” a large number of media channels, anyway?” Rosana asked at a seminar entitled “How to Reform the New Media”, held by…
- Phuket News
Melbourne mum reunited with kids after Phuket ordeal
PHUKET CITY: Australian holidaymaker Annice Smoel is safely home after leaving Phuket on a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok at 9pm yesterday, then catching a connecting flight to Melbourne. During a visit to the Phuket Immigration Office yesterday, accompanied by her husband Darren, Ms Smoel was smiling broadly in the knowledge that her departure from the ‘Land of Smiles’ was…
- Phuket News
Tossaporn pushes for Phuket conference center and sports complex
PHUKET: Funds for Phuket’s long-awaited convention center are to be included in next year’s budget, according to Phuket MP Tossaporn Thepabutr. If the budget is approved, the center could be finished within three years.The convention center has been on the drawing boards for well over a decade. The center was initially proposed to be built on reclaimed land off Saphan…
- Phuket News
Gloomy outlook for Phuket tourism
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) has forecast that Phuket hotels will see average occupancy rates dip to as low as 25-30%, compared to 60% in the summer season last year. Citing a number of negative factors, PTA Vice President Bhurit Maswongsa said the spread of the type-A (H1N1) flu virus was one of the main problems hitting the…
- Phuket News
Phuket Police: Aussie arrest no laughing matter
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark has defended the actions of his men in detaining Aussie holidaymaker Annice Smoel for stealing a branded bar towel from the Aussie Bar in Patong earlier this month. Col Grissak told the Gazette today that the matter was a clear case of theft and that his officers had sufficient evidence to prove her…
- Phuket News
Phuket property under fire: Lersuang revisited
PHUKET: Earlier this month, Web blog thephuketinsider.com and the Phuket Gazette reported on an article in the UK’s Daily Mirror about the Phuket-based Lersuang Group. The Mirror story put Lersuang in the international limelight, saying that customers were demanding their money back but offering no comments from company management. The Phuket Gazette promised to get comments from the companies involved…
