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Eight Chinese busted for working illegally
PHUKET: Eight Chinese photographers were arrested for working illegally in Phuket on Tuesday. “The suspects were preparing to take photographs of couples for a wedding ceremony being held at Chalong temple at about 11:30am,” said Phuket Provincial Labor Office Chief Suttipong Saisakares. “Our officers asked for their work permits, but they were unable to provide any. So, we explained to…
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Vandals damage clown fish sculpture in Krabi
KRABI: A clown fish sculpture was damaged by unknown vandals yesterday, leading to a disappointed Facebook post by Krabi City Mayor Keeratisak Phukaoluan. “Whoever did this is heartless,” said Mr Keeratisak in his post. “The sculpture was built using public taxes in order to accentuate the beauty of the province for tourists. It is damaged at the tail and was…
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Provincial court convicts four for forging land documents
PHUKET: Four Thais have been convicted for forging land title documents, claiming ownership of more than 400 rai of Sirinath National Park on the northwest coast of Phuket, the Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) announced yesterday. The felons face up to 14 years in prison and more than nine million baht each in fines, said DNP…
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Four suspected insurgents, one ranger killed in Narathiwat clashes
THAILAND: Four suspected insurgents and a ranger were killed in two clashes in a mountainous area in Narathiwat’s Chanae district yesterday. The first clash occurred about 7am, when Narathiwat task force troops and rangers launched a joint operation to raid a camp of the suspected insurgents in the mountainous area behind I-Kros village in Chang Puean sub district. Intelligence agencies…
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Security guard breaks into home, assaults owner
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested a security guard who confessed to breaking into a Pa Khlok tourist villa where he was employed. “Amman Tokanee, 24, was apprehended in Narathiwat Province, where he had escaped for fear of being arrested after the incident in Phuket last Friday,” said Thalang police superintendent Sompong Thip-apakul. Mr Amman broke into Cape Yamu Villa, but fled…
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Rescuers free taxi driver pinned to steering wheel
PHUKET: An airport taxi driver pinned against the steering wheel of his vehicle had to be pried out after the car crashed into a power pole this morning. The driver, Chakri Jaruwateekul, is in serious condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital. He was unconscious after rescue workers cut him out of the Honda Civic. “It took about 30 minutes to get…
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Gas station attendants criminally responsible for customers who don’t hang up
PHUKET: Gas station attendants will be held legally responsible for ensuring that drivers turn off their engines and put away their cell phones at the pump, officials from the Department of Energy Business (DOEB) confirmed Sunday. DOEB issued a new law to this effect, according to which, if gas station attendants are caught disobeying regulations, they will be fined a…
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Mayor Somjai takes to the streets following heavy rains
PHUKET: Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana took to the streets to hear out locals’ complaints after a deluge of rain during the past week caused flooding and chaos on the island. Mayor Somjai knocked on doors on Amphor Road and discussed solutions with residents who live by the canal, about flooding in the area. She also visited the Phuket Post…
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Phuket Muslims prepare for arrival of Ramadan
PHUKET: Muslim clerics in Phuket are to scour the skies to see if the moon is visible on June 5 to determine the beginning of a month of fasting for Ramadan. The sighting of the moon is the traditional requisite for proclaiming the arrival of a new month on the Islamic lunar calendar, said Phuket’s Islamic Committee Secretary Piyadet Chuachalard.…
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Mass coral bleaching cast shadow over future of Great Barrier Reef
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mass coral bleaching cast shadow over future of Great Barrier Reef Phuket Gazette / Reuters SYDNEY: Mass coral bleaching has destroyed at least 35 percent of the northern and central Great Barrier Reef, Australian scientists said on Monday, a major blow to the World Heritage Site…
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Darasamuth underpass to close Tuesday night
PHUKET: The Darasamuth Underpass is to close temporarily from 11pm Tuesday night until about 5am Wednesday, confirmed Samak Luedwonghad, director of the Phuket Highways Office. “We have to close all three lanes to improve and maintain the electric system and ensure the efficiency of tunnel lights,” said Mr Samak. “Motorists are advised to use alternative routes during that time.” Mr…
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Car crash is rude awakening for sleeping family
KRABI: A sleeping family received a rude awakening when an out-of-control car crashed through their bedroom wall. Krabi City Police Lt Col Chatchai Nakpaksri said the crash, reported by Krabi Town locals earlier this morning, collapsed a wall of the family’s bedroom and crushed the front door of the home. “Pratin Tamkaew told us that early this morning, while she…
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Ten charged in White Shark inspection so far
PHUKET: Ten land owners are being charged after a Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) team investigated 24 plots of land for alleged mangrove encroachment on Phuket. The investigations are part of a nationwide operation to reclaim ‘national treasures’ across 24 provinces. The team will inspect a total 34 plots of land covering about 2,200 rai on the island…
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Centara plans for MICE hub
PHUKET: The Centara Grand West Sands Resort & Villas Phuket revealed an expansion plan on May 16, which revolves around the construction of a new convention center. The resort is located on the west coast of Phuket near the Sarasin Bridge on Mai Khao Beach and already has 558 hotel rooms and a water park with swimming pools, lazy river…
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Opinion: Island View: Daily brush with death
PHUKET: Living in Phuket and being surrounded by beautiful hills and beaches, one sometimes tends to forget what a gamble braving the island traffic on a motorbike can really be. Not to say that motorbike riders are hardly to blame; that’s far from being the case. However, only those of us who regularly risk our lives on two wheels in…
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Ukrainian tourist wakes up to real nightmare
PHUKET: A Ukrainian woman reportedly woke up to a strange man in her room yesterday, who grabbed her cellphone before bolting down the stairs, she told police. Oleksandra Drobinova, 29, said that she was asleep in the afternoon, when she woke up to see a stranger, who she believed to be Thai, pick up her phone off the dressing table.…
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Killing of gorilla to save boy at Ohio zoo sparks outrage
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Killing of gorilla to save boy at Ohio zoo sparks outrage Phuket Gazette / Reuters OHIO: The killing of a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 4-year-old boy tumbled into the ape’s enclosure triggered outrage and questions about safety, but zoo officials called the decision…
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Land Department revokes B4bn titles for disputed Freedom Beach land
PHUKET: The long-debated four-billion-baht land titles, covering 65 rai of land off Freedom Beach, were officially revoked by the Land Department on May 12, as the two Chanotes were proved to overlap the Khao Narkkerd Preservation Forest. The Land Department signed off on the order on May 12, and the Royal Forest Department (RFD) officially received the letter on May…
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Tourists abandoned in stormy sea after illegal longtail sinks off Krabi
KRABI: A boat captain abandoned four tourists in rough seas, leaving them clinging to rocks, after his overloaded longtail boat capsized near Wang Sai Seafood restaurant, en route to Ao Nang from Railay Friday afternoon. The boat was overloaded with nearly twice the vessel’s maximum capacity of eight people. Canadians, Polish and Spanish men and women were among the passengers…
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Finance: Service your clients the right way
PHUKET: I often run across clients of other firms who complain that they receive absolutely no service on their policies. I understand how they feel, but having been in the industry a long time, I also understand why. It is simply a misalignment of interests and is inherent in the way many of the insurance companies allow the introducing and…
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Vachira Hospital thanks blood donors on 49th anniversary
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital on Monday awarded certificates and souvenirs to more than 50 regular blood donors to the hospital’s blood bank. The ‘thank you’ event for blood donors and more than 70 supporting organizations was hosted by hospital director Dr Jessada Chungpaibulpatana at the hospital’s Baan Khun Poom building and coincided with the blood bank’s 49th anniversary. Among the…
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Opinion: Article 17 brings long awaited relief from unscrupulous tour operators
PHUKET: The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) was correct to invoke Article 17 of the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Act (2015) to afford greater protection to the Koh Khai island group, which for too long has been exploited by unscrupulous tour operators. Located just five kilometers off Phuket’s lower east coast, the islands are perfectly situated to…
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Last of the Rohingya escapees captured
PHUKET: The last of 21 Rohingya escapees, who broke out from a Phang Nga Immigration Detention Center early Monday morning, were finally arrested last night, officials confirmed. “We received reports from locals in Baan Thai Thoi that the Rohingya men were spotted inside a mangrove forest and shrimp farm,” said Songyot Nakrit, Tum Bor Put village headman. “The men had…
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Article 17 enforced: DMCR to arrest tourists, guides for disturbing marine life
PHUKET: Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) officials are adopting tougher rules in an attempt to rescue three islands off Phuket’s coast from man-made environmental damage. A committee assembled by members of the DMCR’s Region 6 has agreed to expand the powers of DMCR officers and to level harsher punishments for tourists and boat operators who disturb wildlife. The…
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Heavy winds send bus teetering off pier [video]
PHUKET: In a scene straight from “The Italian Job”, a shuttle bus was blown half-way off of Chalong Pier and left hanging in delicate balance, as Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) workers attempted to haul it back onto the roadway. Officials said the heavy winds this morning were responsible for blowing the bus nearly off the pier from its parking…
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Tourist arrested for feeding fish
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist was arrested yesterday for feeding fish at Koh Kai. The arrest of Hongzhi Zhou, 45, was the first time a tourist has been detained after emergency powers were granted to law enforcement officials by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Region 6 on May 24 to protect marine life. The measures, referred to as…
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Amateurs tee off at first Open
PHUKET: The Phuket Country Club will host the Phuket Golf Association’s first Amateur Open this Saturday. The event is open to both Thai and tourist amateurs and will feature cash and prizes, said Phuket Golf Association Chief Terayout Prasertphol. “The competition will follow the rules of the United States Golf Association (USGA), The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St…
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Power cable mysteriously bursts into flames in Patong
PHUKET: A power cable mysteriously burst into flames in Patong this morning. Stunned passersby watched as bright yellow flames erupted from the power cable outside the Sea View House on Nanai Road just before midday. Residents feared the flames would spread to nearby buildings and called the fire brigade. Six fire fighters took about five minutes to extinguish the flames,…
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Fierce storms cause more than B300,000 worth of damage
PHUKET: Fierce storms this week caused more than 300,000 baht worth of damage to at least nine houses in Phuket, toppling trees and causing landslides in several areas. The heavy downpour this morning toppled several trees and damaged two houses in Ao Po and seven other houses were damaged in Thalang on Tuesday. “There was a landslide in the Ao…
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![Phuket lifeguards exasperated by ignorant tourists [video] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAyOTMgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Phuket lifeguards exasperated by ignorant tourists [video]
PHUKET: Lifeguards at Phuket’s beaches are exasperated by tourists blatantly ignoring warnings not to swim and risking their lives playing in the rough waves. “A lot of beachgoers are completely ignoring the red flags, and they won’t even listen to the lifeguards when we try to stop them,” said Singsom, the head lifeguard at Kata-Karon. Despite the frantic whistling of…
![Heavy winds send bus teetering off pier [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1_2016526171315480_QERYpAIddQGOQQXwnjLUoJJYFZXUSHBiMTHBUPfy_jpeg.jpeg)
![Phuket lifeguards exasperated by ignorant tourists [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1_2016526121223332_DwbnPMQErfOgPyzbLgGjlDomItIwLkQOhrBwESBv_jpeg.jpeg)
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