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Spree of electric wire thefts in Phuket casues B2mn in damages
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a thief or thieves who have been stealing wires and equipment from electric poles in many areas of Phuket, causing more than 2 million baht worth of estimated loss. Locals in many areas, particularly Thalang and Kathu, have filed several complaints about unlit streets in their areas for the past two months. “They are not…
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Phuket beachgoers warned of ‘Portuguese Men of War’
PHUKET: Lifeguards have warned Phuket beachgoers to be wary of ‘Portuguese Men of War’, poisonous siphonophores that deliver a painful sting if touched. “One of our lifeguards spotted a Portuguese Man of War on the beach yesterday. This is not the first one we have found during this monsoon season – several of them have been seen on Phuket beaches…
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Malaysian fraudsters arrested for skimming Phuket bank accounts
PHUKET: Three Malaysian ATM skimmers were arrested at the Sadao border checkpoint between Malaysia and Thailand on Tuesday. The arrests were made by the Songkla Immigration Office and Sadao Provincial Police. The suspects were wanted for conducting unauthorized money withdrawals in Songkla and Phuket, skimming more than 600,000 baht from 13 Phuket and Songkla-based accounts last month (story here). “We…
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Marine chief dispels rumors of ‘oil spill’ at Phuket beach
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office Chief has negated concerns about ‘oil spills’ on Karon Beach after a video was shared on social media claiming that that was the case. Facebook user ‘Tonya So Say’ yesterday posted a 14-minute video on the group Siang Prachachon Khon Phuket (‘The Voice of Phuket Citizens’) with the caption: “There is oil spreading on Karon…
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Truck on fire on tarmac at Krabi International Airport
KRABI: Krabi International Airport came under fire after the engine of a pick-up burst into flames on the tarmac yesterday afternoon as bystanders looked on in panic. The pick-up was being used by airport employees for pre-flight ckecks. The flames were soon brought under control by rescue workers and firefighters. “We later discovered that the engine of the pick-up was…
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Krabi Hospital denies allegations of ‘ignoring’ injured Brit
KRABI: Hospital officials yesterday denied reports that they ‘ignored’ the condition of a British man who was brought in with severe head injuries following a motorbike accident in Krabi last week. The accident occurred in front of Tesco Lotus in Krabi Town. The victim, 35, was named only as ‘Jo’ in a social media post shared by his friend, Facebook…
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Phuket gov launches weekly farmer’s market
PHUKET: Governor Norraphat Plodthong officially unveiled a ‘Farmer’s Market’ at Limelight Avenue in Phuket Town this week. The market is aimed at allowing farmers to directly supply fresh, high quality produce and provide a wider choice to customers. The new market will be held every week from Friday to Sunday, with a variety of organic products on offer. However, pineapples…
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Opinion: Implications of the Computer Crimes Act
PHUKET: We can all let out a big sigh of relief now that the new Computer Crimes Act (CCA 2.0) is in effect, protecting us from ‘unsolicited digital advertising’ (aka spam) as well as a host of other annoyances and potential threats. All of the potential implications of CCA 2.0 are far too broad to address in this space, so…
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Phuket gov to reconsider poor communities’ land issue
PHUKET: Hundreds of people from poor communities in Phuket gathered outside Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning to protest an official announcement disqualifying them from attaining ‘community’ status. The sit-in was organized by the ’23 Communities Network’, which comprises of poor and marginalized communities in Phuket. As an officially-labeled ‘community’ the group would be entitled to the use of communal land…
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PEA announces temporary blackout schedule for Phuket
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority has announced a series of “temporary” blackouts again, this time for “maintenance” in various parts of Phuket, starting tomorrow. The power cuts, which are expected to last from 9am-4:30pm, are scheduled as follows: June 6: Premium Outlet to Biztown and from Siam Niramit to Phuket A&P Trading. June 8: Rock Garden Bypass Housing to Moo…
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Gang of fake gold peddlers arrested in Phuket, Samui
PHUKET: Four men and three women were arrested this weekend for allegedly selling 4 million baht worth of fake gold in several Phuket gold shops over the period of a month. Two suspects are still on the run. Five of the suspects were nabbed at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint, one in Patong, and one in Koh Samui. The suspects are…
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One injured as Phuket International Airport ceiling collapses
PHUKET: A 59-year-old Thai passenger was hospitalized with head injuries when part of the ceiling at Phuket International Airport’s domestic terminal crashed down on Saturday. Bancha Sanguannam was travelling to Bangkok via NokAir. He was seated at Gate 81-82 while waiting for his flight when the incident occurred. Mr Bancha was taken to Thalang Hospital where he received nine stitches…
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Mom Tri’s Villa Royale to host 5-course wine dinner
PHUKET: Mom Tri’s Villa Royale is hosting a five-course wine dinner from 7pm onwards on Tuesday (June 6). Featuring seared tuna; kurobota pork Italian tradition; veal sirloin and cheek ravioli; an Italian cheese collection; and a layered chocolate and coffee cake for dessert; each course is paired with vintage wine especially chosen by Mom Tri’s Wine Director George Ciret. With…
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Phuket woman wanted for allegedly cheating ‘savings group’ out of millions
PHUKET: Police are searching for a woman who allegedly swindled a ‘rotating savings’ group out of millions of baht. ‘Rotating savings’ is a form of combined peer-to-peer banking and lending system wherein a group of individuals agree to contribute a certain amount of money per month in order to save with and borrow from each other. Thirty people yesterday went…
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Vachira Phuket Hospital to conduct free cancer screening for women
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital will conduct free breast and cervical cancer check-ups every Wednesday from June 14 to August 31, 4:30-8:00pm. Vachira Phuket Hospital social security card holders, both foreign and Thai, as well as 30-baht health insurance card holders, can avail themselves of the free services. The women being tested must be between 30-60 years of age in order…
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Another dead marine creature washes up on Phuket beach
PHUKET: A dead turtle in an advanced state of decay washed up at Surin Beach yesterday, two days after a beached whale in a similar state was discovered in the same place (story here). Officers from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) came to examine the creature after receiving reports from the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor). They took…
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Unidentified British man killed in Phuket crash
PHUKET: Police are trying to identify a British man who was killed in an early morning crash in Chalong today. From witnesses’ accounts, police believe the victim lost control of his bike and crashed into a wall at a bend in the road. “The accident occurred at about 2:40am in Soi Ta-Lad about 50 meters from Chao Fa East Road.…
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On Deck: Samui – The unpolished marine jewel of Thailand
PHUKET: Samui is an island of coconuts and a microcosm of Thailand’s modern tourism industry, with facilities geared to backpackers at one end of the scale, right up to five-star resorts at the other, and everything in between. From a marine perspective, it is – to some extent – an unpolished jewel. If Samui Island was on Thailand’s east coast,…
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E-work permits planned for migrant workers in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket officials have announced the launch of an electronic work permit (e-work permit) for migrant workers from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, to become effective on November 1 this year. The labor department estimates that nearly 50,000 migrant workers from these countries currently work in Phuket. The initiative is part of Thailand 4.0 and intended to cut down on processing…
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Million-baht-a-month lottery ring busted, three arrested
PHANG NGA: Police yesterday arrested two women and a man for allegedly running an underground lottery operation in Phuket’s neighboring province Phang Nga. The arrests were made at a staff housing unit at Banglam ‘Health Promoting Hospital’ in Takuathung District. The three suspects are Kamol Tongdeeying, 48, a palm oil farmer; Cholthida Makkhum, 35, an accountant;; and Pornthip Jankham, 31,…
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10kg monitor lizard found in Phuket home
PHUKET: A 10kg monitor lizard was released into a forest after it was found in a foreigner’s house in Thalang yesterday. “We received a request from the owner of the house to help catch the lizard in Baan Suan Neramit 5, Srisoonthorn sub-district. When we arrived, it was hiding somewhere in the house,” said Pongpan Juanan of Kusoldharm Foundation. “It…
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Carcass of 10-meter whale washes up at Phuket beach
PHUKET: The carcass of a 10-meter-long whale in a state of advanced decay washed ashore at Surin Beach yesterday morning. Officers are trying to identify the cause of death and find a place to bury it. “We received reports that the body of an unidentified marine animal had washed up at about 11am. We have identified it to be a…
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Private entrepreneurs reveal plans to launch ‘smart buses’
PHUKET: The shareholders of Phuket City Development Co Ltd (PKCD), a group of private entrepreneurs who came together late last year to form a company to work hand in hand with government departments to boost investment and promote seamless business operations in Phuket (story here), revealed their latest plans on Tuesday. The company announced that six separate “offshoots” would handle…
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Finance: Using monthly charts to analyze trends
PHUKET: Monthly charts are among the first buy signals I look for when selecting stocks because they show bigger time frames where long term trends can be seen. As we enter the summer months, a short term pull back could still happen and this would be a perfectly normal price action. Lately we haven’t yet seen any price action to…
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Three top cops transferred out on alleged corruption charges
PHUKET: Three top-ranking officers of the Phuket City Police were transferred out yesterday following a raid on a large illegal ‘casino’ in Phuket Town. The officers are now under investigation for alleged corruption and malfeasance. A joint team of Army and police raided a house in Phuket Town on Saturday and arrested 63 gamblers with 2 million baht (story here).…
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Phuket City museum officials give 30-day deadline for reopening
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality officials have confirmed that the Peranakannitat Museum launched earlier this month will be ready and open to the public within a month’s time. Last week, officials announced that the museum would temporarily remain closed until exhibitors could return all the items borrowed from Phuket residents to display during the grand opening ceremony, but could not give…
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29-year-old killed in high-speed Phuket crash
PHUKET: A motorbike rider was killed after he lost control of his bike at a bend in the road and crashed into the back of a parked car in Phuket’s Rassada sub-district early this morning. “The accident occurred on Thepkrasattri Road northbound. At the scene, we found the victim lying on the road, covered in blood. His Kawasaki motorbike was…
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Two Phuket fires cause B400,000 worth of damages
PHUKET: Two fires broke out in Phuket yesterday and early this morning, both of which are believed to have occurred from short circuits. The total damage from the two incidents is estimated at 400,000 baht. The first fire started at ‘Mahanakorn’, a popular local bar in Phuket Town, at midnight yesterday. Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officers, Kusoldharm Foundation rescue…
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Major Phuket ‘casino’ raid: 63 arrested, B2mn confiscated
PHUKET: A joint team of Army and police raided a large illegal ‘casino’ in Phuket Town and arrested 63 gamblers on Saturday night. Officials also confiscated about 2 million baht in cash, a shotgun, four pistols, 39 bullets, 22 cars, 34 motorbikes and gambling paraphernalia. The joint team included officers from Infantry Division 5 (Artillery 25) and Phuket City Police.…
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Belgians wanted for shoplifting in Phuket
PHUKET: Police are hunting for two foreigners who allegedly stole mobile phone accessories from an electronics store in Phuket on Friday. A Facebook user named Maii-Ly Chaiviriyawong (whose real name is Nichapa-orn Chaiviriyarong and is the owner of the shop) shared pictures and CCTV footage of the incident on social media. Ms Nichapa-orn owns a shop named ‘Remax’ in Samkong.…
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