News

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  • Phuket Governor calls for AIS devices on speedboats, fishing vessels | Thaiger

    Phuket Governor calls for AIS devices on speedboats, fishing vessels

    PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong called on the Phuket Marine Office yesterday to require all vessels, including speedboats and fishing trawlers, to be equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver. The use of an AIS receiver is standard safety policy in many places around the world, as they inform skippers of small craft of the location, direction and speed of…

  • Mosque gate crashers: Phuket Police chase down armed drug runners | Thaiger

    Mosque gate crashers: Phuket Police chase down armed drug runners

    PHUKET: Police arrested four armed men after the suspects crashed into the front gates of a mosque in central Phuket while attempting to dodge a police checkpoint this morning. Police began their pursuit of the Isuzu pickup truck, bearing Trang license plates, after witnessing it turning around in order to avoid a checkpoint in Thalang at about 9am. “While we…

  • Marine Office demands Phuket tourists wear life jackets at sea | Thaiger

    Marine Office demands Phuket tourists wear life jackets at sea

    PHUKET: Marine officials are demanding all Phuket boat passengers wear life jackets as efforts are ramped up to improve tourists’ safety ahead of the incoming high season. “Tour boats in Phuket take thousands of tourists out to sea every day. We have to do everything in our power to ensure that their passengers are safe,” said Phuket Marine Office Chief…

  • Time running out for Phuket Immigration to explain extortion allegations | Thaiger

    Time running out for Phuket Immigration to explain extortion allegations

    PHUKET: Phuket Immigration has two days left to clarify why a foreigner filed a formal complaint alleging extortion by officers at the Patong branch. The complaint claimed that immigration officers were charging foreigners fees for services that are supposed to be free. Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong promptly gave the Patong Immigration chief 15 days to explain the details of the…

  • Inheritance tax draft includes property tax rates to be presented to Cabinet | Thaiger

    Inheritance tax draft includes property tax rates to be presented to Cabinet

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Inheritance tax draft includes property tax rates to be presented to Cabinet The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The draft inheritance-tax bill will be proposed to the Cabinet meeting next Tuesday with an expected fixed rate of no more than 10 per cent to be imposed…

  • Bosses urge delay in signing global labor-rights pacts | Thaiger

    Bosses urge delay in signing global labor-rights pacts

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bosses urge delay in signing global labor-rights pacts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A business lobby has urged the government to delay the endorsement of the International Labour Organization (ILO) workers’ rights covenants, claiming Thailand’s labor structure is undergoing reform and the country is not…

  • Two arrested for attacking French tourist | Thaiger

    Two arrested for attacking French tourist

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two arrested for attacking French tourist The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police announced yesterday that they had arrested two men for allegedly attacking and attempting to rape a French female tourist in Soi Samsen 3 in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district early on Monday. After the…

  • His Majesty treated for diverticulitis | Thaiger

    His Majesty treated for diverticulitis

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community His Majesty treated for diverticulitis The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej is receiving treatment for diverticulitis and is being administered relevant antibiotics, the Royal Household Bureau announced on Tuesday. In the eighth announcement after His Majesty’s admittance to Siriraj Hospital, the bureau…

  • Tourists warned of storm dangers as Similans closed | Thaiger

    Tourists warned of storm dangers as Similans closed

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tourists warned of storm dangers as Similans closed The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Phang Nga’s Similan Islands National Park ordered the Similan and Tachai islands to be closed until Friday as a precaution for tourists’ safety from storms and high waves. Park chief Nat Kongkesorn…

  • Triathlon stars to vie for Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest titles [video] | Thaiger

    Triathlon stars to vie for Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest titles [video]

    PHUKET: The annual Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest this year will see thousands of international athletes from around the world arrive on the island for the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on November 23, followed by the 2nd Challenge Laguna Phuket a week later on November 30. “The enduring appeal of Laguna Phuket Triathlon and the unique challenges of Challenge Laguna Phuket…

  • Breaking News: Phuket teacher arrested for rape of 12-year-old student | Thaiger

    Breaking News: Phuket teacher arrested for rape of 12-year-old student

    PHUKET: Police arrested a 29-year-old teacher at Baan Kalim School today for the rape of one of his 12-year-old students. The teacher, Jirasit Samakkarn, has denied the charges. The family of the girl, given the pseudonym “A” by police, filed the complaint on August 6. “After that, we kept a close watch on him until we had enough evidence to…

  • The Pirate Bay co-founder arrested in Nong Khai | Thaiger

    The Pirate Bay co-founder arrested in Nong Khai

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community The Pirate Bay co-founder arrested in Nong Khai The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Immigration police have arrested a co-founder of The Pirate Bay, a torrent index site and tracker, while he was trying to cross the border from Laos into Nong Khai. Hans Fredrik Lennart…

  • Tourist speedboat struck by lightning, rescued north of Phuket | Thaiger

    Tourist speedboat struck by lightning, rescued north of Phuket

    PHUKET: A speedboat, struck by lightning while returning from a day trip to the Similan Islands last night, has been recovered safely with all 32 tourists and five crew on board alive and well. Officials lost contact with the boat Je T’Aime, operated by the Love Andaman tour company, at about 8:30pm. “They were returning from Koh Tachai to Baan…

  • Phuket storm topples trees, causes major power outage | Thaiger

    Phuket storm topples trees, causes major power outage

    PHUKET: Heavy rain brought down several trees that fell onto power lines on Kathu-Nakok Road last night, causing a four-hour power outage in the area. Officers were notified at 7pm that dangerous, high-voltage power cables were strewn across the road, which is often used as a shortcut from Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew to Patong. “We had to cut off…

  • PM vows to allocate land to the poor | Thaiger

    PM vows to allocate land to the poor

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM vows to allocate land to the poor The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has promised to deliver “happiness” as New Year gifts to low-income people. “Through projects to be launched by various ministries, people will get free stuff and access to…

  • Police transfers follow Army raid on pub, parlour | Thaiger

    Police transfers follow Army raid on pub, parlour

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police transfers follow Army raid on pub, parlour The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Chief of Prawet police station in Bangkok and two senior officers have been transferred to inactive posts following a raid by soldiers on a local pub, where prostitution of underage migrants and…

  • Moves to remove police from Koh Tao murder probe | Thaiger

    Moves to remove police from Koh Tao murder probe

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Moves to remove police from Koh Tao murder probe The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Human Rights Commission will discuss next week what action should be taken after police again failed to answer a summons related to the much-publicised murders on Koh Tao.Despite the…

  • British schoolboy jailed for stabbing teacher to death in class | Thaiger

    British schoolboy jailed for stabbing teacher to death in class

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British schoolboy jailed for stabbing teacher to death in class Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A teenage British schoolboy was jailed for at least 20 years on Monday after pleading guilty to stabbing to death a teacher he had developed a hatred of in front of…

  • Phuket tour guides demand action against illegal foreign guides | Thaiger

    Phuket tour guides demand action against illegal foreign guides

    PHUKET: Dozens of local tour guides calling themselves the “Andaman Guides” gathered outside Phuket Provincial Hall this morning to present a letter demanding serious action be taken by authorities against illegal tour guides working on the island. The letter, which stated that illegal guides were taking the jobs of legal tour guides, was handed over to Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet…

  • Russian tourist dies after fall from Phuket jet-ski | Thaiger

    Russian tourist dies after fall from Phuket jet-ski

    PHUKET: A Russian tourist died after he fell and struck his head on a rented jet-ski he was riding in strong surf at Patong Beach today. Police named the tourist as Iliya Muryndin, 29. “He rented a jet-ski at about midday,” said Maj Weerapong Rakito of the Patong Police. “He fell and hit his head on the jet-ski while riding…

  • Flash-floods strike amid weather warning for Phuket | Thaiger

    Flash-floods strike amid weather warning for Phuket

    PHUKET: A flash flood and landslide warning has been issued for Phuket after heavy rain caused minor flooding and traffic tailbacks at many locations on the island this morning. Flash flooding forced traffic to a standstill in Chalong in front of the TOT office on Chao Fa West Road, where floodwater was about 50 centimeters deep. Roads in Patong also…

  • Police chief orders probe into bribery scandal over Srinakarin resort | Thaiger

    Police chief orders probe into bribery scandal over Srinakarin resort

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police chief orders probe into bribery scandal over Srinakarin resort The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The national police chief has ordered a probe into an allegation that local and central police were taking kickbacks from a resort on Srinakarin Road, Royal Thai Police spokesman Pol…

  • South policy flaws exposed by violence | Thaiger

    South policy flaws exposed by violence

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community South policy flaws exposed by violence The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Although violence in the deep South seemed to decrease during June-September, it swept back ferociously in the month of October when six schools and two tambon administrative organisation offices were burned down. Most recently,…

  • Lese majeste complaints top 10,000 | Thaiger

    Lese majeste complaints top 10,000

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lese majeste complaints top 10,000 The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have dealt with more than 10,000 complaints of lese majeste in recent years, but the big figure was not because they had “got serious” with offenders after the coup in May, a senior police…

  • Phuket police parade down Soi Bangla to promote high season, public safety | Thaiger

    Phuket police parade down Soi Bangla to promote high season, public safety

    PHUKET: Police forces paraded Phuket’s famed Bangla Road on Friday night to welcome in the tourism high season and promote public safety. Police must remain vigilant over the next few months, as the high season and prominent international sporting events could act as magnets for criminals, said Royal Thai Police Assistant Commissioner Korkiat Wongworachat. “Not only is this the high…

  • Virgin Galactic appears to have broken apart in flight – NTSB chief | Thaiger

    Virgin Galactic appears to have broken apart in flight – NTSB chief

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Virgin Galactic appears to have broken apart in flight – NTSB chief Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The head of the federal agency examining last week’s fatal crash of a Virgin Galactic passenger spaceship during a test flight in California’s Mojave Desert said on Sunday the…

  • Beach Games to attract unprecedented tourism numbers to Phuket, says minister [video] | Thaiger

    Beach Games to attract unprecedented tourism numbers to Phuket, says minister [video]

    PHUKET: The island will see an unprecedented number of visitors arriving this month due to the 4th Asian Beach Games, said Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul on her visit to Phuket yesterday. The minister arrived in Phuket at 4:30pm to inspect preparations at Saphan Hin Stadium – the venue for the opening ceremony – and to see rehearsals for…

  • NACC unveils Cabinet members’ assets | Thaiger

    NACC unveils Cabinet members’ assets

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NACC unveils Cabinet members’ assets Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) yesterday announced the assets and liabilities of 33 Cabinet members who were endorsed on September 4. As per the declaration, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has net assets worth 128 million baht, including 12…

  • Phuket Gazette named official media sponsor of the Asian Beach Games 2014 | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette named official media sponsor of the Asian Beach Games 2014

    PHUKET: The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) has cemented the exclusive Media Partnership Agreement of long-established news and events organization the Phuket Gazette as the official media sponsor of the 4th Annual Asian Beach Games. The confirmation ceremony for the 10-day sporting event was held at the Grand Four Wings Convention Hotel in Bangkok on Wednesday. The ceremony was initiated…

  • Phuket expats, tourists called upon to report corrupt officials | Thaiger

    Phuket expats, tourists called upon to report corrupt officials

    PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Phuket office announced today that resident expats and tourists in Phuket should report cases of corruption to its officers. “We are encouraging all foreigners on the island to come forward with any allegations of corruption involving local government officials,” said Tawichat Nillakan of the NACC Phuket office. Complaints can be lodged at the NACC…