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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Phuket football: Islanders unable to tame Port Lions
PHUKET: The Islanders drew 1-1 with the Port Authority of Thailand’s pro soccer team, Singhtarua FC on Saturday night at Phuket’s Surakul Stadium, and the home team will feel unlucky not to have claimed all three points. Playing their 9th fixture away, in their first season ever in the Thai Division 1 (Yamaha League One or YL1), the Singhtarua FC…
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Inventive thieves fail to rob Phuket ATM with blowtorch
PHUKET: In a first-of-its-kind robbery in the area, thieves attempted to rob an ATM machine at the Deep Sea Port by using a blowtorch.“This is something new for us,” said Sub Lt Suporn Muengkai of the Wichit Police. “We haven’t had anyone try to rob an ATM with a blowtorch before.”The robbery at a stand-alone ATM on Sakdidet Road occurred…
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New Phuket court to deliver tourists justice
PHUKET: A new series of courts will be established in Phuket and other key vacation destinations in Thailand, including Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phang Nga and Krabi, to assist foreign visitors.“Tourists who are the victims of thefts and robberies may have to face a lengthy trial and experience inconvenience because they only stay in the country for a short time,”…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Corruption hits new high; Brit mum campaigns for road safety; Abhisit to face more 2010 murder charges
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thais becoming inured to corruption, TDRI says The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: With bribes hitting 30-50 per cent of project prices, and the public showing signs of becoming inured to the practice, corruption has reached a critical point, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) says.…
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More trekking elephants suspected illegal in Phang Nga raids
PHUKET: Officers from the regional Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division have identified 26 more elephants they suspect were illegally acquired. The news follows raids on elephant trekking companies in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, earlier this week, during which officers identified 40 elephants they suspect are illegal (story here). The trekking camps are well known for providing popular…
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Tourism minister pledges to push B100mn Phuket Port expansion plan
PHUKET: The Minister of Tourism and Sports, in Phuket to inspect the Deep Sea Port today, has pledged to push forward the 100-million-baht plan to expand Phuket’s key port facility.“I will raise the issue with the Minister of Transportation next week,” Somsak Pureesrisak told reporters today.Joining Mr Somsak in his visit to Phuket today was Tourism of Thailand (TAT) Governor…
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Man arrested for selling corals at Phuket market
PHUKET: Police last night arrested a market trader for selling pieces of dead coral as ornaments fitted to leather bands at the popular Saphan Hin Park in Phuket Town. Officers moved in and arrested Suphachok Worramatamart, 37, after they received a tip-off that dead specimens of coral were being sold at the market. Marine Police Region 8 Deputy Superintendent Lt…
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Phuket to host joint full-scale tsunami drill
PHUKET: Rescue services from three provinces will join Phuket emergency first-responders for three days of intensive training and to conduct a full-scale tsunami response drill on May 29. The fellow rescue teams to join the exercise will be from the Andaman provinces of Krabi, Phang Nga and Trang. The rescue crews will explore response plans on May 27-28 and stage…
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Dwarf sperm whale treated, released in Patong
PHUKET: A dwarf sperm whale measuring 2.4 meters long was treated with a dose of antibiotics and released back into the sea after being spotted off Patong Beach on Wednesday.Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) officers received a report of the ill whale at about 8:30am.The animal, weighing only an estimated 150 kilograms, was found in front of the police box…
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Phuket Opinion: Year-long road safety in Phuket
PHUKET: The nationwide Songkran Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign was deemed to be a raging success on Phuket, with only one fatality on the island’s roads during that period. The strong police presence and abundance of police checkpoints definitely made a difference. But the checkpoints have vanished along with the police. Is that their work for the year done?…
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Phuket Opinion: Partners for life
Jeerattakarn Nuannum, 30, was born in Phuket and graduated from Phuket Rajabhat University. After joining Phuket’s renowned Simon Cabaret Show as a performer in 2002, the Phuket native became a fashion model at Phuket Pop Top Model in 2008. Here, Jeerattakarn explains what rights the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community expect to be granted if Thailand moves ahead…
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Phuket Opinion: Don’t ignore the signs of suicide
PHUKET: Mankind, the first of nature’s creations, has so “fully evolved” that some of our number willingly end their own lives. For those of us who have never had to battle depression, the very idea of committing suicide probably seems like the ultimate waste. After all, our time on this inexplicable stage called “life” is ephemeral enough indeed – why…
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Governor proposes solution for Rassada water pollution
PHUKET: After inspecting the site in Rassada where highly polluted wastewater is pumped directly into the Bang Yai Canal in Phuket Town (story here), Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut has drawn up a plan to solve the problem. Before drawing up his plan, Gov Maitri broadened his scope of appraisal and inspected drainage ditches behind the Radio of Thailand official residences…
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Phuket hits high on buffalo agenda
PHUKET: After previous editions in Cairo, Delhi, Manila, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, the World Buffalo Congress will this year make its way to Thailand, where Phuket will host the triennial event at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa in Karon from May, 6 to 8. More than 500 participants from 35 countries are scheduled to attend the event,…
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Immigration chief highlights Rohingya plight in Thailand
PHUKET: Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pharnu Kerdlarpphon, in Phuket for a closed-door meeting of high-ranking officials, has expressed his concern for the growing number of Rohingya refugees being detained in Thailand.Lt Gen Pharnu’s visit to Phuket on Tuesday was to head a meeting tabled to discuss the bureau’s “working policy” at which Phuket’s own immigration superintendent did not attend.Following the meeting,…
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Phuket bike burner confession treated as ambiguous, police continue search
PHUKET: A man who rambled while confessing to police that he had burned several motorbikes in Phuket has been arrested while police continue their investigation and look for accomplices.Police picked up Thaweesak Nathang, 37, on Monday because he looks similar to a man seen in CCTV images of a motorbike burning in Kamala.When questioned by police, Mr Thaweesak confessed to…
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After five months, missing American Brett Bean calls home
PHUKET: Brett Bean, the American expat whose disappearance last November gained extensive press coverage, has contacted his family after 155 days of unnerving silence, the Phuket Gazette has confirmed. “It was a very brief call,” his mother, Lynne Bean, said. “We still do not know where he is, but it was very good to hear his voice,” she added. “At…
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40 elephants suspected illegal as raids strike tourism trekking companies
PHUKET: Officers from the regional Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division raided seven tour companies in Phang Nga this week following reports that the companies were in possession of illegal elephants. Col Watcharin Phusit, who headed the elephant raids in Phuket last year, also led the raids north of Phuket. “We investigated the ATV Tour Company, Pang Kaew elephant…
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Phuket Wake Park latest victim of illegal Russian raids
PHUKET: Following the arrest of 35 Russians found allegedly working illegally in Patong nightclubs last week (story here), three more Russians have been arrested at the tourist-popular Phuket Wake Park in Kathu. Cherdsak Wisutthikul, from the Department of Employment in Bangkok, led a team of 20 officers to raid the wakeboard park at about 5:30pm on Thursday. Following a chaotic…
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Phuket FC to entertain with Singhtarua
PHUKET: The Islanders will be hoping to get their push for promotion back on track when they host 4th place Singhtarua FC at Surakul Stadium this evening. Phuket FC lost their last away game to Air Force United 2-1. The match was the second time in three days the two teams played each other at Thupatemee Stadium, on the northern…
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Phuket visa run destination Kuala Lumpur stops issuing 12-month non-imm B visas
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Embassy of Kuala Lumpur, a popular visa run destination for Phuket expats, has confirmed that it is no longer issuing 12-month non-immigrant B visas. Embassy official Orawan Heemmamhad confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that the embassy in the Malaysian capital stopped issuing 12-month business visas late last year. “It is the Kuala Lumpur embassy policy not…
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Tourist Police arrest illegal Thai tour guides
PHUKET: Seven Thais working illegally as tour guides catering to Chinese tourists in Phuket were arrested in the wake of a mass protest on Monday demanding the government take action against illegal guides. The protest on Monday focused on Chinese nationals “stealing” the jobs of Thai tour guides, though those protesting also asked Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak to raise…
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Phuket’s Top Cop calls for more CCTV cameras to fight crime
PHUKET: Phuket’s top brass highlighted the importance of CCTV in police investigations and the need for more cameras on the island at a meeting to discuss unsolved high-profile crimes with the Deputy Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8 this week.“The Phuket Provincial Police only have about 300 CCTV on the island, which is not enough to cover everywhere,” said Phuket…
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Phuket Governor joins prison dawn search
PHUKET: A pre-dawn search of Phuket Prison on April 30 led by the Phuket Governor failed to discover any drugs or contraband being hidden by prisoners, reconfirming the facility’s status as a Department of Corrections “White Prison”.Governor Maitri Inthusut led about 200 officers, including Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat and Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon, in conducting the mass…
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Phuket to spend B60mn on flood defense
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising has pledged to spend 60 million baht on flood-defense projects across the island.The news comes as the annual monsoon winds from the northeast swing around to start bringing rain from the southwest.“We will support all projects from every local administration,” said Mr Paiboon.“The budget is ready to be allocated to finalized…
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Phuket gal to compete in Miss Tiffany final tonight
PHUKET: Chayutara “Ying” Meechaiprasert will be Phuket’s sole hope in the final round of the Miss Tiffany Universe 2013 beauty contest, which is to be televised live across the country tonight.Ms Chayutara, a showgirl at the Aphrodite Cabaret on Phuket’s bypass road, will be sporting number 19 in the world-renowned ladyboy beauty pageant, the winner of which will go on…
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Topless Russians and other illegals scooped up in Phuket nightclub raid
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Employment officers arrested 35 Russians in four nightclubs last night following reports of topless dance shows in Phuket’s infamous nightlife destination, Soi Bangla in Patong. “We received reports of topless shows at nightclubs in the area and suspected there were also illegal workers operating,” said Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol, who led the raid on the four…
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Phuket Gazette Exclusive: Aldhouse – A view from the inside
PHUKET: Looking exhausted, Lee Aldhouse cut a lonely figure in his faded prison-issue overalls, surrounded by about 20 Thai inmates. He waited for the signal from the prison guard controlling the communication between visitors and inmates – a telephone – before picking up his receiver. The first thing he said was, “I cannot talk about my impending court case, but…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Myanmar Rohingya’s uncertain future
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Muslim victims of Myanmar unrest face uncertain future Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: In Myanmar’s central heartlands, justice and security is elusive for thousands of Muslims who lost their homes in a deadly rampage by Buddhist mobs in March.Many are detained in prison-like camps, unable to return to…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Dutch rally on royal ascension; Egyptian students in mass poisoning; Putin under fire; Virgin Galactic test launch
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dutch party on streets as royals prepare for handover Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Willem-Alexander will become the first King of the Netherlands in more than 120 years when Queen Beatrix passes the crown to her eldest son on Tuesday morning.“He’s ready, in every way,” Queen Beatrix said…
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