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Miss Universe Thailand steps down after social-media row
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Miss Universe Thailand steps down after social-media row Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Bowing to pressure, Weluree Ditsayabut yesterday tearfully relinquished her Miss Universe Thailand crown. I give up this title,” the young beauty queen said at a press conference. Appearing before media without a crown…
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Private U.S. report accuses another Chinese military unit of hacking
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Private U.S. report accuses another Chinese military unit of hacking Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A private U.S. cybersecurity company on Monday accused a unit of China’s military of conducting far-reaching hacking operations to advance the country’s satellite and aerospace programs. Security company CrowdStrike said Shanghai-based…
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Druggy driver caught stealing from media-trip tourists
PHUKET: A druggy tour bus driver confessed to regularly stealing from Chinese tourists after being arrested in Phuket by police yesterday. Kanoksak Promdang, 21, was caught after stealing five bags from members of a Chinese media group from Beijing. “Mr Kanoksak picked of the group of about 30 people from their hotel and took them to Rassada Pier, where they…
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Phuket police hunt ‘fake cops’ after possible extortion attempt
PHUKET: Police are hunting three men who are believed to have been impersonating police in an attempt to extort a French manager at a restaurant in Phuket today. CCTV footage shows the three men, who claimed to be Patong Police officers, entering La Boucherie in Patong at about 12:30am. “They came in and asked for our manager, who is French,…
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Investigation into police flaws in handling Aussie assassination attempt ongoing
PHUKET: The investigation into the failure of Patong Police to collect enough evidence to press attempted murder charges against two Australians who opened fire in a confessed assassination attempt will take longer than expected, said the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC). The PACC is withholding the names of the two officers being investigated until the case is closed. “About five…
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Phuket Prison remains “white’, overcrowded
PHUKET: A pre-dawn search of Phuket Prison today failed to uncover any drugs or contraband hidden by prisoners, again branding the overcrowded facility a “White Prison”. More than 200 officers led by Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon started the mass search at 5am. All of the 2,870 inmates, male and female, were searched. The search included personal lockers, sleeping quarters,…
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New species of gecko in Phuket not so new
PHUKET: A new species of gecko was found in Phuket – two years ago, a specialist at the Khao Phra Thaew Wildlife Sanctuary in Thalang confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “The lizard was found in Khao Phra Thaew in 2012,” said Awat Nitikul, chief of the Environmental Conservation Unit based at the reserve. However, the species didn’t make headlines until…
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After being freed in Phuket, Knudsen slashes pregnant girlfriend’s throat
PHUKET: Danish national Dennis Mark Knudsen, the intended target of a street shooting in Patong last year, has been arrested in Denmark for fatally slashing his 33-year-old pregnant girlfriend’s throat with a steak knife. Knudsen had previously been in custody in Thailand and released at least three times by Thai authorities. Knudsen was arrested on Saturday after police were alerted…
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Nadal on cloud nine after soaring new heights
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nadal on cloud nine after soaring new heights Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: One man’s despair was another man’s ecstasy as the most inopportune of double faults propelled a world-beating Rafa Nadal into a nine-times French Open champion on Sunday. Waiting to launch into a second…
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Man confesses to human trafficking for Phuket fishing fleet
PHUKET: Police arrested a Myanmar national at Phuket’s fishing port yesterday for scamming four compatriots into working on a fishing trawler for six months without pay. The suspect, identified as Ao Mo, 49, later confessed to human trafficking and helping illegal migrants avoid arrest, said Lt General Panya Mamen, commander of the Royal Thai Police Region 8 division. After Ao…
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Thousands evacuated in Rayong over ‘toxic gas’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thousands evacuated over ‘toxic gas’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes in Rayong’s Ban Chang district shortly past midnight and spend the night on a football pitch after smelling something like toxic gas. Children and the elderly…
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Pakistan militants attack Karachi airport, 23 dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Militants attack airport in Pakistan’s Karachi, 23 dead Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Gunmen attacked one of Pakistan’s biggest airports on Sunday and at least 23 people were killed, including all 10 of the attackers, media reported. The attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan’s…
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Curfew lifted on Phi Phi, Krabi and Phang Nga
PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has lifted the curfew on the tourist-popular Phi Phi Island and the rest of Krabi in its latest step to assist Thailand’s tourism industry. The NCPO issued the order yesterday, which also repealed the curfew in Phang Nga as well as in Cha-am district of Phetchaburi province and Hua Hin district…
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Phuket officials launch campaign to return beaches to the people
PHUKET: Seaside vendors in Phuket could have their shops torn down and face hefty fines of up to 500,000 baht, several years in jail and payments of 10,000 baht per square meter of land if their establishments are found to be encroaching on the sands. Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has set his sights on returning Phuket’s beaches to the…
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Kalim residents beg police to have mercy on taxi stands
PHUKET: More than 100 local villagers today begged officials to stop demolishing illegal taxi stands in Kalim.“We have been here for 18 years and got permission from former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin,” emotional tuk-tuk driver Adisorn Maneesri told the Phuket Gazette.“We understand why they are doing this, because of all the problems with taxis, but please understand that we are…
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Patong’s last illegal taxi stands torn down, raids move to Kalim
PHUKET: After tearing down 12 illegal taxi stands throughout Patong yesterday, officers moved to Kalim, at the northern end of Patong Beach, to tear down four illegal stands there. The raids in Kalim, carried out by more than 100 officers from Phuket Police and Royal Thai Police Region 8 division, began at 10am as part of the Royal Thai Army’s…
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Police told to get better results; target quality, not quantity
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police told to get better results; target quality, not quantity The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has given 30 days for drug-suppression units to deliver tangible, better results. Quality – not quantity – should be the focus, it…
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Junta woos Chinese; vows interim government within three months
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta chief woos Chinese The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Junta chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday called on Chinese businessmen to help create a good understanding of the situation in post-coup Thailand in order to retain investments and tourists from China. The chief of the ruling…
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Ukraine crisis; Putin, Poroshenko break ice at D-Day event
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine crisis; Putin, Poroshenko break ice at D-Day event Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The leaders of Russia and Ukraine held their first talks on Friday since Moscow annexed Crimea, discussing ways to end their four-month conflict in a brief encounter during commemorations in France of…
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Taxi driver found with over B100mn in bank spurs money laundering investigation
PHUKET: The discovery of a taxi driver’s bank book that showed assets of more than 100 million baht has initiated investigations into possible money laundering. Officers discovered the bank book this morning while searching the home of the driver, who has not yet been named. “A number of drivers had unexpectedly high bank balances, and we intend to check each…
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Phuket students return gold, bring tears of joy to Filipino’s eyes
PHUKET: Local students at Phuket Rajabhat University brought a Filipino to tears earlier this week after turning in a gold bracelet that he had lost. The item is said to be worth about 135,000 baht. One of the students found the treasured piece of jewellery and immediately turned it in to a teacher at the school. “I went home to…
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Destruction of Patong taxi booths underway
PHUKET: The destruction of 16 taxi booths in Patong is currently underway. Starting at 3pm this afternoon, Patong Police, officers from the Patong Municipality and volunteers began to tear down taxi booths throughout Patong. “We are targeting 16 booths. Some we have received complaints about, and some are obstructing traffic,” said Patong Police Chief Investigator Sutthichai Thianpho. The taxi drivers…
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Video Report: Get sweaty with a clean conscience: Phuket’s Clean the Beach Boot Camp tomorrow
PHUKET: After their one-year anniversary celebration to Phi Phi, Krix Luther and the Clean The Beach Boot Camp gang will be back on their home turf at Nai Harn Beach in southern Phuket tomorrow. Last month, over 50 eager boot camp participants, veterans and first-timers, piled onto Blue World Safaris’ speedy catamaran for the anniversary event, banking on a day…
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Breaking News: Phuket taxi driver arrested with B100mn
PHUKET: Police today arrested a Phuket taxi driver who had more than 100 million baht in his bank account. Officers are now investigating the origins of the funds and whether the suspect was involved in money laundering. — Woranut Pechdee
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Police arrest suspect over slaying of Canadian in Patong
PHUKET: After nearly five years on the run, Nukul Sae-heng, 28, from Phetchaburi has been arrested for his role in the contract slaying of Canadian national Francis Alex Degioanni in Patong in 2009. Nukul was arrested in Ayutthaya on a Phuket arrest warrant on Tuesday, Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette. He is now in custody at Patong Police Station.…
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Phuket shrine broken into; possibly robbed
PHUKET: Police are trying to track down the culprits involved in a break-in and possible robbery at the Tah Rua Shrine on Thepkrasattri Road in Srisoonthorn. “Cheng Kittipisarn, 73, who looks after the shrine, reported the break-in just after 8am today,” Lt Col Sanit Nookong of the Thalang Police told the Phuket Gazette. Mr Cheng was waiting near an overturned…
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Beach club blues
PHUKET: I’ve heard it many times from long-term Phuket expats – over the years the island has changed for the worse. But it doesn’t take decades to notice the decline. For me it took just one year. Take what used to be my favorite Phuket beach – Layan. A half-moon of sand on the border of a national park, edged…
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Turning others’ bad reputations into profit
Manop Pukpaya, 46, has been working as a Phuket taxi driver since 1997. He has a certificate in sales marketing from Dusit Commercial College Bangkok and for the past three years has run his own taxi service.Here, he talks about how the bad reputation of taxi drivers in Phuket and a good online review helped him expand his business, and…
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Crying out for a fair shakedown
PHUKET: Few Phuket Gazette news reports have generated more comment and debate in the social media than our recent article about vendors of pirated goods in Patong banding together to stage a protest against alleged extortion by government officials (story here). Scores of officers from a variety of government agencies, the protesters claimed, had been demanding too much in bribes…
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Police arrest Phuket blockade leaders
PHUKET: As part of an ongoing campaign to clean Phuket of all people deemed by police to be a threat to the island’s tourism industry, officers have arrested three people for involvement in major street blockades. Police have arrest warrants for 23 people for their roles in the blockades, Lt Gen Panya Mamen, Commander of the Royal Thai Police Region…
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