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Rak Phuket group files lese majeste petition against Thai-born Kiwi
PHUKET: The Rak Phuket Club rallied against improper gestures made by a Thai expat in Bangkok last week by filing a letter of complaint to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung Thursday morning. Rak Phuket Club President Boonsupa Tantai, along with several other club members, presented the protest letter to Phuket MP Raywat Areerob. The club…
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Big changes as Phuket FC prep for Songkhla
PHUKET: Star Brazilian goalkeeper Alonso Da Silva will leave Phuket FC in a surprise transfer move marking the height of a mid-season team overhaul. Though Da Silva was not available for questioning at the time of this report, a reliable source has confirmed to the Gazette that rumors about the transfer circulating on the team’s Facebook fan page on Thursday…
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Thai boats to the fore on Day 2 of Phuket Raceweek
PHUKET: Six knots, then eight knots. Grey skies, then blue. That was the weather prediction for day 2 of the 2012 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek and as the boats left the anchorage, the winds were light but building. Two windward/leewards for IRC Racing, Firefly and Racing Multihull classes, and longer island courses for IRC Cruising and Classic classes was…
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Foreign couple in Phuket pass fake UK banknotes at Kata currency booth
PHUKET: The owner of a currency exchange booth in Kata fell victim to a pair of unidentified foreigners that systematically passed off a series of counterfeit British £20 banknotes. Kanyarat Tiewsakul, 48, who owns the exchange booth, and the massage parlor and spa next door, said that twelve counterfeit £20 notes were exchanged by the couple between July 17 and…
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Phuket weekend weather outlook
PHUKET: Blue skies over Phuket late this afternoon raise hopes for a fine weekend of sailing at the The 2012 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek this weekend. The 24-hour forecast from 5pm issued by the Thai Meteorological Department center at Phuket Airport reports a “moderate” southwest monsoon prevailing over the Andaman Sea and the Southern Thailand West Coast. The forecast…
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PTA reward Phuket Police Bt100,000 for arrest of Aussie tourist killer
PHUKET: The Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) earlier this week awarded 100,000 baht to provincial and regional police for bringing the killers of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith to justice. The handover was made at a small ceremony at the PTA office on the bypass road in Rassada on Tuesday. PTA Vice President Bhuritt Maswongsa stressed that although the stabbing was…
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Phuket Gazette: The trade in sex and bodies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community The trade in sex and bodies Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: A National Geographic Channel documentary tonight sheds light on the trafficking of Central Asian women to Thailand for sex work. The programme, “Inside: 21st Century Sex Slaves”, looks at the case of Uzbek women…
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Canadian, 81, injured in Phuket car crash
PHUKET: An 81-year-old Canadian man who sustained head injuries in a two-vehicle collision on Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket yesterday evening is now calling for speed limits to be posted in built up areas. Thalang Police at 6pm were notified of an accident at the notorious u-turn in front of the Provincial Electric Authority substation in Baan Lipon, Srisoonthorn subdistrict. Arriving…
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11 arrests in Phuket loan shark hunt
PHUKET: Two suspected loan shark operations in Phuket were shut down by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) Police yesterday morning, putting eleven suspects behind bars. “CSD police searched the two houses today because we received reports from locals of loan shark operations running rampant. We also recently heard that a man who vouched for a loan was attacked by a group…
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Phuket Gazette: SS Gairsoppa has silver lining
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 48 tons of silver recovered from WWII merchant ship Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Odyssey Marine Exploration on Wednesday announced it has recovered approximately 48 tons of silver bullion from a British cargo ship that sank off the Irish coast during World War II. The…
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Phuket Raceweek gets off to a lively start
PHUKET: The 2012 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek got off to a lively start last night with the opening party attracting over 500 guests.With thirty-four boats registered, competing over seven classes and divisions, day one looked looked set for some good competition as predicted winds of 10-12 knots gusting to 15, arrived on cue.Race Officer Simon James announced Windward/Leewards (Course…
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27 youths test positive for meth at Phuket drug checkpoint
PHUKET: Police and district officials rounded up 27 suspected drug users on Tuesday night at a random checkpoint set up on Soi Nakok in Chalong subdistrict, Phuket. Soi Nakok, adjacent to the TOT compound on Chao Fa West Road, is home to the housing estate where drugged-up burglar Kittikhun Wonghajak strangled 17-year-old Sunisa “Nong Som” Saiyoy on July 10. Suwat…
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New crab trap regulations not causing a snag in Phuket
PHUKET: Compliance with a new crab trap regulation established in late June was highlighted as one of the hot topics for the Traditional Fishing Preservation Group meeting held yesterday in response to their letter of complaint filed with the Phuket Provincial Office. In their complaint, the group highlighted two major issues facing the smaller local fishing operations: compliance with the…
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Phuket lifeguards save 333 swimmers after return to beaches
PHUKET: Officially back on the beaches May 28, after another contract signing saga, Phuket lifeguards saved 333 people in the following 31 days, according to an announcement made by Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising yesterday. “Despite the work of the lifeguards, four people have drowned this year. They drowned because they either ignored the red warning flags…
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Woman faces lese majeste charge pending mental examination
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Woman to face royal insult charge pending mental examination Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung today confirmed police would charge a woman accused of insulting the monarchy if she was found to be sane in a mental status examination. “I confirm police…
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Blade runner – I will run quick
PHUKET: The London Olympics are just over a week away and one man knows he is lucky to be going. South African Oscar Pistorius, known as Blade Runner, had both his legs amputated below the knee when he was a baby and runs with the aid of carbon fiber lower legs. Pistorius will compete in the individual 400 meters and…
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Phuket Gazette: US fighting the flab
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US drug regulators approve weight-loss pill Qsymia Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved Vivus Inc.’s weight-loss pill Qsymia, the second new diet pill to be approved in the United States in the last month. Qsymia was…
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Phuket Gazette: National tourism update
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM demands action to ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday ordered agencies to expedite measures to alleviate the congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport. After inspecting the problem-plagued Bangkok airport, PM Yingluck said a committee would be formed to…
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Phuket Gazette: Thai sports news
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai Premier League can follow in EPL’s footsteps: Everton chief Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: The Thai Premier League could one day become as successful as the English Premier League (EPL), but the country has to be patient, Everton’s chief executive officer Robert Elstone said…
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Phuket poll: Will Patong “safety zone’ plan reduce tourist complaints?
PHUKET: Deputy National Police Gen Pansiri Prapawat recently announced a bold “Safety Zone” plan for Patong under which strict law enforcement would help reduce tourist issues related to tuk-tuks, jet-skis and personal safety – including assaults on tourists. What do you think will be the effect of this in the long-term? To have your say in Phuket’s most popular online…
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Phuket vendor wins Bt4m in Thai National Lottery
PHUKET: A kind-hearted Phuket vendor won a 4 million baht grand prize in the Thai National Lottery draw on Monday. The winner, 35-year-old Kaewtaa Khan-asa, reported the win to Chalong Police yesterday, asking that her possession of winning ticket number, “904050”, be recorded in the daily log as evidence. Mrs Kaewtaa, listed as a resident of Ban Doong District in…
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Man found dead floating in the sea with 13 stab wounds
PHUKET: Police believe the stab-riddled body of a man recovered in the waters off of the Rassada Fishing Port this morning is that of a Burmese fisherman. Phuket City Police at 7.30am received a report from staff at the Por Phichainava Company Pier, off Sri Sena Road in Rassada, about a body floating face-down just offshore. Led by Lt Col…
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Hand Foot and Mouth disease – Kingdom on alert
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hand Foot and Mouth disease – Kingdom on alert Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in the US Hand Foot and Mouth disease (HFMD) usually affects infants and children younger than 5-years-old, though it can sometimes…
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Counterfeit luggage bagged in Phuket
PHUKET: Customs Department investigators on Sunday intercepted a shipment of counterfeit luggage with an estimated street value of more than 900,000 baht, but no arrests were made. At a press conference held at the Port Customs House yesterday, Phuket Investigation and Suppression Unit chief Jaroen Chamnigarn revealed that 351 copies of famous brand-name suitcases and bags were recovered in an…
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Phuket Business: Risk on, risk off
PHUKET: There has been an increasing amount of correlation in the markets ever since the increased use of computers and algorithms. This has caused a lot of trouble with conventional diversification methods, and when markets get reactive to political tensions as they have been recently, it is common to see things moving in tandem across assets classes as developments are…
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Thailand News: Cristiano Ronaldo has a special message for Thai fans
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Holidaying Cristiano Ronaldo has special message for Thai fans Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: A sun-tanned Christiano Ronaldo delivered sweet lines for Thai fans after renewing a multi-million baht contract to represent Toyota Hilux Vigo Champ as its brand ambassador yesterday. Over 300 journalists descended…
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Crackdown on illegal loan sharks called for
PHUKET: A Rassada Municipality council member called for a crackdown on loan sharks after his brother was attacked and brutally beaten by a group of armed men he claims were hired by illegal moneylenders. Rassada Municipality council member Chainarong Pillavas and his brother Suthipong Pillavas, who claims to have been attacked by some 20 thugs hired by the loanshark, made…
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Phuket Live Wire: Why the Internet died
PHUKET: It is my sad duty to report to you how and why the Internet died last Monday (July 9). The DNSChanger virus took down the internet, and I for one will lament its passing. All of the major news sources warned you about it. Huffington Post said, “The end is nigh, according to the FBI. Internet Doomsday will strike…
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Three more suspects in custody for shooting of Phuket cop
PHUKET: Police in Phuket have arrested three more suspects wanted for the shotgun shooting of a Chalong police officer in a live music venue last month. The victim, Snr Sgt Maj Nikom Jeenyuen, received shotgun wounds to the neck, chest, stomach and arm in the June 19 shooting at Saraphanpleng Bar, a live music venue on Patak Road, about 300…
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Nong Som cremated
PHUKET: Sunisa “Nong Som” Saiyoy, 17, who was strangled to death in her home on July 10, was cremated yesterday at Wat Tai. Family members, classmates from Wichit Songkram School, Chalong Mayor Samran Jindapol and Chalong Municipality council members attended the afternoon ceremony. At the ceremony Khaneung Saiyoy, Nong Som’s father, thanked the police for quickly finding the killer Kittikhun…
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