News
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Isarn floods worst in 50 years; Pattaya on fire; Santika Pub owner aquitted
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Flooding in East worst in 50 years: Plodprasop The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Flooding in Phimai district in Nakhon Ratchasima, one of the hardest hit areas, is expected to peak over the next few days.“At this point, I am most worried about Phimai,” Water and Flood Management…
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Phuket Governor calls off SuperCheap fire site search, announces no deaths
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut today buried rumors that people had died in the SuperCheap inferno last Wednesday night as he laid to rest the on-site investigation. No proof of any fatalities were recorded or announced (story here). “I received the report form the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office [DDPM-Phuket] concerning the SuperCheap fire. I am pleased…
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Phuket Governor orders probe into alleged land grab
PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut today ordered a task force to investigate claims by local residents in Pa Khlok, on Phuket’s central east coast, that public land had been encroached on.The villagers, numbering about 50 and led by Baan Bangla village headman Samarn Bumroongna, arrived at Provincial Hall at 10am in protest.Chief among their complaints was that someone who claimed to…
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Phuket travel consortium casts doubt on local support for mafia crackdown
PHUKET: A consortium of four major travel organizations yesterday publicly voiced their doubt that top local officials fully support the ongoing multi-agency crackdown to clean up rampant corruption and “mafia” operations in Phuket.Top figures representing the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), the Thai Hotels Association Southern Chapter, the Phuket Spa Association (SPA) and the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) called a…
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Phuket Town drinkers take down armed robber
PHUKET: Two men sitting in front of their house drinking in the early hours this morning made a citizen’s arrest, taking down a man who had just robbed a Phuket Town convenience store at knifepoint. Phuket City Police were notified of the arrest at 3:40am. “By the time we arrived, Ronnarit Klinchuen, 21, and his friend Ponlawat Kaensub, 22, had…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Fires put heat on Aussie PM; 12-year-old shoots 1 dead – then self; US spying unacceptable – France; Saudi anger – rejects coveted UN seat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian wildfires put heat on climate change sceptic Abbott Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: SYDNEY (Reuters) – A long, hot summer looms for Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott as devastating wildfires near Sydney fuel opposition to his plans to repeal a carbon emissions tax, one of…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Floods close factories; Laos crash bodies to return home; Chalerm in relapse; Jakkrit mourned
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Industrial estate battles floodwater The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Amata Nakorn Industrial Estate in Chon Buri is facing a severe battle keeping out floodwaters, which have forced 15 factories in its compound to suspend operations.Another 78 factories outside the protection of estates, mainly in the Northeast,…
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Failed motorbike ram attempt wins policeman B10k reward for bravery
PHUKET: A patrol policeman who broke his collar bone while ramming bag-snatchers with his motorbike in an attempt to stop their getaway was rewarded with 10,000 baht yesterday morning for his bravery. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont issued the bonus on hearing how Sgt Songwut Noosuk of the Phuket City Police attempted to apprehend the perpetrators on Saturday afternoon.…
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Judge sets sentence date for American Marine-killer in Phuket
PHUKET: A judge today set the sentencing date of Lee Aldhouse for the murder of American Marine Dashawn Longfellow (story here). “The judge set the sentencing date for November 28,” Phuket Provincial Prosecutor Tawan Suknirundorn told the Phuket Gazette. At the hearing today, Aldhouse signed a copy of Mr Longfellow’s passport, writing that he, Lee Aldhouse, had stabbed “this man”.…
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118mn baht mega-transportation study underway
PHUKET: A feasibility study costing 118 million baht is underway for an ambitious transportation project to link Phuket with neighboring provinces. The project aims to connect the island to the national north-south rail line and provide public transport between Phuket International Airport and Chalong Circle. Though the current study was expected to start by the end of 2012, the contract…
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Balloon vendor dead on arrival at Phuket bus terminal
PHUKET: A festival balloon vendor was found dead on arrival at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 in the early morning hours today.Prasan Piyawong, 66, was discovered dead on the top deck of a tour bus by a friend who was travelling with him.Police and rescue works sped to the scene after being notified of the incident at about 4:30am today.“Mr Prasan’s…
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Krabi ready to take the plunge
PHUKET: Is throwing yourself off an 8-storey-high cliff a good idea? Sure it is! Especially to the brave contenders of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. If you wish to see these daredevils, the season finale will take place in Krabi, a few hours drive from Phuket, on Saturday, October 26. Ten of the world’s best cliff divers launch…
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UK embassy shakeup to free Phuket consul for frontline work
PHUKET: Sweeping changes in how standard documents are issued at the British Embassy in Bangkok will free Phuket Honorary Consul Martin Carpenter to focus on providing assistance to British tourists and expats in need. The changes are part of a reform in procedures at British embassies around the world, explained an embassy statement issued to the Phuket Gazette. Consequently, from…
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Zero tolerance for ‘zero dollar’ tours
The governments of Thailand and China are working hand-in-hand to limit the number of tourists coming from the latter to the former, especially the “low-quality” ones, the [former] head of Phuket’s official tourism office recently announced. Reinforcing Thailand’s efforts to shift focus from quantity to quality tourist markets, the Chinese government since October 1 has been enforcing new regulations affecting…
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Krabi carp monster set to break world record
PHUKET: A British angler on holiday in Thailand is set to break a world record after landing a 60.9kg (134.4lb) Siamese carp in Krabi, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, earlier this month.Keith Williams, of Carshalton in Surrey, England, landed the monster carp on October 10 while on holiday with friends at the Gillhams Fishing Resort to celebrate his 56th…
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Phuket Property Watch: Lost in Chiang Mai
PHUKET: I’ve always had an aversion to things that go bump in the night, but as our Thai Smile jet ramps up to 33,000 feet, an extended period of turbulence has left my forehead battered, but not bruised. Yes, the flight attendants shock orange uniforms put me into a Halloween mood, yet they move about the cabin like apparitions –…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Clown kills Mexico cartel head; Arab League sets date for Syria; Tito’s widow is dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gunman in clown suit kills senior Mexican drug cartel member Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A gunman in a clown costume shot and killed the oldest brother of one of Mexico’s most notorious drug trafficking families in the resort of Los Cabos, authorities said on Saturday.Francisco Rafael Arellano…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Monster rally to target Thaksin; Pattaya rubble beach revamp; Olympic shooter gunned down
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Plan for huge rally against amnesty bill Thye Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A massive rally is apparently in the making now as several groups have expressed the shared goal of fighting any move to “whitewash” former PM Thaksin Shinawatra to the bitter end.The Democrat Party has also…
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Safety net for Phuket SuperCheap staff after blaze
PHUKET: Employees of the razed SuperCheap store may continue working or resign and receive unemployment compensation, it was announced in Phuket on Thursday. The 3,436 employees, 700 of whom are foreign workers, will be sent to other branches to work, said SuperCheap Owner Boonsom Anantajaroonwong. “We continue to pay about a total of a million baht a day to staff…
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18-year-old Phuket cashier still missing after SuperCheap inferno
PHUKET: An 18-year-old Phuket cashier and one other woman are still missing after the SuperCheap megastore burned to the ground on Wednesday night (story here). Eleven formal missing person complaints have been filed since the blaze. “So far, 10 of the ‘missing people’ have been found. The only person who remains on our list is Thanaporn Sammanit, 46. The complaint…
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Air pollution top environmental concern post SuperCheap blaze
PHUKET: Possible air and water pollution from the inferno that devastated the main SuperCheap in Phuket on Wednesday are now the top concern of the Regional Environmental Office 15.“The microscopic particles in smoke can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they can cause health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose and illnesses such as bronchitis,” Khanchit Soontrakorn,…
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Police probe Phuket fisherman’s death
PHUKET: Police are investigating the cause of death of a Myanmar national whose body was found floating in the water off Rassada yesterday afternoon.Bystanders told police that the man, who police did not name, had been drinking on a boat with friends on Thursday night when he walked to the back to relieve himself, said Somchai Nhuboon of Phuket City…
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Phuket Sports: Get ready Karon – FIVB is coming
PHUKET: This year’s Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT, the penultimate event of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, sees Brazil, Germany, Thailand and the USA with three teams apiece in the main draw. Italy has two teams and the remaining direct acceptances are made up of one team apiece from Argentina, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland,…
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Special Report: The search for closure: Family makes heartfelt plea for finding lost crew of MV Hope
Special Report PHUKET: The family of Captain Rajib Chandra Karmaker, master of the Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Hope, has launched a public appeal for any information that may lead to the recovery of the missing captain’s body and those of his lost shipmates. The Hope, laden with ball clay, was struck broadside by large waves and listed heavily in stormy…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Drone strikes killing civilians; Brazil sugar blaze paralysis; South Africans demand justice for child murders; Aussie wildfire kills one
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pakistan tells U.N. at least 400 civilians killed by drone strikes Reuters/Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pakistan has confirmed that of some 2,200 people killed by drone strikes in the past decade, at least 400 were civilians and an additional 200 victims were deemed “probable non-combatants,” a U.N.…
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SuperCheap Phuket rises from the ashes
PHUKET: At 5am today, SuperCheap re-opened on a lot nearby the burned ruble of its main building and began selling fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood. The re-opening comes just 32 hours after the devastating fire engulfed the complex Wednesday night (story here). Tents and tarps are now set up to create a temporary marketplace in a field next to…
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Top Phuket official issued urgent order to relinquish post
PHUKET: Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol has been ordered out of Phuket, effective October 28. Mr Veera told the Phuket Gazette that he received the “urgent order” to leave the province within 10 days at 3pm today. “I actually heard the news last night, but the official order came this afternoon,” he said. “I have not been given a precise…
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Phuket Opinion: Scare tactics to keep Chinese safe
PHUKET: A few weeks ago I was swimming at Racha Island, in Batok Bay. When I got out past the breakers I found myself face-to-face with a Chinese man on a boogie board. He immediately struck up a conversation with me, asking where I was from. After determining that I do not speak Chinese and have no plans to visit…
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Former Phang Nga official assassinated at relative’s funeral
PHUKET: A former Phang Nga official was assassinated by a single bullet to the head while dining at his cousin’s funeral in Ao Luek, Krabi, early yesterday morning.Sittipon Thongkum, 49, was shot dead while sitting down to eat with relatives at the funeral of Somchok Khammee’s brother. Mr Somchok is village headman of Moo 2, Khao Yai, in Krabi.“People said…
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Phuket Opinion: A festival full of firecrackers
PHUKET: Credit must be given where it is clearly due: to the authorities who arrested more than 20 people for the illegal use or sale of dangerous fireworks during the recently concluded Vegetarian Festival (story here). The Phuket Provincial Police have sent out somewhat mixed signals in recent years with regard to what level of fireworks usage would be allowed…
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