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Major Phuket bust yields B2mn worth of drugs
PHUKET: A Phuket drug dealer was arrested in Chalong with nearly 2 million baht worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and ya bah (methamphetamine) by Border Patrol Police (BPP) this week. The suspect was found in possession of 8,658 ya bah pills and 15.02g of ya ice. “The arrest was made after we got a report from one of our…
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Phuket hospital denies refusing treatment to injured British traveller
PHUKET: The management of Phuket International Hospital (PIH) has denied reports that they refused treatment to a British national injured in a motorbike accident after the victim’s mother claimed they denied assistance until payment had been guaranteed by the insurance provider. The hospital held a press conference yesterday to clarify that even though the insurance company did not guarantee payment,…
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Company land under investigation after hundreds of trees destroyed
KRABI: A walled, 100-rai tract of land on Koh Lanta Noi is under investigation after the title holders ordered that hundreds of trees be cut down. More than 30 officials from the Wetland Development Office (WDO) inspected the site yesterday. WDO chief Laywisit Baripan said that machines were used to fill up the land after the trees were destroyed. “A…
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One injured in single-vehicle Phuket crash
PHUKET: A 51-year-old man was injured after he crashed his pick-up truck into an electric pole on the side of the road in Mai Khao yesterday. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers arrived on the scene and administered first aid before transporting the victim to Thalang Hospital. “The driver’s side of the truck was tight against the pole, so rescue workers had…
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TAT, Phuket Tourist Police come to American tourist’s aid
PHUKET: A lost American tourist, who could neither recall the name nor the address of the hostel he was staying at, was safely returned there by tourist police this morning. Boyce Reid Brown, 48, was wandering around Phuket Town on foot when he happened to find the office of the Tourism of Thailand (TAT) and stepped inside to ask for…
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Marine officials return confiscated coral to the ocean
PHUKET: More than 800 kilograms of coral was returned to the ocean this week, officials at Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park have revealed. “This is the amount that was seized from tourists at Krabi International Airport from April 2016 to date,” said Sarayuth Tantian, chief of the park. “This highlights the misconduct of tourists who take coral…
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Three migrant workers arrested in Phuket piracy raids
PHUKET: Police arrested three migrant workers and seized more than 300,00 baht worth of pirated goods from shops in Patong yesterday. Maj Korapon Liangboonchinda of Patong Police provided details of the arrests of two Vietnamese women and a Burmese man, all three of whom were arrested and charged for forging a registered trademark, as well as for entering, living and…
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Chinese tourists avoid charges after being caught with coral
PHUKET: Two Chinese tourists were let off with a warning after they were found taking coral out of the sea yesterday evening at Chalong Pier. “While passengers were coming ashore from a boat on the way back from Coral Island, I noticed that two Chinese tourists were carrying pieces of cloth wrapped around something that looked like coral. So, I…
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Phuket murder suspect blames constant bullying
PHUKET: A fishing boat crew member was arrested for stabbing a co-worker to death last night, claiming that “constant bullying” led him to do so. “The incident occurred at about 10pm at Rassada Pier on a fishing boat named Chok Veerachai. We found the body of Pornchai Wongkan, 42, lying inside the boat, covered with blood,” said Lt Col Rachan…
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Phuket police, good Samaritans help ease traffic as another bus breaks down
PHUKET: Police officers and passersby banded together to help push a broken down bus to the side of the road in order to to avoid traffic a traffic jam in Rassada yesterday afternoon. Facebook user Wipongsak Mongkolbutr, who is also the Chief of the Andaman Tourism Association, recorded a video clip and shared pictures of the incident on his page,…
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Another foreign couple wanted for committing sex acts in public
SAMUI: Police are searching for an unidentified foreign couple who were seen ‘getting intimate’ at the side of the road at Nathorn Beach in Samui this morning. A video of the incident, about a minute and 45 seconds long, was posted on a Facebook page titled ‘Ruam Pon Khon Mui‘. The couple were seemingly unconcerned about making a spectacle, as…
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Serial coin thief wanted for swiping thousands from Phuket laundries
PHUKET: Police are searching for a serial thief suspected of stealing thousands of baht from washing machine coin slots in a series of at least 10 incidents over the past week. The thefts took place in Phuket Town, with a number of users posting warnings and details on social media. Facebook user Chon Pokaiyapat shared details of some of the…
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One arrested, four escape police custody at national park
PHUKET: One suspect was arrested while four others escaped after police charged them with harming marine life and using fishing equipment in a national park area. The incident unfolded at Mu Koh Lanta National Park. “Last week, we received reports from divers that there was a yacht anchored at Koh Ha and that the people on board were suspected of…
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Pregnant British woman killed in Phuket crash
PHUKET: A pregnant British woman was killed in a hit and run collision with an 18-wheeled truck on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang at noon today. “She was riding on a motorbike with her partner when they changed lanes to avoid a vehicle parked and blocking their path in the motorbike lane of the road. As they did this, the truck…
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Australian yacht crew rescues fishermen from sinking boat
PHUKET: Crew members of an Australian tourist’s yacht yesterday afternoon rescued three fishermen from a sinking boat in Vichit. Lt Wirach Pudpuang of the Marine Police received reports of the incident at about 4pm. “Two Thai fishermen, Adisak Kaewbamrung and ‘Phy’, and Burmese fisherman ‘Din’ were fishing at Koh Tapao Noi off Ao Makham when their boat started leaking and…
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Russian couple fined for sex in a Phuket tuk-tuk
PHUKET: Police have fined a Russian couple 500 baht each after a video clip of them appearing to have sex in the back of a tuk-tuk in Karon went viral. The 28-second clip was posted on Friday and shows a man and a woman moving suggestively in the tuk-tuk with the woman’s shirt lifted to expose her torso. Karon Police…
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Thai tourist apologizes for starfish selfie, tour guide fined
TRANG: A Thai tourist apologized yesterday on social media for taking selfies with a starfish at a national park in Trang province, while her tour guide was ordered to pay a fine. Earlier on Thursday, the tourist’s selfies with a starfish went viral. She was widely condemned, as there is a ban on removing marine animals from from the sea.…
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Drug mule arrested in Phuket with 800,000 baht’s worth of pills
PHUKET: Police arrested a Phuket-bound man for transporting ya ba (methamphetamine) worth 800,000 baht at a Tah Chat Chai checkpoint yesterday afternoon. Lt Col Tawach Tansakul of Tah Chat Chai police and his team apprehended Anan Navarat, 39, at about 3pm. “Mr Anan was traveling by bus from Nakhon Sri Thammarat and looked suspicious to us during a routine check,”…
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Broken-hearted woman jumps off Phuket building
PHUKET: An agitated woman with relationship troubles was injured this morning after she jumped off the third floor of a building in Phuket Town. This is the second case of its kind within two days – the first incident took place early morning yesterday when another girl nearly drowned in the sea at Saphan Hin (story here). “Today’s incident took…
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Elderly couple returns lost British passport, bank book and cash
PHUKET: An elderly couple this morning returned a wallet containing a British passport, bank book and cash totalling more than 150,000 baht at Pakbang Beach in Rawai. Prayong Sukkaew, 79, and his wife were collecting bottles at about 6am to sell for money when they spotted the wallet, picked it up and handed it over to Rawai Police officers. “We…
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Opinion: Jealousy is a powerful motivator
PHUKET: Phuket was in the international news spotlight again last week, this time for the heartbreaking murder of an 11-month-old baby girl, hanged by her own father in Nai Thon (story here). Most readers will already be familiar with the tragically short life of Natalee ‘Biw’ Wongtalay, whose execution went viral after her late father, 21, chose to post it…
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His Majesty’s tunes to be played at jazz concert in his honor
PHUKET: Jazz lovers are in for a treat when the free concert ‘Jazz for King 2 – Andaman Jazz by the Sea’ kicks off in Phuket on May 20, featuring the music of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). The event will be held at Loma Park in Patong from 7-10pm, hosted by the Andaman Natural Resources…
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Army commander outlines new agenda for Phuket
PHUKET: The new Army Region 4 commander has announced his agenda for Phuket, ticking off a list of at least a dozen problems he feels need urgent resolution. During his visit last week, Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanit said that he was “generally satisfied with the state of tourism in Phuket”, but that getting rid of ‘powerful people’ and officers who…
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Phuket Police search for missing 11-year-old boy
PHUKET: Police are searching for an 11-year-old boy who was reported missing by his family on Tuesday night. Panaphat Chumrak (‘Nong Nu’) disappeared from his home in Soi Pasak 4, Don Chom Tao Road in Cherng Talay at about 8:30pm. “Nong Nu is about 132cm tall, weighs 30kg and has short hair. He was last seen wearing a red and…
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Phuket lovers’ quarrel ends in near-drowning
PHUKET: A ‘tomboy’ narrowly escaped drowning early this morning after she walked into the sea at Saphan Hin following an argument with her girlfriend. Lt Col Pongpichan Chayanonpiriya of Phuket City Police received reports of the incident at about 6:30am. “We found a young woman at the scene, crying and calling out for ‘Jip’. After searching the area for 30…
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Ex-security guard arrested for assault, theft in Phuket
PHUKET: An ex-security guard at a hotel in Pa Khlok was arrested and charged for assault as well as theft and possession of an illegal firearm and drugs, on Tuesday after he beat up a hotel staff member and robbed her last week. Thalang Police apprehended the suspect, Panya Jara, 28, at his rental house in Pa Khlok where they…
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Four injured as speeding car ploughs through motorists in Phuket
PHUKET: Four people were seriously injured after a car skidded off the road and slammed into two motorbikes, a pick-up truck and an electric pole early this morning in Chalong. Lt Sakarin Sangjaroen of Chalong Police and other officers arrived at the crash site on East Chao Fah road in the Kok Tanot area at about 2:20am. “We found a…
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Drug suspects escape police custody in Phuket
PHUKET: Police are hunting for two suspects who escaped custody and fled from a police vehicle at a traffic light on the way to the station early on Tuesday morning. “Suriya Lakpech and Wasurat Malikabutr, both 21, had initially been arrested in front of the Vijit Resort in Rawai after officers asked to inspect their belongings because they looked ‘suspicious’.…
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Illegal Chinese tour guide wanted for abandoning Phuket tour group
PHUKET: Police are hunting for an illegal Chinese tour guide who abandoned 24 Chinese tourists at the side of the road in Phang Nga yesterday evening after arguing with them about money. The tourist police received a report of the incident from the Chinese Consul in Phuket at about 7pm. The tourists had called the consulate for help after they…
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Phuket-based Siam Real Estate to go head to head in Full Metal Dojo
PHUKET: Kingdom Co Ltd, drivers of Full Metal Dojo (FMD), a favorite Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion, has announced an innovative new sponsorship deal that pits two rival real estate firms against each other in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA). Competing agencies Siam Real Estate from Phuket and BKK BestLife will fight it out on FMD’s Facebook page…
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