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SUNDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes
Sunday, Sunday. The Phukethon has been run and won, the Phuket King’s Cup wraps today and the Kata Rocks Superyacht Rendezvous has their big closing party tonight for the mega-yachts visiting the island. Even though districts around Phuket are suffering severe flooding, including just north in Phang Nga, Phuket is waking up to a fine day ahead with only a…
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Autopsy confirms cadet killed by physical assault
The Central Institute of Forensic Science has found that a cadet of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School [AFAPS] was killed by a physical assault. Phakhapong “Meay” Tanyakan, a first-year student of the AFAPS, died on October 17. The school and Phra Mongkutklao Hospital stated in his initial death certificate, and in the hospital autopsy report, that he died of…
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International Anti-Corruption Day. Zero tolerance with corruption in Phuket.
Phuket Governor Norapat Plodthong chaired the opening of the International Anti-Corruption Day event at Phuket Rajabhat University today (December 9) under the concept ‘Zero Tolerance with Corruption’. The Governor said during the opening that the United Nation has set December 9 of every year to be the International Anti-Corruption Day to raise world’s awareness about the major impact from corruption.…
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Blade Runner. Cool tech gives Cola new legs.
After a first set of prosthetics, Cola now has new ‘bouncy’ blades to run on. Cola the two-legged dog has scored an Asian first – he’s the first dog in the world to be fitted with blades of the kind used by Paralympic sprinters. And he took to his new legs like a champion, racing up and down the beach…
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SATURDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your news in 3 minutes
Saturday – Ahh, the weekend. Many things happening around the island. Tonight you have another Boat Lagoon Weekend night of music, crafts, food, entertainment and chilling. Starts at 6pm. Also the Kata Rocks Superyacht Rendezvous on today as the fleet makes its way from Kata Rocks to The Surin for a beach party – you’ll see some magnificent vessels making…
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DAY FOUR – Phuket King’s Cup. Wind softens but competition heats up.
It’s been a week of consistently excellent winds (and gusts which peaked at 25 knots at times), but lighter conditions appeared for Day Four. This had the potential to alter standings heading into today, as well as tomorrow’s final race. Today also marked the conclusion of a great week of racing across all of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Dinghy…
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Road closures for the Phukethon Marathon on Sunday
The upcoming Phukethon 2017, with the Marathon being run on December 10, will force some roads to be closed down for the duration of the running event. Drivers are invited to plan ahead to avoid the runners on this date. More than 10,000 runners are coming to Phuket this weekend for the Phukethon event. The marathon is scheduled to start…
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Better training. Better lifeguards. Two day training course completed at Patong.
Two days training for hotel staff, tour operators and budding beach lifeguards has been completed at Patong Beach. 98 people attended the two day training course. There’s also the Phuket Life Saving Championships 2017 at Lama Park on Patong Beach this Sunday, December 10. The competition will include iron-man beach sprints, board relay, a surf race, board rescue events and…
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FRIDAY NEWS BRIEFING – All your news in 3 minutes
PHOTO: A Province-wide drama unfolding in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Patong wakes up this morning to start mopping up the heavy flood waters from last night. Heavy rain pelted Phuket’s party town, and other parts of the island, from around 10pm for four hours. Yesterday morning Patong also had heavy floods leading to two electricity poles along the Patong – Karon…
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NLA visits Rawai sea gypsy village to check on environmental issues
The First Vice Presidnet of National Legislative Assembly of Thailand (NLA) and his team visited the Rawai sea gypsy village yesterday (December 6) following a complaint about a retention wall near the beach and natural waterway issues. Prior to the visit the team attended a meeting with Phuket authorities including the Phuket Governor, Phuket Land Office Chief, representative of Muang…
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Prachasamakkee villagers block land office from measuring land border
During a visit at the Prachasamakkee Community today (December 7), the team at the Phuket Provincial Land Office and the lawyer of the plaintiff against the villagers were not allowed to check the measurement of the village land to make a plan to file to the court. The villagers claim that the 77 defendants haven’t had any appointment for the…
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PHUKET KING’S CUP – Day Three report. Lay day today.
Perfect breezes at 12-15 knots on top of two whole days of strong wind had the swells riding higher today, and conditions that were way more “Rock ‘n’ Roll”. Kevin Whitcraft’s THA72 crew has a very credible early claim on regatta glory, as does Team Kata Rocks (Peter Dyer’s Madam Butterfly) in IRC2. Premier Class, IRC1, the one-design Pulse 600…
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Patong Tunnel update
Patong Mayor, Chalermluck Kebsup, has provided an update about progress on the long-mooted infrastructure project. She says the proposal has now passed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) stage and will be considered by the main planning committee soon. “After we checked with the Expressway Authority of Thailand, who is responsible for the project, we found out that the tunnel project…
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Kamala vendors complain about illegal foreign vendors
30 local vendors of Kamala Beach led by Samran Kodsan headed to the Kamala Police Station yesterday (December 6) to complain about foreign vendors working illegally on Kamala Beach. The vendors say that the foreigners from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Vietnam have been working as vendors on the beach for a while and often try to pressure beachgoers to buy their…
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THURSDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your news in 3 minutes
A lot of rain overnight so there has been some wet and slippery roads around the island this morning. Patong Police Station, as usual, suffers when there’s heavy rain. More racing down at Kata today for the Phuket King’s Cup. Nakhon Si Thammarat is really copping heavy rains and our Deputy PM is being asked ‘please explain’ about his ‘bling’.…
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No Michelin Three Star restaurants in Bangkok
The inaugural Michelin Guide Bangkok on Wednesday announced 14 one-starred and three two-starred restaurants at its debut at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok. No restaurant was awarded the ultimate accolade of three stars. Making its debut at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok on Wednesday, the first edition of the Michelin Guide Bangkok announced the 14 restaurants that have been awarded one…
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Phuket locals protest over community land claim
About 100 villagers from the Prachasamakkee community gathered at the Phuket provincial hall at 9 am today (December 6) to call for their rights to live on the land of the community, after 70 villagers have been sued by a person claiming to be the landlord. The protest was led by the community leader, Surasak Tainapriew, alongside the secretary of…
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62 year old jailed over Phra Mongkutklao Hospital bomb attack
PHOTO: Early responders race to the Phra Mongkutklao Hospital following the explosion – The Nation The Criminal Court has convicted a former Electricity Generating of Thailand engineer for launching a bomb attack inside the Phra Mongkutklao Hospital in May. He’s been sentenced to 27 years in jail. Story of the bombing HERE. The court found 62 year old Watana Phummaret guilty…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, December 6
THAIGER TODAY. Wednesday, December 6. Heat on the Deputy PM to explain his expensive watch | Pattaya driver tests positive to drugs | Floods starting to abate | 2 missing after Nakhon Si Thammarat bus gets swept away | Big drug hauls in BKK and Songkhla.
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Car crash in Krabi kills six
A pickup truck traveling from Trang province to Krabi lost control and hit an electric pole, killing all 6 passengers last night (December 5). The pick up truck driven by a retired policeman, 61 year old Prayad Jongrak, with other 5 family members, was found crashed into the high-voltage electric pole on Petchakasem Road heading towards Krabi in Nuaklong district.…
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WEDNESDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your news in 3 minutes
Day three of the Phuket King’s Cup today and fresh winds are waiting for the 83-strong fleet off Kata. Our Deputy PM has got into hot water over a flashy watch, a mother is being asked to explain why she chained up her daughter and a truck has fallen on a passenger van killing two in Chiang Mai. Welcome to…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta – Day Two. Perfect sailing weather.
Day Two kicked off as strongly as yesterday had ended with consistent, shifting and challenging winds. Race Director Simon James set the two courses around the southern end of the island. The fastest boats finished in around two and a half hours, up to five hours for the slower vessels. “We had gusts up to 18 knots and an average…
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Four-year absence of leatherback turtles at Phuket nesting beaches
With the leatherback turtle already listed internationally as a critically endangered species, the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department yesterday expressed serious concern that none of the animals had returned to beaches in Phuket and Phang-nga to lay eggs since 2013. Director-general Thanya Netithammakun raised the alarm over the survival of the leatherbacks, as there have no reports of…
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7 year old girl chained up by her mother
After pictures of a 7 year old Myanmar girl chained went viral in social media, Phuket Social Development and Human Security officers visited the scene today (December 5), which is a room in an apartment in Phuket Town. The girl and her 9 year old brother are safe at Phuket Children and Family Shelter. “We got the report last night…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, December 5
THAIGER TODAY. Tuesday, December 5. Tragic Pattaya road accidents prompts questions | Songkhla schools closed because of flooding | Wang Kee Aon waterfall re-opens in Patong | Fake bomb causes security alert at Myanmar Embassy | Toon meets the PM.
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Pattaya driver that killed two claims epileptic fit – call for ban on epileptic drivers
A tragic accident yesterday morning in Pattaya is again focussing the public’s attention on a call for the Land Transport Department to ban people with epilepsy from driving. The crash occurred when a 44 year old self-described epileptic patient lost control of his pickup truck in Chon Buri’s Pattaya City, causing it to plough into 10 motorcycles, killing two people…
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Don says he knows nothing about Yingluck British passport
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai has denied a report of unknown origin that Britain had granted fugitive ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra a passport. Don said before Monday’s Cabinet meeting that his ministry had no such information and that the British Embassy had not informed the Thai government of any such action. “I don’t want to speculate on or anticipate anything,” he said.…
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TUESDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your news in 3 minutes
It’s a public holiday today. It’s Father’s Day and National Day in Thailand, both proclaimed as celebrations of the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It’s also the World Soil Day, named by the United Nations as a day to commemorate the late King’s work in the area of land conservation and crop development. All public offices are closed…
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Social media blowback in Myanmar for Pope. Meanwhile international aid dries up for refugee camps on the Thai-Myanmar border.
PHOTO: Voice of America Pope Francis’s embrace of the Rohingya during a trip to Bangladesh has sparked some angry comment on social media in Myanmar, where just days earlier he chose not to publicly air their plight. On Friday the head of the Catholic church met a group of refugees from Myanmar’s stateless Muslim minority in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.…
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Patong Municipality announces the reopening of the waterfall in the town’s heart
Patong Mayor, Chalermluck Kebsup, says that the Wang Kee Aon waterfall in the middle of Patong used to be the main attraction in Patong and HRH King Bhumibol Adulyadej 9 also paid a visit in 1959, which was an important early part of putting Patong on the domestic map for Thailand tourism. “However, later, when the land in front of the…
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