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Phuket fishing boats vow to remain ashore amid strict regulations
PHUKET: Commercial Phuket fishing boats have vowed to remain ashore rather than be netted by officials and charged for Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices. “We requested that the government relax the strict measures being enforced on us. However, they refused,” Somyos Wongbunyakul, president of the Phuket Fishing Association, told the Phuket Gazette. “The new regulations began on July…
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Family continues search for legally dead Dane in Phuket
PHUKET: Soren Baisgaard is legally dead. The Danish government laid him to rest after he went missing in Phuket in 1999. However, a single phone call in 2011 in response to a notice issued in the Phuket Gazette by the Danish government reignited the hopes of his deserted wife and two daughters that he was in fact still alive in…
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Two arrested for stealing 15,000 baht worth of liquor
PHUKET: Two men were arrested in Rassada last night for stealing more than 15,000 baht worth of liquor over the weekend. Puthipong Anuchon, 22, and Thawatchai Wongpiphan, 19, were caught after police used CCTV footage to locate the residence of the bike seen at the robbery. Thatirat Pongpan, 47, owner of Big One mini-mart near Karon beach, informed police on…
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Killer speedboat driver gets two years for two deaths
PHUKET: A speedboat driver who crashed into a fishing trawler, killing two Korean tourists last year, has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. “Surat Matosot was charged for reckless driving causing death and damage to property. He has been sentenced to two years in prison, with no option for the sentence to be suspended,” Maj Sopon Khongthong of the Krabi…
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Phuket dolphinarium grinds forward [video]
PHUKET: The still unopened Phuket dolphinarium has cleared another set of hurdles in its attempts to launch the project to the public following issuance by the Department of Fisheries of the necessary public zoo operations licence earlier this month. “The building has been improved and now meets our standards,” an officer from the Department of Fisheries, who asked not to…
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Speedboat lodges into Thalang traffic median
PHUKET: A speedboat disconnected from its trailer and became lodged in a traffic median while being driven through Thalang on Saturday evening. Kusoldharm Foundation rescuer workers were called to the scene, near Bang Duk Curve and Baan Markpork School, to help move the boat so as to avoid traffic congestion. “The driver told us that he was driving quite fast.…
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Police arrest bag-snatch suspect, accomplice at large
PHUKET: Police have arrested one of two suspects for a bag-snatch theft carried out on an American national in Rawai on Saturday. Supakon Yoosuk, 19, was apprehended at his home in Rawai just hours after the crime, once police were able to identify him from CCTV footage off Soi Samakee, where the robbery took place. “We received a call at…
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German tourist found hanging from tree on Phi Phi
PHUKET: The body of a German tourist was found hanging from a tree on Phi Phi Island yesterday. Katharina Rebacz, 26, was found on the secluded Ao Por Beach, on the southeastern tip of Phi Phi Don, at about 5pm by local fishermen, who then notified police. “Ms Rebacz had been dead for about one hour before she was found,”…
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Korean tourist drowns off Phi Phi
PHUKET: A Korean tourist drowned off Phi Phi Don on Saturday afternoon. Nak Ki Choi, 77, was swimming near Ao Sam Haad at about 1:40pm when his family and friends lost track of him, confirmed Lt Weerapan Kongphul of the Krabi City Police. “Mr Choi was swimming near the beach with his family and friends. They began to worry when…
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Officers have “beef’ with illegal meat from Malaysia
PHUKET: Police seized more than two tons of illegally imported beef at a warehouse in Phuket Town yesterday morning. Backed by Navy personnel and Phuket City Police, Kasichon Choungchot, veterinary inspector from the Department of Livestock Development in Bangkok, led the raid on the house on Soi Siang Tai. “We called the homeowner, but nobody answered. So, the Navy officers…
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DSI reveals new B14bn land encroachment case
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation revealed yesterday that about 200 rai of prime Phuket beach front property had allegedly been encroached on along Lephang and Layan Beach. “There were barriers constructed around about 200 rai of land along the beaches. We have estimated the loss of government land to be valued at about 14 billion baht,” said Department of…
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Test results negative for two quarantined for MERS
PHUKET: Test results came back negative today for the two people quarantined for showing symptoms of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (Mers-CoV), confirmed the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) chief. Both patients were admitted to a private Phuket hospital on Thursday night (story here). “The 7-month-old Korean and the 30-year-old Thai woman both had negative test results,” PPHO chief Kajohnsak Kaewjarus…
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Drug suspect flees police station, hit by bus
PHUKET: A man nabbed for ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) made a daring dash from the fingerprinting area of the Thalang Police Station only to get hit by a Chinese tour bus last night. Natthawut Chaipaew, 23, was arrested for possession of a Category 1 drug and was in the midst of having his finger prints taken at Thalang Police Station…
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Ban Tha Rua students protest tyre burning
PHUKET: A group of about 200 students and three teachers from Ban Tha Rua school protested the burning of tyres next to their building, in front of the Yamaha showroom in Thalang Thursday morning. The protest follows more than four years of tyre burning near the school by the Yamaha showroom, which disrupts classes and is feared to be a…
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Two MERS suspects quarantined in Phuket
PHUKET: Two suspected Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (Mers-CoV) patients are in quarantine after arriving at Phuket International Airport, confirmed the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) chief. “One of the patients is a 7-month-old Korean, who has a high fever and is being treated at one of Phuket’s private hospitals,” PPHO Chief Kajohnsak Kaewjarus told the Phuket Gazette today. “The other…
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Human trafficking charges dropped against three suspects
PHUKET: Human trafficking charges were dropped against three men who confessed to illegally smuggling 53 people from Myanmar to Thailand. The Takuapa Provincial Court judge said that the prosecution lacked sufficient evidence to prove that Phoowarin Boonlieng, 18, Prakob Mard-Ardum, 43, and Songphol Klaimee, 20, had used ‘means of the threat or use of force, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of…
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Bright lights, big city: LED billboards lucky for Phuket
PHUKET: Lucky Media is one of those companies that from humble beginnings has evolved into a player with serious impact and an annual income of 150 million to 200mn baht. The publicly listed company was born in Bangkok out of the Assawarungruang family business, Lucky Music – which started and continues to be a music store importing PRS amplifiers, Gibson…
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Phuket Gazette re-designs to go national
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette hard-copy newspaper that hits the streets today is truly national in circulation and boasts a re-design to the ‘compact’ format that’s set to be the wave of the future. By joining the compacts of such esteemed publications as the The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph, the Times of London, the Daily Mail, Bild and scores of…
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Superyacht crew visas slated for November
PHUKET: Special visas for foreign-flagged superyacht crew is expected to be rolled out by November, confirmed the Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul. The ‘new package’ for superyachts will include changes in law for visas, as well as tax exemptions, all timed to line up with an international superyacht show organized by the Ministry of Transport, explained Ms Kobkarn. “The…
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Business Buzz: Creating sales funnels with social media
PHUKET: Following up on last week, now that you have a plan, know your target market and understand the importance of your biggest asset – your database, we are going to look at how the customer experience is created through your sales funnel. Many people do not fully understand the role and importance of a sales funnel as a whole…
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GM takes wheel at Cassia Phuket
PHUKET: Banyan Tree has appointed a new General Manager for the company’s most recent hotel residences, Cassia Phuket. Ilias Vamvakas will be taking the reins at this the third property in the company’s portfolio after having worked and led teams in various hotels around the world, including: Sandals Grande St Lucia Spa & Beach Resort and The Sealine Beach Resort…
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Opinion: Human rights
PHUKET: The plan by Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos to ban migrant workers from keeping dogs is unlikely to have much of an effect on dog populations in the area; the scheme not only fails to address the main cause of the problem, but also shifts the blame to the most convenient scapegoat. Predictably, news of the proposed ban has set…
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PM Prayut invokes Article 44 to sack PPAO President
PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha wielded Article 44 of the interim charter to temporarily suspend Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising from his post without pay. The order signed today names a number of government officials throughout Thailand. Mr Paiboon was the only Phuket official on the list. “The reason the government has temporarily removed me from…
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Opinion: Accessing a world of change
Todd Lemons is the founder of InfiniteEARTH (infinite-earth.com), a Hong Kong-based project development company whose mission is “to move the world from an unsustainable extractive economy to a sustainable replacement economy by changing the way [we] view the consumption and pricing of goods…” Here is his commencement address to the Class of 2015 at the British International School Phuket last…
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Phuket Tourist Police expect new facility to boost performance
PHUKET: The Phuket Tourist Police have opened up three new facilities for officers in hopes of boosting their performance. “We have a new meeting room for training officers, a Command and Control Operations Center [CCOC] for information gathering and a new gym to keep the officers healthy,” said Tourist Police Commander Apichai Ti-amataya. “Our policy is to create a professional…
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Injured turtle found tangled in fishing net at Phuket beach
PHUKET: An injured sea turtle found trapped in a fishing net in front of JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa in Mai Khao was rescued Tuesday morning. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were called to the scene by hotel security at about 7:30am. Hotel employees had already helped free the turtle from the net by the time rescue workers arrived. “The…
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Police launch murder investigation at Phuket pier
PHUKET: Police have launched a murder investigation after an unidentified man was found dead with a deep cut on his neck near Rassada Pier on Tuesday morning. Police and rescue workers went to the scene, on the road behind the office of the Phuket Fishing Market Organization, and found the shirtless body covered in a blanket and a towel. “The…
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Police crack drug-dealing network, seize war weapon
PHUKET: Police have cracked open a drug and weapons network after arresting two methamphetamine dealers in possession of a weapon of war and other guns in Phuket on Monday. Thammanoon Kaewsirnuon, 31, and Khlongsiri Rorngsakul, 24, were caught at their rental house in Thalang on Monday, after police were tipped off by a man named by officers only as ‘Pop’,…
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Colombians arrested for Phuket car robbery
PHUKET: Police have arrested two Colombian suspects for the professional-style robbery of a car in the parking lot of Tesco Lotus Thalang on Sunday (story here). Daniel Guerrero Ariza, 28, and Jean Ortega Duarte, 21, were arrested on Monday when they went to return a car they had rented from a shop in Ao Nang, Krabi. Both men have denied…
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Eviction notice posted at Nui Beach establishments
PHUKET: Karon Municipality and Naval officers have issued a 30-day eviction notice for several establishments on Nui Beach after the court confirmed that the owner unlawfully possesses the land. The news follows a raid of the beach in February that investigated complaints by locals that mafia thugs were charging people a fee to use the public beach (story here). Last…
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