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Criminal case against Yingluck ‘a step closer’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Criminal case against Yingluck ‘a step closer’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The move to get ex-PM Yingluck Shinawatra to stand trial in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions – for alleged negligence to stop corruption and massive losses in the…
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Land offices most corrupt, police second: academic survey
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Land offices most corrupt, police second: academic survey The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Land office is the most corrupt agency in the Thai bureaucracy, while police are ranked second in this dubious list where households needed to make illegal payments to facilitate their service,…
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Obama to ease immigration rules on millions
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama to ease immigration rules on millions Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: U.S. President Barack Obama is poised to give relief from deportation to millions of undocumented immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens or of permanent legal residents, according to a source familiar with White…
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Asian Beach Games: Thai gold rush adds to medal tally
PHUKET: Hosts Thailand today extended their lead in the medal tally standings in the Asian Beach Games being contested in Phuket, bringing home at least five more gold medals in the day’s events. Thailand closed the day with 58 medals (24 gold), while nearest contender Japan is in second place with 12 medals (6 gold). Getting off to a good…
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Man killed while electrofishing in Phuket pond
PHUKET: A man was found dead in a Phuket pond this morning after he was killed while electrofishing. Suchart Chanaprasit, 36, was found dead at about 8:45am with the electric cable still in his hand, Capt Wittaya Sincharoen of the Thung Thong Police told the Phuket Gazette. “He was still gripping the electric cable he had been using to stun…
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Asian Beach Games: Muay Thai masters target medal takedown tonight
PHUKET: The opening rounds of the Muay Thai competitions for the Asian Beach Games get underway on Patong Beach, near the end of Soi Bangla. At 5pm, Hoang Duc Le of Vietnam will enter the ring to take on Eugene Tan of Singapore in Bout 1 of the quarterfinals of the Men’s 48kg-Light Fly division. Meanwhile, Chan Kai Tik from…
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Phuket beefs up Ebola security with specialized laboratory
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital has opened the first Designated Receiving Area (DRA) in Southern Thailand in response to the recent Ebola outbreak worldwide and the increasing number of visitors to the island. The DRA is a laboratory fully-equipped to quickly and accurately diagnose patients who show symptoms of highly infectious diseases, such as the Ebola virus. “This outbreak has alarmed…
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Phuket roof painter seriously injured after electric shock, 10-meter fall
PHUKET: A man is in serious condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after he suffered an electric shock while painting a roof and fell 10 meters to the ground in Karon yesterday. Jakkapon Limmui, 26, was first rushed to Patong Hospital to receive treatment for serious injuries sustained in the accident, which occurred at a building on Patak Road near Karon…
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Drunk man stabs himself, calls for mother
PHUKET: An unemployed Phuket man stabbed himself with a kitchen knife several times last night after a bout of heavy drinking with a group of friends. The incident occurred at the Karn Keha housing estate in Rassada at about 7pm, Lt Preecha Rakjan of the Thalang Police told the Phuket Gazette. “We received a call and arrived on the scene…
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Bull elephant beats handler to death in Phuket
PHUKET: A bull elephant beat his handler to death as the man attempted to unchain the animal to carry tourists visiting a Phuket elephant camp today. The 23-year-old elephant, Plai Por, was allowed to carry tourists at Phuchada Safari in Rawai yesterday, but was showing signs of musth, so was then locked up, Lt Chollada Chokdeesrijun of Chalong Police told…
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Phuket Town snatch thief caught within two hours
PHUKET: Police arrested a man who caused a woman to crash her motorbike after he ripped a gold necklace off her neck on the outskirts of Phuket Town yesterday. Pongchai Wongwan, 29, was caught walking around Koh Sireh, on the east side of Phuket Town, after selling the necklace to a gold shop for 16,200 baht. Police caught up with…
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Ministry promises to mount garbage blitz
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ministry promises to mount garbage blitz The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry will eradicate 11 million tonnes of garbage in six provinces under a pilot project that began in August, it has been claimed. The provinces – Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom,…
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Arrest warrant sought for American man over missing body parts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Arrest warrant sought for American man over missing body parts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An arrest warrant will be issued for an American man who allegedly tried to courier human parts to the US. He faces charges of theft, possessing stolen items and falsely…
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9 Army officers dead in chopper crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 9 Army officers dead in chopper crash The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: All nine Army officers, including Maj-General Songphol Thongjeen, a deputy commander of the Third Army Region in the North, were killed in a helicopter crash yesterday evening in Phayao. Two bodies fell into…
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Isolated at G20, Putin shows he will do it his way in Ukraine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Isolated at G20, Putin shows he will do it his way in Ukraine Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: It may have looked in the West like Russian President Vladimir Putin fled this weekend’s G20 summit early with his tail between his legs after being berated over…
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Human-trafficking gang arrested attempting to smuggle illegal workers into Phuket
PHUKET: Three human-trafficking suspects were arrested yesterday trying to smuggle 19 illegal Myanmar workers into Phuket. The men – all Thai nationals – were apprehended at 2am near a checkpoint north of the island in Takuapa, Phang Nga province. The 19 illegal workers, brought from Ranong, included nine men and 10 women. “We questioned the driver of the pick-up truck,…
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Phuket Police call for priority for Asian Beach Games buses
PHUKET: Police are calling for motorists driving over Patong Hill to give extra room to buses carrying Asian Beach Games athletes, officials, support teams and spectators, as such buses have been given immunity to the large-vehicle ban on the deadly road during rush hours. A bus crash that killed two tourists and injured many more last year (story here) led…
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Phuket Immigration warns of Education Visa crackdown
PHUKET: Any foreigners staying in Phuket on an education visa but do not attend classes will have their permits to stay revoked and they will be deported, the Phuket Immigration chief warned today. “We are now keeping a close eye on people staying on education visas,” said Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sunchai Chokkajaykij. “We have to make sure that those people…
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Phuket finance: Staying the course
PHUKET: Retirees have really been given a raw deal by the global financial system ever since the big banks created the mess that led to the financial crisis in 2008. Since then, the banks have been bailed out and the economy has been on life support, at the expense of those trying to live on the fixed income they worked…
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Fire at Toyota showroom in Phuket causes B100k damage
PHUKET: A fire that broke out in the main workshop at the Toyota showroom on the Dowroong intersection, south of Phuket Town, yesterday afternoon caused more than 100,000 baht in damage. “Luckily no-one was injured in the blaze,” said Lt Kraisorn Pakaaree of the Phuket City Police, who was notified of the fire at 2:50pm. Firefighters soon arrived and attempted…
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More than B120mn set aside to improve Phuket’s waste problem
PHUKET: Officials have revealed a 127-million-baht budget to improve Phuket’s environment with plans to destroy nearly one million tonnes of trash at the landfill in Saphan Hin and overhaul the island’s drains. Governor Nisit Jansomwong led a meeting at the landfill and incinerator site at Saphan Hin last week to discuss ways to relieve the overwhelmed site where trash has…
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Asian Beach Games: Minister Kobkarn eyes Thailand to host World Beach Games
PHUKET: Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul has revealed that hosting the 4th Asian Beach Games in Phuket may be a precursor to Thailand having the potential to soon become a candidate country for hosting major sports competitions that will help boost tourism. “In the ANOC [Association of the National Olympic Committees] General Assembly in Bangkok earlier this month, a…
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US man probed over parcels containing human parts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US man probed over parcels containing human parts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A heavily-tattooed California man has been questioned and temporarily released after the grisly discovery of a part of a baby’s head, a baby’s foot, a heart and other human body parts in…
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US hostage Peter Kassig is killed by Islamic State
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US hostage Peter Kassig is killed by Islamic State Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Islamic State militants have beheaded another American hostage, Peter Kassig, issuing a video claiming the killing on Sunday and warning the United States they would kill other U.S. citizens “on your streets.”…
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Sinkhole forces Phuket villagers to take prison detour
PHUKET: Motorists willing to try their luck crossing a section of road in Srisoonthorn, in central Phuket, that was heavily compromised by a sinkhole earlier this week (story here) have had that option removed. Heavy rains over the past few days have washed away the entire section of road on Rural Road 4008 off Thepkrasattri Road, near Bang Jo Prison.…
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Officials scramble to resolve ban on tourists bringing own beach umbrellas
PHUKET: Officials are scrambling to get beach umbrellas and mats on the sands at the island’s key beaches this tourism high season before hordes of visitors arrive for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The push comes as an island-wide ban on all umbrellas at Phuket’s beaches saw a Swedish family on holiday last week being told they were not…
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Police find second group of Rohingya refugees north of Phuket
PHUKET: A second group of 86 Rohingya refugees believed to have been smuggled to Thailand from Myanmar were taken into to custody by police north of Phuket on Wednesday. The refugees were detained in a rubber plantation in Kuraburi, Phang Nga province, after police were informed by local residents that a large group of Rohingya were hiding in the plantation.…
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NFL Roundup: Dolphins douse Buffalo’s playoff hopes
PHUKET: The Miami Dolphins’ hopes for an AFC playoff berth are rosier than ever after a solid 22-9 win at home over AFC East rivals the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football, the first game of Week 11. The win lifted the Dolphins to a respectable 6-4 and put them at the top of the pack in the hunt for…
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New Phuket Police commander identifies top priorities
Maj Gen Patchara Boonyasit, 58, took up his new post as Phuket Provincial Police Commander on October 1. Before coming to the island, he served as commander of the Nakhon Sri Thammarat Provincial Police. Here, he talks about the duty of police to work hard to protect the people, gain their trust and help build a good image and reputation…
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Asian Beach Games: Athletes head to the pool
PHUKET: The Asian Beach Games continues in Phuket today with 12 gold medals at stake. Following the spectacular opening ceremony last night (story here), come the first events in the pool. Two gold medals are up for grabs in the marathon swimming events, comprising the men’s 5km and women’s 5km races. Two more gold medals are for the taking in…
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