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Bangla Cup football tourney in Phuket
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: The 14th annual Bangla Cup football tournament will start on February 28 at the Ban Bangla Football Field on the road from Pa Khlok to Muang Mai, near the Supalai Village housing estate in tambon Pa Khlok. The seven-a-side football competition will be divided into an open division and a senior division for footballers 35 years of…
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Pad Thai feast turns fatal
PHETCHABURI: A pensioner died on stage after choking on a clump of noodles while participating in a pad thai eating contest. Until his collapse, sixty-six-year-old Hing Laichan was leading the competition on his second plate of the famous fried noodle dish, nationalistically named by prime minister Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram during the World War II era. Onlookers took Mr Hing…
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Phuket Poll: prescription drugs
PHUKET TOWN: The Gazette recently reported the arrest of a 17-year-old New Zealander for possession of nine diazepam (Valium) pills without a prescription in Patong late last year. Such arrests are very rare and it is common knowledge that pharmacies along Phuket’s west coast sell many prescription drugs over the counter – with the tacit approval of public health officers.…
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Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: CCTV won’t help
PHUKET: Most Phuket Gazette readers believe new CCTV cameras won’t make any difference in the fight against crime, according to the results of our latest readers’ poll. The poll was prompted by the news that the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization is going to spend 17 million baht on 53 new CCTV cameras in and around Phuket Town. We asked readers…
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Phuket Town’s pink bus fleet set to double
PHUKET: Phuket Town’s fleet of pink buses is about to double in size and an additional route is in the pipeline, according to the provincial council. Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising said he expects eight more of the pink people movers (known locally as poh thong) to come into service by the end of the month. Mr…
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PHUKET OPINION: A prescription for injustice
PHUKET: The arrest of a 17-year-old New Zealander for possession of diazepam without a prescription last month (see news pages) raises serious questions about the consistency of law enforcement in Phuket. The facts of the case are pretty clear. The teenager admits to buying the pills. And he admits he had no prescription for them. The Psychotropic Substances Act of…
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India gives aid to family of Phuket terror victim in Mumbai
PATONG, PHUKET: The Indian embassy yesterday presented additional financial assistance to surviving relatives of Jirachat Kanmanee, the Phuket native killed in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. Ms Jirachat was one of six Thais working as spa therapists at the Banyan Tree spa in the Trident Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai when the terrorists broke in and opened fire.…
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Pink pavilions for Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) campaign to paint the island pink continues. The construction of 25 pink roadside pavilions at a cost of almost five million baht is complete, PPAO President Paiboon Upatising announced last week. Mr Paiboon, whose campaign color was pink in the last election, said the gazebo-like structures – known as sala in Thai –…
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Phuket celebrates Royal Thai Army Day in Phang Nga
PHANG NGA: Military staff from Phuket and Phang Nga celebrated Royal Thai Army Day on Monday with activities including an allegiance ceremony before the Tong Chai Chalerm Pon Flag. The flag, presented to military commanders by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1952, is the most revered flag in Thailand and is always present during Trooping of the Colors ceremonies held…
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Metered tuk-tuks ‘just an idea’: Phuket Gov
PHUKET: In a bid to end disputes between drivers and passengers over fares, the Phuket governor is considering introducing meters to Phuket tuk-tuks. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said natural gas-powered tuk-tuks could also be rolled out in order to cut down on fuel costs. Any metered fee structure would still have to reflect Phuket’s status as an international tourist destination,…
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Phuket beach guard starts February
PHUKET: Beach guards are set to begin ensuring safety at Phuket beaches again in February, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) has announced. PPAO President Paiboon Upatising said he would announce the winners of two five-million-baht contracts to provide lifeguard services at west coast beaches on January 29. Last year, LP Laikham Co held a single contract to supply beach…
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Phuket Police hunt for Burmese nanny
PHUKET: Chalong Police continue to scour Burmese labor camps on Phuket in search of a woman wanted in connection with the death of an infant left in her care by a Thai businesswoman last week. For the previous report of how four-month-old Pornprasert Phromraksa was found dead by his mother on Saturday morning, click here. Chalong Police Superintendent Chinnarat Rittakananond…
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Beachside food court coming to Patong
PATONG, PHUKET: Ocean Plaza Patong is investing 30-million-baht to build a rooftop food court that is set to open by the end of the month on the beach road in Patong. The center, to be named @Beach Food Loft, will be the first and only dining facility in Patong to offer customers inexpensive fare with ocean views, its developers say.…
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Protest over Phuket Airport limo concession
PHUKET TOWN: Some 100 members of the Phuket Airport Limousine and Business Cooperative Ltd (PBC) assembled at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning to protest a new concession that gives a rival group of taxis the right to operate 30 new vehicles at Phuket International Airport. Airports of Thailand (AoT) yesterday approved a request by Phuket Mai Khao Sakoo to operate…
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Kiwi teen in Phuket court tomorrow
PHUKET: A 17-year-old New Zealander arrested in Patong for possession of diazepam pills remains stranded in Phuket, where local police admit they are not seeking to arrest the seller of the drugs. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police source told the Gazette his team asked the teenager where he bought the pills, but the youth declined to answer. “He…
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Phuket sea gypsies arrested for cyanide fishing
RAWAI, PHUKET: Ten Rawai sea gypsies were arrested by Marine Police late Sunday night and charged with collecting protected species for the illicit trade in tropical fish. The arrests were carried out by Phuket Marine Police and officials from the Phuket Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Center (PMCRCC). Under the direction of PMCRCC Director Paitoon Panchaipum, the officers intercepted two…
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TAT to focus on tourist spending, not numbers
PHUKET TOWN: Juthaporn Rerngronasa, The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s returning deputy governor for international marketing, has unveiled several strategies to approach a range of potential markets this year. Mrs Juthaporn was reappointed to head the international marketing department following an internal management reshuffle supervised by new TAT new governor Suraphon Svetserni. “This year, the authority will not aim at luring…
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Phuket Police nab murder suspects
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket City Police have arrested two minors for the stabbing murder of two men during an alcohol-fueled knife fight outside a Phuket Town nightclub on Saturday night. Phuket Provincial Police Superintendent Pekad Tantipong presented the young suspects at a press conference at Phuket City Police Station this morning. They are accused of stabbing to death two members of…
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Chanthaburi gem fair in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: A gem and jewelry fair at Central Festival Phuket is doing brisk business, with some shops reporting sales of more than 500,000 baht on the first day. The Chanthaburi Gems & Jewelry Fair, organized by the Chanthaburi Commerce Office, will run until January 20 in the Grand Hall at Central Festival. From January 21 to 25 the fair…
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Phuket Blues Rock Festival is back
PHUKET TOWN: Presented by Thai Airways International, the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival is back with its biggest bang since its inception in 2005. Once again hosted by the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, the show takes place on February 26 and 27 in Karon, where gates open and beer begins to flow at 5 pm. Music starts at…
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Naked intruder gets painful lesson
NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: A would-be rapist got his comeuppance on January 7, when he climbed naked through the wrong window and met his intended victim’s mother – meat cleaver in hand. Twenty-eight-year-old villager Phongphetch Bunyadisak climbed through the window of a home in his village in Muang District, allegedly after the prize-winning teenage schoolgirl who lived there. When he crawled…
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Murder most foul: infanticide in Phuket
CHALONG, PHUKET: Chalong Police are searching for a Burmese nanny they think was responsible for the murder by suffocation of a four-month-old Thai child left in her care. Police were notified of the death at 8:30am yesterday by the boy’s mother, 32-year-old Palida Phromraksa, a native of Ao Luk District in Krabi. When police led by Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent…
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Valium bust strands Kiwi teen in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: A teenager from New Zealander is stranded in Phuket after being arrested for possession of diazepam pills without a prescription. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was set to fly back to his current home in Australia on December 11. But four days before he was due to leave, he was caught by Kathu Police…
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Rotarians launch Haiti relief fund in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach is accepting donations to provide relief to survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday that killed tens of thousands and left many more without food and shelter. Brad Kenny, chairman of the clubs’ services committee, issued the following statement about the project: ‘The world opened their hearts to us in…
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Phuket pine tree killers still at-large
PHUKET TOWN: A police investigation into the mysterious felling of eight pine trees near the West Sands resort project in Mai Khao has yet to produce any suspects. Members of a panel set up to investigate the matter met at Phuket Provincial Hall on Wednesday to discuss developments in the case. The felling of the ‘ton son‘ pine trees caused…
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Patong Hospital calls: dead on arrival
PATONG, PHUKET: Other than by email or personal visit, Patong Hospital has been completely out of reach for months. As the result of a telephone exchange fault, the numbers 076-342-633/4, printed in telephone directories and appearing on the first page of the hospital’s website, have been out of service for five months. Calling the numbers does produce a ring tone,…
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Seven Suzukis for Phuket City Police
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce and two private sector companies on Wednesday took part in a ceremony to hand over seven donated motorbikes to the Phuket City Police. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit accepted the Suzuki motorbikes at 10am in front of the police station. Phuket Chamber of Commerce President Sirichai Silapa-archa said the chamber had joined…
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Phuket Governor visits Aussie accident victims
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop rushed to Bangkok Hospital Phuket yesterday afternoon to comfort the 26-year-old widow of the young Australian killed in a jeep crash on Big Buddha Hill today. Gov Wichai told Aimee Malonzo, who married her husband Michael just a week ago, how sorry he was for her loss. The governor offered Mrs Malonzo and the other…
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Glimmer of hope for Phuket sea turtles
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: In a rare positive development for the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, an enormous female has laid a clutch of eggs at Mai Khao Beach. Vigilant staff of the Mai Khao Sea Turtle Conservation Group carefully prodded the sands with a sharp iron bar to discover the eggs on Tuesday night following reports by villagers that a…
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Aussie killed in Phuket Land Rover plunge
PHUKET: A driver lost control of a jeep full of tourists heading down Big Buddha Hill, killing a 26-year-old Australian man who was on his honeymoon in Phuket. The deceased’s name is known, but is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Several other tourists were injured in the accident, which happened at about 11am this morning. The condition…
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