Phuket

  • Crime NewsInterpol Red Notices issued for 2 Canadians wanted for Phuket hit job

    Interpol Red Notices issued for 2 Canadians wanted for Phuket hit job

    Interpol has issued Red Notices for both suspects wanted in the targeted killing of an Indian national in Phuket. Alleged gang member Jimi “Slice” Sandhu was gunned down in the car park of his villa near Rawai beach on the evening of February 4. Police are searching for 2 ex-servicemen from Canada in relation to the killing, believed to be…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | Thai Govt takes steps to make Covid endemic

    Thailand News Today | Thai Govt takes steps to make Covid endemic

    Despite calls to delay removing Covid-19 treatment from the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme, Thailand’s health minister is pushing ahead as part of the government’s policy to downgrade the virus to endemic. Anutin Chanvirakul was responding to calls from a number of quarters, including his deputy, Sathit, who asked him to postpone the removal until April due to the…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s tiger and elephant attractions call for support after two years of losses

    Thailand’s tiger and elephant attractions call for support after two years of losses

    After a two-year hit on tourism, elephant and tiger attractions in Thailand have run low on money and are asking the government for financial assistance. Zoo operators met with the Tourism Commission yesterday at Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, citing their struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic. The daily income for Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, as well as the location…

  • Thailand NewsRecent crimes in Phuket are damaging its reputation

    Recent crimes in Phuket are damaging its reputation

    Just when Phuket thought it was about to revive its crippled tourism economy, the recent murders, thefts, and taxi ripoffs on the Island province are scarring its public image. The most high profile recent event is the murder by two hitmen of deported Canadian gangster Jimi Sandhu at a villa in Rawai, on the southern coast of the island. The…

  • Thailand NewsVolunteer teams clean trash and weeds from Phuket canal

    Volunteer teams clean trash and weeds from Phuket canal

    Two volunteer organisations are joining forces to clear garbage and weeds from the Bang Yai Canal, which runs from Samkong into Phuket Town on Phuket’s east coast. The organisations are the Royal Thai Volunteers and the Rak Bang Yai Club, who announced the cleanup plan on video teleconference yesterday. The groups say they hope to clear the “bad smells” coming…

  • Northern Thailand NewsNok Air announces domestic flights from Korat to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai

    Nok Air announces domestic flights from Korat to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai

    The low-cost carrier Nok Air has been given the “okay” to run round-trip domestic flights from the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, to the popular tourist destinations Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is allowing the airline to offer seven flights per week to each destination starting in the second quarter…

  • Phuket NewsAirport CCTV shows 2 suspects of Phuket murder case leaving Thailand

    Airport CCTV shows 2 suspects of Phuket murder case leaving Thailand

    Police say they’ve obtained surveillance camera footage showing the two suspects in the Jimi Sandhu murder case in Phuket preparing to leave the country at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Sandhu, who was born in India, was a notorious gangster in Canada and was deported for “serious criminality.” He entered Thailand last month by private jet and was found dead with more…

  • Thailand NewsPolice in Phuket find guns suspected to have been used to murder Jimi Sandhu

    Police in Phuket find guns suspected to have been used to murder Jimi Sandhu

    Police have found two guns at a beach in Phuket which they believed were used in the recent murder of 32 year old Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, a notorious gangster from Canada. Sandhu, who was born in India, was deported from Canada for “serious criminality” in 2016. He entered Thailand by private jet on January 27 carrying a fake Canadian passport…

  • Phuket NewsGerman celebrity says she was mugged at a Thailand beach, Phang Nga police investigate

    German celebrity says she was mugged at a Thailand beach, Phang Nga police investigate

    While on a trip to Thailand, Cathy Hummels, the wife of German footballer Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund, was allegedly mugged. She told German media that she was hit by a stranger and robbed at a beach in Thailand. Some of the reports repeat her claims that she was mugged on the southern island of Phuket, but local police say…

  • Thailand NewsCriminals pretend to be police, scam Swiss man in Phuket

    Criminals pretend to be police, scam Swiss man in Phuket

    Scammers went after a Swiss national living in Phuket when they pretended to be police, and told him he had to pay a fine for receiving funds through illegal activities. The “police” contacted the man, Alain, saying a FedEx package couldn’t be delivered. Since Alain was expecting a FedEx package, he listened. The story then changed to say Bangkok police…

  • Crime NewsPhuket police have CCTV footage of fatal gangster shooting

    Phuket police have CCTV footage of fatal gangster shooting

    Police investigating the murder of an Indian gangster shot dead in Phuket on Friday night say they have security camera footage of the incident. According to a Bangkok Post report, officers are reviewing CCTV footage of the moment 32-year-old Jimi Sandhu was gunned down outside his villa in Rawai, in the south of the island. His body was found in…

  • Phuket NewsNational police chief arrives on Phuket as officers investigate Jimi Sandhu murder

    National police chief arrives on Phuket as officers investigate Jimi Sandhu murder

    National police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk has arrived on the southern island of Phuket as investigating officers step up the hunt for those behind the murder of an Indian national on Friday night. The man, named by various sources as Jimi Singh Sandhu, was shot dead outside his Rawai villa in the south of the island. According to a Bangkok Post…

  • Phuket NewsPolice arrest man for allegedly stealing 4,900 euros from tourists in Phuket

    Police arrest man for allegedly stealing 4,900 euros from tourists in Phuket

    Police arrested a man who allegedly stole 4,900 euros from a Greek family travelling in Phuket. The family had left nearly their cash in their car, thinking it would be more secure than their hotel room where there was no safe to lock anything away while the maid cleaned. The suspect allegedly told police he spent most of the money…

  • Phuket NewsFire breaks out by Phuket viewpoint, 16 Thai and foreign visitors rescued

    Fire breaks out by Phuket viewpoint, 16 Thai and foreign visitors rescued

    Around 16 locals and Thais were evacuated from a forest in Phuket after a fire broke out and spread quickly by the Laem Krating viewpoint by the Krating Cape. The flames blocked the exit and authorities had to send a boat to pick the tourists and others up at the bottom of the hill in Phuket’s Rawai district. Phuket authorities…

  • Phuket NewsCash, safes, passports seized from Phuket villa in “gangster” murder investigation

    Cash, safes, passports seized from Phuket villa in “gangster” murder investigation

    Following the murder of an alleged gangster in Phuket, police have seized a number of items from the Indian man’s rented villa. According to a Bangkok Post report, investigating officers have removed 2 safes, 2 passports, and 700,000 baht in cash from the villa in Rawai, in the south of the island. The 32-year-old victim, named locally as Mandeep Singh,…

  • Phuket NewsPhang Nga village hit by 2004 tsunami opens museum

    Phang Nga village hit by 2004 tsunami opens museum

    One Phang Nga village community that was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami, Baan Nam Khem, has officially opened a museum about the tsunami, known as the Asian Tsunami (which was commemorated again recently). Thailand’s Minister of Culture, who attended the opening, says the museum will educate people about the history of how the tsunami devastated the Baan Nam Khem…

  • Crime NewsVIDEO: Phuket police search for 2 gunmen over shooting death of Jimi “Slice” Sandhu

    VIDEO: Phuket police search for 2 gunmen over shooting death of Jimi “Slice” Sandhu

    Police are still investigating the shooting of a former “gangster” who had been deported from Canada 6 years ago. 32 year old Indian Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, was gunned down while getting out of his red SUV around 10pm on Friday night in Rawai, Phuket. He was a former ‘person-of-interest’ for police in British Columbia, Canada, referred to as a “gangster”…

  • Crime NewsUPDATE: Gunmen shoot dead a deported Canadian ‘gangster’ in Rawai, Phuket

    UPDATE: Gunmen shoot dead a deported Canadian ‘gangster’ in Rawai, Phuket

    A former British Columbia “gangster”, who was deported from Canada 6 years ago for “serious criminality”, has been shot to death in Rawai, Phuket. 32 year old Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, was gunned down while getting out of his car around 10pm last night. Sandhu, who the Vancouver Sun report was affiliated with the ‘United Nations’ gang, was the alleged owner…

  • Thailand NewsDeported Canadian gangster shot and killed in Phuket

    Deported Canadian gangster shot and killed in Phuket

    UPDATED STORY HERE Two gunmen jumped out from bushes and shot and killed a Canadian man at The Beachfront Hotel Phuket in Rawai, a seaside resort town in the far south of Phuket, last night. Chalong police arrived on the scene at 6.30am this morning and found the victim lying face-down in a pool of blood next to a red…

  • Thailand NewsThailand wins “most popular destination” and other awards from Chinese travel magazines

    Thailand wins “most popular destination” and other awards from Chinese travel magazines

    Many Chinese travel magazines are calling Thailand a top tourist destination, even if it’s very difficult for the Chinese to travel at this time. The Travel Weekly China Award called Thailand “The most anticipated destination- short haul.” WITrip Magazine called it “2021 most popular overseas travel destination.” Online Travel Agent Thong Cheng called it “the most popular destination.” The Tourism…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket vice governor says water shortage not a concern

    Phuket vice governor says water shortage not a concern

    Phuket’s vice governor announced yesterday in a meeting that even though the island’s rainfall was below average in 2021, there was still lots of water from the three main reservoirs, and water shortage is “not a concern.” He said plans still need to be made to prevent water shortages in Phuket, though. Phuket had severe water shortages in 2019 and…

  • Covid-19 NewsPhuket officials alarmed by number of tourists testing positive on arrival

    Phuket officials alarmed by number of tourists testing positive on arrival

    Officials on the holiday island of Phuket have expressed alarm at the number of foreign tourists testing positive on arrival and are pointing the finger at allegedly fake results from pre-departure PCR tests. Deputy governor Pichet Panapong raised the issue during a call with the CCSA, in which he urged the government’s Covid-19 task force to improve screening measures for…

  • Phuket NewsGreek tourists robbed in Phuket get 51,000 baht gift from anonymous donor

    Greek tourists robbed in Phuket get 51,000 baht gift from anonymous donor

    The Greek family who claims 200,000 baht was stolen from their car in Phuket have received a gift of 51,000 baht from an anonymous donor to help them continue their travels. The Facebook page named KNIGHTS BORDER made a post saying an “anonymous kind and beloved brother” donated the money to the family after hearing that hundreds of thousands of baht…

  • Thailand NewsMost Phuket tourists infected with Covid travelled from Russia and Kazakhstan

    Most Phuket tourists infected with Covid travelled from Russia and Kazakhstan

    Most tourists who tested positive for Covid-19 when they arrived in Phuket travelled from Russia and Kazakhstan, but particularly Russia, the Phuket provincial governor told the Bangkok Post. The governor says there will be an investigation of why a significant number of infections involved travellers from those countries. Governor Narong Woonciew says that out of about 300 daily diagnoses in Phuket,…

  • Phuket NewsA review of PlayYard Phuket – a new campground on the island

    A review of PlayYard Phuket – a new campground on the island

    The following story was written by Barry Daniel. It’s a glorious sunrise morning at 6am and I’m sitting at the edge of the beach on Phuket’s north-east corner, overlooking a stunning vista of the lapping sea channel which leads to Phang Nga Bay framed by a series of glorious rolling hills beyond. Cup of tea to hand, I’m sitting outside…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | Thai government approves 10 year visa program

    Thailand News Today | Thai government approves 10 year visa program

    The 10-year visa scheme for wealthy foreigners and skilled professionals was approved in principle by the Thai Cabinet, targeting foreign investors, highly-skilled professionals and wealthy retirees. Experts say the 10-year visa scheme for wealthy foreigners and skilled professionals should help fill the country’s anticipated shortage of digital workforce talent and boost the Thai economy. Chairman of the Federation of Thai…

  • Phuket NewsGreek travellers in Phuket claim 200,000 baht in cash was stolen from their car

    Greek travellers in Phuket claim 200,000 baht in cash was stolen from their car

    A Greek family on a trip to Phuket claims around 200,000 baht in cash was stolen. Thai media reports that the family of five is asking for the money to be returned and are even promising to give the thief 500 euros if they return the cash. The family filed a report with the police and asked the hotel to…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket taxi driver fined 2,000 baht, to do etiquette training after overcharging incident

    Phuket taxi driver fined 2,000 baht, to do etiquette training after overcharging incident

    Authorities have slapped the Phuket taxi driver, who is accused of overcharging a passenger, with a 2,000 baht fine and have ordered him to go through etiquette training. The driver charged a Thai traveller 600 baht for a roughly 20-minute drive from the Kamala Beach area to a hotel Patong Beach. The traveller had tried to book a ride through…

  • Phuket NewsTraveller calls police over high fare charged by Phuket taxi driver

    Traveller calls police over high fare charged by Phuket taxi driver

    If you’ve been to Phuket, you’ve probably paid way too much for a taxi. Now, one Thai traveller claims a Phuket taxi driver ripped him off by charging a fare of 600 baht and even got the police involved to sort out the situation. He filmed confrontations with the police and taxi driver, posting the videos on Facebook and drawing…

  • Thailand NewsSneak peek into MONOPOLY: Phuket Edition coming in March

    Sneak peek into MONOPOLY: Phuket Edition coming in March

    A new version of MONOPOLY heads to shelves this March, this time it’s Phuket edition. The game will include sights like Sarasin Beach, Kata Beach, Central Phuket and Karon Viewpoint. All these sites are well know to both locals and tourist. Sarasin Bridge was the first bridge that linked Phuket to mainland Thailand (a mere 300 metres). Kata Beach is…