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  • No figures on civilians being tried by military court | Thaiger

    No figures on civilians being tried by military court

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community No figures on civilians being tried by military court The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: At the heart of the fierce debate over whether civilians should face a military tribunal under martial law is the mystery and disagreement on the exact number of civilians who are…

  • Woman held over court attack may be key operative

    Woman held over court attack may be key operative

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Woman held over court attack may be key operative The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police believe a suspect arrested for her alleged role in the March 7 hand-grenade attack on the Criminal Court is a key operative coordinating with a high-profile US-based suspect who has…

  • Stop hiring relatives, NRC members told | Thaiger

    Stop hiring relatives, NRC members told

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Stop hiring relatives, NRC members told The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Reform Council has instructed its members to terminate the employment of their relatives after it was revealed that 12 NRC members had hired family members to work for them, Wanchai Sornsiri, spokesman…

  • Iranian arrested as DSI busts fake-passport syndicate

    Iranian arrested as DSI busts fake-passport syndicate

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iranian arrested as DSI busts fake-passport syndicate The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) yesterday arrested an Iranian as it cracked down on a syndicate engaged in making fake passports, and possibly linked to international human trafficking. S Rafil Bonda, a…

  • Fishing net suspected of killing whale shark near Phuket

    Fishing net suspected of killing whale shark near Phuket

    PHUKET: A fishing net may have caused the death of a 500-kilogram whale shark whose carcass was found near Koh Pu, off the coast of Krabi, this morning. A veterinary team from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) arrived on scene after receiving a report that local fisherman had found the five-meter-long fish and dragged it to shore. On examining…

  • Helmet-less motorcyclist killed in Phuket crash

    Helmet-less motorcyclist killed in Phuket crash

    PHUKET: A Myanmar national driving without a helmet was killed in a motorbike accident on Chao Fa West Road last night. The victim was named by police as Than Htay Aung, 24. “He was driving his motorbike with a friend riding pillion at about 11:30pm when he lost control on a bend in the road and crashed into a traffic-light…

  • Fire breaks out at Phuket landfill

    Fire breaks out at Phuket landfill

    PHUKET: Two rai of the overflowing 120-rai Sapan Hin landfill were destroyed in a fire yesterday evening. Five firetrucks immediately responded to the fire and were able to contain and douse the flames within two hours, said Phuket City Municipality Environmental Division chief Prachum Suriya. “We are unsure of the cause of the fire, it might have been caused by…

  • Phuket lifeguard contract in dire straits – again

    Phuket lifeguard contract in dire straits – again

    PHUKET: The island’s beaches again may be without lifeguards starting next week, as the government contract for the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) to provide its essential life-saving services expires on March 26. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) has offered the annual 22-million-baht concession for private operators to provide lifeguard services through the coming year to public bidding twice –…

  • Boonsong, 20 others indicted over rice deals

    Boonsong, 20 others indicted over rice deals

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boonsong, 20 others indicted over rice deals The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and 20 others were indicted by the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) yesterday in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders for alleged wrongdoing over “fake…

  • Immigration police round up foreign fugitives

    Immigration police round up foreign fugitives

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Immigration police round up foreign fugitives The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Immigration Police have rounded up four foreign fugitives – three Americans wanted for fraud and theft, and a Finn sought for child sexual abuse – as well as a clutch of Somalis. Immigration Bureau…

  • Haze worsens with highest ever reading at Doi Saket

    Haze worsens with highest ever reading at Doi Saket

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Haze worsens with highest ever reading at Doi Saket The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The haze in Northern Thailand worsened yesterday with Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district reporting the highest amount of particulate matter (PM10) at 369 micrograms per cubic meter of air. This was…

  • We will try to cut use of military courts: Prayut

    We will try to cut use of military courts: Prayut

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community We will try to cut use of military courts: Prayut The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: IN reaction to growing opposition, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday he would try to reduce the use of military courts for trials involving civilians held under martial law…

  • Phuket police warn of lid robberies by Mercedes-Benz hopefuls

    Phuket police warn of lid robberies by Mercedes-Benz hopefuls

    PHUKET: Police have issued a security warning to convenience store staffers after dozens of Ichitan drink lids – which are part of a promotion to win a free Mercedes-Benz – were stolen from a SuperCheap in Rawai. The warning follows a Facebook post by an employee named Joy Hudrudchai that complained about lids of Ichitan and Yen Yen drinks being…

  • Police hunt mysterious Brit burglar Charlie Machin

    Police hunt mysterious Brit burglar Charlie Machin

    PHUKET: Police are trying to track down a foreign thief, believed to be a British expat, who is wanted for robbing a Swedish man’s home of about 200,000 baht in valuables in Kata. Known so far only by his alias “Charlie Machin”, the suspect is known to frequent bars in Bang Tao and Rawai. “At this stage, all we know…

  • Villa Market opens Boat Lagoon branch

    Villa Market opens Boat Lagoon branch

    PHUKET: The doors to Villa Market’s third branch on the island open on March 20 with the Grand Opening Ceremony in Boat Lagoon taking place on March 27. The grand opening, organized by Kanittha Prasopsirikul from ‘By Kanittha’, will be the highlight of the Boat Lagoon’s monthly Lighthouse Market, which offers a variety of vendors the opportunity to showcase their…

  • Flights to Chiang Mai disrupted as smog levels soar in North

    Flights to Chiang Mai disrupted as smog levels soar in North

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Flights to Chiang Mai disrupted as smog levels soar in North The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The volume of tiny dust particles in the upper North rose beyond the safety level again yesterday and poor visibility reportedly prevented at least four flights from landing at…

  • Malaysia arrests Anwar’s daughter for sedition

    Malaysia arrests Anwar’s daughter for sedition

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysia arrests Anwar’s daughter for sedition Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Malaysian police arrested opposition politician Nurul Izzah Anwar, daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, for sedition on Monday, prompting the U.S. State Department to express concern over the freedom of expression in Malaysia. The…

  • Underboob selfies ban brings threat of jail | Thaiger

    Underboob selfies ban brings threat of jail

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Underboob selfies ban brings threat of jail Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s military government warned women on Monday against posting ‘selfie’ photos of the lower half of their breasts – a social media trend that has gone viral – saying their actions could violate the…

  • Phuket flight denied landing as smog shrouds Chiang Mai

    Phuket flight denied landing as smog shrouds Chiang Mai

    PHUKET: A flight from Phuket was forced to abort landing at Chiang Mai International Airport today after smog reduced visibility over the northern city to 800 meters, reported The Nation. Air Asia Flight FD3161 departed Phuket on time at 10:35am, but was unable to make its scheduled landing at Chiang Mai at 12:30pm for safety reasons. Bangkok Airways Flight PG241…

  • Phuket sailors warned of falling space-launch debris

    Phuket sailors warned of falling space-launch debris

    PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy issued a warning today for ships to steer clear of an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) debris-fall zone in the Andaman Sea between March 9 and April 8. The area marked in the warning, about 400km northwest of Phuket, is within the following coordinates: 9°15’00″N 94°45’00″E10°05’00″N 95°05’00″E9°45’00″N 96°00’00″E8°55’00″N 95°40’00″E “All ships, please be careful…

  • Phuket masseuse suicide sparks manhunt for brutal boyfriend

    Phuket masseuse suicide sparks manhunt for brutal boyfriend

    PHUKET: Police are looking for a man wanted for beating his masseuse girlfriend who was found dead by apparent suicide in Phuket Town yesterday morning. Friends discovered the body of Taweepat Boontawee, 33, at her apartment at a four-story complex on Phun Pol Road Soi 7. She was found hanged by a bathrobe sash tied to a light fitting. “The…

  • Experienced diver’s death at Similans baffles park officials

    Experienced diver’s death at Similans baffles park officials

    PHUKET: Officials have yet to learn what was the catalyst for the death of an experienced diver who fell unconscious during a mass-diving volunteer project at the Similan Islands on Saturday. Suthat Suktuk, a 45-year-old businessman from Songkhla province, went into shock while diving beyond recreational depths to 47 meters at a site south of Koh Miang, also called Koh…

  • German expat on top after robbed over iPhone sex swap

    German expat on top after robbed over iPhone sex swap

    PHUKET: Two women have been charged for robbing a German expat after he allegedly reneged on a deal to buy one of them an iPhone and clothes in exchange for sex. Rattriya Sirijumpa, 25, and Nongluck Homhuan, 26, were arrested at Tina Salon in Thalang on Saturday, after police spotted the German’s stolen car in front of Ms Rattriya’s salon.…

  • Spanish sailor recovering in Phuket after attempted suicide

    Spanish sailor recovering in Phuket after attempted suicide

    PHUKET: A Spanish national working on an Indonesian fishing boat is recovering in Phuket International Hospital after slashing his arms yesterday morning. Phuket Marine Police were notified of a medical emergency on the fishing boat Taishan, moored near Koh Tapao Noi, at about 2am. “The original report we received said that the man had cut off his own arms,” Phuket…

  • Mastermind of court attack reportedly in Australia | Thaiger

    Mastermind of court attack reportedly in Australia

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mastermind of court attack reportedly in Australia The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police will seek the extradition of a man suspected of masterminding the hand-grenade attack on the Criminal Court last week, who is also wanted for allegedly committing lese majeste and failing to report…

  • Opinion: Always put safety first

    Opinion: Always put safety first

    Jetsada Chanpen, 27, from Ranong, has been a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker for eight years. Last year, he almost lost his life doing what he loves. On March 26, Jetsada was the first to respond to an accident in which four workers had passed out in a sewer in Phuket Town. Wasting no time, he plunged into the sewer to…

  • Opinion: Promote the sport of jet-skiing in Phuket

    Opinion: Promote the sport of jet-skiing in Phuket

    PHUKET: Jet-skiing is a sport. It’s a real sport that deserves a great deal more respect than it is given in Phuket. Banning Phuket as a water-sport tourism destination for jet-skiing is ridiculous. Banning the current operations and tourist hooligans allowed on them, however, is understandable. Given the history of violence, death and extortion via the well-protected jet-ski operators it…

  • Finance: Making realistic retirement assumptions

    Finance: Making realistic retirement assumptions

    PHUKET: The first step when making a retirement plan is to have realistic assumptions about your retirement. Unfortunately, I have found that many of my clients, regardless of whether or not they are expatriates – still working or already retired – have at least one or more of the following unrealistic retirement assumptions: I will retire some place cheaper: Retiring…

  • Millions of Krabi crabs to host eco-tourists

    Millions of Krabi crabs to host eco-tourists

    PHUKET: Krabi officials are moving to create a new eco-tourism destination out of a Krabi tidal plane that millions of tiny orange-clawed crabs call home. Locals were amazed to see a horde of crabs suddenly appear and migrate across the sands of Ao Tang Len at low tide, prompting them to notify Ao Luek district officials last week. “The stretch…

  • Bay Regatta a sailing success – results

    Bay Regatta a sailing success – results

    PHUKET: The 18th Bay Regatta set sail on the morning of March 5, after an opening night party and buffet the evening before at the Chandara Resort & Spa at Ao Po. The 29 racing yachts, carrying over 200 competitors, flew the flags of 11 nations. Affectionately known as the ‘Fun Regatta’ to all participants, countries represented included Thailand, the…