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  • PLTO chief demands Phuket Airport Bus service start rolling July 1

    PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) chief insisted today that the Phuket Airport Bus “hop on, hop off” service needs to be in gear and serving tourists by July 1. “The first airport bus route, which will go to Patong, must be launched by July 1,” PLTO Chief Terayout Prasertphol told the Phuket Gazette today. “The bus owner told…

  • Police suspect heroin overdose in Phuket gas station death

    PHUKET: An unidentified man died shortly after taking a hit of heroin in a Phuket gas station today. Witnesses saw the man park his motorbike near the men’s toilet and then rush into one of the four stalls. After a short period of time he toppled out of the stall dead, said Sakol Krainara of the Phuket City Police. Police…

  • Phuket local set to skipper Sansiri in world’s oldest yacht race

    PHUKET: In a world first for Thailand, Sansiri PLC today announced they are supporting Phuket local and member of Ao Chalong Yacht Club Mr Patinyakorn Buranrom to become the first-ever Thai sailor to skipper a yacht in a major international ocean yacht race, the TRANSPAC 2013. Mr Patinyakorn, an accomplished sailor, will compete in the longest of the two oldest…

  • Alleged international fraudster caught at Phuket airport | Thaiger

    Alleged international fraudster caught at Phuket airport

    PHUKET: Bangkok Immigration Officers at Phuket International Airport on Tuesday detained a 55-year-old Chinese national who is believed to be behind a multi-million-baht international fraud.Liu Benyue was taken into custody at the airport by Bangkok Immigration and Chinese authorities.“We found Mr Liu in front of the main terminal waiting to pick up his son,” said Assawin Naksawat, Chief of the…

  • Gone fishing: Man snags Siamese crocodile at Phuket pond

    PHUKET: An elevator technician who went night fishing in central Phuket on Tuesday thought he had caught a monitor lizard.But when he got to his house, he discovered he had manhandled a meter-long Siamese crocodile and brought it home on his motorbike.Charee Pattangtanang, 31, went fishing with a friend, Wanchai Hansopa, at their usual spot – a lagoon behind The…

  • Chinese killed by speedboat at popular Phuket day-trip destination

    PHUKET: A Chinese tourist bled to death after being severely cut by a speedboat propeller at Phi Phi Island yesterday afternoon.Chen Peng, 37, jumped from the boat when the engine was still on and the propeller moving, the speedboat’s owner, Chairang Weerakij, told police.The propeller slashed Mr Chen’s legs and stomach. He was taken by speedboat from Pileh Bay to…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Syria pro-rebel alliance UK, US, to meet; Suu Kyi to battle Myanmar Constitution; Kosovo envoy exits Serbia after 48 hours

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar constitution likely to dash Suu Kyi’s presidential hopes Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Her adoring compatriots believe democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi is destined to become Myanmar’s next president. But don’t bet on it.A year ago, the Nobel Peace Prize winner was feted at home and…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: FDA to torch B10bn of illicit drugs; DSI closes in on supercar duo; White elephant won’t be coming; Jet-setting monk missing

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community FDA ceremony to torch 3.4 tonnes of seized drugs The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will burn 3.4 tonnes of illicit drugs worth Bt10 billion as part of the country’s 42nd official illicit-drug incineration ceremony in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in Industrial…

  • Phuket birthday fight ends in stabbing death

    PHUKET: Two men were stabbed in a fight at a live-music venue near Chalong Circle early this morning. One of the men died; the other is expected to recover from his wounds.Police have arrested one suspect and are searching for four more.Officers received the report of the stabbing at 3am. When they arrived at Saraphanpleng bar on Patak Road, about…

  • Gaping hole in Patong street blocked off, partially filled

    PHUKET: Despite what the Director of the Department of Rural Roads Phuket office told the Phuket Gazette yesterday (story here), officials jumped into action to barricade a giant hole in Phang Muang Sai Kor Road in Patong after two motorbike riders found themselves over their heads in water and their motorbikes marooned at the bottom of the pit. The hole…

  • US Embassy consular outreach in Phuket

    PHUKET: The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok will hold an Outreach Visit at Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort in Karon tomorrow, June 20. Consular staff will be available from 8am to midday to provide services on: • Passport renewal applications (US$110 or 3,300 baht for adult passports, US$105 or 3,150 baht for a child’s passport). • Notarial…

  • Thailand News: Songkhla ranked fourth for human trafficking; Car tax scam; Jet-setting monks

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Songkhla ranked fourth highest in human trafficking The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Royal Thai Police revealed that Songkhla ranked fourth in terms of areas most at risk for human trafficking crimes at 642, after Bangkok’s 1,108, Chumphon’s 997 and Prachuap Khiri Khan’s 848 locations.This report prompted…

  • Aussie envoy thrusts weapons in Phuket into the spotlight

    PHUKET: The Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, Jonathan Kenna, yesterday placed the carrying of weapons on the streets of Phuket into the spotlight at a meeting with the Phuket Governor. “I told the governor that the safety of the tourist is the most important issue,” Mr Kenna, speaking in Thai, told the press following a…

  • Chinese tourist drowns off Phuket

    PHUKET: A Chinese tourist on holiday with friends in Phuket drowned this afternoon while on a day trip to Koh Racha Yai, about 25 kilometers south of Phuket. Capt Wuttiwat Liang-boonjinda of the Chalong Police named the victim as Li Ran, 28. Ms Li was travelling with five friends who joined about 40 other tourists for the trip to Racha…

  • Video Report: Man in pink raincoat robs Phuket Family Mart

    PHUKET: A man wielding a knife and wearing a pink raincoat jumped over the counter of a convenience store in Thalang early this morning and made off with the contents of a cash register.Police responding to a call at 3:45am found the two female employees unharmed at the Family Mart at the entrance to Baan Lipon School in Srisoonthorn.One of…

  • Phuket still on the map at TTM+ 2013

    PHUKET: The island is still a top tourist hub in Southeast Asia, with a wide variety of hotels, resorts and hospitality-related businesses representing Phuket at 13th annual Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2013 (TTM+ 2013), held at the IMPACT Exhibition Hall in Bangkok recently. More than 800 delegates arrived from around the region to network with the 420 hospitality related organizations…

  • Phuket storm topples marquee at festival, man crushed by speakers

    PHUKET: A Phuket Town motorbike taxi driver died after strong wind toppled a marquee covering the stage at Saphan Hin last night, sending speakers crashing down on him. Police and rescue workers arrived at the 10th Annual Southern Prison Products Fair (story here) at about 7:45pm to find Muhammad Poksakul, a 62-year-old motorbike driver at the nearby Phun Pol Night…

  • Phuket’s DJ Doris out of ICU

    PHUKET: Paul Norris, Phuket’s renowned “DJ Doris” on Phuket Island Radio 91.5FM, is out of intensive care and recovering at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Mr Norris suffered a head injury in what is believed to have been a motorbike accident in Patong early Saturday morning. He was rushed to Patong Hospital by rescue workers. However, he remained unconscious and was transferred…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Putin, Obama face off over Syria at G8; Italy flooded with refugees; Brazil unrest swells; NK negotiator to talk in China

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community European, U.S. leaders launch free-trade talks Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The United States and the European Union launched negotiations for the world’s most ambitious free-trade deal on Monday, promising thousands of new jobs and accelerated growth on both sides of the Atlantic.Trade between Europe and the United…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Insurgent suspect testifies; 5 hurt as Army helicopter ditches; Bangkok dengue; Supercar duo called to surrender

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suspect names leaders behind bombings, murders and van heist in South: official The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A suspected insurgent now in custody, Sakariya Tohtayong, has implicated alleged masterminds of the movement behind unrest in the deep South, a senior official said yesterday.Sakariya gave useful testimony that…

  • Elephant smugglers caught at work in Phuket

    PHUKET: Thalang police seized three elephants being illegally transported into Phuket this morning. Nine people were arrested in the early-morning raid and the two trucks transporting the elephants were seized. Suspects told police that a “Piang Sala-ngam” had sent his son-in-law Sa-ngad Padphai down with the trucks from an elephant camp in the northeastern province of Surin. The trucks departed…

  • PHUKET VIDEO REPORT: Infamous Black Hole of Patong may not be fixed for weeks

    PHUKET: After two motorbikes plunged into a giant pothole in the back streets of Patong early yesterday morning, Phuket authorities say they will not be able to start fixing the road until at least next week. A video posted on YouTube shows a foreigner having to dive into the huge puddle – measuring at least two meters deep, several meters…

  • Phuket python chokes the chicken

    PHUKET: A three-meter python was found choking a Phuket resident’s chicken late last night. “I was asleep in the house when I was awoken by the sound of a chicken,” said the owner of the fowl, Pairoj Denmalai. “I came outside to find a large python strangling one of my chickens, and immediately contacted Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers,” he said.…

  • V-Phuket braves wild weather to stage anti-government protest

    PHUKET: Hundreds of V-Phuket protesters, wearing their iconic Guy Fawkes masks, braved the strong wind and lashing rain in Phuket Town yesterday afternoon to continue their protest against the Pheu Thai government under Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The rally in Phuket was held in concert with other “V for Thailand” protests in at least 22 provinces, as well as in…

  • Young American dies in Phuket motorbike crash

    PHUKET: A 27-year-old American man died instantly on Saturday when he was hit by a Chang beer delivery truck on Wiset Road, in Rawai. “According to witness reports, American Nicolas Javier Solis exited Soi Kok Ma… onto Wiset Road, heading to Rawai Beach,” said Lt Wuthiwat Leangboonjinda of the Chalong Police. “As he exited Soi Kok Ma, he was struck…

  • Iraqi wrestling coach dies of heart attack in Phuket | Thaiger

    Iraqi wrestling coach dies of heart attack in Phuket

    PHUKET: A coach with the Iraqi wrestling team in Phuket for the Asian Junior Wrestling Championships died of a heart attack on Saturday night while returning from a night out on Phuket’s renowned Soi Bangla. Kadee Abes, 44, from Iraq, was pronounced dead at 1:28am yesterday, Dr Patrinee Thammasrisawat of Patong Hospital told the Phuket Gazette. “We tried for about…

  • Phuket tourist safety gets 300 CCTV camera boost in Patong

    PHUKET: The push by Phuket authorities to increase tourist safety across the island has received a much welcome boost with Patong CCTV control rooms now up and running. The new system, launched as part of the Patong Safety Zone initiative (story here), displays footage from 32 high-quality police CCTV cameras and 300 private CCTV systems at three central locations, Patong…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Sloan ranger named for Gitmo closure; Iran parties for cleric president-elect; Czech out in graft scandal; Kremlin says kiss my Superbowl ring

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community State Department to name lawyer Cliff Sloan to close Guantanamo Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The State Department on Monday is expected to announce the appointment of Washington lawyer Cliff Sloan to oversee the closure of the controversial Guantanamo detention camp, sources familiar with the decision said on…

  • Dorked in the dark: YouTube video sees Chiang Mai biker arrested

    PHUKET: A CHIANG MAI man was arrested by police after a video surfaced on YouTube of him driving around the northern city on a 1.2-million-baht superbike. That might not sound criminal in itself. The issue of concern to the cops was that Chetaphon Chantarabunthawi, 25, was completely naked at the time. Mr Chetaphon told reporters that he had made the…

  • One dead as Phuket pickup slams into tree

    PHUKET: One man died and another was injured when a pickup truck slammed into a tree in central Phuket early this morning. Rescue workers and Thalang Police were called to the scene on Srisoontorn Road, about 300 meters from Baan Manik School (map here), at about 2:10am. The driver, Jaroendham Thepraksa, 25, died instantly in the impact. The passenger, Montri…