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Double bomb scare in Patong turns up duds
PHUKET: Frightened locals alerted police of two suspicious, possibly explosive objects found in Patong last night. “We received reports of suspicious objects placed in two spots – one in China Town on Soi Sai Nam Yen road, and the second on Sai 2 Road in front of a nearby hotel. We ordered Patong Police officers to look into the matter,”…
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Rajabhat University to host ‘Science Week 2016’
PHUKET: Rajabhat University is inviting the public to visit its Phuket campus for ‘Science Week 2016’, which runs August 17-19. The annual exposition of the university’s science education facilities is part of an initiative sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology to motivate interest in science subjects. University students are putting on demonstrations of the institution’s science tech in…
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Park Chief praises Chinese woman’s viral video
PHUKET: The Chief of Koh Phi Phi National Park said he was impressed after watching a video in which one Chinese tourist lambasts another for trying to drag driftwood off Ao Nang Beach. Translated versions of the video (which can be seen here) went viral and are being shared by media outlets across the region and throughout China. The woman,…
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One dead in stabbing incident on Bypass Road
PHUKET: Phuket City Police are searching for two unidentified men, believed to be Myanmar nationals, who stabbed another Burmese man to death on his first day of work at a wood factory on the bypass road last night. The police received reports of the stabbing from staff at the factory at about 7pm. “Ar Naing, 42, was sprawled face-up over…
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Foreign tourist apologizes for visiting temple in sexy dress
PHUKET: A tourist who wore a see-through dress while visiting a temple in Chalong apologized yesterday after pictures of her outfit were shared on social media. Tourist police ‘invited’ the foreigner, her tour guide and a representative of a tour company to apologize at a police station in Phuket Town. Also present at the station was a representative of the…
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Migrant worker registration deadline pushed forward, again
PHUKET: The deadline for illegal migrant workers to register in Phuket has been extended until the end of August, officials confirmed yesterday. According to the original schedule, the registration was to have finished by the end of July (story here). Launched in April, the registration campaign is part of a nationwide push to legalize unregistered migrants from Myanmar, Cambodia and…
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Chinese tourist run over, killed, in front of wife and kids
PHUKET: A father of two on holiday with his family was run over by a car and killed in front of his wife and children while crossing Thepkassattri Road during a stop-off to shop at 7-Eleven late last night. The 54-year-old man, identified as Shengbin Lu, was part of a group of Chinese tourists on their way to Phuket Airport…
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Cash reward offered to find missing Phuket man
PHUKET: The daughter of an 80-year-old man who allegedly disappeared from a hotel in Patong in the early hours of August 3 has appealed for help locating her father. Kanjana Danaisuthikul and her husband Praditsakan Danaisuthikul filed a missing person report with Patong Police the same day but after not hearing anything for almost a week, the couple yesterday went…
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Phuketians say ‘yes’ to Thailand’s draft charter
PHUKET: More than half of Phuket’s eligible voters turned out to cast their ballots yesterday over the draft constitution referendum, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada told the Phuket Gazette today. Almost 90 per cent of the 150,326 voters in the province voted to accept the proposed draft constitution. Provincial Election Commission officials said they had hoped for an 80 per cent…
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Man dies after jumping off Sarasin Bridge
PHUKET: A 51 year-old man died after he and a 15 year-old girl jumped off the Sarasin Bridge at about 7pm yesterday. The Thai pair, who police believe to have been father and daughter, were rescued by fishermen passing by on a boat. Police said that the man, named as Ruab Duangjan, was unconscious at the time of his rescue,…
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Opinion: Tracking tourists for ‘national security’
PHUKET: An online forum recently published an article titled ‘NBTC to propose special SIM cards for foreign tourists so they can be traced’. The article states that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) intends to introduce ‘special’ SIM cards for mobile users, in order to ‘track’ foreigners while they are staying in Thailand. The news is worrying on so…
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Police arrest bag-snatching brothers, recover stolen items
PHUKET: Phuket City Police on Saturday night captured robbers who stole a bag from a Slovakian tourist at Phuket Downtown Fresh Market on Friday. Riding a motorbike, the robbers snatched a bag from Domonkoso Vaniko, 28, after pulling up beside her. It was initially believed that the suspects threatened their victim with a small hammer. However, it was revealed following…
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Nocturnal fly tippers trash Krabi mangrove
KRABI: Officials are taking on a fly tipping complaint that has been riding the social media airwaves for about a week. In the online post, locals and tourists complained about a mangrove forest at Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, publicly asking for help from officers in charge of the area. The trash was located in front…
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Youths wreak havoc, destroy property at juvenile center
PHUKET: A group of 35 juvenile delinquents, including at least one charged for involvement in the Thalang riot last October, wreaked havoc at the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Center (JOPC) at Saphan Hin yesterday afternoon. Phuket City Police was called in to control the situation by JOPC Director Rawee Kuhapimook. “The group grabbed hold of fire extinguishers and sprayed…
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Alcohol banned for referendum election
PHUKET: The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) confirmed today that the sale of alcohol is prohibited throughout Thailand August 6-7, as the country goes to the polls to vote on the National Referendum. “The alcohol ban is from 6pm on August 6, ahead of voting the next day, until midnight on the 7th. It is applicable to all retail shops, restaurants,…
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Phuket prepared for floods with B433.5mn budget, officials say
PHUKET: There will be no flooding in Patong this year, Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup told the Phuket Gazette last week following approval of a 420-million-baht budget for flood prevention in densely developed Patong. Ms Chalermluck said she was confident that the implementation of several short-and-long-term flood prevention measures currently underway will ensure that Patong is not inundated with runoff during the…
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Finance: Hedging your way through Brexit
PHUKET: There has already been a lot written in this paper – and many others – about Brexit, but I’m getting lots of questions from both sides of the investment coin, so I thought it a good idea to highlight some of the things to think about before doing anything drastic. Are there any opportunities to exploit now that British…
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Opinion: Turning the tide on flooding
PHUKET: As the annual monsoon strengthens and the gripefest begins, Phuket residents might want to pause for a moment to reflect on what a wonderful climate we enjoy year round, every year. According to records dating back to 1951, the temperature ‘extremes’ in Phuket Town are listed as follows: record high 37.8°C (about 100°F); record low 17.4°C (63.3°F). That is…
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Gun-toting teens threaten bikers in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: Two men filed a complaint against two unidentified teenagers who allegedly threatened them with a gun in Cherng Talay last night. Satja Kongrat, 20, and Ekkachai Chaidam, 19, were both riding on a bike on Srisoonthorn Road, heading to Bangtao from Baan Pa Sak, when the incident took place. “Mr Satja and Mr Ekkachai said they arrived at Cherng…
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Police apprehend suspect behind Phuket Town crime spree
PHUKET: Phuket City police revealed this morning that they have captured the man responsible for a recent spate of robberies in and near Phuket Town. “The suspect, named Jakkarin Seesong, 27, was arrested and his motorbike confiscated at Karn Keha (Baan Porn) in Thalang on Tuesday,” said Lt Col Naruebadin Pangleesen of the Phuket City Police. Mr Jakkarin reportedly could…
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Muslim cleric shot, takes on attackers
PHUKET: A Muslim cleric was injured in a drive-by shooting in Koh Kaew last night, after which he attempted to chase down his attackers, seriously injuring both. Weerachat Kahapana, 49, an Imam at Bang Pae mosque, received one bullet wound in his rib-cage, while his 3-year-old son, who was in the car with him, escaped unscathed. The perpetrators were seriously…
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Shrimp spillage on slippery road leads to acts of kindness
KRABI: A pick-up truck loaded with thousands of fresh shrimp flipped over and spilled its cargo all over the road in Krabi yesterday. Ironically, the accident occurred in front of the Agricultural and Development Baan Thung Office on the road to Krabi Town. The truck driver and passenger were on their way into town around 6:15pm, when the driver lost…
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Tour guide apologizes for attempted rape
PHUKET: A tour guide has confessed that he attempted to rape a receptionist in Cherng Talay early this morning, police confirmed. Captain Sakkarin Pankhan of Cherng Talay Police said officers responded to a call from the Imperial Ocean Palms apartment complex about 4am. “When we arrived, the victim was with office staff and security guards in a shocked condition,” said…
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First Thai Muslims depart for Hajj via Phuket airport
PHUKET: One hundred fifty-eight Thais left Phuket International Airport on Tuesday to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, as this year’s Hajj begins. This was the first flight of Thai nationals leaving for the Hajj this year. Seventy-nine of the passengers were from Pattani Province, and the other half from Nakhon Sri Thammarat. Muslims are required to make the pilgrimage to…
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Tourists rescued from sinking longtail, drowning
PHUKET: Four Chinese tourists aboard a sinking longtail boat were rescued from Phang Nga Bay yesterday evening. The director of Krabi Chao Fah Rescue Center, Nithipat Monkulpradit, told the Phuket Gazette today that he received a distress report following the incident and immediately took action. “At about 3:20pm, a longtail boat named Nateesup was on its way from Koh Ngai…
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List alleges massive extortion scheme among Phuket officers
PHUKET: The publication of a list of 20 government offices whose officers are allegedly extorting bribes from employers of migrant workers has prompted an embarrassed Phuket governor and the provincial police head to condemn corruption and vow to investigate the allegations. The list, which details officers’ names, departments and phone numbers, went viral across social media sites including Facebook and…
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Thai students snag multiple awards at international math competition
BANGKOK: Thai students snagged 50 prizes at the International Mathematics Contest (IMC) 2016 held in Singapore last month, returning home this week with five gold, 10 silver and 20 bronze medals. They also won 13 special prizes plus two Grand Champion awards. Thanisorn Auttawetchakul from Chulalongkorn University’s Demonstration Elementary School and Vorapas Meejitpaisarn from the Bangkok Christian College were named…
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Jungceylon mall reopens after crumbling columns repaired
PHUKET: Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong was yesterday given permission to reopen a section of the complex that had been closed to make repairs to crumbling columns discovered in June. The reopening came after the mall received approval from Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada following a final inspection by engineers yesterday. The shopping mall’s Port Zone was initially closed off after…
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Bad weather causes Phuket flight delays
PHUKET: Bad weather prevented several flights from taking off and landing at Phuket International Airport this morning, causing delays of up to five hours for some passengers. Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan said a total of 19 flights from the following airlines were affected: Beijing Capital Airlines; Shanghai Airlines; Juney Ao Airlines; Spring Airlines; Asia Atlantic; China Southern Airlines and Bangkok…
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Contractors demand fairness from Employment Office
PHUKET: A crowd of more than a hundred local employers of migrant workers gathered this morning at Phuket Provincial Hall to protest difficulties registering workers under their employ. A representative of the group, Wirachai Saddom, handed a letter of complaint to Phuket Vice Governor Kajornkiet Rakpanitmanee at 11am, demanding fair treatment of migrant workers and their employers while they are…
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