News
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Patong Hill road being resurfaced
PATONG: In response to the large number of accidents on the section of Phra Barami Rd from Kathu to Patong – one of the busiest roads on the island – the Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) is spending nearly 10 million baht on resurfacing the road.PPHO Deputy Chief Nirong Khumtua explained to the Gazette, “We have received many complaints from…
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Norwegian dies after knife attack
RAWAI: Police are investigating the murder of a Norwegian man who was stabbed on the road from the Kata Viewpoint to Rawai just after midnight early Sunday morning and later died in hospital.Chalong Police Superintendent Col Chalit Kaewyarat identified the victim as Simen Sparra Knudsen, a Norwegian who had lived in Phuket for more than 20 years.Col Chalit said two…
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Reinard rides again
PHUKET: Luxembourg national and local environmental activist Marco Reinard is due to complete his 24-hour solo mountain bike marathon ride around Phuket at 4 pm today, arriving at Yoonique Stone bar, Nai Harn, the same place he set off from yesterday.Marco’s ride for environmental awareness is part of his continuing campaign to create awareness of pollution and environmental issues facing…
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One-Two-Go crash victims to each receive US$150,000
PHUKET AIRPORT: Survivors and the families of those who died in the crash landing of One-Two-Go flight OG269 on Sunday will each receive an insurance payout of US$150,000 (about 5 million baht), Udom Thantprasongchai, managing director of Orient Thai, which operates One-Two-Go, said today.Speaking to the press at Phuket Airport Office, K. Udom explained that One-Two-Go had already offered up…
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French mourn air-crash victims
PHUKET AIRPORT: A French delegation arrived in Phuket this morning to mourn the loss of 10 French nationals killed in Sunday’s One-Two-Go plane crash. Led by Rama Yade, Minister of State responsible for foreign affairs and human rights, the group arrived at the airport at 9:30 am and placed flowers before a metal storage container housing the bodies of 10 victims,…
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ICEC site decision deferred
PHUKET: Originally scheduled to be held today, the provincial committee meeting set to make a final decision on the site for Phuket’s long-awaited International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) has been postponed until further notice. The reason for the postponement is that Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, who chairs the committee, was called to an urgent meeting today at Government House…
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OrBorTor gear up for elections
PHUKET: The Phuket Election Committee (PEC) today held a meeting to present ballots and ballot boxes to representatives from each Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) on behalf of the Central Election Commission in Bangkok. “Each OrBorTor must keep these things safe in a place where there is a security guard,” PEC Director Supap Akkam told the Gazette. Elections for OrBorTor councils…
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Poor turnout for Korean MOU signing
PHUKET CITY: After months of setbacks, debates and discussions, only 25 of the island’s 54 Korean tour operators signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) ensuring that they will hire Thai tour guides.Kim Tae Woen, Chairman of the Korean Association, and Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima welcomed representatives from 25 of the island’s Korean tour operators to Phuket Provincial Hall and thanked…
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Death toll at 89, all bodies recovered
PHUKET: As Phuket woke up to memories of yesterday’s airport disaster, the death toll of those on board One-Two-Go flight OG269 stood at 89, including five crew members. A press conference held this morning at Phuket International Airport was attended by Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongchaoom; Kalaya Pakakrong, acting managing director of Airports of Thailand (AOT); Udom Thantiprasongchai, managing director…
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88 perish in One-Two-Go crash
PHUKET: Of the 130 passengers and crew aboard One-Two-Go flight OG269 that crash landed at Phuket International Airport about 3:45 pm today, only 42 survived the crash and fire that followed it. Of these, 15 were Thai nationals.At a press conference at the Airports Of Thailand office about 9 pm, Phuket Airport Director Sq Ldr Pornchai Eua-aree said the crash…
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Death toll in Phuket plane crash rises
PHUKET (Nation): Some 60 bodies have been retrieved from the wreckage of a One-Two-Go airplane from Bangkok that exploded and broke in two after it slid off the runway and crashed at Phuket International Airport this afternoon.Some reports put the death toll at about 80, but this has yet to be confirmed. The nationalities of those on board are not…
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Khao Lak road collapses
KHAO LAK: A large section of Petchkasem Rd near Khao Lak, as well as part of a recently-built sidewalk and steel barrier, plunged 40 meters down a slope after heavy rain on Wednesday night.The landslide, near the Baan Krating resort at the top of the range at Lamru National Park, came to rest a few meters from a building near…
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Send in your photos!
Where were you during last night’s tsunami scare? The Gazette‘s news desk is asking for help from citizen reporters in sending in any digital images you may have taken that capture the spirit of what happened – along with any other comments you might have about what you saw and how it relates to Phuket’s readiness to deal with a…
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Patong breathes easy after tsunami scare
PATONG: Following the high state of tsunami alert last night, after a major quake off the coast of Sumatra – followed by several powerful aftershocks – it’s business as usual for the Phuket tourism industry, despite the excitement.Indonesian government authorities issued a tsunami warning after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale jolted parts of Indonesia’s Java and…
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Massive quake hits Indonesia, tsunami warning issued
JAKARTA (Nation, DPA): A powerful earthquake jolted parts of Indonesia’s Java and Sumatra islands at 6:10 pm this evening, prompting Indonesian government authorities to issue a tsunami warning. The Thai Meteorological Department said the earthquake that hit Indonesia happened at the same active fault that triggered tsunami on December 26, 2004. “This is very dangerous situation. We have to watch…
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Baby killers out on bail
PHUKET CITY: Two youths arrested for the grisly murder of a two-year-old girl and her nanny during a botched robbery attempt in Rassada on June 22 are back on the streets after having been bailed out of jail by relatives, the Gazette has learned.The two teenagers, a 15-year-old student at Phuket Technical College (PTC) and his 17-year-old friend, confessed to…
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Phuket rated Thailand’s first “hygienic” fishing port
RASSADA: Following recent renovations, Phuket Fishing Port is being hailed as a model for hygienic port operations and is set to become Thailand’s tuna export hub after successfully qualifying as the country’s first certified “hygienic” fishing port.Port Manager Pramual Rakjai announced at the monthly Governor Meets The Press event on September 3 that following inspections by the Fishery Department in…
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Wounded Israeli flies home
PHUKET CITY: Israeli tourist Adam Berdichevsky, whose left foot was mangled during the boat capsizing that claimed the life of another Israeli tourist on September 4, flies back to Israel tonight after a week of treatment at Bangkok Hospital Phuket.Assistant Hospital Director Dr Sompoch Nipakanont said the latest in a series of operations to the mangled foot was performed yesterday,…
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Woman found dead at Chalong Pier
CHALONG: A body found by local fishermen yesterday morning was of a Thai woman who apparently committed suicide by jumping into the sea at Chalong Pier, police say.Lt Col Chana Suthimas of Chalong Police Station today told the Gazette that a group of fishermen alerted police after they found the body of a woman floating near fishing boats at Chalong…
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One dead after double ride-by shooting
PHUKET CITY: Two ride-by shootings on Sunday night left one dead and two seriously injured in what police believe are gang-related incidents, said Pol Lt Col Somkid Boonratof Phuket City Police Station.Chaiwat Jaemjan, 21, was riding his motorcycle on Damrong Rd, when he was shot by a member of a gang of about eight youths on motorcycles, said Col Somkid.Friends…
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Man arrested for Koh Kaew murder
PHUKET CITY: Police have arrested and charged one of two suspects wanted for the beating murder of a disabled man in Koh Kaew on the night of September 2.Police identified the suspect as Somyot Longlode, 22, apprehended in Phang Nga’s Koh Yao District at about 5 pm Thursday night.Case investigator Pol Lt Theeradet Jiraksa of Phuket City Police told the…
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Phuket Airport disaster drill hailed a “success’
PHUKET: The emergency response drill at Phuket International Airport (PIA) on Thursday was a “success”, PIA Director Sq Ldr Pornchai Eua-aree told a press conference after the event.The drill started at 10 am with PIA air traffic control guiding a Thai Airways International Airbus A300-600 simulating engine trouble in to land.Once safely stopped on the tarmac, the aircraft was quickly…
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Sarasin Bridge to close on Halloween
PHUKET: The Sarasin Bridge will be closed from midnight October 31 to midnight November 1 so that a key scene for a Thai-language feature film can be filmed on location.The bridge will be closed so that the opening scene of a romantic comedy, given the in-production name Valentine, can be filmed.The scene will involve a car accident during which lead…
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One million mangrove trees pledged for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Phuket is due an injection of greenery with the news that a memorandum of understand (MOU) has been signed by Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Watthanasiritham stating that one million mangrove trees will be planted around the island between now and the end of 2009 as part of the nationwide Yoo Dee Mee Suk (“Good Life and Happiness”) program.Mangroves…
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Cops nab rape, robbery gang
TUNG TONG: Police have arrested a gang of six youths who last week forced their way into two homes in Kathu, where they stole cash and valuables and gang-raped one female occupant at knifepoint.The arrests were announced during a press conference led by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Decha Budnampetch at Tung Tong Police Station late Tuesday afternoon.The suspects…
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International superyacht brokers to descend on Phuket
PHUKET: Yacht Crews Ltd of Thailand (YCL) will host 10 international superyacht brokers from around the world on a fact-finding visit to Phuket, the Gazette learned today from Khun Thidarat Pimson, Managing Director of YCL.K. Thidarat has organized a four-day tour of the Phuket-Phi Phi-Krabi area aboard the motor yacht Taipan, a 172-foot superyacht managed by Emerald Yachts of Florida,…
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Capsized tour boat “not overcrowded’ – Marine Police
PHUKET: The ill-fated tour boat that capsized and sank in stormy seas off the Phi Phi Islands yesterday was not overloaded at the time of the disaster, Krabi Marine Office Chief Suriya Kittimonthon told the Gazette today.The 17.4-meter vessel was not overcrowded and a vessel of that size would normally be rated for about 60 passengers, he said.However, documents held by…
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Phuket Airport to stage disaster drill
PHUKET: A full-scale, emergency-response drill will take place at Phuket International Airport on Thursday as part of Phuket Airport’s Emergency Plan Exercise 2007 (PEMEX 2007).Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Phuket International Airport Director Sq Ldr Pornchai Eua-aree said the exercise, to begin at 10 am, is being co-organized by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT).Taking part will be 14…
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Agreement reached over illegal Korean guides
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, representatives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Southern Region 4 office and representatives of Korean tour operators yesterday agreed on the conditions to be included in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will ensure that Korean tour operators hire Thai guides. Signatures to the MOU will be Governor Niran, TAT Southern Region 4 office…
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OrBorJor to revamp Phaya Thai Hospital
PHUKET CITY: The long abandoned Phyathai Hospital building is due a major makeover with the confirmation by press release that the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) last month completed its 327-million-baht purchase of the site from Thai Asset Management Corporation.After surveying the hospital building and its facilities, located on 14 rai of land, it was announced that OrBorJor will spend…
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