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Bomb explodes at Karon hotel
KARON: A small bomb smashed windows and cracked a wall of the Baan Karon Hotel on Patak Rd in the early hours of yesterday (Sunday) morning. No one was injured. Pol Capt Chockchai Sutthimeke of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette that the bomb had been planted against an outside wall of the hotel, next to the office of the…
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Tourist stabbed with broken bottle
KARON: A 24-year-old tourist from Denmark, Michael Jacob, was stabbed with a broken bottle at the Southland Inn on Patak Rd around 3 am yesterday (Sunday). Pol Capt Chana Suttimart of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette, “Mr Jacob was negotiating with two women. They had an argument, which developed into a fight. One of the women stabbed Mr Jacob…
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Three drown off Karon Beach
KARON: Three construction workers from Isarn drowned in front of the Nong Harn inlet yesterday afternoon. Pol Capt Teerawat Liamsuwan, of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette, “Two 21-year-old men, Teung Suthamma and Duangden Sawangwong, and a 17-year-old girl, Jaruwan Pakya, were swimming with three friends when a large wave crashed down on them, pushing them underwater.” Of the three…
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Power grid ‘will improve radically’
PHUKET: By December next year, Phuket will have a much more sophisticated and reliable electricity supply, according to experts from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) and the European Union (EU), which is providing some of the funds for upgrading the system. The upgrade includes the construction of two new substations in addition to the existing two and the laying of…
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Local phone numbers to get longer
BANGKOK: The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has announced that the telephone numbering system for the entire country will be changed. With the new system, which comes into effect on July 5, people making local calls will have to include the province’s area code in the telephone number. A person calling within Bangkok to, say 575 7310, will need to…
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Alleged Muslim rebels behead kidnap victims
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai police said this afternoon that they had found the severed heads of two Thais kidnapped by alleged Muslim separatists near the Malaysian border. Deputy police chief Sant Sarutanond said members of the Muslim separatist New PULO were responsible for the beheadings in the southern province of Yala, near the border. “They did this for money,” Sant said.…
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THAI emergency landing under investigation
HANOI (AFP): Thai Airways is investigating a fuel leak on a Boeing 777 which forced it to make an emergency landing in central Vietnam, airline officials said today. The aircraft landed in Vietnam’s third city of Danang early yesterday after the pilot reported plummeting fuel levels on a flight from Taipei to Bangkok, the officials said. Aviation fuel leaked all…
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Gambling continues to top arrest stats
PHUKET: Yet again, gambling topped the arrest statistics in May, with 258 people held for gambling offenses between May 1 and 25. The Provincial Police statistics showed arrests of illegal immigrants coming in second place, with 95 people arrested, followed by narcotics offenses, with 43 people arrested for offenses related to “ya bah” (methamphetamine). A total of 1,528 ya bah…
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Gazette goes on sale today in Bangkok
BANGKOK: As part of a recently concluded cooperation agreement between The Nation Multimedia Group and The Phuket Gazette Company, the Phuket Gazette is now on sale at ten major outlets of Asia Books in Bangkok. The agreement with The Nation complements the Gazette’s long-standing distribution arrangements with Flower King at Bangkok’s domestic and international air terminals. “We are very happy…
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Nepal’s crown prince kills parents, relatives
KATHMANDU (AFP): Nepal’s crown prince shot dead his parents – the king and queen – and several other relatives during a family dinner at the royal palace here before turning the gun on himself, officials said this afternoon. King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and nine other people were killed when Crown Prince Dipendra opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon during the…
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Unidentified body washes ashore
THALANG: Local villagers discovered the body of an unidentified man washed ashore on the beach at Sirinath National Park around 11 am yesterday. Pol Capt Sappawat Suksiri, of Tah Chat Chai Police Station, told the Gazette that the man, who is believed to have been between 30 and 40 years old, was clad in a white and blue T-shirt, but…
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Embassy clarifies visa rules – sort of
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has clarified the reasons for its recent imposition of harsh “old” requirements for a Non-Immigrant B visa, in particular as they apply to any foreigner wanting to go to Thailand on a business trip. As reported by the Gazette Online yesterday the consulate in KL has, since May 21, been handing…
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KL consulate tightens up B visa rules
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Thai Consulate in Kuala Lumpur has joined its counterpart in Penang in making it a great deal more difficult for foreigners working in Thailand to obtain a Non-Immigrant ‘B’ visa. A memorandum, dated May 21 and handed out to applicants on their arrival at the consulate, lists 10 documents – including confidential company papers – that…
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‘Virus warning’ email hoax hits Phuket
PHUKET: An email circulating round the island, warning computer users of a new virus that is scheduled to activate itself tomorrow (June 1), is a hoax, say experts. The message begins, “Urgent. A virus could be in your computer files now, dormant but [set to] become active on June 1. Follow [the] directions below to check if you have it…
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Teenagers break out of detention center
PHUKET: Three teenagers escaped from the Phuket Observation and Protection Center (OPC) late on Monday night. To escape, the boys used an iron bar from a bed frame to force open a window, then scaled the center’s perimeter wall. An officer at the OPC, who asked not to be named, said that the teenagers may have been frightened by a…
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Thaksin fires central bank governor
BANGKOK (AFP): The government of Thaksin Shinawatra today sacked Bank of Thailand governor Chatumongkol Sonakul following a week-long wrangle over interest rate policy, a senior official said. “This change is to enhance the efficiency of the government’s work,” government spokesman Yongyuth Tiyapairat told reporters after a cabinet meeting in which the decision was made to get rid of Chatumongkol. Public…
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Seatran wins port tender with 90m baht bid
PHUKET TOWN: Seatran Travel Co Ltd has won the tender to run the Rassada Port with a bid worth more than 90 million baht over the 30 years of the lease. The port is owned by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor). The decision was announced on Friday by the OrBorJor’s Deputy President, Wisut Santikun, who headed the committee examining…
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Phuket shut out of medals in Rugby 10s
SAPHAN HIN: So far but no further was the catchphrase for Phuket this afternoon, as the Phuket Barbarians crashed out of the Cup semi-finals in the Phuket Island Lager International Rugby Tens, going down 0-27 to the eventual winners, Hong Kong FC Vandals. The Phuket Vagabonds, meanwhile, slaughtered the Hong Kong Bulls 40-0 in the Bowl semi-finals, only to be…
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Clean sweep for Phuket Barbarians
SAPHAN HIN: The Phuket Barbarians made a clean sweep of their matches to win Group A of the Phuket Island Lager International Rugby Tens today. The Phuket Vagabonds, in Group D, won one game and lost two to come equal second. Favorites and last year’s winners of the tournament, British Club of Bangkok, crashed to the bottom of Group A,…
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Gov to lobby against flight change
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi is to request the government to reconsider the switching of a Thai Airways International (THAI) service from Phuket to Bangkok. THAI has announced that its twice-weekly service between Perth, Australia, and Phuket will be canceled. Starting from October 1, the flights will land in Bangkok instead. Governor Pongpayome said yesterday, “I don’t agree with this…
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Thai tourist feared drowned off Patong
PATONG: Prawit Butdon, a 19-year-old tourist from Haad Yai, is feared to have drowned while swimming with friends off Patong Beach yesterday. Pol Capt Chawarit Patseepear of Kathu District Police Station said he received a call at about 6 pm, notifying him that Prawit had disappeared. Officers from Kathu and from the Marine Police rushed to the scene, along with…
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One dead, 20 hurt in bus crash
PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: One passenger from Hong Kong died instantly and 20 Thais were injured when a tour bus carrying passengers from Phuket to Bangkok overturned on the highway early yesterday morning. One of the injured is Pol Lt Col Wuttichai Kumphut, formerly deputy superintendent of Chalong Police Station. He and other passengers were taken to Prachuap Khiri Khan Hospital…
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THAI “sucks”, says Thaksin
BANGKOK (AFP): Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today slammed Thailand’s national airline, Thai Airways International (THAI), for its high ticket prices, uncomfortable seats and poor service. In an interview today, he said, “If I were not a public figure, I wouldn’t fly with THAI. It sucks. “Business class on other airlines is better than THAI’s first class. Our fares are also…
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Copyright raid reports keep Net cafés closed
PHUKET TOWN: Dozens of businesses that use computers stayed closed today after reports that police were raiding Internet cafés and other computer-intensive businesses, looking for pirated software or copies of legitimate software being used without licenses. A source claiming to be close to the police in Bangkok responsible for enforcing copyright law told the Gazette that raids were being conducted…
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Angel Air to fly Phuket-HK and Phuket-Osaka
BANGKOK : Thailand’s second airline, Angel Air, is to launch two new services to Phuket next month – one from Osaka in Japan, and one from Hong Kong. The airline said today that it would begin daily flights from Japan’s second-largest city to Phuket, via Bangkok, on June 21. It will also introduce twice-weekly flights between Phuket and Hong Kong…
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Two held for murder of Chinese fisherman
PHUKET TOWN: Two young men have been arrested and charged with the murder of a member of the crew of a mainland Chinese fishing boat during a brawl in the fishing port in the early hours of yesterday morning. They have also been charged with assault on another member of the boat’s crew. Pol Maj Songwut Khunjan, Investigation Inspector with…
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Charity collectors “may be thieves’
KAMALA: Police have issued a warning for people to be wary of thieves operating in Kamala. The thieves impersonate volunteers soliciting donations for a legitimate cause. One local resident explained to the Gazette, “A man in a blue safari suit came to my house on Sunday morning. The guard let him onto the property because he thought the man was…
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Tourist dies in motorcycle accident
KARON: Australian tourist Samantha O’Donnell, 23, died instantly in a motorcycle accident early Monday morning. Pol Capt Sanae Panmee of Chalong Police Station said, “Ms O’Donnell was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by a friend, Craig Eades. They were riding back from Patong at about 2 am. “He tried to overtake a Road Tran Tours coach on the corner…
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Crooked community police arrested
WICHIT: Anucha Kaewkuen, 33, and Udomchai Faipetch, 37, from the Tambon Wichit Community Police office, were arrested recently after demanding 4,000 baht from an employer who had hired an illegal Burmese worker. The men went to an unnamed employer’s construction site and arrested a Burmese laborer. They then demanded the employer pay them 4,000 baht, claiming that the money wasn’t…
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After 100 days, jury still out on Thaksin
BANGKOK (AFP): After 100 days in office, the jury is still out on Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra — literally. Thailand’s constitutional court is deliberating corruption charges against Thaksin. If convicted, he may be forced out of office and barred from politics for five years. That pressure has seen him scrambling to leave a legacy by pushing through his populist…
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