News
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Man found dead with 37 stab wounds
KOH SIREH: The body of a murdered man was found washed ashore near the Rassada Fishing port on Thursday morning. Pol Lt Khaneung Pitakkullatorn of Phuket Town Police Station said that he arrived at the scene at 8.30am to find the 25- to 30-year-old man lying face up, dressed only in a blue T-shirt and green underwear. He had been…
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Major drug dealers busted
THALANG: Acting on a tip-off, police yesterday arrested Thanakrit Channum and his wife Aroon, and Rorchad Utsaha, and seized 11,720 tablets of ya bah (methampthetamine) with a street vale of around 1.75 million baht. Thalang police had been informed that a lot of ya bah was circulating in Baan Pru Somparn and that one of the traffickers was a police…
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Murder-suicide in Kuku
PHUKET TOWN: Two bodies were discovered yesterday morning in a rented room on Soi Tah Cheen, Baan Kuku, apparently the victims of a murder-suicide. Pol Lt Kanuang Pitakkulthorn of Phuket Town Police Station told the Gazette that police broke down the door to the room after receiving complaints from neighbors about a bad smell. Inside, they found the body of…
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International call rates slashed
PHUKET: The Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) has announced that it has cut its overseas call rates between 7% and 40%. In addition to these savings, those making international calls between 7 am and 9 pm on Sundays receive a further 20% discount. Phone calls to Australia and North America now cost 22 baht a minute at peak rate (between…
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Dead man was stabbed 25 times
PHUKET: The body of an unidentified man was found yesterday in a tin-roofed shack near the deserted Phya Thai Phuket Hospital building. Pol Lt Parichat Jaturonpun of Phuket Town Police Station said that the victim, estimated to have been between 25 and 30 years old, had been dead for at least seven hours when found. He said that the body…
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Expo Center to be at Mai Khao
MAI KHAO: It has now been confirmed that the site for Phuket’s international convention and exhibition center will be a spread of 2,800 rai of state-owned land near the Sirinart National Park on Mai Kao beach, in the north of the island. Local officials confirmed that an inspector from the Interior Ministry was in Phuket today to survey the land.…
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German tourist drowns at Nai Harn
NAI HARN: Olaf Gerlach, a 30-year-old German tourist, drowned off Nai Harn beach on Wednesday afternoon. Pol Maj Jetsada Sangsuri told the Gazette that a Thai local resident saw Mr Gerlach swimming alone around 4 pm. He was pushed underwater by a large wave and then a current carried him out to sea. The Thai man took a speedboat out…
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Ex-mayor’s detention extended
PHUKET TOWN: The former mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, has been remanded in custody for a further 12 days, this time in the Phuket Provincial Prison, while police continue investigations into charges against him. Yesterday, armed with a search warrant, officers took Dr Anan to his house on Mae Luan Rd, Phuket Town. What they found astonished them, said…
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Governor suspends seven bars
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi today announced the temporary closure of seven entertainment venues for breaking a variety of laws and regulations. In Phuket Town, the Pe-Tai, near Saphan Hin Stadium, will be closed from August 4 to August 18 for staging lewd shows. The Candy Pub, on Ong Sim Phai Rd, will be closed from August 4 to August…
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TOT launches B0.50-a-minute service
PHUKET: The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has raised the bar in its battle against fixed-line and mobile phone rivals by chopping prices for those using its Y-tel 1234 service. It is now offering long-distance calls within Thailand for as little as 50 satang a minute during August and September. The 50-satang charge applies on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays,…
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Gambling still the No. 1 vice
PHUKET: Gambling remains Phuket’s favorite illegal pastime with 276 people being arrested in 82 raids between July 1 and July 25, according to the latest statistics released by police. Narcotics held the No. 2 spot with a total of 79 arrests for the period, of which 61 involved ya bah (methamphetamine). The statistics show that 781 tablets of the drug…
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Passenger figures up on last year
PHUKET: Passenger throughput at Phuket International Airport was up in June by 7.56%, compared with the same month last year, according to figures just released by airport officials. The statistics show that 224,178 passengers arrived at or departed from the airport, compared with 208,426 last June. The number of international passengers rose by 9.19% to 98,623, while the number of…
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Boat import taxes demystified
PHUKET: Taxes for importing a yacht into Thailand have long been a matter of confusion, discussion, argument and speculation. Now, however, Gazette inquiries with the Customs Department, both in Phuket and in Bangkok, have uncloaked the way that the various taxes are applied. For a start, it has been confirmed that there is no such thing as a “luxury tax”…
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Chain of raids nets 1,800 ya bah pills
PHUKET TOWN: The arrest on Friday afternoon of a woman found in possession of four tablets of ya bah led to Phuket Town police arresting three more people within hours and netting more than 1,800 tablets of the drug. The chain of seizures started with the arrest of Omaporn Sornnon, 26, from Khon Kaen, at 2 pm on Friday, after…
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Thais dominate Malaysia in friendly sports
PHUKET: About 200 Malaysian immigration officers were in Phuket on Tuesday to compete in the now traditional friendly clash, the Annual Thai-Malaysian Immigration Department Games, at the Saphan Hin sport center. The games consisted of badminton, table tennis, sepak takraw, bowling, soccer and golf. The home side dominated the badminton, winning the men’s and women’s singles, the men’s doubles and…
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New Chamber Chairman slams smear attempt
PHUKET: Pamuke Achariyachai, the new chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, today called a press conference to slam a report in the national newspaper, Matichon. The report, in this morning’s issue of the newspaper, quoted an unnamed member of the Chamber as saying, “It’s such a shame. The Chairman of the Chamber should be a person of good image,…
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Two sites short-listed for expo center
PHUKET: The province’s plans for the construction of an international convention and exhibition center (CEC) have taken one step closer to realization with the short-listing of two potential sites – one near the Sirinart National Park on Mai Kao beach, in the north of the island, and the other in the area around the Provincial Mineral Resources Office in Phuket…
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State land to be freed for development
PHUKET TOWN: The Treasury Department will at the end of August call for tenders to develop two plots of government-owned land in Phuket Town. Prasit Seubchana, Phuket Provincial Treasurer, explained that the private development of such land is one of the policies of the Thaksin government, which sees it as a way to encourage investment and generate revenue for the…
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Gov to stay in Phuket for now
BANGKOK: Despite strong lobbying for Phuket Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi to be appointed Director of the Southern Border Administrative Center (SBAC), the Cabinet has handed the controversial job to the front-runner, Banyat Jansena. Muslim community leaders and teachers in the South of Thailand had lobbied for Gov Pongpayome to get the job because of his track record of dealing with…
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Pamuke the winner in Chamber chaos
PHUKET: Pamuke Achariyachai, President of the Kata Group of Hotels, was elected Chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce today, following three months of confusion that climaxed in the resignation yesterday of his predecessor, Charn Wongsatayanont, Managing Director of Phuket Jet Tour. K. Charn resigned as the result of a protest from a member that the former chairman’s membership and…
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Governor backed for top job in the South
BANGKOK: Powerful forces appear to be lobbying for Phuket Provincial Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi to be promoted to Director of the Southern Border Administrative Center (SBAC), a senior position with the Ministry of Interior. The previous holder of the post, Palakorn Suwannarat, resigned in mid-July amid criticism of his handling of a recent spate of bombings in the South of Thailand,…
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Fugitive ex-mayor surrenders to police
PHUKET TOWN: The former mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, surrendered to police on Saturday, nearly two years after a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of involvement in the murder of an ex-policeman. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that he received a phone call from Dr Anan’s lawyer on…
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Vicious murder at fishing port
KOH SIREH: The body of a viciously murdered man was found washed ashore behind Asia Stannum Co Ltd at Laem Tokkae, near the fishing port, on Thursday. Pol Maj Jiradaej Kawinkij of Phuket Town Police Station said that he arrived at the scene to find the 25- to 30-year-old man lying face down. The victim was dressed in a black-and-white…
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Hospital cancels call for blood
PHUKET TOWN: Wachira Phuket Hospital has called off its appeal for donations of type O negative blood because it now has ample supplies for current needs. The hospital told the Gazette that it wishes to thank all donors for their prompt help.
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Yacht burns and sinks
PHUKET: A 6-million-baht yacht, the Brulon, belonging to a local dive company, burned to the waterline and sank yesterday in Bang Tao Bay. Pol Lt Col Narong Natebutra of the Phuket Marine Police told the Gazette that he received a report at around 3:30 yesterday afternoon that a yacht was on fire about nine kilometers off Cherng Talay. “The boat…
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Tourist dies 12 days after rescue
SURIN BEACH: American tourist Joseph Tito, 27, died today in the Bangkok Phuket hospital. He had been on life support since being pulled from the sea at Surin Beach on July 6. Pol Capt Anake Mongkol of Cherng Talay Police Station told the Gazette that Mr Tito’s death was the second one resulting from people getting into difficulties in the…
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Thaksin plans to put clocks forward
CHIANG MAI (AFP): Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said today he is considering moving Thailand’s clocks ahead one hour to bring them in line with neighboring nations and to boost the country’s competitiveness. “Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are situated on the same latitude as Thailand but we are seven hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) while these countries…
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Contest to boost awareness of King’s Cup
PHUKET: In a drive to involve the Thai community more deeply in the annual King’s Cup Regatta, the event’s organizers today launched an essay and painting competition for Thai students, with cash prizes totaling 100,000 baht. The competition, which is open to students from primary school up to university (but not to students attending international schools), was launched at a…
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Governor backs sea walking
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi has recommended to the government that sea walking be put on a firm legal footing. In a document sent to the Prime Minister’s office, he also recommended that the local Tourist Business and Guide Registration Office (GRO) be given sole responsibility for issuing licenses and overseeing the industry. A handful of companies currently conduct sea…
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French resident dies after brawl
PHUKET TOWN: A 47-year-old French resident of Phuket, Michel Clavel, died on Wednesday evening of injuries sustained in a drunken brawl in Patong in the early hours of July 2. The investigating officer, Pol Capt Boonlert Onklang of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that Mr Clavel, who was living in Phuket on a government pension, was drinking with about…
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