News
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Surrogacy ring makes 50 million a year selling babies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Surrogacy ring makes 50 million a year The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A commercial surrogacy operation has “exported” more than 100 babies and earned more than Bt50 million each year, according to a young woman who claims to have sold her eggs to the ring.…
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Gen Prayuth voted to become next premier
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NLA votes Gen Prayuth to become 29th premier The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Legislative Assembly yesterday voted unanimously for junta chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha to be the 29th prime minister of Thailand. He was the sole candidate for the job. Prayuth was widely…
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WHO to convene on Ebola outbreak, treatments
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community WHO to convene on Ebola outbreak, treatments Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday it would convene talks early next month on potential treatments and vaccines to contain the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The infectious disease has killed…
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Car slams into Phuket shop injuring baby girl
PHUKET: A 5-month-old girl was injured after a Toyota saloon plowed into a clothing shop this morning. Police were called to the scene on Yoawarat Road in Phuket Town where the Toyota had slammed through the plate-glass window of the “Pumpui Apple Shop”, ending up in the back of the clothing establishment. “Somsong Teeraputjek, 54, on a motorbike, was overtaking…
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Sustainable marine tourism tops Phuket forum for island leaders
PHUKET: Leading figures from a host of international tourism destinations dotted around the world placed sustainable marine tourism at the top of the agenda for the 18th Inter-Island Tourism Policy Forum (ITOP) at the Laguna Phuket resort complex today. Present at the meeting were representative members from Phuket, Hainan, Jeju, Okinawa, Bali, Cebu, Penang and Sri Lanka. “The topic of…
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Phuket Town pub owner arrested for B500mn ‘foreign-inheritance’ scam
PHUKET: An owner of the well-known H2O Pub and Restaurant in Phuket Town has been arrested for fraud in Phang Nga after cheating nearly 300 people from across Central Thailand out of more than 500 million baht. Phang Nga City Police arrested Wilawan Na Takuathung, 39, on Tuesday, said Phang Nga City Police Commander Chalit Kaewyarat. “Mrs Wilawan is no…
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Are financial markets seasonal?
PHUKET: There is a lot of confusion over whether it is possible to time to the markets. If you are speculating, or trading, you rely on technical analysis of some sort and do, in fact, time the market. As an investor on the other hand, you should look at underlying fundamentals and attempt to make a purchase when it represents…
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Scott returns to make amends at Australian Open
PHUKET: Adam Scott has confirmed he will return to Sydney for the Australian Open in November with the intent of making amends for his final-hole disappointment last year. Scott’s return is a major coup for organizers after world number one Rory McIlroy committed to returning to defend his title at The Australian Golf Club from November 27-30. McIlroy snatched the…
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Homeless man found dead in Phuket Town market
PHUKET: A homeless man from Nakhon Sri Thammarat was found dead early this morning lying on top of an empty market stall in Phuket Town. Police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were notified at 7:15am about the body located at the Norrahuch intersection market near the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization Hospital. “We found the body of Tienchai Kornsut, 42, lying…
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Phuket, Penang set date for becoming sister cities
PHUKET: George Town in Penang, Malaysia, and Phuket Town are set to become sister cities on September 18, as was confirmed at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall this week. The Royal Thai Consul-General to Penang, Srirat Vathesatogkit, met with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut on Tuesday to discuss the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize the relationship…
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MICE: Thailand, Myanmar forge ‘landmark’ cooperation agreement
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community MICE: Thailand, Myanmar forge ‘landmark’ cooperation agreement Phuket Gazette PHUKET: THE THAILAND Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is teaming up with Myanmar’s largest business association to hold trade shows and related events in both countries, as Myanmar continues its rapid opening up to international business. The…
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Obec to cut school hours
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obec to cut school hours The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) will start implementing a policy to reduce classroom hours from this second semester, Obec secretary-general Kamol Rodklai said yesterday. The agency would at first reduce study hours in…
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NCPO appoints new national police chief
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Somyot gets national police chief job in unanimous vote The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pol Gen Somyot Poompanmoung was yesterday chosen in a unanimous 6:0 vote by a junta-installed selection committee as the new Royal Thai Police chief. He will replace Pol Gen Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit,…
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Copilot passes out midflight, dies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Copilot passes out midflight, dies The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A co-pilot for budget airline Lion Air collapsed mid flight, 20 minutes after taking off from Hat Yai for Bangkok yesterday. The pilot of flight SL 8537 returned to make an emergency landing at Hat…
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Liberia police fire on protesters as Ebola toll hits 1,350
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Liberia police fire on protesters as Ebola toll hits 1,350 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police in the Liberian capital fired live rounds and tear gas on Wednesday to disperse a stone-throwing crowd trying to break an Ebola quarantine imposed on their neighbourhood, as the death…
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Phelps confident of getting back to his best
PHUKET: Michael Phelps’ comeback to competitive swimming has been anything but smooth sailing. A series of rare defeats have illuminated the enormous challenge he faces getting back to the top. For a man who re-wrote the Olympic record books, those losses could have been enough to persuade him to pack up his goggles and quit for good, but if anything,…
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Pretty Phuket and gorgeous George Town become bosom buddies
PHUKET: Phuket and Penang’s George Town yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of sister city status. The Royal Thai Consul-General to Penang Srirat Vathesatogkit met with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut to discuss signing an MoU with George Town. The Phuket Town mayor, the director of the Phuket Passport Office and the Peranakan Association chairman joined the…
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Swedes cycling to Phuket for post-tsunami orphanage cross halfway point
PHUKET: With a five-day sprint across Turkmenistan behind them, a group of cyclists who departed Sweden in April for the fair shores of Phuket to raise money for a local post-tsunami orphanage have now crossed the halfway point – on target to arrive well in time for the 10th tsunami anniversary. “The desert race through Turkmenistan was incredibly hot and…
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NACC launches new anti-corruption campaign in Phuket schools
PHUKET: Officials launched a new anti-corruption campaign on Monday aimed at raising awareness among Phuket students about the negative effects of corruption. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Phuket office signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 15 well-known schools in Phuket, including Phuket Wittayalai, Satree Phuket and Phuket Technical College. “We are sending [NACC] representatives to the schools twice a…
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Kidnapper on the run arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: Patong Police on Monday arrested a man wanted for a kidnapping in 2008 and his role in a murder in 2006. Somkiet Rawungwong, 27, was taken into custody by officers while he was standing next to the Patong beachfront road near the Absolute Sea Pearl Resort & Spa. “Both crimes took place in Nakhon Sri Thammarat. The girl he…
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Rubber growers bounce back with with tyre factory
PHUKET: The Rubber Growers Cooperative Federation of Thailand has proposed establishing its own car tyre factory in a bid to deal with the plunging price of natural rubber. The federation chairman, Perk Lertwangpong, said after his meeting with representatives of rubber planters from the 14 provinces that comprise all of Southern Thailand that the strategy was necessary for their survival,…
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Phuket parents plead for information on missing 13-year-old daughter
PHUKET: The worried parents of 13-year-old Sirinut “Nong Guy” Chaowalert are urging anyone who has seen their daughter to call them immediately. Nong Guy was last seen at the family home in the Prompan housing estate near the SuperCheap complex on Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada on Saturday. “She was at home with her 15-year-old sister while I was at work…
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Fight begins for billion-baht Phuket land at Freedom Beach
PHUKET: The Land Department has set up a task force to specifically establish whether two land titles covering 65 rai at Freedom Beach – with an estimated value of at least 1 billion baht – were legally issued. The task force was officially formed last Friday and has 60 days to submit its findings, Land Department Deputy Director-General Thammasak Chana…
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Helmetless motorcyclist dead after hitting pick-up truck
PHUKET: A motorcyclist was killed after colliding with the back of pick-up truck in rush-hour traffic on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday afternoon. “I was on the way home after having picked up my child. We were about to make a u-turn when I heard something slam into the back of the truck,” said Hathairat Songyot, 39. Ms Hathairat called police, who…
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Atletico’s Garcia earns Super Cup draw at Real Madrid
PHUKET: Atletico Madrid’s Raul Garcia netted a late equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw at Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup first leg on Tuesday after substitute James Rodriguez had opened the scoring with 10 minutes left. Colombian Rodriguez, who came on for the injured Cristiano Ronaldo at halftime, thought he had won the game when he slotted the…
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AMLO seized more than Bt9 billion in 15 years
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AMLO seized more than Bt9 billion in 15 years The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pol Colonel Seehanat Prayoonrat, secretary-general of the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), said at an event marking AMLO’s 15th anniversary yesterday that the agency had so far confiscated up to Bt9.7 billion…
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THAI steps up fight against Ebola
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community THAI steps up fight against Ebola The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Private and public organisations are putting more precautionary actions in place here against the Ebola outbreak in Africa to ensure safety. Thai Airways International (THAI) yesterday demonstrated aircraft cleaning and vaccination at Suvarnabhumi Airport…
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Gaza truce collapses, fighting erupts, Israel orders negotiators home
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gaza truce collapses, fighting erupts, Israel orders negotiators home Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip collapsed on Tuesday, with Palestinian militants firing rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli air strikes that health officials said killed a woman and a young girl. Accusing…
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Islamic State says beheads U.S. journalist, holds another
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Islamic State says beheads U.S. journalist, holds another Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Islamic State insurgents released a video on Tuesday purportedly showing the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley, who had gone missing in Syria nearly two years ago, and images of another U.S. journalist…
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Phuket national park land encroachment hearing reveals two claims for same plot
PHUKET: A total of 47 people today explained to the Navy how they came to possess plots of land deemed to be inside Phuket’s Sirinath National Park. Present at the meeting to hear the explanations was Commander Pornprom Sakultem of the Third Naval Area Command. One attendee, Tawee Ngerndee, told Cmd Pornprom that he “used to own” just over 10…
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