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Rescuer recovering from fumes that killed Phuket sewer workers last week
PHUKET: The rescue worker who passed out while attempting to save four workers who died in a Phuket Town sewer on March 26 is recovering in the hospital and will be discharged in a week. Jessada Janpen, 25, was one of the first to arrive on the scene, and immediately descended into the sewer to rescue the maintenance workers. Although…
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Video Report: Phuket crepe maker meets the stranger who saved him from sharks
PHUKET: It was an emotional meeting last week between the man who lost his only source of livelihood – a sidecar outfitted to make crepes – and the New Zealand woman who gave him the money he needed to avoid borrowing cash from loan sharks to buy a new one. Crepe vendor Prayoon Impuang, whose sidecar was consumed by flames…
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Foreigners in Phuket: Dive shop blitz clarifies instructors’ work descriptions
PHUKET: Foreign dive instructors’ job descriptions were clarified during an inspection led by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut in Patong today, as the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) investigates allegations that police were extorting money from them due to ambiguities in work permits (story here). “We only came to check work permits and clarify the information within them to the employees.…
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Phuket Marine Police volunteers’ numbers swell ahead of Songkran
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Police have garnered 97 trained volunteers to bolster their ranks ahead of the Songkran Festival. “Boat captains, crews and tour guides were called to join in safety-training seminars and volunteer to support the Marine Police, as they are the ones who have the best chance of rescuing people in the water,” Phuket Marine Police Superintendent Pumin…
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Phuket Gazette sets record with 108-page issue
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette hit the newsstands with a resounding thump today with a record-breaking 108 pages. This week’s issue of the island’s leading English-language newspaper is packed with content, boasting the 32-page China Daily Asia Weekly, a world-class publication built in Hong Kong; the 16-page Russia Beyond The Headlines (RBTH), published by the renowned Moscow-based Rossiskaya Gazetta; and an…
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Tomorrow at Surakul Stadium: Phuket FC VS Bangkok FC
Brave the rain and come join the thousands who will make it out to Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town tomorrow to cheer on your local professional football team, Phuket FC. The number five Phuket FC Ronins will host number three Bangkok FC with kick-off at 6:30. Tickets are 100 baht. Bring enthusiasm and an umbrella!
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Phuket lifeguard president threatens to cut number of guards
PHUKET: The president of the island’s lifeguard club is threatening to slash the number of guards on Phuket beaches by 20 per cent, despite a 10 per cent increase in government funding. “We have yet to decide whether we will agree to the 22mn baht contract,” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan told the Phuket Gazette. “If we renew the…
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Two red cards in Phuket’s DNF We Freedive Suunto Series
PHUKET: The Dynamic Without Fins (DNF) event at the We Freedive Suunto Series saw two red cards as contestants pushed to cover as much horizontal distance as possible in the Association Internationale pour le Developpement de l’Apnee (AIDA) event. Malaysian champion Azam Hamid, who holds records in several other freediving disciplines, crossed the marker for the Malaysia National record at…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Ukraine accuses ex-president over sniper deaths
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine accuses ex-president over sniper deaths Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukraine’s prime minister on Thursday blamed ousted President Viktor Yanukovich for the deaths of dozens of anti-government protesters shot by police snipers and urged Russia to hand him over to face charges. Arseny Yatseniuk made…
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Phuket Gazette World News: U.S. Army names Fort Hood shooter, says had mental illness
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. Army names Fort Hood shooter, says had mental illness Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The soldier suspected of shooting dead three people before killing himself at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas was identified as Ivan Lopez, a man battling mental illness when he…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: WWII bombs found; Red shirts in Bangkok; PDRC warrants revoked
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Authorities warn of more buried WWII bombs The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Live World War II aerial bombs have been excavated at various construction sites, prompting authorities to warn against any attempts to tinker with strange metal objects. One was found during construction of the…
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Bandit betrays drug business buddy in Phuket
PHUKET: Police arrested an armed drug dealer in Pa Khlok this week after an inmate at Phuket Provincial Prison had his girlfriend spill the beans on the prisoner’s former business associate. Officers arrested Surasak Paewparn, 28, at the Promphan housing estate at about 7pm on Tuesday, said Lt Col Jarun Bangprasert of the Phuket Provincial Police. “Officers staked out the…
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Phuket cigarette vendor to receive new leg
PHUKET: The Prostheses Foundation of HRH The Princess Mother has approved a new prosthetic leg for Wilaiwan “Wan” Damnui, a Phuket cigarette vendor born with a deformed leg and no hands. “I was notified by the Prostheses Foundation of HRH The Princess Mother that Ms Wan would indeed receive a new, free prosthesis,” confirmed Pornsri Suthanaruk, Director of the Regional…
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US embassy consular outreach clinic coming to Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok will hold an Outreach Visit at Le Meridien Hotel in Karon on April 30. Consular staff will be available from 8am to midday to provide the following services: • Passport renewal applications (US$110 or 3,410 baht for adult passports, US$105 or 3,255 baht for a minor’s passport). • Notarial Services…
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Phuket motorcyclist struck and killed picking up his bike after spill
PHUKET: A 19-year-old fell off his motorbike near Phuket International Airport early this morning and was hit by a car and killed while he was trying to right his bike. Rescuers responded to the call just after midnight and found the body of Atthaphon Prasobsaeng on Route 4026, which joins Thepkrasattri Road to the road to the airport. “The accident…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Suharto family tests Indonesia political comeback on strongman’s legacy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suharto family tests Indonesia political comeback on strongman’s legacy Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: It was Indonesia’s most ubiquitous smile. Once dubbed the smiling general despite his iron rule of more than three decades, the image of former President Suharto now waves genially from the election…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Chile assesses damage after massive quake, tsunami
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chile assesses damage after massive quake, tsunami Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Chilean authorities on Wednesday were assessing the damage from a massive earthquake that struck off the northern coast, causing a small tsunami, but the impact was mostly limited, according to early indications. Thousands of…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Search for missing Malaysian jet drags on, as probe narrows to crew
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Search for missing Malaysian jet drags on, as probe narrows to crew Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Malaysian police have ruled out involvement of any passengers in the disappearance of a missing jetliner, while Australian officials warned bad weather and a lack of reliable information were…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: WWII bomb kills seven; Court votes for Yingluck trial; CAPO eyes war rooms for Saturday Bangkok rallies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community WWII bomb kills seven The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: an explosion ripped through a scrapyard in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district yesterday, killing seven victims and injuring 20 others, after workers unknowingly cut open an aerial bomb from World War II. “Such a bomb usually weighs…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Fatal gunman rampage at Fort Hood US Army base
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Shooting at Fort Hood Army base in Texas, injuries reported Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: One person was killed and 14 wounded in a shooting on Wednesday at a U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas, the site of another rampage in 2009, a U.S. official…
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Chalong top cop out after Phuket divers’ extortion charges
PHUKET: Graft charges levied against Chalong Police officers by the dive community have resulted in the transfer of the Superintendent of the Chalong Police Station to Thalang. “I moved Col Krittapas Dazintharasorn out of Chalong partly because of the extortion charges (story here), but also because he has been there a long time and developed close relationships with his men,…
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Phuket top cop confident body found is of missing Russian
PHUKET: Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiewruangnont today said he is “80 per cent sure” that the decomposed body found on Saturday (story here) is that of missing Russian Alexey Slabinskiy. The skull had been separated from the body and was no longer identifiable, and police are seeking to identify the remains with DNA tests and through dental records. “We are…
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Thalang thrash Laguna in Phuket’s JLL League cricket
PHUKET: In the much anticipated JLL League match on March 30, the Thalang Cricket Team defeated Laguna by 90 runs and now have an insurmountable lead in the Jones Lang LaSalle League points championship. Laguna, last year’s champions, haven’t been beaten in a JLL league match in the past two seasons but had no answers to Thalang in this match.…
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Kidnapping of Phuket boy, 4, foiled at bus terminal
PHUKET: Quick action by a Phuket village headman last night stopped a couple about to board a bus to Bangkok with a 4-year-old boy who had been abducted from his home in Koh Kaew. Worried parents of the boy, named by police only as “Nong Ice”, reported their son missing from their home in Koh Kaew Soi 10 at about…
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No charges yet in Krabi boat collision case
PHUKET: Police have yet to charge anyone involved in the speedboat crash that occurred off the coast of Krabi in February, as they have not been able to determine fault, confirmed Sophon Kongthong of the Krabi City Police. Six people were injured, two of whom were hospitalized, after the Chainartnumchork 8 and the The Pimmasa 5 collided near the popular…
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Package tour purchasers beware, says TAT
PHUKET: Fifty tourists recently found themselves abandoned by a resort, without rooms to check in to, after buying low-price tour packages, prompting the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Krabi to issue a warning to tour buyers. “Several tourists booked and paid for Krabi tour packages at a travel fair in Bangkok, and even received booking confirmations. But when they arrived…
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Phuket Gazette World News: NATO suspends cooperation with Russia over Ukraine crisis
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NATO suspends cooperation with Russia over Ukraine crisis Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: NATO suspended all practical cooperation with Russia on Tuesday in protest at its annexation of Crimea and ordered military planners to draft measures to strengthen its defences and reassure nervous eastern European countries.…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Massive 8.0 quake off Chile, tsunami alert for South, Central America
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Massive 8.0 quake off Chile sparks tsunami alert for Pacific coast of South, Central America Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A major earthquake of magnitude 8.0 struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami that hit the northern part of the country and…
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Officers to inspect all Phuket dive shops, instructors as part of police extortion probe
PHUKET: Extortion charges against the Chalong Police have led to a proposed inspection of every dive company and working instructor in Phuket. Groups led by Phuket Employment Office staff will check the work permits of all 190 dive instructors working at the 114 dive companies on the island, Governor Maitri Inthusut said today. The immigration documents of customers will also…
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Governor pushes for black water solution after Karon Beach water runs foul again [video]
PHUKET: The Phuket governor was on-site yesterday when a fresh flow of black water washed into the sea at Karon Beach. Governor Maitri Inthusut happened to be on location to lead an investigation into black water and lines of trash that plagued the beach on Friday (story here). The governor denied that wastewater was the cause of the black water…
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