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Thalang defense volunteer charged for illegal possession of a firearm
PHUKET: A Thalang defense volunteer was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition after being pulled over at a checkpoint in Phuket. Krit Meesit, 52, wearing military trousers and a black shirt with “Royal Thai Marine Corps” written across it, was stopped at a checkpoint on Nanai Road in Patong at about 2am yesterday. “The man presented us…
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Phuket tourist hits pedestrian on Thepkrasattri Road
PHUKET: A tourist arriving on Phuket from Bangkok in his pick-up truck last night struck an unidentified man who allegedly had stepped out into one of Phuket’s busiest roads. Thalang Police received a report at 11:45pm that a man had been hit in the southbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road about 150 meters north of the Heroines’ Monument (map here). At…
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Phuket Finance: Currency crisis warning signs
PHUKET: THE strength of the Thai Baht is a major topic of conversation these days, especially since so many Phuket residents are living on a fixed income, denominated and paid in a foreign currency from abroad. We have all been feeling the same pain as the combination of the strong baht and domestic inflation has led to our hard-earned money…
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Phuket taxi driver to face abduction, drug charges
PHUKET: The Phuket taxi driver accused of holding a 19-year-old Chinese tourist captive for hours and threatening her with sexually intimidating gestures on Friday will face deprivation of liberty and drug charges. Phuket City Police today named the driver as Paitoon Kruain, 32, from Sakoo, a small village on Phuket’s west coast near Phuket International Airport. Mr Paitoon was interrogated…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Rising costs new threat; PM mum on Cabinet; Teacher cheats to be sacked; Four arrested over Asia Hotel blast
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rising costs greatest threat to govt The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The increasing cost of living was cited as the major factor threatening to weaken public support for the Yingluck government in a poll by Assumption University.Higher cost of living was cited as the most likely cause…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Myanmar human rights on US visit agenda; NKorea rocks more missiles, Iran hangs spies; France drones on; China tackles elderly
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama walks a fine line with Myanmar president’s landmark visit Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: President Barack Obama will walk a fine line between fostering a U.S. ally in China’s backyard and trying to defend human rights when the president of Myanmar becomes the first head of his…
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Phuket taxi driver arrested over Chinese tourist sex assault complaint
PHUKET: A Phuket taxi driver is being held by Phuket City Police today following a 19-year-old Chinese tourist alleging the driver held her captive for hours and tried to sexually assault her. “Both the taxi driver and Chinese tourist have been brought in for questioning,” Detective Nucharee Longkaew, the Phuket City Police specialist officer for interviewing victims of sex crimes,…
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Australian gunmen walk free after short Phuket Prison stint
PHUKET: Two Australian tattoo parlor owners are now out of prison after mistakenly shooting two German tourists while trying to gun down alleged Danish mafioso Dennis Mark Knudsen on January 22. John Cohen, 32, and Adam Shea, 26, were released on April 11 after having served about 40 days of prison time. “They were sentenced to a six-month, 15-day suspended…
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Phuket Opinion: For the Love of Bob
PHUKET: Many years ago, backpacking through Malaysia, I found myself at a hostel one night swapping stories and listening to a fellow traveller playing guitar and singing.When the dreadlocked musician asked if any of us had any requests I jumped in with “play some Bob Marley” assuming that he would have at least a dozen Marley songs in his repertoire.His…
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Phuket Opinion: Meth-ods for drug abuse prevention
PHUKET: Dr Ruangsit Netnuanyai, the psychiatric social worker who runs the drug treatment center at Vachira Phuket Hospital, is absolutely right that more needs to be done to prevent youths from falling into the potentially fatal trap of drug abuse (story here). As he notes, this effort should start with the most commonly abused substance among young Thais: methamphetamine, known…
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Phuket resorts caught in illegal construction blitz
PHUKET: A team of Ministry of Interior officials landed in Phuket yesterday to raid four sites in and around Patong, all of which are now under investigation for illegal construction.Leading the raids was Lt Gen Jutti Thammanovanich from the Office of the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, ranking him among the top police commanders in the country.Joining him were…
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Phuket Opinion: Looking for privacy for Phuket’s addicts
Psychiatric Social Worker Dr Ruangsit Netnuanyai, 36, is a Phuket native who has been working at Vachira Phuket Hospital for 13 years. He is the head of the drug-treatment program at Vachira and also does research on drug treatment for young addicts. Here, he talks about drug addiction in Phuket and calls for a new drug-treatment center and drug education…
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Phuket Sports: EPL’s last day as Wigan take FA Cup and last relegation spot
PHUKET: Wigan Athletic became the first team to be relegated from England’s top flight in the same season as winning the FA Cup after they lost 4-1 at Arsenal, with Lukas Podolski scoring twice, in the English Premier League on Tuesday. The victory keeps Arsenal in pole position to claim fourth spot and a place in next year’s Champions League.…
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Phuket hospital offers free checkups in honor of HM Queen Sirikit
PHUKET: Phuket residents are invited to sign up for free medical checkups at the Phuket Provincial Hospital on May 31 in honor of HM Queen Sirikit’s 81st birthday later this year. The first 1,253 Phuket-registered residents to contact the Provincial Hospital (map here) before May 29 can take advantage of one of a number of checkups available. The hospital will…
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Phuket Sports: Boots, boredom and bluster – F1
PHUKET: What a boring race! The second drag reduction system (DRS) did not enliven Catalunya. Pirelli caved-in to pressure and supplied 2012-style hard tyres. They degraded anyway. Pirelli’s intention is to create two and three stop strategy options for each race; four stops is too many. The race became a shambles that even drivers could not follow. Pirelli has said…
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Education Ministry launches nationwide drug-free schools campaign in Phuket
PHUKET: Three schools in Phuket yesterday became the launch focus of a new Ministry of Education campaign to rid schools nationwide of drugs.Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanit, joined by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and 850 other participants, including education officials from throughout the Andaman provinces, announced the “White School” anti-drugs campaign at Satree Phuket School in Phuket Town.Mr Sermsak explained…
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Phuket Gazette World News: US chides Russia; US train crash; Crucial evidence withheld from ex-Russian spy’s inquest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. chides Russia over missiles as peace plans suffer Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The United States chided Russia for sending missiles to the Syrian government as plans for a peace conference promoted by Washington and Moscow were hit by diplomatic rifts over its scope and purpose.Sectarian bloodshed…
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Phuket plants 24k mangrove seedlings to honor HM Queen Sirikit
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut this morning led more than 1,200 people in a mass planting of mangrove trees to honor HM Queen Sirikit’s 80th birthday.A total of 24,000 seedlings were planted over about 47 rai of land in the Klong Mudong area of Chalong.“Among the specimens planted were Rhizophora apiculata, Ceriops tagal and white bean,” explained Kasem Sukwaree, chief…
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Officials stage rapid-response drill to bird flu outbreak
PHUKET: Officials in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, yesterday staged a rapid-response exercise simulating an outbreak of bird flu.“Phang Nga is a well-known tourist destination. A lot of tourists come from China, where a new strain of bird flu is spreading,” said Kuraburi District Chief Manit Pianthong.“About 35 Chinese have died in roughly six weeks from this new strain,” he…
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Phuket FC need to tame the Wild Horses
PHUKET: The Islanders will face newly promoted Rayong FC at Surakul Stadium tomorrow and will look to return to winning ways. Phuket’s push for promotion has stalled recently due to the club failing to win any of their last three games, which included two draws and a loss. Phuket currently sit sixth in the league, five points behind top of…
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Monsoon weather brings trash to Phuket shore
PHUKET: Broken glass, plastic and wood with protruding nails washing ashore on Patong Beach have alarmed Phuket tourists, but local authorities say they our powerless to prevent the dangerous flotsam.Though officers from Patong Municipality’s Public Health Office collect trash strewn along the beach every morning, they are finding it difficult to keep the sand clear of debris.“It’s the same problem…
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Marine officials urge Phuket boat owners to be vigilant
PHUKET: In the wake of recent break-ins and thefts on yachts anchored around Phuket, the marine authorities are urging boat owners to ensure their boats are secure. “In order to protect yacht property from being stolen, I suggest yacht owners have round-the-clock security on their boats. They should protect their boats as they protect their houses,” said Lt Col Chatchai…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Marriage could end conflict; True, CTH battle for TV top spot; Haircut changes raise eyebrows
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Will this marriage end conflicts? The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Chayapa Wongsawat and Lynal Nam, an official attached to the Office of the Cambodian Cabinet, will be tying the knot at Plaza Athenee in Bangkok tomorrow.Lynal is the son of Uan Wanlee and tycoon Seang Nam, who…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Texas tornado kills six; Nepal passenger plane crash – all survive; Mayan pyramid bulldozed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Monster Texas tornado kills six, seven people missing Reuters/ Phuket GazettePHUKET: Six people were dead and seven missing after a powerful tornado ripped through a neighbourhood that included housing for the poor in the north Texas town of Granbury, marking the deadliest severe storm outbreak in the…
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Phuket high-speed pursuit ends in fight, heroin bust
PHUKET: Two policemen on motorbikes chased two men believed to be carrying drugs through the early morning streets of Thalang today, fought with the pair and eventually arrested one of them – a vegetable seller – with almost 50 grams of heroin.Alerted by a tip-off that Wig Nillawan, 52, and another man would be picking up drugs delivered on the…
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Phuket ice factory blazes hot
PHUKET: A storage facility at the Thung Thong Ice Factory on Phuket’s busy Chao Fa West Road burst into flames this afternoon. The one-storey wooden building, north of the Software Park Phuket (map here), housed two ice storage freezers and one orange ice tank. Thung Thong Ice Factory Distribution Director Punnatorn Suphonthawee estimated the fire caused about 30,000 baht in…
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Aspiring marathoner opens new chapter for Laguna Phuket fundraising
PHUKET: Athletes booking their slots in Laguna Phuket’s 2013 marathon and triathlon series are being asked to raise funds through donations and sponsorships for the resort’s long established Laguna Phuket Foundation. The foundation aims to collecting one million baht per year to operate its various charitable programs. A partnership with Ban Yaan Sabaa School in Phang Nga province, the latest…
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Resorts north of Phuket lose beachfront to raging sea
PHUKET: Waves two meters high have caused damage along 13 kilometers of beachfront at Bang Niang Beach in Phang Nga.The coastal erosion has forced at least one hotel owner to set up sandbags to protect against the sea and prompted the local mayor to call for help from the Phang Nga Governor.“Hotels in the area were damaged and a wall…
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Bangkok officers in Phuket to stamp out public butts
PHUKET: Flagrant disregard for non-smoking laws in Phuket has prompted officers from the Bureau of Tobacco Control in Bangkok to plaster Phuket International Airport, Phuket Bus Terminal 2 and a variety of private businesses across the island with no-smoking stickers.“Most public areas are smoke-free areas by law, yet we still have found many tourists and local business operators disobeying the…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Cyclone Mahasen crosses Bangladesh coast, two dead; one million evacuated
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Cyclone Mahasen crosses Bangladesh coast, two dead; one million evacuated Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Cyclone Mahasen started crossing Bangladesh’s low-lying coast earlier today, bearing down on the ports of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar, as tens of thousands of people huddled in shelters from a storm which the…
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