Phuket Gazette � Queernews

Goose torched near Phuket pizza joint

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:6:0 GMT

PHUKET: Diners at the popular P Pizza House restaurant in the Samkong area of Phuket Town got a fright recently when a man in an adjacent lot fired up a blowtorch and began searing the flesh of what appeared to be a strange new creature with enormous front claws.

Closer inspection revealed that the animal was in fact a goose the man had caught and killed, then suspended upside down with wire.

The surprised diners had initially confused its rump and anus for a one-eyed head and its thin neck for a tail. ... Full story

Lucky numbers take root

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:48:0 GMT

An obscenely shaped tree at a police station in the northern province of Phayao has reportedly predicted the winning lottery numbers.

The talented tamarind tree is in the yard of Phayao Muang Police Station. The tree has an approximately two-foot-long gash in its trunk with a fist-sized sparkling lump at one end. ... Full story

Poisonous potions land Russian tour boss in jail

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:38:0 GMT

A RUSSIAN tour company boss is behind bars for allegedly selling bottles of liquor containing the pickled remains of poisonous animals including king cobras, centipedes and scorpions.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the concoctions themselves turned out be poisonous.

Pattaya Police arrested Andrey Akulov, 40, on July 31 after receiving reports that one man died and others suffered strong allergic reactions from drinking his bizarre tinctures. ... Full story

Singaporean Ho fails quest for �lucky nuts�

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:16:0 GMT

NAKHON PATHOM: Singaporean businessman Ho Kee Wong, 52, made the journey to Wat Sawang Arom in Nakhon Pathom in central Thailand hoping to rent a lucky peanut with five nuts inside the same pod � but was turned away empty-handed.

Ho was hoping to emulate fellow Singaporean construction material trader Lee Yern Wai, 55, who struck it rich after acquiring one of the temple�s lucky �five-in-one� nuts.

Mr Ho said the remarkable story of Mr Lee was well known in Singapore. ... Full story

Don't coax crocs, Thai tourists told

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:44:0 GMT

NAKHON RACHASIMA: Authorities at Khao Yai National Park have given a stern warning to tourists, ordering them to stop taunting the park�s pair of two-meter-long crocodiles.

The warning came after officials spotted visitors tempting the beasts with their feet.

The reptiles first hit the headlines last year when they were seen swimming around a waterhole in the park, which is not a natural habitat for crocs. ... Full story

Chiang Mai cops see red

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:26:0 GMT

CHIANG MAI: Police responding to reports of a gathering of hundreds of armed red-shirt demonstrators on June 12 were relieved when the group turned out to be South Korean soccer fans cheering on their team.

Residents told police that a group of around 300 people, many wearing red, had gathered in Manna Rim Mae Ping restaurant on the banks of the Ping River. The group were reportedly chanting loudly and many were brandishing red batons. ... Full story

Catcalls for cloudbursts

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:30:0 GMT

PHICHIT: After suffering from the worst drought in a decade, some 200 villagers in tambon Don Seua Leuang resurrected an old local tradition in which female cats are paraded around the village and doused with water in the hopes that their screams will induce the rain gods to release their bounty.

The ritual took place at 2pm on June 5 in the small rice-farming area of this tambon, located in Pho Prathap Chang District.

Nang Boontham, 53, said there wasn�t enough water to plant her 50-rai paddy and that she feared the annual flooding of the low-lying area would be worse this year if villagers didn�t get their paddy production underway soon. ... Full story

An inconvenient curfew

Fri, 4 Jun 2010 15:33:0 GMT

UBON RATCHATHANI: Two young drunks arrested for allegedly smashing up a 7-Eleven convenience store told police the attack was motivated by hunger.

Suspects Kasemsan Saiwong, 19, and Sorayut Saithong, 20, said they launched the attack in anger at the store closing early because of the curfew in place in Ubon and other provinces.

Police received a report in the early hours of May 23 that the glass front of a 7-Eleven branch in Muang District had been smashed. ... Full story

Costly clip job

Mon, 10 May 2010 10:21:0 GMT

SAMUT PRAKAN: A woman in Samut Prakan is suing a beauty salon for 100,000 baht in damages over a haircut.

On April 24, Naphasason Angkuramaethisak, 49, went to the salon to have her long hair cut into a more fashionable short style she saw in a magazine.

When 29-year-old Narathip Thaiphat finished the cut, Ms Naphasason was shocked at how short her hair had been cropped. ... Full story

Fake gun, real crime in Phuket

Sat, 1 May 2010 11:51:0 GMT

PHUKET: Two young men carried out at least 10 muggings using a gun-shaped cigarette lighter before their arrest in Phuket on the morning of April 25, according to Phuket Police.

Chaiyut �Daeng� Sangthong and Umpon �Bao� Meelert, both 21, were picked up by Phuket City Police officers after allegedly robbing a couple the night before.

The suspects allegedly attacked Chitpon Sinchai and Orn-anong Jakkrapan Na Ayuthaya at the entrance to Soi Phanieng in Rassada around 3:30am on Sunday. ... Full story

Police babysat booze over Songkran

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:47:0 GMT

THAILAND: In a bid to cut the number of accidents during this year�s Songkran Festival, Thailand�s highway cops launched an innovative scheme: �Entrust Your Liquor With The Police�.

Drinkers who couldn�t trust themselves to stay off the wheel were invited to leave their booze collections at any of 227 Highway Police offices around the country.

The service was free, with the boys in brown promising to return all bottles untouched. ... Full story

Trial by ordeal shocks parents

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 15:55:0 GMT

BURIRAM: Parents are up in arms after teachers at a government school tried to use black magic to find out which of their pupils stole money from a staff member on March 2.

Children complained they were made to swear they didn�t take the cash, then drink �magic water� from a bottle containing various kinds of garbage.

Saithong Khareram, a local village chief, said parents claimed three teachers at Ban Nong Trat School used unacceptable means to find the child who had stolen 800 baht from one of them. ... Full story

Peeping Tom�s tricks exposed

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:30:0 GMT

UDON THANI: Police are questioning the owner of a woman�s dormitory after residents found CCTV cameras hidden in their bedrooms and bathrooms.

The cameras were first spotted by 24-year-old Phornphat Kimsee as she was taking a shower in the early hours of February 28.

Miss Phornphat, who manages a branch of fast food chain Chester�s Grill, said she looked up and noticed a small round hole next to the light bulb. ... Full story

Souped up spirit house

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 10:39:0 GMT

RAYONG: A police officer worried about keeping up with today�s criminals gave his guardian spirit a boost by donating a high-powered motorbike to his spirit house.

Sen Sgt Maj Adisak Buphachat, who serves at Rayong Provincial Police Headquarters, spent more than 50,000 baht on a 400cc Honda CBR 400 sports bike to offer the spirit house at his home. He spray-painted the bike black and mounted it next to the shrine. ... Full story

Diligent dog keeps cascade clean

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 16:56:0 GMT

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Rain or shine, Kalong the dog unflaggingly continues her mission to guard the cleanness of Wang Nen Waterfall in Nakhon Ratchasima's Sung Noen district.

The drought, seasonal heat and stress from heated political turmoil have sent Nakhon Ratchasima residents to seek refuge in natural attractions like the Wang Nen cascade.

There they have a chance to admire this diligent six-year-old dog at its self-assigned work, grabbing floating garbage from around the waterfall and dragging it ashore where it can be properly disposed of. ... Full story