Month: August 2001
- Phuket News
Police appeal for donations
PATONG: Pol Col Chalit Thintanee, superintendent of Kathu Police, today appealed for donations from the public to modernize Kamala Police Station. “The building is 50 years old and has never been renovated. There is only one computer, which is old and slow,” Col Chalit said. He explained that 400,000 baht is needed for the modernization, which includes the construction of…
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Airport passenger throughput still rising
PHUKET: While islanders enjoy the relative peace of the low season, figures just released by airport officials show that the number of passengers arriving or departing through Phuket International Airport is still rising. The statistics show that passenger throughput last month rose by 5.15% to 281,205, compared with 267,436 during July last year. The number of international passengers rose by…
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Pamuke elected Chamber leader, again
PHUKET: Pamuke Achariyachai yesterday resigned as Chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, but within minutes was re-elected to the post. K. Pamuke was originally elected Chairman on July 24 by a rump committee of just nine members, after the other 12 on the 21-man committee were found to be ineligible to serve because of membership irregularities. Of the nine…
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Aussie Navy trounces Vagabonds 36-10
KOH KEAW: After a tight game in the first half, the team from the visiting Australian Navy ship HMAS Newcastle took charge to score a convincing 36-10 victory over the Phuket Vagabonds at Dulwich International College field on Monday. The Vagabonds were the first on the scoreboard with an unconverted try in the 10th minute of the game. Their lead…
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Unidentified foreigner drowns at Patong
PATONG: Police have appealed for help in identifying a Caucasian man who drowned yesterday off Patong beach near the Phuket Cabana Resort. Pol Lt Col Sanguan Muangtham of Kathu Police station told the Gazette that he received the initial report about the drowning at 3:10 pm yesterday. Beach guard Jaroon Tohtat had attempted to help the man, Col Sanguan said,…
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Seized yachts fail to sell at auction
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Customs Region 5 office is holding on to the motor yacht “Old Crow” and the sailing yacht “Bin Cha Cha”, after failing to sell either of them at its auction today. At the Customs office on Phuket Rd, only two would-be buyers submitted bids for “Old Crow”, while no bids were made for “Bin Cha Cha”.…
Read More » - Koh Samui News
Tourists assaulted, raped on Koh Samui
BANGKOK (AFP): Two female tourists from Britain and Ireland were sexually assaulted on the island resort of Koh Samui, police said yesterday. Deputy Police Chief Sant Sarutanond said a search had been mounted for two Thai men suspected of raping the British national and sexually abusing the Irish tourist over the weekend. Sant said he had asked local police to…
Read More » - Koh Samui News
Tourists raped, assaulted on Koh Samui
BANGKOK (AFP): Two female tourists from Britain and Ireland were sexually assaulted on the island resort of Koh Samui, police said yesterday. Deputy Police Chief Sant Sarutanond said a search had been mounted for two Thai men suspected of raping the British national and sexually abusing the Irish tourist over the weekend. Sant said he had asked local police to…
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Gov Pongpayome to be Phuket’s first CEO
PHUKET: The office of Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi was today flooded with bouquets from well-wishers congratulating the Governor on being appointed Phuket’s first Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Gov Pongpayome told the Gazette, “I’m glad the government trusts me and I appreciate having the chance to stay in Phuket, because there are still a lot of problems that I intend to…
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Missing in action
PATONG: A sailor from the visiting Australian frigate HMAS Newcastle, feared to have drowned early yesterday in the surf off Patong, apparently had a miracle escape – he resurfaced later in the day, 15 kilometers inland, at a soccer match at Surakul Stadium. A full-scale search for the sailor, named by police as “James”, was sparked after his companion for…
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Missing boat passenger found drowned
LAEM PROMTHEP: Lifeguards from Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club yesterday found the body of missing 19-year-old Narthanong Kaewkanha floating off Koh Man, 300 meters from Laem Phromthep. K. Narthanong, a cleaner at Karon Municipality, went missing on Sunday evening after rough seas and strong winds sank the boat she was riding in. The body of the boat’s owner, Somsak…
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Sunset trip ends in tragedy
LAEM PROMTHEP: A man drowned and a young woman is still missing after a fishing boat sank 800 meters off Laem Phromthep around 7 pm yesterday. The body of the boat’s owner, Somsak Nakaew, 30, was discovered about 11 am today at Yanui beach. Narthanong Kaewkanha, 19, remains missing. She is believed to have drowned. Pol Lt Col Narong Nerdbuth,…
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Residents object to promotion of sex surgery
PHUKET (AFP): Residents of Phuket have reportedly objected to plans to promote bargain-priced sex-change surgery as a means of attracting more tourists to the island. The campaign risked harming the reputation of the southern resort, known for its white-sand beaches, reefs, nightlife and restaurants, they told the Thai-language daily ‘Khao Sod’. “I disagree with the idea of promoting tourism by…
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Bar crackdown dismays party-loving Bangkok
BANGKOK (AFP): A government crackdown on pub closing hours in Bangkok, which has dismayed tourists and infuriated nightspot owners, drew warnings today that the campaign could also do major damage to the economy. In recent weeks, squads of police have descended on popular bar districts to enforce antiquated laws which stipulate that last drinks must be ordered at midnight and…
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Prison appeals for donations
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Provincial Prison plans to set up a closed-circuit TV system between the prison and the Phuket Provincial Court Office – if the public will help to come up with the 120,000-baht estimated cost of the project. Phairoj Phankaew, Governor of the prison, told the Gazette that jails in other provinces such as Surat Thani, Chiang Mai already…
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Three arrested for bar owner’s murder
PHUKET TOWN: Thanks to a combination of sheer good luck and one officer’s good memory, police have arrested Taweewut Saeton, 31, and two minors aged 15 and 16 in connection with the rape and murder on Saturday of Pranorm Anuan, 24, the owner of the Shark Otto Bar in Soi Eric, Patong. Taweewut and one of the minors are from…
Read More » - Thailand News
Naughty cameras target women in Bangkok
BANGKOK (AFP): Police said today that they are investigating reports that hidden cameras have been placed in department store changing rooms to spy on women as they try on clothing and underwear. The Metropolitan Police have sent undercover women officers into the city’s stores to check for any suspicious equipment in the fitting rooms, said Pol Lt Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen.…
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Man with world’s longest hair dies
CHIANG MAI: A Thai hilltribesman who held the record for having the world’s longest hair has died of a stroke, leaving his elder brother to claim the title, police and local reports said Wednesday. Hmong tribesman Hoo Sateow, 77, whose lengthy locks were measured by Guinness World Records in 1997 at 5.15 meters, died in his village outside Chiang Mai…
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Chamber meeting fails to resolve chaos
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce held an extraordinary meeting yesterday at The Metropole hotel to resolve its membership problems, but the tense evening ended only in further disagreement. Only 59 of the 220 members attended, barely a quorum under the Chamber’s constitution. The new chairman, Pamuke Achariyachai, announced that all memberships that had previously been voided because of…
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Hotels cough up 30% of rooms tax
PHUKET: Dr Prasit Koysiripong, president of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), told the Gazette yesterday that Phuket hotels are finally coming forward to pay the much-disputed hotel tax. “Hotels have been coming to the OrBorJor to pay the tax,” he said, adding that at least 10 hotels had come forward since last month and paid their dues, boosting the…
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One small step for a tunnel
PATONG: The planned Kathu-Patong tunnel has taken a small step closer to reality with the publication of an “inception report”, the first report on progress in the 3-million-baht pre-feasibility study for the project. The inception report was prepared jointly by Skanska Teknik Co Ltd of Sweden and Bangkok-based Water Development Consultants Co Ltd. The pre-feasibility study, which is scheduled for…
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Two seized yachts to be auctioned
PHUKET TOWN: Two boats, a classic Hatteras motor yacht and a small sailing yacht, are to be auctioned on August 29 at the Phuket Customs Region 5 offices on Phuket Rd. The boats were seized after their owners, both foreigners, failed to pay Thailand’s crushing 209% boat import taxes. The motor yacht, the ‘Old Crow’, which belonged to a Swiss…
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Thai police, FBI arrest “most-wanted” paedophile
BANGKOK (AFP): An American paedophile rated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as one of its 10 “most wanted” fugitives was arrested this morning in the Thai capital. Thai police working with FBI officers collared 48-year-old pianist Eric Franklin Rosser, who is charged with producing and possessing child pornography and exporting it to the United States. After his…
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Patong bar owner raped and murdered
PHUKET TOWN: The body of Pranorm Anuan, owner of the Shark Otto Bar in Soi Eric, Patong, was found in an old tin mine north of the Tesco-Lotus Supercenter early on Saturday morning. A villager who was jogging in the area found the body and notified the police around 6:20 am. When found, 24-year-old Pranorm was wearing black boots and…
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Thailand teeters toward recession
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand could slide into technical recession if second-quarter growth results due next month fall into negative territory, dashing hopes for a recovery from the 1997 financial crisis, analysts say. Over the three months to March, Thailand’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.2 percent when compared to the previous quarter, although on a year-on-year basis it recorded a…
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B500m tourist center planned for Rawai
PHUKET: A Bangkok-based businessman plans to begin work next year on the construction of a 500-million-baht tourist complex that will provide visitors with “everything they need to know” about the island’s history, culture and environment. Ramese Kanjanapokin, Executive Vice President of architectural consultancy Design 103 International Ltd, told the Gazette that the planned complex will cover 10 rai behind the…
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Ex-mayor to remain in custody
PHUKET TOWN: The former mayor of Patong, Dr Anan Ananthanawat, was today remanded in custody in the Phuket Provincial Prison for a further 12 days while police continue their investigations into charges against him. Dr Anan is accused of hiring hit men to kill former Pol Sub-Lt Weerapol Panrod on Luang Phor Wat Chalong Rd, Phuket Town, in December 1998.…
Read More » - Thailand News
Minitry in pubic gaffe
BANGKOK: The Ministry of Public Health issued impressive banners to be hung in hospitals around the country earlier this month. Their purpose was to promote the new 30-baht medical scheme. A few days after the banners were flying, the ministry recalled them – urgently. To make spelling mistakes in government is embarrassing enough, but this particular gaffe caused a serious…
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Andaman ordeal ends on Karon beach
KARON: Four Indonesian fishermen and their boat ended up on Karon beach yesterday after a three-week ordeal at sea, drifting with a broken engine. Pol Maj Sana Pandee of Chalong Police Station told the Gazette today, “I was informed by the Navy that a foreign vessel was sitting on Karon beach.” When he arrived at the beach, he said, he…
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Police close in on Frenchman’s killer
KOH SAMUI: Police in Koh Samui told the Gazette today that they are on the verge of arresting the person they believe murdered a Frenchman who worked for one of the island’s top hotels. Fabrice Rabete, 28, the head of the diving division of Le Royal Meridien Baan Taling Ngam, was shot in the head in the hotel’s parking lot…
Read More » - Thailand News
Teamwork key when they took the bus
NAKHON NAYOK: On the evening of July 15, a local florist called the police to report that her bus had been stolen. She told them that she was just about to get into bed when she heard the engine start up. By the time she got outside, the bus was already moving away. She ran after it for some time,…
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Governor threatens to curse rubbish bin thieves
BANGKOK: Bangkok’s no-nonsense Governor Samak Sundaravej has threatened to put a curse on the city’s rubbish bins to halt a rash of thefts. Samak said yesterday that he was forced to resort to black magic to protect the roadside bins after ordinary measures, such as warnings of legal action, failed to make any impact. “A curse, saying that if a…
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Phuket woman wins top “Mum” award
CHERNG TALAY: Phuket native Ladda Pongjarean, 51, the housekeeping supervisor at The Chedi resort, has been awarded this year’s Best Mother award for enduring difficult circumstances. The award is one of 15 Best Mother awards handed out on Mother’s Day (August 12) in Bangkok by HRH Princess Soamsavali. The annual awards have various categories and are given to mothers who…
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Upbeat ending to narcotics conference
CAPE PANWA: The 5th Thailand-Burma Drug Law Enforcement Cooperation Meeting has ended on an upbeat note, participants said today. In a press conference held at noon at the Cape Panwa Hotel, officials from Thailand and Burma announced that it was decided at the one-and-a-half-day meeting to set up three “Border Drug Trafficking Control Centers” on the Thai-Burmese border. These will…
Read More » - Phuket News
Pedophile Darling released and deported
SCOTLAND: James Fraser Darling, arrested in Phuket five years ago on pedophilia charges, is back in Scotland after being given an early release and being expelled from Thailand, according to the Scottish newspaper, the Daily Record. Darling, 51, was convicted of sexually abusing nine sea gypsy boys aged between eight and 15, and was sentenced to 33 years in jail.…
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Journalists slam government over press freedom
BANGKOK (AFP): Thai journalists and academics have attacked the government over what they say is an unprecedented attempt to control the press and curtail media freedom, a report said today. At a meeting organised by the Thai Journalists Association, participants accused Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s administration of using its business links and strong mandate to intimidate the media. “Unlike in…
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HRH Princess Chulabhorn here tomorrow
PHUKET: HRH Princess Chulabhorn Valayalaksana will arrive in Phuket tomorrow (August 16) for a three-day visit, which will include a performance in a concert of traditional Chinese music and dance at the Royal Phuket City hotel in Phuket Town. Her Royal Highness will arrive from Chiangmai at 11:30 tomorrow morning, going first to the Dusit Laguna Resort Hotel and then,…
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