PHUKET: Despite heavy rains flooding parts of Ao Nang and Krabi Town yesterday, officers at the Southern Meteorological Center (MET) in Phuket say today that there is no need to fear floods or landslides in Phuket just yet. Deluges in Krabi, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, damaged an estimated 20 houses and caused minor flooding up to 60 centimeters deep. The worst affected area was on the main road between Krabi Town and the fossil seashell museum in Ao Nang.
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Embassy of Kuala Lumpur, a popular visa run destination for Phuket expats, has confirmed that it is no longer issuing 12-month non-immigrant B visas. Embassy official Orawan Heemmamhad confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that the embassy in the Malaysian capital stopped issuing 12-month business visas late last year
PHUKET: Phuket’s top brass highlighted the importance of CCTV in police investigations and the need for more cameras on the island at a meeting to discuss unsolved high-profile crimes with the Deputy Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8 this week. “The Phuket Provincial Police only have about 300 CCTV on the island, which is not enough to cover everywhere,” said Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising has pledged to spend 60 million baht on flood-defense projects across the island. The news comes as the annual monsoon winds from the northeast swing around to start bringing rain from the southwest. “We will support all projects from every local administration,” said Mr Paiboon.
PHUKET: This week’s column marks the end of my eleventh year as a Phuket Gazette columnist and, as of the end of this month, I’m retiring in Thailand – something I probably should’ve done years ago. Just too many irons in the fire, and my family has had to put up with a lot
PHUKET: Looking exhausted, Lee Aldhouse cut a lonely figure in his faded prison-issue overalls, surrounded by about 20 Thai inmates. He waited for the signal from the prison guard controlling the communication between visitors and inmates – a telephone – before picking up his receiver
PHUKET: More than 200 Thai tour guides massed at Provincial Hall today to file a complaint to the Phuket Governor against Chinese nationals working illegally as local tour guides.
PHUKET: The two men* who were arrested for the armed robbery of the well-known Davinci catamaran last night attempted to escape from a police vehicle while being transported to court today, the Chalong Police confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “The suspects broke the cage door at the rear of the vehicle while it was stopped at a traffic light on Montri Road,” Chalong Deputy Superintendent Jamroon Plaiduang said. „However, police were able to catch them,” he added.
PHUKET: Thalang and Phuket City Police have arrested a bag snatcher who reportedly committed 20 snatch thefts within two weeks, and three yesterday in the hours before his arrest. “We arrested Boonserm Chaluaysri, 22, yesterday after we received a report from Phuket City Police of a bag snatch in Rassada in the morning,” Thalang Police case investigator Chatree Chuwichian told the Phuket Gazette. “Phuket City Police were in pursuit of the thief and called for assistance as the thief had entered our jurisdiction,” he added.
PHUKET: Hotels and businesses located along the canal that empties onto Bang Tao Beach will be inspected and forced to conform to wastewater-treatment standards, Government Spokesman Prompong Nopparit has announced. The news follows the public exposure of dirty water in the canal that has caused a rash of health problems for tourists and local boatmen in the area, some of whom have even been hospitalized for blood infections (story