Phuket News

Phuket drug dealer identified by hair loss, arrested

PHUKET: Police arrested a drug dealer in Rawai on Monday with more than 1,500 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 57 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine).A tip-off from undercover police that a balding man about 170cm tall was selling drugs in Rawai led officers to a house on Wiset Road at about 7pm.“The man who answered the door matched the description, so we asked to search the house,”...

Former Phuket police volunteer jailed for dealing meth

PHUKET: Long-term expat and former Tourist Police Volunteer Garry Halpin was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison for overstaying his visa and dealing a Category 1 Drug to teenagers in southern Phuket.Because Mr Halpin confessed to the charges during his trial, his sentence was halved. The original fine of 500,000 baht is now 250,000 baht, and he will serve four years and 10 months behind bars.Mr...

Royal Phuket Yacht Club to close in wake of takeover

PHUKET: The Royal Phuket Yacht Club, the iconic resort that has drawn tourists to Nai Harn Beach for 28 years, will close its doors on May 31 for a major refit following a takeover by foreign investors.The news was confirmed today by staff at the resort who have received formal notice that employment of all staff will be terminated.“Many employees have informally known for quite a while that the resort...

Superyacht hits bottom off Phuket

PHUKET: Sailors navigating around the south of Phuket are urged to exercise caution after reports surfaced of a 55-meter superyacht hitting an uncharted submerged object in the waters between Rawai Beach and Koh Bon.“[Members of] the local marine community are reminding boaters of the danger, following a number of incidents which have caused near sinkings,” reported Phuket...

Meth-head monks defrocked after Phuket raid

PHUKET: Five monks from Northern Thailand were defrocked in Phuket and volunteered to go to a drug-rehabilitation camp after testing positive for ya bah (methamphetamine) during a Thalang Police raid yesterday.Police were notified of the behavior of the group of monks by residents in Moo 5 of Thepkrasattri Sub-district.“Residents suspected that the men were fake monks because they went out and collected...

Chalong cooks up Phuket favorites at annual food fair

PHUKET: The annual “Chalong Food and Entertainment Festival” kicked off last night opposite Wat Ladthiwanaram (Wat Tai) on Chao Fa East Road.The fair’s opening night boasted a cooking show, dance competition and concerts.“I would like to personally invite everyone to attend the fair,” said Chalong Mayor Samran Jindaphol.After a show from the Elderly Club and a grand opening ceremony, Mayor Samran launched... 

Phuket pawnshop bolstered with B130mn as students head back to school

PHUKET: The state-run Phuket City Municipality pawnshop has been granted a budget of 130 million baht to exchange for goods as poor parents scratch to find the funds to send their children back to school.The budget last year was just 50mn baht, explained Suriya Ngasamun, an assistant at the Phuket City Municipality Pawnshop on...

  

French Embassy pushes Phuket Police to find Frenchman’s killer

PHUKET: Officers from the French Embassy are pushing for justice for Frenchman Fabrice Boigel, who was murdered in his sleep on April 18. Embassy officials met with Phuket’s top police officers yesterday to urge them to apprehend the prime suspect.Myanmar national Shwe Oo was arrested last Saturday and confessed to...

Threatened residents rise against temple donation scammers in Phuket

PHUKET: Thalang Police have warned Phuket residents against scammers asking for donations for temple development projects.The statement follows an incident in which Srisoonthorn residents who asked to see donation collection permits were threatened by the collectors.“Collectors often come to the Srisoonthorn market in the...

Phuket marina canal dredging stirs ire

PHUKET: The 12-million-baht project to deepen the Koh Kaew Canal and the existing approach channel from Phang Nga Bay has come under fire by villagers who claim that the method of dredging is endangering mangroves, marine life and residents’ livelihoods.The project, aimed primarily at facilitating large-boat access to two private marinas – Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina – will dredge the...

Research team collecting Phuket corals mistaken as poachers

PHUKET: A group of six researchers studying the possibility of corals containing the key to curing cancer were mistaken as coral poachers by recreational divers at the popular Phuket dive spot Koh Dok Mai on Monday.“The divers were using tools to remove hard and soft corals and fans from the wall on the east side of Koh Dok Mai,” explained...

Phuket residents warned about sewage dumping

PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut has warned residents and restaurant owners in the Soi Paniang area, north of Phuket Town, that they will be prosecuted if they are caught releasing untreated waste water into the Bang Yai Canal.“If Rassada residents are so concerned about environmental standards, they shouldn’t release untreated waste water into a public waterway,” he told a community meeting on...

Phuket woman impaled by her mattress

PHUKET: Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation responded to an unusual plea for help yesterday afternoon: a woman had been impaled by her mattress.The rescue team arrived at an unnamed apartment building opposite the Bangkok Bank branch on Thepkrasattri Road, south of Satree Phuket School in Phuket Town, at about 5:30pm.“When we arrived, we heard a woman howling in pain from a room on...