Phuket’s Biggest Stories From the Past Week: Speedboat Crash and More

By
Goongnang Suksawat
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Hello, Phuket Express Readers and Supporters!

The following is our weekly feature in which we highlight the top local stories in our area of Phuket from the past week. The number of stories differs from week to week.

These are chosen and curated by our editorial team and are designed for our readers to get a quick “catch-up” of important stories they may have missed. We publish many stories daily and it is easy to lose track of important events or changes in our area. We do national recaps in a separate article, this is only the top local stories in Phuket and nearby provinces.

They are in no particular order of importance but roughly in order of publishing. These are from Monday, January 1st to Sunday January 7th, 2024.

  1. A five-year-old Russian girl was pronounced dead and a boat captain fell unconscious and was injured after a Phuket boat crash. Additionally, six foreign tourists and a boat crew member sustained various injuries after their speedboat in the same accident crashed with rocks near the Maithon Island in Chalong.

Amphetamine was found in the blood stream of a boat captain after a speedboat crashed into rocks near the Maithon Island in Chalong, killing a five-year-old Russian girl on holiday.

Five boat drivers tested positive for illegal drugs recently at a pier in Thalang after a random check.

Boat crashes and sinkings have been a major issue recently in Thailand.

2. A man died from a gunshot wound in front of a hotel in Karon on New Year’s Day. A suspect was immediately arrested.

This was the first confirmed murder of the New Year in Phuket.

3. A British man was arrested with a gun and bullets in Wichit after an argument with a man he called a “friend” in a Tuk Tuk taxi in Kamala.

His Instagram posts appeared to show off his luxury lifestyle with a personal airplane travelling to many countries. His current visa is a three month tourist visa. However, officers are investigating what he was doing in Phuket and why he has to carry a gun if he is just a tourist.

4. Phuket has announced in total 2 deaths with 40 injuries and 41 accidents in seven days (December 29th, 2023 – January 4th, 2024) of the New Year Seven Day Road Safety campaign.

A 33-year-old male driver died after his pickup truck collided with another pickup truck and a sedan in Thalang, the first death reported in Phuket’s New Year’s Seven Day Road Safety Campaign.

A Thai rider died and a foreign rider was injured after a big bike collided with a smaller motorbike in Kathu.

The next big accident safety campaign will be during Songkran in April.

5. A Russian man was arrested at Phuket International Airport after he allegedly took away a minor under 18 years of age from their parents.

He is being accused of taking away a minor aged more than 15-years-old but not more than 18-years-old from their parents or guardian even if consent was given.

That’s it for this week, Happy New Year !

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Goongnang Suksawat
Goongnang Suksawat
Goong Nang is a News Translator who has worked professionally for multiple news organizations in Thailand for many years and has worked with The Pattaya News for more than four years. Specializes primarily in local news for Phuket, Pattaya, and also some national news, with emphasis on translation between Thai to English and working as an intermediary between reporters and English-speaking writers. Originally from Nakhon Si Thammarat, but lives in Phuket and Krabi except when commuting between the three.