Phuket’s Biggest Stories From the Past Week: Russian Man Arrested with Protected Coral, and More

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, June 10th to Sunday June 16th, 2024.

  1. An American man has gone missing after he went swimming in a sea with family at a beach in Rawai.

The Thai wife and the child have been rescued while the American father, 49, was still missing until….

The American man who went missing after he went swimming in the sea with his family at a beach in Rawai on Sunday was found dead on Monday.

His wife later sadly confirmed that the body found was her late husband.

2. An illegal Thai taxi rider was arrested in Phuket after online concerned citizens incorrectly believed he was an Indian. He was indeed a Thai national, however, did not have the proper documentation to be a legal taxi driver, said police.

He is facing the charge of operating a personal motorbike as an illegal taxi (black plate). Mr. Harim was fined 2,000 baht and his personal driving license has been suspended for 90 days. Harim is a Thai citizen.

3. A Thai man and a Myanmar man were arrested after fishing in a no-fishing area in the Panwa Cape in Wichit.

They were taken to the Wichit Police Station to face charges of offending the Phuket Fisheries Rules over Protected Marine Animals which has taken effect since July 31st 2023.

4. A Russian man was arrested after his restaurant in Rawai was found decorated with protected corals on Friday.

Officers explained to the Russian man that coral has been listed as one of Thailand protected wild animals which is illegal to possess without legal permission.

That’s it for this week. Be safe!

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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 five 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.