News
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Tuk-tuks blockade US military in Phuket
PHUKET: The future of Phuket as a rest and relaxation destination for US Navy ships is in jeopardy following a blockade of the access road at the Phuket Deep Sea Port by taxi drivers demanding sailors use their service instead of a free transport service provided by the US military. Details of what transpired last night have yet to be…
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Phuket Police nab cell phone bandits
PHUKET: Seven Phuket Vocational College students robbed of their mobile phones at knifepoint on Thursday will be reunited with their devices, thanks to the efforts of the Phuket City Police. Officers led by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong yesterday presented the two young men to be charged with the robbery – Surachet ‘Um’ Pisetsin, 19, and his 17-year-old alleged…
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Patong flood woes continue
PHUKET: Public works intended to prevent floods in Patong this monsoon season have not been completed in time to stop deluges on Nanai Road and other parts of the town. In March, Patong Mayor Pian Keesin pledged to put an end to the ‘Nanai River’, a 50-meter stretch of Nanai Road that spent much of last year’s wet season under…
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Phuket murder suspect arrested after 3 years on the run
PHUKET: After three years on the run, a man wanted for a stabbing murder in Phuket Town in 2007 has been arrested by police in Phang Nga. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong, Deputy Commander Peerayut Karajedee and Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit yesterday afternoon led a press conference to announce the arrest 26-year-old Tossaporn ‘Peh’ Jarunrak. Mr Tossaporn…
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Laguna Marathon: Ananda to walk for charity in Phuket
PHUKET: The fifth annual Laguna Phuket International marathon gets underway bright and early at 4:30 tomorrow morning. Organizers say this year’s event is on track to attract some 5,000 runners competing in a full marathon, half marathon, 10.5km run, 5km family walk and 2km children’s run. Among the competitors will be Thai movie star Ananda Everingham, taking part in the…
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Phuket tsunami fears groundless: MET
PHUKET: The Meteorological Department (MET) has dismissed as groundless Internet reports that a celestial alignment will cause a tsunami-producing earthquake and solar flares tomorrow. The rumor appears to have started in Thailand following a posting on a Thai-language website. According to the post, a rare alignment of the Earth with Jupiter, Uranus, the Moon and the Sun will create strong…
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18th Annual Phuket Flower Fair
PHUKET: The 18th annual Phuket Ornamental Plants & Flowers Fair will be held from July 9 to July 18 at Saphan Hin. Organized by the Phuket Provincial Agricultural Office, Phuket City Municipality and Phuket Provincial Administration Organization, this year’s fair will feature Phuket Pineapple exhibitions, pineapple peeling and processing competitions, as well as flower decoration contests. Various kinds of flowers,…
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Phuket Senator slams Gov’t tourism recovery plan
PHUKET: Phuket Senator Thanyarat Achariyachai has slammed the government’s tourism-industry recovery measures, saying the tax incentives miss the mark and will do little to help operators outside the capital. Senator Thanyarat, who chairs the Senate Committee on Tourism, said that hotel occupancy rates have plummeted nationwide since the red shirt protests in April and May. She warned that hotels will…
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Phuket ready for World Cup action
PHUKET: Phuket Gazette readers will have noticed, a few days ago, that we launched a dedicated Phuket Gazette web page expressly for football fans in Phuket needing their daily fix of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off tonight in South Africa. Just click on the 2010 World Cup button in the right margin (toward the top) of this…
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Phuket Andaman Halal 2010
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Andaman Halal 2010 fair will showcase the island’s Muslim culture, traditions and foods in Saphan Hin from June 18 to 20. The event has been organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) in conjunction with the Phuket Islamic Committee Office, the Halal Science Center of Chulalongkorn University, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The…
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Bt49m in counterfeit goods destroyed in Phuket
PHUKET: High-ranking members of the Finance Ministry yesterday took part in the ceremonial destruction of seized counterfeit goods allegedly worth almost 49 million baht. The event, which took place at the Phuket Customs House in Phuket Town, was presided over by hammer-wielding Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Pattaraprasit and Customs Department Director-General Somchai Sajjapong. There was also an international flavor to…
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Bank heist: Colombian gang arrested in Krabi
PHUKET: Three foreign suspects were arrested in Krabi yesterday for the theft of 12 million baht from a vehicle in the headquarters parking lot of one of Thailand’s largest commercial banks, the state-run media has reported. The suspects – one American and two Colombians – allegedly smashed a car window in a pick-up truck and lifted the cash in a…
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Phuket ‘Geekfest’ set for June 20
PHUKET: Phuket’s Sunday-morning Computer Clinics turn three years old on June 20, when a gala ‘Geekfest’ will feature food, fun, and – most importantly – answers to your most pressing computer questions. “The Computer Clinics bring together PC users, from complete novices to Phuket’s most knowledgeable PC gurus. Everybody has questions – which Internet connection works best, where to take…
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Phuket to host ‘Global Ad Awards’, maybe
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Adman Patrick Ferrara has launched a campaign to promote ‘Global Advertising Awards’, to be held in Phuket in Febuary 2011, and he claims it will outdo, and eventually overtake, the 2010 Cannes Lions advertising fest. According to Advertising…
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TAT pushes golf tourism to Phuket and Pattaya
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand has joined with several groups to support a tour package aimed at increasing domestic golf tourism between Pattaya and Phuket. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) official Suwannachai Rithirak said the TAT’s Pattaya and Phuket offices teamed up for the promotion. “We are seeing a great potential in golf which we believe will motivate golfers…
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Pitfalls for expats in Phuket: Do you really own your villa?
PHUKET: Many foreigners who buy property in Phuket opt for a stand-alone house (or ‘villa’), either in a managed estate or on a single plot, instead of an apartment or condominium, as the latter usually do not provide the individuality and/or privacy the buyer seeks. Due to legal restrictions in Thailand that prohibit land ownership by foreigners, it is common…
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Phuket Gov speaks out on Patong landslide disaster
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop has expressed sorrow and frustration over the mudslide that killed two workmen in Patong on Sunday. The monsoon season rains have begun and the state of the island’s hillsides mean Phuket will likely encounter more landslides, Gov Wichai said. Gov Wichai said that since the beginning of his term in Phuket he has spoken out…
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Feng shui concerns over Phuket tunnel project
PHUKET: The proposed traffic tunnel beneath Patong Hill is drawing opposition from some unexpected quarters, as some elderly ethnic-Chinese residents of the island believe the project could ruin Phuket’s feng shui and bring economic ruin. According to a Chinese legend, Phuket is a golden sea dragon emerging from the Indian Ocean. Tradition holds that this dragon, Hai Leng Ong, is…
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Aussies win Seniors World Cup in Phuket
PHUKET: Australia defeated Iran 4-1 on Saturday to win the final of the 2010 Seniors World Cup at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. Thailand finished third, beating New Zealand 3-0 in the third place final. In semifinal play on Friday, Australia beat Thailand 3-0 and Iran beat New Zealand 4-1 to set up the final encounter. The event was the…
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Phuket man denies role in BKK heist
PHUKET: The owner of a car rental company in Rawai has presented himself to Metropolitan Police in Bangkok, saying he had no role in the 12-million-baht robbery outside a bank in downtown Bangkok on Friday. Soon after learning that one of his vehicles had been used in the heist, 44-four-year-old Wichian Choochum of Rawai Village 1 turned himself in to…
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Phuket car used in mega-heist; foreigners suspected
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Police say a Toyota sedan owned by a Phuket person is believed to have been the vehicle used by the robbers in Friday’s 12-million baht robbery. The heist occurred outside the Krung Thai Bank headquarters in Bangkok. The…
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Pagunsan wins at Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Juvic Pagunsan from the Philippines recorded his first win on the Mercedes-Benz Tour yesterday following a runaway seven-stroke victory in the US$60,000 Mercedes-Benz Masters Thailand at Laguna Phuket Golf Club. Starting the day with a four-stoke lead he closed with a five-under-par 65. Thailand’s Udorn Duangdecha claimed outright second after shooting a 68 while Lam Chih Bing from Singapore…
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Phuket Expo dream: Could it end our transport nightmare?
PHUKET: The prospect of Phuket winning a bid to host World Expo 2020 is an exciting one, but there are huge hurdles to overcome if the island is to be ready for the task. [See page 4, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here.] Phuket easily satisfies most of the criteria needed to be a World Expo…
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Phuket to crack down on World Cup gambling
PHUKET: Phuket authorities are preparing to crack down on gambling during the soccer World Cup that kicks off on June 11. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop told a law enforcement committee at Provincial Hall on May 26 that locals and tourists would be keenly following the tournament, not only for the love of the game, but also for gambling. Gov Wichai…
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Five vehicle pile-up in Phuket
PHUKET: Slippery road conditions last night led to a five-vehicle pile-up on the bypass road that left one pick-up truck upended in a roadside drainage ditch and several people injured. The accident happened at about 6:15pm in the southbound lanes, about two kilometers north of the Tesco-Lotus junction near the Thanachart Bank. Just after light rain started, a motorcycle with…
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An inconvenient curfew
UBON RATCHATHANI: Two young drunks arrested for allegedly smashing up a 7-Eleven convenience store told police the attack was motivated by hunger. Suspects Kasemsan Saiwong, 19, and Sorayut Saithong, 20, said they launched the attack in anger at the store closing early because of the curfew in place in Ubon and other provinces. Police received a report in the early…
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Seniors World Cup semifinal matches in Phuket today
PHUKET: Two semifinal matches in the 5th Seniors World Cup soccer tournament will take place at Surakul Stadium today. The first match, which kicks off at 4:30pm, will see undefeated Group A winners Iran take on New Zealand. Then, from 6:30pm, Group B winners Australia, also undefeated, take on hometown favorites Thailand in what promises to be a hotly contested…
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Phuket prepares for landslides
PHUKET: Many hillside areas of Phuket are at serious risk of landslides this rainy season, the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) has warned. DDPM-Phuket chief San Jantharawong said that torrential rainfall can hit at any time during the monsoon, which typically runs from May though October. Especially vulnerable to landslides are steep areas where construction work exposes…
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Road warriors: Phuket Tourist Association goes to Australia
PHUKET: In a bid to tempt more tourists from down under, the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) is planning a September road show to Australia. PTA President Somboon Jirayut said he was targeting Australia because there were direct flights to Phuket from most major cities there, including Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. “The association is also planning road shows in China,…
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Phuket tops investor sentiment for Thai property
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Various measures are being taken in Thailand to promote tourism as foreigners have not yet returned in the aftermath of the political violence. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is organizing a series of events and campaigns to…
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