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Hammertime in Phuket: counterfeit goods destroyed
PHUKET TOWN: The Intellectual Property Department and Phuket Provincial Police on Monday destroyed over 200,000 counterfeit products valued at 43 million baht. The event, intended to show Thailand is serious about enforcing intellectual property laws, was held at the solid waste incinerator at Sapan Hin. Taking part were the Phuket Provincial Police, Department of Intellectual Property, Phuket Office of Commercial…
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Tourist safety: Phuket Gov meets honorary consuls
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Governor met with honorary consuls from 16 countries yesterday afternoon to discuss ways to improve safety for foreign tourists on holiday in Phuket. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop chaired the meeting, which was hosted by the Royal Phuket City Hotel. Only the honorary consul from Spain was unable to attend. After all attendees introduced themselves at the…
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Danish Prince Henrik coming to Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket is preparing for the arrival of Prince Henrik of Denmark in mid-February. Louis Bronner, manager of Mom Tri’s Boathouse, last week met with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop to discuss security arrangements during the Danish royal’s stay on the island. Governor Wichai said he was notified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Prince Henrik, husband of the…
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Phuket braces for “ice’ storm
PHUKET: Ya ice is replacing ya bah as the drug of choice for Phuket’s teenagers, according to the island’s top police officer. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong’s comments came after police seized 100,000 baht’s worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) in a sting operation over the weekend. Six were arrested on drug charges. Maj Gen Pekad and Phuket City…
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Phuket education fair this Sunday
PHUKET: More than 20 Phuket-based Thai, bilingual and international schools are taking part in the Phuket Private Education Fair at Central Festival this Sunday. The schools will be occupying booths at Central Festival’s Event Hall on the 2nd floor from 11am to 8pm on February 14, giving prospective students and their parents the chance to meet school representatives and find…
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Car crushes cobra in Mai Khao
PHUKET TOWN: A cobra trying to cross Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang got crushed by oncoming traffic late yesterday afternoon. Estonian freelance photographer Ardo Kaljuvee, who happened to be driving past at the time, was among the many motorists who stopped to view the remains of the flattened serpent, which was at least three meters in length. The snake’s final slither…
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Phuket fishing boat scuttled after blaze
RASSADA, PHUKET: A wooden fishing boat that burst into flames during repair work this morning was deliberately sunk in the waters of Klong Tha Cheen. After receiving a report of a boat fire at about 9:30am, Phuket City Police, Marine Police and four fire engines from Rassada Municipality and Phuket City Municipality rushed to the scene. Arriving at the Pichai…
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Phuket Readers’ Poll: closing times
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop is reportedly lobbying the government in Bangkok to have the closing time for bars and nightclubs in Patong extended to 4am. What do you think is the best closing time for nightlife venues in Patong? Click on the icon on the top right of this screen or here to cast your vote in the latest…
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Phuket Gazette Readers Poll: Don’t enforce drugs law
PHUKET: Most Phuket Gazette readers think current Thai laws regarding the sale of prescription drugs like diazepam (Valium) should not be enforced, according to the results of our latest poll. More than half of the respondents to the last survey thought over-the-counter sales of such drugs should either be legalized or tolerated, as they are now. The poll followed the…
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Phuket prepped for Super Bowl
PHUKET TOWN: Super Bowl XLIV (that’s 44), the culmination of the NFL season and the biggest annual sporting event in the USA, will kick off early tomorrow morning, Thai time. The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts will meet in Miami to decide the destination of the next Vince Lombardi trophy. It will be an historic occasion for the…
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Phuket bar destroyed in arson attack
RAWAI, PHUKET: Police are investigating an arson attack that completely destroyed the popular Roxanne Bar on Wichit Rd in Rawai early yesterday morning. Chalong Police were notified of the blaze at 3:30am. It took two Rawai Municipality fire engines about 30 minutes to put out the flames, but not before they destroyed the bar and everything inside. Located near the…
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Maimed pilot in Phuket: ‘I will fly again’
PHUKET TOWN: Cathay Pacific airline pilot Scott McDonald is trying to put his life back together after his lower calf and foot were sliced off by a speeding motorbike in a freak accident in Phuket late last month. As the American lay bleeding on the pavement, a passerby who witnessed the accident used the victim’s cellphone to call for help…
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Paddlers go for gold in Phuket
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: One of the more colorful events taking place this weekend is the 6th Annual ‘Hua Tong’ Boat Paddling competition at Ao Por Pier in Pa Khlok. Eighteen teams with ten paddlers each are taking part in the main competition, which began at 9am yesterday with an opening ceremony presided over by Phuket Vice Governor Smith Palawatwichai. In…
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Phuket passes on swine flu vaccine
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket residents at high risk of contracting swine flu are failing to get vaccinated due to fears of side effects. Fewer than 7% of those identified as being at high risk have taken the vaccine, according to figures from the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO). The PPHO says there are around 10,000 people in Phuket listed as having…
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Donations sought for Phuket road project completion
PHUKET TOWN: Wichit Municipality is seeking donations to help build a new house for a family of squatters who are holding up completion of a new road running behind Darasamuth School. Wichit Mayor Kreetar Saetan told the Gazette the municipality currently lacks the funds to build a new home for Chamnan Rungklin and his family, even though they already have…
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American found dead in Phuket home
PHUKET TOWN: Police are investigating whether an Immigration Police Volunteer found dead in his Rawai home committed suicide or was murdered. American national Richard Johnson, 67, was found slumped against his bedroom door with electrical cord around his neck yesterday evening. There were wounds to his neck and forehead. The death was discovered by an unidentified friend of the deceased,…
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Phuket cops speak on tourist murders
PATONG, PHUKET: Patong’s most senior cop says perceived injustice, drunkenness and robbery attempts are the three factors that lead Thais to assault foreigners. Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark says it is important to examine the underlying causes of Thai-on-farang violence. The comments come just after the announcement of Col Grissak’s transfer from the bright lights of Patong to Phang Nga’s…
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Phuket villagers burn red flags
WICHIT, PHUKET: Villagers burned flags belonging to a band of red shirts who attempted to rally in front of the Thai naval base in Cape Panwa this morning, warning them: ‘You are not welcome here’. A local man told the Gazette, “I don’t think they’ll come back, but if they do, we’re ready for a fight.” At around 9:30am a…
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Phuket to benefit from EVA – Bangkok Air agreement
PHUKET TOWN: Bangkok Airways and Taipei-based long-haul carrier EVA Air have signed a ‘code share’ agreement for services from Amsterdam, Vienna, London (Heathrow) and Taipei to Phuket, Koh Samui, Phuket and Chiang Mai. A code share agreement enables two airlines to sell seats on the same flight. Under the agreement, EVA will operate the international flights and Bangkok Air will…
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No more free visas for Phuket tourists and expats
PHUKET: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok, who oversees the Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates worldwide, today confirmed that visa fees will be levied for all visa classes from March 5, 2010. Tourist visas are valid for a 60 day-stay and may be extended at local Thai Immigration offices. Foreigners entering Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category (free…
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Phuket could benefit from Finnish retirement community plan
PHUKET TOWN: Finland plans to build serviced apartments for retirees in Thailand, the Finnish website aamulehti.fi has reported. The move is intended to help Finnish retirees enjoy their golden years in this country, where their pension savings and other benefits will go much further than in Finland. According to Finnish government projections, the population of people aged 65 years and…
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USS Nimitz readies to ship out after Phuket visit
PHUKET TOWN: Servicemen and women from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and her two companion vessels USS Pinckney and USS Rentz have been painting the town in recent days, both figuratively and literally. As part of the US Navy’s community relations work during their current visit to Phuket, a team of sailors yesterday painted the canteen at the Baan Ao…
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Cell phone fears grip the North
CHIANG MAI: People in Northern Thailand have been afraid to answer their cellphones in recent weeks, following claims that calls from certain numbers cause instant brain haemorrhages. People are warning each other to watch out for numbers containing the sequence 3333. If the gossip is to be believed, when calls from the numbers are answered the phones send out a…
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TAT moves to keep “zero fare tour’ packages out of Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is working to establish a standardized system of ‘branded’ tours to Phuket specifically for the Chinese market. The initiative, intended to keep ‘zero tour fare’ package operators out of Phuket, was discussed at a meeting of tourism industry leaders held at The Metropole hotel last week. Presiding over the meeting was TAT…
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Phuket Immigration chief transferred
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket Immigration Superintendent Col Chanatpol Yongbunjerd is taking a transfer order to Immigration Headquarters in Bangkok in his stride, saying the new post will allow him to be near his family as he nears the civil service retirement age. Col Chanatpol arrived in Phuket from Pattaya in late 2007. Although initially perturbed about not having been given advance…
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Phuket Old Town Festival
PHUKET TOWN: The annual festival showcasing Phuket Town’s distinctive blend of Chinese and Thai culture is set to return this month. This year’s Phuket Old Town Festival will take place from February 19 to 21, after the arrival of the Year of the Tiger that falls on Valentine’s Day. The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Phuket City Municipality are promising…
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Rawai to set trash collection times
RAWAI, PHUKET: A recycling campaign launched by Rawai Municipality will include the removal of public garbage bins from streets and the introduction of fixed collection times. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos said locals and tourists visiting Rawai tourist sites generate about 20 tons of solid waste daily in the high season. “The municipality has an ongoing campaign encouraging both local residents…
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Col Grissak to leave Phuket in police reshuffle
PATONG, PHUKET: In the latest police reshuffle, Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark has been transferred to the position of Superintendent of Kuraburi District Police in Phang Nga. His replacement, effective February 19, will be current Tung Tong Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakao. Col Grissak seemed saddened by the news of the transfer to rural Kuraburi, Phang Nga’s northernmost district and a…
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From Phuket to California by kayak
PHUKET: Two Phuket kayakers are getting ready for a spot of exercise: the world’s longest paddling expedition, a 14,000-mile voyage from Phuket to California in a 20-foot wooden boat. American Ryan Doran, 26, and Phatum Thani born Piya ‘Mr X’ Sukunthai, 28, plan to leave Nai Harn Beach on March 10 – and they won’t be back for a while.…
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Phuket camp owner defends berserk elephant
PHUKET: The owner of an elephant that recently went berserk and injured two Swedish tourists has defended the beast, blaming its mahout for the incident. Trin Khanwilaikul, owner of ‘Camp Chang’ in Kalim, said the elephant named ‘Captain’ would not be punished for the rampage, which also damaged a car. “He is a nice elephant, but he had the wrong…
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