Month: January 2010
- Phuket News
Phuket: More tourists, fewer baht
PHUKET: With hotel occupancy rates on the island currently reported at around 90 percent, hoteliers and other tourism business operators find themselves for the first time in two years unable to complain about a lack of tourists. This is obviously good news, but businesses on the island are finding that strong arrival figures haven’t translated into the kind of revenue…
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No go: Phuket road projects stalled
PHUKET TOWN: Two controversial road projects slated for Phuket face indefinite delays and the province is already seeking alternatives, the Gazette has learned. A high-ranking source in the Department of Rural Roads said plans to complete a road connecting Nanai Road in Patong to Chalong have stalled, as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) failed to sign off…
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‘Splash Jungle’ opens in Phuket
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: ‘Splash Jungle,’ Phuket’s first state-of-the-art water park, opened today on the grounds of the West Sands project in Mai Khao. Among the park’s many attractions are a 335-meter ‘Lazy River’ water ride that meanders through seven themed sections: Inca-Maya, Africa, Asia, Turkey, Northern Europe, North America – and even the North Pole. Two high-octane slide rides are…
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Phuket telephone book launched today
PHUKET: The 2010 edition of the Gazette Guide, (Phuket’s ‘yellow pages’), goes on sale across the island and in major cities throughout Thailand this morning. Printed on traditional telephone book paper this year, the new directory contains even more information than last year, yet is half the weight of the 2009 edition. It’s significantly lighter in price, too – 50…
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Dead sea turtle washes up at Saphan Hin
PHUKET TOWN: Marine biologists think a dead hawksbill sea turtle that washed ashore at Saphan Hin yesterday morning may have fallen victim to fishing equipment. Kanjana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) at Cape Panwa said workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation delivered the 30-kilogram carcass to the PMBC’s Endangered Species Unit for examination around noon yesterday. Although the…
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Phuket Film Fest in June
PHUKET: Film buffs will be pleased to hear that the second ever Phuket Film Festival is set to take place on the island in June. Organizers are hoping this year’s event, from June 4 to 13, will be bigger and better than the festival debut in 2007. That year the seven-day festival saw the screening of 40 films from 15…
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Phuket expat’s killer: I acted alone
PHUKET: A 32-year-old man has confessed to the murder of German expat Wolf Kesselheim, telling police he acted alone and in self-defense. Chalong police arrested Pittaya Srijitraporn yesterday evening at Kata viewpoint, where he made a living charging tourists to pose in photographs with sea eagles. Mr Pittaya was paraded before the media at a press conference at Chalong Police…
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Patong Darts League underway
PATONG, PHUKET: Play in Phuket’s Patong Darts League (PDL) got underway on Tuesday night, with Queen Mary downing defending champs Piccadilly at home, 6-4. Piccadilly’s Jim hit a 180 to take the high score, while Queen Mary’s former owner Steen had an upset singles win over Tony, one of the best players in the league. In other matches, newcomers Ryan’s…
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More deforestation in Phuket
THALANG, PHUKET: Human encroachment has laid waste to more than two-thirds of a large forest reserve in the north of Phuket, it emerged last week. The Bang Khanoon forest reserve in tambon Thepkrasattri originally covered more than 5,000 rai, but just 1,500 rai of virgin forest remain. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop last week accompanied an inspection team from the Ministry…
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Phuket coast under threat: park chief
PHUKET: Sirinath Marine National Park is under siege, the park’s chief warned this week. Leatherback turtles recently returned to Sirinath’s Mai Khao Beach to lay their eggs after an absence of years. Despite this unexpected good news, park director Nonthawit Chaturabandit is warning that unless something is done about encroachment and coastal erosion, there may not be much left of…
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Altared course: TAT to push Phuket as “wedding hub’
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will push Phuket as a wedding and honeymoon destination in selected markets including India, the head of the local TAT office said. Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, director of the TAT’s South Region 4 office in Phuket, said the TAT will offer special promotions to induce large wedding parties to Phuket. The announcement follows a recent…
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German stabbed to death in Phuket
RAWAI, PHUKET: A German expat was stabbed to death last night outside a 7-Eleven shop on a busy road in Rawai. The dead man has been identified as 66-year-old Eugen Wolf-Dieter, a resident of Ban Saiyuan in Rawai. Police are on the hunt for three teenage suspects who beat and stabbed Mr Wolf-Dieter before fleeing on a motorbike. From their…
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Leatherbacks return to Phuket
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Sirinat National Park and a local conservation organization have set up watches to protect leatherback turtles returning to lay eggs on Mai Khao Beach this nesting season. Nonthawit Chaturabandit, chief of Sirinat National Park, said that in the past many leatherback turtles nested on beaches inside the park. Local residents used to set up camps by the…
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Stranded Aussie passengers finally fly from Phuket
PHUKET: Passengers booked on a Sydney-bound Jetstar flight were stranded in Phuket on Australia Day after their aircraft developed mechanical problems. Jetstar Flight JQ28, due to depart from Phuket at 9pm on Monday, was canceled by the no-frills carrier for safety reasons. The cancellation left about 270 of the passengers stranded on the island. Passengers, put up in a Phuket…
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Phuket Police practice crowd control
PHUKET TOWN: More than 300 Phuket Police donned riot gear this morning for crowd control drills outside Phuket City Police Station. The drills were overseen by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Pekad Tantipong, who assigned Kathu Superintendent Grissak Songmoonark to command one unit and Thalang Police Superintendent Thammanoon Faiju another. A total of 310 officers from all eight…
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Blood needed for Finnish accident victim in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center is calling for urgent donations of the rare blood type A- for a Finnish national currently in ICU at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. The Finn, 31, is breathing with the help of a respirator and requires an emergency leg operation after having an accident on January 22. He is also suffering from an abdominal blood…
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Five finalists in Phuket Bt300m park design battle
PHUKET: Five architects have emerged victorious in the opening skirmishes of a battle for the right to design a new 300-million-baht historical park commemorating the Battle of Thalang. The new park is expected to become a major tourist attraction showcasing Phuket’s colorful history. For our previous report, click here. A committee comprising architecture experts, historians and local politicians has whittled…
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57 alleged prostitutes rounded up in Phuket Town
PHUKET TOWN: A team of provincial civil defense officials and volunteer police on Sunday night raided three well-known entertainment venues, in the heart of Phuket Town, suspected of serving as fronts for prostitution. A spokesperson from the Phuket Provincial Office Public Relations Bureau said the raids were ordered by Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop following complaints from local residents that the…
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Mediation rooms officially open at Phuket City Police Station
PHUKET CITY: A new mediation center located inside Phuket City Police Station could reduce the number of cases in the provincial judicial system by up to 30%, police say. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong and Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit officially opened the center this morning. Also present was Phuket Provincial Court Chief Justice Varangkana Sucharitakul, a well-known…
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Photo contest in Phuket
WICHIT, PHUKET: Wichit Municipality is holding a photo contest under the theme ‘Travel the Thai Way in Wichit’ to promote local tourist attractions. The contest, open to Thais and foreigners, offers cash prizes of 10,000 baht, 6,000 baht and 4,000 baht respectively for the top three photos. There will also be five consolation prizes of 1,000 baht each. Wichit Municipality…
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Phuket nursery to hold Haiti fundraiser
RAWAI, PHUKET: A local nursery is throwing open its doors to Phuket kids on Saturday afternoon to raise money for Haitian children suffering in the aftermath of the recent earthquake and aftershock. From 2pm, ABC Nursery in Rawai will host an afternoon of fun for kids of all ages. Activities at event, which ABC is dubbing ‘Kids Love Kids’, will…
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Bangla Cup football tourney in Phuket
PA KHLOK, PHUKET: The 14th annual Bangla Cup football tournament will start on February 28 at the Ban Bangla Football Field on the road from Pa Khlok to Muang Mai, near the Supalai Village housing estate in tambon Pa Khlok. The seven-a-side football competition will be divided into an open division and a senior division for footballers 35 years of…
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Pad Thai feast turns fatal
PHETCHABURI: A pensioner died on stage after choking on a clump of noodles while participating in a pad thai eating contest. Until his collapse, sixty-six-year-old Hing Laichan was leading the competition on his second plate of the famous fried noodle dish, nationalistically named by prime minister Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram during the World War II era. Onlookers took Mr Hing…
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Phuket Poll: prescription drugs
PHUKET TOWN: The Gazette recently reported the arrest of a 17-year-old New Zealander for possession of nine diazepam (Valium) pills without a prescription in Patong late last year. Such arrests are very rare and it is common knowledge that pharmacies along Phuket’s west coast sell many prescription drugs over the counter – with the tacit approval of public health officers.…
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Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll: CCTV won’t help
PHUKET: Most Phuket Gazette readers believe new CCTV cameras won’t make any difference in the fight against crime, according to the results of our latest readers’ poll. The poll was prompted by the news that the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization is going to spend 17 million baht on 53 new CCTV cameras in and around Phuket Town. We asked readers…
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Phuket “Local Food Fair’ ends tonight
PHUKET TOWN: Tonight is the last night of the ‘Local Food Fair’ at Saphan Hin, a family-friendly event which has been getting rave reviews by attendees. Organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO), the festival has over 100 booths and an overwhelming variety of low-priced specialty dishes to choose from. Each night has featured a wide range of staged…
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Phuket Town’s pink bus fleet set to double
PHUKET: Phuket Town’s fleet of pink buses is about to double in size and an additional route is in the pipeline, according to the provincial council. Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising said he expects eight more of the pink people movers (known locally as poh thong) to come into service by the end of the month. Mr…
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PHUKET OPINION: A prescription for injustice
PHUKET: The arrest of a 17-year-old New Zealander for possession of diazepam without a prescription last month (see news pages) raises serious questions about the consistency of law enforcement in Phuket. The facts of the case are pretty clear. The teenager admits to buying the pills. And he admits he had no prescription for them. The Psychotropic Substances Act of…
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India gives aid to family of Phuket terror victim in Mumbai
PATONG, PHUKET: The Indian embassy yesterday presented additional financial assistance to surviving relatives of Jirachat Kanmanee, the Phuket native killed in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. Ms Jirachat was one of six Thais working as spa therapists at the Banyan Tree spa in the Trident Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai when the terrorists broke in and opened fire.…
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Pink pavilions for Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) campaign to paint the island pink continues. The construction of 25 pink roadside pavilions at a cost of almost five million baht is complete, PPAO President Paiboon Upatising announced last week. Mr Paiboon, whose campaign color was pink in the last election, said the gazebo-like structures – known as sala in Thai –…
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Russian assaults Phuket go-go dancer
PHUKET TOWN: A Russian tourist who assaulted a Patong go-go dancer on Wednesday night walked out of Kathu Police Station a free man the same day, after agreeing to pay the woman 1,500 baht to cover medical costs. Kathu Police Inspector Jakkapong Luang-aon received a call from the victim at about 9:30pm. The woman, a 37-year-old dancer from a well-known…
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Phuket celebrates Royal Thai Army Day in Phang Nga
PHANG NGA: Military staff from Phuket and Phang Nga celebrated Royal Thai Army Day on Monday with activities including an allegiance ceremony before the Tong Chai Chalerm Pon Flag. The flag, presented to military commanders by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1952, is the most revered flag in Thailand and is always present during Trooping of the Colors ceremonies held…
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Metered tuk-tuks ‘just an idea’: Phuket Gov
PHUKET: In a bid to end disputes between drivers and passengers over fares, the Phuket governor is considering introducing meters to Phuket tuk-tuks. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said natural gas-powered tuk-tuks could also be rolled out in order to cut down on fuel costs. Any metered fee structure would still have to reflect Phuket’s status as an international tourist destination,…
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Phuket beach guard starts February
PHUKET: Beach guards are set to begin ensuring safety at Phuket beaches again in February, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) has announced. PPAO President Paiboon Upatising said he would announce the winners of two five-million-baht contracts to provide lifeguard services at west coast beaches on January 29. Last year, LP Laikham Co held a single contract to supply beach…
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Phuket Police hunt for Burmese nanny
PHUKET: Chalong Police continue to scour Burmese labor camps on Phuket in search of a woman wanted in connection with the death of an infant left in her care by a Thai businesswoman last week. For the previous report of how four-month-old Pornprasert Phromraksa was found dead by his mother on Saturday morning, click here. Chalong Police Superintendent Chinnarat Rittakananond…
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Phuket Local Food Fair starts tonight at Saphan Hin
PHUKET TOWN: Woks will be steaming at Saphan Hin tonight when the ‘Local Food Fair’ kicks off with an opening ceremony at 7pm. Now in its second year, the five-day event is organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO), which is providing 1.5 million baht in funding. The fair will feature over 100 stalls. Besides selling local food, there…
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Beachside food court coming to Patong
PATONG, PHUKET: Ocean Plaza Patong is investing 30-million-baht to build a rooftop food court that is set to open by the end of the month on the beach road in Patong. The center, to be named @Beach Food Loft, will be the first and only dining facility in Patong to offer customers inexpensive fare with ocean views, its developers say.…
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