Month: May 2010
- Phuket News
Thai FA Cup: FC Phuket downs Samut Prakarn, 2-1
PHUKET: FC Phuket advanced to the third round of the Thai FA Cup thanks to a 2-1 victory away at Samut Prakarn yesterday. The Southern Sea Kirin qualified for the second round match after beating Nakhon Ratchasima 2-1 at home in the opening round. Prolific teenager Adisak Kraisorn, who was named ‘man of the match’, opened the scoring in the…
Read More » - Phuket News
New marketing director at Laguna Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket has announced the appointment of Ms Erica Robinson as Director of Marketing Communications. She will lead the marketing and communication strategies for the resort, which is based in the Laguna Phuket complex. With ten…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket shunned by travellers
PHUKET: In poll results sure to shock many in Phuket, Thailand’s Koh Lanta, Khao Lak, Koh Pha-Ngan and Koh Samui have won 4 out of 10 honors for the Top Ten beach destinations in Asia. Phuket did not rank among them. The poll, conducted by TripAdvisor and titled ‘Traveler’s Choice Awards for 2010’, closed yesterday. The Thai beach resorts were…
Read More » - Phuket News
Hot, humid conditions in Phuket
PHUKET: Thai authorities issued a public health warning earlier this week after nationwide temperatures soared to their highest in 20 years. With temperatures across the country hitting 40 degrees Celsius, the Public Health Ministry advised people to stay indoors to avoid getting heat stroke. Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said exposure to heat could result in abnormally high body temperature,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Bomb found at ASTV Phuket office
PHUKET: A shopping bag containing a live hand grenade was found hanging from the front door of the ASTV television network office in downtown Phuket Town this morning. Phuket City Police were informed by the Phuket Special Branch Police at about 9am that someone had called in to report that a bomb had been placed at the office, located in…
Read More » - Phuket News
Expo 2020 in Phuket?
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) will work with the Ministry of Interior to canvas provinces in Thailand, including Phuket, to present their credentials to participate in the bid to a host Expo 2020. According to TTR…
Read More » - Phuket News
Frank Visakay dies in Phuket, age 71
PHUKET: Long-term Phuket expat Frank Visakay of the USA died in his rented home in Rawai today of apparent heart failure. He was 71. Neighbors discovered his body in his home on Soi Pattana after becoming concerned because he had not left the house for a few days. Friends close to Mr Visakay said he had been suffering from a…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket police nab serial thief
PHUKET: Chalong Police are seeking a foreign tourist whose credit card and Norwegian driving license were recovered during the arrest of an alleged serial thief over the weekend. Chalong Police Inspector Sutham Rattanasawangwongse received a tipoff at 5:30pm on Sunday that 40-year-old Sombat Supprasit was spotted riding a motorbike without a license plate near Nong Harn Lake in Karon. Mr…
Read More » - Phuket News
Riddle in THAI’s Phuket policy
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Cancellations and a shortfall in advance bookings are forcing THAI Airways to revise its route network, capacity and fleet use to curb losses. Phuket continues to be a riddle in the plans. According to TTR Weekly, adjustments are…
Read More » - Phuket News
Russian tourist dies in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: One Russian tourist is dead and another critically injured following a motorbike collision in Karon yesterday. Chalong Police were notified at 2am of a crash near the PTT service station on Patak East Road. The body of the deceased, identified as 28-year-old Russian national Sergei Poliakov, was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital. His passenger, 28-year-old Savila Donovakina, was also…
Read More » - Phuket News
Cable TV Internet in Phuket
PHUKET: Cable TV users in Phuket can now take advantage of fast broadband Internet after a number of local cable companies signed MOUs with communications provider CAT Telecom. On Friday, Rawai Cable became the latest company to sign the agreement, which allows CAT to provide 4MB Internet through existing cable connections. The other companies are Phuket Cable, PA Business Phuket,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Firefighting blunder leaves Phuket lumberyard in cinders
PHUKET: A lumberyard in Thalang sustained hundreds of thousands of baht in damages yesterday after firefighters from Thepkrasattri Municipality rushed to fight the blaze with an empty water tank. Local residents reported a fire at Ta Wood Trading on Thepkrasattri northbound at about 2pm yesterday. The fire was still small when the firefighters arrived, but after realizing their fire truck’s…
Read More » - Phuket News
FC Phuket down Surat Thani, 2-0
PHUKET: FC Phuket went into the mid-season break on a high note, defeating the Surat Thani Roosters 2-0 at Surakul Stadium on Saturday. Despite the absence of influential Ivory Coast midfielder Diarra Ali, the Southern Sea Kirin put on another solid performance. Both sides struggled to find rhythm early in the game, but FC Phuket eventually took the lead in…
Read More » - Thailand News
Costly clip job
SAMUT PRAKAN: A woman in Samut Prakan is suing a beauty salon for 100,000 baht in damages over a haircut. On April 24, Naphasason Angkuramaethisak, 49, went to the salon to have her long hair cut into a more fashionable short style she saw in a magazine. When 29-year-old Narathip Thaiphat finished the cut, Ms Naphasason was shocked at how…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket car sales on the rise
PHUKET: Car dealerships in Phuket are reporting that first quarter sales are up about 40 percent year-on-year, with sales to foreigners accounting for as much as half of sales at some showrooms. Buyer preference is shifting from pick-ups and SUVs to passengers cars, which are easier to park on the island’s increasingly congested streets, several dealerships report. Among dealerships the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket tsunami alert canceled
PHUKET: A tsunami alert for Phuket and five other nearby Andaman provinces this afternoon was canceled less than a hour after it had been issued. The National Disaster Warning Center issued the alert for Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Satun, Ranong and Trang at 1:18pm. The alert followed a 7.4 magnitude earthquake which struck off northern Sumatra in Indonesia at 12.59pm.…
Read More » - Opinion
OPINION: Crackdown on cracked heads in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong’s order for a crackdown on riding as a passenger (pillion) on a motorbike without a helmet is laudable, but won’t be easy to enforce. Under the plan, police will be responsible for ensuring compliance with an existing law that allows them to issue fines of up to 500 baht for anyone caught on…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket hit by coral bleaching
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Marine scientists have been closely watching massive coral bleaching in the Andaman Sea around Phuket, believed to be the worst case in Thai waters for 20 years. According to the Bangkok Post, coral reefs off Phuket, Krabi and…
Read More » - Phuket News
TAT bike tour of Old Phuket Town
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Phuket is inviting people to take part in an educational bike ride around Phuket Old Town on May 23. The four-hour ride, which starts at 7am, will be a cultural tour of the town with stops at historically important sites and explanations about the local way of life. The event is…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket jabs ‘Swine Flu’
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Around 700 service people in Phuket, comprising drivers of taxis, tuk tuks, motorbike taxis, and other vehicles for hire, along with their family members, were vaccinated against the A H1N1 virus earlier this week. The free inoculations were…
Read More » - Phuket News
Score one for Phuket football
PHUKET: Officials from the newly-formed Phuket Football Association (PFA) have committed themselves to develop football in the province following an AFC Vision Asia team’s assessment visit to initiate their Vision Thailand Project in Phuket. Football officials in Phuket have high hopes that the island will become the next haven for the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC’s) Vision Asia program. The AFC,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Swedish tourist slashed in Phuket robbery
KARON, PHUKET: Police are hunting a bandit who slashed a young Swedish tourist’s wrist after she resisted his efforts to steal her bag. The victim, 22-year-old Emilia Therese Andersson, needed several stitches at Patong Hospital after the attack, which took place near the tsunami warning tower on the beach road. Miss Andersson told Lt Chachawan Phoonareumit of Chalong Police she…
Read More » - Phuket News
Thai, Korean to be charged in Phuket horror smash
PHUKET: The driver of an 18-wheel truck who may have caused the death of a young Thai couple on Tuesday is expected to surrender himself to Phuket City Police next week. Thirty-year-old Faosi Samakij and Korean national Lee Joong Park, 40, will both face charges for their part in the accident. Mr Faosi was allegedly reversing the truck at night…
Read More » - Phuket News
New EMS service launched in Phuket
PHUKET: Delivering pianos to Chiang Mai and letters to mom in New York got easier on April 30 when Thailand Post opened a new service center in Koh Kaew. ‘Phuket EMS World and Logispost’ is the only facility in the region dedicated to international deliveries and shipments of large items. EMS World and Logispost chief Narat Sangarkas said service standards…
Read More » - Phuket News
Backhoe saved from Phuket mire
RASSADA, PHUKET: A machine operator is crediting divine intervention for the safe recovery of his backhoe, which was successfully pulled from a saltwater mud flat after a 15-hour operation yesterday. Backhoe owner-operator Prasert Nakhaphan was contracted by Rassada Municipality to dredge a drainage ditch from a tin mining pond into Phuket Bay in Rassada Village 7. Access to the work…
Read More » - Phuket News
FCO softens travel advice
PHUKET: The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office is no longer advising against travel to Phuket after changing its travel advice for Thailand. A message on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s travel advice page for Thailand reads: “The overall level of the advice has changed; we no longer advise against all but essential travel to the whole country. We advise against…
Read More » - Phuket News
Reporter shot dead in Phuket
WICHIT, PHUKET: Police have launched a manhunt for a killer after a local reporter was found riddled with bullets in Phuket this morning. The bloodied body of Somchai Kuamsap, 37, was discovered by the side of Chao Fa East Road outside Seemum Market around 4am. Police found a slip in his wallet indicating Mr Somchai, a reporter at a local…
Read More » - Phuket News
New flights for Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Opodo Travel News announced yesterday that Air Berlin will add an extra weekly flight into Phuket toward the end of this year. A new Airbus A330-200 aircraft will be stationed at Berlin-Tegel airport to fly the sector. The…
Read More » - Phuket News
Monsoon rains hit Phuket
PHUKET: Thunder and heavy rain across Phuket yesterday morning indicate that the monsoon season is settling in. Sorot Sawatdiraksa, a meteorologist with the Southern Meteorological Center at Phuket Airport, said the rains were the first heavy morning rains this year. “The rain is a sign of change. Before yesterday there were no morning rains, only hot-season evening rains related to…
Read More » - Phuket News
More taxis, minivans at Phuket Airport
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: While occupancy rates on the island continue to plummet, Airports of Thailand (AoT) has agreed to allow 60 more taxis and minivans to operate out of Phuket International Airport. A two-hour meeting was held at the airport today to work out a compromise between two rival concessionaires offering door-to-door limousine and minivan services from concession booths inside…
Read More » - Phuket News
123 dengue cases in Phuket
PHUKET: There are 123 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Phuket, public health workers have confirmed. Dr Narinrat Pitchayakamint of the Phuket Public Health Office said the number of cases is higher now than this time last year. According to Ministry of Public Health statistics, Phuket currently ranks 11th out of Thailand’s 76 provinces in terms of incidence of infection,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Beware “The Next Phuket”
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: A lead story on major travel site CNN Go this morning says that Phuket is set to receive some stiff competition as a number of other destinations are being touted by developers and local governments as the “next-generation”…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Ferret outruns Fox in Pattaya regatta
PHUKET: Local sailor Scott Duncanson and his crew on The Ferret left it until the last two races on the final day of racing to win the 2010 Platu Coronation Cup at the Top of the Gulf (TOTG) Regatta held off Jomtien Beach, near Pattaya, April 30 to May 4. The Ferret was one point behind main rival Rolf Heemskerk’s…
Read More » - Phuket News
Young couple killed in Phuket horror smash
RASSADA, PHUKET: An 18-wheel truck reversing on the bypass road last night caused a car to hit a young couple’s motorbike at high speed, killing them both. Witthaya Kwianyon, 22, and his 18-year-old girlfriend Panatda Butrasan were killed instantly after their bike lost its balance and collided with the truck. The car, driven by 40-year-old Korean national Lee Joong Park,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket tourism: tax threat adds to island’s woes
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The tourism industry in Thailand, most notably Phuket, is bracing itself for the negative impact of the UK government’s proposed further increase in Air Passenger Duty (APD), scheduled for November 2010. Travel Daily News reports that members of…
Read More » - Phuket News
Free ICT training in Phuket tomorrow
WICHIT, PHUKET: Software Park Phuket is holding free weekly activities for people interested in building the local ICT community and putting the latest, most effective computer technology to work on the island. The organizers are trying to bring together people who want to learn state-of-the-art techniques with sessions that range from explaining new technology to real-life experiences with computer systems…
Read More » - Phuket News
Ill winds for Phuket property? Watch China
PHUKET OPINION: Asian stocks were mixed yesterday due to investor concerns that Chinese moves to slow a soaring property market will undermine economic growth and recovery for the region, including Phuket. On Monday, China increased the deposit reserve requirement ratio for most banks for the third time this year, the latest in a series of measures aimed at cooling the…
Read More »
