Month: October 2010

  • Phuket NewsStolen Phuket bikes ‘bound for Burma’

    Stolen Phuket bikes ‘bound for Burma’

    PHUKET: A young man arrested for motorcycle theft in Phuket yesterday confessed to police that he was disassembling the vehicles and preparing the parts to be smuggled into his native Burma. At a press conference attended by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Phuket City Police Station yesterday, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong presented five crime suspects to the media.…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsRoad record: British fire engine “Martha’ makes it to Phuket

    Road record: British fire engine “Martha’ makes it to Phuket

    PHUKET: A team of Britons who are attempting to circumnavigate the globe in their fire engine “Martha” rolled into Patong this afternoon. Since setting out from London on July 18, Steve Moore and his “follow that fire engine” team have passed through 20 countries, clocking up over 12,000 miles. By the end of their trip the team will have driven…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsFire walking at Phuket shrines tonight

    Fire walking at Phuket shrines tonight

    PHUKET: Things are really heating up in the 2010 Phuket Vegetarian Festival, with several participating shrines staging their Fire Walking demonstrations this evening and the street procession for Phuket’s most famous Chinese shrine set to take place tomorrow morning. Fire walking takes place at the following locations and times tonight: 8pm: Jui Tui Shrine, held at Saphan Hin Park 8pm:…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket dive boat goes up in flames

    Phuket dive boat goes up in flames

    PHUKET: Fire gutted a dive boat operated by a well-known Phuket dive tour operator this morning, leaving one man with serious burns and six others needing hospital treatment. Phuket City Police received a report that the Laddawan 2 liveaboard dive vessel belonging to West Coast Divers was ablaze at Rassada Pier at about 10:30am. Six fire engines were dispatched from…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsNew artificial reef to be sunk off Phuket

    New artificial reef to be sunk off Phuket

    PHUKET: An artificial reef project in Karon Bay has been given the final nod of approval, its second public hearing on September 29 passing without objection. The placement of hollow cubic structures made of concrete on the sea floor is set to begin in mid-2011. The hearing, held at the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) office, was chaired…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsLaguna Phuket ready for triathlon, Ironman 70.3

    Laguna Phuket ready for triathlon, Ironman 70.3

    PHUKET: Reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion Michael Raelert of Germany will head a first-class field of professional triathletes coming to Phuket for two exciting competitions in November. Mr Raelert, joined by some 900 competitors, will take on the back-to-back challenge of the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) and the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, all in the space of seven days.…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket yachties to get ‘Data Center’

    Phuket yachties to get ‘Data Center’

    PHUKET: As part of a project to set up a ‘data center’ for the local yachting industry, Prince of Songkla University researchers have set up a website intended to serve as a central database and information hub. The new website was unveiled yesterday at a seminar at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town. The “Yachting Seminar on ICT Infrastructure…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket tourism resilient in the face of strong baht

    Phuket tourism resilient in the face of strong baht

    PHUKET: Thanks to rising tourist arrival figures overall, the Phuket economy has thus far not been too badly affected by the recent surge in the baht against major currencies.However outbound tour operators nationwide expect the strong baht to cause a 13% increase in the number of Thais traveling abroad.Charoen Wangananont, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) that monitors…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsFC Phuket promotion bid starts Sunday

    FC Phuket promotion bid starts Sunday

    PHUKET: Football fans will be in for a treat over the next few months, as FC Phuket vie against top teams from the AIS Regional League Division 2 for promotion to Division 1 of the Thai League. The “mini-league” fixtures were announced at a meeting of the coaches of the 12 qualifying teams held on September 29 at the Sofitel…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsHigh tide blues: Phuket village pleads for new seawall

    High tide blues: Phuket village pleads for new seawall

    PHUKET: Residents at Haad Saen Suk in Phuket Town continue to petition City Hall to rebuild a broken seawall that once protected their homes from flooding at high tide. Adun Yonjamrun, one of village leaders, said homes in the neighborhood flood every time heavy rainfall coincides with high tide. The flooding is often at its worst in the morning, he…

    Read More »
  • Phuket News“Amnesty” mulled for “pseudohotel” operators in Phuket

    “Amnesty” mulled for “pseudohotel” operators in Phuket

    PHUKET: A provincial standing committee is considering offering “amnesty” to small accommodation establishments on the island as a way of encouraging them to register as “hotels” and raise their standards. The move follows the announcement last month that more than 400 establishments that offer accommodation on Phuket were not properly registered as hotels. Offering a period of “amnesty” was raised…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsThailand not ready to upgrade English | Thaiger

    Thailand not ready to upgrade English

    PHUKET: It’s too soon to declare English as Thailand’s second language for teaching in schools, says Tongthong Chandransu, secretary-general of the Office of the Education Council (OEC). News reports late last week said the Education Ministry planned to declare on October 22 that English is officially the second language for teaching in Thai schools. But Tongthong denied there would be…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsCharity paddle: Father, daughter to circle Phuket by kayak

    Charity paddle: Father, daughter to circle Phuket by kayak

    PHUKET: If there were any father-and-daughter team you would place money on being able to paddle 120 kilometers around Phuket by kayak, it would be Les Bird and his daughter Victoria.Iron-man athlete Les, 59, and seven-time triathlon champion Victoria, 11, plan to circumnavigate Phuket over three days in an effort to raise money for charity.Victoria, a seventh-grade student at the…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket to welcome Qatar Airways tomorrow | Thaiger

    Phuket to welcome Qatar Airways tomorrow

    PHUKET: With the high season for tourism fast approaching, international airlines have been launching new – and more – flight services to Phuket, with some starting this month. Phuket International Airport Director Prateung Sornkham confirmed that from tomorrow, October 12, Qatar Airways will operate a new flight from Doha to Phuket, via Kuala Lumpur. Qatar’s new service will see three…

    Read More »
  • OpinionPhuket Opinion: Making a meal of a festival

    Phuket Opinion: Making a meal of a festival

    PHUKET: Our front page headline this week says it all: the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a serious commercial success. (See “Festival reels in millions” in the current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers can download their copy here.) Not only is this year’s festival being touted as the creator of a much-welcomed 200-million-baht boost to the island’s economy, but…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPuppet haven: Joe Louis Thai Restaurant opens in Phuket

    Puppet haven: Joe Louis Thai Restaurant opens in Phuket

    PHUKET: Bangkok’s loss is Phuket’s gain, as the Joe Louis troupe of traditional Thai puppeteers has a new home at the Jungceylon shopping complex in Patong. The troupe, founded by the late grand master puppeteer and National Artist Sakorn “Joe Louis” Yangkhiawsod, remains the sole guardian of the dying art form known as Hun Lakhon Lek, Thai traditional small puppet…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket remembers Nick Jackson

    Phuket remembers Nick Jackson

    PHUKET: The final service for Nick Jackson – well-known for founding the popular Katoeys R Us bar in Patong, and more recently for his game fishing tours off Phuket – will be held at the temple across from Loma Park in Patong tomorrow morning. Mr Jackson passed away in his sleep sometime last Friday night or Saturday morning, a family…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket crime statistics: September 2010 | Thaiger

    Phuket crime statistics: September 2010

    PHUKET: According to the latest crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police, crime in September fell year-on-year. The number of crimes reported in most categories last month dropped compared with the number announced for September 2009. The only major increases were in the number of gambling cases reported. Gambling: 160 people arrested in 59 reported cases, a 47.5% increase…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsClimate change: fatal for Phuket | Thaiger

    Climate change: fatal for Phuket

    PHUKET: Phuket’s environment will be destroyed and the island “totally ruined” within 10 to 20 years, the senior director of Thailand Environment Institutes (TEI) said yesterday. Chamniern Paul Vorratnchaiphan – who is also the Rockefeller Foundation’s Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) project director for TEI – made the comments at a one-day ACCCRN seminar organized by the TEI…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsCrime surge greets Phuket Veg Fest | Thaiger

    Crime surge greets Phuket Veg Fest

    PHUKET: Just days after Phuket’s top police officer warned crime would increase during the Vegetarian Festival, the island appears to be facing a wave of criminal activity. Yesterday alone saw at least two burglaries, the theft of a motorcycle and the arrest of a Burmese man for possession of krathom leaves. Bike theft: At around 6.30pm yesterday a school teacher…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket Poll: Will medical certificates improve road safety?

    Phuket Poll: Will medical certificates improve road safety?

    PHUKET: Cabinet recently approved a request by the Ministry of Transport that will make it mandatory for anyone applying for a Thai driving license – or even renewing a Thai driving license – to submit a doctor’s certificate along with their application. For the previous report click here. While some hospitals take the process seriously, some clinics in Phuket have…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsOld Phuket Town project wins Thailand Tourism Industry award

    Old Phuket Town project wins Thailand Tourism Industry award

    PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality has won a Thailand Tourism Industry 2010 “Kinnaree” Award for its Old Phuket Town redevelopment project. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana collected the prize in person at the awards ceremony, held on September 27 World Tourism Day at the Bangkok Convention Center at the Central World shopping complex. The judges voted to bestow the Phuket project…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket Vegetarian Festival underway

    Phuket Vegetarian Festival underway

    PHUKET: The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2010 officially got underway with the arrival of the new moon early this morning. Activities to welcome down the Nine Chinese Warrior Gods from their celestial realm actually took place last night with the raising of go teng poles at participating Chinese shrines, most of which are located in or near Phuket Town. There will…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police investigate mystery crash fatality

    Phuket Police investigate mystery crash fatality

    PHUKET: A Phuket man died early yesterday morning in a mysterious motorbike accident on Thepkrasattri Road. Thalang Police were notified of the road fatality at about 3am yesterday. At the scene, near the Muang and Thalang district borderline, police found the body of Worrawit Thaksin, 25, lying dead at the side of the road with a badly broken jaw and…

    Read More »
  • Thailand NewsWoman trashes husband’s member | Thaiger

    Woman trashes husband’s member

    PETCHABOON: A woman in the northern province Phetchaboon was arrested last month for cutting off her husband’s penis and throwing it into a trash can at the local bus station. Buariow Wannarat, 54, was caught at a police checkpoint while on a bus to Bangkok. Police escorted her back to Phetchaboon Town to point out the trash receptacle where she…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket babies may need to carry ID cards | Thaiger

    Phuket babies may need to carry ID cards

    PHUKET: The House of Representatives yesterday passed the first reading of a Bill to require one-year-old babies nationwide to have an identification card. The bill, proposed by the Interior Minister. would lower the requirement age for carrying an ID card from 15 to one year. Following a debate of more than an hour, the Bill was approved, with 222 to…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsMan shot dead outside Phuket pub

    Man shot dead outside Phuket pub

    PHUKET: A man was shot to death outside a bar in Chalong early this morning. Police believe the shooter to be a man he argued with at another bar earlier the same evening.Superintendent Wichit Intorrason led Lt Col Anukul Nuket and other Chalong Police officers to the ‘Say Yes’ pub on Patak Rd at about 4:30am today after receiving a…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket police warn of snatch bandits | Thaiger

    Phuket police warn of snatch bandits

    PHUKET: Chalong Police are urging all women riding motorbikes to be wary of snatch bandits after a young woman had her gold necklace stolen in broad daylight yesterday. Thitiporn Somjan, a 23-year-old from Sakhon Nakhon, told police she was riding along Soi Na Yai with a work colleague at about 3pm when she was robbed. They were returning to their…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket cop sought over bar demolition

    Phuket cop sought over bar demolition

    PHUKET: Chalong Police are looking to question a fellow police officer over his alleged role in the demolition of a bar in Kata.Boonlert Thamsue, owner of what was until recently the ‘So Nice’ bar near Club Med, told police that Pol Maj Wichan Suwannasit arrived around 8am yesterday with four other men and pulled down his bar.Chalong Police said Maj…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsFree Wi-Fi in two Phuket Town parks

    Free Wi-Fi in two Phuket Town parks

    PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality is now providing free Wi-Fi internet access at Saphan Hin and testing a similar service at Queen Sirikit Park on Thalang Road.The TOT has signed a contract to provide 24-hour access in both areas for three years, the municipality agreeing to paying 180,000 baht annually for the service.Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana said the project targets…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket drivers face new layer of bureaucracy

    Phuket drivers face new layer of bureaucracy

    PHUKET: Phuket drivers be warned: all new driver’s license applicants are now required to have a doctor’s certificate in order to ensure that health conditions will not adversely affect driving performance, the state-run National News Bureau of Thailand has reported. Deputy Government Spokesman Supachai Jaisamut revealed the news after a draft Transport Ministry regulation was passed by Cabinet. The Transport…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket Vegetarian Fest to generate 200 million baht

    Phuket Vegetarian Fest to generate 200 million baht

    PHUKET: Tourists coming to Phuket for the annual Vegetarian Festival from October 8-16 are expected to pump at least 200 million baht into the local economy during the nine-day festival. Occupancy rates in Phuket Town stood at 50%-60% on Tuesday, but many hotels in the island’s capital district were already fully booked for the last three days of the event,…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsGlobal warming seminar in Phuket tomorrow

    Global warming seminar in Phuket tomorrow

    PHUKET: The Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) will tomorrow hold a seminar on global warming, bringing together key Phuket businesspeople and local government leaders to raise awareness of climate change and the possible consequences for Phuket and its tourism industry. The seminar, to be held at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town from 8:30am to 4:30pm, is being organized under…

    Read More »
  • Phuket News‘Mud Garden’: Phuket residents protest mudslides, flooding

    ‘Mud Garden’: Phuket residents protest mudslides, flooding

    PHUKET: Residents of Rock Garden Phase 5 project in Rassada, who have watched in anguish as muddy floodwaters inundated their homes in recent weeks, will have to wait several more weeks before flood prevention work begins. Following yet another major flooding late last month, the fourth in two years, about 50 residents on September 26 staged a protest over the…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket IT update: ‘Facebook for business’ clinic in Patong

    Phuket IT update: ‘Facebook for business’ clinic in Patong

    PHUKET: Software Park Phuket is giving a special encore presentation of its “Using Facebook to Drive Business” seminar, a free clinic designed to introduce Phuket businesses to using Facebook to augment their online sales campaigns. Sitthichai “Mr. X” Laoveerakul, director of PhuketSchool.com, originally gave the presentation last month at a Software Park Phuket meeting. Local computer expert Woody Leonhard and…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket Veg Fest: human blood needed

    Phuket Veg Fest: human blood needed

    PHUKET: The Phuket chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society is asking for more blood donations to meet an expected rise in demand during the upcoming Phuket Vegetarian Festival and high season for tourism that follows. Pornthip Rattajak, acting director of the local Red Cross chapter, said increased stocks are needed during the high season, when the increased number of…

    Read More »
  • Phuket NewsPhuket Vegetarian Festival 2010: a lot of bang for the baht

    Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2010: a lot of bang for the baht

    PHUKET: Phuket Town residents might want to invest in safety goggles and industrial earplugs, as the Phuket Police will not try to control the use of firecrackers and more powerful fireworks during the upcoming Vegetarian Festival. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong said today the use of fireworks is a long-standing spiritual tradition that would be allowed during the nine-day…

    Read More »