Month: December 2010

  • Phuket NewsDetails of Phuket tsunami memorial services announced | Thaiger

    Details of Phuket tsunami memorial services announced

    PHUKET: Details of Sunday’s remembrance services for those who lost their lives in the 2004 tsunami disaster have been announced. The first service will take place at 8:30am at the Tsunami Wall of Remembrance in Mai Khao. Later in the morning, at the Tsunami Monument in Kamala, memorial speeches will be given by various dignitaries, including Governor Tri Augaradacha and…

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  • Phuket News

    Foreign pirate duo nabbed in Phuket raid

    PHUKET: Two alleged foreign copyright pirates were arrested in a raid by Phuket police yesterday. High-ranking provincial officers along with Patong Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakhao led the search on a warehouse off Nanai Road in Patong. The warehouse tenants named as Truong Van Doan, 33, and Tong Vankorn of Vietnam, were arrested at the scene, police said. Police seized about…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket bypass-bypass officially opens

    PHUKET: The long-awaited “bypass-bypass” road is now finished, connecting the existing bypass road with Ekwanit Road behind Surakul Stadium and Darasamuth School. The 550-meter shortcut – marked by a street sign as “Ekvanit Darasamud Road” – was officially opened at a ceremony today chaired by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha. Joining the ceremony were Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Skype users still “offline”

    PHUKET: Skype users around the world, including Phuket, are still reporting outages of the popular Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The Luxembourg-based Skype announced yesterday on its website that it noticed a falling number of people logged on to the system “which wasn’t usual or expected” and decided to investigate. The company has apologized to users and said the problem…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket to remember tsunami victims

    PHUKET: Services to remember those in Phuket lost to the 2004 tsunami disaster will be held at Patong, Kamala and Mai Khao this Sunday. Governor Tri Augaradacha announced today that the annual Light Up Phuket event will be held at Loma Park in Patong. In Mai Khao, a remembrance service will be held at the Wall of Remembrance. He added…

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  • Phuket NewsEuro snow will not stall Phuket tourism | Thaiger

    Euro snow will not stall Phuket tourism

    PHUKET: The heavy snowfalls that forced airports across Europe to close this week are only a short-term problem and will not dramatically affect Phuket tourism, say key local industry figures. Suchart Hirankanokkul, president of the Thai Hotels Association (Southern Chapter), told the Gazette he didn’t think the airport closures would result in mass booking cancellations. “The heavy snow in Europe…

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  • Phuket News

    Scores turn out for PAD meeting in Phuket

    PHUKET: More than 1,000 people from throughout the South gathered in Phuket for the yellow-shirt People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) conference last night. PAD Phuket coordinator Aparat Chartchutikumjorn confirmed that people had come from Krabi, Surat Thani, Phang Nga, Nakhon Sri Thammarat and as far as Bangkok and Phetchaboon to attend the conference. Security for the gathering at the Royal…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket readers split over UK spousal visa English tests

    PHUKET: Phuket Gazette readers are divided over whether it is fair for the UK to require spousal visa applicants to pass an English-language test: Most expats think the requirement is fair, but most Thais do not. The poll question followed a new requirement, effective from November 29, that Thai spouses applying for visas to join or marry British partners in…

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  • Phuket NewsGreater Phuket Chapter for American Chamber of Commerce | Thaiger

    Greater Phuket Chapter for American Chamber of Commerce

    PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM Thailand) has announced the formation of a Greater Phuket Chapter. AMCHAM Thailand is the leading foreign business organization in Thailand and has recognized the surging economic importance and prominence of Phuket as Asia’s leading resort destination. Established in 1956, AMCHAM Thailand now has over 660 member companies and almost 2,000 professionals…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Red Cross to raffle Bt2.5mn house

    PHUKET: The Phuket Red Cross has revealed the 2.5-million-baht home that will be raffled off as top prize at its annual fund-raising fair next month. The two-storey townhouse in Phanason Villa housing estate at Bor Rae in Wichit covers 21 square wah. The three-bedroom home was donated by Bangkok-based real estate developer Phanason, which has built many residential projects in…

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  • Phuket News

    An early Christmas gift for one of Phuket’s poorest

    PHUKET: As Christmas fast approaches, one of the poorest elderly residents of Rassada, near Phuket Town, received a special gift this year: a complete renovation for his dilapidated, old house. Put “Uncle Put” Nuengraksa, 73, was identified by Rassada Municipality as the most needy among five candidates living in the sub-district. His ramshackle abode in Soi Ta Tan, near the…

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  • Phuket News

    UFC’s Dana White steps in to save Phuket baby

    PHUKET: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has agreed to cover the cost of a liver transplant for Phuket baby Tuptim Jadngooluem. Ray Elbe runs the mixed martial arts (MMA) program at Tiger Muay Thai in Chalong, where the girl’s father, former World Muay Thai world champion Rattanachai Jadngooluem, is an instructor. Mr Elbe told the Phuket Gazette, “[I…

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  • Phuket News

    Two dead, four injured in drunken Phuket grenade blast

    PHUKET: Police suspect an explosion that killed two and injured four people in Rassada, near Phuket Town, early this afternoon was caused by an M67 grenade. Police arrived at the scene near Rassada Pier and found one man dead on a bench in front of a house on Soi Wanich 1. The man, identified as Sutthi Saeung, 25, of Nakhon…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s cold, wet snap to continue | Thaiger

    Phuket’s cold, wet snap to continue

    PHUKET: An active low pressure cell over Thailand’s South, coupled with strong high pressure over China, is to blame for Phuket’s current spate of unseasonable weather. Cloudy skies and heavy rain have dominated Phuket’s weather so far this month, which traditionally marks the start of the tourism high season. Phuket has been colder and wetter than normal for December, with…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket, South to be ‘medical tourism hub’

    PHUKET: Development and promotion of southern Thailand as a medical tourism hub was the topic of an international conference last week at the Royal Phuket City Hotel. IMT-GT (Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle) cooperative initiative officials participated in the “IMT-GT Medical Tourism” meeting chaired by Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports Permanent Secretary Sombat Kurupan on December 15. Among the 350 people…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket tsunami warning buoys deployed

    PHUKET: The operation to install tsunami direct-detection buoys in the Andaman Sea has concluded and been hailed a success. The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (Seafdec) ship used to deploy the buoys returned to port in Phuket on Thursday. “The operation went smoothly. The first buoy was installed 250 kilometers west of Phuket, while the second was installed 150km from…

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  • Phuket News

    Breaking news: FC Phuket trumps Rayong 2-0

    PHUKET: Phuket football fans are rejoicing a solid 2-0 victory by FC Phuket over Rayong this evening. The win virtually assures the team’s promotion to Division I of the Thai League next year.Both goals were scored by Ivory Coast import Diarra Ali.The first came on a penalty kick half way though the first half.The insurance goal came half-way though the…

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  • Phuket NewsWoman bites off husband’s penis, then stabs him to death | Thaiger

    Woman bites off husband’s penis, then stabs him to death

    PATTAYA (Pattaya Daily News): A woman who was forced to have oral sex by her estranged husband bit off his penis. The act annoyed the victim and sparked a fight, during which the man, reportedly a senior official at the Ministry of Defence, was stabbed to death. Pattaya police were notified of the fight by a neighbor, Viroj Siritham, 70,…

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  • OpinionPHUKET OPINION: Economics leads the challenge to Thai Tourism | Thaiger

    PHUKET OPINION: Economics leads the challenge to Thai Tourism

    PHUKET: A survey by a popular UK-based website recently ranked Bangkok as 31st among 32 major cities around the world in terms of cost of living. (See Phuket Gazette report here.) The survey, and our report of it, set off a great deal of lively, if not always learned, debate among armchair economists in the Gazette readers’ forum. A common…

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  • Phuket News

    FC Phuket face ‘make or break’ Sunday

    HUKET: Sunday is judgment day for FC Phuket as they face a make-or-break promotion clash with Rayong FC at Surakul Stadium. Kick-off is at 4pm. Victory for Phuket will put them in a great position for promotion to Division 1, while defeat will likely spell the end of their promotion dream. With only two games remaining, the Southern Sean Kirin…

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  • Phuket News

    Crowds flock to Phuket Street Festival

    PHUKET: The 2010 Phuket Street Show Festival kicked off yesterday evening on a packed Thalang Road with energetic performances by aerial acrobats from Bencha Theater Group. Some of the world’s best street performers have descended on Phuket Town this weekend for the event, which is sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The festivities, taking place in the old…

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  • Phuket News

    Superyachts arrive in Phuket

    PHUKET: Beachgoers along Phuket’s west coast would have had a hard time not noticing a flotilla of superyachts massing in Nai Harn Bay this week then moving up the coast to Pansea Bay yesterday. Leading the fleet, in Phuket for the annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, is the 74-meter MY Silver Zwei launched just last year. The Silver Zwei is rated…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket call to save ‘Tuptim’

    PHUKET: “Tuptim” is only seven months old, but has a condition that requires an urgent liver transplant or she will die within weeks. She is the daughter of Rattanachai “Kru Nai” Jadngooluem, a well known trainer at Tiger Muay Thai (TMT) in Chalong and a former World Muay Thai world champion. Mr Rattanachai, “Nit”, the child’s mother, and Phuket’s muay…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket police beef up Patong security

    PHUKET: Police in Kathu are boosting their presence on the streets of Patong for Phuket’s tourism high season. At a meeting with his top officers earlier this week, Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakhao called for his officers to boost security, in terms of crime suppression and safety, and to work towards reducing the number of accidents involving tourists during the…

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  • Thailand News

    Lucky lizard finds loving home

    RATCHABURI: Do huge monitor lizards make strange bedfellows? One family in Ratchaburi doesn’t seem to think so. Bunchoo Rotchum, 75, his wife Somya, 65, and their two-year-old granddaughter Donlaya are sharing their bed with a 2.5-meter water monitor, causing a sensation in their village in tambon Pikunthong. The creature, which the family named “Jaothong”, wandered into their home on November…

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  • Phuket News

    High-tech clearance on the horizon for Phuket yachts

    PHUKET: Travelers entering Thailand via the new Chalong Marina will have the option of submitting official entrance and registration documents electronically, before reaching the port. The Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) is on schedule to complete the new registration system by February next year as construction on the complex continues. Construction is expected to finish by September next year. SIPA…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket carnival underway

    PHUKET: Thousands of people in Phuket flocked to the streets of Patong to watch or join the annual Patong Carnival parade last night.Starting at 5pm with Patong Municipality’s ‘Pearl of the Andaman’ float, complete with its own angel of the clam, the parade continued for three hours. School bands and the traditional ladyboys dressed in glamorous outfits marched along the…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Pirates: Being evil isn’t all it’s cut out to be

    PHUKET: The Andaman Players new musical comedy, The Pirates of Phuket, takes to the stage of Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort in Patong this Saturday evening, offering some sage advice for anyone considering a change of vocation. For instance, it’s well worth thinking twice before settling on “Evil Genius” as your new career path. As the Players ably explain in…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket’s first night tsunami drill hailed a success

    PHUKET: Phuket’s first-ever night tsunami evacuation drill last night was a qualified success, but officials say more needs to be done to ensure residents in all risk areas are truly ready to conduct an after-dark evacuation. Last night’s drill was conducted at the Rajaprachanukroh 36 School in Kamala, just 100 meters from the high-tide mark at Kamala Beach. Activities, from…

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  • Cannabis NewsGerman’s Phuket stay goes to pot | Thaiger

    German’s Phuket stay goes to pot

    PHUKET: A 33-year-old German man is facing deportation after being found overstaying his visa and in possession of half a gram of marijuana. Chalong Police stopped Nico Bergmann about midday on Sunday as he drove through a checkpoint in Soi Thanuthep. Officers, led by Lt Col Weerayut Sitthirattanakul, believed Mr Bergmann was acting suspiciously and searched his car. In his…

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  • Phuket NewsRising fuel costs will not affect Phuket buses: Transport Chief | Thaiger

    Rising fuel costs will not affect Phuket buses: Transport Chief

    PHUKET: The move to increase bus fares nationwide will not affect buses operating within Phuket, the local Transport Office chief has confirmed. The news follows Thai Passenger Bus Association Chairwoman Sujinda Cherdchai meeting Department of Land Transport Director-General Tienchote Chongpeepien yesterday. The meeting was called by Ms Sujinda, whose group is seeking to increase bus fares by six satang per…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket November: A month of murder

    PHUKET: There were five premeditated murders in Phuket last month, according to crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. Once again leading the number of reported cases and arrests were narcotics offenses. Overall 320 people were arrested in 282 cases, a 4.7% decrease year-on-year. The breakdown of these arrests was listed as follows: Consumption: 116 arrests Possession: 114 arrests…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Rotary joins anti-polio effort

    PHUKET: Rotary Clubs on the island are joining the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) in the local effort to eradicate polio. Rotarians will lend a hand at the PPHO’s upcoming mobile polio vaccination clinics to be held across the island as part of National Immunization Day for Polio Eradication on December 15. On the day, free polio vaccinations will be…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket to party for health | Thaiger

    Phuket to party for health

    PHUKET: In a bid to boost confidence among tourists that local food is safe to eat and that local health services are reliable, the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) will host a “Party in the Park” from December 16 to 18. Lined up for the Public Health for Tourism (Andaman Group) Health Station Expo, to be held at Queen Sirikit…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s sad tale of two Russians | Thaiger

    Phuket’s sad tale of two Russians

    PHUKET: Russian tourist Nikoley Bobrova, 64, rushed to his wife’s aid as soon as he saw her in trouble in Phuket’s surf yesterday but could not save her. Mr Bobrova and his wife Irina, also 64, arrived in Phuket on holiday on December 1. The couple were due to fly home tomorrow. Police said the couple arrived at Karon Beach…

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  • Phuket NewsHigh-speed train may help visa runners, but not from Phuket | Thaiger

    High-speed train may help visa runners, but not from Phuket

    PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said this afternoon that construction of the Nong Khai-Bangkok-Padang Besar high-speed train will start next year and be completed in four years. Nong Khai is a northern Thai town on the border with Laos, often transited by foreigners in Phuket on visa runs to Vientiene. Padang Besar (PB) is a border town in the…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket not surveyed, but Bangkok now ranked as world’s 2nd cheapest city | Thaiger

    Phuket not surveyed, but Bangkok now ranked as world’s 2nd cheapest city

    PHUKET: In what can only be good news for Phuket and the Thai tourism industry, Bangkok appears as the second most affordable city in the world, according to a list compiled and published by PriceRunner.com yesterday. Oslo tops the list of the world’s most expensive cities, and each of the Scandinavian capitals appears in the top seven. According to a…

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