Year: 2010
- Phuket News
Phuket Thailand Open: Dutch, Brazilians first through to semis
PHUKET: A team from the Netherlands and another from Brazil are through to the semi-finals of the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open after another day of world-class volleyball at Karon Beach today. The top match saw Salgado sisters Maria Clara and Carol from Brazil upset tournament favorites Chen Xue and Xi Zhang of China. Despite a comeback in the second set…
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Phuket tsunami warning “a rumor’: NDWC
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has denied local government reports that tsunami warning towers mistakenly sounded the alarm yesterday morning. However, the Phuket governor and top officials at Kamala and Mai Khao have confirmed that tsunami alarm towers went off at around 10am yesterday, causing people in the area to panic. “More than a hundred people on Nai…
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BREAKING NEWS: FC Phuket’s Camara opens eyes
PHUKET: FC Phuket star midfielder Camara Ahmed opened his eyes early this morning, but has yet to respond to stimuli, the Gazette has learned. “He went into convulsions last night,” FC Phuket club administrator Kazira Hans told the Gazette from Bangkok. “Doctors gave him medication to prevent the convulsions, but this medication has a side-effect of inducing unconsciousness,” she said.…
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“Factory’ funplex to open on Phuket’s Soi Bangla
PHUKET: Construction crews are working overtime to ensure the site of the old Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong will be ready for a grand opening on November 13 as the Factory Bar nightclub. Hailed as the largest capacity night entertainment venue in Phuket, able to accommodate nearly 1,000 party goers, the club will feature a 26-meter-long bar, dance floor and…
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The Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race returns
PHUKET: In the wake of its highly successful first fund-raising Race Day in November last year, the Phuket Community Foundation (PCF) today announced the popular fun event will return on January 23. Making the announcement at the Blue Elephant restaurant in Phuket Town, Alasdair Forbes, Vice President of the PCF and chair of the Race Day organizing committee, confirmed the…
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World champs stumble at Phuket Thailand Open
PHUKET: Spectators at the opening matches of today’s play in the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open were treated to an impressive display of raw determination on Karon Beach. Underdogs Heather Bansley and Elizabeth Maloney from Canada, seeded 26th, scored two upset wins – including a three-set win over defending world champs Jen Kessy and April Ross. “It’s pretty surreal to beat…
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Phuket coconut husker’s hand mauled
PHUKET: The new Phuket City Municipality fresh market on Ranong Rd claimed its first emergency early this morning when rescue workers were called to free a young man’s hand that was jammed in a coconut peeling machine. Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation workers arrived at about 4am and took more than an hour to free the hand, still attached to 19-year-old Burmese…
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Phuket shines for Camara
PHUKET: A crowd of FC Phuket supporters, friends and family members gathered at Bangkok Hospital Phuket last night for the candlelight vigil for star midfielder Camara Ahmed. Mr Ahmed, from the Ivory Coast, remains comatose in the intensive care unit after collapsing from a heart attack on the field at Surakul Stadium last Saturday. Mr Ahmed’s brother, Kone Lassine, 37,…
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Call for Phuket hotels to join tourist registration seminar
PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration Office is calling for hoteliers across the island to attend a seminar about registering their guests with Immigration. Phuket Immigration Superintendent Panuwat Ruamrak told the Gazette yesterday that more than 300 hotels have already registered in the system, including the Hilton Arcadia, Sri Panwa and Marriott hotels. The seminar will be held at the ICT Center…
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Phuket buses, planes resume services to the South
PHUKET: The sun shining on Phuket brought good news for travelers this morning when bus and plane services from Phuket to destinations throughout the South resumed. Nearly 100 foreigners expecting to board flights to Koh Samui and other travelers bound for southern provinces by bus were left stranded this week due to the lethal flooding in the region. Phuket Airport…
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Thai qualifiers bounce out at Phuket Thailand Open
PHUKET: It wasn’t a good round for Thai hopefuls in the qualifying rounds of the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open women’s beach volleyball tournament in Karon, as all three qualifiers bounced out in Round 1 yesterday. The pairing of Phupanee-Numwong went down in straight sets to the Canadian pairing of Valjas-MacTavish in 39 minutes (16-21, 21-23). The Japanese pairing of Ozaki-Kaneda…
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Prayers for stricken FC Phuket star Camara tonight
PHUKET: Players, coaches, fans, friends and family of FC Phuket will hold candlelight prayers tonight for stricken star midfielder Camara Ahmed. Camara, from the Ivory Coast, collapsed on field from a heart attack at Surakul Stadium on Saturday during the FC Phuket match against Chainat FC. He was revived en route to hospital, but has been in a coma since.…
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Phuket hit-and-run: Young couple killed instantly
PHUKET: A young couple on a motorbike died instantly in a head-on collision with a pickup truck in Phuket this morning. Police are now seeking the driver, who abandoned the wrecked vehicle at the scene and fled on foot. Arriving at the scene on Chao Fa East Road in Chalong shortly after 6am, officers found the bodies 28-year-old Prasertsri Panchanan,…
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Longtail boats run aground at Bang Tao Bay, Phuket
PHUKET: Wind-driven waves damaged seven longtail boats anchored in Bang Tao Bay this morning, but it looks as if Phuket has been spared serious damage from the tropical depression that has ravaged other parts of the South in recent days. After receiving a report that the effects of the tropical depression passing over Phuket would start to be felt at…
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Phuket donations sought for flood victims nationwide
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office and the Phuket Red Cross are asking for the public to donate items for flood victims nationwide. Donations of cash, clothes and dried or sealed foods will be accepted at the Jamjuri Ballroom at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town on Saturday between 1pm and 5pm. Money transfers can be made to: Account name:…
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Phuket Thailand Open beach volleyball to go ahead on schedule
PHUKET: Organizers of the Phuket Thailand Open have confirmed that qualifying matches for the international beach volleyball event will go ahead as planned from 9am tomorrow on all match courts on Karon Beach. Although organizers are keeping an eye on the weather, only heavy rain will be allowed to delay play, said Kaewjai “Pu” Kaewpratoom of event organizers Pentangle Promotions.…
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Grand ambitions: Phuket teen joins Women’s Tennis Association tour
PHUKET: Local tennis player Helen De Cesare looks set for stardom after winning a place on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour at just 15 years of age. Confident she can advance to the highest echelons of the sport, Miss De Cesare has her sights set on eventually breaking into the world’s top 10. “One day, I want to win…
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Phuket motorcade to support “100% helmet use” campaign
PHUKET: About 500 Phuket motorbike riders are expected to make their way along the beach road in Patong on November 16 to highlight the importance of wearing safety helmets. Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakhao said the motorcade of “safe riders” is part of an island-wide campaign to raise road-safety awareness. The motorcade comes before the January 1 deadline when Kathu…
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Songkhla flooded, tropical depression headed to Phuket
PHUKET: A tropical depression that made landfall in Songkhla yesterday is expected to bring heavy to very heavy rain to Phuket. The latest weather advisory issued by the Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) at 6am today said the depression was centered over Krabi province at 5am, moving westward at a speed of 15kmh. The system is expected to pass over…
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UPDATE: FC Phuket star clings to life at Bangkok Hospital
PHUKET: Teammates of FC Phuket player Camara Ahmed were today camped out at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, where the star midfielder remains in intensive care after suffering cardiac arrest during Saturday night’s 1-0 playoff win over Chainat FC. FC Phuket advisor Paitoon Chutimakornkul told the Gazette this afternoon that expert care by staff at the hospital’s Cardiac Care Unit kept the…
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New Kamala – Kathu Road touted for Phuket
PHUKET: Kamala’s top official has proposed construction of a new road linking the West Coast town with Kathu Municipality, bypassing Patong. The five-kilometer road would head directly over the hills behind Phuket FantaSea and join an existing road at Kathu Waterfall. The new road, if approved, would cost more than 17.4 million baht just for the 2.6-kilometer stretch in Kamala.…
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Phuket poll: Ice in beer, yea or nay?
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette readers’ poll has covered some pretty serious topics in recent months, so, to add some lighthearted refreshment, our latest survey asks readers the age-old, simple question: Is it acceptable to put ice in beer? To have your say, click here or on the icon at the top-right corner of this page. We’ll be back to a…
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Phuket in for harsh weather: MET
PHUKET: The Meteorological Department this morning issued an advisory warning of heavy rain with the chance of flooding in Phuket. The warning, also issued for other southern provinces, comes as a tropical depression is passing over the region. The affected provinces were given as Pattani, Songkhla, Phatthalung, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Satun, Trang, Krabi, Phuket and Phang Nga. The warning, issued…
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Phuket poll: Readers split on ‘White Hotel’ project
PHUKET: Gazette readers are somewhat dubious that a new “White Hotel” project being set up by Phuket City Police and local hotel operators will have the desired affect of reducing illegal drug use. One of the key elements to the initiative, still in its preliminary stages, would be mandatory, random drug testing of all staff at hotels, guest houses and…
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FC Phuket star fighting for his life
PHUKET: Celebrations of FC Phuket’s crucial 1-0 victory over Chainat last night have been muted by midfielder Camara Ahmed collapsing on field from a heart attack. The Ivory Coast midfielder, on loan from Muangthong United, collapsed during the second half of the game and was resuscitated en route to Bangkok Hospital Phuket. He is now in a coma in intensive…
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Van plunges from expressway, killing eight
BANGKOK (The Nation): A packed transport van plunged from an expressway onto Rama VI road in Bangkok this evening before bursting into flames, killing at least eight. The van swerved and hit the expressway railing near the Rama VI exit before plunging onto the road near Samsen School at about 5pm. The van then burst into flames, police said, killing…
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Phuket Opinion: Making sense of the numbers game
PHUKET: Our story this week about violent crime in Phuket set off a lively, multi-sided discussion in the Gazette readers forum, with several contributors pondering the relationship between police statistics and the actual situation on the ground. Dismissing the report as irrelevant, some pointed to the astonishing number of reported cases of prostitution: 1,692 in the whole province for the…
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Breaking sports news: FC Phuket 1 – 0 Chainat
PHUKET: FC Phuket beat Chainat FC by a score of 1 – 0 tonight in the Thai League playoffs for promotion to Division 1. Chainat FC went into the match at the top of the table with two wins, but they were dominated by FC Phuket in the first half. FC Phuket scored on a brilliant header early in the…
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Cabinet approves Phuket Bt2.6b convention center
PHUKET: Cabinet has approved plans for the long-awaited International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) in Mai Khao to go ahead, with construction likely to get under way mid-2012. That was the news at a public hearing for the mega-project held at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on Wednesday. “Cabinet approved the project on September 28 after the Treasury Department sent the…
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FC Phuket ready for showdown with Chainat FC
PHUKET: FC Phuket will take on Chainat FC tomorrow in a crunch match that will be crucial to their chances of being promoted to Division 1 of the Thai League. “Chainat FC is currently favorite to win our group in the playoffs. The game tomorrow is expected to be an interesting one – and exciting,” said FC Phuket Coach Ajharn…
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Halloween celebrations underway in Phuket
PHUKET: Although Halloween is not widely celebrated on the island, the resident expat community and their kids had a good time dressing up, trick-or-treating and taking part in other fun activities earlier today. Several schools held Halloween events today, the last school day before the actual celebration on Sunday. At Kajonkietsuksa School, secondary students organized fun activities for their nong…
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Phuket murder suspects arrested in Nongkhai
PHUKET: Two brothers wanted for the murder a man in Patong last month were arrested in their home province of Nongkhai and flown back to Phuket to face charges earlier this week. Suphat “Tu” Tiangnoi, 26, and his younger brother Somchai “Bao Dam”, 23, were presented at a press conference at Kathu Police Station on Wednesday. The pair were arrested…
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Finn dies in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: A Finnish tourist died in Patong late Tuesday night after a heavy drinking session, police said. Kathu Police duty officer Jakkapong Luang-aon said the Finn, 58, had been in Patong to celebrate the birthday of his Thai girlfriend. At the party that evening he drank a great deal, witnesses said. His girlfriend left him alone in his Patong hotel…
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Four drownings in two months: Phuket Lifeguard Club
PHUKET: At least four people have drowned in the rough monsoon surf at Phuket beaches over the past two months. The Phuket Lifeguard Club’s latest incident report says two died in 371 “incidents” between September 26 and October 25. The number of incidents was up sharply over the previous four weeks, when 184 incidents were reported. As usual, foreigners were…
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Phuket Governor warns developers of flood, landslide risks
PHUKET: Governor Tri Augkaradacha has urged officials and local agencies to be vigilant in preventing flooding and landslides near construction sites and at recently completed housing projects. The call followed the Thai Meteorological Department on Wednesday issuing a wet weather warning for 15 provinces in southern Thailand through the end of the month. Heavy rains caused by a monsoon trough…
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Phuket water woes prompt weir construction
PHUKET: A pilot project in the hills of Kathu is aimed at alleviating water supply woes at the Prince of Songkla University campus in Phuket (PSU-Phuket). The project, headed by Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP), involves three weirs, or “mini-dams”, being built on hillside streams to trap and divert runoff. The first weir, which is already completed, fills three 6,000-liter tanks…
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Top Buddhist scholar to give workshop in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket International Academy Mind Center (PIAMC) will host a three-day workshop by leading Buddhist scholar Dr Jeffrey Hopkins in December. Taking place over the weekend of December 3-5, the program is based on the Dalai Lama’s enlightening book, How to Expand Love: Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships, which provides everyday guidelines for transforming self-centered energy into outwardly…
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