Year: 2011

  • Phuket NewsPhuket models call for votes in Thai Supermodel contest

    Phuket models call for votes in Thai Supermodel contest

    PHUKET: Two young Phuket models are seeking votes in the Photogenic Model competition, part of the Thai Supermodel Contest 2011. Uraisri “Yim” Watrsang, 16, and Vanessa “Van” Herrmann, 20, have both made it to the final round of the contest to be broadcast on Channel 7. Miss Watrsang attended Phuket’s Plookpanya School before moving on to Srinagarindra, where she is…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket probe reveals 1,400 meth pills in man’s underpants

    Phuket probe reveals 1,400 meth pills in man’s underpants

    PHUKET: The arrests of two low-level Phuket drug users have led to the bust of their suspected methamphetamine dealer, who was allegedly caught with 1,400 ya bah (methamphetamine) stashed in his underwear. Narongrit Metula, Bualin Panachai and Seksan Sritham were presented at a press conference at Chalong Police Station yesterday. Tipped off by an undercover agent, a team of police…

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  • Phuket NewsPullman Phuket Arcadia Nai Thon nears opening

    Pullman Phuket Arcadia Nai Thon nears opening

    PHUKET: Construction of the five star Pullman Phuket Arcadia began in October 2010 on Nai Thon’s headland and with the project completion target date of August 2012 approaching, marketing and recruitment proposals are scheduled for the end of this year. Mr Maitree Narukapichai, the project owner’s representative and managing director of Villa Zolitude Resort and Spa in Chalong, detailed the…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Live Wire – Google in English online all the time

    Phuket Live Wire – Google in English online all the time

    PHUKET: How many times have you typed google.com in a browser’s address bar and ended up at google.co.th? Let me show you how to fix Google so it won’t do that any more – and at the same time, show you how to set up your favorite web browser so it brings up the pages you want, whenever you start…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket officials ordered to crack down on flood price gouging

    Phuket officials ordered to crack down on flood price gouging

    PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak today ordered Phuket Provincial Commercial Affairs acting chief Jarus Phetpakdee to conduct price checks on consumer goods in Phuket and to crack down on any irregularities. At a meeting of top officials convened at Provincial Hall this morning expressly to tackle the issue, V/Gov Somkiat said, “We have received many complaints about the rising…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket food to be nominated for UNESCO gastronomical prize

    Phuket food to be nominated for UNESCO gastronomical prize

    PHUKET: Efforts are underway to collate recipes and historical information of local Baba (“Straits Chinese”) cuisine in order to have Phuket Town recognized by UNESCO as a City of Gastronomy. Dr Kosol Tang-Uthai, president of the Thai Peranakan Association, said that 65 local Baba chefs were involved in the process. “Phuket Baba food combines recipes from Royal Thai Cuisine, common…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket hotels offer “great escape’ deals for Bangkok flood evacuees

    Phuket hotels offer “great escape’ deals for Bangkok flood evacuees

    PHUKET: At least seven Phuket hotels and resorts have signed up for the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) campaign, offering discounted room rates to Bangkok flood evacuees. Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, director of the TAT office in Phuket, said Phuket was one destination that many people from Bangkok were fleeing to. “Many are staying in hotels in Phuket Town or returning to…

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  • Phuket NewsYoung woman crushed to death on Phuket beach road

    Young woman crushed to death on Phuket beach road

    PHUKET: A young Phang Nga woman was killed on the Patong beach road, on Phuket’s west coast, yesterday when a six-wheeled truck ran over her after colliding with the motorbike she was driving. Kathu Police received a report of the accident on Thaweewong Road, near the junction with Phra Barami Road, at about 6pm. Arayada Budsayakul, 27, was killed instantly,…

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  • Phuket NewsFloods force Bangkok buses to Phuket to relocate to brewery | Thaiger

    Floods force Bangkok buses to Phuket to relocate to brewery

    PHUKET: Rising flood waters in Bangkok have forced the Transport Company to relocate bus services to Phuket from the main southern bus terminal, Sai Tai Mai, to the Holland Beer Restaurant on Rama 2 Road in Bangkok’s Bang Khuntien District, Thonburi. “We had to close the southern bus terminal because all the roads around it were flooded,” said Transport Company…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket longtail fisherman watches helpless as nephew drowns

    Phuket longtail fisherman watches helpless as nephew drowns

    PHUKET: A longtail boat operator drowned near Phuket’s Ao Por Pier this morning as his uncle helplessly looked on. The drowned man’s uncle, “Rut”, described the series of events to family friend Suriya Dujpayak, but was too grief-stricken to speak to the press. Boonchuay Piewsoy, 35, developed cramps at about 7:30am while swimming out to his boat, which was anchored…

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  • Thai LifePhuket’s sea gypsies gain ground

    Phuket’s sea gypsies gain ground

    PHUKET: After decades of struggle, Phuket’s sea gypsies may soon be allowed back into their ancestral fishing waters.Sea gypsy communities for centuries lived freely off the abundant sea life in Andaman waters with an unyielding respect for the source of their nourishment and an innate commitment to environmental preservation. With industrial development, tourism growth, the creation of new technologies and…

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  • Thai LifeHats on for charity at Phuket’s Andara Resort

    Hats on for charity at Phuket’s Andara Resort

    PHUKET: The Melbourne Cup, the horse race that stops a nation [Australia], was celebrated in style at Phuket’s Andara Resort & Villas, in Kamala, on November 1. Anticipation was high before the race, and once the gates opened guests cheered for their favorites with Dunaden winning the Melbourne Cup in a thrilling photo finish, one of the closest finishes in…

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  • Thai LifePhuket’s jet-skiers play good samaritans

    Phuket’s jet-skiers play good samaritans

    PHUKET: In a humanitarian effort, 13 members of the Patong Jet Ski Club traveled from Phuket to the flooded regions in and near Bangkok where they used jet-skis to rescue more than 600 people and distribute emergency food rations to stranded victims who were unwilling to leave their homes. Somkid Kueanun, a 36-year-old Phuket native and head of both the…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Books – A mission of madness

    Phuket Books – A mission of madness

    PHUKET: Every grade school student is familiar with the epic voyage (1497-1499) of Vasco da Gama from Portugal around the Horn of Africa to India. What they are not so familiar with is the gruesome tale of naval bombardments, sea battles, siege, sack, piracy and mass mutilations that would follow. Launched only five years after the first voyage of Columbus…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Gardening – It’s all about looking pretty

    Phuket Gardening – It’s all about looking pretty

    PHUKET: In the next few weeks, this space will be devoted to small trees suitable for your Phuket garden. The distinction between small trees and large shrubs is a blurred one. So what are the differences between shrubs and small trees? Both are perennials and both live for a number of years, but neither is a herbaceous perennial, as are…

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  • Phuket NewsTraining tips for the Phuket Triathlon – fuel for your body

    Training tips for the Phuket Triathlon – fuel for your body

    PHUKET: Completing a successful triathlon is not just about swimming, biking and running. You need to fuel your body with the right energy sources and ensure you are properly hydrated. Use the days before the race to load up on fuel. Carbohydrates deliver the most energy. Make a shift in your diet toward this kind of food. Good sources of…

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  • Phuket NewsKing’s College take Phuket rugby cup

    King’s College take Phuket rugby cup

    PHUKET: As waters continue to inundate Bangkok and travel advisories assist with reduced visitor numbers to Phuket, it was a privilege to see the efforts made by a few rugby playing schools and organizations to travel and participate in the first Phuket Lomas International Youth Rugby Tournament hosted by Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) recently. King’s College from Bangkok…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket not alone in problem of abandoned babies | Thaiger

    Phuket not alone in problem of abandoned babies

    Phuket NEWS Hound – World news selected by Phuket Gazette editors for Phuket readers Russia places boxes for mothers to drop off unwanted babies PHUKET: Russian hospitals have begun to introduce so-called baby boxes where new mothers will be able to place their unwanted newborns, officials said on Monday. According to the RIA Novosti news agency, Russian health officials said…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket gets cooking for Bangkok flood victims

    Phuket gets cooking for Bangkok flood victims

    PHUKET: The cafeteria at Phuket Vocational College in Phuket Town has been dedicated to cooking at least 12,000 meals a day to be delivered to flood victims in Bangkok. “The Ministry of Interior has asked all provinces with the potential to help to provide assistance to flood victims in Bangkok,” said Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak. “Phuket has been assigned…

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  • Phuket NewsNo “nipple gangs’ in Phuket: Police

    No “nipple gangs’ in Phuket: Police

    PHUKET: Phuket police today were firm in the assertion that there are no “nipple gangs” at work in Phuket. The news follows a report by a Chinese daily newspaper saying that Singaporean men on holiday in Phuket had been drugged by knock-out drops smeared onto women’s breasts. Once drugged unconscious, the men were robbed, the report said. Other newspapers and…

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  • Phuket NewsHit-and-run slams Phuket woman off the road and into a ravine

    Hit-and-run slams Phuket woman off the road and into a ravine

    PHUKET: Phuket police are searching for the driver of a pickup truck that was involved in a hit and run on the Chalong-Kata Hill on Sunday. Witnesses reported seeing the pickup collide with a motorbike, resulting in the woman rider plunging over the edge of the steep slope and landing in a ravine about eight meters deep. The accident was…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket roads blamed for traffic accidents: Poll

    Phuket roads blamed for traffic accidents: Poll

    PHUKET: More than half the people who took part in a recent Phuket Gazette poll responded that the island’s roads were either the primary cause or a large contributing factor to the number of road accidents that occur in Phuket. In the poll, readers were asked, “Do you believe that the condition of Phuket’s roads endangers residents and tourists?” Overall,…

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  • Thai LifePhuket film low-down: Just In Time for Timberlake

    Phuket film low-down: Just In Time for Timberlake

    PHUKET: A sci-fi flick about immortality starring Justin Timberlake is out now. It’s not great; it’s not terrible – if you have time to spare, then give it a go.Tick, tick, tick – six years have passed since Andrew Niccol, writer of the Truman Show and director of Gattica, did a project of note so it’s about time he got…

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  • Phuket NewsBangkok flood ‘stranglehold’ on fixing deadly Phuket road

    Bangkok flood ‘stranglehold’ on fixing deadly Phuket road

    PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) chief Arun Sanae has applied for a budget of eight million baht to fix the damaged Patong Hill road, but says he does not know when the funds to begin repairs will arrive. The road suffered a severe rip in its surface last month after heavy rains caused a landslide underneath it on October…

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  • Phuket NewsChina’s Xue, Zhang win gold at Phuket FIVB beach volleyball final

    China’s Xue, Zhang win gold at Phuket FIVB beach volleyball final

    PHUKET: China’s Chen Xue and Xi Zhang defeated Americans Jennifer Kessy and April Ross to win the final of the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour at Karon Beach today. Favorites Xue/Zhang defeated the second-seeded Kessy/Ross 21-16, 21-14 in 40 minutes, rounding off a perfect tournament of six wins, zero losses. In the battle of former Phuket champions, the…

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  • Phuket NewsBody of foreign man found floating off Phuket | Thaiger

    Body of foreign man found floating off Phuket

    PHUKET: A Thai fishing boat this morning found the body of a caucasian man floating in the waters between Racha Yai Island and Coral Island, to the south of Phuket. Samnieng Srisan of the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center at Chalong Pier told the Phuket Gazette that the squid fishing boat Sor Naja made the discovery at about 10:15am. “The body…

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  • Phuket NewsMystics fail to reveal bodies of missing Phuket lovers

    Mystics fail to reveal bodies of missing Phuket lovers

    PHUKET: The families of the man and woman who have yet to resurface since disappearing from Thepkrasattri Bridge last week have called in soothsayers to help find the bodies. However, despite at least five mystics proffering descriptions of where to look in the fast-flowing waters under the Phuket bridge, divers have yet to find the bodies of troubled young lovers…

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  • Phuket NewsBangkok floods hit Phuket bars with ‘beer crisis’

    Bangkok floods hit Phuket bars with ‘beer crisis’

    PHUKET: Phuket’s critical tourism and entertainment industries are struggling to cope with the disrupted supply of consumer products and price rises brought on by the floods in Bangkok and central Thailand. The latest shortage to take hold on the island is alcohol, with reports flooding in to the Phuket Gazette of bars either running dry or short of stock and…

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  • Phuket NewsThai Floods: Kudos and consequences for Phuket

    Thai Floods: Kudos and consequences for Phuket

    PHUKET: While the floods laying siege to Bangkok have dominated national news and made headlines around the world for weeks, Phuket has remained safe and dry. And as such, the province has been, as it well should be, a major platform for flood relief for hundreds of thousands of victims throughout Thailand’s central plains. Heartwarming initiatives continue underway in Phuket…

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  • Phuket NewsChina, USA to face off in Phuket FIVB beach volleyball final today

    China, USA to face off in Phuket FIVB beach volleyball final today

    PHUKET: China’s top-seeded duo Chen Xue and Xi Zhang will take on the second-seeded team of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross from the United States in the gold medal final of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour at Karon Beach this afternoon. Both teams ground out semifinal match victories yesterday to advance to the internationally-televised final, scheduled to start on…

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  • Phuket NewsBIS Phuket calls for boats, life vests to help Bangkok flood victims

    BIS Phuket calls for boats, life vests to help Bangkok flood victims

    PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BIS) is appealing for donations of boats and life vests to help those affected by the floods in Bangkok. “Due to the flooding problems in Bangkok, Rangsit University has formed a group of rescue team to help the Rangsit and Muang Eak communities and they are desperately in need of additional supplies as the water…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket readies for Loy Krathong 2011

    Phuket readies for Loy Krathong 2011

    PHUKET: Loy Krathong, the “festival of light,” is on November 10 this year and will be celebrated by communities across Phuket and all of Thailand. Thousands of people across the nation will be releasing krathong, lotus-shaped floats traditionally made of banana leaves, with a small offering of food, flowers, joss sticks and/or candles into the waters of Thailand. This annual…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket surf zones to mark coastal conservation

    Phuket surf zones to mark coastal conservation

    PHUKET: At least three surfing locations at Phuket beaches are being shortlisted for recognition as National Surfing Reserves (NSRs). Brad Farmer, global chair of the non-profit organization National Surfing Reserves (NSR), conducted a site inspection at Kata, Kalim and Nai Yang Beaches yesterday. “The surfing reserve concept is a symbolic dedication whereby surfing areas are recognized as coastal resources worthy…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket officials rally to stave off flood shortages, price hikes

    Phuket officials rally to stave off flood shortages, price hikes

    PHUKET: Top officials at Phuket government offices yesterday met to discuss critical issues with product shortages and prices hikes in Phuket brought on by the floods in and around Bangkok. Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising said that his organization had received many complaints from Phuket residents about the product shortages and rising prices. “Even though Phuket Governor…

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  • Phuket NewsAussies deported over false Phuket robbery claim

    Aussies deported over false Phuket robbery claim

    PHUKET: The two Australian tourists on holiday in Phuket who were charged with filing a false robbery report last weekend have been deported, the Phuket Immigration Office has confirmed. The Australian couple, Abdul Karim El Rajab, 31, and Zeidan Nouha, 30, were arrested for filing a bogus report of being robbed in Patong last Sunday. Police believe the couple filed…

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  • Phuket NewsChina, USA march on at Phuket FIVB volleyball open

    China, USA march on at Phuket FIVB volleyball open

    PHUKET: The FIVB Swatch Beach Volleyball Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT gave spectators an exciting third round full of action and suspense on Karon Beach today.China’s top-seeded Xue/Zhang earned their 34th final four appearance out of 67 career FIVB Swatch World Tour tournaments together. Second-seeded Kessy/Ross will be in the 30th final four in 61 career FIVB Swatch World…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket market for flood price relief sells out ‘within hours’

    Phuket market for flood price relief sells out ‘within hours’

    PHUKET: Phuket Town residents took just hours to snap up all the produce on sale at a special market yesterday aimed at providing relief from price rises brought on by the floods in Bangkok and Central Thailand.The market, set up in front of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce offices in Phuket Town, sold out of 200 kilograms of chicken, 7,500…

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