Year: 2011
- Phuket News
US Open a father’s day gift from McIlroy
PHUKET: NORTHERN Irish golfer Rory McIlroy won the US Open in stunning fashion early this morning, breaking 12 records in the process. The 22-year-old from the small town of Hollywood, County Down, entered the record books as the youngest player to win the title since Bobby Jones in 1923. But McIlroy etched his name in history in more ways than…
Read More » - Phuket News
Heartbroken Estonian dies in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of an Estonian business owner found dead in his Phuket Town shophouse last night. Phuket City Police duty officer Yingnucharee Longkaew identified the deceased as 45-year-old Artur Mansurov, who was found dead on the third floor of his shophouse at the Phuket@Town commercial housing estate on Surin Road. According to one local media report,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Mystery donor gives B1mn for Phuket’s first cricket ground
PHUKET: An anonymous benefactor has stepped up to donate one million baht to the development of the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG), Phuket’s first dedicated cricket ground and clubhouse. Construction of the eagerly anticipated ACG was finally given a green light on May 31. The main financier of the project, Alan Cooke MBE, bought a parcel of land in Thalang specifically…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Public Transport: Residents need reality U-turn, but beware the tuk-tuks
PHUKET: After 19 months of delay, it’s time to break the median strip in front of Phuket Provincial Bus Terminal 2 and finally get the buses rolling from there. [See story, front page, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.] Despite its ill-advised location, the site is an improvement over that of…
Read More » - Phuket News
FC Phuket through to round two of Toyota Football League Cup
PHUKET: A single goal advanced FC Phuket to the Toyota League Cup second round, defeating their lower league opponents Thanyaburi FC in Pathum Thani on Saturday. Having posted two wins in three games and accruing 12 goals in the process, Phuket’s coach Sompong Watana portrayed confidence in his pre-match comments. “Our first [Toyota League Cup] match with Thanyaburi United is…
Read More » - Phuket News
Chinese tourist airlifted after Phuket boat tour
PHUKET: Royal Thai Navy medevac officers scrambled this afternoon after receiving a call to airlift a Chinese tourist from Koh Racha Yai back to Phuket. Cdr Jongjaroen Jangjun, Duty Officer at the Third Naval Area Command Operations Center, told the Phuket Gazette that 53-year-old Xiao Ming Hao was on a boat trip to Koh Racha Yai, about 25 kilometers south…
Read More » - Phuket News
Top cops focused on Phuket gold heist
PHUKET: The region’s top police officer came to Phuket on Thursday to follow up on the investigation into the gold heist reported by the Phuket Gazette earlier this month. The man robbed the family-owned Thong Thanet gold shop near the Slaughterhouse Intersection in Phuket Town. Gold items stolen were valued at over six million baht. Shop owners Jirasak and Chantana…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket enjoys a fruity affair
PHUKET: Fruit lovers may want to make a trip to Phuket Town over the weekend, as a fair featuring the best produce from Eastern Thailand’s Chanthaburi province is now underway. Seven different types of fruit from the famed fruit-producing region are now on sale at the central stage area at Saphan Hin. The event, which began yesterday, is open daily…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket expat survives high-speed crash
PHUKET: An expat sales executive at a luxury villa resort complex in Phuket was injured when his car slammed into a power pole on the coastal road to the airport just before midnight last night. Called to the crash site, about 200 meters from Nai Yang Temple, Kusoldharm Foundation workers found a badly-damaged Toyota Vios crashed into a power pole…
Read More » - Phuket News
The team in front is FC Phuket
PHUKET: FC Phuket begin their Toyota League Cup campaign this afternoon playing an away fixture to Thanyaburi FC in Pathum Thani. Sixty four teams are entered in the first round with 21 games being played today. A further nine matches are scheduled for tomorrow, June 19 and the remaining two games will be played on Sunday, June 26. Thanyaburi FC…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Poll: What is your favorite chain of convenience stores on Phuket?
PHUKET: It seems that you can’t turn a corner on Phuket without bumping into yet another new convenience store opening its doors on Phuket. Supercheap and Tops Daily convenience stores are now adding to the ever increasing number of 7-Eleven, Family Mart, Tesco Express and “mum and pop” stores on the island. Some stores sit side by side. But with…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket’s honorary consuls top reason tourists call police
PHUKET: Tourists seeking contact details of Phuket’s honorary consuls is the number one reason why they call the Tourist Police hotline 1155. From January 2010 to May 2011, the 1155 hotline received 8,512 calls, with 1,860 of those calls asking for directions to and the location of honorary consuls’ offices, an officer at the Tourist Police hotline center told the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Mystery surrounds death of Swiss woman found floating off Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket City Police traveled to Koh Maphrao today to investigate the discovery of a Swiss woman’s body found yesterday in waters off the island’s east coast. The body was identified as 61-year-old Ursula Balzan by her relatives who lived nearby on Koh Maphrao. Her neck was broken and there were bruises around her body and mouth. Officers told the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Driver flees scene of lethal Phuket crash
PHUKET: The driver of a pickup truck fled the scene of a fatal crash with a motorcycle on Phuket’s west coast early this morning. The accident, involving a Honda Wave motorbike and an Isuzu D-Max, occurred near a Chinese cemetery on Srisoonthorn Road between Cherng Talay and Bang Tao at 3:30am. The motorcycle was found 15 meters from the truck,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket gets cooking for halal food expo
PHUKET: Representatives from 70 halal organizations from 35 countries have been invited to join the ‘Phuket Halal International Forum and Andaman Muslim Expo 2011’, which gets underway at Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa in Patong on June 22. The two-day international forum will focus on halal certification in each respective country, seeking to reach consensus on a standard in order…
Read More » - Phuket News
Keeping dolphins in captivity is inhumane: Poll
PHUKET: A strong majority of Phuket Gazette readers who voted in a recent online readers’ poll say that keeping dolphins in captivity is inhumane. Readers were asked: “Do you think it is humane to keep dolphins in captivity?” Four answers were available: 1) Yes; 2) No; 3) It depends on how they are acquired and treated; and 4) I don’t…
Read More » - Phuket News
US Open for McIlroy
PHUKET: “I took the experience from Augusta, and I learned a lot from it. I just need to keep it going. I played really good out there, didn’t make any mistakes, which in a US Open is huge.” Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy leads the US Open at Congressional with a 6-under-par first round score. The 22-year-old is 3 shots ahead…
Read More » - Phuket News
Taxis, tour agencies ink MoU to end blockades at Phuket Deep Sea Port
PHUKET: An hour of intense negotiations today finally ended with taxi drivers and tour agencies signing an agreement to end blockades at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port. Most, but not all, parties present at the meeting at Provincial Hall today signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was outlined by verbal agreement following the blockade of tourists attempting to disembark the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Police rally against vote selling in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket police today held their second rally to encourage people to vote for the candidates they support and not to “sell” their votes to canvassers who come knocking at their doors in the run-up to the July 3 general election. Carrying banners and walking to music played by school marching bands, the crowd paraded south from a market on…
Read More » - Phuket News
Russian honeymoon tourist in Phuket dies after dangerous surf rescue
PHUKET: A young Russian tourist on honeymoon in Phuket died earlier today after she was pulled unconscious from dangerous surf at Nai Thon Beach late yesterday afternoon. Irina Tsyz, 24, was swimming with her husband Alexander Ovsov, 25, when she started to flounder in the large waves, Tah Chat Chai police told the Phuket Gazette. “It was windy and she…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket PEA issues blackout notice
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority, Thalang office, has announced a scheduled blackout to carry out maintenance work on high-voltage power lines. The work will be carried out on Tuesday, June 21, from 9am to 5pm. Affected areas include the road from Baan Mai Khao to Baan Suan Maprao, including Mai Khao Soi 8, Mai Khao Soi 9, Soi Suan…
Read More » - Phuket News
FC Phuket hit a magnificent seven in Thai FA Cup
PHUKET: Bangkok Christian College Football Club (BCCFC) were thrown to the lions in last night’s Thailand FA Cup second round match against a rampant FC Phuket at Surakul Stadium. After a 4-1 win over Chainat FC on Saturday, a buoyant Phuket were certainly in goalscoring form and needed to consolidate their first league victory in six games. A solid win…
Read More » - Phuket News
Early vote registration in Phuket ends tomorrow
PHUKET: Tomorrow is the last day for Phuket residents who will be out of town on July 3 to register to vote early on June 26 in the upcoming general election. Phuket Election Commission Director Kitipong Thiengkunakrit is urging all such residents to register at the District Office or subdistrict (tambon or municipality) office where they reside. The early vote…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket “Miniature World’ expo starts tomorrow
PHUKET: The annual Amazing Thai Miniature World exhibition returns to Phuket tomorrow at the Jungceylon shopping complex in Patong. Set to take place at Silang Boulevardon the ground floor, the exhibition will feature glimpses into the Thai way of life, both past and present, as represented by tiny carvings and other intricate artwork produced by expert craftsmen. The event, going…
Read More » - Phuket News
New South Wales take State of Origin to game three
PHUKET: Two years without winning a Rugby League State of Origin game ended for New South Wales last night defeating Queensland to leave the 2011 series balanced with one win each. A victory for the Maroons (Queensland) in yesterday’s match played in Sydney would have sealed the series and taken them to six titles in a row. Hope for a…
Read More » - Phuket News
One dead, three injured in Phuket car crash
PHUKET: One man was killed and three others badly injured when their pickup crashed near the Heroines’ Monument in Phuket early this morning. Thalang Police Duty Officer Praman Yomkaphan was informed of the accident at 3:40am. Arriving at the scene, on Thepkrasattri Road southbound near Tha Reua Temple, officers found a badly damaged Suzuki utility truck on the median strip.…
Read More » - Phuket News
Questions raised over Phuket’s Big Buddha
PHUKET: The management of Phuket’s renowned Big Buddha image has come under scrutiny for slow progress and alleged misuse of land and donated funds. After more than nine years of construction, land officials are now demanding “a clear deadline” as to when construction at the site, high atop a hill in the Nakkerd Range, will finally come to an end.…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Live Wire: Internet access really is getting better
PHUKET: It’s fashionable to squawk and groan about our Internet connections here in Phuket, but the fact is that we’re approaching the speeds one would commonly find in the United States and other developing countries. Err, well, you know what I mean. Scandinavia is much faster, as are Hong Kong, Singapore and much of South Korea. Those places recognized the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket stargazers treated to full lunar eclipse tonight
PHUKET: Residents and tourists with clear skies over their heads tonight will be treated to an astronomical phenomenon – literally. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) earlier today announced through its website that a total lunar eclipse will be visible – weather permitting – across Thailand. The eclipse will start at 1:22am and the moon will be plunged…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket street shootout gunman dies from injuries
PHUKET: The second of two men involved in a shootout with Phuket police in Kata-Karon on Sunday has died in hospital. Chalong Police duty officer Boonlert Onklang told the Phuket Gazette today that 21-year-old Somkid Kongtin died at Vachira Hospital Phuket at 7:20pm yesterday. Mr Somkid suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the shootout, but the two most serious wounds were…
Read More » - Phuket News
FC Phuket take on Bangkok Christian tonight
PHUKET: FC Phuket will take on Bangkok Christian College FC in the second round of the 2011 Thai League FA Cup tonight. The match at Surakul Stadium will kick off at 6pm. Following Saturday’s 4 -1 victory over Chainat, FC Phuket began a two-week break from Division 1 league play. Anticipating a challenging home match up against southern rivals Songkhla…
Read More » - Phuket News
Slipstream leads Phuket’s Lady Pie race series
PHUKET: The Lady Pie Series got underway with its first of three races on June 12 in seasonal monsoon conditions off Phuket’s Ao Yon. Spectators enjoyed a day of close racing amongst the Phuket Tasar fleet and witnessed spectacular capsizes, while crews were on full hike. Slipstream, skippered by Andrew de Bruin, expertly managed the tough conditions to take three…
Read More » - Phuket News
Korean ambassador ‘grateful’ for positive Phuket relations
PHUKET: South Korea Ambassador to Thailand Chung Hae-moon today told Phuket Governor Tri Augkadachara that he was “grateful” for the positive support the Korean community in Phuket had received from the local authorities. “We have been cooperating and coordinating very well between Honorary Consul Tosaporn Tephabutra, the law enforcement authorities and the Korean community. “We have not yet faced any…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Airport to get first woman director
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport will mark history tomorrow when Duangchai Condee arrives to take up the post of Director. Ms Duangchai, a senior executive at Airports of Thailand, will leave her position as Deputy Director (Commercial) at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok to become the first woman to hold the top position in Phuket. Ms Duangchai, who has received the Thai…
Read More » - Phuket News
Beckham’s Olympic bid
PHUKET: “When I was asked to be part of the Olympic bid I was very skeptical at first because I’d never competed in the Olympics, I’m a football player.” David Beckham seems unsure that football is also played at amateur status without the need for gratuities, salaries and bonuses. The former England international may well play for Great Britain at…
Read More » - Phuket News
Tsunami detecting radar coming to Phuket
PHUKET: A high-frequency radar system to monitor ocean currents and aid in the detection of tsunami waves will be set up in Patong by the end of the month, local officials say. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD), in cooperation with Patong Municipality, is preparing the site at a location called Kor Sai Lod, a headland on the south coast of…
Read More » - Phuket News
Wanted: Automatic immigration clearance at airport
PHUKET: Immigration officers at Phuket Airport have told the Gazette they would welcome an automatic passport check-in system like the eight machines that will be installed at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok at cost of 76 million baht. “The system will be used first at Suwannabhumi Airport. For now, it seems the machines will not be installed at Phuket Airport any…
Read More »
