Year: 2011
- Phuket News
Soldier faces court martial over Phuket pub shooting
PHUKET: The man who opened fire in a Phuket pub early this morning, killing one person and injuring four others, is a soldier and will be handed over to the Military Police to face a court martial in Narathiwat tomorrow morning. The news was confirmed by Deputy Commissioner of Region 8 Police Pisan Chuldilok, who arrived in Phuket this afternoon…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Thai firm aims to be e-book center for Southeast Asia
PHUKET: Dedicated readers of English-language books in Phuket and throughout Southeast Asia can now enjoy carrying a well-stocked bookstore with them wherever they go. Asia Books, the 42-year-old bookstore chain and distributor of English-language books in Thailand, has launched an e-bookstore service for its 150,000 existing members and newcomers. The company, which handles distribution for the Phuket Gazette in Bangkok…
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One dead, four injured in Phuket pub shooting
PHUKET: One man is dead and four others, including a woman, are injured after a pub brawl ended in a shooting frenzy in Phuket early this morning. Lt Col Somkid Khaosang of Cherng Talay police station said police received a call at 1am saying people had been shot at the Return Pub, across the road from Cherng Talay Witthayakom School.…
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Asean meet rescheduled for Phuket
PHUKET: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit with dialogue partner countries, delayed following anti-government protests in April last year, has been tentatively rescheduled to take place in Phuket in June this year, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has announced. PM Abhisit said Thailand would first consult with the countries involved to confirm whether their leaders would be free to…
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Phuket tourist catches a thief
PHUKET: German tourist Damian Skrzypietz didn’t start Songkran this morning dousing fellow revellers in water fights. He started his Thai New Year chasing a burglar who had just robbed his rented house in Cherng Talay, tearing down the street after him barefoot and dressed only in his boxer shorts. “I was sleeping in the bedroom when my girlfriend woke me…
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Phuket celebrates Songkran with “Icy Road’ and Pod of Modern Dog
PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is celebrating Songkran (Thai New Year) with a host of activities and stage performances in front of the TAT office at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town. The celebrations, from today through Friday, are part of an island-wide program of events expected to draw an estimated 60,000 tourists to…
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Phuket’s Home for Life: Now assisting more than 200 women, children with HIV/Aids
PHUKET: There aren’t many places to turn to in Thailand for the many thousands of destitute, HIV-positive women who have been cast out of their home communities due to ignorance, but the Life Home Project (LHP) on Phuket’s Sireh Island accepts such women from all over the nation, warmly welcoming them into their family. Last month, the LHP took in…
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Phuket Songkran road fatalities still on zero
PHUKET: After two days of the Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road safety campaign, not a single person has died in a road accident in Phuket, but that hasn’t stopped drunk drivers from spilling onto the roads and into the hospitals. According to the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), which is compiling road-toll statistics…
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No late closing times for Phuket bars during Songkran
PHUKET: All bars in Phuket must close at their regular closing times tonight and throughout the Songkran holidays, Governor Tri Augkaradacha has announced. “We have no policy to allow bars and entertainment venues to extend trading hours during this Songkran,” Governor Tri told the Gazette. “It is not like holidays during the high season, when we allow them to stay…
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Phuket father of three claims malpractice left wife in coma
PHUKET: A distraught husband has complained to the local media that his wife is now in a coma following complications after a Cesarean-section childbirth operation at a well-known private hospital on the island. Arthit Boonnark, 47, told reporters gathered at Bangkok Hospital Phuket yesterday that his wife, 38-year-old Pariporn Jantarothai, fell into a coma not long after giving birth to…
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Phuket kicks off Songkran with Patong parade
PHUKET: Tourists from all parts of Phuket will be “heading over the hill” this evening to enjoy a special Songkran Parade to mark the arrival of the Thai New Year tomorrow. Featuring entrants representing 28 different groups and organizations, the Patong parade will set off from Phang Muang Sai Kor Road, behind Jungceylon, at 5pm. The parade will head south…
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Phuket raises B12.6mn for Japan, flooded South
PHUKET: The Phuket provincial fund-raising effort for victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and the flooding in the South totaled nearly 13 million baht. The handover ceremony, held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Sunday night, was chaired jointly by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr, Secretary-General to Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Among the many…
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Songkran takes to the sky over Phuket
PHUKET: PHUKET is in for a spectacular treat this afternoon and tomorrow (April 13) when the island’s first “Sky High” show occurs over Patong Beach – weather permitting. The highlight of the show will see world renowned stunt pilot Les Vorosmarthy performing breathtaking aerobatcs in his 350 horsepower, Extra 300L stunt plane. Les will be performing spins, stalls, slips, slides,…
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Phuket Live Wire: Watching the CAT suck through the same straw
PHUKET: Live wire reader “RT” recently compiled a one-day profile of international Internet download speeds in Kamala, on Phuket’s west coast, from CAT’s wireless network. The raw data is posted on PhuketInternetSpeed.com. I’ve heard of problems with CAT’s CDMA/EV-DO network in Kamala for years. People who try to connect from different parts of Kamala get very different speeds, depending on…
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Brit arrested in Phuket coke bust
PHUKET: A 43-year-old British man was arrested for possession of cocaine at his Phuket home earlier today. The man was caught at 4:45am with 33 packages of cocaine weighing 0.9 gram each at a house on Nanai Road in Patong. The arrest followed a police complaint by a Thai woman claiming to be his wife. She told Patong Police he…
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Warehouse gutted in Phuket Town blaze
PHUKET: A warehouse blaze took Phuket firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish early this morning. Phuket City Police at 2:30am received a report of a fire on Wirat Hongyok Road, a few doors down from the Lotus Express shop. By the time Phuket City and Wichit Municipality firefighters arrived, there was little they could do to save the warehouse, which…
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FC Phuket vs PTT Rayong live on TV tonight
PHUKET: FC Phuket coach Surachai Jirasirichote has expressed confidence that his team can pick up its first road win of the season at PTT Rayong tonight in a football match that will reportedly be televised live on the Internet. Coach Surachai said he thought his players stood a good chance of winning at Rayong because Phuket is well aware of…
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Phuket Bike Week rolls on
PHUKET: The official festivities for Phuket Bike Week 2011 draw to a close in Patong tonight after another full day of big bike fun and games, live music and road trips around the island. At 4pm today, a convoy of riders will leave Loma Park on Patong Beach, the main rallying point and concert venue for Phuket Bike Week this…
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Phuket Public Transport: Cartels continue in the driver’s seat
PHUKET: The latest fiasco at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port once again underscores the need for an immediate overhaul of the island’s public transport system, but the results of the talks that ended this latest blockade confirm that reform will not be coming soon. (See front-page story, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full…
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Cambodia outlaws ‘sham’ marriages – is Phuket next?
PHUKET: If you are a non-Khmer male and over the age of 50, or make less than US$2,500 a month – and you’re seeking a bride – roughly five million women of marrying age have now been put off-limits for you. If you’re a Khmer woman, you have, as of this month, effectively been denied the right to freely choose…
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Sick dolphin dies in Phuket
PHUKET: Despite the best efforts of veterinarians, the bottle-nose dolphin rescued off Phuket on Saturday died earlier today. Patcharaporn Kaewmong of the Marine Endangered Species Unit at the Phuket Marine Biological Center confirmed that the two-meter-long cetacean took its last breath at around 3am, following five days of intensive treatment at the facility. An initial examination of the body was…
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Phuket Poll: Is everybody happy?
PHUKET: The results of a recent Abac Poll indicated that people living in Phuket report themselves as the “least happy” among residents of all 77 Thai provinces. Rather than delve into the accuracy of the polling methods or dwell on what they mean, the Phuket Gazette in our latest poll asks our readers directly: On a scale of 1 –…
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Dog snatchers terrorizing Khon Kaen
KHON KAEN: A gang of dog snatchers is stealing pampered pooches in the northeastern city of Khon Kaen, leaving a string of dog owners devastated over the loss of their cherished four-legged friends. The gang, whose reign of terror has lasted two years, is targeting pedigree breeds with placid temperaments, such as golden retrievers, Siberian huskies, chihuahuas, Pomeranians and pugs.…
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Work on Phuket’s rival marina in Krabi well underway
PHUKET: Phuket’s rising popularity as a sailing destination is straining the capacity of the island’s four yacht marinas, particularly during high season. Fortunately for the region’s yachting community, work is well underway on a rival facility, Port Takola Marina, under construction across Phang Nga Bay in Krabi. Robert Reynolds, a property consultant working on the project, recently told The New…
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Yantai delegation lobbies fruit, tourism trade links
PHUKET: A delegation from Yantai City in Shandong province, China, met Phuket Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen at Provincial Hall today to discuss commercial exchange in fruit, local products and tourism. Huang Yewen, Deputy Director of the China (Yantai) Asia-Pacific World Trade Center, opened the talks by inviting Phuket officials to attend the 12th International Fruit Vegetable Food Exposition to be…
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Phuket Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road safety campaign announced
PHUKET: The Interior Ministry has set the “target number” of Phuket road accident deaths at two for the upcoming Songkran Festival, during which police will be under orders to strictly enforce provisions in the Alcohol Control Act. San Jantrawong, who heads the Phuket Office of the Departent of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket), said the Interior Ministry’s national Road Safety…
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Phuket student to represent Thailand in international public speaking competition
PHUKET: Former QSI Phuket student Philip Songkran Upton has won the International Public Speaking Competition (Thailand) 2011. He will represent Thailand in the global finals of the competition in London in May this year. Philip was one of four Stamford International University (STIU) students who competed against 14 other students in the semi-final round of the competition on February 25.…
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Phuket Bike Week to rev up economy
PHUKET: Organizers of Phuket Bike Week 2011 believe this year’s event could attract a record 6,000 big bikes to the island, and along with the annual Songkran Festival, inject at least 600 million baht into the economy. Last year’s event was a smaller affair than usual, after the red-shirt protests in Bangkok led so many visitors to stay away. With…
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Phuket tourism players hold “fire sale’ for flood victims
PHUKET: Representatives from Phuket’s tourism industry will be at Siam Paragon in Bangkok this weekend selling bargain-priced holiday packages to raise money for flood victims. Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) President Somboon Jirayus said he expected to raise more than 1.5 million baht from the campaign, which aims to sell 1,000 Phuket tour packages. All proceeds will be handed over to…
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Phuket’s sick dolphin now comatose, clinging to life
PHUKET: The future appears grim for the sick bottlenose dolphin rescued by marine biologists off Phuket last week. Paralyzed and comatose, the cetacean is now being kept alive by life support measures provided by staff at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). Fourteen staff at the PMBC Marine Endangered Species Unit are currently working around the clock to keep the…
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Phuket Chinese celebrate Qingming
PHUKET: Phuket families of ethnic Chinese descent have been busy this week tending to the graves of their departed ancestors as part of the traditional Qingming Festival. This year’s Qingming festivities will take place at Chinese burial grounds around the island, where believers tidy up and make offerings they believe will bring them prosperity and good fortune, while helping to…
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Taxis blockade Phuket cruise passengers – again
PHUKET: The latest taxi and tuk-tuk blockade at the Phuket Deep Sea Port led to a victory for the drivers, who from today will be given a “50-50 share” of access to disembarking cruise ship passengers. Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat, Phuket City Police chief Chote Chitchai and local Marine Police brokered the agreement at about noon today, four hours after…
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Phuket Rotary clubs hit the streets tonight for Japan relief
PHUKET: All six Rotary Clubs in Phuket will take to the streets of Patong tonight, collecting donations for Japan relief. Rotarians will gather at The Port area in the center of the Jungceylon shopping complex, from where they will set out at 9pm. All are invited to join the collection effort. Participants should be easily identified by their white Rotary…
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Canadian seeks support for B900mn Phuket aquarium project
PHUKET: A Canadian expat is seeking support from the Phuket Provincial Office for his plan to develop a 900-million-baht aquarium in Rawai. Accompanied by Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos, businessman Daniel McDaniel today presented his proposal to Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Provincial Hall. As managing director of Phuket Ocean Front Co Ltd, Mr McDaniel said Phuket still possesses huge tourism…
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Phuket’s Thung Thong Walking Street opens
PHUKET: Kathu Municipality is hosting a street fair until tomorrow evening to boost the local Phuket economy, entertain tourists and showcase the area’s unique local history. The event is taking place on Thung Thong Road, located off Wichit Songkram Road westbound between the entrances to Phuket Country Club and Bang Wad Reservoir. Local food stalls, stage performances, handmade local products…
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FC Phuket v Songkhla FC match postponed
PHUKET: FC Phuket’s mid-week home fixture with Songkhla, originally scheduled for tomorrow night, has been postponed indefinitely by the league – presumably due to the recent flooding. A huge contingent was expected to be on hand for the match, as tens of thousands of Phuket residents hail from Songkhla and a number of their supporters were planning to travel to…
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Phuket YouTube girl “not dead’, but another woman’s body found
PHUKET: Phuket authorities have dismissed as inaccurate a video clip posted on You Tube today showing a woman lying beside a road in Rawai – presented by whomever made the clip as if she were dead. The video clip is labelled “Body of a young girl found in Rawai / Phuket on 4th of April” “The woman certainly was not…
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