Year: 2011
- Phuket News
Phuket scam artist tests the waterworks
PHUKET: The head of the Phuket Provincial Waterworks (PPW) office is warning people to check the credentials of officers who offer to install water meters at their homes, saying the home owners might be overcharged. Pisak Chonlayut, who heads the Provincial Waterworks Authority office in Phuket, said a former employee of the Phuket City Waterworks had been posing as a…
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Government warns Phuket hotels on tax evasion
THE Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is threatening to take legal action against one-third of all hotel operators in Phuket for failing to pay the controversial hotel room tax. The organization hopes an awareness-raising campaign – backed by the threat of legal measures – can help it raise hotel room tax revenues from last year’s 60 million baht to 70mn…
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FC Phuket hold Thai premier champs to a draw
PHUKET: The undisputed champions of Thai club football, Muang Thong United, were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Phuket last night at Surakul Stadium. A buoyant home crowd watched Surachai Jirasirichote’s side produce an impressive display to deny the two time Thai Premier League champs the win. The encounter was the second meeting between the teams this week, with…
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Phuket tourist refuge shelter on its way
PHUKET: Construction of a shelter for foreign tourists who run into difficulties in Phuket will begin within the next few weeks, the Phuket Tourist Police chief has confirmed. Superintendent Ekachai Pramanakul, who heads the Tourist Police office for Phuket and Phang Nga, said the refuge will be located behind the Tourist Police headquarters on Yaowarat Road in Phuket Town. To…
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Phuket tuk-tuk fares in the firing line
PHUKET: A provincial committee set up to find a solution to the old problem of tuk-tuk drivers overcharging tourists in Phuket will start by setting a maximum 200 baht charge for any tuk-tuk journey within Patong. The committee, chaired by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, met at Phuket Provincial Hall earlier today. Also in attendance were committee members Vice Governor Weerawat…
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Moscow blast prompts Phuket Airport security boost
PHUKET: In the wake of Monday’s bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, Phuket International Airport Acting Director Passakorn Surapipith has ordered his staff to be extra vigilant for suspicious items and people. The Moscow blast, which was detonated in the arrival hall, killed 35 people and left more than 130 others in need of hospital treatment. “We do not allow vehicles…
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Phuket goes high-tech for Chalong Temple Fair fireworks
PHUKET: This year’s Chalong Temple Fair will feature the most impressive fireworks display ever seen in Phuket or anywhere else in the South of Thailand, organizers say. This year’s fair runs for seven days, the first day coinciding with the arrival of Chinese New Year on February 3.Samran Chindaphol, chairman of the organizing committee, said the fireworks display will take…
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Phuket Gov signs MoU to boost MICE industry
PHUKET: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Phuket Provincial Government today signed an agreement to develop an action plan to promote the island’s meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Anusak Inthraphuvasak, Chairman of the Board of the TCEB, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this afternoon at the Westin Siray Bay Resort…
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FC Phuket put up brave fight against Muang Thong United
PHUKET: FC Phuket gave a creditable account of themselves last night in a narrow 3-2 loss to Thai Premier League champions Muang Thong United at Surakul Stadium. The one-goal defeat against the best team in the country can be deemed an encouraging result for new Phuket boss Surachai Jirasirichote, particularly as most of his squad have only trained together for…
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Phuket bar owners continue protests
PHUKET: About 500 bar owners and staff from Phuket Town and other popular tourist areas in Muang District gathered at Provincial Hall yesterday to protest the recent crackdown on closing times. The effort, hot on the heels of a 200-strong protest on Friday, was staged to support protest leader Suratin Lian-udom in his filing of a formal request for night…
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Relief efforts for Phuket fire victims underway
PHUKET: Phuket is rallying as a community to provide relief for those who lost their homes to the blaze that ripped through a Patong slum late Sunday night. A makeshift emergency relief center has been set up at Soi Baan Buntham, where the fire broke out, to receive donations and to distribute them to those in need. Phuket Governor Tri…
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Phuket lures top performers for Chinese New Year
PHUKET: Phuket will ring in the Chinese New Year with top entertainment from mainland China. To mark the arrival of the lunar new year on February 3, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization and the Phuket Provincial Office will stage seven hours of entertainment at Sanaam Chai field, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall, starting at 4pm. Highlights include the gravity-defying stunts of…
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Phuket braces for Gay Pride extravaganza
PHUKET: Gay tourists are expected to arrive in Patong in great numbers next month for the 10th Phuket Gay Pride Celebration, an annual event organized by the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Activities kick off on the night of February 23, when there will be a pre-opening White Party on Soi Paradise, center of the town’s gay…
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Phuket or bust? Tourist Police to help visitors in trouble
PHUKET: The Tourist Police are teaming up with soft drink bottler Haad Thip to build a refuge shelter for foreign tourists who fall on hard times during their stay in Phuket. With millions of tourists visiting Phuket each year, inevitably some run into problems. These include financial difficulties, having no place to stay, and physical or mental health issues, said…
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Phuket tourism rebounds from 2010 political strife
PHUKET: Inbound passenger traffic at Phuket Airport during 2010 smashed all previous records with 3.5 million arrivals. The figure is a 22% increase on the previous year with new markets such as Russia and China emerging as the major drivers of growth, says leading Phuket-based consultancy C9 Hotelworks. In its latest market research report, the 2010 Phuket Hotel Market Update,…
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A Phuket call to join The Bay Regatta
PHUKET: The Bay Regatta is back, with yachts taking part in the annual race around Phang Nga Bay ready to set sail from Phuket on February 9. Although the five-day event is being run by the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) this year, the club has confirmed the racing is being coordinated by the same team as in previous years.…
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New FC Phuket signings impress in Camara benefit tournament
PHUKET: FC Phuket’s preparations for the 2011 season received a boost over the weekend, when they proved too strong for their provincial neighbors in the ‘Andaman Four-way Fight’ mini-tournament at Surakul Stadium. Victories over Krabi FC and Phang Nga FC handed Phuket local bragging rights and set them up for what promises to be a fiercely contested home friendly against…
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Deputy PM Suthep “rides on’ in Phuket
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban in Phuket yesterday praised the island-wide helmet crackdown on motorbike drivers and passengers. “The project is historic. Phuket is the first province to run such a campaign and I hope this regulation continues to be enforced for people’s safety,” Mr Suthep said. The deputy PM promised to launch similar campaigns elsewhere in Thailand. A…
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Phuket Local Food Festival ends tonight
PHUKET: Tonight is the last night of the Phuket Local Food Festival, which drew big crowds at Saphan Hin over the weekend. Organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), the event features over 100 stalls offering local culinary specialties at “normal” prices. Entertainment on the main stage has included everything from cultural shows by local schoolchildren to song and…
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Inferno wipes out Phuket slum, leaving scores homeless
PHUKET: A massive fire broke out in a slum in the Ban Buntham community off Prabaramee Rd in Patong last night. The blaze erupted at about 10pm and incinerated many apartment rooms, shanties and other makeshift dwellings, but there were no reports of injuries. It took more than an hour for ten fire trucks and 40 firemen, drawn from as…
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PHUKET OPINION: Secrets, heads in sand won’t save Phuket’s beaches
PHUKET: Some officials have branded as unfair the “star rating” figures for beaches recently released by the Pollution Control Department (PCD), saying the low ratings are bad for Phuket’s image and could harm the island’s all-important tourism industry. (See ‘Beach Pollution’, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) Phuket is naturally blessed…
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Two foreign tourists dead in Phuket this morning
PHUKET: A Hungarian man was found dead in a hotel swimming pool at 7am today and a Swedish man was killed on a motorbike about an hour and a half later. The names of both of the deceased are being withheld by the Phuket Gazette pending notification of next-of-kin. The Hungarian, 41, was discovered in the pool at the Sunprime…
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Phuket beaches facing stiff competition
PHUKET: The Pollution Control Department (PCD) will assess the level of pollution at 16 Phuket beaches as part of its “star rating” campaign to classify beaches along the Andaman Coast and the Gulf of Thailand. Beach quality will be rated in four key areas: pollution, natural condition, tourism management and environmental management, said Chutamad Kawinseksan, Acting Director of the PCD’s…
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Phuket police slam media reports, forum gossip on Swede’s death
PHUKET: Sub Lt Pattapee Srichay of Patong police station reconfirmed to the Phuket Gazette this morning that neither he nor his colleagues believe there had been any kind of party in the Patong Tower room of Jan Larsson at the time of, or during the hours leading up to, his death. His body was found in the room on Thursday…
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FC Phuket Brazilian confounds Krabi
PHUKET: New Brazilian signing Paolo Reneto helped FC Phuket to a convincing victory over Krabi yesterday, scoring twice in the first round of the “Andaman Four-way Fight” mini-tournament at Surakul Stadium. The new-look FC Phuket side, freshly promoted to Thai League Division 1, dominated play in a match that ended 3-1 in Phuket’s favor. In the other first-round fixture, Phang…
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Chinese New Year to usher in billion-baht boost for Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket is gearing up to welcome the Chinese New Year and up to one billion baht in revenue as tourists flock to the island for the holiday, says the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA). PTA vice president Bhurit Maswongsa told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that the January booking rate for Phuket hotels is about 90% and may rise to 100%…
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Dive site closure “will not affect tourism’: official
PHUKET: The immediate closure of many dive sites in seven marine national parks will not have a big impact on Phuket’s critical tourism industry, says at least one official. Malinee Jannoi, an officer at the Center for Tourism Development, Department of National Parks, today told the Phuket Gazette, “It will not affect tourism much as we’re not closing whole parks,…
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Phuket hotels help Australian flood victims
PHUKET: Hotels in Phuket are being urged to donate holiday packages to a benefit auction for the flood-stricken communities of Queensland, Australia. Regions of Australia’s northeast have been devastated by recent flash floods, with raging floodwaters inundating thousands of homes and businesses in one of the country’s worst natural disasters. Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) President Bhurit Maswongsa says Australians currently…
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Miss Phuket to be crowned tonight
PHUKET: Miss Phuket 2011 will be crowned tonight at the 3rd annual Phuket Local Food Festival. The festival, now in its second day, is being held at Saphan Hin park all weekend. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha opened the event, organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), last night. Entertainment at this year’s event includes a fashion show, jazz concert,…
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Phuket News: Swedish man dies in luxury condo
PHUKET: Patong Police are investigating the mysterious death of a Swedish man whose body was found in his luxury Phuket condo yesterday afternoon. Sub Lt Pattapee Srichay said staff at the Patong Tower condo on Thaweewong Road notified authorities after discovering the body of 53-year-old Jan Larsson at about 4pm. The Swede’s body was found lying face up on his…
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Phuket News: Soi Dog uses “firebreaks’ to stem distemper outbreak
PHUKET: Phuket animal welfare charity Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) has resorted to establishing vaccination centers at strategic locations to stop canine distemper from spreading across the island. “Mobile teams, supported by volunteers continue to work around the clock and the situation is being closely monitored to deal with additional outbreaks quickly,” said SDF Director John Dalley. “Areas where distemper cases…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket bar owners protest at Provincial Hall
PHUKET: Over 200 bar operators from Kata, Karon, Chalong and Rawai are at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning protesting the recent government crackdown on closing times. A provincial task force under orders from the Ministry of Interior have been raiding Phuket bars to enforce closing times regulations. The protesters told the Phuket Gazette that the raids are driving away business.…
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Phuket crowd mobs DEA for “Most Wanted’ souvenirs
PHUKET: Tourists and workers along Soi Bangla last night pushed and shoved to get their hands on the latest craze: DEA ‘Most Wanted’ souvenirs. The free handout was held from 10 to 11pm, with hundreds of people scrambling to get beer coolers, T-shirts, pens, match boxes and computer mouse pads emblazoned with images of the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s most…
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Phuket’s Tuptim survives marathon 18-hour surgery
PHUKET: Eight-month-old Tuptim Jadngooluem has been given a second chance at life after she successfully underwent surgery at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok yesterday. Tuptim, who was diagnosed at three months with a terminal liver condition known as biliary obstruction, has spent over a month in hospital awaiting a parental donor liver transplant to save her life. To keep her baby…
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“Gruesome twosome’ arrested for Phuket security guard murder
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested two teenage gang members for the murder of a Phuket security guard at a municipal parking lot last month. Phitakpong Chaetaphai and Namchok Saetan, both 19, were taken by police this morning to re-enact the events that led to security guard Winai Buathongkham being killed by a single bullet to the head. Police said that Phitakpong…
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Phuket Reminder: QSI fun run on Saturday
PHUKET: The ninth annual QSI International School Phuket Fun Run will be held at Bang Wad Dam in Kathu on Saturday. Organizers expect more than 200 children and 50 adults to compete. Students from all schools in Phuket are welcome to take part and trophies will be awarded to the top three schools finishing on the highest points. All races…
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Fearsome ghost or black magic clear-out?
CHACHOENGSAO: Residents of Nong Patong village are puzzling over the source of strange red lights that have been seen floating near the village pond almost every night for the past month. Some say the lights are a phi kraseu – a fearsome ghost that appears as the head of a beautiful woman with her internal organs hanging from her neck.…
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