Year: 2011
- Phuket News
Phuket World Musiq Fest launches HM The King’s birthday celebrations
PHUKET: Celebrations for HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 84th birthday on Monday, December 5, got underway across Phuket last night with the opening of the inaugural Phuket World Musiq Festival. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha officiated the opening ceremony, marking the beginning of the four-day festival, which will culminate on December 5 with Thai National Artist Naowarat Pongpaiboon leading the “Father of…
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Phuket Vice Gov calls for Patong to “be nice’ to tourists
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak has called on the people of Patong to not “take advantage” of tourists during this year’s Patong Carnival, the annual festival that marks the start of high season for tourism in Phuket. “I want everyone to be good hosts and welcome the tourists. Be goodwill ambassadors. I don’t want anyone taking unfair advantage of…
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Phuket blood bank calls for foreign blood
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center is calling for blood donations from foreigners to restock dwindling supplies at the Phuket repository. The blood is urgently needed to restock supplies of blood types common among foreigners, says Pornthip Rattajak, acting director of the center. “We are asking for Rh-negative blood because this is the tourism high season. Many foreigners come to…
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Phuket Tsunami Wall of Remembrance ready for memorial service
PHUKET: The addition of a new section to the Tsunami Wall of Remembrance in Mai Khao has been completed in time for the memorial ceremony on December 26. The original wall bore images of all the countries whose nationals died in Thailand in the 2004 tsunami. However, planning permission to allow the construction of a police building meant that a…
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Weird World News: Animals trump humans as dog shoots man, cobras strike tax office and toads predict earthquakes
PHUKET: It’s often said in journalism, “If a dog bites a man, that’s not news. But if a man bites a dog, now that’s news.” The more unusual and infrequent events gets Weird World News’ vote every time. So we think a dog shooting a man, toads predicting earthquakes and cobras scaring tax officials are in the right vein of…
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Thaksin to get Thai passport as ‘New Year’s gift’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand to ‘soon’ issue passport for fugitive former premier Thaksin Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand will issue a passport for fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra “very soon”, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said yesterday. Phuket Gazette partner newspaper The Nation quotes Surapong as saying that the passport…
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Thai Navy re-floats stranded Phuket King’s Cup boats
PHUKET: More than 20 officers from Kata-Karon Municipality along with volunteers and lifeguards stationed at the Royal Thai Navy Sea Rescue unit heaved together this afternoon to refloat two King’s Cup Regatta boats into the water at Kata Beach. The two boats were left stranded on the sand this morning after strong winds pushed them onshore last night. Supachai Janphet,…
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Russian man run over by Phuket parasailing boat
PHUKET: A 51-year-old Russian man on holiday in Phuket was rushed to hospital today after suffering severe injuries when he was run over by a parasailing speedboat at Kata Beach. The man, Nikolai Nefedov, suffered a broken left leg and cuts on the back of both thighs. Some of the cuts were were down to his bones, said Chaiwat Sittidet,…
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FC Phuket ready to pluck Chanthaburi “Hares’ on Sunday
PHUKET: FC Phuket Head Coach Sompong Wattana has resumed his duty as “chief of the tribe” – just in time for the Southern Sea Kirin’s long-awaited home match against Cash Today Chanthaburi FC, nicknamed “The Hares”, on Sunday. The coach, who goes by the nickname “Rock Rhino”, rejoined the team on Wednesday following a leave of absence he took last…
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Phuket’s Ironman 70.3 brings in the champs
PHUKET: Current Ironman 70.3 World Champion Melissa Rollison will participate in the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship at Laguna Phuket on Sunday – in addition to a stellar line-up of elite professional triathletes heading to the island. Rollison, of Australia, completed her first Ironman 70.3-distance race in September 2010, and in just 12 months has gone on to claim three 70.3…
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Texas gunman shoots woman and 4 children
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Texas gunman shoots woman, 4 children before killing self Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Texas man opened fire on five people, including four children, on Wednesday afternoon before reportedly killing himself with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, local authorities said on Thursday. The shooting happened at around 3.20p.m.…
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Anti-graft alliance vows to keep close watch
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community “Clean Thailand DIY” campaign The NationThe Anti-Corruption Network (ACN), an alliance of private watchdog groups, yesterday launched the “Clean Thailand DIY” campaign to monitor the government’s spending of Bt800 billion earmarked for post-flood recovery efforts. ACN chairman Pramon Sutivong said the group is inviting people to…
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Phuket misses out on Dance Festival as it moves to Chiang Mai
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dance Festival moves to Chiang Mai due to flooding The Nation Thanks to the flooding, the Dance Center has not only postponed its International Dance Festival but relocated it from Bangkok and shortened it. It’s set for tomorrow. “This is the 11th edition and the first…
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Strong winds leave Phuket King’s Cup triple-champ beached
PHUKET: Strong onshore winds last night left a three-time class champion in the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta stranded on the sand at Kata Beach. Matt Allen’s 44-foot Ichi Ban, on which he won the IRC 1 class at the Phuket King’s Cup last year, was left standing vertically in the sand after the tide ran out this morning. “It looks…
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Yingluck falls ill; Police denies rumors about key burglary suspect
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Yingluck cancels events after falling sick The NationAccording to a source close to the prime minister, Yingluck appeared faint, complained of a headache and vomited during a lunch break at Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi. She had earlier inspected a flooded area of Pak Kret district…
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Phuket police yet to ID male motorbike crash victim
PHUKET: Phuket police have yet to confirm the identity of a young Thai man who died last night when the motorbike he was riding crashed into an electricity pole near the Heroines’ Monument in Thalang. The accident occurred in front of the Fakthong Transport Company, about 400 meters east of the monument, shortly before 8pm. Police and Kusoldham Rescue workers…
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Officials confirm safety plan for Phuket “death bend’
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak today confirmed the slew of safety features to be rolled out at the notorious “100 bodies curve” at Kho En in Thalang, in hopes of reducing the number of fatal accidents at the deadly bend. The move comes after a four-year-old boy and his aunt were killed when a pickup slid out of control…
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Phuket marks World AIDS Day
PHUKET: Phuket has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in Southern Thailand and the third-highest per-capita rate of infection in the country, Phuket Public Health Office Chief Sak Tanchaikul announced today. Dr Sak delivered the news at a press conference to mark today, December 1, as World AIDS Day. “This year the slogan is ‘Getting to Zero’,” said Dr Sak. He…
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Experts call for consistency with “Brand Phuket’
PHUKET: The Greater Phuket chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) last night held a meeting to discuss the history, evolution and future of “Brand Phuket”. Hosted at the Anantara Resort in Mai Khao, discussions of the island’s brand were fueled by inspirational presentations by marketing communications expert David Johnson and brand guru David Keen. Also in attendance were…
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Phuket Media Watch – Bounty offered in Sophoth theft case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bounty for fugitive in Sophoth case The Nation A 200,000-baht bounty has been offered for the capture of the alleged ringleader, reportedly on the run in Laos, who took millions of baht during the burglary at Transport Ministry permanent secretary Suphoth Sublom’s house. A senior commander,…
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Phuket “floating corpse’ to be buried if unclaimed
PHUKET: The body of the foreign man found floating in the sea south of Phuket last month will be buried at the Mai Khao Cemetery if it remains unidentified, the Phuket Gazette has been told. The corpse is currently being held at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town. “The hospital has already contacted me and said that if no relatives…
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Phuket Business – Looking forward to 2012
PHUKET: Walking into my local shopping center yesterday I was amazed to see Christmas decorations adorning the shops and general surroundings. A quick check of the date on my watch and I realized that although the trees, baubles and tinsel were a trifle early, it certainly was closer to the holidays than I had imagined! This gave me food for…
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No appeal in Fanelli case: Phuket prosecutor
PHUKET: The Phuket Public Prosecutor’s Office will not file an appeal over sentencing in the case of convicted murderer Ronald Fanelli, the Phuket Gazette has learned. Fanelli, a former US Navy officer, was on November 1 convicted of the June 2010 stabbing murder of Wanphen Pienjai, a hostess at the Sweethearts Bar in Kata. Fanelli was sentenced to 20 years’…
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THAI Phuket flights operating as usual
PHUKET: Thai Airways International (THAI) is still operating its full schedule of regular flights between Bangkok and Phuket – for now. An officer from the ‘Enterprise Communication Department’ of THAI, asking not to be named, told the Phuket Gazette, “I have yet to receive any news about reductions in flights to Phuket.” Her statement was in response to a report…
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Brazil targeted as new tourist source market for Phuket
PHUKET: Brazilians are among the latest target group of tourists to be lured to Phuket and the Andaman region. Speaking recently at a press conference for the Andaman Travel Trade 2011 exhibition, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing Juthaporn Rerngronasa highlighted the South American country as an expanding market for incoming tourism. There were 10 operators from Brazil at this…
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Luxury car imports into Phuket steady
PHUKET: Despite global economic turmoil, the luxury car import business continues to perform well in an expanding domestic market. Saksri Kerdphol, General Manager of Phuket’s premier foreign automobile dealer and servicer AutoExpress, speaks exclusively with the Gazette about foreign cars and the import market trends in Phuket.Phuket Gazette: How would you describe AutoExpress clients? Who is your main target group…
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Phuket Media Watch – Amnesty urges U.S. to ban life sentences
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Amnesty urges U.S. to ban life without parole sentences for children Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Amnesty International yesterday urged the government of the Unites States to ban the imposition of life-without-parole sentences against young offenders. The London-based rights group also urged the U.S. to review the cases…
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Phuket Special Report: Slavery on the high seas
Workers in Thailand’s fishing industry often find themselves living a violent nightmare with no escape in sight and no help. Meanwhile, human rights experts and local organizations look for ways out.SPECIAL REPORTPHUKET: The next time you sit down to a seafood dinner in Phuket, think of Min, a Karen-Burmese migrant worker from Shan State.Min is one of countless migrant workers…
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Phuket Decor – Blume blurs living lines
PHUKET: When Ralph Lauren began his distressed fashion concept, Grace Carrey was part of the research and development team based in Hong Kong that sourced materials and processes for the American fashion icon. Years later, having built up considerable R&D knowledge of Asian textile and manufacturing industries, Grace struck out on her own to bring Phuket a range of furniture…
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Music idol Todd Tongdee wants to see ‘magic mix’ of Thais and foreigners at Phuket World Musiq Fest
PHUKET: One of the lead organizers of the World Musiq Fest to be launched tomorrow evening at Saphin Hin in Phuket Town says he wants to see the concert audiences reflecting the name and character of the festival itself. “It’s that magic mix of Thais and foreigners enjoying things together that generates the atmosphere and buzz to create a truly…
Read More » - Property
Phuket’s Eden Oasis is now complete
PHUKET: Developers of the Eden Thailand property development near Karon Beach recently announced that the 11 newly completed units of Phase Two of their Eden Oasis project are now for sale. Eden Oasis includes seven one-bedroom condominiums and four two-bedroom, two-level duplexes ranging in price from 4.9 million baht to 8.2mn baht. Eden Oasis is nestled on the hillside with…
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Taming Phuket’s savage condohotel beast
PHUKET: Nearly two decades ago, in 1993, Laguna Phuket started residential sales for their Allamanda condominium. Asia was a rising star, the baht surged in appreciation and foreign investment into Thailand property was still in its early days. Though residential-led hospitality, or condo-hotels, was hardly new on the scene, here the book was blank on how, why or what the…
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Thalang turns on the waterworks
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office is spending 40 million baht on extending local government water mains from Baan Pon, just south of Thalang Town, to Baan Mak Prok School, located near the eastern end of the runway at Phuket Airport. The project will allow local communities in the north of Phuket to start hooking up their local water networks to…
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Phuket’s well water drillers threaten blockade
PHUKET: Local groundwater well-drilling operators have threatened to blockade the Phuket office of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) if the office’s chief, Chaipadung Promsawadi, doesn’t start recognizing power of attorneys as an acceptable form of representation. Before approving permits for new wells to be dug, Mr Chaipadung wants to meet the owners of the companies that have…
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Phuket investors to pour B2bn into Phang Nga hotels
PHUKET: KHAO Lak’s room count may double within two years. Phang Nga Tourist Association Vice President Prapruet Korphet said “We now have about 5,000 rooms in Khao Lak, the same number before the tsunami hit us. We expect to have another 1,000 rooms by the end of this year, and will have 10,000 rooms within two years.” “We continuously have…
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Phuket Media Watch – Nigeria passes anti-gay bill
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nigerian senate passes anti-gay bill Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Nigerian senate has passed a bill which prohibits same-sex marriages and introduces extreme prison sentences for people involved in homosexuality, local media reported on Wednesday. Under the new bill, anybody convicted of homosexuality risks a jail term…
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Phuket Reminder: US Embassy consular outreach today
PHUKET: The American Citizen Services section of the United States Embassy in Bangkok is at the Hilton Arcadia Phuket Resort and Spa in Karon this morning. Consular staff will be available to provide following services until noon: • Passport renewal applications • Notarial services • Embassy registration and/or address change for on-line information• Absentee ballot application and voting abroad information…
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