Month: February 2012
- Phuket News
Battle to keep Phuket beaches clear continues
PHUKET: The battle to keep Phuket’s beaches free of illegal vendors continues to be a pitched one, with each small advance seemingly followed by a setback.In the latest development, four local residents have set up small restaurants on the sands of Kata Beach with low-to-the-ground Japanese-style dining tables selling grilled and barbecued meats every evening starting at dusk.Orders by Karon…
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Phuket alcohol ban ahead of local elections
PHUKET: A ban on the sale of alcohol goes into effect in Srisoonthorn Municipality at 6pm tonight ahead of local elections tomorrow.Phuket Election Commission Director Kittipong Thiengkunakrit told the Phuket Gazette, “The alcohol ban will be in effect from 6pm Friday night through to midnight Saturday night due to the Srisoonthorn municipal elections on Saturday, February 18.”Mr Kittipong explained that…
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Qantas, Jetstar offer way home for stranded Air Australia tourists
PHUKET: National Australian airline Qantas and low-cost carrier Jetstar have announced special fares for tourists left stranded by the financial collapse Air Australia yesterday. Air Australia management declared going into voluntary administration late last night Phuket time, which resulted in the immediate grounding of their entire fleet. Qantas this morning announced the airline was drawing up a plan to assist…
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Phuket struggles to airlift stranded Air Australia tourists
PHUKET: Scores of Australian tourists have been left stranded at Phuket International Airport after low-budget carrier Air Australia grounded all flights yesterday due to insolvency. The state-run Australian Broadcasting Commission news quoted a source as saying that Air Australia was even unable to buy fuel at Phuket Airport last night for a flight ready to take tourists home. The directors…
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Violence condemned; drone strike; mass escape; Florida execution
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Reporters Without Borders condemns violence by Israeli forces against journalists PHUKET (News Wires): Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday condemned the alleged violence used by Israeli forces against Palestinian, Israeli and foreign photojournalists covering demonstrations against Israel’s West Bank separation barrier. In a statement, the Paris-based press…
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Blasts hit confidence; Security tightened; Bomb expert trained suspects
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Confidence of tourists will be hit by blasts PHUKET (The Nation): Tourism business operators believe that Tuesday’s bomb blasts in Bangkok will have a slight impact on the industry in the current first quarter of the year, according to a survey by the Center for Economic…
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Phuket coral bounces back from bleaching blight
PHUKET: Considerable improvement in the condition of bleached coral reefs around Phuket and along the Andaman Coast has been noted by government researchers, it was announced at a meeting early this week. Boonchob Sudthamanaswong, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources Andaman Coast Group (DMCR-Andaman), chaired a seminar at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on Monday to discuss government…
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Phuket’s Paiboon calls for snap election
PHUKET: Paiboon Upatising, who earlier today announced his shock resignation as president of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), this afternoon explained that his resignation is to pave the way for elections before April 20. Mr Paiboon officially resigned from his position yesterday. “I submitted my resignation to Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha yesterday. My term as president was scheduled to…
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Phuket officials set agenda for Cabinet visit
PHUKET: Local government officials and private sector groups will tomorrow finalize which projects will be presented to the Cabinet during the top-level ministerial visit to Phuket on March 19-20. The news comes following a brainstorming session in on Tuesday. “We discussed the monorail project, Patong tunnel project, the Convention and Exhibition Center and the airport expansion,” said Phuket Governor Tri…
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Chinese government eyes interest in Phuket light rail
PHUKET: A state enterprise from the People’s Republic of China is the latest party to express interest in investing in Phuket’s light-rail project.An administration and engineering team from Mashucon Co Ltd announced the news in a meeting with Phuket Governor Tri Augaradacha at Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon.Executive Chairman Nopphon Tansakul told the governor that his team came on behalf of…
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Phuket’s Paiboon resigns in shock move
PHUKET: Paiboon Upatising has resigned his position as president of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor). More details about the shock resignation will be revealed at a press conference this afternoon, the Phuket Gazette has been told. Mr Paiboon was elected to office in April 2008, and was cleared of vote-buying allegations by the Appeals Court in Bangkok on September…
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Phuket Video Report: Alleged contract killer surrenders to Phuket police, claims innocence
PHUKET: Phuket businessman Atsadakorn “Pod” Seedokbuab, wanted by police for being the mastermind behind the assassination of Phuket newsman Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn early last month, surrendered to police this morning. “I had nothing to do with it. I knew Ae very well. Even when he joined the red shirt protests in Bangkok, he called and asked me for money…
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Phuket on high alert in wake of Bangkok terror bombs
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has ordered all police units on the island to be on high alert following the arrests of three Iranians for the bomb blasts in Bangkok on Tuesday. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul has also ordered all police to boost patrols in Phuket’s popular tourist areas. The move follows the police learning that at least…
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Phuket Gazette: Bangkok bomb plot update
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok bomb plot deepens PHUKET (The Nation): Iran and Israel dropped diplomatic bombshells on each other yesterday, accusing one another of being behind Tuesday’s bomb blasts in Bangkok. Israel was quick to implicate Iran in the bomb incidents. “The attempted attack in Bangkok proves once again…
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Phuket Gazette: Fisherman murdered by police; 272 prisoners dead; 54 rhinos poached
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sri Lanka police open fire on protesters, killing one PHUKET (News Wires): One demonstrator was killed yesterday morning when police officers opened fire on fishermen who were protesting against fuel prices in northwestern Sri Lanka, local media reported. Thousands of fishermen clashed with police during the…
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Bahrain F1 get Bernie’s backing
PHUKET: “I don’t think it’s anything serious at all. It doesn’t change our position in any shape or form.” Bernie Ecclestone, head of Formula One, told British media that despite recent outbreaks of violence in Bahrain, the scheduled April 22 Grand Prix (GP) should take place. He added that if he was advised by the government in Bahrain not to…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Jan Sylan as described by an officer and a gentleman
PHUKET: Captain James Forrest is a significant character in Phuket’s history as he was one of the few English naval captains who visited the island during the 18th century. His travel accounts are useful because they vividly depict the geography of the island, the abundance of resources, trade and how the inhabitants of the island lived during that period. Capt…
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Phuket Comedy: Who’s this Andy Smart anyway?
PHUKET: Phuket Gazette: Where and when were you born? Andy Smart: I was born in Portsmouth in a nursing home that is now appropriately a Casino, in 1959. PG:Any amusing tales from your childhood and/or school days? AS: I drowned when I was 7 in the Basingstoke canal, and was clinically dead for about 2 and a half minutes. Luckily…
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Phuket Lifestyle: An elephant that is hard to forget
PHUKET: Phuket has elephants but at the elegant wine dinner held at the Evason Phuket last week, the only elephant there was the one featured on the bottles of Cos D’Estournel. Evason Phuket has a long history of bringing great wines and winemakers together with guests at their special SLOW (Sustainable, Local, Organic and Wellness) gourmet dinners where the wines…
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Phuket select XI to play the MCC
PHUKET: The famous Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) based at the historic Lords ground in England play their first Thailand tour game tomorrow in a momentous event for the ACG and Phuket cricket. Starting at 2pm, a selection of Phuket’s cricket fraternity will don their whites and play a match to be remembered for the rest of their lives. Non-cricketers may…
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Phuket Business: Toyota Sure opens shop
PHUKET: With so many new cars hitting the streets, the island’s used car and trade-in market is rapidly growing – particularly good news for car owners having second thoughts about a recently purchased or leased vehicle. Benchmarking market growth, Phuket’s Toyota Pearl recently held the soft opening of Toyota Sure, the brand’s renowned second-hand car dealership, located off Chalermprakiat (Bypass)…
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Phuket Business: Medical tours vital to economy
PHUKET: Medical tourism in Phuket is flourishing and contributing greatly to the local economy, a representative from one of Phuket’s major international hospitals has said. Speaking exclusively with the Phuket Gazette, Peter Davidson, assistant manager of international services at Phuket International Hospital, said that “the number of people coming to Phuket for dental work and plastic surgery continues to expand…
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130 couples wed at Phuket Muang District Office on Valentine’s Day
PHUKET: Hearts were aflutter at Muang Phuket District Office yesterday, as 130 couples appeared to register marriages on Valentine’s Day 2012. Muang District Chief Supachai Pochanukul told the Phuket Gazette, “We prepared a special registration desk for the couples and gave them all Valentine’s Day gifts. We issued certificates to 130 couples; it was a very lovely day.”Among the newlyweds…
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Phuket Gazette: Thai Deputy Premier wants fast execution of drug convicts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET (The Nation): A legal study is underway on orders from Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung to determine whether drug-related convicts on death row can be executed within 60 days after final verdicts have been reached. With national drug-related crime statistics reflecting the surge in arrests…
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Phuket Gazette: Americans alerted in update on bomb blast in Bangkok; US Embassy issues warning
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UPDATE: Bomb blast in BangkokPHUKET (News Wires): Three explosions, six injured; first one goes off at rented house; UK embassy issues warning; Iranian lobs bomb at taxi, then at police car, loses his legs in blast; another Iranian arrested. An Iranian man was badly injured and…
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Phuket Gazette: ‘Morality Police’ nail Valentines couples; Google gobble of Motorola moving forward
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysian police arrest couples on Valentine’s Day PHUKET (News Wires): Islamic “morality police” have arrested at least five couples in a Malaysian city for being intimate on Valentine’s Day, local media reported last night. It follows similar operations in previous years. The Star, the country’s largest…
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Phuket Gazette: Bomb blasts in Bangkok
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Arab-looking man launches two bomb attacks in Bangkok PHUKET (News Wires): Pol Lt Col Witthaya Poonsin, deputy commander of Klong Tan traffic police, said a foreigner, who has yet to be identified, threw the first bomb at a taxi on Soi Pridi Panomyong. The taxi was…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Bangers cyclists will change lives forever
PHUKET: The kitbags are being put together and include Vaseline, talcum powder, bandages and ibuprofen for swollen muscles. Yes, it’s time again for those hardy cyclists of the Bangers On Bikes Charity Bike Ride to furiously pedal from the capital of Thailand to the island province of Phuket. The charity event was conceived three years ago by members of the…
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Phuket mass wedding goes off – with a hitch
PHUKET: Organizer have confirmed the mass wedding at Phromthep Cape is going ahead today, even though some government agencies wanted it canceled. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak received a letter of complaint claiming that the private sector shouldn’t be allowed to use public land for commercial purposes. Part of the event includes a flower exhibit that would remain on the…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Funk it up at the 2012 Mango House Festival
PHUKET: The Absolut Mango House Festival 2012 organizers have announced their entertainment lineup for South Thailand’s premiere house music event on March 7, 8 and 9 at the Mango House Bar and Restaurant in Lanta Old Town, Koh Lanta. The house music festival is a popular event at the island’s annual cultural extravaganza, the Lanta Lanta Festival. Back by popular…
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Phuket Gazette: Reactor temperature rises at Fukushima Daiichi; Schiphol reopened after bomb threat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nuclear reactor at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant rises to 82°CPHUKET (News Wires): The bottom of one of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in eastern Japan rose to 82 degrees Celsius (179.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday afternoon, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said…
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Phuket flower shops report blooming sales
PHUKET: Flower shops in Phuket are doing brisk business today, St Valentine’s Day 2012. Many flower shops report record orders for floral arrangements, from both inside Phuket and off-island. Classic red roses remain the most popular items among the adults, while teddy bears and chocolates are increasingly popular among teenagers. Flower shops in Phuket Town are displaying special flower arrangements…
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Phuket Business: “Q day’ is fast approaching
PHUKET: Many expatriates in Phuket with UK pensions have held off on transferring them offshore due to the relative infancy of the industry and the fact that there has been little guidance on some of the more technical aspects relating to the transfers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). That is all changing as the new legislation introduced recently in…
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Phuket Live Wire: Yet another PayPal scam
PHUKET: A reader wrote to me, asking if she’s been scammed. Ends up, she’s been taken for a ride, and the scam artist threatened to sue. Here’s how it happened, in her words, with a few minor edits: “Woody, I ran a series of ads in the Phuket Gazette, advertising an item I have for sale. I got an email…
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Phuket Valentine’s Day
History is unclear on whether any of The Beatles had journeyed to Phuket before they wrote their 1964 smash hit with its charmingly quaint lyrics…”Money Can’t Buy Me Love.” Clearly the lyricist Paul McCartney had never had the pleasure of a wander down Soi Bangla around midnight on almost any evening. Had he done so, he would have certainly witnessed…
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Phuket Police keep the heat on drug dealers
PHUKET: Phuket Police are searching for a man-and-wife team of alleged major drug dealers who are on the run after officers unearthed a trove of methamphetamines from the ground outside their home in Mai Khao. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul provided details of the operation at a press conference on Monday. Also attending were his deputies Pornsak Nuannu and…
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Trousers to go on at Phuket Village Health Volunteers Fair
PHUKET: For people looking for a cheap night out on Valentine’s Day, the alternative band Kangkeng (Trousers) will take the stage in a free concert at Saphan Hin tonight as part of activities in the Phuket Village Health Volunteers Association Fair. The little-publicized fair, organized by the Phuket Provincial Health Office and Phuket City Municipality, got underway last Tuesday and…
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