Month: July 2012
- Thailand News
Thailand Sports: FIVB; Olympics; Golf; Snooker
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Spikers return in triumph from World GP Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: The Thai women’s volleyball team are still on cloud nine after clinching a best-ever finish of fourth in the FIVB World Grand Prix, which ended on Sunday. It was the first time that…
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Looking Back: A brief history of Thai-US relations
PHUKET: Diplomatic relations between Thailand and the United States date back to the early 19th century. The United States was founded only a few decades earlier, when thirteen of Great Britain’s colonies in the Americas declared their independence on July 2, 1776. The USA was a young nation, more concerned with preserving its new found freedom than becoming a great…
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Phuket Lifestyle: The mighty Mekong – ‘Mother of Water’
PHUKET: Tourists visiting Thailand for the first time might be forgiven for thinking that “Mekong” is nothing more than a cheap local whiskey. But mention the word to almost any Thai national and you’ll proudly be informed that it is a mighty river. He or she might go on to say that its name means “Mother of Water”. In a…
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Heavy rain warning for Phuket, Andaman
PHUKET: A strengthening of monsoonal conditions over the Andaman Sea has prompted the Thai Meteorological Department to issue a weather warning for all six Andaman coast provinces: Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun. The warning, issued at 6am today, reads: “A rather strong southwest monsoon prevails over the Southern Thailand west coast and the Andaman Sea. Abundant rain,…
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Firemen scramble as Thai warship catches fire
PHUKET: Firefighters this morning scrambled to contain a fire that broke out on the retired warship RTMS Lanta, now a museum and tourist attraction in the heart Krabi Town. Fortunately, no people were injured in the blaze. Lt Col Thongchai Sengrod of the Krabi Town Police said that he received a report at 11am that smoke was billowing out of…
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Phuket Gardening: Mellow yellow
PHUKET: Few other yellow flowers can compete with the golden opulence of a sunflower, chalice vine or allamanda in full bloom. But that does not lessen the value of less spectacular garden inhabitants. Take the galphimia or “shower of gold”, which is sometimes referred to as thryallis in books on gardening. To give it a human epithet, this small, compact…
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Young couple caught in Phuket meth bust
PHUKET: Phuket Police last night arrested a man and a woman in their 20s in possession of category one drugs at their home in Thalang. The couple are suspected of selling drugs to teenagers in the area. Lt Col Prasan Towon, at about 11:20 pm last night, led a team of Thalang Police to raid an address in a housing…
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Oil slick endangers Krabi mangroves, clean-up ordered
PHUKET: Krabi authorities have launched a massive cleanup operation after a boat struck rocks and spilled a large volume of oil into the sea, resulting in extensive damage to protected mangrove forests in Neua Khlong District, about 130 kilometers east of Phuket across Phang Nga Bay. The spill was first reported at 9am Saturday morning. How much oil was spilled…
Read More » - Property
Phuket Property: Bricks and mortar won’t hold back the water
PHUKET: Speaking exclusively with the Phuket Gazette, Goetz Dienel, Managing Director of Thai-Dien Co Ltd, said demand for his company’s products and services is on the up due to an increase of technically-demanding projects across the country. Established in Phuket 17 years ago, Thai-Dien specializes in cutting-edge building repair and reinforcement solutions. “We’ve done work for government facilities and institutions,…
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Phuket Simon Cabaret van slams into parked cars to avoid head-on
PHUKET: A Phuket Simon Cabaret passenger van, returning after dropping off guests, late last night slammed into cars parked outside a roadside garage in Thalang as the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle. Thalang Police were notified of the crash at 12:30am today. Arriving at the scene, on a curved section of Srisoonthorn Road about a kilometer west of…
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Major bus crash in Surat Thani; 10 dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community MCOTTen people have died and 17 others were injured, some seriously, when an inter-provincial bus left the road and crashed into an electric power transmission pole this morning. The driver lost control of the first-class, air-conditioned Transport Co Ltd vehicle and it crashed into an electric…
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Sweet words from Army; Rural docs plead; Thai suspect in Mekong killings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sweet words from the Army’s wary men in the middle Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Military leaders appear to be on the horns of a dilemma over whether they should stay out of politics, while standing at the center of the political landscape with opposing…
Read More » - World News
World News: Russian roulette goes tragically wrong
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Florida teen kills self during game of Russian roulette Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: An American teenager, who was critically injured last week while playing a game of ‘Russian roulette’ with friends has died at a hospital in central Florida, police said on Sunday. The…
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Phuket Town “Blue Flag Fair’ to start Thursday
PHUKET: The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) office in Phuket Town will hold a “Blue Flag Fair” with cheap food and consumer goods at Saphan Hin on July 5-7. The event, to be held at the Central Staging Area at Saphan Hin Public Park, follows the success of the Blue Flag fair held at Sanamchai field, in the government office…
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Phuket Gazette: Roland might have key to longer life
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Naked mole rat may hold key to longer, healthier life for humans Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Finding out what causes the extremely long and active lifespan of naked mole rats could lead to longer and healthier lives for humans, American and Israeli researchers said…
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Phuket Police chief calls for integrated, island-wide CCTV
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul this morning revealed plans to ask the central government to fund a project that will see all CCTV cameras across Phuket feed live footage into a single server. Speaking at the monthly ‘Governor Meets the Press’ meeting at Provincial Hall, Maj Gen Chonasit said that CCTV footage had provided essential information in solving…
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Phuket Lifestyle: The “Dean’ of Thai Silk
PHUKET: Fashion can seem like an enigma, its true meaning obscured by smoke and mirrors; a touch of sparkle here, a well established line there, and you’ve made the dress of the season – though no one quite knows how. What is trendy today is later passé and might be the trend again someday – 30 years down the road.…
Read More » - Business News
Phuket Business: Notice and redemption periods
PHUKET: One thing many investors don’t understand when looking at a fund fact sheet, is how long it will take to get their cash back when they sell. There are generally two pieces of information you’re looking for: one is the notice period and the other is the redemption period. These two things, in addition to a third factor –…
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Phuket tuk-tuk driver gets suspended sentence for attack on tourist
PHUKET: A Phuket tuk-tuk driver who confessed to assaulting an Egyptian tourist in Patong last week has been sentenced to a three-month suspended prison term and fined 3,000 baht. Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Kittipong Klaikaew identified the driver as 40-year-old Sirapob Ngamriab. Patong Police were notified of an assault on a tourist in front of the Jungceylon shopping complex on…
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Phuket police arrest Cherng Talay burglar
PHUKET: A member of a gang of burglars who target high-end homes of foreigners living in the Cherng Talay area was arrested over the weekend and presented to the Phuket press today. The suspect, 27-year-old Wittawat Maneesri, was presented to the press by Col Jirasak Siamsak along with over one million baht’s worth of stolen electronics and other valuable seized…
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Phuket Live Wire: The real meaning of ‘Do Not Track’
PHUKET: Professionally, I live in a world that’s just about equally divided between people who run around with tin foil hats on their heads, and people who don’t particularly care about internet privacy. In 1999, Scott McNealy, the former CEO of Sun Microsystems, famously said, “You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.” Steve Manes, the guy who wrote the…
Read More » - Business News
Phuket Business: Migrant workers regulations; AirAsia move; Prefab construction
PHUKET: Employers in Phuket have been allotted additional time, until December 14, to have their Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian migrant workers complete the nationality verification process so they can be legally registered to work in Thailand. Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa explained the news to employers and their representatives at a meeting on June 20 organized by the Phuket Provincial…
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Seven injured as fishing boat explodes
PHUKET: Seven people were rushed to hospital after an explosion erupted on board a Phuket fishing boat queued up to take on ice at Por Pichai Company wharf, in Rassada, yesterday.Phuket City Police were notified of the explosion at 8:10am and rushed to the scene along with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers.At the scene, rescue workers found the Sathaporn 7 half…
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Phuket Business: The changing landscape of Phuket’s property sector
PHUKET: Demand on Phuket for condos is skyrocketing, highlighted by strong annual growth figures, which is in contrast with slumping sales of other housing types. A survey conducted by the Research & Development Department of Plus Property Co Ltd found that 2,641 new condominium units were sold on the island from April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012 – an…
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Phuket Gazette: Leap second added to compensate for Earth’s rotation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Horologists add leap second to compensate for Earth’s rotation time Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Horologists added a so-called leap second on late Saturday night, compensating for the Earth’s rotation which is gradually slowing down. It was the 25th leap second to be added but…
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Chinese tourist drowns at Patong Beach
PHUKET: A 19-year-old Chinese tourist drowned last night at Patong Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, after going for a night swim with a female friend.Sakhon Chaithong, chief lifeguard at Patong Beach, told the Phuket Gazette that two Chinese tourists were pulled from the surf near Laem Petch, at the north end of Patong, at about 7:30pm.Foreign tourists spotted the two…
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Phuket Airport director hails anti-cheat measures a success
PHUKET: Security measures taken at Phuket International Airport to prevent airport service staff, such as illegal taxi drivers, from taking advantage of tourists were declared successful yesterday by Airport Director Prathuang Sornkham. The announcement follows Police joining forces to launch a campaign in March to put a stop to illegal taxi drivers overcharging people, and to stop tour guides and…
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Phuket divided over best approach to surf safety: Poll
PHUKET: While there is a broad consensus that more needs to be done to warn visiting tourists of the dangers of monsoon-season surf, Phuket Gazette readers are divided over what method would be the most effective at getting the message out. In the online poll, the Gazette asked readers: “The monsoon season is here and once again hardly a week…
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Swedish Road Deaths: Crash driver sentencing deferred – again
PHUKET: The handing down of the court sentence to the driver of a refrigerator truck that killed four Swedish tourists and their Thai driver in Phang Nga early in February, has been deferred for the second time, the Phuket Gazette has learned. The driver, 27-year-old Muhummadyukee Jehyusoh, turned himself in to Khok Kloy Police on February 3, two days after…
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