Month: September 2012
- Phuket News
Phuket blood bank calls for A-, O- donors
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is calling for donations of Rhesus-negative (Rh-) blood types to bolster stocks that are now critically low. “We have only one unit of ‘A negative’ and one of ‘O negative’ blood,” PRBC Director Pornthip Rattajak told the Phuket Gazette. She explained that Rh-negative blood types are far more common among Caucasians than Asians.…
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Off-duty cop accused of Phuket shooting kicked off police force
PHUKET: The off-duty police officer accused of shooting a man dead in Phuket Town on May 5 has been kicked off the police force, but has yet to face charges for the killing. Rachaporn Semaksorn was discharged from the Royal Thai Police about a month ago after months of being relegated to desk duties, Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Kittipong Klaikaew…
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On-board CCTV snaps Phi Phi “iPirates’ stealing tourist laptop
PHUKET: Two ferry crewmen were arrested and charged yesterday after CCTV evidence showed the pair stealing a laptop computer from a tourist travelling on their boat. The victim, 31-year-old Australian national Evan Russell Darnley-Pentes, was returning with a friend from Phi Phi Island on Sunday when the theft occurred. However, it was only after his return to Rassada Pier that…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Come fly with me
PHUKET: Suchard ‘Robert’ Raksangob wants to share his enthusiasm for flying airplanes with visitors and residents of Phuket. On Saturday, September 15 from 3pm, he’s inviting anyone with an interest in aviation to join him at the Phuket Airpark in Pa Klok where they can join the Phuket Flying Club.“I flew for more than 25 years with the Thai Flying…
Read More » - World News
World News: Deputy al-Qaeda leader killed in Yemen, US drone suspected used
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Yemeni forces kill deputy regional head of al-Qaeda Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Saudi national Said al-Shihri, who was previously released from Guantanamo Bay and later became the deputy commander of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been killed by Yemeni troops during a military…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Feeding the gypsy in you
PHUKET: If you’re passing through Cherng Talay, heading down to Surin or Bangtao beaches, you’d have to be blind not to notice the startling yellow and pink building on the left hand side of the road – opposite Tesco Lotus. This is Gitano Restaurant & Love, the latest incarnation of the innovative couple, Miguel Kirjon and Lin Prachakrich. Miguel and…
Read More » - Phuket News
Road safety campaign to slash Phuket death toll to 50 per year
PHUKET: Officials are moving ahead with a campaign to reduce the number of deaths on Phuket’s roads to just 50 per year within the next three years. Last year, 116 died in road accidents in Phuket. The move is part of a nationwide campaign to reduce the road accident death toll in conjunction with the United Nations’ “Decade of Action…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Expecting moms rejoice
PHUKET: Expats preparing to give birth in their domiciled home-away-from-home, will be happy to know of a new website recently launched. ExpectingExpats.com provides a forum for pregnant expat women and new mothers living in Thailand and adjoining countries to share their experiences, learn from one another, ask questions and seek advice. The first website of its kind in Thailand, ExpectingExpats.com…
Read More » - Phuket News
“I don’t know how I came through in the end…”
“I don’t know how I came through in the end, I just managed to get through.” PHUKET: Andy Murray has won his first Grand Slam final at the fifth time of asking. Murray defeated Novak Djokovic 7-6 (12-10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in four hours 54 minutes to win the US Open and in doing so ended Britain’s 76-year wait…
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Phuket Governor to retire September 30, but replacement yet to be named
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha is set to retire from civil service on September 30, just 19 days away, but his replacement has yet to be named, the Phuket Gazette has learned.Governor Tri took up the position of Governor of Phuket on October 1, 2010, but had already served as a Phuket Vice Governor for four years following a posting…
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Phuket Sports: ASC’s final ride at Quiksilver Open Phuket
PHUKET: The Quiksilver Open surf contest is back in town with surfers streaming in from all over the world. Patong Beach, the most popular in Phuket, will host professional surfers from all over Asia, from Wednesday to Sunday. This year’s tournament has been upgraded to a 6-Star, dual-sanctioned competition and Asian surfers are expected to turn out in force. They…
Read More » - Phuket News
New B153mn indoor sports center opens in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Sports fans and spectators packed the 4,000-seat Indoor Sports Complex at Saphan Hin to the rafters on Saturday for the new venue’s official opening ceremony. Built on 207 rai at a cost of about 153 million baht, the center was first used for the 28th National Youth Games, dubbed the “Phuket Games”, held on the island earlier this year.…
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Central Festival Phuket set to expand to east, not south
PHUKET: The rumor that Central Festival Phuket is intending to expand onto 30 rai of land that is currently home to the Thainaan Restaurant on Wichit Songkhram Road has been dismissed by a company spokesman.Speaking to the Phuket Gazette, Lertwit Bhumipitak, the business development Deputy Managing Director for Central Retail Cooperation Co Ltd, said that the company had no plans…
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Phuket Food Festival goes “booze-free’, but lays on the entertainment
PHUKET: For the first time in its 15-year history, the annual Phuket Good Taste Food Festival at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town this year will be held specifically without any alcohol for sale and with no plastic food containers. Announcing the news on Saturday, Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana said that about 100 booths selling food will be at this…
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“I honestly can’t believe I won…”
“I honestly can’t believe I won. I was preparing my runner-up speech because she was playing so great.” PHUKET: American Serena Williams won her 15th Grand Slam singles title and became the first woman over 30 to win the US Open since Martina Navratilova in 1987. Williams beat world number-one Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in a match that lasted…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Live Wire: A galaxy of pads, a clamour of nooks and an army of androids
PHUKET: Welcome to the third of four installments in my ongoing series about where the computer industry is headed as we barrel along to the Christmas season. If you are thinking about buying any new electronics – computer, tablet, phone, maybe even a TV – it would be worthwhile to stay on top of developments between now and Christmas. Some…
Read More » - Property
Phuket Property: Drifting along the right track
PHUKET: Drift Interiors is an up and coming design company based out of a stylish Sino-Portuguese town house on Krabi Road in Phuket Town. Creative Director Craig Paterson and his Creative Partner Khun Yoo have worked their artistic flair on a number of projects ranging from resorts to residential villas on Phuket. Craig spoke to the Phuket Gazette.Phuket Gazette: What…
Read More » - Phuket News
Death of German woman ‘natural’, say Phuket Police
PHUKET: Police do not suspect foul play in the death of a foreign woman found dead in her Phuket villa yesterday morning. Cherng Talay Police inspector Sarubadee Butranongsaeng told the Phuket Gazette that the woman was found dead by her husband at her home in Baan Layan. He named the deceased as German national Maria Makeenta, as identified by her…
Read More » - Business News
Phuket Business: Taking care of your parents
PHUKET: No, the title of this article isn’t a joke. Obviously, there is a big difference in cultural attitudes toward what responsibilities people have when it comes to family. There is no need to discuss this at length. Generally speaking, most Westerners are not under the same pressure to look after their aging family members as most Thais are. But…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Diving: Out of the shadows ye self-reliant scuba diver
PHUKET: Ten years, five years, even two years ago, any conversations approaching the idea of “solo” diving were held in hushed voices in the back of small bars between experienced divers, or in the depths of online cave-diving forums. ‘Buddy diving’ was a philosophy heralded by Jacques Cousteau and the crew of the Calypso as early as the writing of…
Read More » - Phuket News
Islanders shot down by Airforce United
PHUKET: The Islanders, reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of defender Wuttipong Sittitanyakit, conceded two back-to-back goals in the final minutes of a 3-0 away loss on Saturday evening against Airforce United. The late afternoon match, both sides’ 26th fixture of the season, was played under clear blue skies at North Bangkok University’s Rangsit campus stadium in Rangsit, just…
Read More » - Business News
Phuket Business: Thailand – US trade reviving
PHUKET: More than 700 American companies will have a combined investment of US$40 billion – approximately 1.25 trillion baht – in Thailand by the end of 2012, a business leader recently told the Thai government. The president of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Joe Mannix revealed the figure in a speech given at a thank-you function for the government,…
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Phuket’s first underpass to spur new traffic woes
PHUKET: Motorists have been warned to expect major delays when construction begins next month on a 599-million-baht underpass at the Darasamuth Junction, on the bypass road near the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall. Chavalert Lertchavanakul, Project Manager at the Department of Highways’ Bureau of Bridge Construction in Bangkok, broke the news at a meeting in Phuket to finalize areas of…
Read More » - Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Time to roll on traffic law enforcement
PHUKET: Any serious effort to improve road safety in Phuket will need a major shift away from the existing “police checkpoint” method of enforcing traffic law and instead move towards catching violators in the act. Results of a recent Phuket Gazette online poll revealed that three-quarters of those taking part had never been fined for a moving violation of traffic…
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Phuket park raids prompt villagers’ plea to keep road, power supply
PHUKET: A community of farmers living on a road leading into Sirinath Marine National Park, on Phuket’s west coast, have appealed for the road and power supply to their village not be cut off following a police complaint being filed against a nearby villa project for encroaching on national park land. In making the plea, Jaroon Boonchu presented to Sirinath…
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Chalong seeks B300mn for Phuket flood prevention
PHUKET: The Chalong Municipality has requested 300 million baht in funding from the Royal Irrigation Department for a permanent flood-prevention system after last month’s floods again highlighted the issue of flash flooding in Phuket. The project proposes the construction of retaining walls along all canals in the Chalong area to prevent debris and soil from clogging and disrupting the water…
Read More » - Cannabis News
Phuket hacks back drug “growers’ in Thalang
PHUKET: Thalang police and district officers hacked open a path for progress in the war on drugs in Phuket by cutting down more than 60 kratom trees in Srisoonthorn yesterday. Despite the trees being native to Southeast Asia, their leaves have been designated a controlled substance, in the same category as cannabis, since promulgation of the Kratom Act in 1943.…
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Phuket Sports NFL kicks off
PHUKET: Super Bowl Champs the NY Giants hosted the Cowboys on Wednesday night to kick off the 2012 NFL regular season. These two teams clashed last year during the final game of the 2011 regular season, which decided the winner of the NFC East. New York went on to win that game and gain a wild card birth, which paved…
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Phuket Sports: Rory continues to roar; Golf tip
PHUKET: This week marked the second of golf’s FedEx playoffs, with the PGA’s Deutsche Bank Open at the Tournament Players Club, Boston. The parkland golf course with narrow curving fairways requires more precision than power off the tees and tests players accuracy and short games more than their all out power games. Only 100 players from the FedEx points list…
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Phuket Sports: Italian Grand Prix preview
PHUKET: In my last article I said I thought Hamilton would be a very strong contender at Spa together with Räikkönen, Rosberg, Michael Schumacher, Romain Grosjean and Jenson Button. I said it looked hard for Ferrari and Red Bull to shine, but also said “Who knows“? In the event Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso were shunted off the…
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B100bn up for grabs: Krabi told to prepare for AEC 2015
PHUKET: With 100 billion baht (US$ 3 billion) requested by government agencies for Thailand’s preparation for the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, private and government organizations in Krabi were called on yesterday by the Asean Secretary-General to step up their efforts in order to establish a “central role” in the Andaman. “Krabi will have an advantage over several other…
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Phuket Park chief files complaint against “Encroacher No 5′
PHUKET: The new chief of Sirinath National Park, Cheewapap Cheewatham, has filed a police complaint against another landowner for allegedly encroaching on national park land. The complaint, against the fifth landowner of the 10 plots raided on August 15, accused two companies of encroaching on five rai of state forest land. The two companies are allegedly controlled by the same…
Read More » - Thailand News
Wives bet in deadly drunken takraw match
PHUKET: A drunken takraw match, the renowned game of “foot volleyball” using a rattan ball, got out of hand in Rayong early last month after construction workers bet their own wives as collateral during the game. When a fight broke out and one member of the group pulled out a gun, the weapon went off, hitting a 27-year-old woman in…
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Phuket gets ready for tourism boom with “Big Cleaning Day’
PHUKET: The three district offices covering the entire island staged cleanups at public areas across Phuket yesterday as part of the “Big Cleaning Day” initiative. More than 500 people, including government officers, staff from private businesses as well as local students and residents, gathered at Saphan Hin Park in Phuket Town, where the Muang District Office held its activity under…
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Phuket ocean trash inflicting mayhem on turtles
PHUKET: A turtle with one flipper severed and another suffering a deep cut inflicted by discarded fishing nets was recovered from Karon Beach yesterday. The discovery brought to 24 the total number of turtles rescued from Phuket and Phang Nga beaches in the past two months alone. Lifeguards patrolling Karon Beach found the turtle stranded in the sand near Karon…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Gardening: A holy trinity of jasmines
PHUKET: What do the following tropical plants have in common? Jasminum, buddleia paniculata, gardenia, murraya, plumeria, wrightia, fiddlewood, alstonia, michelia alba, cestrum nocturnum. Well, actually they have two points of similarity. One, they are all white flowering shrubs or trees; two, they are all sweet-smelling. I have placed the jasmine first in the above list because, along with the lotus,…
Read More » - World News
World News: US Jobless claims fall
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. businesses step up hiring as jobless claims fall Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Initial claims for unemployment insurance in the United States fell to 365,000 in the week ending September 1, a decrease of 12,000 compared to the previous week, according to figures released by the…
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