Year: 2012
- World News
World News: Former US President Bush snr. in intensive care
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush in intensive care – spokesman Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former President George H.W. Bush is in the intensive care unit of a Houston hospital and is in “guarded condition,” family spokesman Jim McGrath said yesterday. “The president is alert…
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Phuket gifted “zero death start’ to Seven Days of Danger
PHUKET: Phuket woke up to the first dawn of the annual “Seven Days of Danger” new year national road-safety campaign without recording a single death on the roads. However, the first casualty recorded since the campaign began at midnight last night was a 33-year-old woman who crashed her motorbike at high speed on Sakdidet Road in Phuket Town at about…
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Phuket Sports: Premier League Boxing Day delights
Spurs hail Bale after hat-trick makes Villa wail Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale is among the most special talents in world football, manager Andre Villas-Boas said after the left winger grabbed a hat-trick in yesterday’s 4-0 mauling of Aston Villa. Jermain Defoe put Spurs in front in the 58th minute at Villa Park before Bale blew…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News: Govt warns scammers; ACMECS single visa today; optimism for tourism
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt warns scammers as Thailand is named top destination The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand has long been ranked as one of the world’s best tourist destinations, with so many awards under its belt. However, the Kingdom’s tourism industry is not untainted. Now that Thailand…
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Tsunami memorial morning service draws “handful of foreigners’
PHUKET: About 100 people joined the tsunami remembrance service at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao this morning to mark eight years passing since the devastating tsunami struck Phuket’s shores. Among the attendees, only five were foreigners. The service began with Buddhist monks conducting a mass prayer, followed by a Muslim service and then a Christian service. After the…
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Phuket Gardening: Say it with flowers
PHUKET: “SAY it with flowers” is a popular mantra of the florist business. And for most occasions and certainly for most ladies, a romantic bouquet of roses or lilies speaks louder than words. For Christmas though, and for the keen gardener, something a bit more practical is the order of the day. Indoor potted plants are always a sensible choice.…
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Rape test results for Burmese teen handed over to Phuket Public Prosecutor
PHUKET: Police have confirmed that the Phuket Provincial Public Prosecutor is now in possession of the case notes needed to proceed with bringing to trial a 29-year-old man who raped an 18-year-old Burmese woman in Phuket in October. “Even if the attacker confesses to having raped a person, we still conduct a rape test so that the scientific results can…
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Phuket votes for tough action against illegal taxis
PHUKET: In our most recent Phuket Gazette poll, readers have overwhelmingly voted for local authorities to take a tough approach in tackling illegal taxi drivers on the island. The poll, launched a month ago, highlighted the recent efforts by the Phuket authorities to bring order to the long-running problem of illegal taxis, and all the violent repercussions they have had…
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Phuket Books: The Cambodian book of the dead
PHUKET: A veteran journalist on the Asian beat, Tom Vater certainly knows Cambodia. In the crime novel The Cambodian Book of the Dead (Crime Wave Press, Hong Kong, 2012, 287pp), his descriptions of Phnom Penh, Kep and Siem Reap are spot on. The hero is Maier (no first name) who grew up in East Germany under the communist government, where…
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Phuket Live Wire: An Einsteinian speed anomaly
PHUKET: Last week I talked about the best-known internet speed measuring web sites – not the ones your Internet Service Provider (ISP) sets up and gooses to show impossible scores, but the sites that are internationally recognized as providing a reasonable indication of the speed your line actually delivers. Some of you wrote to me and said that you don’t…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News: 3 monks killed in UK; Warning towers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Three monks killed in tragic UK car crash The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Thai consul in London is visiting two Thais who survived a head-on car crash yesterday in Scotland in which three Thai monks were killed, the Foreign Ministry says.One of the victims was from…
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Phuket tourists run for their lives as Patong hotel fire breaks out
PHUKET: Tourists staying at a luxury hotel in Phuket ran for their lives after waking up to smoke and fire in the pre-dawn dark today. Seven fire trucks arrived at the well-known Royal Phawadee Village hotel in Sawatdirak Road, near the Patong beachfront, at about 5:30am. Firefighters took about an hour to bring the flames under control. Suchanart Khonkaew and…
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Man found hanged at Phuket park
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a man who was found hanged early yesterday morning near the entrance to the Bang Neaw Dum reservoir, a popular recreational park located in the heart of Phuket. Police believe the man’s body remained undiscovered for about five days before it was spotted by local villagers. “The man was hanged by a blue…
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World News: Pope’s Christmas message thinly veiled: Italian news agency Ansa
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pope gives advice as Italians prepare for bitter campaign Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Pope Benedict sent a political Christmas greeting to Italians as they head into an election campaign expected to be brutal and bitter: think, cooperate for the common good and don’t discard values when making…
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Phuket tsunami memorial services to shine on
PHUKET: The Phuket community today will honor those who died in the devastating tsunami that struck the island eight years ago, with a ceremony at the Tsunami Memorial Wall in Mai Khao followed by the traditional “Light Up Phuket” candle-lighting ceremony on Patong Beach. Thai official figures state that the tsunami killed 5,398 people and that more than 3,700 disappeared…
Read More » - Property
Phuket Property: Tri Property launch Zcape X2 concept
PHUKET: Urban lifestyle condo concept developer Tri Property launched sales of the Zcape X2 Condominium in Cherng Talay on December 15, boasting unit reservations totalling more than 60 per cent over the first weekend of the two-week pre-sales period. Touted as perfectly priced condo units in a prime location, Tri Property CEO Adisorn Vivakanond said the Zcape X2 concept was…
Read More » - Property
Phuket Property: The start of “Hobbit housing’ in Phuket
PHUKET: Jingle Bill, Jingle Bill. The very merry season is here again – already! Apparently so, given the greenscape in every retail space my eyes come to rest on. This year the epic film the Hobbit is upon us. Hobbits and Asian real estate have been simpatico for quite some time. Certainly this year in Thailand ‘entry-level condominiums’ have dominated…
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Phuket Property Watch: A home for the holidays
PHUKET: ‘Tis the season, here on the sunny island of Phuket yet again. I’m not quite sure exactly when the vanishing point starts to loom over life’s passage. Could it be 40? That’s well and truly passed like the aftertaste of one of those deadly tequila shooters that often ends a long night of social drinking. You can always recall…
Read More » - Property
Phuket Property: Supercars zoom to SMART Expo
PHUKET: THE Phuket Gazette caught up with Mr Hoi Cheung, Director of 3:C who are the organizing the upcoming SMART Property & Lifestyle Expo to be held at the Royal Phuket Marina, from December 27-30, 2012. Phuket Gazette: What makes Phuket a good destination for the SMART Property & Lifestyle Expo?Hoi Cheung: Phuket in recent years has become known as…
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Sydictive Element New Year “mega-beach party’ is on in Patong
PHUKET: The Sydictive Element New Year’s Eve “mega beach party” will be held at the southern end of Patong Beach from December 30 through to daybreak on January 1. The news broke this afternoon after more than two hours of negotiations that followed hours of inconclusive negotiations last night. “Sydictive will have its own party zone within the general area…
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Phuket Governor calls for public transport to resolve traffic jams
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut has called for officials to ramp up efforts to develop Phuket’s pitiful public transport options as the top way of beating the island’s ever-increasing traffic congestion. Speaking at a public seminar at the Pearl Hotel in Phuket Town last Saturday, held by the Phuket Real Estate Association specifically to discuss Phuket’s growing traffic jams, Governor…
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Irish tourist “bottled’ within 24 hours on Phuket
PHUKET: Patong Police are trying to identify the culprit who split open an Irishman’s head with a bottle within 24 hours of the tourist landing in Phuket.Lt Col Jongserm Preecha told the Phuket Gazette that the incident occurred at about 1:30am yesterday.“By the time we arrived at the scene, in front of The Pizza Company restaurant on Soi Bangla, a…
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Phuket’s Prab says Sydictive New Year Party can ‘move it, move it’ to Patong
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette was told today that Patong Municipality sent Preechavude “Prab” Keesin, son of Patong Mayor Pian Keesin and head of the largest taxi driver association in Patong, to Bangkok to discuss with party organizers Sydictive Element about moving the controversial Sydictive party from Surin Beach to Patong Beach at Loma Park.However, Thai Beverage has for years used…
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World News: Activists say more than 60 killed in Syrian airstrike
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Airstrike on bakery in central Syria kills more than 60, activists say Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than 60 people are believed to have been killed yesterday when a government airstrike hit a bakery in Syria’s central Hamas province where a crowd was queuing for bread, activists…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Going for a “grubby’ Christmas
PHUKET: The holiday season is here and the Phuket geese are getting nervous. But tropical heat and looking good on the island’s beaches may require something a little lighter than all that turkey and Christmas pudding. As an alternative consider a Holiday Season dinner comprised of the local creepy-crawlies that many Phuketians love to eat. The Locust EatersInsects are full…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Flower power at Boathouse
PHUKET: Anyone who has ever tempted fate by trying the ersatz vegetarian food at Phuket’s annual Vegetarian Festival will more than likely agree that it’s all deep fried; it’s not actually very good for you; and while it may look like a sausage or a chicken drum-stick, it actually tastes like soaked cardboard.So when word got out that Marco Westmass,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Annual Red Cross Fair 2012 sets prize at over half million baht of gold
PHUKET: The Phuket Annual Red Cross Fair 2012 is ready to rock Phuket from December 27 to January 5 as it offers more than 500,000 baht in gold as the top lucky draw prize this year, eligible to anyone who buys a ticket to support the Red Cross.For the entirety of the 11-day festival, hundreds of stalls at Saphan Hin…
Read More » - Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Santa says a smile is the best Christmas gift of all
ON DECEMBER 25, Santa Claus will be attending a plethora of activities being held across Phuket, among them will be the annual Christmas celebrations at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Here, the jolly “Hospital Santa” explains what Christmas in Phuket truly means to him.There are many foreigners living in and visiting Phuket, and I am sure that they are going to celebrate…
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International Sports: Queen goes 3D; Clarke to miss Boxing Day test; Messi gets another
Queen Elizabeth goes 3D for Olympics tribute Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Queen Elizabeth will use her traditional Christmas Day message, filmed in 3D for the first time, to pay tribute to the world’s athletes for delivering a “splendid summer of sport” at the London Olympics.In her personal address to the nation, the monarch will pay tribute to the competitors’ “skill,…
Read More » - World News
World News: Somali pirates release hostages after 33 months in captivity
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Somali pirates release longest-held hostages after 33 months Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A ship and its crew of 22 sailors held by Somali pirates for almost three years have been freed by maritime police after a two-week-long siege, the government of the breakaway region of Puntland said…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Children’s Christmas wishes
In the mouths of babes, sweet truths are laid… just behind the list for Santa.The Phuket Gazette asked local kids what they would like in their stockings this Christmas. PHUKET: There are, of course, quite a few iPads on Phuket wish-lists this year, but the Gazette tried hard to convince these choosy children that other brands were equally good and…
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Phuket Lifestyle: The trouble with Christmas tech
PHUKET: Choosing the best tech gadget for your Christmas treat can bring on the same sort of excitement a child exudes when he or she rips open their first present beneath the tree. Making an educated decision as to which of the range of gadgets is best for you can be a daunting task, especially when tech no longer comes…
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EPL: Chelsea give Villa a blue Christmas
Chelsea hit Villa for eight, leaders United held Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Chelsea, playing with a swagger missing for much of the season, routed Aston Villa 8-0 yesterday as Premier League leaders Manchester United wasted the chance to move six points clear after a 1-1 draw at Swansea City.Chelsea striker Fernando Torres began the goal glut after three minutes at…
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Phuket villager speaks out on Sydictive New Year beach party
PHUKET: While the debate rages on over whether or not the Sydictive Element New Year Phuket beach party will move to Patong – despite already being granted permission to be held at Surin Beach – one local resident has spoken out about how the party would affect the beachfront community, for better and for worse. Somchai Prasongphon, 42, was born…
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Phuket child-exploitation gangs put in the spotlight
PHUKET: A 12-year-old girl fleeing her captors to the safety of officials on Soi Bangla last week, has raised the ugly specter of Phuket becoming a prime human-trafficking and child-exploitation destination, according an international children’s rights agency. The girl, nicknamed “Aoi” to protect her identity, ran up to Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban and about 10 other officers on night…
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Phuket Opinion: Family, the best defense against technology risks
PHUKET: With the holiday season upon us, we would like to encourage all of our readers to take a few moments to pause and reflect on how lucky we are to live in this incredible age of technology. Technology is perhaps the most notorious of double-edged swords. Shakespeare wrote famously in Hamlet that “…there is nothing either good or bad,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Fresh ATM action prompts hope for finding missing Phuket expat
PHUKET: Police investigating the disappearance of American Brett Bean, last seen on Phuket on November 25, are now searching for a man who used Mr Bean’s debit card to withdraw cash from a Phuket ATM on Monday. “We were informed by Mrs Bean [Brett’s mother] that on December 17 someone used Mr Bean’s debit card to take the money out…
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