Year: 2012
- Phuket News
Phuket National Park blitz investigators named, beach restaurants now in firing line
PHUKET: The 366 officials who will investigate all privately-owned plots of land along the boundary of Phuket’s Sirinath Marine National Park have been named and will commence before the end of the month. The news was announced by Sirinath National Park chief Cheewapap Cheewatham at a meeting at Provincial Hall today. “We expected to report by the middle of this…
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Phuket FC captain “safe’ after car flips, slams into ditch
PHUKET: Phuket FC alternating captain and starting striker Watcharapong “Pae” Jun-ngam was involved in a serious accident following last night’s football match against Sri Racha. Lucky to be alive, he is reported to be safe with no serious injuries. “Pae has got some minor scratches, but he is safe. He was examined by hospital doctors and he has not suffered…
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Land of smiles: Recapping the conventions
PHUKET: Here are some highlights of the recent US political conventions for readers who may have missed them on TV: The main thrust of the Republican convention was to emphasize Mitt Romney’s warm humanity. Mitt reminds people of one of those wooden statues of American Indians that used to stand outside cigar stores. To humanize him, they brought out his…
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Phuket Sports: Sunshine heralds the first 2012 dinghy series event
PHUKET: The Phuket Dinghy Series, launched in 2010 by the organizers of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, returned over the weekend ending yesterday. The series comprises three weekend events at different Phuket locations in the lead-up to the King’s Cup. Santi Kanchanbandhu, a member of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organizing Committee, explains what the Phuket Dinghy Series is: “We…
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Phuket Sports: Racing to find adventure in Krabi
PHUKET: The popular sport of Adventure Racing is expected to bring 120 teams from around the world to compete in “The Sheraton Krabi Trophy” on November 3. The race is part of the the Amazing Thailand Adventure Race Series and will start and finish on the magnificent Klong Muang Beach where the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort is located. Race Director…
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Weird World News: Where dreams come true
PHUKET: Daydreaming has been the noble art of little boys and girls around the world from time immemorial, and in honor of those dreams the Phuket Gazette‘s Weird World News roundup lands headlines of a helicopter delivery of about half a million baht for candy to the creation of the biggest Ferris wheel in the world, and for those who…
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Weird World News: Little boy dreams of SWAT teams delivering cash, Ferris wheels and getting paid trillions to marry a “beauty’
PHUKET: Day dreaming has been the noble art of the little boys and girls from time immemorial, and in honor of those dreams, the Phuket Gazette‘s Weird World News roundup this week lands headlines that fulfill them, from a helicopter delivery of about half a million baht for candy to the creation of the biggest Ferris wheel in the world,…
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Crab army marches on Phuket streets
PHUKET: Phuket Town residents received a shock yesterday as they witnessed an invading army of crabs marching through the streets in the direction of the nearby mangrove forest and sea. Fortunately, the rare phenomenon was not an alien invasion by the crab-men from outer space. The totally natural event, which occurred at about 7pm, involved thousands of mangrove crabs making…
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Phuket Poll uncovers “isle of infidelity’
PHUKET: More than half the respondents in a Phuket Gazette survey have admitted they have cheated on their partners, with more than 40% saying they are willing to do it again. The Gazette launched the month-long survey after the results of the annual international sex survey by condom-manufacturing firm Durex revealed Thai couples to be among the most promiscuous on…
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Phuket Sports: Marlins reel in the Islanders
PHUKET: The Islanders fell back into into the five-team relegation zone following a 1-0 loss last night to 3rd place Sri Racha Suzuki FC. Despite a wide margin in league points, the competition, played in front of 3,100 fans, was evenly matched with the Sri Racha “Blue Marlins” enjoying only slightly more possession than Phuket. Indeed, it was looking as…
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“I have no doubt in my mind….”
“I have no doubt in my mind that he was with me today all day,” Sergio Garcia said of Ballesteros.PHUKET: Europe claimed the Ryder Cup after staging an amazing fightback on the last day.The American Team went into the tournament yesterday leading 10-6 and only requiring four points from a possible 12 on offer to win the cup. Europe won…
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Phuket Opinion: Being negative can positively save lives
Pornthip Rattajak, 35, is now the acting director at the Phuket Regional Blood Center. She graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Medical Technology from Mahidol University. She first started her work in the field as medical laboratory technician at the National Blood Center of the Thai Red Cross Society in Bangkok before joining the Phuket Regional Blood Center…
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Phuket’s “Dive against Debris’ reef cleanup sets new world record
PHUKET: The 502 participants who took part in today’s Go Eco Phuket, PADI and Project AWARE-sponsored “Dive Against Debris” can now proudly lay claim to staging the biggest reef cleanup of any kind in the world. The record turnout surpassed pre-event expectations of 14 PADI dive boats and more than 450 participants to sweep the reefs off Koh Racha Noi,…
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New Phuket Police chief honors the Heroines
PHUKET: Phuket’s incoming Phuket Provincial Police Commander, Maj Gen Chote Chawanwiwat, stopped off at the Heroines Monument last night to pay homage to the island’s guardian spirits.Gen Chote arrives in Phuket after serving as the Commander of the Narathiwat Provincial Police in Thailand’s troubled Deep South.He will be installed as Phuket’s top-ranking police officer tomorrow, replacing Maj Gen Chonasit Wattanavrangkul,…
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Gov Tri names infrastructure, environment Phuket’s greatest challenges
PHUKET: Speaking at a farewell function at Provincial Hall yesterday, outgoing Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha told the Phuket Gazette that the greatest challenges facing Phuket were preserving the island’s natural environment and meeting growing infrastructure needs.“Phuket is considered a world-famous tourist destination. The important thing that will continue to attract tourists is the island’s beautiful scenery and environment.“The development of…
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Car cut in half on impact with Phuket power pole
PHUKET: Police are investigating what prompted a 57-year-old driver to accelerate to such a speed in the early hours of this morning that when his car flew off the road it was cut in half by a roadside power pole.Thalang Police duty officer Patiwat Yodkwan was notified of the high-speed accident at at 2:45am.Due to severity of the initial reports,…
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Sacked worker kills self and 5 colleagues in revenge attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityGunman kills 5 at Minnesota workplace before shooting selfPhuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: A gunman opened fire in the state of Minnesota killing four people before fatally shooting himself, local authorities said on Friday.The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon at around 4:30 pm local time at Accent Signage…
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Korean tourist to Phuket found dead snorkeling off Phi Phi Island
PHUKET: A 29-year-old Korean tourist on holiday in Phuket has died while snorkeling off Phi Phi Island during a day trip to the popular beach resort. The man, named by Tourist Police as Jury Kuk Kim, was on a Korean package tour and staying at a hotel in Patong. The tour group, comprising about 40 tourists from South Korea, arrived…
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Phuket making waves as jet-skis get legal
PHUKET: The issue of jet-ski insurance, a topic that never seems to be off the back-burner, resurfaced earlier this month at the Honorary Consuls’ regular four-monthly meeting. British Honorary Consul Martin Carpenter asked the Marine Department chief if he could provide clear information warning tourists of the potential quagmire they face should they get into problems while renting a jet-ski.…
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Phuket Opinion: Setting standards for everything
PHUKET: The mantra of government officials regurgitating their need to preserve “Phuket’s tourism image” and to “restore tourist confidence” in what is promoted as a world-class international tourism destination, took an interesting twist last week. (See page 7 story, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) One would think that local officials…
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Parliament joins Phuket national park fray
PHUKET: Narit Khamnurak, Chairman of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Land, Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE), this week led a parliamentary inquiry to follow up the investigation into resorts accused of encroaching on national park land on Phuket’s west coast. At Sirinath Marine National Park headquarters, Mr Narit together with nine officers on Friday reviewed the investigation reports…
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Phuket Town basks in the glow of the Moon Festival
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality together with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office, Old Phuket Cultural Foundation, Phuket Peranakan Association and the Old Phuket Town Community, yesterday held the opening ceremony of Phuket Moon Festival 2012. The Moon Festival, also known in China as the Mid-Autumn Festival, started yesterday at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town will run until…
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Work begins on repairing Patong Hill road landslide site
PHUKET: Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luadwonghat kept his promise made yesterday that as soon as the rains stopped today, his workers were out in force making temporary repairs to the Patong Hill road. The section of road, just west of the Chinese shrine at the top of the hill, first collapsed during heavy rains last October, then again in…
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Lucky escape for Phuket driver as police hunt 18-wheeler
PHUKET: A 19-year-old man escaped serious injury when the Isuzu pickup he was driving slammed into an 18-wheeled truck and trailer on Thepkrasattri Road in the north of Phuket this afternoon. Thalang Police duty officer Patiwat Yodkwan arrived at the scene, near the Baan Muang Mai market in Thalang, at about 1:30pm to find Mr Ken Patan still pinned inside…
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Three more injured turtles wash up on Phuket’s beaches
PHUKET: Another three young Olive Ridley sea turtles were discovered washed up on Phuket beaches yesterday. All were missing limbs, presumed to have been severed by discarded fishing nets. Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the Endangered Species Unit at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), told the Phuket Gazette that the turtles were discovered by local residents and lifeguards at…
Read More » - Thailand News
Weather News: Bangkok gets biggest soaking in 100 years
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rainfall highest in 100 years, BMA claims Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) yesterday insisted that rainfall in the capital this month has been the highest in 100 years. “I have clear information,” said Sanya Sheenimit in his capacity as chief…
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Thailand News: Big three apply for 3G; Tantawan rejected
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community As expected, only big three apply for 3G spectrum auction Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: It’s clear now that the big three in the cellular service industry will be the only bidders for the long-awaited 2.1-gigahertz spectrum on October 16. The spectrum will be used for third-generation…
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AirAsia move to axe Phuket-Bali, Ubon flights sparks ire from ‘stranded’ travellers
PHUKET: Low cost carrier AirAsia’s decision to cease operations from Phuket to Bali and to Ubon Ratchthani has sparked a storm of angry comments directed at AirAsia’s call center by passengers feeling that they have been left stranded. Staff at the AirAsia office in Phuket told the Phuket Gazette that they had fielded many queries, mainly asking what travellers can…
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Phuket Sports: Pride, punishment and pain
PHUKET: Singapore was a tragedy for Lewis Hamilton and McLaren. Hamilton would have been the clear winner, until his gearbox disintegrated and catapulted Vettel into first place, Button to second, and most importantly, Alonso into third place. That changed what might have been. A resurgent Vettel is now hunting down Alonso, and Hamilton has dropped to the back of the…
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Carnage to Phuket’s marine life continues
PHUKET: In just one day, half a dozen Olive Ridley sea turtles were rescued in Phuket, all suffering lacerations caused by fishing nets, and a young dolphin was stranded on Mai Khao Beach.Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, head of the Endangered Species Unit (ESU) at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), revealed yesterday that ESU officers received a report from lifeguards at Karon…
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Work on Phuket’s B600mn underpass to begin after October 9
PHUKET: Construction of the underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, will not commence until at least October 9, the director of the Highways Department’s Phuket office confirmed today. The government tender for Italian-Thai Co Ltd, Thailand’s largest construction contractor, to formally take on the project was supposed to be signed today, Phuket…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival to generate B600mn
PHUKET: Director Chanchai Doungjit of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office expects this year’s Vegetarian Festival to generate about 600 million baht in revenue for the local economy. “Many Thais, including those of Chinese origin, will visit the festival and many are likely to travel as family groups as the festival falls within the school holidays,” Director Chanchai…
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Go Eco Phuket record reef cleanup will go on, say organizers
PHUKET: Organizers of the Go Eco Phuket dive reef cleanup project this Sunday, which is on target to set a new world record for the number of people taking part in a single underwater cleanup operation, say the event will go ahead. “There is no chance we are canceling,” Tony Andrews, Thailand’s West Coast PADI Regional Manager and Go Eco…
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June warms up Phuket FC for September showdown with Sri Racha
PHUKET: The Islander’s newly appointed head coach, Anuruck “June” Srikerd got his first chance to see his new side in action during a friendly match against a mixed Southern B-side last night. Played on Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club’s artificial-grass pitch, the friendly proved to be a much needed confidence boost for Phuket, who scored 5 unanswered goals against their…
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Rain causes Patong Hill road landslide – again
PHUKET: The section of road on Patong Hill that was washed away by heavy rain last year has suffered another landslide, in the same place, after days of heavy rain soaking Phuket this week. The section of road, just west of the Chinese shrine at the top of the hill, first collapsed during heavy rains last October, then again in…
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It would be a challenging task for Thailand…
“It would be a challenging task for Thailand. It may not be easy for Thailand to host a race. There may be several problems to solve before Thailand hosts a race such as noise pollution,” PHUKET: Suwat Sidthilaw, permanent secretary to the Tourism and Sports Ministry talks about the possibility of Bangkok hosting a night time Formula One race in…
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Phuket Town shop burglar delivered ‘gift-wrapped’ to police
PHUKET: Phuket City Police arrived at a shophouse in response to a burglar alarm raised early yesterday morning, only to find the thief already bound up.“We went to the scene with Kusoldham rescue workers. The entrance to the clothing shop on Soi Surin [near The Metropole Hotel] was locked. We had to break the lock to enter the building.“Inside, there…
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