Year: 2012

  • Phuket NewsHelp pours in for homeless fire victims in Phuket

    Help pours in for homeless fire victims in Phuket

    PHUKET: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach will assist a mother and 16-year-old daughter left homeless after a house fire on Tuesday. Offers of assistance have been pouring in to the Phuket Gazette since the news was posted online. One reader even offered to rent his house out to them for six months for a token price of one baht.…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket TAT launches 9 Temples Tour | Thaiger

    Phuket TAT launches 9 Temples Tour

    PHUKET: The Phuket “9 Temples Tour” began today as a way to round out the Chinese New Year festivities and to usher in the Phuket Old Town Festival, which gets underway on Sunday. The tour departs the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office on Thalang Road in Phuket Town each day at 9:30am and 10:30am, taking visitors to nine…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket crowds flock to Chalong Temple Fair

    Phuket crowds flock to Chalong Temple Fair

    PHUKET: Despite traffic chaos, Phuket residents have been flocking to the annual Chalong Temple Fair that runs through to Sunday. The vibrant fair each year attracts thousands of visitors who come to sample the wide range of food, browse the market stalls and enjoy the variety of activities on offer. Besides the many famous singers and celebrities taking turns on…

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  • Phuket NewsTwo rushed to hospital after separate accidents in Phuket

    Two rushed to hospital after separate accidents in Phuket

    PHUKET: A Phuket Airport employee returning home from work was seriously injured when her motorbike was hit by a passenger van full of tourists returning from a trip to Phang Nga yesterday afternoon. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at 3:35pm. Arriving at the scene, the turnoff to the airport on Thepkrasattri Road, police found 48-year-old Lamphong Losing lying…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket “spider men’ suspect brown widow in fruit vendor’s death

    Phuket “spider men’ suspect brown widow in fruit vendor’s death

    PHUKET: A team of officers from Phuket’s Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Sanctuary in Thalang today collected 10 different types of spiders from around the home of Wanchai Wonglakorn, who died on Monday of a suspected spider bite. The officers, led by Awat Nitikul, chief of the Environmental Conservation Division unit based at Khao Phra Thaeo, rummaged through the undergrowth around…

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  • Phuket NewsUnidentified foreigner found hanged in Phuket | Thaiger

    Unidentified foreigner found hanged in Phuket

    PHUKET: An unidentified man was found strangled in a hilly area near Freedom Beach in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Police believe he took his own life by hanging. Chalong Duty Officer Capt Nitikorn Rawang received a report about the body at about 5pm. Police found the body in a sitting position on the ground next to a pond. The body was…

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  • Phuket NewsMan shot, dumped, left for dead – but survives in Phuket

    Man shot, dumped, left for dead – but survives in Phuket

    PHUKET: A young Cambodian man who was shot in the chest and claims to have been tossed into the ocean afterwards, is being treated at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Doctors are unable to identify him or contact family members due to a language barrier. A source visiting the hospital yesterday told the Phuket Gazette that the the man was a 23-year-old…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket gets cooking with Local Food Festival

    Phuket gets cooking with Local Food Festival

    PHUKET: The 4th annual Phuket Local Food Festival kicked off at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town last night with the preparation of what is purported to have been the world’s largest pot of tom som (sweet and sour soup). The event was officially opened by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, who joined together with Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon…

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  • Phuket NewsFC Phuket face extinction

    FC Phuket face extinction

    PHUKET: FC Phuket Director Soranan Sanae has sent out a distress call to all wealthy football fans in Phuket to come to the rescue of the team, which is in urgent need of sponsorship, yet again. “If any football-loving foreigners or expat millionaires would like to support the team, they are more than welcome to step up,” he told the…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket likely to get Administrative Court

    Phuket likely to get Administrative Court

    PHUKET: The Thai Parliament yesterday approved draft legislation to establish Administrative Court regional branches in Phuket, Petchaburi and Nakhon Sawan, Matichon has reported. Attached to the bills was a remark that the Administrative Court and all related agencies should expedite processing of all funding and legal issues so that all three courts would be up and running within three years…

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  • Phuket NewsEighth suspect, school kid, arrested for Phuket Pla-wan attack

    Eighth suspect, school kid, arrested for Phuket Pla-wan attack

    PHUKET: Police have arrested an eighth suspect wanted in connection with the stabbing of Vorasit “Pla-wan” Issara, the general manager of the Sri Panwa resort who was attacked by staff at the Rachada pub in Phuket Town earlier this month. Phuket City Police deputy superintendent Jamroon Plaiduang released the name of the suspect but was unsure of his age. However,…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket hit-and-run driver surrenders, victim still in hospital

    Phuket hit-and-run driver surrenders, victim still in hospital

    PHUKET: The driver of a white sedan that struck a motorbike on Thepkrasattri Road then failed to stop has handed himself in to police, while the victim in the accident remains at Vachira Phuket Hosiptal recovering from serious injury. Motorbike rider Suriya Thathamlay was rushed to hospital by emergency workers after he was thrown to the ground when a car…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Local Food Fair starts today

    Phuket Local Food Fair starts today

    PHUKET: The Phuket Local Food Festival 2012 starts today at the central stage area at Saphan Hin Public Park in Phuket Town. The event, funded and organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO), runs through Sunday night with a wide variety of staged entertainment, games and shopping opportunities. Most of the staged entertainment will be by children in schools…

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  • Phuket NewsWork underway on Phuket’s newest police headquarters

    Work underway on Phuket’s newest police headquarters

    PHUKET: Work is underway on the headquarters of Phuket’s newest police station, with some officers already taking up residence in barracks near what will eventually be the Wichit Police Station. The work follows an announcement by Phuket Provincial Police in early 2009 that it planned to establish two new independent police precincts in the south of the island. The move…

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  • Phuket NewsFinnish tourists unharmed in Phuket bus fire

    Finnish tourists unharmed in Phuket bus fire

    PHUKET: A group of Finnish tourists on a tour to Laem Phromthep had a sudden change of itinerary this morning when their Phuket tour bus burst into flames on a hilly stretch of road in Karon. The incident occurred at about 8:30am near to the entrance to Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket on Wiset Road, a curvy coastal road that…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police chasing ‘missing money’ from currency exchange haul

    Phuket Police chasing ‘missing money’ from currency exchange haul

    PHUKET: Phuket Police are still investigating where the remainder of the two million baht in foreign currencies has disappeared to from the robbery of a currency exchange booth in Karon in November. At a press conference at Chalong Police Station yesterday, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangku said his officers were still investigating where most of the money had gone,…

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  • Phuket NewsHouse fire leaves Phuket poor homeless

    House fire leaves Phuket poor homeless

    PHUKET: A young girl and her mother lost what few possession they owned to a house fire yesterday, leaving them without money for their monthly motorbike rent or for the girl’s school fees. Prapha Pongkunchorn, 52, and her daughter Mookrin Pongkunchorn, 16, had been living rent-free in the house, which had been converted from a garage and had no address,…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket fruit vendor died of spider bite: wife

    Phuket fruit vendor died of spider bite: wife

    PHUKET: A Phuket fruit vendor died yesterday from a severe allergic reaction to a spider bite, his pregnant wife believes.Mrs Piyanan Boonsri, 30, took her husband Wanchai Wonglakorn from their home in Mai Khao to Thalang Hospital on Sunday evening after he complained of soreness in his arm. Eight month’s pregnant, the young wife said her husband returned from work…

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  • Phuket NewsHenan Acrobatic Troupe dazzles Phuket

    Henan Acrobatic Troupe dazzles Phuket

    PHUKET: Thousands of people who attended a Chinese New Year celebration in Phuket Town last night were spellbound by a performance by one of the world’s top acrobatic troupes. The fun began in the late afternoon, as scores of Thai and foreign tourists dined on a huge variety of local dishes on offer by vendors lined up under a walkway…

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  • Business NewsPhuket Business: Now is the time to structure your financial investments

    Phuket Business: Now is the time to structure your financial investments

    PHUKET: Now that 2012 is in full swing and no doubt many of the New Year’s resolutions have been thrown out of the window, it’s time to get a hold of the purse strings and have a set plan for the forthcoming year. I have already given my views on what I believe we can expect from the year ahead.…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Live Wire: The best apps for iPad owners on the island

    Phuket Live Wire: The best apps for iPad owners on the island

    PHUKET: Continuing my series of articles answering questions that I hear most often… it seems like half the people I know have got an iPad recently. The question I’m hearing over and over: What apps should I put on my iPad? There’s no definitive answer because the iPad ecosystem changes faster than a Republican primary. At last count, you had…

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  • Phuket NewsMyanmar Concert 2012 touted in Phuket

    Myanmar Concert 2012 touted in Phuket

    PHUKET: Many Burmese residents of Phuket are expected to head north to Phang Nga on Sunday for the first-ever Myanmar Concert 2012, part of the annual Phang Nga Red Cross Festival. Performers will include R Zar Ni, Zaw Paing, Wai Su Khine Thein, Yae Lay, Yae Bakar Win and Chan Chan. Posters publicizing the event have been put up at…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: Eye to eye contact

    Phuket Lifestyle: Eye to eye contact

    Doctor Captain Wiriyaluppain is launching a series of articles to help educate Phuket Gazette readers about eye health and what to be beware of. The articles will also explain advances in eye treatment technologies. Here is the first in the series. PHUKET: As an eye doctor who has practiced in Phuket for many years, I have found that the patient…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: BAKE brings uniquely Thai handcrafted coffee to Phuket

    Phuket Lifestyle: BAKE brings uniquely Thai handcrafted coffee to Phuket

    PHUKET: Since opening two years ago, BAKE by Twinpalms has become a go-to spot for Phuket island residents and visitors who love a selection of freshly baked goods, sandwiches, salads, chocolates, desserts, juice, smoothies, coffees and teas. They have now announced the addition of another sensory delight to their repertoire of premium baked goods with their new coffee roasting and…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: Vladi good fish at Palau

    Phuket Lifestyle: Vladi good fish at Palau

    PHUKET: There’s a brand-new, gorgeous-looking, blue-and-white seafood outlet down in Nai Harn Village called Palau Fish. It turns out that the restaurant is named after a Pacific island some 800km east of the Philippines, one of the world’s youngest states. Pub quiz aficionados take note… Palau is way over the top, design wise, with billowing white curtains complementing its peripheral…

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  • PropertyPhuket Property: Organic resort nets new awards

    Phuket Property: Organic resort nets new awards

    PHUKET: Accolades continue to pour down on Thanyamundra, the unique five-star organic resort perched upon the fringes of Thailand’s most ancient rainforest. Thanyamundra has been elevated to the elite ranks of hotels and resorts included on DestinAsian magazine’s prestigious Luxe List, just weeks after being voted by agoda.com as one of Asia’s Top Three Eco-Boutiques. Agoda also honored the resort…

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  • World NewsPhuket Media Watch: British Airways resume flights; New Zealand plane crash

    Phuket Media Watch: British Airways resume flights; New Zealand plane crash

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British Airways to resume flights to Libyan capital in May Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: British Airways plans to reinstate flights to the Libyan capital of Tripoli later this year, the airline announced yesterday. Flights were suspended in February 2011 as a result of the country’s civil…

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  • World NewsPhuket Media Watch: Chinese New Year fuels flight record at Hong Kong Airport

    Phuket Media Watch: Chinese New Year fuels flight record at Hong Kong Airport

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hong Kong airport sees single-day record of 1,057 flights Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, handled a single-day record of 1,057 incoming and outbound flights late last week, aviation authorities announced on yesterday. A spokesman for the Civil Aviation…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: Count Snape gets his teeth into opera

    Phuket Lifestyle: Count Snape gets his teeth into opera

    PHUKET: Dressed in a flowing black cape, a certain Mr Snape mingled with the New Year crowds in Patong on New Year’s Eve, but Andrew Snape has no relation to the character in Harry Potter. Yes, they are both teachers, wear black capes and have English accents. But “Count Snape”, as Andrew calls himself when dressed as a vampire, performs…

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  • Thai LifeIn memory of Bjorn Täckmann

    In memory of Bjorn Täckmann

    PHUKET: Bjorn Täckmann, an important member of the dive community in Phuket and Thailand, passed away on January 6 in a hospital in Surat Thani. He had been diagnosed with cancer last year. Mr Täckmann started diving in 1983 and moved from Denmark to Thailand in 1993 as a PADI Dive Instructor. Since then he has ushered thousands into the…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: Bottom time is now family time

    Phuket Lifestyle: Bottom time is now family time

    PHUKET: Everyone can learn to dive, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Diving is like everything worth doing, there are obstacles to overcome. Sometimes those obstacles are mental, sometimes they are physical and sometimes they are both. For Emil Engahl aged 10 it was no different. For years Emil has been coming to Phuket with his parents Mette and Lars…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s ‘Coconut Island’ gets new pier

    Phuket’s ‘Coconut Island’ gets new pier

    PHUKET: The new 10-million-baht pier on Koh Maphrao in Phuket was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising on Friday. The new concrete pier, 170 meters long and three meters wide, replaces a dilapidated wooden structure, making passage to the island safer and more convenient for residents and tourists.…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: Enter the dragon

    Phuket Lifestyle: Enter the dragon

    PHUKET: Just when you thought all the festivities linked to the New Year were over, here they come again in the guise of Chinese New Year with celebrations to go on for 15 days. Today we enter the 4,709th Chinese year and the “Year of the Dragon”, according to the Chinese zodiac. Chinese New Year, the most important of all…

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  • PropertyPhuket Property Briefs: Kata Group; Banyan Tree; Thai Smiles | Thaiger

    Phuket Property Briefs: Kata Group; Banyan Tree; Thai Smiles

    Kata Group opens Khao Lak Resort in NovemberA new Greater Phuket resort called The Sands Khao Lak By Katathani will open this coming November. Katathani Resorts have a well known flagship property on Phuket’s west coast and the upscale villa resort The Shore at Kata Noi. Francois Huet leaves Banyan TreeOne of the island’s best known hotel faces, Francois Huet,…

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  • Phuket NewsChinese New Year celebration in Phuket Town tonight

    Chinese New Year celebration in Phuket Town tonight

    PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) has organized a Chinese New Year celebration tonight at Sanam Chai to see in the Year of the Dragon. A special appearance at this free event will be the stunning “new style” acrobatic show from China’s Henan province starting at 7:35pm, followed by a fireworks display at 8:35pm After that will be musical…

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  • PropertyPhuket Property: Sansiri set to invest heavily this year

    Phuket Property: Sansiri set to invest heavily this year

    PHUKET: Residential developer Sansiri has earmarked 24 billion baht to launch 44 projects worth 46bn baht this year and to buy land for more projects next year. “This year we will expand our products to cover all market segments, including units priced lower than 2 million baht and over 10 million baht. This will stress our number one quality brand…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Gardening: I say paw-paw, you say papaya

    Phuket Gardening: I say paw-paw, you say papaya

    PHUKET: When I was young, papayas (pronounced papaiya) were considered very exotic, rarities that occasionally came along with other fresh fruit – mangoes and kiwi fruit, at the end of an expensive dinner. Here papayas (stress on the last syllable please) are the most available of fruit. In Isarn, a meal without green shredded papayas in the mix is almost…

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