Year: 2012

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police step up staff drug testing at late night venues

    Phuket Police step up staff drug testing at late night venues

    PHUKET: Phuket City Police yesterday drug tested 47 staff, including the general manager, at the Sure Garden restaurant in Phuket Town. The mass drug testing comes amid the ongoing furore over the axe attack on Vorasit “Pla-wan” Issara, the general manager at the Sri panwa resort and son of Thai construction magnate Songkran Issara. Mr Vorasit suffered many serious wounds…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Gardening: Stating the bleedin’ obvious

    Phuket Gardening: Stating the bleedin’ obvious

    PHUKET: How often do we overlook the obvious? How many times have you gone shopping in Phuket City, or even to Bangkok, for an essential purchase, then discovered that you could have found exactly what you wanted just down the road? Maybe it’s just me.I’ve even found myself deciding to take holidays outside my adopted home country of Thailand and…

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  • World NewsPhuket Media Watch: ‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight

    Phuket Media Watch: ‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) on Tuesday announced it has moved its symbolic ‘Doomsday Clock’ a minute forward, bringing it five minutes to midnight as a result of ‘inadequate progress’ on nuclear…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket newsman killed in gun attack

    Phuket newsman killed in gun attack

    PHUKET: A Phuket newsman was shot dead by a man riding pillion on a motorbike this morning. Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn, 40, was driving with his wife to Provincial Hall in Phuket Town when the ambush was sprung. He had just pulled out of the entrance of Srisuchart Grandview onto Thepkrasattri Road and was intending to make a U-turn on…

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  • Cannabis NewsPhuket Police armed standoff ends on a high | Thaiger

    Phuket Police armed standoff ends on a high

    PHUKET: A two-hour standoff between Phuket police and an armed man ended without bloodshed last night after officers finally persuaded him to stand down. Police arrived at a home along a soi opposite Chalong Temple at about 6pm after Sawai Thongyod called them, saying her 26-year-old son was armed, acting dangerously and she feared for her safety. Her son, Sukan…

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  • Phuket NewsBlood donation in Phuket Town tomorrow

    Blood donation in Phuket Town tomorrow

    PHUKET: The Phuket Vocational College at Saphan Hin will hold a blood donation drive in honor of HM The King from 9am to 3pm tomorrow. The donation will be held at Building 5 at the school, which is easily reached by public transport due to its location at the southern terminus of Pink Bus Route 3. The drive is part…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket safe and sound after tsunami scare

    Phuket safe and sound after tsunami scare

    PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC), at 3am this morning, canceled the tsunami alert (not ‘warning’) that had been put in place as a result of an undersea earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra at 12:37am. Director Somsak Khaosuwan told the Phuket Gazette this morning, “The warning was canceled at about 3am as the predicted time for a…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Red Cross Fair winner hands prize to his wife

    Phuket Red Cross Fair winner hands prize to his wife

    PHUKET: The lucky man who won the grand prize of the Phuket Red Cross Fair lucky draw, a brand-new Honda City car worth 590,000 baht, today gave the vehicle to his wife for her 57th birthday. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha handed the keys to 58-year-old Prasut Ruengjiradthien yesterday. Mr Prasut is a Level 9 officer at the Phuket Provincial Electricity…

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  • World NewsPhuket Media Watch: Brief tsunami alert; stampede at university

    Phuket Media Watch: Brief tsunami alert; stampede at university

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Powerful earthquake off Indonesia triggers brief tsunami alert Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A powerful earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra early this morning, seismologists said, prompting a brief tsunami alert but causing no damage. The 7.1-magnitude earthquake at 12.37am Phuket time today,…

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  • Phuket NewsOne dead, four injured in latest Phuket horror crash

    One dead, four injured in latest Phuket horror crash

    PHUKET: A fatal motorbike accident in Phuket last night was compounded when a car that slowed to survey the carnage was hit from behind and launched into a crowd of onlookers. A pregnant woman was killed and four others were injured, one critically. Thalang Police were notified at 6:45pm of an accident involving two motorbikes on Srisoonthorn Road (Route 4027),…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket petrol prices take a jump

    Phuket petrol prices take a jump

    PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has confirmed with PTT gas stations in Phuket that the price rises on petrol and gasohol will be in effect on the island from 5am tomorrow. The prices of all benzine petrol and most forms of gasohol will increase by 40 satang (0.4 baht) per liter. The E85 form of “Gasohol 95” will increase by 20…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket hospital denies “deadly greed’ killed mum, 74

    Phuket hospital denies “deadly greed’ killed mum, 74

    PHUKET: The director of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital today denied accusations that his hospital was “unethical” in its practices, which a man yesterday formally alleged contributed to his mother’s death. Hospital Director Dr Chack Somana today refuted allegations leveled yesterday by Narongphon Suwanmosee, who claimed that the hospital refused to allow his mother, Pa Khongjean, to be…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Prison ‘kingpin’ suspected in huge meth bust

    Phuket Prison ‘kingpin’ suspected in huge meth bust

    PHUKET: Police have arrested three members of a major methamphetamine trafficking ring operating throughout Phuket that is allegedly masterminded by a ‘kingpin’ resident behind the walls of Phuket Provincial Prison, officials said today. Seized as evidence in the case was the biggest drug haul in Phuket in recent memory: 20,200 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and 718 grams of ya ice…

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  • World NewsPhuket Media Watch: Nepali child beaten to death for stealing 10 rupees

    Phuket Media Watch: Nepali child beaten to death for stealing 10 rupees

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nepali child beaten to death for stealing 10 rupees Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: An 11-year-old boy was beaten to death in western Nepal after he and his friend were caught stealing 10 rupees ($0.18) from a butcher, a local newspaper reported on yesterday. Jeevan…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket student killed as motorbike and truck collide

    Phuket student killed as motorbike and truck collide

    PHUKET: A student from Phuket Technical College is dead and one of his classmates is injured after the motorbike they were riding on collided with a six-wheeled truck this morning. Capt Somchai Nuboon of Phuket City Police rushed to the accident scene, near the Rassada Municipality offices on Rassadanusorn Road, after receiving a report at 8:20am. Already at the scene…

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  • Thai LifeSpecial Report: Caring for the unknown dead of Phuket

    Special Report: Caring for the unknown dead of Phuket

    PHUKET: The unidentified body of a Caucasian male, recovered from the sea south of Phuket at the beginning of November, was finally laid to rest on December 14. The red-haired foreigner, dressed only in a black singlet and gray shorts, was discovered by the crew of Thai fishing boat Sor Naja as it sailed between Racha Yai Island and Koh…

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  • PropertyPhuket Property Watch: For better or for worse

    Phuket Property Watch: For better or for worse

    PHUKET: I remember sitting in a restaurant quite a few years ago with a brief flame who was knock-out-dead gorgeous. Without a doubt she was out of my league. Chit chat conversation was the rule of engagement here, but suddenly I found myself surrounded by a wall of silence as this was a decade before the iPhone and the age…

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  • Business NewsPhuket Business Briefs: new AirAsia route; Sri Lankan E-visa; Dollar rise; Wallace leaves | Thaiger

    Phuket Business Briefs: new AirAsia route; Sri Lankan E-visa; Dollar rise; Wallace leaves

    Trang welcomes new AirAsia routeThai AirAsia has announced regular flights between Bangkok and Trang commencing in the middle of January. Currently Nok Air and Orient Thai service the destination. Tourism in the southern area of Trang continues to struggle with low demand. Sri Lanka starts E-visa requirementDespite a drive to increase tourism numbers into post-war Sri Lanka, the country is…

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  • PropertyPhuket Property: Scribing the way to a clear handover

    Phuket Property: Scribing the way to a clear handover

    PHUKET: Once your dream home has been built, the builder or seller may require a swift inspection of the property and acceptance that all construction work has been completed. This is often the case as the acceptance of the construction works is typically the last hurdle making the final payment due. However, Phuket buyers normally want a physical due diligence…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: Genesis turns out a revelation

    Phuket Lifestyle: Genesis turns out a revelation

    PHUKET: When I was asked to review a new production on Soi Bangla, I was a little nervous as I have yet to learn how to gracefully fend off the many invitations from very lovely and much younger Thai ladies (or ladyboys) who suggest I spend a few hours in their company. What a surprise then when I approached the…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: No reservations – the life of a hotel English teacher

    Phuket Lifestyle: No reservations – the life of a hotel English teacher

    PHUKET: Tucked away on the idyllic white sand beach of Kata Noi, a very chilled out and softly-spoken Jacob Ritter works as a communications specialist and English teacher for the Katathani Beach Resort. Flanked by palm trees and with an ocean sunset behind him, Ritter sat down with the Gazette to share his insights into the luxurious life of a…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: The perfect steak out

    Phuket Lifestyle: The perfect steak out

    PHUKET: In this so-called “New Age” of raw food fads, organic salads and whole grain sustainability sometimes it is necessary to go all out for what all macho real-red-meat- eaters really crave – a great big juicy steak. We hear there is a new steak venue on the island and as part of our New Year celebrations my male colleague…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Books: The Boy Wonder’s sad decline

    Phuket Books: The Boy Wonder’s sad decline

    PHUKET: The 1960s were Tom Wolfe’s decade, the stage upon which the founder of the New Journalism strutted with The Electric Kool Aid Test. The 1970s belonged to Hunter Thompson and the Gonzo journalism of Fear and Loathing in Los Angeles. Wolfe eventually turned to turgid meta-fiction and Thompson to shameless potboilers. But the 1980s saw the rise of P.J.…

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  • World NewsPhuket Media Watch: Iran sentences U.S. citizen to death

    Phuket Media Watch: Iran sentences U.S. citizen to death

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iran sentences alleged U.S. spy to death Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: An Iranian court yesterday sentenced a U.S. citizen to death on charges that he worked as a spy for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), state-run media reported. 28-year-old Amir Mirzai Hekmati, who…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: Hogan’s hues of a brighter future

    Phuket Lifestyle: Hogan’s hues of a brighter future

    PHUKET: Having enjoyed a tour of the newly refurbished Angsana Laguna Phuket resort it was suggested to me by General Manager Jerry John, with a certain degree of pride, that the Kids Club was worthy of particular attention. While on holidays, every parent appreciates facilities for their children that provide entertainment, and are secure and well attended. Angsana’s Kids Club…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: Take the art – leave the real antiques here

    Phuket Lifestyle: Take the art – leave the real antiques here

    PHUKET: A dispute about the export of art and religious objects between the Thalang National Museum and a Phuket shop was tentatively set to rest after a meeting on December 15. The museum’s concerns that there was a risk of valuable national treasures being illegally exported from Thailand was looked into during the meeting headed by Vice Phuket Governor Somkiet…

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  • Business NewsPhuket Business: Peak season tourism spike sees limited hotel vacancy

    Phuket Business: Peak season tourism spike sees limited hotel vacancy

    PHUKET: Occupancy rates at hotels along Phuket’s beaches have averaged more than 90 per cent during the current peak period and are expected to remain at or near capacity well into 2012, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced. Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, head of the TAT regional office in Phuket Town, said the island’s tourism sector is bustling not only…

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  • Business NewsPhuket Business: Year-end events inject B370mn into economy

    Phuket Business: Year-end events inject B370mn into economy

    PHUKET: A number of large events held in Phuket during the final month of 2011 are expected to have generated as much as 370 million baht in revenue, government officials were told recently. The news was announced at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall. Chaired by Phuket Governor Tri Aukaradacha, the meeting was attended by representatives from various government departments.…

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  • Business NewsPhuket Island Investor: Always look on the brighter side of life

    Phuket Island Investor: Always look on the brighter side of life

    PHUKET: Now that the Christmas trees have been taken down and the New Year has been well and truly rung in, we can start looking forward to all that 2012 has to offer. It is fair to say that 2011 was a turbulent year in the world of the financial markets, but will 2012 be any better? We certainly have…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Live Wire: Recovering after New Year

    Phuket Live Wire: Recovering after New Year

    PHUKET: Continuing my series where I try to answer the computer questions I hear most frequently here in Phuket, this week I’ll tackle a question I hear over and over again around Christmas and New Year: “How do I recover photos or video I’ve deleted?” People tend to take a lot of pictures around the end of the year, and…

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  • Phuket NewsSeventh arrest made over Phuket “Pla-wan’ stabbing

    Seventh arrest made over Phuket “Pla-wan’ stabbing

    PHUKET: Phuket Police have arrested another suspect in connection with the assault of Sri panwa resort general manager Vorasit ‘Pla-wan’ Issara and an arrest warrant has been issued for an eighth suspect in the case. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangku yesterday updated the media about progress in the investigation, which must be concluded and forwarded to the court within…

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  • Phuket NewsMan blames Phuket hospital for mother’s death

    Man blames Phuket hospital for mother’s death

    PHUKET: A complaint was filed today against the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital for “unethical practices” leading to the death of his mother. Narongphon Suwanmosee, 44, claims that hospital administrators allegedly refused to allow his mother to be transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital for treatment for the sake of an outstanding 100,000 baht medical bill. Mr Narongphon filed the…

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  • Phuket NewsFormer Phuket-based home vendors wanted by Aussie authorities

    Former Phuket-based home vendors wanted by Aussie authorities

    PHUKET: Australian authorities are investigating the ongoing practices of a Gold Coast man who allegedly fled to Phuket in 2010 and set up an office so he could continue to sell “kit homes” in Australia. The news comes after Nick Nichols, business editor at the news website GoldCoast.com.au, posted a story today highlighting the recent launch of US-based business Nair…

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  • Phuket NewsTruck driver charged over Phuket horror crash

    Truck driver charged over Phuket horror crash

    PHUKET: The driver of the truck involved in the horrific road accident that claimed the life of an Indonesian woman and her unborn son in Patong yesterday has been charged, police told the Phuket Gazette today. Lt Col Chaowalit Neamwadee of Patong Police told the Gazette that truck driver Aroon Bunnaburi was held at Patong Police Station overnight and released…

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  • World NewsPhuket Media Watch: Body found on British Queen’s estate; Missing journalist believed dead

    Phuket Media Watch: Body found on British Queen’s estate; Missing journalist believed dead

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Body at Queen’s estate identified as missing teenager Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Human remains which were found on the Queen’s Sandringham estate in eastern England on New Year’s Day have been identified as a missing 17-year-old girl, police said yesterday. The remains were found by a member…

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  • Thailand NewsCall to revise Thai lese majeste law; Cambodia offers prisoner swap; MP surrenders

    Call to revise Thai lese majeste law; Cambodia offers prisoner swap; MP surrenders

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Call to revise lese majeste lawPhuket Gazette / The NationThe head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT), Kanit Na Nakorn, has called for amendments to be made to Thailand’s lese majeste law, which mandates prison terms for anyone found guilty of insulting the…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Gardening: Growing plants indoors and outdoors in water

    Phuket Gardening: Growing plants indoors and outdoors in water

    PHUKET: When I first came to Thailand, I was, like everyone else from colder climes, astounded by the sheer range of plant life. Even more amazing was the way nature not only coped, but actually thrives in these hot, humid conditions, some of which seemed downright alien: smoggy air, poor soil, periods with either burning sun or bucketing rain. The…

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