Month: January 2013
- Phuket News
Taxi drivers trigger full inquest into all Phuket tour business
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has ordered the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) to inspect the business licenses of all tourism businesses across Phuket that have foreigners registered as part-owners. The news follows an inspection raid of a single tour operator in Bang Tao, on Phuket’s central western coast, at the request of local taxi drivers yesterday. The taxi…
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Autopsy results unclear about role of head wound in drowned Dutch tourist’s death
PHUKET: Bangkok autopsy results have confirmed that Dutch tourist Stephan Buczynski died from drowning, but were unable to determine the role the serious wound to his head played in the incident. Doctors at Patong Hospital were fairly certain Mr Buczynski, 26, had drowned, but police requested the autopsy because there was also a deep gash on the back of his…
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Phuket Gazette World News: NYT targeted; Aussies may face new election; Senator in sex tourism scandal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New York Times says targeted by China hackers after Wen report Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The New York Times said today that Chinese hackers had “persistently” attacked its computers over the past four months since the paper published a story on Premier Wen Jiabao, but…
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Phuket Gazette World Sports: Fall guy for an entire sport – Armstrong
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World sports news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Armstrong feels he is cycling’s “fall guy” Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Lance Armstrong feels he is the scapegoat of a sport that has always been subject to cheating, the disgraced American cyclist said yesterday. Asked whether he felt he was the ‘fall guy for…
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Thailand Futsal: Phuket United lose away match with Si Saket
PHUKET: Despite a hat trick by Phuket’s Brazilian winger Jardel, the island’s pro futsal outfit Phuket United lost 4-6 away to Sri Pathum Sunrise Si Saket Futsal Club last night in Si Saket. Played at the Si Saket Rajbhat University in Isarn, the match was both side’s 17th match of a 30 fixture season. Like their first match in Phuket…
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Phuket News: Rohingya risk births at sea to flee Myanmar
PHUKET: A newborn baby just eight days old was among the boatload of Rohingya refugees who made landfall yesterday in the Surin Islands archipelago, in Phang Nga province, to the north of Phuket. As the boat landed, local people brought food and drinks to the refugees, Khura Buri District Chief Manit Pianthong said. An estimated 110 refugees were on the…
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Phuket Football: Southern Sea Warriors to battle North Korean Army
PHUKET: The new-look Phuket FC – taking on a new nickname this season as the “Southern Sea Warriors” – are set to host DPR Korea League champions, 4.25 Sports Club, in a highly anticipated friendly match tonight in Phuket Town. The match, Phuket’s third 2013 pre-season test, will kickoff at 6pm at Surakul Stadium. Admission is 100 baht, though students…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: EPL midweek summary
Pressure on City as United steam ahead in title race Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A midweek slip-up has again left Manchester City needing seven points to draw level with title rivals Manchester United ahead of a weekend encounter with an unpredictable Liverpool side capable of inflicting further pain. A 0-0 stalemate at Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday has left…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Israeli warplanes target arms convoy in Syria
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Israel hits Syria arms convoy to Lebanon -sources Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Israeli warplanes bombed a convoy near Syria’s border with Lebanon, sources told Reuters, apparently targeting weapons destined for Hezbollah in what some called a warning to Damascus not to arm Israel’s Lebanese enemy.…
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Runaway wheel from Phuket tour bus narrowly misses policeman
PHUKET: A wheel that had come off a Phuket tour bus raced off on its own down Thepkrasattri Road yesterday morning, narrowly missing a policeman in its path. The bus, displaying a Pegas sign in its front window, had picked up 32 passengers at Phuket Airport and was heading towards a hotel in Kata when it lost a rear wheel…
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Phuket Poll: Can Phuket handle the Russians?
PHUKET: Phuket in recent months has suffered a spate of public protests against Russians operating tour services here, including mob action that saw one tour operator in Bang Tao being ordered to close (story here). That minor uprising followed a blockade on the Karon beachfront road by hundreds of tuk-tuk and taxi drivers protesting tour counters along Phuket’s southwest coast…
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Phuket police net dealers in fire hydrant meth bust
PHUKET: Phuket City police yesterday made two arrests and seized more than 2,000 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 102.29 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) after staking out a Phuket Town fire hydrant. Acting on a tip-off from an informant, officers took up positions surrounding a fire hydrant in Soi Kamnan in Phuket Town, and waited for suspicious activity.…
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Phuket Humor: The good news about death
PHUKET: Death has received very bad press. Nobody has a good word to say about it, and everybody’s afraid of it. Fairness requires that somebody should point out the good points of this much-maligned condition. I’m told that death can significantly impact your life. It’s a tricky topic to write about, because nobody knows what it’s like. It may be…
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Phuket Sports: Europe’s best train at TSLC
PHUKET: With thoughts firmly on the upcoming 15th FINA World Championships to be held in Barcelona, Spain from July 19 to August 4, Dutch swimmers, Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Femke Heemskerk, along with Italian swimmers, Federica Pellegrini and Filippo Magnani, are currently training at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC). The Dutch national team coach Jacco Verhaeren explains why the Dutch…
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Phuket tourists injured as waves swamp Phi Phi tour boat
PHUKET: Six tourists were injured when a tour boat heading to the Phi Phi Islands (view here) was struck by large waves as it crossed Phang Nga Bay this morning. The boat, which departed from Chalong at about 10am, was carrying 40 tourists from Australia, Indonesia and China, an officer at the Tourist Rescue Center at Chalong Pier (map here)…
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Phuket Property: Thai hotels benefit from local software
PHUKET: About 1,000 member hotels of the Thai Hotel Association (THA) are benefiting from a locally developed room reservation technology that is changing the way hotels in Thailand do business online, keeping them ahead of the game in the global hospitality industry. The new ‘Software as a Service’ for independent hotels is the result of a recently formed exclusive partnership…
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Overcrowding at Rohingya shelter raises slew of concerns
PHUKET: Overcrowding at the Phang Nga Shelter for Children and Family, which was housing more than 100 Rohingya refugees, has forced the shelter’s director to have more than 50 of them transferred to a welfare center in Surat Thani. A bus with 13 Rohingya women, 19 boys and 20 girls is now en route to the Baan Srisurat shelter (website…
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Murder fugitive ‘Kamnan Poh’ arrested
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fugitive Kamnan Poh arrested Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Somchai Khunplome, alias ‘Kamnan Poh’, father of Thailand’s culture minister, was arrested today in Bangkok after years on the run.His son, Sonthaya, looked tense and grim while talking on the phone about his father’s arrest.Somchai was picked up…
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Phuket Finance: Exploring the theory of Peak Oil
PHUKET: I read a fascinating report recently from a Harvard researcher that shatters the common view of how quickly oil is becoming a scarce resource. It essentially states that – given new technology – the idea of “Peak Oil” is fundamentally flawed. Peak Oil is a theory that at a certain point in history (approaching very quickly), humans will reach…
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World News: Crack down on nightclubs after deadly fire
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brazilian cities crack down on nightclubs after deadly fire Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Cities across Brazil are beginning to crack down on nightclubs to ensure they comply with fire regulations following a weekend blaze that killed 231 people at a club in the southern university town of…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Football movements, bans and possible prison
Beckham trains with Arsenal to maintain fitness Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former England football captain David Beckham is training with Arsenal in a bid to maintain his fitness, manager Arsene Wenger said. The 37-year-old midfielder is a free agent after leaving LA Galaxy at the end of the Major League Soccer (MLS) season in December. “He has asked to…
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Racha Rohingya “helped on’ by Thai Navy
PHUKET: The group of Rohingya refugees discovered off Koh Racha Noi today – numbering 205 in total – were given food and water before being “helped on” in their southbound journey. On hearing the news of the refugees’ arrival, Rawai Municipality quickly dispatched a speedboat with basic provisions. The boat departed Chalong Pier about midday, and on arriving at Koh…
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Krabi police raid turns up war weapons, meth
PHUKET: Police raids at a shrimp farm and the nearby home of a subdistrict chief (Kamnan) in Krabi province, across the bay from Phuket, has turned up an Uzi, a Thompson machine gun, six shotguns, several handguns and two grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Region 8 Police yesterday presented Kamnan Anan Sanhad, the 55-year-old subdistrict chief of Klong Khanan,…
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Phuket Sports: The party that sails around and around
PHUKET: This year’s Bay Regatta, organized by the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC), will be held from tomorrow to Sunday February 3. Rows of colorful spinnakers will sail through some of the world’s most famous cruising grounds, allowing sailors the chance to enjoy the spectacular scenery and party well into the night at some of the region’s most beautiful resorts.…
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Live Wire: A tale of internet worry and woe
PHUKET: TWO weeks ago in Live Wire, I produced a list of all the available internet packages in Phuket – at least, all of the packages I know about (click here). Last week, I explained that most people in Phuket will want to get a “3G” (I still hate that term, because it’s meaningless!) package for their phone(s). Most probably…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Former champions Rangers bemoan SPL plans
Top Scottish clubs back plans to restructure league Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Scottish Premier League (SPL) clubs backed plans yesterday to restructure the cash-strapped game in Scotland despite vocal opposition from former champions Rangers.“The clubs were united in their view about the need for change,” said SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster.“I firmly believe that any change can only come from…
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Phuket Property Watch: Khao Lak’s Ramada wins top award
PHUKET: The Ramada Resort Khao Lak achieved the honor of being a first-time two-time winner of the Top and Luxury Hotel categories by TripAdvisor in its 2013 travelers’ Choice awards, announced last week. Now in its eleventh year, the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honor the world’s best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real…
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Phuket Property: Dewa Karon changes name, management
PHUKET: MAI-BS (Thailand) has taken over management of what used to be known as the Dewa Karon Resort Phuket.The resort is currently going through a re-branding and repositioning period and will now be known as Karon Sovereign All Suites Resort. The high-potential All Suites Resort offers 49 luxurious one and two-bedroom suites and penthouses sized between 63 and 140 square…
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Phuket Property: New development targets beginners
PHUKET: Relieving much anticipation of the property market just north of Phuket Town, lifestyle home developer LH Muang Mai Limited (LH), the local subsidiary of trusted property giant Land & Houses, recently unveiled its third housing development on the island: Inizio – Koh Kaew. Pre-sales for the 590.8 million baht development were launched at the project’s site behind Phuket’s main…
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Phuket Business: Luxury auto dealer aligns brand with international football lovers
PHUKET: Football players from Phuket FC recently visited the TSL Auto Corporation (TSL) premium imported car showroom to thank the company for officially sponsoring the team in the upcoming Thai Yamaha One (Division 1) 2013 season. Phuket FC’s head coach Panipol Kerdyam made a personal appearance, alongside players Nontaphan Jiensathawong, Nenebi Tre Sylyee Tre, Luiz Eduardo Purcio, Girogi Tsimakuridze, Kritsada…
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Phuket Business: Virtually exposed
PHUKET: Although the concept of 360-degree virtual tours has been around for almost as long as the world-wide-web itself, such technology has only recently begun to yield its true potential. Thanks to the advent of developments in global positioning systems (GPS), camera technology and improved user interfaces, businesses the world over are poised to reap a plethora of benefits. Speaking…
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Fresh wave of Rohingya refugees arrive south of Phuket
PHUKET: An estimated 200 Rohingya refugees landed on Koh Racha Noi this morning, as reports simultaneously flooded in of another convoy, carrying about 180 men, women and children, coming ashore at Koh Phra Thong on the Phang Nga coast. “We have received reports of about 200 men, women and children travelling in two open boats landing on Koh Racha Noi,”…
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Phuket Poll: Thais, expats call for parking spaces to be mandatory
PHUKET: In our latest Phuket Gazette online reader poll, nearly 80% of readers voted that all new buildings in Phuket must provide at least some parking spaces as a requirement for being given a building permit. Of the 590 people who voted in the poll, launched on December 25 (story here), more than half (58.3%) voted “Yes. Parking in Phuket…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Queen Beatrix to abdicate Dutch throne
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dutch Queen Beatrix to abdicate throne after 33 years Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Dutch Queen Beatrix announced that she will abdicate on Queen’s Day in April after more than three decades as head of state, allowing her eldest son Willem-Alexander to become the kingdom’s…
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World News: Monkey back in space; Arms intercepted; Italian plane probably downed by missile
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iran launches monkey into space, showing missile progress Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Iran said yesterday it had launched a live monkey into space, seeking to show off missile systems that have alarmed the West because the technology could potentially be used to deliver a nuclear…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: All about the numbers
Woods triumphs by four shots at Torrey Pines Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Tiger Woods withstood a late bogey, double-bogey, par, bogey wobble in strengthening winds to end a week of dominant golf by clinching his 75th PGA Tour title by four shots at the Farmers Insurance Open yesterday. Six strokes in front overnight at 17 under with 11 holes…
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Taxi driver mob tears down Russian tour agency sign, forces closure
PHUKET: Phuket taxi drivers in the popular tourist beach area of Bang Tao today successfully staged their second protest against Russian tour companies operating in the area. The mob of angry taxi drivers from the Baan Bangtao Taxi Club pulled down the signs of one of their primary targets, Alex Holiday Tour Co Ltd in Cherng Talay, alleging that the…
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