Month: February 2013

  • Phuket News

    Alcohol banned tonight for Makha Bucha

    PHUKET: A nationwide ban on the sale and purchase of alcohol is in effect today, Makha Bucha Day, one of the four annual religious holidays in Thailand.“Alcohol is banned in Phuket and across the country out of respect for the holy day,” Peerayuth Karajedee, Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “We have sent out…

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  • Opinion

    Phuket Opinion: Drivers’ carelessness causes traffic jams

    PHUKET: Phuket City traffic policeman Pol Sen Sgt Maj Boonliang Maneewong, 53, is from Sisaket province in the Northeast. He graduated from the Provincial Police Training Center Region 2 in Chon Buri province in 1984 and has been working with the Thalang Police since 1985. He has been a traffic officer for 20 years, and for the last three years…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket officials squelch Dengue fever rumors

    PHUKET: Residents must do their part in controlling dengue fever by not allowing water to stand in containers around their homes, officials have told the Phuket Gazette as rumors started to grow last week of an outbreak in Karon. In response to a complaint from a reader living on Patak Road Soi 24 in Karon that at least nine people…

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  • Phuket News

    Thailand Futsal: Phuket United back on track with away victory

    PHUKET: Five different Phuket United players scored the goals that contributed to the team’s away-victory (2-6) against Samut Songkhram on Sunday afternoon in Bangkok. Played at Bangkok’s Fashion Island Futsal Arena, the match was both side’s 24th of the 30-fixture GMM Sport Thailand Futsal Premier League (TFPL) 2012-2013 season. Phuket United’s goals were scored by Brazilian Jardel, who scored both…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket hosts single-day CITES program on ivory trade

    PHUKET: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) officers, non-governmental organizations and legal wildlife and fauna traders attended a one day meeting in Phuket as part of the 16th Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) being held in Thailand. Members of the meeting expressed their gratitude for the honor of holding…

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  • Opinion

    Phuket Opinion: Time to rein in rogue cops

    PHUKET: Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat should be applauded for getting personally involved in the investigation into the attack on a teenage couple who claim to have been assaulted by two sons of a Thalang Police officer on St Valentine’s Day (story here). Reports of assault involving minors are all too common in Thalang, which has a history of teenage…

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  • Phuket News

    Mangrove flyover given start date, plans tweaked

    PHUKET: A May start date for the long awaited 170-million-baht Klong Koh Pee flyover project, which will now traverse 700 meters of protected mangrove forest, was announced yesterday by the Phuket Governor. “The people of Phuket have been waiting for this project to start for almost 20 years,” Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut said. “The project is important, as it provides…

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  • World News

    Phuket Gazette World News: Japanese Prime Minister sees bright future

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abe vows to revive Japanese economy, sees no escalation with China Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Americans yesterday “I am back and so is Japan” and vowed to get the world’s third biggest economy growing again and to do more…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Gazette Sports: Premiership managers fed up with questions over future

    Mancini swears he is fed up of questions over future Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: If Mario Balotelli had left his “Why Always Me?” T-shirt behind in Manchester, his former manager Roberto Mancini might well have fancied wearing it yesterday. The Manchester City boss, who used to joke that all his news conferences started with questions about fellow Italian Balotelli…

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  • Phuket News

    French Ambassador sees SME business opportunities in Phuket

    PHUKET: The new French Ambassador to Thailand, Thierry Viteau, made his first visit outside of his station in Bangkok to Phuket on Thursday to discuss the need to strengthen relations in the tourism market. “Phuket and Nice in France have been ‘sister cities’ since 1989; I want to take this opportunity to re-strengthen and renew our relations,” Amb Viteau, who…

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  • Phuket News

    Thailand Futsal: Phuket United get new coach after losing streak

    PHUKET: The spirits of Phuket United futsal fans are in a state of recovery, following the announcement of a new head coach after the resignation of Coach Suphol “Hum” Senapeng on Thursday. Initially reported on the Thai website, SMM Online, Coach Suphol’s resignation announcement follows the team’s recent loss to Samut Sakhon FC by a score of 6-1 on Wednesday…

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  • Phuket NewsVictim’s uncle testifies in Dokset murder trial | Thaiger

    Victim’s uncle testifies in Dokset murder trial

    PHUKET: Rungnapa Suktong’s uncle took the stand today in the second day of witness testimony in the Stein Havard Dokset murder case. Mr Dokset faces charges for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Rungnapa Suktong under section 288 of Thai law, which stipulates 15 to 20 years or death. He has also been charged for concealing a body and the illegal…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Sports: Fair play league

    PHUKET: THE 5th Annual Fair Play League (FPL) kicked off its new five-week season at British International School (BIS) last Sunday. Run by Phuket Soccer Schools (PSS), the league is designed to promote fair play in football and help players integrate and play with other children from different schools, as well as cultural and social backgrounds. Before the under-14 matches,…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Sports: Laguna end first round undefeated

    PHUKET: In the final match of the first round, and one of the most highly anticipated matches so far this season, Jabudays took on the undefeated Laguna at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) on last Sunday. Many thought this match might see the Laguna side capitulate to a very strong Jabudays side, the only side to defeat them in 2012.…

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  • Phuket News

    More floods threaten Phuket Town if Klong Bang Yai project is delayed further

    PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthsut paid a visit to the behind-schedule Klong Bang Yai project, which, if incomplete by the coming rainy season, threatens Phuket Town with another round of serious flooding. “The klong is the main waterway draining water from Kathu to Saphan Hin. If it is not finished before the heavy rains start, homes and businesses in the…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Sports: Siam’s motocross mania; Reds and Blues to Bangkok; Futsal Cup; Thai Open

    BANGKOK (The Nation): Thailand’s best bikers will go up against the global elite for the first time when the 2013 FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) Motocross World Championship Grand Prix of Thailand makes its debut in the Kingdom in March. The race weekend will be hosted at the Pinthong Industrial Estate 3 track in Chon Buri from March 8 to…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Sports: Stacy Lewis sizzles in record-tying opening round | Thaiger

    Phuket Sports: Stacy Lewis sizzles in record-tying opening round

    PHUKET: America’s Stacy Lewis struck a stunning nine-under par 63 to leave the rest of the field in her wake in the opening round of the Honda LPGA Thailand tournament at Siam Country Club, Pattaya Old Course yesterday. The score tied her career-low round and also the tournament record. Lewis, who was the LPGA’s Player of the Year in 2012,…

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  • Thai Life

    Phuket Books: A life of crime

    PHUKET: Dennis Lehane has written ten crime novels and the best of them – Mystic River, Shutter Island, Gone, Baby, Gone – have been made into superlative movies. His turf is Boston, specifically its tough Irish neighborhoods. His new novel, Live by Night (Little, Brown, New York, 2012, 403pp), opens brilliantly: “Some years later, on a tugboat in the Gulf…

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  • Thai Life

    Phuket Gardening: The ‘who’s hue’ of ornamental leaves

    PHUKET: Foliage plants, as we noted last week, are cultivated mainly for their ornamental leaves. But such a bald statement requires qualification. After all, many flowering plants also have attractive foliage, and this is especially true in the tropics where the tendency is for most leaves to be evergreen and glossy. Nor am I thinking of foliage plants, which originate…

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  • Thai Life

    Phuket Dining: “Up’ market beach dining

    PHUKET: What’s Up? Well, for one thing it’s a delightful new beach club at the southern end of Nai Thon beach. There have been a number of beach clubs popping up around Phuket, some successful, others less so but this recently opened Up Beach Club seems to have the mix just right. For one thing they have kept the concept…

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  • Thai Life

    Phuket Humor: Why is English so hard to learn?

    PHUKET: Let’s face it, English is a ridiculous language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in a hamburger; neither apple nor pine in a pineapple. English muffins were not invented in England, nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat. You cannot buy boots in Boots, you cannot buy virgins in…

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  • Phuket News

    Drug dealer attempts to kill Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent

    PHUKET: Two Phuket Police officers were injured during a sting operation of two Cherng Talay drug dealers after one of the dealers took an officer’s gun and attempted to shoot Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Parinya Tanthasuwan. “During the arrest, Witoon ‘Bang Ann’ Piwluang took the gun from one of my men,” said Lt Col Parinya, the case investigator “He…

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  • World News

    Phuket Gazette World News: Fierce fight in Mali – Photo special

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community French, Malian forces fight Islamist rebels in Gao Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: French and Malian troops fought Islamists on the streets of Gao and a car bomb exploded in Kidal yesterday, as fighting showed little sign of abating weeks before France plans to start withdrawing…

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  • World News

    Phuket Gazette World News: Sin city shooting leaves 3 dead

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Three die in shooting, fiery crash on Las Vegas Strip Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Three people died in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip yesterday when one or more gunmen in a Range Rover sport utility vehicle opened fire on a Maserati, killing the…

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  • Phuket News

    Myanmar Navy makes history

    PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy gave a warm welcome two Myanmar Navy ships yesterday morning as they made their country’s first diplomatic visit to a foreign country.Captain Aung Zaw Hlang brought the two coastal patrol ships UMS 561 and UMS 562 to the Phuket Deep Sea Port early this morning. Waiting for him was Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command…

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  • Phuket News

    Dutch ambassador guides reform

    PHUKET: Speaking at the Phuket Gazette offices recently, Ambassador Boer explained about his efforts to galvanize the international diplomatic community to jointly deliberate with authorities in Bangkok to bring an end to the various scams that have done so much damage to the tourism industry in Phuket and other destinations in Thailand. Amb Boer, now in the second year of…

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  • Phuket News

    “White Police’ to change Thai police culture

    PHUKET: Members of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) arrived on Phuket as part of the launch of a nationwide program designed to oust crooked police officers and slowly change police culture in Thailand. Each of the 1,460 police stations across Thailand will have 10 of its officers selected this year to help gather information about the behavior of police…

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  • Thai Life

    Phuket Health: Being strong and balanced

    PHUKET: THE last article I wrote was about how to achieve goals and persist with New Year’s resolutions (click here for story). Every year, without fail, the resolution at the very top of most people’s list has to do with improving personal well-being, energy and health. This means being strong and healthy is inherently valuable to most of us. For…

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  • Phuket News

    German tourist to be flown home for neurological treatment

    PHUKET: The German tourist who fell from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room on February 16 has received treatment at Vachira Phuket Hospital for his broken arms, but his family plans to take him back to Germany for treatment of a blood clot putting direct pressure on his brain. “Alexander Sven Zott is still on life support and using…

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  • World News

    Phuket Gazette World News: Japanese whalers accused of ramming during protest

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Protesters clash with Japanese whalers, call for naval intervention Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Anti-whaling activists today called for Australia to send a naval vessel to the Southern Ocean after a confrontation in which they said a Japanese whaling ship collided with two of their protest vessels,…

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  • Thai Life

    Phuket Lifestyle: Meet Marie G formerly known as HSL 1198

    PHUKET: In the first quarter of the last century a brilliant engineer from England called Hubert Scott-Paine founded a company named Supermarine, which designed and built high performance aircraft, culminating in the legendary Spitfire of WW2 fame. By the end of the 1920s Scott-Paine wanted a change, so he sold his shares and invested in a new venture – the…

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  • Thai Life

    Phuket Pets: Shaving your hairy dog

    PHUKET: I’ve written about this before, and it’s a hot topic (no pun intended) among dog owners in Phuket. The key question is, “Can I shave my dogs’ fur coat?”. It seems logical – we look at our panting dogs and think that we couldn’t cope with a fur coat all day, so clearly they can’t. But we’re applying human…

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  • Thailand News

    Thailand News: DiCaprio calls for ivory ban as DNP tries to better regulate trade

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community DiCaprio calls on Yingluck to ban ivory trade Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio has called on Thailand and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to show leadership on elephant conservation by banning all ivory trade in the country. “Illegal wildlife trade is the…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Gazette Sports: Arsenal outgunned by devastating Bayern

    Classy Bayern in command after 3-1 victory at Arsenal Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Bayern Munich seized control of their Champions League last 16 tie against Arsenal as goals from Toni Kroos, Thomas Mueller and Mario Mandzukic earned the German giants an emphatic 3-1 first leg win at the Emirates last night.A clinical early strike from Kroos opened the scoring and…

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  • Phuket News

    DBD investigates Thai firms suspected of helping foreigners set up companies illegally

    PHUKET: A special investigation by the Department of Business Development (DBD) into foreign-owned businesses in Phuket has revealed links to Thai legal and accounting firms on the island that may be helping companies set themselves up illegally in Thailand. “We suspect that these firms may be allowing foreigners wanting to open a business to use their company address to represent…

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  • Cannabis News

    National defense volunteer nabbed with marijuana at Phuket checkpoint

    PHUKET: Thalang Police arrested a national defense volunteer with two bags of marijuana at a checkpoint in Thalang on Saturday. When police saw a white Toyota Vios attempting to avoid the checkpoint at Baan Yamu at 8:30pm, they stopped the car, driven by Supakij Benjamas, 29, and searched it. “We found two bags of marijuana and tobacco in a peanut…

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  • Phuket News

    Police nail multi-million-baht real estate scam artists in Phuket

    PHUKET: Patong Police yesterday arrested two con artists who allegedly made more than 16 million baht by posing as real estate agents and luring potential clients into fixed gambling matches of fantan. Acting on reports from two men who said they had been scammed out of 200,000 and 900,000 baht, police arrested Wasan Choothong, 29, and Tiwalai Ruprasut,58, at the…

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