Month: April 2013
- Thai Life
Phuket Tech: Cyber-crime law being revised
PHUKET: The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) has launched the process of reforming the country’s computer crime law and expects new legislation to be announced within the next three years. Surangkana Wayuparb, chief executive officer of the ETDA, said the law, which was implemented five years ago, still leaves problems about cyber-crime and the cyber-environment, and people are concerned about…
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Topless Russians and other illegals scooped up in Phuket nightclub raid
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Employment officers arrested 35 Russians in four nightclubs last night following reports of topless dance shows in Phuket’s infamous nightlife destination, Soi Bangla in Patong. “We received reports of topless shows at nightclubs in the area and suspected there were also illegal workers operating,” said Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol, who led the raid on the four…
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Phuket Explore: Low-tech heaven
PHUKET: It is perhaps a little known fact that residents of Phuket, the island renowned for its sandy beaches and crystal clear water, are always on the lookout for a holiday getaway somewhere else. The reasons? Increasingly crowded beaches and expensive hotels that offer little value for money. So when a friend told us about a tent-hotel on an isolated…
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Phuket In Focus: Dreaming in black and white
PHUKET: Members of the Phuket Darkroom Club (PDC) will have their first exhibition of black and white photography at the Chalermraja Cultural Centre, Phuket Town from May 1-14. The works on display are portraits of heritage and culture that capture the love Phuketians have for their home, through the lens of a black and white camera. Audiences will enjoy rare…
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Phuket Tech: Woody retires but ‘Live Wire’ lives on
PHUKET: This week’s column marks the end of my eleventh year as a Phuket Gazette columnist and, as of the end of this month, I’m retiring in Thailand – something I probably should’ve done years ago. Just too many irons in the fire, and my family has had to put up with a lot. Although I’m hanging up my keyboard…
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Phuket Gazette Exclusive: Aldhouse – A view from the inside
PHUKET: Looking exhausted, Lee Aldhouse cut a lonely figure in his faded prison-issue overalls, surrounded by about 20 Thai inmates. He waited for the signal from the prison guard controlling the communication between visitors and inmates – a telephone – before picking up his receiver. The first thing he said was, “I cannot talk about my impending court case, but…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: NSC rejects BRN demands at Deep South peace talks; Yingluck slams agencies for abusing power
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NSC rejects BRN demands at peace talks Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Thai authorities on Monday rejected demands by the southern Muslim separatists in their second round of talks, but both sides agreed to hold another meeting on June 13.National Security Council secretary general Lt-General Paradorn Pattanatabut, who headed…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Myanmar Rohingya’s uncertain future
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Muslim victims of Myanmar unrest face uncertain future Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: In Myanmar’s central heartlands, justice and security is elusive for thousands of Muslims who lost their homes in a deadly rampage by Buddhist mobs in March.Many are detained in prison-like camps, unable to return to…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Dutch rally on royal ascension; Egyptian students in mass poisoning; Putin under fire; Virgin Galactic test launch
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dutch party on streets as royals prepare for handover Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Willem-Alexander will become the first King of the Netherlands in more than 120 years when Queen Beatrix passes the crown to her eldest son on Tuesday morning.“He’s ready, in every way,” Queen Beatrix said…
Read More » - Property
AREA punctures bubble scare
PHUKET: Recent speculation that Thailand’s real estate market is on the verge of collapsing, is far from the current reality, the head of a major real estate services firm has insisted. The President of the Agency for Real Estate Affairs Company Limited (AREA), Dr Sopon Pornchokchai, PhD, has once again shunned news report warnings of an imminent property bubble burst.…
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Phuket Property Watch: Bare walls and other real life catastrophes
PHUKET: Many of my early childhood memories are of my great Aunt Louise. She was the black sheep of the family and no one could quite figure out the exact connection, whether it was on my mother or father’s side, but nonetheless, she was on our family role call. She was a hard drinker and you would rarely find her…
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Phuket Property: Cleat condos add to Krabi
PHUKET: The Cleat condominium, a residence in the Krabi Boat Lagoon, recently announced the exciting launch of a new phase of the project. Phase 1 was first launched in March of this year, with 15 units set to be complete by June. The Cleat offers low-rise waterfront condos, has four buildings with a total of 62 units, and is located…
Read More » - Business News
Phuket Business: Small appliances see big growth in SE Asia
PHUKET: The Small Domestic Appliances (SDA) markets in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand grew by nearly 6% in value over a recent 12-month period, when compared to the same period the previous year. SDA sales in the five markets, tracked from February 2012 to March 2013, had a combined value of more than US$804 million. The survey by GfK,…
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Phuket Investor: The last time the markets were here
PHUKET: I recently read a report that had a comparative list of statistics from the last time the stock markets were up at these levels, which was just before the crash at the start of the financial crisis. Early this march, the DOW reached a previous high level of 14164.5 and then surpassed that level. I thought it might be…
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Phuket Business: Replicating your life savings
PHUKET: The new hot sector for technology investors is in the rapidly growing 3D printer business. 3D printing is the process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printers use a 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) file to create objects using a sequential layering process. This technology is used in jewelry; footwear;…
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Phuket Business: Head of airport expects arrivals to exceed 10.5mn
PHUKET: The director of Phuket International Airport (HKT) expects passenger arrivals to exceed 10.5 million by the end of this year, with related profits expected to be no less than two billion baht. HKT director Prathuang Sorn-kham said that the airport is fully prepared to provide increased conveniences for passengers ahead of the its 5 billion baht expansion project, due…
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Phuket Business: US tax regime – Comply or else…
PHUKET: At a US tax seminar held last month at the Holiday Inn, Patong, by the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Phuket Chapter, American income earners and business operators were given a comprehensive update about the US tax regime’s reporting requirements and regulations. Two previous articles about the seminar – published in the Business section of the Phuket Gazette on…
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Phuket Video Report: Lucky sidecar driver saved by call of nature
PHUKET: A Phuket Town security guard heading home from work late last night had a lucky escape from becoming another Phuket road statistic after an 18-wheeled truck and trailer obliterated his motorbike with sidecar on Phuket’s busy Thepkrasattri Road. The truck driver did not stop at the scene. Kitti Muongthong, 35, pulled over near the u-turn about 200 meters north…
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Phuket boob job holiday? This round’s on me
PHUKET: A cosmetic surgery holiday company in Australia is now raffling off a trip to Phuket, complete with the option of breast augmentation surgery – all for the price of a round of drinks.The company, ID Rejuvenation, has paired up with the popular local nightclub Tryst, in Mackay on the Central Queensland coast, to offer the deal, reported the local…
Read More » - Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: 5 dead in bridge collapse; NSC rebuts BRN demands; Scrap flood plan – academics
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 5 dead in Ayutthaya bridge collapse The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A suspension bridge over Pa Sak River in Ayutthaya collapsed yesterday evening, crushing five people to death underneath a pillar on one side, while wounding 15 others.The collapse also sent a large number of pedestrians and…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: 5 dead in Ayutthaya bridge collapse; NSC rebuts BRN demands; Academics call to scrap flood plan
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 5 dead in Ayutthaya bridge collapse The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A suspension bridge over Pa Sak River in Ayutthaya collapsed yesterday evening, crushing five people to death underneath a pillar on one side, while wounding 15 others.The collapse also sent a large number of pedestrians and…
Read More » - World News
Phuket Gazette World News: 3 dead in France collapse; US-Syria fears rise; Germany to stay in Euro
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fugitive owner arrested as Bangladesh building toll reaches 377 Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The owner of a factory building that collapsed in Bangladesh killing hundreds of garment workers was arrested on Sunday trying to flee to India, as hopes of finding more survivors from the country’s worst…
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Armed robbers of Phuket yacht attempt escape from police
PHUKET: The two men* who were arrested for the armed robbery of the well-known Davinci catamaran last night attempted to escape from a police vehicle while being transported to court today, the Chalong Police confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “The suspects broke the cage door at the rear of the vehicle while it was stopped at a traffic light on…
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Phuket police catch up with Songkran bike burner
PHUKET: : A man who was drunkenly celebrating Songkran on April 13 was picked up by police yesterday after being tracked down through CCTV images that showed him setting a motorbike on fire with a cigarette butt. Panuphon Prutisarn, 36, confessed to Kathu Police yesterday that he torched the bike, but claims it was unintentional. “It was Songkran Day and…
Read More » - Thailand News
Monk impersonator run out of town
PHUKET: A shambolic fake monk recently attracted the suspicions of local people in Nakhon Ratchasima Province – and the attention of the police – by trying to collect alms in the afternoon. Villagers called officers at Phimai Police Station to investigate a man who claimed to be a monk, but was improperly dressed, collecting alms late and sometimes even asking…
Read More » - Phuket News
No reason for tuk-tuks to block sea taxi project: Phuket Marine Chief
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine office, in an attempt to keep the airport-to-Patong sea taxi project afloat (story here), declared that the project would not affect the livelihoods of current taxi and tuk-tuk drivers. “We do not want to steal customers from tuk-tuk and taxi drivers. We want to attract more tourists to the island by offering them a reasonably priced…
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Phuket Sports: New Monte Carlo master
PHUKET: The arrival of the clay court season always throws up some surprises. Many players have taken an extended break from the game, others are adjusting to the vagaries of the slower surface. No such problems for a renascent Rafael Nadal who defeated an in-form Juan del Potro in the Paribas Open final at Indian Wells. Apparently it did not…
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Phuket Sports: Fergie time is here – again; EPL roundup
PHUKET: Manchester United claimed their 20th top-flight league title last weekend with their 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford. A first half Robin Van Persie hat trick sealed the win for United and ensured that the Premier League title went back to Old Trafford with four games of the season left. Last season’s champions, Manchester City, lost 3-1…
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Phuket Sports: Revelations, rumors and rivalry – F1
PHUKET: Before Bahrain, I said that I believed that, barring accidents, three-time winner Alonso would triumph, followed by The Iceman. Well Alonso did not triumph, thwarted by a jammed DRS wing flap, hammered closed by Ferrari’s mechanics during an emergency pit stop. It jammed open again, Alonso was forced into yet another pit stop and that was the end of…
Read More » - Phuket News
Shots fired as Phuket yacht robbery thwarted
PHUKET: Witnesses reported at least two shots fired in the dark on Chalong Bay tonight as a gang of thieves gave chase to a Phuket boat captain who outfoxed the criminals until the police arrived in force. Capt Bruce Issell was warned by a silent alarm at about 11:30pm that intruders had boarded the well-known Davinci catamaran, renowned in local…
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ITF Tournament favorite Luksika Kumkhum reaches final
PHUKET: The final of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) women’s tournament between number one seed Luksika Kumkhum and Lisa Whybourn will be held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) tomorrow, April 27, at 10am. Luksika Kumkhum from Thailand beat Melanie Klaffner 6:2, 6:7, 7:5 in a hard fought semifinal match today. In today’s other semifinal, Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech lost…
Read More » - Business News
Phuket MICE city promotion strategy revived
PHUKET: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has revived its efforts and moved its attention to once again help promote Phuket as a regional hub for corporate and organizational tourism. A new four-year strategy was presented to local, regional and national officials at a seminar on April 26 at the Metropole Hotel in Phuket Town. Entitled “Developing Phuket as…
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DSI re-opens probe into Phuket Police killing of a thief suspect
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) yesterday returned to the scene of the fatal shooting by police of a thief on the run in Phuket Town in 2009. Thaweewat Surasit, regional director of the DSI’s Bureau of Special Crime, led a team of officers to Rama IX Park, also known as Suan Luang, on Chao Fa Road…
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Killer gold robber still on the run on Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Police received a tip-off today that the armed robber of a Phuket gold shop who gunned down a customer on April 8 was still on the island. “We are continuing to gather information from witnesses [story here]. I got another phone call this morning that confirmed our belief that the robber is still on the run in Phuket,”…
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Pressure from illegal Phuket taxis wins airport reprieve
PHUKET: After days of protests by taxi drivers operating under the Mook Andaman Cooperative, officials at Phuket International Airport will allow 25 of the drivers to serve passengers at the airport without further delay. Airport management, a division of the state enterprise Airports of Thailand (AOT), capitulated yesterday by allowing 25 of the drivers to operate under one of the…
Read More » - Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Speak up for public transport
Jaturong Kaewkasi, a 41-year-old native of Pattani, has been the Chief Transport Technician of the Phuket Land Transport Office for one year. He has a master’s degree in Social Development from Yala Rajabhat University and before coming to Phuket worked as a transport technician in Bangkok. Here, he talks about how to convince people to use buses in order to…
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Phuket Opinion: Plenty to do, if you can get there
PHUKET: Participants in popular online forums indicate that long-time expatriate residents of Phuket tend to decry the changes that have transformed the island over the past two decades, yet fail to appreciate many of the positive developments that have taken place over the same period. In this space since 1994, we have chronicled, criticized and editorialized – often in futility…
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