Month: May 2013
- Business News
Phuket firm to co-develop superyacht facility in Bangkok
PHUKET: Island based, Yacht Solutions (YS) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangkok’s Italthai Marine (ITM), agreeing to create Thailand’s first dedicated superyacht facility just south of Bangkok. This joint venture brings together Thailand’s largest and most established shipbuilding company, ITM, with one of Thailand’s most reputable and experienced superyacht refit companies, YS. Dubbed ‘Yacht Solutions at Italthai Marine’,…
Read More » - Property
Khao Lak finds its way forward
PHUKET: These days, everywhere you turn, the news is focused on Phuket fever. From soaring airport arrival numbers and surging hotel occupancy rates to, of course, the sordid underbelly of mass tourism. But the resort destination known as ‘Greater Phuket’ is no ‘one trick pony’. Nearby Khao Lak has certainly been kicking up its heels lately as Fortuna’s wheel of…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket FC survive execution by Ayutthaya’s Ancient Warriors
PHUKET: The Islanders failed to beat Ayutthaya FC in their Yamaha League One (YL1) away game on Saturday. The 1-1 draw dropped Phuket FC down to 6th in the table, five points behind top of the table Air Force United. Ayutthaya are third from bottom after 10 games. The home team took the lead in the 36th minute after Phuket’s…
Read More » - Phuket News
Not open yet, but Phuket’s Chalong Marina already needs repairs
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Marine Office has appealed to all boat operators to exercise caution while using the still incomplete Chalong Bay Marina to allow passengers – mostly tourists – to board and disembark vessels. The news comes after a Phuket Gazette reader sent in photos of tourists cautiously avoiding a gaping hole in the gangway that joins…
Read More » - Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Poll parents oppose school closures; Rice pledging under microscope; Pheu Thai blames Constitutional Court for crisis
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community School mergers unpopular with parents: Poll The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: More than half the parents surveyed by a Dusit Poll opposed the Education Ministry’s plan to merge 17,000 small schools across the country in order to increase efficiency and save costs.Of the total, 60 per cent…
Read More » - World News
Phuket Gazette World News: 19 hurt in Mother’s Day shooting; SARS in France; Syria deaths hit 82,000; Mexico volcano alert
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nineteen shot in New Orleans Mother’s Day parade Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Nineteen people including two young children were shot on Sunday when gunfire erupted at a Mother’s Day parade in New Orleans, police said.Shots rang out at 1:45 p.m. local time as the second line of…
Read More » - Phuket News
Freak wave wreaks havoc on Phi Phi long-tail boats
PHUKET: A freak wave pounded the popular Phuket day-trip destination of Phi Phi island early this morning damaging 15 boats in Tonsai Bay.Though fourteen long-tail boats and one speedboat were damaged by the wave, no injuries were reported.“Fortunately, the wave hit early in the morning so nobody was out in their boat and nobody was injured,” long-tail boat owner, Pornchai…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket’s Tourist Court given “absolute support’
PHUKET: The move to establish a new series of Tourist Courts in Phuket and at other key holiday destinations in Thailand – including Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phang Nga and Krabi – has received much support on the island. Chanchai Duangjit, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office, gave his “absolute support” for the idea. “This is…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket serial resort thief confesses
PHUKET: A serial resort thief down on a “holiday crime spree” in Phuket from Bangkok has only confessed to two thefts of high-end resorts on the island, but police believe more confessions will be forthcoming. Ritthimeth Singhaumpai, 33, and his girlfriend Sasithorn Seekam, 22, were arrested on May 1 for robbing guest rooms in five high-end Phuket resorts. “We have…
Read More » - Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Finding life balance through Daodexinxi
Sopin Koaysomboon, a 53-year-old Phuket native, is a vice president of the Phuket Daodexinxi International Club. She has been practicing Daodexinxi for more than three years. Here, she talks about how to improve our lives with exercise, meditation, songs and charity. PHUKET: People in the modern world are making a great deal of unnecessary sacrifices. Youths give up their vital…
Read More » - Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Tourist Court, another pie in the sky
PHUKET: Recent talk of establishing a special court to fast-track legal cases involving foreign visitors raises some interesting issues, but at the end of the day is unlikely to result in little more than that: just talk. The reasons put forward to establish such a court are probably well-intended and certainly easy enough to understand. Thailand’s tourism industry is a…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket teens confess to Saphan Hin revenge killing
PHUKET: The two teens involved in the revenge murder of a member of a rival teen gang in Saphan Hin on Wednesday have turned themselves in. Tanit Kantiangtham, 18, and the 17-year-old teenager given the pseudonym “Aom” because of his age were escorted to the Wichit Police station by their cousins. At the station they confessed to having gunned down…
Read More » - Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Programmer denies hacking; River basins protection; Bearly love
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Programmer denies any part The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A man who turned himself in to police yesterday denied having anything to do with hacking into the PM’s Office website or posting rude remarks about Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Meanwhile, the “Unlimited Hack Team”, which was mentioned…
Read More » - Phuket News
Patong finish top of Phuket’s cricket league
PHUKET: In the final round robin match before the finals, Patong played TNT on Sunday, May 5 at Phuket’s premier cricketing facility, the ACG. A Patong win would see them finish top of the league, whereas TNT were hoping to secure a confidence boosting end-of-season win. Patong ran out comfortable winners in the end, posting a solid total of 272…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Raceweek sails into view
PHUKET: The award-winning Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek, presented by Mount Gay Rum, is set to take place again on July 17-21. The event is celebrating its tenth anniversary and will feature four days of world-class yacht racing and four nights of magical, beach-side parties at the five-star Cape Panwa Hotel Principal Race Officer Simon James is planning a variety…
Read More » - Phuket News
Tennis at Phuket’s TSLC
PHUKET: The final of the second International Tennis Federation (ITF) women’s tournament between number six seed Melanie Klaffner from Austria and Serbia’s Eric Doroteja was held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) last weekend. Melanie won the final 3-6, 6-3 and 6-2 to make up for her semifinal defeat in the first ITF women’s tournament by Luksika Kumkhum. Eric,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Sports: Rumors, rivals and Renault – F1
PHUKET: The Sports Authority of Thailand has confirmed that a six-kilometer Formula One circuit will be created near the Royal Thai Naval Dockyard in Bangkok, possibly with the main stands in the Chao Phraya river. There are plans for an inaugural F1 night race in 2015. Red Bull is a keen backer. Interestingly, the Malaysian GP at Sepang is probably…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Governor starts to tame stench of Bang Yai Canal
PHUKET: The stench of Bang Yai Canal that has been wreaking havoc in areas of Phuket Town, making some residents physical ill (story here), was partially tamed today as Phuket’s Governor launched his four-step Bang Yai Canal wastewater project. Local officials, residents and organizations joined Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut in Rassada at the Soi Paneang water pump station to inaugurate…
Read More » - Phuket News
Illegal taxi drivers beaten at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: Illegal taxi drivers still attempting to serve passengers at Phuket International Airport filed a complaint with the Phuket Governor today, alleging they have been threatened, beaten and unjustly denied a way to provide for their families. The complaint comes just weeks after the protesting taxi drivers, operating under the Mook Andaman Cooperative, won a reprieve and were allowed to…
Read More » - Thai Life
Brave diving leads to wondrous discoveries in sands off Phuket
PHUKET: Turn your back on the reef. This isn’t an orientation dive to test your ability to get back to the corals. Turn your back on the safety of the gorgonian sea fans, staghorn corals and saffron-colored clam, and start kicking – be brave. Following the lead of Vince Moy from Kiwidiver, we stomp across the sand of Kata Beach…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Let’s lunch at La Moon
PHUKET: On the way to Surin Beach, as you pass through Cherng Talay, if you’re feeling a bit hungry you should make a stop at La Moon restaurant. La Moon’s owner ‘Khun Ging’ is sitting with some local Thai families, sharing a communal meal and exchanging the latest family news when we arrive. Ever the perfect hostess, Khun Ging soon…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Gardening: Nursery education
PHUKET: With the wet season looming, now is a good time to put the spotlight on Phuket’s plant nurseries, or what North Americans refer to as garden centers. After all, we will doubtless be paying them a visit or two in the near future, so let’s suspend our A to Z of plants for a moment. First the good points:…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket International Boat Show will be in January
PHUKET: The Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX), ‘Asia’s favorite boat show’, which has been held in March for the last two years, will now return to its previous date slot and will next be held from January 9-12, 2014 at Royal Phuket Marina said Andy Dowden, show director. “Following feedback from the 10th anniversary show earlier this year, we have…
Read More » - Phuket News
Search for Phuket gold shop killer now covers Southern Thailand
PHUKET: Police have extended their search to the whole of Southern Thailand for the man wanted for a gold shop robbery in Phuket on April 8 during which he gunned down a customer in cold blood (story here). “Police are doing their best to arrest the villain. We cannot be sure about the culprit’s whereabouts. He might or might not…
Read More » - Phuket News
Kazakh tourist, 22, killed in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: A tourist from Kazakhstan has died from head injuries after a motorbike accident on the Patong beach road early yesterday morning.Lt Thawatchai Srimai of the Patong Police explained that the tourist, aged 22, was riding his motorcycle at high speed from the Thara Patong Beach Resort & Spa at about 1:30am.“He tried to make a turn [onto Sawatdirak Road]…
Read More » - Phuket News
Moyes confirmed as new Man Utd boss
United pick Moyes as Ferguson influence lives on Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Alex Ferguson’s influence at Manchester United will continue past his retirement after the Premier League champions followed his advice and appointed David Moyes as their next manager yesterday. Everton boss Moyes, who announced earlier he would be leaving the club after 11 years in charge, was the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Out of Rh-negative blood, Phuket Blood Bank calls for donors
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC), often called upon to save the lives of Thais and foreigners, has no reserves of type O-negative and A-negative blood. The blood bank is also low on stocks of blood types A and B. “We try to maintain a daily minimum stock of 200 units of A, B and O blood types, and…
Read More » - Phuket News
VIDEO: Brothers Grimes grill Phuket’s Dylan Young
PHUKET: Young karters Ben and Sam Grimes, who compete in the 125cc Junior Class in the Rotax Asia Max Challenge (AMC) in Malaysia and the Thai Championships, recently interviewed racing driver Dylan Young about his career. The interview was the perfect opportunity for Dylan to pass on some of his experience to the brothers and for Ben and Sam to…
Read More » - Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Mass closure of schools branded unconstitutional; PM website hacker surrenders; Army grip on nation still strong
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Closing small schools unconstitutional, say rural teachers The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Rural Teachers Society’s Northeastern branch yesterday condemned the Education Ministry’s move to close down small schools.“It’s a violation of the 2007 Constitution,” said society vice president Wittaya Panpeng.He was speaking at a teachers’ forum…
Read More » - World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Aussie cruise tourists fall overboard; Boston bomber buried; Mega ATM cybercrime ring busted; Olympic sailor dies in America’s Cup mishap
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Aussie cruise liner passengers fall overboard Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Australian emergency crews were searching on Friday for two people who fell overboard from a Carnival Corp cruise liner off the New South Wales coast.Police said surveillance camera footage from the ship showed the 30-year-old man and…
Read More » - Phuket News
Corals allegedly damaged by seawalking company to take years to grow back
PHUKET: Corals allegedly damaged by a seawalking company off Khai Nai Island, east of Phuket, could take five to six years to grow back, explained officials as they inspected the decimated underwater habitat yesterday. Over 300 square meters of coral were damaged to create a pathway for tourists to walk on the sea floor, said the Phuket Department of Marine…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket one-stop yacht center steers course for 2015 launch
PHUKET: With the long-awaited “one-stop center” for all yachts arriving in Phuket one year overdue, officials have now announced the complex is on track to open in 2015. The 70-million-baht rotunda-style building stands proud in Chalong Bay (map here), but remains to be occupied by the relevant agencies for yacht arrivals to clear immigration, customs and the harbor master. In…
Read More » - Thai Life
The stork and the snail
PHUKET: As we all know to our cost, snails are the gardener’s bane. Today’s subject, however, is not about the common or garden variety creature that hides in the day and slides and slithers around at night to devour your seedlings, but another, more exotic species. Perhaps it merits a less disparaging mention in dispatches. The species in question is…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket raid uncovers illegal logging camp
PHUKET: A team of Phuket officers raided an illegal logging camp in Kathu yesterday evening, seizing hundreds of planks of wood cut from protected species of trees. Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol led officers into the hills behind Wat Kathu (map here) after local residents informed his office of illegal lumberjacks working in the area. “We rushed to the site,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket FC sign MoU with famous Brazilian club Cruzeiro
PHUKET: Pamuk Achariyachai, president of Phuket FC, announced that the club will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with famous Brazilian club Cruzeiro Esporte Club, next week. The bilateral agreement means Phuket and Cruzerio will be able to exchange players. The Islanders currently have two Brazilians, Luiz “Dudu” Purcino and Junior “Juninho” Guimaro, in their squad. Pamuk is looking to…
Read More » - Phuket News
Saphan Hin teen gang member killed in Phuket drive-by
PHUKET: A series of violent incidents between two teen gangs culminated in one of the members being gunned down in the Saphan Hin area early yesterday morning. Jetsadakorn “Bank” Setnarm, 15, was shot twice in the chest and died while being transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital, explained Wichit Police Inspector Passakorn Sonthikun. “At about 2:30am Mr Jetsadakorn and fellow gang…
Read More » - Phuket News
Swedish tourist caught in string of Phuket drug arrests
PHUKET: Karon Police arrested a Swedish tourist, along with three others, on drug charges last night. Karon Police led by Karon Police Deputy Superintendent Sophon Borirak arrested a Swedish man and his female companion at a hotel near Taina Road in Karon (map here) at 6pm. Police named the suspects as Jen Peter, 48, and Kwanpana “Tom” Thani, 29, from…
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