Month: July 2013
- Phuket News
Thai musicians arrested for murder of American tourist
PHUKET: Three Thai musicians have been arrested for the murder of 51-year-old American tourist Bobby Ray Carter Jr and the assault of his 27-year-old son in Krabi early this morning.According to one of the suspects, Ratikorn Romin, 27, from Phang Nga, a fight broke out between the three musicians and the Americans, who had joined them on-stage last night at…
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Phuket security guard chose wrong bag when he turned to crime
PHUKET: A Phuket security guard who turned to crime may have regretted his decision after the bag he stole turned out to contain nothing more than cosmetics, and CCTV images led police to his rented room the same day.Rungnapa Bunnamee left her cosmetics bag in the basket of her motorbike when she stopped to shop at a 7-Eleven on Phuket…
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Phuket crane loses balance, operator flees scene of destruction
PHUKET: A crane manipulating a heavy section of concrete pipe toppled over in Phuket this afternoon, demolishing the second floor of two shops, and though no one was injured, the driver fled the scene.“As the crane was lifting a section of pipe, land subsided under the crane arm, causing the operator to lose control,” said Sumpawat Wannasangkam of the Department…
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Phuket Property Watch: Things I hate about hotels
PHUKET: I have spent more nights in hotel rooms around the world than I could even start to remember. Barring a diary, an ankle-long list or a photographic memory, there are more than a few things that stick out, not unlike a Mohawk on a punk rocker or a toothpick out of a canape – small but deadly. Let’s start…
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Laguna Phuket announces major staff restructuring
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket has announced that it is undergoing a significant departmental restructuring and downsizing, but the company declines to confirm or deny reports that as many as 300, or 10 per cent, of its associates have left or are in the process of leaving.According to a press statement issued today (July 31), Laguna Phuket currently employs close to 3,000…
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‘Nobody helped us,’ South African family attacked by six men claim
PHUKET: The South African family attacked near Soi Bangla (map here) after midnight on Tuesday morning said they “called for help, but nobody helped”. The family of four – mother, father and two children in their 20s – were “hanging out near the beach road” when they were suddenly attacked, the father later told rescue workers. Six men appeared “out…
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Phuket Property: Commercial real estate investment soars
PHUKET: Direct commercial real estate investment in the Asia Pacific region has exceeded market expectations in the first half of 2013, reaching US$59.7 billion, 21% up on the first half of 2012. According to the latest Jones Lang LaSalle capital markets research, transaction volumes in the region have also increased quarter on quarter, topping US$32.6 billion in the second quarter…
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VIDEO REPORT: Phuket king cobra attempts to swallow baby python for breakfast
PHUKET: A huge king cobra about five meters long was captured while attempting to swallow a baby python on Tuesday morning in a fruit plantation off Patak Road near Karon. “Mr Yo, a Burmese man who lives in a labor camp in the fruit plantation, saw the king cobra first,” said Wisit Chuanchit, a villager who witnessed the snake-on-snake incident.The…
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Phuket pushes for new road to Freedom
PHUKET: Top Phuket officials, including Governor Maitri Inthusut, yesterday attended the first public hearing for the proposed new road from Sirirat Road, near Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, to Tri Trang Beach, on the southern headland of Patong Bay. About 100 people turned out to join the meeting, held at the Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa in Patong. “Actually there…
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Phuket Airport to undergo full-scale “explosive’ emergency drill
PHUKET: A full-scale emergency-response drill will take place at Phuket International Airport today – Wednesday, July 31 – as part of the Phuket International Airport Emergency Plan 2013.“The exercise will begin at 10am and last for one hour, at the parking lot, right in front of Phuket Airport Terminal 2,” said Airports of Thailand’s Acting Phuket Director Somsiri Kuengsopha.“The drill…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Suit filed against PTTGC; Sting operation ends in shoot-out; Flash floods hit Mae Sot; Social media shows outrage over oil spill, calls for hair donations[VIDEO]
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Case filed against PTTGC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Marine Department yesterday lodged a police complaint against PTT Global Chemical over the crude oil leak from the undersea pipeline it owns in the Gulf of Thailand. The department’s strategic move is aimed at ensuring…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Manning verdict – not guilty of aiding enemy; Pentagon warns against zero option; Iraeli-Palestinian peace deal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Private Manning acquitted of aiding enemy in WikiLeaks case Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A military judge yesterday found U.S. soldier Bradley Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy – the most serious charge among many he faced for handing over documents to WikiLeaks.But Col. Denise Lind, in…
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Greed jeopardizing tourists’ safety, says Racha group
PHUKET: Reckless speedboat captains and tour guides chasing day-trip commissions have been named as the leading culprits jeopardizing tourists’ safety at Koh Racha, a popular day-trip island south of Phuket.Sarit Jandee, president of the Racha Conservation Club, blamed tour guides for encouraging day-trippers to swim and rent water-sports equipment on the west side of the island, which at this time…
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Urgent call for more A- blood for injured Briton in Phuket
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital has appealed for more blood donations of A-negative blood in order to continue treatment for British national Marc Harrington, 66 years old. Mr Harrington was admitted to the hospital for a head injury sustained in a motorbike accident on June 22 (story here). “The doctors fear that Mr Harrington will go into shock if we are…
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Phuket Property: Green living condo town
PHUKET: Rising demand for residential properties in Phuket is being driven by both locals and tourists, evidenced in the rapid growth in both Phuket Town and beach-side areas. Sam Kong is a popular residential neighborhood where there are a number of property projects under construction, including both houses and condominiums. One such project, the Green Place Condominium by local developer…
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Phuket officials seize machinery, halt construction at protected mangroves site
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Office will be called on to answer how three Nor Sor 3 land-use documents came to be issued for “plots” within a protected mangroves site on the outskirts of Phuket Town. Officials from the Royal Forest Department (RFD) yesterday raided a seven-rai site in the Klong Koh Pee area, near Saphan Hin in Phuket Town. Land…
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Four youths charged over Phuket machete attack
PHUKET: Police have arrested four youths for a savage attack on a man who was repeatedly beaten and hacked with a machete in Karon last Thursday, after the incident was recorded on CCTV. “We went to the scene and found the victim, Silert Pong-Aroon, seriously injured,” Karon Police Superintendent Weerawat Jantarawichit told the Phuket Gazette. “Rescue workers rushed him to…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Oil spill update; Pension issues; Thaksin clip was foreigners; Emergency decree before amnesty bill
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Black day for Samet The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET:Authorities yesterday feared the entire tourist island of Koh Samet in Rayong would be affected by Saturday’s oil spill.The island’s Ao Phrao (Phrao Bay) is being closed for three days to permit a cleanup of spilled crude oil that…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Pope more open-minded; Swiss train crash; Berlusconi’s day; China eases tension; Syrian govt retakes Homs
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pope says gays must not be judged or marginalised Retuers / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Pope Francis, in some of the most conciliatory words from any pontiff on gays, said they should not be judged or marginalised and should be integrated into society, but he reaffirmed Church teaching that…
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Drunk man rails against Phuket police, damages vehicles
PHUKET: Officers stationed at the Pa Khlok Police Box were in for a startling surprise last night when a drunk man arrived to report his son missing, but erupted in a violent rampage after police could not immediately locate the missing son.The man, identified as 41-year-old Pa Khlok villager Sunchai Fordkaew, arrived at the police box at 8pm.“He said his…
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Belarus woman hospitalized in Phuket after slamming motorbike into tree
PHUKET: A Phuket tourist from the Republic of Belarus was injured on Friday night when she lost control of her motorbike and slammed into a pine tree close to Patong Beach at about 10pm.“The accident took place at the entrance to Lai Mai Beach Resort. The injured woman was Yuliya Kavaliova, a 26-year-old. When we arrived, she was crying in…
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Detention of Rohingya north of Phuket a human rights issue, Minister says
PHUKET: The Minister of Social Development and Human Security declared the detention and trafficking of Rohingya through Thailand to be the subject of clear human rights issues and a national security threat after her visit to the Phang Nga facilities north of Phuket on Saturday. “After listening to senior officials dealing directly with the refugee influx of Rohingya in Phang…
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Phuket car care lasts 10 minutes
PHUKET: A local resident at Nai Yang Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, yesterday spent 20 minutes waiting for a team of car detailers to perfect the shine on his white Toyota Fortuner – only then to roll the vehicle upside-down into a ditch 10 minutes later. Concerned villagers called the Kusoldharm Foundation at 10:45am, reporting a car had crashed into…
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Phuket Lifestyle: Party on for superyachts
PHUKET: One of the highlights of the 2013 Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, sponsored by FEADSHIP Royal Dutch Shipyards, Asia Pacific Superyachts and Kata Rocks, will be the special Crew Party for the participating Superyachts on the final evening, December 18. The event will be held at the Boathouse RE KA TA Beach Club and will be sponsored by Sevenstar Yacht Transport,…
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HRH Princess Sirindhorn visits Phuket
PHUKET: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn arrived in Phuket yesterday, a day before she is scheduled to officially open a variety of new buildings across the island.In a six hour span, the princess will open six buildings, from Panwa to Kathu. The public is welcome to attend the events, as follows:8.05am: Open the brand-new Islam Phattana School, built by the…
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Police on lookout for Toyota in Phuket shop hit-and-run
PHUKET: Phuket Police are on the lookout for the driver of a Toyota vehicle – make and model unknown – that slammed into a motorbike repair shop in Thalang early yesterday morning.The driver reportedly backed his vehicle out of the shop and fled the scene, leaving behind as evidence his front bumper and the Toyota logo badge usually found fixed…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Hun Sen holds Cambodia; 36 dead in Italy tour bus plunge; Gaza talks are back; JJ Cale is dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hun Sen wins Cambodia election, majority slashed Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen won Sunday’s election, taking 68 seats to the main opposition party’s 55, the government spokesman said, announcing a much-reduced majority for the ruling party.Khieu Kanharith,…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Thai Gulf oil spill; Special Admin Zone on cards for Deep South; Drug lord extradited; School caught in mudslide
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Legal action sought over oil spill The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Environmental activists are pushing for legal action and compensation against PTT Global Chemical following an oil spill in the Gulf of Thailand, which experts say could cause severe damage to the marine ecosystem.PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC)…
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Phuket head-on collision claims lives of two sisters
PHUKET: Two sisters were killed this morning when a car belonging to the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) collided with the motorbike they were riding. The tragedy occurred on Rassada Nusorn Road, opposite Baan Kuku School, just north of Phuket Town. The motorbike driver, Warangkana Angsakul, a 51-year-old teacher at Muang Phuket Municipal School, died instantly as a result of…
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Phang Nga police closing in on Rohingya traffickers
PHUKET: Immigration Police say they know who was behind the mass escape of 18 Rohingya from the Phang Nga shelter on July 21 and are closing in to arrest them. The news follows Phang Nga Immigration and Ranong Immigration officers taking into custody a Rohingya woman and four children on Wednesday night while they were on a train bound for…
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DSI stops the music, seizes illegal Phuket karaoke machines
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Region 8 headquarters in Surat Thani landed on the island last night to raid nine karaoke bars for music rights infringement. Led by DSI Region 8 Director Udom Phetcharakut, the officers raided venues in Phuket Town and Kathu, starting at 8:30pm. Along for the ride were legal representatives of the music…
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Phuket traffic cop run down by speeding motorcyclist
PHUKET: A Phuket City Police traffic officer was run down by a speeding motorcyclist late yesterday afternoon while trying to clear a rush-hour traffic jam near Vachira Phuket Hospital on Yaowarat Road. Sen Sgt Maj Somsak Chuenbangbah was en route to Saphan Hin, where he was to make sure no trouble erupted at the “birthday funeral” being held there by…
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Phuket Gazette Queer News: Man snores traffic to a halt
PHUKET: Motorists in Phuket who think traffic is bad here should prepare themselves if they are planning a visit to Pattaya, where a man last week caused a huge tailback on a major road after falling asleep at the wheel of his Jeep. It took other citizens and police officers an hour to awaken the dozing driver, who clung to…
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V-Phuket burns Thaksin’s coffin to mark ex-PM’s birthday
PHUKET: About 100 members of the V-Phuket protest group gathered at the Phuket Town waterfront in Saphan Hin to denounce former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and burn his “coffin” to mark his 64th birthday yesterday. The event was set up like a Thai-style funeral ceremony, which featured a coffin with a wreath in laid in front of it. The makeshift…
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Tourism minister gets tough with Phuket taxi and vehicle-rental cowboys
PHUKET: Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak has blankly called for an end to the age-old Phuket practice of foreigners’ passports being held as a condition of renting motorbikes, cars and jet-skis “We are deeply concerned about this situation. Rental-vehicle operators demand the passports of customers. Strictly speaking, this is illegal – passports simply cannot be handed-over to third-parties,” Minister…
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Phuket Raceweek: Racing with the wind – a wave of excitement
PHUKET: Winds gusting to 20 knots made for a perfect end to what has turned into one of the best Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek yet. The weather conditions delivered fast and exciting racing throughout and after four days, the sailors of more than 15 nationalities were left tired and happy. Two races for all except the Classic class made…
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Phuket Sports: Going from strength to strength – Bodybuilding
PHUKET: In the 21st century, when women increasingly have the same rights as men, body image ideals have also been increasingly questioned and many women in modern society have become more open, and indeed, proud of their individual body characteristics. One thing is now certain, having a muscular body is no longer an ideal sought only by men. Many women…
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