Month: October 2013

  • Phuket NewsHeavy drinking Phuket chef, 44, found dead from heart failure

    Heavy drinking Phuket chef, 44, found dead from heart failure

    PHUKET: A 44-year-old chef was found dead from heart failure in his room on Friday, just a week after starting a new job. The body of Chalong Tiwiyang was found on the floor of his staff bedroom at Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa at about 6pm on Friday evening. Police estimate Mr Chalong had been dead for about 10 hours.…

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  • Phuket NewsHeavy rains to continue in Phuket until tomorrow afternoon

    Heavy rains to continue in Phuket until tomorrow afternoon

    PHUKET: Heavy rains are expected in all regions along the Andaman coast until tomorrow afternoon, an officer at the Thai Meteorological Department told the Phuket Gazette this morning.Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Satun will all be affected. Tourists should avoid swimming in the sea for the next two days, as the surf is likely to be particularly dangerous, the…

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  • Thai LifeE is for ericas and eucalypts – Phuket Gardening

    E is for ericas and eucalypts – Phuket Gardening

    PHUKET: There are plenty of plants which names begin with the letter “E” but none that can rival the 2,000 strong euphorbia family. So large is the genus that that one unheralded member completely slipped through the net last week. Naturalized here, E. cotonifolia bears absolutely no resemblance to the exotic crown of thorns, or even to the brilliant yellow…

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  • Thai LifePhuket’s ice cream man

    Phuket’s ice cream man

    PHUKET: Having your own ice cream factory… admit it, you dreamed about it when you were a kid, but sadly for most of us, life ends up getting in the way. For executive chef Flavio Manzoni, however, this dream came true. Along with his wife Gai, Flavio churns out as many as five hundred liters of delicious, icy goodness a…

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  • Business NewsKvik-start your future – Phuket Business

    Kvik-start your future – Phuket Business

    PHUKET: The Danish kitchen brand Kvik, known for its high-quality, low prices and fast delivery times, has rapidly expanded its presence in Thailand over the last year and is on the lookout for business partners in Phuket. Kvik Associate Thomas Sorensen explained that as part of Kvik’s current expansion, the company is offering an unprecedented support package to its new…

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  • PropertyBumper to bumper in Myanmar – Phuket Property Watch

    Bumper to bumper in Myanmar – Phuket Property Watch

    PHUKET: There is nothing quite like raw, naked ambition. Well not exactly, but that’s perhaps best left for another time and place. Last week I found myself straight in the middle of boomtown – Yangon, Myanmar. Stopping off as I usually do for an afternoon coffee at the historically-twinged Strand Hotel, the smiling waiter pulled out his smartphone and showed…

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  • PropertyBuilding for sustainability – Phuket property

    Building for sustainability – Phuket property

    PHUKET: The earth possesses a finite amount of natural resources – ores, timber, oils, for example – but our demand for those resources is growing exponentially. It is time we start looking at serious alternatives to help reduce the amount of waste we produce in our quest for ever more buildings. It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to…

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  • Phuket NewsFIVB beach volleyball is looking good

    FIVB beach volleyball is looking good

    PHUKET: The venue at Karon beach which is hosting the US$146,400 Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT beach volleyball tournament, the penultimate stop on the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour is ready for start of play tomorrow. The courts have been laid down and the center court grandstand is in place, along with the temporary offices for the various…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket tour bus slams into motorists, shophouse; ‘brake failure’ cited, again

    Phuket tour bus slams into motorists, shophouse; ‘brake failure’ cited, again

    PHUKET: Three people were injured when a Phuket tour bus slammed into traffic waiting at the busy Slaughterhouse Intersection in Phuket Town (map here) just after midday yesterday. No tourists were on board the bus at the time of the accident, but the juggernaut slammed into two cars and three motorbikes before it came to a halt when it plowed…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police searching for karaoke assault gang

    Phuket Police searching for karaoke assault gang

    PHUKET: Police are on the lookout for a gang of youths wanted for a vicious attack on two men outside a karaoke bar in Thalang early yesterday morning. Officers were called to the scene, an unnamed karaoke bar in Soi Ta Mhen, Muang Mai, at 3am. “When we arrived we found Wicharn Mueanprasart, 34, with a knife wound to his…

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  • Phuket NewsBaby elephant seized at Phuket trekking camp

    Baby elephant seized at Phuket trekking camp

    PHUKET: Local wildlife conservation officials yesterday seized an 18-month-old elephant at a camp in Phuket after the infant pachyderm was smuggled onto the island. Acting on a tip-off, officers led by Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol raided the camp, located in the Bang Thong in Kathu (map here), at 3pm. Joining the raid were officers from the Phuket Provincial Livestock…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket devout demand apology from drunken Russian

    Phuket devout demand apology from drunken Russian

    PHUKET: About 200 Phuket residents yesterday demanded an apology from the Russian tourist who damaged a statue of revered historical abbot Luang Por Kongdet during a drunken spree late Tuesday night. If the tourist, Oleg Fomenko, 31, or the Russian honorary consul for Phuket do not apologize within seven days, there will be protests, the residents warned. Mr Fomenko was…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s illegal tour van drivers granted temporary amnesty

    Phuket’s illegal tour van drivers granted temporary amnesty

    PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) will issue documents to certify illegal tour van drivers who have applied to become legal so they may continue working until their applications are processed. The news follows a group of illegal van drivers appealing to Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday for the right to keep working until their applications to become legal…

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  • World NewsPhuket Gazette World News: Fukushima safe after Japan quake; US admits spy tension; Ukrainian life sentence for UK Muslim murder, planting bombs

    Phuket Gazette World News: Fukushima safe after Japan quake; US admits spy tension; Ukrainian life sentence for UK Muslim murder, planting bombs

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fukushima nuclear plant undamaged after Japan quake Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The operator of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant said on Saturday there was no damage or spike in radiation levels at the station after a large earthquake struck in the ocean east of Japan,…

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  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Nation in mourning; Lampang bus tragedy takes legal road; PM orders troop briefing on Preah Vihear

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Nation in mourning; Lampang bus tragedy takes legal road; PM orders troop briefing on Preah Vihear

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nation in mourning The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand yesterday began a 30-day period of national mourning over the passing away of His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara, with flags being flown at half-mast and thousands of mourners turning out to pay their…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket mourns Thailand’s highest-ranking monk

    Phuket mourns Thailand’s highest-ranking monk

    PHUKET: Official mourning ceremonies in Phuket began yesterday for Thailand’s highest-ranking monk, His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara Somdet Phra Sangharaja, who passed away on Thursday. His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch, who turned 100 on October 3, had been in and out of hospital, most recently undergoing intestinal surgery on October 14. Governor Maitri Inthusut opened the ceremony…

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  • Phuket NewsFrench, Polish among injured in Phuket visa run crash | Thaiger

    French, Polish among injured in Phuket visa run crash

    PHUKET: A French woman and a Polish man have been identified as the two foreigners injured in the visa run van accident in Trang province on Monday (story here). “Caterina Murcia, 30, from France, was treated for a broken arm,” a nurse at the Surgery Unit of Trang Hospital told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “She was discharged from the hospital…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket police officer on drugs arrested for extorting Frenchman at gunpoint

    Phuket police officer on drugs arrested for extorting Frenchman at gunpoint

    PHUKET: A Phuket police officer and two accomplices have been arrested for extorting money from a Frenchman at gunpoint while the men were taking drugs together. Police are continuing their search for three additional suspects. Henry Richer, 54, told police that on October 14 he joined Picharn Kaewkongtham and five other men in taking ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) at the…

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  • Phuket NewsDrunk Russian topples statue of Phuket abbot, bungles lorry theft [VIDEO] | Thaiger

    Drunk Russian topples statue of Phuket abbot, bungles lorry theft [VIDEO]

    PHUKET: A Russian tourist has blamed overindulgence in alcohol for a spree in which he pushed over a statue honoring a temple abbot in Karon late Tuesday night. Oleg Fomenko, 31, was arrested at 9pm and taken to Karon Police Station for questioning on Thursday night after officers identified him through CCTV footage at Wat Karon (map here). The video…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s Road to Freedom under fire for corruption

    Phuket’s Road to Freedom under fire for corruption

    PHUKET: Winai Chidchiew, the Subdistrict chief (Kamnan) for Kata-Karon, has lashed out over the project to build a new road to Freedom Beach, accusing local officials of trying to push the project through for their own benefit. Kamnan Winai alleges that the road, planned for the headland south of Patong Bay (story here), is being pushed through by local officials…

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  • Thai LifeGood music is forever – Phuket Events

    Good music is forever – Phuket Events

    PHUKET: Mamma mia, Phuket’s gone crazy! The tickets for the upcoming Abba Forever show sold out in days. Guests from as far as Manila, Paris and Shanghai are coming to the island to sing along and dance to the evergreen hits of the legendary Swedish pop group – Abba! But not to worry – if you missed the chance to…

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  • Phuket NewsNFL Week 7: Colts down Manning, Broncos

    NFL Week 7: Colts down Manning, Broncos

    PHUKET: In week seven’s marquee match up, Bronco’s quarterback Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis to take on his former team did not turn out as many predicted, with rising star quarterback Andrew Luck outshining the veteran to carry his Colts to an exciting 39-33 win. Manning and the Broncos entered the game undefeated and were favored by five points over…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s Dylan inks formula deal

    Phuket’s Dylan inks formula deal

    PHUKET: Island-based Australian racing driver Dylan Young announced that he has signed a deal to compete in a second season of the 2013 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship, with gracious support from Wahoo Phuket, Kata Rocks and Indigo Pearl. The series will commence this weekend with the first two races being held alongside the Airtel Indian Formula 1 Grand Prix…

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  • Phuket NewsCounting down to Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest

    Counting down to Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest

    PHUKET: Challenge Laguna Phuket’s Tri-Fest carnival, which will see thousands of top international athletes from around the world descend on the island, was previewed by media in a special conference at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) headquarters in Bangkok recently. The week-long event will kick off with the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on November 24, which is celebrating…

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  • OpinionPhuket Opinion: Warding off bad luck with a smile

    Phuket Opinion: Warding off bad luck with a smile

    PHUKET: Scams, robberies, thieves, taxi mafia… this place is evil, one might think. Especially if he gets his information from the internet, from online discussion forums and so on. Scary!Yet, in some mysterious way most of these evil things seem to happen to other people and almost never to me personally. Sure, visas are an everlasting struggle and I had…

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  • Phuket NewsHead’s up for 27th Phuket King’s Cup

    Head’s up for 27th Phuket King’s Cup

    PHUKET: Recognized throughout the eastern hemisphere as the premier sailing event of its kind, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta will host a week of incredibly close racing in the beautiful Andaman Sea off the coast of Southern Thailand from December 1-6, 2013. The 27th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta sees a new Bareboat Charter division, intended to address any disparities between…

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  • OpinionPhuket Opinion: The fine art of garnering government support

    Phuket Opinion: The fine art of garnering government support

    Anucha Deeviset, 35, is a freelance photographer and member of B&W Photo Phuket Club. A Chaiyaphum native, Mr Anucha has a photography degree from Rangsit University and spent 13 years working in production companies in Bangkok and Phuket before becoming a freelancer. Here, he talks about why more people don’t know about Phuket’s art scene and how the government can…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s youth futsal squad tops the South

    Phuket’s youth futsal squad tops the South

    PHUKET: A flawless shoot-out by Phuket’s provincial youth futsal squad, against regional rivals Phatthalung on October 17, guaranteed the young islanders a place at the 30th National Youth Games next year. With the final 8-4 victory, Phuket have qualified to be Southern Thailand’s representatives at the games, scheduled to be held in Si Saket, March, 2014. The match, played at…

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  • OpinionPhuket Opinion: SuperCheap inferno inevitable

    Phuket Opinion: SuperCheap inferno inevitable

    PHUKET: We find astonishing the surprising lack of reaction to the catastrophe that took place last week when the entire SuperCheap complex on Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada went up in a fireball more closely resembling a World War II bombing than a scene on a tropical resort island. The fire was predicted in this space just 14 months ago (story…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s TSLC sporting tips: How to become a faster cyclist

    Phuket’s TSLC sporting tips: How to become a faster cyclist

    PHUKET: In a continuing series of sporting tips provided by Phuket’s Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club, resident experts Brian Finniss tells you to stand up straight, though first Jürgen Zäck gets you out of your comfort zone. A lot of cyclists and triathletes do spend quite some time in the saddle and wonder why they do not deliver on race…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s ACYC Club Sailing Race 6

    Phuket’s ACYC Club Sailing Race 6

    PHUKET: All are welcome to join Phuket’s ACYC (Ao Chalong Yacht Club) Sunday sailing races. Breakfast is available at the club from 8am onwards. Anybody wishing to sail but who doesn’t have a boat are advised to turn up before 10:30am and we will do our best to get you on a vessel. Eligibility and entry: The series is open…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s Tri-Fest just round the corner

    Phuket’s Tri-Fest just round the corner

    PHUKET: The 20th Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) will take place on Sunday, November 24, marking the beginning of Laguna Phuket’s week-long Tri-Fest. This year’s LPT will celebrate its 20th anniversary while welcoming the inaugural Challenge Laguna Phuket (CLP) on Sunday, December 1 to its iconic multi-sports week-long event – Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest 2013. During the proceeding seven days, Laguna…

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  • Phuket NewsTSLC continues their attention to detail – Phuket sports

    TSLC continues their attention to detail – Phuket sports

    PHUKET: In a continuing series of sporting tips provided by Phuket’s Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club, resident experts Tennis Head Coach Roger Cochrane talks layering, but firstly Aquatics Head Coach Randy Simon gives some attention to detail. Attention to detail… when I was in the military, it was something I learned a LOT about. But it was a necessity. When…

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  • Thai LifeLock and load for dive high season – Phuket Diving

    Lock and load for dive high season – Phuket Diving

    PHUKET: Lock on your tanks and load that gear on the boat because the Phuket diving high season is officially here. This year’s season was ushered in with the annual ruckus parties and dive show equipment suppliers, all brought to the industry pros of the entire Andaman region by Dive Supply and Aqua Master. Free flow drinks and all-you-can-eat grub…

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  • Thai LifeHow the west was won and where it got us – Phuket Books

    How the west was won and where it got us – Phuket Books

    PHUKET: Comanches and Texas Rangers feature prominently in Philip Meyer’s new novel The Son (Ecco, New York, 2013, 561pp) and its popular success undoubtedly springs from the buying power of a legion of fans of Larry McMurthy’s Lonesome Dove. This 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork centered on two ageing ex-Texas Rangers and the villainous Comanche renegade Blue Duck. The Son goes…

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  • Thai LifeFigs for all tastes – Phuket Gardening

    Figs for all tastes – Phuket Gardening

    PHUKET: One of the stranger aspects of attempting an alphabetical survey of plants is that you end up with some odd bedfellows. Take the letter “F” for example. It embraces the huge genus of figs or ficus to give the family its botanical appellation. In Plant Materials in Thailand, no fewer than 24 different varieties are listed; they dominate the…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket surf claims lives of Russian, Chinese tourists within hours

    Phuket surf claims lives of Russian, Chinese tourists within hours

    PHUKET: Two tourists, a Chinese and a Russian, drowned within hours of each other yesterday at Karon Beach, on Phuket’s west coast. Lifeguards reported that both tourists ignored red warning flags marking the area as dangerous to swim. Oleg Ozerskikh, 52, was pulled from the water unconscious by lifeguards at Karon Beach (map here), at about 11:30am. Rescue workers sped…

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