Year: 2013
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: 51 dead in clashes across Egypt, more protests called
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: At least 51 people were killed in clashes in Egyptian cities on Sunday, security sources said, after opponents and supporters of deposed president Mohamad Mursi took to the streets in one of the bloodiest days since the army seized power.In a sign of more possible violence to…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Destruction of Syrian chemical weapons begins
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: International experts began overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal on Sunday, said an official from the mission that has averted a U.S. strike but could rob President Bashar al-Assad of his most feared weapon.The process is being conducted amid a civil war in which 120,000…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Mexico monster truck accident kills 8, including kids, injures 79
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: Eight people, including four children, were killed and 79 injured when a monster truck careened into a crowd at a show in northern Mexico, an official at the public prosecutor’s office in the city of Chihuahua said on Sunday.The incident late on Saturday afternoon took place at…
Read More » - Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok warned over flood tide; Chalerm has water on the brain; Nok Air has rough landing
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok residents warned over flood tide The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The first high-tide period of this month is imminent – and Bangkok residents in riverside communities who do not have flood barriers must be ready for possible flooding, say authorities. “Please move your belongings…
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Gazette’s Full Guide to Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2013
PHUKET: The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival started at sunset last night after area shrines raised go teng poles to allow the Jade Emperor and the Nine Emperor Gods to descend to our earthly realm. The nine-day festival, which ends on October 13, attracts thousands of visitors to Phuket to witness the festivities, which include fire walking, bladed-ladder climbing, specialty foods…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket on alert for floods and landslides
PHUKET: The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD) yesterday put Phuket on a list of 13 provinces told to be on the alert for possible rain-caused natural disasters. People living along rivers or at the base of hills should be particularly alert, the warning said.The other provinces on this list are Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chon Buri, Rayong,…
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Special Report: Full moon fever more contagious on East Coast
Special Report In a country that markets itself to the world as “fun”, the debaucheries of Thailand’s full moon parties have stolen the spotlight as concerns mount over the safety of young partygoers seeking to break loose from reality and walk on a moonbeam. The Phuket Gazette‘s Chutharat Plerin reportsPHUKET: Australia’s Honorary Consul in Phuket condemned all full moon parties…
Read More » - Opinion
Phuket Opinion: No pesticides please, we’re only human
PHUKET: In the wake of the latest surge in dengue fever cases in Phuket and Thailand as a whole, the Public Health Ministry is once again stepping up its efforts to reduce if not eliminate the looming threat. At the core of the officials’ latest reactive strategy (now that’s an oxymoron!) is the so-called “3-3-3” campaign that in more words…
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Phuket Opinion: Out of the house, into a brave new world
The Chief of the Phuket Women’s Development Fund is 52-year-old Natthaporn Phanitpichatewon. A Chiang Mai native, she has lived in Phuket for 30 years. She is a realtor and board member of the Phuket Red Cross and the Juvenile Observation and Protection Center.Here she talks about why women shouldn’t stay home and how she helps women start their own businesses.…
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Phuket Opinion: Legacy of accuracy in black and white
PHUKET: With advances in information technology in recent years, much has been said about the “inevitable” demise of print media. Few among us would deny that we are living in a time of breathtaking change in the way news is delivered, consumed and shared. Copyright laws are becoming virtually unenforceable in our global world, and the new reality is that…
Read More » - Phuket News
Special Report: Is my neighbor a contract killer?
Special Report: PHUKET: Soldiers and other security personnel arriving on the island to enjoy R&R leave or even to retire in the sun is nothing new to Phuket, but the arrest of ex-US soldier Joseph “Rambo” Hunter this past week (story here) has raised the disconcerting question: Do you know who your neighbors really are? Hunter lived the quiet life…
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New traffic lights re-ignite on dangerous stretch of Phuket road
PHUKET: One of the deadliest stretches of Thepkrasattri Road got new traffic lights on Thursday. Or rather, got its old ones up and operating again. The 2.9m baht lights, located at the Baan Khaolarn intersection between the PTT station in Sri Soonthorn and Tesco Lotus in Thalang, have been installed to increase safety in the area, said Director of Phuket…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Response to BRN demands; Surachai grateful for royal pardon; More flood warnings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Response to BRN up to Paradorn now The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: National Security Council (NSC) chief Paradorn Pattanatabut will make a final decision on how to respond to Barisan Revolusi Nasional’s (BRN) five demands, keeping in mind the recommendations of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc),…
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Kamala Beach encroachers given more time to remove illegal structures
PHUKET: Bar and restaurant owners whose establishments encroach on Kamala Beach have been given more time to remove their illegal structures. The original deadline, set after an inspection by local authorities in early September, was yesterday (story here). “We will inspect the beach on October 8 and make a list of any establishments that have not removed their encroaching structures,”…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Obama’s no-show raises questions in Asia; Assad to pay price; Red Napoleon dies at 102; Search postponed for survivors in Sicilian wreck
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama cancels Asia tour over shutdown; raises questions on U.S. pivot Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: President Barack Obama called off plans to visit Asia and attend two summits because of the U.S. government shutdown, raising questions about the strategic “pivot” to the region that he announced just…
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Phuket F1: Boos, boredom, boorishness, bravado
PHUKET: Sebastion Vettel faced the boos yet again as he collected his Monza and Singapore trophies. This has become an unhappy routine ritual at GPs. F1 is losing the fan base that it rebuilt after the Schumacher dark age. And the “Vettel Effect” is the cause. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has said it is “unfair” to boo Vettel.…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket illegal taxi driver, guilty of kidnap and sexual assault, walks free on suspended sentence
PHUKET: The illegal Phuket taxi driver who abducted and sexually assaulted a teenage Chinese tourist while under the influence of drugs and alcohol walked out of Phuket Provincial Court a free man today after being handed down a suspended sentence. Paitoon Kruain, 32, was handed a sentence of 13 months suspended jail time and a fine of 10,500 baht after…
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All rise for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: Phuket folk from all over the island spent this afternoon pasting gold leaf onto Go Teng poles, hoping for good luck, before they are raised at every Chinese shrine in Phuket this afternoon at 5:09pm to mark the start of the 2013 Vegetarian Festival. “We have set up lots of places to eat in the vicinity of our shrine…
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Chinese drowning spurs ultimatum on Racha Island safety
PHUKET: Responding to the recent spate of Chinese tourist drownings at Racha Yai island, the head of the Conservation Club there yesterday issued the Phuket Government a safety ultimatum. “The authorities have to put pressure on tour companies to increase tourist safety,” said Sarit Jandee, head of the club. “The tour companies need to do more – provide life jackets…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival firecrackers blamed for house fire
PHUKET: Children playing with firecrackers before the Phuket Vegetarian Festival gets underway this evening have been named as the likely cause of a home in Thalang being gutted by fire.Two teams of firefighters arrived at the house of Rungtiwa Nuansri, 29, in Thepkrasattri, at about 8pm last night to find her modest home ablaze.The firemen took about an hour to…
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Phuket tour bus driver flees the scene after killing pedestrian
PHUKET: Once again, the driver of a Phuket tour bus has fled the scene after hitting and killing a local woman. The incident occurred as the woman was crossing Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang last night. The bus was carrying Chinese tourists. In a practice which would appear to have now become entrenched as a norm, the driver abandoned the bus…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Woman shot dead in White House death drive; Italy migrant boat disaster beyond 300; Europeans burned alive for organ trafficking
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Driver shot dead in car chase near U.S. Capitol Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A dramatic car chase through the streets of Washington from near the White House to the U.S. Capitol ended in gunfire on Thursday when law enforcement officers shot and killed the driver as lawmakers…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Kratom not legal yet; Flood-aid food lands 51 in hospital; Minister stands firm amid Thaksin Cabinet reshuffle rumors
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kratom not legal yet, but closer The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong confirmed yesterday that the narcotics control committee under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has still not reached a decision on whether to remove “kratom” (Mitragyna speciosa) from the…
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Phuket taxi mafia probe targets Kamala, Rawai
PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has revealed that the next two areas to be investigated for alleged taxi mafia activity are the Phuket beachside communities of Rawai and Kamala. The move has already received the support of Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, who has ordered the investigations to be carried out without further delay. Lt Col Somboon Sarasit,…
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Phuket floods already, and more rain on the horizon
PHUKET: Steady rain in Phuket caused minor flooding this morning at the usual places in Phuket: in front of Patong Hospital and on Chao Fa West Road in Chalong.However, no roads were reported to be cut off and small vehicles were able to make their way through the water.Floodwater collected in the area in front of Patong Hospital on Phang…
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Kamala cable company offers optical, digital coverage
PHUKET: Good news for residents on the island’s north who want to keep up with the world’s top footballing action, but don’t fancy spending their late nights in some hole-in-the-wall leagues away from home: Owner of Kamala Digital Cable TV (KDTV), Niruj Sariya, recently announced new upgrades and plans to continually increase and improve cable TV services in the Kamala…
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Phuket beach encroachers face Kamala Friday deadline
PHUKET: Shop and bar owners that have been found to be encroaching on Kamala Beach have until tomorrow to take down their offending structures.If they are not removed voluntarily, they will be demolished, said Kamala Tambon Administrative Organization (OrBorTor) Vice President Seri Larpmark.Mr Seri first inspected construction on the beach in early September. “We found many shops and bars encroaching…
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Thieves take a break in Phuket coffee shop, before making off with loot
PHUKET: Thieves broke into a coffee shop and stole a Samsung tablet and a CCTV recording unit, but not before availing themselves of the shop’s offerings.Police called to the scene found two bottles of Singha beer and two empty cake containers in a garbage bin, and a fan still turned on.Wassana Thanormsak, the owner of The Elephant coffee shop on…
Read More » - Property
Phuket Property: Best of the best 2013
PHUKET: Thailand’s real estate industry came together on Thursday, September 19 to acknowledge the best of the best at the 2013 Thailand Property Awards tand awards presentation ceremony held at the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Center at CentralWorld. In total, 33 awards were on offer, including regional awards for best condominiums and villa developments in Phuket, Hua Hin, Samui,…
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From planes to trains and back to automobiles
PHUKET: Over the past few weeks, political debates in Thailand have often been centered on the government’s national high-speed railway project. Punches, counter punches and even the kitchen sink have been thrown into the arena. Who the heck needs to run with the bulls when you can get gored by an out-of-control locomotive? During the same period, I was able…
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Phuket gardening: pure, natural ingredients
PHUKET: Though it is a 19th century Bavarian concept, there are plenty of beer gardens or biergarten around Phuket. Some really are gardens in delightful sylvan settings under mature tamarind or flame trees. Think Nikita’s in Rawai, or the row of hostelries along the hilly road from Nai Harn to Rawai. But I am more interested in a different kind…
Read More » - Thai Life
Looking Back: The spirits that guard the city
PHUKET: When building towns and cities, ancient Thais adhered to several deeply rooted practices for hundreds of years. One such belief is the construction of shrines that would house the “city pillars”. Thais believed that the city pillars would be the resting place of spirits that would guard their city from natural disasters, diseases, enemies and any other malevolence that…
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Phuket kart racing: Grimes eyes New Orleans
PHUKET: After returning from their holiday back in the UK, the Grimes boys (Ben and Sam Grimes) got back into action at the penultimate round of the 2013 Asia Max Challenge at the Sepang International Kart Circuit in Malaysia.The junior category boasted a fierce field of 35 drivers and Sam started the weekend well by out-qualifying his elder brother Ben…
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A walk in the (bird) park
PHUKET: I’m by no means a bird aficionado. Sure, I enjoy the chirping of birds in the morning and I was pretty stunned to see a tiny, humming-bird-sized sun-bird feeding on some flowers in front of my house the other day, but you won’t find me crawling through a bush with a pair of binoculars in search of a Great-billed…
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Police trainees bolster Phuket street presence
PHUKET: Police trainees from Surat Thani saw some frontline action in Phuket this week when they received on-the-job training at a checkpoint in Baan Bang Jo, in Srisoonthorn. Thalang Police Deputy Superintendent Amnuay Kraiwootthinan and a team of officers supervised the 14 trainees assigned to the Thalang precinct, while another 43 trainees from Surat Thani were dispatched to assist in…
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On roadside north of Phuket, stomachache turns into baby boy
PHUKET: Rescue workers taking a Burmese woman with complaints of a bad stomachache to Takuapa Hospital this morning were surprised when she suddenly gave birth to a baby boy.“We received an emergency call to pick up Ms Soe, 35, a Burmese worker at a rubber plantation, just after midnight. She reported having a very bad stomachache for no reason,” said…
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Body of missing Chinese swimmer washes ashore Phuket’s Kata Beach
PHUKET: The body of a Chinese tourist who disappeared while swimming at Karon Beach on Monday was found washed ashore at Kata Beach, about three kilometers away, yesterday afternoon.“We have now found the body of Sheng Caoliang, who was 31 years old and reported as missing on Sunday,” Karon Police officer Lt Sathaporn Seenoon said.“Mr Sheng and a friend went…
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