Year: 2013
- Thai Life
Phuket Gardening: Preserving Phuket’s plants
PHUKET: Odd how political correctness is responsible for changes in language. Take terms for indigenous people. When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, North Americans were called “Red Indians”. That was later changed to a more PC term –”Amerindian”. A bit of a mouthful, the expression in turn became “American Indian”. Now, and maybe finally, we talk about “Native Americans”.…
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Children’s Day play starts tomorrow
PHUKET: Tomorrow Thais across the country will be celebrating the annual Children’s Day festivities. In Phuket Town, the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) will be staging its activities at the Provincial Hall (map here) from 8am to 4pm. Among the activities, 83 bicycles will be given away as prizes, a “Children’s Playland” will be set up and gifts, games, prizes,…
Read More » - World News
Snake hitches ride on Qantas flight to Papua New Guinea
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: (News Wires): Qantas had its very own dramatic ‘snakes on a plane’ episode yesterday (January 10) when a three metre python joined passengers onboard an early morning flight from Australia to Papua New Guinea.But unlike Samuel L. Jackson’s 2006 fictional Hollywood blockbuster in which a nest of…
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101 dead and 200 injured in Pakistan bombings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: (Reuters): At least 101 people were killed in bombings in two Pakistani cities yesterday (January 10) in one of the country’s bloodiest days in recent years, officials said, with most casualties caused by sectarian attacks in Quetta.The bombings underscored the myriad threats Pakistani security forces face from…
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One student injured in California school shooting
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: (Reuters) – A student armed with a 12-gauge shotgun opened fire in a California high school yesterday (January 10), critically wounding a fellow student before two staff members talked the boy into putting down his weapon, authorities said.The suspected sole gunman, a 16-year-old boy, was arrested by…
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Rescued baby dolphin and mother losing deadly battle at Phuket Marine Biological Center
PHUKET: Serious internal infections have left a mother striped dolphin and her baby in critical condition, despite the pair being rescued on January 4 in Phang Nga and receiving round the clock care at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). “The mother dolphin has been unable to swim since she was first rescued. She had wounds on her skin and…
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After Phuket, ambassadors target tourist safety in Krabi
PHUKET: The British, Canadian and Dutch Ambassadors to Thailand met with the top cop in Krabi yesterday to discuss tourism-safety measures and to follow up on several prominent police cases. The visit comes just two days after the three ambassadors spoke with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut to highlight their chief concerns for tourists’ safety in Phuket. Speaking with Krabi Provincial…
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Phuket Sports: Aussie fly-half to take on Thai heavyweight
Cooper pitted against Muay Thai veteran in pro-boxing debut Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Australia flyhalf Quade Cooper was pitted against Muay Thai veteran Barry Dunnett for his professional boxing debut scheduled in Brisbane next month. The 24-year-old New Zealand-born back is currently honing his punching skills in Brisbane ahead of the charity bout which will keep him out of…
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Unidentified body found in Phuket canal
PHUKET: The body of an unidentified Asian man with head wounds and heavy bruising was found floating in a canal near Layan Beach (map here) on Phuket’s west coast, in the early hours of this morning. “We received a report at about 3am from the fisherman who discovered the body. We believe the body was in the water for about…
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Police reinforcements to bolster Phuket tourist safety
PHUKET: A 30-day boost in tourist-safety measures on Phuket sees an additional 400 Royal Thai Police, sourced from every division of the force, stepping foot on the island today. The desperately needed extra “troops” on the ground comes days after Ambassadors to Thailand from Canada, the Netherlands and UK visited Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut to voice their concerns about tourist…
Read More » - World News
Queen changes rule; royal baby will be a princess
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: (News wires): Queen Elizabeth has decided if the baby Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge are expecting is a girl, she will be a princess. Under the current rules, the first born son of the couple would become a prince, but a daughter would not…
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Two Russians charged over beach assault; search on for two more suspects
PHUKET: Two out of the four Russian men who allegedly led an unprovoked attack on a well-known local couple at Catch Beach Club on Surin Beach have been charged with assault.Phuket Police are still searching for the two other men.Canadian Tom Travers, managing partner of Indigo Real Estate agency, was beaten unconscious and had his cheekbone broken in three places…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: Chelsea slump to shock home loss to Swansea in Cup
Swansea upset Chelsea in League Cup Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Swansea City inflicted the second shock home defeat in eight days on Chelsea, goals from Michu and Danny Graham giving the Welsh club a 2-0 win in their Capital One (League) Cup semi-final first leg last night. Michael Laudrup’s Swansea, playing in their first major semi-final for 49 years,…
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Live Wire – Help! my email is not sending
PHUKET: Reader ‘PS’ wrote in with an interesting question that frequently dogs local residents and visitors alike: “Hi Woody, I thought you might be interested in this, but knowing you, you already know about it! The problem I have been having is sending e-mails through True, because sometimes they will not go for a couple of days and other times…
Read More » - Business News
Phuket Finance: Endurance and persistence
PHUKET: Recently Phuket saw some of the best triathletes in the world descend on the island to participate in the Laguna Phuket Ironman 70.3 Triathlon. While I am extremely slow, I am a very keen endurance athlete. I do this race every year, as well as the marathon here, and am currently registered for my second full Ironman race next…
Read More » - Property
Phuket Property: Malaiwana launch The Residences
PHUKET: Malaiwana is a luxurious development built on 28 rai overlooking Naithon beach on the north-west coast of Phuket. The Phuket Gazette spoke to Malaiwana’s managing director Stephen Paine about the estate.Phuket Gazette: What is the Malaiwana development? Stephen Paine: It is a project with three elements: 19 villas, 12 residences and a beach club. We began construction on the…
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Phuket Property: IHG takes over the Evason Resort
PHUKET: The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced the signing of InterContinental Phuket Rawai Beach Resort recently, the first for the brand in Phuket, with JTM (Thailand) Limited, a member company of the LC Development Ltd (LC Dev) Group. Designed by award-winning architect Bill Bensley, who also designed IHG’s award-winning InterContinental Danang…
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Phuket Business: Reusable future
“We live in a world where every 12 seconds, a child dies because of dirty water and insanitation. CO2 continues to build up and forests are depleting. We live in a resource-constrained world. There are limits.” – Peter Bakker.PHUKET: These chilling words from Peter Bakker at a recent Bangkok symposium held by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)…
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Phuket Business: Say it in Chinese
An exclusive interview with the Kopi Chinese Language Training Center reveals some of Phuket’s past and looks towards the future of foreign language learning. PHUKET: The business of education in Phuket continues on an upward trend, with one local Chinese language center preparing for the integration of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. The Phuket Gazette’s student intern Wisuwat…
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Australian heat wave sears new colors onto weather maps
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET (Reuters): Australia’s record-breaking heat wave has sent temperatures soaring, melting road tar and setting off hundreds of wildfires – as well as searing new colors onto weather maps. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has added dark purple and magenta to its color-coded weather forecasting map to…
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Migrant worker deportations still on hold: Phuket Employment chief
PHUKET: Migrant workers in Phuket still waiting to complete the nationality verification process, in order to become legally registered laborers, have at least a one-week reprieve from any deportation crackdown, the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) chief Yawapa Pibulpol confirmed this morning. The news follows the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, not discussing the issue of whether or…
Read More » - World News
World News: US doesn’t rule out removing troops from Afghanistan
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US does not rule out removing all troops from Afghanistan Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Obama administration does not rule out a complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan after 2014, the White House said yesterday (January 8), just days before President Barack Obama is…
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Tuk-tuk, jet-ski, taxi scams: Ambassadors name the bane of Phuket
PHUKET: In their first official visit to Phuket, the British, Canadian and Dutch Ambassadors to Thailand today plainly described their chief concerns about the scams and cheats continuing to plague Phuket’s tourism industry. Speaking with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut at Provincial Hall this afternoon, ambassadors Mark Kent of the UK, Philip Calvert of Canada and Joan Boer of the Netherlands…
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Iranian tourist attacks Phuket parking attendant
PHUKET: Iranian tourist Khalili Sina today attacked a Phuket parking service operator who was trying to shift the tourist’s rented jeep.Khalili Sina allegedly smashed a broken beer bottle over the head of Muhammad Manoch, 21, and slashed his cheek.The incident happened on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong at about 12:45am, Lt Col Jongserm Preecha of the Patong Police said.“Witnesses…
Read More » - Thailand News
DNP seeks funds for reforestation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community DNP seeks 9bn baht for reforestation The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A 9-billion baht budget is being sought for forestation projects across the country while plans are being put in place for a nationwide crackdown on encroachers, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Minimum wage costing jobs – Official statistics
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Over 3,400 have lost jobs in 6 months The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The 300 baht wage policy has cost at least 3,434 workers their jobs during the past six months, according to official statistics. The minimum daily wage was first hiked in April in…
Read More » - World News
Phuket Gazette World News – Rioting in Belfast for fifth night
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Northern Irish police clash with rioters for fifth night Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police in Northern Ireland came under attack for a fifth straight night yesterday as the province’s police chief urged politicians and parents to act to halt the riots on Belfast streets. The…
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Phuket Lifestyle: A brief history of brunch
PHUKET: Brunch Upon a Time… for many of us living in Phuket, Sunday mornings were largely an unconfirmed rumor. Many of us who grew up in the seventies used to emerge from a standard Saturday night Bacchanal around two o’clock the following Sunday afternoon, wolf down some left-over pizza and whatever hadn’t been drunk the night before and collapse in…
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Phuket Live Wire: Infections of epidemic proportions
PHUKET: My fellow editor at InfoWorld, Robert Lemos, published a story in eWeek last month that took Thailand to task for its incredibly lousy record with different kinds of malware. Quoting a study from antivirus company Sophos, Lemos says that Thailand is the third worst country in the world for PC infections. According to the eWeek report: “A user surfing…
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Police offer B100,000 reward for gun-point bank robber
PHUKET: Police have offered a 100,000 baht reward for any information leading to the arrest of a man who made a fast-cash “withdraw” of over a quarter million baht at gun point from a Phuket bank yesterday afternoon. The robbery, which took place at the Kasikornbank (KBank) branch at the Tesco Chao Fa Park shopping complex (map here)on Chao Fa…
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Two locals attacked by Russian men in Surin
PHUKET: An allegedly unprovoked attack by several Russian men at a Phuket beach club early this morning has left two well-known local residents in hospital awaiting surgery.Canadian Tom Travers, managing partner of Indigo Real Estate agency, was knocked unconscious and had his cheekbone broken in three places during the attack. His girlfriend Jen Khamsorn suffered a broken nose when she…
Read More » - World News
World News: New wildfires flare-up as temperatures soar
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fresh fires rage, PM urges Australians to be safe Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: New wildfires flared across Australia today as temperatures soared to near record levels, fanned by hot outback winds, and as Prime Minister Julia Gillard warned the nation to prepare for possibly its…
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World Sports: Messi named the best – again
PHUKET: Lionel Messi, still only 25, was named the world’s best player for the fourth time in a row last night after a year in which finally produced his best form for Argentina as well as Barcelona. Messi was handed the award after a typically cheesy ceremony which featured a performance from a giant dancing armadillo named Fuleco, the mascot…
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UK, Canadian ambassadors put tourist safety on agenda
PHUKET: British Ambassador to Thailand Mark Kent and fellow ambassador Philip Calvert of Canada today placed their tourists’ safety squarely on their agenda with official visits to Phuket.This morning, Ambassador Kent and British Consul Michael Hancock focused their talks with Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa on what measures authorities have taken to help protect tourists on holiday in Phuket.“We are…
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Phuket Red Cross Fair lucky draw winner yet to claim B500k in gold
PHUKET: The lucky person who holds the winning ticket for the Red Cross Fair lucky draw top prize has yet to step forward and claim gold valued at nearly half a million baht. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut led the draw for the prize at 10:30pm on Saturday night at the central stage area at Saphan Hin (map here), where the…
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Phuket KBank robbed at gunpoint – again
PHUKET: An armed gunman entered the Kasikornbank (KBank) branch at the Tesco Chao Fa Park shopping complex on Chao Fao East Road at about 12:30pm today. He made off with an estimated 260,000 baht, police reported. The man entered the bank wearing a white-and-blue, full-face helmet. He pointed a gun at one of the cashiers and demanded that she place…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket United sink Royal Navy
PHUKET: Phuket United unveiled new Brazilian winger Marcos Vinicius De Mendonco before their GMM Thai Futsal Premier League (TFPL) home game against Royal Navy on January 5. Phuket United won their last home game 7-3 against Lampang United to move up to 7th in the league. The newly installed floor covering at Saphan Hin was looking a bit worse for…
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