Month: March 2014
- Business
SilkAir celebrates 25 years in Phuket’s skies
PHUKET: Full-service regional carrier SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, celebrated its silver anniversary in Phuket on Saturday, as its chief executive highlighted the company’s growth goals. Phuket was one of the five original destinations for the regional airline when it was re-branded from Tradewinds the Airline to SilkAir on April, 1, 1992. The number of destinations served by the…
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ITF Seniors Tennis Tour comes to Thanyapura [Video]
PHUKET: Thanyapura Phuket says it is honored to be hosting its very first International Tennis Federation (ITF) seniors event next week, with play taking place from Monday, April 7 to Saturday, April 12. Careful not to let the word “Seniors” lead you to imagine elderly people with walking canes donning their tennis whites for a friendly rally. The six days…
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Action stunt leaves fleeing Phuket thief with broken neck
PHUKET: A man broke his neck after falling from the fourth floor of a Phuket apartment building while trying to escape two women who caught him red-handed stealing from their room. Patong Police were notified at about 1pm yesterday that 32-year-old Mongkolchai Na-Tawan had fallen after trying to jump from a fourth-floor room in one apartment building into another room…
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Chief medical inspector counters CBC’s Belanger sisters’ death report
PHUKET: The chief medical inspector called in to investigate the mysterious deaths of Canadian sisters Noemi and Audrey Belanger on Phi Phi Island in 2012 has dismissed reports that said the sisters died from poisoning from a specific pesticide. The news follows a report by Canadian news network CBC quoting Dr Pasakorn Akarasewi as saying, “The most likely explanation is…
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Phuket Gazette World News: North, South Korea exchange artillery fire off west coast
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North, South Korea exchange artillery fire off west coast Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire on Monday off their disputed western maritime border, Seoul scrambled jets and residents of a South Korean island fled to bomb shelters in the most…
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Phuket Countdown to confusion
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has learned that Phuket has been named as the pilot province for a nationwide project that will eventually see all “countdown” traffic lights retrofitted to show Thai numerals instead of the more popular Arabic numbers currently used in most countries, including Thailand. Deadline for completion of the 187-million-baht Phuket project is October 15. The move is…
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Phuket lawyer wins senator poll, “No Vote’ comes second
PHUKET: Unofficial results of yesterday’s senatorial election on the island indicate that local lawyer Chaiyot Panyawai, 47, has won the contest to become Phuket’s new representative in the Upper House. Mr Chaiyot, president of the Phuket branch of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, garnered 19,262 votes, confirmed Phuket Election Commission (PEC) Director Kittipong Thiengkunakrit. Voter turnout was low yesterday, with…
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Experts gather in Phuket to discuss scientific advancements in AEC economy
PHUKET: The National Science Technology and Innovation Policy Office (STI) last week called a meeting in Phuket of the 10 Asean countries to discuss scientific advancement and flow of manpower as the inception of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) looms. “The objective of this workshop is to provide a forum in which experts can exchange their views and ideas about…
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Russian withdrawal: Chinese tourist scammed out of B400,000
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist issued a warning to other Phuket visitors of skimmer gangs after thieves in Russia withdrew 400,000 baht from his account. “On March 24, my bank called to ask me where I was, because my account showed several withdrawals in Russia between March 22 and 24,” said Haohao Sun. “At the time the 400,000 baht was taken…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Turkish PM Erdogan wins polls, warns enemies they will pay a price
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Turkish PM Erdogan wins polls, warns enemies they will pay a price Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in local polls that had become a referendum on his rule and said he would “enter the lair” of enemies who have…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Parties wrangle for Senate control; Yingluck to face NACC; Relief for Isarn drought
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM yet to confirm appearance before NACC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday she has not decided whether she will defend herself in person today before the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) over the rice-pledging scheme corruption case, or send…
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Body of Russian expat, kidnapped in Phuket, believed found
PHUKET: Police have found a body they believe is that of missing Russian expat Alexey Slabinskiy, first reported as suspected of being kidnapped three weeks ago (story here). “We learned that the suspects – Russians Oleksandr Boychuk, 44, and Aleksandr Novichkov, 58 – had rented a house in Soi Koktanode in Cherng Talay,” Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont told the…
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Phuket officials call for healthy turnout for “Senate poll Sunday’
PHUKET: About 100 officials led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak gathered yesterday to call on the people of Phuket to vote in the nationwide Senate election on Sunday. Speaking at Sanam Chai, the field in front of Provincial Hall that is occupied by anti-government protesters every night, Vice Governor Somkiet reminded passers-by that the polls will be open across…
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Drunk Aussie tourist marks rough landing in Phuket
PHUKET: An Australian man who passed out drunk during his flight to Phuket was carried off the plane still unconscious on arrival yesterday and rushed to Thalang Hospital. The man, named by police as Christopher Lazarus Boubis, 39, later regained consciousness in the emergency ward at the hospital, but immediately went on a rampage through the facility. “He was shouting…
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Phuket PDRC factions unite for mass protest
PHUKET: The two factions of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) anti-government protesters in Phuket united today to march through Phuket Town and stage a motorcade along Phuket’s west coast. The Krabot Rak Chart faction led by former Rassada Mayor Suratin Lian-udom massed in front of the Phuket Revenue Office on Narisorn Road, before joining fellow PDRC supporters led by…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Fresh objects seen in new Malaysia jet search area
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fresh objects seen in new Malaysia jet search area Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Fresh objects spotted by planes searching for a missing Malaysian passenger jet in a new area of the southern Indian Ocean have again raised hopes of unravelling the three-week old mystery. Australian…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok rallies underway; Chamber warns of economic collapse; Child rapist killer gets life
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PDRC mass rallies in Bangkok take hold The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The People’s Democratic Reform committee led by Suthep Thaugsuban march from Lumpini Park to the Royal Plaza and Parliament began this morning to affirm its stand that reform must be done before the…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Brazilian airliner lands with no front wheels
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brazilian plane makes emergency landing with no front wheels Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Avianca Airlines passenger jet safely made an emergency landing in Brasilia on Friday after its front landing gear failed to deploy, authorities said. None of the 49 passengers and crew of…
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Police chase ends with ditched truck, seriously injured man
PHUKET: A man who sped through a police checkpoint early yesterday morning was seriously injured after crashing his pickup truck into a roadside ditch while trying to escape Phuket police officers. Ekkapot Fungwittaya, 27, charged through the checkpoint, near the Thalang Health Center on Baan Reang Road in Thalang, just after midnight. Thalang Police gave pursuit, chasing him as he…
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Death of workers in sewer both accident and mistake, says manager
PHUKET: Workplace health and safety officials will investigate the deaths of four sewer maintenance workers who died of asphyxiation in a Phuket Town sewer on Wednesday morning. “We will start our investigation on Tuesday, when we will interview representatives from the contractor and the municipality to establish precisely what happened,” Yudhakarn Ovasith, chief of the Phuket Provincial Labour Protection and…
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Karon black water strikes again, flows across trash-covered beach
PHUKET: The Karon black water saga continued today as a fresh wave of rank, dirty water flowed over a long line of trash that has also been cursing the beach. “This is a failure on the part of Karon Municipality. I have not seen them do anything to try to resolve the problem,” said Karon Subdistrict Chief (Kamnan) Winai Chidchiew.…
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Officials to sue 29 for Phuket national park encroachment
PHUKET: Officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) announced a plan on Wednesday to sue 29 landowners found to be encroaching on Phuket’s Sirinath Marine National Park land. “Right now we plan to sue the landowners for encroachment onto a total of 1,500 rai. I want to get back as much of Sirinath National Park as we…
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