Month: April 2014
- World News
Ukraine rebels free Swedish hostage; Obama seeks unity against Russia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine rebels free Swedish hostage; Obama seeks unity against Russia Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine freed a Swedish observer on Sunday, but said they had no plans to release seven other European monitors they have been holding for three days. On the…
Read More » - World News
Abbas calls Holocaust ‘most heinous crime’ against humanity
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abbas calls Holocaust ‘most heinous crime’ against humanity Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the Nazi Holocaust “the most heinous crime” against humanity in modern times in a statement released on Sunday, an apparent bid to build bridges with Israel days after…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News: Flu kills 50; Pheu Thai disses Prem’s royal move; Pattani slayings afore Krue Se massacre anniversary
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 50 dead as number of influenza cases jumps dramatically The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Fifty people have been killed by seasonal influenza, which has hit more than 30,000 people this year, prompting the Public Health Ministry to be on alert. Public Health permanent secretary Narong…
Read More » - Hua Hin News
Chinese spies read Australian MPs’ emails for a year: report
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chinese spies read Australian MPs’ emails for a year: report Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A cyber attack on the Australian parliamentary computer network in 2011 may have given Chinese intelligence agencies access to lawmakers’ private emails for an entire year, the Australian Financial Review reported…
Read More » - Phuket News
Pian ousted as Chalermluck voted Patong Mayor
PHUKET: Unofficial results are in and Phuket Democrat Chalermluck Kebsab has won the race for the coveted position of Patong Mayor. Ms Chalermluck received a total of 4,390 votes, defeating former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, who garnered 3,330 votes. Kittisan Kuru of the Patong Gao Na (Patong Progress) Party scored a total of 580 votes. Ms Chalermluck, a Phuket native,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket’s black wastewater oozes toward tourists
PHUKET: Alarmed officials are concerned how the weather has turned the flow of black wastewater from a canal at Bang Tao toward a beach area where tourists swim. “All tourists are afraid to swim here. They are going to Layan Beach instead,” said local resident Jumnong Korkaew. When Governor Maitri Inthusut inspected the site on April 12 (story here), the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket teens waive police brutality claim
PHUKET: Two of the three teenagers allegedly struck by police officers investigating the rape of a pregnant woman in Phuket last Sunday night have publicly declared that the officers never struck them. The declaration was made during a public meeting this morning at Provincial Hall in the presence of Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut. “Police did not hit or threaten any…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket faces no lifeguards on beaches as contract debacle ebbs on
PHUKET: There may be no lifeguards patrolling Phuket beaches on Monday if compromise is not reached between the island’s lifeguard club and Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) over the new, hotly-debated 22-million-baht club budget. Though the current contract expires today (April 27), Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan is holding firm to his desire to increase salaries for his staff…
Read More » - Business News
Hong Kong couples wooed to wed in Phuket
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Hong Kong office will launch a pilot campaign to lure couples in Hong Kong to legally marry in Phuket. The pilot project alone is expected to generate 124 million baht for the Phuket economy. To introduce the concept, TAT Hong Kong office director Titiporn Manenate took a delegation of leading wedding planners from…
Read More » - Phuket News
Road-raged Russian attacks Australian tourist, knocking his teeth out
PHUKET: A Russian national has been charged with attacking an Australian tourist walking down the street with his family on Wednesday night. Police were called to the scene by customers at the nearby Spice House Restaurant on Karon Beach at about 9:30pm, said Maj Theeradech Jiruksa of the Karon Police. The Russian, 27-year-old Evgenii Baturin, had already fled the scene…
Read More » - Phuket News
Police arrest suspect for French tourist murder
PHUKET: Chalong Police have arrested at least one Myanmar national in connection with the killing of French tourist Fabrice Boigeol, 37, who was found slain in his rented Phuket bungalow on April 18. Police have yet to release more details, but the Phuket Gazette has been informed that officers conducting the investigation are searching for at least one other murder…
Read More » - Thailand News
Government calls for more troops in Bangkok as crisis heats up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Government calls for more troops in Bangkok as crisis heats up Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s government is to ask the army to deploy more troops in the capital, Bangkok, as fears mount that the country’s lengthy political crisis could move into a more violent…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News: Suthep shuns talks; PDRC to regroup; Santika boss jailed over B85mn tax evasion
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suthep shuns Abhisit move The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A campaign by Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to find a solution to the country’s political deadlock was generally welcomed yesterday although anti-government leader Suthep Thaugsuban appeared to shun his move. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra described…
Read More » - World News
Drunk passenger triggers hijack alert on Australian flight to Bali
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Drunk passenger triggers hijack alert on Australian flight to Bali Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The pilot of a Virgin Australia plane flying from Brisbane to the Indonesian holiday island of Bali on Friday reported a hijacking attempt after a passenger tried to enter the cockpit,…
Read More » - Thai Life
All tied up: The art of cowboy rope tricks
PHUKET: With more people on the planet, nearly infinite methods of communication and a travel culture that sees people from all walks of life turning up in the most unsuspecting places, there is no telling where you might find influences from foreign cultures. For example, if Phuket entertainer Manoo Suwanmaneesilp hadn’t somehow gotten the chance to see old black-and-white westerns…
Read More » - Business News
Thailand OTOP fair in Patong to breach B1bn barrier
PHUKET: The Thailand One Tambon One Product (OTOP) Fair to conclude tomorrow is expected to boost Phuket’s income from OTOP events beyond the billion-baht mark for the year. The Patong event is expected to bring the island’s income from OTOP events for Fiscal 2014 to 1.08 billion baht for the local economy, a 22% increase on sales realized last year,…
Read More » - Phuket News
QSI Kid Expo kicks off this Sunday
PHUKET: Prep the kids for this Sunday because QSI International School Phuket will hold its first-ever “Kid Expo” from 1-5pm. Dozens of local business will be on-site offering services and activities for children, aiming to provide “everything a family needs” in one place. The expo will see companies offering an enormous range of activities aimed at young children and teens,…
Read More » - Opinion
When home is a dangerous place
PHUKET: I was born and raised in Yala, but have lived in Phuket for about three years. Many outsiders think that Yala is horrible because of the violence. My friends in Phuket don’t want to visit me when I go home, and I understand why. There are a lot of negative stories about Yala in the news. Teachers are assaulted,…
Read More » - Opinion
Phuket’s most dangerous job
Saijai Luesup, 48, has been working as the Workplace Safety Department of Phuket Provincial Labor Protection and Welfare Office chief for almost four years. She has a bachelor’s degree in public health from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. PHUKET: Construction sites pose the greatest danger to workers in Phuket. Because of this we are very thorough with our safety inspections, which…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Pride Week’s Grand Parade to block beach road on Sunday
PHUKET: Phuket Pride Week 2014 will go out with a bang on Sunday with its Grand Parade – the highlight of the eight-day event – marching down Patong’s beachfront road. The beach road will be blocked during the parade, which starts at 3pm at Soi Tan and will present a plethora of floats, fantastically dressed people, street entertainment and music.…
Read More » - Opinion
Can’t wash your hands with dirty water
PHUKET: Hardly a week passes nowadays without a damaging news report about water-related issues in Phuket. Of these, none could be more harmful to the island’s reputation than reports of untreated wastewater flowing directly into the sea at some of the island’s most popular beaches. Such reports are nothing new. Sadly, untreated wastewater entering Patong Bay is now so common…
Read More » - Phuket News
“She begged for her life’: Phuket mother tells of pregnant daughter’s rape ordeal
PHUKET: The mother of the pregnant woman raped by twin teenage brothers in Phuket last Sunday night has told the Phuket Gazette how the men ignored her daughter’s pleas for mercy. “She begged them not to do it, but they didn’t listen,” the mother told the Gazette. “They didn’t only rape and rob her. They choked her very hard as…
Read More » - Phuket News
Traditional cures on offer at Phuket Expo
PHUKET: The 6th Thai Traditional Medicine Expo started Wednesday at Jungceylon and will continue through Sunday, showcasing Thai herbs, therapeutic reflexology and acupuncture. A cooking contest with Thai herbs and demonstrations of massage with shells, wooden hammers and coconut husks will be among the attractions offered free of charge. Diagnostic exams using Thai traditional medical techniques will also be complimentary,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket to launch trash separation project for World Environment Day
PHUKET: Municipalities across Phuket will launch a project to ensure the separation of hazardous materials from public trash on June 5 in a united effort to prevent dangerous materials from contaminating the island’s beaches, canals and the ocean. The project was agreed to at a meeting on Wednesday held by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Phuket office.…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News: Abhisit enters reform surge; Suthep sets for final battle; Mers alert; Power drain; Thawil refocuses on South
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abhisit’s reform talk starts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a renewed effort to help end the political deadlock and avert further violence, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday unveiled a plan to hold talks with some prominent figures and parties to seek a solution…
Read More » - World News
Ukraine forces kill up to five rebels; Russia starts drill near border
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine forces kill up to five rebels; Russia starts drill near border Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukrainian forces killed up to five pro-Moscow rebels on Thursday as they closed in on the separatists’ military stronghold in the east, and Russia launched army drills near the…
Read More » - Cannabis News
Putting the ‘I’ in your Phuket garden
PHUKET: You probably hadn’t noticed that I was plowing my way through the botanical alphabet before getting distracted by more alluring prospects, or the pressing horticultural needs of a four-month- long drought. Well, anyway, most of the tropical plants listed under the letter “I” are in the index by virtue of an Indian designation: Indian banyan, Indian cork tree, Indian…
Read More » - Phuket News
Patong alcohol ban as Pian guns for mayor
PHUKET: The sale of alcohol will be banned throughout Patong tonight and tomorrow (including tomorrow night) as residents go to the polls to elect a Patong Mayor and several new councilors. Former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin will run for re-election. He will face two candidates in the race: Phuket Democrat Chalermluck Kebsab and former councilor Kittisan Kuru of the Patong…
Read More » - Phuket News
Asean disaster specialists meet in Phuket to prepare for the next big one
PHUKET: Doctors and disaster medicine specialists from nine Asean countries are in Phuket to attend a workshop aimed at sharing knowledge and upgrading disaster response systems. Participants at the “Asean Disaster Medicine Workshop”, being held from April 23 to 25, described emergency response systems and international cooperation mechanisms in their own countries. They also took part in a simulation at…
Read More » - World News
Australia rules out link between debris and Malaysian plane
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia rules out link between debris and Malaysian plane Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Authorities ruled out any link between debris picked up on an Australian beach and a missing Malaysian jetliner on Thursday as a tropical cyclone again threatened to hamper a 26-nation air, surface…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket’s one-stop yacht center trial period hits first software snag
PHUKET: The long-awaited, 70-million-baht one-stop yacht center at Chalong Pier opened on Monday only to see system bugs force officers to register all inbound yachts and crews by hand. “Monday was our first trial day for the center, and we had a lot of tourists come to Chalong Pier,” explained Phuket Provincial Administration Office Transportation Division Chief Prasit Yotharak. “We…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Police brutality at heart of mega-blockade
PHUKET: Four police officers were removed from active duty last night to bring an eight-hour blockade of Phuket’s critical Thepkrasattri Road to an end at about 11:30pm. The officers – Lt Akarapol Siwilai, Sub Lt Manus Faipetch, Sgt Maj Sansak Choti and Sgt Yongyuth Ritplud, all of the Tah Chat Chai Police Station – were transferred to Phuket Provincial Hall…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News: Recession looms; Red shirt slain; Officer dies in helicopter plunge; Outrage over Chao Praya drownings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Recesssion looms as MPC to further trim growth forecast in June The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee will lower its forecast for the Kingdom’s 2014 economic growth at its next meeting in June. Paiboon Kittisrikangwan, secretary of the Monetary…
Read More » - World News
Body of Korean boy who raised alarm on sinking ferry believed found
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Body of Korean boy who raised alarm on sinking ferry believed found Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The body of a South Korean boy whose shaking voice first raised the alarm that a passenger ferry with hundreds on board was in trouble has been found, his…
Read More » - Phuket News
Fire-preventing pump bursts into flames on old Phuket ferry
PHUKET: A pump meant to reduce the risk of fire by sucking up old oil short-circuited and burst into flames on a ferry in Ao Por on Tuesday afternoon. All three men working on the ferry when the flames broke out jumped overboard and were rescued by a nearby boat. “The ferry was old and the men were cutting up…
Read More » - Phuket News
Angry Phuket mob stages blockade over twin teen rape suspects
PHUKET: A mob of angry residents this afternoon blockaded Phuket’s critical main artery, Thepkrasattri Road, amid outrage over the twin teenagers who raped a pregnant woman in the area on Sunday night. The blockade, just north of the turnoff to Phuket International Airport, formed at about 2pm after villagers realized that police would not be bringing the twin brothers to…
Read More » - Phuket News
Anything to declare? Airport officials asked to target bags of undisclosed cash
PHUKET: Officers at Phuket International Airport have been asked to target people carrying large amounts of undisclosed cash in the ongoing battle to crack down on transnational crime. The request comes from Glenn Tankard of the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Mr Tankard was in Phuket early this month in his role as head of the Thai Transnational Crime Coordination Network…
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