Month: April 2014
- Phuket News
Video Report: Airport Customs snare Phuket drug mule with B7mn of crystal meth
PHUKET: A Thai woman was arrested at Phuket International Airport yesterday after she tried to smuggle 2.5kg of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) from China into Phuket. Customs officers valued the drugs at about 7 million baht. “Buachompoo Pattanapiyawach, 39, was caught with drugs in her luggage after it was scanned by an x-ray machine,” Phuket Airport Customs Director Montira Cherdchoo…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Australia says new ‘pings’ best lead yet in Malaysia jet search
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia says new ‘pings’ best lead yet in Malaysia jet search Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Australian ship searching for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner has picked up signals consistent with the beacons from aircraft black box recorders, in what search officials said on Monday…
Read More » - Business News
Phuket Business Development Office holds Foreign Business Act seminar in English for the first time
PHUKET: The Phuket Business Development Office (BDO) has announced that it will be hosting a seminar aimed at educating foreign business operators about the provisions of Thailand’s Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542. Topics addressed during the seminar will include whether it is necessary to set up a company to do business in the Kingdom, avoiding red tape and issues surrounding…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Pro-Russia protesters raid Ukraine building, seize weapons
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pro-Russia protesters raid Ukraine building, seize weapons Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pro-Russian protesters who broke into state security headquarters in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk have seized weapons, and highway police have closed down entrances into the city, local police said on Monday. Mainly…
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Phuket official loses B4mn Benz in chicken run wipeout
PHUKET: A six-wheeled truck hauling a battery of chickens bound for Krabi crushed a brand-new, 4-million-baht Mercedes-Benz belonging to a local official in Mai Khao, in the north of Phuket, on Saturday. The accident took place at 11am on Thepkrassatri Road northbound, about 300 meters from the entrance to Sai Kaew Beach. “I came to check on a construction site,”…
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Still no extradition request for Phuket fugitive arrested a month ago
PHUKET: One month after his arrest in the Philippines, the extradition of British fugitive Michael John Taylor, also known as “Mick the Pom”, wanted in Phuket on murder charges, appears to be at a standstill. Phuket’s top cop Maj Gen Ong-art Phiewruangnont says he has no knowledge of the case, and the officer in charge of it, Lt Col Danprai…
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Road death inaction sparks blockade of Phuket police station
PHUKET: The angry son of a man killed in a road accident at Chalong Circle eight months ago this morning staged a blockade of Chalong Police Station, accusing officers of supporting murder. The man parked his minivan along with two other vehicles at the entrance of the station, preventing anyone from getting in and out. Posters were plastered over billboards…
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Phuket FC slaughter BKK Iron Bulls
PHUKET: As the Phuket FC Ronins sharpened their blades in preparation for their battle against the Bangkok FC Iron Bulls last Saturday, nearly 5,000 fired-up fans braved the roads to Surakul Stadium under unsettled skies. Fans were on their feet from the beginning, cheering on their hometown team, and jeering at the Iron Bulls. They had two reasons for their…
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Minor Group’s 5-billion baht Phuket investment
PHUKET: Investment confidence on the resort island of Phuket has continued to ramp up in 2014 despite the Bangkok political crisis. The launch of fifteen ultra luxury villas on the prime west coast by the Thai-listed group Minor International PLC is at the forefront of the upscale movement. Tagged as The Residences by Anantara Layan, the villas range from four…
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Stabbing in Phuket attributed to red-shirt, PDRC divide
PHUKET: An argument over the political divisions being played out in Bangkok ended with a red-shirt supporter from Isarn, Northeastern Thailand, stabbing two Southern Thai fruit vendors in Patong on Saturday night. One eyewitness told the Phuket Gazette that the argument erupted while seven vendors – who all sell fruit on Patong Beach for the same employer – were drinking…
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BISP Flying Fish storm the pool at Thanyapura
With temperatures soaring close to 40 degrees Celsius, 312 energetic six-to-18-year-old swimmers and their many supporters packed the grandstands at the Thanyapura Invitational Swim Meet presented by Rocket Science Sports, on March 29 and 30. Thanyapura’s Olympic standard aquatic center played host to a total of 17 teams, and swimmers from eight countries joined the meet from as far afield…
Read More » - Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: NSC fears Bangkok street battles; Bombs rock Yala; Son hires hit on parents
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NSC fears civil strife if protesters take to the streets The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Security Council (NSC) is not confident that it will be able to fully control civil unrest when anti-government and pro-government demonstrators take to the streets. “With so many…
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Phuket to be “unaffected’ during 28-day power disruptions
The Provincial Energy Office has assured that Phuket and other tourism provinces along the Andaman coast will remain unaffected as a major natural gas supply line that feeds the national grid goes offline for 28 days in June and July. The news follows the announcement that the supply of natural gas from field A-18 in the Joint Development Area (JDA)…
Read More » - Hua Hin News
Phuket Gazette World News: Chinese, Australian ships try to verify potential ‘pings’ from Malaysia jet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chinese, Australian ships try to verify potential ‘pings’ from Malaysia jet Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Chinese and Australian ships hunting for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner have picked up separate acoustic signals in different parts of a vast Indian Ocean search area and are trying…
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Officials stunned as B15bn Andaman Bridge rumors resurface
PHUKET: A stunned Governor of Satun Province has denounced reports that plans were afoot to build a four-lane motorway over the Andaman Sea to join Satun Town in Southern Thailand with Perlis in northwestern Malaysia. Governor Nuachai Jiraapirak dispelled the rumors this week after news reports began circulating online early last month, unofficially calling the supposed joint Thailand-Malaysia initiative the…
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Phuket Lake Filling: A sneak behind the watershed
Special Report A housing developer faces legal action if he continues filling in a lake north of Samkong. Soil-dumping as part of an anti-erosion project may continue as long as health issues are addressed. The Phuket Gazette‘s Irfarn Jamdukor reports. PHUKET: Rassada Municipality is preparing to file a police complaint if the lake filling at the Srisuchart Grandview housing estate,…
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Kidnapped Russian leaves Phuket
PHUKET: The Russian kidnapping victim who was recovered alive, Iana Strizheus, caught a flight from Phuket back to Russia last night. “She has given her statement to police and been presented to the judge. Therefore, she is free to go home,” Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Arun Kaewvatee told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “This changes nothing for our investigation.”…
Read More » - Thailand News
3,000 police, troops for red rally in Bangkok
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 3,000 police and troops for red rally Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: More than 3,000 policemen and soldiers will be dispatched to take care of the pro-government red shirts’ mass rally near Bangkok today amid increasing concern there could be clashes between pro- and anti-government…
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10-year-old on life support after Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: A 10-year-old girl is unresponsive and on life support at Vachira Phuket Hospital after a motorbike accident on Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew on Thursday. Rattanawadee Tukthin was returning home from Big C on a motorbike driven by her sister, Anjira Tukthin, 17, when the pair crashed into a utility pole. “Ms Anjira is recovering in hospital after receiving…
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Men fire on Phuket armored van transporting B10mn, then flee as van gives chase
PHUKET: Three suspects who opened fire on an armored van carrying 10 million baht yesterday afternoon were chased down by the van driver, but managed to escape. The van had left Tesco Lotus in Phuket Town and was northbound on Thepkrasattri Road, headed to refill ATMs in Bang Tao and at the Phuket International Airport when the men fired on…
Read More » - Opinion
Tempest in a longtail
PHUKET: I could feel the Sea Sheperd weekend warrior rising up in me, ready for battle, after reading about the “Yamu Night Fishing Game.” As a sunny-weather marine conservationist, I have no issues with sport fishing competitions. However, I suffered a knee-jerk reaction to seeing “sharks and rays” listed as a category for the Yamu fishing tournament. Glimpses of proud…
Read More » - Opinion
Safeguarding health in a shifting populace
Kajohnsak Kaewjarus, 49, took up the position of chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office on October 1 last year. Phang Nga born and raised, Dr Kajohnsak graduated from Mahidol University with a master’s degree in general surgery. Here, he talks about Phuket’s top health concerns and gives his prognosis on how to treat them. PHUKET: After spending only a…
Read More » - Opinion
Essence of life endangered in Phuket
PHUKET: It is sad, but not surprising, that it took a recent public intervention to finally stop a well-known local Phuket businessman from backfilling an important water storage reservoir on the island. Given our nation’s growing reputation internationally as a hotspot for protests, it is difficult to fathom why so few demonstrations on the island are ever fomented by the…
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Rescuer recovering from fumes that killed Phuket sewer workers last week
PHUKET: The rescue worker who passed out while attempting to save four workers who died in a Phuket Town sewer on March 26 is recovering in the hospital and will be discharged in a week. Jessada Janpen, 25, was one of the first to arrive on the scene, and immediately descended into the sewer to rescue the maintenance workers. Although…
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Video Report: Phuket crepe maker meets the stranger who saved him from sharks
PHUKET: It was an emotional meeting last week between the man who lost his only source of livelihood – a sidecar outfitted to make crepes – and the New Zealand woman who gave him the money he needed to avoid borrowing cash from loan sharks to buy a new one. Crepe vendor Prayoon Impuang, whose sidecar was consumed by flames…
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Foreigners in Phuket: Dive shop blitz clarifies instructors’ work descriptions
PHUKET: Foreign dive instructors’ job descriptions were clarified during an inspection led by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut in Patong today, as the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) investigates allegations that police were extorting money from them due to ambiguities in work permits (story here). “We only came to check work permits and clarify the information within them to the employees.…
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Phuket Marine Police volunteers’ numbers swell ahead of Songkran
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Police have garnered 97 trained volunteers to bolster their ranks ahead of the Songkran Festival. “Boat captains, crews and tour guides were called to join in safety-training seminars and volunteer to support the Marine Police, as they are the ones who have the best chance of rescuing people in the water,” Phuket Marine Police Superintendent Pumin…
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Another Phuket workplace fatality: Shrimp farm worker found dead in boat
PHUKET: A Myanmar national was found dead this afternoon at the Sri Soonthorn shrimp farm where he worked, marking the fifth work-related death within two weeks in Phuket. The body of Nyi Paing, 25, was found on a boat in one of the farm’s ponds by a co-worker after he did not return from his morning work routine, Lt Col…
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Phuket Gazette sets record with 108-page issue
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette hit the newsstands with a resounding thump today with a record-breaking 108 pages. This week’s issue of the island’s leading English-language newspaper is packed with content, boasting the 32-page China Daily Asia Weekly, a world-class publication built in Hong Kong; the 16-page Russia Beyond The Headlines (RBTH), published by the renowned Moscow-based Rossiskaya Gazetta; and an…
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Tomorrow at Surakul Stadium: Phuket FC VS Bangkok FC
Brave the rain and come join the thousands who will make it out to Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town tomorrow to cheer on your local professional football team, Phuket FC. The number five Phuket FC Ronins will host number three Bangkok FC with kick-off at 6:30. Tickets are 100 baht. Bring enthusiasm and an umbrella!
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Phuket lifeguard president threatens to cut number of guards
PHUKET: The president of the island’s lifeguard club is threatening to slash the number of guards on Phuket beaches by 20 per cent, despite a 10 per cent increase in government funding. “We have yet to decide whether we will agree to the 22mn baht contract,” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan told the Phuket Gazette. “If we renew the…
Read More » - Thai Life
At the mercy of the sea
There are two crazy Frenchmen sailing around the world on a tiny boat and they are here in Phuket but leaving in one hour. That was the first word we heard at the Gazette of the adventurers who were in Phuket on a brief hiatus from their voyage in Poseidon’s watery world. Scenes from great ocean-faring tales were instantly resurrected…
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Two red cards in Phuket’s DNF We Freedive Suunto Series
PHUKET: The Dynamic Without Fins (DNF) event at the We Freedive Suunto Series saw two red cards as contestants pushed to cover as much horizontal distance as possible in the Association Internationale pour le Developpement de l’Apnee (AIDA) event. Malaysian champion Azam Hamid, who holds records in several other freediving disciplines, crossed the marker for the Malaysia National record at…
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Teenagers arrested for Phuket gang execution
PHUKET: Police have arrested nine gang members, including six juveniles, for the murder of a rival teenager who was gunned down and hacked to death in Rassada early yesterday morning. Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of the Phuket City Police named the adult suspects as Kiat Phanthong, 21; Panumas Ladnalao, 19; and Warawoth Malsu, 18. “We are still searching for Saksit…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket’s Bike Week expects to host 50,000 riders
PHUKET: The 20th annual Phuket Bike Week starts next week in Phuket and is expected to draw 50,000 bikers from more than 30 countries. The six days of activities, stretching from April 11 to 19, will include stunt-riding shows, group rides, concerts, a beauty pageant, tattoo competition and on Songkran day, water play. From April 11 to 14, events will…
Read More » - World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Ukraine accuses ex-president over sniper deaths
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine accuses ex-president over sniper deaths Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukraine’s prime minister on Thursday blamed ousted President Viktor Yanukovich for the deaths of dozens of anti-government protesters shot by police snipers and urged Russia to hand him over to face charges. Arseny Yatseniuk made…
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Phuket Gazette World News: U.S. Army names Fort Hood shooter, says had mental illness
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. Army names Fort Hood shooter, says had mental illness Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The soldier suspected of shooting dead three people before killing himself at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas was identified as Ivan Lopez, a man battling mental illness when he…
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