Month: May 2014
- Phuket
Did you win a private Phuket airplane ride?
PHUKET: Two lucky people out of the more than 500 who took part in the Phuket Gazette’s 2014 Reader Survey have won a free ride over the island in the company’s new airplane. Each person who completed the survey was issued a lucky number. The winning numbers, drawn late yesterday, are 8584 and 7546. Maintaining our promise of anonymity in…
Read More » - Phuket
Navy experts disarm Japanese WWII torpedo in Krabi
PHUKET: The WWII Japanese torpedo brought to Krabi’s shores by fisherman on Tuesday was removed from the beach by experts and disarmed on a nearby island yesterday . “Officers from the Thai Navy Ordinance confirmed that the torpedo was from World War II, and that it was capable of destroying everything within a 1 kilometer radius,” Koh Sriboya Kamnan Samran…
Read More » - Phuket
Irish teacher dies after motorbike crash in Phuket
PHUKET: An Irish teacher at Baan Maireab School in Phuket died today from head injuries sustained in a motorbike accident last night. Denis Bates, 30, was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital at about 11pm. The Irishman, originally from Dublin, had been in a coma until he succumbed to his head injury at 12:10pm today. “He died of intracerebral hemorrhaging,” confirmed…
Read More » - Thailand
Gen Prayuth says reconciliation, reform to take about a year – elections to wait
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gen Prayuth says reconciliation, reform to take about a year Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) leader Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said yesterday that a process of reconciliation between political factions and reforms would take about one year, and only after…
Read More » - Phuket
Driving courses to be offered in English, Russian and Burmese for Phuket foreigners
PHUKET: Several educational institutions on the island will soon offer training courses in English, as well as Russian and Burmese, for foreigners wanting to get a driver’s licence. The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with five educational institutions on the island – Rajabhat University, Thalang Technical College, Phuket Technical College, Phuket Polytechnic College and…
Read More » - Phuket
Kick the habit with Vachira Phuket Hospital’s “No Tobacco Day’ event
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital is holding a “No Tobacco Day” event today to provide advice and strategies for island smokers who want to kick the habit. “The event takes place from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Staff will offer advice to those who want to quit smoking,” Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Jessada Chungpaibulpatana told the Phuket Gazette. “Staff from our International Department…
Read More » - Phuket
Federer, Djokovic struggle as Sharapova blazes through in Paris
PHUKET: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were both put to the test to reach the fourth round of the French Open on Friday while Maria Sharapova continued to blaze through a thinning women’s draw. Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska was knocked out 6-4 6-4 by Croatian Ajla Tomljanovic, becoming the latest victim of a new generation of talent sweeping through…
Read More » - Phuket
Short-circuited incubator burns Phuket baby
PHUKET: A newborn Phuket baby suffered burn wounds after a fire started in its incubator, an accident dubbed “unpreventable” by the hospital director. The baby was two days old when a short-circuit in the incubator’s light bulb set fire to the newborn’s swaddling blanket, explained Thana Bookahoot, director of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital. “Nurses immediately saved the…
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Pirate-goods sellers protest being “exploited’ through alleged government extortion
PHUKET: A barrage of complaints were voiced by pirate-goods sellers during a protest against allegedly being forced to pay “too much” extortion money to a variety of government officers based in Bangkok. “They come for money every day, but it’s always a different officer,” said one of the protesters, who declined to be named. “They ask for 3,000 baht or…
Read More » - Phuket
NCPO to keep Phuket radio stations off air, concerned about rogue DJs
PHUKET: Despite not being under investigation by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), radio stations in Phuket have been ordered to remain off air due to concerns that rogue DJs could cause disharmony, the Phuket Gazette was told. “The private radio stations are to remain off air because we don’t want to chance someone talking on air about…
Read More » - Thai Life
Hold on to your skirt!
PHUKET: Beware, fellow ladies of Phuket: skirts are not advised at the island’s newest tourist attraction, as you might feel compelled to strike some compromising poses once you walk into Baan Teelanka – otherwise known as the Upside Down House. So, be sure to plan ahead and throw on a pair of pants. Baan Teelanka is a place of dizzying…
Read More » - Phuket
Phuket developer concedes B600mn school land grab was a “misunderstanding’
PHUKET: The Phuket developer who earlier this week staked a claim to a huge tract of land belonging to Kathu Wittaya School yesterday admitted that he had “made a mistake”. Named publicly only as “Ko Kim”, the landowner said he would have the Land Office move the boundary markers for his land – which is next to the school –…
Read More » - Phuket
Breaking News: Phuket pirated goods vendors protest paying off officials
PHUKET: Sellers from about 40 pirated goods shops in Phuket took to the streets today in protest of allegedly being forced to pay “too much” money to a variety of government offices in Bangkok. Protesters are currently on the streets holding signs saying, “Closed because we cannot afford paying extortion money”. — Kritsada Mueanhawong
Read More » - Phuket
Phuket FC take on the Navy TC
PHUKET: Seventh place Phuket FC take on fifth place Navy FC at Sattahip Navy Stadium in Chonburi tomorrow evening at 6pm their next Yamaha League One fixture.
Read More » - Pattaya
Phuket rental operator takes stand against undesirable tourists
Arnut Lowlarng, 39, is a native of Patong and the new President of the Patong Bike and Car Rent Association. He has a vocational certificate in construction from Phuket Technical College and has been renting vehicles in Patong for more than 22 years. Here, he talks about what kind of tourists he’d like to see in Phuket and the issues…
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Phuket’s low season saviors: Russians, Chinese and Middle Easterners
PHUKET: The sacred oxen have spoken – the rainy season is upon us – and it will be a year of abundant water and food. The year will also be abundant in Russians, Chinese and Middle Easterners – the financial saviors of Phuket’s low season. Down here on the island, far from the rice-reliant agriculture industry, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony…
Read More » - Phuket
Boycott forces Patong mayor to abandon inaugural council meeting
PHUKET: A boycott by members of Pian Keesin’s Rak Patong Party this morning forced Chalermluck Kebsab to abandon her first council meeting as Patong Mayor. Mayor Chalermluck, a long-standing Phuket Democrat, defeated Mr Pian at the polls by 4,390 votes to 3,330 on April 26 (story here). However, her supporting councilors today failed to form a quorum – the minimum…
Read More » - Phuket
Protect Phuket’s tourism
PHUKET: As the latest edition of the Phuket Gazette hits newsstands this weekend, the nationwide curfew imposed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has already done considerable harm to Thailand’s all-important tourism sector. Indeed, no province stands to suffer more than Phuket if international confidence in Thailand as a safe tourism destination deteriorates any further. Hence, the…
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Nadal masters young apprentice, Murray hits form
PHUKET: Rafa Nadal provided a claycourt lesson for one of the game’s young apprentices at the French Open when he crushed rising Austrian Dominic Thiem with a masterly display to reach the third round on Thursday. The eight-times champion showed flashes of his intimidating best in a 6-2 6-2 6-3 win that was tougher than the scoreline suggested, but was…
Read More » - Business
Economic outlook positive despite coup
PHUKET: Business and economic leaders have expressed confidence in the economy despite the uncertainty surrounding the direction the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will take in the coming weeks and months. The heads of several leading property development companies, including Italian-Thai Development Plc, Sansiri Plc and Land and House Plc, all of which have large projects underway or…
Read More » - Phuket
Lost French tourist rescued from Phuket jungle
PHUKET: A hastily formed search instigated by an expat Phuket Tourist Police Volunteer led to the safe recovery of 25-year-old French tourist Erik Pourier, who became lost in the jungle at the Khao Phra Thaew wildlife sanctuary in Thalang in the dark. On his first trip to Phuket, Mr Pourier had rented a motorbike to explore the island, and decided…
Read More » - Thailand
Junta seeks to block social-media access to ‘inappropriate content’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta seeks to block social-media access to ‘inappropriate content’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The junta’s online content monitoring panel will seek cooperation from social-network operators to block accessibility in Thailand to Facebook pages, Line groups and YouTube videos that have inappropriate content, especially those…
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