Month: July 2014

  • Phuket News

    Phuket boy, 14, drowns in heavy surf at Karon Beach

    PHUKET: A boy who was to turn 15 years old in five days drowned at Karon Beach this morning. Kunakorn Saetiaw was seen swimming with friends at about 6am. His body washed ashore about 30 minutes later. “The boys went into the surf even though there were red flags along the beach marking the area as dangerous for swimming,” Kata-Karon…

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  • Phuket News

    Army bolsters order to evict all businesses from Karon Beach by Saturday

    PHUKET: Armed soldiers were present yesterday as eviction notices ordering all businesses to vacate Karon Beach by Saturday were delivered. Karon Mayor Tawee Thongcham walked the length of the beach to issue the notices to each vendor operating on the sand. He was joined by Maj Gen Paween Pongisirin of Region 8 Police, soldiers from the 41st Military Circle and…

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  • Business NewsHotel investment in Thailand likely to decline on AEC opening | Thaiger

    Hotel investment in Thailand likely to decline on AEC opening

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hotel investment in Thailand likely to decline on AEC opening The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Investment in new hotels in Thailand is expected to slow next year as many key players concentrate on newly opened markets to cash in on the opening of the Asean…

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  • Thailand News

    Thailand blasted for horrific rise in ivory trade

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand blasted for horrific rise in ivory trade The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Despite Thailand’s professed reverence for elephants, the country has failed to rein in the illegal ivory trade. Partly to blame for the current poaching crisis is Thai domestic legislation. It permits trade…

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  • Thailand News48 radio stations in Deep South given okay | Thaiger

    48 radio stations in Deep South given okay

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 48 radio stations in Deep South approved to air The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has given 48 radio stations in border provinces in the South the permission in principle to go on air during the Muslim holy…

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  • Thailand NewsFour-day weekend gets nod to boost tourism | Thaiger

    Four-day weekend gets nod to boost tourism

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four-day weekend gets nod to boost tourism The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: August 11 has been approved as an extra public holiday in a bid to boost tourism and stimulate public spending, the National Council for Peace and Order’s spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvari announced yesterday.…

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  • World NewsMalaysia to send diplomat to New Zealand to face sex charges | Thaiger

    Malaysia to send diplomat to New Zealand to face sex charges

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysia to send diplomat to New Zealand to face sex charges Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Malaysia will send a diplomat facing sexual assault charges back to New Zealand, where the alleged incident occurred in May, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, a day after it…

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  • Phuket News

    Dimitrov crushes champion Murray at Wimbledon

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dimitrov crushes champion Murray at Wimbledon Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Grigor Dimitrov broke British hearts by ending Andy Murray’s reign as Wimbledon champion with a sublime and serene 6-1 7-6(4) 6-2 victory in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The third seed had confidently marched into the…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket taxi call service to launch mid-July

    PHUKET: In the next step toward a more efficient and honest public transportation system in Phuket, officials plan to launch a call service for island taxis and tuk-tuks by mid-July. “The first step was to pull down all of the illegal taxi stands in Patong. The next one is to plan how to organize all of the taxis that are…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket woman stabs boyfriend, takes him to hospital

    PHUKET: Police charged a Phuket woman with assault for stabbing her boyfriend last night. However, they are allowing her to stay in the hospital to care for him. Emergency room staff at Patong Hospital notified police at about 8pm that a man had been admitted with stab wounds. When officers arrived, Adinan Na Phattalung, 54, was being treated for a…

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  • Phuket News

    Let the sailors do the talking – Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek 2014

    PHUKET: They say word of mouth is the best type of advertising. Organizers of the Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek have always known this and since the regatta’s inception, they have always put the sailors first. “When Phuket Raceweek was launched in 2004, sailors’ needs were central to the planning and organization,” said Byron Jones, Managing Director of organizers Media…

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  • Phuket News

    10,000 pages of evidence turned over to Phuket prosecutor for taxi-mafia cases

    PHUKET: Police yesterday delivered boxes of investigative documents to the Phuket Provincial Public Prosecutor for the cases of more than 100 taxi mafia members. “The evidentiary report we submitted was over 10,000 pages long,” said Pol Maj Gen Paween Pongisirin, who is spearheading the Phuket taxi mafia takedown. “It represents a total of 12 cases and 112 arrests.” Additionally, police…

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  • Phuket News

    Breaking News: Army raids municipality offices for Phuket mafia taxi connections

    PHUKET: About 50 officers raided the Kata-Karon Municipality offices today to search for evidence of the popular tourist town’s mayor and handpicked deputy mayors’ involvement in the Phuket taxi mafia. Pol Maj Gen Paween Pongisirin led the task force of Army, Navy and police officers at about 11:30. Kata-Karon Deputy Mayors Ithiporn Sangkeaw and Sompong Dabpetch surrendered themselves at Phuket…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket one-stop yacht shop opens without a hitch

    PHUKET: The long-awaited opening of the island’s one-stop yacht shop, officially dubbed the Phuket Yacht Control Center (PYCC), went off without a hitch on Monday in Chalong. Governor Maitri Inthusut delivered the good news in a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning. “Chalong is now ready to be the maritime hub for all yachties. It will offer international quality…

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  • Pattaya News

    Father offers B100,000 reward for kidnapped British girls

    PHUKET: Police on Phuket continue to scour the island as the father of two young girls abducted by their mother in Pattaya last month offers a 100,000-baht reward for information leading to their safe return. Robert Day, the British father, has publicized his search for the girls on Thai TV and in newspapers throughout the nation in the hope of…

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  • Thailand News

    Cambodia frees Veera

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Cambodia frees Veera The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Cambodia yesterday released yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid after he was granted a royal pardon, for the sake of bilateral relations with Thailand and on humanitarian grounds, Thai Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Sihasak Phuangketkoew said. Veera was arrested…

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  • World News

    Israel mourns teens, launches air strikes on Gaza

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Israel mourns teens, launches air strikes on Gaza Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thousands of mourners gathered on Tuesday in an outpouring of national grief for the burial of three Israeli teenagers whose abduction and killing Israel blamed on Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group it vowed…

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  • Phuket News

    Argentina, Belgium through after extra-time drama

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Argentina, Belgium through after extra-time drama Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Argentina scored in the 118th minute to beat Switzerland and Belgium clung on to defeat the United States in another heart-stopping period of extra time to reach the World Cup quarter-finals amid more extraordinary drama…

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  • Phuket News

    Human traffickers removed from Phuket’s migrant-labor supply chain

    PHUKET: Human-trafficking brokers operating on the island are to be cut out of the migrant-labor supply chain under a new system being put in place at the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO). “If any business in Phuket needs more Cambodian laborers, for example, they can apply at the PPEO and we will contact offices in Sa Kaeo, Surin, Trat and…

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  • Phuket News

    Gunpowder found in car of Phuket cop suspected of drive-by killing

    PHUKET: Police have ordered a forensic investigation after finding gunpowder in the car of a police officer suspected of playing a role in a fatal Phuket drive-by shooting in May. The officer, who police have declined to name, denied any involvement in the incident the morning after the killing (story here). The gunpowder; the suspect’s private firearm, a 9mm handgun;…

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  • Business News

    Coup d’etat or coup de grâce?

    PHUKET: The change in government on May 22 seems to have occasioned a very different response from inside Thailand as compared with that of the world outside. The coup may have delivered the coup de grâce to the political turmoil, which not only paralyzed public policy but also saw international investors accelerating their already significant sell-off of Thai assets. Foreign…

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  • Thai Life

    Lose that pouch belly

    PHUKET: To lose weight, you need to eat less and move more – right? What happens if you do that and find that the scale looks better, but the reflection in the mirror stays the same? Many people have been down this puzzling path more than once. Luckily, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Yes, you…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Police net fishy drug dealer in possession of B3mn worth of drugs

    PHUKET: A Phuket aquarium shop owner was arrested last night in possession of 12,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and 230 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Police moved in to make the arrest after being tipped off about a “big-time” drug distributor who owns an aquarium shop near Bus Terminal 1 in Phuket Town, said Phuket Provincial Commander Krajang Suwannarat.…

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  • Business News

    Investment advisers: Whose side are they really on?

    PHUKET: In the world of providing financial planning and investment advisory services, just about everyone claims to be, or tries to pass themselves off as, an expert looking out for your best interest. But just who is an investment adviser really serving and more importantly, who is watching over him or her? For expatriates, asking such questions is important because…

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  • Phuket News

    Weather warning: Tourists cautioned about small boat tours from Phuket today

    PHUKET: A small boat warning has been issued until tomorrow due to expected big waves caused by the annual southwest monsoons. “My biggest concern is for small boat operators, especially tour boats carrying a lot of tourists. Wave heights are expected to reach three meters today. Boat operators must be very cautious and check the forecast regularly,” said San Jantharawong,…

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  • Phuket News

    Not satisfied with Patong massage, man robs masseuse

    PHUKET: A Pattani man enjoyed a three-hour massage in a Patong hotel room last night, then robbed his masseuse and fled, but was quickly caught by police. Police were alerted by staff at the Patong Sub Inn at about 7:30pm that a woman had been tied up and had called for help, said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Khunnadet Nanongkhai. The…

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  • Thailand News

    Junta begins overhaul of electoral system

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta begins overhaul of electoral system Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s military government said on Monday it had begun an overhaul of the electoral system following an announcement by junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha that polls could take place by late 2015. The military took…

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  • World News

    Around 30 migrants found dead on boat near Sicily

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Around 30 migrants found dead on boat near Sicily Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Around 30 migrants were found dead on a boat packed with people off the coast of Sicily, said Italy’s navy which rescued thousands more trying to leave North Africa over the weekend.…

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  • Thailand News

    NCPO opens centers to lure, legalize foreign workers

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NCPO opens centers to lure, legalize foreign workers The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order has ordered a serious effort to bring foreign migrants into the legal workforce in a bid to minimize the impact of the recent Cambodian labor…

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  • Pattaya NewsJunta revokes passports of Charupong and Jakrapob | Thaiger

    Junta revokes passports of Charupong and Jakrapob

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta revokes passports of Charupong and Jakrapob The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The military junta yesterday revoked the passports of six dissidents living overseas in a move to block their capacity to travel and force them to return home. The Foreign Ministry cancelled the travel…

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  • Phuket NewsAll World Cup matches to be aired: NBTC | Thaiger

    All World Cup matches to be aired: NBTC

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community All World Cup matches to be aired: NBTC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) yesterday reassured bleary-eyed football fans that all remaining World Cup matches would be telecast on Army-run Channel 5, state-run NBT and Thai PBS after two…

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  • World News

    Israel finds bodies of three missing teenagers in West Bank

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Israel finds bodies of three missing teenagers in West Bank Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The bodies of three missing Israeli teenagers were found in the occupied West Bank on Monday and Israel vowed to punish Hamas, the Palestinian group it accuses of abducting and killing…

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  • Phuket News

    Germany and France end African hopes, Suarez sorry

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Germany and France end African hopes, Suarez sorry Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Germany and France snuffed out African hopes and reached the World Cup quarter-finals on Monday with hard-won victories over Algeria and Nigeria, while Uruguay striker Luis Suarez broke his silence to apologise for…

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