Month: July 2014

  • World News

    At least 15 killed by shelling of Gaza school

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community At least 15 killed by shelling of Gaza school; toll exceeds 760 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Gazan authorities said Israeli forces shelled a shelter at a U.N.-run school on Thursday, killing at least 15 people as the Palestinian death toll in the conflict climbed over…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket beach vendor fined for burying coolers in sand

    PHUKET: A vendor has been fined 2,000 baht for burying her coolers in the sand in an attempt to carry on selling ice-cold drinks to tourists on Patong Beach. Officers discovered three large ice boxes buried in the sand across the road from Burger King while patrolling the beachfront road on Monday. “We asked people in the area who the…

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  • Phuket News

    PLTO chief demands harsh penalties for illegal Phuket taxis

    PHUKET: The highest penalty will be sought for all illegal taxi drivers caught operating on the island after August 1 vowed Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) Chief Terayout Prasertphol today. “Police have just been fining and then releasing drivers. However, from August 1 onward, if police apprehend any illegal taxi driver, they must send the case directly to court and…

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  • Phuket News

    Germany Ambassador to Thailand bids farewell to Phuket consul

    PHUKET: German Ambassador to Thailand Rolf Schulze bid farewell to Phuket legacy Dirk Naumann on July 18 as Mr Naumann concluded 12 dedicated years on the island as German Honorary Consul. Amb Schulze commended Mr Naumann for his years of service, especially his work after the tsunami. “Without your creativity, engagement, help and human feeling it would not have been…

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  • Thai Life

    EFT Mountain Fish Park grand opening an hour from Phuket

    PHUKET: The gates of the Exotic Fishing Thailand (EFT) Mountain Fish Park will swing open on July 26 and 27 to everyone for the facility’s grand opening. During the free event, all are welcome to visit the park, home to more than 60 species of fish from around the world, says park founder Mike Bailey. The 25 rai lake, eight…

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  • Phuket News

    Tsunami survivor waits for brother before Phuket savior reunion

    PHUKET: British woman Emily Willgrass, who was last week reunited via Facebook with a Phuket woman who took care of her and her brother after the devastating tsunami struck Phuket, has arrived on the island. However, Ms Willgrass has yet to meet her tsunami savior in person. Yupin Sengmuang, who helped Ms Willgrass and her brother Ben while their father…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket taxi call center on hold, ranks wait for green light

    PHUKET: The launch of the Patong taxi call center has been deferred indefinitely as officials scramble to prepare staff, taxi drivers and necessary equipment. The service was slated to kick off this month (story here), following the tear-down of illegal taxi stands throughout Patong and the rest of the island (story here). “We have mapped out the proposed locations of…

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  • Phuket News

    Sale of B60mn prime Phuket land plot spooked by suspect land title

    PHUKET: A family of farmers trying to sell nine rai of land with an estimated value of 60 million baht have come under scrutiny for trying to upgrade a SorKor 1 deed for the site to full Chanote status. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak led officers to inspect the site yesterday after receiving an anonymous complaint asking for the Governor’s…

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  • Business News

    Thanyapura gives back to the community

    PHUKET: “Now more than ever, companies need to demonstrate transparency. They must show they are attuned to environmental issues. They should reduce carbon emissions, promote zero waste and host CSR activities to engage the public,” said the President of International Business Affairs of The Nation Multimedia Group Pana Janviroj in the foreword of the latest issue of CSR Thailand magazine.…

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  • Phuket News

    Tourists on ‘walk-in’ visa entries to get 30-day extensions

    PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Immigration Office, Col Sunchai Chokkajaykij, has confirmed that his office has received an official order to begin issuing extensions of up to 30 days to foreigners who enter the country on visa-exemption status. The order, signed by Immigration Bureau Acting Commissioner Sakda Chuenpakdee, is to come into effect from August 29, said Col Sunchai.…

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  • World News

    TransAsia Airways plane crashes in typhoon-hit Taiwan, killing 47

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community TransAsia Airways plane crashes in typhoon-hit Taiwan, killing 47 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A TransAsia Airways <6702.TW> turboprop plane crashed on its second attempt at landing during a thunderstorm on an island off Taiwan on Wednesday, killing 47 people and setting buildings on fire, officials…

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  • Cannabis News

    Dutch pot lord arrested in Pattaya

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dutchman, Thai wife nabbed for trafficking pot The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Dutchman and his Thai wife were arrested yesterday in Pattaya for allegedly conspiring to sell marijuana via a network in the Netherlands that reportedly earned Bt600 million to Bt800 million per year.…

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  • Phuket News

    Newcastle lead the Premier League jet-setters

    PHUKET: By the time Newcastle United kick off their Premier League campaign at home to champions Manchester City in little less than a month’s time the squad would have clocked up an astonishing 24,687 pre-season air miles. Globe-trotting West Ham United will not be far behind while five other clubs would have covered distances in excess of 12,000 miles as…

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  • World News

    Gaza bloodshed deepens as airlines shun Israel

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gaza bloodshed deepens as airlines shun Israel Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Gaza fighting raged on Wednesday, displacing thousands more Palestinians in the battered territory as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said efforts to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas had made some progress.…

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  • World News

    Dutch mourn as first MH17 bodies arrive in Netherlands

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dutch mourn as first MH17 bodies arrive in Netherlands Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The bodies of the first victims from a Malaysian airliner shot down over Ukraine last week arrived on Wednesday at a military base in the Netherlands – a nation in shock and…

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  • Phuket News

    Dozens of Phuket officials under fire for allegedly issuing illegal land documents

    PHUKET: At least 30 officials in Phuket are under investigation for their alleged involvement in illegally issuing land documents for plots in Sirinath National Park. Tawichat Nillakan, chief of the Phuket office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), told the Phuket Gazette that his office had received at least 77 formal complaints against local officials for abusing their positions of…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket SEA Coworking Space hosts iSeahorse workshop tonight

    PHUKET: The SEA Coworking Space in Phuket Town will be saddling up to host a free iSeahorse workshop this evening at 6:30. The event is a training workshop for scuba divers, snorkellers and beach goers who have an interest in learning how to survey and identify seahorses in coastal locations, explains Lindsay Aylesworth, lead researcher in Thailand for Project Seahorse…

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  • Phuket News

    ITF Pro Circuit winners rejoice

    PHUKET: WITH the Chang SAT International Tennis Federation (ITF) Pro Circuit doubles event at Phuket’s Thanyapura half way through, the first winners are celebrating their results. Ya-Fan Wang of China played from the qualifying round to win the Women’s Singles event. In the final round Wang survived five match points to come back to defeat Yi-Fan Xu 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket lifeguards issue no-jeans warning after near-drowning

    PHUKET: Lifeguards at Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach have called for swimmers to not wear jeans in the surf after a tourist wearing them nearly drowned there late yesterday afternoon. Lifeguards pulled Kammapol Suyapiew, 40, unconscious from the heavy surf after he went swimming with friends in an area marked by red flags. “We tried to warn them when we saw…

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  • Phuket News

    Thalang open their account with a win over Laguna

    With both teams chasing their first points of the Outrigger Twenty20 season, last year’s premiers Laguna were pitted against Thalang, recent winners of the 35 over league. The coin fell Thalang’s way and Captain Craig Murphy elected to bat. Manish Sadarangani did what Laguna couldn’t do in the recent grand final when he picked up Andrew McMillan’s wicket in the…

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  • Thai Life

    Pop star Tata ties knot with long-time sweetheart in Phuket

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pop star Tata ties knot with long-time sweetheart in Phuket The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Amita Tata Young, a much-loved Thai-American pop star, wed Chatadul “Mor” Seenapongpipit in a private ceremony on the beach in Phuket yesterday. Businessman Chatadul reportedly proposed to her on May…

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  • Thailand News

    State oil PTT sued for B350mn for Samet oil spill

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Six businesses file Bt350m lawsuit against PTT The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Tourism operators filed a lawsuit at the Rayong Provincial Court yesterday demanding Bt350 million in compensation from PTT Global Chemical PCL (PTTGC) for the July 27, 2013, oil spill off the coast of…

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  • Thailand NewsNCPO eases controls on media, urges self-regulation | Thaiger

    NCPO eases controls on media, urges self-regulation

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NCPO eases controls on media, urges self-regulation The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has amended some points in its announcement – No 97 – on media control after being told that the order banning critical reports was harsh.…

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  • Thailand News

    His Majesty endorses provisional constitution

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NCPO chief gets full control of security The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: His Majesty The King has endorsed a provisional charter that puts the chief of National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) in charge of national security, allowing him to suppress any action both…

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  • Thailand News

    Boy, 4, dies after being left in car by school driver

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boy, 4, dies after being left in car by school driver The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Another child has died in tragic circumstances after being left in a car – in Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday – by the driver of a school vehicle. Driver Anusorn…

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  • World News

    Indonesian president-elect Jokowi calls for unity after bitter election

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesian president-elect Jokowi calls for unity after bitter election Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was declared the winner of Indonesia’s presidential election on Tuesday, bringing the promise of major reforms to the world’s third largest democracy. The Elections Commission, known as KPU, said…

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  • Phuket News

    Police save Phuket van driver from mob after collision kills woman two days before her 24th birthday

    PHUKET: Police quickly removed a Phuket van driver from the scene of a fatal accident in Koh Kaew this afternoon that killed a woman two days before her 24th birthday. According to witnesses, Jantima Srilertchalalai was riding her motorbike about one kilometer from British International School Phuket when she braked suddenly while crossing a small bridge. “The van driver [travelling…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket begins registering illegal migrant workers

    PHUKET: The first wave of illegal migrant workers made their way to Phuket Provincial Community Hall today to apply for legal working status at the one-stop registration center. The center opened at 8:30am and will operate every day until August 21, as instructed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), to streamline the process of registering illegal migrant…

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  • Phuket News

    Breaking News: Police bust Phuket drug dealer found with B3.5mn worth of ya ice

    PHUKET: Police nabbed a big-time Phuket drug dealer yesterday afternoon with 3.5* million baht worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) stashed away in his house in Rawai. “Suphap Somphak, 30, was wanted for his involvement in an island drug network. Investigators were able to gather enough information about him to secure a search warrant for his house in Soi Sarika…

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  • Phuket News

    No life-time ban for overstays

    PHUKET: Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has dropped its proposal for a lifetime ban on foreigners re-entering the country if they are caught overstaying their permits-to-stay by 10 years or more. The Immigration Division 1 in Bangkok announced the news by posting a special notice on its website this morning (click here). Under the new proposed rules, there is no re-entry ban…

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  • Phuket News

    Pinot plays down Bardet rivalry ahead of Pyrenees

    THIBAUT Pinot has played down an all-French rivalry with fellow youngster Romain Bardet by saying his compatriot is not his biggest threat for a rare home podium finish on the Tour de France. Pinot, who is fourth just behind third-placed Bardet, believes Spain’s second-placed Alejandro Valverde, American Tejay van Garderen in fifth and France’s Jean-Christophe Peraud have greater time-trial prowess…

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  • Food

    The grand opening of Sangria’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant in Rawai

    PHUKET: Among a fury of tasty tapas, pitchers of fruit-spiked wine and even a fire-spinning show, Sangria’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant celebrated its grand opening in Rawai on July 1. “Originally it was a salad bar… it was Healthy Options,” explained owner Aimee Grainge. “A lot of people came in and said, ‘there’s no meat’.” Now, following a change of…

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  • Phuket News

    One man killed, one injured in two fruit-picking accidents on Phuket

    PHUKET: One fruit harvester was injured and another killed yesterday in separate accidents on northern Phuket. At about 4:30pm, a Myanmar national named only as Maen fell from a tree to his death at a west coast resort while harvesting coconuts. The tree was situated on the edge of a cliff, and Mr Maen, 32, fell 30 meters before striking…

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  • World News

    South Korea ferry disaster: Body of fugitive boss found

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community South Korea ferry disaster: Body of fugitive boss found Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: South Korean police said on Tuesday that a body found last month in the south of the country was that of a fugitive businessman who headed the family that owned the operator…

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  • Thailand NewsMedia groups call on junta to repeal ban threat | Thaiger

    Media groups call on junta to repeal ban threat

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Media groups call on junta to repeal ban threat The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Media groups have called on the National Council for Peace and Order to revoke or change its latest announcement on control measures over the industry. Of particular concern is the immediate…

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  • World News

    Bodies, black boxes handed over from Ukraine crash site

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bodies, black boxes handed over from Ukraine crash site Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The remains of some of the nearly 300 victims of the Malaysia Airlines plane downed over Ukraine were making their way to the Netherlands on Tuesday as a senior Ukrainian separatist leader…

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  • World News

    Gaza death toll tops 500 as U.S. steps up ceasefire efforts

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gaza death toll tops 500 as U.S. steps up ceasefire efforts Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Palestinian death toll in an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip jumped to more than 500 on Monday, as the United States, alarmed by escalating civilian bloodshed, took a…

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