Month: August 2014

  • Phuket NewsKatathani Phuket rocks eyed for encroachment

    Katathani Phuket rocks eyed for encroachment

    PHUKET: A team of officials descended on Kata Noi Bay late yesterday afternoon to inspect a battery of rocks in front of the Katathani Phuket Beach Resort that were alleged to be encroaching on public beach land. The inspection, led by Suthee Sirianan, the Chief Administrative Officer of Muang District Office, was launched after local villagers filed a complaint through…

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  • Business NewsRuler of the rubber world

    Ruler of the rubber world

    PHUKET: It started way back in the 16th century when an explorer saw tribal people in Mexico playing games with balls made out of a soft, bouncy material. It took another couple hundred years before anyone actually sat down and took a long, scientifically inquisitive look at what that material was. And its first practical use came in the form…

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  • Business NewsHow will markets react to end of stimulus?

    How will markets react to end of stimulus?

    PHUKET: The Fed has finally announced a specific month to mark the end of their stimulus program which has been running since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008. In the minutes of their most recent meeting, they have announced their intention to continue scaling back monthly bond purchases, which had run at US$85 billion per month, and to…

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  • World NewsNepal ends search for landslide survivors, declares 156 dead

    Nepal ends search for landslide survivors, declares 156 dead

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nepal ends search for landslide survivors, declares 156 dead Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Nepal on Wednesday called off a search for survivors and declared 156 people dead after a landslide at the weekend, making it the deadliest to hit the Himalayan nation in three decades.…

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  • World NewsObama orders targeted air strikes in Iraq

    Obama orders targeted air strikes in Iraq

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama orders targeted air strikes, humanitarian aid drops in Iraq Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: President Barack Obama said on Thursday he had authorized “targeted” U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in northern Iraq and military airdrops of humanitarian supplies to besieged religious minorities there to…

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  • Thailand NewsJapanese man sought in surrogacy scam flees

    Japanese man sought in surrogacy scam flees

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Japanese man sought in surrogacy scam flees The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A young Japanese man has left Thailand after emerging evidence suggests he might have played a key role in a surrogacy gang. Thailand does not yet have specific laws to control surrogacy. Legislation…

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  • Thailand NewsNCPO eyes lifting martial law | Thaiger

    NCPO eyes lifting martial law

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NCPO eyes lifting martial law The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief has a plan to lift the martial law soon, Lt-General Kampanart Ruddit, director of the Reconciliation for Reform Centre said yesterday. He added that the NCPO…

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  • Thailand NewsUnauthorised surrogacy practised for years: medical source

    Unauthorised surrogacy practised for years: medical source

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Unauthorised surrogacy practised for years: medical source The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Unauthorised surrogacy procedures have been performed for years at several clinics and hospitals and even medical schools by qualified practitioners, a medical source said yesterday. Through proper channels, the foreign adoptive parents inform…

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  • Thailand NewsSondhi loses appeal, gets 20 years in prison

    Sondhi loses appeal, gets 20 years in prison

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sondhi loses appeal, gets 20 years in prison The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Appeals Court yesterday upheld the primary court’s jail verdict against media tycoon and former yellow-shirt leader Sondhi Limthongkul, sentencing him to 20 years in jail for violating the Securities and Exchange…

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  • Phuket NewsWilliams shines at Rogers Cup

    Williams shines at Rogers Cup

    PHUKET: World number one Serena Williams cruised into the quarter-finals of the Rogers Cup with a 7-5 6-4 win over Lucie Safarova on Thursday but the Montreal tournament lost two of her potential title rivals when Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova were knocked out. Second seed Kvitova, playing her first event since winning her second Wimbledon title, could not find…

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  • Phuket NewsVideo Report: Phuket FC host Spaniards UD Almeria

    Video Report: Phuket FC host Spaniards UD Almeria

    Action from last night’s friendly match between Phuket FC and La Liga’s UD Almeria at Surakul Stadium. Video: PGTV PHUKET: Torrential downpours prior to and during the first half of the friendly match between UD Almeria and Phuket FC left the 3000 strong audience wondering if they had perhaps shown up at an international water polo tournament, rather than the…

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  • Phuket NewsDeadly Phuket inferno inspires rethink of firefighting abilities

    Deadly Phuket inferno inspires rethink of firefighting abilities

    PHUKET: The deadly fire that claimed four lives, including a family of three, last Saturday has prompted the Phuket City mayor to re-evaluate the city’s firefighting capabilities and find a way to win back city residents’ confidence. Flames engulfed the Chokchai Furniture shop in Phuket Town at about 2am, trapping and killing the Rueanchai family of three and one woman…

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  • Thai LifeLose weight by keeping hormones happy

    Lose weight by keeping hormones happy

    PHUKET: I was relaxing in a sauna recently and happened to overhear a conversation going on between two people behind me. A woman was talking about her new calorie-controlled diet. She started describing her great-tasting breakfast of natural, whole grain muesli, yogurt and sliced banana with a little bit of cinnamon on top. After a while, though, she started to…

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  • Thailand NewsAustralia authorities track down Thai surrogate paedophile

    Australia authorities track down Thai surrogate paedophile

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia authorities track down Thai surrogate paedophile The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Australian authorities said Thursday they had finally contacted a man exposed as a convicted paedophile at the centre of a Thai surrogate baby scandal, as his son defended him as a changed man.…

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  • Phuket NewsIllegal Phuket taxi drivers beg military to call off metered-taxi project

    Illegal Phuket taxi drivers beg military to call off metered-taxi project

    PHUKET: About 30 illegal Phuket taxi drivers from Kata-Karon yesterday appealed to the military to call off the launch of a fleet of metered taxis to serve the island’s tourists and residents. The drivers gathered at the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command at Cape Panwa, on Phuket’s east coast, late yesterday afternoon to “seek assistance” from the military in…

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  • Phuket NewsNew Phuket underpass at Chalong Circle to cost up to B800mn

    New Phuket underpass at Chalong Circle to cost up to B800mn

    PHUKET: The final public hearing for the Chalong underpass was held yesterday as the pre-construction study drew to a close, revealing that an estimated budget of 750-800 million baht would be required for the project. Paisarn Suwannarak, specialist engineer from the Department of Highways, announced during the hearing at the Phuket Merlin Hotel that the project plans would be completed…

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  • World NewsNATO fears Ukraine invasion as Russia masses troops

    NATO fears Ukraine invasion as Russia masses troops

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NATO fears Ukraine invasion as Russia masses troops Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Russia has massed around 20,000 combat-ready troops on Ukraine’s border and could use the pretext of a humanitarian mission to invade, NATO said on Wednesday, its starkest warning yet that Moscow could soon…

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  • Phuket NewsSkimming: The new frontier for ATM fraud

    Skimming: The new frontier for ATM fraud

    SPECIAL REPORT BANKS are spending millions of baht upgrading ATMs throughout the country and hope to replace all ATM cards with more secure microchipped versions by the end of next year. The project aims to stem the rising tide of the world’s fastest-growing computer crime: skimming. But what are the best ways to protect yourself – and your money –…

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  • Phuket NewsHoneymoon over as Djokovic works for win

    Honeymoon over as Djokovic works for win

    PHUKET: Gale Monfils let Novak Djokovic know his honeymoon was over and it was time to get back to work by forcing the world number one to battle for a 6-2 6-7 (4) 7-6 (2) second round win at the Rogers Cup on Wednesday. Playing his first match as a married man, Djokovic, a three-time winner in Canada, needed two…

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  • Thailand NewsFear of surrogacy being misused for stem cells

    Fear of surrogacy being misused for stem cells

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fear of surrogacy being misused for stem cells The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Following the much-publicised case of the unauthorised surrogacy involving a Thai mother and an Australian couple, a raid by police and soldiers at a Bangkok condominium found nine babies thought to have…

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  • World NewsHawaii braces for Hurricane Iselle, with Julio right behind

    Hawaii braces for Hurricane Iselle, with Julio right behind

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hawaii braces for Hurricane Iselle, with Julio right behind Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Hurricane Iselle barrelled west across the Pacific Ocean towards the Hawaiian Islands on Wednesday, where officials warned residents and tourists of possible flooding and mudslides and ordered schools closed. The storm was…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Airport to launch “Lady Parking’ as multi-storey car park nears completion

    Phuket Airport to launch “Lady Parking’ as multi-storey car park nears completion

    PHUKET: Six parking bays at Phuket International Airport will be set aside for women only as part of the nation’s celebrations to honor the 82nd birthday of HM Queen Sirikit on August 12. The move follows Airports of Thailand (AoT) president Makin Petplai announcing yesterday that “Lady Parking” will be established at six airports in the country to mark the…

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  • OpinionHow to survive a plane crash

    How to survive a plane crash

    PHUKET: “I’m flying high over Tupelo, Mississippi, with America’s hottest band, and we’re all about to die”, is one of those great movie lines, in this case from the film Almost Famous. In the end, they didn’t soar straight into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as Lynyrd Skynyrd did, but the scene tapped into the darkest nightmare of…

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  • Phuket NewsFather and daughter escape injury in Phuket after tree crashes onto pick-up truck

    Father and daughter escape injury in Phuket after tree crashes onto pick-up truck

    PHUKET: A father and daughter narrowly escaped injury today as part of a banyan tree – believed by Phuket locals to be 50 years old – fell on the bed of the pick-up truck they were driving in. Phuket native Soonthorn Makphol, 40, was turning into the grounds of Wat Wichit Sangkaram on Narisorn Road in Phuket Town near his…

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  • Phuket NewsThai Police target source of human trafficking from Myanmar, but exclude Rohingya

    Thai Police target source of human trafficking from Myanmar, but exclude Rohingya

    PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police have asked their Myanmar counterparts to launch a public-awareness campaign to make Myanmar nationals aware of the dangers of slavery by accepting to work illegally in Thailand. Royal Thai Police Assistant Commissioner-General ML Pansak Kasemsant announced the news yesterday at the Thailand-Myanmar Bilateral Meeting on Strengthening Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Co-operation in Combating Trafficking…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket student faces charges for running down officer

    Phuket student faces charges for running down officer

    PHUKET: A speeding student who ran down a Phuket police officer yesterday in an attempt to avoid a helmet check is facing two, possibly three, separate charges for his actions. The 17-year-old, whose name is being withheld, knocked Sen Sgt Maj Chakkapong Korsawat of the Phuket City Police unconscious on Nakhon Road, behind Phuket Wittayalai School, at about 7:35am (story…

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  • Thai LifeWorldwide survey takes a look at fashion, fears and preferred activities at the beach

    Worldwide survey takes a look at fashion, fears and preferred activities at the beach

    PHUKET: Expedia.com, one of the world’s largest full-service online travel sites, recently released the results of the 2014 Expedia Flip Flop Report, an annual study of behavior and preferences among beachgoers in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia/New Zealand. The study examines the most prevalent joys and anxieties among beachgoers worldwide, including comfort with public nudity, opinions of…

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  • Phuket NewsVideo Report: La Liga’s UD Almeria to face Phuket FC

    Video Report: La Liga’s UD Almeria to face Phuket FC

    Almeria to play Phuket FC tonight at Surakul Stadium. Video: PGTV Tonight is the night! UD Almeria from the Spanish league led by ‘Mui’ Teerasil Dangda will stand face-to-face with the “Ronins of the South”, Phuket FC, at Surakul Stadium starting at 7pm. The LFP World Challenge by Chang, of which tonight’s game is a part of, is a culmination…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket taxi drivers wait for military bigwigs to file complaints

    Phuket taxi drivers wait for military bigwigs to file complaints

    PHUKET: Outraged taxi drivers from Phuket’s tourist-popular Kata-Karon area who vowed to file a complaint with military leaders yesterday about the tearing down of taxi stands on private land have pushed back their mission until Friday. “We spoke with officers at the Navy base at Cape Panwa yesterday to find out who we should file the complaint with. They told…

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  • Phuket NewsPhelps and Lochte set for duel at US nationals

    Phelps and Lochte set for duel at US nationals

    PHUKET: Olympic swim king Michael Phelps and reigning Swimmer of the Year Ryan Lochte will wage a series of duels at this week’s star-studded U.S. national championships in Irvine, California. Phelps, who has competed in four meets since coming out of retirement in April, will face the toughest test of his comeback as he is entered in the 100-metre freestyle,…

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  • Business NewsFour companies honored for green packaging | Thaiger

    Four companies honored for green packaging

    PHUKET: THE Foundation of Science and Technology Council of Thailand and the Science and Technology Ministry have jointly praised four companies for producing or using green packaging. They are Thai Containers Group, Biodegradable Packaging for Environment (BPE), Thai Namthip, and Nestle (Thai). Chainarong Cherdchu, president of the foundation, said the four companies were recognized as part of its Green Science…

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  • Thai LifePhuket Boating: Pershing the limits [VIDEO] | Thaiger

    Phuket Boating: Pershing the limits [VIDEO]

    PHUKET: If boating enthusiasts know one thing, they know there is cruising in style, and then there is Pershing. The range of high-end yachts from Italian boatbuilder Ferretti, from the baby 50.1 to the silver bullet 115ft, deliver exactly what is expected of a yacht dubbed the “Lamborghini of the sea”. Hand-stitched leather interior by Poltrona Frau, the exclusive leather…

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  • Thailand NewsThousands turn to NCPO to resolve woes

    Thousands turn to NCPO to resolve woes

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thousands turn to NCPO to resolve woes The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The number of complaints filed at Government House seeking help from the junta over the past two months has doubled from the same period last year during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration, according to…

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  • Hua Hin NewsCanadians held in China caught in political battle, son says

    Canadians held in China caught in political battle, son says

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Canadians held in China caught in political battle, son says Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The son of a Canadian couple detained in China over spying allegations said on Tuesday his parents did not attempt to obtain military secrets and have been caught instead by the…

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  • Thailand NewsTrain passengers say they were drugged, robbed

    Train passengers say they were drugged, robbed

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Train passengers say they were drugged, robbed The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Nine passengers on a southern overnight train believe they were drugged by a thief who got away with 10 mobile phones and Bt2,500 in cash, Songkhla’s Hat Yai Railway Police said yesterday. The…

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  • Thailand NewsBanned game found offensive to monarchy

    Banned game found offensive to monarchy

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Banned game found offensive to monarchy The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Culture Ministry yesterday explained that the simulation game Tropico 5, which allows players to build their own forms of government on a remote island, was banned because it contained content that appeared to…

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  • Thailand NewsLuxury homes at former DSI chief estate torn down

    Luxury homes at former DSI chief estate torn down

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Luxury homes in former DSI chief family estate torn down for encroaching on national forest The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two luxury homes in the compound of former Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief Tarit Pengdith’s family estate in Nakhon Ratchasima province have finally been…

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