Month: September 2014
- Business News
Bioplastics break into local market
PHUKET: Dairy Home, a leading dairy producer, has agreed to use bioplastics for all of its yoghurt packaging, in a deal struck with NatureWorks Asia Pacific, an affiliate of PTT Global Chemical, marking significant progress in PTTGC’s aspiration to turn Thailand into a hub of the bioplastics industry in Asia. Dairy Home Managing Director Pruitti Kerdchoochuen said he expected other…
Read More » - Phuket News
BISP students to train like the tennis champs
PHUKET: Even if you’ve never held a tennis racket and you don’t follow tennis news, you probably know the name of Rafael Nadal. Ranked number one by ATP, Olympic Gold medalist in Beijing, eight-time winner of the French Open, two-time Wimbledon Champion, two-time US Open Champion… the list goes on. But Nadal isn’t the only Spaniard to conquer the world…
Read More » - Phuket News
New Muay Thai stadium to open in Phuket
PHUKET: A new Muay Thai boxing stadium named Taied Stadium will open in Chalong on September 18.The stadium is located at the heart of the island’s Muay Thai training scene on Soi Taied in Chalong, on the same site as a temporary stadium that hosted several fights earlier this year in order to gauge spectators’ interest. The stadium’s owner, Tawatchai…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket’s White Prison status untainted by porn cache
PHUKET: The overcrowded Phuket Provincial Prison maintained it’s unblemished White Prison status despite dirty magazines, as well as other contraband, being turned up in a pre-dawn raid this morning. “We searched all possible places that inmates could be hiding contraband and found three adult-content magazines, two pairs of box cutters and a leather belt,” said Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon.…
Read More » - Thai Life
Getting them going: From a seed to a plant
PHUKET: Recently, we considered propagation using cuttings taken from the parent plant (story here). A great method if it works. But some shrubs resolutely refuse to take root from pieces of stem immersed in potting mix. What then is the alternative? Seeds are the obvious answer: in fact, most gardeners would opt for seeds as their first choice. Simplicity itself……
Read More » - Thai Life
Total body transformation at Thanyapura
PHUKET: Many have tried it, few have made it and all of them have proven the maxim – losing weight and getting in shape is no easy task. But, as with any difficult task, it’s easier if you have somebody to lean on. This is why Thanaypaura Phuket has extended a helping hand to all those people out there who…
Read More » - Phuket News
India crush feeble England to win one-day series
PHUKET: India’s Shikhar Dhawan smashed a six to seal a crushing nine-wicket victory over hapless England in the fourth one-day international in Birmingham on Tuesday. The tourists cruised to a win that gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series after another feeble England batting display in which the hosts were bowled out for a paltry 206 at Edgbaston.…
Read More » - Thailand News
HRW report exposes ‘wretched conditions’ for migrant children
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community HRW report exposes ‘wretched conditions’ for migrant children The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thai immigration Police provide inadequate space, inadequate access to nutrition, inadequate education, exercise and bail rights to migrant children in detention, the latest report on the issue by Human Rights Watch (HRW)…
Read More » - World News
Hong Kong activists say Beijing ‘brutally strangled’ democracy, vow action
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hong Kong activists say Beijing ‘brutally strangled’ democracy, vow action Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A pro-democracy movement that has threatened to blockade Hong Kong’s financial district has said Beijing “brutally strangled” its fight for full democracy and vowed to take action. On Monday, Hong Kong…
Read More » - Thailand News
Five more clinics found to be involved in illegal surrogacy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Five more clinics found to be involved in illegal surrogacy The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Of the five new clinics found offering illegal surrogacy services, four appear to have acted as middlemen in seeking clients, while the fifth one was found to be in clear…
Read More » - World News
Myanmar beauty queen wants apology before returning crown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar beauty queen wants apology before returning crown The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Myanmar beauty queen dethroned for alleged misconduct said yesterday she would only return her crown if South Korean pageant organisers apologised. She also denied accepting free breast implants. May Myat Noe,…
Read More » - World News
Islamic state releases video of beheading of second U.S. hostage
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Islamic state releases video of beheading of second U.S. hostage Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Islamic State released a video on Tuesday purporting to show the beheading of American hostage Steven Sotloff, raising the stakes in its confrontation with Washington over U.S. air strikes on…
Read More » - Thailand News
Woman from Guinea cleared in Ebola tests
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Woman from Guinea cleared in Ebola tests The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Laboratory tests have cleared any concern that a woman travelling from Ebola-hit Guinea may have developed the deadly infection. The 24-year-old woman had been under quarantine for a day pending test results. Dr…
Read More » - Thailand News
Northern floods recede, but more on the way
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Northern floods recede, but more on the way The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Of 15 flood-hit provinces, only Phichit, Nakhon Sawan and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces remain inundated, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said yesterday. The department’s chief Chatchai Phromlert said that since August 26,…
Read More » - World News
West Africa struggles to contain Ebola as warnings and deaths mount
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community West Africa struggles to contain Ebola as warnings and deaths mount Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The United Nations said on Tuesday the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa was causing food shortages in one of the world’s poorest regions and the U.S.…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket’s Keesin family ‘betrayed’ by police in mafia case
PHUKET: Former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin today said that the police had betrayed him in an attempt to discredit his political career and his years of service to Patong. “I accept that the police are just doing their job, but I have no idea what the mafia charges are about. All those years I was a leader in Patong, I…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket police officers accused of extortion to be formally charged in two weeks
PHUKET: An official from the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) has announced that his officers need two more weeks to complete an investigation into three Chalong Police officers for their alleged abuse of power. “We are nearly ready to press formal charges and hand the case to the public prosecutor, but we need about two more weeks to finish our…
Read More » - Phuket News
Police raid offices of Phuket Pisona Group kingpins
PHUKET: Police this morning swooped in on the offices of the Pisona Group on Phra Baramee Road in Patong, home of the central holding company belonging to former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin and his son Prab. Officers led by Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin, the Region 8 Police deputy commander who has spearheaded the purge of Phuket’s taxi mafia, seized one…
Read More » - Phuket News
Federer goes for another win under the lights
PHUKET: Roger Federer will get to break out his trademark all-black outfit again on Arthur Ashe Stadium Court at the U.S. Open on Tuesday. The 32-year-old Swiss, five times the champion in New York, takes on Spain’s 17th seed Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the quarter-finals, having won 24 of his 25 matches under the lights at Flushing…
Read More » - Phuket News
Dolphinarium company calls meeting with Phuket vice governor
PHUKET: A representative of Phuket Aqua Project Co Ltd, the company that is building the Nemo dolphinarium in Chalong, held a closed-door meeting with Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa this morning. “We have heard that many people do not agree with our project,” the representative, who declined to be named, told the Phuket Gazette after the meeting. “People need to…
Read More » - Thailand News
Australian father charged with abusing Thai surrogate twins
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian father charged with abusing Thai surrogate twins: report The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Australian has been charged with sexually abusing twins he fathered with a Thai surrogate, reports said Tuesday, the second case in as many months to ignite debate about commercial surrogacy.…
Read More » - Phuket News
Manchester United confirm Falcao loan deal
PHUKET: Manchester United confirmed they had signed Colombian striker Radamel Falcao on a one-year loan deal from Monaco after the transfer window closed on Monday. “#mufc is delighted to announce Radamel Falcao has joined on a 1-year loan from Monaco with an option to buy,” the Premier League team said on its Twitter feed. Falcao was in Manchester for a…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket taxi mafia suspects Pisona Group’s Pian Keesin and the “Pisona Seven’ out on bail
PHUKET: Former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, his sons “Prab” and Pattawee, and five other members of the Keesin-owned Pisona Group have been released on bail. Wanted on charges of extortion and criminal activities carried out by a criminal association (story here), Mr Pian and five other suspects from Pisona Group surrendered to officers at the Royal Thai Navy base at…
Read More » - Business News
AirAsia X to fly to Tokyo and Osaka in Japan
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AirAsia X to fly to Tokyo and Osaka in Japan Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thai AirAsia X is spreading its wings to Japan to tap both the leisure and business segments using Thailand as its gateway to the Southeast Asia region. CEO Nadda Buranasiri said yesterday that…
Read More » - World News
Britain says ‘deplores’ Israel decision to claim West Bank land
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Britain says ‘deplores’ Israel decision to claim West Bank land Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The British government said on Monday it deplored an Israeli decision to appropriate a large swathe of land inside the occupied West Bank, saying the move would seriously damage Israel’s international…
Read More » - Phuket News
Keesin family trio denied bail over Phuket mafia charges
PHUKET: Former Patong mayor Pian Keesin, two of his sons and five others wanted for their alleged role in taxi mafia activity on the island were denied bail by police today. Patong kingpin Preechawut “Prab” Keesin announced on his Facebook account on Thursday that he would turn himself over to the authorities on Monday [today], but did so at the…
Read More » - Phuket News
No hotline for Phuket’s roaming metered taxis – yet
PHUKET: Though roaming metered taxis officially hit the streets of Phuket today, there is no metered-taxi hotline or call service available, confirmed Phuket Land Transport Office chief Terayout Prasertpol to the Phuket Gazette. “We are already planning a hotline, as well as a call service at the airport, but at the moment the number of taxis is just too small…
Read More » - Opinion
Time to fight for the rights of Phuket’s Myanmar migrant workers
Htoo Chit, 49, from Kayah, Myanmar, is the executive director and founder of the Foundation for Education and Development (FED), based in Phang Nga. FED is an NGO that works to promote and protect the rights of migrant Burmese workers. Htoo was recognized as an Ashoka Fellow in 2008 for his work to empower a new generation of migrants by…
Read More » - Opinion
Looking out for those who look out for our Phuket community
Benjawan Tamphanuwat, 66, from Bangkok, is the president of the Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation. She first served as head of the organization from 2000-2002, then took up the post again in 2009. Here, she talks about the importance of maintaining a positive, productive and safe working environment so that rescue workers, both paid and volunteer, can work together as a harmonious…
Read More » - Opinion
Standing together against Phuket dolphinarium
PHUKET: With several advertisements boasting discounted tickets and all the hype of a new and exciting venture, the Phuket Dolphinarium is on track to open. The community of Phuket will add a new tourist venue that will try to cater to people’s love of marine animals, and to the growing tourist trade from Northern Europe and Asia. Is this what…
Read More » - Opinion
Phuket taxi drivers: Do as the Borneo taxi drivers do
PHUKET: The world renowned tourist destination of Borneo is without a doubt full of wonders: wild orangutans, the rare proboscis monkey, “head houses” with plenty of human skulls to go around, schools of hammerhead sharks and incredibly friendly taxi drivers. Flying half way around the world to remote Malaysia Borneo isn’t worth the trip only to witness the honest, fixed-rate…
Read More » - Phuket News
Officials under fire for allegedly issuing illegal Phuket land documents
PHUKET: More than a dozen officials suspected of illegally issuing land titles in Phuket are now under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), confirmed an NACC official on Saturday. “Sirinath National Park officers filed complaints with the Thalang Police. We then received a list of 16 officials that work for various government departments,” explained Prasart Pongsivapai of the NACC’s…
Read More » - Phuket News
Casillas wants improvement from ‘horrible’ Real Madrid
PHUKET: Real Madrid captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas has called for a big improvement after the European champions suffered a surprise early-season setback at Real Sociedad in La Liga on Sunday. Real were missing injured top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo for their second La Liga outing of the campaign but quickly went 2-0 ahead at the Anoeta in San Sebastian before…
Read More » - Business News
AMCHAM to host forum discussion about “New Phuket’
PHUKET: The impact of recent changes throughout Phuket following the coup in May will be the focus of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Thailand forum on September 12. The forum, to be hosted by brand-development company Quo Global’s founder and CEO David Keen, will examine how Thais, expats and foreign tourists are expected to perceive the recent transformation of…
Read More » - Phuket News
Former Patong mayor surrenders to Navy for Phuket taxi mafia charges
PHUKET: Former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin surrendered to officers at the Royal Thai Navy base at Phuket’s Cape Panwa this morning. Mr Pian, and six other members of his operating company Pisona Group, including his son Pattawee Keesin, presented themselves at the base and were taken into custody. Under military escort, all seven suspects were handed over to Phuket City…
Read More » - Phuket News
Metered taxi prices jump as roving service starts in Phuket
PHUKET: A hike in metered taxi fares comes as roving metered taxis officially begin foraging Phuket for passengers, after the grand opening of the new island-wide service this morning. “We will now see more metered taxis driving throughout the island. There will eventually be about 1,400 metered taxis on Phuket,” said Phuket International Airport Director Prathuang Sornkham. “These metered taxi…
Read More » - Entertainment
Phuket Humor: Introducing Geckoman, Thailand’s newest superhero
PHUKET: Many years ago I invented a superhero for Thailand called Geckoman. He was modeled on Spider-Man, but with significant differences to make him more relevant to Thailand. Now I believe it’s time to resurrect and update him. The scenario: Nerdly young high-school student Worrawit Worrawitworraworrapong (nickname: “Worry”) has a problem. Skinny, frail, and undersized, he wears thick glasses, trips…
Read More »
