Year: 2014
- Phuket News
Elephant tramples handler to death, runs into jungle with Russian tourists
PHUKET: An 18-year-old bull elephant trampled his handler to death and ran off into the jungle with a Russian mother and daughter still on top during a jungle trek in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, yesterday. The elephant, named Meaw, ran for three kilometers after killing his mahout, Suk Sapmak, 60, before officers were able to subdue him with tranquilizer…
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More than B120mn set aside to improve Phuket’s waste problem
PHUKET: Officials have revealed a 127-million-baht budget to improve Phuket’s environment with plans to destroy nearly one million tonnes of trash at the landfill in Saphan Hin and overhaul the island’s drains. Governor Nisit Jansomwong led a meeting at the landfill and incinerator site at Saphan Hin last week to discuss ways to relieve the overwhelmed site where trash has…
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Asian Beach Games: Minister Kobkarn eyes Thailand to host World Beach Games
PHUKET: Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul has revealed that hosting the 4th Asian Beach Games in Phuket may be a precursor to Thailand having the potential to soon become a candidate country for hosting major sports competitions that will help boost tourism. “In the ANOC [Association of the National Olympic Committees] General Assembly in Bangkok earlier this month, a…
Read More » - Thailand News
US man probed over parcels containing human parts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US man probed over parcels containing human parts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A heavily-tattooed California man has been questioned and temporarily released after the grisly discovery of a part of a baby’s head, a baby’s foot, a heart and other human body parts in…
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US hostage Peter Kassig is killed by Islamic State
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community US hostage Peter Kassig is killed by Islamic State Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Islamic State militants have beheaded another American hostage, Peter Kassig, issuing a video claiming the killing on Sunday and warning the United States they would kill other U.S. citizens “on your streets.”…
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Phuket to remember road-traffic victims
PHUKET: Phuket will remember victims of road traffic accidents on the island for the first time on November 25, as part of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office confirmed today. The event, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, is observed around the world…
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Sinkhole forces Phuket villagers to take prison detour
PHUKET: Motorists willing to try their luck crossing a section of road in Srisoonthorn, in central Phuket, that was heavily compromised by a sinkhole earlier this week (story here) have had that option removed. Heavy rains over the past few days have washed away the entire section of road on Rural Road 4008 off Thepkrasattri Road, near Bang Jo Prison.…
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Officials scramble to resolve ban on tourists bringing own beach umbrellas
PHUKET: Officials are scrambling to get beach umbrellas and mats on the sands at the island’s key beaches this tourism high season before hordes of visitors arrive for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The push comes as an island-wide ban on all umbrellas at Phuket’s beaches saw a Swedish family on holiday last week being told they were not…
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Police find second group of Rohingya refugees north of Phuket
PHUKET: A second group of 86 Rohingya refugees believed to have been smuggled to Thailand from Myanmar were taken into to custody by police north of Phuket on Wednesday. The refugees were detained in a rubber plantation in Kuraburi, Phang Nga province, after police were informed by local residents that a large group of Rohingya were hiding in the plantation.…
Read More » - Hua Hin News
NFL Roundup: Dolphins douse Buffalo’s playoff hopes
PHUKET: The Miami Dolphins’ hopes for an AFC playoff berth are rosier than ever after a solid 22-9 win at home over AFC East rivals the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football, the first game of Week 11. The win lifted the Dolphins to a respectable 6-4 and put them at the top of the pack in the hunt for…
Read More » - Opinion
Opinion: Dealing with unwanted phone messages
PHUKET: Earlier this year, after I returned to Phuket from South Africa, a friend of mine gave me a 49-baht TrueMove H SIM card package – the type you can just top up at a 7-Eleven or Family Mart without having to worry about the hassle of monthly bills. That suited me fine. After South Africa, where you have to…
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New Phuket Police commander identifies top priorities
Maj Gen Patchara Boonyasit, 58, took up his new post as Phuket Provincial Police Commander on October 1. Before coming to the island, he served as commander of the Nakhon Sri Thammarat Provincial Police. Here, he talks about the duty of police to work hard to protect the people, gain their trust and help build a good image and reputation…
Read More » - Property
Video Report: Sansiri targets Phuket’s high-end with Baan Mai Khao condo project
PHUKET: With prices starting from 8 million baht and reaching up to 52mn baht, Sansiri’s latest Phuket development, the Baan Mai Khao seaside condominium in the island’s north, is targeting the high-end of the Phuket property market. “The high-end market begins at prices of more than 100,000 baht per square meter,” explained Uthai Uthaisangsuk, senior executive vice president, Business Development…
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Asian Beach Games: Athletes head to the pool
PHUKET: The Asian Beach Games continues in Phuket today with 12 gold medals at stake. Following the spectacular opening ceremony last night (story here), come the first events in the pool. Two gold medals are up for grabs in the marathon swimming events, comprising the men’s 5km and women’s 5km races. Two more gold medals are for the taking in…
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Blisterful beach: The need for umbrellas on Phuket’s key tourist beaches
PHUKET: Despite some recent stormy weather, the “official” start to Phuket’s annual high season for tourism got underway as planned on November 1, kicked off by this year’s installment of the annual Phuket Carnival in Patong. With a spectacular street procession, free concerts, fireworks and a wide range of other high-profile activities, this year’s event was branded under the theme…
Read More » - Thailand News
Visas for men in marriage scam to be revoked
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Visas for men in marriage scam to be revoked The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Immigration Police are set to revoke visas issued to 193 foreign men based in the Northeast accused of involvement in a scam – registering as being married to Thai women to…
Read More » - World News
Quake measuring 7.2 strikes in eastern Indonesia, local tsunami warning issued
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Quake measuring 7.2 strikes in eastern Indonesia, local tsunami warning issued Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 was recorded off the Moluccas in Indonesia at 9:31am today, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and a tsunami warning was issued for…
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Asian Beach Games: Opening ceremony wows Phuket
PHUKET: The curtain formally rose on the 4th Asian Beach Games in Phuket last night with the stunning opening ceremony at the Saphan Hin Sports Center near Phuket Town. His Excellency Privy Councilor and the Royal Representative Gen Surayud Chulanont presided over the ceremony. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and Tourism and Sports…
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Video Report: Michael Jackson, Rihanna and Beyonce Triple Tribute in Phuket
PHUKET: Triple Tribute, a spectacular show straight from London, arrives in Phuket on Saturday with the infectious music of Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Rihanna at Laguna. A musical fest full of powerful vocals, explosive dance routines and stunning costumes, Triple Tribute offers up impressive impressions of the three megastars singing the artists’ top hits, anthems and ballads. “Sasha Fierce” named…
Read More » - Thai Life
Sweden-Phuket cyclists see Laos on horizon
PHUKET: Very little lies between four men and their goal of cycling from Sweden to Phuket in order to raise funds for the post-tsunami orphanage Barnhem Muang Mai (story here). Mountain climbs that peaked at nearly 4,000 kilometers above sea level and the cold weather in China have been a dramatic change from what Calle Wollgard and the team faced…
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Tailor-made relaxation in Phuket
PHUKET: Mai Khao is not just home to the longest stretch of breathtaking beach on the island, where majestic sea turtles come to nest and beach morning glory creeps out to touch the sand, but it is also home to Mandara Spa, a tranquil world-class spa tucked away inside the JW Marriott Phuket. The atmosphere of the resort without a…
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DSI to probe alleged Phuket national park, Kamala intrusions
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community DSI to probe alleged Phuket national park, Kamala intrusions The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation’s Special Case Committee yesterday agreed to take up the Sirinat National Park and Kamala Forest Reserve encroachment cases in Phuket after they allegedly caused 50 billion…
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Asian Beach Games: Thailand lifts gold ahead of opening ceremony tonight
PHUKET: The 4th Asian Beach Games continued in Phuket today, with three gold medals up for grabs, ahead of the official opening ceremony at Saphan Hin tonight. Thailand beat Kuwait to win gold in flag football at the Saphan Hin Sports Center this morning, while two other gold medals were at stake in the men’s and women’s team beach woodball…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket body transformation: Turning over a new leaf
PHUKET: It’s been four weeks since I signed up for the Thanyapura Total Body Transformation program – and I now feel better than I have in a long, long time. Long gone are the initial days, the days when I could barely make it through a training session. The change in this particular department is simply incredible. Not only can…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Health: Steroids 101 – The good, the bad and the ugly
PHUKET: Steroids can be found and bought over the counter all over the place in Phuket. Most pharmacies stock them, and I have known some gyms to sell them as well. The term “steroid” is commonly – and mistakenly – used to describe any performance-enhancing drug. This simply is not accurate. Steroids are synthetic hormones. For example, diabetics that have…
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Phuket high-voltage cable incinerates motorbikes
PHUKET: A high-voltage power cable set motorbikes ablaze in front of a Phuket SuperCheap store last night after the overhead transformer it was connected to exploded. One end of the three-inch-thick power cable, carrying 33,000 volts, connected with the ground and set fire to two motorbikes parked in front of the Phuket Villa 5 branch on Chao Fa West Road.…
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Krabi parents demand school director dismissal after kindergarten assistants sacked
PHUKET: Teachers at Baan Koh Klang School in Khlong Prasong, Krabi, and hundreds of parents have lashed out against the summary dismissal of two teachers’ assistants at the school’s kindergarten, and called for the director herself to be sacked. School Director Vanischa Srichai dismissed Haruethai Kohklang and Aroonprapa Klongruow on Tuesday. “My daughter came home and told me that she…
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Police hunt for truck driver after teen crushed in fatal crash
PHUKET: Police are searching for the driver of a cement-mixer truck who hit and ran over a local student at Phuket Rajabhat University yesterday. The student, Chalermchai Lakbaan, 18, died instantly when his head was crushed under the wheels of the juggernaut. The incident occurred in front of the Phuket Cement Co Ltd site on Prachasamakkee Road in Rassada, at…
Read More » - Thailand News
B682bn lost to rice scheme, B1.1trn in a decade
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community B682bn lost to rice scheme, B1.1trn in a decade The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Rice-pledging programmes have recorded an accumulated loss of Bt682 billion over the past decade, against total spending of as much as Bt1.1 trillion, the Finance Ministry disclosed yesterday. The figures cover…
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Britain to introduce tough new foreign fighter laws
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Britain to introduce tough new foreign fighter laws Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: British nationals who become foreign fighters abroad could be prevented from returning home under tough new laws to deal with jihadists fighting in conflicts like Iraq and Syria, British Prime Minister David Cameron…
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Asian Beach Games: Thailand scores two gold in ju-jitsu
PHUKET: Thailand captured superb form to win two gold medals in the ju-jitsu competition at the 4th Asian Beach Games at Saphan Hin, near Phuket Town, yesterday. The first gold came from women’s martial art duo Suphawadee Kaeosrasaen and Kunsatri Kumsroi in their impressive 36-33 win over Pakistan’s Sundus Salam Khan and Maryam 36-33 in the final. Areewan Chansri and…
Read More » - Thai Life
Going the distance for children in need
PHUKET: When I started writing the Blazing Saddles column two years ago, I had no idea of the eventful journey upon which it would take me. My two-wheeled companion has led me into many fascinating corners of the Andaman region; none more so than when I found myself a guest of Yaowawit School for underprivileged kids near the small town…
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Phuket police take down gang of shoplifting youngsters
PHUKET: Phuket police arrested a gang of seven, mostly teenagers, last night for shoplifting at several convenience stores in the Chalong and Rawai areas over the last month. The group, which called themselves noo pee, or ghost rat, targeted four convenience stores: Big One Rawai branch, SuperCheap Rawai, SuperCheap Saiyuan and Tesco Lotus on Wiset Road in Rawai. “The gang…
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Phuket’s Yacht Solutions named consultant for Statham blockbuster
PHUKET: The Phuket-based marine services company Yacht Solutions has been appointed marine consultant for Jason Statham’s next blockbuster movie, Mechanic: Resurrection, which is scheduled for cinematic release in January 2016. Shooting started in Bangkok with Statham reprising his title role as a master assassin who faked his death in an attempt to walk away from his former profession in order…
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Phuket police charge man with attempted rape of Australian tourist
PHUKET: Police have charged a man for the alleged attempted rape of an Australian tourist at a resort on Koh Maphrao, an island off the east coast of Phuket. “We have the man in custody. He surrendered to police after we sent many officers to the island after the woman reported the incident,” said Capt Nucharee Longkaew of the Phuket…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Bangkok Hospital Phuket marketing manager dies in car crash
PHUKET: The marketing manager of Bangkok Hospital Phuket was found dead in her car after she slammed into a power pole heading southbound on Thepkrasattri Road last night. Phuket City Police officers and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers found Nicha Chiwangkul, 46, from Surat Thani, pinned behind the wheel of her Honda Civic about 30 meters from the Bang Ku Intersection…
Read More » - Thailand News
ATM system change to halt transactions for two hours
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ATM system change to halt transactions for two hours The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Bank of Thailand announced today that commercial bank customers would be unable to conduct transactions with a different bank or with overseas banks through ATM machines for a short period…
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