Year: 2014

  • World News

    Nobel Prize for medicine goes to discoverers of brain’s internal GPS

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nobel Prize for medicine goes to discoverers of brain’s internal GPS Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Anglo-American John O’Keefe and Norwegian couple May-Britt and Edvard Moser won the 2014 Nobel Prize for medicine on Monday for discovering the brain’s internal positioning system, helping humans find their…

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  • Thai Life

    Boating: Multihulls move on up in Phuket

    PHUKET: Anyone paying attention to the number of entries in Phuket Raceweek or the King’s Cup Regatta in recent years could not have failed to notice the continually rising number of catamarans entered in the events. Cats and other multihulls are on the rise in the Andaman, and Phuket has become their haven. “They excel in so many areas,” explains…

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  • Pattaya News

    Boating: Peeking behind Phuket’s Boatshed

    PHUKET: Alan Giles from the UK initially came to Phuket 14 years ago to be a sailing instructor for Sunsail. As the years passed, he finally made the move to become a permanent island resident, and to open Phuket’s own Boatshed brokerage. Testament to the name on the door is the assortment of boating goodies in the office at the…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket teen stabs ex-girlfriend’s new lover in jealous rage

    PHUKET: A teen, recently released from the island’s juvenile detention center, is on the run after he stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s new lover seven times in a jealous rage in Phuket Town early this morning. Phuket City Police arrived at the scene, outside of Royal Phuket City Hotel, at about 12:30am. There, they found a 29-year-old hotel employee, named by police…

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  • Phuket News

    Police suspect single gunslinger responsible for two 7-Eleven stickups

    PHUKET: Phuket police suspect that a single gun-wielding robber is responsible for two 7-Eleven stickups yesterday. The first robbery took place at 1am at a 7-Eleven store on Ranong Road in Phuket Town. Then, at 10pm, a 7-Eleven at Baan Kien in Thalang was also robbed. “We believe the two robberies may well be connected, as the robber caught on…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket tourists’ safety vital during Asian Beach Games, says Governor

    PHUKET: Local community support is essential for tourists’ safety and Phuket’s image when the island hosts the Asian Beach Games next month, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong said today. “We need more advertisements encouraging locals to get involved. Everybody on the island is hosting this event – we have to work together to best represent our homeland,” said Governor Nisit, who…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket member at National Reform Council granted royal endorsement

    PHUKET: Cherdchai Wongseree, who failed to gain election to the Senate in March (story here), today received royal endorsement to become Phuket’s sole representative at the National Reform Council (NRC). Mr Cherdchai was among the 250 candidates throughout the country whose names were published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette today as approved by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej to serve…

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  • Thai Life

    Diving: House reefs – providing junkies their dive fix

    PHUKET: Most of us have only a few precious days a year to get a fix for our diving addictions. Of course, those in the profession spend more days in the water than out of it, but for the rest of us, it comes down to one or two diving holidays a year. After six months of day dreaming about…

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  • Thai Life

    Phi Phi: To party or not to party?

    PHUKET: Koh Phi Phi Don – better known by the nickname Phi Phi – is loaded with surprises no matter why or how you end up there. Despite being less then an hour’s journey from Phuket by speedboat, or a two-and-a-half-hour ferry ride, Phi Phi is in Krabi province. It is composed of two main islands: Phi Phi Don and…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket storm pins woman under tree, more rain forecast

    PHUKET: The storm that ravaged Phuket over the weekend pinned a woman under a felled tree on a busy street in Mai Khao late Saturday night. Rescue workers and police arrived at Mai Khao Soi 10 at about 11:30pm to find Soisuda Somjan, 20, and her motorbike trapped the tree. “She was unable to move with her right leg caught…

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  • Phuket News

    Indian tourists washed overboard, drown off Krabi coast

    PHUKET: Two Indian tourists travelling in a rented longtail boat drowned off the coast of Railay, east of Phuket, yesterday after a large wave swamped their boat and washed them overboard. Ekkapong Kinglek, 25, the boat operator, was charged with reckless driving causing death, Capt Praphan Nhuchaikaew of the Krabi City Police told the Phuket Gazette. The tourists, Yash Agarwal,…

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  • Phuket News

    Asean health experts target regional vaccination strategy

    PHUKET: Asean health experts gathered in Phuket last week for a series of workshops to hammer out strategies for regional vaccine security. The three-day event, hosted on the island for the first time, involved a series of brainstorming sessions among health experts, centering on vaccine research and development, production and vaccine immunization. The exchange of information is seen as the…

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  • Thai Life

    Phuket Health: Let your three planes of motion take flight

    PHUKET: A few weeks ago, I tried to convince members of the Phuket fitness community to ditch the gym and convert to functional training. When I was explaining what exactly functional training is, I mentioned something called the three planes of motion (story here). Since then, I have received a slew of comments and questions regarding the three planes of…

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  • Pattaya NewsPhuket Classic competition to attract 145 bodybuilders [VIDEO] | Thaiger

    Phuket Classic competition to attract 145 bodybuilders [VIDEO]

    PHUKET: This year’s edition of the Phuket Classic bodybuilding competition will see 145 contestants flex their muscles to please the audience. The event will be held at Central Festival Phuket on October 12, from 11am to 7pm and will see 10 foreigners competing in a separate category. “The judges will be evaluating the contestants depending on body type, weight and…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket underpass faces part-closures, races for November opening

    PHUKET: The northbound lane above the 600-million-baht underpass beside the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall has been closed so workers can repave the road. “Motorists heading north can still use the underpass,” Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad told the Phuket Gazette. With the lane closed for repaving, motorists heading east past Central Festival can no longer turn left onto…

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  • Business NewsVilla Market expansion caters to Phuket yachties [VIDEO] | Thaiger

    Villa Market expansion caters to Phuket yachties [VIDEO]

    Villa hopes to build on its success at the Boat Avenue shopping street. PHUKET: Villa Market is set to slice off another slab of the imported groceries market in Phuket when it expands to Boat Lagoon. The new branch, set to open in early 2015, is designed to tap into the yachtie-catering market and to position itself as the go-to…

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  • Property

    New rainforest weekend retreat 15 minutes from Phuket

    PHUKET: A new rainforest weekend holiday experience with a touch of class is coming soon, just a short 15-minute drive from Phuket’s Sarasin Bridge. The Valley Phang Nga is a new back-to-nature retreat under development just off the main highway (Phetkasem Road) between Phuket and Phang Nga, which will feature hillside camping and cabins with stunning views, nature trails and…

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  • Thailand NewsMyanmar man slays roommate, licks blood from knife | Thaiger

    Myanmar man slays roommate, licks blood from knife

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar man slays roommate, licks blood from knife The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Bangkok Police yesterday arrested a Myanmar man who they claimed killed a countryman and sucked his blood because the man had a crush on his wife. Udomsuk Police Superintendent Somphorn Krissanapipat said…

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  • Thailand NewsNine NLA members opposed to asset disclosure worth more than Bt200m | Thaiger

    Nine NLA members opposed to asset disclosure worth more than Bt200m

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nine NLA members opposed to asset disclosure worth more than Bt200m The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Nine of the 28 National Legislative Assembly (NLA) members, who recently petitioned the Administrative Court unsuccessfully against disclosing their assets, have net assets worth more than Bt200 million each.…

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  • Thailand News13 trafficked Laotian girls, women freed in Chumphon | Thaiger

    13 trafficked Laotian girls, women freed in Chumphon

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 13 trafficked Laotian girls, women freed in Chumphon The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A joint police and military team of 30 officers raided a karaoke business in Chumphon yesterday and rescued six underage Laotian girls and seven Laotian women who were trafficked into prostitution in…

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  • Thailand NewsKoh Tao murder report to go to prosecutors this week: police | Thaiger

    Koh Tao murder report to go to prosecutors this week: police

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Koh Tao murder report to go to prosecutors this week: police The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police plan to forward their investigation report on the killing of two British tourists on Koh Tao to public prosecutors this Wednesday. “We will include DNA test results related…

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  • World News

    At least one dead as typhoon lashes Japan, heading for Tokyo

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community At least one dead as typhoon lashes Japan, heading for Tokyo Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Hundreds of flights were cancelled and thousands of people advised to evacuate as a powerful typhoon lashed Japan on Monday with heavy rains and high winds, leaving at least one…

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  • Phuket NewsSpecial Report: Phuket’s billion-baht beach ‘scandal’ never kept a secret | Thaiger

    Special Report: Phuket’s billion-baht beach ‘scandal’ never kept a secret

    Special Report PHUKET: A senior official at Kata-Karon Municipality this week claimed that permits issued to allow local residents to work as beach vendors were introduced at the behest of a Provincial Hall standing committee some 20 years ago. The issue raised a storm of controversy last week when Paween Pongsirin, Region 8 Police Deputy Commander at the time (story…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket cat burglar robs sleeping couple’s hotel villa

    PHUKET: Police have arrested a Phuket cat burglar who crept into a sleeping couple’s hotel villa and stole a mobile phone and about 13,000 baht in cash. “Thung Taothong, 28, was arrested at his apartment in Soi Yod Saneh in Chalong and charged with robbery,” Karon Police Deputy Superintendent Sophon Borrirak told the Phuket Gazette today. “We are still searching…

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  • Phuket News

    Breaking News: 6-wheeled Phuket truck kills two on Patong Hill

    PHUKET: Two people were killed in a road accident as they ascended the infamous Patong Hill road at about 3pm today, Patong Traffic Police told the Phuket Gazette. The two people riding the motorbike died after being crushed by a 6-wheeled truck in front of Sea Pearl Hotel. The driver, who police have yet to publicly name, has been taken…

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  • Phuket News

    Masked men open fire in Phuket drive-by shooting, injure two

    PHUKET: Two men were injured just before midnight last night in what Phuket police are calling a drive-by revenge shooting. Four men were sitting round a table drinking at Baan Liporn when a group of eight masked men on motorbikes drove by and opened fire. Watthana Suebsak, 18, was shot in the face and seriously injured, while Prasert Chanthip, 35,…

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  • Phuket News

    DDPM issues flash flood, landslide warnings for Phuket

    PHUKET: A weather warning advising Phuket residents and tourists to prepare for flash floods and landslides has been issued by the local Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). “According to the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD), we can expect increasingly heavy rains tomorrow,” said Weera Amnuayporn, acting DDPM Phuket office chief. “It’s going to take a turn for the worse,…

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  • Phuket News

    Australians’ drunken balcony fall raises Phuket safety concerns

    PHUKET: Patong Police have urged local municipality workers to inspect the balcony-railing heights of Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa after three drunk Australians tumbled off their second-floor balcony (story here). “It is beyond our jurisdiction to ensure that the railings are of a safe height. We actually voiced our concern before this accident, and again after it. However, we cannot…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Police defend snaring foreign tourists in illegal taxi raids

    PHUKET: Police have defended their actions in a raid that saw officers and military personal, clad in flak jackets and carrying assault rifles, besiege an illegal Phuket taxi carrying a family of foreign tourists. “We flagged down a taxi with the assistance of the security guard in front of our hotel at Karon Beach. The driver agreed to take us…

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  • Phuket News

    Heroin overdose suspected in American expat’s death in Phuket

    PHUKET: Police suspect that a 29-year-old American expat found dead on the side of the road in Kamala early last Sunday morning died of a heroin overdose. Not far from where the body of Texan Benjamin Nesher Jones was found on Soi 8, police arrested another man with 18grams of heroin. “We believe that Mr Jones died because of a…

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  • Opinion

    Opinion: Bilking billions from Phuket’s beaches

    PHUKET: The arrest of Karon Mayor Tawee Tongcham and subsequent revelations about the nature and scale of the “beach rental” concession rackets along Phuket’s west coast is just the latest in a stunning series of graft-busting power punches made by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) since it took power on May 22. One of the most remarkable…

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  • Phuket News

    Video Report: Phuket dive boat operators join forces for cleaner reefs

    PHUKET: Dive boat operators of all creeds, and all certification affiliations, banded together last weekend to clean popular Phuket dive sites ahead of the high season. Nine boats, including one sport-fishing vessel, piled on about 200 participants and spent the day at various dive sites including Anemone Reef, Shark Point, Koh Mai Thon and many others. About 2,000kg of trash,…

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  • Phuket News

    PWA announces Phuket Town water shutoff

    PHUKET: The Phuket Water Authority (PWA) has announced that water supply in some areas of Phuket Town will be shut off from 9pm tomorrow to 3am on Sunday. Water is being shut off to allow for new pipes to be laid in Suan Luang Park* – part of the PWA’s plan to improve Phuket Town’s water-treatment process. Those affected include:…

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  • Opinion

    Living the life of Riley in Phuket

    PHUKET: One morning, about six months ago, a bedraggled black dog appeared at the rear doorway to our office at Gazette Square. He looked worse for wear and had clearly been fending for himself on the street for some time. He managed to beg a few scraps of food, and before long, he was waiting each morning for the first…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Police officer charged for fatal pub shooting

    PHUKET: A Phuket Provincial Police officer has been charged with gunning down a waitress in cold blood after forensic evidence showed that the bullet came from his gun. Nuchiska Klasuek, a 35-year-old waitress, was shot in the head by an unidentified assailant in a pick-up truck on May 16, after leaving the popular Saraphan Pleng Pub live-music bar in Chalong…

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  • Opinion

    Show the Russians some Phuket love

    PHUKET: Is Phuket on the brink of losing its Russian comrades? According to a recent report published by the Kasikorn Research Center, Russian arrivals to Thailand are expected to drop 5.5% by the end of this year. When you consider that Russian visitors to Thailand (1.73 million) were almost double the number of visitors from the whole of Europe last…

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  • Opinion

    Opinion: Hope for Phuket metered-taxi drivers

    Chomsorn “Patty” Chaowai, 57, from Prachuap Khiri Khan, has been working as a taxi driver on the island for more than 20 years. The long-time Phuket resident and mother of two was the first female taxi driver in Phuket and became one of the first metered-taxi drivers in 2004. Here, she talks about the rapidly changing world of taxis on…

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