Year: 2014
- Phuket News
No order to ‘erase’ Thaksin from Phuket textbooks – yet
PHUKET: No orders have been issued to Phuket officials to remove mathayom history textbooks that mark Thaksin Shinawatra, the first prime minister in Thailand’s history to lead an elected government through a full term in office. However, Mr Thaksin has been erased from the history presented in textbooks that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has recently ordered…
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Tax havens only for the rich
PHUKET: The annual report published by tax relocation specialist Bradley Hackford has recently named the top ten jurisdictions for 2014. They use five criteria in total, which include quality of life, security, geographical location and accessibility, as well as the quality of the economic citizenship program. Sadly, for most, the achievable tax savings make the high sticker price of establishing…
Read More » - Thai Life
Boat insurance: Better safe than sorry
PHUKET: If there’s one thing boating enthusiasts let sail off into the wild blue yonder, it’s the thought of liability insurance. The lure of the sea apparently does not account for taking out appropriate coverage. “One of the most alarming facts about the marine industry in Phuket, and the rest of Thailand, is that there is very little compulsory liability…
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British backpacker arrested for Koh Tao murders
PHUKET: Surat Thani Police have arrested a British tourist suspected to be involved in the murders of fellow Britons Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on Koh Tao late Sunday night, reported Thai news agency PBS. Police named the suspect as Christopher Alanvare, said the report (click here). Mr Alanvare was arrested after resort employees reported seeing him walking near the…
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ICC claim a fortunate place in the T20 final
PHUKET: The semi final playoff between ICC and Thalang was shortened due to a lengthy rain delay and ended with calculators out on the ground and ICC being awarded entry into the Outrigger Twenty20 cup final. After the morning’s friendly match was shortened with waves of bad weather blowing across the Island, Thalang’s captain won the toss and elected to…
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Phuket Town water shut off for pump station repairs
PHUKET: Taps throughout Phuket Town ran dry at 9am today as Phuket City Municipality shut off the water supply to some areas so that workers could repair power cables for one of the main water pumping stations serving the town. The water supply is scheduled to return at 4pm. For more information, call the Phuket City Municipality Water Supply Office…
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Electric shock puts Phuket TOT worker in hospital
PHUKET: A Phuket TOT worker was rushed to hospital after suffering an electric shock while installing cables near the Baan Kamala Intersection yesterday afternoon. Kamala rescue workers arrived at the scene at about 2pm, where they found two men attempting to remove 19-year-old Boonlong Taweepa from a hodge-podge of wires, Lt Solae Damad of the Kamala Police told the Phuket…
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Income tax to drop
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Income tax to drop The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Cabinet yesterday approved the reduction of personal income tax to 5-35 per cent from 10-37 per cent, while corporate income tax has been set at 20 per cent of net profit. Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp…
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Myanmar suspects of British tourists’ murder released
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar suspects of British tourists’ murder released The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police last night ruled out three Myanmar workers being involved in the murder of two British tourists, as the government appeared to call into question the “behaviour” of the victims themselves. The bodies…
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Rubble on Surin Beach not part of clean-up plan, says Mayor
PHUKET: The shocking piles of rubble on Surin Beach are not part of an initiative to clean up the beach area, confirms Cherng Talay Mayor Ma-ann Samran. Following the demolition order for illegal buildings on the beach, workers have started using the rubble to create a makeshift seawall. “The dumping of rubble along the beach to stop erosion is not…
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Phuket’s new high-tech Dibuk Hospital rounds up medical care
PHUKET: Construction has started on the much-hyped circular Apple headquarters in Silicon Valley, California, but Phuket is about to beat the IT giant with the opening of the new high-tech Dibuk Hospital later this month. And yes, it’s round too. Walking around the new hospital building leaves one quite impressed. And walking around gains a whole new meaning in a…
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Phuket’s One-Two-Go air crash a disaster “not to be remembered’: airport officials
PHUKET: There was no official memorial service today, September 16, to remember the 89 people who died in the crash landing of One-Two-Go Flight OG269 at Phuket International Airport seven years ago. “We do not want to perpetuate horrible memories of the incident. It was a tragedy and not a day to remember,” Phuket Airport Director Prathuang Sornkham told the…
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Phuket preps for 2014 Vegetarian Festivals – both of them
PHUKET: Yellow and red flags are popping up around the island ahead of the world-renowned Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which will kick off on September 24 at shrines across the island. The much anticipated annual festival, which will run until October 2, will begin with a ceremonial raising of go teng poles to allow the Jade Emperor and the Nine Emperor…
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Three suspects questioned about murder of British tourists on Koh Tao
PHUKET: Three Myanmar workers were detained on Tuesday to be questioned about the murder of two Britons on Koh Tao, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said today. The bodies of David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found early Monday morning with severe head wounds. A bloody hoe was found 35 meters from the murder scene. Police will question…
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Phuket Governor nominated for Interior Ministry promotion, successor revealed
PHUKET: Maitri Inthusut has been nominated for promotion from his current position as Governor of Phuket to Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, effective October 1. Governor Maitri was among more than 30 high-ranking officials nominated by the Ministry of Interior for promotion or transfer in a list to be presented to the Cabinet today, reported The Nation. Any…
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Brigade of Krabi officials tear down more than 100 illegal structures
PHUKET: An 800-strongbrigade of Krabi officials removed 80 squatters from an old palm oil plantation and demolished more than 100 illegal structures today. “We told the people that they had to leave the area before noon,” said Bunnsueb Samakrad, director of the Forest Resource Management. “This land belongs to the Royal Forest Department. After the palm oil company’s licence for…
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Sixteen corrupt officials to be charged for B100bn national park land scandal
PHUKET: Sixteen officials will face negligence charges for their alleged involvement in causing more than 100 billion baht of damage by illegally issuing land documents in Phuket, the Royal Forestry Department revealed in Bangkok yesterday. The accused officials had been involved in issuance of illegitimate land deeds and documents since 1987, department head Theerapat Prayurasiddhi said. Eight of the officials…
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Phuket driver escapes injury as storm fells tree onto pickup truck
PHUKET: Police are urging motorists to exercise caution on Phuket’s roads today after strong winds felled a tree that landed on a pickup truck in Kamala this morning. Rescue workers were called to the scene, on the road between Patong and Kamala, on Phuket’s west coast, at about 8:30am. “The pickup driver had left Patong and was on his way…
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Phuket fisherman drowns after returning to port for safety
PHUKET: A fisherman who returned to port due to rough seas collapsed and fell into the water at the fishing port area in Rassada, on the east side of Phuket Town, yesterday, and was found dead two hours later. Witnesses told police that Songyot Choophol, 39, fell from the fishing boat Sor Narongrit 1 while he was casting out mooring…
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Phuket local finds cobra curled up in bathroom sink
PHUKET: A Phuket villager was shocked to find a cobra curled up in his bathroom sink when he went to hang up his underwear to dry last night. The startled man called Ruamjai Rescue Foundation workers to the scene to have the reptile removed. “The home owner said that he had gone into the bathroom to hang up his clothes…
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Aussie yachties dodge 10,000 baht fine east of Phuket
PHUKET: A 10,000 baht fine lodged against an Australian-owned yacht was dropped after officials confirmed that the vessel was registered with the Phuket Marine Office. Over the weekend, four Australian yachties claimed that a group of six uniformed Thai marine officers had shown up on a dinghy and had attempted to extort money from them while at sea in Phang…
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Phuket startup to launch Formula 1 simulators
PHUKET: Calling all speed freaks and racing fanatics, the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 simulator is nearly within reach at the soon-to-be-unveiled GR Phuket Racing Center in Patong. Slated for an October 1 grand opening, the venue is in the process of preparing the simulators and staff for hordes of eager enthusiasts. The eight simulators…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Well-Being: To soy or not to soy?
PHUKET: With a multitude of media sources voicing arguments both for and against soy products, it is very easy to become confused about what’s best for your body. However, given the mounting evidence against soy as a healthy diet option, I urge everyone to be very cautious about accepting the ‘big soy’ spin as nutritional gospel – especially in a…
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Two foreigners brutally murdered on Koh Tao
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two foreigners brutally murdered on Koh Tao The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police are hunting for the killers of a foreign man and woman who were found brutally murdered on Koh Tao, in the Pha-ngan district of Surat Thani province. Surat Thani police chief Lt…
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Naked man found murdered, washed up on Phuket beach
PHUKET: The naked body of a man with his feet and hands bound was found washed up on a Phuket beach on Saturday morning. “We received a call at about 8am from a local villager, saying that the body of a man had been washed up on Tah Nun Beach, about half a kilometer from the Sarasin Bridge,” Capt Terdsak…
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Phuket storms prompt warning for boat operators to put tourists’ safety before profits
PHUKET: Small boat and landslide warnings have been issued from today through Thursday due to high waves and heavy rains caused by the annual southwesterly monsoon weather. San Jantharawong, chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office, said the anticipated poor conditions should prompt boat operators to put the safety of tourists before their businesses. Beach-goers…
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Forensic police to probe fire at B20mn Phuket mansion
PHUKET: Phuket Forensic Police have been called in to investigate a fire that broke out yesterday afternoon at a home costing 20 million baht under construction in Cherng Talay. The house, named Baan Palita, is about 90 per cent complete, said Lt Thanapop Rattanaburi of the Cherng Talay Police. “Damage caused by the fire is estimated at about 1 million…
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Phuket yachts brave 25-knot gusts for weekend regatta
PHUKET: A brave few challenged the windy and wet conditions on Chalong Bay yesterday for Race 4 of the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) Series 2 2014 weekend regatta. Catamarans Galeforce and Shiraz accompanied by monohull Sansiri started the course with a downwind run. Even though Kirril Stashevskiy’s Galeforce crossed the start line some 10 minutes after “Capt Ron” Ellis’s…
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Workers injured in Rayong building collapse
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Workers injured in Rayong building collapse The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A commercial building under construction in Rayong province partially collapsed yesterday, injuring four workers. General Jatuwat Khingbualung, head of Klaeng district police, said a concrete balcony of the two-storey commercial building collapsed and fell…
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Govt warned of ‘fishy’ deals, like microphones for the Cabinet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt warned of ‘fishy’ deals, like microphones for the Cabinet The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Almost half the local leaders from 600 communities surveyed by Master Poll wanted the government to cancel a plan to buy 89 high-tech microphones for the Cabinet room that cost…
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Phuket police or caprice?
PHUKET: The arrest of former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin (story here), his scion “Prab” and the younger heir to Pian’s Pisona Group empire, Mr Pattawee, offers a priceless opportunity for Phuket’s future. Why don’t we take the under-the-table money for “extra services” tacitly – and corruptly – permitted by officials, and use it to bolster the salaries of government officers,…
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Drug dealer pulls gun on Phuket police
PHUKET: A drug dealer pulled a gun on a group of Phuket police officers as they moved in to make an arrest at a Srisoonthorn community housing project today. “When officers presented themselves to 28-year-old Kriengkrai Chookeaw, he attempted to fight back and pulled out a gun,” said Lt Col Jarun Bangprasert of the Phuket Provincial Police. After a short…
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Phuket Hotel Association to be the voice of island’s tourism industry
PHUKET: Speakers at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) forum yesterday proceeded to create a private enterprise council composed of leaders in the tourism industry in order to develop a single voice and brand identity for Phuket. “[It] all starts with the initiation from us here… People will not listen to just one single person,” said Wichit Na-Ranong, owner and…
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Making education a top Phuket priority
Chalam Attatham, 55, is the director of the Phuket Primary Educational Service Area Office. He received a master’s in education from Srinakharinwirot University and a master’s in educational administration from Thaksin University. Before taking up his post in Phuket two years ago, Mr Chalam held the same position, but in Phattalung. Here, he discusses the importance of education, its funding…
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Phuket “ya ice butcher’ facing murder charges for meat-cleaver attack
PHUKET: A Phuket man, who in a drug-crazed fit killed his friend, injured his girlfriend and tried to commit suicide, is facing serious charges for the horrific August 14 attack. Niwat Sampoosri, 25, who later tested positive for ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), is facing charges for murder, assault with a deadly weapon and use of an illegal drug, confirmed Capt…
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Time to build a Phuket bus culture
PHUKET: Efforts by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to rid Phuket of its notorious transport syndicates and establish safe, reasonably-priced public transport took another big step forward with the recent introduction of real metered taxis. The term “real metered taxis” refers to those allowed to pick up and drop off passengers anywhere, as is normal in Bangkok…
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Phuket coconut collector takes fatal plunge
PHUKET: A Phuket man collecting coconuts died today after about a 14-meter fall from the top of a tree. Rescue workers arrived at the scene at Baan Bang Lieng coconut farm at about 9:30am to find Thammanoon Prateep Na Talang, 34, unconscious on the ground. “Mr Thammanoon was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where a medical team did their best…
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