Year: 2014
- Phuket News
Phuket Countdown to confusion
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has learned that Phuket has been named as the pilot province for a nationwide project that will eventually see all “countdown” traffic lights retrofitted to show Thai numerals instead of the more popular Arabic numbers currently used in most countries, including Thailand. Deadline for completion of the 187-million-baht Phuket project is October 15. The move is…
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Phuket lawyer wins senator poll, “No Vote’ comes second
PHUKET: Unofficial results of yesterday’s senatorial election on the island indicate that local lawyer Chaiyot Panyawai, 47, has won the contest to become Phuket’s new representative in the Upper House. Mr Chaiyot, president of the Phuket branch of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, garnered 19,262 votes, confirmed Phuket Election Commission (PEC) Director Kittipong Thiengkunakrit. Voter turnout was low yesterday, with…
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Experts gather in Phuket to discuss scientific advancements in AEC economy
PHUKET: The National Science Technology and Innovation Policy Office (STI) last week called a meeting in Phuket of the 10 Asean countries to discuss scientific advancement and flow of manpower as the inception of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) looms. “The objective of this workshop is to provide a forum in which experts can exchange their views and ideas about…
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Russian withdrawal: Chinese tourist scammed out of B400,000
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist issued a warning to other Phuket visitors of skimmer gangs after thieves in Russia withdrew 400,000 baht from his account. “On March 24, my bank called to ask me where I was, because my account showed several withdrawals in Russia between March 22 and 24,” said Haohao Sun. “At the time the 400,000 baht was taken…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Turkish PM Erdogan wins polls, warns enemies they will pay a price
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Turkish PM Erdogan wins polls, warns enemies they will pay a price Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in local polls that had become a referendum on his rule and said he would “enter the lair” of enemies who have…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Parties wrangle for Senate control; Yingluck to face NACC; Relief for Isarn drought
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM yet to confirm appearance before NACC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday she has not decided whether she will defend herself in person today before the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) over the rice-pledging scheme corruption case, or send…
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Body of Russian expat, kidnapped in Phuket, believed found
PHUKET: Police have found a body they believe is that of missing Russian expat Alexey Slabinskiy, first reported as suspected of being kidnapped three weeks ago (story here). “We learned that the suspects – Russians Oleksandr Boychuk, 44, and Aleksandr Novichkov, 58 – had rented a house in Soi Koktanode in Cherng Talay,” Provincial Police Commander Ong-art Phiwruangnont told the…
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Phuket officials call for healthy turnout for “Senate poll Sunday’
PHUKET: About 100 officials led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak gathered yesterday to call on the people of Phuket to vote in the nationwide Senate election on Sunday. Speaking at Sanam Chai, the field in front of Provincial Hall that is occupied by anti-government protesters every night, Vice Governor Somkiet reminded passers-by that the polls will be open across…
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Drunk Aussie tourist marks rough landing in Phuket
PHUKET: An Australian man who passed out drunk during his flight to Phuket was carried off the plane still unconscious on arrival yesterday and rushed to Thalang Hospital. The man, named by police as Christopher Lazarus Boubis, 39, later regained consciousness in the emergency ward at the hospital, but immediately went on a rampage through the facility. “He was shouting…
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Phuket PDRC factions unite for mass protest
PHUKET: The two factions of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) anti-government protesters in Phuket united today to march through Phuket Town and stage a motorcade along Phuket’s west coast. The Krabot Rak Chart faction led by former Rassada Mayor Suratin Lian-udom massed in front of the Phuket Revenue Office on Narisorn Road, before joining fellow PDRC supporters led by…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Fresh objects seen in new Malaysia jet search area
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fresh objects seen in new Malaysia jet search area Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Fresh objects spotted by planes searching for a missing Malaysian passenger jet in a new area of the southern Indian Ocean have again raised hopes of unravelling the three-week old mystery. Australian…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok rallies underway; Chamber warns of economic collapse; Child rapist killer gets life
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PDRC mass rallies in Bangkok take hold The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The People’s Democratic Reform committee led by Suthep Thaugsuban march from Lumpini Park to the Royal Plaza and Parliament began this morning to affirm its stand that reform must be done before the…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Brazilian airliner lands with no front wheels
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brazilian plane makes emergency landing with no front wheels Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Avianca Airlines passenger jet safely made an emergency landing in Brasilia on Friday after its front landing gear failed to deploy, authorities said. None of the 49 passengers and crew of…
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Police chase ends with ditched truck, seriously injured man
PHUKET: A man who sped through a police checkpoint early yesterday morning was seriously injured after crashing his pickup truck into a roadside ditch while trying to escape Phuket police officers. Ekkapot Fungwittaya, 27, charged through the checkpoint, near the Thalang Health Center on Baan Reang Road in Thalang, just after midnight. Thalang Police gave pursuit, chasing him as he…
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Death of workers in sewer both accident and mistake, says manager
PHUKET: Workplace health and safety officials will investigate the deaths of four sewer maintenance workers who died of asphyxiation in a Phuket Town sewer on Wednesday morning. “We will start our investigation on Tuesday, when we will interview representatives from the contractor and the municipality to establish precisely what happened,” Yudhakarn Ovasith, chief of the Phuket Provincial Labour Protection and…
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Karon black water strikes again, flows across trash-covered beach
PHUKET: The Karon black water saga continued today as a fresh wave of rank, dirty water flowed over a long line of trash that has also been cursing the beach. “This is a failure on the part of Karon Municipality. I have not seen them do anything to try to resolve the problem,” said Karon Subdistrict Chief (Kamnan) Winai Chidchiew.…
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Officials to sue 29 for Phuket national park encroachment
PHUKET: Officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) announced a plan on Wednesday to sue 29 landowners found to be encroaching on Phuket’s Sirinath Marine National Park land. “Right now we plan to sue the landowners for encroachment onto a total of 1,500 rai. I want to get back as much of Sirinath National Park as we…
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Blood Heroes Unite: Phuket Regional Blood Center announces April donation opportunities
PHUKET: Those looking to be “Blood Heroes” will find it hard not to stumble upon a willing needle as the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) will offer a plethora of opportunities to donate in April. “We are calling for donations in anticipation of an increased number of accidents, and thus a higher demand for blood during Songkran,” said PRBC Chief…
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Carving a niche in the black market
Special Report Six men were arrested in November for illegal possession of more than 50 kilograms of eaglewood. One of the men was caught with an illegal .45 handgun under his pillow. Today, those six men roam free, all released on suspended sentences. Here, the Phuket Gazette‘s Irfarn Jamdukor investigates the island’s illegal logging trade. PHUKET: Six men were arrested…
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Stop killing sharks
PHUKET: I came across awful images of a man gutting a juvenile blacktip reef shark on Facebook via Go Eco Phuket and was horrified to see that it happened on one of our local beaches, Kata Noi (story here). It was clear that this man was a spear fisherman from the wetsuit he was wearing and the spear hole on…
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Hooked on saving sea life
Wisit Itthiwarapornkul, 50, is the president of Go Eco Phuket. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marine science from Kasetsart University and has worked in the dive industry for more than 10 years. Here, he talks about ways to resolve conflicting local interests in the sea and makes suggestions about what we all can do to preserve the health…
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Corralling young Phuket minds for a collective economic community
PHUKET: After years of apparent neglect, it is good to see the Embassy of Myanmar’s Labour Attache taking steps to ensure that at least some of the untold thousands of Myanmar workers on the island are being treated fairly by their Thai employers (story here). The history of Myanmar workers in Phuket is a tale of sadness and suffering that…
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Soi Dog Foundation completes Phuket stray dog sterilization program
PHUKET: The Soi Dog Foundation has completed a campaign to sterilize stray dogs in every area of Phuket with the aim of creating a healthy, sustainable canine population on the island. The program was completed last week, the foundation said. With cooperation from the province’s local authorities, the Soi Dog Foundation has sterilized and vaccinated more than 15,000 dogs and…
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Brazen thief steals Phuket Police officer’s motorbike
PHUKET: A Phuket Police officer has become the latest victim of motorbike theft on the island. Sen Sgt Maj Narong Wilairat reported at 6:30am that his motorbike was stolen from in front of his police accommodation just meters from the main building at Chalong Police Station. “My son used the motorbike – a red Honda Click Phuket license plate ‘Khor…
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Phuket FC reignites youth football development
PHUKET: The island’s premier football team Phuket FC has renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Plookpanya School on youth football development for the second year running. The MOU was signed in the evening of March 26 at Surakul Stadium. Phuket Football Club Vice President Eam Thavornwongvongse told the Gazette, “The purpose of the MOU is for cooperation with a…
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Phuket Gazette World News: White House unveils plan to end NSA’s bulk collection of phone data
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community White House unveils plan to end NSA’s bulk collection of phone data Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Obama administration on Thursday announced details of its plan to end the government’s vast bulk collection of data about phone calls made in the United States, including new…
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Phuket Gazette World News: U.N. General Assembly declares Crimea secession vote invalid
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.N. General Assembly declares Crimea secession vote invalid Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday passed a non-binding resolution declaring invalid Crimea’s Moscow-backed referendum earlier this month on seceding from Ukraine, in a vote that Western nations said highlighted Russia’s isolation. There…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Yingluck graft probe deadline stays; Three arrested for Indonesian Navy murders; Thai satellite spots MH370 debris
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NACC rejects PM’s request to extend deadline The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday refused to extend the deadline for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to file her defence against the charge of dereliction of duty in overseeing the rice-pledging scheme. The NACC…
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Phuket firefighters stage full-scale drill at Patong resort
PHUKET: Patong Municipality held its annual full-scale fire and evacuation drill this week, complete with a Navy helicopter airlifting a survivor to safety from a beachfront resort’s rooftop. Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada presided over the exercise on Wednesday, joined by Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office (DDPM-Phuket) Chief San Janthawong and Patong…
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PACC Dives in on extortion charges
PHUKET: Charges of extortion lodged by 41 members of the Phuket dive industry will be investigated by national-level anti-corruption officers who arrived on the island today. Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) Secretary Prayong Preeyachitt promised a thorough investigation that would conclude with legal action against any officer found guilty of extortion. The charges stem from a round-up of dive instructors…
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Phuket Poll: Better driver training best way to stop Patong Hill carnage
PHUKET: More than half of the respondents to a Phuket Gazette poll said that better training for tour bus drivers was the best way to stop the carnage on Patong Hill. Two people crushed to death by a runaway bus in December (story here) sent officials scrambling for ideas on how to prevent more needless deaths on the notorious slope…
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‘Music is My Life’ party kicks off tomorrow night at Diamond Beach Club [Video]
The ‘Music is My Life’ party kicks off tomorrow night at Diamond Beach Club in Surin. Well known local club DJs Taz (Phuket House Mafia), Nemo (resident of Catch), James Dougall (Evil Twins) and an international DJ (former music director at Bed Supperclub in Bangkok) are set to perform some killer sets in tribute to DJ Josh Ezelle, a former…
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Phuket lounge chair touts battle boot campers for beach space
PHUKET: A Phuket exercise and beach-cleanup group saw an abrupt end to their activities on March 15 when lounge chair touts battled them for space on Nai Harn Beach. “Clean the Beach Boot Camp” is a free event held every two weeks aimed at bringing together local expats and giving back to the community, explains Krix Luther, the health and…
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Dynamic Without Fins competition next in the Phuket Suunto Series
PHUKET: The We Freedive Suunto Series continues this Sunday at Phuket Country Home in Chalong as competitors line up to participate in the “Dynamic Without Fins (DNF)” event. The event will be monitored by Association Internationale pour le Developpement de l’Apnee (AIDA) judges Sarah Whitcher and Richard Wonka. All competitors’ results will be entering the AIDA International ranking list. Those…
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Phuket protesters to stage mass rally on Saturday
PHUKET: Anti-government protesters will stage a mass rally in the heart of Phuket Town this Saturday in support of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protests in Bangkok. “Our rally will start in front of Provincial Hall [map here] at 8:30am, and from 9am we will parade through Phuket Town to show our strength to the government,” protest co-ordinator Amnuay…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Vatican deposes German ‘bishop of bling’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Vatican deposes German ‘bishop of bling’ Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Vatican removed a German bishop on Wednesday because he spent 31 million euros ($43 million) of Church funds on an extravagant residence when Pope Francis was preaching austerity. It said the atmosphere in the…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Officials say 90 people still missing in Washington mudslide
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Officials say 90 people still missing in Washington mudslide Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The number of people missing after a landslide sent a wall of mud crashing into dozens of rural Washington state homes dropped to 90 on Wednesday, as officials reported finding more bodies…
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