Year: 2014
- Opinion
No news is good news
PHUKET: It’s an all too common rant, and I’m certainly guilty of it from time to time, that the media just force feeds us negative content. Most of the time, what we read in the news is bad news. Maybe the rant is true, as it is editors who make the choices that determine content. However, those choices reflect what…
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Helping youngsters to get back on the right track
Chatree Taveesup, 47, is a Krabi native who graduated from the Faculty of Law at Ramkhamhaeng University in 1989. He worked at Juvenile Observation and Protection Centers in Songkhla, Phang Nga and Yala before becoming Director of the Juvenile Center in Phuket in 2012. Here, he talks about the problem of juvenile crime in Phuket and suggests ways to deal…
Read More » - Phuket News
Busted pipe leaves Phuket areas dry
PHUKET: Water supply has been interrupted in parts of Phuket today after a pipe transferring water from Baan Bang Jo exploded. The areas affected are Cherng Talay, Koh Keaw, Rassada, Koh Sireh, Srisoonthorn and Baan Porn, manager of the Phuket Water Authority (PWA) Pisak Chonlayut told the Phuket Gazette today. “High-water pressure caused the issue at about midnight. We are…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phone of Russian missing in Phuket used days after girlfriend found
PHUKET: The telephone of missing Russian Alexey Slabinskiy was used on Thursday, four days after his girlfriend was found injured in a Phuket hotel room. Police were able to trace Mr Slabinskiy’s telephone to Chalong, and raced to find him, but came up empty-handed, said Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Wissanu Muangpraesri,. Gen Wissanu was in Phuket yesterday to follow…
Read More » - Phuket News
Karon voted 18th best beach in Asia, despite wastewater problems
PHUKET: Despite all the recent reports of waste water, including human waste, flowing across it, Karon Beach was recently named as one of the 25 best beaches in Asia by TripAdvisor. Three other Phuket beaches were among the top 25 in the 2014 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards: Nai Harn, Kata Noi and Freedom. Nai Harn was in fifth place, Kata…
Read More » - Opinion
Outdated laws need overhaul
PHUKET: The recent minor fining of five men who confessed to the illegal felling of protected forest reserves on the island highlights the need for an overhaul of the antiquated Forest Act BE 2484 (1941), the terms of which are sadly out of date in this day and age of substantial monoculture, dwindling biodiversity and ever-increasing human overpopulation. Loud but…
Read More » - Phuket News
30 green sea turtles to taste freedom in Phuket today
PHUKET: Sea turtles will be making their way across the sands of Phuket today in an event sponsored for the first time by the Nai Yang Beach Resort. Thirty green sea turtles will be released starting at 3pm this afternoon during the “Keep Calm & Love Turtle” festivities, staged in conjunction with the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Area Command, Honda…
Read More » - Phuket News
No tsunami alert issued in Phuket after 6.5 magnitude earthquake off Nicobar Islands
PHUKET: Phuket Officials have confirmed that the 6.5 magnitude earthquake north of Aceh, Sumatra will not result in a tsunami or effect Thailand. Safety concerns were raised earlier today on the popular Facebook page Phuket New Era Expats after Reuters reported the US Geological Survey data of the initial quake, which was at a depth of about 10 kilometers about…
Read More » - Phuket News
Migrant laborer dies after tumble from Phuket pick-up truck
PHUKET: A Myanmar national fell off the back of a pick-up truck and died on the road in Mai Khao in front of his wife and son yesterday afternoon. Saw Aung, 42, and four other Myanmar nationals, including his wife and son, were being taken to Takua Pa, Phang Nga to buy supplies when a tyre burst at the front…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket student slays ex-girlfriend’s new love in knife attack
PHUKET: Police are on the lookout for a 22-year-old Phuket student wanted for the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend’s new partner in a frenzied knife attack in Rassada early Thursday morning. Officers were called to an apartment block in Soi Yongkeng Muna-Utit, off Thepkrasattri Road, near Phuket Rajabhat University, at 6:30am. “There was a trail of blood leading from the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket man attacked after alleged rape of 14-year-old stepdaughter
PHUKET: A woman attacked her husband with a knife on Thursday after being told that he had repeatedly raped her daughter, who was his stepdaughter. The mother heard that her 14-year-old daughter was raped after the girl became pregnant and sought advice from relatives, said Maj KitthiphumThinthalang of the Thalang Police. “The mother slashed his head outside of a 7-Eleven…
Read More » - Business News
Phuket Business: Canal dredging project begins
PHUKET: The 12-million-baht project to dredge the Koh Kaew Canal and deepen the existing approach channel from Phang Nga Bay has commenced and is scheduled to be completed by October. The project, which was approved in January by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut, will increase access to the Phuket Boat Lagoon, the Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) and the nearby village fishing…
Read More » - Entertainment
Phuket Arts: Young artists on show at BIS
PHUKET: Phuket has been showing the signs recently of a burgeoning art scene that is maturing rapidly. Many resorts offer art displays in their gift shops or lobbies and Phuket Town has a number of galleries that host various media covering a wide range of genres. Keeping art alive and passing on the visual expression of culture to younger generations…
Read More » - Phuket News
Russian woman rescued at popular Phuket beach
PHUKET: Hours after finishing a first aid course as part of a “Safer Phuket” (story here) initiative, lifeguards rescued a Russian woman from the shallow surf of Phuket’s popular Nai Harn Beach. “The woman was standing in waist-high water when a large wave crashed into her. She seemed to be in distress, so we immediately ran out to rescue her,”…
Read More » - Entertainment
Phuket Music: Celebrating a life in music
PHUKET: The recent tragic death of well-known and respected club DJ Josh Ezelle in a motorcycle accident, which left his four-month-old son Christian fatherless, has inspired fellow DJs and performers who worked alongside him to organize an event to celebrate Josh’s life and gather support for the young family he left behind. The event titled “Music is my Life” will…
Read More » - Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: February election declared void; Farmers siege Lottery Office; Grenades tossed at judge’s home
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai court declares February 2 election void Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday nullified a February 2 general election in a ruling that will further delay the formation of a new government after months of street protests aimed at bringing down Prime…
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Phuket mangrove squatters make plea for water, electricity
PHUKET: About 200 villagers who live in homes illegally established in a mangrove forest yesterday asked the Chalong mayor to supply them with electricity and water. “We have been living there since 1992,” said Somporn Nookhong, the head of the Klong Mudong Community. We started with 10 families and now there are over 200.” “Most of us earn very little…
Read More » - Phuket News
DSI and FDA officers seize B10mn of illegal drugs with fake FDA labels
PHUKET: Illegal hormone drugs worth about 10 million baht targeted at the Chinese tourist market were seized by Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officers yesterday. DSI officers declined to give details of the alleged effects of the traditional Chinese medicines, stating only that they were for “improved sexual performance”. However, at least one drug,…
Read More » - Entertainment
Phuket Events: Phuket Bike Week 2014
PHUKET: Just in time for Songkran comes this year’s Phuket Bike Week 2014. Celebrating its 20th year, the event is expected to attract huge crowds of “rolling thunder” for the six days of festivities in Patong and Phuket Town. The first four days of the event will be hosted at Loma Park in Patong, from April 11-14. Activities will include…
Read More » - World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Syrians are main asylum seekers in rich world – U.N.
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Syrians are main asylum seekers in rich world – U.N. Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: For the first time, Syrians were the biggest group seeking asylum in industrialised countries last year, as the impact of fighting in the country spread beyond the turbulent region, the United…
Read More » - Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Popcorn gunman confesses; Senate Speaker indicted; Toxic inferno clues go up in smoke
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PDRC guard Popcorn Gunman confesses The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The so-called “popcorn gunman” yesterday confessed that he worked as a People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) guard and was one of the gunmen involved in the Lak Si shooting incident a day before the February…
Read More » - World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Australia resumes ocean search for Flight MH370 black boxes
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia resumes ocean search for Flight MH370 black boxes Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: If two blurred objects photographed from space are confirmed as debris from Flight MH370, scientists will still face a daunting task to find and recover the sensitive recorders containing clues to the…
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Ousted Pian back in the Phuket race for Patong mayor
PHUKET: Former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, recently found guilty of vote fraud, is back on the battlefield for the chance to reclaim his position as leader of Phuket’s premier party town. Registration opened yesterday for Patong Mayor potentials and municipality council members amid a crowd of supporters. So far, Mr Pian has only one opponent, former Phuket MP Chalermluck Kebsab.…
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Wastewater the source of rancid water on Phuket beach
PHUKET: The stinky, black water that blighted Karon Beach last month is the product of a faulty wastewater treatment system, Karon Village Chief (Kamnan) Winai Chidchiew revealed yesterday. Canals blocked by huge berms of soil and broken water pumps are the chief culprits, as they prevent water from being pumped from canals to treatment plants and cause more wastewater than…
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Phuket officials lay into landslide concerns caused by Big Buddha construction
PHUKET: Landslide risks and water management concerns caused by the construction of Phuket’s Big Buddha image were on the table yesterday as officials met for the first time since work at the site slammed to a halt last month. Construction at the popular tourist attraction was put on hold after villagers filed a complaint and prompted an inspection of the…
Read More » - Entertainment
Phuket Books: Against the machine
PHUKET: For me, Thomas Pynchon and Robert Stone are the two best living American writers. Both have recently come out with new novels. I’ll get around to Robert Stone next time. Bleeding Edge (The Penguin Press, New York, 2013, 477pp) is Thomas Pynchon’s eighth novel. His first, V., astonished the literary world in 1963. Gravity’s Rainbow and Against the Day…
Read More » - Property
Phuket Property: When you’re expecting
PHUKET: Life is odd. When you are young the future has no limits, time-frame or even, for the most part, a firm direction. Sadly, we get older, not wiser, and the time-line gets shorter by the day. Some nights, I lay awake and instead of counting sheep, start doing the math. This is not a happy place to be and…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Cycling: The power of Yao Yai island
PHUKET: New Age guru Eckhart Tolle sold millions of copies of his book The Power of Now which expounded the blindingly obvious premise that we would all be much happier if we lived our lives in the here and now. Tolle tells us over 256 repetitive pages, that rather than worrying about what might happen tomorrow, or regretting our misdeeds…
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Protected Phuket hillside slashed and burned
PHUKET: Four rai of forest on a hillside in Kamala was obliterated on Tuesday night to make room for a rubber plantation. “The area has been ruined – all the trees were cut down and burned,” said Phuket Natural Resources and Environment Office Chief Kasem Sukwaree this morning. “Terracing had already been put up in preparation for establishing a rubber…
Read More » - Food
Phuket Dining: At the table with the king of wines
PHUKET GAZETTE: A hush fell over our table at the Regent Phuket’s Lombard & Cie dinner last Saturday when the main course was served. It wasn’t the silence of ravenous diners devouring their food in a few bitefuls – we hadn’t yet picked up our forks. It was a reverential quiet for the beauty of the presentation, and it lasted…
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Phuket Police set to launch nationwide manhunt for Patong headhunter killers
PHUKET: Patong Police are preparing to send an alert to every police station in the country in the hopes of apprehending three prime suspects for the murder of Myanmar worker Wai Phyo Kyaw, 22, whose decapitated body was found dumped on Patong Hill on March 9 (story here). “We have learned the names of three of the five men we…
Read More » - World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Family anger erupts as Malaysia jet search appears deadlocked
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Family anger erupts as Malaysia jet search appears deadlocked Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Chinese relatives’ anger over sparse information on the fate of their loved ones on board a missing Malaysian airliner sparked chaotic scenes on Wednesday at the headquarters of an increasingly deadlocked search…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Gardening: More vinous virtuosos
PHUKET: Asked what “vinous” means, most people would opt for something to do with grape vines or wine. But in fact the epithet can be applied to any kind of vine or climbing plant, of which there are literally hundreds, ranging from creeping figs and ivies to towering tropical lianas. For the gardener, the important distinction is between tendrilous or…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Russian forces seize two Ukrainian bases in Crimea
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Russian forces seize two Ukrainian bases in Crimea Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The United States warned Moscow it was on a “dark path” to isolation on Wednesday as Russian troops seized two Ukrainian naval bases, including a headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol where…
Read More » - Entertainment
Phuket Lifestyle: Music is my playground [video]
PHUKET: Polish born pianist Katarzyna Wieczorek has turned music into her way of life. Her skills and reputation have taken her to countless festivals, won her numerous awards and let her visit the farthest corners of the globe – turning her life into a never-ending adventure filled with melody. Katarzyna Wieczorek recently performed at the British International School Phuket where…
Read More » - Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok bunkers stay; Yingluck faces NACC probe; Ya bah-heroin drug raises fears; Toxic fire nearly out
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Military to maintain bunkers despite lifting of emergency The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The military will maintain its force and 176 street bunkers across Bangkok, even though the government has lifted the emergency decree.A military source said the reason the government scrapped the state of…
Read More » - Business News
Video Report: Canal works to boost Phuket marina access
Gulu Lalvani dubbed provincial governor Maitri Inthusut an “action man” while describing his delight that – after ten years of delays – work has finally begun on dredging the channel that leads to Royal Phuket Marina and the Boat Lagoon. Video: PGTV PHUKET: The 12-million-baht project to dredge the Koh Kaew Canal and deepen the existing approach channel from Phang…
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