Year: 2014
- World News
AIDS campaigners say pandemic has finally reached tipping point
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AIDS campaigners say pandemic has finally reached tipping point Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The world has finally reached “the beginning of the end” of the AIDS pandemic that has infected and killed millions in the past 30 years, according to a leading campaign group fighting…
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Public hearings on reform to start on December 27
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Public hearings on reform to start on December 27 The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Legislative Assembly will commence public hearings on national reform and reconciliation in the northeastern provinces of Mukdahan and Bueng Karn in late December. Under the process, NLA vice president…
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Hong Kong police clash with protesters near financial district
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hong Kong protesters clash with police near heart of financial district Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists clashed with police early on Monday as they tried to encircle government headquarters, defying orders from authorities to retreat after more than two months…
Read More » - Thailand News
Debt collectors arrested in police corruption scandal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two civilians arrested in CIB chief graft case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The roundup of accomplices of the former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief facing corruption probe continues with the arrests of two civilians yesterday and the scheduled surrender today of two soldiers to…
Read More » - Phuket News
Here they come! Big guns line up for Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: Neil Pryde’s Hi-Fi and Frank Pong’s Jelik, both out of Hong Kong, are lined up to go head to head in the leading racing division of the King’s Cup Regatta 2014, which begins in earnest on Monday. Looking to cause an upset are Karl Kwok’s Team Beau Geste and Ahern, Bailey, Wilmer’s Oi!, both from Australia. Fellow Aussie Ray…
Read More » - Phuket News
“Tourists, bring your own umbrellas,’ says Phuket beach town president
PHUKET: The chief of the local authority governing the beaches in Cherng Talay has called for tourists to bring their own umbrellas and beach mats to enjoy on the sands. “For now, tourists are allowed to bring their own umbrellas to the beach,” said Ma-ann Samran, president of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor). “Mats are allowed too, but…
Read More » - Phuket News
Land-grab probe off Phuket mired in claims
PHUKET: A team of police officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) arrived on Koh Naka, off the east coast of Phuket, yesterday to investigate a complaint of illegal encroachment on public land. However, the officers, led by Lt Col Sutthinan Kongchamdee, found themselves amid a confounding spat over private land leased out by the same…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket health: Top 10 liver questions you should be asking
PHUKET: There are many world-class detox centers here in Phuket that attract people from all over the world to lose weight, feel better and recharge. Our bodies are constantly waging battle to detoxify themselves of foreign entities that enter the system through exposure to pollution, chemicals in processed food, as well as through pathogens and by-products of metabolism. The main…
Read More » - Phuket News
From Sweden with love: Cyclists on final stretch to Phuket tsunami orphanage
PHUKET: A group of cyclists raising funds for a post-tsunami orphanage are on the final stretch toward Phuket after having departed Sweden in March. Calle Wollgard and his team have already conquered 18 countries (including Iran), almost 16,000 kilometers of questionable roads, insane traffic, mountain passes, visa issues and countless other unexpected setbacks that lurk within the pages of an…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket beach club to be demolished
PHUKET: The owners of five businesses at Nai Yang Beach have been given just 11 days to pull down their buildings – or else have the might of a military-backed demolition team do it for them. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak issued the deadline at a meeting on Thursday, when he explained that the Court of Appeal had dismissed the…
Read More » - Thailand News
American arrested for sex crimes in Thailand and the US
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community American arrested for sex crimes in Thailand and the US The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have arrested an American man for sex crimes allegedly committed in the United States and Thailand. Thomas Andrew Erickson, 47, who is also known as Andrew McLean or Barry…
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Hunt continues for more corrupt officials
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hunt continues for more corrupt officials The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police are tracing more corrupt officials after probing lists of bribe-takers seized from a fugitive, Pattani-based businessman who ran an illegal band petrol trade in the far South. Initial findings showed some 12 million…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Highways Office to target illegal roadside advertising
PHUKET: The growing number of unsightly roadside advertising signs illegally erected on government land will be pulled down, confirmed a Phuket official today. The news flies in the face of reports that all billboards along Phuket’s roadsides will be pulled down. “I have already discussed the problem of haphazardly erected signs beside Phuket’s roads with Governor Nisit Jansomwong,” Samak Luedwonghad,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket man robbed of B1mn worth of amulets
PHUKET: A local resident is pleading with police to track down those responsible for stealing amulets and other valuables worth more than 1 million baht from his home in Chalong last week. Charoen Chamnanyon, 56, even put a large, vinyl sign in front of his house on Soi Chao Fa 45 addressing the thieves. It reads: “To my dearest thieves…
Read More » - Thai Life
Diving: Manta rays, whale sharks call Andaman’s best-kept secret home
PHUKET: The world knows of the Similan Islands and the spectacular diving that can still be had there. However, deep in southern Thailand, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang and Koh Haa are perhaps the Andaman’s best-kept diving secrets. Located about 100 kilometers southeast of Phuket, out of reach for most day-trip operators, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang manage to avoid most…
Read More » - Thai Life
Phuket Health: Working out the best time of day to train
PHUKET: I’m not going to beat around the bush: the best time to train is in the morning. I wasn’t sure, at first, if I should even cover this topic, as I didn’t want to put people off who can only make time to train in the evenings. However, if at all possible, try switching some of your workouts to…
Read More » - Phuket News
Navy backs Patong jet-ski plan as model for Phuket
PHUKET: Patong’s management system for jet-skis will be the model for the rest of Phuket, the Royal Thai Navy announced yesterday. “Zones separating swimmers from jet-skis will be applied in Patong first, and then at other beaches on the island,” said Vice Admiral Sayan Prasongsamrej, commander of the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Area Command. “The order has already been signed…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket King’s Cup: The countdown is on (video)
PHUKET: The countdown to the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2014 is on, with official sail measurement for boats entering the annual beginning this morning. A total of 150 boats from 40 countries are registered to take part in the annual regatta, which will begin off Kata Beach on Monday and conclude on December 6. Competing sailors come from the USA,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Navy approves umbrellas for Phuket beaches
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy yesterday granted permission for tourists to bring umbrellas to Phuket beaches. The move comes after weeks of pressure from local business owners, foreign governments and tourists themselves. “I am aware that tourists were not allowed to bring their own umbrellas to the beach. However, this is no longer the case,” Phuket Provincial Police Commander Patchara…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Phuket sailors head for Platu Trans World Invitational
PHUKET: Fresh from his team’s 2014 Platu One Design Championship victory, Kingdom Property helmsman Scott Duncanson has announced his intention to compete in the Platu Trans World Invitational. Held from March 18-22 out of the Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Pattaya, up to 20 crews will compete for the internationally recognized trophy. Five European teams have entered, including current world…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket health officials: no need to panic over plague outbreak
PHUKET: Health officials are urging Phuket residents fearing bubonic plague, otherwise known as the Black Death, not to panic following an outbreak of the deadly disease in Madagascar. Krit Sakulpat, deputy chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO), confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that his office has not been alerted to the Madagascan plague endemic by the Ministry of…
Read More » - Thailand News
Abuse against women on the rise: study
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abuse against women on the rise: study The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Moves to stem the rising incidents of violence against women have not succeeded and in Thailand there are almost 100 abuse cases reported daily, with most of the attackers a partner or family…
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Deep South death sentences prompt fears of attacks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Deep South death sentences prompt fears of attacks The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Security officers were tightening security across the deep South amid fears of retaliatory attacks by insurgents following the Pattani Provincial Court’s verdict on Wednesday sentencing five men to deaths for their roles…
Read More » - Thailand News
NRC panel in favour of direct election of Cabinet and PM
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NRC panel in favour of direct election of Cabinet and PM The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A new parliamentary system that has never been seen before in Thailand – separation of the executive and legislative branches where the entire cabinet, including the PM, will be…
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Elections ‘unlikely before 2016’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Elections ‘unlikely before 2016’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The next general election could be delayed by a year, two top ministers said yesterday. In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, Finance Minister Sommai Phasi said bringing back democracy any time before mid-2016 was…
Read More » - Thailand News
Evidence mounts against 3 DSI agents in police graft scandal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Evidence mounts against 3 DSI agents in police graft scandal The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Three DSI agents have been incriminated in the probe of the petrol-smuggling ring in the Deep South allegedly involving former crime-buster policeman Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan. Suwana Suwanjuta, director-general of…
Read More » - Phuket News
Video Report: Dutch diplomat poses tough questions to Phuket Governor
PHUKET: The Dutch Ambassador to Thailand posed some tough questions during a visit with the new governor yesterday, honing in on the island’s biggest problems and the future of Phuket’s tourism sector. Due to numerous complaints that have streamed in to the Embassy from Dutch tourists visiting the island recently, Ambassador Joan Boer focused mainly on the high cost of…
Read More » - Thai Life
Video Report: Skal International’s “Saturday Night Fever… on a Friday!’
SKAL Phuket’s favorite strippers will be back in action on Nov 28 for the charity fundraiser Saturday Night Fever… on a Friday at Nikki Beach Club. Video: PGTV PHUKET: Skal International Phuket and South Thailand will hold its annual charity dinner tomorrow evening. Dubbed “Saturday Night Fever… on a Friday!”, this year’s Skal Beach Charity Party will take place at…
Read More » - Phuket News
Testing reveals “female’ body washed up on Surin Beach is male
PHUKET: The unidentified body initially reported to be that of a woman found washed up on Surin Beach in September has turned out to be that of a man, police revealed to the Phuket Gazette today. “DNA testing has now confirmed that this is the body of a man – not a woman,” Lt Jeerasak Sungwisut of the Cherng Talay…
Read More » - Opinion
Opinion: Bad timing for Phuket’s full-scale tsunami drill
PHUKET: The announcement of plans to conduct a full-scale tsunami evacuation drill in Phuket on Christmas Day was a surprise (story here), given that the next day marks the 10th anniversary of the most horrific loss of life and devastation in the island’s recorded history. Thankfully, the inevitable complaints about the timing have been lodged, and hopefully it is not…
Read More » - Property
Phuket’s high life: Amari Residences aim high in Patong
PHUKET: Just when you think that it’s simply impossible to develop Patong further, there comes a company that does just that. And in the case of Amari Phuket, it’s done with style. The Amari Residences complex, rising quickly over Patong Bay, is set to take the game up a notch. “Amari Residences are the only luxury residences in the highly-developed…
Read More » - Phuket News
Challenge Laguna Phuket ready to break records (video)
PHUKET: A record 900 participants have registered to take part in the second annual Challenge Laguna Phuket triathlon on Sunday. The event’s inaugural edition launched last year with 602 entrants signing up to complete the 1.9 kilometer swim, 90km bike ride and 21km run. The Challenge Laguna Phuket triathlon will bring to a close the iconic week-long “Challenge Laguna Phuket…
Read More » - Opinion
Opinion: Beware of deadly little worms, Phuket
PHUKET: I am surprised that the Department of Disease Control does not inform the public of or educate it about the dangers of eating raw foods. There is a disease, called gnathostomiasis, caused by a nasty little worm that is ingested by eating raw or partially cooked foods, particularly freshwater fish and crustaceans, but also eels, frogs, birds and reptiles.…
Read More » - Phuket News
Australian cricketer Hughes dies after being hit by ball
PHUKET: Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died in a Sydney hospital on Thursday, two days after being struck by a ball that led to a “catastrophic” injury which caused “massive” bleeding to his brain and ultimately proved fatal. The international batsman was struck on the neck by a short-pitched delivery when batting in a domestic match on Tuesday, with the force…
Read More » - Phuket News
Body of Caucasian man found floating off Phuket beach
PHUKET: Officers are attempting to identify the body of a Caucasian man found floating in the sea off Phuket this morning. The body was spotted by Chaimongkol Yaemaroonpattana, a Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) officer, while he was patrolling the waters near Kata Beach. “I saw the body floating about one kilometer from shore. My colleagues and I retrieved it,…
Read More » - Thai Life
Well-being: Phuket expert shows how to ‘unwind from the core’
PHUKET: Pat Thummanond, of Scottish-Thai heritage, faced a tough decision at the young age of 17. It was the big question that she and all of her classmates in Scotland had to answer before they walked out the doors of their high school for the last time: What do I want to be when I grow up? For Pat, the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket yachts wrap up race series with plain sailing
PHUKET: After the stormy conditions last Saturday, sunny skies and mild conditions greeted the competitors on the Sunday for the Ao Chalong Yacht Club’s (ACYC) Race Series 2 final race day. The final placings came down to who was the most consistent and which boats turned up regularly – persistence and commitment count, helped along for the first time this…
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