Month: March 2015
- Phuket
Southern Andaman Sea closed to fishing during spawning season
PHUKET: Large fishing vessels will be banned from working in the southern Andaman Sea from April 1 to June 30, it has been announced. A total of 4,696 square kilometers from Phuket to Trang will be closed during the spawning season. “According to our research, most marine life in the Andaman is breeding between April and June. This is a…
Read More » - Phuket
Orient Thai refutes allegations of panicked staff during emergency landing
PHUKET: Orient Thai in a statement issued to the Phuket Gazette today denied reports of panicked staff and minor injuries to passengers after flight OX682 from Phuket to Chengdu, China, was forced to make an emergency landing. “All the crew and passengers were safe. Nobody was injured. The cabin crew took good care of the passengers and were not panicked,…
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Phuket Cycling Fest hailed for “eco-tourism peddle power’
PHUKET: The Phuket Cycling Fest returned for its second year last weekend with more than 680 cyclists joining a 46km fun-ride tour of the south of the island on Sunday. Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong chaired the opening ceremony at Saphan Hin on Saturday evening, joined by Uthit Limsakul, deputy director of the Tourism of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office. Governor Nisit…
Read More » - Phuket
Last chance: Lay Pang restaurant owners given seven-day demolition deadline
PHUKET: The owners of a group of restaurants still standing on Lay Pang Beach have been given seven days to demolish their illegal structures, or be charged with encroachment. Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) officials, along with officers from the Thalang District Office and military personnel, inspected Lay Pang Beach and handed out the final demolition orders yesterday. “We…
Read More » - Phuket
Phuket swimmers dominate Thanyapura Invitational
PHUKET: Phuket swimmers dominated the Thanyapura Invitational Swim Meet presented by Rocket Science Sports over the weekend. Local young swimmers competed against athletes and school teams from Bangkok and Samui, as well as Shanghai, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Singapore and elsewhere abroad. Kornkarnjana ‘Golf’ Sapianchai of the Thanyapura Phuket International Academy (PIA) Swim Team finished top of the podium in the Girls…
Read More » - Phuket
Thai airlines take hit as Phuket flight to China plunges from sky
PHUKET: An Orient Thai airlines flight en route from Phuket to Chengdu, China, reportedly suffered an engine failure and plunged from the sky, before levelling out and safely making an emergency landing at Kunming Airport on Saturday. UK daily newspaper The Daily Mail reported that an engine failure sent the aircraft into a dramatic plunge, prompting oxygen masks to be…
Read More » - Pattaya
Decree for lifting martial law sent for royal command
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Decree for lifting martial law sent for royal command: Prayut The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha today confirmed that that he has submitted a draft royal decree for His Majesty the King to sign to lift the martial law. He said…
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Reward offered for alleged Phuket tour company fraudster
PHUKET: A 10,000-baht reward has been put on the head of a man who left hundreds of tourists stranded on their holiday, and is now wanted for allegedly defrauding a Phuket tour company of about 1.5 million baht. Peerapat ‘Deer’ Singhon, 25, was working as a freelance sales representative for Phuket Diamond Tours as he sold extraordinarily cheap holiday packages…
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Canadian tourists rescued after speedboat capsizes
PHUKET: Two Canadian tourists were safely rescued after their speedboat capsized off Krabi yesterday afternoon. The boat overturned near Koh Dang and Hang Nak Cape, to the west of the tourist-popular beach resort town of Ao Nang. The two tourists and their Thai driver were safely rescued by a nearby fishing boat. “We were fishing around Koh Dang, and a…
Read More » - Phuket
Phuket beach wedding nightmare as couple’s plans bounced
PHUKET: There are no solutions for a distraught wedding couple who already booked everything for a beach wedding before discovering through a Phuket Gazette story (click here) that such ceremonies were banned on the island, confirmed Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak. “We’ve a small beach wedding planned for the end of March. When we paid deposits three weeks ago, nobody warned…
Read More » - World
Air strike kills at least 40 at Yemen camp for displaced
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Air strike kills at least 40 at Yemen camp for displaced Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An air strike killed at least 40 people at a camp for displaced people in north Yemen on Monday, humanitarian workers said, in an attack which apparently targeted nearby Houthi…
Read More » - World
Singapore police arrest teen for online comments
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Singapore police arrest teen for online comments Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Singapore teenager, who criticized Lee Kuan Yew on social media soon after the former leader’s death, has been arrested and will be charged with making “insensitive and disparaging” comments about Christians, police said…
Read More » - Thailand
Human trafficking to become national priority in bid to avoid sanctions
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Human trafficking to become national priority in bid to avoid sanctions The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The suppression of human trafficking will be made a national priority on Friday to avoid the risk of Thailand being downgraded under an international protocol against trafficking, Deputy Prime…
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Prayut promises to exercise absolute power ‘constructively’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prayut promises to exercise absolute power ‘constructively’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday promised to exercise his powers under Article 44 of the provisional charter “in a constructive manner” – an apparent bid to allay concerns over a new order…
Read More » - World
Germanwings crash pilot had been treated for suicidal tendencies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Germanwings crash pilot had been treated for suicidal tendencies Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The German pilot suspected of deliberately crashing a plane in the French Alps last week was treated for suicidal tendencies years ago before he received his pilot’s license, German prosecutors said on…
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Elephants banned from Nikki Beach Club Phuket following firestorm
PHUKET: Nikki Beach Club Phuket has vowed to stop granting requests for elephants at its parties, following public outcry about photographs surfacing of a baby elephant being ridden by patrons at the club. The pictures of the baby elephant being paraded around the club sparked a firestorm of negative reactions on various social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.…
Read More » - Phuket
Boy, 9, drowns in Nai Harn Lake
PHUKET: A 9-year-old boy was pronounced dead this morning, after being recovered from the bottom of Nai Harn Lake yesterday afternoon. After 20 minutes of searching, off-duty lifeguards pulled Sarun Srisongkram from the water at about 5pm last night. He was not breathing, and was immediately given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by lifeguards who happened to be training on the beach…
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Phuket man killed in motorbike crash with parked 18-wheeler
PHUKET: A man died after crashing his motorbike into an 18-wheeled truck parked near Siam Niramit on the bypass road yesterday afternoon. At the scene, police found the body of Warodom Withayanithidilok, 25, with a broken neck and injuries to his face, said Maj Rachan Punwai of the Phuket City Police. The visor of Mr Warodom’s helmet was completely shattered…
Read More » - Thai Life
Environment: Dealing with DDT – Nature’s greatest enemy
PHUKET: Almost all of us can point to what James Joyce called ” epiphanies”, moments or experiences in our lives that ineradicably changed us or our world view for ever. Such events may have been seared in our memories by pain or fear, others may have been moments of insight or ecstasy. One such experience for me came from reading…
Read More » - Opinion
Opinion: Help tourists discover true Thainess
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently launched a multi-million-baht tourism campaign to lure foreign visitors to the Land of Smiles under the banner ‘Discover Thainess’. What they did not do is explain what “Thainess” is before unleashing their latest marketing ploy. A catchy campaign and slogan with so much potential was immediately lost in translation. Tourists new to…
Read More » - Phuket
Phuket fighters score gold at national youth games
PHUKET: Youngsters from Phuket won gold in seven competitions at the 31st National Youth Games, held in Chanthaburi last week. Thammawat Wongcharoenyot, president of Phuket Sports Association of Thailand Phuket office, was proud of the squad’s performance, especially in the martial arts events. “Phuket won 39 medals this year: 7 gold, 10 silver and 22 bronze. Now Phuket is ranked…
Read More » - Property
Property: Self-centered Patong lures seven new hotels
PHUKET: Patong remains Phuket’s epicenter of development, as it attracts seven new hotels to its shores. Hoteliers investing in Patong see the non-seasonal beach as establishing a stable market, while some believe that other beaches such as Kata and Nai Thon are perceived by visitors as being more seasonal, explained Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks and Gazette columnist.…
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