Month: March 2015
- Opinion
Opinion: Need for more speed in court proceedings
Sakun Suanpharn, 53, originally from Uttaradit, took up the position of Chief Judge of Phuket Provincial Court on April 1 last year. Judge Sakun earned a Bachelor’s of Law, Barrister-at-law from Ramkhamhaeng University. Before coming to Phuket, Judge Sakun served as Chief Judge of Yala Juvenile Court, following more than 20 years’ experience after graduating from university. Here, he explains…
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Books: Scoring big in Africa
PHUKET: Denis Johnson published his first of three books of poetry at the age of 19. His meticulous attention to words is evident in his 11 books of fiction, which tend to be slim and terse, but intensely descriptive. I’ve read his second novel, Fiskadoro, a post-nuclear apocalypse set in Key West, and his eighth, The Tree of Smoke, an…
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Opinion: Take it easy, people
PHUKET: Take it easy, people. What our government is trying to do is bring back “The Land of Smiles”. The nation’s leaders are trying to fix all of the problems that have plagued Thailand for decades. I have heard some say that Rome wasn’t built in a day… so, give the government a chance to work out these problems. What…
Read More » - Business News
Finance: Invest in your children
PHUKET: I read an article in the BBC recently that I thought was worth sharing with my readers. It was about an investment that actually costs no money, but could yield very large returns to your children in the future. The investment is in their imagination, and the study I read about had some counter-intuitive advice. It actually concluded that…
Read More » - Phuket News
One Direction star Zayn Malik flees Phuket, dumps Asian tour
PHUKET: Zayn Malik of One Direction, who was spotted with a woman outside of a Phuket nightclub this week, has dropped out of the band’s Asian tour due to “stress”, confirmed his publicist on Thursday. “Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate. The band wish him well and will continue with…
Read More » - Phuket News
Special Report: Thailand’s wine industry at crossroads
SPECIAL REPORT Though many foreigners, and some Thais, often succumb to strong cravings for fermented grape juice, Thailand’s wine industry is metaphorically, and literally, in ferment. The Kingdom produces a limited amount of premium wine, not nearly enough to satisfy demand. In addition, the import business is riddled with taxes, making fine wines all-the-more expensive. In steps Thai ingenuity –…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket expat sailor Kevin Ashby dies from cancer, age 44
PHUKET: Well-known Phuket expat sailor Kevin Ashby has died after a long battle against colon cancer, staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. Mr Ashby, aged 44, passed away yesterday. Originally from South Africa, Mr Ashby moved to Phuket after the 2004 tsunami and sailed in many Phuket regattas. He became a familiar face at the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket’s first underpass set to open April 6
PHUKET: The underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, is set to re-open to traffic with a grand opening ceremony on April 6. Minister of Transport Air Chief Marshall Prajin Janthong will be the guest of honor at the event, Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad told the Phuket Gazette. “The ceremony will be…
Read More » - Thailand News
Supreme Court to try Yingluck in rice case
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Supreme Court to try Yingluck in rice case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders yesterday ordered former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to stand trial on May 19 on charges of alleged negligence in failing to stop corruption…
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Claims of torture over court attack materialize
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Claims of torture over court attack materialize The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police will have doctors to re-examine four of the suspects allegedly involved in the hand-grenade attack on the Criminal Court following allegations of physical assault and torture to obtain confessions. Police spokesperson Lt…
Read More » - World News
Islamist gunmen slay 20 foreign tourists in museum massacre
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Islamist gunmen slay 20 foreign tourists in museum massacre Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Tunisia said it would deploy thearmy to major cities and arrested nine people on Thursday after20 foreign tourists were shot dead in an attack on a museumwhich Islamic State militants called “the…
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Former Australian leader Malcolm Fraser dies at 84
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Former Australian leader Malcolm Fraser dies at 84 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former conservative Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, who led the country from 1975 to 1983 but later turned against his party over its tough immigration policy and involvement in the Iraq war, died…
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Dead babies found in house freezer in southern France
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dead babies found in house freezer in southern France Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have found the corpses of four babies in the freezer at a house in southern France, after a man reported finding a dead baby in a cooler bag in his family’s…
Read More » - World News
Clinton charity fails to disclose donors
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Clinton charity fails to disclose donors Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In 2008, Hillary Clinton promised Barack Obama, the president-elect, there would be no mystery about who was giving money to her family’s globe-circling charities. She made a pledge to publish all the donors on an…
Read More » - Phuket News
Racha Yai resort to face land encroachment charges
PHUKET: The mayor of Rawai is prepared to press encroachment charges against a hotel on Koh Racha Yai for building a bridge on public land. Officials were notified of the offending structure, owned by Rayaburi Resort, when government workers arrived at the site to dredge the Patak Canal, a project which began on March 7 (story here). The bridge crossed…
Read More » - Phuket News
Man found dead in small Phuket canal
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out murder as a possible cause of death for a man whose body was found in a small Phuket canal this morning, just meters from where he was drinking with recently made friends last night. Officers arrived at the scene, near a shack behind Wat Baan Don in Srisoonthorn, at about 8:15am. “The man’s…
Read More » - Phuket News
Whale shark’s fins stolen by villagers postmortem, say experts
PHUKET: Experts do not believe that the young whale shark found dead yesterday near Koh Pu (story here), off the coast of Krabi, was a victim of the widely denounced shark-finning industry. “We received a report from the village headman about local fishermen having spotted the whale shark and dragging it to shore,” said Dr Rachawadee Jantra of the Phuket…
Read More » - Phuket News
Critical underpass intersection to remain closed until end of year
PHUKET: Traffic lanes at the Samkong Intersection, site of the Tesco Lotus underpass, between Kathu and Samkong will remain closed until the end of this year, confirmed the Phuket Highways Office director today. The Phuket City Police announced in December that the lanes of traffic flowing between Kathu and Samkong would be closed until March 1 in order to carry…
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Hotel owner delays Koh Racha Yai canal-dredging project
PHUKET: The completion of the Patok Canal dredging project on Koh Racha Yai has been delayed until the end of the month, after a hotel owner refilled part of the canal and attempted to prevent government workers from returning to the site. The dredging, which began on March 7 and was expected to be completed on Tuesday, came after years…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket landfill fire posed no health risks, says environment official
PHUKET: Smoke from the fire that broke out at Phuket’s overloaded landfill site Tuesday night did not pose health risks to the island’s residents, confirmed Dr Pornsri Suthanaruk, director of the Phuket Environment Office Region 15. “It was windy on Tuesday, and the wind blew all of the smoke toward the ocean,” he told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. Two rai…
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Ball Hockey: Phuket Pucks suffer in first taste of Mekong Cup
PHUKET: Phuket’s first foray into the annual Mekong Cup ball hockey tournament, held in Karon last Saturday, ended with an ousting in the round-robin stage, but the competition for Southeast Asia’s most coveted ball hockey trophy has been hailed a success. Though this was the fourth straight year that the Mekong Cup was staged at the Centara Karon Resort Phuket,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Cycling Fest peddles back into view (video)
PHUKET: The Phuket Cycling Fest returns for its second edition on March 28-29 with a weekend of cycling fun, including a 46km tour of the south of the island. The event is being held to promote tourism by bike in Phuket, with the primary goal of tourists and cycling enthusiasts seeing new areas and places to cycle, while promoting the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket lifeguards vie for Vietnam contest selection
PHUKET: Members of the Phuket Lifeguard Club, best known for their life-saving role patrolling the island’s beaches, are in training for an international life-saving skills competition in Vietnam at the end of April. Last year, Phuket lifeguards won gold in the three-man board rescue relay and placed second overall at the annual event, called the Da Nang International Lifeguard Competition…
Read More » - Phuket News
Records tumble at Andaman Freedive Challenge
PHUKET: Freedivers from Phuket showed well as 12 national records were smashed at the three-day Andaman Freediving Challenge by Blue Planet Apnea from Blue Planet Divers on Koh Lanta, Krabi. “Among the competitors, we had a few known faces who had competed in Phuket before and some competitors who were completely new to competitive freediving,” said Association Internationale pour le…
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Jet-ski Pro Tour comes to Phuket
PHUKET: The opening round of the G-Shock Pro Tour 2015, the premier jet-ski competition in Thailand, will be held off the Sarasin Bridge at the northern tip of Phuket on March 28-29. Joining the competition will be Chaowalit Kuajaroon, Pro Sport 800 Superstock 2004 world champion and the Thailand Pro-Am Runabout 0-1200 Open champion 2005, Phang Nga Governor Prayoon Rattanasenee…
Read More » - Thailand News
AMLO freezes B7bn of Klongchan Credit Union assets
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AMLO freezes B7bn of Klongchan Credit Union assets The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: THE Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) yesterday decided to freeze 7 billion baht of assets after learning that the money had been unlawfully transferred to different people by Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative’s former…
Read More » - Thailand News
No figures on civilians being tried by military court
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community No figures on civilians being tried by military court The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: At the heart of the fierce debate over whether civilians should face a military tribunal under martial law is the mystery and disagreement on the exact number of civilians who are…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Woman held over court attack may be key operative
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Woman held over court attack may be key operative The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police believe a suspect arrested for her alleged role in the March 7 hand-grenade attack on the Criminal Court is a key operative coordinating with a high-profile US-based suspect who has…
Read More » - Thailand News
Stop hiring relatives, NRC members told
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Stop hiring relatives, NRC members told The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Reform Council has instructed its members to terminate the employment of their relatives after it was revealed that 12 NRC members had hired family members to work for them, Wanchai Sornsiri, spokesman…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Iranian arrested as DSI busts fake-passport syndicate
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iranian arrested as DSI busts fake-passport syndicate The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) yesterday arrested an Iranian as it cracked down on a syndicate engaged in making fake passports, and possibly linked to international human trafficking. S Rafil Bonda, a…
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Netted: Phuket task force seizes pirate Southern Ocean trawler
PHUKET: A joint task force in Phuket has seized one of six known illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) vessels wanted for fishing for toothfish in the Southern Ocean after it falsely reported and offloaded its cargo. The ship, which recently had its name changed from Kunlun to Taishan, had already fled from the navies of New Zealand and Australia, as well…
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Fishing net suspected of killing whale shark near Phuket
PHUKET: A fishing net may have caused the death of a 500-kilogram whale shark whose carcass was found near Koh Pu, off the coast of Krabi, this morning. A veterinary team from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) arrived on scene after receiving a report that local fisherman had found the five-meter-long fish and dragged it to shore. On examining…
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Helmet-less motorcyclist killed in Phuket crash
PHUKET: A Myanmar national driving without a helmet was killed in a motorbike accident on Chao Fa West Road last night. The victim was named by police as Than Htay Aung, 24. “He was driving his motorbike with a friend riding pillion at about 11:30pm when he lost control on a bend in the road and crashed into a traffic-light…
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Fire breaks out at Phuket landfill
PHUKET: Two rai of the overflowing 120-rai Sapan Hin landfill were destroyed in a fire yesterday evening. Five firetrucks immediately responded to the fire and were able to contain and douse the flames within two hours, said Phuket City Municipality Environmental Division chief Prachum Suriya. “We are unsure of the cause of the fire, it might have been caused by…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket lifeguard contract in dire straits – again
PHUKET: The island’s beaches again may be without lifeguards starting next week, as the government contract for the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) to provide its essential life-saving services expires on March 26. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) has offered the annual 22-million-baht concession for private operators to provide lifeguard services through the coming year to public bidding twice –…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Missing temple cleric charged over court grenade attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Missing temple cleric charged over court grenade attack The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police yesterday took custody of a key suspect – accused of involvement in the grenade attack on the Criminal Court – from the military. The woman was then charged with terrorism and…
Read More » - Thailand News
Boonsong, 20 others indicted over rice deals
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boonsong, 20 others indicted over rice deals The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and 20 others were indicted by the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) yesterday in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders for alleged wrongdoing over “fake…
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