Month: July 2015
- Phuket News
Drive at your own risk
PHUKET: Confronted with a never-ending array of road-construction projects from multi-million-baht underpasses to reparation of enormous potholes, drivers travelling on Phuket’s roads – some of the most dangerous in the world – do so at their own risk, confirmed officials this week. The issue of road construction safety measures was thrown into sharp focus after a Phuket lawyer flipped his…
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Opinion: Packed prison
PHUKET: Credit is owed to the government for finally coming through with funding to build a much-needed and long overdue new prison for Phuket. It is well known that the existing Phuket Provincial Prison is dangerously overcrowded. With a maximum capacity of just 800, the 115-year-old facility currently holds more than 3,000 inmates – a recipe for disaster if ever…
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Region 8 Police headquarters to open in Phuket Monday
PHUKET: Despite some protest, the Region 8 Police Headquarters will be partially operational in Phuket on Monday. “There are several systems that need to be put in place, until they are up and running in Phuket, we will also be operating out of our Surat Thani office,” said Region 8 Police Commander Decha Budnampeth. The move of the regional police…
Read More » - Thai Life
Excuse Buster: Shaping up gluteus maximus
PHUKET: I Swore I’d never write an article with topics as generic and common as ‘bigger biceps’, ‘five fat-burning secrets’ or ‘get quads of thunder’. I hate these types of articles. They are often 2,000 words and harp on about exercises that have been around for years, but are renamed and tweaked so that they are perceived as a brand…
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B500k stolen from temple during Buddhist holiday
PHUKET: About 500,000 baht designated for temple repairs was stolen from an abbot’s residence during the Buddhist holiday of Asarnha Bucha yesterday. This is not the first time that Phra Khru Pothipanyakorn of Wat Suwan Khiri Wong had a large sum of money taken from his living quarters. About two years ago, 200,000 baht was stolen without a trace, Lt…
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12-year-old girl killed in hit-and-run
PHUKET: An 18-wheeled truck hit and dragged a 12-year-old girl to death after she fell off the back of her mother’s motorbike this morning. Vassana Kaewkumpa, 40, screamed for the truck driver to stop as it continued down the southbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road just past the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint, explained police. “Ms Vassana found the body of her…
Read More » - World News
WRAPUP 5: Plane debris on remote island points to breakthrough in MH370 mystery
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community WRAPUP 5-Plane debris on remote island points to breakthrough in MH370 mystery Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Plane debris washed up on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean is almost certainly part of a Boeing 777, a Malaysian official and aviation experts said,…
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Boy drowns off Koh Sireh
PHUKET: A 13-year-old boy drowned off Koh Sireh yesterday after his friends were unable to save him and did not report the incident to adults or authorities for nearly three and a half hours. Payu Pairiron, a student at Baan Koh Sireh School, drowned at about 1.30pm after becoming too tired to swim back to the floating walkway. “We started…
Read More » - World News
Three more ‘Game of Thrones’ seasons likely, HBO says
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Three more ‘Game of Thrones’ seasons likely, HBO says Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: HBO’s most-watched series, the medieval fantasy drama “Game of Thrones,” will likely continue through three more seasons, a network executive said on Thursday, as he defended the show’s gritty violence. The sixth…
Read More » - World News
Taiwan students storm education ministry compound in textbook protest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taiwan students storm education ministry compound in textbook protest Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Hundreds of Taiwan students stormed the ministry of education compound early on Friday,after one committed suicide earlier in the week, intensifying anti-China protests over textbooks they say are aimed at promoting Beijing’s…
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Hunting club that suspended U.S. hunter donates to top lawmakers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hunting club that suspended U.S. hunter donates to top lawmakers Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A hunting club that suspended a Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe has given money to the campaigns of numerous U.S. politicians, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell…
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New taxi queues announced for Phuket
PHUKET: More than a year after the National Council for Peace and Order made a sweeping effort to remove illegal taxi stands from Phuket, the provincial government has announced a plan to establish legal taxi ranks at ten locations throughout the island. “The move to establish the taxi stops at some schools, hospitals and police stations on the island goes…
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Cheap tuk-tuk plan rolls forward
PHUKET: Yellow-roofed tuk-tuks costing a flat fee of 30 baht are on the road to Phuket Town in order to lessen congestion and provide affordable public transport in the area, explained Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong. “There will be 87 tuk-tuks registered under the 30-baht flat-fee program. They will only be able to operate in Phuket Town toward Bang Khu intersection…
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Police bust bar for hookahs, selling to minors
PHUKET: Raids on nightlife venues in Phuket continued last night, with police seizing 40 hookahs used for smoking shisha and catching eight underage drinkers. “We received a tip-off about a specific venue serving alcohol to minors, as well as providing shisha, a flavored tobacco product that is illegal to import into Thailand,” explained Aroon Sing-in of the Phuket Provincial Office,…
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Laid-off tailors file formal complaint against Patong exporter
PHUKET: Ten tailors who were recently laid off by a suit exporting company in Patong filed a complaint against their former employer at the Damrongtham Center (ombudsman’s office) on Tuesday. “We have worked for the John Tailor Ltd company for about three years now. We signed a contract when we started working for them. Our pay was determined by how…
Read More » - Phuket News
Cabinet nod for upscaling Phuket port
PHUKET: Phuket’s goal of becoming the regional maritime hub has shifted into high gear after the Cabinet agreed to expand the island’s deep sea port to accommodate larger cruise ships. The National News Bureau of Thailand reported yesterday that the Cabinet has given the green light to improve Phuket’s Deep Sea Port, and is considering the construction of a similar…
Read More » - World News
Lithium find in exploding star could help solve astronomy puzzle
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lithium find in exploding star could help solve astronomy puzzle Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Astronomers have discovered lithium in a type of stellar explosion known as a nova for the first time, a find that helps clear up a longstanding mystery in astrophysics about the…
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BISP student takes 3rd at golf Teen World Championship
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) student Mark Luangnitikul came in third place at the golf Teen World Championship 2015 held on Pinehurst course in North Carolina, in the United States of America. More than 500 players from 34 countries competed on courses that have crowned some of golf’s greatest champions. “We are very proud of Mark for taking third…
Read More » - World News
FACTBOX: U.S. Export-Import Bank moves closer to liquidation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community FACTBOX-U.S. Export-Import Bank moves closer to liquidation Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Hopes for a quick revival of the shuttered Export-Import Bank were dashed on Tuesday as the U.S. Congress moved toward a short-term extension of highway funding without a provision to renew the trade bank’s…
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INTERVIEW: Australia happy with Pacific trade progress, draws line on sugar
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community INTERVIEW: Australia happy with Pacific trade progress, draws line on sugar Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Australia is pleased with discussions with Pacific Rim trading partners on resolving disputes with foreign investors but will not agree to a regional trade pact unless it wins more access…
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China stocks fall for fourth day but declines ease, Hong Kong shares up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China stocks fall for fourth day but declines ease, Hong Kong shares up Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China stocks fell for a fourth day on Wednesday but losses were more subdued than earlier in the week after Beijing reiterated its determination to stabilise its wild…
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Raid nets six rigged metered-taxi drivers
PHUKET: Six metered-taxi drivers were caught and charged for using tampered meters in a swoop initiated by the Phuket Land Transport Office on Friday. “We mounted the raid after many complaints were filed by both tourists and locals about high fares being charged for metered taxis in Phuket,” said Phuket Land Transport Office [PLTO] Chief Teerayout Prasertphol. The six drivers…
Read More » - Thailand News
Copyright law to ban internet plagiarism
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Copyright law to ban Internet plagiarism The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Social network scribes should be wary of a new intellectual property law due to take effect on August 4 that outlaws the copying of other people’s work and using it for commercial purposes, deputy…
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Provincial officers raid Phuket nightlife venues
PHUKET: A raid by provincial officers on the island’s popular nightlife spots found one Phuket Town bar to be operating as a nightclub without permission last night. Parkpoom Intarasuwan, Phuket provincial chief administrative officer (Palad), led a team of military personnel, police, district officers, excise officers, and other relevant officials to check 10 nightlife venues in the Phuket Town area,…
Read More » - Food
Planting seeds to grow a community
PHUKET: Late last year Laguna Phuket Resort announced the launch of a new program aimed at helping underprivileged youth, under the slogan ‘Plant A Seed, Change A Life’. The ‘Seedlings Phuket’ initiative includes a nine-month food and beverage training program specializing in career and personal development at Banyan Tree Phuket Resort, with an additional nine-month work experience at the newly…
Read More » - Thai Life
On Deck: When only Thai quality will do
PHUKET: Back in the pre-iPhone days when you went shopping for clothes and the label said ‘Made in China’, you would have sighed and thought, ‘What is the world coming to?’ Fast forward to the era of the iPhone, iPod, iPad not to mention self-driving Google cars, and nobody blinks an eye at the ‘Made in China’ tag anymore. Hey,…
Read More » - World News
Singapore’s ruling party contends with new voting majority
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Singapore’s ruling party contends with new voting majority Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: When Singapore celebrates its50th year of independence on Aug. 9 and its older citizens eulogise the country’s economic feats, its ruling party founded by the late Lee Kuan Yew faces an unprecedented wave…
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A Decade Ago: West coast marina marked for Phuket
PHUKET: With a 2-billion-baht investment, there would be 150 condo units, 45 villas, and a marina with a berth for 30 boats – not a terribly exciting point for a page one story… so was news slow coming into July 23, 2005? No. The twist, and there was a twist, to the project that eventually represented the potential for the…
Read More » - Property
Property watch: All about crunching numbers
PHUKET: Part of the buzz of the property market in Phuket is that Phuketians, foreign and Thai, have land and property in their blood and love discussing values. However, there are other numbers and number-crunching functions involved in the property game. The functions of property have transformed radically over the last few decades and the basis on which people invest…
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Phuket honors the Crown Prince’s 63rd birthday
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong led public officials in an alms-offering ceremony with 63 monks this morning in honor of HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn’s 63rd birthday. The blessing ceremony, which took place at Sanam Chai in Phuket Town, was the first of a few events to take place on the Crown Prince’s birthday today. Governor Nisit was joined by Phuket…
Read More » - Thai Life
Profile: Wild ride on hippocampus [video]
PHUKET: Etymological failures rarely re-direct a person’s life as drastically as a simple false assumption did for topflight seahorse expert and marine biologist Lindsay Aylesworth. Lindsay was ushered into the upper echelons of seahorse research while working on her doctorate with her adviser Amanda Vincent – recognized as the leading expert in the field – and Project Seahorse at the…
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Books: Falling in love with killer birds
PHUKET: Helen Macdonald writes prose of fearsome intensity. H is for Hawk (Grove Press, New York, 2015, 300pp) is her intimate account of training a goshawk named Mabel and then running after her through the hedges and fens of the British countryside to retrieve the many rabbits and pheasants she kills. Outwardly a mild-mannered academic from Cambridge University, the author…
Read More » - Opinion
Opinion: Sterilizing Phuket strays
John Dalley, originally from Leeds in the United Kingdom, is the president of the Soi Dog Foundation. John worked as a chemical plant manager for many years before retiring in 2002. In September 2003, he became involved with the Soi Foundation when it first started in Phuket. Here, he talks about the soi dog problem in Phuket, and Thailand, the…
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Opinion: Gambling in Thailand: Out with the old, in with the new
PHUKET: There has been a lot in the news lately about gambling. One recent Gazette article discussed the history that Thailand has had with this recreational activity and noted that it originally came here with Chinese immigrants. As late 19th century western leaders found gambling to be crude and thought it synonymous with crime, King Rama V led the government…
Read More » - Phuket News
Russian faces charges in fiance’s death
PHUKET: A Russian man who has recovered from a coma resulting from a road accident in Kata on July 4 faces charges of reckless driving causing the death of his fiance. Sergey Koltsov, 24, and Marina Smirnova, 19, were driving their rented motorbike on Taina Road in Kata when they crashed into a Karon Police patrol car. “According to eyewitnesses,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Myanmar worker dies in road smash
PHUKET: A Myanmar worker died after falling off the rear of a pick-up truck when it was slammed by a sports utility vehicle (SUV) near Baan Jee Teng on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday morning. “At the scene we found a Myanmar worker named Soe Thue, 25, critically injured on the ground,” Lt Col Sanit Nukong of the Thalang Police told the…
Read More » - Hua Hin News
Seriously injured Chinese tourists remain in hospital after bus crash
PHUKET: Four Chinese tourists who were seriously injured when their tour bus flipped on Phuket’s bypass road yesterday are still in hospital recovering from their injuries. The accident occurred at about noon, opposite the Premium Outlet on the southbound side of the road (story here). The bus was transporting 16 Chinese tourists, along with a tour guide, a guide assistant…
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