Year: 2015

  • PropertyPhuket Pads: Nai Harn condo goes big

    Phuket Pads: Nai Harn condo goes big

    PHUKET: Nai Harn Beach, which some say is one of the most popular on the island with the nearby lake attracting many tourists and locals who regularly walk or exercise around it, is getting the biggest condo development in the south of the island, due for completion in 2017. This is a much welcomed addition to Nai Harn and theโ€ฆ

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  • Business NewsDermatology stakes claim in Thai medical tourism industry

    Dermatology stakes claim in Thai medical tourism industry

    PHUKET: Dermatology is staking its claim in Thailandโ€™s developing medical-tourism sector, a growth which is due in part to an increasing number of highly qualified dermatologists, state-of-the-art treatments and affordable services. Romrawin Clinic, with two of its branches located in Phuket, has taken advantage of the demand for dermatological procedures and is now at the forefront of the business withโ€ฆ

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  • Business NewsBusiness Buzz: The beauty of Instagram

    Business Buzz: The beauty of Instagram

    HUKET: Instagram as we know it is changing, but that can be a good thing if you are a business looking to increase your exposure. Instagram is a photo-sharing app that reportedly has more than 300 million monthly users. It is very popular with people born in the 80s and 90s, who account for more than 37% per cent ofโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsBusted: Paying gambling debt as drug mule

    Busted: Paying gambling debt as drug mule

    PHUKET: Two men were caught in Phang Nga attempting to smuggle more than 25,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills into Surat Thani on Wednesday. Sophon โ€˜Khongโ€™ Suwannarat, 37, confessed to police that he had agreed to transport the drugs in order to pay off a 50,000-baht gambling debt, while Paisarn Ratmanee, 40, denied any knowledge of the drugs. โ€œPolice were tippedโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket told to conserve power ahead of energy shortage

    Phuket told to conserve power ahead of energy shortage

    PHUKET: The Energy Ministry alerted all residents on Phuket to conserve power to prevent outages from July 21 to July 25, as a major gas field supply line in the Gulf of Thailand will be upgraded during this period. Director-General of the Energy Policy and Planning Office Chavalit Pichalai revealed that the country will be losing around 420 million standardโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsTCT dominates over Phuket Asian Cricket Team

    TCT dominates over Phuket Asian Cricket Team

    PHUKET: The Outrigger T20 cricket league commenced on Sunday at the Alan Cooke Ground with the Thalang Cricket Team (TCT) having an easy win over the newly formed Phuket Asian Cricket Team (PACT). PACT won the toss and made the unusual decision to field first with their team only having seven players present. The new side, who is representing theโ€ฆ

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  • OpinionOpinion: Uphill safety battles

    Opinion: Uphill safety battles

    PHUKET: Accidents happen every day on the island โ€“ whether they are caused by drunk driving, running a red light or something else. I argue that the most serious accidents on our island occur during the rainy season on the hills in Patong, Kamala, Surin and Kata. Maybe some of these accidents are caused by โ€˜slippery roadsโ€™, as is oftenโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsProposed sweeping alcohol-sales ban worries Phuket officials

    Proposed sweeping alcohol-sales ban worries Phuket officials

    PHUKET: Island officials have expressed concern about an alcohol sales ban expected to take effect next week that will affect all businesses within a 300-meter radius of academic institutions. Despite their concerns, local authorities have noted that they will have to obey and enforce the new regulation, although some believe it will have a negative effect on businesses. โ€œThe draftโ€ฆ

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  • Thai LifeHealth: Dodging bullets with agility

    Health: Dodging bullets with agility

    PHUKET: Agility ladders, a staple of sports training when victory can hang on the athleteโ€™s ability to turn quickly, have moved into mainstream gyms where fitness experts say they are helping everyday exercisers be nimble and quick. Jumping, running, marching and hopscotching through the grids on the floor have become an added feature in personal training and group fitness classes.โ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsCape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek underway

    Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek underway

    PHUKET: The Race Management team had a busy few hours looking for wind on day one of the 2015 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek. Motoring around the southeast coast of Phuket, Simon James and his team had to postpone the start as they tracked down the breeze. Despite the storm clouds over the islandโ€™s south, the rains held off andโ€ฆ

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  • Thai LifeLooking back: Gambling through the decades

    Looking back: Gambling through the decades

    PHUKET: Gambling, in all its forms, is illegal in Thailand. But despite the fact that it has been outlawed for several decades, it is still a popular โ€˜recreationโ€™ for many Thais. Underground gambling dens throughout the country do very well, and casinos, located in towns like Poipet, just over the Cambodian border, are mainly Thai owned and often packed withโ€ฆ

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  • PropertyProperty: Middlemen scuttle many large property deals

    Property: Middlemen scuttle many large property deals

    PHUKET: After 12 years in Thailand helping international investment funds and property groups to buy big-ticket real estate, particularly hotels and resorts, the founder of ThaiEstate Asia Group knows too well that it is the middlemen who have ruined many a good transaction. Lars Lang chose his words carefully in voicing his frustration with middlemen and the way the marketโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsOfficial denies knowledge of two-month illegal fishing grace period

    Official denies knowledge of two-month illegal fishing grace period

    PHUKET: The head of Phuketโ€™s Port In-Port Out Center (PIPO) has denied knowledge of a reported two-month grace period during which unregistered fishing boats can continue to fish while they become legal. โ€œI have spoken with relevant officers today, and no one has received any official notice informing us that we should allow unregistered vessels to take to sea toโ€ฆ

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  • Business NewsFinance: Rising interest rates won’t kill REITs

    Finance: Rising interest rates wonโ€™t kill REITs

    PHUKET: Many investors looking for yields and exposure to real estate have piled into Real Estate Income Trusts (REITs) despite the prevailing investment wisdom being any eventual rise in interest rates will be a disaster for the sector. After all, REITs rely heavily on borrowing to acquire real estate with interest payments on this debt usually being their biggest expense.โ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsMan on the run after shooting father-in-law

    Man on the run after shooting father-in-law

    PHUKET: Police are searching for a man who allegedly shot his father-in-law on Wednesday at about noon. Thanyawat Matchiwong, 28, is on the run after he allegedly shot and injured his father-in-law Juang Chuayboonchu, 77, at his home. โ€œWe had an argument on the phone about an hour beforehand. Thanyawat said he would kill my family and I, and thenโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsKbank services unavailable for 48 hours starting tomorrow

    Kbank services unavailable for 48 hours starting tomorrow

    PHUKET: Kasikorn Bank (Kbank) is urging its customers to prepare for a 48-hour suspension of most of its services, which starts tomorrow night. The plan to pause banking services for 48 hours to improve the bank system was announced early last week (story here). โ€œKasikorn Bank branches will be open per usual on Friday, but we will temporarily close fromโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket lifeguards build bluebottle warning signs after sightings

    Phuket lifeguards build bluebottle warning signs after sightings

    PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) is in the process of creating signs to warn tourists about the dangers of bluebottle โ€˜jellyfishโ€™, which have recently been found on several of the islandโ€™s west-coast beaches. Dozens of bluebottles, also known as Portuguese man oโ€™ war, were found at Mai Khao, Nai Thon, Nai Harn and Patong Beach on Tuesday. Though rarelyโ€ฆ

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  • Thai LifeTank Returns: Phuket’s beloved DJ back on the scene

    Tank Returns: Phuketโ€™s beloved DJ back on the scene

    PHUKET: One of the islandโ€™s most beloved residents, Tom Saharut Somsanuk, perhaps more well known as โ€˜DJ Tankโ€™, has been taking it easy after a health scare in April, but now he is all juiced up, ready to rock and raring to come back โ€“ harder, better, faster, stronger โ€“ to the Phuket party scene. With a larger-than-life personality andโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsUprooted banyan tree damages school

    Uprooted banyan tree damages school

    PHUKET: Strong winds uprooted a banyan tree, causing it to fall on a wall of Plukpanya School early yesterday morning. No one was hurt in the incident. The banyan tree was quickly removed after Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana and municipality officials rushed to the school. โ€œThe was growing in Pavilions Phuket Hotelโ€™s compound, which is next door to theโ€ฆ

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  • OpinionOpinion: Use Article 44 to take down the dolphinarium

    Opinion: Use Article 44 to take down the dolphinarium

    PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette endorses the recent call by SKAL and several other groups in petitioning Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul to put to an end, once and for all, to the plans to open a โ€œdolphinariumโ€ in Chalong. In their letter to the minister, SKAL makes a succinct yet highly compelling 12-point argument against the dolphinarium, which hasโ€ฆ

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  • Pattaya NewsPolice seize 70kg kratom in two busts

    Police seize 70kg kratom in two busts

    For an in-depth look at kratom culture in Phuket and Thailand, pick up a copy of the Phuket Gazette hard-copy newspaper, available in Phuket, Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Koh Samui on Saturday. PHUKET: Three suspects were arrested in two separate operations in Phuket Town and Thalang this week for allegedly having a total of 70 kilograms of kratom leavesโ€ฆ

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  • Cannabis NewsAlleged Aussie drug dealer netted in Patong

    Alleged Aussie drug dealer netted in Patong

    PHUKET: An Australian alleged drug dealer was arrested in Patong on Tuesday in possession of cocaine and marijuana. Named by police as Miki Michael Lee, 48, the Aussie was caught in a rented room on Soi Nanai with 1 gram of cocaine and 29.3g of marijuana. โ€œOur undercover officers informed us that Mr Lee was selling cocaine and marijuana toโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsMuslims gear up for major festival

    Muslims gear up for major festival

    PHUKET: The sighting of the new moon will signal the end of the Ramadan fasting month and usher in Eid-al Fitr celebrations, as well as the start of Shawwal fasts.Eid-al Fitr is one of the most important days for practicing Muslims, as it marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. โ€œThis year all mosques in Phuket, andโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsBusiness Buzz: Australian visa free information night

    Business Buzz: Australian visa free information night

    PHUKET: Australians have always loved Thailand, and many come here regularly and develop business and personal relationships. That, over time, leads to the desire to travel to Australia and see what the place is truly like. Unfortunately there has been a lot of confusion and myths over who is eligible for an Australian visa, and the process required to getโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsTurtle found on Mai Khao Beach with severed flipper

    Turtle found on Mai Khao Beach with severed flipper

    PHUKET: An olive ridley sea turtle was found with a severed front flipper on Mai Khao Beach yesterday evening. Officers from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation went to the scene at about 7pm after being notified of the turtle by a beach guard. โ€œThe front left flipper was severed. We believe theโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket officials probe sewage pipeline project

    Phuket officials probe sewage pipeline project

    PHUKET: About 20 disgruntled Koh Sireh residents filed a complaint with Damrongtham Center on Monday urging Governor Nisit Jansomwong to investigate a sewage pipeline project in Rassada. The villagers argued that the construction has narrowed a local road, thus substantially increasing traffic congestion and accident risks. โ€œWe knew that this is a Rassada Municipality project and we fully cooperated theโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsInternational media flock to PhuketWan Computer Crimes Act trial

    International media flock to PhuketWan Computer Crimes Act trial

    PHUKET: Members of the international media, including Reporters Without Borders, crammed into the Phuket courthouse today as the trial of Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, of local news blog PhuketWan, began. The suspects, as well as Big Island Media (PhuketWan), face charges of criminal defamation and violations of the Computer Crimes Act. The four prosecution witnesses that gave their testimonyโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsExpat runs to help fight HIV in Phuket

    Expat runs to help fight HIV in Phuket

    PHUKET: A local English lecturer at Prince of Songkla University (PSU) raised more than 150,000 baht for the Phuket Loves You Club (PLU) during the Laguna International Marathon last month. Colin Gallagher had originally hoped to raise 50,000 baht for PLU, which organizes Phuket Pride Week and raises funds to fight HIV on the island. However, as the campaign pickedโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsMyanmar man held in drug bust

    Myanmar man held in drug bust

    PHUKET: A Myanmar national was arrested on a Hat Yai-Phuket minibus in possession of 2,178 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) early this morning. The 30-year-old man, who police named as Kyaw Soe Miw, was nabbed after Tah Chat Chai Police set up a checkpoint at about 4:15am today to screen passengers coming to Phuket from other provinces. โ€œWe suspected thatโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsFive teens hit by out-of-control van

    Five teens hit by out-of-control van

    PHUKET: Five teenagers on two motorbikes were injured after a van driver leaving Phuket International Airport lost control of his vehicle on wet roads and crashed into the adolescents yesterday evening. โ€œTeerapong Boonteng, 24, passed over the median and struck the teens who were on their motorbikes,โ€ said Maj Santi Prakobpran of the Tah Chat Chai Police. One teen sufferedโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsDolphin washes ashore in Phang Nga

    Dolphin washes ashore in Phang Nga

    PHUKET: A female spinner dolphin has been taken to the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) after it was found beached in Phang Nga yesterday morning. At about 8:30am, officers from the PMBC Endangered Species Unit received a call from locals that the marine mammal washed ashore at Ban Tha Noon Beach. When officers arrived, they found villagers holding the dolphinโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsCape Panwa Hotel Raceweek kicks off tomorrow

    Cape Panwa Hotel Raceweek kicks off tomorrow

    PHUKET: The first event of the 2015 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek is set to take place tomorrow. The kick-off event falls in the middle of Phuketโ€™s southwest monsoon season โ€“ a time when some of the best sailing and racing conditions can be expected โ€“ and will welcome a competitive line-up of IRC racers, cruisers, multihulls and a growingโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsPolice consider foul play, reward offered for missing American diver

    Police consider foul play, reward offered for missing American diver

    PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play as the family of an American scuba diver who vanished from a Similans-bound, liveaboard boat in April offers a 170,000-baht reward for any information that will lead to the discovery of his whereabouts. Joshua Michael Devine, 36, a civilian IT operative working at a United States military base in Kuwait, wasโ€ฆ

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  • Phuket NewsHandsy ladyboy nabbed for digging into Indian pocket

    Handsy ladyboy nabbed for digging into Indian pocket

    PHUKET: Police promptly arrested a โ€˜friendlyโ€™ ladyboy after she picked the pocket of an Indian tourist in front of Soi Paradise in Patong last night. โ€œMontree Srichantra, 24, had gone up to Amit Mahendra Shah, 34, and given him a big hug pretending to greet him. However, she had swiped his wallet,โ€ Lt Col Sutthichai Thianpho of the Patong Policeโ€ฆ

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  • FoodConfessions of a Caffeine addict

    Confessions of a Caffeine addict

    PHUKET: Located on the very busy Wichitsongkram Road, near Prince of Songkhla University in Kathu, is one of the best places in Phuket to satisfy all Italian cravings. Caffeine Food and Coffee Bar has been part of the Kathu community since October 2013. Opened by Andrea Capucci and his wife Kui, Caffeine offers up some of the best authentic Italianโ€ฆ

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  • Thai LifeOn Deck: Economic benefits of regattas

    On Deck: Economic benefits of regattas

    PHUKET: Sailing: the sport of Kings. Or is that Polo? This famous resort island is challenging that old perceptionโ€ฆat least the sailing one anyway. Purchasing a boat can be pricey, sure, but you do not have to be a boat owner to enjoy sailing. There are plenty of chances for residents and visitors to enjoy sailing in Phuket. The sameโ€ฆ

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  • PropertyAcross the Land: Designing creative domiciles

    Across the Land: Designing creative domiciles

    PHUKET: It is interesting every year to see the new seasonโ€™s designer-wear on the runways of Milan, New York, London and other haute couture centers. Creative designers show off their very latest fashions to the world on those runways and instantaneously these new designs are considered the hottest fashion trends. Designing clothes is of course very different from designing aโ€ฆ

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