Year: 2016

  • Phuket NewsPhuket tourist dies after resort swimming pool incident | Thaiger

    Phuket tourist dies after resort swimming pool incident

    PHUKET: A Chinese tourist was pronounced dead at Phuket International Hospital after she was recovered unconscious from a Phuket resort swimming pool yesterday morning. Police asked the Phuket Gazette not to reveal the identity of the 61-year-old woman, who was quickly pulled out of the water by hotel staff and given CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation], explained Lt Charus Lempand of the…

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  • Phuket News

    Woman rescued after suicidal leap from Phuket’s “love bridge’

    PHUKET: A self-proclaimed brokenhearted woman was safely rescued after she jumped off Sarasin Bridge a day before Valentine’s Day. “Ueangporn Thongsakul, 28, was rescued by a nearby speedboat driver after he saw her jump at about 8pm on Saturday,” said Lt Col Anek Mongkol of the Tah Chat Chai Police. Ms Ueangporn was taken to Thalang Hospital. “Thankfully, Ms Ueangporn…

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  • Phuket News

    German charged for Polish pedestrian’s death in Phuket

    PHUKET: A German man is out on bail after being charged for fatally colliding with a Polish pedestrian in Chalong. Miroslav Slanina, 73, ran into Malgorzata Regina Szczygiel, 44, while she was crossing the road in front of Soi Thao Daeng on Wiset Road about 8pm* on Saturday night. “Mr Slanina was taken to Chalong Police Station and charged with…

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  • World NewsAs Indonesia hunts down Islamic State, homegrown jihadis regroup | Thaiger

    As Indonesia hunts down Islamic State, homegrown jihadis regroup

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community As Indonesia hunts down Islamic State, homegrown jihadis regroup Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: As Indonesian counter-terrorism forces hunt down supporters of Islamic State following last month’s gun and suicide bomb attack in Jakarta, a quiet resurgence is unfolding of a homegrown radical network with a…

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  • World NewsPutin, Obama agree on cooperation to implement Syria agreement | Thaiger

    Putin, Obama agree on cooperation to implement Syria agreement

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin, Obama agree on cooperation to implement Syria agreement Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to intensify diplomatic and other cooperation to implement an agreement on Syria struck at talks in Munich, the Kremlin said on Sunday.…

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  • World NewsNew Zealand’s Christchurch rocked by 5.7 magnitude quake, cliffs collapse into sea | Thaiger

    New Zealand’s Christchurch rocked by 5.7 magnitude quake, cliffs collapse into sea

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New Zealand’s Christchurch rocked by 5.7 magnitude quake, cliffs collapse into sea Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A strong 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck near Christchurch in New Zealand on yesterday, causing cliffs to collapse into the sea but no major damage to the city, which was…

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  • World NewsEthnic rebels’ show of force highlights Suu Kyi’s peace challenge | Thaiger

    Ethnic rebels’ show of force highlights Suu Kyi’s peace challenge

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ethnic rebels’ show of force highlights Suu Kyi’s peace challenge Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Speaking to 1,000 of his soldiers at a mountain base on Myanmar’s border with Thailand, the leader of a powerful ethnic armed group called on other rebels to join government-led peace…

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  • Phuket News

    Bigger budget needed to boost Phuket image

    PHUKET: The central government needs to reassess how it determines Phuket’s budget due to the vast number of tourists for which the island’s infrastructure needs to cater, said Phuket Honorary Consul for Nepal Pranee Sakulpipatana at a seminar on the island’s image on Friday. “The central government calculates the budget for the island based on its registered residential population of…

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  • Phuket NewsGerman found dead in Rawai rental room | Thaiger

    German found dead in Rawai rental room

    PHUKET: Chalong Police are investigating the death of a German national found dead in his rented room in Phuket on Friday. The body of Sven Rzezaczka, 47, was discovered at 11am, after a reported drinking session with friends the night before. “Mr Rzezaczka’s body was found lying face down on the bed with his knees on the floor. There was…

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  • Phuket News

    Tourist dies scuba diving in Phi Phi national park

    PHUKET: A tour company, a boat operator and a British dive professional are all in hot water after a tourist died in their care while scuba diving in Phi Phi national marine park yesterday. Chinese national Minghua Jiang, 62, was recovered unconscious at about noon while scuba diving for the first time near Koh Poda (Koh Yawasam), which is part…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket land owners offer sell-off solution for sea gypsy conflict

    PHUKET: Exasperated by the never-ending battle over land ownership rights with the sea gypsy community in Rawai, some land owners involved have offered to sell their plots to the government in order to resolve the dispute. Weerachai Tantiwattanawalop, who claims to own five rai of land currently occupied by the sea gypsies, said he and other land owners were planning…

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  • World NewsApple to launch new iPhone, iPad in March | Thaiger

    Apple to launch new iPhone, iPad in March

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Apple to launch new iPhone, iPad in March Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is on target to introduce its next iPhone and iPad models on March 15, and aims to start selling the devices in the same week, technology blog 9to5Mac reported, citing…

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  • Phuket News

    More than five dozen helmet-less drivers arrested in Phuket

    PHUKET: Phuket traffic police made 64 arrests in the first week of the ‘One district, One road, with 100 per cent helmets’ campaign. The new campaign was launched on February 1 in an effort to improve Phuket’s road safety. Helmet-less drivers caught at checkpoints across the island had their bikes seized and were escorted to the police station to view…

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  • Phuket News

    BISP student takes title at Thai National Tennis Tournament

    PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) RPT Tennis Academy player James Van Herzeele won the Thai National Tennis Tournament for Boys 14 and under on February 7 at the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand and was selected to represent Thailand. Held from February 3 to 7, the tournament included the top 16 tennis players in Thailand, boys 14 and under,…

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  • Phuket News

    Kamala Beach cleared of trash

    PHUKET: Kamala Beach is looking cleaner after trash was cleared from its sands by local authorities acting on demands from nearby business operators. Kamala Administration Organization (OrBorTor) responded to reports sent to the Phuket Gazette about rubbish piling up at the beach by swinging into action with two brand new ‘green’ garbage trucks. Until recently, the municipality was barely getting…

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  • Phuket News

    Visas, taxes tangle up superyacht charter licence

    PHUKET: There will be further delays in Thailand rolling out the highly-anticipated foreign-flagged superyacht charter licence, industry representatives were told at at Thailand Yacht Show forum on Wednesday. Though the regulations and rules with regards to the actual superyacht charter licence were hammered out on August 10, a number of related issues remain as hurdles for superyacht owners, explained Somchai…

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  • Phuket News

    Transport Minister demands underpass tunnel completion within two months

    PHUKET: The Transport Minister of Thailand has given the construction company in charge of the Samkong Underpass until April 10 to complete the project. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith stopped by the site yesterday to check on progress and speak with representatives of the construction company, Wiwat Construction Co Ltd. “Engineers from the Department of Highways and the Engineering Institute of…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket sea gypsies take land case to capital

    PHUKET: Sea gypsies in Rawai have taken their case to the capital to plead for intervention from the country’s top brass, after being threatened with eviction from beachfront land by developer Baron World Trade Co Ltd. Representatives from the sea gypsy community handed a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan on Wednesday, but did not get an immediate…

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  • Property

    Proud Real Estate expanding presence

    PHUKET: Proud Real Estate Co is launching more hotels and amusement attractions in Hua Hin and Phuket to cash in on the flood of tourists. Proudputh Liptapanlop, Proud Real Estate executive director, said yesterday that the company would also expand its flagship hotel, the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort, by adding the 40-room BluPort Wing in October. The company expects to…

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  • World NewsBeijing offers support for Hong Kong after New Year violence | Thaiger

    Beijing offers support for Hong Kong after New Year violence

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Beijing offers support for Hong Kong after New Year violence Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China’s central government firmly supports Hong Kong authorities and police in safeguarding public order and punishing those who break the law, the foreign ministry has said in Beijing’s first reaction to…

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  • World NewsS.Korea: North responsible for consequences from Kaesong shutdown | Thaiger

    S.Korea: North responsible for consequences from Kaesong shutdown

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community S.Korea: North responsible for consequences from Kaesong shutdown Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: South Korea said on Friday that North Korea would be held responsible for any consequences after the North kicked out South Korean workers and froze the assets of companies at the jointly run…

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  • World NewsWorld’s most polluted city, Delhi, plans new limits on car use | Thaiger

    World’s most polluted city, Delhi, plans new limits on car use

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community World’s most polluted city, Delhi, plans new limits on car use Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The Delhi government plans another round of tough measures to restrict the use of private cars and clean up toxic air in the Indian metropolis, the world’s most polluted city.…

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  • World NewsEinstein’s gravitational waves detected in landmark discovery | Thaiger

    Einstein’s gravitational waves detected in landmark discovery

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Einstein’s gravitational waves detected in landmark discovery Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Scientists for the first time have detected gravitational waves, ripples in space and time hypothesised by Albert Einstein a century ago, in a landmark discovery announced on Thursday that opens a new window for…

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  • Phuket News

    Hundreds of passengers skate through Krabi immigration during blackout

    PHUKET: About 800 international arrivals breezed through Krabi Airport immigration on Wednesday due to a six-hour blackout that caused the computer systems to shut down. “Immigration officers had to manually take down passenger information, and later enter it in the system when it was back up and running,” confirmed Attaporn Nuangudom, director of Krabi International Airport. The loose security measures…

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  • Phuket News

    Historical Phuket park gets B42mn injection

    PHUKET: The Thalang Historical Park is set to receive a 42-million-baht makeover by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO). “With the budget, we will renovate 10 rai of land around the park. We had initially submitted the proposal to officials during then-PPAO President Paiboon’s visit last year, as he was intent on putting the land to productive use,” said Watcharin…

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  • Phuket News

    Phuket melon mayhem takes hours to cleanup

    PHUKET: An out-of-control pick-up truck carrying more than 50,000 baht worth of watermelons collided with a power pole in Thalang earlier this week. “There were smears of fruit everywhere on the road. It took rescue workers and police officers about an hour to clear it all up,” said Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police. The truck driver, 41-year-old Veera…

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  • Phuket News

    British Embassy to host seminar on sensitive handling of sexual assault victims

    PHUKET: The British Embassy will be hosting a seminar on sensitively handling sexual assault victims in Phuket on February 25. “The British Embassy and Royal Thai Police are going to host the seminar, titled ‘Victim Handling Protocols when Dealing with Rape and Sexual Assault Cases’,” said Martin Carpenter, British honorary consul for Phuket. The employees of the Phuket Public Health…

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  • Business News

    Asia Marine moves into motors

    PHUKET: Asia Marine has been building, selling, chartering and managing yachts in Phuket for more than 25 years, and was voted ‘Best Asia based Yacht Charter Agent’ in the 2007 Asian Boating Awards. In December last year, Asia Marine CEO Vincent Tabuteau took the company in a new direction by joining forces with Frenchman Eric Noyel, founder of Asia Marine…

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  • Business News

    Galileo Maritime Academy sends ambassadors to TYS

    PHUKET: Thalang’s Galileo Maritime Academy is shining at the first-ever Thailand Yacht Show. Founded in 2012 by Brian Murray, a career chief engineer in the British Royal Navy and a superyacht captain for 30 years, Galileo offers courses that combine skill sets from the hospitality trade to the skills needed for working as superyacht crew. “The Thailand Yacht Show is…

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  • Business News

    Battling boat show inertia

    PHUKET: In a region already swamped with boat shows, the development of a new show has not been an easy undertaking, admitted Andy Treadwell, managing director of 3L Events, organizers of the Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) 2016 as well as the Singapore Yacht Show. The biggest problem with launching such a show is convincing the industry that you know what…

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  • Opinion

    Opinion: Directing ships of cash to Phuket

    PHUKET: After months of reporting one marine mishap after another, the inaugural Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) comes as a refreshing and long overdue reminder of just how important the marine leisure industry is to the island – and why all sides need to work harder to further develop the province into the true marine hub of the region. Phuket’s marine…

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  • Phuket News

    More than 5 dozen tourists saved after speedboat sinks

    PHANG NGA: More than five dozen tourists were safely rescued after their overloaded speedboat sank near the Similan Islands yesterday evening, reported officials. The 50-passenger boat, owned by the Rak Talay tour company, was carrying 63 tourists at the time of the incident, said Phang Nga Marine Police Chief Jakkree Mekumphonsuit. “According to the captain, they were headed back to…

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  • World NewsAustralian cuts to climate change research may hit drive into Asia | Thaiger

    Australian cuts to climate change research may hit drive into Asia

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian cuts to climate change research may hit drive into Asia Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Funding and job cuts at Australia’s climate change research body could undermine the country’s goal of dominating the Asian premium food market by placing farmers at a disadvantage to U.S.…

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  • Phuket News

    Massive granite slab kills one, critically injures another

    PHUKET: One Myanmar national was killed and another seriously injured last night after an enormous slab of granite that they were delivering fell on them. Mong Mia, 23, was part of a four-man crew unloading the slabs in a warehouse in Kathu, when they lost control of a piece they were carrying, estimated to weigh between 300 to 500 kilograms.…

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  • World NewsWorld’s top scientists pledge to share all findings to fight Zika | Thaiger

    World’s top scientists pledge to share all findings to fight Zika

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community World’s top scientists pledge to share all findings to fight Zika Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Thirty of the world’s leading scientific research institutions, journals and funders have pledged to share for free all data and expertise on Zika to speed up the fight against an…

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  • World NewsGoogle: U.S. guidance crucial to development of self-driving cars | Thaiger

    Google: U.S. guidance crucial to development of self-driving cars

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Google: U.S. guidance crucial to development of self-driving cars Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Alphabet Inc’s Google (GOOGL.O) unit told U.S. auto safety regulators that the government’s interpretation of motor vehicle safety rules is “extremely important” to its further development of fully self-driving cars. In a…

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  • Phuket News

    Superyachts arrive: Thailand to be Asean marine hub

    PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn opened the inaugural Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) in Phuket on Thursday, as the country positions itself to directly, and indirectly, benefit from superyachts and their ultra-wealthy owners. TYS, currently underway at Ao Po Grand Marina, will run until February 14, with about 40 yachts and at least 14 superyachts on display. Gracing the waters…

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