Year: 2016

  • Thai LifeWitness spectacles at the Thailand Yacht Show

    Witness spectacles at the Thailand Yacht Show

    PHUKET: The very first state-sponsored Thailand Yacht Show promises a whole lot of fun on the water, showcasing the latest luxury yachts available for charter and aquatic toys, plus the latest offerings from the region’s top boating industry specialists and suppliers at Ao Po Grand Marina today through February 14. Additionally, there will be exhibitions and displays on the water,…

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  • Thai LifeSerenity in the heart of Patong

    Serenity in the heart of Patong

    PHUKET: Stress, lack of sleep, an unbalanced diet, air pollution, smoking – most of us are affected by one or more of these on a daily basis. So let the crew at Ryn Spa, Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Resort & Villas, melt them away for you. Every aspect of the service, from the soothing welcome drink to the lighting and…

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  • Phuket NewsRescued three-year-old boy transferred to PICU

    Rescued three-year-old boy transferred to PICU

    PHUKET: The three-year-old boy who was found after going missing for six days, has been transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Vachira Phuket Hospital, confirmed hospital staff. Nong DJ was rescued yesterday from a shallow waterway about three kilometers away from his home (video report here). “Nong DJ is now in the PICU due to a stomach…

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  • Hua Hin NewsChina confirms first case of Zika virus | Thaiger

    China confirms first case of Zika virus

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China confirms first case of Zika virus Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in a man who had recently travelled to South America, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The virus, which is causing international alarm after…

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  • Cannabis NewsAustralia set to legalise cultivation of medical cannabis | Thaiger

    Australia set to legalise cultivation of medical cannabis

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia set to legalise cultivation of medical cannabis Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Australia is expected to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medical or scientific purposes with a bill introduced to parliament on Wednesday – the first step towards doctors eventually prescribing it to patients…

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  • World NewsHong Kong riot police fire warning shots in bloody street clashes | Thaiger

    Hong Kong riot police fire warning shots in bloody street clashes

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hong Kong riot police fire warning shots in bloody street clashes Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Hong Kong riot police fired warning shots on Tuesday during clashes that erupted in the Chinese-ruled city when authorities tried to remove illegal street stalls set up for Lunar New…

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  • World NewsTaiwan developer in custody after deadly quake fells building | Thaiger

    Taiwan developer in custody after deadly quake fells building

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taiwan developer in custody after deadly quake fells building Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A local court in the southern Taiwan city of Tainan ruled on Tuesday to take into custody the developer of a building which collapsed during an earthquake at the weekend that killed…

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  • Phuket NewsKrabi Police bust illegal gun ring

    Krabi Police bust illegal gun ring

    KRABI: Krabi Police captured one suspect and are searching for two others who were able to flee the scene of a raid on Monday in Ao Luek. Police were alerted to the location after neighbors complained of an illegal gun production ring. “We were able to capture Noppadon Surachawadee, 34. However, his younger brother, Prasit Surachawadee, 28, and their associate,…

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  • Thai LifeOn Deck: At last, good news for our oceans

    On Deck: At last, good news for our oceans

    PHUKET: Ocean trash is growing. It’s an important issue that gets a lot of attention, at times, but little is actually done about it. Two Spain-based Aussie surfers, Pete Ceglinski and Andrew Turton, are about to change that. In a former life, Turton was a product designer who realized that the plastic products he was designing were sources of pollution.…

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  • PropertyProperty Watch: Foreigners: beware of condo laws

    Property Watch: Foreigners: beware of condo laws

    PHUKET: Every year I learn a host of new rules and regulations which impact property investors in Thailand, sometimes positively but often detrimentally. This year I learned something new, which either by chance or good fortune, my clients over 13 plus years here have never experienced. Unfortunately, I view the situation as being severely detrimental and anti-foreign investment in nature.…

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  • Phuket NewsPrime Minister to open Thailand Yacht Show [video] | Thaiger

    Prime Minister to open Thailand Yacht Show [video]

    PHUKET: PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha* will officially open the inaugural Thailand Yacht Show this week, on Thursday, February 11 at the Ao Por Grand Marina. The event will run until February 14 and showcase the latest luxury yachts available for charter, as well as the latest offerings from the region’s top boating industry specialists and suppliers. “I am…

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  • Phuket NewsVideo Report: Missing boy reunited with family

    Video Report: Missing boy reunited with family

    PHUKET: Tireless efforts made by police, search teams and rescue workers today helped reunite a missing three-year-old boy with his family. Nong DJ was recovered safe and sound on a hill about three kilometers from his home in Wichit, where he went missing on Wednesday (story here). “We found him at about 11:40am lying in a shallow waterway, covered by…

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  • Phuket NewsCanadian national dies after night out in Patong

    Canadian national dies after night out in Patong

    PHUKET: Police are waiting for doctors to confirm the cause of death of a Canadian man who died in his hotel room in Patong this morning. Micheal Jerry Talbot, 28, collapsed at about 5:30am after suffering from chest pain and shortness of breath, confirmed Capt Yingyong Chuoykij of the Patong Police. “Mr Talbot’s roommate told us that Mr Talbot went…

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  • Phuket NewsEscaped toothfish-poaching vessel netted in Senegal

    Escaped toothfish-poaching vessel netted in Senegal

    PHUKET: Authorities in Senegal have detained the internationally wanted toothfish-poaching vessel Kunlun, which slipped through the fingers of Phuket authorities after having been seized in March last year. Reports allege that the illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing vessel had previously falsified its registry, claiming Indonesia as its flag state. This allowed the vessel to be detained in Senegal on formalities…

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  • Phuket NewsBreaking News: Phuket rescue workers save missing 3 year old

    Breaking News: Phuket rescue workers save missing 3 year old

    PHUKET: A missing 3-year-old boy was found today after having disappeared from his family home on Wednesday. “The boy is very weak and cold. He was in the woods alone for days,” said Kusoldharm rescue worker Thanakorn Teechanon. “When we found him, he wasn’t even crying, as he was so weak. We are now taking him to Vachira Phuket Hospital.”…

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  • Phuket NewsAnother unidentified foreigner dies, after collapsing on Bangla

    Another unidentified foreigner dies, after collapsing on Bangla

    PHUKET: Police are trying to identify a foreign male who died at Vachira Phuket Hospital yesterday morning. The man, estimated to be about 50 years old, was not carrying any identification when, according to witnesses, he collapsed and hit his head on the sidewalk along Patong’s famed Soi Bangla Saturday night. He was taken to Patong Hospital and later transferred…

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  • Phuket NewsA Decade Ago: Whole lot of monkey business

    A Decade Ago: Whole lot of monkey business

    PHUKET: Though an exotic beast to most foreigners when they first find their footing in Thailand, it takes very few interactions with monkeys to realize that they are properly aggressive, arrogant deviants. This sort of Monkey Business, far different than the mafia muppeteering that destroyed our public transportation system and deflowered our beaches, made page one in the February 4-10,…

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  • OpinionOpinion: Creating a World Heritage Site

    Opinion: Creating a World Heritage Site

    Kosol Tang-Uthai is a Phuket native and is currently deputy mayor of Phuket City and president of the Thai Peranakan Association, a group dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of Phuket’s unique Chinese culture. He earned his doctorate from Mahidol University and has been serving as president of the association since 2007. Here he talks about the difficulties involved…

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  • Business NewsAussies tackle unidentified medical patient quagmire in Phuket, Bali

    Aussies tackle unidentified medical patient quagmire in Phuket, Bali

    PHUKET: Australian-based company IDTracker was launched to tackle the frightening number of unidentified foreign patients arriving unconscious or incoherent at Phuket hospitals. The company’s simple, durable wrist bands provide a unique emergency identification code number that is linked to the wearer’s secure on line profile and can be used by medical staff to access insurance details, emergency contacts, medical history…

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  • Phuket NewsAnother tourist dies on Phuket speedboat trip

    Another tourist dies on Phuket speedboat trip

    PHUKET: A Chinese tourist was recovered unconscious from the waters off Koh Racha while on a speedboat trip today. Ju Zekai, 24, was rushed back to Phuket and transferred to Chalong Hospital where he was pronounced dead. “Mr Ju was on a day trip around Koh Racha with his girlfriend and 20 other tourists. He had gone for a swim…

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  • Phuket NewsTourists flock to Phuket for Chinese New Year

    Tourists flock to Phuket for Chinese New Year

    PHUKET: Record numbers of Chinese tourists are flocking to Phuket this month to join Chinese New Year celebrations on the island. Phuket International Airport has been bustling for the past few days with tourists arriving on extra flights from mainland China and Malaysia, said Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan. “An extra 29 charter flights from China to Phuket were laid on…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket flyover projects garner public clearance

    Phuket flyover projects garner public clearance

    PHUKET: Two major flyover construction projects that were grounded by public opinion last year are clear for takeoff. Out of the 339 voting participants at the public meeting Thursday morning, 259 approved the project, a dramatic contrast to the 65% of 95 voters who shot down the plan on August 10 last year (story here). The flyovers are planned for…

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  • Phuket NewsBrit found dead in Srisoonthorn villa | Thaiger

    Brit found dead in Srisoonthorn villa

    PHUKET: Police do not suspect foul play in the death of a British national found dead in his Srisoonthorn villa this morning. Martyn William James, 64, was discovered by his housekeeper after Mr James’ wife asked her to check on him. “Mrs James asked the housekeeper, Darunee Banrob, to check on Mr James after she tried calling him but got…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket police clueless in hunt for missing 3-year-old

    Phuket police clueless in hunt for missing 3-year-old

    PHUKET: Days after a woman called on the public to help find her missing three-year-old son, police have no leads. The distraught 23-year-old mother, Saowalak Chaiyo, said her son went missing while playing in front of their home in Wichit on Wednesday. Jetsadakron Chaiyo, nicknamed Nong DJ, was wearing a white hoodie with a black Angry Birds logo, orange shorts…

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  • World NewsTaiwan quake toll climbs to 35, president to visit disaster scene | Thaiger

    Taiwan quake toll climbs to 35, president to visit disaster scene

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taiwan quake toll climbs to 35, president to visit disaster scene Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Feb 8 The death toll from an earthquake in southern Taiwan at the weekend climbed to 35 on Monday, with more than 100 people still listed as missing under a…

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  • World NewsMore than 3,100 pregnant women in Colombia have Zika virus | Thaiger

    More than 3,100 pregnant women in Colombia have Zika virus

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More than 3,100 pregnant women in Colombia have Zika virus Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: More than 3,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Saturday, as the disease continues its rapid spread across the Americas. Brazil…

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  • Phuket NewsTourist dead, family in hospital after boat capsizes

    Tourist dead, family in hospital after boat capsizes

    PHUKET: An elderly Chinese woman is dead and her family recovering in hospital after the longtail boat they hired capsized in rough seas in Krabi yesterday. Boat driver Niyom Suebhet, 32, said that the longtail had started taking on water before capsizing in waves about three meters high. “We left Koh Mai Pai at about 3pm. The tourists, four adults…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket sea gypsies use black magic to fight land barons

    Phuket sea gypsies use black magic to fight land barons

    PHUKET: Rawai Sea gypsies have turned to black magic in a last-ditch effort to fend off real estate developers in Phuket. About 200 sea gypsies took part in the ancient ‘Ah Boi‘ ceremony Saturday morning, which was attended by village chiefs from Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, in an effort to garner spiritual help against Baron World Trade Co Ltd.…

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  • Phuket NewsRussian involved in fatal Phuket crash

    Russian involved in fatal Phuket crash

    PHUKET: Police have yet to charge a Russian man who was involved in a fatal road accident on Phuket yesterday morning. “Cherkasov Mikhail, 37, waited for police to arrive after the accident. He explained that Sakol Kunnui, 20, had crossed into his lane, then fell off his bike. Mr Mikhail was unable to stop in time,” said Lt Col Rassada…

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  • Thai LifeProfiile: Legend of Phuket’s Green Man

    Profiile: Legend of Phuket’s Green Man

    PHUKET: Howard Digby-Johns presides over the most interesting estate on Phuket. His ‘Green Man Pub’ on the road between Chalong and Kata Hill looks like a gracious English manor from the outside. But upon exploring the extensive landscaped grounds, one finds a subterranean wine cellar, a temple to the Egyptian god Osiris, shrines to the Hindu god Ganesh, a parlor…

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  • OpinionOpinion: Snorkelling safety snafu

    Opinion: Snorkelling safety snafu

    PHUKET: The recent death of Chinese tourist Weidong Lu, 49, who was killed while snorkelling off Koh Racha Yai, further exemplifies the need to provide tourists with fully trained and certified tour guides. Though it is uncertain whether or not a tour guide was present on the speedboat that was hired to carry Mr Weidong and his family, it still…

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  • PropertyOld Town architecture inspires

    Old Town architecture inspires

    PHUKET: Even today, the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Old Phuket Town is an excellent example of practical designs that have stood the test of time. The simple and ingenious designs of shop houses and mansions built during Phuket’s tin-mining rush, and the influx of Chinese migrants in the 17th century, are often a source of inspiration for local and international architects.…

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  • Phuket NewsV/Gov to strip 10 per cent zones of unruly vendors

    V/Gov to strip 10 per cent zones of unruly vendors

    PHUKET: Beaches with vendors that continually break beach management rules will be stripped of their 10 per cent zones and designated as virgin beaches, confirmed Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat. The vice governor’s comments come fast on the heels of photographic evidence sent to the Phuket Gazette of beach chairs chained to trees at Kata Beach last week. “We will…

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  • Phuket NewsOfficials launch safe-sex campaign ahead of Valentine’s Day

    Officials launch safe-sex campaign ahead of Valentine’s Day

    PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) is urging people to practice safe sex as part of an awareness campaign for Valentine’s Day this year. “HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases [STDs] can be prevented if people practice safe sex. It is crucial to be aware of ways to keep yourself protected,” says PPHO Chief Buncha Kakong. Dr Buncha is…

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  • Phuket NewsPhi Phi park chief allows additional dive sites

    Phi Phi park chief allows additional dive sites

    PHUKET: After a lengthy meeting, Phi Phi officials have agreed to allow 18 dive sites to remain open following an incident on Wednesday when a speedboat seriously injured two Russian divers (story here). “After talking to all relevant parties, we have decided to allow diving to continue at many of the current sites in the park,” confirmed Sarayuth Tanthien, chief…

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  • Phuket NewsFormer Krabi policeman confesses to killing Phuket officer

    Former Krabi policeman confesses to killing Phuket officer

    KRABI: A former Krabi police officer surrendered himself to police yesterday afternoon after shooting a Phuket police officer to death during an early-morning drinking session in Ao Luek. According to witnesses, Sub Lt Kwanbavorn Thanasarn, 54, of the Tah Chat Chai Region 8 Police, was shot in the head and abdomen by retired Sgt Major Somsak Chumcheun while the pair…

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  • Phuket NewsDiving restricted in Phi Phi following speedboat accident

    Diving restricted in Phi Phi following speedboat accident

    PHUKET: Diving in the Phi Phi archipelago has been limited to three dive sites following an incident on Wednesday when a speedboat seriously injured two Russian divers. “We will be strictly enforcing the rule that allows diving only at Loh Samah Bay, Bida Nai and Bida Nok,” said Boonnam Chuyradom, assistant chief of Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi…

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