Year: 2017
- Phuket News
‘Slippery roads’ claim yet another victim in Phuket
PHUKET: An unidentified Thai man died after he fell from his bike and was hit by a van in Karon this afternoon. “The accident took place at about 2:10pm on the uphill road from Chalong to Karon. At the scene, we found a man aged 30-35 years, lying in the middle of the road, with no identification documents on him,”…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket locals, officials team up to clean up
PHUKET: Officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) joined hands with locals, students and sea gypsies in a trash collection effort at Koh Sireh this morning. A team of 150 people, including Phuket Vice Governor Sanith Sriwihok and Somchai Maisatian of the MNRE, gathered at Laem Tukkae Beach at about 10am. “The focus of this campaign is…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket marine expert says coral restoration ‘successful’
PHUKET: An expert from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has stated that a decades-long coral restoration project at Koh Mai Thon has yielded significant improvements in marine life in the area. More than 30 types of coral were grown when the project was first started in 1994, after a large number of reefs were damaged by a powerful storm…
Read More » - Business News
Finance: Russians slated to return to Phuket
PHUKET: The economy of Phuket will pick up over the next couple of years because the Russian economy, ruble and stock market are finally recovering. Russia’s energy and commodity driven economy was hit hard by low energy and commodity prices, along with President Obama’s sanctions in response to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and other troubles in Eastern Ukraine.…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket ‘snake master’ captures king cobra in minutes
PHUKET: Bang Tao locals were stunned when a local snake catcher managed to capture a three-meter-long king cobra with his bare hands in a matter of minutes yesterday evening. The incident occurred at a house in Bang Tao Soi 7 at about 5pm yesterday. A local woman, Kob, saw the snake making its way into her neighbor Surin Bilabdullah’s house,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Video: B5mn worth of damages caused in Phuket fire
PHUKET: No injuries were reported in an early morning fire, in which at least five shop-houses were burned down in Thalang today. The flames caused an estimated 5 million baht worth of losses, but officials believe that this number may turn out to be higher as more accurate estimates emerge. “We received a report about the fire at about 4:30am…
Read More » - Phuket News
Ladyboy injured after jumping off Phuket bridge
PHUKET: An unidentified ladyboy was seriously injured after jumping off a bridge in Rawai early this morning. “Locals reported the incident at about 1:30am. We found her lying unconscious on the ground under the bridge, without any identification documents on her person,” said Lt Col Kanaen Somrak of Chalong Police. Police told Phuket Gazette reporters that she looked to be…
Read More » - Phuket News
Three arrested for stealing from German tourist in Phuket
PHUKET: Three men were arrested this morning for stealing a German tourist’s bag containing a wallet, a cell phone and a hotel key card, at Loma Park in Patong yesterday. The victim, Herter Ekika, was relaxing at the beach when a Thai man came up to her and started talking. “The first suspect, Nattawat Sengpatom, engaged Ms Ekika in conversation,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Suspects hangs himself in Phuket holding cell
PHUKET: A man arrested for trespassing died after he hanged himself in a holding cell at Cherng Talay Police Station early this morning. The suspect, Rossaniyom Putdee, 29, made a noose out of his T-shirt and tied it to a bar inside his cell. His body was taken to Thalang Hospital for further examination. He had been arrested at about…
Read More » - Phuket News
Taxi flips on main Phuket thoroughfare
PHUKET: A taxi driver escaped with minor injuries after he flipped his vehicle on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday afternoon. “We found an upside-down green-plated Toyota Altis taxi in the middle of the southbound lane,” said Lt Suporn Muangkai of Thalang Police. The driver, Piyapat Sae-Ong, 47, experienced chest pains from the crash and was taken to Thalang Hospital for treatment. “He…
Read More » - Phuket News
Korean tourist shoots himself at Phuket gun range
PHUKET: A Korean tourist was seriously injured after he shot himself in the face at Patong Hill Shooting Range last night. The victim, Dong Ok Yun, 42, was rushed to Patong Hospital by rescue workers. “Mr Dong sustained a bullet wound under his chin and is now under doctors’ care,” said Maj Pattapee Srichai of Patong Police. The weapon used…
Read More » - Phuket News
Nation, Wall Street Journal in editorial revamp
PHUKET: Phuket Gazette national media partner The Nation has announced a global partnership, editorial and commercial, with the Wall Street Journal. In making the announcement yesterday, The Nation noted that rapid changes in technology and consumer behavior had deepened connections between its readers in Thailand and the world – particularly in technology, politics and business. Editorial content in The Nation,…
Read More » - Thai Life
Profile: Dr Tanwa Apornthip’s love of science and Phuket
PHUKET: Dr Tanwa Apornthip is currently a faculty member at Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Phuket campus. He recently obtained his PhD from the University of Virginia and joined the interdisciplinary graduate school of Earth System Science and Andaman Natural Disaster Management (ESSAND) at PSU. Hailing from a scientific family, Dr Tanwa says he has always looked up to his…
Read More » - Phuket News
Surin vendors upset over exclusion from 10-percent zone
PHUKET: A number of vendors working in the vicinity of Surin this morning submitted a letter to the Cherng Talay OrBorTor demanding a 10-percent zone to operate in, similar to the arrangement at other Phuket beaches (except Laem Sing which is now apparently private). Surin, which previously operated under the 10 percent rule, was converted to a ‘virgin beach’ in…
Read More » - Phuket News
Russian tourism to Phuket rising sharply
PHUKET: Last year, rebounding Russian tourism contributed an estimated 30 billion baht (approximately US$848 million) to Phuket’s economy, according to C9 Hotelworks‘ latest report on the segment. One clear-cut metric of the attraction of Phuket for Russians is that 51 per cent of the country’s travelers to Thailand now come here. Total 2016 Russian passenger arrivals on international flights to…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket cobra scare: one caught, one escapes
PHUKET: Rescue workers caught a 5-meter-long king cobra from a bamboo tree near a Rawai house on Saturday. “We found the 10kg snake at a soi in Baan Saiyuan. Ten Rawai Municipality Rescue workers took about two hours to catch it,” said one rescue worker. There were two of them up in a bamboo tree. The other managed to escape.…
Read More » - Phuket News
Thai government warns of heatstroke, high temperatures
PHUKET: Rising temperatures have raised the risk of heatstroke, the Public Health Ministry warned yesterday. It is predicted that temperatures may soar as high as 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 F) over the next seven weeks. The ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr Sopon Mekthon, advised people to drink two liters of water a day during summer to lower the risk of heatstroke…
Read More » - Phuket News
900kg of drugs nabbed at Phuket border
PHUKET: Police arrested a man with 900 kilograms of the illicit drug krathom, worth about 450,000 baht, at the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint on Saturday night. “We were conducting a random check following the policy of keeping an eye on every vehicle entering Phuket. So we stopped a pick-up truck and asked to search the vehicle,” said Tah Chat Chai…
Read More » - Thailand News
Immigration sealed for fugitive monk
THAILAND: Immigration police have been ordered to prevent Phra Dhammachayo, the former abbot of Dhammakaya Temple, from fleeing to neighboring countries, Immigration Police Bureau commissioner Lt General Nuttathorn Proesunthon said yesterday. “The ‘modern’ system and technology of the bureau, which is linked to all exit points, will help block the fugitive monk from leaving the country,” he added. The monk…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Swiss expat admits abusing more than 80 boys in Thailand
THAILAND: Swiss authorities yesterday confirmed that a man suspected of sexually abusing more than 80 boys in Thailand will be going on trial to face numerous allegations including molestation. It was reported that some of his victims were as young as nine years old. “The unnamed man has admitted to taking thousands of pornographic pictures of the boys, but denied…
Read More » - Phuket News
Mother of missing Russian tourist arrives on Koh Tao
KOH TAO: The mother of a missing Russian tourist has arrived on the resort island of Koh Tao, while DNA results on bones that were believed to belong to the woman have proved negative. Despite launching a full-scale land and sea search for Valentina Novozhyonova (story here), authorities have so far failed to find the 23-year-old tourist, who checked into…
Read More » - Thailand News
Six killed in bus accident tied to school budget issues
PRACHIN BURI: Budget constraints may have contributed to the deaths of four teachers and two students who were killed yesterday when a double-decker bus on a school trip plunged into a ravine in Prachin Buri’s Na Di district. The accident took place on Highway 304 on the route from Nakhon Ratchasima to Na Di. The two-lane road, which is known…
Read More » - Opinion
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Walking to business meetings
PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…
Read More » - Phuket News
Russian tourist dies soon after arrival in Phuket
PHUKET: A Russian tourist died hours after landing at Phuket International Airport yesterday afternoon. The 55-year-old, whose name has been withheld by police, was on holiday with his wife. “Shortly after landing, he told his wife that he had a headache,” said Lt Suporn Muangkai of the Thalang Police. “The couple checked into a hotel in Cherng Talay at about…
Read More » - Phuket News
Koh Tao bones examined for link to missing Russian tourist
PHUKET: Bone fragments found in the sea in Koh Tao yesterday are now being examined to check whether they belong to a Russian tourist who disappeared last month. Valentina Novozhenova, 23, disappeared from a Koh Tao hotel on February 16, a day before she was due to check out (story here). Amid concerns that she might have gotten into trouble…
Read More » - Opinion
Opinion: Need timely decisions on tourist matters
PHUKET: The decision to allow beach beds and umbrellas back on island beaches was inevitable, but it is regrettable that it took so long for reason to prevail, now that the high season for tourism is behind us. Tourists need and expect certain amenities during visits to the island. As pointed out in this space in the past, Phuket beach…
Read More » - Thai Life
Law, life and Society: Reassessing the Thai education system
PHUKET: The Thai education system was recently featured in the Economist. The article, titled ‘Poor schools are at the heart of Thailand’s political malaise‘, was published on January 19, 2017 and discussed Thailand’s international education rankings in the recently released ‘Program for International Student Assessment’ (PISA). Thailand’s scores have plunged to an overall ranking of 54 out of 70 assessed…
Read More » - Phuket News
ALRO locked in lengthy Phuket land dispute
PHUKET: The Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) is engaged in a legal feud with the occupant of 22 rai of land near Paradise Beach. A land ownership dispute between the ALRO and defendant Sompong Sakulthap was decided in favor of the former by a Phuket court last month. ALRO officers and other officials visited the property yesterday morning in order…
Read More » - Property
Across the Land: Latest trends in Phuket hospitality
PHUKET: Based on C9 Hotelworks’ Phuket Hotel Market Update last month, total inbound passengers through Phuket International Airport in 2016 were 7,549,346, with 54 per cent from international flights and 46 per cent from domestic arrivals. This is an 18 per cent growth rate in 2016, compared with 13 per cent in 2015. The top five geographic source markets are…
Read More » - Phuket News
Cruise ships in Phuket inject over 30 million baht a day
PHUKET: The island welcomed two cruise ships from Singapore with almost 8,000 passengers yesterday at Patong, injecting an estimated 31 million baht per day day. Phuket Vice Governor Sanit Sriwihok, representatives from the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket Office, Phuket Marine officers and others welcomed the international cruise liners Ovation of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas – both…
Read More » - Phuket News
Whales bathe in Phuket sunshine yet again
PHUKET: Another pod of false killer whales was spotted yesterday by Phuket-bound tourists around the Mu Koh Similan area. The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is the fourth-largest dolphin and lives in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. “We were on our way to Phuket when we arrived at an area called Hin Pusah and saw at least 30…
Read More » - Phuket News
One dead after drunk man stabs another in Phuket
PHUKET: Police walked into bloodbath after an alcohol-fueled argument resulted in the death of a migrant worker in Phuket near SuperCheap on Thepkrasattri Road. The perpetrator, identified by police as 38-year-old Htin Line, is on the run. “Tae Sor Ao, 21, and the suspect had had three bottles of alcohol between them. Witnesses told us that at about 10:40pm, the…
Read More » - Phuket News
Serial seafood robber arrested in Phuket Town
PHUKET: A serial seafood thief was arrested last night in Phuket Town, claiming that he had to steal to pay everyday expenses. The suspect’s latest seafood heist, from Baan Kalim, a seafood restaurant in Patong, yielded 15 lobsters, tiger prawns, fish, crabs, shellfish and numerous other items. “We have been following this case since February 27. The owner of the…
Read More » - Phuket News
No leads in hunt for missing Russian tourist
KOH TAO: Police are searching for a Russian tourist who has been missing from Koh Tao since February 16. Valentina Novozhenova, 23, disappeared from a Koh Tao hotel the day she was supposed to check out after a week-long stay. Amid concerns that she might have gotten into trouble while snorkeling off the island, police officers and divers yesterday went…
Read More » - Phuket News
Eight arrested in three Phuket raids
PHUKET: Six men and two women were arrested in three separate incidents for possession of drugs and weapons last night. “Saripha Poksa, 30, and Yamila Mayo, 29, were arrested with 177 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine) and 23,000 baht in cash. They were apprehended after undercover police officers pretended to buy drugs from them,” said Lt Col Worapong Prom-In of…
Read More » - Phuket News
Russian tourist’s Phuket ordeal comes to a close
PHUKET: A Russian tourist who was ‘caught’ feeding a fish on Phuket’s Racha Island last month flew back to her home country yesterday after being cleared by the Phuket Provincial Court on Monday. Olga Smirnova, 53, was arrested on the island on February 19 (story here), and jailed for two nights in Phuket while her bail money was being arranged…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket bus operators allegedly scammed for millions
PHUKET: A group of ten bus operators in Phuket yesterday filed a complaint at the Damrongdharma Center, saying they had been cheated out of millions of baht by a company acting as a middleman in a rental contract. Two bus operator representatives, Suthin Chandauykit and Thanapon Permpoonchonchart, told officers that a company named ‘Chill Duay Kan’ had rented 20 buses…
Read More »
