Year: 2017
- Phuket News
Unidentified Russian woman wanted for using fake US dollars
KRABI: Police are searching for an unidentified Russian woman who used fake currency to swindle a Krabi shop owner on Sunday night. Capt Sarawut Kittiruangrayab of Ao Nang Police received the report yesterday after the owner of the herbal shop, Sanchai Khaonoi, 25, tried to exchange a 100-dollar bill and was told it was fake. “Mr Sanchai described the suspect…
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More than a ton of trash cleaned up at Koh Racha Noi
PHUKET: The Department of Marine and Cosatal Resources (DMCR) conducted the second installment of its marine debris management campaign, collecting more than a ton of trash at Koh Racha Noi on Saturday. All coastal provinces in Thailand have been given a budget for marine debris management after Thailand was ranked as the sixth worst marine polluter in the world by…
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Family tragedy: Two killed, three injured in Phuket accident
PHUKET: Two members of a family were killed and three others injured after a car driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into an electric generator at the side of the road early yesterday morning. “The accident occurred on Thepkrasattri Road, at a construction site near Phuket International Airport. At the scene, we found a black Honda Civic stuck…
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Gardening: Marvelous benefits of the neem tree
PHUKET: I have written in these columns before about the sadao tree, or azadiracha indica, which we gardeners in Thailand know as neem. But my interest was re-kindled by a reader from Hua Hin who wrote to say he was “looking for a supplier of neem from the sadao tree”. I presume he wants to use it as an organic…
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Profile: Not your average tuk-tuk driver
PHUKET: Sophon Pol Kaew In, or Pol, as he is better known to his friends and customers, is currently a taxi and tuk-tuk driver in Phuket and somewhat of a favorite with foreigners. Originally from Krabi, he moved to Phuket at the age of 18, more than 25 years ago. “I came to Phuket as a young, carefree boy. I…
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Phuket Police search for relatives of crash victim
PHUKET: A unidentified big bike rider died after crashing into a tree and electric pole near Phuket International Airport early this morning. “The accident occurred at about 3am near the Airport junction in Sakoo sub-district. The victim was male, and appeared to be aged 18 to 20 years. There was blood all over his face and body,” said Lt Col…
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His Majesty strips fugitive monk of patriarch rank
THAILAND: His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun has signed a royal command to strip Phra Dhammachayo of a senior monk rank, equivalent to a patriarch. The royal command, which was signed on Saturday, was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday. The command stripped Phra Dhammachayo of the rank of Thep Yarn Mahamunee on grounds that he is wanted on a…
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Another thieving airline employee arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: An AirAsia baggage handler was arrested on Friday afternoon for stealing jewelry worth 80,000 baht from a passenger’s luggage at Phuket International Airport the day before. Thasayu Boonsop, 26, confessed to theft following a complaint lodged at Sakoo Police Station by Amika Maha, a passenger on AirAsia flight FD3015 from Bangkok to Phuket on Thursday night. “Ms Amika checked…
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American tourist injured in Krabi climbing accident
PHUKET: An American tourist is in hospital in Phuket after she fell while attempting to scale a six-meter-high cliff in Krabi yesterday morning. Samara Landers, 38, broke her leg and sustained several bruises to her body. Saman Vajidee of Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park received a report of the incident at about 10:30am. “We found…
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Aussie tourist dead after visit to his Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: The body of an Australian tourist was found in a Phuket hotel room at about 4pm yesterday. The deceased was believed to have died of a sudden cardiac arrest. Peter John Bright, 55, was staying at the ‘Hello Yaya Residence’ hotel on Phra Baramee Road. He had been there since February 23 and was due to check out yesterday.…
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Finance: Securing your financial future
PHUKET: It really doesn’t matter if you make a little money or tonnes. If you can’t master this very important step you will never achieve financial freedom. It sounds all too simple in theory, yet in practice so many people have trouble staying disciplined. The step I am referring to is committing to setting aside a minimum of 10 per…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Thais have bad taste
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…
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Opinion: Protecting Phuket’s image as a tourist destination
PHUKET: The recent incarceration of a Russian tourist for the heinous crime of feeding breadcrumbs to a fish is just the latest in a long-running series of embarrassments for Thai law enforcement and our tourism industry. The story made international headlines, including such mass media heavyweights as TASS and the UK’s Daily Mail, re-reporting after it was first reported by…
Read More » - Thai Life
On Deck: Unprecedented boom in ocean waste
PHUKET: I’ve written on the topic of ocean waste before. In fact, I first wrote on the topic more than 18 months ago, but it appears that little has changed. Ocean waste is everyone’s responsibility – not just divers, sailors, or swimmers, but everyone who in some way makes a living from the island of Phuket. Phuket’s lifeblood is tourism,…
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Malaysian tourist found dead in Phuket hotel room
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Malaysian tourist whose body was found in a Patong hotel room yesterday afternoon. Officials believe over-consumption of alcohol may have been a contributing factor in his death. “Lee Tzu Yuen, 38, was staying at the ‘White Patong’ guesthouse in Soi San Sabai. We found him naked and lying face up on the…
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Deputy PM visits Phuket to talk tourism
PHUKET: Lifeguards and entertainment venues were some of the issues under discussion during the Deputy Prime Minister’s one-day visit to Phuket yesterday. Deputy PM Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn and Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul were greeted by Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan; Monruedee Gettuphan, director of Phuket International Airport; Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanich, commander of the Royal Thai Army’s Region 4;…
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Russian tourist ‘found’ in Phuket after 10 hours at sea
PHUKET: A Russian tourist, hell-bent on snorkeling despite warnings, was rescued and brought to shore this morning after being lost at sea for at least ten hours off Koh Racha Noi. “Four Russian tourists, named by police as Artem Tarasenko, 45; Sergey Larichev, 40; Valeruu Iakunin, 40; and Dmitrii Somov, 48, rented a speed boat with Thai captain Rittiron Saleeka,…
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Phuket woman wanted for swindling millions
PHUKET: Two women filed a complaint against another earlier this week for allegedly scamming them out of millions of baht and lying about business investments. Pitchayatida Piyodecha and Thaworn Srikanjana filed complaints of fraud at Wichit Police Station against the suspect, named only as ‘Anny’ by police. “Ms Pitchayatida says she was introduced to Ms Anny through a mutual acquaintance.…
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Bomb scare grounds Phuket-bound flight from Sweden
STOCKHOLM: Swedish officials are investigating a bomb threat against a Phuket-bound Thai Airways flight at Stockholm Arlanda Airport last night. The flight was grounded and all 300 passengers safely evacuated, reports Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. The threat was specifically directed toward flight TG963, which was due to take off at 8:45pm, said Sven-Erik Olsson of the Stockholm Police. A relative of…
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Phuket Gazette office closed tomorrow
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette would like to inform our readers and advertisers that our office in Koh Kaew will be closed tomorrow as the result of yet another power outage, from 9am-4pm. Deadlines for our classified advertisements remain unaffected. We apologize to all for the inconvenience.
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Property Watch: Keeping Phuket property dealings honest
PHUKET: I have written quite a few articles over the years, hopefully in a balanced way, on reservation deposits, property investments and purchases in Phuket, which have always included a word of caution about how practices in Thailand on property deposits can vary significantly from other Asian property investment destinations, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Certain elements of Phuket’s…
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Flights to be delayed during Suvarnabhumi runway repairs
BANGKOK: Officials at Suvarnabhumi International Airport have drawn up a contingency plan to cope with ‘possible’ flight delays ‘if’ the runway and taxiway are ‘closed’ during maintenance work over the next two months. The repair work is due to begin this Friday (March 3). Officials have asked airlines to reserve more fuel to cover delays while waiting to land. General…
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Asian black bear’s fall to death ‘explained’
THAILAND: A member of the team responsible for sending an Asian black bear back into nature said yesterday that the animal’s fatal plunge from a helicopter was an “unavoidable accident caused by sudden turbulent weather”. Thanatip Chaiyos, a volunteer photographer, was part of a mission to move the five-year-old bear back to the forest, which ended tragically last month, sparking…
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Army reverses decision on Phuket sun loungers
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Army has declared that sun loungers are now allowed in the 10 percent zone at Patong Beach. The decision was handed down yesterday afternoon by army and beach management committee officials, who decided to reverse the Royal Thai Navy’s ruling declaring them illegal in December last year (story here). The same outcome is expected for other…
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Road-raging Phuket teen biker to pay up
PHUKET: An ‘angry teen’ seen kicking, screaming and pointing at a Honda Jazz on a video earlier this week in Kamala was charged and ordered to compensate the car owner. Phuket Gazette reporters contacted Capt Prasert Thongprom of Kamala Police yesterday to follow up on the ugly incident that took place on Saturday (story here). The parents of the teen…
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Phuket Police hunt for love-struck stabber
PHUKET: Police are on the lookout for five men allegedly involved in stabbing and killing a Myanmar man at a Patong laundromat yesterday morning. The incident is believed to have been prompted by a ‘love triangle’. Lt Sirinat Cherdchutrakulthong of Patong Police received reports of the incident at about 3:45am. “Blood was splattered on the floor of ‘Dry Cleaning World’,…
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Phuket bus, six-wheeler in rainy head-on collision
PHUKET: The driver of a tour bus in Phuket was injured after the front of his vehicle was ripped off in a head-on collision with a six-wheeler this afternoon. Capt Ekkarat Chatpai of Wichit Police received the report at about 2:30pm and arrived at the rain-drenched Muang Thong junction with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers. The bus was being driven by…
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Phuket receives B800k for marine debris management
PHUKET: Coastal provinces in Thailand have been given a budget for marine debris management after Thailand was ranked as the sixth worst marine polluter in the world by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The UNEP is an agency of the United Nations that coordinates its environmental activities and assists developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. Region…
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Looking Back: History of the Emerald Buddha
PHUKET: The Emerald Buddha is one of Thailand’s most revered artifacts. Contrary to its name, it is actually carved out of jade. It is a figurine of the seated meditating Buddha. A beautiful and ancient piece of art, it draws tens of thousands of visitors to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew every year. No one really knows who…
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Profile: Watcharapong Saikaew – First professional CMP in Thailand
PHUKET: Watcharapong Saikaew, or Pom, as he is better known, is the Assistant Director of Events at Angsana Laguna Phuket and the first Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) in Thailand. With a lucrative career and a four-year Hotel and Tourism Management degree from Prince of Songkla University under his belt, he is a proud flag bearer for the Banyan Tree group,…
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Rescued black bear falls to death from chopper
THAILAND: A wildlife activist yesterday criticized Khao Yai National Park officials for allowing an Asian black bear to fall to its death from a helicopter earlier this month during a rescue operation to return it to nature. Thongchai Saengprathum, secretary of the Khao Yai Foundation, said the officials concerned should face legal action for negligence. The bear reportedly woke up…
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British man dies on Phuket snorkeling trip
PHUKET: A British man died on a chartered yacht anchored near Koh Racha yesterday afternoon. Lt Chanat Hongsithchaiyakul of Chalong Police received a distress call from the yacht asking for rescue teams at about 1:30pm. “We found the victim, Graham Weds, unconscious on the floor. He had a wound on his head and was not breathing,” said Lt Chanat. Rescue…
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Video: Angry teens terrorize family after a ‘beep’
PHUKET: A video featuring teen bikers terrorizing a family of three in Kamala went viral yesterday afternoon. The Facebook clip shows two teen-aged kids on a motorbike driving dangerously close to a Honda Jazz, ordering its driver to stop. The one riding pillion was silent, while the other looked visibly angry, kept on pointing at the car and then kicked…
Read More » - Business News
Finance: Key areas investors must watch out for
PHUKET: Trump has been in office less than a month and already some of his most strident critics are acting as if it’s the end of the world. However, what investors need to remember is the fact that Trump faces an extremely hostile national/Washington DC press along with plenty of opposition from within his own government (such as Federal bureaucrats…
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Phuket 96-year-old found hanged at home
PHUKET: An elderly local was found hanging by a nylon rope in his house in Thalang last night. The victim, 96-year-old Pracha Kruepanich, had been discharged from Vachira Phuket Hospital six days ago and was believed to have been stressed by health issues. “We found Mr Pracha’s body hanging by a rope tied to a metal hook at the back…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Why Thai kids are scared
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 Stephff.…
Read More » - Opinion
Opinion: Rethinking the power generation strategy
PHUKET: Recent protests against construction of the proposed coal burning electricity generating plant in Krabi is a classic case of the NIMBY (‘Not In My Back Yard’) phenomenon, and one which is also seriously testing the government’s resolve over the public’s right to protest. It is difficult to believe that the year is 2017 and we are still burning coal,…
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