Legacy Phuket Gazette

Archiving articles from the Phuket Gazette circa 1998 - 2017. View the Phuket Gazette online archive and Digital Gazette PDF Prints.
  • Phuket NewsDrug use among Phuket children “worrying’ officials | Thaiger

    Drug use among Phuket children “worrying’ officials

    PHUKET: There is growing concern about drug use among children in Phuket, who reportedly make up more than eight per cent of all participants in drug rehabilitation programs across the island. Phuket Provincial Health Office statistics show that out of 1,414 people in drug rehabilitation programs in Phuket, 114 of them are children under the age of 18. Prajiad Aksornthammakul,…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket retailers scramble to stem flood shortages

    Phuket retailers scramble to stem flood shortages

    PHUKET: Phuket’s major retailers are reeling from the effects of the floods in Bangkok and Central Thailand, which have crippled their distribution networks, sparking shortages of consumer goods and forcing local prices to skyrocket. The Phuket Internal Trade Office (PITO) has launched a blitz against market vendors and retailers gouging customers, saying there is no need for panic as Phuket…

  • Phuket NewsThailand U23 outshine Phuket All Stars

    Thailand U23 outshine Phuket All Stars

    PHUKET: In the first of two friendly charity games scheduled for Surakul Stadium, the Thailand U23s annihilated a Phuket All Stars team by a score of 6-1 on Sunday evening.The All Stars team was in fact an FC Phuket ‘B’ team given the opportunity to showcase their abilities against the junior national team preparing for the SEA Games, due to…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Tennis: Chang ITF tournament main draw starts today

    Phuket Tennis: Chang ITF tournament main draw starts today

    PHUKET: The first Chang ITF Tournament Pro Circuit to be held in Phuket gets underway in earnest today with both Men’s Singles and Doubles main draw matches gracing the tennis courts of the Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club in Thalang. Seven seeded players will face their first test with number four seed Laurent Rochette of France (ranked 374 in the…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Lomas International Youth Rugby Tournament sees King’s College Bangkok victorious

    Phuket Lomas International Youth Rugby Tournament sees King’s College Bangkok victorious

    PHUKET: The first Phuket Lomas International Youth Rugby Tournament hosted by Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) enjoyed fantastic support yesterday with King’s College Bangkok securing the inaugural champion’s title. In a tense final against Centaurs RFC of Singapore, the Bangkok side proved their worth as deserving victors by scoring two breakaway tries and one conversion late in the second…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket tennis hopes dashed at ITF tennis tournament

    Phuket tennis hopes dashed at ITF tennis tournament

    PHUKET: Hopes of a Phuket player qualifying for the main draw of the Chang ITF Pro Circuit tournament 2011 being held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) were dampened yesterday with Tachakorn Tonnon exiting the competition in the very first match.Tachakorn, who plays his tennis out of Chalong, lost 6-0, 6-0 to Wing-Lun Lam of Hong Kong in a…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket All Stars play Thailand’s U23 squad tonight at Surakul

    Phuket All Stars play Thailand’s U23 squad tonight at Surakul

    PHUKET: Thailand’s U23 national team has announced schedule changes for their southern tour schedule, moving their friendly charity match against FC Phuket to Friday, November 4 at 6pm, instead of Saturday as initially announced. The change follows a request by 2011 SEA Games host Indonesia to bring forward the starting date of the SEA Games to November 9 from November…

  • Phuket News‘Amateur’ gold thief nabbed by Phuket Police

    ‘Amateur’ gold thief nabbed by Phuket Police

    PHUKET: A 22-year-old Phuket man has been arrested in connection with yesterday’s brazen 950,000-baht gold heist. Dechin Gongsinon was arrested at his home this morning after police followed a trail of clues left by the seemingly hapless thief. Mr Dechin was found in possession of two of the stolen gold chains, police said. “The thief was an amateur,” declared Phuket…

  • Phuket NewsThief makes off with 950k baht in Phuket gold heist

    Thief makes off with 950k baht in Phuket gold heist

    PHUKET: A man posing as a customer made off with almost one million baht in gold yesterday after snatching a display tray from a Phuket gold shop. Police received a report at 3pm that Thong Tanet 1 gold shop near the Kaset Market in Phuket Town had been robbed. Phuket City Police top-brass, including Superintendent Chote Chitchai, Lt Col Jumroon…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Governor pulled into appeal to fix deadly hill road

    Phuket Governor pulled into appeal to fix deadly hill road

    PHUKET: Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukbal today pleaded for Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha to order the damaged road on Patong Hill to be repaired. The road was damaged by a landslide on October 13 after heavy rain fell across Phuket. The road suffered further damage after yet another landslide at the same location on October 19. At a meeting at…

  • Phuket News“Troubled’ lovers plunge from Phuket bridge, whereabouts unknown

    “Troubled’ lovers plunge from Phuket bridge, whereabouts unknown

    PHUKET: A search has been launched for a pair of troubled lovers who were last seen on Thepkrasattri Bridge and are now missing, believed to have leaped into the fast-flowing waters heading out to the Andaman Sea. Tah Chat Chai Police Duty Officer Watcharin Jiratikarnwiwat received a report just after midnight last night that a man and a woman had…

  • Phuket NewsFloods force south-bound trains out of Bangkok

    Floods force south-bound trains out of Bangkok

    PHUKET: Floods in Bangkok have forced trains bound for Surat Thani, a popular jump-off point for tourists heading to Phuket, to start from the Nakhon Pathom railway station, on the west of the Thai capital. An operator at the State Railway of Thailand’s call center today told the Phuket Gazette that the move to shut down Southern Line services at…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket tourist mum dies, son seriously injured in motorbike accident

    Phuket tourist mum dies, son seriously injured in motorbike accident

    PHUKET: A German tourist was killed and her son seriously injured in a motorbike accident on Wednesday about 100 meters ahead of her husband and the boy’s twin brother, who were on another motorbike.Nicole Wittig, 47, was driving the motorbike at about 11pm on a road near the Laguna resort complex with her 17-year-old son, Mark, riding pillion when she…

  • Phuket NewsThai Floods: Phuket becomes safe haven in Bangkok exodus

    Thai Floods: Phuket becomes safe haven in Bangkok exodus

    PHUKET: Roads and bus, train and airport terminals in Bangkok yesterday were jammed with people exiting flood-struck Bangkok, heading to safe areas including, quite noticeably today, Phuket. The exodus gathered pace yesterday, with long tailbacks on outbound highways with cars and adding to packed accommodations in Pattaya, Hua Hin and Chon Buri, among other destinations. For days, Bangkokians have been…

  • Phuket NewsThanyapura serves up ITF tennis for Phuket on Saturday

    Thanyapura serves up ITF tennis for Phuket on Saturday

    PHUKET: Following their success at the recent Thanyapura Tennis Challenge, Tachakorn Tonnon and Pavaporn Limsakul are now preparing for another opportunity to showcase their talents at the Chang International Tennis Federation (ITF) Thailand Pro Circuit 2011 tournament.Enthusiasts of the sport in Phuket are also anticipating an exciting exhibition of tennis from a number of the finest players in the region,…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Governor goes shopping for flood price hikes

    Phuket Governor goes shopping for flood price hikes

    PHUKET: Governor Tri Augkaradacha today inspected Phuket’s three largest grocery retailers after receiving complaints of price rises on some products following the floods in Bangkok.Joining Governor Tri were Prajiad Aksornthammakul of the Phuket Provincial Office, Phuket Internal Trade Office Director Supatcha Boonpalit, and Phuket MP Raewat Areerob.At each store, Gov Tri and his entourage were welcomed by the store manager…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket tourists finger American snatch thief

    Phuket tourists finger American snatch thief

    PHUKET: An American man was arrested last night after allegedly committing a string of snatch thefts in popular tourist beach areas on Phuket’s west coast. Jake Bordes, 27, was stopped by police and charged with robbery after two tourists reported being robbed in separate incidents while walking in Karon. A Chalong Police report states that “Ritua Walli” was robbed at…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Live Wire : Signing up for Internet service – Ten tips

    Phuket Live Wire : Signing up for Internet service – Ten tips

    PHUKET: Over the past month in these Live Wire columns I’ve given you a snapshot of what options you have for internet service in Phuket. Choices range from not-really-tolerable to surprisingly good. Most of all, the competition’s fierce and that bodes well for all of us. The key to it all is staying on top of what’s available, and how…

  • Thai LifeFemale sleuth equal among Phuket police

    Female sleuth equal among Phuket police

    PHUKET: Captain Nucharee Longkaew is the only female police detective in Phuket. The single, 27-year-old native of Nakhon Sri Thammarat has been working for the investigations department of Phuket City Police since May of this year and is also working on a master’s degree in law. Here she talks about the life lessons she has learned and what it is…

  • Thai LifePaul Poole to market Phuket’s TSLC

    Paul Poole to market Phuket’s TSLC

    PHUKET: Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) in Phuket have announced that leading independent marketing consultants firm Paul Poole Co Ltd (South East Asia) will manage all sponsorship and marketing operations for the sports facility in 2012 and 2013. The Sponsorship Experts team, led by Managing Director Paul Poole, will work with TSLC to provide brand and business alignments for…

  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle – Helping to save Phang Nga Bay

    Phuket Lifestyle – Helping to save Phang Nga Bay

    PHUKET: More than 200 men, women and children gathered recently at pristine Phang Nga Bay to release 200,000 baby shrimp into the sea to enhance the local ecosystem. Phang Nga Bay is a marine conservation zone that encompasses Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi territory. The Phang Nga Bay ecosystem includes mangroves, coral reefs, sea grass, shrimp, squid, molluscs, small fish…

  • Phuket NewsSecond event completed in Phuket Dinghy Racing Series

    Second event completed in Phuket Dinghy Racing Series

    PHUKET: The second edition of the Phuket Dinghy Series took place off Nai Yang Beach on October 15 and 16 with 33 sailors in contention for honors. Organizers selected Nai Yang for this edition as part of three different racing areas, with the intention of allowing sailors to experience a range of conditions and test their seamanship throughout the three…

  • Phuket NewsPhuet Youth Sailing Club’s sailors selected for Youth Games

    Phuet Youth Sailing Club’s sailors selected for Youth Games

    PHUKET: Six Phuket Youth Sailing Club (PYSC) members have been selected to represent Phuket at the National Sports Festival in Khon Kaen during November 2011 and the National Youth Games to be held in Phuket during March 2012. The six sailors are, Mak Sarawat (Laser Standard Class), Akapoj Kankaew and Sukanya Saiman (Super Mod Class), Teerapong Tohkratoak, Tanaporn Budgrim and…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s schools ready for PTT Cup

    Phuket’s schools ready for PTT Cup

    PHUKET: The PTT sponsored Schools Volleyball Cup will again take place on Karon Beach as a forerunner to the main PTT Swatch FIVB Phuket competition. Four schools will participate, including Rachaprachanukroh School, British International School, Headstart, and SOS Children’s Village. The event will be run over two days, starting on November 5, after the FIVB semi finals, and will finish…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Irish Times race 5

    Phuket Irish Times race 5

    PHUKET: What initially looked like a small crowd turned into a fleet of seven for the Irish Times Series race five off Ao Chalong Yacht Club. Participating in the Racing Class were Linda, Dreamtime and Remington, while in the Multihull Class were Nina, Moto Inzi, Miss Saigon and Sidewinder. A sunny day greeted the crews with a good breeze beginning…

  • Phuket NewsRunning tips by Jurgen Zack for Phuket’s triathlon

    Running tips by Jurgen Zack for Phuket’s triathlon

    PHUKET: I started as a distance runner at the age of 14. I always had the desire to be independent. Running meant freedom for me and I could choose to run on my own anytime and anywhere in the world. Running is a sight seeing tour and I enjoy the stress relieving effect it has on my body. Running, for…

  • Phuket NewsF1 Grand prix in Jersey

    F1 Grand prix in Jersey

    PHUKET: “They compare it to Spa in Belgium, but it will have the feel of Monaco.” West New York attorney Joe DeMarco recently made a comparison between the New Jersey, 3.2-mile street circuit that will host the Grand Prix of America in 2013 – and the famous Monaco circuit. Firstly, I wonder who “they” are? And secondly, comparing New Jersey…

  • Phuket NewsNok Air to resume Bangkok-Phuket flights

    Nok Air to resume Bangkok-Phuket flights

    PHUKET: Nok Air will resume flights between flood-struck Bangkok and Phuket tomorrow by temporarily moving their operations to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Nok Air ground attendant Nonglak Sangcharoen, based at Phuket International Airport, today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that, “Due to the floods, all Nok Air flights from Phuket to Bangkok from tomorrow, October 27, through to November 10 will land…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket bus crash driver blames brake failure

    Phuket bus crash driver blames brake failure

    PHUKET: The driver of the Phuket tour bus full of Russian tourists that ran off the road on a steep curve heading into Patong this afternoon told police that brake failure caused the accident. “The brakes failed. That’s what caused the crash,” said Nakrob Tiewtrakul, 42, from Ratchaburi, who suffered a deep cut on his forehead when the bus plowed…

  • Phuket NewsCyclists make the Big Push for Phuket

    Cyclists make the Big Push for Phuket

    PHUKET: TEN riders representing the Royal British Legion and the Thai War Veterans Organization are set to cross Phuket’s Thepkrasattri Bridge tomorrow, completing a 855-kilometer bike ride from Bangkok in a bid to raise 500,000 baht for charity. Completing the ride, called the “Spice Roads Royal British Legion Big Push”, are British ex-service folk, the oldest of whom is Tony…