Legacy Phuket Gazette

Archiving articles from the Phuket Gazette circa 1998 - 2017. View the Phuket Gazette online archive and Digital Gazette PDF Prints.
  • Thai LifePhuket Health and Fitness: Learn to feel good

    Phuket Health and Fitness: Learn to feel good

    PHUKET: Recently the island hosted the second Rawai-Nai Harn Health and Wellness Festival during which a gathering of highly qualified practitioners led various sessions designed to help us all lead healthier, happier, more well-balanced lives. Phuket is certainly privileged in having so many of these heath practitioners living and working here, but their presence begs the question: “Why choose Phuket…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket motorbike taxi driver found dead in canal

    Phuket motorbike taxi driver found dead in canal

    PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of man whose body was found in a canal in central Phuket late yesterday afternoon with a deep cut under his chin. Thalang Police led by Duty Officer Kitthiphum Thinthalang arrived at the scene, a canal behind the Thalang Victory Memorial Field (map here), at 6:15pm. Local residents identified the man as 53-year-old local…

  • Thai LifePhuket Gardening: ABC of plants – “A’ is also for almond

    Phuket Gardening: ABC of plants – “A’ is also for almond

    PHUKET: A couple of recent inquiries reminded me of another omission in my opening sorties on the subject of ‘A’ plants. Chris Sieber wrote to ask how he could find a source book where he could “find plant names in English, Latin and Thai.” And on the subject of almonds, he added: “About three years ago I brought three green…

  • Thai LifePhuket Books: An education of life in the East

    Phuket Books: An education of life in the East

    PHUKET: Jerry Hopkins was present at the creation of Rolling Stone magazine and the early hippie days of West Coast rock. After penning the definitive biography of Jim Morrison – No One Here Gets Out Alive – he took off for a long sojourn in Hawaii. He’s been in Thailand now for 20 years, still writing books, three dozen of…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Obec bows over schools; Chalerm to head BRN peace talks; Hot rods a mystery; Bomb blast ‘from the heart’

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Obec bows over schools; Chalerm to head BRN peace talks; Hot rods a mystery; Bomb blast ‘from the heart’

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pupils at small schools to use facilities at other sites: OBEC The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) bowed to public pressure yesterday, with Obec secretary-general Chinnapat Bhumirat announcing no small schools would be closed this academic year. Instead, pupils will be…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket manhunt called off as German fugitive arrested

    Phuket manhunt called off as German fugitive arrested

    PHUKET: The Phuket manhunt for the Carlo Konstantin Kohl, who escaped his Australian guards at Suvarnabhumi Airport while being escorted home to Germany (story here), has been called off. Police arrested the 25-year-old at the German Embassy in Bangkok yesterday, Immigration Police Commissioner Panu Kerdlabpol said. “We had officers waiting for him at the embassy,” Lt Gen Panu said. Kohl…

  • Phuket NewsFive arrested over attack on Kedah royal family bodyguard

    Five arrested over attack on Kedah royal family bodyguard

    PHUKET: Police today arrested five men for the attack on a Kedah royal family bodyguard at a high-end resort in Patong just after midnight on Tuesday. Four of the men, including three Malaysians, were arrested while trying to exit Thailand at the busy Sadao checkpoint in Songkhla province. The first arrest was made at a rented house in Sikao District…

  • Phuket NewsNo blockade: Phuket taxis called to the rescue [Video Report] | Thaiger

    No blockade: Phuket taxis called to the rescue [Video Report]

    PHUKET: Following the confusion at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port this morning (story here), it has come to light that the hundreds of taxis, tour vans and tuk-tuks at the gate to Phuket’s key port facility were called to the rescue of the thousands of US Navy servicemen and women looking to enjoy shore leave on the island. The armada of…

  • Phuket NewsUS Navy sailors caught in Phuket taxi blockade

    US Navy sailors caught in Phuket taxi blockade

    UPDATE: This story has since been updated through the stories ‘No blockade: Phuket taxis called to the rescue [Video Report]’ (click here) and ‘US Navy transport contractor reaches agreement with Phuket taxis’ (click here). PHUKET: Taxi drivers have set up a blockade at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port, where the USS Nimitz and the USS Princeton are anchored. According to reports,…

  • World NewsPhuket Gazette World News: Myanmar mob violence returns; US soldier to confess Afghan massacre; Vincent and Bruno get married; PNG sorcery stoked

    Phuket Gazette World News: Myanmar mob violence returns; US soldier to confess Afghan massacre; Vincent and Bruno get married; PNG sorcery stoked

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Buddhist mobs attack Muslim homes in Myanmar, one dead Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Security forces struggled to control Buddhist mobs who burned Muslim homes on Wednesday for a second day in the northern Myanmar city of Lashio in a dangerous widening of ultra-nationalist Buddhist violence.…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket FC swoops down on Krabi Andaman Eagles

    Phuket FC swoops down on Krabi Andaman Eagles

    PHUKET: The Islanders advanced to 4th place of the 18-team Yamaha League One (YL1) after downing Krabi FC in a Phang Nga Bay derby match last night in Phuket Town. Despite Krabi dominating the attack early on, the two Southern sides went into the locker rooms at half time scoreless. The deadlock was broken eight minutes into the second half,…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket hosts full-scale tsunami drill

    Phuket hosts full-scale tsunami drill

    PHUKET: A total of about 300 emergency-response officers from Phuket and Phang Nga joined forces to stage a full-scale tsunami evacuation and sea rescue drill off the northern tip of Phuket yesterday.The drill started with the sounding of the tsunami warning alarm, prompting the officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) in Phuket and Phang Nga to…

  • Phuket NewsSwedish Muay Thai fighter found dead on Koh Lanta | Thaiger

    Swedish Muay Thai fighter found dead on Koh Lanta

    PHUKET: The body of a Swedish Muay Thai fighter was found yesterday at the popular tourist island Koh Lanta, across the bay from Phuket.Police and rescue workers arrived at a rental room at the Otto Bar after receiving a report of a dead foreigner. Police named the man as “Kasper Pobias Byreborg”, 29.“We believe he had been dead for about…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Court rules troops killed Italian reporter

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Court rules troops killed Italian reporter

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai court rules troops responsible for Italian reporter’s death Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Italian photojournalist who was shot dead in Bangkok while taking pictures of a military crackdown on an anti-government protest in 2010 was killed by a bullet fired by a soldier, a…

  • Phuket NewsDamaged Phuket tourist ferry to be recovered

    Damaged Phuket tourist ferry to be recovered

    PHUKET: Efforts are underway to recover the ferry Puean Foong II, which started taking on water in heavy seas yesterday afternoon with more than 100 tourists on board (story here). The boat was returning from Phi Phi Island to Phuket when strong waves punctured the hull, explained Samphan Aiyara, managing director of Friendship Sea Tour Co Ltd, which owns the…

  • Business NewsPhuket Finance: Golden rules for investing | Thaiger

    Phuket Finance: Golden rules for investing

    PHUKET: Being a successful investor over the long-term is not going to be easy, but if you have been a bad investor in the past, who has lost money investing, chances are it is because you didn’t follow these simple, yet essential rules.Educate yourself about investing Walk into any bookstore and you will likely see several shelves of books covering…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket FC look to swoop down on Krabi Andaman Eagles tonight

    Phuket FC look to swoop down on Krabi Andaman Eagles tonight

    PHUKET: Despite a tough away draw last Saturday in Trat, Phuket FC are in high spirits ahead of tonight’s Yamaha League One (YL1) Phang Nga Bay derby match with Southern rivals, Krabi FC. The all-Southern match-up, both sides 13th of the 34-fixture YL1 2013 season, will be played at Phuket’s Surakul Stadium with a 6:30pm kickoff (click here for map).…

  • Phuket NewsWomen’s beach volleyball tournament to hit Karon Beach

    Women’s beach volleyball tournament to hit Karon Beach

    PHUKET: The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour is to return to Karon Beach this year after an agreement to continue staging the annual event was recently signed by Pentangle Promotions Co Ltd and the Thailand Volleyball Association with the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). Several changes to the competition format have been made by the FIVB; the qualifying round is…

  • PropertyFearless forecast for Phuket hotels; Branded residences capture investors’ interest

    Fearless forecast for Phuket hotels; Branded residences capture investors’ interest

    PHUKET: We are still less than five months into the Year of the Water Snake and as I sit at my desk on a rainy Sunday, my mood turns aquatic. I grind out any thoughts of the past, like stubbing out a spent cigarette with a worn heel of a scuffed pair of working shoes. Not content with only a…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket motorbike thief blames island’s lack of public transport

    Phuket motorbike thief blames island’s lack of public transport

    PHUKET: A 24-year-old local handyman says Phuket’s lack of public transport is the reason he stole a motorbike to go visit a friend. Phuket City Police arrested Koson Hongthong yesterday morning at the old weekend market on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Town (map here). Mr Koson was found in possession of a Yamaha Fino that was reported stolen by…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket on alert for German fugitive

    Phuket on alert for German fugitive

    PHUKET: Police across Phuket are on alert for a German fugitive who managed to escape Australian police officers guarding him as they waited for a connecting flight at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.Carlo Konstantin Kohl, a 25-year-old burglary suspect, escaped from the airport’s “day room” – a waiting room for transit passengers who do not need to go through immigration formalities –…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Security boost in wake of bomb blast; Peace talks behind surge in South violence; Rural doctors’ pay fight escalates

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Security boost in wake of bomb blast; Peace talks behind surge in South violence; Rural doctors’ pay fight escalates

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police track components of bomb used in Bangkok The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police investigating Sunday night’s bomb blast in Bangkok’s Soi Ramkhamhaeng 43/1 suspect the bomb components were purchased at a local store two to three days before the explosion.The motive for the bombing, which injured…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Video Report: More than 100 tourists rescued from sinking ferry

    Phuket Video Report: More than 100 tourists rescued from sinking ferry

    PHUKET: More than 100 people were rescued from a tourist boat that started sinking while returning from Phi Phi Island to Phuket this afternoon after being damaged by big waves.No injuries were reported.The ferry, Puean Foong II, was near Chicken Island (Koh Kai), about 15 nautical miles from Phuket, when it took on water, said Phuket Marine Police Inspector Chatchai…

  • Business NewsNavy shore-leave to inject 1 million dollars into economy

    Navy shore-leave to inject 1 million dollars into economy

    PHUKET: The island’s economy – especially at the party town of Patong – will be getting an early low-season boost thanks to this week’s visit by the American Navy supercarrier, USS Nimitz along with its armed missile-cruiser escort, the USS Princeton, which both moored off Phuket early this morning. Topping off a week-long journey through the South China Sea, and…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police post YouTube video of gold shop suspect, unmasked

    Phuket Police post YouTube video of gold shop suspect, unmasked

    PHUKET: Police have posted a YouTube video showing the man they believe committed the gold shop murder-burglary in Phuket on April 8 in the hope that members of the public can identify him. The CCTV footage shows a man with a slight limp smoking as he walks back and forth in front of the C.P. Gold Master & Jewelry store…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Immigration: Deporting, blacklisting foreigners for drug charges since 1979

    Phuket Immigration: Deporting, blacklisting foreigners for drug charges since 1979

    PHUKET: Following the recent spate of foreigners being charged with minor drug offenses, the chief of Phuket Immigration today confirmed that all foreigners arrested for drug use, or any drug-related offense, are transferred to Bangkok and deported – following the Immigration Act BE 2522.“The law is not new. It has been in use since 1979. Any foreigners found guilty in…

  • Business NewsPhuket Business: Cashing in on Russian relations – Part II

    Phuket Business: Cashing in on Russian relations – Part II

    PHUKET: Mr Phisak Nivataphand, the president of the Thai-Russian Chamber of Commerce and advisor for the Russian Studies Center of Chulalongkorn University, was in Phuket recently to give a speech as part of a seminar aimed at promoting Thai-Russian business relations . Organized by Thai-Russian media firm, Expert Media Co Ltd, the seminar was held at the Royal Phuket Marina.…

  • Business NewsBangkok Hospital Phuket to invest B600mn in facility

    Bangkok Hospital Phuket to invest B600mn in facility

    PHUKET: Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP) has announced that it will invest 600 million baht to open a new hospital on the island by early next year. The site of the as yet unnamed hospital will be on Chao Fah West Road, just opposite the Chao Fa Villa Phuket housing development in Mueang district. Director of Bangkok Hospital Phuket Dr Narongrit…

  • PropertyCollaboration key element for Phuket’s Design and Decoration Exhibition

    Collaboration key element for Phuket’s Design and Decoration Exhibition

    PHUKET: AAA Exhibition & Training Co Ltd, in collaboration with the Phuket Chamber of Commerce and Thailand Variety Construction Magazine, are ready to stage the inaugural Phuket Design and Decoration Exhibition. The event will take place in the Grand Ballroom on the 2nd floor of the Royal Phuket City Hotel (click here for map), from May 30 to June 2,…

  • PropertyGiVE back!

    GiVE back!

    PHUKET: IT’S not only about rapid off-plan sell-outs for Sansiri Pcl; the real estate market leader is also known for setting the bar high in the realm of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Complementing the success of its Iodine Please and Sansiri Academy projects over the past few years, the property firm has raised the CSR standard yet again, setting a…