- Thai Life
A festival of fitness for Phuket
PHUKET: The second Phuket Health and Fitness Festival, on May 18-19, will feature various events and activities, including yoga classes, lectures on well-being, raw food cooking classes, Zumba, a boot camp and the ultimate stand up paddle board (SUP) challenge. The event aims to give the local community a fun, informative weekend that appeals to all ages, and it is…
- Thai Life
Pirates of the Andaman
PHUKET: In the 1930s, the Thai government used the Andaman island of Tarutao as a prison to incarcerate the country’s most undesirable criminals. When the Japanese Imperial Army brought the Second World War to the footsteps of the kingdom in December of 1941, the Thai government under Field Marshall Phibun Songkram sided with the invaders against the allied forces (click…
- Phuket News
New school year means busy Phuket pawnshops
PHUKET: As the new school year started in Phuket yesterday, parents turned to the Phuket City Municipality Pawnshop to cash in items to pay for their children’s school supplies. Trade was brisk at the government pawnshop, up 20 per cent on last year, said staff. The occasion brought Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and local officials to the pawnshop on Komarapat…
- Phuket News
Phuket teens deny attacking Burmese man, motorbike arson
PHUKET: Three Phuket teenagers arrested last night have denied police charges of beating a Burmese man and setting his motorbike on fire.A fourth member of the gang is still being sought by police.The suspects, Vechayun Boonsit, 19, as well as a 16-year-old minor and a 18-year-old, whose names police asked to be withheld, allegedly attacked a Burmese man and threatened…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Local Govt protests budgets; Asia-Pacific experts to join Bangkok Water Summit; Small schools now to ‘merge’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Local bodies demand Bt57 bn in total funding The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Leaders of the three key local administrative bodies have threatened to step up protests if their demands for the government to review the 2014 fiscal budget and provide them with 30 per cent of…
- Phuket News
Phuket taxi meter cheats under fire
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) will seek help from the Highway Police to tackle metered taxi drivers who refuse to use their meters. “I am aware that many tourists are unhappy with taxi drivers. We are going to talk about how to stop metered taxi drivers from cheating,” PLTO Chief Terayout Prasertphol told the Phuket Gazette. The PLTO…
- Phuket News
Australians consider opening consulate on Phuket
PHUKET: A decision on whether or not to open an Australian consulate in Phuket is expected to be made within a month, Australian Honorary Consul Larry Cunningham told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “We have more deaths in Phuket than we have in Bali. We certainly need extra staffing,” he said. Mr Cunningham discussed the issue with Australian Ambassador James…
- Phuket News
After Phuket, Capt Tan makes record-breaking landing in Malaysia
PHUKET: Captain James Anthony Tan of Malaysia has completed the world’s youngest solo flight circumnavigation after departing Phuket at 11am today to land safely in Kuala Lumpur at 4:51pm local time. Capt Tan arrived in Phuket yesterday and attended a party in his honor at the Dewa Phuket Beach Resort in Nai Yang last night, hosted by Tourism Malaysia, which…
- Phuket News
Phuket real estate used as bait in gambling ring
PHUKET: Five people have been arrested for operating a real estate scam in which they lured potential customers into illegally gambling on a game of “fan tan”. The scammers used the same ploy as that used by a group arrested in Phuket in February (story here). Massage shop owner Uraiporn Sae-Tung wanted to sell her massage shop in Rawai and…
- Thai Life
Phuket Movies: Star Trek II – Into Kirk-ness
PHUKET: This week sees the release of the latest Star Trek movie, Into Darkness, the sequel to JJ Abrams reboot of the original TV series. Mr Abrams came in for an awful amount of stick for taking on the Trekkies golden calf, particularly after he admitted to not being a fan of The Original Series (TOS). Despite a few exceptionally…
- Phuket News
Major u-turn for Phuket’s roads; life delivered, not taken
PHUKET: Phuket rescue workers, regular crusaders rendering assistance to all those involved in accidents on the island’s notorious roads, were called to a very different emergency before dawn this morning: the delivery of a baby girl.Staff at the rescue operations center in Mai Khao received a call at 5:15am, asking for assistance to transport Jintara Butrarit, 24, from her home…
- Property
Tune Hotel rocks Patong
PHUKET: THE Tune Hotel Patong has taken the main stage of one the world’s most renowned resort islands by storm, with a new focus on real value and more choices for savvy travellers. Tune Hotel Patong is perfectly situated for guests to kick off their stay in the heart of Phuket’s vibrant local dining and shopping precinct. It is located…
- Business News
Phuket Finance: Gold plunges to 33 year low
PHUKET: The past month has not been kind to anyone who has bought gold recently. With a nearly 9% loss since its January peak, and nearly 14% from last September’s, the precious metal has been anything but. Last week it had its largest one-day percentage decline since February 28, 1983. For the past 20 months, the price of gold has…
- Phuket News
Phuket teen motorbike rider survives slam into juggernaut
PHUKET: A Phuket teenager is in hospital this morning after the motorbike he was riding slammed into the back of a cement truck near the Heroines Monument in Thalang (map here) late last night. Lt Col Apidet Chuaykue said Thalang Police were notified of the accident at one minute past midnight. Police arrived quickly at the scene, along with an…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: School closures bite; Forecast for abundance; Seh Daeng revival; Sudarat says no
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community School closings pressure parents The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Enrolling students every other year at primary school level could be one solution to the government’s controversial policy of closing small schools, a leading educator told a Bangkok seminar yesterday. Other proposals included teaching three two-year…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Turkish bombs spark Syrian fear; EU in doubt; OJ Simpson returns; SARS-like virus to spread
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Syrian refugees fear backlash in Turkey after bombings Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Syrian refugees in Turkey say they fear a backlash after car bombings that killed 50 people and wounded many others over the weekend in a border town.Turkey is home to some 400,000 refugees from the…
- Phuket News
Middle-aged Phuket meth dealer goes quietly
PHUKET: Acting on a tip off about frequent drug transactions at the entrance to a soi in Thalang, police arrested a drug dealer in possession of ya bah (methamphetamine), and ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) yesterday. Police questioning led to the confession of Nirun Yokcharern, 58, at the entrance to Soi Lak Muang 2 off of Thepkrasattri Road, said Thalang District…
- Cannabis News
British national’s extended holiday goes to pot at Phuket “dope hotel’
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration officers today arrested a British man for drug possession and for overstaying his visa by more than two* years. The arrest was made at the same resort, off Taina Road in Karon, where a Swedish man was arrested on drug charges last Thursday (story here). “At 11:30am, we received a report from our undercover officers to investigate…
- Phuket News
Phuket Poll: What would you spend B2.6bn on?
PHUKET: There has been nothing but eerie silence since Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ignored questions about what happened to the 2.6 billion baht that was once “already dedicated” to building Phuket’s decades-in-waiting International Convention and Exhibition Center (story here). In recognition of that silence – and the fact that the money “already dedicated” was provided by a loan from the…
- Phuket News
Druggy catches Phuket cop on the can, steals firearm, heads to McDonald’s
PHUKET: A Patong Deputy Superintendent was caught with his pants down in Kathu Police Station during the graveyard shift after a meth-fiend robbed his office as he was taking a 20 minute break in the washroom. “When I returned from the toilet, I found my property had been stolen,” said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Paisarn Sangthep. Among the missing items…
- Business News
A perfect place for shore leave
PHUKET: Sailing smoothly through its second year of operations, the Krabi River Marina (KRM) recently added a second restaurant to its portfolio – a small yet significant indicator of the continuous growth in Phang Nga Bay’s marine leisure industry. One of the main selling points of the newly opened Terrace pub and restaurant, KRM’s second eatery after the Marina Villa,…
- Business News
Phuket firm to co-develop superyacht facility in Bangkok
PHUKET: Island based, Yacht Solutions (YS) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangkok’s Italthai Marine (ITM), agreeing to create Thailand’s first dedicated superyacht facility just south of Bangkok. This joint venture brings together Thailand’s largest and most established shipbuilding company, ITM, with one of Thailand’s most reputable and experienced superyacht refit companies, YS. Dubbed ‘Yacht Solutions at Italthai Marine’,…
- Property
Khao Lak finds its way forward
PHUKET: These days, everywhere you turn, the news is focused on Phuket fever. From soaring airport arrival numbers and surging hotel occupancy rates to, of course, the sordid underbelly of mass tourism. But the resort destination known as ‘Greater Phuket’ is no ‘one trick pony’. Nearby Khao Lak has certainly been kicking up its heels lately as Fortuna’s wheel of…
- Phuket News
Phuket FC survive execution by Ayutthaya’s Ancient Warriors
PHUKET: The Islanders failed to beat Ayutthaya FC in their Yamaha League One (YL1) away game on Saturday. The 1-1 draw dropped Phuket FC down to 6th in the table, five points behind top of the table Air Force United. Ayutthaya are third from bottom after 10 games. The home team took the lead in the 36th minute after Phuket’s…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Poll parents oppose school closures; Rice pledging under microscope; Pheu Thai blames Constitutional Court for crisis
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community School mergers unpopular with parents: Poll The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: More than half the parents surveyed by a Dusit Poll opposed the Education Ministry’s plan to merge 17,000 small schools across the country in order to increase efficiency and save costs.Of the total, 60 per cent…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: 19 hurt in Mother’s Day shooting; SARS in France; Syria deaths hit 82,000; Mexico volcano alert
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nineteen shot in New Orleans Mother’s Day parade Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Nineteen people including two young children were shot on Sunday when gunfire erupted at a Mother’s Day parade in New Orleans, police said.Shots rang out at 1:45 p.m. local time as the second line of…
- Phuket News
Freak wave wreaks havoc on Phi Phi long-tail boats
PHUKET: A freak wave pounded the popular Phuket day-trip destination of Phi Phi island early this morning damaging 15 boats in Tonsai Bay.Though fourteen long-tail boats and one speedboat were damaged by the wave, no injuries were reported.“Fortunately, the wave hit early in the morning so nobody was out in their boat and nobody was injured,” long-tail boat owner, Pornchai…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s Tourist Court given “absolute support’
PHUKET: The move to establish a new series of Tourist Courts in Phuket and at other key holiday destinations in Thailand – including Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phang Nga and Krabi – has received much support on the island. Chanchai Duangjit, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office, gave his “absolute support” for the idea. “This is…
- Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Finding life balance through Daodexinxi
Sopin Koaysomboon, a 53-year-old Phuket native, is a vice president of the Phuket Daodexinxi International Club. She has been practicing Daodexinxi for more than three years. Here, she talks about how to improve our lives with exercise, meditation, songs and charity. PHUKET: People in the modern world are making a great deal of unnecessary sacrifices. Youths give up their vital…
- Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Tourist Court, another pie in the sky
PHUKET: Recent talk of establishing a special court to fast-track legal cases involving foreign visitors raises some interesting issues, but at the end of the day is unlikely to result in little more than that: just talk. The reasons put forward to establish such a court are probably well-intended and certainly easy enough to understand. Thailand’s tourism industry is a…
