- Phuket News
Graft-busters probe plunder of Phuket forests
PHUKET: A team of National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) officers stopped in Phuket this week as part of a nationwide inspection tour aimed at putting an end to widespread encroachment on state forest reserves. Kajadpai Burutpat, president of an NACC subcommittee investigating forest encroachment nationwide, said after a meeting at Provincial Hall with Phuket Land Office and Forest Department officers that…
- Phuket News
Tonight, tonight: Phuket FC’s derby match with Krabi
PHUKET: A large crowd is expected at Surakul Stadium in Phuket this evening, when a resurgent Phuket side will be gunning for its third consecutive home win against higher-ranked southern rivals Krabi FC. Fans who want a guarantee of keeping dry for the match are advised to arrive at the stadium well ahead of the 6:30pm kickoff, as covered seating…
- Phuket News
Aussie claims beating by Thai youth gang in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket police are investigating the case of an Australian tourist who claims to have been beaten by a gang of twelve Thai youths today. Thalang police were notified at 12:30pm that a foreign tourist was receiving treatment at the Srisoonthorn Public Health Station for a variety of minor lacerations and abrasions to the abdomen, back, right inner forearm and…
- Phuket News
Aussie tourist airlifted to Bangkok after fall from Phuket tuk-tuk
PHUKET: An Australian tourist on holiday in Phuket has been flown to Bangkok to receive treatment after suffering a serious head injury from falling off the back of a tuk-tuk in Patong last night. Tuk-tuk driver Paiboon Hemwara, 30, told the Phuket Gazette that he picked up Mr Noble and his wife at the top of Soi Bangla at about…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: Fighting to save Phuket’s sea turtles
PHUKET: Helping to bring Phuket’s sea turtles back from the brink, today’s WBO Oriental Bantamweight (118lbs) title fight saw Thailand’s boxers maintain their dominance over Filipino fighters in the channel 7 series. The WBO Bantam-weight title belt was flown in by helicopter and carried by armed Thai soldiers, who made a rapid-descent (fast-roping) from their helicopter. Thai boxer Pungluang Sor…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: Goal Line Technology
PHUKET: Goal-line technology moved a step closer yesterday when the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved the use of technology in football matches. IFAB approved the use of two different devices to help assist with goal-line decision making in games. Hawk-Eye, already used in cricket and tennis, is based on optical recognition to determine the exact location of the ball,…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: F1 – Moans, malpractice and onto Maggotts
PHUKET: Sebastian Vettel knows how to celebrate victory, but he is bad loser. That is one reason it is fun when he loses. After the race at Valencia, he said the “safety car” which took away his lead was not needed and “in a sense was to break our necks.” But hold on a minute, Vettel (and Romain Grosjean) retired…
- Phuket News
Travel insurance fails as Phuket tourist faces B600k medical bill
PHUKET: Family and friends of New Zealander Sean Kenzie, who suffered extensive injuries after being knocked off his motorbike in Phuket, have launched a campaign to raise funds to pay his spiraling medical bills. Mr Kenzie, 27, was involved in a collision with a taxi van in Patong last Saturday (June 30). He suffered a split liver, two punctured lungs…
- Phuket News
Man found dead in Phuket Town sala
PHUKET: A man was found dead in a sala [a Thai-style open pavillion] in Phuket Town yesterday afternoon, just 50 meters from where hundreds of people gathered for the first day of the Department of Internal Trade’s ‘Blue Flag Fair. Local residents at 4pm notified Phuket City Police duty officer Sakon Krainara that a man was found dead in the…
- World News
Mysterious disease kills 61 children in Cambodia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mysterious disease kills 61 children in Cambodia Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Health officials in Cambodia are investigating a mysterious disease which has affected more than 60 children over the past three months, killing all but one of them, officials said on Wednesday. There is…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: Serena Williams sets new Wimbledon ace record
PHUKET: Serena Williams of the US set a new world record of 24 aces in one match in her 6-3 7-6(8-6) semi-final victory over Victoria Azarenka. Williams is hoping to win her 5th Wimbledon women’s singles title when she plays co-finalist Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who defeated Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-4. Radwanska, playing in her first grand slam final, will…
- Phuket News
WBO turns turtle: prize fight moved to Phuket Airport
PHUKET: Due to weather concerns, the venue for the much-anticipated WBO Oriental flyweight fight between Thai boxer Pungluang Sor Singyu and Filipino Rey Migreno has been changed from Nai Yang Beach to the multi-purpose hall at Phuket Airport. The card, staged to raise money for sea turtle conservation efforts, will get underway at 2pm with a bout pitting a female…
- Thailand News
Plan for pregnant migrant workers misguided
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Proposed plan for pregnant migrant workers misguided Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Non-governmental organizations and the academia yesterday spoke up against the Labor Ministry’s plan to deport migrant workers who get pregnant while in Thailand. The ministry initiated this policy as a response to Thailand’s…
- Thailand News
Non-communicable diseases top ASEAN meet
PHUKET: Public Health Ministers and senior officials from the 10 countries in Asean yesterday gathered to discuss ways of tackling chronic noncommunicable diseases, state health-care funds, control of tobacco and alcohol consumption, and the spread of HIV/Aids in urban areas.About 200 participants from regional governments attended the 11th Asean Health Ministers meeting yesterday in Phuket, which continues today.The event includes…
- Phuket News
New faultline discovered
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand’s 15th fault-line discovered in Nakhon Nayok Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: A new fault-line, caused by a previous earthquake, was found in Nakhon Nayok province and could be considered the country’s 15th active fault-line, a seminar of geological professionals and related agencies was told recently. Songpop…
- Phuket News
Heavy rain causes flooding in Patong, Phuket Town
PHUKET: Council workers have installed a battery of pumps along Phang Muang Sai Kor Road in Patong to alleviate flooding, especially in front of Patong Hospital. The heavy rain yesterday and this morning caused flooding in many areas, with water up to 50 centimeters deep in some parts, said Poonsak Naksena, Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) at Patong Municipality. About 200…
- Thai Life
Thai Gallery – Patima Khunpromkessara
PHUKET: Troubles in the southern provinces of Thailand are real and constant. Political unrest results in a spate of bombings, taking the lives of many and the problems look set to continue. Born and raised in Yala, Patima Khunpromkessara remembers just the opposite. “It was a neat little town. Do you know that we have a town plan similar to…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s top-cop denies “media blackout’ in effect
PHUKET: After officers in two different police districts yesterday told Phuket Gazette reporters that a “media blackout” was in effect in the province, Phuket’s top cop today denied that such is the case. The misunderstanding may have been the result of excuses made up by uncooperative officers who don’t want to do their jobs, he said. According to police officers…
- Phuket News
Navy to conduct rescue training in Phuket
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy will conduct training drills next week to improve coordination among different emergency response units in Phuket. The announcement came at a press conference by the Navy Third Area Command at their base at Cape Panwa yesterday. The meeting was attended by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, along with representatives from the Marine Police, local government bodies,…
- Phuket News
Patong named “Safety Zone’ in Phuket model for public safety
PHUKET: Patong has been nominated a “Safety Zone” by Deputy Police Chief Pansiri Prapawat as part of the “Phuket model” for public safety. Speaking at a meeting yesterday that focused on establishing tourism safety measures for the island, Gen Pansiri said, “Phuket is one of the most attractive vacation places in Thailand. However, illegal taxis, jet-ski operators and issues with…
- Phuket News
Phuket expat’s “last wishes’ hang in limbo
PHUKET: Staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital are awaiting instructions from the British Embassy in Bangkok regarding what to do with the body of a British national who was found dead in his rented room in Chalong two weeks ago. The body of Michael David Leo, 59, was discovered on the bed of his accommodation near Chalong Pier on the night…
- Property
Phuket Property: Crime and punishment in paradise
PHUKET: The tragic murder of an Australian travel agent in Kata recently has created a hailstorm of calls for action from both public and private sectors. There is little doubt that over the past few years a steady increase in crime and a straining infrastructure has thrust the island headlong into a self-induced, perfect storm. It’s easy to jump on…
- Thai Life
Phuket Entertainment: Impaling history
PHUKET: Film-makers love revising history to suit a story. Some, such as Oliver Stone, weave their fabrications so subtly into the weft and warp of historical accuracy that they can become instant conspirators. Others, such as Quentin Tarantino, strip history down to its underpants and strap a silly hat on its head, before shooting it, blowing it up and, just…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: Wimbledon update
PHUKET: Andy Murray defeated David Ferrer in a thrilling four-set match to progress to his fourth straight Wimbledon semi-final. Murray survived an early scare losing the first set to fight back 6-7(5) 7-6(6) 6-4 7-6(4). The Scot returned back to action on the center court after his fourth round victory on number one court. The home crowd were trying their…
- World News
First over-the-counter HIV test kit approved
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. FDA approves first over-the-counter HIV test kit Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved the first over-the-counter, self-administered HIV test kit. The FDA-approved OraQuick In-Home HIV Test detects the presence of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type…
- Thailand News
Little prick ends in big stab
PHUKET: A man from Samut Prakan province is facing police charges after stabbing a work colleague almost to death for teasing him about the size of his penis. Bunma Saenrak, 23, stabbed Nakarin Noikert, 24, three times in the head in the toilets of their workplace, an autoparts factory in Bang Phli District. Mr Bunma, who is now in police…
- Thailand News
Weird World News: Porky police told to slim down; inmates creatively shave off jail time
PHUKET: This week’s Weird World News roundup is about porky Pakistani police getting slim-down threat letters, and Brazilian inmates trying to shave off a little time with books, while others in the UK take to the walls with plastic forks. Crackdown on portly police Pakistan has put fat field officers on the chopping block after only a quarter of the…
- Phuket News
Stevie Bamford begins 15-day sentence for Phuket false rape claim
PHUKET: Stevie Rochelle Bamford, the 21-year-old Australian tourist who confessed to falsely reporting she was raped by Patong tuk-tuk drivers, began her 15-day sentence at Phuket’s Baan Bang Jo correctional facility yesterday. Phuket Prison chief Rapin Nichanon today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette, “She has been detained at the Bang Jo facility since yesterday evening, where she will remain for…
- Phuket News
Meth addicted woman terrorizes Phuket temple
PHUKET: A deranged, knife-wielding woman had people running for cover at a Phuket temple yesterday until she was finally stripped of the weapon and placed under police custody. Chalong Police were notified at 10:30am that a knife-wielding woman was terrorizing people on the grounds of the Wat Sawang Arom School, off Soi Happy Home in Rawai, according to Siangtai Daily…
- Thailand News
Bangkok oil refinery fire; under control
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fire at Bangchak’s oil refinery brought under control Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: A blaze at the Bangchak oil refinery in Soi Sukhumvit 64, Bangkok, believed to have been caused by a leak in a pipeline, has been brought under control with no injuries reported.…