- Phuket News
Phuket killer: “I just wanted the money’
PHUKET: Surasak Suwannachote, the man who earlier today confessed to stabbing Australian travel agent Michelle Smith, told a press conference after the re-enactment of the crime that he had no idea what he was going to spend the money on. “I just wanted to steal the money. I had no idea what I was going to do with it,” Surasak…
- Phuket News
BREAKING NEWS: Aussie killers confess in Phuket
PHUKET: The two men arrested for the brutal stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith were presented to the media during a re-enactment of the crime outside the Katathani Hotel in Phuket this morning. During a press conference at the resort after the re-enactment, Deputy National Police Chief Pansiri Prapawat told some 50 media personnel that the pair confessed…
- Phuket News
Phuket man critically injured in head-on motorbike smash
PHUKET: A Thalang man is in critical condition at Vachira Phuket Hospital after suffering head injuries sustained in a head-on collision between two motorbikes last night. Thalang Police were notified of the accident at the Baan Lipon u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road at 9:15pm. Rushing to the scene with Kusoldharm Foundation workers, they found 40-year-old Chamni Ninyang lying unconscious on the…
- Phuket News
Phuket villagers plead for new road
PHUKET: Tired of plowing through the mud every time it rains in order to reach their homes, residents at Baan Nai Thon on Phuket’s west coast today filed a complaint at Phuket Provincial Hall to finally get the ball rolling on a road project that has stalled.About 20 villagers arrived at the Damrongtham Center (provincial Ombudsman’s Office) at about 10am…
- Thai Life
Thai Gallery – Dr Wiwat Seetamanotch
PHUKET: DR Wiwat Seetamanotch has a quick analytical mind, matched only by his quick actions. He hardly ever leaves things undone and there seems to be no ‘pending’ tray on his office desk. Perhaps this explains why crisis management appeals to him, and why, in terms of personality at least, he appears to be the best man for the job.…
- Thai Life
Phuket Comedy: Laugh away the low season blues
PHUKET: Stand-up comedy comes back to the island this Wednesday when three star comedians take to the stage at the Holiday Inn Resort Patong for a night of fun. Hailing from Canada, the UK and Scotland, respectively, Paul Myrehaug, Jeremy O’Donnell and Brian Higgins are currently touring Asia, performing not only in Phuket, but also Hong Kong, Shanghai and Bangkok.…
- Phuket News
Rabbit stew: Phuket FC thrash hapless Hares
PHUKET: Four goals each side of half-time saw a rampaging Phuket FC rout the hapless Chanthaburi FC “Hares” 8-1 last night. There was some concern that Phuket FC might be overconfident going into the match. The Islanders were coming off a big win against Bangkok FC, their first home win of the season, and taking on last place Chanthaburi, winless…
- Thai Life
Phuket Books: Heartbreak’s hardest road
PHUKET: Recently I reviewed a pair of books – The Lifeboat and The Starboard Sea – by a pair of first-time female novelists that were competent enough in terms of prose and plot but sorely lacking in characterization. In a word, they lacked heart. Scott O’Connor’s Untouchable (Tyrus Books, Blue Ash, Oklahoma, 2011, 381pp) is chock full of heart: that…
- Thai Life
Phuket Life: Given the chance of his young life
PHUKET: Imagine that you are thirteen years old and school just isn’t your thing. Your mother lives with her new boyfriend in another province and you’ve been in trouble quite a bit lately – understandably so. Now imagine that amidst this unstable period of your early life, someone offers you the chance that many poor Thai boys dream of –…
- Thai Life
Phuket Health: The truth about dengue fever
PHUKET: A prominent Phuket doctor has warned residents to protect themselves from dengue fever, also known as “break-bone fever”, by removing all sources of stagnant water from around their homes and minimizing exposure to mosquito bites. According to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), dengue (pronounced den’ gee) is caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses.…
- Phuket News
Breaking News: Two men arrested for stabbing murder of Phuket tourist Michelle Smith
PHUKET: Two suspects wanted for the stabbing murder of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith are in custody in Chumphon province and are expected to be returned to Phuket later today, the Phuket Gazette has learned.News of the arrests came from Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha this morning during a meeting with local officials and tourism industry representatives.The meeting, also attended by…
- Phuket News
Phuket Live Wire: Get legal, get locked down
PHUKET: Last week I talked about the likely increase in the amount of spam being generated by botnets running on PCs here in Phuket. I don’t have any numbers – nobody does – but Thailand’s Internet Service Providers are getting blocked left and right by spam filters, all over the world. The reason is simple. An enormous number of people…
- Business News
Phuket Business: Boating industry shows signs of recovery
PHUKET: The yachting sector is showing signs of recovery following a three-year-period of stunted growth and sluggish sales brought on by global economic turmoil, a local industry expert has observed. “Despite what some figures indicate (see ‘Customs: more pleasure floating in’ below), it seems to me that our strongest years in terms of sales were from 2006 to 2008,” says…
- Business News
Phuket Business: Vespa dealer to kick-start sales
PHUKET: Drago Andaman Company, Phuket’s first and only authorized Vespa dealership, reported the sale of over 200 brand new scooters in 2011, the firm’s inaugural year of operation. “This year our sales target is 300,” showroom Manager Supamat Thammakoranont told the Gazette. The annual sales goal increase of 50% has already faced some bumps along the road, she admits. “Up…
- Phuket News
Phuket Police release sketch of Michelle Smith murder suspect
PHUKET: As the manhunt continues in Phuket for the killers of Australian tourist Michelle Smith, police have released a composite sketch of the prime suspect in the hope that some member of the public can identify him. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Chonasit Wattanavrangkul said that both men involved in the attack were probably in their late 20s and…
- Phuket News
Phuket car crashes into overpass, 1 dead
PHUKET: A Phuket man was killed instantly this morning when his car slammed full force into a pedestrian overpass on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang District. Thalang Police were informed of the latest tragedy on Phuket’s deadliest road at 2:20am. Duty officer Somchai Nuboon, police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers raced to the scene, on Thepkrasattri northbound in front of the…
- Phuket News
Bt300,000 reward for info leading to killers of Aussie tourist in Phuket
PHUKET: A 300,000 baht reward was offered yesterday for any information leading to the arrest of the snatch thieves that murdered Australian Michelle Smith earlier this week. The reward was announced by National Police Advisor Gen Chatchai Potranan; Police Region 8 Commissioner Santi Pensute, and Kata Thani Hotel and Beach Resort Director Sombat Atiset at a meeting in Phuket yesterday.…
- Phuket News
Pungent piggery prompts Phuket petition
PHUKET: Residents of a residential housing estate in Thalang have filed a letter of complaint to Phuket Provincial Hall, charging that filth from a nearby pig farm is contaminating the local water supply and casting a putrid pall over their community. Representatives of The Valley 2 housing estate in Srisoonthorn said they decided to file a formal complaint at the…
- Phuket News
Aussie slaying in Phuket prompts increased security measures
PHUKET: Local officials gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall on Thursday to draw up measures to try and prevent violent crimes like the stabbing murder of Australian tourist Michelle Smith in Kata earlier this week. The slaying has prompted the Government to order beefed up security for tourists throughout Thailand “The incident that occurred that night [June 20] was totally unexpected,”…
- Property
Phuket Property: Quality homes in a nice part of town
PHUKET: On the verge of closing sales for Eva Town Suan Luang, a city-park housing project in the heart of Phuket Town, Eva Group is taking reservations for the last 10 units.Sales for the 250 million baht housing development opened in December last year. With the project now 85% sold out, the developer doesn’t think it will be long before…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: Olympic torch update
PHUKET On its way to London, the Olympic Torch traveled aboard the Tern one of the oldest steamers on Lake Windermere, England’s longest lake. The torch was carried by local schoolgirl Stephanie Booth on the vessel, which is operated by Windermere Lake Cruises. Managing Director Nigel Wilkinson said “The Tern was built in 1891, 5 years before the start of…
- Phuket News
Phuket Election: Kata-Karon set for July 15 polls
PHUKET: Registration closed yesterday for candidates to enter the Karon Municipality mayoral and council election, to be held on July 15.Tawee Thongcham, who has served as Karon Mayor for the past eight years, is running for re-election to his third term in office.His only contender in the poll is Narong Natang.Both men, accompanied by their prospective council teams, turned up…
- Phuket News
Phuket yachting legend Rolly Tasker dies, at 86
PHUKET: Australian yachting icon and long-term Phuket resident Rolly Tasker has died, age 86. Staff at the Rolly Tasker sail loft on Chao Fa West Road today confirmed that Mr Tasker passed away in Australia overnight (Phuket Time) after a long battle with cancer. The general manager of the loft, Michael Tasker (no relation), who had been working for Mr…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: The other Euro tussle
PHUKET: The European Grand Prix (EGP) was originally an honorific title for the Italian Grand Prix in 1923, followed by the French and Belgian Grands Prix. In 1983, the F1 schedule was disrupted by a track cancellation three months before the event, and as a stopgap Brands Hatch was able to create an EGP in its place. The success of…
- Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Going, going, gone
PHUKET: World Environmental Day, which was on June 5, has a special meaning for Phuket-based photographer Chusak Uthaipanumas. Twenty years ago, on this day, he received an accolade at the quadrennial photo contest on the environment organized by United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). The photographer traveled to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, to attend the UNEP award ceremony. It was…
- Thai Life
Phuket Life: Operating Phuket’s new incinerator
PHUKET: After a long wait, with a few false starts, the second trash incinerator at the Saphan Hin waste management facility became fully operational recently. The incinerator, which was expected to be fully operational during May, encountered technical problems during its trial run and repairs needed to be carried out. The timing was unfortunate. At the same time, the older…
- Phuket News
Phuket update: Krabi Police tight-lipped over Belanger case
PHUKET: The governor of Krabi has named the provincial police commander as the only person authorized to release information to the media concerning the deaths of Noemi and Audrey Belanger, Canadian tourists who died of apparent poisoning on Phi Phi Island last week, the Phuket Gazette has learned. Recently-released media reports have revealed that the hotel’s CCTV system captured images…
- Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: C’mon light my fire
PHUKET: The smell of gasoline lingers on your hands after the flames have been extinguished, and the performance is over. But the smell itself is a little addictive, like a woman’s perfume on the pillow of an empty bed – a reminder of a past flame. A very talented busker (street performer) once took me aside and gave me a…
- Business News
Phuket Business: Why Facebook was never a sure thing
PHUKET: Personally speaking, I have never been one to jump on the Facebook band wagon. I just do not get the whole ‘let the world know what you are doing on an hourly basis’ scenario. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very useful application when, like ourselves, we enjoy the sun-soaked shores and we want to keep in touch…
- Phuket News
Phuket Live Wire: Goodbye to CAT EV-DO; Tips for iPad; PCs4Kids update
PHUKET:I remember the day well. October 1, 2007. The people at CAT let me take a sneak peek at their new “AirCard” service – the first wireless broadband service in Phuket. I’m sad to say that, by the end of this year, that service will be officially phased out. I call the service “EV-DO”, although the technology is actually called…
