Legacy Phuket Gazette

Archiving articles from the Phuket Gazette circa 1998 - 2017. View the Phuket Gazette online archive and Digital Gazette PDF Prints.
  • Phuket NewsWoman upset with daughter jumps down a well

    Woman upset with daughter jumps down a well

    KRABI: Krabi locals yesterday reported a woman jumping into a well behind Ao Leuk Police Station. “Sawat Bootkrajong, 59, reportedly jumped into the five-meter-deep well, due to a domestic dispute involving her daughter’s return to her hometown in Ratchaburi,” said Pornthip Paklang of the Ao Leuk rescue team. Rescue workers spent about 40 minutes negotiating with Ms Sawat, before convincing…

  • Phuket NewsExperts meet challenge of sustainable development in honor of HM King

    Experts meet challenge of sustainable development in honor of HM King

    BANGKOK: The nation’s top environmental experts and planners met in Bangkok this week to address the challenges faced in bringing about sustainable development in Asia, in a conference held in honor of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 70th Anniversary of his accession to the throne. The two-day seminar, dubbed ‘Sustainable Development Challenge in Asia’, was held at the Dusit…

  • Phuket NewsBoat captains drug tested, face charges

    Boat captains drug tested, face charges

    PHUKET: Two boat captains will face reckless driving charges, after a boat collision that killed two tourists and wounded 20 more, officials confirmed today. Phuket police said they are drug testing both captains, and will wait to press charges until they receive the results. Both boat operators blamed heavy rain for the incident. Police identified the dead tourists as Liang…

  • Phuket NewsCrumbling pillars force closure of Jungceylon shops

    Crumbling pillars force closure of Jungceylon shops

    PHUKET: Jungceylon CEO Prawit Janyasitikul confirmed today that four concrete pillars were found to be damaged on Monday in the mall’s basement indoor market, the Port Zone. The area was immediately closed off after the discovery on Sunday evening. However, the rest of the shopping mall remains open for business, said Mr Prawit. “The safety of our shoppers and staff…

  • Phuket NewsBlinding light at intersection disgruntles locals

    Blinding light at intersection disgruntles locals

    PHUKET: Wichit Municipality has asked the advertising company operating an LED billboard at the Central Festival Intersection to dim their sign, after receiving complaints from commuters. Wichit Mayor Kreetha Chotwitpipat said locals have sent in complaints to his office that too much light emanates from the billboard at the Central Festival-Darasamuth intersection, particularly at night. “At this stage, we have…

  • Phuket NewsSuspects in Patong killing captured

    Suspects in Patong killing captured

    PHUKET: Police have captured two men allegedly involved in a Patong cafe brawl that left one dead and another injured on Tuesday. Police said the two men were apprehended after one man turned himself in and revealed the location of his accomplice. “We received reports that the primary suspect, Nattasak Srimok, 24, and his friend Issara Boontos, 25, were fleeing…

  • Phuket NewsThai, Laos leaders meet in Phuket to combat human trafficking

    Thai, Laos leaders meet in Phuket to combat human trafficking

    PHUKET: Thai and Laos officials are currently engaged in talks to discuss solutions to prevent human trafficking between the two countries. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat addressed participants at the five-day conference being held at Cape Panwa Hotel until tomorrow. “In 2005, our two nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to prevent human trafficking and help the victims, especially…

  • Phuket NewsPatong lifeguards revive Russian boy after swimming lesson with dad goes wrong

    Patong lifeguards revive Russian boy after swimming lesson with dad goes wrong

    PHUKET: Patong Beach lifeguards were hailed as heroes yesterday for saving the life of a 5-year-old Russian boy, who nearly drowned while being taught to swim by his father. The incident occurred at the beach area opposite the entrance to Bangla Road. Lifeguard Somprasong Seangchart said the boy’s father ran up the beach carrying his unconscious son to seek help…

  • Phuket NewsSurin Beach reopens tomorrow as Rajabhakti Park

    Surin Beach reopens tomorrow as Rajabhakti Park

    PHUKET: Surin Beach is to be officially reopened as Rajabhakti Park tomorrow, in a ceremony to commemorate the reign of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ascended the throne on the same date in 1946. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has invited Phuketians to dress in yellow and attend the public event at Phuket’s ‘Beach of Honor’, which King Bhumibol visited…

  • Thai LifeTribute gig planned for late Phuket music legend Snake

    Tribute gig planned for late Phuket music legend Snake

    PHUKET: Well-known Phuket-based musician Piboon ‘Snake’ Kayalak passed away on May 25, aged 51. Over the past eight years, Mr Piboon played all over Phuket at some of the island’s top live music venues. A Thai native, Piboon was the bassist for the Colin Hill & Pjae Stanley Band. “He will be remembered as a superb musician, friend and brother,…

  • Thai LifePhuket divers do it in the monsoon season too

    Phuket divers do it in the monsoon season too

    PHUKET: Though nearly a month late, the southwest monsoon season finally arrived in Phuket. With the annual torrential rains comes the standard question, “Is there still diving around Phuket?” The simple answer is, yes. Unlike the diving in Khao Lak, which pretty much has its shutters pulled down when the Similan Islands are closed, Phuket continues to offer excellent diving…

  • PropertyPost-high-season autopsy on Phuket’s luxury property market

    Post-high-season autopsy on Phuket’s luxury property market

    PHUKET: As I sit in my office on a faceless Saturday afternoon heading into low season, a song that flips up on Spotify grabs my attention – Ike and Tina Turner’s ‘River Deep, Mountain High’.My heart nearly skips a beat as Tina grittily sings the lines “And it gets stronger, in every way. And it gets deeper, let me say.…

  • Phuket NewsPatong cafe clash leaves one dead

    Patong cafe clash leaves one dead

    PHUKET: One man is dead and another wounded after they were attacked outside a karaoke venue in Patong during the early hours of the morning. According to Patong police reports, the fight began in the Mon Can Cafe at 2:30am. “Rachan Banlangsuang, 32, said he was finishing a shift waiting tables at the cafe, when he and the cashier, a…

  • Thailand News“Tiger Temple’ faces possible closure, more criminal investigation

    “Tiger Temple’ faces possible closure, more criminal investigation

    KANCHANABURI: The ‘Tiger Temple’ could be permanently closed if its land use permit from the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) is revoked, the National Office of Buddhism disclosed yesterday. With the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP) relocating all tigers from Wat Pa Luangta Bua, better known as the ‘Tiger Temple’, and finding evidence of illegal trading in…

  • Cannabis NewsRussian man found hanged in Patong hotel room

    Russian man found hanged in Patong hotel room

    PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Russian man who was found hanged by the neck in a room at a Patong hotel yesterday. Hotel staff found Ivan Romankin, 29, at about 5:20pm, hanging from a steel beam. Patong police refused to release the name of the four-storey hotel. They suspect Mr Romankin had been dead for six hours…

  • Phuket NewsBody of missing Phuket fisherman found in Phang Nga

    Body of missing Phuket fisherman found in Phang Nga

    PHUKET: A Phuket fisherman’s body was found in Phang Nga this morning, after he was reported missing from Mai Khao yesterday. Aroon Singkhala, 63, disappeared during a fishing trip at a mangrove forest at Mai Khao, confirmed Sarit Bootnongsaeng, deputy superintendent of the Tah Chat Chai Police. “He went missing in the morning. When he did not return in the…

  • Thai LifeProfile: Making science easy, cheap and accessible for all

    Profile: Making science easy, cheap and accessible for all

    PHUKET: Asst Prof Dr Aree Choo-dum, 36, originally from Phatthalung, is currently a professor at Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Phuket Campus and also part of a team of researchers who invented cheap effective explosive test kits, for which they were awarded silver medals at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2016. Dr Aree is an expert in forensic chemistry…

  • OpinionIsland View: Phuket’s perennial road-flooding problems during rainy season

    Island View: Phuket’s perennial road-flooding problems during rainy season

    PHUKET: With the return of the rains last week, Phuket’s perennial road-flooding problems also made a dramatic comeback. But not on one stretch of highway that has been blighted for over a decade by impassably deep puddles. The junction by the TOT’s main office on Chao Fa West was transformed into a no-go lake with every heavy tropical downpour –…

  • Phuket NewsDSI looks into more mangrove encroachment cases

    DSI looks into more mangrove encroachment cases

    PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) on Friday surveyed and collected information on two plots of land suspected to overlap the mangrove forest at Baan Kuku. The DSI team was joined by officers from the Navy and Rassada Municipality. “Locals claim that the land in Baan Kuku Moo 3 is public land, dating as far back as…

  • Phuket NewsAirport axe-man charged, gets licence suspended [video] | Thaiger

    Airport axe-man charged, gets licence suspended [video]

    PHUKET: An axe-wielding taxi driver was arrested hours after a video of him at Phuket International Airport was published on Facebook on Saturday. “The video, uploaded by Woratat Wuttikorn, shows 45-year-old Nuttawut Chidjui waving the axe before putting it back in the vehicle,” confirmed Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Bundit Khaosutham of the Tourist Police Region 5. This rude taxi driver…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket to host sixth Toyota Motorsport event

    Phuket to host sixth Toyota Motorsport event

    PHUKET: Get ready for some motorsport fun at Saphan Hin next month, as Toyota Motorsport returns to Phuket with its ‘Fast Fun Fest’ series for the sixth year running. Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul joined Toyota executives at the event press conference in Phuket Town on Friday as Toyota announced its 30th year of motorsports this year. Toyota will also…

  • Phuket NewsBoiler explosion injures two at Krabi palm oil factory

    Boiler explosion injures two at Krabi palm oil factory

    KRABI: Two workers were injured, one of them seriously, when a boiler exploded yesterday at a palm oil refinery in Khao Phanom, Krabi. Police reported that the boiler exploded around midday. Officers arrived to find palm oil spilled throughout the facility. The two injured workers were taken to Khao Phanom Hospital. Ekkachai Sawaddiwong, 21, was released from the hospital yesterday.…

  • Phuket NewsSea gypsies plead for DSI help

    Sea gypsies plead for DSI help

    PHUKET: The Rawai sea gypsy community, involved in an ongoing land dispute with a developer, submitted a letter to a Department of Special Investigations (DSI) team yesterday. A sea gypsy representative, Nirund Yangpan, met with a DSI team in Phuket Town. Mr Nirund reportedly urged the team to prove the legality of a walkway that the sea gypsies use to…

  • Phuket NewsStrong waves, winds wash up trash on Phi Phi

    Strong waves, winds wash up trash on Phi Phi

    PHI PHI: Officials are cleaning up piles of trash that washed up on Hat Noppharat Thara Beach in Phi Phi National Park yesterday due to monsoon season rains and strong waves. “The beach is about two kilometers long. Most of the trash is plastic bags and bottles that people do not dispose off properly,” said Pinit Engchuan of Phi Phi…

  • Thailand NewsOne tourist killed, seven trapped in Koh Chang hotel collapse

    One tourist killed, seven trapped in Koh Chang hotel collapse

    KOH CHANG: One tourist was killed and seven others were trapped inside a two-story beachfront hotel on Koh Chang when it collapsed following torrential rains this morning. Koh Chang police commander Col Arwat Pibulsawat said the Siam Beach Hotel near Siam Beach in Kaibae Village tumbled down at 6am. He said a two-year-old child was among the trapped tourists. Rescuers…

  • Business NewsKey sectors to watch out for in the stock market

    Key sectors to watch out for in the stock market

    PHUKET: May to October is often a season of choppy sideways action. The old adage, ‘Sell in May and go away,’ already appears to be holding true as over the last three weeks, US markets and global markets have pulled back from overhead resistance levels on their technical charts. The Nasdaq index in particular is looking bad as tech, semiconductor…

  • Phuket NewsRescuers remove mating pythons from pipes

    Rescuers remove mating pythons from pipes

    PHUKET: Rescue workers yesterday removed two four-meter long pythons found mating behind a house in Mai Khao. “Locals reported the incident to us about 9:45am. When we arrived, they were hiding in the cement drainpipe behind the house,” said Chokdee Inthaklab of the Mai Khao Administrative Organization (OrBorTor). “The drainpipe is very deep, so we had to pry them out…

  • Business NewsKrabi man grows cash crop in backyard

    Krabi man grows cash crop in backyard

    KRABI: The growing nationwide demand for jasmine has led one man to set up his own backyard cottage industry. Vichan Tongsanay, 40, who works as a deckhand at the Krabi Marine Office, said he earns around 300 baht per day by selling the flowering plant. “I’ve been growing jasmine in the heart of my village for 5-6 months,” Mr Vichan…

  • OpinionOpinion: Limiting the damage to Thailand’s precious resources

    Opinion: Limiting the damage to Thailand’s precious resources

    PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette supports the government’s efforts to return stolen mangrove land to the state, only if the investigation can be conducted in a fair and transparent way, that punishes the real wrongdoers and limits damage to innocent third parties. Dating back to the start of the tin mining era in the 1930s, the destruction of mangrove forests at…

  • Phuket NewsMinistry of Farang Affairs: Waiting 20 minutes for a roti

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Waiting 20 minutes for a roti

    The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…