- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette: Eco-news for Thailand includes bad news for polluters
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suzuki launches Thailand-made eco car PHUKET (The Nation): Suzuki Motor (Thailand) yesterday launched a new version of its Swift compact model under a Thai government program to promote local manufacture of fuel-efficient vehicles. Suzuki Motor Corp’s Executive Vice President Toshi Hiro said three versions of the…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette: Thailand business news
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Honda’s April restart means no plans for relocation PHUKET (The Nation): Honda Automobile (Thailand) will not relocate to Indonesia, as confirmed by its plan to resume operation at the Rojana Industrial Park in Ayutthaya province on April 1, said Industry Minister Pongsvas Svasti. It was reported…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: ITF Phuket reaches finals stages
PHUKET: Thailand’s Noppawan Lertcheewagarn exacted vengeance on Aiko Nakamura of Japan yesterday at the Chang ITF Pro Women’s circuit event being held at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club on Phuket.Noppowan lost to Nakamura in their first and only meeting five years ago in the Pattaya Open.Both are two-handed players and Noppawan was concerned going into the match that this aspect…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette: Probe into Rangers’ ops; Sonthi faces tough question; Reconciliation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rangers’ operations lawful: probe PHUKET (The Nation): The investigation into the shooting of a pickup in Pattani in January by Army paramilitary rangers, which left four villagers dead, has found the operation was lawful under the rules of combat engagement and called for compensation to all…
- World News
Phuket Gazette: Bomb blast hits Indonesian Embassy in Paris
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bomb blast shocked embassy staff but there were no known injuries Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A bomb exploded near the Indonesian Embassy in Paris early yesterday morning, breaking windows and damaging cars but causing no casualties, officials said. It is unclear who was behind…
- Phuket News
Budget breakdown; Phuket to get speed cameras, “monkey cheeks’
PHUKET: The mobile Cabinet meeting on Tuesday approved 23 projects worth 628 million baht that can be developed immediately in five provinces along the Andaman coast, including a network of speed cameras in Phuket. For the 23 projects slated for immediate start-up, the Cabinet ordered that plans be hurriedly drawn up and presented to the Budget Bureau within two weeks,…
- Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Seven’s heaven for our Lady Pie
PHUKET: After last year’s successful involvement with the rugby world’s premier 7s tournament, Phuket’s Lady Pie can claim world renown and will once again fill more appreciative bellies with their themed and delicious fare at the 2012 event that starts tomorrow. Now in their sixth year of operation in Cherng Talay, Lady Pie owners Susan and Harry Usher are thrilled…
- Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Kids are doing it for themselves
PHUKET: As part of its philosophy to teach young Thai students the importance of self-sufficiency and respect for the environment, the Yaowawit Boarding School and Lodge has developed a model agricultural project which demonstrates the fundamentals of independence for small farmers. Located in the middle of a Phang Nga jungle, far away from the glamor of international tourism or even…
- World News
Phuket Gazette: Dating websites join to ban sexual predators
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dating websites will now be checking sex offender registries Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Leading online dating companies Match.com, eHarmony and the operator of the websites ChristianMingle and JDate have signed an agreement to check their subscribers against U.S. sex offender registries, the companies announced yesterday. The…
- Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Shark Point diving
PHUKET: There was a sinking feeling in my stomach as Raya’s dive boat approached Hin Musang, better known as Shark Point. Casually floating not more than a kilometer away from our splash-in point were two ragged-looking commercial fishing boats. Rumors and grumbles that Shark Point’s namesake sighting, leopard sharks, were becoming a rarity began to take on some merit. Because…
- Phuket News
Phuket Drama: Yingluck monitor lizard fiasco averted
PHUKET: The bloated carcass of a monitor lizard was hastily retrieved from a swamp at Klong Koh Pee in Phuket on Monday, just moments before the arrival of Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra, it can now be revealed. Prime Minister Yingluck and her entourage were scheduled to arrive at the Saphan Hin side of the proposed Klong Koh Pee elevated road…
- Thai Life
Phuket Bike Week has come of age
PHUKET: There are places in the world where the roar of big bikes coming towards town spells trouble, but here in Phuket that sound heralds good news as it means that Big Bike Week is here again and that business is as booming as the engines. Heading into its 18th year, the event will take place between April 6 to…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette: Canadian Prime Minister to visit Thailand
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Canadian PM to arrive in Thailand tomorrow PHUKET (The Nation): Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will pay an official three-day visit to Thailand, starting tomorrow, at the invitation of his Thai counterpart to strengthen bilateral relations. The visit will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment…
- World News
Phuket News Watch: Teenager arrested for sexually molesting 7-year-old boy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community California teen arrested for sexually assaulting boy in a park Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Police in northern California arrested a 15-year-old boy early this morning (Phuket time) in connection with the sexual assault of a young boy in a local park, police said today.…
- Phuket News
Special Report: Will more power solve Patong’s woes?
PHUKET: Mayor Pian Keesin has publicly declared his stand on the need for Patong to become a Special Administrative Zone (click here). His call for the administrative change received a great deal of support at a public meeting held recently to present and explain the concept to local residents and business people. The meeting was coordinated through Patong Municipality and…
- World News
Phuket Gazette: Can there be no good news for journalists in Mexico?
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mexico: 172 attacks against journalists, 9 dead in 2011PHUKET (News Wires): In 2011, at least 172 attack were carried out against Mexican journalists and media, according to press rights group Article 19.The report, called ‘Forced Silence: the State, accomplice to the violence against the press,’ showed that…
- Phuket News
Cabinet closes with Southern protest
PHUKET: The mobile Cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra drew to a close yesterday to the sound of another protest. Under the banner of the “Southern Network”, the protesters gathered outside the meeting venue at the Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Phuket Campus in Kathu. The group had traveled from Satun, Songkhla and Chumphon provinces to call for…
- Phuket News
Cabinet approves Bt200mn for Phuket mangrove flyover
PHUKET: Cabinet today approved 200 million baht to build an elevated road over a mangrove forest on the outskirts of Phuket Town. The project, best known as the Klong Koh Pee project, has been on hold for 15 years. The announcement, made by Deputy Government Spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard at about midday, followed a morning session of meetings at the Prince…
- Phuket News
Phuket to receive lion’s share of Cabinet’s Andaman budget
PHUKET: The Cabinet provisionally agreed to fund 117 of the projects proposed at the Cabinet meeting, at a total cost of about 84 billion baht, Deputy Government spokesman Chalitrat Chantarubeksa announced today.“Ten of the projects are Andaman-wide projects at a cost of 24.8bn baht. The remaining 107 projects are from the individual Andaman provinces,” Mr Chalitrat said. With 67 projects…
- Phuket News
“Naughty’ clouded leopard caught, set free north of Phuket
PHUKET: A clouded leopard was captured over the weekend after a dip into the poultry-house on Thanyamundra’s organic farm in Phang Nga, which produces much of the chemical-free produce served in Phuket.Security guard Surasit Wangphakam was responsible for the capture. Hearing chickens “clucking loudly” inside the poultry-house, he looked inside to discover a female cloud leopard “playing” with the chickens.Fifteen…
- Thai Life
Phuket Books: The big picture of global horror
PHUKET: In libraries and book stores, not shelves but entire bookcases are devoted to World War II and the American Civil War. Therefore, a one volume history of each fills a crying need. The American Civil War has Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson. Now World War II has Inferno (Alfred A Knopf, New York, 2011, 729pp) by…
- Thai Life
Phuket Gardening: Location is everything
PHUKET: One of the first things to consider when creating a new garden or re-vamping an old one, is to work out which plants do well in your locale. There are more micro-climates around than we realize – even in Phuket. So it’s a good idea to do some homework in your area and discover which garden plants are successful…
- Phuket News
Chalerm in Phuket: Police to focus on drugs, not closing times
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung told top regional police officers yesterday that strict enforcement of closing times at bar and pubs was not the top priority in tourist destinations such as Phuket because visitors come here to enjoy the natural scenery, not the nightlife. Deputy PM Chalerm, himself a police captain, delivered his mandate to an assembly of top-ranking…
- Business News
Laguna Phuket MD resigns
PHUKET: Michael Ayling has resigned his position as Managing Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels, which owns and operates the Laguna Phuket resort complex on Phuket’s west coast. A media statement issued this morning noted that Mr Ayling’s last day with the renowned resort company will be on May 31, 2012. According to the statement he will be leaving the…
- Phuket News
PM Yingluck in Phuket: Senators pitch ‘special economic zone’ plan
PHUKET: On the first day of the mobile Cabinet meeting yesterday, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra held closed door talks with local tourism industry leaders who urged her to establish Phuket as a special economic zone. The unscheduled talks, which were off-limits to reporters, saw PM Yingluck meet with Phuket Senator Thanyarat “Ghee” Achariyachai, who chairs the Senate Standing Committee…
- World News
Phuket Gazette: Nazi death camp guard dies in Germany
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dead Nazi John Demjanjuk had almost 28,000 convictions on ‘accessory to murder’ charges Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk died at a nursing home in southern Germany early Saturday morning, police said. He was convicted last year of nearly 28,000…
- Phuket News
PM Yingluck makes no promises ahead of Cabinet meeting
PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra this afternoon gave no hints as to whether or not she will support the Klong Koh Pee project to build an elevated road over a protected mangrove forest at Saphan Hin, near Phuket Town. At a public presentation at the site, Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan explained the details of project, which requires special permission from…
- Phuket News
Man slashes own throat over broken heart
PHUKET: Relatives of a suspected broken-hearted man heard screaming from the fourth floor of a commercial shophouse where he lived and ran up to investigate. The man, whose name the Phuket Gazette is withholding, attempted to commit suicide in the shophouse off Montri Road by slashing his own throat, according to the local Thai-language newspaper Siangtai Daily. Police were immediately…
- Phuket News
Woman dies in water-well plunge
PHUKET: Phuket City Police are trying to identify the body of a woman found at the bottom of a water well in Phuket Town yesterday afternoon. Police were notified about the body by residents of the Bor Nam Community, located off Amphur Road on the east side of Phuket Town, the local Thai-language newspaper Siangtai Daily reported today. It took…
- Business News
Phuket Business: A mortgage in the UK
PHUKET: House prices in the UK have suffered a dramatic fall over the past few years and banks have made it harder for first-time buyers. To put it bluntly, banks have made it harder for any buyer getting on the housing ladder when prices are low. Although UK house prices are expected to make a steady recovery over the next…
