- Phuket News
Phuket speeders: 70% caught on camera fail to pay fine
PHUKET: Not a single Phuket driver of the 70 per cent who failed to pay their speeding tickets has had their licence revoked, confirmed Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) chief policy adviser Jaturong Kaewkasi. The news follows Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen explaining that if a driver fails to pay the ticket the case is handed over to the…
- Business News
Finance: Growth stocks to beat market
PHUKET: Growth stocks are always popular with Wall Street and retail investors alike because they are companies with sustainable positive cash flows along with revenues and earnings that are expected to grow at an above-average rate relative to the stock market. Here are a couple of individual growth stocks that could be a good fit for your portfolio: Gilead Sciences,…
- Bangkok News
Looking Back: Understanding Bangkok blast point
PHUKET: The Erawan Shrine is a revered place of worship located in the heart of Bangkok. Flanked by some of the capital’s best malls and five-star hotels, the shrine is frequented by hundreds of Thai and foreign devotees every day. On a typical day, the shrine is crowded with people who come to offer their prayers. There is a thin…
- Opinion
Opinion: Moving public transportation forward
PHUKET: More glimmers of hope have emerged that the days of the island’s notorious ‘tuk-tuk and taxi mafia’ may be numbered. Issues of democratic development aside, one of the National Council for Peace and Order’s (NCPO’s) greatest achievements has been its no-nonsense approach in breaking up the tourism-killing stranglehold that thuggish, self-entitled transport syndicates have maintained over the island for…
- Thai Life
Excuse Buster: Treating sickness with water
PHUKET: “You’re not sick; you’re thirsty. Don’t treat thirst with medication,” says Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, author of the acclaimed book Your Body’s Many Cries for Water. We all know that water is essential to life and that in fact it makes up more than 70 per cent of most living things. We also know that although we can survive weeks…
- Phuket News
Home & Life orphanage sees fun-raising projects bearing fruit
PHUKET: The Home and Life Foundation * is seeing the fruits of last November’s ‘fun-raising’ event ripen. The full 900,000 baht raised at Centara Grande Karon, who hosted the event, has been spent on improving the Phang Nga Home and Life Foundation, which was established in 2006 to care for children who had lost their parents in the tsunami. “We…
- Thailand News
Man happily bears weight of devotion
PHUKET: We all have burdens to bear, but rarely can they be so accurately measured in weight as the 109 amulets that a Samut Prakarn man wears around his neck every day. It is with these more than three kilograms of amulets that 46-year-old Damrong Jeerayuchaiwattana pays his respects to a monk named Luang Phor Khun, reports Sanook.com. Mr Damrong’s…
- Phuket News
Underpass construction company faces multi-million baht fines
PHUKET: The construction company building the more than 800-million-baht Samkong underpass has until December 21 to finish the project before hefty fines are implemented, Bureau of Bridge Construction Director Narin Srisompun said yesterday. “Wiwat Construction Co Ltd is only 54 per cent finished with the project. At this rate, construction won’t finish until June. However, the contract – which has…
- Phuket News
A Decade Ago: Floating city dream sinks
PHUKET: Even now, ten years later, the images for the purposed ‘Ao Phuket’ look futuristic – more appropriate for Japan, Singapore or South Korea than our island in the Andaman. The plan was to build a mini-city on reclaimed land in the bay off Saphan Hin, complete with hotel, conference hall, international sporting facilities and… wait for it… a casino.…
- Phuket News
Gov threatens total beach ban if rules not followed
PHUKET: Though details of the Phuket beach rules remain up in the air, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has vowed that if locals are caught trying to bend the rules once they are established, he will ban all beach vendors, chairs and umbrellas from the sands. “We understand that beach businesses make a lot of money, millions of baht in fact.…
- Phuket News
Phuket beach-usage issue halts lifeguard tower construction
PHUKET: Local complaints and land-usage issues brought the construction of a much-needed lifeguard tower on Kata Noi Beach to a halt last month. Construction on the tower, backed by the Phuket Marine Office, began in September. However, officials are now removing the unfinished structure. “We received a lot of complaints from locals about the new location of the tower, so…
- Phuket News
Decapitated dugong found on Koh Yao Yai
PHUKET: A dugong that washed up on Koh Yao Yai Beach Tuesday morning is believed to have been decapitated for its teeth, experts confirmed. “Dugong teeth are revered by some as good luck charms and are often used to make necklaces,” said Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, head of the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s (PMBC’s) Endangered Species Unit. PMBC experts estimated that the…
- Phuket News
Phuket Riot: Officers fear arrest retribution
PHUKET: Concerned about retribution, police have yet to arrest any of the suspects wanted for the Thalang Police Station riot, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “At this stage, we are in no rush to arrest the suspects,” Col Teeraphol said. “We need to think carefully about each arrest and the possible consequences. We do…
- Phuket News
Russian fugitive arrested for role in multi-million-baht ESP fraud case
PHUKET: Immigration scooped up a Russian fugitive in Phuket who was wanted by Interpol in a more than 62-million-baht clairvoyance fraud case. Eldar Gasanguseynov, 29, was charged in Russia for ‘extremely large-scale misappropriation by fraud committed by the [sic] organized criminal group’. Working within an organized criminal group, Mr Gasanguseynov allegedly misappropriated money from people wishing to obtain parapsychological and…
- Phuket News
Phuket cameras bust 10 speedsters a day
PHUKET: The four speed cameras that came online at the end of 2013 are booking about 10 drivers a day, confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen on Monday. Motorists caught speeding in Phuket face a fine of up to 1,000 baht, but have nearly one month to come to the police station and pay. “If they fail to do…
- Phuket News
Police stations given quotas for drunk driver arrests
PHUKET: Police officers were given the green light to pull over and arrest anyone suspected of drunk driving in Phuket, after it was revealed that they would now need to make more than 150 drunk driving arrests a month. The penalty for driving under the influence is up to two years in prison, a 10,000 baht fine or both, confirmed…
- Phuket News
50 Phuket schools join ‘less class time’ program
PHUKET: A total of 50 Phuket schools have joined a new national program that allows their students to spend fewer hours in the classroom. The policy of ‘Moderate Class, More Knowledge’ gives students the opportunity to pursue other interests outside of the classroom in the afternoon. “All 49 primary schools in Phuket joined the program on Monday. However, only one…
- Business News
Banyan Tree, Angsana Laguna Phuket announces new director of marketing and communications
PHUKET: Nampetch ‘Nikki’ Tipaxsorn has taken up the position of director of marketing and communications for Banyan Tree and Angsana Laguna Phuket. In her new role, Ms Nampetch will manage all marketing and public relations activities, including marketing strategies to generate revenue and brand awareness for both properties. Ms Nampetch has more than 15 years of experience in both sales…
- Phuket News
Mayor fears fishing net killed dolphin
PHUKET: Officials believe that a dolphin found dead near Koh Bon, just off Rawai Beach, was killed by a fishing net today. “From a quick inspection, I could see marks on its head and upper body that looked like they were made by a fishing net,” said Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos. The dolphin was taken to the Phuket Marine Biological…
- Phuket News
Hundreds line up for Bike for Dad registration
PHUKET: More than 800 Phuket residents made their way down to Phuket Provincial Community Hall yesterday to register for the inaugural ‘Bike for Dad’ event. The event garnered so much interest that the website hosting the online registration crashed due to the overwhelming number of entries. For the Phuket event, participants will bike for 29 kilometers from Provincial Hall to…
- Business News
Organic Corn Farm promotes agritourism on Phuket
PHUKET: Though agricultural tourism hasn’t really developed enough to make it a serious market segment on the island, that hasn’t stopped the government push for exploring yet another avenue for revenue. In 2014, then Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut threw his weight behind elephants, goats and pineapples in hopes of seeing growth in Phuket agritourism and its One Tambon One Province…
- Phuket News
Officials hot to expedite Phuket light rail
PHUKET: Officials are rushing to get Phuket’s light rail project moving along the tracks, Sirigate Apirat, the project secretary for the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP), confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this morning. “It has already taken too long to get the plan together, so I’ve been ordered to finalize it by the end of this…
- Phuket News
Kata Group readies for King’s Cup
PHUKET: The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is preparing to set sail again, swelling Phuket visitor numbers and making a contribution to Thailand’s overall tourism performance. Sponsored by Kata Group Resorts Thailand, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2015 will be held at Kata Beach Resort and Spa from December 5 to December 12 and will host international racing classes with about…
- Phuket News
Phuket Rajabhat University student passes The Voice Thailand Battle Round
PHUKET: Phuket Rajabhat University student Smat Niema-ard is the only Phuket native to make it through last week’s Battle Round on The Voice Thailand. Since crooning his way through the blind auditions on October 11, 20-year-old Smat’s YouTube video of his performance garnered three million views, while his recent Battle Round video received one million views. “I’m very glad that…
- MontAzure
Twinpalms teams up with MontAzure for luxury project
PHUKET: Phuket’s MontAzure, a mixed-use community in the Kamala district, has teamed up with leading hospitality company Twinpalms to launch a branded residential project on one of the last direct beachfronts on the west coast of the island. Twinpalms Residences MontAzure will comprise 75 luxury condominiums, with 100 meters of beachfront located between Millionaire’s Mile and the Amanpuri headland. After…
- Phuket News
Patong restaurant owner found dead
PHUKET: A Belgian expat was found dead at his rental room in Patong yesterday after he was allegedly unable to pay rent for his businesses. Ronald Desruelles, 60, was found hanging by a rope in his bathroom at Prince Edouard Seaview Apartments and Resort by his girlfriend Paweeni Sooksan, 30. Ms Paweeni told police that Mr Desruelles owned three restaurants…
- Opinion
Opinion: Parents the key to ending gang violence
PHUKET: The tragic shooting of a 15-year-old boy during the closing ceremony of this year’s Phuket Vegetarian Festival is yet another brutal reminder that the island’s increasing urbanization is having a dire effect on the cornerstone of any successful society: the family unit. The on-going investigation into the shooting of Thanakij Sawirum, who was apparently caught in the crossfire of…
- Property
Expansion helps Amari Phuket bags “Best Beach Resort in Asia-Pacific’
PHUKET: Taking home the ‘Best Beach Resort in Asia-Pacific’ at the 26th annual Travel Trade Gazette (TTG) Awards 2015 in Bangkok was a clear sign to Pierre-Andre Pelletier, Onyx vice-president and south Thailand general manager, that the Amari Phuket was on the right path as it goes toe-to-toe with other high-end developments on the island. “This is an amazing recognition…
- Phuket News
Law catches up with alleged foreign skimmers in Phuket
PHUKET: Three alleged ATM skimmers were arrested in Chalong on Saturday night after police tracked them down using the GPS signal from a stolen iPad. Brazilians Lucidio Firmino Da Silva Junior, 24, and Juan Pablo Da Costa Varao, 21, along with 26-year-old French national Phellipe Andre Dias, were apprehended in their rental room in Chalong. The arrests followed Koh Tao…
- Phuket News
Laguna kicks off Talad Canal weekend market
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket kicked off the high season on Saturday with the launch of its ‘Talad Canal’ weekend market. The event was held at the resort’s Canal Shopping Village, which comprises more than 30 shops that offer a wide selection of quality goods and services, such as handicrafts, clothing and jewellery. Talad Canal market, which will be held every weekend…
