Legacy Phuket Gazette

Legacy Phuket Gazette

Archiving articles from the Phuket Gazette circa 1998 - 2017. View the Phuket Gazette online archive and Digital Gazette PDF Prints.
  • Business NewsBright lights, big city: LED billboards lucky for Phuket

    Bright lights, big city: LED billboards lucky for Phuket

    PHUKET: Lucky Media is one of those companies that from humble beginnings has evolved into a player with serious impact and an annual income of 150 million to 200mn baht. The publicly listed company was born in Bangkok out of the Assawarungruang family business, Lucky Music – which started and continues to be a music store importing PRS amplifiers, Gibson…

  • Pattaya NewsPhuket Gazette re-designs to go national

    Phuket Gazette re-designs to go national

    PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette hard-copy newspaper that hits the streets today is truly national in circulation and boasts a re-design to the ‘compact’ format that’s set to be the wave of the future. By joining the compacts of such esteemed publications as the The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph, the Times of London, the Daily Mail, Bild and scores of…

  • PropertyFraudulent designing in disguise

    Fraudulent designing in disguise

    PHUKET: When purchasing new furniture, it is always wise to keep an eye open for poorly made or refurbished goods in disguise. Some seemingly brand new, imported furniture is in fact a renovated secondhand piece with a big price tag, says Niwat Aunprueng, interior designer and executive partner of PIA Interior Company. This means that overseas dealers and local importers…

  • Phuket NewsSuperyacht crew visas slated for November

    Superyacht crew visas slated for November

    PHUKET: Special visas for foreign-flagged superyacht crew is expected to be rolled out by November, confirmed the Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul. The ‘new package’ for superyachts will include changes in law for visas, as well as tax exemptions, all timed to line up with an international superyacht show organized by the Ministry of Transport, explained Ms Kobkarn. “The…

  • Phuket News“Property security’ demands gypsies demolish ceremonial hall

    “Property security’ demands gypsies demolish ceremonial hall

    PHUKET: Police intervened in order to neutralize tensions at the Rawai sea gypsy village after a group of 40 men demanded that the gypsies demolish their spiritual ceremony hall. Rawai Municipality received a report from sea gypsies at about 11am that a group of men, allegedly sent by private investors, had ordered the gypsies to demolish their ‘Sala Balai’, before…

  • Phuket NewsGM takes wheel at Cassia Phuket

    GM takes wheel at Cassia Phuket

    PHUKET: Banyan Tree has appointed a new General Manager for the company’s most recent hotel residences, Cassia Phuket. Ilias Vamvakas will be taking the reins at this the third property in the company’s portfolio after having worked and led teams in various hotels around the world, including: Sandals Grande St Lucia Spa & Beach Resort and The Sealine Beach Resort…

  • OpinionOpinion: Human rights

    Opinion: Human rights

    PHUKET: The plan by Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos to ban migrant workers from keeping dogs is unlikely to have much of an effect on dog populations in the area; the scheme not only fails to address the main cause of the problem, but also shifts the blame to the most convenient scapegoat. Predictably, news of the proposed ban has set…

  • Thai LifeGardening: Neem: A tree for all seasons

    Gardening: Neem: A tree for all seasons

    PHUKET: Back in February, 2009, the Thai government, in the guise of the Industry Ministry, issued a decree listing 13 herbs as hazardous plants and forbidding their use nationwide. The penalty? Six months in jail or a 500,000 baht fine. There was immediately and, quite properly, an outcry from farmers. Why? Because these ‘hazardous’ substances were all traditional, organically derived…

  • OpinionOpinion: Accessing a world of change

    Opinion: Accessing a world of change

    Todd Lemons is the founder of InfiniteEARTH (infinite-earth.com), a Hong Kong-based project development company whose mission is “to move the world from an unsustainable extractive economy to a sustainable replacement economy by changing the way [we] view the consumption and pricing of goods…” Here is his commencement address to the Class of 2015 at the British International School Phuket last…

  • OpinionOpinion: Big media blunders [video] | Thaiger

    Opinion: Big media blunders [video]

    PHUKET: Earlier this month, the Ambassador for Nepal, HE Khaga Nath Adhikari, came to Phuket to ask for our help in rebooting Nepal’s crippled tourism sector – an industry that, before the May earthquakes, accounted for about 50 per cent of the country’s annual GDP. The Ambassador’s message was that – despite news reports to the contrary – Nepal has…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Tourist Police expect new facility to boost performance

    Phuket Tourist Police expect new facility to boost performance

    PHUKET: The Phuket Tourist Police have opened up three new facilities for officers in hopes of boosting their performance. “We have a new meeting room for training officers, a Command and Control Operations Center [CCOC] for information gathering and a new gym to keep the officers healthy,” said Tourist Police Commander Apichai Ti-amataya. “Our policy is to create a professional…

  • Phuket NewsInjured turtle found tangled in fishing net at Phuket beach

    Injured turtle found tangled in fishing net at Phuket beach

    PHUKET: An injured sea turtle found trapped in a fishing net in front of JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa in Mai Khao was rescued Tuesday morning. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers were called to the scene by hotel security at about 7:30am. Hotel employees had already helped free the turtle from the net by the time rescue workers arrived. “The…

  • Thai LifeBlazing Saddles: Safe cycling in Thailand

    Blazing Saddles: Safe cycling in Thailand

    PHUKET: The tragic events of the past year have raised the title of this article, ‘Safe Cycling in Thailand’, from a mere eyebrow-raising non sequitur, to the status of a full-blown oxymoron. Following the litany of cyclists’ deaths on Thailand’s roads, many would say there is no such thing as safe cycling in Thailand and that the activity should be…

  • Phuket NewsPolice crack drug-dealing network, seize war weapon

    Police crack drug-dealing network, seize war weapon

    PHUKET: Police have cracked open a drug and weapons network after arresting two methamphetamine dealers in possession of a weapon of war and other guns in Phuket on Monday. Thammanoon Kaewsirnuon, 31, and Khlongsiri Rorngsakul, 24, were caught at their rental house in Thalang on Monday, after police were tipped off by a man named by officers only as ‘Pop’,…

  • Thai LifeExpress love for Hong Kong

    Express love for Hong Kong

    PHUKET: If you’ve been in business in Asia long enough, eventually you land in Hong Kong. We know the rigmarole: airport to hotel to meeting to hotel and back to the airport. So, despite having been to Hong Kong many times for business, I’d yet to actually tour the city. I wouldn’t have known what there is to see in…

  • Phuket NewsWorld Bungy Jump closes doors, tower demolished

    World Bungy Jump closes doors, tower demolished

    PHUKET: World Bungy Jump in Patong closed its doors for good and demolished its bungy-jump tower on Monday after a tourist suffered fatal injuries during a jump last month. “The owner, Vinat Chanthornwiboonkul, decided on his own to close the business. We don’t want to put anyone at risk at our bungy jump, and we are very sorry about the…

  • Phuket NewsEviction notice posted at Nui Beach establishments

    Eviction notice posted at Nui Beach establishments

    PHUKET: Karon Municipality and Naval officers have issued a 30-day eviction notice for several establishments on Nui Beach after the court confirmed that the owner unlawfully possesses the land. The news follows a raid of the beach in February that investigated complaints by locals that mafia thugs were charging people a fee to use the public beach (story here). Last…

  • Phuket NewsRecreational fisherman found dead off Koh Yao Noi

    Recreational fisherman found dead off Koh Yao Noi

    PHUKET: The remains of a recreational fisherman who went missing on Saturday were found in the waters near Koh Yao Noi early this morning. The wife of Manop Poolpirom, 37, was able to identify her husband’s remains despite their condition after having been exposed to the open ocean and tropical sun. “Mrs Pim told us that her husband often went…

  • Phuket NewsHong Kong tourist caught reporting false robbery in Chalong

    Hong Kong tourist caught reporting false robbery in Chalong

    PHUKET: A Hong Kong tourist has been arrested in Chalong for making a false police report on Sunday morning. At about 1:30am Chalong Police called the Tourist Police hotline to assist them with a robbery complaint. When Phuket Tourist Police arrived they found 22-year-old Wong Wai Ki Warwick Taboctabo – who told police he is from Hong Kong, but holds…

  • Phuket NewsGirl shocked by exposed wire in Phuket

    Girl shocked by exposed wire in Phuket

    PHUKET: A 10-year-old girl survived an electric shock after she accidentally stepped on an exposed wire on Khao Rang yesterday. Nisreen Klongsamuth was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital after the accident, but was released today after doctors confirmed she was in good health. “She is safe. She does not have inflammatory cardiomyopathy [inflammation of the heart muscle] following the incident.…

  • Phuket NewsSea gypsies beg for protection after “gun threats’

    Sea gypsies beg for protection after “gun threats’

    PHUKET: About 200 Rawai sea gypsies yesterday begged Phuket authorities for protection after a group of men allegedly threatened to shoot them if they moved concrete blocks that had been placed on the public access road to their village. “Last month, a group of men put concrete barriers on the path between the beach and our village, which we have…

  • Phuket NewsResearch team to reveal beach-management solution next month

    Research team to reveal beach-management solution next month

    PHUKET: The beach-management research team at Prince of Songkhla University (PSU) Phuket campus will present its findings about current beach rules and ideas for the future to Governor Nisit Jansomwong next month. Governor Nisit told the Phuket Gazette last week (story here) that he had designated the research team to evaluate the results of the three-month trial period for the…

  • PropertyProperty Watch: Phuket pivots into regional education

    Property Watch: Phuket pivots into regional education

    PHUKET: Sun, sand, surf and study is without a doubt an unlikely combination of S-phrases. That said, Phuket is maturing into a key Asian resort destination for international level education and the upward trend is showing no sign of stopping. This past week, Thanyapura, the umbrella complex of Phuket International Academy, announced plans to further expand their already considerable 3.5…

  • PropertyMontara Hospitality Group eyes young, wealthy Chinese

    Montara Hospitality Group eyes young, wealthy Chinese

    PHUKET: Montara Hospitality Group, owner and operator of Thailand’s ultra-luxury resort brand Trisara is set to increase its presence on Phuket in a bid to capture emerging markets while also expanding locally and abroad for the first time. “More private villa hotels and luxury residences have been opened on Phuket island and that has brought even tougher competition. Many players…

  • PropertyPhuket Pads: Hide out in Nai Harn home

    Phuket Pads: Hide out in Nai Harn home

    PHUKET: A very unusual yet stunning two-storey, four-bedroom modern Thai-style home is hiding in Nai Harn, only 1 kilometer from the famous beach and beautiful Nai Harn Lagoon. This is one of the most coveted locations in which one can live on the island because of its access to upscale lifestyle venues. This home is extremely private, located alone in…

  • Phuket NewsForeigners suspected in Tesco carpark robbery

    Foreigners suspected in Tesco carpark robbery

    PHUKET: Police are looking for at least three men, thought to be foreigners, who robbed a car in broad daylight at Tesco Lotus Thalang. “When we arrived, Pasuk Ohara, 43, was standing with her son and his friend near the car. The right side back window had been removed,” said Lt Wichote Meepop of Thalang Police. “Mrs Pasuk told us…

  • Business NewsBusiness: East coast shopping

    Business: East coast shopping

    PHUKET: Choice, and lots of it, is what Phuket’s cosmopolitan consumers are demanding, and as the shopping scene transforms to adapt to more local-centric lifestyles among the island’s international community, smaller family-oriented malls are taking shape across the island. Leading the way in bringing a more upmarket shopping experience is shopping and lifestyle guru Kanittha Prasopsirikul, managing director of ‘By…

  • Phuket NewsMotorists escape serious injury in chain-reaction crash

    Motorists escape serious injury in chain-reaction crash

    PHUKET: Three motorists narrowly escaped serious injury in Phuket when a motorbike driver fell off her bike and caused a chain-reaction accident on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday. Thalang Police arrived at the scene to find major traffic tailbacks in the southbound lane, a totalled Toyota sedan wrapped around a utility pole, a badly damaged pick-up truck and motorbike in the middle…

  • Phuket NewsSnake head stuck in Phuket hole

    Snake head stuck in Phuket hole

    PHUKET: It took Phuket rescue workers about 15 minutes to remove a three-meter python from a drain cover hole near Khao Khad View Point this weekend. “When we arrived it was clear that the snake had gotten its head stuck in the hole,” said Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation worker Silaluck Na Thalang. “I’m glad we got a call from passing motorists,…

  • OpinionOpinion: Lack of discipline

    Opinion: Lack of discipline

    PHUKET: I have been driving various vehicles in Phuket on a daily basis for 12 years now. I started out riding a Honda Wave, before moving on to a car and a big bike. My 12 years of experience on the road has made me realize that people risk their lives every day because of their sheer lack of discipline.…