- Opinion
Opinion: Think, then click
PHUKET: If you live on Phuket long enough, or pay attention to the news coverage while you are here, it becomes quite apparent how fascinated islanders – both Thai and foreign – are by horrific road accidents. The sheer number of road deaths that occur on Phuket put into sharp focus how dangerous the roads are and exactly how fragile…
- Property
Southern Asian, Arabic visitors lift Phuket rental market
PHUKET: Although a plunge in the number of Russian visitors hit Phuket’s rental market hard this high season, the unsettling gap narrowed slightly through a small increase in Southern Asian and Arabic travellers, said Dexter Norville, Jones Lang LaSalle’s director for Thailand. This rental market is made up of the usual crowd of Europeans, Australians and Russians, but now more…
- Business News
Business Buzz: Successfully harness social media power
PHUKET: There is no doubting the power of social media marketing as a business tool. The question is, are you using it, and if so, are you doing so effectively? Social media can be very overwhelming as there are so many options it can be difficult to know where to start. It can also be a case of ‘you don’t…
- Phuket News
Multilingual beach-safety cards redistributed by Phuket expat
PHUKET: The news that lifeguards have returned to Phuket’s beaches (story here) prompted Tourist Police volunteer Simon Luttrell to return to printing multilingual beach-safety advice cards and distributing them to lifeguards. “Now that all beaches have lifeguards again, I wanted to check that they all had my cards to help warn foreign tourists about the unseen dangers of rip currents,…
- Phuket News
Busted at Phuket boarding gate for fake credit card shopping spree
PHUKET: Police arrested a confessed credit card scammer as she waited to board a plane back to Malaysia at Phuket International Airport on Wednesday. Koo Ping Sze, 20, was taken into custody after police received a report from Kasikornbank (KBank) that she had used a fake credit card to make a purchase in Patong. “Kbank identified that the cardholder was…
- Opinion
Opinion: Ethics in today’s social media world
PHUKET: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LINE and an assortment of other social media platforms and blogs have transformed the way news is managed worldwide, enabling news outlets to be more in tune with their readership, while also allowing them to offload their ethics and other responsibilities toward their communities. Social media tip-offs have become a foundation for community news, ranging from…
- Phuket News
Phuket Airport possible base for US military support
PHUKET: Thailand may allow the United States to use either Phuket Airport or U-Tapao in Rayong as a base for planes assigned to monitor the movement of migrants stranded in surrounding seas. “The Foreign Ministry is reviewing the request,” Supreme Commander General Worapong Sa-nganet said on Tuesday. Thailand is setting up the Operations Centre for Patrol and Humanitarian Assistance to…
- Thai Life
Excuse Buster: Right kind of pressure
PHUKET: The word is out about self myofascial release – foam rolling – and, no, Phuket people, this doesn’t have to do with a ‘soapy’ or ‘happy-ending release’. Foam rolling was once a secretive technique used by professional coaches and therapists, but has become a regular practice for people across the spectrum of fitness levels. Self myofascial release is in…
- Phuket News
Suit up for the SEA games
PHUKET: Thanyapura’s top swimming stars are hoping to bring home a bounty of medals when they dive into the pool and compete at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA) next week. Swimming sensations Peerapat ‘Garfield’ Loessathapornsuk, 18, Patarawadee ‘Ploy’ Kittiya, 21, Kornkanjana ‘Golf’ Sapianchai, 17, and Tanakrit ‘Nok’ Kittiya, 19, will come up against the best in the region at the…
- Phuket News
Video Report: Navy flotilla floats humanitarian mission for Rohingya
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy unveiled a patrolling navy fleet in the Andaman on Tuesday that was given the mission of ‘helping on’ Rohingya and Bengali migrants by providing medical services and translators, as well as food and water supplies. “More than 600 officers have been assigned to this mission, which will be running seven boats, two airplanes and two…
- Business News
Finance: One size does not fit all
PHUKET: When it comes to financial advice, my first words of caution to everyone are “never, ever, do anything yourself that you don’t understand 100%”. If the markets seem too complex, there is no reason you can’t handle your financial affairs without using this tool. Every asset class at the end of the day is just that: a tool. There…
- Phuket News
Phuket officials investigate tour companies with foreign shareholders
PHUKET: Officials launched an island-wide inspection of tour companies with foreign shareholders yesterday in an attempt to root out the practice of using Thai nominee shareholders to maintain control over a company. More than 3,700 ‘foreign-owned’ businesses are registered in Phuket, explained Department of Business Development Phuket Office Chief Nimit Kangkajit back in 2013 when a similar investigation was backed…
- Phuket News
Family of heat-stroke victim donates B200k to Vachira Phuket Hospital
PHUKET: The family of a senior Bangkok official who died from severe heat stroke after leaping into a Krabi hot spring in April has donated 200,000 baht to Vachira Phuket Hospital in honor of their loved one. Somkiat Phatkhun, the deputy director of the Training and Development Institute at the Office of the Attorney General in Bangkok, was on vacation…
- Phuket News
Kuwaiti tourist dies in Phuket bungy-jump accident
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Kuwaiti tourist who was fatally injured in a bungy-jumping incident last night in Phuket. Abdullah Adel Kadhmbadman, 25, was rushed to Patong Hospital by a World Bungy Jump Patong employee. He was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived at the hospital. “The man who brought Mr Kadhmnbadman to the hospital first told…
- Phuket News
Pebbles at Phuket skate park cause a stir
PHUKET: The X-treme skate park in Phuket Town was sabotaged with pebbles, creating a dangerous situation for skaters last week. Phuket resident Phakhawat Jret Na Nakon made the discovery when he and his friends went there, according to his Facebook post. “There are pebbles all over the skate zone. We also found the plastic bag used to carry the pebbles.…
- Phuket News
Headless turtle found on Mai Khao Beach
PHUKET: Experts at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) in Cape Panwa are investigating the cause of death of a headless turtle that washed up on Mai Khao Beach this morning. Kusoldham Foundation rescue workers arrived at about 10:20am after receiving a call from a local villager who found the turtle and initially tried to bury it. “We believe the…
- Phuket News
Two men on motorbike killed in collision with Phuket tour bus
PHUKET: Two men on a motorbike were killed when they were hit and dragged by a tour bus on Thepkrasattri Road early this morning. The bodies of Thai national Somwang Chuaykamchu, 31, and Myanmar national Aung Myint, 32, were underneath the bus when police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers arrived at the scene near the entrance of Thai Watsadu in…
- Phuket News
Police work to identify dead body found outside Phuket resort
PHUKET: Police are working to identify a man whose body was found near the Baan Krating Phuket Resort in Rawai on Saturday. “After we received the report at about 8:30pm, we went to the scene and found the body of an Arabic-looking man with a wound on his leg that resembled an animal bite,” said Lt Veerayut Thanyasiri Sukawarakul of…
- Business News
Chanintr Living launches month-long Phuket sale
PHUKET: Chanintr Living has launched a month-long sale at its classy imported furniture outlet in Phuket, providing islanders and visitors the chance to grab quality furniture at a knocked down price. Chanintr Living was established in 1994 and has several outlets in Bangkok and Singapore, as well as one multi-brand location in Phuket. The reputable dealer’s current sale, from May…
- Bangkok News
Blazing Saddles: Bicycling in Bangkok
PHUKET: I have long believed the bicycle represents something of a magical chariot with the ability to unleash serendipitous experiences at many turns. So it proved on my last visit to Bangkok, where I had flown to spend some time with my 22-year-old daughter, Olivia, who stopped there en route from Sydney to London. Now it’s probably no coincidence the…
- Thai Life
In Focus: Pity the poor pangolin
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette recently reported a gruesome find: a couple strangled and left to rot in a dense rubber plantation in Krabi. People were guided to the spot by the stench; the couple had been dead for about five days. This man and wife were pangolin hunters and the likely explanation for their demise – so far not confirmed…
- Phuket News
Thalang trounce Patong in Phuket cricket championship cup final
PHUKET: The Phuket Cricket Group Championship Cup Final was played on Sunday May 17 at the Alan Cooke Ground with the Thalang Cricket Team (TCT) taking their second consecutive title with a comprehensive 157 run win over the Patong Cricket Club. Both teams were boasting strong line-ups for the 100 over grand final, with David Thomas and Jean Matthee the…
- Phuket News
Phuket reporter dies in Surat Thani car crash
PHUKET: A local reporter for the Phuket Daily News and Siengtai newspaper was killed in a car crash in Surat Thani on Tuesday night. Amnuay Korbkum, 46, a well-known member of the Phuket Reporters Club, was travelling from Phuket to Surat Thani to visit his father in hospital when the accident occurred at about 9:50pm. “Panupong Sukaoon, Mr Amnuay’s brother-in-law,…
- Phuket News
Video Report: Suspects arrested for murder of Kalim man over alleged land dispute
PHUKET: Police have arrested three men for the murder of a 72-year-old Kalim resident on April 24. Eet Chaisit was shot multiple times while driving back from prayer at the local mosque to his home in Kalim, and later died in Patong Hospital (story here). Police first identified the driver of the motorcycle carrying Mr Eet’s shooter from CCTV footage…
- Thai Life
Gardening: Laying down the lawn
PHUKET: Michael Hickman, an experienced Kalim gardener, has some questions about grass. The first concerns grass varieties, their availability and maintenance. “We laid the lawn in our garden six years ago and have tried to keep it regularly cut, weeded and fertilized,” Michael said. “However there are areas where we have lost the battle against some invasive grass type”. Michael…
- Phuket News
Two arrested for “mistaken identity’ attempted murder
PHUKET: Two men have been arrested for their roles in the attempted murder of a man in Thalang on May 13. Kordetch Sinto, 38, was shot in the back while he was sitting in front of his house (story here). Police originally thought that four suspects were involved but, following their investigation, they learned that only two men on one…
- Opinion
Opinion: Breaking down Phuket food prices
Prakong Rukwong, 56, from Songkhla, is the chief of the Office of Commercial Affairs in Phuket. He graduated from Ramkhamhaeng University with a Bachelor’s degree in international economics, and also earned a Bachelor’s in law from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. From there, he continued on to earn a Master’s degree in economics at Chiang Mai University. Here, he talks about…
- Phuket News
Navy raids small, illegal Phuket beach operation
PHUKET: Navy officers led a raid on Nui Beach in Phuket yesterday, following an investigation into allegations of ‘mafia thugs’ illegally claiming the land and extorting beachgoers. In February, 46-year-old Chalothorn Chotianan, whose family claims ownership of the land, said that he was not aware of anyone trying to charge visitors for using the sands (story here). “Everything is fine.…
- Phuket News
Woman charged for Phuket airport bomb threat
PHUKET: The woman who threatened a bomb attack on departing flight Thai AirAsia FD 3002 from Phuket International Airport this morning has been charged for her actions – despite not having any explosive devices on her person. “Phanarat Nopphakhun, 37, is being charged for the fake bomb scare at the airport. She faces a maximum fine of 200,000 baht, five…
- Property
Baba Beach Club aims for top tier
PHUKET: Only a perch at the very top is good enough for a 42-rai super project just across the bridge on Phang Nga’s Na Tai Beach, which is being developed by well-known Charn Issara Development Plc in partnership with China-based Junfa Real Estate Company. Called Baba Beach Club, this massive development will have a hotel and a beach club, six…
