Legacy Phuket Gazette
- World News
Brazilians protest World Cup spending, call for better services
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brazilians protest World Cup spending, call for better services Reuters/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Road blocks and marches hit Brazilian cities on Thursday as disparate groups criticized spending on the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament and sought to revive a call for better public services that swept…
- Phuket News
Phuket protesters safe after fatal attack in Bangkok
PHUKET: No Phuket protesters were injured in the grenade and assault rifle attack at Democracy Monument in Bangkok early this morning. The attack injured 22 protesters and killed two (story here). “It took place about 100 meters from our protesters’ tents at about 2:30am,” said Amnuay Kumban, a People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protest coordinator in Phuket. “Someone fired an…
- Phuket News
Phuket Tourist Police in fender bender on slippery road
PHUKET: A Tourist Police officer injured his back and damaged a tuk-tuk and two other cars when he lost control of his patrol car on a wet Thepkrasattri Road on Tuesday night. Local residents notified authorities of the accident near Baan Sapam Mongol Wittaya School at about 9pm. “When we arrived at the scene we saw a damaged white Toyota…
- World News
Turkey in mourning after 274 die in mine disaster
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Furious Turks heckle Erdogan after at least 274 die in mine disaster Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Furious Turks heckled Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and jostled his entourage on Wednesday as protests erupted in several cities over a coal mine disaster in which at least 274…
- Thailand News
Bomb attacks force suspension of Deep South train services
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bomb attacks force suspension of train services The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Fourteen local trains were forced to suspend services for three days after insurgents bombed the southern railway track in Narathiwat’s Joh I Rong and Rangae districts yesterday. Nobody was harmed in the bombings.…
- World News
South Korea indicts four ferry crew members for homicide
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community South Korea indicts four ferry crew members for homicide Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The captain and three senior crew members of a South Korean ferry that capsized in April killing more than 280 passengers, many of them school children, were indicted for homicide on Thursday,…
- Thailand News
Acting PM flees election meeting after venue stormed by protesters
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Acting PM flees eleciton meeting after venue stormed by protesters The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Suthep Thaugsuban, secretary general of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, led protesters to besiege the venue where the Election Commission and the government were due to meet, prompting it to…
- World News
More than 20 dead as anti-China riots spread in Vietnam
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More than 20 dead as anti-China riots spread in Vietnam Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than 20 people were killed and rioters attacked Vietnam’s biggest steel plant overnight as violent anti-China protests spread to the centre of the country a day after arson and looting…
- Phuket News
Fingerprint scans to debut at Immigration to catch known criminals
PHUKET: Thai Immigration aims to begin scanning fingerprints of all foreigners arriving in the Kingdom by the end of the year under a project costing 342 million baht. “The budget has yet to be approved, but we hope to introduce fingerprint-scanning machines by the end of 2014,” Immigration Commissioner Pharnu Kerdlarpphon confirmed to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. The scanners, to…
- Cannabis News
Police seize drugs, rifle in Phuket encroachment raid
PHUKET: Officers acting on a tip-off raided four shacks built in a protected Karon forest near Freedom Beach, south of Patong, yesterday and discovered a rifle, marijuana and wood-cutting equipment, but no people. “It looks like the people staying there knew we were coming and ran away,” said Karon Village Chief (Kamnan) Winai Chidchiew. “We found eggs that had just…
- Thailand News
Bangkok protesters killed, 22 injured in grenade, gun attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two killed, 22 others injured in grenade, gun attack at Democracy Monument The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two people were fatally shot and 22 others were injured when assailants on a pick-up truck fired an M79 grenade at anti-government protesters and fired at guards of…
- Phuket News
Fire ravages Phuket workers’ camp
PHUKET: Flames ripped through a workers’ camp in Chalong this morning, completely destroying half of the houses and leaving the other half badly burned. Firefighters and trucks from three municipalities – Chalong, Rawai and Wichit – were called to the scene at about 10am, a firefighter told the Phuket Gazette. “It took us about 30 minutes to subdue the flames.…
- Phuket News
Relief on its way for Saiyuan blackout
PHUKET: A utility pole that was damaged several days ago after being hit by a car gave up the ghost today, causing a blackout in Phuket areas south of Mangosteen Resort & Spa in Rawai. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority Operations Chief Yongyuth Podbutr told the Phuket Gazette today. “The blackout…
- Phuket News
Adam Kable inspires Thai, Southeast Asian swim coaches
PHUKET: Adam Kable, High Performance Squad Coach from the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Center (SOPAC) Swim Club, was the keynote speaker at the recent 2014 Swimming Sport Science South East Asia Conference in Bangkok from April 26-27, an event attended by more than 100 swim coaches from across Thailand and Southeast Asia. The conference was held to highlight the Australian…
- Phuket News
Tesco Lotus steps up its ‘no plastic bag’ campaign in Phuket
PHUKET: After successfully removing plastic bags from one of its stores, Tesco Lotus plans to stop using them in two others, thereby reducing plastic bag use in Phuket by 10,000 bags per week. On May 16, Tesco Lotus branches in Rawai and Surin will stop using plastic bags, said Charkrit Direkwattanachai, Head of Public Affairs for the chain in Thailand.…
- World News
Philippines says China appears to be building airstrip on disputed reef
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippines says China is building airstrip on disputed reef Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Philippine foreign ministry on Wednesday accused China of reclaiming land on a disputed reef in the South China Sea and said it appeared to be building an airstrip. Foreign ministry spokesman…
- World News
Turkish coal mine explosion kills over 150, hundreds trapped
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Turkish coal mine explosion kills over 150, hundreds trapped Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An explosion and fire in a coal mine in western Turkey killed at least 151 miners and trapped hundreds more on Tuesday, with the death toll expected to rise in the country’s…
- Phuket News
Ozone treatment proposed for some of Phuket’s stinking wastewater
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa is pushing to install ozone generators throughout Rassada as a long term solution to wastewater problems in the area. The vice governor yesterday afternoon inspected the new ozone generator used to treat water at Soi Paniang to determine whether the same machine could be used in Rassada. “This machine was developed at Kasetsart University…
- Phuket News
Speed key in successful Central Festival Phuket fire drill
PHUKET: Emergency services and about 700 Central Festival Phuket staffers took part in the department store’s annual fire drill on Friday morning. Presided over by Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Sakchai Limcharoen, the drill succeeded in evacuating the mall in under 10 minutes. Local fire crews also took part in the safety drill, as well as medics from the nearby…
- Thai Life
The sky’s the limit at Phuket Airpark
PHUKET: There has been a great deal of action recently at Phuket Airpark, Southern Thailand’s only privately-run airstrip, among a diverse group of aviation enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. The Airpark, which opened in Pa Khlok with a single ultralight six years ago, is now home to 11 light aircraft in a wide variety of designs. None are more eye-catching than the…
- Thai Life
The Indian connection in your Phuket garden
PHUKET: Of All the tropical plants beginning with the letter “I”, the ixora (khem in Thai) is probably the most ubiquitous. Yet another shrub with Indian origins, there are few cared-for public spaces in Phuket that do not have a bed or border of orange or dwarf pink and white ixoras. Small specimens are invariably available in plant nurseries, growing…
- Entertainment
Snow White is coming to town!
PHUKET: Watch out for the apples you buy this June, and before you bite into the juicy fruit, make sure your Prince Charming is looking out for you. If you have no idea what we’re on about, it’s time to refresh your childhood memories. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, the latest Phuket Gazette Headline Event presented by Jagota in…
- Thai Life
14th Annual Superyacht Rendezvous to hit Kata [video]
PHUKET: The Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, which takes place in Phuket every December 16-18 is one of the most famous gatherings of motor and sailing superyachts in the world. This is the one hotspot event of the superyacht world where owners, captains and VIP guests can congregate around beautiful luxury superyachts, both sail and motor powered, for three days of fun…
- Business News
Rawai roasters tout Thai coffee beans
PHUKET: With the fast approaching Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration, Thailand’s coffee producers will be facing stiff competition from neighboring coffee behemoths Indonesia and Vietnam. Coffee industry experts have long been calling on coffee producers in the kingdom to bring specialty coffee products to market and move away from supplying bulk beans to instant coffee manufacturers. The high-quality beans are…
- Business News
Thailand’s Southern beaches remain the country’s most popular destinations
PHUKET: Thailand’s Southern beach resort regions remain some of the most popular holiday destinations for international tourists, with hotels in the area reporting occupancy rates of up to 78% during the first quarter of this year. According to figures from the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) eight domestic offices and two coordination centers in Southern Thailand – Krabi, Phang Nga,…
- Business News
How to choose an offshore broker
PHUKET: As an expatriate, there are a number of important aspects to consider before choosing an offshore broker or a custodian to hold your investment assets. At the same time, you will need to keep in mind that not every offshore broker will be able to offer a perfect solution for all of your needs – especially if your financial…
- Property
Thai property portal goes mobile
PHUKET: Thailand-Property.com, one of the biggest real estate portals in Thailand, has launched a new mobile site, shifting focus from growing on-site content to delivering more than 100,000 property listings to its user base in the palms of their hands. As the portal’s main site already receives nearly 50 per cent of its traffic through hand-held devices, the new mobile…
- Thailand News
Dog rape not rape
PHUKET: Police in Nakhon Ratchasima, the gateway province to Isarn known as “Korat”, are investigating a report about a known sex addict who allegedly raped his neighbor’s dog, named Dodo. The incident was brought to light when Attapon Srisopha, the 36-year-old village headman in Tambon Nong Ya Khao, escorted Anuwat Saithong and his three-year-old female Golden Retriever to Sikhio Police…
- Thailand News
Thailand News: Park chief seeks transfer over Billy case; Acting PM insists on elections; Dump fire ablaze again
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Park chief seeks transfer over Billy case The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The head of Kaeng Krachan National Park, Chaiwat Limlikhitaksorn, has reportedly sought a transfer – for at least a month – amid pressure over the disappearance of prominent Karen activist Pholachi “Billy” Rakchongcharoen.…
- World News
Boko Haram offers to swap kidnapped Nigerian girls for prisoners
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boko Haram offers to swap kidnapped Nigerian girls for prisoners Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The leader of the Nigerian Islamist rebel group Boko Haram has offered to release more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by his fighters last month in exchange for prisoners, according to a…