Legacy Phuket Gazette
- Phuket News
Phuket landlord, son, slain in lease dispute
PHUKET: A Phuket landlord and her son were gunned down in front of their family home in Thung Thong yesterday afternoon amid a heated a dispute over continuing a lease for a local curry shop that sold sugarcane juice. Police arrived at the scene (map here) at about 4:30pm to find Boonlet Thanom-anantakun, 42, standing next to the house with…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Anti-Thaksin protest leader slain in public shooting
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anti-Thaksin protest leader slain in public shooting The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Suthin Taratin, one of leaders of People’s Army to Overthrow the Thaksin Regime, was killed by a gunshot to the head as he was leading a blockade at an advance polling station in Bangkok’s Bang…
- Phuket News
Phuket polls not worth violence, says election chief
PHUKET: Kittipong Thiengkunakrit, Director of the Phuket Election Commission (PEC), has vowed to close advance voting polling booths in Phuket tomorrow if protesters arrive in numbers to rally against the February 2 national election. “We will avoid any possibility of a fight. We do not want to have any problems at the polls,” he told the Phuket Gazette today. “It’s…
- Phuket News
Phuket election alcohol ban starts tonight
PHUKET: Phuket will face an alcohol ban starting at 6pm tonight ahead of the advance voting tomorrow for the February 2 national election.“According to the Election Act, all alcohol sales in Phuket are banned from 6pm tonight through to midnight tomorrow because of the advance voting for the MP elections,” Phuket Election Commission (PEC) Director Kittipong Thiengkunakrit confirmed to the…
- Phuket News
Phuket traffic chief sets sights on B30mn record licence plate auction
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) is hoping to raise a record 30 million baht from the annual Lucky Licence Plate Auction being held in Phuket Town this weekend. The two-day event at the Phuket Merlin Hotel (map here) began today at 9:30am, with 301 licence plates to go to the highest bidders. All licence plates to be auctioned…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Peru clears former government leaders after probe of forced sterilizations
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Peru clears former government leaders after probe of forced sterilizations Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Peru has closed an inquiry into whether former president Alberto Fujimori and his cabinet members forcibly sterilized thousands of indigenous women as part of a birth control campaign that targeted the rural poor.Prosecutor…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Ukraine leader pledges government reshuffle ahead of more rallies
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine leader pledges government reshuffle ahead of more rallies Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, in what appeared to be an offer of concessions to the opposition amid violent protests against his rule, pledged on Friday to reshuffle the government next week and to amend…
- Entertainment
Phuket Event: Books in the Old Town festival tonight
PHUKET: Local literary and history enthusiasts should head down to the Lard Yai Walking Street this Sunday evening for the “Books in the Old Town” festival.Scheduled from 4-10pm, activities will take place in three areas along historical Thalang road: in front of the Thawinha-Nung Len shop; inside and in front of the “2521” book shop and in front of the…
- Pattaya News
Mum mourns murdered son at Phuket sentencing
PHUKET: The mother of Maxim Schantz, who was murdered in Phuket two years ago, arrived today at Phuket Provincial Court for the sentencing of one of her son’s murderers, Johan Sebastian Ljung. “Maxim was a very good son. He was beautiful. He had his father’s eyes,” Yvonne Schantz, 55, told the Phuket Gazette. “I had two children: Maxim and his…
- Phuket News
Thailand third worst in the world for road deaths; Phuket killing someone every three days
PHUKET: Over 300 people from throughout Southern Thailand yesterday concluded a two-day seminar geared to develop methods to reduce road-traffic deaths. Thailand currently ranks third in the world in annual road-death rates, with 38 fatalities per 100,000 people. Only Niue (a Polynesian island whose name translates to “Behold the Coconut”) and the the Dominican Republic have higher rates, said Thanapong…
- Phuket News
Special Report: Donation denial leaves blood in short supply
Special Report Pim Hoogeveen, a 61-year-old Dutchman, offered his blood to save a life. He responded to an urgent call for A-negative blood donations. His donation was refused. The Phuket Gazette’s Shela Riva investigates the process behind donating blood on the island – the restrictions and the rewards. PHUKET: The recent call by the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) for…
- Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Good time walking
PHUKET: I read the article written by Don Limnun-thaphisit regarding the Lardyai walking street (story here). However, I did so after stumbling upon the event by chance last weekend. I expected another of the ubiquitous Thai markets with fried chicken, cheap knock-off goods and blaring dance music. What I discovered was a place with much more character. A plethora of…
- Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Race against a fading pulse
PHUKET: The sustained work of the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) in organizing blood donation drives that have saved countless lives over the years should be applauded. However, it might be time to reconsider some of the more restrictive criteria over who can donate blood when it is a matter of life and death. Thanks to relatively recent advances in…
- Pattaya News
BREAKING NEWS: Swede gets life in prison
PHUKET: Swedish national Johan Sebastian Ljung was today sentenced to life imprisonment for the stabbing murder of Maxim Schantz in Phuket two years ago. He was also ordered to pay 12.5 million baht in compensation to the victim’s family. Mr Ljung, 28, and Tommy Viktor Soderlund, also 28, were arrested by police in a hotel room at Surin Beach, on…
- Phuket News
Phuket protesters will not shut down emergency services, leader vows
PHUKET: Emergency services throughout Phuket will remain untouched by protesters, the key protest leader on the island vowed yesterday. “We aim to shut down every government building to encourage officials to support us instead of working for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the corrupt government,” protest co-ordinator Suratin Lian-udom told the Phuket Gazette. “But we will not touch any emergency…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Rights group says Muslims massacred in Myanmar amid official denials
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rights group says Muslims massacred in Myanmar amid official denials Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Security forces in western Myanmar massacred at least 40 Rohingya Muslims last week, including women and children, a human rights group said on Thursday, quoting witness accounts, despite official denials of the killings.Bangkok-based…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: South Sudan government and rebels sign ceasefire
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community South Sudan government and rebels sign ceasefire deal Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: South Sudan’s government and rebel troops loyal to sacked Vice President Riek Machar signed a deal on Thursday to end fighting that has lasted more than a month and killed thousands.The leader of President Salva…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: PDRC ponders blocking advance polls; Public gatherings banned; Red shirts marshall; Kwanchai recovering
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PDRC plans to block advance voting The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The anti-government protesters will try to disrupt advance voting for the February 2 election in Bangkok on Sunday, an informed source said yesterday.Leaders of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) will decide today whether they should…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s DJ Doris to be honored with Celebration of Life, special radio show
PHUKET: Paul Norris, the renowned ‘DJ Doris’ from Phuket Island Radio 91.5FM, will be honored in Phuket with a “Celebration of Paul’s Life” memorial on February 5. The event will be held at the Irish Times pub at Jungceylon in Patong (map here), starting at 7:30pm. Mr Norris died in an early-morning motorcycle accident on January 12, a tragedy which…
- Phuket News
Phuket shivers: lowest temperatures in five years
PHUKET: Yesterday was the coldest day Phuket has seen in five years, the Southern Meteorological Center confirmed. “The minimum temperature in Phuket was 19 degrees Celsius. Our normal lows at this time of the year are 21 to 24 degrees,” said Metta Armeen, the director of weather surveillance at the center. A high pressure system from China has pushed cold…
- Phuket News
Phuket mission to replace tsunami warning buoy
PHUKET: A six-day expedition to replace a tsunami warning buoy that has been displaced from its anchorage in the Indian Ocean will depart Phuket on Monday.“The buoy has been severed [from its base unit] for months,” said Surachai Srisarakham, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), in a statement issued yesterday.“It took time to obtain the…
- Thai Life
Phuket Escape: Crowd dodging at Koh Racha
PHUKET: It’s almost a defining characteristic of an expat, not wanting to go where the tourists go. Hey, we know better. We know the best local restaurants, the shortcuts, the secret beaches. We refuse to be wedged among the throngs. And yet, in some cases the throngs have got it right. Not with the cashew-factory perhaps (at least, not more…
- Business News
Australia Day message from the Australian Ambassador to Thailand
PHUKET: Australia Day is the ideal day to reflect on Australia’s domestic and international achievements. It is also an opportunity for Australians and Thais alike to celebrate and reflect on the relationship between our two countries. Over several generations, Australians and Thais have built a solid bilateral relationship, establishing excellent models of cooperation and finding new ways to learn and…
- Phuket News
Phuket Poll: Patong is island’s trump
PHUKET: The famed nightlife of Patong draws more tourists to Phuket than any other single attraction, according to the results of the Phuket Gazette‘s latest online poll. With the passing of yet another record-breaking year that saw millions of travellers arriving on our shores, the Gazette asked readers, “What single feature draws the most tourists from around the world to…
- Phuket News
Cambodian man found dead in a Phuket fruit orchard
PHUKET: A Cambodian man who was found hanging by the neck in a fruit garden on Tuesday night may have killed himself to escape pain, a co-worker said.Diam Korn, 19, had complained of serious stomach pain for about a week, said Jan Gree.“We bought medicine for him and advised him to go to the doctor, but he wouldn’t go. He…
- Thai Life
Phuket Diving: Diving into the deep end
PHUKET: A woman stands at the edge of one of the enormous limestone cliffs of Etretat, the salty Dutch air whipping her blond hair across her face. She’s been in the banking industry for 10 years – and it’s come to this: make a down payment on a house back in the UK and pay the mortgage for years to…
- Entertainment
Phuket Books: Looking out from the inside
PHUKET: Piper Kerman’s memoir Orange is the New Black (Spiegel & Grau, New York, 2011, 327pp) is a charming and tender account of her year in prison. The focus is on her fellow inmates with whom she comes to share a hard-earned solidarity of love and respect.Now a popular TV mini-series in the US, Orange is the New Black takes…
- Thai Life
Phuket Education: On a Mission to sail
PHUKET: If you have been past the British International School Phuket (BISP) campus in recent weeks, chances are you’ve spotted the giant steel ship, Ixdos, that first appeared on December 4 and now occupies a prominent position on the school’s grounds. The arrival of the ship is a result of the collaboration between former BISP teacher and self-described “boat-person” Patrick…
- Pattaya News
Phuket FC get paired with Pattaya United in 2014 season opener
PHUKET: The island’s pro football (soccer) team, Phuket FC has been paired with Pattaya United in the first match of the Yamaha League One (YL1) 2014 season, which will kick off on February 22 and 23.It has not yet been confirmed whether Phuket’s home match with Pattaya will be on Saturday or Sunday. Pattaya United, were the only squad to…
- Business News
Don Battles – Merchant of the Orient: no regrets
PHUKET: “This Thailand, you farang!” Perhaps it’s that simple for many fainthearted foreigners struggling to justify distorting dreams for self-made financial freedom in the “Land of No Surprises”; but for one Phuket expat, entrepreneurial legend, the plot turned out to be a tad thicker. Anyone doing business in Phuket – or even just entertaining the prospect – should definitely read…
