Legacy Phuket Gazette
- Thai Life
A blessing in disguise – Phuket In Focus
PHUKET: “Under the weather” is one way to describe how I was initially feeling one Monday morning last month as I started traversing the city-block on foot, westward bound for the province’s prime asphalt artery, where I could catch a sawng taeo to work. My oversized umbrella – held down at my side like it had been the pride of…
- Phuket News
Daughter pleas for help in finding missing father
PHUKET: A distressed woman made a public plea for help in the search for her father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and wandered away from home on Saturday afternoon.Benjawan Moonket, 29, filed a missing person report with the Thalang Police at about 5:30pm yesterday.“The missing person is Muang Moonket, 60. He was last seen at about 1pm on Saturday,…
- Phuket News
Mizsy Phuket brings ray of sunshine in dour affair
PHUKET: Most of the nearly 1,800 fans who attended Phuket FC’s final home match of the season had little to cheer about after their side was downed 1-0 by last-placed Rayong United in a disappointing match on Saturday night in Phuket Town. Indeed, the halftime presentation of “Mizsy Phuket” finalists proved to be the evening’s highlight for the home fans,…
- Phuket News
Ships, planes north of Phuket warned of possible Indian rocket fallout
PHUKET: Ships and planes were warned yesterday to stay away from the Phang Nga coast, north of Phuket, on November 5 as India will launch a rocket that might jettison a fuel tank into the area.“India’s space center told us that the launch would possibly be on November 5, because the weather on that day is expected to be suitable…
- Thai Life
A Princess in Phang Nga Bay – Phuket Lifestyle
PHUKET: What makes a boat luxurious is not only the boat itself, it’s the quality of service on board. Boat Lagoon Cruises Luxury Charters proved this point clearly on their recent promotional cruise. I’ve seen it all – the spacious interiors, attention to detail, high quality materials, a design that combines beauty with comfort. In many ways, the White Pearl…
- Phuket News
100 SuperCheap workers unaccounted for at Employment Office
PHUKET: None of the 100 Burmese staff who reportedly resigned from SuperCheap after the fire at the megashop have reported their resignations to the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO).The workers are required by law to report their resignation by November 1, Yaowapa Pibulpol, chief of the PPEO, told the Phuket Gazette.“I have no idea why none of them have shown…
- Phuket News
South Africa considers consulate in Phuket
PHUKET: South African Ambassador Ruby Marks met with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut on Friday to discuss the possibility of opening a consulate on the island.“South Africa has a consulate in Chiang Mai, and now they are considering adding one in Southern Thailand,” Gov Maitri said.“Phuket is a logical choice because we have so many South African visitors – 77,915 last…
- Phuket News
Heavy drinking Phuket chef, 44, found dead from heart failure
PHUKET: A 44-year-old chef was found dead from heart failure in his room on Friday, just a week after starting a new job. The body of Chalong Tiwiyang was found on the floor of his staff bedroom at Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa at about 6pm on Friday evening. Police estimate Mr Chalong had been dead for about 10 hours.…
- Thai Life
E is for ericas and eucalypts – Phuket Gardening
PHUKET: There are plenty of plants which names begin with the letter “E” but none that can rival the 2,000 strong euphorbia family. So large is the genus that that one unheralded member completely slipped through the net last week. Naturalized here, E. cotonifolia bears absolutely no resemblance to the exotic crown of thorns, or even to the brilliant yellow…
- Thai Life
Phuket’s ice cream man
PHUKET: Having your own ice cream factory… admit it, you dreamed about it when you were a kid, but sadly for most of us, life ends up getting in the way. For executive chef Flavio Manzoni, however, this dream came true. Along with his wife Gai, Flavio churns out as many as five hundred liters of delicious, icy goodness a…
- Business News
Kvik-start your future – Phuket Business
PHUKET: The Danish kitchen brand Kvik, known for its high-quality, low prices and fast delivery times, has rapidly expanded its presence in Thailand over the last year and is on the lookout for business partners in Phuket. Kvik Associate Thomas Sorensen explained that as part of Kvik’s current expansion, the company is offering an unprecedented support package to its new…
- Property
Bumper to bumper in Myanmar – Phuket Property Watch
PHUKET: There is nothing quite like raw, naked ambition. Well not exactly, but that’s perhaps best left for another time and place. Last week I found myself straight in the middle of boomtown – Yangon, Myanmar. Stopping off as I usually do for an afternoon coffee at the historically-twinged Strand Hotel, the smiling waiter pulled out his smartphone and showed…
- Phuket News
FIVB beach volleyball is looking good
PHUKET: The venue at Karon beach which is hosting the US$146,400 Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT beach volleyball tournament, the penultimate stop on the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour is ready for start of play tomorrow. The courts have been laid down and the center court grandstand is in place, along with the temporary offices for the various…
- Phuket News
Phuket tour bus slams into motorists, shophouse; ‘brake failure’ cited, again
PHUKET: Three people were injured when a Phuket tour bus slammed into traffic waiting at the busy Slaughterhouse Intersection in Phuket Town (map here) just after midday yesterday. No tourists were on board the bus at the time of the accident, but the juggernaut slammed into two cars and three motorbikes before it came to a halt when it plowed…
- Phuket News
Phuket Police searching for karaoke assault gang
PHUKET: Police are on the lookout for a gang of youths wanted for a vicious attack on two men outside a karaoke bar in Thalang early yesterday morning. Officers were called to the scene, an unnamed karaoke bar in Soi Ta Mhen, Muang Mai, at 3am. “When we arrived we found Wicharn Mueanprasart, 34, with a knife wound to his…
- Phuket News
Baby elephant seized at Phuket trekking camp
PHUKET: Local wildlife conservation officials yesterday seized an 18-month-old elephant at a camp in Phuket after the infant pachyderm was smuggled onto the island. Acting on a tip-off, officers led by Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol raided the camp, located in the Bang Thong in Kathu (map here), at 3pm. Joining the raid were officers from the Phuket Provincial Livestock…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s illegal tour van drivers granted temporary amnesty
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) will issue documents to certify illegal tour van drivers who have applied to become legal so they may continue working until their applications are processed. The news follows a group of illegal van drivers appealing to Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday for the right to keep working until their applications to become legal…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Fukushima safe after Japan quake; US admits spy tension; Ukrainian life sentence for UK Muslim murder, planting bombs
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fukushima nuclear plant undamaged after Japan quake Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The operator of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant said on Saturday there was no damage or spike in radiation levels at the station after a large earthquake struck in the ocean east of Japan,…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Nation in mourning; Lampang bus tragedy takes legal road; PM orders troop briefing on Preah Vihear
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nation in mourning The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand yesterday began a 30-day period of national mourning over the passing away of His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara, with flags being flown at half-mast and thousands of mourners turning out to pay their…
- Phuket News
Phuket mourns Thailand’s highest-ranking monk
PHUKET: Official mourning ceremonies in Phuket began yesterday for Thailand’s highest-ranking monk, His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara Somdet Phra Sangharaja, who passed away on Thursday. His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch, who turned 100 on October 3, had been in and out of hospital, most recently undergoing intestinal surgery on October 14. Governor Maitri Inthusut opened the ceremony…
- Phuket News
Phuket police officer on drugs arrested for extorting Frenchman at gunpoint
PHUKET: A Phuket police officer and two accomplices have been arrested for extorting money from a Frenchman at gunpoint while the men were taking drugs together. Police are continuing their search for three additional suspects. Henry Richer, 54, told police that on October 14 he joined Picharn Kaewkongtham and five other men in taking ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) at the…
- Phuket News
Drunk Russian topples statue of Phuket abbot, bungles lorry theft [VIDEO]
PHUKET: A Russian tourist has blamed overindulgence in alcohol for a spree in which he pushed over a statue honoring a temple abbot in Karon late Tuesday night. Oleg Fomenko, 31, was arrested at 9pm and taken to Karon Police Station for questioning on Thursday night after officers identified him through CCTV footage at Wat Karon (map here). The video…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s Road to Freedom under fire for corruption
PHUKET: Winai Chidchiew, the Subdistrict chief (Kamnan) for Kata-Karon, has lashed out over the project to build a new road to Freedom Beach, accusing local officials of trying to push the project through for their own benefit. Kamnan Winai alleges that the road, planned for the headland south of Patong Bay (story here), is being pushed through by local officials…
- Thai Life
Good music is forever – Phuket Events
PHUKET: Mamma mia, Phuket’s gone crazy! The tickets for the upcoming Abba Forever show sold out in days. Guests from as far as Manila, Paris and Shanghai are coming to the island to sing along and dance to the evergreen hits of the legendary Swedish pop group – Abba! But not to worry – if you missed the chance to…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s Dylan inks formula deal
PHUKET: Island-based Australian racing driver Dylan Young announced that he has signed a deal to compete in a second season of the 2013 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship, with gracious support from Wahoo Phuket, Kata Rocks and Indigo Pearl. The series will commence this weekend with the first two races being held alongside the Airtel Indian Formula 1 Grand Prix…
- Phuket News
Counting down to Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest
PHUKET: Challenge Laguna Phuket’s Tri-Fest carnival, which will see thousands of top international athletes from around the world descend on the island, was previewed by media in a special conference at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) headquarters in Bangkok recently. The week-long event will kick off with the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on November 24, which is celebrating…
- Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Warding off bad luck with a smile
PHUKET: Scams, robberies, thieves, taxi mafia… this place is evil, one might think. Especially if he gets his information from the internet, from online discussion forums and so on. Scary!Yet, in some mysterious way most of these evil things seem to happen to other people and almost never to me personally. Sure, visas are an everlasting struggle and I had…
- Phuket News
Head’s up for 27th Phuket King’s Cup
PHUKET: Recognized throughout the eastern hemisphere as the premier sailing event of its kind, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta will host a week of incredibly close racing in the beautiful Andaman Sea off the coast of Southern Thailand from December 1-6, 2013. The 27th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta sees a new Bareboat Charter division, intended to address any disparities between…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s youth futsal squad tops the South
PHUKET: A flawless shoot-out by Phuket’s provincial youth futsal squad, against regional rivals Phatthalung on October 17, guaranteed the young islanders a place at the 30th National Youth Games next year. With the final 8-4 victory, Phuket have qualified to be Southern Thailand’s representatives at the games, scheduled to be held in Si Saket, March, 2014. The match, played at…
- Opinion
Phuket Opinion: SuperCheap inferno inevitable
PHUKET: We find astonishing the surprising lack of reaction to the catastrophe that took place last week when the entire SuperCheap complex on Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada went up in a fireball more closely resembling a World War II bombing than a scene on a tropical resort island. The fire was predicted in this space just 14 months ago (story…