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 NewsFrom planes to trains and back to automobiles

    From planes to trains and back to automobiles

    PHUKET: Over the past few weeks, political debates in Thailand have often been centered on the government’s national high-speed railway project. Punches, counter punches and even the kitchen sink have been thrown into the arena. Who the heck needs to run with the bulls when you can get gored by an out-of-control locomotive? During the same period, I was able…

  • Cannabis NewsPhuket gardening: pure, natural ingredients

    Phuket gardening: pure, natural ingredients

    PHUKET: Though it is a 19th century Bavarian concept, there are plenty of beer gardens or biergarten around Phuket. Some really are gardens in delightful sylvan settings under mature tamarind or flame trees. Think Nikita’s in Rawai, or the row of hostelries along the hilly road from Nai Harn to Rawai. But I am more interested in a different kind…

  • Thai LifeLooking Back: The spirits that guard the city

    Looking Back: The spirits that guard the city

    PHUKET: When building towns and cities, ancient Thais adhered to several deeply rooted practices for hundreds of years. One such belief is the construction of shrines that would house the “city pillars”. Thais believed that the city pillars would be the resting place of spirits that would guard their city from natural disasters, diseases, enemies and any other malevolence that…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket kart racing: Grimes eyes New Orleans

    Phuket kart racing: Grimes eyes New Orleans

    PHUKET: After returning from their holiday back in the UK, the Grimes boys (Ben and Sam Grimes) got back into action at the penultimate round of the 2013 Asia Max Challenge at the Sepang International Kart Circuit in Malaysia.The junior category boasted a fierce field of 35 drivers and Sam started the weekend well by out-qualifying his elder brother Ben…

  • Phuket NewsPolice trainees bolster Phuket street presence

    Police trainees bolster Phuket street presence

    PHUKET: Police trainees from Surat Thani saw some frontline action in Phuket this week when they received on-the-job training at a checkpoint in Baan Bang Jo, in Srisoonthorn. Thalang Police Deputy Superintendent Amnuay Kraiwootthinan and a team of officers supervised the 14 trainees assigned to the Thalang precinct, while another 43 trainees from Surat Thani were dispatched to assist in…

  • Phuket NewsOn roadside north of Phuket, stomachache turns into baby boy

    On roadside north of Phuket, stomachache turns into baby boy

    PHUKET: Rescue workers taking a Burmese woman with complaints of a bad stomachache to Takuapa Hospital this morning were surprised when she suddenly gave birth to a baby boy.“We received an emergency call to pick up Ms Soe, 35, a Burmese worker at a rubber plantation, just after midnight. She reported having a very bad stomachache for no reason,” said…

  • Phuket NewsBody of missing Chinese swimmer washes ashore Phuket’s Kata Beach

    Body of missing Chinese swimmer washes ashore Phuket’s Kata Beach

    PHUKET: The body of a Chinese tourist who disappeared while swimming at Karon Beach on Monday was found washed ashore at Kata Beach, about three kilometers away, yesterday afternoon.“We have now found the body of Sheng Caoliang, who was 31 years old and reported as missing on Sunday,” Karon Police officer Lt Sathaporn Seenoon said.“Mr Sheng and a friend went…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket ladyboys pickpocket Swedish tourist

    Phuket ladyboys pickpocket Swedish tourist

    PHUKET: Karon Police arrested two ladyboys on Tuesday following a theft complaint from a Swedish tourist.Robin Hedberg, 18, told police on Sunday that he and a friend had been walking past the Club Med hotel in Karon at 2:45pm when two ladyboys rode up to them on a motorbike and started talking with them.“While Numpong Phuchai chatted with them, Pairat…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Woman jailed 5 years for lese majeste web comments

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Woman jailed 5 years for lese majeste web comments

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai woman jailed 5 years for anti-royal web post Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Thai court jailed a woman for five years yesterday for posting online comments insulting to the monarchy, the second ruling of its kind this week under tough lese-majeste laws carrying penalties…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Pressure builds to publicly explain dam project

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Pressure builds to publicly explain dam project

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: The Standing Committee on National Security yesterday proposed that the Water and Flood Management Commission (WFMC) explain to the public the likely impacts of the Mae Wong Dam project in a show to be aired on Channel 9 on October 13.The show would follow an episode of…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Picture of flood devastation emerges

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Picture of flood devastation emerges

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: Twenty-five provinces – mostly in the North, Northeast and East of the country – remain flooded, though the situation is improving, says the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.Seasonal flooding, which has hit 32 provinces since September 17, has affected 2.86 million people and left 27 dead,…

  • Phuket NewsThree security men slain in hail of bullets in Krabi

    Three security men slain in hail of bullets in Krabi

    PHUKET: A former Krabi village headman who owned a security company was gunned down at the site of a new job early yesterday morning, along with two of his staff. The three men were shot in a security box at the entrance to the Krabi Rubber Plantation Research Center in Lam Thap just after midnight. Witnesses said the three men…

  • Phuket NewsTwo Chinese tourists mugged on the way to Cherng Talay supermarket

    Two Chinese tourists mugged on the way to Cherng Talay supermarket

    PHUKET: Two Chinese women on their way to a supermarket in Cherng Talay last night were attacked and robbed by two men on a motorbike.The women were walking to Tesco Lotus when the two men rode toward them.“The passenger got off the motorbike and snatched their bags, and the tourists fought to get the bags back,” said Jirasak Sungwisut of…

  • Phuket NewsAussie taxi driver intimidates other drivers with gun, blade

    Aussie taxi driver intimidates other drivers with gun, blade

    PHUKET: An Australian allegedly working illegally as a taxi driver in Patong attempted to intimidate a female taxi driver yesterday afternoon with a bladed weapon and a gun. Garry Porting was arrested later in the day by Patong Police for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, explained Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol. Mr Porting went to the Graceland Hotel…

  • Phuket NewsChinese tourists drowns at popular Phuket day-trip location

    Chinese tourists drowns at popular Phuket day-trip location

    PHUKET: A Chinese tourist drowned at Koh Racha Yai yesterday afternoon, 14 weeks after another Chinese national drowned at the popular Phuket day-trip destination. Lin Hunhing, 30, was swimming near the island after lunch when he ran into difficulties. “There were big waves, up to two meters high,” said Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police. “He tried to swim back…

  • Phuket NewsRussian expat likely killed in shallow-water blackout, says expert

    Russian expat likely killed in shallow-water blackout, says expert

    PHUKET: A freediving expert believes that long-term Phuket expat and Russian freediver Denis Lipatov, 39, drowned off Koh Racha Noi on Saturday afternoon after diving alone and suffering a shallow-water blackout. Mr Lipatov, freediving alone, made his last descent at 3:50pm, to 25.5 meters according to his dive computer. The computer also recorded a very fast ascent, explained one of…

  • World NewsPhuket Gazette World News: US shutdown with no end in sight

    Phuket Gazette World News: US shutdown with no end in sight

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community In first day of U.S. shutdown, no end in sight Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans came no closer to ending a standoff yesterday that has forced the first government shutdown in 17 years and thrown hundreds of thousands of federal employees out…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Threat from typhoon eases [VIDEO] | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Threat from typhoon eases [VIDEO]

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Threat from typhoon eases The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: With Typhoon Wutip rapidly heading for a downgrade to a low-pressure ridge yesterday, some Thais heaved a sigh of relief but many remained on the lookout for another coming storm. Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, who…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s new top cop makes a stand for human dignity

    Phuket’s new top cop makes a stand for human dignity

    PHUKET: The incoming commander of the Phuket Provincial Police, Maj Gen Ong-art Phiwruangnont, has vowed to better protect the privacy and human dignity of suspects by calling for careful consideration before staging public “re-enactments” of crimes and criminal press conferences.“I will not order a ban on officers staging such events, but I will ask the superintendents of all police stations…

  • Phuket NewsBangla daylight raid nets Phuket slow loris

    Bangla daylight raid nets Phuket slow loris

    PHUKET: Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol yesterday led a team of officers along Patong’s Soi Bangla in a daylight raid that netted one slow loris tout.Warawuth Saiudom, 20, from Kalasin province, was caught in the act of receiving money from a tourist for having a photo taken with one of the nocturnal creatures.“An undercover officer informed us that a slow…

  • Phuket NewsTour operators warned of imposters in Similian National Park

    Tour operators warned of imposters in Similian National Park

    PHUKET: The Similan Islands National Park authority has warned tour operators over a group of people posing as park officers and offering reduced entry fees to the islands. “A couple of weeks ago, a number of tour operators informed me that there was a group of people who approached them, claiming to be national park officers,” Similan Islands National Park…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket wild boars ravage football-golf greens

    Phuket wild boars ravage football-golf greens

    PHUKET: A sounder of wild boar has settled on an 18-hole “Football Golf Course” in Chalong as their preferred dining area, but in the pigs’ quest for cuisine, they’ve left damaging divots on the greens. “Our course is currently under attack by wild boars, which are rampaging through it at night and ripping up our greens,” said Neil Simmons of…

  • Phuket NewsAlarmed drunkard dumps temple bell, flees scene

    Alarmed drunkard dumps temple bell, flees scene

    PHUKET: Police are on the lookout for a man who reportedly tried to sell a temple bell to a secondhand store in Thalang while drunk. Natthakarn Rattanaphan, 33, called the Thalang Police yesterday afternoon after a man arrived at her secondhand store in front of the well-known Term Fun housing estate in Baan Manik (map here). “The man, aged about…

  • Phuket NewsGo Eco Phuket starts eco-warrior recruitment

    Go Eco Phuket starts eco-warrior recruitment

    PHUKET: The first fifty people to contact local marine conservation group Go Eco Phuket will earn a spot at the Go Eco Camp, which plans on certifying and training islanders to be active marine conservationists. “Go Eco camp is now open for applicants. Applications will be accepted from expats, students and locals until November,” Jirayu Naragoonphithak, the project’s coordinator, told…

  • Phuket NewsKrabi’s Andaman Eagles swoop down on Phuket FC

    Krabi’s Andaman Eagles swoop down on Phuket FC

    PHUKET: The Islanders fell into 11th place of the 18-team Yamaha League One (YL1) as a result of their latest defeat, 3-1 to Krabi FC in a tense “Andaman derby” match on Saturday evening in Krabi Town. As a result, Phuket FC and the Krabi “Andaman Eagles” swapped rankings, the latter moving up to 9th place with 38 points –…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket hitman Rambo denies death squad charges

    Phuket hitman Rambo denies death squad charges

    PHUKET: Joseph Manuel Hunter, 48 – nicknamed “Rambo” and arrested at his rented Phuket home last Thursday, as originally reported by the Phuket Gazette (story here) – has denied charges of recruiting a team of former military snipers to commit murders on behalf of two Colombian drug cartel leaders. The cartel leaders were, in fact, Drug Enforcement Administration informants posing…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket tour bus brakes fail, driver avoids disaster

    Phuket tour bus brakes fail, driver avoids disaster

    PHUKET: Faulty brakes almost resulted in a tour bus smashing into a house on Patong Hill last night, in a near-repeat of an accident that occurred at almost the same location about four months ago (story here). “No injuries were reported. The Daow Duang Mai Travel company bus had no passengers. It was only carrying tourists’ luggage when the accident…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s new ‘top cop’ arrives on the island

    Phuket’s new ‘top cop’ arrives on the island

    PHUKET: Phuket’s new Provincial Police Commander, Maj Genl Ong-art Phiewruangnont, has arrived in Phuket. On arriving here yesterday evening, in a convoy of nine police vehicles, Maj Gen Ong-art first visited Baan Muang Mai stone and then the Heroines Monument, to pay his respects to Phuket’s illustrious history and cultural heritage. Speaking to the Phuket Gazette before his arrival, Maj…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Floods hit, more rain coming; High hopes for baby panda; Govt urged to consider BRN proposal

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Floods hit, more rain coming; High hopes for baby panda; Govt urged to consider BRN proposal

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM visits Prachin Buri as flood crisis intensifies The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The flood crisis in Prachin Buri was the focus of attention yesterday amid forecasts of more rain on the way and fears that local industrial estates could be submerged.The eastern province has been the…

  • Phuket NewsRussian dive instructor drowns at Racha Noi Island

    Russian dive instructor drowns at Racha Noi Island

    PHUKET: A Russian dive instructor who worked in Phuket drowned off Racha Noi Island on Saturday afternoon.Denis Lipatov, 39, was at the island with friends when he developed a cramp while swimming at about 5pm. By the time he was rescued he was unconscious, and efforts to resuscitate him failed.His friends returned to Chalong pier with his body, where they…