Legacy Phuket Gazette
- Opinion
Opinion: Every cloud has a silver lining
PHUKET: The flooding that inundated many parts of the island late last week is an indication that massive capital investment in various flood-prevention schemes is a remedy that has to contend with land-use planning and construction oversights that have characterized Phuket’s often erratic ‘development’ over the years. One of the worst-hit areas was Patong, where scores of businesses and residences…
- Thai Life
Looking back: Always there for his own people
PHUKET: Last month, on October 13, 2016, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away. As the royal procession brought his body from Siriraj Hospital to the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace, a surreal gloom blanketed the city of Bangkok as hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to pay their respects. The most vibrant city…
- Property
Across the land: Burial plots become prime real estate
PHUKET: The current world population is 7.3 billion, but it is expected to hit 8.5 billion by the year 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050, according to a new United Nations DESA report, titled ‘World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision‘. Asia Pacific is also now home to half of the world’s population of elderly persons, defined as people aged 60…
- Phuket News
Four foreigners arrested for theft
HUA HIN: Four foreigners were arrested in Hua Hin on Wednesday for breaking into a car and stealing 188,000 baht in cash in Surat Thani on Monday. The suspects were named as Nofadly Bin Bakhtiar from Malaysia, and Asis Bin Bakar, Agung Pratama and Arie Darma from Indonesia. “On Monday, the victim, 72-year-old Niyom Srisawat, withdrew 188,000 baht in cash…
- Phuket News
Body of fallen Phuket soldier returns home
PHUKET: The body of a soldier, shot dead while on duty in Pattani last night, was brought back to his home in Phuket’s Pa Khlok sub-district today. Private Thanapon Kaewpetch, 23, had completed his term as a soldier, but had been carrying on his duty voluntarily. Phuket officials and army personnel, led by Gen Akom Pongprom of the 41st Military…
- Phuket News
Air and sea operations underway to find missing Russian man
PHUKET: Officials are searching for a Russian man who went missing on Sunday while swimming at Koh Payan, Similan Islands. Aleksei Stashkov reportedly disappeared while swimming on a trip with his cousin, Mikhail Kolmogorov, 60. Mr Kolmogorov filed a missing persons report on Tuesday after he came across navy personnel from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, while searching…
- Phuket News
Free trip to Grand Palace for Phuketians in mourning
PHUKET: Phuketians wishing to pay their respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej can now avail themselves of a free trip to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. “The Ministry of Interior has made arrangements for people to visit the Grand Palace from 9am-4pm every day,” said Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan. “Therefore, we plan to take people from Phuket to Bangkok…
- Cannabis News
Shooting suspect arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A suspect wanted for shooting and injuring a boat crew member last week was arrested yesterday in Rassada. The victim, named Suchat Hetthong, was injured when a heated argument led to a shootout at his home near Koh Sirey Bridge (story here). “Our investigations led us to arrest one of the suspects, named Parin Supalak, 18, at his rented…
- Phuket News
B5mn worth of damages in Phuket plant fire
PHUKET: A power controller at the Patong water treatment plant caught fire early Tuesday morning, causing an estimated 5 million baht worth of damages. “Firefighters took 20 minutes to put out the blaze. Nearby locals reported a loud explosion, followed by smoke and flames from the plant,” said Patong Police chief Lt Col Weerapong Rakhito, who inspected the site soon…
- Thai Life
On Deck: His Majesty was an inspiration to sailors
PHUKET: In a recent column, I wrote about a sailing dinghy called “Vega 2”, which was built by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and which in 1967 he raced to gold medal success at the 4th Southeast Asia Peninsular Games (now the SEA Games). Much has changed in Thailand since I wrote that column (story here). His Majesty King Bhumibol…
- Phuket News
Low turnout for 2nd Tranlee asset auction
PHUKET: A second round of auctioning off assets seized from the defunct Tranlee Travel Co at the Phuket Municipality office yesterday attracted little interest from potential buyers. Back in September, more than 150 assets confiscated from the travel company by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) fetched 102,742,000 baht over three days of auctions, after the company was found to be…
- Phuket News
Five years for molester of American tourist
KRABI: The Thai man who sexually assaulted 23-year-old American tourist Hannah Michel Gavios on September 1, resulting in her falling down a 45-meter cliff at Railay Bay in Krabi, has been sentenced to five years in jail. Ms Gavios was temporarily paralyzed after falling down the crevice at night while attempting to flee the advances of Krabi native Apai Ruangwong,…
- Phuket News
Laguna Phuket Triathlon named ‘Best Amateur Sports Event’ of the year
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket Triathlon has been awarded this year’s ‘Best Amateur Sports Event’ at the 2016 Sports Industry Awards & Conference (SPIA Asia). The Laguna Phuket Triathlon organizers picked up the bronze award at SPIA conference in Bangkok on October 4. Winners in the same category were the Bangkok Marathon, awarded Gold, and the Top of the Gulf Regatta (Silver).…
- Phuket News
Electrocuted man found dead in home
PHUKET: A man was found dead with an electric wire wrapped around his wrist early this morning in Thalang. Police believe he died from a self-inflicted shock. “We received reports at 2:40am that Channarong Sinka, 30, was found in his one-storey house on a street off Thepkrasattri Road,” Thalang Police Lt Sunan Petnhu told the Phuket Gazette. “We found him…
- Phuket News
Abandoned suitcase creates panic
PHUKET: An unknown foreigner caused a stir among Koh Kaew residents yesterday morning, when he dropped off a suitcase outside a SuperCheap store and promptly left. Wattana Thinkoh, the village headman (Phu Yai Baan), was alerted to the incident about 10am. “I reported the case to my superior, Muang District Chief Supoj Chanakij. Phuket City Police officers were also called…
- Opinion
Opinion: Enhancing visitor safety in national parks
PHUKET: Piyawat Sukhon, 52, took up his position as the chief of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non Hunting Zone in Phuket last June. He is originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Forestry School in Phrae Province, and a Masters Degree in forestry from Kasetsart University. While working for the Department of National Parks, Wildlife…
- Opinion
Island View: Learn to check ourselves
PHUKET: Whether you live in Phuket, Philadelphia or the Philippines, one topic you cannot avoid hearing about is the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. It would not be an understatement to say that not only Americans, but the whole world is waiting to see how this plays out. While I’m generally not interested in politics, and certainly not…
- Phuket News
Fire guts house in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Fire gutted a house in Phuket Town this morning. Two fire trucks arrived to tackle the blaze after a neighbor spotted smoke billowing from the single-storey house on Kra Road in Talad Yai about 10am. Firefighters were able to contain the flames before they spread to nearby houses, taking just over 20 minutes to bring the fire under control.…
- Phuket News
Pink Paradise bar director killed in bike crash
PHUKET: A French national and an unidentified man were killed in a collision between two motorbikes in Patong early Sunday morning. A third man, a Myanmar national, is in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after the smash. All three victims were taken to Patong Hospital, where two of them were pronounced dead. The French national, named Arnaud Sacha Leclere, 33, worked…
- Phuket News
Tuk tuk murder suspects arrested, four on the run
PHUKET: Police on Friday arrested and charged a man and his son who are suspected of hiring a gunman to kill the president of the Patong Tuk Tuk Drivers’ Club last Tuesday (story here). The suspects, 38-year-old Wattana Nawakaew and his son 17-year-old son ‘Tong’, have both been charged with gang-related crimes, including gang murder, possession of illegal firearms and…
- Phuket News
Traffic choked up as landslide fells utility poles, trees
PHUKET: A landslide, following torrential rains last night (story here), caused several power poles and trees to fall in Patong this afternoon. Traffic was choked up on the 50 Pi Road, connecting Chalong and Petchakoot Road to Kata Karon. Patong Municipality sent workers to pick up the fallen trees while staff from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) office in Patong…
- Phuket News
Incessant rains cripple Phuket overnight
PHUKET: Emergency staff have been ordered to remain alert after continuous rain battered the island last night, lasting well into the morning and flooding large areas in Patong and Phuket Town, among others. “I have ordered local administrative officials to stand by for any emergencies and also be on the lookout for residents who might need help,” Governor Chokchai Dejamorthan…
- Bangkok News
Wheelchair bound Phuket man heads to Bangkok to honor HM
PHUKET: A wheelchair-bound Phuket man with one leg is trekking his way to the Grand Palace in Bangkok to pay his last respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Photos of the 48-year-old devotee, named Supakorn Juiplub, were shared on Facebook yesterday by a user named Jantima Kraithong. The photos showed Mr Supakorn sitting in a homemade wheelchair and wearing…
- Phuket News
Gov asked to intervene in vendor, municipality conflict
PHUKET: A group of 30 vendors yesterday filed a complaint with the governor’s office against the Patong Municipality after being given a cancellation notice of their rental contract. The vendors, who currently occupy the Loma Building on the Patong beachfront, asked the governor to intervene in the municipality’s plans to build a conference hall in the area where they operate…
- Phuket News
Thai man ignores red flags, nearly drowns
PHUKET: A Thai tourist nearly drowned on Wednesday after he ignored red flag warnings and went swimming at Kata Beach. About 4pm, 27-year-old Athithan Kanjanawattanakun reportedly disappeared into the water. Lifeguards and Royal Thai Navy search and rescue personnel managed to recover him while he was still conscious. Mr Athithan received first aid at the scene and was then sent…
- Opinion
Island View: Check yourself before passing judgment
PHUKET: Whether you live in Phuket, Philadelphia or the Philippines, one topic you cannot avoid hearing about is the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. It would not be an understatement to say that not only Americans, but the whole world is waiting to see how this plays out. While I’m generally not interested in politics, and certainly not…
- Pattaya News
By The Book: Renting a villa in Phuket
PHUKET: Renting a villa or apartment long term is very popular in Thailand, especially in resort areas such as Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Koh Samui. Many would-be buyers are deciding to hold off and rent for a year or more while they get to know the area and learn the ways of Thailand without so much risk. Renting long…
- Business News
Finance: Profiting from periods of panic
THERE is a good lesson in handling panic that can be learned from recent events in Thailand. The SET index, which is a broad measure of the Thai stock market, went on a pretty wild ride in response to the news regarding the monarchy. If you are not aware of what happened, the chart (right) shows the massive sell-off, only…
- Opinion
Opinion: Battling carnage on the roads
PHUKET: As Phuket’s tourism industry prepares to welcome an influx of international arrivals for the upcoming high season, the island’s image has once again been tainted by violence within the taxi cartels. Turf wars among the island’s tuk-tuk drivers is one of the lines of inquiry Phuket police are looking into following the shooting murder of the president of the…
- Thai Life
Keep It Green: Mangroves – a vital eco-system component
PHUKET: Coral reefs attract far more publicity than mangrove swamps. After all, coral is spectacularly beautiful, and affords protection to some of the world’s most spectacular fishes – clown fish, parrot fish, wrasse and literally hundreds of other species. From the air, mangrove swamps also look appealing, but close up are muddy and turbid with unsightly roots and often have…
