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.
  • Phuket NewsPhuket kratom plantation cleared

    Phuket kratom plantation cleared

    PHUKET: Police yesterday afternoon raided a property in Patong, on Phuket’s west coast, and cut down about 20 kratom trees. The orchard owner, named by police as Sathit Jaihaw, 37, had about 20 big kratom trees growing on his property, and in his house police found three small packages of harvested leaves pre-packed for sale. Kratom leaves yield an illegal…

  • Phuket NewsPatong bag-snatcher tracked by phone, caught in Chalong | Thaiger

    Patong bag-snatcher tracked by phone, caught in Chalong

    PHUKET: Police arrested a construction worker in Chalong on Tuesday after tracking a phone stolen during a bag-snatch in Patong.The suspect confessed to conducting a series of bag-snatchings in Patong after losing his job due to his drug habit, police said.Lt Col Somsak Thongglieng led fellow Patong Police officers to arrest Worakiet Sriwong, 32, originally from Mae Hong Son in…

  • Phuket NewsChief vows to boost patrols to protect Phuket divers

    Chief vows to boost patrols to protect Phuket divers

    PHUKET: The chief of the Fishery Management Center in Krabi has vowed to bolster patrols at Phuket dive destination Shark Point after photos surfaced of a gill net being dropped over the protected marine area when divers were in the water.“To ensure diver safety, we will increase the frequency of our patrols in the area to prevent any type of…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News: Kratom may be decriminalized; Govt firm on rubber; Chinese tourists in speedboat crash; Blair’s visit confirmed

    Thailand News: Kratom may be decriminalized; Govt firm on rubber; Chinese tourists in speedboat crash; Blair’s visit confirmed

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kratom may be taken off narcotics list The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) is responding positively to the proposed legalisation of kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), which is currently on the narcotics list. The ONCB will be meeting with the…

  • Phuket NewsTwo thieves “tagged’ on Phuket City Police Facebook page

    Two thieves “tagged’ on Phuket City Police Facebook page

    PHUKET: Phuket City Police have arrested suspects in two crimes after posting CCTV images of the men on their Facebook page. The first crime took place on August 5, when Tippayo Pho’s room on Phun Pol Soi 2 in Phuket Town was robbed of a 35,500-baht MacBook and a black Lenovo laptop valued at 33,300 baht. Police collected CCTV footage…

  • Phuket NewsGolfing champion to return for defense

    Golfing champion to return for defense

    PHUKET: The 2011 Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel will defend his Thailand Golf Championship crown alongside colorful PGA Tour star Rickie Fowler at this year’s edition of Asia’s flagship tournament scheduled for December 12-15 at the picturesque Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, just outside Bangkok. The Thailand Golf Championship will once again see some of the world’s top golfers competing…

  • Phuket NewsSporting Tips: Balance; lifting and pushing the limits

    Sporting Tips: Balance; lifting and pushing the limits

    PHUKET: Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club (TSLC) boasts some of the best sporting facilities in Asia, if not in the world and coaching staff to match. The Phuket Gazette caught up with TSLC’s Tennis Head Coach Roger Cochrane, Fitness Manager Brian Finniss and Aquatics Head Coach Randy Simon to provide tips to “push the limits”. Ensuring good balance – Roger…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket resort staff receive lifeguard training to stave off tourist drownings

    Phuket resort staff receive lifeguard training to stave off tourist drownings

    PHUKET: Amid concerns over the high number of drownings in recent years, the Phuket Marine Police are providing lifeguard training to staff at hotels and resorts in Patong.The officers are also recruiting more volunteers from Patong’s hospitality industry to join a network of people trained to swiftly report crimes.The two-day training program at the Patong Resort Hotel ended yesterday. “A…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette Thailand News: Push for bigger cigarette warnings; Rubber rally leaders face arrest; Appeal dropped in police killing; Bt11m to clean up Klity

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Push for bigger cigarette warnings; Rubber rally leaders face arrest; Appeal dropped in police killing; Bt11m to clean up Klity

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ministry to appeal ruling on cigarette box images The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry is planning to file an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court so it can go ahead with making the warning graphics on cigarette packets larger. The Administrative Court…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police on standby to counter farmers’ protests in Deep South

    Phuket Police on standby to counter farmers’ protests in Deep South

    PHUKET: Phuket Police are on standby to provide reinforcements for the Nakhon Sri Thammarat Provincial Police as the Deep South province braces for further protests by palm oil and rubber farmers.Oil palm and rubber farmers protesting against the depressed prices for palm oil and rubber blocked the railway at Ban Tun junction in Cha-uat district this morning.In response, Phuket Provincial…

  • Phuket NewsManhunt in Krabi: Murderer out on bail slays stepson’s wife, toddler

    Manhunt in Krabi: Murderer out on bail slays stepson’s wife, toddler

    PHUKET: A man out on bail for murder is charged with killing again and is being sought by Krabi Police for slaying his stepson’s wife and toddler. Police in the Khao Phanom District of Krabi received word just after midnight last night that two people had been shot dead in Phru Tiao subdistrict. When police and rescue workers arrived at…

  • PropertyStill fond of Phuket: Poll

    Still fond of Phuket: Poll

    PHUKET: The island fell one spot to 3rd in the Top 10 Holiday Destinations in Asia list of this year’s “Smart Travel Asia Awards”, which was based on an Internet travellers’ choice poll that ran from May to July. Although Bali narrowly edged Phuket, just like last year, the Indonesian leisure hub didn’t have highest honors this time, as there…

  • PropertyPassing on your condo – Phuket Property Legal

    Passing on your condo – Phuket Property Legal

    PHUKET: Pursuant to the current Condominium Act of Thailand, and per the common practices used at the Thai land offices, the transfer of ownership of your freehold condominium unit to your spouse or children, in whole or in part, can pose a problem to those who wish to make such a transfer. Section 19 of the Condominium Act of Thailand…

  • Phuket NewsItalian expat arrested for stealing from Phuket temple

    Italian expat arrested for stealing from Phuket temple

    PHUKET: An Italian expat down on his luck was arrested yesterday after he stole 100 baht from a donation box at a Phuket temple. Monks at Karon Temple (Wat Suwankirikhet – map here) reported to police that a man had stolen money from a donation box several times, said Karon Police Deputy Superintendent Sophon Borirak. When police viewed the temple…

  • FoodA taste of Tokyo in Phuket Town

    A taste of Tokyo in Phuket Town

    PHUKET: GINZA, located on Yaowarat road, is a relatively newcomer to the Phuket culinary scene. But within the space of just four months since it opened, the restaurant has already managed to garner quite a following. The popularity is largely due to the establishment’s strict adherence to the pillars of Japanese cuisine – the freshest and highest quality ingredients. The…

  • World NewsPhuket Gazette World News: Kerry – Syrian chemical weapon use undeniable; Indian Govt criticised over rape cases; Homeless man crushed in Ireland

    Phuket Gazette World News: Kerry – Syrian chemical weapon use undeniable; Indian Govt criticised over rape cases; Homeless man crushed in Ireland

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kerry: Use of chemical weapon in Syria ‘undeniable’ Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday that the evidence of a massive deadly chemical attack last week was “undeniable” and accused the Syrian government of trying to cover it up, signalling the United…

  • Phuket NewsBrown Patong Bay blamed on algae bloom

    Brown Patong Bay blamed on algae bloom

    PHUKET: Phuket’s leading environment officer today speculated that the color of the seawater at Patong Bay turned an off-brown over the weekend possibly due to a “plankton bloom”. The news comes two days after officials staged a press event, led by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut, promoting the launch of a campaign to regularly test the quality of seawater at Phuket’s…

  • Cannabis NewsAirport drug-scam allegation puzzles authorities

    Airport drug-scam allegation puzzles authorities

    PHUKET: An Australian couple who told the Australian media that their luggage was tampered with and marijuana planted in it as they were leaving Bangkok may not have been telling the truth, the Phuket Gazette has found. Georgia (not her real name) told an Australian radio station (see here) that she and her boyfriend believe they were being set up…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket police call for public’s help in identifying cafe thief

    Phuket police call for public’s help in identifying cafe thief

    PHUKET: Phuket City Police today released CCTV images of a man who robbed a cafe at the top of Rang Hill on August 5. “We’ve searched for the man ourselves, but couldn’t find him. We are now releasing these images with the hope that the public can identify him,” said Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Prawit Engchuan.The robbery took place…

  • EntertainmentPhuket Books: An entrepreneur’s journey in life – Don Battles

    Phuket Books: An entrepreneur’s journey in life – Don Battles

    PHUKET: A book that is self-published is called a vanity project. Don Battles shows a big chunk of vanity. Subtitled An Entrepreneur’s Journey in Life, his autobiography Merchant of the Orient (Xlibris Corp. 2013, 292pp) is printed on glossy A4 sized paper and costs over 60 American dollars. The text is clear and free of typos, yet weakened by the…

  • Thai LifePhuket Governor Maitri Inthusut

    Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut

    PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut has just come back from a long meeting – part of the “fin free” campaign to dissuade the public from consuming sharks’ fin. The day before it was a group discussion with various government agencies on tsunami awareness and early warning systems. The whole week prior to this has followed more or less the same pattern…

  • Business NewsAsia-Pacific consumers careful

    Asia-Pacific consumers careful

    PHUKET: Economy-related matters appear to be on top of the list of concerns for today’s Asia Pacific consumers. According to the latest global survey by GfK, two in every five surveyed were worried about recession and unemployment as well as inflation and high prices, and at the same time, one in three said they are concerned about having enough money…

  • Business NewsEnsure fiduciary duty – Phuket Finance

    Ensure fiduciary duty – Phuket Finance

    PHUKET: Fiduciary duty basically means that an agent is meant to act in the best interest of his client, and not his own. It is a very simple concept, yet not surprisingly, the real world all too often does not work this way. When it comes down to it, human beings very often fall victim to greed. If I told…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket bartender saved from drunken swim at Patong

    Phuket bartender saved from drunken swim at Patong

    PHUKET: Friends of an intoxicated Phuket bartender saved him from drowning this morning after he decided to go for a swim at Patong Beach. Surachai Junmee, 29, and five friends were drinking at Loma Park (map here), after they got off work at about 2am, Patong Police Capt Teerasak Boonsang explained. “At about 6:30am, by which time they were quite…

  • Business NewsMy house for your car: B2B

    My house for your car: B2B

    PHUKET: Looking to expand locally what is touted as the “world’s largest international barter network”, BBX Thailand is offering to slash its sign-on fee for new members in Phuket. The barter-credit network facilitator, founded in Australia in 1993 and currently operating in nine countries globally, held a Phuket network meeting last week at Ban See Nam restaurant. A BBX representative…

  • Business NewsChinese, Russian influx a boon for Phuket

    Chinese, Russian influx a boon for Phuket

    PHUKET: Despite a dramatic decline of visitors from Western Europe, Phuket’s tourism industry thrives, thanks to the throngs of Chinese and Russian travellers who fill up hotel rooms but also strain the infrastructure. “For the first time, travellers from legacy markets such as Western Europe are no longer present in the top five arrivals. What has replaced them are Asian…

  • Business NewsLast Call – Table for three, please

    Last Call – Table for three, please

    PHUKET: The intersection, or better yet juxtaposition between the mythical Cyclops of desire and loathing is hardly visible to the naked eye. I might be going a little too “fru fru” here so let’s back away from the table a bit. Slowly, making sure not to stumble over a nearby sleeping soi dog. Back we go to the beginning of…

  • PropertyPhuket Town to hit new heights: condominium

    Phuket Town to hit new heights: condominium

    PHUKET: Local developer Phanason has broken ground on its next “city-living” project – the Height Condominium, an eye-catching medium-rise development in Phuket Town. The 15-storey project is sure to attract wide interest among buyers and speculators in the city’s ever-fluid, yet lucrative residential real estate market. Elaborating on the project’s concept, Phanason marketing manager, Cheurchan Panvikarn told the Phuket Gazette…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket FC mauled by Port Lions, promotion looks slim

    Phuket FC mauled by Port Lions, promotion looks slim

    PHUKET: If there was any hope left for Phuket FC to still get promoted following Wednesday’s home draw to Air Force (see story), then it was all but relinquished following their away-loss last night to Singhtarua FC. Played in front of an energetic blue-and-orange-clad “Klong Toei Army” crowd at the PAT Stadium in the heart of the Thai capital, the…

  • Phuket NewsSo far today that Cardiff had a 4-4-2 was…

    So far today that Cardiff had a 4-4-2 was…

    Quote of the day: The only point of the game so far today that Cardiff had a 4-4-2 was on the list at the start of the match, the rest of the match they seem to have been playing a 1-9-1 a variation of the flat back eleven… – Trevor Fisher (Man City fan & Phuket resident) PHUKET: Fraizer Campbell…