- Thai Life
Modern words maketh the man – Phuket Humor
PHUKET: Legendary US comedian George Carlin, who died in 2008, was famous for his love of words and hatred of euphemisms and politically correct language. In his classic 2006 HBO special Life is Worth Losing he opened the show with this piece entitled Ode to the Modern Man:“I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free.…
- Phuket News
Phuket to get B251mn CCTV camera boost for tourist safety
PHUKET: Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak has approved a 251-million-baht budget to have an additional 2,450 CCTV cameras added to Phuket’s current arsenal of 1,419 cameras monitoring the island. “Phuket is the first place about which I have received complaints concerning security from about 20 foreign diplomats [story here], making it clear that we have to boost our efforts…
- Thai Life
The secrets of DaVinci – Phuket People
PHUKET: What is the secret of great, Italian cuisine? It’s all in the quality ingredients. “In Italy they say that a good chef doesn’t need to use more than three or four ingredients. It’s about freshness,” says Jana Sasikova, co-owner and manager of the DaVinci restaurant. Jana is the wife of the restaurant’s supervising chef and deli manager Claudio Pivotto,…
- Thai Life
Phuket People: Renaissance man
PHUKET: Goetz Bauer joined Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa as general manager in April this year. The German national, who also speaks English, Italian and French, brings an energetic and youthful leadership style to Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa. Goetz said his new role presents several challenges and he looks forward to taking them on.“The challenge is to learn how…
- Phuket News
Two arrested as Phuket bus delivers nearly 10kg of kratom
PHUKET: Police arrested two men in Wichit last night after they picked up a box of kratom leaves delivered to Phuket by bus. The box had the sender’s and the recipients’ names clearly written on it.The bust came after an informant tipped off the Phuket Internal Security Office (PISO) that a kratom package would be arriving by bus from Chumphon…
- Business News
7-Eleven – Can’t live without it
PHUKET: Love it or hate it, the local 7-Eleven has become an integral part of daily life for most people living in urban Thailand.From its humble beginnings in 1920s Dallas, Texas, where ice factory employee John Jefferson Green began selling milk, eggs and bread from an improvised store in front of the factory, it has grown to be the largest…
- Property
Phuket Property Legal: Ensuring land claims are legit
PHUKET: In the last three to four weeks, some changes occurred in the application process and consequently the approval of registration for companies to purchase land, long term land leases, usufruct, superficies and/or lifetime living rights for foreigners. Depending on which land office one is applying for registration of certain rights, the current handling of such registration is not the…
- Property
Sea-view condo in the heart of Patong
PHUKET: Sansiri last week unveiled their latest Phuket medium-rise project – “THE DECK”, a brand-new condominium to be built in the heart of Patong, setting its sights on Phuket’s holiday home market.Speaking at the project’s media-launch event, Mr Uthai Uthaisangsuk, Senior Vice President for Business and Condominium Project Development, Sansiri PCL, revealed that: “THE DECK Condominium has been created in…
- Thai Life
Blazing Saddles pedals through Provence – Phuket Explore
PHUKET: The delights of Soi Bangla in Phuket’s party town of Patong are of course a source of continual distraction, yet even the most hardened acolyte must occasionally take a break from the pleasures of the amber nectar and recharge his batteries in quieter, more bucolic locales. So it was that I recently found myself on a cycling trip down…
- Phuket News
Phuket police arrest armed 7-Eleven drug dealer
PHUKET: Police last night arrested an armed man who confessed to selling ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) to teenagers in front of a 7-Eleven convenience store in Cherng Talay.Lt Col Sommai On-khum and fellow officers moved in and arrested 32-year-old Cherng Talay resident Sitthi Suebprasit in front of the 7-Eleven in Baan Pasak, on the Cherng Talay-Baan Don Road, at 10:30pm.“We…
- Phuket News
Phuket secures B22mn to fix notorious Patong Hill road
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office (PHO) has secured the 22 million baht needed to permanently fix the large section of the notorious Patong Hill road that washed away nearly two years ago, PHO Director Samak Luedwonghad announced yesterday. “Patong Hill Road in undergoing permanent restoration (story here). A contract was signed on May 15 and the repairs are expected to…
- Phuket News
Phuket policeman escapes injury after slippery road slams pickup into tree
PHUKET: A police officer on his way to work early yesterday morning lost control of his pickup truck on the bypass road and crashed into a tree.Though the impact demolished the front end of his pickup, he narrowly missed a nearby light pole and escaped injury.Police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers responding to a 5:30am call found a pickup straddling…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Anti-govt rallies; Bus safety under fire; PM beauty smarts TV; Facebook top Thai news source
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anti-govt groups plan street protests The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Anti-government groups are firming up plans for street rallies ahead of the parliamentary deliberation on August 7 of an amnesty bill proposed by a group of MPs from the ruling Pheu Thai Party. The protests…
- Phuket News
Cash secured for 22-million-baht permanent Patong Hill road fix
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office (PHO) secured 22 million baht to permanently fix a large, notoriously derelict section of Patong Hill road, PHO Director Samak Luedwonghad announced yesterday. “Patong Hill road in undergoing permanent restoration [story here]. A contract was signed on May 15, and the repairs are expected to be completed by October 12,” Mr Samak told the Phuket…
- Phuket News
Phang Nga Immigration reclaims Rohingya runaways
PHUKET: Phang Nga Immigration Police last night intercepted five Rohingya refugees who were en route to Bangkok by train after disappearing from a government shelter in Phang Nga, north of Phuket. The refugees, a 20-year-old woman and four children aged 5 to 14 years, were taken into custody at 11:30pm. They were among the 18 Rohingya who disappeared from the…
- Phuket News
DSI gives Phuket mafia 15 days to pack up shop
PHUKET: Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief Tarit Pengdith today leveled a warning at all mafia operating in Phuket: cease and desist within 15 days – or else. Mr Tarit arrived in Phuket this morning with Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak and a team of about 10 DSI officials to launch a crackdown specifically targeting illegal taxi drivers and…
- Thai Life
Sabah: Journey to the land below the wind
PHUKET: When I was a child, the word Borneo would conjure up images of colonial explorers in pith helmets slashing their way through wild jungle teeming with exotic plants, ferocious animals and roaming tribes of headhunters. As I grew older, my mental picture was expanded by David Attenborough’s wonderful documentaries, which transported me to this remote island in the darkest…
- Phuket News
Trial date set for Phuket taxi driver accused of abducting Chinese teen
PHUKET: The trial of the illegal taxi driver charged with abducting and sexually assaulting a Chinese teen tourist on May 17 will start on September 2. “The case was transferred to the court on July 4,” said Phuket Public Prosecutor Theerasak Srichulalak. Paitoon Kruain, 32, faced five charges: deprivation of liberty; sexual assault; using a Category 1 narcotic; consuming alcohol…
- Phuket News
Slap attack gang members charged for attempted murder in Phuket Town street stabbing
PHUKET: Four members of a teenage gang have been charged with attempted murder after a Burmese man was seriously injured in a knife attack in Phuket Town early yesterday morning. The gang of 10 were riding motorbikes along Tilok U-Thit Road (map here) at about 1:30am when four of them took umbrage with a Burmese man riding his motorbike with…
- Business News
Phuket International Boat Show and Royal Phuket Marina partner for five years
PHUKET: The Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX) has secured its home for the future with the signing of a five-year host venue agreement with Royal Phuket Marina (RPM), the marine and luxury lifestyle destination on Phuket’s east coast. Having recently announced the dates for 2014 being moved to the popular January 9-12 timing, organisers say they are laying strong foundations…
- Phuket News
German consuls in Phuket urge travel insurance for visitors
PHUKET: The German honorary consuls for Phuket and Chiang Mai yesterday urged tourists to take out adequate travel insurance before travelling to Thailand.German honorary consuls Dirk Naumann (Phuket) and Hagen Dirksen (Chiang Mai) handed over a cheque for 100,000 baht to Vachira Phuket Hospital yesterday in appreciation for the facility providing medical services to travellers who were unable to pay…
- Phuket News
“What do you think they are smoking over there at the Emirates?”
PHUKET GAZETTE SPORTS – Quote of the day: Liverpool owner John W. Henry asked on Twitter: “What do you think they are smoking over there at the Emirates?” PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World sports news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Reds favorite ‘son’ Suarez should heed fans: Rodgers Reuters PHUKET: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told Luis Suarez…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: 56 dead in Spanish train disaster; Interpol alert over Iraqi jailbreak; US keeps NSA taps; Gay violence in Montenegro
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community At least 56 killed, 70 injured, after train derails in Spain Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: At least 56 people were killed and 70 injured when a train derailed on the outskirts of the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela on Wednesday in one of Europe’s worst…
- Thailand News
Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Northeast floods; B20mn for rice death; Teachers die in Deep South blast
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Northeast still struggling with floods The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Floods continued in the provinces of Chanthaburi, Trat and Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday, affecting hundreds of residents.Downtown Chanthaburi was submerged in up to a meter of water and authorities warned it would rise further. Schools in flood-hit areas…
- Phuket News
Phuket Police on lookout for “slap attack’ teen gang
PHUKET: Phuket City Police are rounding up teenagers from the streets of Phuket Town in the hope of apprehending the youngsters who have been sneaking up behind unsuspecting victims and slapping them on the back of the head.The reports started flowing in last week, with people complaining that they had just been slapped – hard – by a teenager, Phuket…
- Thai Life
Brighten up your rainy day – Phuket Fashion
PHUKET: Fashion is full of fleeting trends and new fads. So as the seasons change, it’s time to pick up the clothes that are “in” this season and toss out those that are not. On a tropical island like Phuket, the rainy season can be a gloomy time of year and somewhat depressing. The best antidote to the bad weather…
- Thai Life
Raising a rooftop garden – Phuket Gardening
PHUKET: The chances are you probably have a roof garden of sorts. As Phuket is increasingly dominated by blocks of concrete pretentiously known as condominiums, which necessitate the annihilation of all existing vegetation in the area, the chances are that your balcony or roof is the only repository of greenery you are likely to possess. So why not make the…
- Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: The sky’s the limit for Les
PHUKET: One of the undisputed highlights during the recent Phuket Airshow and Family Picnic charity event was a series of spectacular acrobatic performances by Les Vorosmarthy, the internationally famous stunt pilot originally from Budapest, Hungary. Highlights, including Les, from the recent Family Picnic charity event. Video: Phuket Today The Phuket Gazette caught up with Les at the Phuket Airpark shortly…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Dramatic balloon crash caught on film; Brazilians lose bikinis for the Pope; Cop-turned-actor Dennis Farina dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hot air balloon carrying 11 crashes in Dutch lake, injuring 2 Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A hot air balloon carrying eleven people crashed into a lake in the Netherlands on late yesterday evening, injuring two of the people on board, emergency services said. The…
- Thai Life
Phuket Explore: Lessons from Penang
PHUKET: Despite their many similarities – architectural and historical – in terms of modern-day tourism, old town Georgetown, Penang, beats the pants off the old quarter of Phuket Town. First of all, Georgetown got World Heritage status in 2008. You can’t get a better internationally recognized advertisement than that. Second, it knows what city tourists want and supplies it in…
