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 NewsA Muslim voice lost in translation

    A Muslim voice lost in translation

    SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: Seven banners have appeared in Rawai in front of Muslim shops, houses and even a mosque. The English words dominating the banners are jarring to many. However, the Thai translation and the meaning behind the signs tells a very different story. The Phuket Gazette‘s Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai reports. The signs appeared overnight in a Rawai Muslim community with…

  • World NewsWorld News: Freddie Starr arrested in Savile sex scandal

    World News: Freddie Starr arrested in Savile sex scandal

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British police arrest second celebrity in Savile sex scandal Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: British police on Thursday arrested well-known comedian Freddie Starr in connection with an investigation into allegations that the late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile and others were involved in the sexual abuse of…

  • OpinionPhuket Opinion: Electric smile

    Phuket Opinion: Electric smile

    PHUKET: Every now and then, Phuket takes a small step that can make all the difference. The small news story noting that Phuket has a new power substation to manage more effectively its array of step-down transformers foreshadows the likelihood of greater amplitude and reliability in the island’s supply of electricity. The Koh Kaew power station is one of only…

  • World NewsWorld News: New York marathon canceled

    World News: New York marathon canceled

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New York cancels Sunday marathon in wake of deadly storm Reuters PHUKET: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg abruptly reversed course and canceled Sunday’s marathon, a beloved annual race that had become a lightning rod for people frustrated by the disastrous aftermath of megastorm Sandy. The…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket B2.7mn KBank robber arrested, confesses

    Phuket B2.7mn KBank robber arrested, confesses

    PHUKET: Police late this afternoon arrested Anusit Kaewmookda, the man wanted for the armed robbery of a Kasikornbank (KBank) branch north of Phuket Town on Wednesday. A reported 2.7 million baht was stolen in the heist. Police moved in and made the arrest soon after 5pm at an apartment behind Surakul Stadium where Mr Anusit was in hiding with one…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Court to try Swedish “killing’ duo separately

    Phuket Court to try Swedish “killing’ duo separately

    PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Court today ruled that it will hear the cases of Swedish nationals Johan Sebastian Ljung and Tommy Viktor Soderlund separately. The pair both stand charged with the premeditated murder of Maksim Schantz, collaboration in robbery and carrying a knife and an unlicensed firearm with ammunition on August 2 last year. The court made its ruling after…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Sports: Premier League round up and look ahead

    Phuket Sports: Premier League round up and look ahead

    PHUKET: Top flight referee Mark Clattenburg, has been accused by Chelsea of using “inappropriate language”, including alleged racist comments to John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata during last weekend’s loss to Manchester United. The official caused controversy during the game before these allegations came to light by sending off Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres in Chelsea’s 3-2 defeat. To compound…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Sports: Red Bull’s Indian take-away keeps them ahead

    Phuket Sports: Red Bull’s Indian take-away keeps them ahead

    PHUKET: The 2012 season was McLaren’s to lose, and they lost it. In a smoggy and boring Indian GP, Red Bull reaffirmed its control. As in Korea, Sebastian Vettel dominated for the second successive year. Mark Webber had a KERS problem, so Fernando Alonso managed second place for Ferrari. McLaren chose the wrong tyre strategy and underperformed until they switched…

  • Phuket NewsDestitute British man in death plunge

    Destitute British man in death plunge

    PHUKET: A financially destitute 64-year-old British national took a plunge from a radio mast at the Phuket Tourist Police Station in Phuket Town this morning.Tourist Police Sgt Maj Phayong Tipsombat, who was on duty at the station, told the Phuket Gazette that about 7:15am he heard shouting from the back of the police station and went to investigate. On discovering…

  • World NewsWorld News: Two toddlers among the dead as toll spirals from Sandy; Fury race to go ahead

    World News: Two toddlers among the dead as toll spirals from Sandy; Fury race to go ahead

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Scope of Sandy’s destruction widens; Death toll spirals Reuters PHUKET: From New York City’s Staten Island to the popular beach towns of the Jersey Shore, rescuers and officials today faced growing evidence of widespread destruction wrought by super-storm Sandy, mounting anger over delayed relief and a…

  • Phuket NewsIslanders appeal to Phuket Governor over “Rape of Racha’ inaction

    Islanders appeal to Phuket Governor over “Rape of Racha’ inaction

    PHUKET: The head of a group of residents on Racha Yai Island, located about 25 kilometers south of Phuket, filed a complaint on Tuesday over alleged inaction by government officials in following up on publicly announced promises to take necessary steps in preserving the island’s natural environment. The complaint, addressed to Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut, was filed by Racha Yai…

  • Phuket NewsPolice recover B2.5mn from Phuket bank heist

    Police recover B2.5mn from Phuket bank heist

    PHUKET: Police this morning recovered 2.5 million baht in cash believed to have been stolen during the armed robbery of a suburban bank branch in Phuket on Wednesday. Officers moved in at 9am and raided a house in a street opposite the Tah Reua Shrine in Thalang, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavaviwat told the Phuket Gazette. He also revealed…

  • World NewsUS$245mn approved for Myanmar from World Bank | Thaiger

    US$245mn approved for Myanmar from World Bank

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community World Bank earmarks US$245 million for Myanmar, outlines 18-month work plan ReutersPHUKET: The World Bank yesterday earmarked US$245 million in credit and grant funding for Myanmar under an 18-month work plan, the first lending to the southeast Asian nation in 25 years and another sign the country…

  • Phuket NewsMarket vendors protest relocation from new Phuket hospital site

    Market vendors protest relocation from new Phuket hospital site

    PHUKET: About 50 market vendors gathered at the Phuket Provincial Office yesterday afternoon to protest being relocated to a new market site near Phuket Country Home in Chalong. The vendors are facing eviction from their current site of 10-rai where the Chalong Clinic (also called the “Chalong Health Promoting Station”) now stands, but is hoped to soon become home to…

  • Phuket NewsThailand Sports: 21 goals scored on day 1 of Futsal World Cup, Thailand tops group A

    Thailand Sports: 21 goals scored on day 1 of Futsal World Cup, Thailand tops group A

    BANGKOK: The 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup kicked off in extraordinary fashion last night with four sensational matches in Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasimaj, highlighted by a total of 21 goals scored. Hosts Thailand lived up to the Asian futsal world’s expectations in their Group A opener with CONCACAF champions Costa Rica, in which the War Elephants prevailed by a score…

  • World NewsWorld News: CIA deny calls for help rejected during Benghazi attacks

    World News: CIA deny calls for help rejected during Benghazi attacks

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community CIA officials in Libya made key decisions during Benghazi attacks Reuters PHUKET: CIA officials on the ground in Libya dispatched security forces to the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi within 25 minutes and made other key decisions about how to respond to the waves of attacks…

  • Phuket NewsToddler, grandfather drown at Phuket beach

    Toddler, grandfather drown at Phuket beach

    PHUKET: A 2-and-a-half-year-old boy and his grandfather drowned at Mai Khao Beach in Thalang, in the north of Phuket, this morning during a walk along the beach. Sem Meesak, 57, dropped his wife off at work at a nearby resort at about 9am, then took his grandson, Anachin Meesak, to Pru Jeh San Lake for a walk, Tah Chat Chai…

  • Phuket NewsSimilan National Park opens, fees remain the same for Phuket tourists

    Similan National Park opens, fees remain the same for Phuket tourists

    PHUKET: The Similan National Park officially re-opened today with its park fees remaining unchanged as Phuket’s tourism high season approaches. Admissions fees were expected to take a sharp jump after Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) chief Damrong Phidet, now retired, announced in September the need to increase the price of fees to raise money to carry…

  • Phuket News“… most successful doping program that sport has ever seen.”

    “… most successful doping program that sport has ever seen.”

    A USADA report that included testimonies from several former team mates against Lance Armstrong and themselves, called it the “most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen”. PHUKET: The International Olympic Committee will launch an investigation into Lance Armstrong‘s 2000 Olympics bronze medal after the American was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in…

  • Thai LifePhuket Life: 100 US Navy service projects in Phuket

    Phuket Life: 100 US Navy service projects in Phuket

    PHUKET: THE USS Peleliu returned to Phuket recently and conducted the US Navy’s 100th Community Service Project in the greater Phuket area. In June 2006, the Rotary Club of Patong approached the US Navy Attaché’s office in the US Embassy in Bangkok about doing community service projects together with the US Navy ships that visited Phuket for rest & relaxation.…

  • Phuket NewsHonors even between Bangkok and Phuket

    Honors even between Bangkok and Phuket

    PHUKET: The Phuket Cricket Group (PCG) hosted the touring British Club Bangkok (BCB) cricket team last weekend at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG). Two games were played with the PCG team winning the 30-over game on Saturday, whilst the BCB team won the T20 match on Sunday. A unique match format was invented for the 30- over game played on…

  • Phuket NewsWorld Sports: Halloween nightmare for the “Red Devils”

    World Sports: Halloween nightmare for the “Red Devils”

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World sporting news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Reuters / Gazette EditorsPHUKET: Chelsea came from behind three times to overhaul Manchester United 5-4 after extra time and book a spot in the League Cup quarter-finals last night, earning sweet revenge for Sunday’s controversial 3-2 league defeat. Holders Liverpool, fielding a weakened side for…

  • Phuket NewsChinese tourist dies in Phuket after speedboat accident

    Chinese tourist dies in Phuket after speedboat accident

    PHUKET: A 24-year-old Chinese woman died in Phuket International Hospital this morning after being involved in a heavy collision between two speedboats off Koh Khai island in Phang Nga Bay yesterday.Chinese tourist Kang Xiao Xue was rushed to Phuket along with “many others” who sustained injuries in the collision, the Phuket Gazette was told.She was one of three tourists who…

  • Phuket NewsMight not be Phuket “Minute Man’ bank robber’s first heist: Police

    Might not be Phuket “Minute Man’ bank robber’s first heist: Police

    PHUKET: The “Minute Man” who made off with 2.7 million baht in a bank robbery yesterday displayed similar behaviors to the uncaught bank thief who robbed a Kasikorn Bank branch in Witchit January last year, said Phuket City Police Superintendent Sermphan Sirikong. In both cases, the robbery was made at gunpoint by a man wearing a helmet and took less…

  • Phuket NewsB100k reward offered for Phuket bank robber

    B100k reward offered for Phuket bank robber

    PHUKET: Police are offering a 100,000-baht reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the man who robbed a Kasikornbank (KBank) branch on the north side of Phuket Town yesterday. The robber escaped with an estimated 2.7 million baht. Police believe the man received “inside assistance” in carrying out the robbery and are now questioning six suspects for…

  • World NewsUN says Myanmar must protect Rohingya minority Muslims

    UN says Myanmar must protect Rohingya minority Muslims

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar must protect Muslims and halt discrimination, U.N. says ReutersPhuket: U.N. human rights investigators called on Myanmar yesterday to halt deadly sectarian violence and warned it not to use the conflict as a pretext to remove Rohingya minority Muslims. Some 89 people have been killed in…

  • World NewsWorld News: Obama edges into the lead in U.S. presidential race

    World News: Obama edges into the lead in U.S. presidential race

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Race tight in 4 states, Obama holds slight edge Reuters President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are neck and neck in four of the most hotly contested states in next week’s election, but Obama holds a slight advantage in two of them, according to a…

  • Phuket NewsCheats, thugs will not be tolerated, Governor assures Phuket honorary consuls

    Cheats, thugs will not be tolerated, Governor assures Phuket honorary consuls

    PHUKET: Governor Maitri Inthusut has assured the honorary consuls resident in Phuket that the provincial administration will do its utmost to rid the island of cheats and thugs targeting or attacking tourists. The news came at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday where Czech Republic Honorary Consul in Phuket Anurak Tansiriroj and Finland Honorary Consul in Phuket Pamuke…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket bank robber escapes with B2.7mn in 60 seconds

    Phuket bank robber escapes with B2.7mn in 60 seconds

    PHUKET: An armed man clad in a black jacket and wearing a motorbike helmet robbed the Kasikornbank branch near SuperCheap, just north of Phuket Town this afternoon, making off with 2.7 million baht. The man was recorded by the bank’s CCTV cameras entering the branch on Thepkrasattri Road at about 3pm. Armed with a homemade handgun, the man threatened one…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s 100% helmet campaign rides on

    Phuket’s 100% helmet campaign rides on

    PHUKET: More than 15 people die every month in road accidents in Phuket, most riding a motorbike without a helmet.The news came at a road safety awareness seminar at Phuket Rajabhat University on Monday, headed by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavaviwat.Also present at the seminar were Phuket Provincial Health Office Deputy Director Dr Wiwat Seetamonotch and officers from other…