Legacy Phuket Gazette
- Phuket News
Bogus Phuket tour guides, gem rip-offs in firing line
PHUKET: Phuket jewelry shops that overcharge tourists and tour companies that hire illegal guides are to be targeted by the latest campaign by provincial authorities to preserve a “billion baht” business, officials were told this week.“I want tour companies to follow the law. Their main tour guides must be Thai. If they do not, they will be in trouble,” Phuket…
- Phuket News
PM Yingluck heads to Krabi over disaster preparedness
PHUKET: Officials in Krabi province, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, are ramping up security ahead of a lightning visit by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday, when she will head a meeting of provincial governors from the five provinces of the “Andaman cluster” to discuss “disaster preparedness”. PM Yingluck will attend the foundation-stone laying ceremony for the new emergency…
- Phuket News
Sea turtle with fish net wounds saved on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Yet another female sea turtle was rescued on Phuket’s shores yesterday, after suffering lacerations to its flipper from fishing nets. The turtle, found on Patong Beach, is the 25th female Olive Ridely sea turtle found injured on the coastline of Phuket and Phang Nga within the past two months, confirmed Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the Phuket Marine Biological…
- Phuket News
Damrong to ramp up Phuket national park probe
PHUKET: The Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Conservation, Damrong Phidet, has warned that come September 25 he will order 400 officers to start a full-scale investigation into land encroachment along the boundaries of Phuket’s Sirinath Marine National Park. In Phuket yesterday, Mr Damrong flamed some officials for their slow progress in the investigation of 12 resorts…
- Phuket News
Heavy rain prompts flood, landslide warning
PHUKET: The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued its sixth official warning in 36 hours for flash flooding, forest run-off and landslides in Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang – but has yet to issue a warning for Phuket. Likewise, the Phuket Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this afternoon that no flash flood or…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: Heroes, hunts and hype
PHUKET: The media has been inundated with stories of Lewis Hamilton leaving McLaren lately. Could it be true? He could go to Red Bull or Ferrari to get a good drive, but then he would be no 2 to Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso – that is not going to happen. He could go to Mercedes or Lotus (predicated on…
- World News
World News: Man falls to his death from passenger jet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Stowaway falls to death from Heathrow-bound plane Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: An African man who was found dead in southwest London on Sunday had fallen from a passenger plane that was preparing to land at Heathrow Airport, British police said yesterday. The stowaway has not yet…
- Phuket News
Funeral begins for revered abbot of Phuket’s Wat Chalong
PHUKET: A seven-day funeral service began yesterday for the revered Abbot of Phuket’s famed Wat Chaithararam, well known among foreigners simply as Wat Chalong (Chalong Temple). Phra Ajarn Udomwetchakit Uttamuyano, often called “Phra Ajarn Lim Wat Chalong” by his devotees, died on Tuesday, September 11, at 4:21pm at the Coronary Care Unit of Bangkok Hospital Phuket. He was 87 years…
- Phuket News
Phuket Labor welfare chief warns against minimum wage cheats
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket Provincial Labor Protection and Welfare Office has warned employers that his office is inspecting businesses across the island and is prepared to take legal action against any firms found paying less than the 300 baht a day minimum wage. Phuket Labor Welfare chief Kittipong Laonipon explained to the Gazette that his concerns about minimum…
- World News
World News: US Ambassador Stevens killed in attack by protestors
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Libyan officials: U.S. Ambassador Stevens killed in attack on consulate Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Protesters angry about an online video considered offensive to Islam attacked U.S. diplomatic compounds in Libya and Egypt, killing U.S. Ambassador John Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, Libyan officials said today.Libyan…
- Phuket News
“I believe my decision has the interests of British athletics…
“I believe my decision has the interests of British athletics at its heart in sustaining this culture.” PHUKET: Dutchman Charles van Commenee is to stand down as UK Athletics head coach, citing a poor medal haul during the Olympics as the reason. Before the games, he said he would step down if the team did not achieve his target of…
- Phuket News
Heavy rain warning as monsoon soaks Phuket, Andaman coast
PHUKET: The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued a “heavy” to “very heavy” rain warning for all regions of Thailand, including Phuket, for the next five days. Thunderstorms and monsoonal winds are expected to intensify over Phuket and the Andaman Sea. The Andaman region will most likely see waves reaching two meters in height, but areas where thunderstorms are occurring…
- Phuket News
Rawai rides for Phuket road safety
PHUKET: Local government in Phuket is continuing its battle to reduce the number of motorbike accident fatalities and serious injuries that frequently occur to children of school age.Yesterday, it was the turn of Rawai Municipality to take up the fight at Muang Phuket School on Wisit Road in Rawai.Phuket Democrat MP Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr presided over the opening ceremony of…
- World News
World News: Apple device IDs stolen – rumors of FBI involvement denied
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Apple device IDs stolen from Florida-based digital publishing firm Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Identification numbers for more than one million Apple products that were posted online by hackers last week had been stolen from a Florida-based digital publishing firm, not from the laptop of an FBI…
- Phuket News
Phuket blood bank calls for A-, O- donors
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is calling for donations of Rhesus-negative (Rh-) blood types to bolster stocks that are now critically low. “We have only one unit of ‘A negative’ and one of ‘O negative’ blood,” PRBC Director Pornthip Rattajak told the Phuket Gazette. She explained that Rh-negative blood types are far more common among Caucasians than Asians.…
- Phuket News
Off-duty cop accused of Phuket shooting kicked off police force
PHUKET: The off-duty police officer accused of shooting a man dead in Phuket Town on May 5 has been kicked off the police force, but has yet to face charges for the killing. Rachaporn Semaksorn was discharged from the Royal Thai Police about a month ago after months of being relegated to desk duties, Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Kittipong Klaikaew…
- Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Come fly with me
PHUKET: Suchard ‘Robert’ Raksangob wants to share his enthusiasm for flying airplanes with visitors and residents of Phuket. On Saturday, September 15 from 3pm, he’s inviting anyone with an interest in aviation to join him at the Phuket Airpark in Pa Klok where they can join the Phuket Flying Club.“I flew for more than 25 years with the Thai Flying…
- World News
World News: Deputy al-Qaeda leader killed in Yemen, US drone suspected used
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Yemeni forces kill deputy regional head of al-Qaeda Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Saudi national Said al-Shihri, who was previously released from Guantanamo Bay and later became the deputy commander of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been killed by Yemeni troops during a military…
- Thai Life
Phuket Lifestyle: Feeding the gypsy in you
PHUKET: If you’re passing through Cherng Talay, heading down to Surin or Bangtao beaches, you’d have to be blind not to notice the startling yellow and pink building on the left hand side of the road – opposite Tesco Lotus. This is Gitano Restaurant & Love, the latest incarnation of the innovative couple, Miguel Kirjon and Lin Prachakrich. Miguel and…
- Phuket News
Road safety campaign to slash Phuket death toll to 50 per year
PHUKET: Officials are moving ahead with a campaign to reduce the number of deaths on Phuket’s roads to just 50 per year within the next three years. Last year, 116 died in road accidents in Phuket. The move is part of a nationwide campaign to reduce the road accident death toll in conjunction with the United Nations’ “Decade of Action…
- Phuket News
“I don’t know how I came through in the end…”
“I don’t know how I came through in the end, I just managed to get through.” PHUKET: Andy Murray has won his first Grand Slam final at the fifth time of asking. Murray defeated Novak Djokovic 7-6 (12-10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in four hours 54 minutes to win the US Open and in doing so ended Britain’s 76-year wait…
- Phuket News
Phuket Governor to retire September 30, but replacement yet to be named
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha is set to retire from civil service on September 30, just 19 days away, but his replacement has yet to be named, the Phuket Gazette has learned.Governor Tri took up the position of Governor of Phuket on October 1, 2010, but had already served as a Phuket Vice Governor for four years following a posting…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sports: ASC’s final ride at Quiksilver Open Phuket
PHUKET: The Quiksilver Open surf contest is back in town with surfers streaming in from all over the world. Patong Beach, the most popular in Phuket, will host professional surfers from all over Asia, from Wednesday to Sunday. This year’s tournament has been upgraded to a 6-Star, dual-sanctioned competition and Asian surfers are expected to turn out in force. They…
- Phuket News
New B153mn indoor sports center opens in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Sports fans and spectators packed the 4,000-seat Indoor Sports Complex at Saphan Hin to the rafters on Saturday for the new venue’s official opening ceremony. Built on 207 rai at a cost of about 153 million baht, the center was first used for the 28th National Youth Games, dubbed the “Phuket Games”, held on the island earlier this year.…
- Phuket News
Phuket Food Festival goes “booze-free’, but lays on the entertainment
PHUKET: For the first time in its 15-year history, the annual Phuket Good Taste Food Festival at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town this year will be held specifically without any alcohol for sale and with no plastic food containers. Announcing the news on Saturday, Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana said that about 100 booths selling food will be at this…
- Phuket News
“I honestly can’t believe I won…”
“I honestly can’t believe I won. I was preparing my runner-up speech because she was playing so great.” PHUKET: American Serena Williams won her 15th Grand Slam singles title and became the first woman over 30 to win the US Open since Martina Navratilova in 1987. Williams beat world number-one Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in a match that lasted…
- Phuket News
Phuket Live Wire: A galaxy of pads, a clamour of nooks and an army of androids
PHUKET: Welcome to the third of four installments in my ongoing series about where the computer industry is headed as we barrel along to the Christmas season. If you are thinking about buying any new electronics – computer, tablet, phone, maybe even a TV – it would be worthwhile to stay on top of developments between now and Christmas. Some…
- Property
Phuket Property: Drifting along the right track
PHUKET: Drift Interiors is an up and coming design company based out of a stylish Sino-Portuguese town house on Krabi Road in Phuket Town. Creative Director Craig Paterson and his Creative Partner Khun Yoo have worked their artistic flair on a number of projects ranging from resorts to residential villas on Phuket. Craig spoke to the Phuket Gazette.Phuket Gazette: What…
- Business News
Phuket Business: Taking care of your parents
PHUKET: No, the title of this article isn’t a joke. Obviously, there is a big difference in cultural attitudes toward what responsibilities people have when it comes to family. There is no need to discuss this at length. Generally speaking, most Westerners are not under the same pressure to look after their aging family members as most Thais are. But…
- Thai Life
Phuket Diving: Out of the shadows ye self-reliant scuba diver
PHUKET: Ten years, five years, even two years ago, any conversations approaching the idea of “solo” diving were held in hushed voices in the back of small bars between experienced divers, or in the depths of online cave-diving forums. ‘Buddy diving’ was a philosophy heralded by Jacques Cousteau and the crew of the Calypso as early as the writing of…
