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.
  • Thailand NewsOlympics Update: Phuket’s Jongjit out; Chatuphum’s agony; Chatchai fights today

    Olympics Update: Phuket’s Jongjit out; Chatuphum’s agony; Chatchai fights today

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community High-flying Thai shuttlers shot down in QF Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Bodin Isara and Maneepong Jongjit’s dazzling Olympic odyssey came to a disappointing end yesterday when the Thai duo lost to Malaysia’s Kien Keat Koo and Boon Heong Tan in the quarter-finals. The Games…

  • Phuket NewsJustice Minister eyes new billion-baht Phuket Prison

    Justice Minister eyes new billion-baht Phuket Prison

    PHUKET: Justice Minister Pracha Promnok today reviewed plans to close the 115-year-old and heavily overcrowded Phuket Provincial Prison in Phuket Town and establish a 3,000-person capacity prison in Thalang. Pol Gen Pracha announced details of the new prison, which is set to be established on 108 rai of government land near the Bang Jo detention center in Srisoonthorn, Thalang. However,…

  • Phuket NewsD-Day looms for illegal Phuket taxis, jet-skis

    D-Day looms for illegal Phuket taxis, jet-skis

    PHUKET: The Phuket Governor will sign an order giving illegal taxi operators 15 days to register their vehicles, officials were told yesterday.The news came at a meeting headed by Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, who said the order will be signed into effect ahead of a report being submitted to Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung.The deadline for filing the report,…

  • Phuket NewsMan found dead in tin mine lagoon

    Man found dead in tin mine lagoon

    PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify the body of a man found floating in an old tin mine lagoon in Chalong yesterday afternoon. Phuket Ruamjai Foundation rescue workers and Lt Col Boonlert Onklang arrived along with officers from the Chalong Police to find a large crowd of people gathered at the scene on Luang Por Chuang Road. The man was…

  • Phuket NewsForeigners urged to give blood at Phuket Immigration

    Foreigners urged to give blood at Phuket Immigration

    PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) will host a special blood donation drive at Phuket Immigration Headquarters on August 9 to honor the 80th birthday of HM The Queen three days later. PRBC Director Pornthip Rattajak told the Gazette her agency hopes the drive will help the center stock up its supply of rare Rhesus negative (Rh-) blood types…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Sports: Badminton scandal rocks London Olympics

    Phuket Sports: Badminton scandal rocks London Olympics

    PHUKET: The badminton scandal that has rocked the London Olympics not only reflects badly on the players involved, but also on the sport as a whole. Speaking to iSportconnect, before the eight players were disqualified from the women’s doubles, President of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Dr Kang Young-Joong was confident the sport would be successful at the Olympics, and…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News: Parliament opens; More advice for parents; Thai boxers in last 16

    Thailand News: Parliament opens; More advice for parents; Thai boxers in last 16

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Parliament prioritizes 10 bills before putting up reconciliation draft Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: The House will keep the Reconciliation Bill on its agenda but it will only be considered after 10 other bills have been debated upon, it was resolved at the first parliamentary session yesterday.…

  • Thailand NewsBreaking News – Thailand: Three shot dead in Pattani; Chalerm to take control

    Breaking News – Thailand: Three shot dead in Pattani; Chalerm to take control

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Three shot dead this morning Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Insurgents launched two shooting attacks in this southern border province this morning, killing three and injuring four people. Police said two insurgents on a motorcycle shot dead Doloh Yusoh, 44, an assistant village headman in Thapong…

  • PropertyPhuket Property: Resort-property sales lag behind tourism

    Phuket Property: Resort-property sales lag behind tourism

    PHUKET: The hotel business in Phuket is booming as tourists flood the island, but sales of resort properties have failed to benefit, according to CBRE Research’s Phuket Property Report.“Despite healthy increases in tourism arrivals, [for now we are not] seeing a proportional increase in sales in the resort property market. Rising tourism numbers are mainly from Asia, whose tourists have…

  • Thai LifePhuket Culture: Getting ready for the rains retreat

    Phuket Culture: Getting ready for the rains retreat

    PHUKET: This weekend’s full moon heralds the official start of the rainy season in Thailand, marked by back-to-back Buddhist Holidays, Asaha Bucha and Khao Pansa. For non-Buddhists, the long “dry” weekend to welcome the “wet” season is a good opportunity to relax, if nothing else. For most devout Buddhists, however, there is much deeper meaning and purpose to the holy…

  • World NewsWorld News: Heads rolling at Deutsche Bank; 1,900 to be laid off | Thaiger

    World News: Heads rolling at Deutsche Bank; 1,900 to be laid off

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Deutsche Bank to cut 1,900 jobs after profits drop 46 percent Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Deutsche Bank said yesterday that it plans to cut 1,900 jobs, most of them at its investment bank, as part of an effort to save approximately 3 billion euros ($3.69 billion).…

  • World NewsMore problems for the London Olympics | Thaiger

    More problems for the London Olympics

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Swiss Olympian kicked off team after racist tweet Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: A Swiss football star was kicked off the men’s Olympic team Monday after sending out a tweet deemed to be racist, sports officials said. It comes just days after a Greek triple jumper was…

  • Thai LifePhuket Diving: Gear and skills part the waters

    Phuket Diving: Gear and skills part the waters

    PHUKET: When was the last time something truly fresh hit the dive market? Yes, every year we get niftier regulators, more swanky dive watches and new fin designs that we can’t resist at least window-shopping for. But, when was the last time something was put on the market for recreational divers that really parted the waters – changed the way…

  • World NewsWorld News: UN says violence in Syria has affected nearly 2 million people

    World News: UN says violence in Syria has affected nearly 2 million people

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UN says violence in Syria has affected close to 2 million civilians Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged an end to the violence in Syria, where as many as two million people are now believed to have been affected…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News: More bomb blasts; Opposition to file motion on South; Yingluck in censure debate

    Thailand News: More bomb blasts; Opposition to file motion on South; Yingluck in censure debate

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two major blasts hit Pattani Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: A car-bomb exploded behind the CS Pattani Hotel late last night and was followed by a blast at a power station which plunged several areas into darkness for several hours.The blast at the hotel damaged a wall…

  • Phuket NewsTAT Phuket Director steps up to Bangkok

    TAT Phuket Director steps up to Bangkok

    PHUKET: Bangonrat Shinaprayoon, Director of the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), bade her final farewell to Governor Tri Augkaradacha at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning before her move to Bangkok.Ms Bangonrat leaves the island on August 1 to take up her new position in Bangkok as Director of Attractions Promotion Division.“My new department is responsible for…

  • Phuket NewsKrabi killers escape after ‘M16 ambush’

    Krabi killers escape after ‘M16 ambush’

    PHUKET: Krabi Police suspect revenge was the motive for a shooting in Khlong Kanan subdistrict on Saturday, when gunmen opened fire on a moving pickup truck in a well-planned ambush. One person was killed and five others were injured in the attack. The murder victim, driving an Isuzu D-Max, was identified by police as Paruhas Kongbannuek, village headman of Baan…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News: Death sentences for police who murdered youth

    Thailand News: Death sentences for police who murdered youth

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Death terms for police guilty of murdering youth Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: The Criminal Court yesterday handed down a guilty verdict to five former Kalasin-based policemen for their involvement in the extrajudicial killing of a 17-year-old boy in 2004. Three of them were sentenced to death,…

  • Thailand NewsIntellectual Property: Dildos, porn and sex pills seized in massive haul

    Intellectual Property: Dildos, porn and sex pills seized in massive haul

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Members of Thailand’s largest ring of traders in aphrodisiacs and sex toys were apprehended in Bangkok with goods worth more than 100 million baht, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief said yesterday. DSI Director-General Tharit Pengdit and Pol Lt-Col Chinnachot Daengsurisri, commander of the Intellectual…

  • Phuket NewsMichelle Smith “killers’ reject confession

    Michelle Smith “killers’ reject confession

    PHUKET: The two men charged with the death of Australian travel agent Michelle Smith, who died from a stab wound inflicted in a bag-snatch in June, yesterday denied all charges against them. Surasak Suwannachote, 26, and Surin Tadthong, 37, were presented at Phuket Provincial Court to enter pleas to the charges, which collectively accuse the men of murder and gang…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Live Wire: How Windows 8 will roll out

    Phuket Live Wire: How Windows 8 will roll out

    PHUKET: Even if you have no intention of getting Windows 8, there are currently forces at work in the computer industry that will have an enormous impact on what kinds of computers are available in the near future, and how much they will cost. If you’re thinking about buying a new computer, you need to understand what’s about to happen.…

  • Phuket NewsBelgian ‘Most Wanted’ arrested in Phuket

    Belgian ‘Most Wanted’ arrested in Phuket

    PHUKET: A top-secret investigation has led to the arrest of one of Belgium’s most-wanted criminals in Phuket. The suspect, named as Marc de Schutter, was reportedly wanted for murder, money laundering and economic crimes in his native Belgium. His arrest by some 30 officers of the Crime Suppression Division and Chalong Police followed a one-month investigation launched at the request…

  • World NewsPhuket Gazette: Four sentenced to death in Iran’s biggest bank fraud case

    Phuket Gazette: Four sentenced to death in Iran’s biggest bank fraud case

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four sentenced to death in Iran’s biggest ever bank fraud case Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: A court in Iran has sentenced four people to be executed for their role in what has been described as the country’s largest ever bank fraud case, judicial officials said yestersday.…

  • Phuket NewsElection alcohol bans to cost Patong venues B5mn a night

    Election alcohol bans to cost Patong venues B5mn a night

    PHUKET: The mandatory ban on the sale of alcohol for upcoming elections at the end of this month will cost Patong’s nightlife industry at least 5 million baht a night, the Phuket Gazette has been told. The sale of alcohol will be banned across Phuket on August 26 and again in Patong on September 2 as voters go to the…

  • Phuket NewsDecomposing body recovered off Koh Racha, Phuket

    Decomposing body recovered off Koh Racha, Phuket

    PHUKET: Chalong Police are trying to identify a badly-decomposed human body found washed ashore at Koh Racha Yai early this morning, and now in storage on Phuket.After the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center at Chalong Pier was notified of the discovery at 7am, they dispatched a speedboat marked as operated by the “Chalong Tambon Administration Organization” (now called Chalong Municipality) to…

  • Phuket NewsKrabi drug rehab school owner called to answer police inquiry

    Krabi drug rehab school owner called to answer police inquiry

    PHUKET: Following the reported drowning of a runaway student, the owner of the Por Noh Klong Gom School during a video-conference with Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner-General Adul Saengsingkaew admitted that “improvements” to the school’s management were urgently needed. The video conference, at Krabi Provincial Hall on Saturday, was in reaction to the drowning and subsequent mass-walkout by hundreds of…

  • Phuket NewsRestaurant, resort ordered removed from Phuket protected forests

    Restaurant, resort ordered removed from Phuket protected forests

    PHUKET: More than 150 officers from the Royal Forest Department (RFD) led raids on three sites in Phuket on Saturday.In Thalang, officers discovered a resort under construction within the boundaries of the protected Bang Kanoon Forest.“We found buildings that looked like a resort under construction on land inside the forest. However, there was no one at the site to declare…

  • Thai LifePhuket People: Raise a toast to a coffee roast

    Phuket People: Raise a toast to a coffee roast

    PHUKET: Each cup of coffee served at Hock Hoe Lee has more than 50 years of history steeped inside. It’s a taste to be savored. Three generations of one Phuket family have worked tirelessly to create the coffee served up today at Hock Hoe Lee, which has shops in town and in Rawai. Back in 1958, when Chinese migrant Cheng…

  • Phuket NewsYamaha Division One: Phuket 0 – 1 PTT Rayong

    Yamaha Division One: Phuket 0 – 1 PTT Rayong

    PHUKET: A single goal was all that PTT Rayong FC needed to prevail over Phuket FC on Saturday night at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. It was the second time the two sides met this season; exactly two weeks earlier Phuket endured a 6-0 thrashing at Rayong. It was the last straw for former coach Milos Josic of Serbia, who…

  • Business NewsPhuket Business: New trade surplus high; FDI jumps 66%; Foreign shares to be scrutinized

    Phuket Business: New trade surplus high; FDI jumps 66%; Foreign shares to be scrutinized

    PHUKET: Three-quarters of the way into the government’s current fiscal year, international trade in Phuket is thriving, with this year’s trade surplus already surpassing last year’s record high. Phuket Customs House’ records through June 30 show that the value of exports in the 2012 government fiscal year (October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012) is now at 12.06 billion baht…