Legacy Phuket Gazette
- Phuket News
Men flee and fire at Phuket police checkpoint
PHUKET: Two men were arrested in downtown Phuket last night after allegedly firing at police as they sped away from a checkpoint. The Chiang Mai men were on a motorbike on Phoonpon Road at 7:30pm when police ordered them to stop. While fleeing the checkpoint, one of the men, identified as Wuttichai Rattanaputiwong, 31, allegedly fired a shot from a…
- Phuket News
Lover’s quarrel leads to Korean tourists dead, missing
PHUKET: A Korean tourist is dead and another is missing after a domestic dispute lead them to fling themselves into the sea last night. Patong police were alerted around 3am that locals had recovered the body of a woman washed ashore on Patong Beach. “At the scene, we found the body of Ms Garam Hong, a 28 year old Korean…
- Phuket News
Family narrowly escapes being crushed in landslide
KRABI: A family of three narrowly escaped being crushed to death in a landslide in Krabi that completely destroyed their house on Friday. The 56-year-old owner, Rorya Marya, was staying at her house in Baan Thapradoo, Khlong Thom District with her nephew and mentally unstable son when she heard rumbling sounds and went outside to check. “I saw a landslide…
- Phuket News
Swedish tourist beaten up by Patong tuk tuk driver and friends
PHUKET: A tuk tuk driver and four accomplices were arrested yesterday for ganging up on a Swedish tourist and beating him unconscious in Patong in the early hours of Monday morning. Police responding to reports of the beating found Frederik Gustav Wilhelm Erikson Holm, 32, lying unconscious at the end of Soi Bangla at 3.45am. He was sent to Bangkok…
- Phuket News
Phuket karaoke firebombed by angry customer
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a man who allegedly firebombed a Phuket Town karaoke bar yesterday after his phone was seized in lieu of payment for beer and a sing song. Suvann Chaichana, the owner of ‘Fancy Karaoke’ in Phuket Town, reported that her shop had been firebombed just before 2am, says Maj Somchai Nooboon of the Phuket City Police.…
- Phuket News
18 year old stabbed 18 times outside his house
PHUKET: The body of a teenager, who was stabbed 18 times in the latest incident of violent crime in Phuket, was found outside his house in Koh Kaew late last night. “We received reports from locals about a body found in Soi Han Farang at about 11:55pm,” confirmed Capt Udom Petcharat of the Phuket City Police. The victim was named…
- Phuket News
Chinese passenger injured in tour bus crash on Patong Hill
PHUKET: One man was injured when a bus loaded with Chinese tourists broke through a roadside barrier and veered off the road on Patong Hill yesterday evening. “We received reports from locals that a bus had crashed in front of the Sea Pearl Hotel,” confirmed Patong Police Lt Jongserm Preecha. “The driver, Tairong Chutai, 30, was returning 25 Chinese tourists…
- Thai Life
Unemployed primate released into wild due to ‘depression’
PHUKET: Pom, an eight-year-old unemployed monkey raised by a Bang Jo couple since he was two, has been let go because the family who owned him could not bear to see him depressed. Pom used to work as a coconut picker and also helped to peel coconuts at his owner’s coconut oil factory. A few months ago, coconut prices shot…
- Property
Boat Pattana announces new luxury villa project
PHUKET: Boat Pattana Co Ltd announced a new ‘limited edition’ high-end villa construction in progress in Phuket on June 13. “The project, named ‘Deva Escape’, will be located on the Bypass Road (Chalermprakiat Ror 9 Road) near IKEA, starting at 34 million baht for villas ranging 1157.6-1642.92 square meters,” said Panupong Kritchanarat, chief executive officer of Boat Pattana Co Ltd.…
- Pattaya News
On Deck: Large trimarans to the fore
PHUKET: Multihull sailing isn’t something new to Phuket. In fact, some would argue multihulls are the ideal boats for Phuket’s waters. With their shallow draft they can more easily access some areas as compared to their monohull cousins. While everyone has different tastes in terms of size, brand and two hulls or three, what is relatively new to the local…
- Property
Property Watch: Unanswered questions in the Thai property market
PHUKET: I will admit, to anyone who asks, that consultancy services often involve assisting people with the kind of matters for which they should perhaps go to the authorities to receive assistance and guidance. Nevertheless, for one reason or another, consultancy services often involve providing advice to clear up uncertainties over laws, rules and regulations that are difficult to understand…
- Thai Life
Smart Life: Foundations of the next technological age
PHUKET: This is the first in a series of articles designed to engage the ultimate architects of smart cities: the mums and dads, the social workers, the councilors, small business owners… really the people that make up the city. The next technology revolution has the potential to manage, and maybe even unwind the damage caused by the last one. Many…
- Phuket News
109-year-old grandma oldest person in Krabi
PHUKET: Plaipraya District Chief Paisarn Srithep visited the oldest living person in Krabi on June 21 and was delighted, and surprised, to find her in good health. Pliaw Petchpuang, 109, was born in 1907. “We were surprised to find that Ms Pliaw is in great health, able to walk unassisted, and indeed busy,” said Mr Paisarn. Ms Pliaw stays with…
- Phuket News
Domestic dispute ends in bloodbath, one stabbed to death
PHUKET: A 49-year-old Myanmar national was stabbed to death in Kathu last night, after a domestic dispute escalated into a bloodbath. Kathu Police received reports of the man’s shirtless body lying on Baan Na Koh Road near Loch Palm Golf Club. Officers arrived at the scene to find the body of the victim, named only as Mr Ta, on the…
- Phuket News
Newly-arrived tourists injured in Patong bus crash
PHUKET: Five tourists, including a five-year-old boy, were injured when a tourist bus flipped over in Patong this morning. The bus, which was carrying 14 Chinese, was heading toward the Patong Bay Hill Resort & Spa from Phuket International Airport. Patong Police received reports of this the latest tour bus crash at about 8:30am. The injured were taken to Patong…
- Phuket News
PLTO, taxi reps in stalemate over cutting fares
PHUKET: Following the latest public backlash against high taxi fares, officials from the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) met with drivers’ representatives on Thursday to discuss a new minimum price for their services. The meeting ended with the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers turning down the PLTO’s suggestions. Public outrage erupted after Thai-speaking expat Jack Brown posted a video on Facebook…
- Phuket News
Fatal crash victim’s family demands B2.1mn in damages
PHUKET: The family of a German man killed in a Phuket road accident in December last year has demanded 1.3 million baht as compensation for his death and 800,000 baht for his partner’s injuries. The suspect, Jakarin Rodpradit, 26, has requested a month to assess the situation, after both sides met for negotiations at Phuket Provincial Court this afternoon. He…
- Thai Life
Profile: Phuket’s Deputy Chief Judge Boonjuan Panich
PHUKET: Boonjuan Panich from Trang Province is the current deputy chief judge of the Phuket Court. He is also the president of the Trang-Phuket Club – a group of Trang natives living and working in Phuket. Now 49 years old, Mr Boonjuan has achieved much from a humble childhood as the second son of a rubber plantation worker in rural…
- Opinion
Island View: First street food adventure in Phuket
PHUKET: A friend of mine, who intends to visit Phuket shortly, asked me what the street food was like here. Being a picky eater and mostly cooking for myself at home, I realized I hadn’t tried much in the way of street food for the year that I’ve been in Phuket. Armed with dozens of recommendations from friends and colleagues,…
- Thailand News
Thailand tourism faces uncertainty over Brexit fallout
MARKETS across Asia are reeling after it became known this afternoon that Great Britain will exit the European Union. Investors are fleeing to more stable currencies, such as the US dollar, the Swiss Franc and the Japanese Yen, causing major upheavals in Japan whose government has been trying to devalue the Yen in an effort to increase exports and stimulate…
- Business News
A closer look at the luxury car market
PHUKET: The exponential increase in the number of cars – particularly high-end ones – in Phuket in the last decade alone, warrants a closer look at some of the factors that make this multi-billion-baht business tick. Millennium Auto, one of the newest luxury car outlets to open on the island, gave an exclusive account of the ins and outs of…
- Business News
Finance: Defining a financial adviser
PHUKET: If you haven’t yet seen it, there’s a great episode of John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ that covers the financial services industry in America. While it is a different beast in Southeast Asia, there were many points he brought up that are very relevant to expats in the region. Go onto YouTube and search for it if you haven’t…
- Opinion
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Welcome to the farang flying club
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.For…
- Phuket News
Super algae solution for bleached Phi Phi coral
KRABI: Super algae is to be deployed in the Phi Phi national marine park in a world-first attempt to revive bleached coral. Bleaching has affected about 80 per cent of the coral in Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park’s protected area, said the park’s chief Sarayuth Tanthien on June 23. Mr Sarayuth blamed rapid tourism growth…
- Thai Life
Gardening: Picking the perfect palm
PHUKET: There’s a maxim in the so-called ‘noble art’ that states that a good big ‘un will always beat a good little ‘un. But what is true about boxing will not necessarily be true for the inhabitants of your plot. Small gardens require small trees and shrubs – indeed, they tend to look lost in a grand environment. However, if…
- Phuket News
Six couples tie the knot in Baba Yaya wedding
PHUKET: Six couples tied the knot during a mass traditional ‘Baba Yaya’ wedding ceremony at Hongyok mansion in Phuket Town on June 19, including Vice Governor Kajornkiet Rakpanitmanee and his wife Pitima Rakpanitmanee, as well as two other Thai couples and three Chinese-Taipei couples. ‘Baba’ and ‘Yaya’ are ancient terms for male and female respectively, used for the descendants of…
- Phuket News
Road closures in Koh Kaew may last until October
PHUKET: Parts of Soi Koh Kaew 33, behind the Isuzu showroom off Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew, are under construction, with crews warning that road closures may inconvenience local residents and workers, including the staff at the Phuket Gazette. Construction crews reportedly have an 8.4-million-baht budget to build a retaining wall along the side of the soi. Large backhoes and…
- Thailand News
Suu Kyi to discuss refugee crisis during first state visit
BANGKOK: Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi will face questions about the refugee crises after her arrival in Bangkok today for her first official visit to strengthen ties between the neighboring countries. While many observers view the Nobel-prize winner as the first Myanmar civilian government official in half a century, Ms Suu Kyi refrained from drawing attention to the…
- Phuket News
Bypass construction gridlock to be solved
Engineers working at the Bangkoo underpass project said that the traffic gridlock at the bypass intersection with Thepkrasattri Road will be solved today. “The traffic was worse these past several days because we closed one of the lanes at the construction junction,” said Somkiet Yimpong, the Bangkoo project engineer from the Department of Highways. “The construction company originally asked for…
- Phuket News
Gas station boss shoots man in head for leaving water on
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a gas station manager who allegedly shot dead a Krabi volunteer police officer yesterday after an argument over who left on the water to an artificial waterfall. Lt Anuwat Raksakyot of the Ao Nang Police said he received a report yesterday morning that a man was shot at the gas station on Petch Kasem Road…