- Phuket News
Phuket’s sad tale of two Russians
PHUKET: Russian tourist Nikoley Bobrova, 64, rushed to his wife’s aid as soon as he saw her in trouble in Phuket’s surf yesterday but could not save her. Mr Bobrova and his wife Irina, also 64, arrived in Phuket on holiday on December 1. The couple were due to fly home tomorrow. Police said the couple arrived at Karon Beach…
- Phuket News
High-speed train may help visa runners, but not from Phuket
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said this afternoon that construction of the Nong Khai-Bangkok-Padang Besar high-speed train will start next year and be completed in four years. Nong Khai is a northern Thai town on the border with Laos, often transited by foreigners in Phuket on visa runs to Vientiene. Padang Besar (PB) is a border town in the…
- Phuket News
Phuket not surveyed, but Bangkok now ranked as world’s 2nd cheapest city
PHUKET: In what can only be good news for Phuket and the Thai tourism industry, Bangkok appears as the second most affordable city in the world, according to a list compiled and published by PriceRunner.com yesterday. Oslo tops the list of the world’s most expensive cities, and each of the Scandinavian capitals appears in the top seven. According to a…
- Phuket News
Thai Inflation: Phuket may be at the forefront next year
PHUKET: A national committee on public-sector compensation is expected to seek Cabinet approval on Tuesday to raise the salaries of all civil servants, MPs and senators by 5-14.9%. If approved, it will cost taxpayers an extra 13 billion baht a year, according to a well placed government source. The proposal comes on the heels of news earlier this month that…
- Phuket News
Phuket King’s Cup yachts still stranded
PHUKET: As the sun sets on the last day of 24th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, at least four yachts remain stranded on Kata Beach after a day of relentless hammering by strong waves. More than 10 boats were beached this morning by strong winds and big waves that Regatta Director Simon James described as “abnormal”. A spokesman for the regatta…
- Phuket News
Phuket tsunami warning buoys arrive
PHUKET: The ship bringing the two tsunami direct-detection buoys to be installed off Phuket has arrived at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) at Cape Panwa. The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (Seafdec) ship docked with the “tsunameters” on board at the PMBC pier last night after setting sail from Samut Prakarn on Monday. The ship will depart about 1…
- Phuket News
New Phuket Town road to “open’ Christmas Eve
PHUKET: The new Phuket Town road linking Sakdidet Road and Chao Fa East Road will be officially opened on December 24. “The public should be informed officially that the road is finally finished and ready to use,” said Governor Tri Augkaradacha, who will preside over the ceremony. The 684-meter road, known as Sai Phang Muang Kor Rd, is already open…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s DEA “drug lord’ souvenirs on hold
PHUKET: The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office in Bangkok has confirmed that its “spot a drug lord” souvenirs will not be available in Phuket until the new year. The souvenir items, a collection of coffee mugs, pens and T-shirts bearing images of some of the DEA’s “most wanted” drug traffickers, were initially intended to be distributed this week to…
- Phuket News
Phuket King’s Cup: Ichi Ban scores “hat trick’, Thai Navy pipped
PHUKET: Mixed winds brought mixed fortunes today in the last day of racing in the 24th King’s Cup Regatta. IRC 1 class winner Matt Allen on Ichi Ban lifted his third consecutive class trophy without even racing. They had won the class with an impressive 1-2-1-3-1-1-3 scorecard by sundown yesterday. No racers in the King’s Cup have won three consecutive…
- Phuket News
Evolution Racing wins Phuket King’s Cup 2010
PHUKET: Ray Roberts and his Evolution Racing crew just held onto series honors today to win the 24th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. It was a dramatic start for Roberts. Missing the start gun put Evolution at the back of the pack on the start line. Then the big boat of the fleet, Frank Pong’s Jelik III, along with Song Xia…
- Phuket News
Major Phuket blackouts announced
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced three scheduled blackouts to affect Chao Fa East and Chao Fa West Roads in Chalong – two of the busiest roads in the south of the island. Power supply along these roads will be shut off in order to carry out maintenance on high voltage power lines, install new lines and…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s Laem Phromthep now a no-smoking landmark
PHUKET: Laem Phromthep is now a no-smoking peninsular. “The prohibition zone starts at the bottom of the stairs and extends along the hill,” Rawai Municipality officer Sanya Kontien told the Gazette. The ban, which includes the drinking of alcohol, began at the end of last month and signs have been posted to inform visitors at Phuket’s iconic tourist attraction. The…
- Phuket News
Phuket King’s Cup set for “hat trick’ history
PHUKET: The final day of racing in the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta tomorrow may go down in the history books as the first King’s Cup in which not one, but two yachts have accomplished a sporting achievement not seen in nearly a decade – winning a King’s Cup Regatta hat trick. The feat was last achieved by Bill Gasson when…
- Phuket News
Phuket divers to clean up Patong Bay
PHUKET: Divers from the Thai Diving Association and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources Phuket office will stage an underwater cleanup in Patong Bay next Thursday. “The underwater waste to be collected includes fishing nets thrown overboard by fishermen as well as empty bottles of beer and other alcohol that tourists have thrown into the sea,” Ongart Chanacharnmongkol, Director…
- Phuket News
Gang slays Phuket security guard
PHUKET: After standing up to a gang of young thugs, a security guard was gunned down at a municipal parking lot in Phuket yesterday. Phuket City Police were notified of the murder at 7:40am by residents at the new government workers’ housing complex off Rattanakosin 200 Pi Road in Wichit. Officers led by Phuket City Police chief Wanchai Ekpornpit rushed…
- Phuket News
SDF moves to stave off Phuket distemper outbreak
PHUKET: Soi Dog Foundation, one of Phuket’s leading animal welfare organizations, is calling for help in its efforts to prevent an island-wide outbreak of the dreaded canine disease distemper. “Soi Dog is currently working around the clock doing mass vaccinations of dogs at temples and other locations. Distemper has been virtually eradicated in the west; however this is not the…
- Phuket News
Phuket King’s Cup: Split-second separates Racing class winner
PHUKET: Only 0.49 of a second on corrected time separated Neil Pryde’s HiFi and Ray Roberts’ Evolution Racing in race one today at the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Frank Pong’s Jelik III took line honors, followed by Sam Chan’s FreeFire then Dubai-based boat Team Premier. But all eyes were on Evolution Racing, which tacked away from HiFi at the bottom…
- Phuket News
Phuket caddie gunned down, killed
PHUKET: A caddie at the Mission Hills golf club in Phuket was killed by single gunshot to the back of the head yesterday morning. Thalang Police identified the victim as Amornrat Petchtrong, 26. Local villagers discovered her body before dawn on an access road about 200 meters from the golf course in Pa Khlok. An eyewitness told police he was…
- Phuket News
Phuket Gazette poll: Will the Patong Tunnel ever see daylight?
PHUKET: A majority of Gazette online readers think the Patong Tunnel will become a reality some day – but they disagree on when that day will come. In the latest readers’ poll, readers were asked: Do you think the proposed tunnel beneath Patong Hill will ever be built? And if so, when? Overall, almost two-thirds of respondents (64.4%) thought the…
- Phuket News
Phuket King’s Cup Regatta: Day 2 update
PHUKET: With the final provisional results just in for today’s racing in the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2010, Ray Robert’s Evolution Racing has kept pole position in the Racing class with arch rival Neil Pryde’s HiFi still in second place. The Evolution crew have so far secured four wins from five races. With three races left in the regatta, the…
- Thailand News
Lotto luck sought from double genital dog
MUKDAHAN: There’s a well known – if slightly crude – expression in the United Kingdom: “As happy as a dog with two dicks”. But how happy is a dog with two vaginas? Anyone wishing to find out should pay a visit to Udorn Battasao, 29, who lives in a village in Mukdahan province. Mr Udorn is the proud owner of…
- Phuket News
Top Thai junior golfers to play in Phuket
PHUKET: More than 140 of Thailand’s best junior golfers will compete at the Thai Golf Association (TGA) Junior Regional Championship at Phuket Country Club this week. The four-day competition, for boys and girls between the ages of nine and 17, starts on Wednesday. Play culminates with the final round on Saturday, when the regional junior champion will be crowned. Featuring…
- Phuket News
Evolution Racing leads Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2010
PHUKET: Defending Racing class champion Neil Pryde on HiFi started the first day of Phuket King’s Cup Regatta (KCR) 2010 today with a win, but it was Ray Roberts’ Evolution Racing who closed the day leading the class. After placing fourth in the first race this morning, Evolution recovered to win the next two races. “In the first race there…
- Phuket News
Phuket ramps up Christmas blood drive
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center is stepping up its blood donation campaign in the run-up to the”Seven Days of Danger”, when more supplies will be needed to meet an expected increase in road accidents over the holidays. The Phuket chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society has announced that the center’s mobile blood collection clinic will accept donations at…
- Phuket News
Anapat, 10, sails to Phuket dinghy race victory
PHUKET: Sailing sensation Anapat Ngarmdee, 10, proved to be one of the stars of the opening weekend of the King’s Cup Regatta by clinching first place in the inaugural Phuket King’s Cup Dinghy Series. The four-series event, featuring a total of 20 races, finished off Kata Beach yesterday. Anapat finished in the top spot, heading a field of 19 Optimist-class…
- Phuket News
Phuket drug detection gone to the dogs
PHUKET: Local authorities expect two puppies now under intensive training at Phuket International Dog School (PIDS) to become effective drug detection dogs by January. The two candidates, Bebe and Boo Boo, are both four months old. Bebe is a four-kilogram female beagle, while Boo Boo is a male pit bull currently weighing in at seven kilos. The project is the…
- Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Fire lanterns out of control
PHUKET: The festive season is upon us and visitors from around the world continue to pour into Phuket in what is shaping up to be a banner high season for tourism – at least in terms of arrivals. Use of khom loy (“fire lanterns”) is increasingly common during festivals in Phuket and the night sky above our island was replete…
- Phuket News
O’Donnell wins Phuket’s inaugural Ironman 70.3
PHUKET: Former US Navy lieutenant Tim O’Donnell today dominated the formidable 50-strong field of some 800 competitors to win the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship at Laguna Phuket in just under four hours. The American, whose impressive 2010 season included the Ironman 70.3 Florida title, was first out of the water from the 1.9km swim in 24 minutes 34 seconds.…
- Phuket News
Top-class field set for Phuket’s Ironman 70.3
PHUKET: Reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion Michael Raelert of Germany will head a high-caliber field of international professional triathletes at the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship tomorrow. The race will also include a legend an Ironman legend, Ironman Craig Alexander from Australia. It will get underway with the first wave at 7am at Laguna Phuket resort. Ironman is triathlon’s ultimate…
- Phuket News
New Pink Bus route announced
PHUKET: The award-winning Pink Buses in Phuket Town will ply a new route between Saphan Hin and Rassada early next year. Paiboon Upatising, president of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO), told the Gazette that the new route will be serviced by eight new vehicles, known locally as po thong. It will be the third PPAO Pink Bus route to…
