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 News

    Patong lifeguards revive Russian boy after swimming lesson with dad goes wrong

    PHUKET: Patong Beach lifeguards were hailed as heroes yesterday for saving the life of a 5-year-old Russian boy, who nearly drowned while being taught to swim by his father. The incident occurred at the beach area opposite the entrance to Bangla Road. Lifeguard Somprasong Seangchart said the boy’s father ran up the beach carrying his unconscious son to seek help…

  • Phuket NewsTwo dead, 20 injured in speedboat collision [video] | Thaiger

    Two dead, 20 injured in speedboat collision [video]

    PHUKET: Two tourists were killed and about 20 injured, many of the seriously, when two speed boats loaded with tourists collided near Phi Phi about 12:30pm today. The boats, named Chanakit 856 and Hongfah 20 were carrying 36 and 26 passengers respectively. The bodies of the dead tourists and the injured were ferried back to Phuket’s Rassada pier where emergency…

  • Phuket News

    Surin Beach reopens tomorrow as Rajabhakti Park

    PHUKET: Surin Beach is to be officially reopened as Rajabhakti Park tomorrow, in a ceremony to commemorate the reign of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ascended the throne on the same date in 1946. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has invited Phuketians to dress in yellow and attend the public event at Phuket’s ‘Beach of Honor’, which King Bhumibol visited…

  • Thai Life

    Tribute gig planned for late Phuket music legend Snake

    PHUKET: Well-known Phuket-based musician Piboon ‘Snake’ Kayalak passed away on May 25, aged 51. Over the past eight years, Mr Piboon played all over Phuket at some of the island’s top live music venues. A Thai native, Piboon was the bassist for the Colin Hill & Pjae Stanley Band. “He will be remembered as a superb musician, friend and brother,…

  • Property

    Post-high-season autopsy on Phuket’s luxury property market

    PHUKET: As I sit in my office on a faceless Saturday afternoon heading into low season, a song that flips up on Spotify grabs my attention – Ike and Tina Turner’s ‘River Deep, Mountain High’.My heart nearly skips a beat as Tina grittily sings the lines “And it gets stronger, in every way. And it gets deeper, let me say.…

  • Opinion

    Opinion: Extending tourism benefits to locals

    Charan Sangsarn has been the Secretary General of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce since 2014. He’s earned Bachelor’s degrees from the Faculty of Law, Ramkhamhaeng University and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, as well as one from the Faculty of Public Administration, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University. He also has a Master’s degree in Political Science from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University and…

  • Phuket News

    Patong cafe clash leaves one dead

    PHUKET: One man is dead and another wounded after they were attacked outside a karaoke venue in Patong during the early hours of the morning. According to Patong police reports, the fight began in the Mon Can Cafe at 2:30am. “Rachan Banlangsuang, 32, said he was finishing a shift waiting tables at the cafe, when he and the cashier, a…

  • Thailand News

    “Tiger Temple’ faces possible closure, more criminal investigation

    KANCHANABURI: The ‘Tiger Temple’ could be permanently closed if its land use permit from the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) is revoked, the National Office of Buddhism disclosed yesterday. With the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP) relocating all tigers from Wat Pa Luangta Bua, better known as the ‘Tiger Temple’, and finding evidence of illegal trading in…

  • Phuket News

    Body of missing Phuket fisherman found in Phang Nga

    PHUKET: A Phuket fisherman’s body was found in Phang Nga this morning, after he was reported missing from Mai Khao yesterday. Aroon Singkhala, 63, disappeared during a fishing trip at a mangrove forest at Mai Khao, confirmed Sarit Bootnongsaeng, deputy superintendent of the Tah Chat Chai Police. “He went missing in the morning. When he did not return in the…

  • Phuket News

    Second turtle killed by propellers in Krabi this week

    KRABI: Marine officials are urging boat operators to slow down and take greater care while plying Phang Nga Bay, after the body of a green sea turtle washed ashore in Phi Phi National Park on Saturday. Officers believe the endangered animal was killed by a boat propeller. “The turtle is about 90 centimeters long and weighs about 40 kilograms. The…

  • Thai Life

    Profile: Making science easy, cheap and accessible for all

    PHUKET: Asst Prof Dr Aree Choo-dum, 36, originally from Phatthalung, is currently a professor at Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Phuket Campus and also part of a team of researchers who invented cheap effective explosive test kits, for which they were awarded silver medals at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2016. Dr Aree is an expert in forensic chemistry…

  • Opinion

    Island View: Phuket’s perennial road-flooding problems during rainy season

    PHUKET: With the return of the rains last week, Phuket’s perennial road-flooding problems also made a dramatic comeback. But not on one stretch of highway that has been blighted for over a decade by impassably deep puddles. The junction by the TOT’s main office on Chao Fa West was transformed into a no-go lake with every heavy tropical downpour –…

  • Phuket NewsAirport axe-man charged, gets licence suspended [video] | Thaiger

    Airport axe-man charged, gets licence suspended [video]

    PHUKET: An axe-wielding taxi driver was arrested hours after a video of him at Phuket International Airport was published on Facebook on Saturday. “The video, uploaded by Woratat Wuttikorn, shows 45-year-old Nuttawut Chidjui waving the axe before putting it back in the vehicle,” confirmed Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Bundit Khaosutham of the Tourist Police Region 5. This rude taxi driver…

  • Pattaya News

    Phuket international school eyed for takeover

    PHUKET: The British International School Phuket (BISP) is in talks with global education provider Nord Anglia, which is making a bid to take over the school’s operations. In a letter addressed to parents last week, BIS CEO Apiwat Ourairat stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the school and Nord Anglia over the potential lease of…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket to host sixth Toyota Motorsport event

    PHUKET: Get ready for some motorsport fun at Saphan Hin next month, as Toyota Motorsport returns to Phuket with its ‘Fast Fun Fest’ series for the sixth year running. Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul joined Toyota executives at the event press conference in Phuket Town on Friday as Toyota announced its 30th year of motorsports this year. Toyota will also…

  • Phuket News

    Boiler explosion injures two at Krabi palm oil factory

    KRABI: Two workers were injured, one of them seriously, when a boiler exploded yesterday at a palm oil refinery in Khao Phanom, Krabi. Police reported that the boiler exploded around midday. Officers arrived to find palm oil spilled throughout the facility. The two injured workers were taken to Khao Phanom Hospital. Ekkachai Sawaddiwong, 21, was released from the hospital yesterday.…

  • Phuket News

    Strong waves, winds wash up trash on Phi Phi

    PHI PHI: Officials are cleaning up piles of trash that washed up on Hat Noppharat Thara Beach in Phi Phi National Park yesterday due to monsoon season rains and strong waves. “The beach is about two kilometers long. Most of the trash is plastic bags and bottles that people do not dispose off properly,” said Pinit Engchuan of Phi Phi…

  • World NewsBoxing great Muhammad Ali dead at age 74 | Thaiger

    Boxing great Muhammad Ali dead at age 74

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boxing great Muhammad Ali dead at age 74 Phuket Gazette / Reuters US: Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, whose record-setting boxing career, unprecedented flair for showmanship, and controversial stands made him one of the best-known figures of the 20th century, died on Friday aged 74,…

  • Thailand News

    One tourist killed, seven trapped in Koh Chang hotel collapse

    KOH CHANG: One tourist was killed and seven others were trapped inside a two-story beachfront hotel on Koh Chang when it collapsed following torrential rains this morning. Koh Chang police commander Col Arwat Pibulsawat said the Siam Beach Hotel near Siam Beach in Kaibae Village tumbled down at 6am. He said a two-year-old child was among the trapped tourists. Rescuers…

  • Business News

    Key sectors to watch out for in the stock market

    PHUKET: May to October is often a season of choppy sideways action. The old adage, ‘Sell in May and go away,’ already appears to be holding true as over the last three weeks, US markets and global markets have pulled back from overhead resistance levels on their technical charts. The Nasdaq index in particular is looking bad as tech, semiconductor…

  • Business News

    Krabi man grows cash crop in backyard

    KRABI: The growing nationwide demand for jasmine has led one man to set up his own backyard cottage industry. Vichan Tongsanay, 40, who works as a deckhand at the Krabi Marine Office, said he earns around 300 baht per day by selling the flowering plant. “I’ve been growing jasmine in the heart of my village for 5-6 months,” Mr Vichan…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket teens concoct ‘legal high’ using pharmacy drugs

    PHUKET: A dangerous new drug mixture known as ‘gas’ is gaining popularity among Phuket teenagers and others in the southern region. The drug – prepared by mixing cough medicine, allergy medicine, pain killers, or muscle relaxants with a soft drink or other mixer – has yet to be declared illegal. Currently, pharmacists are allowed to sell these drugs to walk-in…

  • Opinion

    Opinion: Limiting the damage to Thailand’s precious resources

    PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette supports the government’s efforts to return stolen mangrove land to the state, only if the investigation can be conducted in a fair and transparent way, that punishes the real wrongdoers and limits damage to innocent third parties. Dating back to the start of the tin mining era in the 1930s, the destruction of mangrove forests at…

  • Phuket News

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Waiting 20 minutes for a roti

    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.…

  • Phuket News

    Naka Noi ‘owner’ pleads for Land Department reversal

    PHUKET: The owner of a land company claiming 24 rai on Naka Noi Island is petitioning the Land Department director-general in Bangkok, after a committee voted to revoke his company’s land documents. The land dispute over parcels of Naka Noi, some three kilometers off Phuket’s east coast, has long been a source of controversy, with reported sightings of armed gunmen…

  • Koh Samui News

    Samui drug addict dies while in custody

    SAMUI: Officials are investigating the death of a man who was being held in custody at the Bo Phut Police Station in Koh Samui yesterday. “Kosin Tongjutha, 44, originally from Nothanburi Province, was found dead in his jail cell with no signs of a struggle,” said Lt Col Denduang Tongsisuk of the Bo Phut Police. “A urine test has confirmed…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket university aims to produce young tourism ambassadors

    PHUKET: The Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Phuket Campus held a Young Tourist Ambassador 2016 (Young TAMB) camp to support quality tourism in the Andaman region from May 26 to 31. “We recruited 58 students from various schools in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Ranong,” said Asst Prof Dr Rattana Wetprasit, director of the community college of PSU-Phuket Campus.…

  • Phuket News

    Four jailed, heavily fined for land theft

    PHUKET: Four Thais have been convicted for forging land title documents, claiming ownership over more than 400 rai of Sirinath National Park, government officials announced on Wednesday. The felons face up to 14 years in prison and more than nine million baht each in fines, announced the Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) Director-General Thanya Netithammakun. He…

  • Phuket News

    MOTS director ready for new beginning

    PHUKET: Santi Pawai, the director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Phuket Office (MOTS), is being transferred to the position of director at the Institute of Personnel Development for Physical Education and Sports in the Department of Physical Education. “The order will come into effect on June 8 but until then, it’s business as usual,” Mr Santi told the…

  • Thailand News

    Tiger bodies, parts found at Tiger Temple

    KANCHANABURI: Wildlife officials yesterday found more than 40 dead tiger cubs in a freezer in Wat Pa Luangta Maha Bua Yannasam-panno, more widely known as the Tiger Temple. Officials from the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (NPD) found the frozen cubs while removing 137 tigers from the temple, and relocating them to breeding centers in Ratchaburi Province, near…