- Phuket News
Another corpse found in Phuket’s Rasada area
RASSADA, PHUKET: Police have yet to identify the remains of a man whose badly decomposing body was discovered in a wooded area off the access road to Rassada Harbor on Wednesday. Local residents found the deceased lying in a thicket about 100 meters from the road. They called police, who found no signs of a struggle at the scene. Phuket…
- Phuket News
Phuket Marine Biological Center launches turtle project
CAPE PANWA, PHUKET: Researchers from Bangkok and Phuket are preparing to launch Thailand’s first artificial insemination project for sea turtles at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). Researcher Kanjana Adulyanukosol, who heads the PMBC Endangered Species Unit, said her team will work with researchers from Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science to extract semen from male sea turtles and store…
- Phuket News
Hilton Phuket Arcadia tipped to host Asean summit
KARON, PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban today leads the defense minister, commanders of the armed forces and the national police chief to visit Phuket ahead of the upcoming Asean summit. The group is meeting with tourism industry leaders and local government officials at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa this afternoon. However, it has yet to be formally…
- Phuket News
Phuket stars in The Dream Hotel TV series
PHUKET: Last month, the cast and crew of TV romance adventure The Dream Hotel celebrated completion of filming in and around Phuket for the German-speaking movie, which will be broadcast in Germany and parts of Scandinavia to approximately 12 million viewers in 2010. Dream Hotel is a popular German-speaking travel documentary TV series that highlights luxury resorts in exotic locations…
- Phuket News
Phuket charity box bandit nabbed by The Magnet
PHUKET CITY: For a combination of stupidity and lack of ethics, few crimes in Phuket in recent years match that of a man who tried to steal a charity donation box placed on the main counter of the Phuket City Police Station. At 12:30pm on April 21, a police officer noticed that the charity donation box for the Foundation for…
- Phuket News
Phuket dive site damaged by trawler
PHUKET: One of the airplanes at the artificial reef dive site off Phuket known as the “Coral Reef Squadron” has been damaged after being hit by the anchor of a fishing trawler. Rainer Gottwald, CEO of the Thai Dive Association (TDA) technical committee, said the damage probably occurred on the night of April 10. It was discovered the following day. A…
- Phuket News
Good support for Phuket Summer Season campaign
PHUKET: Key Phuket tourism industry executives and Tourism officials gathered at The Chedi hotel on Surin Beach yesterday to show their support for the recently launched public relations campaign to promote Phuket Summer Season. The event, organized by Summer in Phuket campaign leader Nick Anthony, attracted about 200 participants who pledged to join forces in “canceling Low Season” and promoting the…
- Phuket News
Phuket well prepared for swine flu outbreak
PHUKET CITY: Despite no cases of “swine flu” being recorded in Thailand, public health officials are taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus into the country through Phuket Airport and other air gateways. Pongsawad Ratanasang, director of the Public Health Office, told the media he is not overly concerned by the danger posed to the island by this…
- Phuket News
Phuket Police gear up for planned Asean summit
PHUKET CITY: It was a busy day yesterday at Phuket City Police headquarters, where some 300 officers began two days of special training in how to deal forcefully but effectively with large crowds and riots.The training, ordered by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pigad Thantipong, was in reaction to the political turmoil in the capital and other parts of the country.It…
- Phuket News
Phuket dive boat accident relatives urged to file claims
PHUKET CITY: Relatives of several European victims of the Choke Somboon 19 disaster off Phuket Island have yet to file insurance claims with underwriter AIG, which is waiting to pay out 200,000 baht for each of the deceased.The seven victims – Swiss, German and Austrian – were covered under a mandatory group insurance policy taken out by Dive Asia Phuket,…
- Phuket News
Three Phuket businessmen charged with encroachment
PHUKET CITY: Three prominent Phuket businessmen yesterday morning presented themselves at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) headquarters in Bangkok to face allegations of land encroachment at Koh Yao Yai in Phang Nga. Pol Lt Col Prawuth Wongsrinil, head of the DSI’s consumer and environment protection unit, identified the businessmen as Thawat, Tara and Prasit Tantipiriyakij. A fourth man, Bumrung…
- Phuket News
Burrowes free after paying 500 baht fine
PHUKET CITY: The Simon Burrowes saga appears to have finally come to a conclusion as the Englishman pled guilty to a charge of being impolite to a state official and was fined 500 baht. Burrowes was due to fly back to the UK on January 31, but became involved in an altercation with Immigration Police officials at Phuket International Airport,…
- Phuket News
Pollution solution due in October, 2010
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Municipality last week held a hearing to present to the public its plan to build a second waste-to-energy incinerator, scheduled to go on-line in October, 2010. About 300 government officers and members of the public attended the session, held last Thursday afternoon at the Phuket Merlin Hotel. Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima chaired the hearing and Phuket…
- Phuket News
Social security contributions lowered
PHUKET: In a bid to increase spending, the Thai Social Security Fund (SSF) plans to lower monthly contributions from both employers and employees during the ongoing economic crisis. The Social Security Office board, which manages the fund, is scheduled to meet today to conclude details of the contribution reduction. “The reduction should be applicable for six months starting from June,”…
- Phuket News
Swine flu scanner installed at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport and two other major Thai aviation gateways have installed thermo-scanners to screen foreign passengers for swine flu. The two other locations now using the infrared sensors are Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Chiang Mai International Airport. Travellers found with suspicious flu symptoms that could develop into the swine influenza will be asked to undergo treatment at the…
- Phuket News
Airport Authority lowers landing fees again
MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Airports of Thailand (AOT) is to make a further reduction in landing fees at the six airports under its control, including Phuket International Airport (PIA). In a bid to help struggling airlines battered by dire economic conditions and Thailand’s continuing political turmoil, fees will now be reduced by 30%. Parking fees will also be waived for aircraft…
- Phuket News
Tourism businesses urged to join Phuket re-branding launch
PHUKET, Thailand: A group of local hoteliers and businesses in Phuket have “cancelled” Low Season – April 15 through November 1 – and are renaming the period more appropriately as “Summer Season”, to better reflect the fact that Phuket is one of the world’s top year-round vacation and second home destinations. For further details about Summer in Phuket, visit www.summerinphuket.com…
- Phuket News
Samkong Bridge project nears completion
PHUKET CITY: Workers from the Phuket Rock Company toiled hard over the weekend making repairs to part of the Samkong Bridge, which supports two lanes of traffic on Yaowarat Road.The bridge, built in 1970, passes over Klong Bangyai near Bangkok Hospital in the busy Samkong part of Phuket City.Klong Bangyai, Phuket largest watercourse, drains water from large parts of Muang…
- Phuket News
Phuket may gain from bullish view on Thai markets
PHUKET: Renowned investment guru Mark Mobius remains upbeat about the Thai stock market, due to its “undervalued prices and high dividend yields”. Speaking on Friday at a seminar in Bangkok entitled “The Thai Economy: If It Can Recover”, Mobius said the dividend yield on Thai shares currently averages about 5.5%, well above that of other emerging markets, which are at…
- Phuket News
Gov Wichai to push four road projects for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: In a bid to ease traffic congestion, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop will push four new road projects for the island. Gov Wichai told a press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall earlier this week that the ever-increasing number of cars on Phuket’s roads makes expansion of the island road network a necessity. The first project would be a new…
- Phuket News
Tourism outlook positive after lifting of emergency rule
PHUKET: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has pledged to ensure peace and normalcy by relying on relevant laws following the lifting of emergency rule in Greater Bangkok yesterday. “It is the duty of my government to keep the peace, and I pledge to allay public concerns about security by invoking relevant laws without taking any extra measures,” he said. PM Abhisit…
- Phuket News
Frogmen plug leaking oil tank in Satun
PHUKET CITY: A team of frogmen yesterday sealed a hole in the tank of a sunken fishing vessel off Satun’s Koh Lipe, stopping an oil leak that left some island beaches blackened earlier in the week. The oil leak was first noticed early last Saturday morning at Ao Pramong, on the north coast of Koh Lipe. In an all-day operation…
- Phuket News
Game shop killer surrenders
PHUKET CITY: Ekawood Pipatratana, the video game center owner who accidentally shot and killed a 12-year-old boy in his shop on Wednesday, handed himself in to police today. Mr Ekawood, 43, dumped Amornthep “Gaga” Panya-sirikul’s body in marshland near Phuket International Airport before fleeing in his car to his wife in Bangkok. At a press conference at Phuket City Police…
- Phuket News
Mob leader slams Cherng Talay Police
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: A member of the mob protesting alleged police inaction in the murder of a 12-year-old boy by an Internet cafe owner spoke with the Gazette late yesterday afternoon about why the group continued to block a stretch of Srisoonthorn Road through the night – even after the victim’s family had disbanded after meeting with the governor. Identifying…
- Phuket News
Cherng Talay protesters finally disband
CHERNG TALAY, PHUKET: An adamant group of protesters continued to block a 300-meter stretch of Srisoonthorn Road in Baan Bang Tao most of today, demanding police catch the man responsible for the shooting murder of 12-year-old Amornthep “Gaga” Panya-sirikul. The group finally disbanded late this afternoon following unconfirmed reports that the shooter was about to turn himself in to authorities.…
- Phuket News
Boy killed in gun play gone wrong
PHUKET, CHERNG TALAY: A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed following a gun play accident at an internet and games shop in Baan Bang Tao, Cherng Talay at about noon yesterday.The shooting occurred at Dr Com Electronic Center located opposite Baan Bang Tao School on Srisoonthorn Road when the owner of the cafe, Ekawood Pipatratana, 34, was showing off his…
- Phuket News
Phuket cancels ‘low season’
PHUKET: A group of local hotels and other businesses in Phuket have “canceled” Low Season – April 15 through November 1 – and are renaming the period more appropriately: “Summer Season”. The new designation (‘re-branding’) is being undertaken to better reflect the fact that Phuket is one of the world’s top year-round vacation and second-home destinations. “We’re going to have…
- Phuket News
Oil still leaking from sunken fishing boat off Koh Lipe
PHUKET CITY: Oil continues to rise to the surface from a sunken fishing vessel off the coast of Satun, endangering marine life and threatening the tourism industry of nearby Koh Lipe. Yesterday, Alee Suksuwan, head of the Satun Provincial Environmental Protection department, visited the site where oil continues to break the surface from the fuel tank of the vessel, which…
- Phuket News
PM confirms plan for Phuket to host Asean summit in June
PHUKET: The government has tentatively chosen Phuket to host the Asean summit with six dialogue partners from the Asia-Pacific region in June, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday. The summit, initially to be held from April 10-12, had to be canceled after it was stormed by red-shirt protesters in Pattaya. Dates for the next summit could not be fixed yet because several…
- Phuket News
Fisherman ends life by lethal injection with weed killer
RASSADA, PHUKET: A commercial fisherman allegedly cheated out of his pay by his employer ended his life yesterday morning by injecting himself with liquid weed killer. At 12:30pm on April 20, Phuket City Police duty inspector Pitak Sompong received a report from residents of Soi Hormok, off Srisuthat Road in Rassada Village 3, that they had found the body of…
