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.
  • OpinionOpinion: Promoting gastronomy [video] | Thaiger

    Opinion: Promoting gastronomy [video]

    Rangsiman Kingkaew is a Phuket native and the Secretary-General of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) He holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in economics from Thammasat University. Here he talks about his ideas on improving the standards of local eateries to live up to the province’s new title as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. PHUKET: Phuket was awarded the title…

  • Phuket NewsGovernor turns up the heat on drug-pushers in Kathu

    Governor turns up the heat on drug-pushers in Kathu

    PHUKET: Drug dealers and users in Kathu are feeling the heat with the latest crackdown ordered by the Phuket governor, who is on a mission to clean up the district. There are drug dealers at large and addicts that need to be cured, said Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada at the Kathu District Office yesterday. The governor also joined law enforcement…

  • Phuket NewsAirport-to-Patong speedboat shuttle service passes EIA

    Airport-to-Patong speedboat shuttle service passes EIA

    PHUKET: The proposed project to offer a speedboat shuttle service from Phuket International Airport to Patong has passed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), confirmed the governor today. “We are glad to have the support of the central government for the ‘From the Boat to the Plane’ project,” said Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. “It’s an excellent idea as an alternative transport…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket flyover project racks up huge fines, opens this month

    Phuket flyover project racks up huge fines, opens this month

    PHUKET: After suffering months of daily 200,000-baht fines, the construction company of the highly anticipated Klong Koh Pee Flyover will have the project ready to present to the public for the grand opening on April 6. “Locals have been waiting a long time for this project, which has been named ‘Thep Srisin Bridge’,” explained Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada during an…

  • World NewsPhilippine poll agency may block broadcasts of Pacquiao’s last fight | Thaiger

    Philippine poll agency may block broadcasts of Pacquiao’s last fight

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippine poll agency may block broadcasts of Pacquiao’s last fight Phuket Gazette / Reuters MANILA: The Philippines’ election commission on Tuesday said it may bar local broadcasts of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s bid to win back the world welterweight title next month because it could give…

  • Thailand NewsCambodians admit to raping French tourists in Thailand – foreign ministry | Thaiger

    Cambodians admit to raping French tourists in Thailand – foreign ministry

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Cambodians admit to raping French tourists in Thailand – foreign ministry Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: March 1, Five Cambodian fisherman have confessed to raping and assaulting French tourists on an isolated Thai beach, Cambodia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Thai police said…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket sea gypsies take fresh stand against Baron

    Phuket sea gypsies take fresh stand against Baron

    PHUKET: More than 200 sea gypsies yesterday prevented Baron World Trade Company from building a wall that would prevent the seafaring nomads from reaching a ceremonial site on land the company claims to own. Baron World Trade Company, which is one of a number of investors who claim to own Rawai seaview land currently occupied by the sea gypsies, sent…

  • Phuket NewsNok Air flights to resume normal schedules

    Nok Air flights to resume normal schedules

    PHUKET: After the cancellation of more than 100 flights since February 23, Nok Air has confirmed that all flight routes will be running back on schedule starting March 11. February 23 saw the airline cancelling 20 flights, which has been followed by the cancellation of 10 flights per day since, reported The Nation. The airline has been in the process…

  • Phuket NewsForeigners suspected of vandalizing iconic Phuket locations

    Foreigners suspected of vandalizing iconic Phuket locations

    PHUKET: Police are hunting two foreigners suspected of tagging numerous scenic and iconic locations in Phuket with graffiti, following a burst of outrage on social media. “We are aware of the situation and are working on co-ordinating our efforts with other police stations on the island,” said Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Somchai Sanprasert. “There are photos of two foreign…

  • PropertySansiri offers unique promotions at Central Festival Phuket

    Sansiri offers unique promotions at Central Festival Phuket

    PHUKET: Sansiri Public Company Limited has launched its ‘Uniquely You’ residential campaign at Central Festival Phuket, which ends tomorrow. “The purpose of this event is to promote our outstanding designs,” said Suriya Wannabuit, Sansiri’s executive vice president of project management and marketing department. “For example, Burasiri Koh Kaew is surrounded by trees and hills, whereas the Base Height in Samkong…

  • World NewsSpectre of joblessness puts focus on Beijing as it sets new 5-year plan | Thaiger

    Spectre of joblessness puts focus on Beijing as it sets new 5-year plan

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Spectre of joblessness puts focus on Beijing as it sets new 5-year plan Phuket Gazette / Reuters BEIJING: Job destruction from a slowing Chinese economy and reform of bloated state enterprises will put pressure on policymakers to come up with measures to create employment as Beijing…

  • World NewsGoogle says it bears ‘some responsibility’ after self-driving car hit bus | Thaiger

    Google says it bears ‘some responsibility’ after self-driving car hit bus

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Google says it bears ‘some responsibility’ after self-driving car hit bus Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google said on Monday it bears “some responsibility” after one of its self-driving cars struck a municipal bus in a minor crash earlier this month. The crash…

  • Phuket NewsAmerican found dead in Phuket villa

    American found dead in Phuket villa

    PHUKET: Police do not suspect foul play in the death of an American expat who was found dead in his Rawai villa yesterday afternoon. “Stephen Francis Emma, 60, was discovered by his gardener,” said Capt Wuttiwat Liang-boonjinda of the Chalong Police. “Mr Emma last spoke to his gardener on Friday when he told him that he went to the pharmacy…

  • Pattaya NewsPhuket food top of the tags on Instagram

    Phuket food top of the tags on Instagram

    PHUKET: Though the sultans of Instagram selfies reign in London, it’s Phuket food that gets the most publicity on the social media giant, according to research by airport transfer company Hoppa. “In the modern era, the holiday experience doesn’t just live in the moment and in the memory, it isn’t even resigned only to traditional photo albums… Because now, the…

  • Phuket NewsLight rail plans revised amid safety concerns

    Light rail plans revised amid safety concerns

    PHUKET: Plans for Phuket’s multi-billion-baht light rail project are being revised again to ensure better safety for motorists using the roads running alongside the proposed track routes, it was announced last week. The Highways Department, under the Ministry of Transport, has requested that the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP) modify the numerous level crossings planned along…

  • Thai LifeProfile: From penniless to priceless

    Profile: From penniless to priceless

    PHUKET: Suriyan ‘Romadon’ Kos-anea, 41, originally from Phang Nga, is currently an art teacher at Phuket Vocational College. He also owns a tea shop and art gallery in Rawai. The special thing about him is the way he uses his body for painting. In 2012, he was chosen as one of the last six contestants in the show Thailand’s Got…

  • Phuket News“We’re not mafia,’ say Phuket taxi drivers

    “We’re not mafia,’ say Phuket taxi drivers

    PHUKET: Phuket taxi drivers denied any mafia behavior, or association with any mafia organizations, at a meeting with Dussadee Arayawuthi, deputy permanent secretary for the Justice Ministry, on Friday. Kata-Karon taxi drivers joined beach vendors and other locals airing their grievances at the meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall. “We were following the established rules. We don’t understand why we are…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Zoo stonewalls orangutan investigators

    Phuket Zoo stonewalls orangutan investigators

    PHUKET: Phuket Zoo management is stonewalling officials investigating the case of Milo, a 13-year-old orangutan. “The Zoo manager, Surapong Chanthaweewong, has refused to answer any questions with regard to how the orangutan was obtained, cared for, or ‘released into the wild’,” said Piyawat Sukhon, chief of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non-hunting Zone. “He simply told us that we should continue…

  • Phuket NewsSUP champion comes to teach paddling in Phuket

    SUP champion comes to teach paddling in Phuket

    PHUKET: Champion standup paddleboarder and founder of the Stand Up Paddle Athletes Association (SUPAA), Chase Kosterlitz, starts a five-day standup paddleboard (SUP) clinic tomorrow. “Chase has a wealth of paddling knowledge and has competed at the elite level for a number of years. His depth of paddling experience and his ability to teach offers a great opportunity to learn. Whether…

  • Phuket NewsTourist drowns in Karon

    Tourist drowns in Karon

    PHUKET: Lifeguards pulled the body of a tourist from the waters off Karon yesterday. “I saw the man floating face down about 100 meters from the swimming area,” said lifeguard Mongkol Tanpisamai. “We immediately dispatched a rescue boat to retrieve him. We provided CPR – however, I’m certain he was dead when we pulled him from the water.” Though the…

  • Pattaya NewsJustice Ministry promises probe Phuket vendors’ grievances

    Justice Ministry promises probe Phuket vendors’ grievances

    PHUKET: About 300 Karon residents and business operators crowded into a meeting room at Phuket Provincial Hall Friday morning to air their grievances about beach regulations. Karon Beach vendors told Dussadee Arayawuthi, deputy permanent secretary of the Justice Ministry, that they were badly affected by the beach regulating policies implemented within the past two years. “Look at Pattaya, where beach…

  • Phuket NewsVideo Report: Orangutan saved, new laws needed

    Video Report: Orangutan saved, new laws needed

    PHUKET: Last week’s rescue of the Phuket Zoo orangutan, Milo, led to a firestorm of social and political activity bolstering efforts to close legal loopholes abused by exotic animal traders in Thailand. An amendment to the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act BE 2535 (1992) that will require those who posses animals named on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered…

  • Phuket News500-strong police force arrests Krabi squatters

    500-strong police force arrests Krabi squatters

    KRABI: About 500 Krabi police officers joined a mass raid to arrest about 100 oil palm squatters on Thursday. “We surrounded the area to check on the squatters who were trying to claim the land as their own after the previous owner’s license expired,” said Plai Phraya Police Superintendent Chamnan Chamnankij. “These people were still living on the plantation after…

  • World NewsIndian man kills 14 members of own family, then hangs himself | Thaiger

    Indian man kills 14 members of own family, then hangs himself

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indian man kills 14 members of own family, then hangs himself Phuket Gazette / Reuters NEW DELHI: A man in India stabbed 14 members of his own family to death, including seven children, before hanging himself, police said on Sunday, in one of the country’s worst…

  • Phuket NewsEnraged elephant kills mahout at trekking camp

    Enraged elephant kills mahout at trekking camp

    KRABI: An enraged bull elephant stomped his mahout to death at a trekking camp in Ao Nang on Saturday. The 12-year-old male elephant named ‘Plai Sridor Nakorn’ was in musth – an annual period of heightened testosterone levels – and had been chained up after becoming highly aggressive. The animal killed Anantamek Thongtae, 21, when the mahout attempted to unchain…

  • World NewsTwin suicide bombing kills 70 in Baghdad’s deadliest attack this year | Thaiger

    Twin suicide bombing kills 70 in Baghdad’s deadliest attack this year

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Twin suicide bombing kills 70 in Baghdad’s deadliest attack this year Phuket Gazette / Reuters BAGHDAD: A twin suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State killed 70 people in a Shi’ite district of Baghdad on Sunday in the deadliest attack inside the capital this year, as militants…

  • Phuket NewsOfficials investigate Kamala Beach encroachment allegations

    Officials investigate Kamala Beach encroachment allegations

    PHUKET: Officials are looking into allegations that vendors at Kamala Beach are encroaching beyond the ’10-percent zone’, which was established to restrict commercial activities to a small portion of the popular Phuket beach. An anonymous tip-off from a Phuket expat alleged that beach chairs, umbrellas, food stalls and tents have spread beyond the demarcation poles of the 10-percent zone. Photographic…

  • Phuket NewsCobra takes stand in Phuket bathroom

    Cobra takes stand in Phuket bathroom

    PHUKET: It was fright night yesterday for a woman in Phuket Town when she was confronted by a two-meter-long cobra that had taken up residence in her bathroom. The woman entered the room at about 11:30pm without switching on the light. In the darkness, she heard a slithering and hissing sound behind her. When she did turn the light on,…

  • World NewsPhilippines may ban pop singer Madonna for disrespect to flag | Thaiger

    Philippines may ban pop singer Madonna for disrespect to flag

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippines may ban pop singer Madonna for disrespect to flag Phuket Gazette / Reuters MANILA: American singer Madonna may face a ban in the Philippines for disrespecting the country’s flag in her concerts this week in Manila, a domestic broadcaster said on Friday, citing an official.…

  • Phuket NewsPatong awaits bid to bury beachfront cables

    Patong awaits bid to bury beachfront cables

    PHUKET: The project that will see unsightly power cables along Patong’s beachfront moved underground is awaiting finalization of the bidding process. The 230-million-baht project will be jointly funded by the Phuket Provincial Electric Authority (PEA) and the Patong Municipality (story here). “Contractors have submitted their bids to the PEA headquarters in Bangkok and one will be chosen by March,” confirmed…