Legacy Phuket Gazette
- World News
French journalist forced to leave China after article on Xinjiang
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community French journalist forced to leave China after article on Xinjiang Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A French journalist has been forced to leave China after the government said it would not renew her press credentials for the new year in response to a critical report on…
- Phuket News
TAT: more than B4bn generated over holidays
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office expects that when the final numbers are in, more than 4 billion baht will have been generated over the holiday season. “All flights to Phuket have been full, with hotel operators reporting about 80 per cent occupancy,” said Anoma Wongyai, director of the TAT Phuket Office. “Most of the Asian tourists…
- Phuket News
Four dead on Phuket roads by New Year’s Eve
PHUKET: Phuket’s road-death toll remained at four at the end of day three of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign, with the latest fatality occurring in the early hours of yesterday morning. The death of Aeksalayut Inrith, 28, occurred in front of Supercheap Villa 5 on Chaofa West Road yesterday. He was driving under the influence and without a…
- Phuket News
Latvian tourist drowns on New Year’s Eve in Phuket
PHUKET: A Latvian tourist drowned in front of her family after being dragged out to sea by a large wave at Mai Khao Beach yesterday. Family members of Masite Micule, 67, informed lifeguards on duty about what happened as soon as she went missing in the water, confirmed Mai Khao chief lifeguard Panpong Chukaew. “She was swept from the beach…
- Cannabis News
Phuket drug dealer busted with 11kg of marijuana
PHUKET: Police arrested a 22-year-old man for possession of about 11 kilograms of marijuana, an illegal firearm and other drug paraphernalia at a location near Bangkok Hospital Phuket yesterday evening. “We received a tip-off that Subinnimit Rakvet, 22, was dealing marijuana in the Talad Yai area, making deliverers on his Kawasaki Ninja motorbike,” said Maj Ritthichai Choomchuy of the Phuket…
- Phuket News
Road fatality numbers grow on day two of road-saftey campaign
PHUKET: More road fatalities have been added to the tally of the already tarnished zero-deaths goal of this year’s ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign. As day two drew to a close, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office statistics revealed that the island saw 10 further road accidents, resulting in 9 injuries and the deaths of…
- Phuket News
A Decade Ago: Marking the one year anniversary of the tsunami
PHUKET: On an island accustomed to horrific, devastating and dumbfoundingly absurd news, the page one lead story that captured the hearts of Phuket Gazette readers a decade ago was one of recovery and love – who says good news can’t sell? With uncharacteristic typographical enthusiasm (underlined and accompanied by an exclamation mark), the headline in the December 31, 2005 –…
- Phuket News
Navy rescue mission saves seven lost at sea
PHUKET: A Royal Thai Navy rescue mission last night saved seven sailors who were left adrift about 150 nautical miles from Phuket after an engine explosion caused their cargo ship to sink. Though Marine Police originally reported that there were eight crew members on board Aung Chat Sar as it transported an undisclosed type of timber originating from the conflict-infected…
- Opinion
Island View: ‘Like’ before you drive
PHUKET: Having a mobile phone in Thailand has been the norm for about 10 years. When the phones were first introduced, it was a big deal to be able to call anyone, anytime, anywhere. However, because of this, people were causing more traffic accidents from using their phones while driving. This is why the government implemented a law prohibiting people…
- Thai Life
Blazing Saddles: Making new year resolutions fun
PHUKET: Making (and often immediately breaking) New Year’s resolutions is an age-old tradition all over the world, as we pass from one year into the next. Hope, and its close cousin self delusion, are abundant at this time of year as we promise to be better and brighter versions of ourselves. In Phuket, in fact, you get not just one,…
- Bangkok News
History: Bangkok for the holidays raises query about Victory Monument
PHUKET: People who live in Bangkok are probably familiar with the Victory Monument. For those visiting, however, there is a good chance you will spend some time stuck in traffic in this famous circle, and this might cause you to contemplate what it commemorates. One of Bangkok’s iconic landmarks, the Victory Monument is located at the intersection of Phahonyothin Road,…
- Opinion
Opinion: AEC has arrived
PHUKET: With 2015 behind us and the Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration measures now ostensibly in effect, it is time for Phuket and its all-important tourism industry to map out strategies for continued growth in 2016. The past year certainly tested the island’s resilience. But despite Thailand’s first major international terror attack in Bangkok, the ongoing insurgency in the Deep…
- Business News
Business Buzz: Get off to an online start
PHUKET: Welcome to Business Buzz 2016! This year we have moved to a monthly format so that we can cover the topics we want in more depth and provide you with more useful information. By now you will have made (and hopefully not broken) your new year’s resolutions. It is generally a pretty safe assumption that people with an entrepreneurial…
- Business News
Finance: Keep calm, and invest on
PHUKET: Stock market corrections don’t come often, but when they do, they tend to come on fast and cause investors (along with the media) to panic. After all, it’s not uncommon to experience a double digit portfolio loss in a matter of weeks, or even over the course of just a few trading days. However, taking the following things into…
- Phuket News
Annual safety checks on tourist boats begin
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office has begun making their annual inspections of boats and ferries carrying tourists out of Rassada Pier to ensure their safety during the New Year holiday. More than 13,000 locals and tourists are expected to depart from the island’s piers during this holiday’s long weekend. “Passengers’ safety remains our top priority. Boats must not carry more…
- Phuket News
Officials mull over marine waste management and safety
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office will discuss new measures to promote marine cleanliness and safety during a meeting today with boat and pier operators. Officials aim to review existing marine policy measures, as well as develop new ones, and emphasize stricter enforcement of current regulations. Specific issues under consideration include waste management and the installation of CCTV cameras at all…
- World News
Swiss shopping centre evacuated after bomb threat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Swiss shopping centre evacuated after bomb threat Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Swiss shopping centre in a town near the northern city of Basel was evacuated on Tuesday due to a bomb threat, police said. An anonymous caller threatened to detonate a bomb in the…
- World News
Italy police rumble airport art thieves
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Italy police rumble airport art thieves Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Italian police have uncovered a complex network of thieves who stole valuable paintings at Rome’s main airport, and charged two of the hub’s staff with stealing the art works. Cleaners and customer service staff duped…
- World News
SeaWorld sues California commission over orca breeding ban
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community SeaWorld sues California commission over orca breeding ban Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: SeaWorld sued California authorities on Tuesday, seeking to overturn a decision that allows the San Diego theme park to expand its orca habitat only if it stops breeding killer whales in captivity. The…
- Phuket News
Two dead in first 30 hours of ‘Seven Days of Danger’ campaign
PHUKET: As the first full day of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road safety campaign came to a close, the goal of zero road fatalities was already dashed. According to statistics issued by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket Office, the island saw 10 road accidents on day one of the campaign, resulting in 11 injuries and the…
- Phuket News
Only flicker of light at Phuket tsunami memorial ceremony
PHUKET: After much fanfare marking the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami last year, the Light Up Phuket memorial on Patong Beach was extraordinarily quiet. In years past, the entire beach was lit up with candles decorating sand sculptures. However, this year, no free candles or flowers were handed out, and only about twenty candles were set out in…
- Phuket News
No change in tuk-tuk safety regulations
PHUKET: There will be no immediate changes in safety regulations following a British woman’s fall to her death from the back of a tuk-tuk on December 20. “There will be no changes to our rules,” said Jaturong Kaewkasi, the chief policy adviser for the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO). “Tuk-tuks in Phuket are regulated by the Department of Land Transport.…
- Phuket News
OrBorTor head to become new Phuket FC president
PHUKET: Cherng Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Ma-ann Samran announced his new appointment as president of the Phuket Football Club (Phuket FC) today. The announcement follows the resignation of former president Pramookpisitt Achariyachai and other key management members of Phuket FC after the team was relegated to Division 2 (story here). “I had the chance to meet with Mr Pramookpisitt…
- Phuket News
Local jet-ski rental operators deny involvement in Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt’s son breaking leg in Phuket
PHUKET: Jet-ski operators, Marine Police and international hospital staff in Phuket were unable to confirm the US Weekly report that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s 12-year-old son Pax broke his leg while jet-skiing in Phuket. Though no photos were provided, ‘a source’ told US weekly that Pax ‘is on the mend and hobbling around on crutches’. However, People.com reported yesterday…
- World News
Man dies in Germany after blowing up condom machine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man dies in Germany after blowing up condom machine Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A man died on Christmas Day in Germany after he was hit in the head by a flying piece of metal from a condom machine that he and two accomplices blew up…
- World News
Myanmar activist jailed for ‘ridiculing’ army and uniform
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar activist jailed for ‘ridiculing’ army and uniform Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Myanmar court jailed a woman for six months on Monday for a Facebook post “ridiculing” the country’s army chief and the color of a new uniform, the latest in an escalating crackdown…
- Phuket News
Missing boat captain rescued by fishing vessel
PHUKET: A missing long-tail boat captain was rescued yesterday morning after his boat was struck by large waves and sunk between Koh Ma and Koh Lanta Yai. “Jamrus Boonchoo, 31, was on his way back to Koh Lanta from Phi Phi on Saturday when his boat was struck by waves. He was reported missing by his family, whom he had…
- World News
Thai PM defends British murders verdict against protests
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai PM defends British murders verdict against protests Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Thailand’s prime minister lashed out on Monday at protesters who took to the streets of Myanmar’s Yangon on the weekend after a Thai court sentenced two Myanmar migrant workers to death for murdering…
- Phuket News
Governor tables Hat Yai-Phuket railway project
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada tabled a project on Thursday that would see the construction of a railway between Hat Yai and Phuket. The move to promote tourism for the ASEAN community with the project was prompted by the opening of railway tracks for Hat Yai-Padang Besar, Malaysia, on December 21. “We now have the opportunity to give travellers the…
- Phuket News
American killed in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: An American died in a single motorbike accident on the coastal road connecting Patong and Karon at about 2am yesterday. Jeffrey Earl Patterson, 54, was rushed to Patong Hospital and then transferred to the better equipped Vachira Phuket Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, explained Lt Veerayut Thansirisukworakul of the Karon Police. “The Honda Click that he had rented…
