Legacy Phuket Gazette
- Phuket News
Violent Phuket rioters to be hunted down
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada today swore to bring to justice the rioters who attacked Thalang Police Station on Saturday night. “I am sorry for the deaths of the two men; they were Phuket people. However, anyone who breaks the law must face justice. The people who set fire to the cars will not escape,” Governor Chamroen said. The investigation…
- Phuket News
Flash floods hit Chalong
PHUKET: Heavy rains drenched Chalong, causing flash floods, while other parts of the island have remained sunny today. Lt Chollada Chokdeesrijun of the Chalong Police warned motorists to beware of flooding in the area after nearly an hour of heavy rain fall. “Small vehicles have started to be able to pass the area, as the water level is getting lower,”…
- Business News
Laguna Tri-Fest draws Chinese numbers
PHUKET: Rising Chinese numbers at the Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest bodes well for years ahead, as the classic Phuket event looks to generate more than 90 million baht this year. “In the past two years, we’ve seen more than 50 per cent growth [in the number] of athletes from China, both at the Laguna Phuket International Marathon in June and…
- Opinion
Island View: Indication of the inconsiderate
PHUKET: A few weeks back, driving from the Heroines Monument to Phuket Town, I was nearly run off the road half a dozen times by drivers who – other than not paying attention to their wing mirrors – failed to indicate while changing lanes. By the time I made it home, I was pretty much a nervous wreck. And, since…
- Bangkok News
Phuket real estate shrugs off Bangkok slowdown
PHUKET: In terms of property, Phuket seems to be worlds away from Bangkok, where the market has experienced a slowdown, mostly because the island is more affected by events outside of Thailand than inside the Kingdom, Robert Collins, managing director of Savills (Thailand), said earlier this week. Because the Bangkok market has dipped, three real-estate associations recently urged the government…
- Phuket News
Phuket mob attack on police yields results
PHUKET: Tension between police and local residents in Phuket province that escalated into a riot at a local police station on Saturday evening appeared to ease after an inquiry panel was formed to look into the death of two young men during a police pursuit. Police representatives met with families and relatives of Pathomwat Panarak, 22 and a 17-year-old teen,…
- Business News
Business Buzz: Test to see if social media will work for your business
PHUKET: One of the most common objections people have about using social media is that, while they understand it works for other people, they think their business is different and it will not work for them. So I have put together a quick test to see if social media would benefit you: Do you have a website?Do you need more…
- Business News
Investment strategies for large sums of cash
PHUKET: Consider the following investing dilemma: You have recently received a large sum of money (from a pension payout, inheritance, the sale of property or a business) and you want to put this money to work for you. However, interest rates and returns on what are considered to be the safest investments (for example US and European bank deposits and…
- Phuket News
Police arrest minivan driver for drug running
PHUKET: Police last night arrested a van driver at the Tah Chat Chai Checkpoint after officers discovered 3,921 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and four grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) in the vehicle he was driving. The driver, Sutthichai Kongsamut, 34, told police that he was running methamphetamine for a drug lord operating out of a prison in Nakhon Sri…
- Phuket News
Phuket-Satun bus fire claims second life
PHUKET: One of the four victims admitted to Phang Nga Hospital ICU from a Phuket-Satun bus fire died from smoke inhalation on Thursday. Sunisa Chookaew, 25, was the second person to die from injuries sustained in the fire. Daeng Thaharat, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three others remain in comas at the hospital. On Wednesday, a total of…
- Phuket News
Gov disbands Phuket haze committee
PHUKET: The committee monitoring the Indonesian haze that descended on Phuket earlier this week was disbanded by Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada yesterday. “Even though we have officially closed down the committee, all officers remain on call in case the issue arises again,” Governor Chamroen said. “At this stage, we will continue to monitor the air pollution levels – it is…
- Property
Castlewood Group to open Phuket flagship, luxury hotel
PHUKET: Singapore commercial real estate developer Castlewood Group has announced the launch of their flagship luxury hotel development in Phuket, the Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa. This is the first project cementing the recently established strategic partnership with Début Hotel Group – a part of the New York-based Hampshire Brand, Hotel and Asset Management – for the development and operation…
- Phuket News
A Decade Ago: Do you remember the TTVI Center?
PHUKET: Those new to the island – relatively speaking – might not have the visceral churning in their guts when they hear the name ‘TTVI center’. However, island residents who were here at least a decade ago know that TTVI stands for Thai Tsunami Victim Identification. The center was tasked with identifying 3,777 of the bodies recovered from the six…
- Phuket News
Phuket Town meth network unraveled, guns seized
PHUKET: Police confiscated four firearms, 194 rounds of ammunition, 3,507 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills and 31 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) during a two-day raid on a Phuket Town drug network. “The contraband seized was in the possession of the four suspects we arrested,” Lt Col Prawit Engchuan of Phuket Provincial Police said yesterday. The string of arrests started…
- Opinion
Opinion: Action against smog
PHUKET: The unprecedented expanse of smog blanketing Phuket in recent months has quite rightly trained the spotlight on Indonesia, where out-of-control forest fires continue to belch smoke into the atmosphere at a dangerous rate. Although illegal in Indonesia, ‘slash-and-burn’ land clearing techniques that set off these annual conflagrations have long been a source of friction between Indonesia and its neighbors,…
- Thai Life
Looking Back: Turmoil in the Rakhine State part II
PHUKET: Let’s pick up the story of the Rohingya were we left off last month In year 1826, the British invaded and took control of Arakan after the first Anglo-Burmese War. By this time the Arakan region, plagued by war, was critically depopulated. Farms had been left untended for many years. The British encouraged native Bengali farmers as well as…
- Phuket News
Cobra caught in Phuket expat’s shoe rack
PHUKET: An expat and his wife received quite a surprise when they discovered a 1.5 meter cobra relaxing in a shoe rack inside their Ao Yon home this morning. The pair called Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers as the snake made its way out of the house and into an old broken boat in their garden. Rescue workers spent about 40…
- Phuket News
Phuket air pollution back to safe level
PHUKET: Air pollution levels in Phuket have dropped back down to safe levels today, following the Indonesian haze descending on Phuket this week. “The 24-hour average was down to 89 micrograms [PM10] per cubic meter, which is already within safe limits,” said Pornsri Suthanarak, the director of the Regional Environmental Office. Average air pollution levels climbed up to 201 earlier…
- Phuket News
Phuket Governor cautious, but ready to demolish Surin beach clubs
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada vowed to be cautious in his dealings with the numerous beach businesses, including several iconic beach clubs, occupying government buildings along Surin Beach. “If it was up to me, I would have them torn down,” Governor Chamroen said yesterday. “However, I don’t have the authority to do that. We will need to review the appropriate…
- Phuket News
Haze causes more delays for flights at Phuket Airport
PHUKET: All flights were back on schedule by noon today after seven planes were delayed due to the dense Indonesian haze, confirmed Amnuay Sarachart, deputy director of the AoT Phuket Office. “However, we are worried about the conditions tonight and will be monitoring visibility closely,” said Mr Amnuay. This morning, pollution levels from the haze continued to climb with an…
- Phuket News
Aircraft fleet to combat fires, Indonesia consul tells Phuket Governor
PHUKET: A multi-national fleet of aircraft are expected to arrive in Indonesia today or tomorrow to help combat the forest fires that are belching haze across the region, Indonesian Consul Triyogo Jatmiko told Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada today. “We are very aware of the serious impact that the forest fires are having. So, as ordered by President Joko Widodo, we…
- Thai Life
Temptations galore at Baba Iki
PHUKET: Iki is best described as an expression of simplicity, sophistication, spontaneity, and originality. The phrase iki is generally used in Japanese culture to describe qualities that are aesthetically appealing, and when applied to a person, what they do or have, constitutes a high compliment. It is a broad term that encompasses various characteristics related to refinement with flair. The…
- Thai Life
Video Report: Amazing fun at food festival
PHUKET: Food was aplenty when the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) ‘Amazing Tastes of Thailand’ rolled through Phuket and onto Thalang Road in Phuket Town late last month. The fair, part of the TAT’s ‘Discover Thainess 2015’ campaign and an effort to bring locals and tourists together, panned out well as the streets were packed full of excited and hungry…
- Opinion
Opinion: Fixing potholes and mindset
Kanin Raksaraj, 31, owns a recycling business in Paklok, Phuket. A native of the island, he is also currently studying toward a bachelor’s degree in political science at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. He and his friends are noted as the team who fixed the potholes on the bypass road. Here he talks about why he and his friends find this…
- Phuket News
Phuket air pollution levels climb to new heights [video]
PHUKET: Pollution levels from the Indonesian haze that has descended on Phuket continued to climb over the last 24-hours, with an average of 201 micrograms (PM10) per cubic meter. Tourists are still going to Phuket’s beaches despite the health risks from the Indonesian haze. The reason: no one has told them a health warning has been issued. Video: PGTV The…
- Phuket News
One dead, 12 injured in Phuket-Satun bus fire
PHANG NGA: Locals were able to save the lives of all but one person trapped inside a flaming Phuket-Satun bus this morning. A total of 21 passengers were on the bus, which was parked on the hard-shoulder of Petchkasem Road, in Phang Nga province, while the 54-year-old driver, Prathueng Sakkaew, used a borrowed welding torch to fix his seat. “While…
- Phuket News
Phuket haze causes flight delays
PHUKET: Despite earlier reports, more than a dozen flights were kept in a holding pattern over Phuket this morning due to the thick Indonesian haze currently blanketing the island. Three of the 15 flights were forced to land at Bangkok, Penang and Samui airports, while the others were cleared to land here after 10am, confirmed Amnuay Sarachart, deputy director of…
- Phuket News
Snorkelling tourist dies on Phuket day trip
PHUKET: Employees of a speedboat tour company were unable to save the life of a snorkelling client at Koh Kai yesterday evening. Despite their efforts, the 32-year-old Chinese tourist, Daliang Wang, was declared dead by medical staff upon arrival at Rassada Pier. “Employees explained that Mr Daliang was snorkelling when he was spotted struggling in the water. He appeared to…
- Phuket News
Video Report: Phuket air pollution steadily rising
PHUKET: The haze caused by Indonesian wildfires continues to cover Phuket with an average air pollution level of 163 micrograms (PM10) per cubic meter for the last 24-hour period, confirmed Pornsri Suthanarak, director of the Regional Environmental Office. The new reading marks a steady increase from yesterday’s average of 136 PM10, which forced Phuket officials to issue a health warning…
- Phuket News
American yachtie dies on Angel Langkawi
PHUKET: Police have yet to confirm the cause of death of the American owner of the 25 million baht Angel Langkawi yacht yesterday. However, preliminary evidence is pointing toward a heart attack or other related health problems, confirmed Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the Thalang Police. James Edward Cross, 66, died while emergency medical technicians transferred him from his yacht…