- Thai Life
COMMON SENSE: Bright future for solar power
PHUKET: We modern Homo Sapiens are addicted to energy. Energy is the main driver for development and economic growth and for over a century, we have been powering our addiction with fossil fuels. As someone that comes from an oil producing country and having worked with different indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon that have been affected by oil production,…
- Phuket News
Phuket officials inspect suspected land encroachment behind Boat Lagoon
PHUKET: A sortie of officials yesterday inspected the site of alleged land encroachment along the banks of the canal that provides access to Boat Lagoon Marina in Koh Kaew.The team of about 20 officers led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak arrived at the site in response to an anonymous complaint received by the Damrongtham Center (Ombudsman’s Office) on July…
- Thai Life
A village on the edge: San Tin
PHUKET: In the bad old days of the Cold War and Mao’s Cultural Revolution, this part of Hong Kong, San Tin, used to be called the “Bamboo Curtain” – the 30-kilometer border, and a few kilometers either side, between what was a British Crown colony and the People’s Republic of China.Just to the southwest of the Lo Wu border-crossing between…
- Thai Life
Venturing into the unknown: reflections by Don Battles
PHUKET: NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft recently became the first human-made object to venture beyond the boundaries of our solar system and into what is known as interstellar space, a part of space that our sun has little to no influence on. The 36-year-old probe is now about 12 billion miles (19 billion kilometers) from our sun. New and unexpected data…
- Phuket News
Video Report: Driver trapped in car for 30 minutes after crash
PHUKET: A pickup truck collided with a car on Thepkrasattri Road last night, trapping the driver of the car in her badly mangled vehicle for more than 30 minutes.The pickup truck driver, Rapeeporn Chonlasi, told police that while heading north, she lost control of her vehicle on a curve and crossed the median trip into southbound traffic. When police arrived…
- Phuket News
Light-fingered job-seeker nabbed for Phuket hotel thefts
PHUKET: An out-of-town job-hunter applying for positions in Phuket’s hotel industry has been arrested for stealing from hotel guestrooms.Following a tip-off from a Patong hotel manager, police arrested Teerawat Yordying, 29, from Trang province. “We searched all over Phuket for Mr Teerawat. Finally, at 11:30pm [on Tuesday], we found him in an entertainment venue area on Srisena Road in Phuket…
- Hua Hin News
NFL Week Two summary: Texans, Dolphins impress
PHUKET: After nine long months of hype and waiting, Phuket fans of American Football can once again indulge themselves in the National Football League, heading into a third week of play this weekend. There are too many games and story lines to cover comprehensively, so we’ll just look at some of the trends that have emerged from the first two…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: No more Greece bailouts; 7.0 quake strikes Peru; Allies probe Kenya mall attack; Hacker mercenaries in Asia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Peru to rescue copper miners after 7.0 quake Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Authorities in Peru rushed to rescue miners reportedly trapped in copper pits on Wednesday after an earthquake shook the coast – causing landslides, injuries and possibly deaths in rural provinces, local officials said.Officials in the…
- Phuket News
Phuket Police arrest US drugs fugitive
PHUKET: Officers led by Lt Gen Preawphan Damapong, the assistant police commissioner in charge of national drug suppression, this afternoon moved in and arrested American Joseph Manuel Hunter, 48, at his rented home in Kathu. The squad of officers from Phuket Immigration and the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok arrived at the home, located near the Loch Palm Golf Course,…
- Phuket News
Massive Phuket mystery intensifies, but announcement promised for ‘today’
PHUKET: When Winston Churchill in October of 1939 spoke of “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”, he was referring to Russia, but he might with at least equal validity have been speaking of an event that had captured the imagination of the world two years earlier: the disappearance of Amelia Earhart from the skies over the Western…
- Phuket News
Man gunned down over business negotiation, not love-triangle
PHUKET: The victim of Sunday’s shooting drama in Patong has changed his story about the cause of the attack. When interviewed by the police while recovering from a gunshot wound in his left shoulder, Worrawut Thaweeapideeserm said he was shot because he was suspected of being the third member of a love triangle (story here). But yesterday, the 24-year-old told…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Shopping mall siege leaves at least 67 dead; American jailed for 10 years in Bahrain; Mexican storm death toll 130
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kenyan mall siege over but death toll unclear Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: As Kenya began three days of mourning on Wednesday for at least 67 people killed in the siege of a Nairobi mall, it was unclear how many more hostages may have died with the Somali…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s tourist (only) court officially opens
PHUKET: Phuket’s highly anticipated tourist court, the Tourist Protection Section of Phuket Provincial Court, will only serve those visiting the country on a tourist visa, says Phuket Court Chief Judge Parinya Chaowalittawin. The opening ceremony yesterday, chaired by President of the Supreme Court Pairoj Wayuparb, was held at Phuket Provincial Court. The opening makes the court the second tourist court…
- Phuket News
Phuket transport council agrees to 36% jump in taxi fares
PHUKET: The ruling committee for Phuket’s public transportation authorities today agreed to price hikes of up to 36 per cent for metered taxi fares in Phuket. Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, who chaired the meeting of the provincial transportation committee, explained that the proposed increases in taxi fares were the same as those proposed at a meeting on August 29…
- Phuket News
Five-month-old fetus found floating in Phuket Town canal
PHUKET: The body of a fetus thought to be about five months old was found floating in Phuket Town’s Bang Yai canal yesterday.“When we arrived, we found a lot of onlookers trying to get a glimpse of the male fetus in the canal,” said Rattaket Munmuang of the Phuket City Police.Police questioned people in the neighborhood, but nobody was able…
- Phuket News
Millennia-old cave art, earthenware discovered in Krabi
PHUKET: Ancient drawings and earthenware estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old have been discovered in Krabi’s Ao Luek district. Local villagers came across the archaeological site while looking for guano to fertilize their crops. On discovery, the villagers notified the Krabi Environmental and Cultural Preservation Committee of their thrilling find. Members of the committee visited the location,…
- Phuket News
Stiff penalties for Phuket slow loris touts in wake of Rihanna Instagram
PHUKET: The changing faces of touts in Phuket exploiting the slow loris – a vulnerable and protected species – is a sign that the penalty for the crime is stiff enough, said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Pratuang Polmana. Police action and determination to re-apply pressure to the issue of animal touts in Phuket follows global celebrity Rihanna posting photos on…
- Food
Phuket Lifestyle: Meals on three wheels
PHUKET: We love them, we hate them, we can’t live without them (or can we?) – tuk-tuks have been getting a lot of bad press in Phuket recently. But all that is about to change thanks to Tom Somsanuk, better known as Blue Wave Radio’s DJ Tank, and his new business idea – the Tuk-Tuk Diner. “In the States we…
- Phuket News
Phuket expat Gerald Mason in urgent need of help
PHUKET: Expats contribute to Phuket’s well-being in various ways. Some engage in high-profile endeavors, such as setting up environmental campaigns or animal welfare groups. Others benefit the community simply by being all-round good guys, known and loved by a wide circle of friends. Gerry Mason is such a man, a man for all social seasons. An enthusiastic member of the…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Hostages freed in Kenyan mall seige; Merkel looks to rivals; Greek rapper killing puts heat on police
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kenya says all hostages freed in al Shabaab mall siege Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Kenya said its security forces had taken control of the Nairobi shopping mall where Islamist fighters killed at least 62 people, and that police were doing a final sweep of shops early Tuesday…
- Phuket News
Phuket Viral: Rihanna sex show tweets put ball in police court
PHUKET: Officials were lambasted today after Rihanna tweets about Phuket sex shows went viral. From Twitter account @rihanna, Rihanna expressed her surprise over a Patong showgirl’s abilities. The tweets have been re-tweeted more than 1,000 times, reported The Nation. The Rihanna tweets stated: “Either I was phuck wasted lastnight, or I saw a Thai woman pull a live bird,2 turtles,razors,shoot…
- Phuket News
Phuket 7-Eleven teenage shooter claims self-defense
PHUKET: Two teenagers charged yesterday with shooting dead an 18-year-old man outside of a 7-Eleven in Rawai claimed that the gun was fired out of self-defense. Korrawit Sriboonma, a waiter at the popular Sala Loi seafood restaurant on the Rawai beachfront, was gunned down with a homemade gun on the corner of Soi Laem Ka Yai at about 4am on…
- Phuket News
No justice served on Phuket Tourist Court’s opening day
PHUKET: The judge’s gavel will not fall at the Phuket Tourist Court’s official opening tomorrow, as no cases will be heard the day of the formal opening, revealed Phuket Court Chief Judge Parinya Chaowalittawin this afternoon.“Tomorrow we will only hold a ceremony to open our Tourist Protections Section [the official name of the tourist court], as we have yet to…
- Phuket News
Video Report: Phuket rescue worker shoots man over love triangle
PHUKET: A 24-year-old man was shot in Patong over a love-triangle dispute yesterday afternoon. The victim, Worrawut Thaweeapideeserm, was rushed to Patong Hospital with a bullet wound to his shoulder.“After initial treatment, he was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital to have the bullet removed,” said Pattapee Srichay of the Patong Police.Police named the shooter as Wanchit Sornsaree, also known as…
- Phuket News
Leading candidate as Phuket’s new top cop “open to all’
PHUKET: The man being tipped to become the next top cop in Phuket, Maj Gen Ong-art Phiewruangnont, is a “country person” open to listening to everyone. “Anyone who has a problem is welcome to come and talk to me. I will help you all,” he told the Phuket Gazette. However, Gen Ong-art would neither confirm nor deny that he has…
- Phuket News
Chinese tourists and guide injured in speedboat collision
PHUKET: Four Chinese tourists and their Thai guide were injured yesterday afternoon when two speedboats collided in Phang Nga Bay off Khai Nok island. Witnesses from both boats told police that as the speedboat Nontasak, carrying 31 Chinese tourists, approached the beach at Koh Khai Nok, it was struck by another boat, Sasiyanon.The five people injured in the accident were…
- Phuket News
Phuket teen gang shoots man dead over insults
PHUKET: Police have arrested several youths after an 18-year-old was shot dead in front of a 7-Eleven store in Phuket’s Rawai Beach area early yesterday morning. Chalong Police received a report of the shooting at 4am, and soon arrived at the 7-Eleven store at the entrance to Laem Ka Yai Beach on Wiset Road (map here). Korrawit Sriboonma, originally from…
- Phuket News
Phuket FC in scoreless stalemate with Trat’s White Elephants
PHUKET: Some 1,653 fans who turned out for the Islanders’ Yamaha League One (YL1) match against Trat FC match on Saturday evening in Phuket Town, were given little to cheer about, the match ending in a 0-0 stalemate. Indeed, the crowd, representing Phuket FC’s poorest turn-out all season, found more entertainment in the pre-game cheerleader show, as well as the…
- Opinion
Phuket Opinion: Tourist Court vs Holiday Justice
PHUKET: The opening of a new court to resolve non-criminal cases involving foreign tourists in Phuket tomorrow is a welcome step in the right direction, but only time will tell if the initiative will achieve its goal of bringing about prompt justice for visitors and improving Thailand’s image as a tourist destination abroad. When the idea of establishing such a…
- World News
Phuket Gazette World News: Merkel wins German election; 1.3 tonnes of cocaine on Air France flight in Paris; Bo Xilai found guilty
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Venezuela arrests three soldiers over 1.3-tonne Air France cocaine haul Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Venezuela has arrested three National Guard officials for alleged involvement in smuggling 1.3 tonnes of cocaine on an Air France flight from Caracas to Paris, the South American nation’s public prosecutor’s office said…
