- Things To Do
Top 10 reasons to live in Thailand
(10 minute read) Let’s move to Thailand! Many travel to the Land of Smiles and some even stay, drawn by it’s culture, climate, opportunities, cost-of-living or maybe even ‘love’. Here are our top ten reasons to move to and live in Thailand. 1. The weather Thailand’s weather, north to south, can vary quite a bit but most of the year…
- Thai Life
World’s best airlines – People’s Choice, Trip Advisor
PHOTO: Singapore Airlines Trip Advisor has compiled the world’s best airlines from the data and votes of their users around the world. No panel of judges here – the people have spoken. Not surprisingly, Singapore Airlines has come out on top, again. The Singaporean national airline is a consistent winner of best airline competitions over a number of decades. Air…
- News
Vale Chef Ronnie
Filipino celebrity chef Ronnie Macuja, who opened ultra chic VSet Restaurant and Bar at Chalong Pier showcasing his modern Mediterranean/Asian cuisine, as well as Higher Restaurant at Seduction nightclub in Patong, and more recently at Café Del Mar, died suddenly in the early hours of Friday morning. Ronnie’s chef career started at the Manila Hilton. They offered him a two…
- News
The Great Expedition – finding the Ancient Road To Kamala
The Great Expedition continues to find the famed Ancient Route To Kamala from the sleepy Kathu valley. In our second attempt to get over the hill from tracks off Soi Namtok (leading to the Kathu Waterfall) our intrepid adventurers failed again to find the Great Hidden Track. Last time we headed up the road where tourists are taken for the…
- Travel
Animal shows in Phuket. ‘Not in my back yard’!
OPINION by Tim Newton Three years ago the issue came into sharp focus in Phuket when a Ukraine company established ‘Nemo’, the first dolphinarium in Phuket, right next door to the Chalong Zoo. The dolphinarium drew a lot of kick-back from locals who took the NIMBY approach – Not In My Back Yard. They were applying their western values about the…
- Thai Life
10 Destinations on the rise for 2018 – Trip Advisor
Trip Advisor has released a list of the destinations in Asia that are ‘on the rise’, either off the map and previously undiscovered by the travel agents, or creeping back into popularity. Thailand is already well-established as a tourist destination. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport is predicting up to 37 million tourists will visit the Land of Smiles this…
- News
14 Thai Provinces off Rabies ‘red zone’ list
The Department of Livestock Development (DLD) has taken 14 provinces off its list of rabies outbreak zones. Another 24 provinces remain on the list because they contain areas where rabies is still suspected. Originally, zones in 38 provinces were announced in January, with the observation period expiring on Tuesday (March 20). The DLD Deputy Director-General Jeerasak Pipattanapongsophon says that, as…
- Opinion
From Thaksin to Thanathorn – 20 years of political soap opera
COMMENT by Tim Newton New political parties are being registered at break-neck speed following the easing of the Junta’s ban on political activities. Most of the new parties will falter at the start line, unable to come up with the required minimum membership or capital to fund their campaigns. As new parties, they’re all going to have to fight for…
- News
21 year old arrested over assault on 82 year old following Facebook campaign
A young motorcyclist surrendered to police last night (Wednesday) evening following a Facebook campaign, which saw a reward of 60,000 baht being raised for his arrest, after he was recorded on video kicking and hitting an elderly man in Bangkok. 21 year old Narathorn Sodetiyung reportedly admitted that he had assaulted 82 year old Jaroon Maneephan after the latter knocked…
- News
“Your white handsome man is really a dark skinned scammer!” Tourist police warning
The Thai tourist police have produced a Facebook warning for Thai women about Romance Scams. One of the frames shows a cartoon white man who they say is handsome and rich. But towards the end the police say that he is more than likely dark skinned and after your money. The advice says that middle aged and middle class Thai…
- News
More wastewater outlets flowing into sea at Krabi
Can we allow this wastewater to keep flowing into our beaches? Krabi video footage from Karl Vandenhove. https://www.facebook.com/phuketgazette/videos/1642758232468665/
- News
The new face of Thai politics?
The so-called “new blood” political party to be led by “pro-democracy” billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has promised to be an alternative to lead the conflict-plagued country out of the cycle of political division. The 39 year old auto-parts tycoon admitted that he had been described as “another Thaksin Shinawatra”, but asked for time to prove himself. “There’s no way to prove…
- Thai Life
Top 10 Things to know about taking a bus from Phuket to Bangkok (or back)
So you need to get from Phuket to Bangkok, or Bangkok to Phuket? You have choices of flying, driving or taking a bus. As the flight prices remain cheap and the services generally numerous and reliable, the buses have plenty of competition on their hands. But they are a cheaper option and you’ll certainly see more of the countryside along…
- News
UPDATE: Police in Phuket say the man was shot over money owed on a motorbike
PHOTO: Sanook A black Pajero with several people inside had arrived at a rented property in the Rangsiri estate in Muang district, Phuket. A man got out and asked for “Sin”. 30 year old Sinchai was shot then fled inside the house. Original story HERE. The shooter followed holding a 11mm gun and shot him twice more in the chest.…
- News
Insurance fraud in Krabi
A 31 year old local chicken vendor, Nattareeya Boonchoo, has spoken about ‘insurance’ she bought for her son that cost her 5,500 Baht. After paying for 2 months, the insurance representative, 35 year old Falipth Wonghan, disappeared – no certificate, no receipt. There are also other 10 other alleged victims from the same case. “The man claimed that he’s the…
- Thailand News
Oscar winners – 2018 Academy Awards
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound” Allison Janney, “I, Tonya” *WINNER Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread” Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird” Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water” ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project” Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water” Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World” Sam…
- News
Shooting rage in Rassada – one dead, one in critical condition
Last night (March 4) police received a report about a shooting in a house at the Rangsiri housing project, in Rassada, east of Phuket Town. Two people were shot; one died and another remains in critical condition. At the 2 story house, which doubles as a tattoo shop in the ground floor, police found blood and several .45 bullets on…
- News
Train derails at a Trang construction site
State Railway of Thailand officials and workers were clearing the tracks today (Thursday) after a Bangkok-Trang express train derailed this morning a few kilometres from the Trang Train Station. No one was killed or injured in the incident, railway engineering official Chairat Duansung said. The derailment, which led to the 14-car train’s last carriage going off the tracks, took place…
- News
More than 100 new political parties poised to launch next month
PHOTO: Suthep Thaugsuban by Attayuth Bootsripoom More than 100 new political parties are expected to launch next month after registration opens on Friday. It will be the first time since the military coup in May 2014 that political activities will be officially allowed. A junta order signed by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha last December allows new political parties to…
- Opinion
COMMENT: We’re a LONG way from May 2014
EDITORIAL We should put the current protests in Bangkok into perspective. Firstly, they’re very localised, both in geographics and demographics. The protesters, apart from a few hard core ’professional protesters’ who seem to appear at any march or placard-waving event, are mostly students. More, mostly students from Thammasat University. That shouldn’t dilute the importance of their message but the protests…
- News
Bangkok’s Great Driveway Drama – surrounding markets ordered closed
The Bangkok governor has ordered the immediate temporary closure of five markets operating in Seri Villa housing project in Prawet district, in a bid to find an acceptable solution to the decade-long dispute between residents and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) over the presence of the markets. https://www.facebook.com/phuketgazette/videos/1620839177993904/ Governor Asawin Kwanmuang said on Wednesday that he would set up a…
- News
Worker dies, another injured, in Samkong worksite landslide
https://www.facebook.com/phuketgazette/videos/1620819127995909/ Emergency responders are working to extract a worker from a construction site in Samkong near Vachira Hospital this morning following a landslide. One worker died in the work-site landslide.
- News
Rare animal – a moonrat – found in Krabi
A small creature that looks like a mouse, with a nose and mouth shaped like a pig, has been found in Krabi. It is believed to be a moonrat. Krabi Defense Volunteer Officer, 53 year old Pornchai Sudrak, who found the animal, explains that he was jogging near his house in the evening and heard his dog barking so he…
- News
Dirty water stains our beaches. And our reputation.
Comment by Tim Newton Waste water, drainage, ‘dirty water’, organic sewerage, run off… call it what you want. It’s an ongoing blight on Phuket’s best assets – it’s beautiful stretches of beaches. In the past week, alone, black, sludgy run-off has been reported at Patong, Kamala, Surin and Karon. Officials have been getting their photo-opportunities, pointing at the dirty drainage,…
- Travel
Phi Phi’s Maya Bay to be closed this June. Or maybe not…
According to AFP, Maya Bay is going to be closed in June this year. “The once-pristine Thai bay which became a tourist magnet after the 2000 movie “The Beach” will be closed to boats for several months to prevent further damage to its coral, an official said Wednesday. Hordes of tourists flock daily to Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi…
- News
Brush fire destroys old worker’s camp in Kathu
An old worker’s camp on fire just behind the Shell petrol station in Phra Phuket Kaew Road, adjacent to the Anupas car service centre. No one was in the dwelling at the time. The fire spread quickly to adjoining bush land but two fire crews attended quickly and brouht the blaze under control within 20 minutes. Police believe there was…
- Thai Life
Boom Boom on the border
PHOTO: The attractions of Thailand’s southern border town usually become apparent after sunset On one side of the Thai/Malaysian border is Sungai Golok, on the Malaysian side it’s the town of Rantau Panjang. The two towns are separated by the Golok River as well as decades of furious fighting between Muslim separatists who want to reclaim some of the southern…
- Food
Your table is waiting – on the water
What’s better than eating a donut? Riding around a lake in one. Now you can do just that at Laguna with the Floating Donut. It’s the brainchild of Miriam Becker who hails from Singapore but has beenspending time in Phuket to establish her new business. Her hard work means that up to eight people, ten if you’re close friends, can…
- News
Activists report Thepa power plant concerns to UN
Representatives of the Thepa coal-fired power plant opposition group went to the UN offices in Bangkok yesterday to report their concerns about the project. The group also emphasised in a statement that it would continue its prolonged peaceful demonstration in front of Government House every day until the government definitively revokes the 2,200 megawatt coal-fired power plant project in Songkhla’s…
- News
THAIGER TODAY January 31
Frenchman and Thai accomplice re-enact murder | Viet Jet back-pedal over PR stunt | Thai PM admits falling popularity | British expat needs triple by-pass – no health insurance | Krabi province investigates marine ambulance | AMLO clamps down on Bitcoin.
