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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
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Saudi rapist faces 2,080 lashes; Police hunt poisoner; Plane crash kills 4
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Saudi man who raped daughter sentenced to 2,080 lashes Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A Saudi man who repeatedly raped his daughter over a seven year period has been sentenced to 13 years in prison and more than 2,000 lashes, a local newspaper reported yesterday.…
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Man on ledge claims being Phuket hitman target for two days
PHUKET: Traffic screeched to a halt on Phisit Gorani Road near Patong Temple about 7pm yesterday as motorists and other passers-by watched a team of Phuket rescue workers snatch a man from the ledge of a three-story building while he was preparing himself to jump. The man, 25-year-old tattoo artist Surasak Buranaphanit, later told Phuket police he was being hunted…
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Phuket Opinion: Time to rein in the beach cowboys, and those who do not govern them
PHUKET: Given the events that have occurred at Phuket’s beaches in recent weeks, it is difficult to ascertain which is the greater maritime threat: natural phenomena such as the rough monsoon seas that claim the lives of scores of overconfident swimmers every year – or the juvenile carnival that gets underway when the winds subside and the beach business operators…
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Team Premier wins Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: The strongest winds of the week at the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta boded well for skipper Hannes Weimer and his Team Premier crew as they scored a first place and a second place finish in their two races yesterday to win the IRC Zero Class with 13 points. “We’ve raced in 10 [Phuket] King’s Cups now, but this is…
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Lunar eclipse tonight, with supernatural warning
PHUKET: Skies are partly cloudy over Phuket this afternoon, but stargazers should stand a good chance to enjoy tonight’s lunar eclipse – if they dare. While lunar eclipses are far easier on the eye than their solar counterparts, a famous Thai astrologer is warning people born on Sunday, Monday or Wednesday nights that viewing the celestial phenomenon could bring them…
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Pre-match primer: FC Phuket at Buriram on Sunday
PHUKET: A busload of FC Phuket football players and team executives arrived in Buriram yesterday in preparation for their showdown with Thai Premier League Division One leaders Buriram FC tomorrow night. Having already clinched promotion to the elite Thai Premier League, the Buriram “Volcanoes” (27-7-1) look to maintain their undefeated-at-home slate, while Phuket (11-10-7) will strive to be the first…
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Weird World News: Money, money, money”¦ makes us act a bit funny
PHUKET: Men of money made headlines this week with outrageously-outlandish expenditures, financial flops and the odd smart investment. Sweet heavens… how much is the dessert? THE record for the world’s most expensive dessert was gobbled up by a British diamond merchant this week. Carl Weininger spent UK£22,000 (about1.063 million baht) on a chocolate pudding with strawberry champagne caviar and glazed…
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Phuket mangrove land grab allegations continue
PHUKET: About 50 local residents yesterday morning protested over alleged encroachment onto eight rai of mangrove forest land in Rassada, on the east coast of Phuket. Despite the fact that trees had already been cleared, the protesters were today trying to prevent Phuket Land Office surveyor Thanawut Jiarabutr from surveying the land, ownership of which is claimed under a Sor…
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Phuket expat saved in beach rescue – again
PHUKET: An emotionally distraught man was saved from drowning at Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach this afternoon. It was the fourth time in recent weeks that the man has been rescued from drowning in the same fashion. Beach vendor Song “Dui” Sa-ingtong told the Phuket Gazette that the Belgian man, aged in his 40s and a regular visitor to the beach,…
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Phuket’s Sniffer and Shark put best foot forward for World Record attempt
PHUKET: Athletes of the highest caliber have graced Phuket over the past two weekends at Laguna’s week-long triathlon festival, but their efforts pale in comparison to what lies ahead for Russell Distance Russell and Jay leShark on Saturday. At 1pm on December 10, Russell (aka “Sniffer”) and Jay will begin their attempt to stomp their mark on history by walking…
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Poll: What is Phuket’s top tourist attraction?
PHUKET: Let’s face it, Phuket has so many tourist attractions that most visitors to the island do not have enough time to see them all during their stay. Given this fact, the latest Phuket Gazette online poll asks our esteemed readers which of five very popular tourist destinations on the island they think the number one “must see” attraction. And…
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Phuket, Krabi road show ‘refloats’ tourism from Middle East
PHUKET: A consortium of Phuket and Krabi tourism representatives have just returned from the Middle East where they spearheaded a road show to boost tourists’ confidence in visiting Thailand.“The floods scared so many tourists who planned to visit Thailand. Many of them even canceled their trips since they thought it was that bad,” said Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President…
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Phuket schoolgirl vanishes after Facebook session
PHUKET: A distressed mother is appealing to the Phuket public for help in finding her 12-year-old daughter, who has been missing since Tuesday. The mother, 43-year-old Samruay Saenthaweesuk, reported her daughter Samudchaya “Nong Pin” Yanpunya missing with the Phuket City Police on Tuesday. Mrs Samruay also contacted the Phuket Reporters’ Club at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday asking for help. She…
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Are United’s modern glory days over?
PHUKET: “It is embarrassing to be in the Europa League. I play for Manchester United to be in the Champions League.” Patrice Evra, Manchester United’s 30-year-old France defender, is dismayed at his side’s shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Swiss team FC Basel.The financial impact could mean a £20m loss in revenue due to UEFA’s secondary competition [Europa League]…
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Bill Gasson and the origins of Phuket’s King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: With race day four hosted by AIA Thailand and Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket underway, we take a look at one of the personalities that has contributed to the success of the King’s Cup Regatta. Three sailors hold the distinction of winning the racing division of the Phuket King’s Cup four times in its 25 year history. These stalwarts…
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Patong cricket clinic open for Phuket league
PHUKET: The fourth match of the Island Furniture League season saw last year’s champions, Patong, take on Island Cricket Club (ICC) on Sunday at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG).Following an upset against Laguna in the first match of the season, Patong were determined to get their league campaign back on track.However, a number of key players were not on the…
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Phuket Police need help from tourists: investigator
PHUKET: Foreign tourists who are victims of crime in Phuket all too often leave the country before police can investigate their claims, allowing perpetrators to continue roaming the streets in search of new victims, a Patong Police investigator has said. “I want foreign tourists who are victims of crimes in Phuket to cooperate with us when we investigate their cases,…
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Phuket Media: Gazette iPad App goes ‘top of chart’ for Phuket
PHUKET: With close to 4,000 downloads since it’s launch, the Phuket Gazette‘s latest iPad App has soared to the top of the App store’s search results for “Phuket”. The new version (1.1), launched just ten days ago, on November 28, is rated 4.5 and boasts greatly expanded content over its predecessor (1.0) launched in March of this year. Among the…
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Phuket’s Klong Krata reservoir project delayed by rain
PHUKET: Work on Phuket’s third major reservoir is behind schedule, but officials expect the Klong Krata project in Chalong to be completed on schedule by January next year. Project engineer Nattakom Nookhom of the Region 15 Irrigation Office in Surat Thani said rain has put the work significantly behind schedule. “According to the work schedule we should be near the…
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Phuket lifeguard dies off Karon Beach
PHUKET: A Phuket lifeguard died yesterday morning in the waters off Karon Beach Phuket after assisting a kite surfer in distress. After helping the surfer back to safety in front of the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, lifeguard Pongsatorn Sea-Lim, 43, passed away from apparent exhaustion trying to return to shore himself, according to resort General Manager Denis Thouvard. Mr…
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Thanyapura Phuket to host Holiday Night Market
PHUKET: Phuket’s Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) will host a “Holiday Night Market and Festival of Lights” on Friday from 5pm onwards. Those attending can enjoy an array of canapé delicacies, drinks from the bar and live acoustic sounds as the sun sets while awaiting the lighting of a uniquely decorated Christmas Tree at 7pm. Also on the same…
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Royal Thai Navy 1 leads Phuket King’s Cup Regatta after day three
PHUKET: The third day of racing at the 2011 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, hosted by Kata Group Resorts Thailand, set sail in the best weather conditions of the week so far, with winds up to 16 knots providing some exciting racing. In the IRC 2 Class, it was Wiwat Poonpat skippering Royal Thai Navy 1 who triumphed with two wins…
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Phuket called on for urgent blood donation to help Russian tourist
PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital is in urgent need of donations of blood type A-negative so doctors can perform an operation on a Russian tourist injured in a motorcycle accident. “Anyone who has – or knows of anyone with – blood group A-negative is urged to visit Vachira Phuket Hospital and donate blood in order to allow the tourist to receive…
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Austrian tourist stabbed, robbed by Phuket youth gang
PHUKET: An Austrian tourist is recovering from a punctured lung and other injuries sustained in a brutal robbery attack by four knife-wielding youths in Phuket yesterday. Patong Police identified the victim as Rupert Wilhelmstatter. Mr Wilhelmstatter, in his 50s, was returning by motorbike to his hotel in Patong at 1:45pm when the attack occurred. He was returning from Paradise Beach,…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta: Pong rebounds with win, Premier leads the way
PHUKET: Hannes Weimer’s Team Premier surged to the top of the IRC Zero standings to lead the class with five points after the second day of yacht racing today in the 25th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Frank Pong’s Jelik II fought back from two fourth-place finishes yesterday to win today’s Race Three in good winds at the start line, easing…
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Prompong returns, inspects Phuket mangrove encroachment
PHUKET: Pheu Thai Party spokesman and party list MP Prompong Nopparit, who is also the vice president of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee, returned to Phuket on Saturday to inspect alleged encroachment on a protected mangrove forest in Rassada. The inspection visit follows Mr Prompong heading a public meeting at Phuket Rajabhat University on November 26. At the meeting, Mr Prompong…
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Phuket police step up student road safety campaign
PHUKET: Officers at Phuket’s Kathu Police Station today stepped up their campaign to have students at Kathu Witthaya School use the pedestrian bridge instead of risking life and limb by crossing the busy road in front of the school. Tung Tong Police Superintendent Col Kraitong Chantongbai told the Phuket Gazette that nearly every day he receives reports of students being…
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U.S. FAA chief on leave after drunk driving arrest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Randy Babbitt out of the cockpit for now Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt took a leave of absence yesterday afternoon after police revealed he was arrested for drunk driving over the weekend, officials said. Babbitt was arrested…
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Phuket Marine Office to set up holiday safety center
PHUKET: To ensure tourist safety during the upcoming New Year holiday period, the Phuket Marine Department office will step up inspections and open a safety center at its office in Wichit, the agency has announced. Phuripat Theerakulpisut, chief of the Marine Department Region 5 office, said his agency is gearing up for an expected large influx of tourists over the…
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Phuket Skywatch: Total lunar eclipse to mark Thai Constitution Day
PHUKET: The second lunar eclipse to be visible from Phuket this year will occur on the night of December 10, a date annually observed in Thailand as the Constitution Day public holiday. Weather permitting, the entire eclipse should be visible from Asia and Australia. However, North America and Canada will witness only the start of totality as the moon dips…
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