News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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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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Phuket seafood prices to fluctuate regardless of wage increase
PHUKET: Minimum wage rises may not have a major impact on the wholesale price of seafood, which will continue to fluctuate due to a number of economic and seasonal factors, Phuket fishery industry representatives have said. Wiroj Wasinwasukul, the manager of the Por Pichai Fishing Port in Rassada, was insistent that wholesale seafood prices will not rise specifically because of…
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Phuket teacher crisis appeal sparks flood of applicants
PHUKET: The Director of the Phuket Primary Educational Office has called for all people wanting to apply for positions as English teachers at government schools in Phuket Town to contact the schools directly. Dr Jian Thongnoon announced the news in the wake of the Phuket Gazette posting online its story about the shortage of English teachers at Phuket schools reaching…
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Johnson quits England rugby post
PHUKET: Rugby fans in Phuket have been informed that Martin Johnson has thrown in the towel as England manager after three-and-a-half years leading the country’s international rugby union side. Several off-field controversies and a wretched performance at the recent World cup in New Zealand, where his charges lost to France in the quarter-final, combined to force Johnson to stand down.…
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FIFA President denies racism in football
PHUKET: “There is no racism [on the field], but maybe there is a word or gesture that is not correct. The one affected by this should say, ‘this is a game’ and shake hands.” FIFA President Sepp Blatter denies racism exists on the pitch during football matches and the odd misplaced comment could easily be forgiven and forgotten with a…
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Phuket student killed, classmate injured in truck crash
PHUKET: A 16-year-old Phuket student is dead and her classmate is in hospital after a six-wheeled truck collided with the motorcycle they were riding in Phuket Town today.Capt Thada Sodarak of Phuket City Police said officers received a report of the accident at 12:30pm.The accident happened at the junction from Phuket Road to Saphan Hin, near the Phuket Immigration Office,…
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Rebranded Strategic Airlines continues Phuket flights
PHUKET: Australian Low Cost Carrier (LCC) Strategic Airlines today launched its rebranding as Air Australia, offering special rates to Phuket from AUS$329. The reinvented LCC revealed the news earlier this month, showing off its new-look livery and flight attendant uniforms while emphasizing a commitment to bring Australia a fresh approach to affordable air travel. Strategic Airlines, founded in 2009, has…
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Phuket CCTV: take two
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) is about to install 189 CCTV cameras throughout Koh Kaew and Rassada at a cost of 29 million baht. The roll-out is phase two of the OrBorJor‘s “citizen safety” campaign, which will coordinate with police in providing CCTV footage of traffic accidents and other incidents, explained OrBorJor President Paiboon Upatising. The cameras, some…
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Phuket Live Wire: 3G or not 3G, and what’s 3G+?
PHUKET: First the good news: CAT, like TrueMove-H, is coming out with an HSPA+ service. As you may recall, HSPA+ is the only real “3G” available in Thailand and, at least in theory, it should be substantially faster than other “3G” services currently available – including, confusingly, the service CAT currently calls “3G.” Confused? Yeah, I understand. Let’s start with…
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First blood goes to Laguna in league opener
PHUKET: The highly anticipated Island Furniture Cricket League’s maiden match at the new Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) did not fail to disappoint on Sunday with a great exhibition of fielding and batting provided by both Laguna CC and Patong CC.However it was a more consistent performance by Laguna that eventually decided the victory.Laguna were put into bat on a damp…
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John Terry wants to come out
PHUKET: “Being captain is about coming out and facing up to it.” England and Chelsea captain John Terry is keen to open up and take it like a man regarding claims he abused Queens Park Ranger player Anton Ferdinand with racist remarks. The query here must be why, after Terry’s last controversy of allegedly having an affair with an England…
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Phuket Red Cross calls for blood donations to help Bangkok flood victims
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is asking for increased donations for November as parts of Thailand experience the worst flooding in half a century. “Due to the floods in Bangkok, the National Blood Center had a shortage of blood at the beginning of the month. The center normally receives about 1,500 units of blood daily from donors, but…
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Bangkok floods boost Phuket short-term rentals
PHUKET: The hospitality and real estate sectors in Phuket are currently benefiting from one of Thailand’s worst floods in a century. A report released by professional services real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle stated that Bangkok’s housing market has been hit particularly hard by flooding with many major housing areas across the capital are now under water. This has resulted…
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Phuket schools relax rules for hiring English teachers
PHUKET: The Phuket Primary Education Area Office has relaxed the requirements for foreigners to be hired as English-language teachers at government schools in Phuket. The move is aimed at combating a critical staff shortage, explained Office Director Jian Thongnoon. “We need about 100 English teachers, but right now we have only about 50 teachers and some of these are not…
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Phuket’s surfing star on the crest of a wave
PHUKET: Local surfing starlet Annissa Tita Flynn is ready to take on the best of Asia in coming weeks as she heads off to Hong Kong and Malaysia for the Reef Cup and the final event of the new Asian Surfing Professional tour at Kuala Terengganu. The Asian tour has been formed not only to promote surfing but also to…
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Phuket’s All Stars bowled over at ACG opener
PHUKET: The eagerly anticipated opening of the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) was launched in thrilling style recently when the Phuket Cricket Group (PCG) “All Stars” took on the oldest cricket club in Asia, Singapore CC, at Thailand’s newest cricket facility. Heavy downpours the night before meant the new synthetic surface was still damp, making batting a treacherous task. Singapore won…
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Phuket Public Transport: The decision to have public buses is ours
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Land Transportation Office has responded admirably to criticism that it has obviously failed over the past 20 years to develop public bus transportation in this province. (See front page, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) Office Chief Terayout Prasertphol says he has applied to his superiors in…
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French victory in Phuket ITF mens singles tennis final
PHUKET: A second set tie-break was required to determine the Chang ITF Thailand Pro Circuit Tour mens singles tennis champion and it was Laurent Rochette of France who held his nerve to clinch the title.Rochette looked in control throughout the match, pulling out big serves when needed, and took the first set comfortably with a 6-4 score, having had a…
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Phuket expat, wife arrested for M16 assault rifle in car
PHUKET: Phuket police early this morning arrested a long-term expat and his wife after finding what they identified as an M16 automatic assault rifle with a loaded clip in the back of their car.Thung Thong Police Duty Officer Lt Col Chana Suttimard told the Phuket Gazette, “At 4am today, police arrested Ivan Vaclavik, 43, from Slovakia, and 32-year-old Phuket-native Suppasa…
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Phuket Prosecutor may appeal Fanelli sentence
PHUKET: The Phuket Attorney General’s Office is considering filing an appeal over the sentence of 10 years and three months imprisonment handed down to former US Marine Ronald Fanelli for the stabbing murder of bar hostess Wanphen Pienjai last year. Fanelli was formally handed down a sentence of 20 years imprisonment for murder and another six months in jail for…
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Phuket officials push for buses from airport to main beaches
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Land Transportation Office (PLTO) Chief Terayout Prasertphol has announced that his office will apply for Phuket to have two new bus routes operating from the airport: one to Rawai and another running through Patong to Kata-Karon. He expects bus services along the new routes to be in operation by February. “The next step is to apply to…
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Phuket ITF Tennis: Canada-China twosome take doubles title
PHUKET: Partnering each other for the first time in doubles competition, Kelsey Stevenson from Canada and Zhe Li from China earned an unexpected but well deserved victory in the Chang ITF Thailand Pro Circuit Men’s tennis doubles final. Having defeated the tournament’s number three seeds, Soong-Jae Cho and Ji Sung Nam, both from Korea, Stevenson and Li faced the number…
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Bangkok Flood “phishing’ scam sinks hooks into Phuket
PHUKET: A scam email appealing for users’ bank details under the guise of helping to make a flood relief donation of one million dollars for flood victims in Bangkok is finding its way into the in-boxes of many residents in Phuket and probably around the world.“Every disaster brings scammers, and the flooding in Thailand is no exception. We’ve seen several…
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Phuket Poll: How alcohol dependent is Phuket?
PHUKET: The floods in Bangkok and Central Thailand continue to wreak havoc with domestic production of beer and its distribution to Phuket. The disruptions have caused serious shortages, much to the bane of hoteliers, restaurateurs and bar owners across the island. The Phuket Gazette has received many reports of severely inflated prices, up to nearly double for one brand of…
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Phuket’s Patong to transform feces into fertilizer
PHUKET: Patong Municipality will apply for a 65-million-baht loan to build a treatment plant that will convert thousands of tonnes of Phuket’s fecal matter into fertilizer. The Patong Council yesterday carried the motion in favor of building the fertilizer factory, with a plan to profit from the horrendous waste. Residents and tourists in the resort town generate up to 10…
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Bangkok floods prompt PM Yingluck to call for cheap THAI flights to Phuket
PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today called on Thai Airways International to reduce airfares for flights to Phuket and other destinations in Southern Thailand. Prime Minister Yingluck’s call comes in response to the likely flooding of Rama II Road in Bangkok, the main artery connecting Bangkok with the South. “Thai Airways International will offer airfare discounts in response to PM…
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Phuket Airport ready for flood-redirected flights
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport (PIA) is ready to take on the role as the Airport Authority of Thailand (AoT) Emergency Operations Center if Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok succumbs to floods.“We held a meeting to discuss the possibility of PIA becoming the alternate [main] airport in case Suvarnabhumi Airport is unable to operate,” said an AoT Phuket spokesperson yesterday.“We are…
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Flood price rises no match for Phuket flower power on Loy Krathong
PHUKET: Floods in Bangkok and Central Thailand forcing the prices of some flowers to double in Phuket have not stopped people from splashing out for the Loy Krathong festival tonight. The krathong, lotus-shaped floats traditionally made of banana leaves, with a small offering of food, flowers, joss sticks and/or candles, are usually adorned with lotus and orchids. Prices of both…
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Phuket models call for votes in Thai Supermodel contest
PHUKET: Two young Phuket models are seeking votes in the Photogenic Model competition, part of the Thai Supermodel Contest 2011. Uraisri “Yim” Watrsang, 16, and Vanessa “Van” Herrmann, 20, have both made it to the final round of the contest to be broadcast on Channel 7. Miss Watrsang attended Phuket’s Plookpanya School before moving on to Srinagarindra, where she is…
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Pullman Phuket Arcadia Nai Thon nears opening
PHUKET: Construction of the five star Pullman Phuket Arcadia began in October 2010 on Nai Thon’s headland and with the project completion target date of August 2012 approaching, marketing and recruitment proposals are scheduled for the end of this year. Mr Maitree Narukapichai, the project owner’s representative and managing director of Villa Zolitude Resort and Spa in Chalong, detailed the…
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Phuket Live Wire – Google in English online all the time
PHUKET: How many times have you typed google.com in a browser’s address bar and ended up at google.co.th? Let me show you how to fix Google so it won’t do that any more – and at the same time, show you how to set up your favorite web browser so it brings up the pages you want, whenever you start…
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