News
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Phuket FC set sights on Krabi in bayside derby
PHUKET: Phuket FC maintained their abysmal record away from home on Wednesday, when they gifted Prachuap FC their first home win of the season. The loss saw Prachuap rise to fifth place on the Yamaha League 1 table, while Phuket’s Ronins slipped from fifth to sixth place. Prachuap striker Neto Cossantos netted two goals: one at end of the first…
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Autopsy results delay defer alleged baby rapist, killer trial
PHUKET: A delay in autopsy results has resulted in police having to defer bringing to trial the alleged rapist and killer of a 1-year-old baby boy who died in Phuket Town last month. Police launched a manhunt for Somsak Yakob after he called the child’s mother to tell her that her son had fallen to his death. He left the…
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Mass grave in Southern Thailand linked to human trafficking, say police
PHUKET: A mass grave near the Thai-Malaysian border in Songkhla was uncovered by Thai authorities today, reported Thai PBS. A total of 33 partially decomposed bodies, thought by police to be Rohingya migrants, have been identified. The area was previously used to hold about 200 to 300 Rohingya who were smuggled into the country, according to investigators, reported Thai PBS.…
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Rotary collects donations for Nepal, holds auction for local children
PHUKET: The Rotary Club of Patong Beach is collecting monetary donations for the victims of the recent earthquake in Nepal. “This relates back to how many people helped us during our time in need during the 2004 tsunami,” said Brad Kenny, president of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach. “The Rotary Club of Patong Beach had more than US$1 million…
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Funds approved for Nai Harn movie memorabilia museum
PHUKET: The Department of Tourism has approved a 40-million-baht budget for the construction of a movie museum on two rai of land in Nai Harn. “The museum will display memorabilia from movies that have been filmed on the island by well-known, international film makers,” Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket office, told the Phuket…
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Fire rips through shops on Phi Phi
PHUKET: Police believe that an electrical short circuit caused the fire that consumed 10 shops on Phi Phi Don today. The fire broke out in the tourist-dense area of Ton Sai, gutting restaurants, rental rooms, clothing stores and a tour company storefront. Nobody was injured in the blaze. “A house next to the group of connected buildings was burnt too.…
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Phuket aims to allow foreign-flagged superyacht charters
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office will table the idea of creating temporary chartering licenses for foreign-flagged superyachts, as Thailand pushes for the province to become a maritime hub for Southeast Asia. “There will be a public hearing, with an English-language translator, to discuss what legal measures need to be taken to ensure that Phuket becomes the destination in the region…
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Visionary dentist bridges gap in Phuket dental market
PHUKET: Medical tourism and the hordes of foreign customers it brings to Thailand and Phuket’s shores is on a steady rise, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand reporting more than 2.5 million international patients travelling to the Kingdom for treatments in 2012 and predicting an increase of 13% per annum. One dental clinic conglomerate, Dental Corporation Co Ltd, started filling…
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Island View: Phuket immigration – For better or for worse
PHUKET: There is one annual Phuket event that I do not look forward to: my marriage visa extension application at the Phuket Immigration Office. I have read all the complaints and accusations levelled at Phuket’s Immigration officers, but, at the time I applied for my extension, there were well over 100 foreigners acting like headless chickens packed into that little…
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PRBC seeks blood donations for monsoon season
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is calling for all qualified island residents to donate blood as the monsoon season – and the dangerous road conditions that come with it – rolls in. PRBC Chief Pornthip Rattajak said the month-long blood drive is being held to replenish blood supplies for the southwest monsoon season and in acknowledgment of World…
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Mysterious Brit burglar Charlie Machin still on the run
PHUKET: Karon Police are still trying to track down a British thief, known only by his alias ‘Charlie Machin’, who is wanted for robbing a Swedish man’s home of about 200,000 baht in valuables in March (story here). “We only have this name and a few pictures of him. All farang [Caucasians] look the same. It has been very hard…
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Business Buzz: Outsourcing – Imagine hiring an expert from 150 baht
PHUKET: I remember when I started in this industry just how much there was to learn and how many different things I needed to do to get started: build websites, get a domain, hosting, design a logo, create an exciting intro logo, set up social media accounts, start promoting – the list goes on and on! I understand the challenges…
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Phuket airport taxi slams into 18-wheeler
PHUKET: An airport taxi driver faces charges of reckless driving after his car slammed into an 18-wheeled truck near Mai Khao Temple, in northern Phuket, this morning. The taxi rammed the trailer broadside, but luckily for taxi driver Vichan Artharn, 35, the car spun out from under the trailer and came to rest in roadside bushes next to a house.…
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Seniors swing at Phuket ITF Open
PHUKET: More than 80 international players from 24 countries competed in the Phuket ITF Seniors Open 2015 contested at Thanyapura last week. Timothy Alcos of the Philippines took top honors in V35 Men’s Singles after dispatching Arjun Varma of Singapore in straight sets (6-1 6-1) in the final last Saturday. Right-handed Daniel Rajsky of the Czech Republic, playing with his…
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Police hunt men for stoning Swede’s car
PHUKET: Kamala Police are hunting two motorbike-riding men* who chased down and threw rocks at a Swedish man’s car in Phuket on Monday. Bo Jonas Daniel Svegsjo, 38, and his passenger, Chaiyanan Boonpa, were driving from Cherng Talay to Kamala when a motorbike carrying two men overtook his vehicle on a narrow road. “Mr Svegsjo honked at the men, as…
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Video Report: Phuket fishing boats raided for human trafficking, IUUs
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong yesterday joined a random inspection of three Phuket fishing boats near Rassada Pier as part of a nationwide crackdown on illegal trawlers and human-trafficking of migrant workers in the industry. The boarding party comprised officers from the Phuket Marine Police, Royal Thai Navy and other government agencies, accompanied Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Pinit Sirichai. “The…
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Cricket: Thalang surge to vie for place in semi-finals
PHUKET: Thalang (TCT) claimed an unlikely outright victory by an innings and 93 runs over a heavily depleted Village Cricket Team at the Alan Cooke Ground last Sunday. Both teams had multiple changes for their last match of the regular season. TCT regained their captain Bill Stahmer, opening bowler Barrie Buck and debutant Hossain Sylar. Village were without the ir…
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Official is a land-grabber: reform chief
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Official is a land-grabber: reform chief The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The chief of the Nakhon Ratchasima Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro) has recommended that an investigation be launched against a local official over suspicions that she might have engaged in land encroachment herself. “I…
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Thai man arrested with 26 migrant workers in his car
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai man arrested with 26 migrant workers in his car The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Highway Police early yesterday morning rounded up 26 migrant workers packed into an SUV in Kanchanaburi’s Phanom Tuan district and arrested the Thai driver. Following a tip-off, police near the…
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Referendum up to NRC and CDC, says Prayut
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Referendum up to NRC and CDC: PM The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The decision on whether to hold a referendum on the new draft constitution lies with the National Reform Council (NRC) and the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.…
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Tired of waiting for aid, angry Nepalis block roads
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tired of waiting for aid, angry Nepalis block roads Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Nepali villagers blocked trucks carrying supplies for earthquake victims on Wednesday, demanding the government do more to help after last week’s disaster left more than 5,200 people dead and tens of thousands…
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Finance: Cashing in on retirement
PHUKET: Generating an income in retirement beyond any pension or government-sponsored retirement plan has become much harder in today’s low-interest-rate environment. The income from defined pensions and even retirement benefits from government-sponsored plans are no longer a sure thing. However, there are strategies that help to maximize income during retirement: Dividend-paying stocks or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) Dividend paying stocks are…
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GPS tracker sparks Phuket hotel bomb scare
PHUKET: The provincial Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit cleared the car park at the Royal Phuket City Hotel in Phuket Town in response to a reported potential bomb threat this afternoon. The EOD unit arrived at about 2:10pm, after receiving a call from the Phuket City Police. “A security guard found an object in the open area of the car…
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Video Report: Rank canal water not polluted wastewater, says Phuket official
PHUKET: Tests conducted by environment officers have confirmed that the foul canal water that washed onto Nai Yang Beach this week is in fact not polluted wastewater, the Thalang District Chief told the Phuket Gazette today. The tests, conducted yesterday, were prompted by villagers complaining of rank-smelling water emanating from a blocked canal that overflowed and seeped across Nai Yang…
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Divers clear marine trash to protect new Phuket reef
PHUKET: More than 100 volunteer divers yesterday recovered more than 200 kilograms of trash from the waters off Nai Yang Beach in an underwater cleanup operation aimed at protecting a new reef system there. The divers hail from Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang, explained Monrudee Gettuphan, director of Phuket International Airport. “Yesterday, the divers cleaned the area in front…
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Former national security chief denies forced dispersal of red shirts in 2010
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Former national security chief denies forced dispersal of red shirts in 2010 The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: There was no forced dispersal of anti-government protesters back in 2010 – they just left by themselves, Thawil Pliensri, then secretary-general of the National Security Council, testified yesterday.…
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Govt earmarks B100mn for Nepal; emergency team flies out
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt earmarks B100mn for Nepal; emergency team flies out The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The government yesterday earmarked 100 million baht for agencies to use for relief efforts in Nepal, while 56mn baht was collected in donations from the public as of yesterday via different…
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Two new suspects sought over bomb blast in Koh Samui
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two new suspects sought over bomb blast in Koh Samui The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police will soon obtain arrest warrants for another two suspects believed to have played a part in the bomb attack in Koh Samui after announcing the names of six wanted…
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Indonesia executes drug convicts, sparks anger from Australia, Brazil
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesia executes drug convicts, sparks anger from Australia, Brazil Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Indonesian firing squad executed eight convicted drug-traffickers from several countries today, prompting Australia to recall its envoy to Jakarta and bringing an angry reaction from Brazil. The leaders of Australia and…
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Thousands of police descend on Baltimore to enforce curfew after riots
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thousands of police descend on Baltimore to enforce curfew after riots Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: As night falls on Baltimore on Tuesday, thousands of police and National Guard troops fanned out to enforce a new curfew and prevent further violence as the mayor fended off…
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