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No Phuket road-deaths in day four of campaign
PHUKET: Phuket saw its first day of no road-deaths as the fourth day of the ‘7 Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign came to a close at midnight yesterday. The main causes of the four deaths in the first three days of the campaign were driving under the influence, not wearing a helmet, speeding or some combination of the three factors,…
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Aussie attempts epic endurance sport feat in Phuket [video]
PHUKET: An Australian living and training on Phuket will make an epic endurance sport attempt tomorrow as he embarks on a three-day, non-stop triple circumnavigation of Phuket by prone paddleboarding, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) and running. Damien Rider, 40, already made headlines in Phuket when he completed a local SUP adventure, circling the island to raise awareness for his self-funded organization:…
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Japanese tourist found dead off Phang Nga island
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Japanese man found unconscious in shallow water after going for a swim off Koh Kai Nok Beach in Phang Nga yesterday. Jun Ich Kadoriku, 61, was on holiday with relatives and friends, who were playing on the sand while he was swimming alone in the water nearby, explained Lt Ronnapoom Permpoon of…
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Firefighters tackle Dubai blaze after all-night effort, investigate cause
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Firefighters tackle Dubai blaze after all-night effort, investigate cause Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Firefighters on Friday appeared to have mostly extinguished a blaze that suddenly engulfed one of Dubai’s most prominent skyscrapers on New Year’s Eve, witnesses said. Plumes of white smoke still emanated from…
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TAT: more than B4bn generated over holidays
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office expects that when the final numbers are in, more than 4 billion baht will have been generated over the holiday season. “All flights to Phuket have been full, with hotel operators reporting about 80 per cent occupancy,” said Anoma Wongyai, director of the TAT Phuket Office. “Most of the Asian tourists…
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Four dead on Phuket roads by New Year’s Eve
PHUKET: Phuket’s road-death toll remained at four at the end of day three of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign, with the latest fatality occurring in the early hours of yesterday morning. The death of Aeksalayut Inrith, 28, occurred in front of Supercheap Villa 5 on Chaofa West Road yesterday. He was driving under the influence and without a…
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Latvian tourist drowns on New Year’s Eve in Phuket
PHUKET: A Latvian tourist drowned in front of her family after being dragged out to sea by a large wave at Mai Khao Beach yesterday. Family members of Masite Micule, 67, informed lifeguards on duty about what happened as soon as she went missing in the water, confirmed Mai Khao chief lifeguard Panpong Chukaew. “She was swept from the beach…
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Angelina Jolie’s visit to Phuket temple sparks Hindu enthusiasm
PHUKET: Oscar winning actress Angelina Jolie has received a wave of support from members of the Hindu community, after they learned of her visit to a Hindu temple in Phuket a few days ago. According to reports, Ms Jolie visited the temple with her husband Brad Pitt and their six children during a family vacation on the island. Rajan Zed,…
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Road fatality numbers grow on day two of road-saftey campaign
PHUKET: More road fatalities have been added to the tally of the already tarnished zero-deaths goal of this year’s ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign. As day two drew to a close, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office statistics revealed that the island saw 10 further road accidents, resulting in 9 injuries and the deaths of…
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A Decade Ago: Marking the one year anniversary of the tsunami
PHUKET: On an island accustomed to horrific, devastating and dumbfoundingly absurd news, the page one lead story that captured the hearts of Phuket Gazette readers a decade ago was one of recovery and love – who says good news can’t sell? With uncharacteristic typographical enthusiasm (underlined and accompanied by an exclamation mark), the headline in the December 31, 2005 –…
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Navy rescue mission saves seven lost at sea
PHUKET: A Royal Thai Navy rescue mission last night saved seven sailors who were left adrift about 150 nautical miles from Phuket after an engine explosion caused their cargo ship to sink. Though Marine Police originally reported that there were eight crew members on board Aung Chat Sar as it transported an undisclosed type of timber originating from the conflict-infected…
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Opinion: Rapid responses to island issues
Prapan Kanprasang has been the chief of the Damrongdhama Center (ombudsman’s office) since 2011. He earned his master’s degree in public administration from The National Institute of Development Administration. Here he addresses how the newly launched ‘Rapid Damrongdhama Unit’ will help improve efficiency, as well as other ways to make the Damrongdhama Center more effective. PHUKET: In Phuket, there are…
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History: Bangkok for the holidays raises query about Victory Monument
PHUKET: People who live in Bangkok are probably familiar with the Victory Monument. For those visiting, however, there is a good chance you will spend some time stuck in traffic in this famous circle, and this might cause you to contemplate what it commemorates. One of Bangkok’s iconic landmarks, the Victory Monument is located at the intersection of Phahonyothin Road,…
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Opinion: AEC has arrived
PHUKET: With 2015 behind us and the Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration measures now ostensibly in effect, it is time for Phuket and its all-important tourism industry to map out strategies for continued growth in 2016. The past year certainly tested the island’s resilience. But despite Thailand’s first major international terror attack in Bangkok, the ongoing insurgency in the Deep…
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Business Buzz: Get off to an online start
PHUKET: Welcome to Business Buzz 2016! This year we have moved to a monthly format so that we can cover the topics we want in more depth and provide you with more useful information. By now you will have made (and hopefully not broken) your new year’s resolutions. It is generally a pretty safe assumption that people with an entrepreneurial…
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Finance: Keep calm, and invest on
PHUKET: Stock market corrections don’t come often, but when they do, they tend to come on fast and cause investors (along with the media) to panic. After all, it’s not uncommon to experience a double digit portfolio loss in a matter of weeks, or even over the course of just a few trading days. However, taking the following things into…
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Officials mull over marine waste management and safety
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office will discuss new measures to promote marine cleanliness and safety during a meeting today with boat and pier operators. Officials aim to review existing marine policy measures, as well as develop new ones, and emphasize stricter enforcement of current regulations. Specific issues under consideration include waste management and the installation of CCTV cameras at all…
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Australian minister resigns after Hong Kong bar incident
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian minister resigns after Hong Kong bar incident Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Two ministers in Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government resigned on Tuesday, one of them standing down after a female public servant complained about his behaviour in a Hong Kong bar during a…
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Swiss shopping centre evacuated after bomb threat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Swiss shopping centre evacuated after bomb threat Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Swiss shopping centre in a town near the northern city of Basel was evacuated on Tuesday due to a bomb threat, police said. An anonymous caller threatened to detonate a bomb in the…
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Italy police rumble airport art thieves
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Italy police rumble airport art thieves Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Italian police have uncovered a complex network of thieves who stole valuable paintings at Rome’s main airport, and charged two of the hub’s staff with stealing the art works. Cleaners and customer service staff duped…
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Two dead in first 30 hours of ‘Seven Days of Danger’ campaign
PHUKET: As the first full day of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road safety campaign came to a close, the goal of zero road fatalities was already dashed. According to statistics issued by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket Office, the island saw 10 road accidents on day one of the campaign, resulting in 11 injuries and the…
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Phuket rescue teams scramble to locate sinking ship
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy launched a helicopter rescue mission after receiving a report that a cargo ship carrying wood from Myanmar to Malaysia was sinking about 100 nautical miles from Phuket’s coast. “We received a report yesterday evening at 5:17pm. However, due to the distance, only the Navy had the resources to conduct the search area,” said Phuket Marine…
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Only flicker of light at Phuket tsunami memorial ceremony
PHUKET: After much fanfare marking the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami last year, the Light Up Phuket memorial on Patong Beach was extraordinarily quiet. In years past, the entire beach was lit up with candles decorating sand sculptures. However, this year, no free candles or flowers were handed out, and only about twenty candles were set out in…
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No change in tuk-tuk safety regulations
PHUKET: There will be no immediate changes in safety regulations following a British woman’s fall to her death from the back of a tuk-tuk on December 20. “There will be no changes to our rules,” said Jaturong Kaewkasi, the chief policy adviser for the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO). “Tuk-tuks in Phuket are regulated by the Department of Land Transport.…
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Local jet-ski rental operators deny involvement in Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt’s son breaking leg in Phuket
PHUKET: Jet-ski operators, Marine Police and international hospital staff in Phuket were unable to confirm the US Weekly report that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s 12-year-old son Pax broke his leg while jet-skiing in Phuket. Though no photos were provided, ‘a source’ told US weekly that Pax ‘is on the mend and hobbling around on crutches’. However, People.com reported yesterday…
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70 per cent of Phuket hotel rooms illegal, say experts
PHUKET: More than 70 per cent of hotel and resort rooms in Phuket are illegal, a problem that is severely harming the industry, said experts in a complaint filed to the Phuket Governor this morning. “According to our records, there are about 92,000 hotel rooms on the island. Of those, about 70 per cent are illegal,” said Kritsada Tansakul, director…
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Man dies in Germany after blowing up condom machine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man dies in Germany after blowing up condom machine Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A man died on Christmas Day in Germany after he was hit in the head by a flying piece of metal from a condom machine that he and two accomplices blew up…
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Myanmar activist jailed for ‘ridiculing’ army and uniform
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar activist jailed for ‘ridiculing’ army and uniform Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Myanmar court jailed a woman for six months on Monday for a Facebook post “ridiculing” the country’s army chief and the color of a new uniform, the latest in an escalating crackdown…
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Thai PM defends British murders verdict against protests
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai PM defends British murders verdict against protests Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Thailand’s prime minister lashed out on Monday at protesters who took to the streets of Myanmar’s Yangon on the weekend after a Thai court sentenced two Myanmar migrant workers to death for murdering…
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Christmas storms, tornadoes kill at least 43 in U.S.
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Christmast storms, tornadoes kill at least 43 in U.S. Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Storms hit the U.S. South, Southwest and Midwest over the Christmas holiday weekend, unleashing floods and tornadoes that killed at least 43 people, flattened buildings and snarled transportation for millions during a…
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