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  • Violent Phuket rioters to be hunted down | Thaiger

    Violent Phuket rioters to be hunted down

    PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada today swore to bring to justice the rioters who attacked Thalang Police Station on Saturday night. “I am sorry for the deaths of the two men; they were Phuket people. However, anyone who breaks the law must face justice. The people who set fire to the cars will not escape,” Governor Chamroen said. The investigation…

  • Flash floods hit Chalong | Thaiger

    Flash floods hit Chalong

    PHUKET: Heavy rains drenched Chalong, causing flash floods, while other parts of the island have remained sunny today. Lt Chollada Chokdeesrijun of the Chalong Police warned motorists to beware of flooding in the area after nearly an hour of heavy rain fall. “Small vehicles have started to be able to pass the area, as the water level is getting lower,”…

  • Laguna Tri-Fest draws Chinese numbers | Thaiger

    Laguna Tri-Fest draws Chinese numbers

    PHUKET: Rising Chinese numbers at the Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest bodes well for years ahead, as the classic Phuket event looks to generate more than 90 million baht this year. “In the past two years, we’ve seen more than 50 per cent growth [in the number] of athletes from China, both at the Laguna Phuket International Marathon in June and…

  • Island View: Indication of the inconsiderate | Thaiger

    Island View: Indication of the inconsiderate

    PHUKET: A few weeks back, driving from the Heroines Monument to Phuket Town, I was nearly run off the road half a dozen times by drivers who – other than not paying attention to their wing mirrors – failed to indicate while changing lanes. By the time I made it home, I was pretty much a nervous wreck. And, since…

  • Phuket real estate shrugs off Bangkok slowdown | Thaiger

    Phuket real estate shrugs off Bangkok slowdown

    PHUKET: In terms of property, Phuket seems to be worlds away from Bangkok, where the market has experienced a slowdown, mostly because the island is more affected by events outside of Thailand than inside the Kingdom, Robert Collins, managing director of Savills (Thailand), said earlier this week. Because the Bangkok market has dipped, three real-estate associations recently urged the government…

  • Phuket mob attack on police yields results | Thaiger

    Phuket mob attack on police yields results

    PHUKET: Tension between police and local residents in Phuket province that escalated into a riot at a local police station on Saturday evening appeared to ease after an inquiry panel was formed to look into the death of two young men during a police pursuit. Police representatives met with families and relatives of Pathomwat Panarak, 22 and a 17-year-old teen,…

  • Business Buzz: Test to see if social media will work for your business | Thaiger

    Business Buzz: Test to see if social media will work for your business

    PHUKET: One of the most common objections people have about using social media is that, while they understand it works for other people, they think their business is different and it will not work for them. So I have put together a quick test to see if social media would benefit you: Do you have a website?Do you need more…

  • Investment strategies for large sums of cash | Thaiger

    Investment strategies for large sums of cash

    PHUKET: Consider the following investing dilemma: You have recently received a large sum of money (from a pension payout, inheritance, the sale of property or a business) and you want to put this money to work for you. However, interest rates and returns on what are considered to be the safest investments (for example US and European bank deposits and…

  • Police arrest minivan driver for drug running | Thaiger

    Police arrest minivan driver for drug running

    PHUKET: Police last night arrested a van driver at the Tah Chat Chai Checkpoint after officers discovered 3,921 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and four grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) in the vehicle he was driving. The driver, Sutthichai Kongsamut, 34, told police that he was running methamphetamine for a drug lord operating out of a prison in Nakhon Sri…

  • Phuket-Satun bus fire claims second life | Thaiger

    Phuket-Satun bus fire claims second life

    PHUKET: One of the four victims admitted to Phang Nga Hospital ICU from a Phuket-Satun bus fire died from smoke inhalation on Thursday. Sunisa Chookaew, 25, was the second person to die from injuries sustained in the fire. Daeng Thaharat, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three others remain in comas at the hospital. On Wednesday, a total of…

  • Gov disbands Phuket haze committee | Thaiger

    Gov disbands Phuket haze committee

    PHUKET: The committee monitoring the Indonesian haze that descended on Phuket earlier this week was disbanded by Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada yesterday. “Even though we have officially closed down the committee, all officers remain on call in case the issue arises again,” Governor Chamroen said. “At this stage, we will continue to monitor the air pollution levels – it is…

  • Gazette’s Vegetarian Festival’s must sees [video] | Thaiger

    Gazette’s Vegetarian Festival’s must sees [video]

    PHUKET: As the sun sets on Phuket on October 12, all Chinese shrines taking part in the annual Vegetarian Festival will raise their go-teng poles so that the Jade Emperor, among the Nine Emperor Gods, can descend from the heavens, heralding the beginning of this year’s event. It can all be overwhelming for first timers. So, here at the Gazette,…

  • Phuket Town meth network unraveled, guns seized | Thaiger

    Phuket Town meth network unraveled, guns seized

    PHUKET: Police confiscated four firearms, 194 rounds of ammunition, 3,507 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills and 31 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) during a two-day raid on a Phuket Town drug network. “The contraband seized was in the possession of the four suspects we arrested,” Lt Col Prawit Engchuan of Phuket Provincial Police said yesterday. The string of arrests started…

  • Opinion: Action against smog | Thaiger

    Opinion: Action against smog

    PHUKET: The unprecedented expanse of smog blanketing Phuket in recent months has quite rightly trained the spotlight on Indonesia, where out-of-control forest fires continue to belch smoke into the atmosphere at a dangerous rate. Although illegal in Indonesia, ‘slash-and-burn’ land clearing techniques that set off these annual conflagrations have long been a source of friction between Indonesia and its neighbors,…

  • Cobra caught in Phuket expat’s shoe rack | Thaiger

    Cobra caught in Phuket expat’s shoe rack

    PHUKET: An expat and his wife received quite a surprise when they discovered a 1.5 meter cobra relaxing in a shoe rack inside their Ao Yon home this morning. The pair called Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers as the snake made its way out of the house and into an old broken boat in their garden. Rescue workers spent about 40…

  • Phuket air pollution back to safe level | Thaiger

    Phuket air pollution back to safe level

    PHUKET: Air pollution levels in Phuket have dropped back down to safe levels today, following the Indonesian haze descending on Phuket this week. “The 24-hour average was down to 89 micrograms [PM10] per cubic meter, which is already within safe limits,” said Pornsri Suthanarak, the director of the Regional Environmental Office. Average air pollution levels climbed up to 201 earlier…

  • Haze causes more delays for flights at Phuket Airport | Thaiger

    Haze causes more delays for flights at Phuket Airport

    PHUKET: All flights were back on schedule by noon today after seven planes were delayed due to the dense Indonesian haze, confirmed Amnuay Sarachart, deputy director of the AoT Phuket Office. “However, we are worried about the conditions tonight and will be monitoring visibility closely,” said Mr Amnuay. This morning, pollution levels from the haze continued to climb with an…

  • Phuket night club fires bouncers after brutal beating of Aussie tourists | Thaiger

    Phuket night club fires bouncers after brutal beating of Aussie tourists

    PHUKET: Management from the White Room Night Club in Patong today denounced the violent actions of five of their bouncers in a confrontation with six Australian tourists last night. A video of security guards brutally beating two of the Australian tourists was shared on Facebook and quickly went viral. “We, the management of White Room Night Club, are shocked and…

  • Aircraft fleet to combat fires, Indonesia consul tells Phuket Governor | Thaiger

    Aircraft fleet to combat fires, Indonesia consul tells Phuket Governor

    PHUKET: A multi-national fleet of aircraft are expected to arrive in Indonesia today or tomorrow to help combat the forest fires that are belching haze across the region, Indonesian Consul Triyogo Jatmiko told Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada today. “We are very aware of the serious impact that the forest fires are having. So, as ordered by President Joko Widodo, we…

  • Opinion: Fixing potholes and mindset | Thaiger

    Opinion: Fixing potholes and mindset

    Kanin Raksaraj, 31, owns a recycling business in Paklok, Phuket. A native of the island, he is also currently studying toward a bachelor’s degree in political science at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. He and his friends are noted as the team who fixed the potholes on the bypass road. Here he talks about why he and his friends find this…

  • Phuket air pollution levels climb to new heights [video] | Thaiger

    Phuket air pollution levels climb to new heights [video]

    PHUKET: Pollution levels from the Indonesian haze that has descended on Phuket continued to climb over the last 24-hours, with an average of 201 micrograms (PM10) per cubic meter. Tourists are still going to Phuket’s beaches despite the health risks from the Indonesian haze. The reason: no one has told them a health warning has been issued. Video: PGTV The…

  • One dead, 12 injured in Phuket-Satun bus fire | Thaiger

    One dead, 12 injured in Phuket-Satun bus fire

    PHANG NGA: Locals were able to save the lives of all but one person trapped inside a flaming Phuket-Satun bus this morning. A total of 21 passengers were on the bus, which was parked on the hard-shoulder of Petchkasem Road, in Phang Nga province, while the 54-year-old driver, Prathueng Sakkaew, used a borrowed welding torch to fix his seat. “While…

  • Phuket haze causes flight delays | Thaiger

    Phuket haze causes flight delays

    PHUKET: Despite earlier reports, more than a dozen flights were kept in a holding pattern over Phuket this morning due to the thick Indonesian haze currently blanketing the island. Three of the 15 flights were forced to land at Bangkok, Penang and Samui airports, while the others were cleared to land here after 10am, confirmed Amnuay Sarachart, deputy director of…

  • Snorkelling tourist dies on Phuket day trip | Thaiger

    Snorkelling tourist dies on Phuket day trip

    PHUKET: Employees of a speedboat tour company were unable to save the life of a snorkelling client at Koh Kai yesterday evening. Despite their efforts, the 32-year-old Chinese tourist, Daliang Wang, was declared dead by medical staff upon arrival at Rassada Pier. “Employees explained that Mr Daliang was snorkelling when he was spotted struggling in the water. He appeared to…

  • Video Report: Phuket air pollution steadily rising | Thaiger

    Video Report: Phuket air pollution steadily rising

    PHUKET: The haze caused by Indonesian wildfires continues to cover Phuket with an average air pollution level of 163 micrograms (PM10) per cubic meter for the last 24-hour period, confirmed Pornsri Suthanarak, director of the Regional Environmental Office. The new reading marks a steady increase from yesterday’s average of 136 PM10, which forced Phuket officials to issue a health warning…

  • American yachtie dies on Angel Langkawi | Thaiger

    American yachtie dies on Angel Langkawi

    PHUKET: Police have yet to confirm the cause of death of the American owner of the 25 million baht Angel Langkawi yacht yesterday. However, preliminary evidence is pointing toward a heart attack or other related health problems, confirmed Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of the Thalang Police. James Edward Cross, 66, died while emergency medical technicians transferred him from his yacht…

  • Illegal Chinese tour guides busted for bribing police | Thaiger

    Illegal Chinese tour guides busted for bribing police

    PHUKET: Police ensnared two illegal Chinese tour guides operating at Chalong Pier with additional charges after the pair attempted to bribe the officers 100,000 baht to secure their release yesterday. Locals informed police that Wenheng Wu, 24, and Boran Chen, 25, were displaying Chinese language tour fliers to potential clients on the pier for several days prior to the arrest.…

  • Indonesia haze prompts Phuket boat warning | Thaiger

    Indonesia haze prompts Phuket boat warning

    PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office has issued a warning to all boat captains to beware of the decreased visibility caused by the Indonesian haze, which has blanketed the region. “Vision is limited to about one nautical mile. Therefore, all vessels must proceed with caution,” said Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut, who signed the warning into effect yesterday. This morning,…

  • Star Philippine boxer Pacquiao declares he’ll fight for Senate seat | Thaiger

    Star Philippine boxer Pacquiao declares he’ll fight for Senate seat

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Star Philippine boxer Pacquiao declares he’ll fight for Senate seat Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Philippine boxing world champion and congressman Manny Pacquiao has announced he will take up a new challenge by running for a Senate seat in national elections next year. Pacquiao, whose popularity…

  • Sea Gypsy Cultural Center to be turned into “4D’ museum | Thaiger

    Sea Gypsy Cultural Center to be turned into “4D’ museum

    PHUKET: A budget of 20 million baht has been injected into the stumbling, soon-to-be animatronic Sea Gypsy Cultural Center, which saw costs of the facility balloon from 2mn baht to 5.4mn baht before it started to deteriorate into a derelict shell of a building that has become a shelter for the homeless. Located in a small, nondescript soi at Laem…