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Video Report: Beach Volley Festival Phuket hailed slamming success
PHUKET: The Thai national team was knocked out of the professional men’s final of the Thailand Beach Volley Festival Phuket as the USA/Brazil team dug into the sands and spiked a win against the Russian/Guam team. Brian Chappy and Danillio Lamparlio took the top place in the men’s finals. The professional women champions were Yupa Phukrongploy and Orawan Auying. Nearly…
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Tsunami towers at popular Phuket beaches fail to sound
PHUKET: Five of the 19 tsunami warning towers in Phuket failed to work properly during the tsunami and earthquake drill yesterday afternoon. “The warning towers in Kata and Karon failed to sound, while the one in Mai Khao couldn’t be heard from 500 meters away,” said Trakul Thotham, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Region 8…
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Disputed beach access road built on private land
PHUKET: The vice governor of Phuket confirmed on Tuesday that a local developer is within its rights to block off a public road leading to Laem Nga Beach in Rassada after it was revealed that the road was built on private land owned by Laem Nga Development Co Ltd. An investigation into the road closure was sparked after locals submitted…
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Reader Photo Contest: Dumped in Paradise
PHUKET: We want to know the story behind your trashy pictures… and we’ll reward you for it. The Phuket Gazette is proud to announce the launch of ‘Dumped in Paradise’ – an eight-week competition where we are calling on you to help get Phuket out of the trash can. The procedure is simple: Step 1: Take a photo of waylaid…
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Tears flow as Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties in more than 50 years
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tears flow as Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties in more than 50 years Phuket Gazette / Reuters NAYPYITAW/YANGON: Members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) were in tears on Wednesday as Myanmar swore in its first president…
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Seven charged in home invasion murder of U.S. lottery winner
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Seven charged in home invasion murder of U.S. lottery winner Phuket Gazette / Reuters GEORGIA STATE: Seven people have been charged in the murder of a 20-year-old forklift operator who was killed in his home two months after winning nearly a half million dollars in a…
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Thailand eyes luxury tourists, operators say keep them safe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand eyes luxury tourists, operators say keep them safe Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: Thailand needs to do more to keep its tourists safe if it wants to achieve its objective of attracting more high-end travelers, operators say, or it risks losing out to its up-and-coming…
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Animal welfare campaigners resubmit Milo case
PHUKET: National park officials yesterday resubmitted to Phuket police the alleged wildlife-trafficking case of Milo the orangutan. Officials spent a month preparing the case after it was initially rejected due to lack of evidence. Phuket Zoo management stonewalled officers investigating the disappearance of the 13-year-old orangutan ahead of a raid, and her subsequent discovery in a locked cage deep in…
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Phuket investors dream big with world’s highest Ferris wheel
PHUKET: The world’s highest Ferris wheel will be built in Phuket, investors announced this afternoon. “The Giant Ferris Wheel will break the record for the highest Ferris wheel in the world. It will be Phuket’s land mark,” said Igor Protasov, the chief executive officer for Thai Business Development Co Ltd (TBD). Currently, the highest Ferris wheel in the world is…
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Phuket drug bust leads to two arrests, four still at large
PHUKET: Thalang Police arrested two women and are searching for four other suspects after a raid yielded more than 40 kilograms of kratom leaves in Mai Khao last night. Police were alerted to the goings-on when neighbors filed a complaint about suspected drug activity at the residence. “When we arrived, we saw four men flee the scene,” said Thalang Chief…
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Marine committee proposes temporary closure of 32 dive sites
PHUKET: A joint committee on March 25 called for the temporary closure of 32 diving spots in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea in a bid to protect against coral bleaching. The move is part of a group of four proposals the committee made to relevant authorities. The panel comprises representatives from the Department of Marine and Coastal…
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B3mn Phuket longtail bursts into flames
PHUKET: Police suspect a battery caused an explosion and subsequent fire that destroyed a longtail boat worth 3 million baht in Phuket last night. “The boat was parked along a section of mangrove forest near the Bang Rong Pier in Pa Khlok when it caught fire at about 11pm,” said Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana. “There was nobody on…
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Finnish woman died after night out in Patong
PHUKET: Police are still piecing together the circumstances around the death of a teenage Finnish woman whose body was found in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Ida Maria Bexar, 19, fell from the rooftop of the Good Dreams Guesthouse onto the roof of a nearby building in the early hours of the morning. However, her body was not discovered until that afternoon…
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Egyptair passenger plane hijacked, forced to Cyprus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Egyptair passenger plane hijacked, forced to Cyprus Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: An Egyptair domestic flight from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked on Tuesday and landed in Cyprus, Egyptian officials and Cyprus state radio said. The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation reported that 55 passengers were on board…
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First Phuket Balloon Music Festival ready to rock [video]
PHUKET: Get ready to soar as Phuket holds its first ever Balloon Music Festival from April 14 to 17, with clear skies and more than six popular bands lined up for the event. “There will be more than 20 balloons participating in the festival at Phuket Paradise Park, near the British International School Phuket. We have received positive feedback from…
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Suspected Phuket meth user dies behind bars
PHUKET: A man arrested for the possession of ya bah (methamphetamine) early this morning was pronounced dead about an hour after being put behind bars in Phuket. Yagareeya Hadohloh, 29, was picked up for the possession of one ya bah pill in Patong. He was processed and put in a Patong Police Station cell just after midnight. At about 1:15am,…
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Breaking News: Foreigner in fatal plunge from Patong guesthouse
PHUKET: A foreign woman was killed after falling from Good Dreams Guesthouse in Patong this afternoon. “At this point, we are unsure if the woman fell from the balcony of a room or the roof of the building. Either way, she landed on the roof of a nearby building,” said Sampawat Wannasangkam from the Patong Office of Department of Disaster…
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Divers to cough up extra cash for Phi Phi marine park fee
PHUKET: Officials expect to start collecting an additional 200 baht per diver in April for those plunging below the surface of the Phi Phi marine national park. Park officials currently collect a national park fee of 400 baht per person. However, scuba divers will now have to pay a total of 600 baht, confirmed Sarayuth Tanthien, chief of the Hat…
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Phuket police hunt bank machine vandal
PHUKET: Police are hunting a man who allegedly damaged an Automatic Deposit Machine (ADM) at a Bangkok Bank in Patong early this morning. Police were alerted to the incident after a local found the damaged machine near the Mae Ubon Market on Nanai Road. “According to the witness, he saw a man leaving the area as he drove up to…
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Suicide bomber targeting Christians kills 65, mostly women and children, in Pakistan park
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suicide bomber targeting Christians kills 65, mostly women and children, in Pakistan park Phuket Gazette / Reuters PAKISTAN: Pakistani authorities launched a hunt on Monday for militants behind a suicide bomb that killed at least 65 people in an attack that targeted Christians and was claimed…
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Opinion: Missing children in Phuket
Ekkalak Lumchomkae is currently the Missing Person Center Chief of the Mirror Foundation. He was formerly a lawyer at a private law firm and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Law from Ramkhamhaeng University. Here he discusses the recent cases involving missing children on the island as well as the reasons for the disappearance of some of Phuket’s youth. PHUKET:…
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Phuket International Academy Graduates to UWC Network
PHUKET: The Phuket International Academy confirmed last week its new affiliation with the global network of United World Colleges (UWC). “We are delighted to have become part of UWC; a leader in education in 15 different locations around the world. The UWC is a federation of independent international schools that use the same education model. This affiliation will also encourage…
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Opinion: Understanding cultural differences when travelling
PHUKET: As thousands of Chinese descend upon the island each week, it is hard to ignore the xenophobic and often crude comments made about their behavior, spending habits and general demeanor. A recent video showing dozens of Chinese tourists stampeding a Chiang Mai buffet and using their plates to shovel up two to three plates of prawns their way highlighted…
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Lawyers of Koh Tao murder convicts prepare for appeal
PHUKET: The legal team of the Myanmar nationals convicted for the Koh Tao double murder is focusing on the DNA evidence used against the men in their trial ahead of the appeal being filed next month, assisted by leading foreign lawyers and forensic experts. Lawyer Nakorn Chomphuchart told The Nation that he had got advice from many foreign legal experts,…
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Five women confirmed dead in Krabi building collapse
KRABI: Rescue workers attempted to keep the cement wet as they searched for five women lost in the debris of a construction site building collapse yesterday. The bodies of all five women were eventually recovered. The women were named as: Jitranon Saikaew, 26; Kaliya Jandeewan, 22; Yad Kodorn, 42; Warin Ratchabut, 31; and Linthong Promsuvann, 37. Police are investigating the…
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Beach Volley Festival finals served up at noon tomorrow
PHUKET: The finals for the Thailand Beach Volley Festival Phuket will take to the sands of Karon Beach tomorrow at about noon. The international amateur beach volley tournament features competitive categories: professional men, professional women, amateur men and four-on-four. “We are really happy and little surprised with the standard of play; it’s a bit higher than expected,” Charlie Solares-Chungyampin, the…
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Rolling Stones tell giant crowd
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rolling Stones tell giant crowd “times are changing” at Cuba debut Phuket Gazette / Reuters HAVANA: The Rolling Stones rocked a massive crowd at a free, outdoor concert in Havana on Friday, capping a week of engagement with the West for the Communist-led country that once…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Feeding rice to your cat
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Opinion: Visa Overstay – Nefarious Intentions or Just Bad Planning?
PHUKET: The recent push to publicize the need for foreign tourists not to overstay their visas is long overdue, but we hope the Immigration Bureau will use its sweeping powers in fair and compassionate ways that consider extenuating circumstances – especially those involving victims of accidents or crime. The crackdown, which actually comprises little more than stricter enforcement of existing…
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Lone Phuket rider killed in collision with power pole
PHUKET: A helmet-less motorbike rider died after crashing into a utility pole in Phuket early this morning. Jakkrit Rungboon, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene in Kathu. The cause of death was due to serious head injuries, confirmed police. “His motorbike was heavily damaged in the accident,” confirmed Capt Wattanathorn Bamroongthin of the Thung Thong Police. “However, we have…
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