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Phuket Media Watch: India asks BBC to apologize
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community India asks BBC to apologize for ‘offensive’ comments on Top Gear Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Indian government has demanded an apology from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) over a TV program’s episode last month which mocked Indian culture. A Christmas special of the ‘Top Gear’ program…
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Phuket Sports: Chelsea favorite for FA Cup
PHUKET: Chelsea have been made favorites by bookmakers to secure their seventh FA Cup title following their victory over Portsmouth. The scoreline flattered the Blues who struggled in a dour first half to breakdown determined defensive play by the visitors. Just after the break however, Juan Mata received a low cross from Florent Malouda and swept the ball past Stephen…
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Bangkok terror alert: Deputy PM Chalerm denies threat
Following US Embassy warning to Americans, Thai authorities confirm arrest of suspect linked to Hezbollah PHUKET: Senior Thai officials scrambled yesterday to deny that Thailand faced an immediate terrorist threat, following a dramatic warning by the US Embassy to Americans living in Bangkok. The Thai authorities, led by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, however, confirmed the arrest of a terrorist…
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Phuket police ordered to “hunt down’ “Ae Inside’ killers
PHUKET: Regional Provincial Police commanders have ordered Phuket police to “hunt down” the men who gunned down reporter Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn in broad daylight yesterday. The deputy commander of Police Region 8 arrived in Phuket to personally handle the investigation into the assassination of reporter Mr Wisut yesterday morning. Police Region 8 Deputy Commander Maj Gen Pisan Chuldilok held…
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Great day to be a kid in Phuket
PHUKET: National Children’s Day will be celebrated across Thailand tomorrow and there are many fun activities planned all over Phuket for children to enjoy and learn from. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has dedicated the slogan “Unity, Knowledge, Wisdom, Preserving Thai Identity, and Learning Technology” as the theme for this year’s Children’s Day. Here in Phuket, many organizations will get into…
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Phuket Police investigate electrician beaten, strangled
PHUKET: Phuket Police are investigating the apparent strangling murder of an electrician whose decomposing body was discovered in his rented room this morning. Thalang Police at 8am were informed by a landlord of a foul odor emanating from one of his rental homes opposite the TOT offices on Dom Chom Tao Road (Route 4030). At the scene, one unit in…
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BREAKING NEWS: US Embassy warns of possible terrorist attack in Bangkok
PHUKET: The US Embassy in Bangkok today issued an urgent alert for its citizens in Bangkok of possible terrorist attack. The alert said foreign terrorists may be currently looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future. US citizens are urged to exercise caution when visiting public areas where large groups of Western tourists gather in…
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Phuket Business: Trade, investment and green innovation on the up
PHUKET: Trade in Phuket flourished in 2011, while prospects for new investment and ground-breaking, eco-friendly innovation on the island are looking quite good in the year ahead. The latest 2011-2012 import-export figures released by the Phuket Customs House indicate that the island’s economy continued to grow over the past several years – mostly thanks to one viable yet heated commodity.…
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Phuket Business: Dot Com rise and fall on the way
PHUKET: Dot com and dot net website owners in Phuket and across the globe will incur an increase in annual registration fees of no less than 7% after Sunday.Webmasters wanting to take advantage of current rates have until 11:59pm on Saturday in the time zone that the registrar is located to make sure their web domains’ registrations have been accepted,…
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Phuket Media Watch: Cabinet to meet in Phuket; PM’s son to participate in celebrations
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mobile Meetings in all 77 Povinces Phuket Gazette / The Nation The Cabinet is expected to hold mobile meetings in all 77 provinces, including Phuket, in order to stay in touch with each locality, Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit said yesterday, voicing confidence that political stability…
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Phuket Media Watch: Marines urinate on corpses; Myanmar signs ceasefire
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. launches probe into video of U.S. Marines urinating on Afghan corpses Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The United States government yesterday announced it has launched an investigation into a YouTube video (WARNING: Graphic content – Phuket Gazette Editors) which shows U.S. soldiers urinating on…
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UPDATE: Phuket Police suspect land issues in murder of local journalist
PHUKET: Police suspect reporting on illegal issuance of titles for prime Phuket land as a possible motive for the assassination of Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn in broad daylight during rush hour on a major Phuket thoroughfare today. The news was announced at a meeting of some of Phuket’s top police officers this morning. “We held the meeting to discuss how…
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Phuket students honored for win at World Robot Olympiad
PHUKET: Three students from Phuket Municipal School in Phuket Town have been honored with a meeting with Yongyuth Wichaidit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, for their award-winning performance at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) 2011 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Phuket Auto Robot team – comprising Pakin “Paper” Boonlom, Tipok “Nueng” Kinkobsin, and Boonyarit “Tel”…
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Czech beauties arrive in Phuket
PHUKET: The final 14 candidates for the Miss Czech Republic Beauty Pageant 2012 landed in Phuket yesterday ahead of a weekend of public activities and photo shoots. On clearing Customs, the 14 “beauties” were given flowers and welcomed to Phuket by Wannaprapa Suksomboon, deputy director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Phuket, and Phuket International Airport Director…
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Phuket Police step up staff drug testing at late night venues
PHUKET: Phuket City Police yesterday drug tested 47 staff, including the general manager, at the Sure Garden restaurant in Phuket Town. The mass drug testing comes amid the ongoing furore over the axe attack on Vorasit “Pla-wan” Issara, the general manager at the Sri panwa resort and son of Thai construction magnate Songkran Issara. Mr Vorasit suffered many serious wounds…
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Phuket Media Watch: ‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) on Tuesday announced it has moved its symbolic ‘Doomsday Clock’ a minute forward, bringing it five minutes to midnight as a result of ‘inadequate progress’ on nuclear…
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Phuket Police armed standoff ends on a high
PHUKET: A two-hour standoff between Phuket police and an armed man ended without bloodshed last night after officers finally persuaded him to stand down. Police arrived at a home along a soi opposite Chalong Temple at about 6pm after Sawai Thongyod called them, saying her 26-year-old son was armed, acting dangerously and she feared for her safety. Her son, Sukan…
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Blood donation in Phuket Town tomorrow
PHUKET: The Phuket Vocational College at Saphan Hin will hold a blood donation drive in honor of HM The King from 9am to 3pm tomorrow. The donation will be held at Building 5 at the school, which is easily reached by public transport due to its location at the southern terminus of Pink Bus Route 3. The drive is part…
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Phuket safe and sound after tsunami scare
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC), at 3am this morning, canceled the tsunami alert (not ‘warning’) that had been put in place as a result of an undersea earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra at 12:37am. Director Somsak Khaosuwan told the Phuket Gazette this morning, “The warning was canceled at about 3am as the predicted time for a…
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Phuket Red Cross Fair winner hands prize to his wife
PHUKET: The lucky man who won the grand prize of the Phuket Red Cross Fair lucky draw, a brand-new Honda City car worth 590,000 baht, today gave the vehicle to his wife for her 57th birthday. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha handed the keys to 58-year-old Prasut Ruengjiradthien yesterday. Mr Prasut is a Level 9 officer at the Phuket Provincial Electricity…
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One dead, four injured in latest Phuket horror crash
PHUKET: A fatal motorbike accident in Phuket last night was compounded when a car that slowed to survey the carnage was hit from behind and launched into a crowd of onlookers. A pregnant woman was killed and four others were injured, one critically. Thalang Police were notified at 6:45pm of an accident involving two motorbikes on Srisoonthorn Road (Route 4027),…
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Phuket petrol prices take a jump
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has confirmed with PTT gas stations in Phuket that the price rises on petrol and gasohol will be in effect on the island from 5am tomorrow. The prices of all benzine petrol and most forms of gasohol will increase by 40 satang (0.4 baht) per liter. The E85 form of “Gasohol 95” will increase by 20…
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Phuket hospital denies “deadly greed’ killed mum, 74
PHUKET: The director of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital today denied accusations that his hospital was “unethical” in its practices, which a man yesterday formally alleged contributed to his mother’s death. Hospital Director Dr Chack Somana today refuted allegations leveled yesterday by Narongphon Suwanmosee, who claimed that the hospital refused to allow his mother, Pa Khongjean, to be…
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Phuket Prison ‘kingpin’ suspected in huge meth bust
PHUKET: Police have arrested three members of a major methamphetamine trafficking ring operating throughout Phuket that is allegedly masterminded by a ‘kingpin’ resident behind the walls of Phuket Provincial Prison, officials said today. Seized as evidence in the case was the biggest drug haul in Phuket in recent memory: 20,200 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and 718 grams of ya ice…
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Phuket student killed as motorbike and truck collide
PHUKET: A student from Phuket Technical College is dead and one of his classmates is injured after the motorbike they were riding on collided with a six-wheeled truck this morning. Capt Somchai Nuboon of Phuket City Police rushed to the accident scene, near the Rassada Municipality offices on Rassadanusorn Road, after receiving a report at 8:20am. Already at the scene…
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Phuket Business Briefs: new AirAsia route; Sri Lankan E-visa; Dollar rise; Wallace leaves
Trang welcomes new AirAsia routeThai AirAsia has announced regular flights between Bangkok and Trang commencing in the middle of January. Currently Nok Air and Orient Thai service the destination. Tourism in the southern area of Trang continues to struggle with low demand. Sri Lanka starts E-visa requirementDespite a drive to increase tourism numbers into post-war Sri Lanka, the country is…
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Phuket Media Watch: Iran sentences U.S. citizen to death
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iran sentences alleged U.S. spy to death Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: An Iranian court yesterday sentenced a U.S. citizen to death on charges that he worked as a spy for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), state-run media reported. 28-year-old Amir Mirzai Hekmati, who…
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Phuket Business: Peak season tourism spike sees limited hotel vacancy
PHUKET: Occupancy rates at hotels along Phuket’s beaches have averaged more than 90 per cent during the current peak period and are expected to remain at or near capacity well into 2012, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced. Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, head of the TAT regional office in Phuket Town, said the island’s tourism sector is bustling not only…
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Phuket Island Investor: Always look on the brighter side of life
PHUKET: Now that the Christmas trees have been taken down and the New Year has been well and truly rung in, we can start looking forward to all that 2012 has to offer. It is fair to say that 2011 was a turbulent year in the world of the financial markets, but will 2012 be any better? We certainly have…
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Phuket Live Wire: Recovering after New Year
PHUKET: Continuing my series where I try to answer the computer questions I hear most frequently here in Phuket, this week I’ll tackle a question I hear over and over again around Christmas and New Year: “How do I recover photos or video I’ve deleted?” People tend to take a lot of pictures around the end of the year, and…
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