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The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...
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Rubbish piling up on Phuket’s sister ‘eco-island’
PHUKET: Now that the two municipal landfills on Koh Yao Noi are filled to capacity, villagers living on the island are demanding new solutions. About 30 villagers on May 12 handed a letter of complaint to Mayor Somphol Roengsamut at the Koh Yao Noi Municipality offices. The group said waste management had been a problem for years on the island.…
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Dems out in droves in Phuket
PHUKET: Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr and Raywat Areerob arrived at Provincial Hall at 8:30am today to register as the Democrat Party candidates in the upcoming general election. Mrs Anchalee will run in Phuket constituency 1, which covers all of Muang District except Rassada and Koh Kaew subdistricts. Mr Raywat will run in constituency 2, which covers the rest of the island.…
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Thai stars to clash with Liverpool Legends at Thanyapura Phuket
PHUKET: THE clash of legends on Phuket. In mid-June, a team of former Thailand internationals hope to turn back the clock and take the game to a potent force of illustrious former Liverpool FC players. One of the most celebrated strikers ever to wear a ‘war elephants’ shirt is Piyapong Pue On. A national hero, he has represented Thailand on…
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Windsor notches eight gold medals at BIS, Phuket
PHUKET: BRITISH International School (BIS) hosted 382 young athletes for its impressive third Flying Fish International Swimming Invitational and witnessed the emergence of a future star from Phuket. Twenty-one teams represented seven countries from around the region including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, China, the Philippines and Pakistan. The vast number of boys and girls were organized by age, ranging from…
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“Comebacks happen in finals”
“I said at the break that comebacks happen in finals and used the example of Liverpool in the Champions League. I knew we could come back from the deficit.” Leinster out-half and man of the match, Jonathan Sexton after his team’s victory over Northampton Saints in the Heineken Cup Final.May 22, 2011 — Neil Quail
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Thailand champions from Phuket place fifth in South Africa
PHUKET’S golfing duo Michael Weinstein and Kenth Fredin returned from a successful – if somewhat saturated – World Corporate Golf Challenge (WCGC) Finals held in the Eden district of South Africa. Victory in Bangkok at the qualifying tournament in March this year, awarded Michael and Kenth the opportunity to represent Thailand at the 36-hole challenge final. Played on the Jack…
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Football still in the dark ages
PHUKET: I USED to love football. A game for thugs played by gentleman as the saying partly goes. My father played for Glentoran in Northern Ireland and in later years he became a respected referee. My younger brother followed this officious capacity in sports and became an international hockey umpire. As one can imagine, our household was never short on…
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Legends to match up at Thanyapura, Phuket
PHUKET: THE host venue for the Liverpool Legends versus the Legends of Thailand Phuket leg has officially been advised to the Phuket Gazette as the Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Center (TSLC), by the owners and promoters North Scoreboard Co Ltd. “Thanyapura was selected for the quality of the pitch and facilities to support our international teams and visitors, as well…
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Phuket expat hotelier and Hash House Harrier dies in motorbike crash
PHUKET: A Phuket expat was killed yesterday morning when he lost control of his 1,400cc motorcycle on a notoriously dangerous curve on Thepkrasattri Road. Irish national Patrick “Paddy” O’Mahony, who turned 57 on Sunday, was travelling toward the Sarasin Bridge on his red Kawasaki ZZR 1400 when he crashed near the turnoff to the JW Marriott Resort & Spa. A…
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Honorary Consuls tackle Phuket tourism’s Big Bad Four
PHUKET: Tuk-tuks, jet-skis, dirty water and bad publicity abroad once again topped the agenda at the sixth “Honorary Consuls Meeting with Local Authorities” at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon. Governor Tri Augkaradecha opened the proceedings by apologizing for some “inappropriate language” by some attendees at the previous gathering in February. He also promised to keep the meetings short by inviting…
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Tonight, Tonight: Phuket Police chief to square off against boxing legend
PHUKET: The island’s “Top Gun” will take on Thailand’s legendary boxing champion tonight in a charity bout to raise relief funds for the families of police still suffering from the devastating flooding in parts of the south that took place in late March. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong will enter the ring against former WBA champion Khaosai Galaxy in…
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Phuket youngster killed in shrimp farm machinery
PHUKET: A seven-year-old boy was killed on Saturday after becoming stuck in an aerator drive shaft at a shrimp farm pond. Chonnakan “Thua Lek (small child)” Sae-lao suffered multiple broken bones, including a broken neck, when his clothing was snagged by the rotating drive shaft. Chonnakan’s parents, Sommai Pengpaitoon, 37 and Piraphong Sae-lao, 41, are fruit vendors and had gone…
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Sunday Opinion: Phuket Town could become a driver for island-wide dining
PHUKET: Phuket Town’s plan to apply for listing as a UNESCO “City of Gastronomy”, if carried out, would be one of the more rational overtures put to the United Nations (UN) by Thailand in recent years. But it’s premature to think that we’ll soon be seeing a wave of ‘gastro-tourists’ coming to Phuket to sample the local cuisine. [See story,…
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Wedding double booking bumps Phuket MP registration
PHUKET: A wedding booked at the Community Hall in Phuket Town means that candidates wanting to contest the upcoming elections must now register at a makeshift center at Provincial Hall. “The couple had booked their wedding before the election day of July 3 was announced and they have already sent out their wedding invitations,” Phuket Election Commission Director Kitipong Thiengkunakrit…
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Phuket poor get food, scholarships
PHUKET: Some of Phuket’s poorest people were on hand at the Kusoldharm Foundation headquarters yesterday afternoon to accept donations of food as part of the annual Te Krajard merit-making ceremony. The event marks the birthday of the Chinese God Hui Joh that is highly revered by Phuket’s ethnic Chinese community. Led by Kusoldharm Foundation President Benjawan Tamphanuwat, workers distributed 3,000…
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Aussie “marathon centurion’ to run Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Completing one marathon is on the “to do” list for many people, but Australian Julia Thorn has gone more than 100 times better than most: she plans to complete her 115th at the Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) on June 12. Not content with adding another notch to her belt, the-53-year old Melbourne mother of three has set herself…
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Phuket’s fireball yacht probe hits the doldrums
PHKET: The police investigation into whether or not any people were trapped inside a 40-foot yacht that burst into flames and sank last Saturday has stalled. Chalong Police Duty Officer Boonlert Onklang told the Phuket Gazette on Wednesday that no person had claimed ownership of the yacht, which was identified by a witness to the fire as Karni. “I checked…
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Abhisit heads for Phuket, Anchalee to run for Democrats
PHUKET: Caretaker Prime Minister Abihist Vejjajiva will visit Phuket next Thursday to head a Democrat rally at Saphan Hin. The news came today as longstanding Phuket Democrat Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr confirmed she will be the Democrat Party candidate contesting the Phuket 1 constituency in the July 3 general election. Mrs Anchalee this morning spent an hour visiting residents on Thalang…
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Abuse of Phuket tourists: ‘Bar mafia’ crackdown looms
PHUKET: Foreign “mafiosi” who cheat and even assault foreign tourists sometimes do so with the support of Phuket officials, yesterday’s meeting with a high-ranking Ministry of Interior (MoI) official was told. Interior Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Pranai Suwannarat was in Phuket to hear directly from tourism industry operators and analysts about problems facing the industry. His findings during the four-hour…
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Phuket murder victim found nearly decapitated
PHUKET: The partially decapitated body of an unidentified man was discovered in a Phuket rubber plantation this morning. The victim’s completely severed right hand was found near the body, which was discovered on Koh Sireh in Rassada by a Burmese rubber tapper. Phuket City Police led by Charoon Plaiduang estimated the age of the victim at 40 to 45. There…
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Snooker stars take their cue for Phuket Cup
PHUKET: Snooker is back in the frame from June 6 to 11 when 19 professional players challenge for the 2011 SangSom Phuket Cup to be held at the Royal Paradise Hotel and Spa Patong. The tournament is part of Thailand’s Ranking Circuit Snooker Championship and will include two English professionals: Stuart Bingham and Alfred Burden. Thai star Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm, or…
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Phuket police probe into drinking shooting death on hold
PHUKET: The key witness to the shooting death of a Ratcha Buri man in Phuket last weekend remains at large, and the investigation is suspended until relatives hold funeral services for the deceased. The victim, 34-year-old Yodthong Pinjit, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the top of the head in his small home near Patong Temple last Saturday…
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“Beaten, cheated, cursed’: Phuket tourists get it all
PHUKET: Tourists being beaten, cheated and cursed were among the top problems plaguing the island’s critical tourism industry, Interior Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Pranai Suwannarat heard from industry experts today. Mr Pranai this afternoon chaired a meeting at Provincial Hall attended by Vice Governor Niwit Arunrat and about 20 other officials from provinces along the Andaman coast, all present to…
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Phuket visit of Bikini babes postponed
PHUKET: The highly anticipated visit to Phuket of the Miss Thailand Beach International 2011 finalists next month has been postponed. Scheduled to stimulate the streets of Patong from June 3 to 5 with a calendar shoot, fashion show and “Save the Environment on Earth Day” event, the girls will have to wait for a later date, organizers confirmed today. Nittaya…
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Phuket AirAsia workers in late night car crash
PHUKET: Four Thai AirAsia employees were seriously injured early this morning when the car they were riding in crashed into a power pole in Thalang. The accident, reported at 2:10am, occurred about 200 meters from the Mae Ju souvenir shop on Thepkrasattri Road northbound in Thepkrasattri subdistrict. A rescue worker reported there was heavy rainfall and flooding at the time…
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Phuket Live Wire: iPad2 in Thailand is a steal
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand should take out a full-page ad in the New York Times. “Fly to Thailand,” it could say, “and get a 20 per cent discount on a new iPad 2.” Hard to believe, but the iPad 2 is significantly cheaper in Thailand than in the US – and the savings are even greater if your…
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Pheu Thai names Phuket District 1 candidate
PHUKET: The Pheu Thai Party yesterday announced Wisit Jai-arj as its candidate for the Phuket District 1 constituency seat in Parliament. The announcement was made by Dr Olarn Chaipravit, a Pheu Thai board member, at the opening of Mr Wisit’s campaign office in Phuket Town. Pheu Thai Party southern region leader Pichet Sathirachawal and Korkaew Pikulthong, another Pheu Thai leader,…
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Phuket sea gypsies continue quest for identity
PHUKET: Thirty Phuket sea gypsies recently took the first step in the daunting process of applying for Thai citizenship. Their plight as stateless people was one of many issues raised during a May 4 meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall. Chaired by Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen, the gathering was intended to discuss ways to preserve sea gypsies’ traditional lifestyles in a…
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Phuket meth mule busted, 1500 pills seized
PHUKET: In the latest drug arrest, Phuket City Police last night nabbed a man found in possession of 1,500 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and a small amount of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Police said Tossapol Maneepakorn, 21, was pulled over at a police checkpoint on Rassadanusorn Road in the Ban Kuku area of Rassada at about 11:30 pm. As they…
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Service for Phuket’s Louis Bronner this Sunday
PHUKET: A funeral service for Louis Bronner will be held at Wat Ladthiwanaram in Chalong on Sunday. Mr Bronner, the renowned general manager of the Boathouse restaurant in Kata, died on Monday after complications from heart surgery. He was 70 years old. His remains are being kept at Sala 16 of Wat Thadthong in Bangkok, where friends and family can…
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