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A Decade Ago: Buses zoom around, as do katoeys
PHUKET: When was public transport not an issue on the island? It seems to sneak into headlines week in and week out with the occasional big splash when authorities attempt to launch a new initiative. This week, it’s the 50-baht Phuket Town to Patong van service – which deserves the butts and bahts of those going from the island’s cultural…
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First Person: Weeding out touts
Suwat Suksiri, 43, has been Chief of the Thung Talay Non Hunting Zone since 2010. He is originally from Chumphon Province and earned his bachelor’s degree in Forestry from Sukhothai Thammathirat University. He has been working in the forestry field since 1993. Here he talks about why animal touting is a serious problem for foreigners and not locals, and how…
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Airport extension to finish on time
PHUKET: The Phuket Airport Authority has confirmed that the 5.7-billion-baht expansion of the international terminal will be completed by its February 14, 2016 deadline, as promised. “The latest update from the contractor states that the building is almost 80 per cent finished and that construction is flowing steadily as the rainy season clears up,” said Amnuay Sarachart, executive vice president…
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Phuket drug fugitive nabbed in Songkhla
PHUKET: A fugitive wanted for possession of more than 5 million baht’s worth of drugs and related assets was arrested in Songkhla on Thursday. Anuwat ‘Obie’ Thongtan, 31, escaped from his Phuket home last month just before police arrived (story here). “On August 5, the Phuket Provincial Police went to search Mr Anuwat’s house at Si Suchat Grand View 5…
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Asian Weightlifting Championships start tomorrow
PHUKET: Due to the devastating earthquake in Nepal, the 26th Senior Women’s and 45th Senior Men’s Asian Weightlifting Championships are now taking place in Phuket starting tomorrow. Between September 6 and 11, almost 400 athletes from 38 countries will be flexing their muscles as they battle against gravity at Saphan Hin’s 4,000-seat Indoor Sports Complex. The event’s opening ceremony, chaired…
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Phuket Yacht Show dates confirmed
PHUKET: Dates for the first edition of the Phuket Yacht Show, now known as the Thailand Yacht Show, have finally been confirmed by organizers Singapore Yacht Events Pte Ltd (SYE) following a partnership agreement signed recently with the Marine Department of Thailand’s Ministry of Transport. The event is destined to become the focal point of the luxury charter yacht business…
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Vegetarian Festival dates announced
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has announced the dates for this year’s Vegetarian Festival with the new addition of a parade in honor of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The nine-day festival is slated to take place from October 13 to 21. “The parade to honor HM the King will take place on Wednesday, October 14 at Chai Field. There will also…
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Phuket shark bite confirmed
PHUKET: The animal that bit a pregnant Australian at Karon Beach on Tuesday is a shark, confirmed shark expert David Martin, who has more than 25 years of experience filming sharks for BBC, the National Geographic and a number of other publications. “In this kind of case, it is very important to look at all the facts before making any…
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New food fair comes to Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket will play host for the first ever ‘Amazing Tastes of Thailand’ food fair from September 19 to 20, confirmed Anoma Wongyai, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket. Selected food from across the nation, as well as popular Phuket dishes, will be available for visitors to enjoy on Thalang Road in Phuket Town. “There will also…
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Bargains galore at Boat Arcade Garage Sale this weekend
PHUKET: Bargain hunters can rummage through a treasure trove of used and second-hand items at the first East Meets West Weekend Garage Sale to be held at the new Boat Arcade community mall this weekend from 10:00am to 4:00pm. About 100 stalls will be popping up to offer everything from household items and furniture to boat parts, books, toys and,…
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Business Buzz: Five tips for content creation for your business
PHUKET: The first priority in marketing through social media is to decide what you want to achieve. Is it for people to find out about a new service; to get them to visit your Facebook page; to educate them on something unknown; to be funny; or to shock with facts; or just to create brand awareness? Also think about where…
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Opinion: Monkey business
PHUKET: The recent arrest of a number of touts for the illegal possession of gibbons on Phi Phi Don Island reveals, yet again, the continuation of the pathetic practice of using exotic animals as props to make money from uneducated tourists in Thailand. On a somewhat brighter note, the fact that the arrest followed images being sent to the Gazette…
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Khao Sok diving ban maybe lifted
PHUKET: In a knee-jerk reaction, national park officers enforced a ban on all diving in the Chio Lan Reservoir, the center piece to the extraordinary Khao Sok National Park, following the death of two experienced cave divers in a diving accident on technical rebreathers last year (story here). However, the ban might not last, Khao Sok National Park Chief Chaichana…
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Phuket flyover plans grounded by locals
PHUKET: Locals rejected two government approved 100-million-baht flyover plans that were designed to reduce traffic congestion on Thepkasattri Road. The flyovers were planned for the u-turn at the first set of traffic lights just north of Thalang Town and the Baan Koh Kaew Tha Ruea u-turn in front of Baan Jee Teng (story here). About 180 people joined the public…
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Phuket academic institute’s booze ban gets wider
PHUKET: The booze belt around academic institutes (story here) in Phuket is set to get significantly wider after it was announced yesterday that the ban would be applied to all businesses within a kilometer of Phuket Rajabhat University. The university is the province’s pilot project for the national ‘Campus Safety Zone’ campaign, which will see security measures ramped up around…
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Ministry of Interior blocks beach restaurant demolition
PHUKET: The Ministry of Interior yesterday blocked the demolition of a Phuket restaurant that is allegedly on public, beachfront land. “The restaurant had previously been demolished. However, the owners just moved the business to nearby land,” said Lt Sompop Kamkana of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command. “They are living on public land without a land title and the…
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Finance: Cut to chase: advice or pitch
PHUKET: How do you know if the financial advice you are receiving is solid, or if it is a sales pitch in disguise? The first line of due diligence you should always employ is to check the educational background of the advisor. Ask where they did their financial studies and then verify with the institution that they do have the…
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Experts divided over Phuket “shark bite’ culprit
PHUKET: Experts are split, with many on the fence, about what species of marine animal is the culprit in the recent non-fatal ‘attack’ on an Australian tourist in shallow Phuket waters (story here). At the forefront of suspected species is the bull shark. However, black tipped reef sharks, giant barracuda, trigger fish and even puffer fish have been tabled as…
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Understanding the PhuketWan “not guilty’ verdict
PHUKET: All charges filed by the Royal Thai Navy against Big Island Media, Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian were dismissed yesterday. However, the Navy’s right to file those charges was upheld. Judge Chaipawat Chayaanantapat addressed a courtroom packed with international journalists, but was noticeably devoid of members of the navy and the prosecuting team. According to the court hearing, the…
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New initiative: Phuket Town to Patong for 50 baht
PHUKET: A new public transport initiative was set into motion yesterday with the launch of 50-baht van rides from the Old Phuket Town bus station on Phang Nga Road to Patong Beach. The 15 seat vans will stop at previously established bus stops at Phuket Provincial Hall, Phuket Prison, Satree Phuket School, Vachira Phuket Hospital, Bangkok Hospital, Tessaban Baan Samkong…
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Australian “most likely’ attacked by shark, says expert
PHUKET: An Australian tourist in Phuket sustained a non-life threatening injury from an unidentified marine animal, believed by experts to be a shark, while swimming at Karon Beach this morning. Jane Neame, 37, shouted for help about 200 meters from shore after she felt like she had been bitten twice, explained Karon Municipality Tourist Rescue Center Chief Supachai Janpen. “When…
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A Decade Ago: Parched ground trembles and Big Buddha construction starts
PHUKET: Ground was broken a decade ago for the iconic Big Buddha image, which has already become a reassuring and dominating fixture on the skyline of southern Phuket. “The world’s biggest meditating Buddha [Pang Manravichai] should be finished in the next three years,” Suporn Vanichakul, who remains the head of the project committee, told the Gazette in 2005. Ten years…
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Police arrest Chalong killer
PHUKET: Police have arrested the gunman who shot and killed a man in the Chalong Pier parking lot on Friday. Kanawat Thingwai, 21, and his two accomplices, 18-year-old Ekkasit Kongsomot and a 17-year-old minor named by police only as ‘Don’, were arrested yesterday at a house in Rawai, Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit said this morning. The three men drove…
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Property Watch: Waking up the ever-looming giant
PHUKET: Technically there is no specific way to jump-start a snoozing behemoth. Sure, a stun gun might do the trick or a slap on the face, but look at poor little Jack who had to scamper down that beanstalk. In Thailand’s current property market there continues to be a strategic emphasis on fishing where the fish are. Look no further…
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‘Not guilty’ says judge in PhuketWan Computer Crimes Act verdict
PHUKET: A Phuket judge dismissed the Royal Thai Navy Computer Crimes Act case against Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, of local news blog PhuketWan, this morning. “We’ve been waiting for two years for today. The judges have done his job,” Ms Chutima told the Phuket Gazette. “It is great to know that Thailand has freedom. This is good for Thai…
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U.S. Supreme Court denies Kentucky clerk request on gay marriage licenses
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. Supreme Court denies Kentucky clerk request on gay marriage licenses Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down a Kentucky county clerk’s request for anemergency order allowing her to continue to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples while she appeals…
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Phuket police hunt illegal fishermen
PHUKET: Police are searching for the owner, or owners, of illegal fishing equipment found at Bang Yai Canal in Phuket Town yesterday. Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana led his team in collecting 24 illegal fishing nets, also known as ‘ai ngo‘ from the site. Ai ngo is one of four types of fishing gear made illegal by the National…
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Police arrest ladyboy packing fake shooter
PHUKET: A ladyboy and her teenage associate were arrested yesterday for robbing two convenience stores with fake firearms last week. Kan Polrob, 19, and a 17-year-old minor, who was not named by officers, were stopped at a police checkpoint in Rassada. “They were wearing full-face helmets, jackets and appeared nervous when they were stopped,” said Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of…
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Monkey Beach gibbon tout arrested
PHUKET: Quick action by officers after receiving a tip-off from a Phuket Gazette reader saw a gibbon tout photographed working on the sands of Monkey Beach put behind bars last week (story here). Anan Nadee, 20, was arrested along with Bancha Songkhai, 24, in front of the Andaman Resort on Phi Phi Don while using ther illegally owned gibbons as…
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Breathe into this: Phuket tackles drunk driving
PHUKET: In an effort to reduce drunk driving and the road fatalities linked to it, 39 breathalyzers were donated to Phuket last week. Michael Woodford, the executive chairman of Safer Roads Foundation (SRF), and his wife Anunciacion Somavilla, presented the Lion alcolmeter SD-400s to Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong on August 27. “Hopefully, officers having these devices with them while they…
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