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Opinion: Help tourists discover true Thainess
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently launched a multi-million-baht tourism campaign to lure foreign visitors to the Land of Smiles under the banner ‘Discover Thainess’. What they did not do is explain what “Thainess” is before unleashing their latest marketing ploy. A catchy campaign and slogan with so much potential was immediately lost in translation. Tourists new to…
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Phuket fighters score gold at national youth games
PHUKET: Youngsters from Phuket won gold in seven competitions at the 31st National Youth Games, held in Chanthaburi last week. Thammawat Wongcharoenyot, president of Phuket Sports Association of Thailand Phuket office, was proud of the squad’s performance, especially in the martial arts events. “Phuket won 39 medals this year: 7 gold, 10 silver and 22 bronze. Now Phuket is ranked…
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Finance: Drop in oil prices can be a good thing
PHUKET: When it comes to investing, many make it more complicated than it actually is. What I try to do is use common sense and simplify the process. The two big factors driving global markets right now are central banks and the drop in oil prices. Banks have been pumping trillions of dollars into the global financial system ever since…
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Man arrested over alleged killing of 2-year-old stepson
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man arrested over alleged killing of 2-year-old stepson The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A man was arrested yesterday for violently assaulting his two-year-old stepson, who later died of his injuries in Klong Sam Wa district. The incident was caught by a surveillance camera. Former truck…
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Fighting and air strikes across Yemen; dialogue remains distant
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fighting and air strikes across Yemen; dialogue remains distant Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Yemeni fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi clashed with Iranian-allied Houthi fighters on Sunday in Aden, the absent leader’s last major foothold in the country. Hadi loyalists in the…
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Major 7.7 quake strikes off Papua New Guinea, tsunami warning issued
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Major 7.7 quake strikes off Papua New Guinea, tsunami warning issued Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A major earthquake with a magnitude 7.7 struck off Papua New Guinea on Monday, official monitors said, and a tsunami warning was issued soon after. The epicenter of the 33km…
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Yingluck defends record on human trafficking, fishing ‘slaves’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Yingluck defends record on human trafficking, fishing ‘slaves’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday defended her administration after Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha claimed that it did nothing to solve human trafficking or forced labour on trawlers. Yingluck posted a…
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No road closures for Phuket Cycling Fest
PHUKET: Police will be stationed at road intersections to help with traffic flow during the Phuket Cycling Fest ride tomorrow morning (story here). However, no roads will be completely closed the Phuket Gazette was told today. Nonetheless, drivers are asked to avoid the cycling route to prevent congestion if possible. Cyclist will depart from Saphan Hin at 6:15am. They will…
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Expert fears Phuket touts feeding meth to slow lorises [video]
PHUKET: Police are looking into a wildlife expert’s concerns that slow lorises being touted in Phuket and other popular tourist destinations in Thailand are being drugged with methamphetamine or another stimulant. “My officers will be keeping an eye out for slow loris touts. After we make an arrest, we will be questioning them about whether or not they are drugging…
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Domestic tourist safe after longtail boat capsizes in Krabi
PHUKET: Five domestic tourists were safely rescued after their longtail boat capsized in Krabi yesterday afternoon. At about 3:40pm the longtail boat, Jaosapandaman, flipped over while taking the tourists from Koh Hong to Ao Nang. “Near the area of Saphanlek, close to Klong Muang Beach, the waves were too big. A wave broke the motor free from the boat, and…
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Drunk Australian perp caught pocketing prawns in Phuket
PHUKET: A drunk Australian tourist was arrested for stealing two tiger prawns from a seafood restaurant in Patong yesterday. “The man walked through our restaurant and took two prawns. Our staff asked him to put them back, but he refused, and then disappeared onto Soi Bangla,” 36-year-old Tropica restaurant manager, Aruni Mahasena, told the Patong Police. After receiving the report,…
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No security boost ordered for Songkran festival in Phuket, yet
PHUKET: Phuket Tourist Police have yet to receive an order to boost security during the upcoming Songkran Festival, which will be celebrated from April 13 to 15. The news follows the The Nation reporting that Thailand’s Tourist Police are preparing all major tourist destinations to ensure the utmost safety during the world-famous water-filled holiday (story here). “We will do security…
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Phuket’s Eva Beach responds to probe into legality of beachfront resort
PHUKET: The management of The Eva Group has issued a statement in response to an inspection carried out earlier this year by a chief judge and a team of experts into an upscale property project under construction in Rawai. Tawatchai Sontiwanit, chief judge of the recently formed environmental division of the regional Administrative Court responsible for Phuket, led the inspection…
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Video Report: Phuket United unveil 2015 Futsal League lineup
PHUKET: The island’s sole team in the national Futsal League, Phuket United FC, unveiled their squad for 2015 Futsal League lineup, which gets underway on Saturday. The team, unveiled by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak last weekend, includes two Brazilians: 26-year-old defender Francisco Da Silva Soares, and Jackson Santos, 29, who plays pivot. Headed by coach Chalermpong Saengdee, just 27…
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German tourist recovering after propeller slashes head
PHUKET: A German tourist who was struck in the head by the propeller of a longtail boat off Karon Beach on Wednesday (story here) is recovering well, a tourism official has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket office, visited the injured tourist, 54-year-old Rudi Dann, at Bangkok Hospital Phuket…
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Phuket officials charge captain of illegal Antarctic toothfish vessel
PHUKET: Officials have charged the Peruvian captain of an illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing vessel for falsely reporting the cargo of his ship as he attempted to offload 182 tonnes of Antarctic toothfish illegally caught in the Southern Ocean. The ship, which recently had its name changed from Kunlun to Taishan, had already fled from the navies of New Zealand…
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Phuket expat murder charge: Police to hand Pendlebury case to prosecutor in late April
PHUKET: Patong Police expect to hand over their case against Mark Pendlebury, a long-time expat accused of murdering a Thai nightclub bouncer on March 11 (story here), by the end of April. “I think I will be able to compile all evidence and complete the investigation by late April. Then, we will handle to case to public prosecutor,” Lt Col…
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Opinion: Save and protect our fellow earth dwellers
Wanchai Supanaus, 56, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, is the head of the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station. He graduated from Phrae Forestry School in 1979, where he earned a vocational certificate for forestry. He has been head of the station for 15 years. Here, he discusses the illegal trade of touting protected species, which is prevalent in Phuket and other…
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Opinion: Keeping Phuket’s guns out of range
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette joins the rest of the island in extending its condolences to the family of young Scotsman Liam Colven, who died at a newly-opened shooting range in Thalang from a gunshot to the head last weekend (story here). News of the death has resonated in the social media as the story touches on so many relevant issues…
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PM mulls alternative to martial law
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM mulls alternative to martial law The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday he was thinking of replacing martial law with other laws including giving himself “absolute power”. “I have been thinking [that] for a long time,” PM Prayut pointed…
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Democracy activist arrested, charged with violating junta’s order
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Democracy activist arrested, charged with violating junta’s order The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pro-democracy activist Pansak Srithep was arrested early yesterday and charged with three offences, including violating the order of the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order forbidding political gatherings of more…
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Human trafficking to carry death penalty
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Human trafficking to carry death penalty The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Parliament voted overwhelmingly yesterday to introduce harsher punishments for human traffickers, including life imprisonment and the death penalty in cases where their victims had died. The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) voted to amend the…
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Co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing Germanwings jet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing Germanwings jet Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A young German co-pilot barricaded himself alone in the cockpit of Germanwings flight 9525 and apparently set it on course to crash into an Alpine mountain, killing all 150 people on board including himself,…
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Phuket police ordered to follow up on taxi mafia, billion-baht-beach scheme cases
PHUKET: A group of high-ranking police officers and island officials met with Phuket Public Prosecutor Pisitpol Phumsawat yesterday to follow up on the progress in the island’s high-profile taxi mafia and billion-baht-beach scheme cases. “I have been ordered by the Royal Thai Police and the National Council for Peace and Order to follow up on these cases, as they have…
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Phuket’s Lighthouse Weekend Market returns with a taste of Fantasia
PHUKET: Phuket’s liveliest marina is going Fantasia for this month’s Lighthouse Weekend Market at the Boat Lagoon with world-class acrobatic performances and live acoustic vibes from one of the country’s top guitarists to accompany the smorgasbord of street-side treats from local vendors and boutique stores. Bring the entire family for a fun-filled evening in ‘Never Never Land’ from 5pm to…
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German tourist struck in the head by Phuket longtail propeller
PHUKET: A German tourist who was struck in the head by the propeller of a longtail boat off Karon Beach yesterday morning is now receiving treatment at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Kata-Karon chief lifeguard Uten Singsom told the Phuket Gazette today that his staff rescued the tourist, who was swimming about 60 meters from shore. The man’s name and condition has…
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Two dead as ghost-driving pick-up slams head-on into six-wheeler
PHUKET: A ghost-driving pick-up truck driver travelling in the wrong direction on the one-way road leaving the island slammed into a six-wheeled cargo truck early this morning, killing himself and his passenger and injuring two others. Police were called to the scene at about 4am, where they found a white six-wheeled SuperCheap truck and a demolished pick-up truck on the…
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Phuket’s Kingdom crew fly high at Platu TransWorld
PHUKET: Phuket-based yachtsman Scott Duncanson and his crew Trent Pedersen, Alfie Rowson, Tony Harman and Paul Burke on Kingdom Property have won second place in the inaugural Platu TransWorld Invitational. The four-day international competition based at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Pattaya featured crews from Sweden, Russia, Singapore, Japan, Holland, the United Kingdom and Australia, but was ultimately won…
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Phuket readies for Earth Hour
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) is urging people to join the Earth Hour 2015 event this Saturday to show their support for saving the world’s energy. “It is a very good campaign that everyone can join. You can take part while at home or work, by simply turning off unnecessary lights,” PPEA…
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PM fumes over report on slave trawlers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM fumes over report on slave trawlers The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday warned a journalist from Channel 3 to speak to officials before spreading news about Thais forced to work on trawlers near Indonesia to avoid damaging exports of…
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