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Sponsored Hot Phuket property deal: Arise Vibe launches limited offer on only four units, now from 2.5m baht
Phuket's property market is full of big names and high prices, but some of the most exciting opportunities are happening just outside the spotlight. That’s where you’ll find Arise Vibe. Set in Si Sunthon, one of Phuket’s fastest-growing areas, this...
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Police hunt Phuket gambling organizer
PHUKET: Police are hunting the organizer of a gambling event in Phuket who managed to evade arrest during a raid in Thalang last night. “There were more than 10 of them taking part in a gambling game known as Gung-pla [literally, ‘shrimp-fish’]. However, many of them managed to scramble free during the raid,” Thalang Police Superintendent Chanuchan Cholsuwat said. Nonetheless,…
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Direct Phuket-Hainan flights tabled to boost tourism
PHUKET: Direct flights to Phuket from the island’s sister province in China were tabled this week during an official Hainan tourism fact finding mission in Thailand (story here). The plan was announced as officials marked the 10-year anniversary of Phuket and Hainan becoming ‘sister cities’, said Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong. “The direct flights will be good for both provinces’ tourism…
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Business Buzz: The benefits of websites
PHUKET: Almost every business has a website now, but what are the real reasons for having one and are people using them effectively? When I ask many business owners, they often reply that they need one because everyone else has one. But do most people really understand the reasons a website is so important and how they can add real…
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Phuket police officer found shot in head
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a fellow officer who was found in his home with a gunshot wound to the head and a 9mm handgun still in his hand. “When we arrived at the scene yesterday, we had to break down the door, as it was locked from the inside,” explained Lt Peerasit Nhupayan of the Cherng Talay…
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World number 45 golfer swings by Laguna Phuket Golf Club
PHUKET: Prominent golfer, current Asian Tour Order-of-Merit leader and world number 45 golf player Anirban Lahiri recently visited Phuket, where he conducted a golf clinic and played nine holes with three young and promising island-based golfers at Laguna Phuket Golf Club. On the way to the US Open in Seattle, Mr Lahiri stayed at Laguna Phuket’s Banyan Tree Resort and…
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Chinese to “hack’ Phuket tourism industry
PHUKET: The Provincial Communist Party chief for Phuket’s sister province in China arrived in Phuket this week with hopes of ‘hacking into’ the secret to the island’s strong tourism sector. “Hainan officials are here on a fact finding mission to better understand exactly why Phuket hosts so many tourists from so many countries, while Sanya of Hainan is only playing…
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Eleven Colombian military personnel killed in plane crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Eleven Colombian military personnel killed in plane crash Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Eleven Colombian military personnel were killed on Friday when their transport plane suffered engine failure and crashed in the northern province of Cesar, killing all on board, according to a statement from the…
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Donald Trump’s companies have sought visas to import at least 1,100 workers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Donald Trump’s companies have sought visas to import at least 1,100 workers Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET:Donald Trump is staking his run for U.S. president in part on a vow to protect Americanjobs. But this month, one of his companies, the elite Mar-a-Lago Club resort in…
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China official manufacturing PMI falls to 50.0 in July, below forecasts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China official manufacturing PMI falls to 50.0 in July, below forecasts Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Growth in China’s vast manufacturing sector stalled in July, missing market expectations for slight growth, an official survey showed on today. The official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 50…
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Drive at your own risk
PHUKET: Confronted with a never-ending array of road-construction projects from multi-million-baht underpasses to reparation of enormous potholes, drivers travelling on Phuket’s roads – some of the most dangerous in the world – do so at their own risk, confirmed officials this week. The issue of road construction safety measures was thrown into sharp focus after a Phuket lawyer flipped his…
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Opinion: Packed prison
PHUKET: Credit is owed to the government for finally coming through with funding to build a much-needed and long overdue new prison for Phuket. It is well known that the existing Phuket Provincial Prison is dangerously overcrowded. With a maximum capacity of just 800, the 115-year-old facility currently holds more than 3,000 inmates – a recipe for disaster if ever…
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Region 8 Police headquarters to open in Phuket Monday
PHUKET: Despite some protest, the Region 8 Police Headquarters will be partially operational in Phuket on Monday. “There are several systems that need to be put in place, until they are up and running in Phuket, we will also be operating out of our Surat Thani office,” said Region 8 Police Commander Decha Budnampeth. The move of the regional police…
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12-year-old girl killed in hit-and-run
PHUKET: An 18-wheeled truck hit and dragged a 12-year-old girl to death after she fell off the back of her mother’s motorbike this morning. Vassana Kaewkumpa, 40, screamed for the truck driver to stop as it continued down the southbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road just past the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint, explained police. “Ms Vassana found the body of her…
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WRAPUP 5: Plane debris on remote island points to breakthrough in MH370 mystery
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community WRAPUP 5-Plane debris on remote island points to breakthrough in MH370 mystery Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Plane debris washed up on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean is almost certainly part of a Boeing 777, a Malaysian official and aviation experts said,…
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Boy drowns off Koh Sireh
PHUKET: A 13-year-old boy drowned off Koh Sireh yesterday after his friends were unable to save him and did not report the incident to adults or authorities for nearly three and a half hours. Payu Pairiron, a student at Baan Koh Sireh School, drowned at about 1.30pm after becoming too tired to swim back to the floating walkway. “We started…
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Three more ‘Game of Thrones’ seasons likely, HBO says
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Three more ‘Game of Thrones’ seasons likely, HBO says Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: HBO’s most-watched series, the medieval fantasy drama “Game of Thrones,” will likely continue through three more seasons, a network executive said on Thursday, as he defended the show’s gritty violence. The sixth…
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Hunting club that suspended U.S. hunter donates to top lawmakers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hunting club that suspended U.S. hunter donates to top lawmakers Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A hunting club that suspended a Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe has given money to the campaigns of numerous U.S. politicians, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell…
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New taxi queues announced for Phuket
PHUKET: More than a year after the National Council for Peace and Order made a sweeping effort to remove illegal taxi stands from Phuket, the provincial government has announced a plan to establish legal taxi ranks at ten locations throughout the island. “The move to establish the taxi stops at some schools, hospitals and police stations on the island goes…
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Cheap tuk-tuk plan rolls forward
PHUKET: Yellow-roofed tuk-tuks costing a flat fee of 30 baht are on the road to Phuket Town in order to lessen congestion and provide affordable public transport in the area, explained Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong. “There will be 87 tuk-tuks registered under the 30-baht flat-fee program. They will only be able to operate in Phuket Town toward Bang Khu intersection…
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Police bust bar for hookahs, selling to minors
PHUKET: Raids on nightlife venues in Phuket continued last night, with police seizing 40 hookahs used for smoking shisha and catching eight underage drinkers. “We received a tip-off about a specific venue serving alcohol to minors, as well as providing shisha, a flavored tobacco product that is illegal to import into Thailand,” explained Aroon Sing-in of the Phuket Provincial Office,…
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Cabinet nod for upscaling Phuket port
PHUKET: Phuket’s goal of becoming the regional maritime hub has shifted into high gear after the Cabinet agreed to expand the island’s deep sea port to accommodate larger cruise ships. The National News Bureau of Thailand reported yesterday that the Cabinet has given the green light to improve Phuket’s Deep Sea Port, and is considering the construction of a similar…
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Lithium find in exploding star could help solve astronomy puzzle
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lithium find in exploding star could help solve astronomy puzzle Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Astronomers have discovered lithium in a type of stellar explosion known as a nova for the first time, a find that helps clear up a longstanding mystery in astrophysics about the…
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BISP student takes 3rd at golf Teen World Championship
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) student Mark Luangnitikul came in third place at the golf Teen World Championship 2015 held on Pinehurst course in North Carolina, in the United States of America. More than 500 players from 34 countries competed on courses that have crowned some of golf’s greatest champions. “We are very proud of Mark for taking third…
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FACTBOX: U.S. Export-Import Bank moves closer to liquidation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community FACTBOX-U.S. Export-Import Bank moves closer to liquidation Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Hopes for a quick revival of the shuttered Export-Import Bank were dashed on Tuesday as the U.S. Congress moved toward a short-term extension of highway funding without a provision to renew the trade bank’s…
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China stocks fall for fourth day but declines ease, Hong Kong shares up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China stocks fall for fourth day but declines ease, Hong Kong shares up Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China stocks fell for a fourth day on Wednesday but losses were more subdued than earlier in the week after Beijing reiterated its determination to stabilise its wild…
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Raid nets six rigged metered-taxi drivers
PHUKET: Six metered-taxi drivers were caught and charged for using tampered meters in a swoop initiated by the Phuket Land Transport Office on Friday. “We mounted the raid after many complaints were filed by both tourists and locals about high fares being charged for metered taxis in Phuket,” said Phuket Land Transport Office [PLTO] Chief Teerayout Prasertphol. The six drivers…
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Copyright law to ban internet plagiarism
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Copyright law to ban Internet plagiarism The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Social network scribes should be wary of a new intellectual property law due to take effect on August 4 that outlaws the copying of other people’s work and using it for commercial purposes, deputy…
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Provincial officers raid Phuket nightlife venues
PHUKET: A raid by provincial officers on the island’s popular nightlife spots found one Phuket Town bar to be operating as a nightclub without permission last night. Parkpoom Intarasuwan, Phuket provincial chief administrative officer (Palad), led a team of military personnel, police, district officers, excise officers, and other relevant officials to check 10 nightlife venues in the Phuket Town area,…
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A Decade Ago: West coast marina marked for Phuket
PHUKET: With a 2-billion-baht investment, there would be 150 condo units, 45 villas, and a marina with a berth for 30 boats – not a terribly exciting point for a page one story… so was news slow coming into July 23, 2005? No. The twist, and there was a twist, to the project that eventually represented the potential for the…
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Phuket honors the Crown Prince’s 63rd birthday
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong led public officials in an alms-offering ceremony with 63 monks this morning in honor of HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn’s 63rd birthday. The blessing ceremony, which took place at Sanam Chai in Phuket Town, was the first of a few events to take place on the Crown Prince’s birthday today. Governor Nisit was joined by Phuket…
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