News
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Finance: Ups and downs in the price of oil
PHUKET: For somebody who pays attention to commodity prices, these are extremely interesting times. I still remember many talking heads on television predicting that we’d never see oil below 100 dollars per barrel. The argument was extremely convincing, especially when the markets seemed to be confirming its truth. With the flood of shale oil and the lifting of embargoes on…
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Across the Land: The persistent growing pains of Phuket
PHUKET: Last month, MasterCard Asia Pacific Destinations Index 2015 announced that Thailand is the most popular regional travel destination for 2015, with three of its cities making the top ten list. Bangkok was the most popular, followed by Phuket in fifth place and Pattaya in eighth. The survey was based on 167 destinations from 22 countries across Asia Pacific and…
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Ultraman World Champion to swim around Phuket
PHUKET: Swedish Ultraman World Champion Jonas Colting will undertake the first ‘Swim Around Phuket’. If successful, he will be the first swimmer to circumnavigate the island. Another aim of the mission is to raise funds for the Yaowawit School, a government-approved boarding school for children from underprivileged families, initially founded to help children who were victims of the 2004 tsunami.…
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Thailand Beach Volley Festival coming to Karon Beach [video]
PHUKET: Karon Beach is preparing its sands for the Thailand Beach Volley Festival Phuket powered by PTT on March 23 through March 27. The international amateur beach volley tournament will feature three classes: two X two men, two X two women and four X four mixed. After preliminary pooled games, the men’s two X two event will be divided into…
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US Embassy to hold consular outreach in Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok will hold an Outreach Visit at Millennium Resort Patong on February 26. Consular staff will be available from 8am to noon to provide the following services: • Passport renewal applications (US$110.00 or 4,070 baht for adults, and US$105.00 or 3,885 baht for children). • Passport applications for lost or stolen…
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Rawai sea gypsies turn down government offer
PHUKET: The Rawai sea gypsies have turned down the provincial government’s offer to purchase 19 rai of disputed land (story here), insisting that the land deeds must be revoked entirely. Reasons for the most recent refusal in the prolonged land dispute between landowners and the sea gypsies were that the sea gypsies believe the land deeds were unlawfully acquired so…
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Van driver crushed in early morning collision
PHUKET: A van driver was killed when he reportedly slammed into the back of an 18-wheeler truck on Thepkrasattri Road early this morning. It took rescue workers about 40 minutes to remove driver Nate Saengpayap, 35, from the vehicle, confirmed Lt Col Sanit Nookong of the Thalang Police. “Mr Nate was not transporting any passengers in his van at the…
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Australia, New Zealand urge China show restraint in South China Sea
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia, New Zealand urge China show restraint in South China Sea Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Australia and New Zealand on Friday strongly urged China to refrain from stoking tensions in the South China Sea after its apparent deployment of surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island.…
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HeadStart International inaugurates new Phuket campus
PHUKET: HeadStart International School last week held an opening ceremony for its new campus, located at Soi Na Sua near Central Festival Phuket. “Our new campus is situated on 15 rai of beautiful landscape and is very easy to access from major locations in Phuket,” said School Director Jazon Edouard. Some of the facilities at the new campus include large,…
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CIB nabs illegal jet-ski operators in Phuket
PHUKET: A total of 28 jet-ski operators were arrested during a Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) raid on Phuket yesterday. Despite numerous accidents and a legacy of scamming tourists, jet-ski operators have continued to work under an umbrella of lax enforcement of jet-ski rules and regulations. “We arrested the jet-ski operators for renting their vehicles to tourists without provincial permission,” said…
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OrBorTor council head survives drive-by shooting
KRABI: Police are searching for multiple suspects wanted for the attempted murder of the Ao Luek Noi Administration Organization (OrBorTor) council head. Rorseff Kasirak, 55, sustained serious injuries after a group of men pulled up to his home and fired about 10 rounds Wednesday night, confirmed Capt Manat Inprom of the Ao Luek Police. Mr Rorseff was struck in the…
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Upcoming alcohol ban for Makha Bucha Day
PHUKET: A nationwide ban on the sale and purchase of alcohol will be in place for 24 hours on Monday out of respect for Makha Bucha Day. “Letters will be sent to night entertainment business operators to inform them of the ban,” Peerayuth Karajedee, Phuket Provincial Police deputy commander, told the Phuket Gazette this morning. “According to trading laws, entertainment…
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Turkish Ambassador blasts Phuket airport
PHUKET: The Turkish ambassador to Thailand blasted Phuket International Airport during a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Tuesday. “Phuket is a beautiful place and many Turkish people want to travel to the island. However, they always complain about three aspects of their trip: the narrow airport terminal, communication issues with airport employees, and immigration,” Ambassador of the Republic of…
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Video Report: First Thailand Yacht Show a resounding success
PHUKET: The first government-sponsored Thailand Yacht Show attracted almost 5,000 visitors in four days, say the organizers, who hailed the inaugural event a resounding success and believe it will put Phuket firmly on the map as a regional hub for the marine leisure industry. A total of 43 boats from a variety of locala and international boat builders and brokers…
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Phuket, Tangier plan twin-city partnership
PHUKET: A twin-cities partnership between Phuket and Tangier is in the works following a meeting between the Phuket governor and the Moroccan ambassador to Thailand. “About 10,000 Moroccans visit Phuket each year,” said His Excellency Ambassador Abdelilah El Housni. “Although this number may not seem large, most of these are luxury travelers who own private jets and stay for an…
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Almost A Decade Ago: WWII relics and superyachts
PHUKET: As the Phuket Gazette plunged in with its first-ever Thailand Yacht Show Special Edition, we narrowed the gap in ‘A Decade Ago’ to 9-years-and-9-months ago… for the sake of marine thematics. Skipping over what is without a doubt a very dry page one at the beginning of the rainy season, let’s dive to the depths of a small story…
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Car bomb attack on military in Turkish capital kills 28
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Car bomb attack on military in Turkish capital kills 28 Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Twenty-eight people were killed and dozens wounded in Turkey’s capital Ankara on Wednesday when a car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses near the armed forces’ headquarters, parliament and…
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Apple opposes order to help unlock California shooter’s phone
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Apple opposes order to help unlock California shooter’s phone Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Apple Inc opposed a court ruling on Tuesday that ordered it to help the FBI break into an iPhone recovered from a San Bernardino shooter, heightening a dispute between tech companies and…
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Phuket to double direct flights from St Petersburg
PHUKET: Phuket will double its weekly flights to and from St Petersburg, Russia due to a sharp increase in the number of Russian tourists on the island, a government spokesperson confirmed. “We will add 14 weekly flights between St Petersburg and Phuket to the already existing flights,” said Deputy Government Spokesman Maj Gen Sunsern Kaewkumnerd. During Tuesday’s Thailand-Russia aviation conference…
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Mystery still surrounds Nong DJ’s disappearance
PHUKET: Mystery still surrounds the disappearance of three-year-old Nong DJ, who went missing while playing outside his home in Wichit. He was found six days later, scared, weak and alone in a forest about three kilometers from the spot he had last been seen (Video report here). Nong DJ is still recovering in hospital from his ordeal but there have…
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Opinion: Sailing into the future
Omsin Chivapreuk, 64, is the nation’s Deputy Transport Minister. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Kasetsart University and studied Advanced Management at Harvard University. Here he talks about his expectations for the Thailand Yacht Show and how Phuket will benefit from the prestigious event. PHUKET: The Thailand Yacht Show is the first time that the Thai…
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China sends missiles to contested South China Sea island
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China sends missiles to contested South China Sea island – Taiwan Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to one of the disputed South China Sea islands it has taken control of, Taiwan and U.S. officials say, ratcheting up tensions…
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Lucky Strike! Cigarette vendor wins B6mn in lottery
PHUKET: It was a ‘lucky strike’ this week for a cigarette vendor in Patong when she won a 6-million-baht prize in the national lottery. Puangpetch Boonpetch, 40, yesterday arrived at Patong Police Station with her partner to file a police record about her winning lottery ticket number 356364. She is set to fly to Bangkok to claim the money today.…
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Schools react to alleged Phuket kidnapping
PHUKET: At least two Phuket schools have boosted security following an alleged kidnapping attempt at Plookpanya School Phuket. The scare started after a mother from the school posted a message on her Facebook page alleging that a man exited a van, approached her 14-year-old son and attempted to cover his nose and mouth with a cloth. She explained that her…
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Health chief: Phuket on top of dengue danger
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) is on top of the island’s surge in dengue fever cases, despite figures being almost triple those of last year, confirmed officials. From January 1 to February 6 of this year, 70 cases of dengue fever have been reported in the province, compared to 22 reported cases for the same period last…
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Guns on planes argument ends in fatal Phuket shooting
PHUKET: An argument about guns on planes between two men at a seafood restaurant in Phuket last night quickly ended when one of the men pulled a firearm and shot dead the other. “The shooting took place about 9pm at a roadside seafood restaurant in Thung Thong, near See Kor market,” said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee. Witnesses…
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Phuket Governor demands investigation into security memo leak
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has demanded an investigation into the leaking of an internal memo that sparked concerns of an island-wide security boost, amid rumors that a group of trouble makers were planning unrest in the province. Governor Chamroen was forced to allay panic among Phuketians after news spread on social media that he had written to local security…
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Speedboat crew member slashed by propeller
PHUKET: A speedboat crew member was rushed to hospital after having his back slashed open by a boat propeller at Koh Lao Lading in Krabi this morning. “According to witnesses, 33-year-old Kreetha Sarawaree was helping to make room for another boat to park at the pier when he lost his balance and fell into the spinning propeller,” explained Maj Suphat…
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Afternoon collision in Phuket kills two
PHUKET: Two people were killed and another injured in a three-vehicle collision on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday afternoon. Lampoon Saeton, 56, was pronounced dead on arrival at Thalang Hospital, while Wasuwan Sae-Lu, 62, was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where he later died from his injuries, confirmed Capt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police. “The other victim, Charit Saeton, 30, is…
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Phuket Governor backs B313mn plan to end sea gypsy land dispute
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has backed a plan that he believes may finally resolve one of the longest running land disputes in the province. The plan to end years of conflict between sea gypsies in Rawai and locals who claim to collectively own 19 rai of beachfront land in southern Phuket would see the central government buying the land…
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