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  • Phuket Gazette World News: Warships to help Philippines; 24,000 more houses in Jerusalem; Fukushima: now for the tough part | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Warships to help Philippines; 24,000 more houses in Jerusalem; Fukushima: now for the tough part

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S., Britain sends warships to help Philippine relief efforts Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A U.S. aircraft carrier set sail for the Philippines on Tuesday to accelerate relief efforts after a typhoon killed an estimated 10,000 people in one coastal city alone, with fears the toll could rise…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Restraint urged on Preah Vihear ruling; 10 hurt as train derails; Fundraiser for typhoon victims; Realty growth continues despite woes | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Restraint urged on Preah Vihear ruling; 10 hurt as train derails; Fundraiser for typhoon victims; Realty growth continues despite woes

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt urges restraint on Preah Vihear ruling The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The government and military have held back on making definitive comments on the Preah Vihear case, waiting to see what transpires from a meeting with their Cambodian counterparts.As villagers living along the border cheered and…

  • Major blackout to hit southern Phuket | Thaiger

    Major blackout to hit southern Phuket

    PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has announced a major blackout scheduled to affect residents and businesses in Chalong tomorrow. PPEA staff will be carrying out maintenance work on high-voltage power lines. “We will replace power cables in many areas this month to prevent unscheduled blackouts and fluctuations in power supply,” PPEA Operations Chief Yongyuth Podbutr told the Phuket…

  • Phuket ATM robbers were “amateurs’, says expert | Thaiger

    Phuket ATM robbers were “amateurs’, says expert

    PHUKET: A welding expert today branded the thieves who last week used a blowtorch to steal 1.6 million baht from an ATM at Phuket’s Boat Lagoon as “amateurs”. Stuck for clues in tracking down the bandits, Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Serm Kwannimit today brought welding expert Wisut Pumsiri to inspect the scene of the crime (story here). “I believe…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Thaksin believes protest will fizzle out; Industry gives warning; Mother-in-law admits contract killing [VIDEO]; Govt, Cambodia to work together | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Thaksin believes protest will fizzle out; Industry gives warning; Mother-in-law admits contract killing [VIDEO]; Govt, Cambodia to work together

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thaksin opposes House dissolution and Yingluck’s resignation The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Despite the mounting pressure against his sister’s embattled government, ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday instructed the ruling Pheu Thai Party to cling on to power in the hope the opposition-led rally against the amnesty bill…

  • Driver blamed for Phuket tour bus crash | Thaiger

    Driver blamed for Phuket tour bus crash

    PHUKET: Police have given a Phuket tour bus driver seven days to present himself to face charges for the Patong Hill accident that saw 49* university students rushed to hospital Saturday afternoon. The 32-year-old driver, Manit Sawadee, is to be charged with reckless driving causing serious injury. The bus Mr Manit was driving plunged backward and slammed into a roadside…

  • Safety helmet found at Phuket motorbike fatality scene | Thaiger

    Safety helmet found at Phuket motorbike fatality scene

    PHUKET: A man carrying a full-face helmet was found dead on the airport bypass road after falling from his motorbike early yesterday morning. Police were called to the scene, about one kilometer from Thepkrasattri Road (map here), at 2:30am. “The victim was identified as Thanapon Pawatpongphan, 44,” said Capt Santi Prakobkan of the Tah Chat Chai Police. “It seems as…

  • Phuket kratom cooks caught in the act | Thaiger

    Phuket kratom cooks caught in the act

    PHUKET: Police in Kamala, on Phuket’s west coast, nabbed two men cooking up a batch of the illegal drug cocktail “4×100” at a workers’ camp on Friday.“Plain clothes police informed us that two men, Aekkaluk Phanchalard, 29, and Suthep Abdulsamak, 42, were making 4×100 at the camp,” explained Lt Suchart Chompooseang of the Kamala Police.Uniformed officers quickly assembled a squad…

  • WTF – “What The Future Holds” Event Summary | Thaiger

    WTF – “What The Future Holds” Event Summary

    PHUKET: Professor Steve Keen is often quoted as saying that the only people who believe they can see the future are fortune tellers, economists and God, and that, while he’s sceptical about fortune tellers, he knows for a fact that economists are deluding themselves, often with appalling consequences. Managing clients’ hard-earned assets shouldn’t be based on an individual assumption of…

  • BIS Phuket earn four trophies at its football tourney | Thaiger

    BIS Phuket earn four trophies at its football tourney

    PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) was proud to once again host its annual football tournament, with the hosts taking home four of the total 30 trophies. This year there were teams representing 26 international schools from not only Thailand, but China, South Korea, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam. Out of 10 classes, BISP won top honors in the…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Typhoon death toll feared 10,000; Syria rebels open door to peace; Kristallnacht remembered | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Typhoon death toll feared 10,000; Syria rebels open door to peace; Kristallnacht remembered

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippines typhoon kills estimated 10,000, destruction hampers rescue efforts Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Rescue workers struggled to reach ravaged towns and villages in the central Philippines on Monday as they tried to deliver aid to survivors of a powerful typhoon that killed an estimated 10,000 people and…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: D-Day – Rallies in Bangkok hit critical mass; ICJ ruling on Preah Vihear temple today; Woman confesses to Jakkrit slaying | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: D-Day – Rallies in Bangkok hit critical mass; ICJ ruling on Preah Vihear temple today; Woman confesses to Jakkrit slaying

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anti-amnesty groups step up rallies in bid to topple PM The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Today is D-Day for Yingluck Shinawatra’s government, which is under pressure from all-out resistance to the amnesty bill from various groups. Several anti-amnesty movements will today join forces to hold street marches…

  • New Tourist Police Commander joins Phuket boat safety blitz | Thaiger

    New Tourist Police Commander joins Phuket boat safety blitz

    PHUKET: The new commander of the Tourist Police, Maj Gen Apichai Theamart, yesterday led a team of officers on a safety inspection of boats operating at Rassada Pier, on the east side of Phuket Town. The inspection, aimed at ensuring Phuket tourists’ safety, follows a heavily overloaded ferry from Pattaya capsizing off Koh Lan, injuring many passengers and causing the…

  • Phuket tourist van drivers win reprieve against arrests | Thaiger

    Phuket tourist van drivers win reprieve against arrests

    PHUKET: Local van drivers who shuttle tourists at hotels and resorts to and from the various piers around Phuket have won a reprieve from arrests during the ongoing crackdown on illegal drivers.The news follows a collection of 60 drivers successfully appealing to Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada at Provincial Hall yesterday.“All of us have already applied to the Phuket Land…

  • Russian tourist dies after Phuket massage | Thaiger

    Russian tourist dies after Phuket massage

    PHUKET: A Russian tourist died after suffering a heart attack in the middle of receiving a massage in Bang Tao (view here), on Phuket’s west coast, yesterday. Sergey Taruraev, 37, was pronounced dead by medical staff at about 5:30pm, soon after his arrival at Thalang Hospital. An ambulance was dispatched by the hospital after being notified at 4:30pm, by staff…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Typhoon flattens Philippines; Mexico frees kidnap victims; US embroiled in Iran nuclear, Palestine dilemma | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Typhoon flattens Philippines; Mexico frees kidnap victims; US embroiled in Iran nuclear, Palestine dilemma

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Typhoon Haiyan hammers Philippines Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Typhoon Haiyan, possibly the strongest storm ever to hit land, was barrelling out of the Philippines on Saturday after it flattened houses, triggered landslides and floods and knocked out power and communications across a number of islands.In the central…

  • Phuket traffic cop perks up to catch coffee fiend | Thaiger

    Phuket traffic cop perks up to catch coffee fiend

    PHUKET: A passerby in Phuket Town helped an off-duty police officer chase down a man who allegedly stole a bag of instant coffee from a 7-Eleven convenience store early yesterday morning.Kampanart Rattanamuay, 34, was found by police with five bags of coffee, a DVD and a pair of gloves.“By the time we arrived, Mr Kampanart had already been captured and…

  • Phuket Opinion: Why I’m keeping my dumbphone | Thaiger

    Phuket Opinion: Why I’m keeping my dumbphone

    PHUKET: Life today is inundated with myriad marvelous advances in technology, not least in the realm of personal telecommunications. I can’t go anywhere without encountering the latest news, entertainment, music or point of view being delivered by a screen a short distance away, a friend within range of such a screen, or by someone’s smart phone. Even on this idyllic…

  • Letter from the Phuket Governor: Improving the island step by step, his way | Thaiger

    Letter from the Phuket Governor: Improving the island step by step, his way

    Maitri Inthusut arrived on the island to take up the position of Governor of Phuket on October 8, 2012. With a master’s degree in political science from Thammasat University, he joined the National Security Council, rising to the position of NSC Secretary-General, before taking up the position of Chief Secretary for the Secretariat of the Cabinet. He has also served…

  • Phuket Opinion: The high price of protests | Thaiger

    Phuket Opinion: The high price of protests

    PHUKET: Local outcry over the amnesty bill recently passed by the House is understandable, but there should be concern about establishing the island as a regional center for political protests. The protest last Sunday at Sanamchai, the large open field opposite Phuket Provincial Hall, was relatively peaceful given the huge number of people who took part (story here). Many came…

  • Phuket Poll: Is compulsory health insurance for tourists worth it? | Thaiger

    Phuket Poll: Is compulsory health insurance for tourists worth it?

    PHUKET: Stories of fundraisers to cover the medical costs of friends and loved ones are not strangers to Phuket’s news pages. Dozens of stories a year roll in, and many more remain undocumented, about those travelling through The Kingdom who succumb to unfortunate circumstances and rack up enormous medical bills as doctors fight to save them. Many of these bills…

  • 12th Phuket BIS international football tourney underway | Thaiger

    12th Phuket BIS international football tourney underway

    PHUKET: Launching right on schedule, the 12th annual British International School Phuket (BISP) regional football tournament kicked off this morning with a “short-and-sweet” opening ceremony at 7:30am and the first matches commencing at 8am on the dot. With not too many clouds in the sky, the weather looks favorable for some of the island’s most exciting seven-a-side youth footballing action,…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Super typhoon slams Philippines; Russia ramps up Greenpeace charges; Israel denies Arafat slaying; Odd asteroid tails | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Super typhoon slams Philippines; Russia ramps up Greenpeace charges; Israel denies Arafat slaying; Odd asteroid tails

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Super typhoon Haiyan slams Philippines, millions seek shelter Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm on earth this year, slammed into the Philippines’ central islands on Friday forcing millions of people to move to safer ground and storm shelters, cutting power and phone…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Amnesty is over; Bangkok ATMs hacked; Russian boy in ferry tragedy dies | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Amnesty is over; Bangkok ATMs hacked; Russian boy in ferry tragedy dies

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Push for amnesty has ended: PM The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: As opposition rises and protests spread to key areas of capital, govt withdraws all six draft bills from the houseThe embattled Pheu Thai government yesterday yielded further to the spreading public outrage over the bill for…

  • Phuket temple receives 1.2mn baht to mark Kathin ceremony | Thaiger

    Phuket temple receives 1.2mn baht to mark Kathin ceremony

    PHUKET: Temple administrators at Wat Kata yesterday received a donation of over 1.2 million baht as part of the Kathin Ceremony, held each year to mark the end of the Buddhist “month of gratitude”. The donation was presented by officers from the Royal Thai Navy, joined by Karon Municipality officials and a gathering of about 2,000 other Buddhist disciples. “The…

  • Hot withdrawal: Phuket ATM robbed of B1.6mn | Thaiger

    Hot withdrawal: Phuket ATM robbed of B1.6mn

    PHUKET: Thieves used a blowtorch to make off with an estimated 1.6 million baht from an ATM at the entrance to the Boat Lagoon this morning. The theft, at a Siam Commercial Bank ATM, was discovered at about 11am by an employee who had come to service the machine. “The thieves broke the lock on the door of the building…

  • Amnesty bagged, Yingluck begs protesters to disperse | Thaiger

    Amnesty bagged, Yingluck begs protesters to disperse

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Yingluck pleads with protesters to stop The Nation/Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra went on TV today to issue an urgent plea to all groups of demonstrators to stop their protests, saying that the government had aborted the amnesty effort. Ms Yingluck said that the…

  • Phuket students in mass rally against amnesty bill | Thaiger

    Phuket students in mass rally against amnesty bill

    PHUKET: Hundreds of whistle-blowing students streamed through Phuket Town last night on their way to Phuket Provincial Hall to protest the amnesty bill. Starting at about 6pm, students from Phuket Wittayalai School, Satree Phuket School, Phuket Technical College, Rajabhat University and the Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus gathered in front of Provincial Hall to make their opposition to the…

  • Phuket tuk-tuk driver foils snatch-in-action | Thaiger

    Phuket tuk-tuk driver foils snatch-in-action

    PHUKET: A Kalim tuk-tuk driver rushed to the aid of a woman who called for help yesterday and managed to apprehend the man who had just snatched her bag.Yongyuth Dhamkong, 42, was driving along the Kalim beachfront road at about 2am when he heard Nongsarang Sakyen, 33, calling for help.“When I drove past the victim, I heard her shout for…

  • False alarm over bomb at Phuket school | Thaiger

    False alarm over bomb at Phuket school

    PHUKET: A cardboard box found at the entrance to Satree Phuket School yesterday morning raised fears among security guards that the package might contain explosives. Police were called to the scene, near the busy Tungka Intersection in Phuket Town (map here), just before midday. “When we arrived, we found a box and an envelope, in a plastic bag from a…