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  • UK’s residency law changes may affect Phuket’s expats | Thaiger

    UK’s residency law changes may affect Phuket’s expats

    PHUKET: With the Finance Act 2013, the UK is making changes to the statutory residency laws, which may affect some expats living in Phuket. It is well worth taking the time to review the changes if you are one of those who have just left the UK or who, and although you reside in Phuket, you maintain significant ties to…

  • How Phuket expats can cut their investment costs | Thaiger

    How Phuket expats can cut their investment costs

    PHUKET: If you are like many expatriates in Phuket, or indeed across Thailand, you have probably failed to realize the impact trading or investment fees can have on your portfolio’s return, as such costs are often hidden and can quickly add up over time. In a rising market, these costs may not be so noticeable; but in a stagnant or…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Korea evacuation plan at the ready; Soldier abducted in South; Charter debate rages on | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Korea evacuation plan at the ready; Soldier abducted in South; Charter debate rages on

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea on Friday issued a new threat to attack the US, reacting to a show of force by two US B-2 stealth bombers that dropped inert munitions on to a South Korean training ground not far from the North’s border. Pyongyang said its targets were…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Korea crisis; UN passes small arms treaty; Israel fires on Syria; Four charged over Brazil nightclub fire | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Korea crisis; UN passes small arms treaty; Israel fires on Syria; Four charged over Brazil nightclub fire

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. deploys warship as tensions over North Korea rise Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Pentagon said on Tuesday that a second U.S. guided-missile destroyer had taken position in the western Pacific on a missile defence mission, as tensions rise over North Korea’s threats of war…

  • Phuket Police stage riot control drills | Thaiger

    Phuket Police stage riot control drills

    PHUKET: More than 300 officers from every police station in Phuket have been rehearsing their riot control skills at the field behind Phuket City Police Station yesterday and today in preparation for a contest that will pit them against fellow police from throughout Upper Southern Thailand.“The objective is to maintain our preparedness for situations of civil unrest and to prepare…

  • Phuket Gazette Sports: Baseball opening day – a celebration of hope and renewal | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Sports: Baseball opening day – a celebration of hope and renewal

    Baseball opening day – a celebration of hope and renewal Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The crack of the bat, packed crowds and the smell of hot dogs on the grill signaled Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, a celebration of hope and renewal giving teams and their fans a fresh start to a new season. It is a rite of spring…

  • Phuket Sports: The rise of Thailand’s futsal team | Thaiger

    Phuket Sports: The rise of Thailand’s futsal team

    PHUKET: Sitting on a weathered white couch in the VIP section of the Saphan Hin Indoor Sports Complex, Thailand’s national futsal coach, Vic Hermans looks like he’d rather be on the touchline at the Phuket United vs Surat Thani match instead of watching it from the stands. The Dutchman visited Phuket recently to check out a few members of the…

  • Phuket British school issues statement over Russian motorbike crash victims | Thaiger

    Phuket British school issues statement over Russian motorbike crash victims

    PHUKET: The British International School – Phuket (BIS), this morning issued a statement concerning the two teenage Russian students who are in hospital after a serious motorbike crash on the bypass road on Saturday (story here). Neil Richards MBE, headmaster at the school, wrote in the statement today: “On Saturday 30 March 2013, two students of Russian nationality, from the…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Leaning tower condemned; Thaksin tweets; Natural Fruit human rights under fire | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Leaning tower condemned; Thaksin tweets; Natural Fruit human rights under fire

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tilting building near Bangkok urged demolished The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A seven-storey apartment building under construction at the back of Zeer department store north of Bangkok has been declared off limits, after it tilted and was inspected by local administrators.Public works officials with Khu Khot Municipality…

  • Phuket Gazette Sports: Liverpool FC to visit the ‘Big Mango’ | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Sports: Liverpool FC to visit the ‘Big Mango’

    PHUKET: Liverpool FC have announced the club will visit Thailand as part of their 2013-14 pre-season tour presented by Standard Chartered. The Reds, who last visited Thailand in 2009, will play a match at Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium on Sunday, July 28. Liverpool FC are estimated to have over 14 million followers in Thailand and this summer’s visit will form…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: 13 dead in Myanmar Muslim school fire; US-Korea tensions rise; Sex attacks hurt India tourism; Death penalty sought for Dark Knight shooter | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: 13 dead in Myanmar Muslim school fire; US-Korea tensions rise; Sex attacks hurt India tourism; Death penalty sought for Dark Knight shooter

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 13 children die in fire at Muslim school in Myanmar Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An electrical fire at an Islamic school in Myanmar’s biggest city killed 13 children early on Tuesday, authorities said. The children, all boys, died of suffocation in the fire at a…

  • Trash fires cause evacuations on Koh Lanta | Thaiger

    Trash fires cause evacuations on Koh Lanta

    PHUKET: Villagers on Koh Lanta, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, have evacuated their homes because of respiratory problems caused by garbage fires at a landfill. Local authorities say they are unable to control the fires. The villagers sought to publicize the trash burning problem about three weeks ago by appealing to the Krabi Press Club, saying that local authorities…

  • Phuket Gazette Sports: Murray’s win takes him to number 2 in world rankings; Serena sees off Sharapova | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Sports: Murray’s win takes him to number 2 in world rankings; Serena sees off Sharapova

    Murray goes to number two with Miami tie-break win over Ferrer Reuters/ Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Britain’s Andy Murray defeated Spain’s David Ferrer 2-6 6-4 7-6 in a grueling Sony Open final yesterday to move above Roger Federer to second in the world rankings. Murray was far from at his best against a dogged Ferrer but won the tie-break comfortably 7-1…

  • Phuket Russian teen students still in ICU after motorcyclist crash | Thaiger

    Phuket Russian teen students still in ICU after motorcyclist crash

    PHUKET: Two Russian students from Phuket’s British International School are tonight still in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Phuket International Hospital after being involved in a horrific motorbike accident on the bypass road yesterday. Staff at the hospital declined to give details of the students’ condition, but did confirm that both Vlabislan Adrashko and Sevastan Lukashov were still under…

  • Phuket Sports: Howlers, hunger, humbling and howls – F1 | Thaiger

    Phuket Sports: Howlers, hunger, humbling and howls – F1

    PHUKET: What an unexpectedly delicious race Sepang provided.The race was characterized mainly by sins; sins of omission and sins of commission. Errors took Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus, and Force India out of contention, leaving only Red Bull and Mercedes to take the first four places. But that summary contains none of the drama that left three miserable men on the podium.…

  • Phuket Songkran may be drier than usual | Thaiger

    Phuket Songkran may be drier than usual

    PHUKET: Following the ban on “water battles” in trucks recently announced by Deputy Interior Minister Chat Kuldilok for Songkran celebrations (link here), the Gazette has been informed of possible new restrictions being proposed, given the island’s current drought-like conditions. Phuket is facing its driest quarter in 10 years with only about 2.9mn cubic meters at the Bang Wad Dam (story…

  • Phuket Blood Center stocks up for Songkran | Thaiger

    Phuket Blood Center stocks up for Songkran

    PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) wants to boost its blood reserves to prepare for higher demand during the Songkran Festival. “We maintain a daily minimum stock of 200 units of A, B and O blood types, and 20 units of Rhesus-negative blood, but during the Songkran Festival we anticipate more accidents and more people needing blood, so we…

  • Phuket FC constructing a new complex on Chao Fa West road | Thaiger

    Phuket FC constructing a new complex on Chao Fa West road

    PHUKET: THE island’s football club, Phuket FC, are in the process of constructing a new state-of-the-art training facility just south of Phuket Town, en route to Chalong. This complex will afford players badly needed upgrades to equipment and facilities and will include a natural grass football pitch, as well as an artificial grass pitch, swimming pool, fitness center and physical…

  • Burmese man crushed under Phuket juggernaut | Thaiger

    Burmese man crushed under Phuket juggernaut

    PHUKET: A 43-year-old Burmese man dodging between another motorbike and a 22-wheeled truck and trailer died instantly yesterday afternoon when he lost control of the motorbike and was crushed under the rear wheels of the juggernaut. Thalang Police were notified of the accident, near the Baan Nai Klum u-turn, about 500 meters south of Tesco Lotus Thalang (map here), at…

  • Italians take path less travelled | Thaiger

    Italians take path less travelled

    PHUKET: An Italian couple who lost their way while sight-seeing at the Khao Phra Thaew wildlife sanctuary in Thalang were recovered safely on March 27. Meiko Parisani and Valentina Bolognini entered the park at about 3:30pm, hoping to see the Ton Sai Waterfall, but soon lost their way. “We were very scared. We saw a monkey with big teeth, it…

  • Phuket Business: Thai football market value to triple by 2017 | Thaiger

    Phuket Business: Thai football market value to triple by 2017

    PHUKET: Thailand-based sports media corporation, Siam Sports Syndicate Pcl, has set a five-year target for the value of the Kingdom’s professional football market to grow by 300%.VIPs from Thailand’s professional football leagues met last month in Bangkok to sign a five year licensing management and administration agreement for the broadcasting and promotion rights, and work out benefits of the lucrative…

  • Phuket Business: Formaldehyde free for the AEC | Thaiger

    Phuket Business: Formaldehyde free for the AEC

    PHUKET: The Deputy Minister of Public Health declared the Baan Saan fresh market in Phuket Town as formaldehyde free, following an inspection tour of the market earlier this week. The Baan Saan market, also known as the Phuket City municipality public fresh market number 1, is located on Ranong Road, near the local bus (sawng taeo) boarding area in Phuket…

  • Phuket Gazette Sports: Messi nets record, United and Bayern march on | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Sports: Messi nets record, United and Bayern march on

    Sio shines as Sochaux sink Lyon Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Lionel Messi scored in a 19th successive league match as Barcelona maintained a 13-point lead in La Liga despite being held to a draw by Celta Vigo, while a deflected goal kept Manchester United 15 points clear in England. Claudio Pizarro scored four times as Bayern Munich hammered Hamburg SV…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt readies to evacuate Thais from South Korea; Democrat Kingkarn to challenge Chiang Mai; Charter showdown looms | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt readies to evacuate Thais from South Korea; Democrat Kingkarn to challenge Chiang Mai; Charter showdown looms

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt readies evacuation plan for Thais in South Korea The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap yesterday instructed the Thai ambassador in Seoul to prepare a plan for the speedy evacuation of all Thais after North Korea on Saturday declared it was at a “state…

  • Breaking News: Phuket FC inhale victory against Tobacco Monopoly | Thaiger

    Breaking News: Phuket FC inhale victory against Tobacco Monopoly

    PHUKET: The dozens of die hard Phuket FC football fans who’ve so far spent 16 hours on the road since yesterday night, have something to celebrate on their 12-hour ride home following their team’s victory away to TTM Lopburi (0-1) tonight in Bangkok. The match’s only goal was scored by Phuket’s Kritsada Sakaeo from a perfectly weighted free kick late…

  • Phuket Immigration seeks help in coping with overload of Rohingya arrivals | Thaiger

    Phuket Immigration seeks help in coping with overload of Rohingya arrivals

    PHUKET: The arrival of more than 100 Rohingya men, women and children last weekend has left Phuket Immigration overflowing, with no respite on the horizon. The huge influx of refugees fleeing strife-torn Myanmar has forced Phuket Immigration to seek help elsewhere, said Capt Angkarn Yasanop. Of the 102 Rohingya taken into custody last weekend when the refugees sought shelter on…

  • One dead, two thrown from car as workmen head to Phuket Airport | Thaiger

    One dead, two thrown from car as workmen head to Phuket Airport

    PHUKET: One man is dead and two are lucky to be alive after the pickup they were travelling in skidded on oil and struck a power pole on Phuket’s Thepkrasattri Road, at the north end of the island, this morning. The three men, all steel workers from Takuapa in Phang Nga, were on their way to work on the expansion…

  • Phuket helps turtles break for the waves | Thaiger

    Phuket helps turtles break for the waves

    PHUKET: The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa hosted the 4th Mai Khao Turtle Release yesterday afternoon. The important annual event is organized to raise funds for, and awareness of, the plight of Phuket’s critically endangered sea turtles. Supported by the Phuket Marine Biological Center and the Royal Thai Navy, the event released rehabilitated…

  • Phuket hotels given one month to start reporting foreign guests | Thaiger

    Phuket hotels given one month to start reporting foreign guests

    PHUKET: Hotels and other guest accommodation establishments across the island have until May 1 to start filing daily reports identifying their guests to Phuket Immigration before officers start raiding – and charging – the hotel operators. The news follows Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sunchai Chokkajaykij on Thursday laying down the law to his officers, ordering them to launch a campaign to…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Muslims vanish as Buddhist attacks approach Myanmar’s biggest city | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Muslims vanish as Buddhist attacks approach Myanmar’s biggest city

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Muslims vanish as Buddhist attacks approach Myanmar’s biggest city Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Muslims of Sit Kwin were always a small group who numbered no more than 100 of the village’s 2,000 people. But as sectarian violence led by Buddhist mobs spreads across central Myanmar, they…