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India denies visas to U.S. religious freedom body
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community India denies visas to U.S. religious freedom body Phuket Gazette / Reuters WASHINGTON: India has denied visas for a delegation from the U.S. government agency charged with monitoring international religious freedom, the agency said on Thursday. The delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom…
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German court rules Facebook may block pseudonyms
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community German court rules Facebook may block pseudonyms Phuket Gazette / Reuters BERLIN: Facebook may prevent its users from using fake names, a German court said on Thursday, overturning a previous order from the Hamburg data protection authority. The ruling is a coup for the social network…
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German police arrest doctor suspected of recruiting suicide bomber for IS
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community German police arrest doctor suspected of recruiting suicide bomber for IS Phuket Gazette / Reuters BERLIN: German police on Thursday arrested a doctor in Berlin suspected of convincing a young man to join Islamic State in Iraq, where he carried out a suicide bombing on behalf…
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Urgent: Blood needed to save American, 24
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) has issued an urgent call for O-negative blood to save the life of a 24-year-old American woman involved in a road accident in Phuket. “The patient is being treated at Bangkok Hospital Phuket,” said PRBC Chief Pornthip Rattajak. “They have completed one operation. However, more blood is needed for a second one.” Only…
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Day 3: Rowers battle seasickness, sleep deprivation in Atlantic crossing
PHUKET: Only three days into an estimated 2-month voyage of rowing across the Atlantic, the Row2Rio team is already facing enormous physical and mental challenges. “It was a brutal first day and night, sea sickness had three of us spewing all at once, only Jake seemed unaffected. I was sure I was about to die,” wrote Australian expat and head…
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Phi Phi Island releases 83% wastewater untreated
PHUKET: About 83 per cent of wastewater on the popular tourist island of Phi Phi Don is flowing directly into the ocean untreated, confirmed officials today. A stink about the untreated wastewater was raised after it was revealed that about 1,800 cubic meters of wastewater was produced on the island each day, but only 300 cubic meters could be handled…
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Student loan debt to be deducted from salaries
BANGKOK: This year, some 2 million overdue student-loan debtors will face deductions from their salaries to pay off outstanding debt, as the new Student Loan Bill comes into effect, the Student Loan Office disclosed on Tuesday. The Cabinet approved the Student Loan Bill, which makes it binding on business owners to collect student-loan debts for the Student Loan Office in…
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Plans for Koh Kaew pedestrian bridge on hold
PHUKET: Plans to build a pedestrian bridge at the ever-busy Koh Kaew intersection have been put on hold, confirmed a Highways Department official on Tuesday. Italian-Thai Development Co Ltd, the construction company currently developing the Bang Khu underpass, was originally slated to build the pedestrian bridge on the north side of the junction’s traffic lights. “However, the Koh Kaew Tambon…
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International teams prepare for 2016 Samui Regatta
SAMUI: Boat owners and sailors throughout Asia and the world have the 2016 Samui Regatta firmly marked on their calendars, as boats ranging in size from 23 to 72 feet head to Thailand’s second largest island to compete in the event’s 15th edition. The marine event, which sees the finale of the AsianYachting Grand Prix Championship, will be held at…
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Phuket safe after tsunami warning
PHUKET: Provincial authorities are keeping a close eye on developments today, after a tsunami warning in Phuket last night following a 7.9 magnitude earthquake off Sumatra at 7:49pm [Phuket time]. The announcement, issued by the National Disaster Warning Center, was later cancelled, but local authorities have remained on high alert throughout the night and this morning to monitor the situation…
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Italian mafia earnings from drugs rival Fiat with cars
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Italian mafia earnings from drugs rival Fiat with cars Phuket Gazette / Reuters ROME: Italian mobsters make as much money trafficking narcotics in Italy as Fiat does selling cars, but without having to pay taxes, the anti-mafia prosecutors office said on Wednesday. Citing estimates by the…
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Malaysia says high possibility that debris in Mozambique belongs to a Boeing 777
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysia says high possibility that debris in Mozambique belongs to a Boeing 777 Phuket Gazette / Reuters KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s transport minister said on Wednesday that based on early reports there is a high possibility that a piece of debris found in Mozambique belongs to a…
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Opinion: Promoting gastronomy [video]
Rangsiman Kingkaew is a Phuket native and the Secretary-General of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) He holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in economics from Thammasat University. Here he talks about his ideas on improving the standards of local eateries to live up to the province’s new title as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. PHUKET: Phuket was awarded the title…
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Governor turns up the heat on drug-pushers in Kathu
PHUKET: Drug dealers and users in Kathu are feeling the heat with the latest crackdown ordered by the Phuket governor, who is on a mission to clean up the district. There are drug dealers at large and addicts that need to be cured, said Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada at the Kathu District Office yesterday. The governor also joined law enforcement…
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Airport-to-Patong speedboat shuttle service passes EIA
PHUKET: The proposed project to offer a speedboat shuttle service from Phuket International Airport to Patong has passed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), confirmed the governor today. “We are glad to have the support of the central government for the ‘From the Boat to the Plane’ project,” said Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. “It’s an excellent idea as an alternative transport…
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Phuket flyover project racks up huge fines, opens this month
PHUKET: After suffering months of daily 200,000-baht fines, the construction company of the highly anticipated Klong Koh Pee Flyover will have the project ready to present to the public for the grand opening on April 6. “Locals have been waiting a long time for this project, which has been named ‘Thep Srisin Bridge’,” explained Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada during an…
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Philippine poll agency may block broadcasts of Pacquiao’s last fight
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippine poll agency may block broadcasts of Pacquiao’s last fight Phuket Gazette / Reuters MANILA: The Philippines’ election commission on Tuesday said it may bar local broadcasts of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s bid to win back the world welterweight title next month because it could give…
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Cambodians admit to raping French tourists in Thailand – foreign ministry
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Cambodians admit to raping French tourists in Thailand – foreign ministry Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: March 1, Five Cambodian fisherman have confessed to raping and assaulting French tourists on an isolated Thai beach, Cambodia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Thai police said…
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Phuket sea gypsies take fresh stand against Baron
PHUKET: More than 200 sea gypsies yesterday prevented Baron World Trade Company from building a wall that would prevent the seafaring nomads from reaching a ceremonial site on land the company claims to own. Baron World Trade Company, which is one of a number of investors who claim to own Rawai seaview land currently occupied by the sea gypsies, sent…
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Nok Air flights to resume normal schedules
PHUKET: After the cancellation of more than 100 flights since February 23, Nok Air has confirmed that all flight routes will be running back on schedule starting March 11. February 23 saw the airline cancelling 20 flights, which has been followed by the cancellation of 10 flights per day since, reported The Nation. The airline has been in the process…
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Foreigners suspected of vandalizing iconic Phuket locations
PHUKET: Police are hunting two foreigners suspected of tagging numerous scenic and iconic locations in Phuket with graffiti, following a burst of outrage on social media. “We are aware of the situation and are working on co-ordinating our efforts with other police stations on the island,” said Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Somchai Sanprasert. “There are photos of two foreign…
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Spectre of joblessness puts focus on Beijing as it sets new 5-year plan
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Spectre of joblessness puts focus on Beijing as it sets new 5-year plan Phuket Gazette / Reuters BEIJING: Job destruction from a slowing Chinese economy and reform of bloated state enterprises will put pressure on policymakers to come up with measures to create employment as Beijing…
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Google says it bears ‘some responsibility’ after self-driving car hit bus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Google says it bears ‘some responsibility’ after self-driving car hit bus Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google said on Monday it bears “some responsibility” after one of its self-driving cars struck a municipal bus in a minor crash earlier this month. The crash…
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Hecklers disrupt Trump rally, photographer shoved to the ground
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hecklers disrupt Trump rally, photographer shoved to the ground Phuket Gazette / Reuters WASHINGTON: A Donald Trump rally in Virginia was repeatedly disrupted on Monday by protesters, including some from the Black Lives Matter movement, in a stark display of the divisions the Republican front-runner’s presidential…
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Phuket food top of the tags on Instagram
PHUKET: Though the sultans of Instagram selfies reign in London, it’s Phuket food that gets the most publicity on the social media giant, according to research by airport transfer company Hoppa. “In the modern era, the holiday experience doesn’t just live in the moment and in the memory, it isn’t even resigned only to traditional photo albums… Because now, the…
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Light rail plans revised amid safety concerns
PHUKET: Plans for Phuket’s multi-billion-baht light rail project are being revised again to ensure better safety for motorists using the roads running alongside the proposed track routes, it was announced last week. The Highways Department, under the Ministry of Transport, has requested that the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP) modify the numerous level crossings planned along…
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Bus driver, allegedly on drugs, injures 20 students
PHANG NGA: A bus driver transporting tour guide students is suspected of being high on drugs when he lost control of his vehicle, flipping it and slamming into trees on the roadside. The bus was carrying 35 students from Far Eastern University in Chiang Rai on their way to participate in a training course for tour guides in Phuket, Phang…
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“We’re not mafia,’ say Phuket taxi drivers
PHUKET: Phuket taxi drivers denied any mafia behavior, or association with any mafia organizations, at a meeting with Dussadee Arayawuthi, deputy permanent secretary for the Justice Ministry, on Friday. Kata-Karon taxi drivers joined beach vendors and other locals airing their grievances at the meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall. “We were following the established rules. We don’t understand why we are…
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SUP champion comes to teach paddling in Phuket
PHUKET: Champion standup paddleboarder and founder of the Stand Up Paddle Athletes Association (SUPAA), Chase Kosterlitz, starts a five-day standup paddleboard (SUP) clinic tomorrow. “Chase has a wealth of paddling knowledge and has competed at the elite level for a number of years. His depth of paddling experience and his ability to teach offers a great opportunity to learn. Whether…
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Tourist drowns in Karon
PHUKET: Lifeguards pulled the body of a tourist from the waters off Karon yesterday. “I saw the man floating face down about 100 meters from the swimming area,” said lifeguard Mongkol Tanpisamai. “We immediately dispatched a rescue boat to retrieve him. We provided CPR – however, I’m certain he was dead when we pulled him from the water.” Though the…
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