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Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort puts sustainability at its heart
The term sustainability is often thrown around as a buzzword in the hospitality industry, but at Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort, it’s genuinely part of their mission. Located in Makham Bay, just south of Phuket Town, the beautiful resort puts...
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Phuket’s premium pineapples sold out in an hour
PHUKET: A hundred Phuket-grown premium pineapples priced at 1,543 baht each were pre-booked for sale within an hour last week. The pineapples will be ready for harvest in February next year and sold at the Phuket Pineapple Festival 2017, Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan announced at a press conference at Tu Kab Khao restaurant in Phuket Town. “As we all know,…
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First direct Frankfurt-Phuket flight arrives
PHUKET: The first Thai Airways direct flight from Frankfurt to Phuket arrived at Phuket International Airport this afternoon. Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan and Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn greeted the passengers after they disembarked from TG 926 following its arrival at 1.30pm. The new Frankfurt-Phuket route comprises three flights a week – Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays – on…
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Samui local reunites tourist with bag full of cash
SAMUI: A Good Samaritan yesterday returned a Swiss tourist’s lost bag, after it had gone missing on Tuesday. The bag, belonging to Markus Joost, contained 16,000 baht in cash, credit cards, an iPhone and a passport. The 32-year-old Samui resident, Sarawut Somsawat, works as a gardener at the Anantara resort. He reportedly found the bag in front of a picture…
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German found dead in Kamala hotel room
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a German man whose body was found Monday afternoon in a Kamala hotel room, where police also found almost a dozen empty packets of the sedative Quetiapine. Kamala Police responded to a call from staff at Kamala Beach Resort – A Sunprime Resort about 2pm to find the body of German national Mr…
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Luck runs out for Phuket’s lottery vendors
PHUKET: Over a dozen people suspected of selling overpriced lottery tickets were arrested all over Phuket yesterday. Col Akkanit Danpitaksat of the Phuket Provincial Police led the investigation team, which arrested 17 vendors alleged to be selling lottery tickets for a higher price than they are worth. “We patrolled 21 venues that locals had complained about, “said Col Akkanit. “They…
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New testimonials add twist to fatal shooting case
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested and charged two men suspected of killing a police officer’s son near the British International School in Koh Kaew on Sunday night. The manhunt began after Thanapol Choosawat was shot dead by unknown assailants, allegedly over a debt of 500 baht (approx USD 14.00) (story here). The two suspects, named by police as Padermchai Chaichana, 35,…
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Third suspect in Tuk Tuk president’s murder case arrested
PHUKET: A third suspect involved in the shooting of the President of the Patong Tuk Tuk Drivers’ Club was apprehended by police on Friday. A total of six suspects are believed to have been involved in the shooting death of Sakol Srisompoch (story here), of which 3 have been arrested. On October 31, two suspects, a father and son, were…
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International passengers must pay new B15 surcharge per flight
THAILAND: Air passengers travelling in and out of Thailand now have to pay a “surcharge” of 15 baht per person per flight. Following ongoing investigations and criticism by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of deficiencies in Thailand’s flight safety standards, the funds raised from the charge will be be used primarily to address those ills. However, the move has…
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Police officer’s son shot dead, suspect on the run
PHUKET: The hunt is on for a man who shot dead the son of a Patong Police officer near the British International School (BISP) in Koh Kaew last night. Maj Nattaya Suwanpong of Phuket City Police received reports of the incident at 7:30pm. “The victim, Thanapol Choosawat, 21, had already been taken to Mission Hospital and pronounced dead by the…
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Promthep Cape lights up in memory of His Majesty
PHUKET: More than 20,000 people are estimated to have taken part in the historic candle-lit ceremony atop Promthep Cape on Saturday evening to commemorate the 30th day of national mourning since the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which was announced on October 13. At 6pm, Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan and local dignitaries led the public in singing the…
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On Deck: Pattaya jumps aboard marine tourism trend
PHUKET: Yachting in the Gulf of Thailand is nothing new but it is fair to say that the Andaman Sea region has grown much more quickly and has a much larger marine leisure industry than the Gulf of Thailand. Think Phuket and Pattaya; some would say they are chalk and cheese on so many levels. While Phuket’s abundance of nearby…
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Gas station altercation suspect charged and fined
PHUKET: The driver who assaulted a gas station employee in Tah Chat Chai on Thursday was charged for the altercation yesterday afternoon. Pariwat Polsamak, 29, appeared on CCTV footage that went viral on Facebook. The video showed him kicking Usaman Satapor, 31, to the ground at a Shell gas station and driving off (story here). Both men were called in…
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Man crushed to death at Phuket graveyard
PHUKET: A Thai man was crushed to death at a Phuket graveyard this morning. Lt Kwansirinath Thairat of Wichit Police arrived at the scene with a doctor from Phuket International Hospital and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers, after passersby saw him lying there and notified authorities about 8am. He is believed to have been dead for at least 30 minutes when…
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Phuket entrepreneurs join hands to boost investment
PHUKET: Two dozen private entrepreneurs have come together to form a new company aimed at boosting investment and promoting seamless business operations in Phuket. Named Phuket City Development Co Ltd (PKCD), the new conglomerate aims to develop the province into a functional and successful ‘Smart City’ under three ‘core values’: innovation; green infrastructure; and green mobility for sustainable development. PKCD…
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Kata Group taps into trillion-yuan wedding market
PHUKET: Kata Group Resorts Thailand aims to host up to 2,000 weddings in Phuket over the next three years after forming an alliance with Travel Wedding (Beijing) to exploit the growing market of Chinese honeymooners. The group, which owns seven hotels in Thailand, this month launched a range of wedding and honeymoon products to be exclusively promoted in China to…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Not a gogo bar girl
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Aot launches detailed maps to help Phuket airport visitors
PHUKET: The Airports of Thailand (AoT) has released a map for Phuket Airport after the September 16 opening of the new international terminal and commencement of renovations at the old (now domestic only) terminal. Work to revamp the domestic terminal began on November 1. The map gives directions on how to access the parking area, while an additional graphic notifies…
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Angry driver assaults Phuket gas station employee
PHUKET: Police have summoned a gas station employee and a car owner for questioning after a video clip of the driver assaulting the employee surfaced on social media yesterday. The CCTV clip (click here) shows a black Honda with licence plate number 5577 driving up to a Shell gas station in Tah Chat Chai about 6pm yesterday. After talking to…
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South Korean Ambassador and Phuket Gov talk safety, technology
PHUKET: The South Korean ambassador to Thailand and the Phuket governor discussed the technological alliance between their two countries on Wednesday morning at Provincial Hall. Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan and Ambassador Noh Kwang-li exchanged ideas for the betterment of Phuket, including the Smart City Project. “Phuket is a role model for the nation’s Smart City project,” said Gov Chokchai. “We are…
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Samkong Underpass to be closed for sign installation
PHUKET: The Phuket Highways Office has announced that the Samkong Underpass will be closed again from 9pm tonight until 4am tomorrow for a sign installation. “Wiwat Construction Co Ltd, the company contracted to build the underpass, revealed that the six-meter-long sign board adorned with its name will be installed on an I-beam at the tunnel,” said Phuket Highways Office Director…
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Flotilla to join 30-day remembrance ceremony at Promthep Cape
PHUKET: A flotilla of 50 Royal Thai Navy vessels and private yachts are to join the candle-lit ceremony at Promthep Cape this Saturday to mark the 30th day of mourning since the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thousands of people are expected to attend the event to commemorate the late monarch, to be held atop the cliff at…
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Man arrested for destroying Phuket ATM
PHUKET: A man was arrested last night after he lashed out at an ATM in Patong earlier that day. “We received a report from Krungthai Bank that their ATM in front of Arunsom Hotel was destroyed. CCTV footage showed a man repeatedly striking it at 2:52am, before making his escape,” said Lt Col Somsak Thongkliang of Patong Police. Investigations revealed…
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Belarusian ‘possessed by evil spirits’ after trip to Samui
PHUKET: A hallucinating Belorussian man ran amok in Thalang on Tuesday night, shouting that he could see dead people as he stripped himself naked and ran into a rubber plantation near the Shell gas station on Thepkrasattri Road, where he and a friend had pulled up on a motorcycle. He was later found and subdued by locals, who, believing the…
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Aspiring Phuket singer gets fussy in Bangla
PHUKET: A Facebook video showing a flared up Thai singer shouting and arguing with locals in Bangla went viral Sunday night. The video shows alleged Waii Kamikaze and her boyfriend drunk and fighting with locals on Bangla Road. Facebook page ‘Red Skill V.SE’ uploaded and shared the video, with the caption: “They say she is a famous singer who just…
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Russian family of five survives speedboat sinking
KRABI: A Russian family of five, a guide and a coxswain were rescued yesterday evening after their speedboat sprang a leak and sank in Phang Nga Bay. Thanbok Khoranee National Park Chief Champen Pompakdee and a team of officers arrived at the scene – 5 sea miles (over 9 km) from Koh Hong – in three boats and successfully rescued…
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French Consul to hold first aid workshop
PHUKET: The French Honorary Consul of Phuket is holding the first in a series of basic first aid workshops at Bangkok Hospital Phuket on November 17. Organized in collaboration with Bonjour Phuket, the workshop starts at 7pm and will be conducted in French, comprising about 15 minutes of theory by a qualified medic from Noumea Hospital, followed by practical demonstration…
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Phuket yacht dealer sells first Ferretti 850 in Asia
PHUKET: Phuket-based yacht dealership Lee Marine today announced the first sale in Asia of the new Ferretti 850 luxury cruising yacht. The recent sale of the new vessel from Italian designers Ferretti Yachts is sure to raise the bar once again for pleasure yachts in this class, said Lee Marine founder and managing director Joshua Lee. “The Ferretti 850’s dynamic…
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RTN still searching for missing Russian in Similan
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy is still searching for a Russian man who went missing in the Similan Islands last week. Aleksei Stashkov reportedly disappeared last Sunday while swimming at Koh Payan, Similan Islands, on a trip with his cousin, Mikhail Kolmogorov, 60 (story here). Mr Kolmogorov filed a missing persons report last Tuesday after he came across navy personnel…
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Russian tourist dies after Bang Tao swim
PHUKET: A Russian tourist who went swimming at Bang Tao Beach yesterday evening was pronounced dead shortly after lifeguards pulled him from the sea. “Petr Agapov, 57, and his wife had been staying at the Amora Beach Resort in Cherngtalay since November 2,” Phuket City Police Major Nattaya Suphanpong told the Phuket Gazette, after receiving confirmation at 9pm from Vachira…
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Tourist associations tackle overcharging of Chinese visitors
PHUKET: Two Chinese associations in Phuket came together at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint Sunday to distribute brochures detailing ‘fair pricing’ information in order to protect Chinese tourists from being ripped off by tour operators. Ronnarit Cheunsangarun of the Thai Chinese Tourism Association, Phuket Office; Nonpuree Patarakumakornsakul of the Phuket Chinese Guide Association; and other representatives from both associations handed out…
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