News
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Sponsored Top 5 luxury villas in Phuket and Koh Samui for your next holiday
Ask people to name the most beautiful places in Thailand, and you'll often hear Phuket and Koh Samui being mentioned. Who would disagree? One is renowned for its bustling nightlife, vibrant culture, and lively beach scene, while the other is...
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Labor minister applauds provincial efforts
PHUKET: Minister of Labor Sirichai Distaku urged Phuket’s officials to increase efforts to combat human trafficking, low wage rates and to increase the number of Thais working in skilled labor positions during his visit to the island on Thursday. Gen Sirichai’s visit comes after a period of escalating tensions between the provincial government and local employers of migrant laborers (story…
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Annual SEACAT 2016 to come to an end tomorrow
PHUKET: Navies from the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Malaysia will conclude their training and conference tomorrow, after spending two weeks at the Royal Thai Navy’s base in Phuket. The drills and conferences are part of the annual Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism 2016 (SEACAT16) and are being held at Cape Panwa. This year’s exercises…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Why are they here?
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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Finance: Alibaba proves naysayers wrong
PHUKET: It’s not been an easy market for many individual stocks over the last few years. Take the case of Chinese internet and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA) – a stock I have been watching closely since its debut, when a client wanted to buy some shares. Many western investors do not appreciate just how big of…
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Opinion: Youth deserves a second chance
PHUKET: The rioting by inmates at the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Center (JOPC) earlier this month is a reminder of the need to try and steer troubled youth back onto the right track before they reach adulthood. The body of scientific research on what leads youths astray is enormous. But, like most social science research, there always remains that…
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Thai Olympic medalists parade for the people
BANGKOK: Thai Olympic medalists are taking part in a parade today in Bangkok. The parade started at 3pm from Hua Mark Indoor Stadium and will go past Rama 9, Din Daeng and the Victory Monument before coming to an end at the Government House. Sukanya Srisurat and Sopita Tanasan won gold medals in the weightlifting competitions, Tawin Hanprab and Pimsiri…
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Phuket biz: Save our Gov
PHUKET: Eight of the island’s local business organizations have appealed to the central government to reconsider moving the Phuket governor a month from now. The statement, issued in Thai language, was released on August 22 after the announcement to transfer Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada to Nakhon Sri Thammarat on October 1 (story here). The organizations issuing the plea to keep…
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Emergency crews battle airport fires during drill
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport emergency crews battled fires near the main runway yesterday. Firefighters and rescue workers were deployed on the tarmac as part of regular drills aimed at improving response times and emergency response efficiency. This is the fourth such drill at the airport this year. Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan said the emergency crews were timely and effective in…
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Wichit marijuana dealer apprehended, bought stash through Facebook
PHUKET: Provincial police arrested a 28-year-old man yesterday after a raid of his home turned up 1.3 kilograms of marijuana. Nopparut Tongserikun was arrested after police found the category 5 drugs, along with drug paraphernalia at his house on Wirat Hong Yok Road in Wichit sub-district. Police received a tip from an informant that Mr Nopparut was allegedly selling marijuana…
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Police recover bomb remnants from scene of Krabi fire
KRABI: Police in Ao Nang recovered two devices yesterday that they suspect were part of the incendiary bombs used to set fire to a souvenir shop in the tourist destination on August 12. Forensic Police Region 8 Colonel Surapol Jaisan said Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) personnel assisted in examining the wreckage of the Ao Nang shop for evidence linking the…
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Police arrest six in another big krathom drug bust
PHANG NGA: Police arrested six members of an alleged krathom drug distribution network on Monday. The gang is charged with possession of 326 kilograms of the category 5 drug, which police estimate has a street value of 300,000 baht. A joint task force comprised of Thalang administrative officers, Khok Kloi police and civil defense volunteers reportedly detained two suspects after…
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Krabi man shot dead in palm plantation
KRABI: Police are looking for an unknown assailant who shot dead a man in a Krabi palm plantation yesterday. Krabi City Police received reports of the shooting in Thapprik sub-district at about 3:30pm. “At the scene, we found the body of 39-year-old Jaran Petchseewong lying face up in a pool of blood, with a bullet wound to the chest and…
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Bombings in Pattani kill one, injure several and damage hotel
PATTANI: Three bombs rocked the southern province of Pattani last night, killing one and injuring dozens. The first bomb exploded in a parking space behind a bar in Muang District around 11pm but did not result in any loss of life. The second bomb, hidden inside a vehicle, blew up a short time later in front of the Southern View…
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Bus driver flees after Chinese tourists injured in crash
PHUKET: More than 30 Chinese tourists were injured when their tour bus crashed into a temple at the bottom of Patong Hill last night. Police are hunting for the bus driver, who reportedly fled after ploughing into the wall of Wat Suwan Kiriwong, around 8:30pm. “There was a lot of broken glass all around. A car and a van were…
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Four bodies wash ashore in Krabi
KRABI: Four bodies that have washed ashore in Krabi over the past two days could be those of crew members who went missing when their fishing boat sank more than a week ago. Officials are awaiting DNA test results, but believe the bodies belong to the missing crew of the Bumroong Thai Nawa fishing vessel, which sank on August 15…
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Trump or Clinton?
PHUKET: It’s going to be interesting. Gerard Baker, editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, is flying in from New York to join The Wharton Club of Thailand and The Nation in presenting, on September 15, a ‘discussion’ of the unprecedented story lines behind the two candidates and how they are reshaping America and rubbing off on the world. In the…
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Four electrocuted in hotel water treatment pond
SAMUI: One man was killed and three others were hospitalized on Saturday night after they were electrocuted while working in a wastewater retention pond at a hotel on Koh Samui. The men were using a pump to drain water from the pond at a hotel in Baan Cherng Mon, Bo Phut, when the pump became submerged in the water, electrocuting…
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French tourist drowns at Nai Thon
PHUKET: A French woman drowned after swimming in a red-flag zone on Nai Thon Beach on Saturday afternoon. Anne Sophie Marie Torrijos-Faisant, 23, reportedly drowned as her friends looked on. They were unable to help as she was dragged out to sea by a rip current. “We were told that Ms Torrijos-Faisant was swimming with her friends when she was…
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Opinion: Security is everyone’s business
PHUKET: Andy Phillips, 58, is a retired Chaplain and British expat who served in the British armed forces for 20 years with the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marine Commandos. Here, he shares with us his concerns about security measures in the province following last week’s spate of bombings and his experiences in Northern Ireland dealing with one of the world’s…
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Business: Local store wars intensify
PHUKET: Phuket Grocery Ltd Partnership opened its flagship store in Phuket Town on August 9 with the aim of penetrating the low-cost retail market currently dominated by the Phuket-based Super Cheap franchise. Chairman of the new retail outlet, Pornchai Chanchuwanichkul, said he hoped reasonable prices, air-conditioned comfort and a range of customer services in a convenient location would also attract…
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Island-wide security center for foreign nationals promised
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police announced yesterday morning that new safety measures will be taken by Provincial Police to boost tourist “confidence” in light of the August 12 bombings. At a meeting of local officials and consular representatives, the police responded positively to the requests of 15 consuls to assign officers to a contact and information center in case of…
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Mother of man killed in Samui cries for justice two years on
KOH SAMUI: The mother of a German man who was killed two years ago in a bloody altercation in Koh Samui has written a letter pleading with Thai authorities to try those responsible for her son’s death, while bemoaning a lack of progress made on the case. Volker Schwartges was 46 years old when he was brutally stabbed, allegedly by…
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Opinion: No pet left behind
PHUKET: It’s official. I’ve got puppy fever. I’ve started budgeting more commuting time so that I can pullover and love on whatever soi critter I happen to see while idling in the daily traffic around Phuket Town and the Bypass Road. Actually it’s not just puppy fever, it’s pet fever. If it’s got fur, I’m off my bike, petting it.…
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20kg Krabi python slithers in for a latte
KRABI: A three and a half meter long python slithered into a coffee shop in Krabi in search of sustenance yesterday morning. Panrin Kongprom, a staff member at the shop, said that the 20-kilogram python had stopped traffic near the Tesco Lotus Express to make its way across Maharat Road in Krabi Town and into Kunya Coffee Shop. Krabi Pitak…
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Four-year-old finds father hanging from tree
PHUKET: A four-year-old girl found her dead father hanging by his neck from a tree near the Tah Rua Temple this morning. The 43-year-old man, named Wirot Jadsang, used to work as a hotel cook. He reportedly died about two hours before his daughter found his body, on her way to school. Lt Col Sanich Nookon of Thalang Police arrived…
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Finance: Cash is always king
PHUKET: Many of my clients have been moving money out of British sterling into different currencies or into deposit accounts in different countries. While I am not pushing anyone to do this, I am very often asked which countries are safe to hold deposits. It’s an interesting question and many are often mistaken about what guarantees actually mean.The most common…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Using local expressions
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.For…
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Opinion: Reassessing priorities to maximize national security
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette hopes that the perpetrators of the recent bomb attacks are brought to justice as swiftly as possible so that we can all begin the work of restoring confidence in the region. The specter of tourist-targeted bomb attacks of the kind that took place over the Mother’s Day weekend had been a source of dread here in…
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Phuket Town bars raided, managers charged
PHUKET: Proprietors of two bars in Phuket Town were charged yesterday morning for selling alcohol after-hours in raids conducted by police and public health officials. At 12:30am, the officers paid a visit to the venue Harem, located on Phang Nga Road in Talad Yai, where they found alcohol still being served to customers. Regulations allow entertainment venues to open until…
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Krabi faces 12-day blackout from August 20-31
KRABI: Hotel business operators in Krabi are preparing for blackouts scheduled from August 20-31 due to a halt in the gas supply used to generate electricity by the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Authority (JDA-A18). The interruption in supply is said to be due to annual maintenance. Business operators are checking the readiness of their own generators in order to combat the blackouts.…
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