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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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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Befriending local fishermen
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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Opinion: All aboard the light rail gravy train
PHUKET: With so much media focus on the current government’s intentions with regard to democratic development, less attention is being paid to some fiscal moves that the administration has been making. One significant piece of new legislation, which seems to have largely slipped under the media radar, was the Cabinet approval last month of a new Land and Building Tax…
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Phuket Lobster Festival now on
PHUKET: The Phuket Lobster Festival 2016 announced its arrival with a splash at a press conference held at the Tukabkhao Restaurant in Phuket Town on Tuesday. The restaurant was decorated with a giant lobster attached to the door to commemorate the event. The festival officially begins August 1 and will last throughout the month. More than 30 local eateries from…
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Severe weather warning issued for southern provinces
PHUKET: Heavy rains and high seas are expected across southern and central Thailand, the Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has announced. DDPM officials have issued weather warnings for the weekend and into next week for Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Petchaburi, Prachuap, Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Suratt Thani, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Chonburi, Rayong, Chantaburi, Trat and Ranong provinces. DDPM officials…
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Farmers choose solar farm over our endangered spoon-billed sandpipers
SAMUT SAKHON: Given a choice between renewable energy and wildlife conservation, the people of Samut Sakhon have opted for a solar farm. Tractors and trucks loaded with soil were seen busily working in a field yesterday to fill a salt basin in Ban Khok Kham, where a three-megawatt solar farm project, costing about 180 million baht, is set to start…
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Probe launched into fierce cinema fire
BANGKOK: The fire at Major Cineplex Pinklao that caused part of Central Festival to collapse yesterday afternoon is being probed by investigators. Metropolitan Police chief Sanit Mahathavorn said an investigation team in cooperation with the local District Office is looking into the cause of the fire and the structural integrity of the building. The fire broke out in a theater…
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Pair arrested for illegal weapons
PHUKET: Two men were arrested after a police raid on their Kamala house turned up illegal firearms and ammunition on Wednesday. Col Sirisak Wasasiri of the Kamala police said officers were tipped off by informants that the suspects possessed illegally obtained and homemade weapons. “Thitiwat Prateep Na Thalang,19, a Phuketian, was found in possession of two guns and two .22…
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Foul-smelling fowl farm irks locals
KRABI: Krabi locals filed a complained about a less-than-sanitary chicken farm in Klong Hin sub-district, which led officials from the Krabi Livestock Office to inspect the premises on Wednesday. Dr Narong Benjakun led a team of officers to check the fly-infested, feces-covered facility. Farm manager Panthep Kanyuenyong helped with the inspection by showing officials around the farm and machinery control…
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Suspected Slovakian embezzler captured on Koh Samui
KOH SAMUI: A Slovakian man suspected of siphoning of 283,000 euros (about 10.9 million baht) while working as a hospital director in Zlate Moravce City was arrested in Koh Samui earlier this week. Police arrested Michal Grujbar, 38, in front of a Koh Samui hotel and initially charged him with overstaying his visa. “Police investigators later learned that the Slovakian…
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Massive blaze breaks out at Bangkok cinema
BANGKOK: A faulty billboard was blamed for sparking a massive fire at the Major Cineplex in the Central Pinklao shopping mall in Bangkok this morning. Police said the fire broke out at 11:15 and within 20 minutes had caused the third-floor roof to collapse, just as a team of firefighters pulled out of the building. No one was trapped inside…
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Boat Lagoon director awarded marina certification
PHUKET: Wicky Sundram, executive director of operations at the Phuket Boat Lagoon, was yesterday awarded ‘Certified Marina Professional (CMP)’ status by the Global Marina Institute (GMI). He joins the ranks of six other CMPs across the Asia/Pacific region and is the first to receive the certification in Thailand. Mr Sundram was presented with his CMP by Andrew Chapman, President of…
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Task force nabs four for working illegally
PHUKET: Two foreign tour guides and two photographers were arrested yesterday for working illegally in Phuket. The grand spectacle was led by Phuket Provincial Labor Office Chief Suttipong Saisakares and included a powerhouse of officers from the labor office, the tourist police, the provincial government office and civil defence volunteers, among others. The officials were acting on complaints from locals…
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Reptile raids Krabi cop shop, ambushed by police
KRABI: The Krabi provincial police station was raided by a baby monitor lizard yesterday. Officers on duty managed to ambush the beast measuring 30cm in length after it hid under a table. Police believe the lizard entered the station looking for food. No charges were brought against the cold-blooded carnivore. After posing for a few selfies with the reptile, the…
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Fridge on the fritz blamed for apartment blaze
PHUKET: A short-circuiting fridge is believed to have sparked a fire that gutted an apartment at Salabua Mansion Apartments in Wichit last night. The apartment’s occupant, Kriangkrai Suthammetha, 50, discovered his third-floor room was ablaze when he returned from an errand just after 6pm, Wichit Police Lt Patcharee Wongboon told the Gazette. Firefighters from the Wichit office of the Department…
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Bangla shooter charged for attempted murder
PHUKET: A man wanted for shooting another four times in Bangla early yesterday morning surrendered to police that same afternoon, after a warrant was issued for his arrest. The shooter, Thanapon Pankaew, also handed over a 9mm pistol and magazine that he admittedly used during the altercation. The victim, Sayan Padungsap, 35, was shot four times and admitted to the…
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Late night Bangla shooter hunted for attempted murder
PHUKET: Police are hunting for a man who allegedly shot another four times early this morning in Patong. Patong Police received reports of the incident at 3.41am, which took place at a parking lot behind the VIP Room nightclub on Bangla Road. The victim, Sayan Padungsap, 35, identified the shooter as 34-year-old Thanapon Pankaew before being rushed to Patong Hospital.…
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Inspectors back at Jungceylon shopping mall
PHUKET: Inspectors from Patong Municipality examined columns at Jungceylon shopping mall today to determine whether it is safe to reopen areas of the complex to shoppers. Work to reinforce columns in the mall’s parking area has been underway since June 5, shortly after it was discovered that some pillars in that area were damaged (story here). Kathu District Chief Sayan…
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Tsunami warning buoy out of action
PHUKET: A tsunami warning buoy off of Phuket’s west coast has been broken since at least March, officials confirmed yesterday. News of the buoy’s malfunction was reported on the public Facebook page ‘Phuket Quake Watcher (PQW)’, a group that monitors Phuket’s weather forecasts and seismic activity, on June 21. PQW members wrote that one of the buoys donated by the…
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Cape Panwa Raceweek wraps up after controversial contest
PHUKET: After three days of challenging conditions and tough racing, the sailors were looking for a final day bang. However, Principal Race Officer Simon James and team left the sailors onshore as they headed off in search for wind, which turned into a search for the proverbial needle in a haystack. It was never found. While the sailors enjoyed the…
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Tourist in ICU after snorkelling mishap
KRABI: A Chinese tourist is recovering in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Krabi Hospital after nearly drowning while snorkelling near Koh Hong yesterday morning. “At the scene, we found Chinese national Guobiao Guangdong, 26, in a very serious condition. He was choking after breathing in water, so officers applied first aid and then rushed him to hospital, where he…
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Chinese drivers entering Thailand drops to zero
CHIANG MAI: The flow of Chinese tourists entering northern Thailand by road in their own vehicles has dried up completely after the introduction of tough new regulations making it too costly and time consuming for them. Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce deputy chief Pakaimass Viara said yesterday that no Chinese tourists have crossed the border at the R3A Highway through…
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Krabi thief chops off cow’s tail
KRABI: A Krabi villager was dismayed to discover that an unknown thief had chopped off and stolen his cow’s tail when he left the animal out to graze overnight. Udom Yala, 37, a villager from Khao Khram in Krabi, said that his cow is still in pain, despite the incident having taken place three months ago. The 13-year-old cow, named…
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Cruise ship port for Samui
SAMUI: Government officials are getting excited about making Koh Samui a hub for cruise ship tourism to Thailand. Officials met with private-sector cruise ship experts while touring a ship docked off of Samui’s gulf coast yesterday. The tour comes after last week’s announcement by the government in Bangkok that it has approved a plan to build a cruise port on…
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Phuket traffic nightmare: Number of island-based tour buses to double
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada announced on Saturday that a whopping 100 new tour buses will be added to the province’s transportation network next month. Speaking at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa in Karon, the governor said that the approval of these buses is the first step in a much larger tourism promotion endeavor that would see the…
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Kathu to Bangwad bike route rolled out
PHUKET: The Kathu Municipality Office in collaboration with Phuket Gazette partner Nation TV and Mitsubishi Motors held a cycling event starting from the municipality office on July 17 to promote a new bike route. The event was named ‘Enjoy together in Nature – Bike routes @Kathu’, aiming to boost cycling trends and promote local tourism in Kathu. “During this wonderful…
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On Deck: Better co-ordination in the marine industry
PHUKET: Almost three weeks of back-to-back yachting events in Phuket sounds great, right? December is set to be a veritable orgy of regattas, boat shows, lavish cocktail parties, gala dinners, pomp and glam – it’s an all-out marine love-in and it starts with the 30 year old Phuket King’s Cup Regatta from December 3-10 at Kata Beach Resort & Spa.…
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Rose renews role as official TYS Ambassador
PHUKET: The Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) team has announced that Rose Maitland-Smith has renewed her role as the show’s official Ambassador. The second TYS, for which the Phuket Gazette continues as National Media Partner, is set to take place at Ao Po Grand Marina, December 15-18. The show will give visitors access to a large cross-section of exhibitors, including international…
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Governor’s Letter: Improvement plans for Phuket
PHUKET: Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada assumed his role as Phuket Governor on September 30, 2015. He is a Phuket native with a Master’s degree in political and administrative science from the National Institute of Development Administration. Last month, he was awarded the honor of ‘best drug fighting governor’ by the Deputy Prime Minister. Here, he talks about his plans to improve…
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Suspect in Phuket Town shooting surrenders
PHUKET: One of the perpetrators involved in the Phuket Town slaying of a hill-tribe woman surrendered to Phuket City Police on Saturday. Police are reporting that the man claimed he was only the driver and knew nothing about the shooting before the gun was fired. On July 8, two suspects shot a woman in the head in a souvenir shop…
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Phi Phi fellatio puts couple in trouble
PHUKET: A farang couple surrendered to police yesterday after a video of them engaging in oral sex at a Phi Phi Island swimming pool went viral earlier this month. The Irish man and American woman were caught by locals at poolside on July 18. The video, which lasts about two minutes, shows locals asking the couple in poor English peppered…
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