News
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Sponsored 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 Marine Police seize illegally imported boat equipment
PHUKET: Marine police seized boat engines and other heavy machinery with a total value of five million baht, stored at a lockup in Rassada on Monday. “We received a tip from an anonymous source that machinery was being stored in a fishing industry warehouse in Rassada,” Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana said. “During an early morning raid on the…
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Russian deputy consul for Phuket dies in crash
PHUKET: The Russian Federation’s Deputy Honorary Consul for Phuket died in a car crash early this morning in the Wichit sub-district. Authorities believe Santi Udomkiratak, 50, fell asleep at the wheel after they found no signs of attempted braking on the roadway. Police say the crash between Mr Santi’s Mercedes and a six-wheel truck occurred near the Jor Soo Kong…
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Biz Chat: Tips for establishing a start-up
PHUKET: The island is filled with business people who invest millions on large business prospects, but no one ever talks about the little guy. What if you have 100,000 baht and want to play around with it? Here’s a guide to investing in a small business, just to see if it works. Let’s take it step by step – the…
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On Deck: Lessons from the Top of the Gulf Regatta
PHUKET: I’ve spent the last week in Pattaya at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club, reporting on the 12th Top of the Gulf Regatta. I find it’s always good to look outside your ‘home’ town to learn, get some new ideas and a fresh perspective, and the Top of the Gulf Regatta can provide some great lessons for all. Firstly, it…
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Thousands pawn valuables to cover back to school costs
PHUKET: Phuket’s pawn brokers said transactions on May 10 totalled nearly 12 million baht, as families pawned valuables to cover their children’s school costs. Phuket City Municipality Pawnshop representative Apirat Chaiyakul said transactions between May and June are expected to increase by as much as 30 per cent over last year. Mr Apirat said his store will do around 180mn…
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Body of missing swimmer washes up at Nai Harn
PHUKET: A Myanmar man who was reported missing at Nai Harn Beach yesterday, was found dead this afternoon, officials confirmed. Joe Ye Bai, 22, reportedly went to Nai Harn with two of his friends and was washed away by waves at around 6:20pm, May 15. His body washed ashore on Nai Harn Beach at about 2:10pm today. “The clothes on…
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Opinion: Tourism’s impact on Phuket’s sea gypsies
Nirund Yangpan, a fisherman by profession and father of four sons, was born and raised in Rawai’s sea gypsy community. His family has been fishing for generations, but times have changed and now he fears the worst. Here, he talks about how tourism and new fishing regulations have impacted their traditional way of life, making it harder to earn a…
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A Decade Ago: General elections, traffic woes and mayor of Laguna
PHUKET: Politics were again on the front page of the Phuket Gazette in May 2006, following the Constitutional Court’s May 8 ruling against the snap elections for parliament on April 2. With the island burning a bright yellow, the big question was which member of the Democratic Party would be put forward to represent the island after clearing Thai Rak…
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Aussie life savers support Phuket lifeguard training
PHUKET: About 60 volunteers took part in a training seminar on emergency life-saving techniques at Phuket’s Air Traffic Control Center May 10-14. The annual lifeguard training was sponsored by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO), and was supported by members of the non-profit organization Surf Life Saving Australia. “Our trainers included personnel from the Third Naval Area Command and the…
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Environmental damage shutters Ta Chai island indefinitely
PHUKET: Ta Chai Island and the surrounding waters were today closed to tourists and members of the public with no scheduled reopening date. Officials say the island, located some 70 kilometers north of Phuket, was closed in order to allow marine life a chance to restore itself. “Normally, islands in Mu Koh Similan National Park, including Ta Chai and Similan,…
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Island View: Wherefore art thou coffee?
PHUKET: A great part of my excitement upon learning I’d be moving to Phuket was due to the island’s proximity to Sumatra and Java, arguably the world’s most renowned coffee-growing regions. Imagine my dread at realizing that here, like much of the world, the market is dominated by instant coffee. Thailand’s consumption of instant coffee is so ubiquitous that the…
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New police station opens near Phuket airport
PHUKET: The new Sakoo Police Station officially opened its doors on May 11, to oversee Sakoo sub-district as well as the Phuket International Airport. The new station, located near Nai Yang Beach in Sirinath National Park, was one of 88 police stations opened nationwide on the same day. The new station’s operations cover five communities (Moo Baan) in Sakoo sub-district…
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Finance: Take financial opinions with a pinch of salt
PHUKET: It’s very easy to get confused in the era of 24-hour media with regards to what’s going on in the world economy. To make matters worse financial opinions are often reported as facts. Many times there are hidden agendas behind these, so it’s important to take any opinions with a grain of salt. The idea for this article came…
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Maya Bay tourist ban proposed to save marine life
PHUKET: Maya Bay could be closed next month to help save marine life. The closure of the popular tourist spot in Phi Phi National Park was proposed by marine experts as a preventative measure to help restore bleached coral and other marine life. “Currently, sea temperature is very high, and it’s expected to continue increasing from about 30.5 to about…
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Fishing captain hospitalized after ammonia leak
PHUKET: A Taiwanese fishing boat captain was injured from an ammonia leak aboard a tuna fishing vessel at the Fish Marketing Organization pier in Rassada yesterday. A Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker received the report of the leak and found the captain unconscious. “Armed with protective masks, rescue workers boarded the Shun Ying and used a machine to remove the gas…
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Fossils found in Krabi
KRABI: Fossilized bones, possibly those of a dinosaur, have been discovered in a stream bed in Krabi. Locals stumbled across the fossils half-buried in the bank of Khlong Paklao in Na Nuea, a sub-district Ao Luek District, after the water level in the stream dropped to about half a meter following an extended period of drought. The petrified bones are…
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Work underway to fix B400k damage to Chalong road caused by water trucks
PHUKET: Work is underway to repair 400,000 baht worth of damage done by water delivery trucks to a road behind Chalong Temple. Chalong Municipality confirmed today that work began this week to resurface Luangporgluam Road, which runs alongside the reservoir, an old tin mine, after complaints from locals prompted Chalong Mayor Samran Jindapon to ban water delivery trucks from using…
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Body found in Kathu may be missing Indonesian man, say police
PHUKET: Fresh evidence in a missing person’s case has led Phuket police to order a DNA test to confirm whether an unidentified decomposing body found floating in a Kathu pond on May 9 is that of an Indonesian man reported missing since May 7. The missing man Haiki Muhammad, 28, lived near the Thairath Wittaya School, which is where the…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Going without toilet paper
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: Innovation is just half the battle [video]
PHUKET: In a world where the only constant is change, it is interesting to note that Thailand is now gaining a reputation for innovation. The Gazette‘s cover story this week highlights just one of the many Thai innovations that won prizes at the 44th International Exhibition of Inventions, held in Geneva last month. Among the other big Thai winners in…
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Krabi locals use bamboo leaves to boost income
KRABI: This year’s drought is forcing Krabi farmers to diversify their crops. Boonlap Maepeng, 61, was having trouble producing rubber due to a lack of water when she was approached by a Bangkok businessman looking for dried bamboo leaves, which are used as wrappings for Bak Jang (rice dumplings). Ms Boonlap now collects bamboo leaves from her entire village in…
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Paradise Beach venue threatened with demolition
PHUKET: Patong Municipality is to serve a demolition notice to Paradise Beach Phuket next week, giving the party venue in Patong 30 days to move off the land it allegedly occupies illegally. Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup said Paradise Beach Management Co Ltd, which operates the beach club near Tri Trang Beach, will be formally told to remove the buildings said…
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Truck company billed for road damage
PHUKET: Chalong Mayor Samran Jindapon has ordered trucks carrying water to stay off of Luangporglium-Luangporcham Road after they allegedly caused damage to the pavement. Mr Samran also said the municipality is billing the trucking company for repairs. Mr Samran, accompanied by other Chalong officials, inspected the road after villagers complained of potholes and standing water near an old mining site…
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Head-on collision kills motorcyclist at Koh Siray
PHUKET: A head-on collision with a pickup truck during light rain on May 10 killed a motorbike rider in Koh Siray, confirmed Phuket City Police. The victim was 32-year-old Kanokkarn Samartkij, said Lt Surachart Tongyai, adding that she was on the way to see her mother, who lived about 500 meters away from the crash site. “When we arrived at…
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Two Russians arrested for working as illegal tour guides
PHUKET: Two Russian nationals were arrested at Wat Chalong Temple this morning for allegedly working illegally as tour guides, confirmed officials from the Phuket Provincial Labor Office (PPLO). “They did not have their passports, but identified themselves as Irina Soboleva and Kolia, adding that they were employed by the Anex Tour Company,” PPLO chief Sutthipong Saisakaret told the Phuket Gazette.…
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Burmese man stabbed to death in street fight
PHUKET: Police arrested a murder suspect just a few hours after the body of a Myanmar national was found at Por Pichai fishing port in Rassada yesterday evening. “The body of Rang Gu Au, 29, was found lying in a pool of blood. He had been stabbed in the shoulder,” said Maj Nucharee Longkaew of Phuket City Police. Police named…
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Elderly woman killed in hit-and-run
PHUKET: An elderly woman was left lying dead in the road after a hit-and-run incident in Phuket Town just after midnight today, Phuket City Police confirmed. Ubon Nathip, 67, a resident of Phuket Town, was found dead on Anuphasphuketkarn Road in Talad Yai. Witnesses told police that Ms Ubon was hit by a vehicle while crossing the road. “At this…
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Milo the orangutan dies after stroke
PHUKET: Milo, the beloved orangutan saved from captivity at the Phuket Zoo, passed away last night, Warapong Kosarat, a veterinarian at the Pasupalun Livestock & Wildlife Hospital confirmed. The 13-year-old orangutan disappeared from the Phuket Zoo ahead of a raid on the facility in February (story here). Khao Phra Thaeo Non Hunting Zone officers then discovered her trapped in a…
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Thai actor laughs on land claims, for now
PHUKET: The standing committee presiding over a land ownership dispute of 24 rai on Naka Noi Island, just off Phuket’s east coast, has voted to revoke the land ownership of Six Mountains Co Ltd. Further actions are expected to be carried out by the Land Department, Phuket Land Office Chief Watcharin Jetanavanich confirmed yesterday. “The committee’s decision is only an…
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Thailand Yacht Show dates announced
PHUKET: The dates for the second edition of the Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) have now been confirmed for December 15-18, with the massive event to be held once again at Phuket’s prestigious Ao Por Grand Marina. In making the announcement, managing director Andy Treadwell of show organizers SYE Pte Ltd, noted that as a joint venture with the Government of…
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