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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Monkey attacks on tourists spark official action
PHUKET: Park officials concerned about the changing behavior of macaque monkeys on Monkey Beach have erected signs urging tourists not to feed the wild animals. “When the monkeys see a tour boat stop, they gather and move toward the tourists. If the tourists don’t have any food, the monkeys get agitated, sometimes biting or scratching them,” explained Sarayuth Tanthien, chief…
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Video Report: Beach Volley Festival Phuket hailed slamming success
PHUKET: The Thai national team was knocked out of the professional men’s final of the Thailand Beach Volley Festival Phuket as the USA/Brazil team dug into the sands and spiked a win against the Russian/Guam team. Brian Chappy and Danillio Lamparlio took the top place in the men’s finals. The professional women champions were Yupa Phukrongploy and Orawan Auying. Nearly…
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Tsunami towers at popular Phuket beaches fail to sound
PHUKET: Five of the 19 tsunami warning towers in Phuket failed to work properly during the tsunami and earthquake drill yesterday afternoon. “The warning towers in Kata and Karon failed to sound, while the one in Mai Khao couldn’t be heard from 500 meters away,” said Trakul Thotham, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Region 8…
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Disputed beach access road built on private land
PHUKET: The vice governor of Phuket confirmed on Tuesday that a local developer is within its rights to block off a public road leading to Laem Nga Beach in Rassada after it was revealed that the road was built on private land owned by Laem Nga Development Co Ltd. An investigation into the road closure was sparked after locals submitted…
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Video Report: Ultraman champ splashes into ‘Swim Around Phuket’
PHUKET: Swedish Ultraman World Champion Jonas Colting splashed into Phuket’s waters this morning with the goal of swimming around the entire island in eight days. Mr Colting led a group of swimmers, including four-time triathlon World Champion Chris McCormack, on the first leg – 14 kilometers – of the ‘Swim Around Phuket’ challenge. The endurance swim will take place from…
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Tears flow as Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties in more than 50 years
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tears flow as Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties in more than 50 years Phuket Gazette / Reuters NAYPYITAW/YANGON: Members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) were in tears on Wednesday as Myanmar swore in its first president…
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Seven charged in home invasion murder of U.S. lottery winner
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Seven charged in home invasion murder of U.S. lottery winner Phuket Gazette / Reuters GEORGIA STATE: Seven people have been charged in the murder of a 20-year-old forklift operator who was killed in his home two months after winning nearly a half million dollars in a…
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Thailand eyes luxury tourists, operators say keep them safe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand eyes luxury tourists, operators say keep them safe Phuket Gazette / Reuters BANGKOK: Thailand needs to do more to keep its tourists safe if it wants to achieve its objective of attracting more high-end travelers, operators say, or it risks losing out to its up-and-coming…
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Don’t panic: Phuket tsunami drill this afternoon
PHUKET: The national anthem will be broadcast from all 19 tsunami warning towers throughout Phuket at 1:30pm today as part of the island’s annual tsunami practice drill. Authorities this year have opted to play the national anthem, instead of the usual multi-lingual warnings that would be used in a real event, in order to avoid panic and confusion among the…
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Phuket investors dream big with world’s highest Ferris wheel
PHUKET: The world’s highest Ferris wheel will be built in Phuket, investors announced this afternoon. “The Giant Ferris Wheel will break the record for the highest Ferris wheel in the world. It will be Phuket’s land mark,” said Igor Protasov, the chief executive officer for Thai Business Development Co Ltd (TBD). Currently, the highest Ferris wheel in the world is…
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Phuket drug bust leads to two arrests, four still at large
PHUKET: Thalang Police arrested two women and are searching for four other suspects after a raid yielded more than 40 kilograms of kratom leaves in Mai Khao last night. Police were alerted to the goings-on when neighbors filed a complaint about suspected drug activity at the residence. “When we arrived, we saw four men flee the scene,” said Thalang Chief…
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Marine committee proposes temporary closure of 32 dive sites
PHUKET: A joint committee on March 25 called for the temporary closure of 32 diving spots in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea in a bid to protect against coral bleaching. The move is part of a group of four proposals the committee made to relevant authorities. The panel comprises representatives from the Department of Marine and Coastal…
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Karon power sub-station nearly complete
PHUKET: The Karon power sub-station, set to open in June, is 95 per cent complete, confirmed the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA). “Due to the rapid growth of tourism on the island, we are no longer able to ensure enough power is getting to those who need it in Rawai, Kata and Karon,” explained Patong Sub-station Deputy Manager Atipong Thongyun. “The…
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Finnish woman died after night out in Patong
PHUKET: Police are still piecing together the circumstances around the death of a teenage Finnish woman whose body was found in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Ida Maria Bexar, 19, fell from the rooftop of the Good Dreams Guesthouse onto the roof of a nearby building in the early hours of the morning. However, her body was not discovered until that afternoon…
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Egyptair passenger plane hijacked, forced to Cyprus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Egyptair passenger plane hijacked, forced to Cyprus Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: An Egyptair domestic flight from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked on Tuesday and landed in Cyprus, Egyptian officials and Cyprus state radio said. The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation reported that 55 passengers were on board…
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First Phuket Balloon Music Festival ready to rock [video]
PHUKET: Get ready to soar as Phuket holds its first ever Balloon Music Festival from April 14 to 17, with clear skies and more than six popular bands lined up for the event. “There will be more than 20 balloons participating in the festival at Phuket Paradise Park, near the British International School Phuket. We have received positive feedback from…
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Body on Phuket beach identified as British superyacht builder
PHUKET: Police have identified the body found on a Phuket beach this weekend as the British builder of the 31-meter superyacht Raja Laut. The body of Georges E K Carraz, 66, was found on Surin Beach by two passersby at about 7am on Saturday (story here). Nearby, police found a rental car in the name of Winai Sawatdeesarn. “Mr Winai…
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Breaking News: Foreigner in fatal plunge from Patong guesthouse
PHUKET: A foreign woman was killed after falling from Good Dreams Guesthouse in Patong this afternoon. “At this point, we are unsure if the woman fell from the balcony of a room or the roof of the building. Either way, she landed on the roof of a nearby building,” said Sampawat Wannasangkam from the Patong Office of Department of Disaster…
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Divers to cough up extra cash for Phi Phi marine park fee
PHUKET: Officials expect to start collecting an additional 200 baht per diver in April for those plunging below the surface of the Phi Phi marine national park. Park officials currently collect a national park fee of 400 baht per person. However, scuba divers will now have to pay a total of 600 baht, confirmed Sarayuth Tanthien, chief of the Hat…
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Phuket police hunt bank machine vandal
PHUKET: Police are hunting a man who allegedly damaged an Automatic Deposit Machine (ADM) at a Bangkok Bank in Patong early this morning. Police were alerted to the incident after a local found the damaged machine near the Mae Ubon Market on Nanai Road. “According to the witness, he saw a man leaving the area as he drove up to…
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A decade ago: Trash, pies and assassinations
PHUKET: Mark Twain had it right when he wrote, “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.” Sometimes, especially in Phuket, it doesn’t seem that we even…
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Opinion: Missing children in Phuket
Ekkalak Lumchomkae is currently the Missing Person Center Chief of the Mirror Foundation. He was formerly a lawyer at a private law firm and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Law from Ramkhamhaeng University. Here he discusses the recent cases involving missing children on the island as well as the reasons for the disappearance of some of Phuket’s youth. PHUKET:…
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Phuket International Academy Graduates to UWC Network
PHUKET: The Phuket International Academy confirmed last week its new affiliation with the global network of United World Colleges (UWC). “We are delighted to have become part of UWC; a leader in education in 15 different locations around the world. The UWC is a federation of independent international schools that use the same education model. This affiliation will also encourage…
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Opinion: Understanding cultural differences when travelling
PHUKET: As thousands of Chinese descend upon the island each week, it is hard to ignore the xenophobic and often crude comments made about their behavior, spending habits and general demeanor. A recent video showing dozens of Chinese tourists stampeding a Chiang Mai buffet and using their plates to shovel up two to three plates of prawns their way highlighted…
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Patong Bay safe for swimming, despite algae bloom, say experts
PHUKET: Officials confirmed that Patong Bay water was within safe parameters for recreational use, despite reports of swimmers developing rashes from the brown colored water. “The water turned brown last week due to a plankton bloom. However, there is no health risk,” said Suphasit Boonpeinphol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). Plankton blooms are often caused by excessive amounts…
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Five women confirmed dead in Krabi building collapse
KRABI: Rescue workers attempted to keep the cement wet as they searched for five women lost in the debris of a construction site building collapse yesterday. The bodies of all five women were eventually recovered. The women were named as: Jitranon Saikaew, 26; Kaliya Jandeewan, 22; Yad Kodorn, 42; Warin Ratchabut, 31; and Linthong Promsuvann, 37. Police are investigating the…
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Beach Volley Festival finals served up at noon tomorrow
PHUKET: The finals for the Thailand Beach Volley Festival Phuket will take to the sands of Karon Beach tomorrow at about noon. The international amateur beach volley tournament features competitive categories: professional men, professional women, amateur men and four-on-four. “We are really happy and little surprised with the standard of play; it’s a bit higher than expected,” Charlie Solares-Chungyampin, the…
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Rolling Stones tell giant crowd
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rolling Stones tell giant crowd “times are changing” at Cuba debut Phuket Gazette / Reuters HAVANA: The Rolling Stones rocked a massive crowd at a free, outdoor concert in Havana on Friday, capping a week of engagement with the West for the Communist-led country that once…
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Finance: Investing in Oil – The Ultimate Risk
PHUKET: It may be tempting to call a bottom for oil prices and then go bottom fishing for oil stocks or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Unfortunately, oil is one sector that most investors (especially those who aren’t working in the sector) will want to stay away from now and for the foreseeable future. Thanks to a combination of too much…
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Opinion: Visa Overstay – Nefarious Intentions or Just Bad Planning?
PHUKET: The recent push to publicize the need for foreign tourists not to overstay their visas is long overdue, but we hope the Immigration Bureau will use its sweeping powers in fair and compassionate ways that consider extenuating circumstances – especially those involving victims of accidents or crime. The crackdown, which actually comprises little more than stricter enforcement of existing…
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