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    5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine

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  • Deputy PM dives into Phi Phi’s wastewater woes

    Deputy PM dives into Phi Phi’s wastewater woes

    PHUKET: Phi Phi officials are looking to secure a multi-million-baht budget to plug the free flow of untreated wastewater into the sea. Deputy Prime Minister Adm Narong Pipatanasai visited the island yesterday to review a number of projects that the local administration plan to implement to stem the daily tide of 1,800 cubic meters of wastewater spewing into the marine…

  • Man killed in Phuket defending shoes

    Man killed in Phuket defending shoes

    PHUKET: A man was killed after allegedly attempting to defend his shoes from a thief in Phuket this morning. “Neighbors told us that Niwat Linooi, 24, caught someone trying to take his shoes from in front of his home and allegedly punched the thief,” said Lt Col Suchart Meelampong of the Phuket City Police. The man then supposedly called out…

  • North Korea sentences U.S. student to hard labour; Washington condemns punishment | Thaiger

    North Korea sentences U.S. student to hard labour; Washington condemns punishment

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea sentences U.S. student to hard labour; Washington condemns punishment Phuket Gazette / Reuters SEOUL: North Korea’s supreme court sentenced American student Otto Warmbier, who was arrested while visiting the country, to 15 years of hard labor on Wednesday for crimes against the state, a…

  • Trump warns of riots, pulls plug on Republican presidential debate | Thaiger

    Trump warns of riots, pulls plug on Republican presidential debate

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Trump warns of riots, pulls plug on Republican presidential debate Phuket Gazette / Reuters PALM BEACH: Florida, U.S. Republican front-runner Donald Trump warned on Wednesday of riots if he is denied the party’s presidential nomination and pulled the plug on a scheduled debate among candidates, raising…

  • DSI being unfair in land probe, says Phuket company owner

    DSI being unfair in land probe, says Phuket company owner

    PHUKET: The owner of Six Mountains Co Ltd yesterday called on the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to look into his adversary land ownership documents in Koh Nakha Moo 5 in Thalang district. Chanwit Kijlertsiriwattana claimed that his company was being singled out by the DSI in its investigation over the Hiranpruk family’s allegations that his firm had used illegitimate…

  • Jungceylon security guard returns tourist’s lost cash

    Jungceylon security guard returns tourist’s lost cash

    PHUKET: A forgetful tourist in Patong was lucky to have a big wad of cash returned to him on Monday after leaving an envelope containing 350,000 baht at the Jungceylon shopping center. The abandoned cash was found by Madae Mateha, a security guard working at the mall. “Ms Madae found the envelope in a shopping cart near the elevator on…

  • Krabi kratom thief found dead near tree

    Krabi kratom thief found dead near tree

    KRABI: Police have not ruled out foul play in the death of an unidentified man who was found dead in Krabi yesterday. Police found the shirtless body of the man lying on the ground, clutching kratom leaves in his hand, near an empty bungalow in Khlong Thom. “We believe the man received a fatal electric shock, as about two meters…

  • Police kill gunman in Brussels siege linked to Paris attacks | Thaiger

    Police kill gunman in Brussels siege linked to Paris attacks

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police kill gunman in Brussels siege linked to Paris attacks Phuket Gazette / Reuters BRUSSELS: Belgian police killed a gunman after several officers were wounded on Tuesday in a raid on a Brussels apartment linked to investigating November’s Islamist attacks in Paris, public broadcaster RTBF said.…

  • Kratom dealers busted in Krabi raid

    Kratom dealers busted in Krabi raid

    KRABI: Krabi Police apprehended five kratom dealers along with 10 customers during a raid in Muang district Monday afternoon. “We conducted a raid after receiving complaints from neighbors who suspected that they were selling drugs to teenagers in the area. We believe they have been doing this for a long time,” said Muang District Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Sophon Suvannakarat.…

  • Police seize knock-off goods worth B500,000 in Patong

    Police seize knock-off goods worth B500,000 in Patong

    PHUKET: Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) seized pirated goods worth 500,000 baht at a market stall in Patong on Monday night. Acting on a tip-off, ECD and Patong police officers discovered fake brand-name products being sold at a stall in Baan Thai Market, said ECD Maj Apichat Amornpradit. “The stall was selling counterfeit glasses, shirts, bags and…

  • Property Watch: Less is more for Koh Samui

    Property Watch: Less is more for Koh Samui

    PHUKET: We live in a world where percentages seem to matter and growth dominates our horizon. I still recall growing up and marking off on a wall in our house how tall I was. I could not wait to be older, and the irony today is how I wish that I could instead roll back the clock. In Phuket’s crowded…

  • Phuket property management firm shrugs off “military threats’

    Phuket property management firm shrugs off “military threats’

    PHUKET: Unhappy foreign tenants will be filing an official letter of complaint with the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) and the Army as they battle a property management company on the island. The move follows the tenants allegedly bringing representatives of the DSI and Army onto the property to ‘resolve’ the dispute with the company. “If we were to receive…

  • Double bust for Phuket bar owner

    Double bust for Phuket bar owner

    PHUKET: A Phuket bar owner was arrested twice in two days for running a nightlife venue without a permit and selling alcohol to underage customers. Officers conducted a check at Zippy Bar in Phuket Town last Wednesday, of which Anchalee Kietiyod, 30, claimed to be the owner, said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee. “She was found selling alcohol…

  • Open your heart and home to a soi puppy, kitten or cat

    Open your heart and home to a soi puppy, kitten or cat

    PHUKET: Start sorting out your documents and make some more room in that big heart, because the Soi Dog Foundation is holding an adoptions event at its shelter in Mai Khao between 9am-noon on March 19. The event will focus on puppies, kittens and cats. “Right now the shelter is bursting at the seams with puppies and cats. There are…

  • Sea gypsy assault case headed to Phuket prosecutor

    Sea gypsy assault case headed to Phuket prosecutor

    PHUKET: Police say they will hand over the sea gypsy assault case to the Phuket public prosecutor this week. More than 30 Rawai sea gypsies were injured in a violent confrontation with private investors from Baron World Trade Co Ltd in January (story here). Six suspects allegedly involved in the attack have surrendered and been released on bail (story here).…

  • Phuket police hunt hit-and-run truck driver

    Phuket police hunt hit-and-run truck driver

    PHUKET: Police are hunting a truck driver who ran over two men on a motorcycle, killing one and critically injuring the other, near the underpass at the Central Festival Phuket intersection this morning. “At the scene, there were two victims lying in the road and a badly damaged motorbike nearby,” said Lt Patcharee Wongboon of the Wichit Police. “Witnesses said…

  • Mexico City issues pollution alert over high ozone concentration | Thaiger

    Mexico City issues pollution alert over high ozone concentration

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mexico City issues pollution alert over high ozone concentration Phuket Gazette / Reuters MEXICO CITY: Mexico City’s government ordered traffic restrictions on Tuesday and recommended people stay indoors due to serious air pollution, issuing its second-highest alert warning for ozone levels for the first time in…

  • Four Breitbart journalists quit after alleged Trump rally assault | Thaiger

    Four Breitbart journalists quit after alleged Trump rally assault

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four Breitbart journalists quit after alleged Trump rally assault Phuket Gazette / Reuters United States: Two reporters and two editors from Breitbart News resigned to protest how the conservative website handled an alleged assault last week on one of the reporters by a senior aide to…

  • Congo militias kill two rangers in park for mountain gorillas | Thaiger

    Congo militias kill two rangers in park for mountain gorillas

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Congo militias kill two rangers in park for mountain gorillas Phuket Gazette / Reuters KINSHASA: Militia groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have killed two park rangers in one of the world’s last sanctuaries for the endangered mountain gorilla, the park said on Monday. A…

  • PM boosts security in south after attacks | Thaiger

    PM boosts security in south after attacks

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM boosts security in south after attacks Phuket Gazette / Reuters NARATHIWAT: Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha told the army on Monday to increase security in the southern provinces following attacks over the weekend. Seven soldiers were injured following multiple gun and bomb attacks in Narathiwat,…

  • A Decade Ago: Phuripat and lost at sea

    A Decade Ago: Phuripat and lost at sea

    PHUKET: Unless bald or in the military, most people have changed their haircuts over the span of a decade. But not ‘Phuket’s Jet-ski Champion’, former local Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut. However, he did change his name. In the March 11-17, 2006 issue of the Phuket Gazette, Mr Phuripat was still using the name Surin Theerapkulpisut as he questioned whether…

  • Opinion: Travelling at light speed

    Opinion: Travelling at light speed

    Sirigate Apirat is the project secretary of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP). He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Ramkhamhaeng University and has been serving as an analyst at the OTPP since 1995. Here he talks about the issues and benefits of the proposed light rail system on Phuket. PHUKET: Phuket’s light rail…

  • Registration open for Phuket Criterium 2016

    Registration open for Phuket Criterium 2016

    PHUKET: Saddle up for the 2016 Phuket Criterium; a day of pedal-powered street racing to be held at Saphan Hin on April 23. Last year’s inaugural event was a huge success, attracting more than 300 cyclists (story here). This year, the organizers have expanded the race categories to welcome participants of all ages and abilities with categories for fixed-gear bikes,…

  • Petition launched to stop wild animal exploitation in Thailand’s tourist spots

    Petition launched to stop wild animal exploitation in Thailand’s tourist spots

    PHUKET: Phuket-based animal welfare organization the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) has launched an online petition to get the Prime Minister’s backing to put a stop to wild animals being used in the tourist trade in the region and other tourist destinations in Thailand. The campaign, ‘Stop the Killing and Exploitation of Wild Animals for Tourism’, was launched yesterday. “We…

  • Phuket hit and run kills one, injures two

    Phuket hit and run kills one, injures two

    PHUKET: Phuket police are hunting a hit-and-run driver who killed an unidentified man and injured two people in Wichit this morning. Witnesses said a Toyota Fortuner of an unknown color was heading toward Phuket Town when it struck two motorcyclists, before crossing lanes and fatally injuring a third motorcyclist. “The collisions took place at about 7:40 this morning in front…

  • Nok Air announces more flight cancellations

    Nok Air announces more flight cancellations

    PHUKET: Nok Air is cancelling an additional 56 flights per day until March 26, according to Ampawan Wannako, deputy director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation. The company has submitted a notice to the department, blaming the cancellations on a shortage of pilots. The budget airline earlier said it would resume all cancelled flights from Friday onwards, after it had…

  • Australia ‘deeply concerned’ over arrest of journalists in Malaysia | Thaiger

    Australia ‘deeply concerned’ over arrest of journalists in Malaysia

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia ‘deeply concerned’ over arrest of journalists in Malaysia Phuket Gazette / Reuters CANBERRA: Australia is deeply concerned over the arrest of two Australian journalists in Malaysia after they attempted to question Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak over corruption allegations, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on…

  • Second car bomb in a month kills 32 in Turkish capital Ankara | Thaiger

    Second car bomb in a month kills 32 in Turkish capital Ankara

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Second car bomb in a month kills 32 in Turkish capital Ankara Phuket Gazette / Reuters ANKARA: A car bomb tore through a crowded transport hub in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Sunday, killing at least 34 people and wounding 125 in the second such attack…

  • Texas festival apologizes after Muslim Olympian told to remove hijab | Thaiger

    Texas festival apologizes after Muslim Olympian told to remove hijab

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Texas festival apologizes after Muslim Olympian told to remove hijab Phuket Gazette / Reuters US: Organizers of the South by Southwest (SXSW) arts festival said on Sunday they apologized to U.S. Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad after a volunteer said she must remove her Muslim head covering to…

  • Eight killed, seven injured at SCB head office in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Eight killed, seven injured at SCB head office in Bangkok

    BANGKOK: At least eight people were killed and seven injured in a freak accident at the Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) head office in Bangkok last night. The incident, which was initially thought to be a fire or gas cylinder explosion, was announced to be a fault in the fire extinguishing system in an emergency press statement released by the bank…