News
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5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
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Danish 16-year old girl charged with planning to bomb schools
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Danish 16-year old girl charged with planning to bomb schools Phuket Gazette / Reuters COPENHAGEN: A 16-year-old Danish girl has been charged with planning a “terrorist” attack on two schools, one of them Jewish, after acquiring chemicals for bombs, police said on Tuesday. A police press…
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Clouds over Indonesia obscure total eclipse of the sun for many
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Clouds over Indonesia obscure total eclipse of the sun for many Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A solar eclipse enthralled Indonesia on Wednesday but clouds over some parts of archipelago spoiled the view for many of the skywatchers who had the opportunity to see it in…
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Video Report: Phuketians see first solar eclipse of 2016
PHUKET: Phuketians were treated to a rare celestial spectacle this morning as the sun and moon crossed paths between 6:20am and 8:40am to create the first solar eclipse of the year. Observers in parts of Indonesia were able to see a total eclipse lasting for about four minutes, as the moon completely blocked out the sun – an event so…
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Health, safety top priorities for Phuket beach volley tournament
PHUKET: Preparations for the 2016 Thailand Beach Volley Festival Phuket powered by PTT are in high gear ahead of the international tournament to be held at Karon Beach, March 23-27 (story here), with security at the top of the agenda. Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul said this morning that with more than 300 participants – about 100 athletes and 200…
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Krabi officials find Chikungunya virus in monkey, public urged not to panic
KRABI: Krabi officials are asking the public not to panic after monkeys at popular tourist areas were found to be infected with the dengue-like virus Chikungunya. “This viruses cannot be directly transmitted from monkeys to humans. It is passed through mosquitoes only, so there is a very low probability that humans will be infected,” said Chief of the Krabi Provincial…
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A Decade Ago: Coral reefs and tidal waves of wastewater
PHUKET: As the Phuket Gazette scuba diving columnist for the last four years, I was dumbfounded when I stumbled over the headline screaming from page one of the 2006 March 4-10 issue: HUGE REEF DISCOVERED. A unique swath of biodiversity for Thailand that consumed at least four square kilometers of seabed off Tai Muang in Phang Nga was the biggest…
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Phuket lawyers, accountants targeted for enabling Thai nominees
PHUKET: Officials will be investigating legal firms and accounting offices connected with businesses suspected of using Thai nominee shareholders to circumvent laws prohibiting foreigners from owning more than 49 per cent of a company within the Kingdom. “We will be looking at whether or not certain lawyers and accountants are providing transparent services for foreign investors. Foreigners are not able…
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Foreign tenants told to go to court for property dispute
PHUKET: A group of tenants living at The Aspasia Phuket, who were hoping to have issues about the property’s management ironed out by the governor, have been told to go to court to settle their disputes. The group of ten expat tenants led by Dutch national Jan Cornelis van Zuilekom were told by Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul yesterday that they…
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Miss Andaman Power 2016 makes sparks at Jungceylon
PHUKET: Andaman Power is celebrating sexual diversity and spreading sexual health awareness with its upcoming competition ‘Miss Andaman Power 2016’ to be held at various locations from March 25-30. However, the real fun for the public won’t be until the finalists take the stage in Jungceylon for the beauty pageant part of the event, which will include a fashion show,…
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French pensioner mugged by Phuket ‘teenage’ thugs
PHUKET: Phuket police are hunting for two men who mugged a 70-year-old French woman as she was riding a bicycle along Lay Pang Beach yesterday evening. Martine Delaloy was riding her bicycle along the beach at about 5pm when two suspects, thought to be teenagers, drove past her on a motorbike and snatched her bag, causing her to fall. “When…
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Bangkok gunman’s SIM card prompts Phuket arrest
PHUKET: Police are questioning a Chinese man who was apprehended in Phuket in connection with the attempted robbery of a gun shop in Bangkok on Friday (story here). Police tracked down Su Su, 29, at a residence in Paklok on Saturday evening after it was revealed that he had registered a SIM card found on one of the robbery suspects…
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Opinion: Cops and Canines
Suthee Sirianun is the assistant chief of the Phuket Drug Prevention and Suppression Center. He is originally from Phatthalung Province and graduated from Ramkhamhaeng University with a double Masters in Law and Art. Here he talks about the island’s need for police dogs and the issues associated with being able to care for them. PHUKET: Currently, Phuket doesn’t have any…
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Understanding what AEC means for Phuket
PHUKET: The feared impact the Asean Economic Community (AEC) will have on Thais in Phuket’s tourism industry is unwarranted, said AEC Information Center Director Thitipasook Jaratjessada. After years of anticipation and some delays, the AEC was officially launched on January 1, 2016. However, there are no changes to visa requirements or labor laws for citizens of member nations seeking employment…
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Boat owner gets warning for coral damage [video]
PHUKET: The operator of a boat that was filmed anchored on fragile coral off Koh Racha Yai on February 16 has escaped a hefty fine and possible prison time after apologizing for the incident. Officials tracked down the owner after a diver took underwater video of the boat’s anchor line trailing across the coral. The diver also recorded the name…
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Video Report: More than 1 million sea slugs wash onto Phuket beach
PHUKET: Marine experts are attempting to understand why more than a million sea slugs washed up on a Phuket beach this morning. The name ‘sea slug’ is a common name used specifically for gastropods that are not shell-bearing or appear not to be shell-bearing. Experts believe that the sea slugs found on Kamala Beach are, in fact, sea hares. However,…
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Board of Trade plans SME matchmaking fairs
BANGKOK: Thailand’s Board of Trade is inviting newly established businesses across the country to join a ‘Business Matching’ event in Bangkok. The event is aimed at giving SMEs the opportunity to meet consumer giants such as department stores and retailers. The event will take place at the Bangkok Convention Center in Lat Prao on April 26. Board of Trade Chairman…
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Australian police respond to shooting, report of hostages at Sydney factory
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian police respond to shooting, report of hostages at Sydney factory Phuket Gazette / Reuters SYDNEY: Three people have been shot and hostages may have been taken at a factory on the outskirts of Sydney, Australian police said on Monday, although it was not immediately clear…
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Two years on, MH370 families say search for missing jet must continue
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two years on, MH370 families say search for missing jet must continue Phuket Gazette / Reuters KUALA LUMPUR:The families of passengers lost aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 say the two-year search for the missing aircraft must go on beyond a June deadline, as new hope emerged…
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Australian govt backs away from gay marriage vote this year
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian govt backs away from gay marriage vote this year Phuket Gazette / Reuters AUSTRALIA: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull backed away from a pledge by one of his senior ministers on Sunday that the government would hold a public vote on same-sex marriage later this…
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American, 26, found dead in Patong
PHUKET: Police are looking into the authenticity of a hand-written letter found in the room of a Patong hotel where the body of a 26-year-old American man was discovered on Saturday. The body of Nathan D House was discovered by housekeeping staff, said Lt Col Jessada Saengsuree of the Patong Police. “Inside the room we discovered a plastic bag with…
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Phuket to host ACM-ICPC World Finals
PHUKET: Phuket is set to host the 40th Association for Computing Machinery – International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC) World Finals from May 15-20. The ACM-ICPC is a multi-tiered annual programming competition sponsored by IBM, held among universities throughout the world. “We have been submitting requests to host the world finals every year since 2011 and finally we were chosen,” said…
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Island View: Travelling responsibly
PHUKET: The recent incident involving Grace Taylor, a British backpacker in Krabi who made a frantic phone call to her family alleging that people were ‘trying to hurt her’, sparked a lot of debate on social media about the ethics of travelling responsibly. Fortunately, Ms Taylor’s family was able to get to her in time and she was soon in…
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Krabi police scoop up reef thieves
KRABI: Krabi officials arrested three men yesterday after they were apprehended illegally collecting coral and sea anemone near Koh Pu. Samart Janlamoon, 39, Natthapol Watjinda, 21, and Somrit Suksai, 41, were found in possession of 15 boxes of the precious marine life after officers inspected their boat, confirmed Jaroenchai Srisuwan, chief of the Krabi Fishery Management Center. “Last night, five…
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Police commander assures island safety amid foiled gang plot
PHUKET: Local officials are assuring the island’s safety after a member of the gang that attempted to rob a Bangkok gun shop revealed that the weapons may have been destined for either Chiang Mai or Phuket. Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee this morning reaffirmed that all necessary security measures were already in place on the island. “We have…
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Experts unable to confirm species of Kata jellyfish
PHUKET: A Phuket diver photographed what he believed to be a box jellyfish while diving off of Kata Beach last Sunday. The photo was supplied to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Region 5 by Kanawut Krongraksa, who spotted the creature at a depth of about eight meters. However, experts have yet to confirm the exact species. “I…
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Blood donations flow in for injured American teacher
PHUKET: At least 20 people have donated blood following an urgent call this morning for O-negative blood for an American woman requiring emergency surgery after a road accident, confirmed the Phuket Regional Blood Center (story here). “Chonita Michelle Cleary, 24, and two of her friends – who declined to be named – were involved in a collision with a taxi…
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Foreign tenants ask Phuket Governor to mediate property dispute
PHUKET: A contingent of tenants leasing rooms at a luxury resort in Kata met with the governor at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday to hand him a letter demanding an investigation into issues over the property’s management. Leading the ten foreign tenants from The Aspasia Phuket resort was Dutch national Jan Cornelis van Zuilekom. Mr Zuilekom, who referred to himself as…
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Finance: Tech stocks are still dangerous
PHUKET: You would think the lessons learned in the dotcom bubble and subsequent crash would not be so quickly forgotten, but last year’s purchase by Facebook of the free smartphone app Whatsapp for 22 billion dollars was a very good reminder of how quickly we forget. There is no reason to put your life savings at risk with individual stocks…
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Open-air cinema part of Boat Lagoon Lighthouse Market tonight, tomorrow
PHUKET: It’s another day of perfect weather in Phuket, so grab your family and friends and head over to the Phuket Lighthouse Market at Boat Lagoon for an evening of eating, chilling and shopping. To keep the air buzzing, there will be a medley of music at 6pm starting with pop music, and then taking it down a notch hour…
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Opinion: Time for a jet-ski-free Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette applauds the Central Investigation Bureau’s (CIB’s) recent crackdown on illegal jet-ski rental operators and the coincidental transfer of the industry’s long-time ‘champion’ to a relatively inactive post. We hope whoever is assigned to replace former Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut will make tourist safety a real priority and begin to clamp down. The problems that…
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