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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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A Decade Ago: Marking the one year anniversary of the tsunami
PHUKET: On an island accustomed to horrific, devastating and dumbfoundingly absurd news, the page one lead story that captured the hearts of Phuket Gazette readers a decade ago was one of recovery and love – who says good news can’t sell? With uncharacteristic typographical enthusiasm (underlined and accompanied by an exclamation mark), the headline in the December 31, 2005 –…
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Navy rescue mission saves seven lost at sea
PHUKET: A Royal Thai Navy rescue mission last night saved seven sailors who were left adrift about 150 nautical miles from Phuket after an engine explosion caused their cargo ship to sink. Though Marine Police originally reported that there were eight crew members on board Aung Chat Sar as it transported an undisclosed type of timber originating from the conflict-infected…
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Opinion: Rapid responses to island issues
Prapan Kanprasang has been the chief of the Damrongdhama Center (ombudsman’s office) since 2011. He earned his master’s degree in public administration from The National Institute of Development Administration. Here he addresses how the newly launched ‘Rapid Damrongdhama Unit’ will help improve efficiency, as well as other ways to make the Damrongdhama Center more effective. PHUKET: In Phuket, there are…
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Island View: ‘Like’ before you drive
PHUKET: Having a mobile phone in Thailand has been the norm for about 10 years. When the phones were first introduced, it was a big deal to be able to call anyone, anytime, anywhere. However, because of this, people were causing more traffic accidents from using their phones while driving. This is why the government implemented a law prohibiting people…
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Opinion: AEC has arrived
PHUKET: With 2015 behind us and the Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration measures now ostensibly in effect, it is time for Phuket and its all-important tourism industry to map out strategies for continued growth in 2016. The past year certainly tested the island’s resilience. But despite Thailand’s first major international terror attack in Bangkok, the ongoing insurgency in the Deep…
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Business Buzz: Get off to an online start
PHUKET: Welcome to Business Buzz 2016! This year we have moved to a monthly format so that we can cover the topics we want in more depth and provide you with more useful information. By now you will have made (and hopefully not broken) your new year’s resolutions. It is generally a pretty safe assumption that people with an entrepreneurial…
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Finance: Keep calm, and invest on
PHUKET: Stock market corrections don’t come often, but when they do, they tend to come on fast and cause investors (along with the media) to panic. After all, it’s not uncommon to experience a double digit portfolio loss in a matter of weeks, or even over the course of just a few trading days. However, taking the following things into…
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Annual safety checks on tourist boats begin
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office has begun making their annual inspections of boats and ferries carrying tourists out of Rassada Pier to ensure their safety during the New Year holiday. More than 13,000 locals and tourists are expected to depart from the island’s piers during this holiday’s long weekend. “Passengers’ safety remains our top priority. Boats must not carry more…
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Australian minister resigns after Hong Kong bar incident
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian minister resigns after Hong Kong bar incident Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Two ministers in Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government resigned on Tuesday, one of them standing down after a female public servant complained about his behaviour in a Hong Kong bar during a…
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Swiss shopping centre evacuated after bomb threat
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Swiss shopping centre evacuated after bomb threat Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Swiss shopping centre in a town near the northern city of Basel was evacuated on Tuesday due to a bomb threat, police said. An anonymous caller threatened to detonate a bomb in the…
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Italy police rumble airport art thieves
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Italy police rumble airport art thieves Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Italian police have uncovered a complex network of thieves who stole valuable paintings at Rome’s main airport, and charged two of the hub’s staff with stealing the art works. Cleaners and customer service staff duped…
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SeaWorld sues California commission over orca breeding ban
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community SeaWorld sues California commission over orca breeding ban Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: SeaWorld sued California authorities on Tuesday, seeking to overturn a decision that allows the San Diego theme park to expand its orca habitat only if it stops breeding killer whales in captivity. The…
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Phuket rescue teams scramble to locate sinking ship
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy launched a helicopter rescue mission after receiving a report that a cargo ship carrying wood from Myanmar to Malaysia was sinking about 100 nautical miles from Phuket’s coast. “We received a report yesterday evening at 5:17pm. However, due to the distance, only the Navy had the resources to conduct the search area,” said Phuket Marine…
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Only flicker of light at Phuket tsunami memorial ceremony
PHUKET: After much fanfare marking the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami last year, the Light Up Phuket memorial on Patong Beach was extraordinarily quiet. In years past, the entire beach was lit up with candles decorating sand sculptures. However, this year, no free candles or flowers were handed out, and only about twenty candles were set out in…
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No change in tuk-tuk safety regulations
PHUKET: There will be no immediate changes in safety regulations following a British woman’s fall to her death from the back of a tuk-tuk on December 20. “There will be no changes to our rules,” said Jaturong Kaewkasi, the chief policy adviser for the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO). “Tuk-tuks in Phuket are regulated by the Department of Land Transport.…
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OrBorTor head to become new Phuket FC president
PHUKET: Cherng Talay Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Ma-ann Samran announced his new appointment as president of the Phuket Football Club (Phuket FC) today. The announcement follows the resignation of former president Pramookpisitt Achariyachai and other key management members of Phuket FC after the team was relegated to Division 2 (story here). “I had the chance to meet with Mr Pramookpisitt…
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70 per cent of Phuket hotel rooms illegal, say experts
PHUKET: More than 70 per cent of hotel and resort rooms in Phuket are illegal, a problem that is severely harming the industry, said experts in a complaint filed to the Phuket Governor this morning. “According to our records, there are about 92,000 hotel rooms on the island. Of those, about 70 per cent are illegal,” said Kritsada Tansakul, director…
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Man dies in Germany after blowing up condom machine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man dies in Germany after blowing up condom machine Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A man died on Christmas Day in Germany after he was hit in the head by a flying piece of metal from a condom machine that he and two accomplices blew up…
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Myanmar activist jailed for ‘ridiculing’ army and uniform
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar activist jailed for ‘ridiculing’ army and uniform Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A Myanmar court jailed a woman for six months on Monday for a Facebook post “ridiculing” the country’s army chief and the color of a new uniform, the latest in an escalating crackdown…
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Missing boat captain rescued by fishing vessel
PHUKET: A missing long-tail boat captain was rescued yesterday morning after his boat was struck by large waves and sunk between Koh Ma and Koh Lanta Yai. “Jamrus Boonchoo, 31, was on his way back to Koh Lanta from Phi Phi on Saturday when his boat was struck by waves. He was reported missing by his family, whom he had…
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Christmas storms, tornadoes kill at least 43 in U.S.
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Christmast storms, tornadoes kill at least 43 in U.S. Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Storms hit the U.S. South, Southwest and Midwest over the Christmas holiday weekend, unleashing floods and tornadoes that killed at least 43 people, flattened buildings and snarled transportation for millions during a…
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Governor tables Hat Yai-Phuket railway project
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada tabled a project on Thursday that would see the construction of a railway between Hat Yai and Phuket. The move to promote tourism for the ASEAN community with the project was prompted by the opening of railway tracks for Hat Yai-Padang Besar, Malaysia, on December 21. “We now have the opportunity to give travellers the…
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American killed in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: An American died in a single motorbike accident on the coastal road connecting Patong and Karon at about 2am yesterday. Jeffrey Earl Patterson, 54, was rushed to Patong Hospital and then transferred to the better equipped Vachira Phuket Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, explained Lt Veerayut Thansirisukworakul of the Karon Police. “The Honda Click that he had rented…
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Two tourists injured in Phuket jet-ski crash
PHUKET: Two Chinese tourists were rushed to hospital after crashing their rented jet-skis into each other in Patong, confirmed the president of the Phuket Jet-Ski Club. Jet-ski operators rushed out to Zhao Peuie, 25, and Su Han, 26, after witnessing the collision about 400 meters off of Patong Beach. “We pulled them onto our jet-skis and took them to shore.…
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Ruamjai Rescue Foundation chief charms cobra
PHUKET: A Wichit resident was given a surprise front-row view of a performance by Phuket Ruamjai Rescue Foundation Chief Saiyan Thamaphan, who charmed a cobra that he was trying to capture yesterday morning. Rescue workers were called to a house near Wichitsongkram School at about 8am by a resident complaining of a cobra in her garden. “I learned a long…
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Police wrongly identify drug dealer’s body
PHUKET: Police confirmed yesterday that the body of a drug dealer found in Chalong Bay Friday morning (story here) was wrongly identified. “Due to a misunderstanding, Singha Tongyuan, 37, was erroneously confirmed to be Somkit Pakdeesuvann, 31,” said Maj Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police. “Mr Singha’s parents were able to positively identify the body yesterday.” Officers are now investigating…
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Tsunami remembrance ceremony takes place at Provincial Hall
PHUKET: Phuket residents and officials honored the victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami yesterday morning at Phuket Provincial Hall, marking the 11th anniversary of the devastating waves that claimed thousands of lives on December 26, 2004. Offerings were made to 26 Buddhist monks, while attendees dressed in white to pay their respects to the victims and their families. “We would…
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Phuket nursing assistants busted for illegal medical checkups
PHUKET: Officers arrested five people for illegally providing employee checkups at the Big C Super Center near Rajabhat University Phuket on Thursday. Phuket Provincial Public Health Officers (PPHO) were conducting random checks in the Muang District when they stumbled across the illegal mobile unit, explained PPHO Chief Bancha Kakong. “We arrested all five of them. Additionally, we seized their equipment,…
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Man slays blind brother at father’s funeral
KRABI: A blind masseuse was gunned down by his brother at their father’s funeral in Krabi yesterday afternoon. “Thawee Kongrueng, 54, was attending to relatives after the cremation of his father at Wat Khao Kram, when his brother Seree Kongrueng, 47, walked up to him, pulled a gun and shot him dead,” explained Lt Wittaya Nukhong of the Krabi City…
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Phuket sets sights on zero deaths for ‘Seven Days of Danger’
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan confirmed Phuket’s zero road deaths goal for the New Year’s ‘Seven Days of Danger’ campaign. The increased efforts to prevent dangerous driving on the island’s notorious roads is part of a nationwide campaign running from December 29 to January 4. “We will be boosting road safety measures during this period of time by…
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