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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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Wildlife sanctuary chief defends staff’s double pricing discrimination against Phuket man
PHUKET: A wildlife sanctuary chief this morning defended his staff’s double-pricing discrimination against a Phuket man at Krabi’s Emerald Pool on Saturday. “There were three tourists, two men and a woman. The two Thais were asked for 20 baht each for the fee and the other man was asked to pay 200 baht,” said Wutthipong Chusangrat, the chief of Khao…
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Video Report: Mayor gives teachers, students masks for haze
PHUKET: Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos handed out face masks to municipality employees, teachers and children following the massive drop in air quality this afternoon (story here). “Though no warning has been issued given the average air quality over the last 24 hours, I decided it was best to ensure the safety of the children and city employees in my jurisdiction,”…
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Haze: Air pollution levels spike in Phuket
PHUKET: Air pollution spiked to unsafe levels this afternoon due to Indonesian haze, confirmed Pornsri Suthanarak, the director of the Regional Environmental Office. “Air pollution on the island reached 175 micrograms per cubic meter by 2pm,” Dr Pornsri said. “However, the average level over the last 24 hours is well within the public safety standard of 120, so we have…
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After five years of negotiations, Pacific trade talks near deal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community After five years of negotiations, Pacific trade talks near deal Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A dozen Pacific nations closed in on a sweeping free trade pact on Sunday in Atlanta after abreakthrough over how long a monopoly pharmaceutical companies should be given on new biotech…
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Police hunt Phuket arsonist
PHUKET: Police are hunting an arsonist who set a motorbike ablaze in Thalang last night. “The 47-year-old owner of the bike, Natee Manabut, and his wife woke up last night to find the Honda Wave 100 parked in front of their house engulfed in flames,” Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police said. “They called for help and splashed water…
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Beach business sues Phuket official
PHUKET: An evicted beach business owner has filed a law suit against Cherng Talay Local Administration Organization (OrBorTor) President Ma-ann Samran for dereliction of duty (Section 157). Kanokpon ‘Tony’ Somrak, owner of Tony Restaurant, which was saved from demolition after the Ministry of Interior stepped in at the last minute, brought legal action against Mr Ma-ann last month (story here).…
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Officials capture escaped Rohingya women, children
PHANG NGA: Officers were able to recover all 14 Rohingya women and children who escaped by a rope made of clothes from the second floor of the Phang Nga Shelter for Children and Families this morning. The escaped refugees ranged from a 5-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl to women up to 32 years old. “We received a reporter right after…
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A Decade Ago: Reining back mediums as poo spreads
PHUKET: The lead story on page one a decade ago, in what has become a familiar cry, was the Governor urging spirit mediums – the people who endure swords, needles and an assortment other objects thrust through their cheeks while possessed by the gods – to practice restraint. Five years later, it was the Assistant Director at the Tourism Authority…
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Budget deadlock broken in time for Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: A collective sigh was let out yesterday by those in charge of the Vegetarian Festival, as well as local hospital employees, teachers and many more who were waiting for the deadlock over the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) 2016 budget to be broken. “A solution had to be finalized. The OrBorJor is one of the central government bodies of…
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Sound advice on retiring rich and young
PHUKET: This last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a seminar from one of my business partners whom most Thai readers would be familiar with. They may not know, however, the extent of the business success that Paul Pattrapon has had outside of the limelight of being a Thai superstar. On top of singing, modeling, acting in soaps, hosting…
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Haze descends on Phuket
PHUKET: Air quality levels are rapidly dropping in Phuket as an Indonesian haze again sweeps across the island. “Air pollution levels are likely to go beyond what is deemed safe for the public, 120 micrograms per cubic meter for a 24-hour period,” Pornsri Suthanarak, director of the Regional Environmental Office, told the Phuket Gazette this morning. Over the last measured…
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Opinion: Moral conflict over tea money
PHUKET: There are always stories of people who allegedly slip the immigration police money in their passport to cross the border into Thailand, whether it’s because they don’t have proper documentation or are perhaps nervous about the police giving them a hard time. Recently a friend of mine went on a visa run to secure her non-B visa. She had…
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New police commander eager to suppress crime
PHUKET: The new Region 8 police commander arrived on the island yesterday and has vowed to tackle crime as well as support the region’s tourism. “What I aim to concentrate on is crime suppression, violent criminals, drugs and human trafficking. At the same time, I will support tourism, as we know there are so many tourist attractions on the island,”…
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Business Buzz: Success just clicks away
PHUKET: Following on from previous topics, if we know our sales funnel and can break it down into a process map, then we can analyze each step of the sales system, see where we have good and bad results, and increase our profitability by improving each area. Even a small tweak, improving only one or two per cent at each…
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Promthep Cape paragliders sail into trouble
PHUKET: Rawai municipality is looking into complaints about paragliders blocking public land on Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape. “[A recent] complaint stated that visitors were being told to get out of paragliders’ way while they were taking off,” said Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos. The municipality is now moving to solve the problem by calling members of the paragliding club for a…
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Finance: Dodge a crash with right investment
PHUKET: For those of you who have been reading my columns for some time now, you probably know that I am not the biggest fan of the stock market at the moment. You may think I am an idiot because I have spent years waiting patiently for the next crash while the markets continue to march on to new highs.…
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Police bust escaped Cambodian fishermen for pirated sunglasses
PHUKET: Three escaped Cambodian fishermen were arrested on Kata Beach for peddling fake name brand sunglasses to tourists yesterday. “We received a letter from the Damrongtham Center [ombudsman’s office] that tourists had been conned into buying pirated sunglasses by migrant workers on Kata Beach,” said Muang District Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Samran Yukunthorn. “The three said that they used to…
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Video Report: Aussie to circumnavigate Phuket by standup paddle board
PHUKET: Damien Rider, who was dubbed ‘Men’s Health Man of 2015’ after completing an 800km unassisted paddle boarding adventure in the shark infested waters of the Gold Coast, will depart Nai Harn Beach at 7am on October 5 as he attempts to circumnavigate Phuket on a standup paddle board (SUP). His four-day, solo SUP journey is designed to raise awareness…
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Opinion: Big smiles in the Land of ?
PHUKET: It is a pleasure to see that the ‘Ministry of Farang Affairs’ resonates with our readers, with each weekly installment serving up a new, and wry, view on the expat experience here in Thailand. Drawn up by well-known satirist Stephff at Gazette partner publication The Nation, these cartoons mark a considerable departure from his usual political work. They instead…
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Muang Thai Phuket-Patong Marathon ready to kick off
PHUKET: Those taking part in the new Muang Thai Phuket-Patong Marathon 2015 will be running through the streets of Patong on October 18. “This is part of a four-province series of marathons,” said Kritthaput Khumboonraung of the corporate social responsibility team at Muang Thai Insurance, which is organizing the event. “We have already held one event in Bangkok and one…
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Underpass construction digs in with delays
PHUKET: The need to remove more than 100 utility poles in preparation for building the Chalong Underpass ‘may’ delay the start of construction until next year. “It is hard work to remove that many poles on both sides of the road, while ensuring as few people are affected as possible. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Region 2 office, located in…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Flexible morals
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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Two arrested for firearm possession
PHUKET: Police nabbed two men for the possession of illegal firearms in separate arrests this week, one was carrying a homemade gun, while the other had purchased his through Facebook. Police arrested one of the suspects, a 16-year-old, at the Sengho bookstore in Phuket Town, confirmed Maj Ritthichai Choomchuy of the Phuket Provincial Police. The teen confessed that he had…
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Officials nab illegal Korean tour guide at work
PHUKET: A South Korean national was arrested in Chalong today for working as an illegal tour guide for Narae Travel Co Ltd. Phuket Immigration Police, together with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket Office officials, apprehended Byoung Wook Lim, 43, while he was guiding a group at Chalong Pier. “We seized a list of tour programs, customer names…
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Video Report: New Phuket Governor starts first day in office
PHUKET: The island’s newest top official appointed by Bangkok, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, is settling into his first day of work after arriving to fanfare yesterday. Hundreds of people greeted Governor Chamroen and his wife, Wassana, when they arrived at Phuket International Airport yesterday afternoon. The Phuket local, and a former vice governor of the island, was then taken to…
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Body of missing fisherman found
PHUKET: The body of a fisherman who went missing yesterday evening at Sai Kaew Beach was found today near the spot he was last seen. Kaiyasit Wadeesirisak, 25, was fishing with friends when he decided to swim in rough seas in Tah Chat Chai last night. “According to his friends, Mr Kaiyasit jumped into the water to swim alone when…
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Hundreds to “Bike for Governor’
PHUKET: About 200 cyclists will mount their bicycles to bid farewell to Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong tomorrow. The idea of the ride was tabled by Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos, who enjoys cycling and joined the national ‘Bike For Mom’ event in honor of HM Queen Sirikit’s 83rd birthday in August. The national cycling event broke the Guinness world record for…
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Jet-skis to rule roost for high season
PHUKET: Jet-skis will continue to offer their services on Phuket beaches this high season, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong confirmed yesterday. “We will be implementing the same zones as last year to separate jet-skis and swimmers to ensure everyone’s safety,” Governor Nisit said. “I am aware that a lot of people do not want jet-skis on our beaches, as they have…
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Russian man found dead in swimming pool
PHUKET: A Russian man was found dead near his swimming pool this morning after his friend discovered him unconscious in the water. When police arrived at the house on Moo 2 in Rawai, they found Oleg Ten, 65, on the ground near the pool, confirmed Capt Patiwat Yodkwan of the Chalong Police. “We found no signs of a struggle and…
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Gov Nisit vouches for Chamroen’s beach management judgment
PHUKET: The new governor will make the right choices for Phuket’s beaches, vowed outgoing Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong today. “I believe that Chamroen Tipayapongtada knows Phuket much better than I do, as he is a native. I think his policies will be what’s best for Phuket,” Governor Nisit told the Phuket Gazette. Gov Nisit will leave his post on Wednesday,…
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