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Kiwi wakes up from coma after accident on Patong Hill
PHUKET: New Zealander Paul ‘PJ’ Lupi, who was seriously injured in an accident on Patong Hill on July 6, has woken up from a coma and is recovering from his injuries, his brother told the Phuket Gazette today. The 28-year-old has been moved from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a ward in Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok. “He woke…
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Pink chicks outrage animal activist on Koh Lanta
PHUKET: A group of brightly colored baby chickens tied up in a plastic bag has outraged foreigners visiting Koh Lanta, south of Phuket. Tourist Gina Jones, 33, and her husband were strolling down a beach on Koh Lanta when the bright colored fowl being sold as kids toys caught their attention, reported The Daily Mail on Monday. The pair then…
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Phuket Governor promotes production of local fruit
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Nisit Jamsomwong signed an agreement on Monday to boost production of the local jungle fruit ‘som kwai‘ (garcinia atroviridis). During a meeting on Knowledge-Based One Tambon One Product (KBO), which is aimed at integrating relevant sectors to boost the value of its products, Governor Nisit noted that som kwai have excellent nutritional and medicinal properties. “This agreement…
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Underpass contracts to be inked on Monday
PHUKET: Contracts for the construction of two new underpasses, one at Chalong Circle and the other at Bang Ku Intersection, are set to be signed on Monday. After the contracts are signed, work is likely to start on Tuesday, Samak Luedwonghad, director of the Phuket Highways Office, told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “The revised budget for the Bang Ku underpass…
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Men flee scene of power-pole crash
PHUKET: Police are searching for two men who fled the scene of an accident which downed a power pole on Srisoonthorn Road near the Heroines’ Monument yesterday. Witnesses of the accident notified Thalang Police at about 4pm. “At the scene, we found a seriously damaged station wagon flipped onto its side next to a collapsed power pole,” said Lt Suporn…
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Video Report: Distraught mum demands justice for dead daughter
PHUKET: The distraught mother of a 7-year-old girl who was killed after their pick-up truck crashed into a Phuket sinkhole continues to demand justice, as well as 10 million baht in compensation for the tragic accident last year. Nitikarn Rotrattanachai, who previously went by the name of Phakamon Duangchayatemcharat, arrived at the Thalang Police Station yesterday afternoon to follow up…
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Prison drug network cracked through Krabi, Trang busts
PHUKET: Krabi Police tapped in to a big-time prison drug network this week with the arrest of three major dealers in possession of 180,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and more than 7 kilograms of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), with a street value of about 40 million baht. The string of arrests began on July 17 when 39-year-old Chawalit Limpanit was…
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National park pot dealer busted with 2.5kg
PHUKET: A Khao Lak-Lamru National Park employee was snagged with more than two kilograms of marijuana during a sting operation on Monday. Kathachai Panboonthong, 36, confessed to police that he had been dealing drugs to international tourists and teens in the area for a ‘long time’, Takuapa District Chief Manit Pianthong explained. “When we searched his motorbike we found 2.5kg…
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Phuket beauty first runner-up in Miss Universe Thailand pageant
PHUKET: Phuket native Chavika ‘Yim’ Watsang, 19, became Miss Universe Thailand 2015’s first runner-up at the pageant held in Bangkok on Saturday. “I can’t describe my feelings in words, I never thought an average girl like myself would have many fans with the audience at Royal Paragon Hall calling out my name. It was the greatest moment in my life,”…
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Hard Rock Cafe singer found dead
PHUKET: A singer from Hard Rock Cafe in Patong was found dead, hanged by an electrical wire in his home, early this morning. “We found Niwatchai Srisang, 39, hanging by an electric wire from a bedroom window,” said Lt Charus Lempand of the Wichit Police. “There were no signs of a struggle on his body, only the mark on his…
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Kata Group prepares for stock market listing, expansion
PHUKET: Hospitality company Kata Group Resorts is readying to embark on a major new phase of expansion following the appointment of renowned financial consultants Asset Pro Management (APM) Co Ltd. APM will prepare Kata Group Resorts, owner and operator of six resorts in Southern Thailand, for a listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) after the hospitality company’s business…
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Opinion: Phuket’s only woman lifeguard stands tall
Jongdee Haemkaew, 35, from Songkhla, is the assistant sport and recreational manager at Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort. A former taekwondo athlete with a bachelor’s degree in health and sport science from Thaksin University in Pattalung, Ms Jongdee is the first female lifeguard on Phuket and one of the first to be certified by Surf Life Saving Australia. She has…
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Russian tourists rescued after jet-ski incident
PHUKET: Two Russian tourists were safely rescued from an island off the coast of Karon Beach last night after their rented jet-ski died mid-ride and was pulled out to sea. “A rescue team was sent out after being notified by the jet-ski owner that two tourists had disappeared after an hour,” said Itthiporn Sangkaew, deputy mayor of Karon. “Rescuers took…
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Two seriously injured in truck crash
PHUKET: Two people were seriously injured when a pick-up truck collided head-on with a cement truck on wet roads in front of Supercheap in Bang Tao this afternoon. “The pick-up truck driver and passenger, who were both seriously injured, had already been rushed to Thalang Hospital by the time police arrived,” Lt Peerasit Nhupayan of the Cherng Talay Police told…
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Villagers waiting for compensation complain to governor
PHUKET: A group of villagers filed a complaint with the governor this morning over officials failing to compensate them after parts of their homes were destroyed during a Rassada Municipality drainage ditch construction project in 2013. The case has been in process for two years, culminating in a agreement on May 12 this year that Rassada Municipality would compensate the…
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Governor leads 500 bikers in “Bike for Mom’ practice ride
PHUKET: In anticipation of a nationwide Mother’s Day ‘Bike for Mom’ event on August 16, a practice ride was held in Phuket yesterday to determine what issues, if any, the bikers will face on the day. Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong led a brigade of 500 bikers through the 26-kilometer route, which starts at Phuket Provincial Hall, journey through Phuket Town…
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Raceweek comes to an end
PHUKET: A pleasant eight knots welcomed sailors on the final day of the 2015 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek. PRO Simon James wasted no time in getting the fleet into sequence. Island courses for all: around the windward mark and back around Lone Island to the finish for all classes except IRC Racing I, who headed off on a longer…
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Kratom culture
PHUKET: The arrest of a low-ranking Royal Thai Navy officer for smuggling a large shipment of kratom, Mitragyna speciosa, into Phuket’s primary party town of Patong this week is only a flake on the epidermis of a complicated, political and cultural battle against the illegal drug. The use of the substance in a number of wild concoctions has infiltrated many…
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Officials fear marine life hit by wrecked cargo ship
PHUKET: Local officers have filed a preemptive notice to Chalong Police over the recovery of a wrecked 67.6 meter-long mulch-purpose cargo vessel in fear that a significant amount of damage has been done to the coral reefs along Koh Hei, also known as Coral Island. Sinaran Andaman wrecked into Koh Hei on July 8 in rough seas that sank two…
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Chasing down breeze on Day 2 of Phuket Raceweek
PHUKET: As the start boat for the 2015 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek left the anchorage yesterday morning there were a lot of anxious faces on board. After a tricky and tiring first day, where the Wind Gods delivered seven knots at best and for most of the day a little less, the forecasts for Day 2 were no better.…
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Crackdown on Phuket tour companies continues
PHUKET: Twelve tour companies with foreign shareholders suspected of using Thai nominees to maintain control over their businesses have been given five days to submit documents proving their legality. The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) mounted a raid on Thursday with Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket office, and other relevant officials on 16…
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Korean ignores warnings, drowns in Phuket
PHUKET: A Korean tourist, who allegedly ignored hotel staff when warned about the current dangers of the sea, drowned last night. Seunchei Yang, 20, was recovered by employees of Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort and rushed to Thalang Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival. “We questioned those working and they confirmed that Mr Yang was part of a group…
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Verdict date set for PhuketWan in Computer Crimes Act case
PHUKET: Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, of local news blog PhuketWan, will hear the verdict on September 1 for charges of criminal defamation and violations of the Computer Crimes Act following the conclusion of the trial yesterday. According to the court hearing, the charges stem from a report published on July 17, 2013, which contained excerpts from a Reuters special…
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Thalang officials hunt for human-trafficking victims
PHUKET: Phuket officials checked several Thalang construction sites yesterday for signs of illegal workers who could possibly be connected to human trafficking. “The Phuket human-trafficking prevention and suppression committee had a meeting last month to create a plan for cracking down on human trafficking,” said Kriangkrai Apabootsayapan, chief of the Phuket Provincial Labor Protection and Welfare Office. “We will be…
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A Decade Ago: New beach, new crisis
PHUKET: The real seller in the July 16-22 issue of the Phuket Gazette wasn’t the page-one story. It was Athiga Jundee’s ‘Inside Story’, which played off a t-shirt circulating through the shopping arcades of the island, and which reads: ‘Phuket – 2001: Bomb Alert; 2002: SARS; 2003: Bird Flu; 2004: Tsunami. What Next?’. Well, little did the t-shirt producers know…
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China defence minister says Japan bill will ‘complicate’ region
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China defence minister says Japan bill will ‘complicate’ region Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: China’s defence minister told the head of Japan’s National Security Council on Friday that Japanese legislation which could see troops sent to fight abroad for the first time since World War II…
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Dermatology stakes claim in Thai medical tourism industry
PHUKET: Dermatology is staking its claim in Thailand’s developing medical-tourism sector, a growth which is due in part to an increasing number of highly qualified dermatologists, state-of-the-art treatments and affordable services. Romrawin Clinic, with two of its branches located in Phuket, has taken advantage of the demand for dermatological procedures and is now at the forefront of the business with…
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Business Buzz: The beauty of Instagram
HUKET: Instagram as we know it is changing, but that can be a good thing if you are a business looking to increase your exposure. Instagram is a photo-sharing app that reportedly has more than 300 million monthly users. It is very popular with people born in the 80s and 90s, who account for more than 37% per cent of…
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Phuket told to conserve power ahead of energy shortage
PHUKET: The Energy Ministry alerted all residents on Phuket to conserve power to prevent outages from July 21 to July 25, as a major gas field supply line in the Gulf of Thailand will be upgraded during this period. Director-General of the Energy Policy and Planning Office Chavalit Pichalai revealed that the country will be losing around 420 million standard…
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TCT dominates over Phuket Asian Cricket Team
PHUKET: The Outrigger T20 cricket league commenced on Sunday at the Alan Cooke Ground with the Thalang Cricket Team (TCT) having an easy win over the newly formed Phuket Asian Cricket Team (PACT). PACT won the toss and made the unusual decision to field first with their team only having seven players present. The new side, who is representing the…
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