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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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F1: Sepang Storms
PHUKET: Well, my forecast for the Australian GP was on the money: Mercedes, Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel. In Melbourne, the Mercedes were 30 seconds ahead of the best of the rest. The real problem is that I believe that their engines had been tuned-down, and that there was another 60 seconds in reserve. Now that is dominance – and it’s not…
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Phuket’s Eva Beach responds to probe into legality of beachfront resort
PHUKET: The management of The Eva Group has issued a statement in response to an inspection carried out earlier this year by a chief judge and a team of experts into an upscale property project under construction in Rawai. Tawatchai Sontiwanit, chief judge of the recently formed environmental division of the regional Administrative Court responsible for Phuket, led the inspection…
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Video Report: Phuket United unveil 2015 Futsal League lineup
PHUKET: The island’s sole team in the national Futsal League, Phuket United FC, unveiled their squad for 2015 Futsal League lineup, which gets underway on Saturday. The team, unveiled by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak last weekend, includes two Brazilians: 26-year-old defender Francisco Da Silva Soares, and Jackson Santos, 29, who plays pivot. Headed by coach Chalermpong Saengdee, just 27…
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German tourist recovering after propeller slashes head
PHUKET: A German tourist who was struck in the head by the propeller of a longtail boat off Karon Beach on Wednesday (story here) is recovering well, a tourism official has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. Santi Pawai, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket office, visited the injured tourist, 54-year-old Rudi Dann, at Bangkok Hospital Phuket…
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No Phuket tsunami warning after 4.9 earthquake off Sumatra
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center has not issued a tsunami warning or alert after an earthquake measuring 4.9 in magnitude struck west of Sumatra this morning. “We are aware of the earthquake, and a tsunami warning has not been issued,” confirmed Trakul Thotham, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Region 8 office, based in Phuket.…
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Phuket expat murder charge: Police to hand Pendlebury case to prosecutor in late April
PHUKET: Patong Police expect to hand over their case against Mark Pendlebury, a long-time expat accused of murdering a Thai nightclub bouncer on March 11 (story here), by the end of April. “I think I will be able to compile all evidence and complete the investigation by late April. Then, we will handle to case to public prosecutor,” Lt Col…
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Opinion: Save and protect our fellow earth dwellers
Wanchai Supanaus, 56, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, is the head of the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station. He graduated from Phrae Forestry School in 1979, where he earned a vocational certificate for forestry. He has been head of the station for 15 years. Here, he discusses the illegal trade of touting protected species, which is prevalent in Phuket and other…
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Opinion: Keeping Phuket’s guns out of range
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette joins the rest of the island in extending its condolences to the family of young Scotsman Liam Colven, who died at a newly-opened shooting range in Thalang from a gunshot to the head last weekend (story here). News of the death has resonated in the social media as the story touches on so many relevant issues…
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Slain insurgents were plotting attacks: Isoc
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Slain insurgents were plotting attacks: Isoc The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Following Wednesday’s operation in which four suspected insurgents were killed and 22 others arrested in Pattani’s Thung Yang Dang district, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc)’s 4th Region Front Command yesterday told the press…
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Democracy activist arrested, charged with violating junta’s order
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Democracy activist arrested, charged with violating junta’s order The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pro-democracy activist Pansak Srithep was arrested early yesterday and charged with three offences, including violating the order of the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order forbidding political gatherings of more…
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Human trafficking to carry death penalty
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Human trafficking to carry death penalty The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Parliament voted overwhelmingly yesterday to introduce harsher punishments for human traffickers, including life imprisonment and the death penalty in cases where their victims had died. The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) voted to amend the…
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Co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing Germanwings jet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing Germanwings jet Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A young German co-pilot barricaded himself alone in the cockpit of Germanwings flight 9525 and apparently set it on course to crash into an Alpine mountain, killing all 150 people on board including himself,…
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No lifeguards on Phuket beaches tomorrow
PHUKET: There will be no lifeguards on Phuket’s beaches starting tomorrow, as the annual government contract comes to an end. No party has come forward to bid on the 22-million-baht concession to sign the new contract – not even the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC), who have guarded the beaches for years. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) offered a concession…
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Phuket’s Lighthouse Weekend Market returns with a taste of Fantasia
PHUKET: Phuket’s liveliest marina is going Fantasia for this month’s Lighthouse Weekend Market at the Boat Lagoon with world-class acrobatic performances and live acoustic vibes from one of the country’s top guitarists to accompany the smorgasbord of street-side treats from local vendors and boutique stores. Bring the entire family for a fun-filled evening in ‘Never Never Land’ from 5pm to…
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German tourist struck in the head by Phuket longtail propeller
PHUKET: A German tourist who was struck in the head by the propeller of a longtail boat off Karon Beach yesterday morning is now receiving treatment at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Kata-Karon chief lifeguard Uten Singsom told the Phuket Gazette today that his staff rescued the tourist, who was swimming about 60 meters from shore. The man’s name and condition has…
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Two dead as ghost-driving pick-up slams head-on into six-wheeler
PHUKET: A ghost-driving pick-up truck driver travelling in the wrong direction on the one-way road leaving the island slammed into a six-wheeled cargo truck early this morning, killing himself and his passenger and injuring two others. Police were called to the scene at about 4am, where they found a white six-wheeled SuperCheap truck and a demolished pick-up truck on the…
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Euro tour golfer Spilkova swings by Laguna
PHUKET: Ladies European Tour player Klara Spilkova recently visited Laguna Phuket Golf Club’s newly upgraded course, designed by renowned golf architect Paul Jansen, to practice ahead of her first event of the 2015 season. As part of her stay, Spilkova conducted a golf demonstration, showcasing her golf talents to Laguna Phuket Golf Club’s lucky lady members. “It was such a…
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Phuket readies for Earth Hour
PHUKET: The chief of the Phuket office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) is urging people to join the Earth Hour 2015 event this Saturday to show their support for saving the world’s energy. “It is a very good campaign that everyone can join. You can take part while at home or work, by simply turning off unnecessary lights,” PPEA…
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PM fumes over report on slave trawlers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM fumes over report on slave trawlers The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday warned a journalist from Channel 3 to speak to officials before spreading news about Thais forced to work on trawlers near Indonesia to avoid damaging exports of…
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Hired gunman confesses to slaying revered monk
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hired gunman confesses to slaying revered monk The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have arrested a janitor who allegedly was hired to kill the revered monk from Udon Thani who was found shot dead this month. They also named a junior policeman as an accomplice…
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Pilot locked out of cockpit in Germanwings Airbus crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pilot locked out of cockpit in Germanwings Airbus crash Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Investigators have retrieved cockpit voice recordings from one of the black boxes of the German Airbus plane that crashed into the Alps, killing everyone onboard, officials said on Wednesday. The New York…
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Cricket: Patong CC take Thalang to town
PHUKET: Patong CC proved too hot to handle last Sunday with a clean defeat of visitors Thalang Cricket Team in the Phuket Cricket Group 40-over league competition. Hot, sunny conditions usual for this time of year prevailed, with a brown grassy outfield and the wicket still sporting surplus sand from a recent AFL match. Patong captain Seemant Raju won the…
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Phuket tour bus crash: 3 Chinese tourists dead, driver blames brake failure
PHUKET: Three Chinese tourists were killed and 15 others injured, three seriously, when the tour bus they were riding in tumbled off the road and rolled down Kata Hill on the way to Chalong this afternoon (story here). Initially, 11 of the injured tourists were taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital after the accident, and four were taken to Patong Hospital…
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Breaking News: Three dead in Phuket bus crash
PHUKET: Three people were killed after a Phuket tour bus crashed on Kata Hill as it headed toward Chalong Circle at about noon today. First reports at the accident site say that 18 tourists were on board the Morning Sun tour bus when it tumbled off the road and rolled down the hill. Concerns were raised in January last year…
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Adrenaline opens Phuket yacht race series with a bullet
PHUKET: Mark Horwood and his crew on Adrenaline opened their campaign in the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) Keelboat and Multihull Race Series for the year with a bullet in the first race, held on Chalong Bay last Sunday. The Formula 40 trimaran, famed for its “rocking outer hulls” (wonky training wheels), outpaced Kirill Stashevskiy’s Stealth Cat Galeforce, which placed…
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Govt rejects Amnesty allegations on torture
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt rejects Amnesty allegations on torture The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Foreign Ministry will defend the government against allegations that suspects behind grenade attacks were tortured while in military custody. It will also explain while the country remains under martial law, PM’s Office deputy…
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Abhisit wants Anupong, Thawil to testify
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abhisit wants Anupong, Thawil to testify The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday petitioned the NACC (National Anti-Corruption Commission) to question two more witnesses with key roles in the deadly 2010 crackdown on protesters when he was prime minister. The two…
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Earthquake rattles Phuket
PHUKET: An earthquake measuring 3.8 in magnitude rattled the east coast of Phuket before dawn this morning. The Thai Meteorological Department reported the quake as striking at 5:32am, with its epicenter halfway between Phuket and Koh Yao Yai island in Phang Nga Bay (click here). The epicenter of the quake was centered in the same area where a 4.0 quake…
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Bangkok’s dummy police to go ‘smart’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dummy police to catch traffic offenders next month The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Starting next month, dummy traffic officers on some of Bangkok’s roads will officially become “smart”, as they will be able to catch violators red-handed via a newly introduced tech system. The so-called…
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Germanwings Airbus crashes in France, 148 feared dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Germanwings Airbus crashes in France, 148 feared dead Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An Airbus operated by Lufthansa’s Germanwings budget airline crashed in a remote area of the French Alps on Tuesday and all 148 on board were feared dead. French President Francois Hollande said he…
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