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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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Legendary Thai rocker Carabao in Phuket for New Year countdown concert
PHUKET: Legendary Thai folk-rock artist Yuenyong Opakul, better known by his stage name Ad Carabao, is set to headline three-days of entertainment in Phuket Town to count down to the New Year. The “Colorful Countdown Phuket 2015” will usher in the New Year with light shows and live concerts at Sanam Chai Park, across the road from Phuket Provincial Hall,…
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Cricket: Island CC wrestles victory from jaws of defeat in Phuket
PHUKET: Fiery old rivalries were reignited on Sunday when Patong CC faced Island CC in the second fixture of the 2014/2015 Senior League season at the Alan Cooke Ground. In a match that saw the T20 finalists face Patong’s players hoping to exact retribution after their defeat in September, it was the Islanders who claimed victory by a solitary run…
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Phuket police investigate apparent murder-suicide
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play in what appears to be a murder-suicide by a Trang official at a Patong hotel yesterday. Officers were called to Baan Ton Sai Garden Resort Hotel at 4pm, said Lt Col Pratuang Polmana of the Patong Police. The body of Yuwadee Sriket, 29, was naked on the bed, covered by a…
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Phuket beach vendors return for trial run
PHUKET: Vendors renting out umbrellas, offering massages or selling food and drinks are allowed to return to Phuket’s beaches – but not vendors who rent out sun-loungers or beach chairs. Governor Nisit Jansomwong delivered the news at a meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday, when he laid down a stringent list of conditions under which beach vendors will be permitted to…
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Russian escapes death in 300m plunge from Phuket coastal road
PHUKET: A Russian man is recovering in hospital after his car ran off a coastal road near Phuket’s Promthep Cape and plunged into the water some 300 meters below late last night. “It happened at about 11:30pm,” said Lt Wuttiwat Liang-boonjinda of the Chalong Police. “By the time we arrived, all we could see was the back of the car…
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Phuket takes to water for New Year “Seven days of Danger’ campaign
PHUKET: Safety measures to reduce and prevent accidents on Phuket’s roads, as well as the surrounding sea, will be rolled out on December 30. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) will be heading the annual Seven Days of Danger safety campaign for the New Year holidays. The campaign will run from December 30 through January 5. On the…
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Govt seeks help over fugitives
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt seeks help over fugitives The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Royal Thai Government will try to convince other countries not to allow Thai fugitives to engage in anti-government activities, particularly those who commit lese majeste, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said yesterday. He said…
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Nine South provinces face floods, landslides
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nine South provinces face floods, landslides The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: As the National Disaster Warning Center issued a warning yesterday that nine provinces in the South face the risks of floods and landslides until Saturday, a soldier died in a boat accident while helping…
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Phuket underpass to partially close
PHUKET: The southbound lane of the underpass adjacent to Central Festival Phuket will be closed Friday and Saturday nights, from 9pm to 6am, the Phuket Gazette confirmed today. “We have to close the southbound lane so that we can work on the roof,” said project manager Narong Horee. “Motorists heading north can use the underpass as normal.” Wichit Police Deputy…
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Phi Phi resort partner, dive boat captain arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a dive boat captain who is also a co-owner of a bungalow resort on Phi Phi Island for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia yesterday. Acting on a tip-off, officers arrived at the house of 45-year-old Preecha Riabrieng, in Rassada, at about 6:30pm. “We received information from a source about a suspected drug dealer operating on Phi…
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Phuket 7-Elevens to join crime-fighting campaign in New Year
PHUKET: All Phuket 7-Eleven convenience stores are set to join a campaign to improve police response times by early next year, it was announced this week. The campaign, taking advantage of the number of 7-Eleven stores on the island and their visibility, will see staffers trained to receive crime reports and contact police on the behalf of victims. Representatives from…
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Police raid nets “unusual’ quantity of cough syrup
PHUKET: Police are investigating a shipment of more than 35,000 bottles of cough syrup, suspicious that at least some of the order was destined to be used in an illegal cocktail made with kratom leaves. At about 2pm on Tuesday, Phuket City Police and officers from the Phuket Custom House suppression unit seized 35,700 bottles of cough syrup to be…
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Phuket’s We Freedive Suunto Series finish with breath-holding trinity Sunday
PHUKET: The We Freedive Suunto Series 2014 comes to a close this Sunday with competitors taking deep breaths before launching into a trinity of events: Static Apnea, Dynamic No Fins (DNF) and Dynamic with Fins (DYN). It will be a tight race for overall winner of the series with American Walter Johnson leading Melanie Long from the UK with just…
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Australian Embassy to hold consular outreach in Phuket
PHUKET: The Consular Section of the Australian Embassy in Bangkok will visit Phuket on January 21 in order to offer consular, passport and notarial services to Australians in Phuket. The outreach visit will be held from 9am to 3pm at the offices of Hawryluk Legal Advisors on the bypass road (map here). During this visit, the consular staff will provide…
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Body found in pond behind Phuket temple
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify the body of a man found floating in a pond behind Wat Saensuk, in Phuket Town, on Tuesday. The body was spotted floating on the water’s surface by the owner of the nearby Soi Thong restaurant. “I was at my restaurant feeding the fish in the pond when I saw what looked like a…
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Phuket’s Pryder Cup falls to the Rest of the World (video)
PHUKET: Late surges from the Rest of the World top order saw them come through and take the final singles 3-1 and eventually triumph comprehensively 9-5 to win Phuket’s premier lawn bowls trophy, the Pryder Cup, last Saturday. Named in honor of golf’s premier team competition, the biennial Ryder Cup, the annual Phuket Pryder Cup is the premier annual team…
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Monster Phuket python caught, decade record set
PHUKET: Rescue workers wrangled a six-meter-long python out from under a Phuket home owner’s house early this morning. “It took us about two hours to remove the snake. It was absolutely huge. Weighing about 80kg, it was by far the biggest snake we’ve caught in the past 10 years,” said Sayan Thammapan, Ruamjai Rescue Foundation team leader. “When we received…
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New Editor-in-chief to guide Phuket Gazette multi-media development
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette is pleased to announce the recent promotion of Isaac Stone Simonelli to the position of Editor-in-chief. Having spent his years at the Gazette in various roles, including PGTV news presenter, news editor and then Managing Editor (story here), Mr Simonelli is well versed in the major local, national and international issues that affect Phuket people most.…
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Marine Police exchief admits to B150mn in bribes; hundreds of police to be reassigned
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Marine police exchief admits taking bribes; hundreds of police to be reassigned The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police spokesman Lt Gen Prawut Thawornsiri yesterday confirmed that a former Marine Police chief had confessed to taking 150 million baht in bribes from a fugitive Pattani-based businessman.…
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43 hurt in Krabi-bound bus crash; three-truck pile-up kills driver
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 43 hurt in Krabi-bound bus crash; three-truck pile-up kills driver The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A chartered bus carrying employees from Bangkok’s Thaweewattana District Office to a seminar in Krabi province lost control on a curve and overturned yesterday in Surat Thani’s Khian Sa district.…
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Thais score Suzuki Cup first-leg win over Malaysia
PHUKET: Thailand struck two late goals, including a penalty, to snatch a 2-0 first-leg home win over Malaysia in the Suzuki Cup final last night which was just reward for their relentless pressure in an action-packed game. They broke the deadlock with 18 minutes remaining when Charyl Chappuis converted a spot kick before Kroekrit Taweekarn sealed the victory with a…
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Taliban slay 132 students in Pakistan school massacre
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taliban slay 132 students in Pakistan school massacre Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: At least 132 students and nine staff members were killed on Tuesday when Taliban gunmen broke into a school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar and opened fire, witnesses said, in the bloodiest…
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Phuket’s Chinese, Ukrainian visa-runners allowed unlimited re-entries
PHUKET: Phuket’s Chinese and Ukrainian tourists are now allowed an unlimited number of re-entries through the popular visa-run checkpoint at Khuan Don in Satun, on the Malaysian border. However, the same privilege has not been extended to foreigners who enter Thailand on “visa-exemption” status, the same form of entry that sparked the visa-run crackdown earlier this year, confirmed Col Peemadej…
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Phuket teens taken down for slash-threat motorbike theft
PHUKET: Police have arrested two teenagers who stole a motorbike out from under a 14-year-old after threatening to slash him with a box cutter in Phuket Town on Saturday night. “Kanokpol Vijitr, 18, and a 17-year-old minor cut off the younger boy in the middle of the road and threatened him with a cutter,” Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit explained…
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Phuket young sailors to vie for SEA Games selection
PHUKET: Two exceptional young Phuket sailors – Nattapong “Max” Yuang-ngam, 13, and Cartoon “Toon” Jundet, 12 – have received personal invitations to attend the National Optimist qualifiers for selection to represent Thailand at the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore next year. Max and Toon, both from the Phuket Youth Sailing Club (PYSC) based at Cape Panwa, will travel to…
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Phuket officials postpone Christmas Day tsunami drill
PHUKET: Phuket officials have postponed a full-scale tsunami drill that was planned for Christmas Day, following a number of complaints from victims’ families who are preparing for the 10th anniversary of the tragedy on Boxing Day. “We have cancelled plans to hold the full-scale drill on Christmas Day after receiving feedback from the victims’ families, who feel that the drill…
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We’re ready for next Phuket tsunami, says expert
PHUKET: Phuket hosted “The Next Tsunami Zero Lost” conference last week, during which more than 100 experts from about 12 countries reviewed emergency medical procedures to ensure the recovery, safety and survival of tsunami victims. “We are prepared for the next natural disaster, and have continued to work closely with Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] to stay abreast of developments,”…
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Phuket police net three in crackdown on illegal drugs, firearms
PHUKET: Patong Police netted three men in two raids yesterday as part of a crackdown on illegal drugs and firearms. Somphon Baankluay, 39, and his 18-year-old son Satit were arrested at their house on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road at about 10:30pm. “We were informed by undercover officers that suspects were spotted carrying weapons to and from the house,” Lt Col…
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Phuket Poll: Do you trust the Thai police?
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police force is fighting off a barrage of slurs to its reputation to the extent that even the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has recognized the problem as its top “Health & Safety” concern for tourists (here). The recognition comes amid headlines of the ongoing corruption investigation centered on former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Pongpat…
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Warrants issued for top cop, driver in police debt-collecting racket
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police corruption scandal: Warrants issued for top cop, driver in debt-collecting racket The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two arrest warrants have been issued for a senior policeman and a civilian who were allegedly part of a debt-collecting racket that authorities say was run by former…
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