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Top 5 luxury villas in Phuket and Koh Samui for your next holiday
Ask people to name the most beautiful places in Thailand, and you'll often hear Phuket and Koh Samui being mentioned. Who would disagree? One is renowned for its bustling nightlife, vibrant culture, and lively beach scene, while the other is...
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Testing reveals “female’ body washed up on Surin Beach is male
PHUKET: The unidentified body initially reported to be that of a woman found washed up on Surin Beach in September has turned out to be that of a man, police revealed to the Phuket Gazette today. “DNA testing has now confirmed that this is the body of a man – not a woman,” Lt Jeerasak Sungwisut of the Cherng Talay…
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Opinion: Bad timing for Phuket’s full-scale tsunami drill
PHUKET: The announcement of plans to conduct a full-scale tsunami evacuation drill in Phuket on Christmas Day was a surprise (story here), given that the next day marks the 10th anniversary of the most horrific loss of life and devastation in the island’s recorded history. Thankfully, the inevitable complaints about the timing have been lodged, and hopefully it is not…
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Challenge Laguna Phuket ready to break records (video)
PHUKET: A record 900 participants have registered to take part in the second annual Challenge Laguna Phuket triathlon on Sunday. The event’s inaugural edition launched last year with 602 entrants signing up to complete the 1.9 kilometer swim, 90km bike ride and 21km run. The Challenge Laguna Phuket triathlon will bring to a close the iconic week-long “Challenge Laguna Phuket…
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Opinion: Beware of deadly little worms, Phuket
PHUKET: I am surprised that the Department of Disease Control does not inform the public of or educate it about the dangers of eating raw foods. There is a disease, called gnathostomiasis, caused by a nasty little worm that is ingested by eating raw or partially cooked foods, particularly freshwater fish and crustaceans, but also eels, frogs, birds and reptiles.…
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Body of Caucasian man found floating off Phuket beach
PHUKET: Officers are attempting to identify the body of a Caucasian man found floating in the sea off Phuket this morning. The body was spotted by Chaimongkol Yaemaroonpattana, a Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) officer, while he was patrolling the waters near Kata Beach. “I saw the body floating about one kilometer from shore. My colleagues and I retrieved it,…
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Phuket yachts wrap up race series with plain sailing
PHUKET: After the stormy conditions last Saturday, sunny skies and mild conditions greeted the competitors on the Sunday for the Ao Chalong Yacht Club’s (ACYC) Race Series 2 final race day. The final placings came down to who was the most consistent and which boats turned up regularly – persistence and commitment count, helped along for the first time this…
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Brakes not to blame for fatal car plunge from Bangkok mall car park: expert
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brakes not to blame for fatal car plunge from Bangkok mall car park: expert The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Brake failure has been ruled out as a likely cause behind a fatal accident at a Bangkok shopping mall on Tuesday, a police expert has reported.…
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Five more caught in police graft scandal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Five more caught in police graft scandal The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Five civilians accused of involvement in the corruption scheme engulfing crime buster Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan have been apprehended and are going through the criminal process, National police chief Gen Somyot Poompanmoung said…
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Military units to be opened for sale of cheap goods and ‘freebies’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Military units to be opened for sale of cheap goods and ‘freebies’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday he would open all military units in Bangkok and encourage business operators to hand out “freebies” to the public in the New…
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PM visiting Laos, Vietnam to discuss trade
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM visiting Laos, Vietnam to discuss trade The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha left Bangkok yesterday on a three-day trip for official visits to Laos and Vietnam to boost cooperation on trade and investment. Vientiane and Hanoi are the third and fourth…
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36 ‘illegal’ resorts face demolition in Thap Lan National Park
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 36 ‘illegal’ resorts face demolition in Thap Lan National Park The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thap Lan National Park officials set up signs early yesterday warning that 36 resorts allegedly encroaching on the park will be demolished, despite reports of officers being threatened while putting…
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Phuket’s new vice governors to arrive on Monday
PHUKET: Two senior officials will arrive in Phuket on Monday to start their new roles as vice governors, providing Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong with his full complement of three deputies. According to the official order published by the Ministry of Interior, Phuket’s new vice governors are Suthee Thongyam and Pranrob Singhasanee. Mr Suthee was promoted from his post as Provincial…
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The global habit of printing more currency to alleviate debt pressure
PHUKET: Just as it seems that the United States’ money printing program is finally ending, other major players are taking steps to continue pumping money into the global economy. The prevailing theory for central bankers around the globe seems to include avoiding the less desirable part of the business cycle, which has been around throughout history, at all costs. What…
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Key Phuket vice governor ordered to post near Bangkok
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, 52, today confirmed that he has been ordered to take the post of vice governor in Nakhon Pathom province, on the outskirts of Bangkok, effective December 1. “I have no regret leaving Phuket. I did all my best during my time here,” Vice Governor Chamroen told the Phuket Gazette today. “I will miss Phuket.…
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Italian tourist slashed by teens in botched Phuket bag-snatch
PHUKET: Police have arrested three teenagers and are searching for the gang’s alleged female ringleader after a failed bag-snatch attempt in Karon left an Italian tourist injured. Italian tourists Herbert Wunderer, 49, and Karin Katherina Albert, 54, were walking back to their hotel after midnight on Monday when five youths on two motorbikes pulled up alongside them, said Lt Col…
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Gone in 60 seconds: Prolific Phuket motorbike thieves busted
PHUKET: It took a gang of motorbike thieves operating in Phuket less than one minute to make off with a single bike, a process which the criminals admitted to repeating hundreds of times. The revelation comes as police netted four members of a group operating on the island that has managed to ride off with more than 200 motorbikes over…
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B2bn cash, valuables stashed in police general’s secret home vaults
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community B2bn cash, valuables stashed in police general’s secret home vaults The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a series of raids last week, police discovered secret underground vaults at the home of former crimebuster Pongpat Chayaphan containing assets worth more than Bt2 billion. One of the…
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Sierra Leone man found, clear of Ebola
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sierra Leone man found, clear of Ebola The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Immigration authorities met the Sierra Leone man they have been hunting just as he was about to board a flight at Suvarnabhumi Airport. As of press time, Samuel Sesay, 31, was with officials…
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More U.S. troops deployed in Ferguson to guard against fresh riots
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More U.S. troops deployed in Ferguson to guard against fresh riots Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Missouri’s governor ordered hundreds more National Guard troops on Tuesday to a St. Louis suburb rocked by rioting and looting after a grand jury declined to indict a white policeman…
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British banks’ rotten culture will take generation to fix, says think tank
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British banks’ rotten culture will take generation to fix, says think tank Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET:Bad behavior that has cost British banks 38.5 billion pounds ($60 billion) in fines and compensation over the past 15 years will take a generation to fix, an independent think…
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Scores arrested in Beach Games crime crackdown
PHUKET: An island-wide crime sweep during the Asian Beach Games resulted in more than 150 arrests and turned up scores of weapons, illegal drugs and counterfeit items, Phuket’s top cop revealed yesterday. “We must maintain Phuket’s good image and uphold the policies of the Royal Thai Police. It is our job to keep everyone safe and to prevent crime,” Phuket…
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Phuket man killed in high-speed motorbike crash
PHUKET: A Phuket man riding a motorbike at high speed died instantly, after he crashed into the back of a 10-wheeled truck last night. The accident, near Baan Mak Prok in Thalang, took place near a u-turn on Thepkrasattri Road at about 9.30pm, Lt Thanom Thongpan of the Tah Chat Chai Police told the Phuket Gazette. “According to witnesses, 37-year-old…
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Phuket beach vendors fear police investigation
PHUKET: More than 100 out-of-work beach vendors gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday to file a complaint with the governor regarding a land encroachment investigation by the Karon Police. The vendors presented the letter to Governor Nisit Jansomwong – along with a letter from the Ministry of Interior, dated January 3, 2005, that gave permission for people to operate businesses…
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Shots fired in protests over Ferguson verdict
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Shots fired in protests over Ferguson verdict, Obama calls for peace Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Missouri grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer on any charges in the fatal August shooting of an unarmed black teenager unleashed a wave of violent…
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‘Billion baht’ police arrested linked to insurgency, oil smuggling
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Billion baht’ police arrested linked to insurgency, oil smuggling The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two crime-fighting agencies agencies have been assigned to investigate a series of high-profile arrests – including Central Investigation Bureau Commissioner Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan – over a longstanding contraband petrol trade…
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Police, health officials hunt Sierra Leone man amid Ebola fears
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police, health officials hunt Sierra Leone man amid Ebola fears The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Public Health Ministry has sought police help to try to locate a Sierra Leone man who failed to report for a mandatory 21-day observation to see if he develops…
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Video Report: Laguna Phuket Triathlon marks historic victory
PHUKET: Italians Massimo Cigana and Alberto Casadei made history together at the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) yesterday as they crossed the finish line as one and became LPT’s first dual champions in the annual event’s 21-year history. Cigana, who won in 2008, 2010 and 2011, also became the triathlon’s first four-time champion, and once again carved his name into the…
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Coral poachers pounce on Phi Phi, south of Phuket
PHUKET: Residents and tourists must immediately report any signs of coral poaching to officials, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Region 5 Chief Tanet Munnoy told the Phuket Gazette on Saturday. “Quick action is necessary to clamp down on corals being stolen from marine national parks, because the criminals behind the work move rapidly,” Mr Tanet said. “They have…
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Spectacular finale at Phuket’s Asian Beach Games
PHUKET: The 4th Asian Beach Games in Phuket came to a spectacular close at the Saphan Hin Sports Center last night, with fantastic stage shows featuring more than 800 performers, as well as sound-and-light shows. The ceremony, with Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul presiding, started with the performance titled “Magic of Dream Destination”, which reflected the invaluable essence of…
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Billions of baht found at police general’s home
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Billions of baht found at police general’s home The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have found billions of baht’s worth of assets at the home of Central Investigation Bureau commander Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan, who has been suspended from service after being charged with several…
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