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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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One-stop registration center good news for Phuket’s taxi-driver hopefuls
PHUKET: In a push to standardize taxi services throughout Phuket, an exhibition with a one-stop service center will open next week to help drivers register their cars to become legal metered taxis. The exhibition will be held from August 9 to 12 at the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), said Jaturong Kaewkasi, chief policy adviser of the PLTO. “There will…
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Exposed Phuket electrical wires shock three construction workers, one still unconscious
PHUKET: Three Myanmar nationals working on a construction site in central Phuket suffered an intense electric shock while on the job this afternoon; one is still unconscious. “After questioning co-workers, we learned that the men were sitting on metal scaffolding waiting for buckets of cement to be lifted up to them by crane,” said Witchit Police Capt Prawat Tantibussapun, who…
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Patong beach vendors plagued by sharks – Phuket loan sharks
PHUKET: More than 90 per cent of Patong Beach vendors are in loan sharks’ books revealed Phuket police after busting a gang of four yesterday. “We received a tip-off from an out-of-work, debt-ridden beach vendor about four men in Patong who were charging 20 per cent interest on loans and harassing customers who weren’t able to make their daily payments,”…
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Army protection from mafia gives Phuket airport bus owner confidence to drive to Karon
PHUKET: The Phuket Airport Express Bus is prepared to push through Patong as its owner looks to roll out a new final stop in Karon by mid-August. Airport Express Bus owner Prakob Panyawai is working out the final details of the new route, which will terminate at Karon Municipality. The airport bus was initially planned to run to Kata-Karon, but…
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Opinion: Phuket beach cleanups – drastic, but necessary
PHUKET: The complete removal of beach lounger and umbrella sets from Phuket’s beaches is a drastic yet necessary step to completely rid the sands of illegal encroachment. It may be a bitter pill to swallow, especially for those who have lost their jobs, but we need to start from ground zero in order to set the stage for a new…
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The future of the resident farang lingers in limbo
PHUKET: Visa runners are now being relegated to history; with no more back-to-backs, it’s the end of an era. This will have a marked impact on the demographics of the island and Thailand as a whole. All those working on a wing and a prayer will now be shown the exit door once and for all, and potentially blacklisted. All…
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Phuket poor receive food donations ahead of Hungry Ghost Festival
PHUKET: More than 1,500 of Phuket’s poorest showed up at the Kusoldharm Foundation’s headquarters yesterday to receive food and clothing donations as part of the annual Te Krajard merit-making ceremony. “This year, we handed out scholarships to needy students from local schools and 2,600 five-kilogram bags of rice. We also distributed clothes and packages of dry foodstuff to about 1,500…
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Full Metal Dojo returns with second MMA show in Patong
PHUKET: It was on June 7 at Patong’s Seduction Nightclub that MMA entered Phuket for the first time (story here). The Full Metal Dojo MMA event featured a litany of warriors from around the globe. The event saw fighters from Thailand, Cambodia, Finland, the United States, France, and other countries enter the caged-dojo for the first time in Phuket. And…
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Today marks Thai Women’s Day
PHUKET: Various public and private sectors and women’s groups are joining hands with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security in organizing a celebration on Thai Women’s Day today in honor of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. Each year August 1 marks the Thai Women’s Day in honor of Her Majesty the Queen, who is recognized as Mother of the…
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Lessons from the World Cup: Looking to the past to plan for the future
PHUKET: Research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) has found that the enthusiasm Brazilian businesses held for hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup plummeted over the past two years leading up to the event. However, while few business leaders predicted increased investment or increased profits as a result of Brazil hosting the competition, there is hope that infrastructure…
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Retirement planning is more than just investing
PHUKET: A common question that I get from potential clients is, “Why do I need a registered investment adviser? I can buy stocks on my own.” Well, retirement planning is more than just buying and selling stocks and bonds. The answer is that retirement involves not only investment planning, but it also involves tax planning. The best way to explain…
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Well bore rig takes a tumble on Patak Road
PHUKET: Police have played down a “minor” accident that left a rig for boring wells strewn across Patak Road near Chalong Circle yesterday morning. “No people will be charged,” said a Karon Traffic Policeman, who asked not to be named. “No people were injured and no property other than the vehicle involved was damaged, so we will not be investigating…
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South African giraffe dies after ‘head hits bridge’
PHUKET: South Africa’s animal rights body is investigating the death of a giraffe that reportedly struck its head on a bridge while being transported along a motorway. Eyewitnesses say the giraffe, one of two on a truck, hit its head on a bridge on Johannesburg’s N1 motorway, reports the BBC. The vehicle then broke down and the driver had to…
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Job applicants should not be forced to do blood tests for HIV: Rights body
PHUKET: The National Human Rights Commission has condemned businesses that require job applicants to be tested for HIV, saying the move is a “clear violation of human rights”. The NHRC said requiring people to take a blood test could adversely affect people who do this, plus their families, both economically and socially. The agency was responding to complaints from the…
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Mountain bikers eye US$1mn in ‘toughest race on earth’
PHUKET: Mountain bikers tempted by the US$1 million (about 3.2mn baht) in prize money up for grabs in a new South African endurance race are given a warning before they sign up: “This could change your life, or end it”. Teams of two will have to come up with a US$10,000 entrance fee to race on December 3 in The…
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Expert differs with report on Koh Samet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Expert differs with report on Koh Samet The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Even though a researcher says that Koh Samet’s Ao Phrao is recovering naturally, with the number of marine organisms in the area rising, an academic disagreed, saying the ecosystem was not normal yet…
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NCPO approves inheritance tax
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Inheritance tax gets NCPO nod The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: For the first time in the Kingdom’s modern history, Thais who are bequeathed fortunes by their wealthy relatives would have to start paying an inheritance tax under a Finance Ministry proposal that has already been…
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Thai group fleeing Libya to take flight home today
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai group fleeing Libya to take flight home today The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A group of Thai evacuees from unrest-plagued Libya will fly home today, General Tanasak Patima-pragorn, a deputy chief of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said yesterday. The…
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His Majesty appoints 200 National Legislative Assembly members
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community His Majesty appoints 200 National Legislative Assembly members The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: His Majesty the King has issued a royal command to appoint 200 members of the National Legislative Assembly. More than half of them are either former and active military officers as expected.…
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Sierra Leone declares Ebola state of emergency
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sierra Leone declares emergency as Ebola death toll hits 729 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Sierra Leone has declared a state of emergency and called in troops to quarantine Ebola victims, joining neighbouring Liberia in imposing controls as the death toll from the outbreak of the…
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The Cove to screen in Phuket
PHUKET: The award-winning documentary The Cove will be screened twice at Central Festival Phuket next week to raise awareness of how dolphins are caught at the Taiji Cove in Japan and sold for use in dolphinaria around the world. Central to the documentary, however, is how many of the dolphins are butchered and the meat sold to supermarkets. Confirmation of…
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Phuket entrepreneur takes to the skies
PHUKET: Perched on a steep hillside directly beneath the watchful gaze of the Big Buddha rests the compound that houses Helicam. Owned and operated by British national Phil Clark, the media production company, which specializes in aerial photography and videography, is just about to celebrate a dozen years of operating in Phuket. The anniversary will be highlighted by the upcoming…
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Foreign burglar caught on CCTV robbing Phuket homes
PHUKET: Police are hoping to identify a foreign man who was caught on CCTV robbing a home in Bang Jo, in Phuket’s west coast area of Cherng Talay, last Thursday. The area has been targeted by burglars for years, said Jo D’Hondt, a business partner of the high-end Diamond Condominium project (story here) in Bang Tao. “My house has been…
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Body of musician, swept from Phuket rocks, found washed ashore
PHUKET: The body of Somchai Yungtala, 30, who was swept from the rocks near Phuket’s Promthep Cape on Tuesday afternoon, was found washed ashore this morning. Relatives assisting rescue workers in the search for Mr Somchai found his body at Ya Nui Beach at about 5am. Mr Somchai was visiting Phuket from Koh Yao Yai with his girlfriend when he…
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THAI Smile poised for relocation to Don Mueang
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand business news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community THAI’s Smile Air poised for relocation to Don Mueang The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thai Airways International Plc has prepared its budget Thai Smile Air for take-off from Don Mueang International Airport on August 8 to snatch passengers from low-cost competitors. The flag carrier…
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Libya asked to waive exit visa to facilitate evacuation of Thais
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Libya asked to waive exit visa to facilitate evacuation of Thais The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand is asking Libya to cancel its exit visa regulations in order to facilitate the evacuation of Thais living there, Manopchai Vongphakdi, director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s South Asia…
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Arrivals from West Africa on Ebola watch, fears grow of outbreak in Europe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Arrivals from West Africa on Ebola watch, fears grow of outbreak in Europe The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thai authorities have joined the rest of the world in monitoring the spread of the Ebola virus and are closely screening all arrivals from West Africa, a…
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Heavy new penalties for visa overstays from Aug 29
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Heavy new penalties await visa overstays The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Authorities will bar visitors who overstay their visas from returning to Thailand for between one year and a whole decade. The longer the overstay period, the longer will be the re-entry ban. Starting from…
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Malaysian Formula E race postponed at PM’s request
THE MALAYSIAN round of the new electric Formula E series has been postponed because the country’s Prime Minister is unable to attend on the date originally scheduled, organizers said. The race in Putrajaya was due to be held on October 18 as the second round of the championship but will now take place on November 22. “The decision, which has…
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Carnage at U.N. school as Israel pounds Gaza Strip
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Carnage at U.N. school as Israel pounds Gaza Strip Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Israeli shelling killed at least 15 Palestinians sheltering in a U.N.-run school and another 17 near a street market on Wednesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said, with no ceasefire in sight after more…
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