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Wondering if you can drink the tap water in Thailand? From brushing your teeth to filling up a bottle, it’s helpful to understand a few basics. Tap water safety in Thailand varies by location, and while some people use it...
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The Songkran scoreboard
PHUKET: Three deaths marred Phuket’s attempt to keep the road-death toll at zero for the entire Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign. The province slipped past April 13, typically the most deadly day in the annual campaign, without a single death. However the next day, 41-year-old Swedish national Johnny Daniel Soederstroem died after losing control of his bike, while…
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Rip currents wreak havoc at Nai Harn, one swimmer in ICU
PHUKET: A woman is on life support after being pulled unconscious from the waves of Nai Harn yesterday afternoon. Vachira Phuket Hospital staff declined to name the woman, who is thought to be in her 20s. “She was swimming in a red-flag zone with a group of about six other people. In total, there were about 20 Thai people in…
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Algae to blame for murky water in Patong Bay
PHUKET: The cloudy green-colored surf off Patong Beach is a normal occurrence caused by an annual algae bloom, not pollution, officials confirmed today. Vice Governor Kajornkiet Rakpanitmanee made the reassurances today after members of the public became concerned that untreated wastewater was to blame for the usually clear water in Patong Bay turning a muddy green-brown color in recent weeks.…
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Power pole collision kills rider in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: A motorcyclist was killed in a high-speed collision with a roadside power pole in Cherng Talay this morning. Two people were on the motorcycle when it hit the pole along the road from Layan Beach to Ban Don. The other rider, who was wearing a crash helmet, survived, but suffered severe injuries. “The accident occurred at about 6:45am. Boontan…
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Fatal collision: Russian driver in wrong lane
PHUKET: A motorcyclist died after a collision with a car driven by a Russian man who may have simply forgotten which side of the road he was supposed to be driving on. The accident occurred on Saiyuan Road in Rawai at 11:45pm on Thursday night. Russian national Ruslan Gainutdinov, 37, who had arrived in Phuket just three days before the…
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Rotting whale carcass could still reveal clues
PHUKET: Marine biologists are hoping that the rotting carcass of a five-tonne whale, found washed up yesterday on Lampi Beach, Phang Nga, will reveal clues about how it died. Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) staff had been looking for the dead cetacean, ever since it was spotted floating off Koh Bon in the Similan National Park by a tourist on…
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Patong Girl wins Grimme Award
PHUKET: The Grimme Institute in Germany awarded its prestigious Grimme Prize to the lead Thai actress in the movie Patong Girl for her stellar performance in the trilingual film set in Phuket. Aisawanya Areyawattana flew to Marl, Germany to join other cast members on April 8 for the award ceremony, which was broadcast on German television. The Thai-German co-production is…
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Korean airline pilot dies after pre-flight check
PHUKET: The assistant captain of an Eastar Jet aircraft died shortly after complaining of breathing difficulties while preparing for departure from Phuket today. “South Korean pilot Hyunsoo Lim, 41, died in the emergency room at Thalang Hospital at about 8:20am,” said Lt Suporn Muangkai of the Thalang Police. “His co-workers told us that they were conducting pre-flight checks at about…
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Aftershocks rattle southwestern Japan after quake kills nine
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Aftershocks rattle southwestern Japan after quake kills nine Phuket Gazette / Reuters TOKYO: Aftershocks rattled southwestern Japan on Friday after a strong quake the night before killed nine people, injured at least 1,000 and cut power and water across the region, forcing the temporary shutdown of…
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Protesters clash with police in Paris
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Protesters clash with police in Paris Phuket Gazette / Reuters PARIS: Protesters attacked shop windows and cash dispensers in the east of Paris on Thursday, a Paris police spokeswoman said. “There are 300 people currently causing very important damage,” the spokeswoman said, adding that a police…
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Swede dies in big bike crash, first death in Phuket road-safety campaign
PHUKET: A Swedish man died in a motorcycle accident on his way across Thepkrasattri Bridge in Phuket yesterday evening. The death of Johnny Daniel Soederstroem, 41, marks the first death of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign in Phuket, which coincides with Phuket Bike Week. “He was riding a Honda CB650F, which crashed into the concrete railings along the…
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Local fishermen dish out ‘fishy’ details
PHUKET: Anchovies may be small fry, but they are big business for some fishermen operating out of Phuket’s main fishing port. Known locally as ‘pla ching chang’, anchovies have been a steady source of income for the last 40 years for fishing boat owner Kumnueng Dumead. However, business is not always plain sailing, especially during the rainy season. “During the…
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Pak Khlok residents raise concerns over new marina plans
PHUKET: Pak Khlok residents are worried that a new marina to be built in the area will have a negative impact on the environment and their livelihoods. The Kung Bay Marina is one of four new marinas slated to be built along the Andaman coast as part of a government-supported initiative to develop marine tourism in the region (story here).…
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Governor concerned about failure to arrest Phuket speed demons
PHUKET: With zero arrests made in Phuket for speeding violations by day three of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign, the Phuket Governor has demanded that officers step up their attempts to catch speed demons in the act. “Zero arrests for speeding is good, if that means nobody is speeding. However, I am not confident that this is the…
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Battling the HIV/AIDS stigma
PHUKET: Eighteen year old ‘Nok’ is a normal, healthy-looking school girl struggling to cope with a dark past brought about by the shame and stigma of being diagnosed HIV positive. She found out she had contracted the disease when she became pregnant at 15 years old. “I was scared and confused. I asked my parents for help and they made…
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A Decade Ago: Songkran, road-safety and dive regulations
PHUKET: Despite having significantly fewer people, fewer cars, fewer motorbikes and fewer tour buses on the island ten years ago, the Songkran ‘Days of Danger’ safety goals were much more reasonable. As has become the trend over the last few years, Phuket is joining the nation in a ‘Seven Days of Danger’ campaign this year with the unrealistic provincial goal…
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Police confiscate more 100 vehicles from drunk drivers in Songkran safety blitz
PHUKET: More than 100 drunk drivers in Phuket have had their vehicles confiscated by police in the first three days of the Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign. Impounding vehicles driven by drunk drivers is part of the National Council for Peace and Order’s ‘No Drink Driving’ campaign during the Songkran holiday. It requires that officers hold vehicles seized…
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Earthquake hits Myanmar, no immediate reports of major damage
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Earthquake hits Myanmar, no immediate reports of major damage Phuket Gazette / Reuters YANGON: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck northwestern Myanmar on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, sending strong tremors through Myanmar, eastern India, Bangladesh and parts of Nepal. There were…
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Facebook’s next frontier: chatbots, live video
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Facebook’s next frontier: chatbots, live video Phuket Gazette / Reuters SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Inc said yesterday that it has opened up its Messenger app to developers to create “chatbots,” hoping that by simulating one-on-one conversations between users and companies it will expand its reach in customer…
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Island View: Plea to Phuket bikers
PHUKET: I don’t tend to be a conspiracy theorist. However, it is evident that motorbike drivers in Phuket have some sort of LINE or Facebook group in which they plot how to subtly commit suicide and irritate those of us with cars. The only other explanation is the hundredth monkey effect, which is described on Wikipedia as “a purported phenomenon…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Songkranophobia
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Opinion: Skewing statistics – the positive and negative
PHUKET: The recent revelation that Phuket has the highest reported incidence of human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/Aids) cases in Thailand should be a cause for concern and increased personal awareness, but not panic. As pointed out by the local Provincial Health Office, Thailand’s province-based statistical reporting of national trends in the global HIV/Aids pandemic has been…
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“One Last Party’ before iconic Phuket beach clubs get demolished
PHUKET: With the demolition of two of Phuket’s most iconic beach clubs on Surin Beach imminent, it’s time to pull out your sexy white clothes for Twinpalms Group’s ‘One Last Time’ beach party at 8pm on Saturday. “It will be our last chance to say thank you to those who have enjoyed, over the years, the utopia that rose along…
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Two French women injured in Phuket taxi crash
PHUKET: Six people, including two French tourists, were injured after a car slammed into a Phuket taxi yesterday evening. “Witnesses explained that the northbound Honda City flipped over as it hit the median, slamming into the green plated Toyota Altis in front of the PTT petrol station in Baan Muangmai on Thepkrasattri Road,” said Capt Santichai Srimai of the Thalang…
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Untreated wastewater flowing into Patong Bay, allege Phuket beach operators
PHUKET: Patong operators are concerned that untreated wastewater is seeping into the bay after a one- kilometer swath of beachfront water turned brown yesterday. “At this stage, we need to take water samples and conduct some basic tests. However, it is very likely to be the same phenomena as last month – a plankton bloom (story here),” said Suphasit Boonpeinphol…
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Officers hunt for dead whale in Similan National Park
PHUKET: National park officers are searching for a large whale carcass spotted off Koh Bon in the Similan National Park on Saturday. “We have received pictures of the whale, which was reportedly already sunburned and foul-smelling. However, we’ve yet to locate the animal,” said Nut Kongkasorn, chief of Mu Ko Similan National Park. National park officers are hoping to recover…
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Andaman tour guides rally against illegal foreign workers
PHUKET: About a hundred Thai tour guides from the Andaman Guide Association gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday to protest against foreigners ‘stealing their jobs’. The group, led by Andaman Guide Association head Krich Thepbamrung, submitted a letter outlining their demands to Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul. “We urge the government to preserve these jobs, which are strictly reserved…
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TAT sees only small growth in Songkran visitors
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) estimates that only 2.1 per cent more foreign tourists are coming to Thailand to celebrate Songkran this week compared to last year. “It seems that overall tourism during Songkran this year will likely not be as bustling. This could be due to the economic decline, which is a major cause for many people…
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Britain finds a buyer for one Tata steel plant, saving a third of jobs at risk
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Britain finds a buyer for one Tata steel plant, saving a third of jobs at risk Phuket Gazette / Reuters LONDON: Tata Steel (TISC.NS) agreed to sell one of its main British steelworks to investment firm Greybull Capital for 1 pound on Monday, saving a third…
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Phuket governor tells motorists to ‘play it safe for Songkran’
PHUKET: ‘Play it safe for Songkran’ was the message put out by Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada ahead of the new year festivities, when he made an inspection visit to the main bus terminal on Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada yesterday. “Please don’t drink and drive. Play it safe for Songkran,” urged the governor, who was at the bus terminal to oversee…
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