News
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Special Report: Donation denial leaves blood in short supply
Special Report Pim Hoogeveen, a 61-year-old Dutchman, offered his blood to save a life. He responded to an urgent call for A-negative blood donations. His donation was refused. The Phuket Gazette’s Shela Riva investigates the process behind donating blood on the island – the restrictions and the rewards. PHUKET: The recent call by the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) for…
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Phuket Opinion: Good time walking
PHUKET: I read the article written by Don Limnun-thaphisit regarding the Lardyai walking street (story here). However, I did so after stumbling upon the event by chance last weekend. I expected another of the ubiquitous Thai markets with fried chicken, cheap knock-off goods and blaring dance music. What I discovered was a place with much more character. A plethora of…
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Phuket Opinion: Putting the brakes on tourist bike accidents
Paitoon Sillapavisut, 41, is a Nakhon Sri Thammarat native who graduated from Ramkhamhaeng University in Business Management. He has been the senior manager of the Phuket branch of Road Accident Victim Protection Co Ltd Since 1998. Here, Mr Paitoon talks about what causes visitors to have motorcycle accidents on the island and suggests what measures should be taken to prevent…
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Phuket Opinion: Race against a fading pulse
PHUKET: The sustained work of the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) in organizing blood donation drives that have saved countless lives over the years should be applauded. However, it might be time to reconsider some of the more restrictive criteria over who can donate blood when it is a matter of life and death. Thanks to relatively recent advances in…
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Phuket protesters will not shut down emergency services, leader vows
PHUKET: Emergency services throughout Phuket will remain untouched by protesters, the key protest leader on the island vowed yesterday. “We aim to shut down every government building to encourage officials to support us instead of working for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the corrupt government,” protest co-ordinator Suratin Lian-udom told the Phuket Gazette. “But we will not touch any emergency…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Rights group says Muslims massacred in Myanmar amid official denials
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rights group says Muslims massacred in Myanmar amid official denials Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Security forces in western Myanmar massacred at least 40 Rohingya Muslims last week, including women and children, a human rights group said on Thursday, quoting witness accounts, despite official denials of the killings.Bangkok-based…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Indian woman gang-raped on orders of village court
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indian woman gang-raped on orders of village court Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A 20-year-old woman in eastern India was gang-raped by 13 men on the orders of a village court as punishment for having a relationship with a man from a different community, a senior police officer…
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Phuket Gazette World News: South Sudan government and rebels sign ceasefire
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community South Sudan government and rebels sign ceasefire deal Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: South Sudan’s government and rebel troops loyal to sacked Vice President Riek Machar signed a deal on Thursday to end fighting that has lasted more than a month and killed thousands.The leader of President Salva…
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Phuket’s DJ Doris to be honored with Celebration of Life, special radio show
PHUKET: Paul Norris, the renowned ‘DJ Doris’ from Phuket Island Radio 91.5FM, will be honored in Phuket with a “Celebration of Paul’s Life” memorial on February 5. The event will be held at the Irish Times pub at Jungceylon in Patong (map here), starting at 7:30pm. Mr Norris died in an early-morning motorcycle accident on January 12, a tragedy which…
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Phuket shivers: lowest temperatures in five years
PHUKET: Yesterday was the coldest day Phuket has seen in five years, the Southern Meteorological Center confirmed. “The minimum temperature in Phuket was 19 degrees Celsius. Our normal lows at this time of the year are 21 to 24 degrees,” said Metta Armeen, the director of weather surveillance at the center. A high pressure system from China has pushed cold…
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Phuket Airport staff brings woman home, is found dead in bed
PHUKET: A young airport employee was found dead in his room yesterday afternoon, the possible victim of a heart attack.Pongsakorn Janthorn, 21, who worked at Phuket International Airport as a wheelchair attendant, had not been alone the night before he died.“On Tuesday night he came home late, around midnight,” said his roommate, Peerapol Pajjamoon. “He had a woman with him,…
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Phuket mission to replace tsunami warning buoy
PHUKET: A six-day expedition to replace a tsunami warning buoy that has been displaced from its anchorage in the Indian Ocean will depart Phuket on Monday.“The buoy has been severed [from its base unit] for months,” said Surachai Srisarakham, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), in a statement issued yesterday.“It took time to obtain the…
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Phuket Poll: Patong is island’s trump
PHUKET: The famed nightlife of Patong draws more tourists to Phuket than any other single attraction, according to the results of the Phuket Gazette‘s latest online poll. With the passing of yet another record-breaking year that saw millions of travellers arriving on our shores, the Gazette asked readers, “What single feature draws the most tourists from around the world to…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Coldest weather in decades hits Thailand
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Coldest weather in decades hits Thailand The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The temperature in the Thai capital Bangkok fell to its lowest in decades today, during an unusually cold winter that has already claimed 63 lives in northern parts of the country, the government said.“Bangkok hit its…
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Cambodian man found dead in a Phuket fruit orchard
PHUKET: A Cambodian man who was found hanging by the neck in a fruit garden on Tuesday night may have killed himself to escape pain, a co-worker said.Diam Korn, 19, had complained of serious stomach pain for about a week, said Jan Gree.“We bought medicine for him and advised him to go to the doctor, but he wouldn’t go. He…
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Phuket FC get paired with Pattaya United in 2014 season opener
PHUKET: The island’s pro football (soccer) team, Phuket FC has been paired with Pattaya United in the first match of the Yamaha League One (YL1) 2014 season, which will kick off on February 22 and 23.It has not yet been confirmed whether Phuket’s home match with Pattaya will be on Saturday or Sunday. Pattaya United, were the only squad to…
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Phuket drug busts net two suspects, one armed
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested a man at a Phuket Town hotel found in possession of drugs with a street value of more than 200,000 baht. Acting on a tip-off, officers raided a room at the Sunanta mansion on Sakdidet Road (map here). “We were informed by undercover police that this man was selling drugs to teenagers in the area,” said…
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Thailand Futsal: Jackson re-signs with Phuket; season opener postponed
PHUKET: Due to the ongoing social-political unrest in the Kingdom’s capital, the Futsal Thailand Premier League (FTPL) 2014 season’s planned January 25 kickoff has been postponed.It is now hoped that the season-opener will commence in February, an administrator of the island’s pro five-a-side footy club Phuket United said.“The [season] start was postponed due to the political [unrest]. The season should…
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Phuket Marine chief blames captains for ramming hidden mooring blocks
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut has blamed boat captains for ramming hidden concrete mooring blocks in Chalong Bay, saying local skippers should know where the unmarked moorings lie on the seafloor. His comments follow the sinking of the 10-million-baht luxury cruise boat Lady Andaman, which struck an unmarked sunken mooring block while approaching Chalong Pier on Monday (story…
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Swedish tourist dies in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: A Swedish man on his way to the beach yesterday morning was killed when his motorbike went off the road in Thalang.A friend who was following on another bike told police that the pair were headed to Nai Yang Beach.“He overtook my motorbike on the curve and lost control,” the friend said. “The bike fell over and he bounced…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Ukraine braces for street battles after Yanukovich talks fail
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine braces for street battles after Yanukovich talks fail Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Ukrainian opposition leaders emerged from crisis talks with President Viktor Yanukovich on Wednesday saying he had failed to give concrete answers to their demands, and told their supporters on the streets to prepare for…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Central African Republic children forced to commit atrocities – U.N.
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Central African Republic children forced to commit atrocities – U.N. Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: As many as 6,000 children in Central African Republic have been recruited by armed groups and forced to commit atrocities along religious lines in a conflict that is at high risk of spiralling…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Kwanchai shooting political, say police; Protests spread, unfazed by emergency decree
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Political motive suspected in shooting of red-shirt leader Kwanchai The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police suspect politics was the motive for the shooting attack that injured top red-shirt hard-liner Kwanchai Praipana in his home province of Udon Thani yesterday.Kwanchai, a local radio presenter, has played an active…
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Justice slow to arrive in Phuket child rape cases
PHUKET: Not one of the four men charged with child rape in Phuket over the past 16 months has been acquitted or found guilty of the heinous crime. One suspect, a Laotian accused of repeatedly raping his handicapped stepdaughter, fled the country and has not been captured. Of the three men arrested, two are still waiting for their trials to…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Obama, Putin unite for Olympics security
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama, Putin discuss Olympics security in call Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in a phone call on Tuesday how best to have a “safe and secure” Winter Olympics in Sochi, the White House said.Amid rising concerns about threats from…
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Vandals attack campaign posters for Phuket’s sole election candidate
PHUKET: Seven promotional posters in Koh Kaew and Sapam supporting Jirayus Songyos, the Phuket Pheu Thai candidate for Voting District 2, were found damaged by suspected vandals yesterday morning. “We cannot confirm who damaged the signs,” Mr Jirayus’ secretary, Vithiwat Kulsiriitthikorn, told the Phuket Gazette. “The signs we put up in front of Wat Sapam temple and the entrance of…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Military sidelined as Bangkok security locked down
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community City put under state of emergency for 60 days The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The caretaker Cabinet yesterday imposed an emergency decree covering the capital and its outskirts for 60 days. This will give officials more power to handle the anti-government protest, which it claims has been…
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Emotions run high at Phuket protest hero’s funeral
PHUKET: Hundreds of people turned out today to join the Choochan family in mourning the death of Phuket taxi driver Prakong Choochan. Mr Prakong,46, died on Saturday from injuries sustained when an explosive device was thrown at protesters during a street march in Bangkok on Friday (story here). His body was escorted home from Bangkok last night, and arrived in…
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Phuket park chief still sour over missing morning glory
PHUKET: Officers vowed to continue their investigation into a luxury resort that allegedly cleared swaths of sea morning glory from the beach as part of a beautification project, although the hotel has already replaced the plants. “We will not withdraw the complaint against the Anantara Phuket Layan Resort & Spa, as doing so would signify that we are ignoring our…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand Breaking News: State of emergency announced
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community State of emergency announced in Bangkok Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: The caretaker Cabinet announced a 60-day state of emergency for Bangkok and some parts of nearby provinces.The state of emergency was announced on TV by caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung. It will take effect on…
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