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  • Phuket Gazette World News: Syrian child soldiers being recruited; Radioactive water seeping into ocean in Japan; Python strangles Canadian kids

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Audit of Syrian refugees finds organised crime and child soldiers Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Many Syrians who have escaped their country are now desperate to escape from U.N.-run refugee camps, where women are not safe and teenage boys are recruited as soldiers to fight in…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Top Imam slain in South; Years for oil spill recovery; Luxury car cheats fined; Online coup posts probed

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Brothers behind car scam to pay fine The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Nareunart and Thanan Kuansawat, two brothers believed to be part of a luxury-car scam, agreed yesterday to pay a fine for evading car import taxes.They also heard the two extra charges put before them by…

  • No infrastructure damage to Krabi International Airport, despite ramp road subsiding

    PHUKET: Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) officers confirmed that there was no structural damage to the domestic terminal at Krabi International Airport after heavy rains caused the ramp road of the terminal to subside (story here). The DCA has already approved a budget to make repairs to the airport, which recently underwent a 743-million-baht upgrade. The budget is set to…

  • Phuket FC appoints seasoned Brazilian as new coach

    PHUKET: The Islanders’ vacancy for a head coach (see story here) has already been filled – by a skillful and respected Brazilian, Stefano Cugurra Teco. Known formally as Alessandro Stefano Cugurra Rodrigues, “Coach Teco” was born on July 25, 1974 in Rio de Janeiro, and has been involved with Thai professional soccer since 2010. As a football manager and former…

  • Dutchman’s girlfriend dies mysteriously in Phuket

    PHUKET: The 39-year-old Thai partner of a Dutchman was found dead yesterday morning with no specific cause of death confirmed. At just after 10am, Hans Lehner, 68, called the Patong police to inform them that his girlfriend, Pranee Srijaem, had died in her sleep. “I took the call. His girlfriend apparently died in bed while sleeping,” Patapee Srichai of the…

  • Phuket Poll: Public transport preferred to new Chalong underpass

    PHUKET: More than one-third of respondents to a Phuket Gazette online poll have voted to have an effective public transport system that reduces the volume of traffic on Phuket’s roads, instead of building an underpass costing hundreds of millions of baht at the busy Chalong Circle junction in the south of the island. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut last month unveiled…

  • Cola wars: which one passes the Phuket taste test?

    PHUKET: Since the launch of the cola soft drink “est” into the Thai market late last year (story here), local companies have been competing with global giants, vying for consumer allegiance among expats, Thais and tourists across the island. Est producer Serm Suk Co, which until recently bottled and distributed Pepsi across Thailand, is aiming to achieve 8 billion baht…

  • Phuket blaze guts bedroom in Patong apartment

    PHUKET: Police suspect a spark from an electrical socket near a bed set ablaze a third-floor apartment at the Baan Chalika complex in Patong early yesterday morning. The fire caused an estimated 30,000 baht in damage. No injuries were reported. Officers were called to the the four-storey apartment block, in Soi Prasertsub 2 on Ratchapatanusorn Road (map here), at 12:45am…

  • Ramadan: Feeding the spirit by fasting

    Special Report A silent celebration is under way for Phuket Muslims right now, with no firecrackers, water or festive songs piped over department-store loudspeakers. It’s Ramadan, the fasting month. The Phuket Gazette’s Irfarn Jamdukor examines what Ramadan means to local Muslims. PHUKET: The quietness of the holiday might seem appropriate to outsiders who equate fasting with deprivation and hardship, but…

  • Phuket FC lose another coach after draw

    PHUKET: A minor yet vocally active segment of Phuket FC’s supporters got their way yet-again, highlighted by a public announcement on Facebook last night by now-ex Head Coach Paniphon “Tu” Kerdyaem, that he was resigning his post with immediate effect. The announcement follows Saturday night’s close yet disappointing 1-1 league draw with lower ranked Thai Tobacco Monopoly (TTM) FC at…

  • Road collapse at Krabi Airport domestic terminal

    PHUKET: Authorities have closed the ramp road to the domestic terminal at Krabi International Airport after heavy rain over the past week washed away the earth underneath a retaining wall, causing the road to subside.The damage was reported by a tourist at 9:30am on Saturday, Krabi Airport Director Sunyaluk Kraiboot told the Phuket Gazette.“The retaining wall collapsed, causing about 10…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: NYPD rookie kills 14-year-old; Aussie PM calls Sept 7 election; Al Qaeda threat leaves US embassies closed; Spain and Britain spar over Gibraltar | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: NYPD rookie kills 14-year-old; Aussie PM calls Sept 7 election; Al Qaeda threat leaves US embassies closed; Spain and Britain spar over Gibraltar

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australian PM Rudd calls September 7 poll Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called a September 7 general election on Sunday, barely six weeks after he toppled former leader Julia Gillard in a party-room vote, ending a turbulent three years in power for the…

  • Phuket protesters en route to Bangkok

    PHUKET: Phuket Pitak Siam group members are en route to Bangkok to join a protest against the amnesty bill proposed by the Pheu Thai party which is slated to be debated in Parliament next Wednesday. A confrontation between police and protesters, as well as forced entry into both Parliament and Government House compounds is expected, reported The Nation (story here).…

  • Phuket beefs up security after Provincial Hall explosion

    PHUKET: Local officials laid out plans for increased security at government offices and popular Phuket locations as police continue their investigation into the bomb that exploded at Provincial Hall on August 1 (story here). The meeting follows National Police Office adviser Ratchata Yensuang’s visit to Phuket to learn more about the non-fatal explosion in the parking lot of Phuket Provincial…

  • Phuket Opinion: The road not taken

    PHUKET: After a road trip off island, a resounding thump lets you know you’ve arrived back home. I can’t drive anywhere in Phuket anymore without crater divots and potholes lurking in front of me, threatening to bring my motorbike scuttling to the ground or sending a wheel on my car scraping high into its arch. Each time I stop at…

  • Phuket Opinion: Snakes in the house: who you gonna call?

    Watchara Srikacha, 26, has been catching snakes since he was 10 years old. Originally from Sisaket province in Thailand’s Northeast, Watchara has been working with the Kusoldharm Foundation since he came to Phuket almost five years ago. Part of his job is catching snakes. Here, he explains why more and more snakes are appearing in residential areas of Phuket. PHUKET:…

  • Krabi’s “Andaman Eagles’ ready to take flight

    PHUKET: The Islanders aren’t the only Southern Thai club raising the stakes this August – Phuket FC’s neighbors, Krabi FC nicknamed the “Andaman Eagles”, have also undergone a mid-season makeover in hopes of steering clear of the dreaded four-team fate of relegation (click here for details of Phuket FC’s transfer activity) . Playing in their second season in Thailand’s second…

  • “Clean’ Phuket python misses dinner

    PHUKET: A python snuggled in an old washing machine about to enjoy a dinner of house cat was interrupted when the cat’s owner walked by and caught him in the act.As Narongsak Laksanawisit walked out of his house in Baan Danyid in Mai Khao yesterday evening, he passed the washing machine and saw his cat’s body in it. Then he…

  • PSS to put Phuket on the map

    PHUKET: Phuket Soccer Schools (PSS) are preparing to host, coordinate and compete in a number of youth “footy” events in the coming months, and the academy looks to recruit more local talent to be help make sporting history. PSS Head Coach Martin Hill said that the main attraction of becoming a PSS Academy player is to represent the club at…

  • 21-gun salute for Their Majesties; Fresh spate of Deep South violence; Thailand not safe from economic crisis

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 21-gun salute for Their Majesties The Nation/Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy welcomed Their Majesties the King and Queen to Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province with a 21-gun salute yesterday.The salute, each round five seconds apart, was fired from HTMS Pin Klao just about a…

  • Officials shoot fierce croc escaped from farm north of Phuket

    PHUKET: Officials put down a fierce two-and-a-half meter long crocodile after it and another croc escaped from a crocodile farm in Phang Nga today.Villagers reported the escape to Chief of Phang Nga Provincial Fisheries Office Somkiat Sookchanchai.“We rushed to the farm owned by Panet Saelim, 48, and were able to quickly find the pair of crocs in the irrigation ditch…

  • Sunken vessel threat to Phuket marine traffic | Thaiger

    Sunken vessel threat to Phuket marine traffic

    PHUKET: Marine Officers have marked the cargo boat that recently sank, Unity, with a buoy and light to prevent any damage being done to other ships travelling between mainland Krabi and Phi Phi (story here). “We have also put out public announcements over the radio to inform boat owners about the danger posed by the sunken boat,” Krabi Marine Office…

  • Phuket students head to Bangkok for National English competition

    PHUKET: Three 11-year-old Phuket students will be competing in a national English-language competition in Bangkok this weekend after having come in second place in the southern regional competition in June.The primary school students, Fonthip “Plo” Tanphaibul; Satakamon “Mona” Sawasdiphat; and Poramate “Fluke” Phuchareon, began working on their 20-minute group presentation about the Phuket Heroines in May, and are now ready…

  • VIDEO REPORT: With father slain, American son returns to Krabi

    PHUKET: Adam Carter, the 27-year-old American who was stabbed by Thai musicians in a bar fight that resulted in the death of his father (story here), has been discharged from hospital in Phuket. Mr Carter is now recovering at a “safe location” under the care of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) staff, Krabi Provincial Police Deputy Commander Boontawee Toraksa told…

  • Top brass from Bangkok visits Phuket over bombing

    PHUKET: National Police Office adviser Ratchata Yensuang arrived in Phuket last night to get a grasp on the non-fatal bombing in Phuket Provincial Hall’s carpark yesterday (story here). “The bomb appeared to be quite amateurish. We have already delegated key investigative roles to specific officers – to ensure we catch the culprit as soon as we can,” Gen Ratchata said.…

  • Phuket out of TAT promotional campaign for 2014

    PHUKET: Phuket is one of several main tourism destinations in the country that will not be promoted under the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) international marketing campaign for next year. Instead, the focus will be on less-developed tourism areas, Director of the Phuket-TAT office Chanchai Doungjit revealed yesterday. “We will not be promoting tourism centers that are already well-established. Instead,…

  • Phuket bombing ‘civilian scare tactic’ | Thaiger

    Phuket bombing ‘civilian scare tactic’

    PHUKET: The bomb blast at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (story here) was designed to frighten officials, and was likely not intended to kill anyone, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatisin said. “The rising price of rental land might be the motive for the blast. Although actually, we don’t really have problems with anyone,” President Paiboon said, mulling the…

  • World’s largest floating library booked for Phuket

    PHUKET: Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating library, is Phuket bound for the first time, Project Coordinator Eunji Lee told the Phuket Gazette. The 132-meter-ship, roughly half the size of the Titanic, will be at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port from August 14 to 22. “We will open the ship up for visitors from August 15 to 18, and from August…

  • Asian demand for tablets and laptops insatiable

    PHUKET: Southeast Asia’s internet infrastructure has improved by leaps and bounds, spurring the increasingly connected society to seek gratification for instant connectivity via portable devices such as tablets and laptops. In the last 12 months, demand for both devices grew to hit combined sales of nearly 14.2 million units across six of the region’s key markets – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,…

  • Cloud computing: Forecast sunny – Phuket Business

    PHUKET: Lately, I have been hearing many stories of expats and tourists in Phuket whose laptops have been stolen. Having your laptop stolen is a terrible experience. You not only feel violated, but your life was basically on that computer. Picking up the pieces can be hard, but today it can be made easier with cloud computing. Cloud computing is…