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Phuket honeymooner partially paralyzed as speedboat tackles rough waters
PHUKET: A Swedish honeymooner in Phuket was partially paralyzed from a fall as her speedboat to Phi Phi Island tackled choppy waters last month.“I still have pain in my back. I can move my legs a little bit, but I cannot move my feet at all,” Karin Josefsson said. “My husband also hurt his back, but not severely.”Mrs Josefsson and…
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Police seek arrest warrant over brutal slaying of Phuket teen
PHUKET: Wichit Police will seek an arrest warrant this week for the prime suspect in the brutal murder of Phuket teenager Pawarisorn Sae-Ung. The charred body of Mr Pawarisorn, 16, was found dumped beside Muang Chaofa Road (map here) on December 6. He had been stabbed multiple times, his throat had been slashed and his body set alight (story here).…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Georgia says Russian pressure will not divert it from EU goal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Georgia says Russian pressure will not divert it from EU goal Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Georgia is determined to sign a trade and cooperation agreement with the European Union by August and will not be pushed off course by Russian pressure as Ukraine was, Georgian Prime Minister…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Iran nuclear deal ‘not perfect’ but buys time – U.S. official
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iran nuclear deal ‘not perfect’ but buys time – U.S. official Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: An initial agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program was “not perfect” but bought time to try to secure a comprehensive deal, U.S. officials said on Tuesday in response to sharp criticism from…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Rice farmers to block all major roads; Yingluck richer by the millions; Democrats move for court coup
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Farmers to block all main roads across country tomorrow The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Rice farmers plan to scale up their protests against the government by closing all main roads in the country tomorrow.With their days-long blockade of roads in Ratchaburi having little impact, rice farmers in…
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Getting down and dirty at the Rawai motocross track
PHUKET: Driving a car or riding a motorcycle around Phuket, one will quickly come to grips with the “rules of the road”. It can often make you wonder if you made a wrong turn and ended up on a racetrack. However, if you do indeed feel the need for speed there is a place where you can let loose and…
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Malaysia Airlines inaugurates Kuala Lumpur-Krabi flights
PHUKET: Malaysia Airlines flight MH770 made its inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to Krabi yesterday, initiating a four-times-a-week service between the two destinations. The new B737-800 flights will operate on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, departing from Kuala Lumpur at 2:55pm (local time in Malaysia) and departing from Krabi at 5:20pm (local time). “Last year more than 90,000 tourists from…
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Phuket protesters ignore Chalerm’s order to open government offices
PHUKET: Phuket protesters stand united in defying an order from Bangkok to re-open all government offices on February 6.Chalerm Yoobamrung, caretaker Labor Minister and director of the Center for Maintaining Peace and Order, issued the order yesterday.“I don’t care what Chalerm said, we are not under his control,” said Phuket protest leader Amnuay Kumban this morning.“We will maintain our blockade…
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Phuket Gazette World News: France’s Hollande retreats on family policy after protests
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community France’s Hollande retreats on family policy after protests Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: France’s Socialist government dropped plans on Monday to update family law this year after huge weekend protests by conservatives against gay-friendly reforms they say harm traditional families.The government tried on Monday to reassure the protesters,…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Highway blockade holds fast as economy braces for B240bn hit
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Desperate farmers seek help from King to get rice-scheme payments The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Farmers will appeal to His Majesty the King on Thursday over their plight resulting from overdue payments owing from the rice-pledging scheme. A farmer leader, Prakasit Jaemjumrat, said the group…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Election prelims show no change – Pheu Thai stays; Shots both ways at Lak Si; Yingluck legal battle begins
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pheu Thai stands to win about 300 seats: source The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Pheu Thai Party is expected to win at least 300 MP seats even though each candidate has won fewer votes than in the past, a party source, who asked to be named, said.The…
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Phuket media blackout on Hungarian execution case
PHUKET: Moshe David was in court today for the execution of Hungarian businessman Peter Reisz, whose body was found with hands bound in a rubber plantation on Phuket in 2012 (story here). The judge ordered a media blackout on reporting evidence presented at the case, which started at 2pm at Phuket Provincial Court. The judge asked for the blackout to…
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Phuket songtaew driver returns ticket home to forgetful Finnish tourist
PHUKET: A Phuket public bus driver saved the day for a Finnish tourist who left behind an important bag in a songtaew this morning.Kamala bus driver Kiattisak Hoksad found tourist Sami Oskari Lyytinen’s bag – containing a passport, a plane ticket to Finland and some cash – in the back of his songtaew at about 11:30am today. He immediately reported…
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Rice farmer protest closes Phuket highway to Bangkok
PHUKET: The main highway linking Bangkok to Phuket and the rest of Southern Thailand has been closed by rice farmers protesting the government’s failure to pay for rice produced and delivered under the controversial rice-pledging scheme. The blockade is in effect on Petchkasem Road in Ratchaburi, about 100km west of Bangkok. State news agency MCOT reported that the farmers staging…
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Phuket boy drowns after chasing kite into sea
PHUKET: A 9-year-old boy died after being pulled unconscious from the sea in northern Phuket yesterday. Noppadol Kerdsin had been flying a kite on Bang Duk beach at Tah Maphrao Bay (map here) with friends when the line snapped and his kite fell into the sea. Noppadol, who could swim, went into the water to retrieve it, but was repeatedly…
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Body of Phuket fisherman’s son, lost at sea, washes ashore
PHUKET: The body of a mentally-handicapped man who was knocked off a Phuket longtail boat by a large wave on Friday was found washed ashore yesterday. Jirawat Srisomporn, 27, who had been on the boat with his father, a fisherman, could not swim. After he fell into the sea between Rang Yai Island and Maphrao Island, off the east coast…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Diver dies during Costa Concordia salvage works
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Diver dies during Costa Concordia salvage works Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A Spanish diver died on Saturday during work to salvage the Costa Concordia cruise liner, which capsized off the Italian island of Giglio two years ago, the company in charge of the salvage work said.The diver…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Scores dead as Syrian forces drop ‘barrel bombs’ on Aleppo
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Scroes dead as Syrian force drop ‘barrel bombs’ on Aleppo Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Syrian military helicopters dropped more improvised “barrel bombs” on the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, a monitoring group said, bringing the death toll to at least 83 people in the latest episode…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Ukraine frees tortured activist as president returns to work
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine frees tortured activist as president returns to work Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Ukrainian government bowed to intense Western pressure on Sunday to let an opposition activist fly abroad for treatment after his abduction, torture and then attempted arrest by police outraged critics of President Viktor…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Doubt lingers over poll outcome; Did PM slip-up?; Four dead in Pattani attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Doubt over poll outcomeThe Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Despite the government’s claim of “victory” after voting was conducted in 89 per cent of the country’s 375 constituencies yesterday, many factors point to the high likelihood that this election – marred by boycotts and a long rowdy…
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Hurdles mount for successful Phuket elections
PHUKET: Uncertainty looms over Phuket polls as hurdles multiply for a successful national election tomorrow. Perhaps the most significant obstacle to be jumped is getting the party list ballots for Phuket out of Chumphon Province and distributed throughout the island. Protesters in Chumphon are preventing staffers at a post office housing the ballots from distributing them to other southern provinces,…
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Phuket yachties petition against boat stay law as wave of contract cancellations hits
PHUKET: The yachting and marine industry in Phuket has launched a petition calling for Customs officials to repeal the new regulation limiting boat stays in Thailand to a maximum of two months during any one visit. The news comes as contracts for berths at Phuket marinas for six months or longer are being cancelled. “Some boats in Phuket are undergoing…
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Phuket’s X-Terminal to be tested by Russians, Chinese
PHUKET: Phuket’s X-Terminal officially opened yesterday and will begin serving the island’s two largest source markets on Wednesday. “The first two weeks are trial weeks for the terminal. We will start with six charter flights per day: three to Russia and three to China,” said Director of Phuket International Airport Pratuang Sornkham. “During this period, we will make sure that…
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Video Report: Phuket protesters block police transfer of election ballots
PHUKET: Phuket anti-government protesters are blockading the Thalang Police Station in an effort to prevent the transfer of ballots to voting stations for the national election tomorrow.A large crowd of protesters gathered outside of the police station, where the ballots are being held, at about 9pm yesterday.Five protesters, chaperoned by Thalang Police Deputy Superintendent Pisit Chunpet, were allowed to verify…
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Phuket boat tracking system operational
PHUKET: A 15-million-baht system that will track the location of the about 3,000 boats visiting Phuket each year finally has wind in its sails. “Right now, we can use our Automatic Identification System (AIS) to track boats on the north, west and south sides of the island. We are trying to get the budget to cover the east side too,”…
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Phuket bus ban trial date pushed back, limited to traffic-heavy hours
PHUKET: The Patong Hill bus ban, set to begin by the end of February, will only bar buses and large trucks from crossing Phuket’s most infamous hill from 6am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm. “We will not prevent buses from using the hill to enter Patong all day, just during rush hour,” Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) Chief Terayout…
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Search called off for mentally-handicapped man lost at sea
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police have given up the search for a mentally-handicapped man who was swept from a longtail boat into the sea today. “We spent more than four hours looking for Jirawat Srisomporn, 27, before we had to call off the mission because of big waves,” said Lt Col Panya Chaichana of the Phuket Marine Police. Mr Jirawat, who…
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Superbowl fever (pre-hangover) in Phuket
PHUKET: As much as I love the National Football League (NFL), I am no fan of the two weeks of retarded media hype in the run-up to the Super Bowl, or “Stupor Bowl” as I like to call it, given the ungodly time it is broadcast live here in Phuket (Monday, February 4, 6:25am). Before I explain why, I should…
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Phuket Opinion: Airport expectations hit rough turbulence
PHUKET: Phuket is an international tourist destination – few can argue differently. Islanders may whine that it isn’t what it used to be, but even they are likely to admit that one of the benefits of progress is having an international airport, with international standards.The airport does meet standards, doesn’t it?World travellers and even domestic puddle jumpers have some basic…
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Phuket Opinion: Creating a family for the ill far from home
Anita Somaini, 51, is the owner of Baan Tschuai Duu Lää, a nursing facility in Rawai. She has degrees in nursing, emergency nursing and pharmacology and worked for 20 years in hospitals, geriatric institutes and pharmaceutical companies in her native Switzerland. She came to Phuket in 2010.Here, she talks about why Phuket is a good place for a nursing home,…
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