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Phuket Opinion: Russian cold warms memories of Phuket
PHUKET: With all the recent talk about the influx of Russian tourists and expats to our island, I jumped at the chance to attend a Phuket Gazette exhibition in Moscow and see how the other half lives, as it were. Moscow, like any other large European city, has a wealth of grand historic architecture, museums, galleries and cultural attractions –…
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Phuket Opinion: Being connected helps save lives
PHUKET: We offer our sincerest condolences to the families of the many victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines last week, and commend the multiple relief efforts still underway here in Phuket to help residents on the islands of Samar and Leyte, the most badly affected areas. Among those who deserve praise are some familiar names, such as…
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British tourist alleges attacker in hotel room before balcony fall
PHUKET: Police are waiting for the results of a toxicology report for British tourist Romany Mitchell after she told them her drink in Phuket was spiked. The tests were ordered after the 21-year-old student from Edinburgh reported to police that she was fleeing an assailant in her hotel room before she plunged from the second-floor balcony of the building on…
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Police arrest man for rape of 10-year-old in Phuket
PHUKET: Police arrested an alleged pedophile for the rape of a 10-year-old girl in Phuket on November 11.The 24-year-old man, who lived across the street from the girl and her parents, faces charges of separating the child from her parents, molesting a person under the age of 15 and rape.Police took the man from Nakhon Sri Thammarat into custody under…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Scams, accidents place tourism at risk; Pheu Thai blasts court; House accepts censure; Jakkrit’s wife probed over safe deposit; Hollywood set on fire
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Scams, accidents scare away tourists The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Thailand’s attractiveness to foreign tourists is under threat from fraud and poor safety standards.After a recent bus accident in Chon Buri that injured 26 Russian tourists, the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI) recently urged Thai authorities…
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Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest – Let the games begin! [VIDEO]
PHUKET: It’s here and it’s going to be big! Laguna Phuket Triathlon schedule. Click here for more details. Challenge Laguna Phuket Press Conference in Bangkok. The much-anticipated Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest 2013 will kick off with the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on Sunday (November 24) which is celebrating its 20th anniversary and will finish with the Challenge Laguna Phuket a…
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Runaway Phuket Thai Post truck slams into cars on Patong Hill [Video]
PHUKET: A Thai Post lorry that failed to make the steep climb up Patong Hill yesterday afternoon, faltered then careened backward down the hill, slamming into cars and pickups as it went. “The truck slid down the hill at about 2:15pm. It ended up stopping at almost the same spot as the student bus that rolled backward down the hill…
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Python snared near Phuket Town park
PHUKET: A Phuket City street sweeper raised the alarm in Phuket Town earlier this week when he spotted a five-meter python hiding in a storm drain near Saphan Hin Park. “Many people were exercising in the area. I was afraid it posed a danger to them,” the street sweeper told the Phuket Gazette. Saphan Hin Park (map here) is renowned…
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Illegal loggers arrested in Phuket, one suspect armed
PHUKET: The battle against illegal loggers in Phuket continued this week as Thung Thong Police arrested six suspects for the illegal possession of more than 50 kilograms of eaglewood with a street value of more than 300,000 baht. One of the men was found with an illegal .45 handgun, fully loaded, under his pillow. Armed with a search warrant, police…
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British tourist drowns after Phuket weather warning issued
PHUKET: A British tourist drowned at Karon Beach yesterday afternoon, hours after a heavy weather warning was issued for Phuket and other areas along the Andaman coast. Police named the victim as Edward Joseph Brookes, 63, from England. Mr Brookes disappeared in the surf in front of Karon Municipality Stadium (map here) at 2:40pm after enjoying lunch with his wife,…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta hosts underline support
PHUKET: Kata Group Resorts Thailand is to be the host sponsor of the 27th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, making this the 15th year that the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2013 Nominee has supported the renowned international yachting spectacle. The regatta will be held from November 29 to December 6, 2013. Kata Beach Resort and Spa, one of six properties owned…
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Phuket Gazette World News: North Korea may have detained US veteran; White House seeks to assure Asia; Afghanistan-U.S. reach agreement
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea may have detained elderly U.S. man Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: North Korea appears to have detained an 85-year-old California man who had entered the country on a tourist visa, pulling him off a plane as he was about to leave the reclusive Asian country last…
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Singaporean tourist missing after fall from iconic Phuket cape
PHUKET: A search-and-rescue operation was launched late this afternoon after a Singaporean tourist slipped from the rocks at Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape and plunged into the waves below. Officers at the Phuket Tourist Rescue Center were notified of the incident at 5:40pm. “Two Singaporean men slipped on the wet rocks and fell from the famous cape in Rawai this afternoon,”…
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Phuket panty sniffer caught mid-snatch
PHUKET: An off-duty security guard was caught red-handed stealing women’s panties off a clothesline in Phuket Town last night. Residents of Phol Place apartments, behind Surakul Stadium (map here), heard someone walking around the dimly-lit area near their building at about 9:30pm. “They saw a man lurking near the building, and they kept an eye on him. When they spotted…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Security tightened in capital; Cop helped Russian scammers; Changes needed in HIV fight; Thais score low in English
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Security in Bangkok tightened Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Security has been beefed up in Bangkok as protesters wait to hear the Constitutional Court’s ruling on charter amendment to be announced later today.About two companies of policemen were deployed to secure the court compound, with 20 officers…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Obama knew of issues; Suicide bombers attack Iranian embassy; Fisherman returned after 40 years
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama was briefed earlier in year on health website problems Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: President Barack Obama, who has portrayed himself as surprised by technical problems with the government’s new health care website, was briefed earlier this year on a consultant’s report that warned of possible widespread…
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Prominent Belgian expat among Phuket Immigration arrests
PHUKET: Prominent Belgian expat Georges Sirre, who has lived in Phuket for nine years, was among three foreigners named by Phuket Immigration today to face deportation for previous offenses. Officers arrested Mr Sirre, 56, at his home in Rawai late yesterday afternoon after receiving a request from the Belgian Embassy in Bangkok, Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sunchai Chokkajaykij told a press…
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Phuket Governor inspects Patong ahead of tuk-tuk clearout
PHUKET: Ahead of the December 31 deadline to clear parking spaces along the Patong beach road for tourists, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusust yesterday inspected the sites where tuk-tuks will no longer be permitted to park after December 31. “The project [story here] can reduce traffic jams in Patong and make the beachfront look more beautiful,” Governor Maitri said. During his…
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Mont Clair sponsors the King’s Cup regatta
PHUKET: The popular wine brand, Mont Clair is to sponsor the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta for the sixth consecutive year following the popularity of its wines during previous race years. Mont Clair South African Wine products will be available for all guests, as sailors, spectators, VIP attendees, media guests and sponsors relax and party to live entertainment amid an expected…
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Black Eyed Peas rapper highlights Filipino plight with Phuket show
PHUKET: Over 400 people gathered to watch Grammy-award-winning international pop star and rapper from Black Eyed Peas apl.de.ap drop beats at Xana Beach Club to raise funds for the victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the central Philippines over a week ago. “I thought we [Filipinos] were tough, until this happened. Like I’ve never seen this magnitude of people…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Abhisit says he was framed; B1bn ATM skim scam; Krathongs down; Cops want bus lanes; Govt pressure builds
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abhisit says Tarit framed him, Suthep over 2010 riots Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Department of Special Investigation Director-General Tarit Pengdith skewed the facts in order to frame suspects who are the subject of criminal indictments relating to the 2010 riots, the Democrat Party leader told a…
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Alcohol a factor in fatal head-on collision, police say
PHUKET: Police suspect that alcohol played a critical role in the death of a 27-year-old woman who was in a head-on accident near the Thung Thong Police checkpoint early Saturday morning. Kamontip Seangkuenun was found dead at the scene – the divided road near the entrance to Soi Bangthong (map here) – at about 3:15am. Ms Kamontip slammed head-on into…
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Phuket holidaymaker issued American child sex assault warrant
PHUKET: The American arrested in Phuket for the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Harris County, Texas, was due to fly home on Wednesday. “I came here for a vacation,” 41-year-old Forrest Wayne told the Phuket Gazette today from his holding cell at Phuket Immigration (map here). Mr Wayne entered Thailand on November 1, three days prior to…
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Health concerns boil over French passenger at Phuket airport
PHUKET: A French tourist leaching yellow pus from the back of his neck prompted fears that he might infect other passengers at Phuket International Airport on Friday.Airport authorities removed Michel Dominique Godfroy, 56, from the international departure lounge a little after 11:30pm.“We were called to the airport at 11:45pm,” a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker told the Phuket Gazette.The rescue workers…
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Phuket Police arrest American fitness instructor for child sex assault
PHUKET: Police arrested an American man wanted for the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Houston, Texas, earlier this year. Fitness instructor Forrest Wayne, 41, was taken into custody in Patong one day after the Phuket authorities received a notice from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “On Saturday night, we received a notification from the FBI…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Russian plane crash leaves 50 dead; Bachelet leads in Chile; Tornadoes rip Midwest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boeing airliner crashes in Russian city of Kazan, 50 killed Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A Boeing 737 airliner crashed on Sunday in the Russian city of Kazan, killing all 50 people on board and spotlighting the poor safety record of regional airlines that ply internal routes across…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Pheu Thai prepares for worst; Armed men among protesters; Russians hurt as tour bus flips
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pheu Thai braces for the worst The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The ruling Pheu Thai Party is preparing for the worst-case scenario on Wednesday when the Constitutional Court announces its ruling on the proposed amendment of the Constitution, a decision that could bring the government down.The opposition…
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Muay Thai legend Buakaw fights in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket fight fans will have an opportunity to watch legendary MuayThai fighter Buakaw Banchamek in action in Patong… tomorrow night (November 18), in a special exhibition match at the Patong Boxing Stadium on Sainamyen Road. Buakaw, a two-time K1 World Max champ with well over 300 fights, is far and away Thailand’s most famous currently-active pugilist. In the Patong…
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Phuket Opinion: Who deserves a consul?
PHUKET: I read recently that the South Africans may open a consulate on Phuket (story here), and my first thought was, South Africans? They need a consulate? Apparently about 80,000 come here per year. It’s not that I think they don’t deserve a consulate, let them have one, by all means. But there’s another group of foreigners who live here…
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Phuket Opinion: Preserving the essence of Phuket
General Manager of Business and Network Development at DaimlerChrysler (Thailand) Co Ltd, Pannate Rangsinturat, 36, is a Phuket native. She graduated from Chulalongkorn University with a degree in international relations and has earned a master’s degree in European studies from Cambridge University. Here she talks about the changes she sees when she returns to Phuket and how they can be…
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