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Sponsored Is tap water in Thailand safe to consume?
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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500 foreign hikers rescued after deadly landslide in Nepal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More than 500 foreign hikers rescued after deadly landslide in Nepal Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than 500 foreign tourists and their guides have been rescued after a deadly landslide in Nepal blocked a major highway, leaving them stranded in a border town over the…
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Patong to be model for Phuket’s new-era beaches
PHUKET: Patong will remain steadfast in keeping its beach clear, as it is to be the model for Phuket beach management, it was revealed after a closed-door meeting today. “Patong Beach will be the first to implement a new system, now that all the west coast beaches are [mostly] clear of encroachers and vendors,” Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut told the…
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Jet-ski operators back on beach, vow to protect Phuket tourists
PHUKET: Jet-skis are back on Phuket’s beaches after operators vowed to double up as beach cleaners, as well as volunteer lifeguards, Phuket Jet-Ski Club Nucha Petchvimol told the Phuket Gazette today. However, their return to the beaches may be temporary, confirmed Commanding General of the 41st Military Circle Peerapol Wiriyakul. “I have yet to receive a full report. All I…
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Phuket Poll: Overwhelming support for the “clear the beaches’ campaign
PHUKET: The bold campaign to clear Phuket’s beaches of all structures has received overwhelming support from Phuket Gazette readers. The support was voiced in an online poll launched on June 22, which attracted more than 3,300 respondents. Central to the debate over whether or not any structures should remain on the beaches has been the tearing down of parts of…
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McIlroy wins Bridgestone to claim world number one ranking
PHUKET: Rory McIlroy continued his dominating form when he won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by two strokes on Sunday and regained the world number one ranking, replacing Australia’s Adam Scott. McIlroy made a sizzling start to the final round with three consecutive birdies to quickly erase a three-stroke deficit and surge past Sergio Garcia at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.…
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Police rule out arson in deadly Phuket Town fire
PHUKET: Officers investigating the cause of the deadly Phuket Town fire that killed a family of three and one woman early Saturday morning have ruled out the possibility of arson. Flames engulfed the Chokchai Furniture shop in Phuket Town at about 2am on Saturday (story here). The shopowner, Janhorm Jakkaew, was the only one of five people in the building…
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Practice safe parasailing, says DDPM Phuket chief
PHUKET: A parasailing safety warning was issued over the weekend by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket. The announcement follows the news of a Patong Beach parasailing operator plummeting from the sky after he lost his grip on the parachute ropes (story here). “All the equipment should be checked before taking off, including the harness and safety…
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Navy steps in as hitman death threats issued to Phuket park chief
PHUKET: Navy security personnel have been assigned to protect Sirinath National Park Chief Kitiphat Taraphiban after his office was warned that professional hitmen have been hired to kill him. The 24-hour military bodyguards were called in after Mr Kitiphat’s assistant was told over the phone that “five M16s are ready to get him [Mr Kitiphat] over beach restaurants”. “The caller…
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Thailand eyes genetics regional database for wild cats
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand the great hope in saving the tiger The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The planning for a genetics regional database for wild cats in Thailand has begun in hopes of rescuing wild breeding tiger populations in the region – but serious law enforcement is still…
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At least 367 dead after quake hits southwest China
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community At least 367 dead after quake hits southwest China Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck southwestern China on Sunday, killing at least 367 people and leaving 1,881 injured in a remote area of Yunnan province, and causing thousands of buildings, including a…
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Mother warns against surrogacy as donations pour in for Down syndrome baby
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Don’t be a surrogate for money, mother warns The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A surrogate mother yesterday warned her fellow Thais not to get involved in commercial surrogacy for foreign customers – as she now faces financial, legal and ethical difficulties after poor Gammy, her…
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Censured over shelter deaths, Israel declares seven-hour Gaza truce
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Censured over shelter deaths, Israel declares seven-hour Gaza truce Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Israel said it would unilaterally hold fire in most of the Gaza Strip on Monday to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and allow some of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians…
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Government responsible for Phuket beach vendor compensation, says poll
PHUKET: More than 90% of locals believe that the government is responsible for helping those adversely affected by the island’s beach reboot, according to results released by the Phuket Provincial Statistics Office on Friday. The results are based on a questionnaire cataloging 480 locals’ opinions about the National Council for Peace and Order’s (NCPO) move to return Phuket’s beaches back…
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Surin Beach business clubbing unnerves Phuket investors
PHUKET: Investors are re-thinking opportunities in Phuket as local government officers push to have legally established and modified multi-million-baht venues turned to rubble along Phuket’s Surin Beach. “One-and-a-half years ago I invested 1mn euros in the beach club; I believe that I did everything correctly,” an investor, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Phuket Gazette. “I talked to local…
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NCPO calls on unemployed Phuket beach vendors to voice concerns
PHUKET: As structures built on the sands of Phuket’s beaches continue to be pulled down and more people are put out of work, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has called on displaced vendors to put into words the troubles they face as a result of the mass cleanup. The comments – and suggestions for solutions – will…
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Phuket Poll: How much is a fair fare?
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) is pushing for a new fleet of standard metered taxis to serve tourists and residents on the island. The PLTO has asked the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to approve the move, which also includes increased fares for metered taxis (story here). In addressing the issue, PLTO Chief Terayout Prasertphol has…
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Water rescue course to promote Phuket beach safety
PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club will hold its fourth annual five-day surf lifesaving training course this month. “The surf lifesaving course will be held from August 25 to 29 at Bang Tao Beach. Accommodation and meals will be provided for the entirety of the course, which is sponsored by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization [PPAO],” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut…
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Officials ponder safety solutions for deadly, iconic Phuket cape
PHUKET: Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos is looking at what safety measures can be taken to prevent accidents at Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape after a second man was thought to have slipped from the rocks and disappeared into the sea this week. Though 25-year-old Teerawat Prasomsub was found safe Thursday night after he was reported missing from the view point (story…
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Breaking News: Four dead in Phuket Town fire
PHUKET: Four people died in a furniture shop blaze in Phuket Town early this morning. One of the five people trapped by the flames managed to leap from the second storey of the building to safety. It took about three hours for firefighters to contain the fire. — Saran Mitrarat
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Obama says that after 9/11, ‘we tortured some folks’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama says that after 9/11, ‘we tortured some folks’ Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: President Barack Obama said yesterday that the CIA “tortured some folks” after the September 11, 2001, attacks, and that the White House had handed over to Congress a report about an investigation…
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One-stop registration center good news for Phuket’s taxi-driver hopefuls
PHUKET: In a push to standardize taxi services throughout Phuket, an exhibition with a one-stop service center will open next week to help drivers register their cars to become legal metered taxis. The exhibition will be held from August 9 to 12 at the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), said Jaturong Kaewkasi, chief policy adviser of the PLTO. “There will…
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Exposed Phuket electrical wires shock three construction workers, one still unconscious
PHUKET: Three Myanmar nationals working on a construction site in central Phuket suffered an intense electric shock while on the job this afternoon; one is still unconscious. “After questioning co-workers, we learned that the men were sitting on metal scaffolding waiting for buckets of cement to be lifted up to them by crane,” said Witchit Police Capt Prawat Tantibussapun, who…
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Patong beach vendors plagued by sharks – Phuket loan sharks
PHUKET: More than 90 per cent of Patong Beach vendors are in loan sharks’ books revealed Phuket police after busting a gang of four yesterday. “We received a tip-off from an out-of-work, debt-ridden beach vendor about four men in Patong who were charging 20 per cent interest on loans and harassing customers who weren’t able to make their daily payments,”…
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Army protection from mafia gives Phuket airport bus owner confidence to drive to Karon
PHUKET: The Phuket Airport Express Bus is prepared to push through Patong as its owner looks to roll out a new final stop in Karon by mid-August. Airport Express Bus owner Prakob Panyawai is working out the final details of the new route, which will terminate at Karon Municipality. The airport bus was initially planned to run to Kata-Karon, but…
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Opinion: Phuket beach cleanups – drastic, but necessary
PHUKET: The complete removal of beach lounger and umbrella sets from Phuket’s beaches is a drastic yet necessary step to completely rid the sands of illegal encroachment. It may be a bitter pill to swallow, especially for those who have lost their jobs, but we need to start from ground zero in order to set the stage for a new…
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The future of the resident farang lingers in limbo
PHUKET: Visa runners are now being relegated to history; with no more back-to-backs, it’s the end of an era. This will have a marked impact on the demographics of the island and Thailand as a whole. All those working on a wing and a prayer will now be shown the exit door once and for all, and potentially blacklisted. All…
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Phuket poor receive food donations ahead of Hungry Ghost Festival
PHUKET: More than 1,500 of Phuket’s poorest showed up at the Kusoldharm Foundation’s headquarters yesterday to receive food and clothing donations as part of the annual Te Krajard merit-making ceremony. “This year, we handed out scholarships to needy students from local schools and 2,600 five-kilogram bags of rice. We also distributed clothes and packages of dry foodstuff to about 1,500…
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Full Metal Dojo returns with second MMA show in Patong
PHUKET: It was on June 7 at Patong’s Seduction Nightclub that MMA entered Phuket for the first time (story here). The Full Metal Dojo MMA event featured a litany of warriors from around the globe. The event saw fighters from Thailand, Cambodia, Finland, the United States, France, and other countries enter the caged-dojo for the first time in Phuket. And…
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Today marks Thai Women’s Day
PHUKET: Various public and private sectors and women’s groups are joining hands with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security in organizing a celebration on Thai Women’s Day today in honor of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. Each year August 1 marks the Thai Women’s Day in honor of Her Majesty the Queen, who is recognized as Mother of the…
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Lessons from the World Cup: Looking to the past to plan for the future
PHUKET: Research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) has found that the enthusiasm Brazilian businesses held for hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup plummeted over the past two years leading up to the event. However, while few business leaders predicted increased investment or increased profits as a result of Brazil hosting the competition, there is hope that infrastructure…
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