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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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Ukraine rebels free Swedish hostage; Obama seeks unity against Russia
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine rebels free Swedish hostage; Obama seeks unity against Russia Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine freed a Swedish observer on Sunday, but said they had no plans to release seven other European monitors they have been holding for three days. On the…
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Abbas calls Holocaust ‘most heinous crime’ against humanity
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abbas calls Holocaust ‘most heinous crime’ against humanity Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the Nazi Holocaust “the most heinous crime” against humanity in modern times in a statement released on Sunday, an apparent bid to build bridges with Israel days after…
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Thailand News: Flu kills 50; Pheu Thai disses Prem’s royal move; Pattani slayings afore Krue Se massacre anniversary
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 50 dead as number of influenza cases jumps dramatically The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Fifty people have been killed by seasonal influenza, which has hit more than 30,000 people this year, prompting the Public Health Ministry to be on alert. Public Health permanent secretary Narong…
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Chinese spies read Australian MPs’ emails for a year: report
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chinese spies read Australian MPs’ emails for a year: report Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A cyber attack on the Australian parliamentary computer network in 2011 may have given Chinese intelligence agencies access to lawmakers’ private emails for an entire year, the Australian Financial Review reported…
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Phuket’s black wastewater oozes toward tourists
PHUKET: Alarmed officials are concerned how the weather has turned the flow of black wastewater from a canal at Bang Tao toward a beach area where tourists swim. “All tourists are afraid to swim here. They are going to Layan Beach instead,” said local resident Jumnong Korkaew. When Governor Maitri Inthusut inspected the site on April 12 (story here), the…
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Phuket teens waive police brutality claim
PHUKET: Two of the three teenagers allegedly struck by police officers investigating the rape of a pregnant woman in Phuket last Sunday night have publicly declared that the officers never struck them. The declaration was made during a public meeting this morning at Provincial Hall in the presence of Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut. “Police did not hit or threaten any…
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Phuket faces no lifeguards on beaches as contract debacle ebbs on
PHUKET: There may be no lifeguards patrolling Phuket beaches on Monday if compromise is not reached between the island’s lifeguard club and Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) over the new, hotly-debated 22-million-baht club budget. Though the current contract expires today (April 27), Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan is holding firm to his desire to increase salaries for his staff…
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Hong Kong couples wooed to wed in Phuket
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Hong Kong office will launch a pilot campaign to lure couples in Hong Kong to legally marry in Phuket. The pilot project alone is expected to generate 124 million baht for the Phuket economy. To introduce the concept, TAT Hong Kong office director Titiporn Manenate took a delegation of leading wedding planners from…
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Police arrest suspect for French tourist murder
PHUKET: Chalong Police have arrested at least one Myanmar national in connection with the killing of French tourist Fabrice Boigeol, 37, who was found slain in his rented Phuket bungalow on April 18. Police have yet to release more details, but the Phuket Gazette has been informed that officers conducting the investigation are searching for at least one other murder…
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Government calls for more troops in Bangkok as crisis heats up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Government calls for more troops in Bangkok as crisis heats up Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s government is to ask the army to deploy more troops in the capital, Bangkok, as fears mount that the country’s lengthy political crisis could move into a more violent…
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Thailand News: Suthep shuns talks; PDRC to regroup; Santika boss jailed over B85mn tax evasion
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suthep shuns Abhisit move The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A campaign by Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to find a solution to the country’s political deadlock was generally welcomed yesterday although anti-government leader Suthep Thaugsuban appeared to shun his move. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra described…
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Drunk passenger triggers hijack alert on Australian flight to Bali
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Drunk passenger triggers hijack alert on Australian flight to Bali Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The pilot of a Virgin Australia plane flying from Brisbane to the Indonesian holiday island of Bali on Friday reported a hijacking attempt after a passenger tried to enter the cockpit,…
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QSI Kid Expo kicks off this Sunday
PHUKET: Prep the kids for this Sunday because QSI International School Phuket will hold its first-ever “Kid Expo” from 1-5pm. Dozens of local business will be on-site offering services and activities for children, aiming to provide “everything a family needs” in one place. The expo will see companies offering an enormous range of activities aimed at young children and teens,…
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When home is a dangerous place
PHUKET: I was born and raised in Yala, but have lived in Phuket for about three years. Many outsiders think that Yala is horrible because of the violence. My friends in Phuket don’t want to visit me when I go home, and I understand why. There are a lot of negative stories about Yala in the news. Teachers are assaulted,…
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Phuket’s most dangerous job
Saijai Luesup, 48, has been working as the Workplace Safety Department of Phuket Provincial Labor Protection and Welfare Office chief for almost four years. She has a bachelor’s degree in public health from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. PHUKET: Construction sites pose the greatest danger to workers in Phuket. Because of this we are very thorough with our safety inspections, which…
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Phuket Pride Week’s Grand Parade to block beach road on Sunday
PHUKET: Phuket Pride Week 2014 will go out with a bang on Sunday with its Grand Parade – the highlight of the eight-day event – marching down Patong’s beachfront road. The beach road will be blocked during the parade, which starts at 3pm at Soi Tan and will present a plethora of floats, fantastically dressed people, street entertainment and music.…
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“She begged for her life’: Phuket mother tells of pregnant daughter’s rape ordeal
PHUKET: The mother of the pregnant woman raped by twin teenage brothers in Phuket last Sunday night has told the Phuket Gazette how the men ignored her daughter’s pleas for mercy. “She begged them not to do it, but they didn’t listen,” the mother told the Gazette. “They didn’t only rape and rob her. They choked her very hard as…
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Traditional cures on offer at Phuket Expo
PHUKET: The 6th Thai Traditional Medicine Expo started Wednesday at Jungceylon and will continue through Sunday, showcasing Thai herbs, therapeutic reflexology and acupuncture. A cooking contest with Thai herbs and demonstrations of massage with shells, wooden hammers and coconut husks will be among the attractions offered free of charge. Diagnostic exams using Thai traditional medical techniques will also be complimentary,…
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Phuket to launch trash separation project for World Environment Day
PHUKET: Municipalities across Phuket will launch a project to ensure the separation of hazardous materials from public trash on June 5 in a united effort to prevent dangerous materials from contaminating the island’s beaches, canals and the ocean. The project was agreed to at a meeting on Wednesday held by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Phuket office.…
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Thailand News: Abhisit enters reform surge; Suthep sets for final battle; Mers alert; Power drain; Thawil refocuses on South
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abhisit’s reform talk starts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a renewed effort to help end the political deadlock and avert further violence, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday unveiled a plan to hold talks with some prominent figures and parties to seek a solution…
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Patong alcohol ban as Pian guns for mayor
PHUKET: The sale of alcohol will be banned throughout Patong tonight and tomorrow (including tomorrow night) as residents go to the polls to elect a Patong Mayor and several new councilors. Former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin will run for re-election. He will face two candidates in the race: Phuket Democrat Chalermluck Kebsab and former councilor Kittisan Kuru of the Patong…
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Asean disaster specialists meet in Phuket to prepare for the next big one
PHUKET: Doctors and disaster medicine specialists from nine Asean countries are in Phuket to attend a workshop aimed at sharing knowledge and upgrading disaster response systems. Participants at the “Asean Disaster Medicine Workshop”, being held from April 23 to 25, described emergency response systems and international cooperation mechanisms in their own countries. They also took part in a simulation at…
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Australia rules out link between debris and Malaysian plane
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia rules out link between debris and Malaysian plane Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Authorities ruled out any link between debris picked up on an Australian beach and a missing Malaysian jetliner on Thursday as a tropical cyclone again threatened to hamper a 26-nation air, surface…
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Phuket’s one-stop yacht center trial period hits first software snag
PHUKET: The long-awaited, 70-million-baht one-stop yacht center at Chalong Pier opened on Monday only to see system bugs force officers to register all inbound yachts and crews by hand. “Monday was our first trial day for the center, and we had a lot of tourists come to Chalong Pier,” explained Phuket Provincial Administration Office Transportation Division Chief Prasit Yotharak. “We…
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Thailand News: Recession looms; Red shirt slain; Officer dies in helicopter plunge; Outrage over Chao Praya drownings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Recesssion looms as MPC to further trim growth forecast in June The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee will lower its forecast for the Kingdom’s 2014 economic growth at its next meeting in June. Paiboon Kittisrikangwan, secretary of the Monetary…
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Body of Korean boy who raised alarm on sinking ferry believed found
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Body of Korean boy who raised alarm on sinking ferry believed found Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The body of a South Korean boy whose shaking voice first raised the alarm that a passenger ferry with hundreds on board was in trouble has been found, his…
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Fire-preventing pump bursts into flames on old Phuket ferry
PHUKET: A pump meant to reduce the risk of fire by sucking up old oil short-circuited and burst into flames on a ferry in Ao Por on Tuesday afternoon. All three men working on the ferry when the flames broke out jumped overboard and were rescued by a nearby boat. “The ferry was old and the men were cutting up…
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Angry Phuket mob stages blockade over twin teen rape suspects
PHUKET: A mob of angry residents this afternoon blockaded Phuket’s critical main artery, Thepkrasattri Road, amid outrage over the twin teenagers who raped a pregnant woman in the area on Sunday night. The blockade, just north of the turnoff to Phuket International Airport, formed at about 2pm after villagers realized that police would not be bringing the twin brothers to…
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Revamped Tesco Lotus Extra fully open from today
PHUKET: Renovations on the Tesco Lotus Extra Phuket mall, located off the bypass road in Sam Kong, were recently completed and the revamped mall is now fully open for business as of today. Tesco says that more shops, famous brands, and a new food court have been added to the mall, including Starbucks, Fuji, Giordano, Air Asia, as well as…
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Phuket airport health officials ramp up MERS surveillance
PHUKET: Health officials at Phuket International Airport have ramped up efforts to identify any travellers arriving in Phuket who are suspected of carrying the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (Mers-CoV). The news follows the death of a Malaysian man from complications caused by MERS after returning from Saudi Arabia, in what appears to be the first fatal case of the disease…
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