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  • Four young students killed as ex-director has seizure behind wheel

    Four young students killed as ex-director has seizure behind wheel

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four young students killed as ex-director has seizure behind wheel The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Four primary-school students were killed and at least 10 others wounded in Nong Bua Lamphu’s Muang district after a former school director slammed into them with his car while suffering…

  • Video Report: Coping with the Phuket taxi crackdown

    Video Report: Coping with the Phuket taxi crackdown

    PHUKET: Island taxi drivers talk about the effects of the police crackdown on their businesses, as well as their fears and hopes for the future. PGTV reports on the current Region 8 police crackdown on Phuket’s so-called taxi mafia and details some of the history of passenger abuse, unfair trading practices, intimidation and acts of violence against tourists and residents…

  • Governor outlines new transport plans, with Kata-Karon as model

    Governor outlines new transport plans, with Kata-Karon as model

    PHUKET: With illegal taxi booths cleared out from west coast beaches, Governor Maitri Inthusut plans to initiate a public transportation system and conduct a major taxi service overhaul, starting in Kata-Karon. “After we have cleared all illegal taxi booths from Karon and arrested all the people who behave like mafia, it’s time to set up a new plan for public…

  • Sunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery | Thaiger

    Sunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Sunni insurgents from an al Qaeda splinter group closed in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery yesterday after seizing the northern city of Mosul in a devastating show of strength against the Shi’ite-led…

  • Thongchai seeks major breakthrough at US Open

    Thongchai seeks major breakthrough at US Open

    PHUKET: Asian Tour legend Thongchai Jaidee steps into his fourth US Open appearance this week eager to finally stamp his mark on the Major stage. The decorated Thai star, the only man to win three Asian Tour Order of Merit crowns, arrives at Pinehurst No 2 with his confidence sky-high after securing a play-off victory at the Nordea Masters over…

  • Japan blasts Chinese bid for U.N. recognition of Nanjing massacre | Thaiger

    Japan blasts Chinese bid for U.N. recognition of Nanjing massacre

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Japan blasts Chinese bid for U.N. recognition of Nanjing massacre Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Japan protested to China on Wednesday after Beijing applied for the inclusion of the 1937 Nanjing massacre and the “comfort women” forced to work in wartime military brothels in a UNESCO…

  • International arrivals and hotel occupancy strong in first quarter

    International arrivals and hotel occupancy strong in first quarter

    PHUKET: The number of international tourist arrivals to Phuket grew by 6.9% year-over-year (YOY) to 962,953 arrivals in the first quarter of 2014. An increase in direct international flights to Phuket have helped insulate it from any negative impact from the ongoing political turmoil in Bangkok, according to CBRE. The average occupancy of upscale hotels (with rates over 2,000 baht…

  • No mention of crisis as Blatter opens FIFA Congress

    No mention of crisis as Blatter opens FIFA Congress

    PHUKET: FIFA president Sepp Blatter made no reference to the various crises surrounding world soccer’s governing body when he opened the annual FIFA Congress on Tuesday with a short welcoming speech to delegates from 209 countries. The 78-year-old Swiss made no mention of the allegations and investigation into corruption surrounding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups or…

  • Breaking News: Armed robbers make off with almost a million baht

    Breaking News: Armed robbers make off with almost a million baht

    PHUKET: Employees of a company transferring over 900,000 baht in cash from a gas station in Phuket to a bank were robbed at gunpoint at about 11:30 this morning. The two employees had taken the large sum of cash from the Shell gas station on Phra-Phuket-Keaw Road to the Tesco Lotus in Samkong. They had parked their vehicle at the…

  • Phuket taxi operators no-show at own media event, fear assembly ban

    Phuket taxi operators no-show at own media event, fear assembly ban

    PHUKET: Taxi operators were no-shows at the media conference they scheduled for themselves at Loma Park yesterday. The operators had called the meeting in order to publicize how the destruction of their booths by police had affected their livelihoods (story here). About 20 reporters showed up at Loma Park for the 6pm meeting, but no taxi drivers appeared. After about…

  • Cause of Phuket wall collapse that killed three still unknown

    Cause of Phuket wall collapse that killed three still unknown

    PHUKET: Police still have not determined the cause of a wall collapse at a construction site yesterday that killed three Myanmar nationals. The accident occurred at the Crystal Wild Resort, a property under construction on the Ao Yon-Khao Khad Road, at about 4:30pm, said Lt Jarus Lempan of the Wichit Police. “The wall at the entrance to the hotel, which…

  • What it takes to stay safe while snorkelling in Phuket waters

    What it takes to stay safe while snorkelling in Phuket waters

    Special Report The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says that about 80 per cent of visitors to Phuket plunge into the Andaman Sea with snorkelling gear to explore Thailand’s treasures below the surface. At least eight of those tourists have died while snorkelling within the last 16 months. The Phuket Gazette‘s Chutharat Plerin and Saran Mitrarat dive into the issue.PHUKET:…

  • No late openings in Patong for World Cup

    No late openings in Patong for World Cup

    PHUKET: The key representative for Patong’s nightlife industry today confirmed that bars in Patong have not requested extended trading hours so that tourists could enjoy World Cup matches live on television. “We haven’t considered asking for extended trading hours as we don’t think the extra hours are worth it,” said Weerawit Krueasombut, President of the Patong Entertainment Business Association. “We…

  • Curfew lifted in 20 more provinces, not Bangkok | Thaiger

    Curfew lifted in 20 more provinces, not Bangkok

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Curfew lifted in 20 more provinces, not Bangkok The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order last night lifted the curfew in 20 more provinces, but the curfew in Bangkok remains in effect. The provinces where the curfew was lifted entirely…

  • Taliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault

    Taliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pakistan’s Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for an attack on a security academy at Karachi’s airport on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after an all-night siege by Taliban gunmen at Pakistan’s busiest airport…

  • World Cup live broadcasts threatened by court ruling, warns RS

    World Cup live broadcasts threatened by court ruling, warns RS

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community RS warns it might scrap live telecast if court rules in favour of NBTC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: All 22 million households in the country might face a blackout of the 64 live matches of the World Cup football tournament if the Supreme Administrative…

  • Bird strike grounds Air Asia flight in Nakhon Si Thammarat

    Bird strike grounds Air Asia flight in Nakhon Si Thammarat

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bird strike grounds Air Asia flight in Nakhon Si Thammarat The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than 100 Air Asia passengers were stranded at the Nakhon Si Thammarat airport yesterday morning after the aircraft booked for their flight was damaged, presumably in a collision with…

  • Korea ferry crew face trial

    Korea ferry crew face trial

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Shout of ‘murderer’ goes up in packed court as Korea ferry crew face trial Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Fifteen crew of a South Korean ferry that sank in April killing more than 300 people, most of them children, went on trial on Tuesday on charges…

  • Breaking news: Three workers dead, one injured in Phuket landslide | Thaiger

    Breaking news: Three workers dead, one injured in Phuket landslide

    PHUKET: Three female workers were killed and one injured in a landslide near Khao Khat Viewpoint in Wichit just before 5pm today. The injured worker was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where she is currently being treated. More information about the incident will be revealed as police investigate the cause of the landslide. — Kritsada Mueanhawong

  • “Fake cops’ not fake, but no extortion say Patong Police [video] | Thaiger

    “Fake cops’ not fake, but no extortion say Patong Police [video]

    PHUKET: Three plainclothes officers thought to be impersonators attempting to extort money from a local business yesterday have been verified as new members of the Phuket Provincial Police, said the Patong Police chief. The owner of La Boucherie in Patong submitted CCTV footage to the Phuket Gazette yesterday that showed three men who claimed to be Patong Police officers entering…

  • Weather expert issues small boat warning, but denies rumors of nationwide storm

    Weather expert issues small boat warning, but denies rumors of nationwide storm

    PHUKET: After an alarming report released this morning warned residents of a huge storm set to blow through two-thirds of the nation, the director of the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) Phuket office urged Phuket residents to stay calm and confirmed that the island would not be affected. “I heard about the warning of an approaching southwestern monsoon expected to bring…

  • MMA fight night proves successful

    MMA fight night proves successful

    PHUKET: The choice of Seduction Beach Club and Disco, one of Bangla’s most popular clubs, as the venue for Phuket’s inaugural Full Metal Dojo MMA event proves that the organizers had a lot of confidence in their success. And rightly so. At first impression, it seemed that only a few Thais were among the crowd of 500 or so MMA…

  • Phuket child, 3, dies after fatal shock

    Phuket child, 3, dies after fatal shock

    PHUKET: A three-year-old boy died in Thalang yesterday after apparently inserting a key into an electrical power strip. The death has prompted police to remind parents and caregivers not to leave young children unattended. Anwaree Yotharak, 3, lived with his grandmother, Romla Yotharak, 75. As Ms Romla showered and prayed yesterday afternoon, she left Anwaree to play by himself in…

  • Rik Mayall is dead | Thaiger

    Rik Mayall is dead

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British comic actor Rik Mayall dies aged 56 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Rik Mayall, the comic actor who pioneered a new wave of British television comedy in the 1980s, died on Monday, aged 56, his management company said. Famed for his anarchic comic style, Mayall…

  • Road works force closure of Patong-airport shortcut

    Road works force closure of Patong-airport shortcut

    PHUKET: A popular shortcut between Phuket International Airport and Patong has been closed for repairs, but is expected to open again in two weeks. Soi Han Farang, which passes the British International School Phuket and connects Thepkrassatri Road with Nanachart Road, is being repaved, explained Apichart Deekongsiang, the engineering officer of Koh Kaew Municipality. “We have to close the road…

  • TrueVisions to broadcast all World Cup 2014 matches

    TrueVisions to broadcast all World Cup 2014 matches

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community TrueVisions to broadcast all World Cup 2014 matches The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: RS Inter announced late yesterday that it has authorised TrueVisions to broadcast all 64 matches of World Cup 2014 tournament. As recently as Friday, RS International Broadcasting and Sport Management were in…

  • Ukraine sees ‘understanding’ with Russia on peace moves

    Ukraine sees ‘understanding’ with Russia on peace moves

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine sees ‘understanding’ with Russia on peace moves Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukraine said on Monday it had reached a “mutual understanding” with Moscow on parts of a plan proposed by President Petro Poroshenko for ending violence in the east of the country. Kiev gave…

  • Police set to crack down on football gambling

    Police set to crack down on football gambling

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police set to crack down on football gambling The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ahead of the World Cup kick-off on Thursday, police have launched an operations centre to crack down on football gambling, both online and offline, as well as SMS lucky draws. According to…

  • Private U.S. report accuses another Chinese military unit of hacking

    Private U.S. report accuses another Chinese military unit of hacking

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Private U.S. report accuses another Chinese military unit of hacking Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A private U.S. cybersecurity company on Monday accused a unit of China’s military of conducting far-reaching hacking operations to advance the country’s satellite and aerospace programs. Security company CrowdStrike said Shanghai-based…

  • Druggy driver caught stealing from media-trip tourists

    Druggy driver caught stealing from media-trip tourists

    PHUKET: A druggy tour bus driver confessed to regularly stealing from Chinese tourists after being arrested in Phuket by police yesterday. Kanoksak Promdang, 21, was caught after stealing five bags from members of a Chinese media group from Beijing. “Mr Kanoksak picked of the group of about 30 people from their hotel and took them to Rassada Pier, where they…