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This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
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Thief says he needed money for sick son
PHUKET: A man caught stealing an air-conditioning compressor from a bus in Phuket Town yesterday morning told police that he needed money to pay for medical treatment for his son.Chaiwut Kongkhaoriab, 28, was caught in the act by mechanics at the garage where the bus was parked.Pramoun Jitpakdee, one of the mechanics, said he was fixing the bus when he…
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9 million baht Chalong Circle study underway
PHUKET: A 9-million baht pre-construction study on how to ease traffic congestion at Chalong Circle is underway, with companies considering seven options including several flyovers in addition to underpasses. The yearlong study will analyze traffic flow around Chalong Circle and potential effects of an underpass or flyover on the surrounding environment, said Director of the Phuket Highways Office Samak Luedwonghad.…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Syria now chemical free; India rape trial; Philippine seige spreads; Ex-CIA seeks pardon in Italy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Syria says now full member of chemical arms pact, doubts persist Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Syria became a full member of the global anti-chemical weapons treaty on Thursday, the country’s U.N. envoy said, a move that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had promised as part…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok police chief ethics probe; Security Council denies BRN demands met; University admissions under fire
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok police chief under investigation The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A Police investigation into Bangkok police chief Pol Lt Gen Camronwit Thoopgrajank’s ethics as recommended by the Office of the Ombudsman is underway.The Ombudsman’s office spokesman Raksagecha Chaechai said Thursday that all further queries will be put…
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Jaran’s hammer: 73-year-old beaten to death across the bay from Phuket
PHUKET: A man confessed to killing his wife with a hammer yesterday because she moved to Krabi to live with her daughter, leaving him alone in the Isarn province of Yasothon for about a year.Jaran Triphoom, 79, was found by police clutching a bouquet of flowers in a rubber plantation hours after the discovery of his wife’s body, said Adisak…
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Thailand Tourist Police Road Show to roll into Phuket
PHUKET: A caravan of four mobile homes and a trailer full of facilities free for tourists to use will be set up from 7:30pm to 9:00pm in Phuket this Saturday as part of a promotional campaign to make tourists feel safe about travelling in Thailand.The caravan, called the “Thailand Tourist Police Roadshow 2013”, was launched in Bangkok on Tuesday under…
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Phuket flower-seller caught in drain
PHUKET: Heavy rains caused another accident yesterday when a Phuket flower vendor slipped on wet pavement and got his foot stuck in a drain.Unable to dislodge himself, Preecha Petpradab, 36, relied on rescue workers to free him.Mr Preecha was organizing the flowers in front of his shop on Pattana Thongtin Road in Wichit when he tumbled into the drain.Kusoldharm Rescue…
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Central Festival Phuket takes over taxi management
PHUKET: The campaign to eradicate taxi mafias from Phuket took another step yesterday as Central Festival Management agreed to take over the management of taxis at the shopping center. “We want Central Festival to be a model of taxi management for Phuket,” said Maj Natapol Ditsayatham, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Chief Investigator for Phuket. “We want every driver…
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Phuket storm pulls down pine tree, power cables
PHUKET: Two women were injured when a pine tree toppled by high winds landed on them as they were riding a motorbike on the Phuket west coast road between Kamala and Cherng Talay yesterday.The tree took down a high-voltage cable as it fell, knocking out power to the nearby area but [the high-voltage cable did] not harming the women.Police responding…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Syria war crimes toll mounts; Myanmar bans anti-Muslim sect; N Korea restarts reactor; Obama observes 9/11
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UN tallies Syrian war crimes massacres Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: U.N. rights investigators have established that Syrian government forces were almost certainly responsible for two massacres last May in which up to 450 civilians were killed, a report published on Wednesday said.The report documented eight mass killings…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Pracha faces Bt6.68bn fire truck probe; Rohingya land at Satun; 5 shot dead in Pattani; Legend crooner Sayan dies at 60
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AMLO to size up assets of Pracha, ex-official The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Anti-Money Laundering Office will evaluate assets belonging to former deputy interior minister Pracha Maleenont and a former senior Bangkok Metropolitan Administration official before pursuing possible seizure if they are found to have been…
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Swiss man despondent over health problems attempts suicide
PHUKET: A Swiss man despondent over several chronic health problems, including diabetes and asthma, cut his throat last night, but was saved by his wife.It was his second suicide attempt.Patong Police received a call at 10pm from a woman who reported that her 58-year-old Swiss husband had used a kitchen knife to slit his own throat.“He did it in the…
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Phuket pool factory to make a splash
PHUKET: Swimming pool designer, manufacturer and retailer, JD Pools, recently held a celebration to mark the completion of their new factory and training center at Thalang. The 5,000 square meter factory is aimed at cementing JD Pools’ position as the largest pool manufacturer in ASEAN and will also function as a training center for their staff from across the region.…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Soldiers killed; Cadmium contamination; Push to legalize kratom
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Two soldiers killed, schoolboy injured in Yala blast The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two soldiers were killed and two others, including a 12-year-old schoolboy, were wounded in a bomb attack at Kanarasdornbumroong 2 School in Yala’s Muang district yesterday. The home-made bomb exploded at 10am,…
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Phuket taxi cartel head arrested, denies extortion charges
PHUKET: The head of the group of taxis operating out of Central Festival Phuket and his brother have denied using physical violence to extort money from fellow taxi drivers operating at the renowned shopping mall. Pom Sukkasam, 42, and his brother Sern Sukkasam, 52, were arrested by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers on Sunday and taken to Bangkok, where they…
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Corpse with distinctive tattoo washes up twice
PHUKET: The body of a man first spotted floating in the sea near Koh Taphao Yai on Sunday was recovered yesterday when it reappeared 25km away off Koh Racha Yai.Residents on Koh Taphao Island notified authorities when they saw the body, but after Marine Police arrived, they were unable to locate it. The body was seen again yesterday off the…
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Phuket beach blitz nets illegal jet-skis, drug user at Patong
PHUKET: Police apprehended one jet-ski rental operator for testing positive for drugs at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon.Officers from the Phuket Marine Police also seized two jet-skis being rented out to tourists with expired registrations.The officers arrived unannounced at the popular beach to “pee-test” 15 jet-ski rental operators and speedboat staff operating at the beach.“One of the 15 men, Wutthipong Thepwongsa,…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Bangkok flight delays continue; Abhisit in stupid woman hot water; Govt punts for double rubber prices
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bangkok flight delays continue The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Passengers flying out of Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok can expect inconvenience and delays until a runway damaged by a crash landing by a THAI flight late on Sunday night is opened again tomorrow. Work is now being done…
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Si Racha’s Blue Marlins take a big bite out of Phuket FC
PHUKET: Every season since getting promoted to the Yamaha League One (YL1), Phuket FC has had a devastating off-day; in the 2011 season, it was their 7-0 away-loss to Buriram; last year, it happened twice on the road – in their 6-0 loss to PTT Rayong and 5-1 loss to Saraburi. Last Saturday the Islanders experienced another such day –…
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Phuket lifeguards ordered to pull down ‘unsightly’ beach station
PHUKET: Karon Municipality has decided to remove the Phuket lifeguard stand on Karon Beach on the grounds that it is unsightly and not fit for use.“Karon municipality officers led by Karon Deputy Mayor Ittiporn Singkaew have inspected the lifeguard station. It does not look nice and it is not well organized,” Karon Municipality Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Weerasak Anekwongsawat explained.“We…
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Celebrity Thai designer dies after Phuket beach rescue
PHUKET: One of Thailand’s best-known graphic designers, Pharuephon “Tum” Mukdasanit, was pronounced dead at Bangkok Hospital Phuket this morning after being pulled from the surf by lifeguards at Kata Beach on Saturday. Mr Pharuephon, known to his many youthful fans by the moniker “Mamafaka”, was pronounced dead at 2:50am, a hospital medic told the Phuket Gazette. He was set to…
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Phuket Governor leads sendoff for pilgrims performing Hajj
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut led an ensemble of local government officers on Saturday to wish Muslims from across Southern Thailand a safe journey as they boarded the first flight from Phuket to Saudi Arabia dedicated to pilgrims performing the Hajj. The 301 Muslims gathered at Phuket International Airport had arrived from Songkhla, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces in Thailand’s…
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Phuket town hit by flash flood after three-hour downpour
PHUKET: Many parts of Phuket Town were briefly underwater yesterday in the wake of a ferocious three-hour morning rainstorm.A number of roads were flooded and the Bang Yai Canal threatened to burst its banks.Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana led officials to inspect Bang Yai Canal’s alarming water levels near the Standard Chartered Intersection in the…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Putin rival rises in Russia; Australia’s Abbott heads for the mines; Pinochet ricochet felt in Chile
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin foe manages strong showing in Moscow vote Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: An ally of President Vladimir Putin was heading for victory in a Moscow mayoral election on Sunday but opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s unexpectedly strong showing could alarm the Kremlin and fuel Russia’s flagging protest movement.Initial…
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Phuket beach safety hits tide of resistance
PHUKET: A move by the Phuket Marine Office to enforce a 5-knot speed limit for all boats in Phuket is meeting strong resistance from parasail operators at Patong Beach. Enforcement of the boat speed limit is aimed at boosting water safety in the wake of a Chinese honeymooner being rendered comatose in a collision between a parasail boat and the…
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Patong Beach water quality tests to take another two weeks
PHUKET: The results of water quality tests conducted on samples collected from Patong Bay amid an “algae bloom” on August 23 will not be available for at least another two weeks, the Phuket Gazette has been told. The news flies in the face of comments made by Phuket’s leading environment officer, Dr Pornsri Suthanaruk, director of the Phuket-based Regional Environmental…
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Phuket to push for higher taxi fares, despite Bangkok opposition
PHUKET: Phuket officials plan to ask for permission to raise the standard rates charged by metered taxis on the island despite the announcement by the Minister of Transport yesterday that no taxi fares would be raised anywhere in Thailand. “We believe that when Transport Minister Chatchart Sitthipan hears why we want to increase the fares, he may make an exception…
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Phuket Police arrest shooter of Russian tourist
PHUKET: Police have arrested the man who injured a Russian tourist by opening fire on a car in a fit of road rage in Rawai last month. Officers took Narongsak Saelim, 21, into custody yesterday, the same day Phuket Provincial Court issued a warrant for his arrest (story here). He is charged with attempted murder and possession of an illegal…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt won’t budge on rubber; Porn in Parliament; People power fights corruption; Floods in Trang
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt refuses to budge in talks The Nation/ Phuket GazettePHUKET: Government representatives and protesting farmers failed to agree yesterday on the subsidy for rubber prices.The government side, led by Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnog and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong, remained firm about a price of Bt90 a…
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Phuket tourism icon inspires AMCHAM meeting
PHUKET: Change – experiencing it, realizing it, understanding it, anticipating it and then trying to figure out how best to implement it for the optimal benefit to Phuket and all of its stakeholders. Such was the underlying theme of an awe-inspiring speech given last night by Wichit Na Ranong, a key driver, if not the father, of Phuket tourism. Co-founder…
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