News
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Sponsored 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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Phuket cops bust ya bah dealers
PHUKET: Phuket police busted two ya bah (methamphetamine) dealers at a police checkpoint on Chao Fa East Road last night.The two men, Apichart Karaket, 26, and Surasak Tunyaudon, 22, confessed to police that they were paid between 3,000 and 4,000 baht to transfer the drugs from a dealer’s house in Thalang to another dealer’s house, Wichit Police Superintendent Chawalit Phetsipear…
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Brainstorming Phuket’s future – indoor soccer stadiums make the list
PHUKET: Participants from almost every segment of Phuket society gathered on July 17 to tell local government leaders what improvements they want to see on the island in the next two years. The ideas ranged from indoor football stadiums in every tambon to solving the island’s traffic problems.Phuket government representatives along with members of state enterprises, private businesses and ordinary…
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Phuket witnesses for Swede murder trial fail to show
PHUKET: The trial of Swede Tommy Soderlund, charged along with fellow countryman Johan Ljung for a murder in Phuket in 2011, did not progress yesterday, as witnesses failed to appear in court. Mr Soderlund and Mr Ljung are accused of stabbing to death Maksim Schantz and then stealing a motorbike in order to escape the scene. Mr Soderlund admits to…
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Phuket Governor denies foreign mafia’s presence in tourism industry
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut denied Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak’s allegations that foreign mafias are operating in Phuket. The complaint of foreign mafia presence in Phuket was filed by Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak to the DSI headquarters in Bangkok on July 10 (story here). “Phuket does not have any foreign mafia – just some groups of…
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Winds keep Phuket Raceweek fast and furious for Day Two
PHUKET: Winds ranging from eight to fifteen knots gave all boats some long-course racing off Phuket’s southern coast for Day Two of the 10th Anniversary Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek. Despite breakages and damage to six boats on the first day of the event, all were fixed and back in action yesterday with a full 37-strong fleet out racing on-the-water.The…
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Phuket supercars dodge second DSI bullet
PHUKET: A second round of the Department of Special Investigation’s (DSI) probe into supercar owners suspected of tax evasion did not turn up any cars registered in Phuket. The second batch of cars under investigation was composed of only about 60 vehicles. However, only 548 (less than 10%) of the 5,834 registered luxury cars suspected of having been issued papers…
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Winds, thrills pick up on Cape Panwa Phuket Raceweek 2013 day 2
PHUKET: The 37-strong fleet at the 10th Anniversary Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek enjoyed some fast and furious racing yesterday off Phuket’s southeast coast. Winds exceeding 15 knots, combined with 2-3 meter swells, made for perfect Phuket sailing conditions on Day One of the award-winning regatta. Classic and IRC Cruising classes raced a single, long ’round-the-islands’ course, enjoying the strong…
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Phuket Islanders look to charge the Bangkok Bulls
PHUKET: Yamaha League One’s fifth placed team, Phuket FC got a boost of confidence on Wednesday, downing bay-neighbors from the second division, Phang Nga FC 3-1 in a friendly match at Thanyapura. Opening the scoring for the Southern friendly was the Islander’s Georgian striker, Giorgi who net the ball on 12 minutes. This was followed by a goal from Thai…
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Island trade drops by nearly 60% since last year
PHUKET: Three-quarters of the way into the government’s current fiscal year, the island’s export-import industry is dwindling, particularly when compared to last year’s benchmark trading year. Phuket Customs House’ records through June 30 show that the value of exports in the 2013 government fiscal year (October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013) so far, is just over 5 billion baht…
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Phuket’s inflation 10% higher than country
PHUKET: The island continues to outpace most of the rest of the country in terms of inflation, with the cost of living in Phuket during the first six months of the year, growing at a rate 10% faster than Thailand overall. Meanwhile, headline (overall) inflation in the Kingdom’s two main cities in the North and Northeast was more than 40%…
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Officials bow out of Phuket Airport Express bus launch
PHUKET: The long-awaited Phuket airport-to-beach bus hit the road at 9:30am today with little fanfare. Passengers on the inaugural ride from Phuket International Airport to Patong included media, tourists and relatives of bus operator Prakob Panyawai. No Phuket officials were along for the ride. Married couple Ben and Kim, first-time visitors from England, had just arrived from Kuala Lumpur and…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Ex-CIA man nabbed in Panama; Safety alert grounds Dreamliner; 6 new MERS cases in Saudi
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ex-CIA official, convicted of kidnapping in Italy, held in Panama Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Former CIA Milan station chief Robert Seldon Lady, convicted in Italy of kidnapping an Egyptian Muslim cleric, has been arrested in Panama, Italian and Panamanian officials said on Thursday.Italy’s top court last year…
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Construction starts for Region 8 Police headquarters in Phuket
PHUKET: A ground breaking ceremony was held today to mark the construction of the new Region 8 Police headquarters, as plans go forward to move the office from Surat Thani to opposite the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint in Phuket. The construction for the new building, expected to cost about 84 million baht, started on June 3 and is slated to…
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Phuket restaurant built illegally on beach, public land to face charges
PHUKET: Phuket officials were ordered to take action today against a restaurant found to be illegally built and encroaching on the beach south of Patong.“We ordered every relevant government organization to take action against the restaurant’s owner after we established that the restaurant was built on public property,” Chief of the Damrongtham Center Prapan Kanprasang told the Phuket Gazette.Acting on…
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Oi! and Katsu sail ahead early in Phuket Raceweek 2013
PHUKET: Peter Ahern’s TP52 Oi! out of Langkawi drew first blood in IRC Racing I class today in the opening race of the Phuket Raceweek 2013 regatta, this year celebrating its 10th anniversary. With Scott Bailey and Fergus Wilmer on board, Oi! finished the regatta opener on corrected time two minutes ahead of Ben Copley’s Katsu. Roles reversed in the…
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Burmese women rescued from prostitution in Phuket and Phang Nga
PHUKET: Raids by law enforcement officials rescued 12 Burmese women from forced prostitution in Phang Nga and Phuket on July 10.Three suspects were taken into custody for sex trafficking during the raids, and arrest warrants were issued for two others believed to be part of a human trafficking gang.Agents from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) were tipped off by…
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Expat retirement: abroad vs home – Phuket Finance
PHUKET: If you have been an expat for a good portion of your adult or working life, you may be wondering whether to retire abroad or return to your home country to retire. However, before you decide to become either a permanent expat or a returnee, you will need to take into account the following considerations: Your Retirement Income The…
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Thai badminton players hungry for gold in North America
PHUKET: In last week’s 2013 US Open Badminton Championships contested in Los Angeles, California, Thai badminton player Sapsiri “Popo” Taerattanachai beat Japanese Yuka Kasunose for the event’s women’s singles title. It was the first time Popo, ranked 15th in the world, met the Japanese player ranked at 173rd. Popo’s victory in two sets secured a prize of US$9,000 USD (about…
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Russian arrested in Phuket for illegally hawking spa products
PHUKET: A 22-year-old Russian man was arrested by Immigration Police in Patong last night after he was caught attempting to sell spa products to a plainclothes officer.Immigration officers arrested Russian national Alexander Pushkarer at a shop on the Patong beach road at about 7pm.“We were informed by one of our officers that a foreigner was working illegally at a shop,”…
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Phuket father files assault charges against son’s teachers
PHUKET: A Phuket father has filed an assault complaint with police against two teachers at his 9-year-old son’s school. The father told Wichit Police on Tuesday afternoon that teachers at Wichitsongkram School had struck his son several times over the last month. “Mr Pichit told us that on June 14, that one teacher hit his son’s hand and made it…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Greece faces massive layoffs; NK demands Panama free arms ship; Rolling Stone outrage; Taliban asks Malala to come home
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea demands Panama free seized ship carrying arms Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: North Korea demanded on Thursday the release of its ship held in Panama with what appear to be missile radar and other weapons loaded in Cuba, saying it was sailing under a legitimate deal…
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Russians targeted in Phuket illegal company crackdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 56 Phuket firms targeted for using Thai nominees The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Commerce Ministry is targeting 56 companies in Phuket suspected of breaching the Foreign Business Act (FBA) by having Thais acting as nominees so that foreigners can hold majority control. The ministry…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Finance Minister warns graft threatens growth; Arrest warrant for missing monk; B100mn fire in Haad Yai
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Finance Minister warns graft threatens growth The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Global credit-rating agency Fitch Ratings believes lessening corruption in the Thai public service will help prop up the Thai economy, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong.Following discussions yesterday with Fitch Ratings, Kittiratt…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Thailand a smuggler’s paradise for abused Rohingya
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand a smuggler’s paradise for abused Rohingya Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The beatings were accompanied by threats: If his family didn’t produce the money, Myanmar refugee Abdul Sabur would be sold into slavery on a fishing boat, his captors shouted, lashing him with bamboo sticks.It had been…
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Phuket Gazette World News: NATO troop deaths reach 100; Kidnapped Dutch couple plead in video; Freed Guantanamo inmate killed in drone attack; ‘Gaddafi land’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Insurgents kill NATO soldier in Afghanistan, raising year’s toll to 100 Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: A coalition service member was killed yesterday when insurgents opened fire at foreign troops in eastern Afghanistan, the NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. It raises the…
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Sumatra quake gives Phuket ‘a little shake’, nothing to fear
PHUKET: The earthquake off the northern tip of Sumatra this morning was felt in Phuket, but was no cause for alarm, the head of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Phuket office (DDPM-Phuket), San Janthawong, told the Phuket Gazette this morning. No tsunami alert has been issued for Phuket or any other province along the Andaman Coast. “The earthquake…
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Phuket Gazette World Sports: England maybe next for self-employed builder as cricketing world buzzes
English club player hits 311 runs in 40 overs Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A self-employed builder from Cornwall in south-west England hit 311 runs from 40 overs to help his club to a regional record scoreline yesterday, at a strike rate of 130. The BBC reported that Andrew Brenton lashed 53 boundaries, with 11 sixes, after coming in at…
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Phuket Gazette World News: NK war weapons ship caught in Panama; England gay marriage on its way; No Islamists in Egypt Cabinet; Glee star Monteith died of overdose; Bulgaria bishop flippers out
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korean ship caught carrying weapons through Panama Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Panamanian authorities might take up to a week to search a North Korean cargo ship that was seized last Wednesday on suspicion that the vessel was hiding missile equipment in a shipment of brown sugar…
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Phuket motorbike arson re-ignites, three bikes torched in Patong
PHUKET: Police suspect arson in the latest Phuket motorbike blaze in which one motorbike was destroyed and two others damaged in Patong early this morning. Officers were called to a five-storey apartment block in Soi Nanai 8, about 500 meters south of the Jungceylon shopping mall (map here), at 7:10 am. “We arrived to find three motorbikes on fire. Some…
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Phuket beach rescue saves Japanese surfer from strong surf
PHUKET: A Japanese surfer rescued this afternoon from the strong surf at Kata Noi Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, is conscious and recovering, the Phuket Gazette was told.Lifeguards saw the man, believed to be in his early 50s, out surfing the large waves at the popular tourist beach.“We are are not sure what happened, but the next time the lifeguards…
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