News
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Phuket bar owners continue protests
PHUKET: About 500 bar owners and staff from Phuket Town and other popular tourist areas in Muang District gathered at Provincial Hall yesterday to protest the recent crackdown on closing times. The effort, hot on the heels of a 200-strong protest on Friday, was staged to support protest leader Suratin Lian-udom in his filing of a formal request for night…
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Relief efforts for Phuket fire victims underway
PHUKET: Phuket is rallying as a community to provide relief for those who lost their homes to the blaze that ripped through a Patong slum late Sunday night. A makeshift emergency relief center has been set up at Soi Baan Buntham, where the fire broke out, to receive donations and to distribute them to those in need. Phuket Governor Tri…
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Phuket lures top performers for Chinese New Year
PHUKET: Phuket will ring in the Chinese New Year with top entertainment from mainland China. To mark the arrival of the lunar new year on February 3, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization and the Phuket Provincial Office will stage seven hours of entertainment at Sanaam Chai field, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall, starting at 4pm. Highlights include the gravity-defying stunts of…
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Phuket braces for Gay Pride extravaganza
PHUKET: Gay tourists are expected to arrive in Patong in great numbers next month for the 10th Phuket Gay Pride Celebration, an annual event organized by the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Activities kick off on the night of February 23, when there will be a pre-opening White Party on Soi Paradise, center of the town’s gay…
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Phuket tourism rebounds from 2010 political strife
PHUKET: Inbound passenger traffic at Phuket Airport during 2010 smashed all previous records with 3.5 million arrivals. The figure is a 22% increase on the previous year with new markets such as Russia and China emerging as the major drivers of growth, says leading Phuket-based consultancy C9 Hotelworks. In its latest market research report, the 2010 Phuket Hotel Market Update,…
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A Phuket call to join The Bay Regatta
PHUKET: The Bay Regatta is back, with yachts taking part in the annual race around Phang Nga Bay ready to set sail from Phuket on February 9. Although the five-day event is being run by the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) this year, the club has confirmed the racing is being coordinated by the same team as in previous years.…
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New FC Phuket signings impress in Camara benefit tournament
PHUKET: FC Phuket’s preparations for the 2011 season received a boost over the weekend, when they proved too strong for their provincial neighbors in the ‘Andaman Four-way Fight’ mini-tournament at Surakul Stadium. Victories over Krabi FC and Phang Nga FC handed Phuket local bragging rights and set them up for what promises to be a fiercely contested home friendly against…
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Deputy PM Suthep “rides on’ in Phuket
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban in Phuket yesterday praised the island-wide helmet crackdown on motorbike drivers and passengers. “The project is historic. Phuket is the first province to run such a campaign and I hope this regulation continues to be enforced for people’s safety,” Mr Suthep said. The deputy PM promised to launch similar campaigns elsewhere in Thailand. A…
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Inferno wipes out Phuket slum, leaving scores homeless
PHUKET: A massive fire broke out in a slum in the Ban Buntham community off Prabaramee Rd in Patong last night. The blaze erupted at about 10pm and incinerated many apartment rooms, shanties and other makeshift dwellings, but there were no reports of injuries. It took more than an hour for ten fire trucks and 40 firemen, drawn from as…
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PHUKET OPINION: Secrets, heads in sand won’t save Phuket’s beaches
PHUKET: Some officials have branded as unfair the “star rating” figures for beaches recently released by the Pollution Control Department (PCD), saying the low ratings are bad for Phuket’s image and could harm the island’s all-important tourism industry. (See ‘Beach Pollution’, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) Phuket is naturally blessed…
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Two foreign tourists dead in Phuket this morning
PHUKET: A Hungarian man was found dead in a hotel swimming pool at 7am today and a Swedish man was killed on a motorbike about an hour and a half later. The names of both of the deceased are being withheld by the Phuket Gazette pending notification of next-of-kin. The Hungarian, 41, was discovered in the pool at the Sunprime…
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Phuket beaches facing stiff competition
PHUKET: The Pollution Control Department (PCD) will assess the level of pollution at 16 Phuket beaches as part of its “star rating” campaign to classify beaches along the Andaman Coast and the Gulf of Thailand. Beach quality will be rated in four key areas: pollution, natural condition, tourism management and environmental management, said Chutamad Kawinseksan, Acting Director of the PCD’s…
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FC Phuket Brazilian confounds Krabi
PHUKET: New Brazilian signing Paolo Reneto helped FC Phuket to a convincing victory over Krabi yesterday, scoring twice in the first round of the “Andaman Four-way Fight” mini-tournament at Surakul Stadium. The new-look FC Phuket side, freshly promoted to Thai League Division 1, dominated play in a match that ended 3-1 in Phuket’s favor. In the other first-round fixture, Phang…
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Chinese New Year to usher in billion-baht boost for Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket is gearing up to welcome the Chinese New Year and up to one billion baht in revenue as tourists flock to the island for the holiday, says the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA). PTA vice president Bhurit Maswongsa told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that the January booking rate for Phuket hotels is about 90% and may rise to 100%…
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Dive site closure “will not affect tourism’: official
PHUKET: The immediate closure of many dive sites in seven marine national parks will not have a big impact on Phuket’s critical tourism industry, says at least one official. Malinee Jannoi, an officer at the Center for Tourism Development, Department of National Parks, today told the Phuket Gazette, “It will not affect tourism much as we’re not closing whole parks,…
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Phuket hotels help Australian flood victims
PHUKET: Hotels in Phuket are being urged to donate holiday packages to a benefit auction for the flood-stricken communities of Queensland, Australia. Regions of Australia’s northeast have been devastated by recent flash floods, with raging floodwaters inundating thousands of homes and businesses in one of the country’s worst natural disasters. Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) President Bhurit Maswongsa says Australians currently…
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Phuket News: Swedish man dies in luxury condo
PHUKET: Patong Police are investigating the mysterious death of a Swedish man whose body was found in his luxury Phuket condo yesterday afternoon. Sub Lt Pattapee Srichay said staff at the Patong Tower condo on Thaweewong Road notified authorities after discovering the body of 53-year-old Jan Larsson at about 4pm. The Swede’s body was found lying face up on his…
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Phuket News: Soi Dog uses “firebreaks’ to stem distemper outbreak
PHUKET: Phuket animal welfare charity Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) has resorted to establishing vaccination centers at strategic locations to stop canine distemper from spreading across the island. “Mobile teams, supported by volunteers continue to work around the clock and the situation is being closely monitored to deal with additional outbreaks quickly,” said SDF Director John Dalley. “Areas where distemper cases…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket bar owners protest at Provincial Hall
PHUKET: Over 200 bar operators from Kata, Karon, Chalong and Rawai are at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning protesting the recent government crackdown on closing times. A provincial task force under orders from the Ministry of Interior have been raiding Phuket bars to enforce closing times regulations. The protesters told the Phuket Gazette that the raids are driving away business.…
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Phuket crowd mobs DEA for “Most Wanted’ souvenirs
PHUKET: Tourists and workers along Soi Bangla last night pushed and shoved to get their hands on the latest craze: DEA ‘Most Wanted’ souvenirs. The free handout was held from 10 to 11pm, with hundreds of people scrambling to get beer coolers, T-shirts, pens, match boxes and computer mouse pads emblazoned with images of the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s most…
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“Gruesome twosome’ arrested for Phuket security guard murder
PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested two teenage gang members for the murder of a Phuket security guard at a municipal parking lot last month. Phitakpong Chaetaphai and Namchok Saetan, both 19, were taken by police this morning to re-enact the events that led to security guard Winai Buathongkham being killed by a single bullet to the head. Police said that Phitakpong…
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Phuket Reminder: QSI fun run on Saturday
PHUKET: The ninth annual QSI International School Phuket Fun Run will be held at Bang Wad Dam in Kathu on Saturday. Organizers expect more than 200 children and 50 adults to compete. Students from all schools in Phuket are welcome to take part and trophies will be awarded to the top three schools finishing on the highest points. All races…
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Fearsome ghost or black magic clear-out?
CHACHOENGSAO: Residents of Nong Patong village are puzzling over the source of strange red lights that have been seen floating near the village pond almost every night for the past month. Some say the lights are a phi kraseu – a fearsome ghost that appears as the head of a beautiful woman with her internal organs hanging from her neck.…
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Phuket Airport director under investigation
PHUKET: The director of Phuket International Airport was transferred from his post yesterday amid a disciplinary investigation regarding a group of South American passengers who flew out of the airport without passports. Airports of Thailand (AoT) told the Phuket Gazette today that Prathuang Sornkham was been transferred during the investigation and will become a “Senior Specialist 10” AoT executive. AoT…
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Phuket jam: Patong motorists stuck in first gear
PHUKET: The new one-way traffic flow in Patong has caused havoc for some Phuket motorists. Traffic jams have been reported at several junctions that were affected by the change. “[To] those who thought the old way was crazy just because it allowed two-way traffic on too many east-west cross roads, check out how smooth traffic now flows at the northern…
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Eight Phuket residential projects approved
PHUKET: Construction of eight new projects was approved at a meeting of a Phuket provincial committee on residential estate development yesterday. The meeting, held at the Phuket Land Office, was chaired by Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha. All of the eight projects considered by the committee were approved, namely: 1. Jomthong Thalang, by Jomthong Property Co Ltd 2. Promphun Paklok, by…
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Phuket caddie killers behind bars
PHUKET: Four people have been arrested for last month’s shooting murder of a Phuket golf caddie. Ms Amornrat Petchtrong, 26, was killed by a single gunshot to the head outside Mission Hills golf club in the early hours of December 7. Four suspects, Ms Prathum Chumrat, Mr Paisan Preecha, Mr Pongsak Boorana and a 17-year-old boy, were presented at a…
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Phuket marine center moves to save bleached coral
PHUKET: The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) will today request that parts of the Similan and Surin national parks be closed to protect dying corals there. DMCR Director-General Kasemssan Jinnawaso announced yesterday that his department would file the request with the National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation Department, which manages the national parks. “We will request closure of…
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New Patong one-way system now in place
PHUKET: Police launched the new one-way traffic system in Patong on Saturday, with one change from the original plan: Soi Ruamjai is now one-way heading toward the beach, not one-way away from the beach. Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakhao explained to the Phuket Gazette that having the road heading away from the beach caused traffic jams on Prachanukroh Rd at…
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Phuket to host Deep South food fair
PHUKET: Phuket Town will host the second-annual Five Southern Border Provinces’ Product Fair from January 31 to February 6 at the central stage area at Saphan Hin. Boonchoke Khanabkeaw, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Industry office in Songkhla, said the event will showcase food products from the five southern border provinces of Songkhla, Satun, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. Hosted…
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