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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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Phuket Opinion: Memories of Mario
PHUKET: Having grown up in the 1980s and 1990s in a middle-class American suburb, much of my outlook on life was admittedly influenced, if not framed, by an ingenious team of Japanese programmers and script writers.Indeed, the original Nintendo Entertainment System (launched in the US in 1985) provided an invaluable framework for the formation and development of some of the…
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Phuket Opinion: Shooting for Island Justice
PHUKET: The failure of police to bring to justice the man who shot and killed 21-year-old Ekkasit Sangangam in the heart of Phuket Town in early May last year will come as little surprise to veteran observers of Thailand’s criminal justice system. A low-ranking officer assigned to the Patong Police was arrested and charged within minutes of the shooting, which…
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Phuket Gazette Queer News: Lucky mutants usher in lottery luck – twice
PHUKET: Villagers in two provinces at the opposite ends of Thailand are celebrating the births of mutant piglets – after successfully using the lucky freaks to divine winning lottery numbers. The first queer porker was born in a village in the Lamplaimat District in Buriram Province in the Northeast. The animal had five legs, two tongues and fangs sticking out…
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MV Hope: Three more survivors rescued, two bodies brought ashore Phuket
PHUKET: Three more survivors were plucked from the sea yesterday as the Royal Thai Navy continued its search for the crewmen still missing from the Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Hope, which capsized in heavy seas south of Phuket on Thursday night (story here). The three survivors – named as 2nd Officer Mohammad Mobarak Hossain and Cadets Raeq Fairooz and Mushfiqur…
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Phuket Sports: Explosions, excitement, errors – F1
PHUKET: Every man jack in the Green Man, Phuket cheered when Sebastian Vettel’s transmission failed. The race had suddenly become exciting. The Championship was teetering towards interesting. Silverstone re-invigorated the season with exploding tyres and Sebastian Vettel’s gearbox failure. It was certainly not the parade behind Red Bull that I had feared. Kimi Raikkonen was let down by his team’s…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Venezuela offers Snowden asylum; 24 dead in Egypt clashes; EU warns US over spying; Mali Army in Tuareg town; 16th century Paris tower opens
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Venezuela offers asylum to Snowden Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday he had decided to offer asylum to former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who has petitioned several countries to avoid capture by Washington.“In the name of America’s dignity … I have…
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Close encounter of the rugby kind – Phuket Sports
PHUKET: In a nail-bitingly close encounter, the Wallabies triumphed in the second Melbourne Test. 16-15. A solitary point between the two teams. A series now level at 1-1. Over two games, a total score of 38- 37. Some match-up! Before the game, Lions captain Sam Warburton had referred to “the biggest game of my life.” After the final whistle, Wallabies…
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Sea survivor: Bangladeshi cargo shipman recounts ordeal
PHUKET: Crewman Abu Bakar Siddique lies resting in a ward in Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town, recovering from his ordeal of being washed overboard from the cargo ship MV Hope amid heavy seas late Thursday night. The MV Hope was overpowered by rough seas while en route from Penang, Malaysia, to Chittagong, Bangladesh. The ship was about 25 nautical…
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Waves take man to sea, return his body the next day
PHUKET: The body of a man who disappeared while fishing with friends in Phuket yesterday was found washed ashore at Kalim Beach, north of Patong, this morning. “Villagers called us at about 9am to say they had found a body on Kalim Beach,” said Patong Police officer Thawatchai Srimai. “He has been identified as Jittakorn Kerdrit, 32, from Surat Thani,”…
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Sarong unravels mystery of body dumped near Phuket school
PHUKET: The sarong wrapped around the head of the man found dead in a field near a prominent Phuket school has led police to arrest a murder suspect. Police have declined to reveal any information about the suspect, except that he was male. “This is an ongoing investigation. We believe more than two people were involved in the murder and…
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Phuket Airshow & Family Picnic ready for takeoff
PHUKET: On behalf of the U.S. Navy League, the organizers, suppliers, sponsors,pilots, cooks, clowns, face painters and the scores of others engaged in presenting the Airshow & Family Picnic at Phuket Airpark this weekend, we at the Phuket Gazette would like to invite you to join us. Phuket has never seen anything like this. Entry is FREE; the shows are…
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Local fisherman’s body found in Phuket lagoon
PHUKET: The body of a local fisherman feared drowned was pulled out of a lagoon by rescue divers in Cherng Talay yesterday.Daorueng Lekon, 41, was last seen at about 5pm on Wednesday, walking into the water to place a fish trap in the pond, said Sub Lt Prasert Tongphrom of the Cherng Talay Police.“Villagers said he always went fishing at…
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Corpse found by the road in Rawai
PHUKET: The body of a man believed to have been murdered was found wrapped in a blanket by the roadside in Rawai just after midnight on July 4.“His skull was broken – it looked like it had been hit with a hard object. His face was bloodied and covered with a black plastic bag,” said Chalong Police Captain Thada Sodarak.“We…
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Phuket FC reinforced for TPL promotion push
PHUKET: In their dedicated drive to get promoted to the Thai Premier League (TPL), Phuket FC have regrouped mid-season, signing 10 new players to help them in the final 17 matches of the Yamaha League One (YL1) 2013 season. The new signings include seven Thais, a Brazilian, North Korean and Cameroonian. The club has not made any official announcements about…
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Phuket Navy resumes sea-rescue search for Bangladeshi crew
PHUKET: Officers from the Royal Thai Navy Phuket base resumed their search this morning for 11 crewmen still missing from the Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Hope, which remains foundering in the Andaman Sea south of Phuket. “We sent out two helicopters and the HTMS Pattani at 6am,” Capt Thammawat Malaisukkarin, Director of the Naval Civil Affairs told the Phuket Gazette.…
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Phuket Vice Governor donates blood for Buddhist holiday
PHUKET: Phuket’s Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa this week donated blood to help publicize a special blood drive in honor of Asarnha Bucha Day, which marks the day the Buddha outlined the four noble truths that form the basis of Buddhist thought. The blood drive is scheduled for July 20-23. “We will accept donations from 9am to 3pm at the Phuket…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Chalerm chides ice cream gang; Gov’t pushes B2 trillion loan; Liquid cigarettes inflame health officials
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chalerm warns Yingluck of her ‘ice-cream gang’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A disaffected Labour Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday warned Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra that she was setting her government up for an early demise thanks to her new “ice-cream gang”. Chalerm was apparently referring…
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Phuket Navy helicopter rescues cargo shipman in life raft
PHUKET: One more crew member from a foundering Bangladeshi cargo ship was rescued this afternoon when a Royal Thai Navy helicopter spotted him in a life raft, plucked him up from the broiling sea and flew him to safety. “Adubagar Siddiue, 40, was in a life raft not far from the MV Hope,” said Rear Admiral Prayuth Phutien of the…
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Thai smartphone sales ringing up big numbers
PHUKET: Smartphone sales in Thailand more than doubled in the first four months of 2013, a report by one of the world’s largest research companies reveals. The GfK Thailand office reports that communication consumer electronics went from being just one in every five handsets less than two years ago to more than two in five or 42% of overall unit…
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Phuket receives new Honorary Consul for Italy
PHUKET: Dr Francesco Pensato has been proclaimed the Honorary Consul of Italy for Phuket and the rest of South Thailand. Dr Pensato, a lifelong patron of the arts and himself a composer of music, is also a director of the Thai-Italian Chamber of Commerce (TICC, website here) and chairman of TICC’s Phuket and Southern Region of Thailand Committee. Nominated for…
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Phuket manhunt for rapist who impregnated handicapped stepdaughter
PHUKET: Police are searching for a man who repeatedly raped his 15-year-old handicapped stepdaughter, leaving her pregnant before he ran away. The 40-year-old man, originally from Laos, has been at large since June 29, when his wife discovered what he had done. Police have not released a description of the man or a photograph. Patong Police received the report yesterday…
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Family appeals for help with missing daughter in Phuket
PHUKET: A 20-year-old woman on the verge of moving from Phuket back home to Nakhon Sri Thammarat has been reported missing by her family. Weerawit Sangpan, 28, told Thung Thong Police that his 29-year-old sister, Boonyanee, disappeared sometime early on Sunday. “We talked at midnight on Saturday. She sounded fine; we had a good conversation,” he told police. “She had…
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Phuket Business: A Swiss sip of homely bliss
PHUKET: Operators of hotels, restaurants, cafes and especially Swiss expats wanting a taste of home, can now purchase Caffe’ Chicco d’Oro and many other imported food products from Switzerland in Phuket. Patty Bamert together with Samai and Fredy Reutlinger, have recently opened their ‘Caffe’ Chicco d’Oro’ coffee and bistro shop in Kathu, serving the popular Swiss coffee brand of the…
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Russian tourist dies in ICU after fateful Phuket swim
PHUKET: The Russian tourist who was comatose after being pulled from the water at Karon Beach on June 23 died on Tuesday at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Kho Khay Gym, 31, had gone swimming with friends at Karon Beach when he was struck by big waves and dragged out to sea. His friends called for help and he was rescued by…
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Phuket raid nets B100mn of pirated goods in Patong
PHUKET: A Department of Special Investigation (DSI) task force in Phuket yesterday arrested seven people and seized pirated goods with an estimated street value of more than 100 million baht. Armed with a search warrant and joined by officers from the Patong Police, the DSI agents raided two three-story shophouses in Soi Sukcharoen, off Phang Muang Sai Kor Road in…
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Phuket rescue launched for Bangladeshi cargo ship: 17 crew rescued, 13 missing
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy has launched an air-sea rescue effort to recover the missing crew from Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Hope after the vessel capsized in heavy seas south of Phuket early this morning.The MV Hope, registered at 97 meters long, started taking on water in heavy seas at about 1:10am, reported Capt Thammawat Malaisukkarin, Director of the Naval…
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Phuket road work forces motorists to seek bypass road bypass
PHUKET: The long tailbacks on Thepkrasattri Road caused by the resurfacing of the bypass road at the Bang Khu Intersection in Koh Kaew has forced police to urge motorists to use alternative routes. “We need to resurface about 1.5km of the [bypass] road, starting at the Bang Khu intersection,” said Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad. “The road surface is…
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Young cricketers deliver in Phuket Sawadee League
PHUKET: Young cricket talent took part in another round of the Phuket Cricket Group’s (PCG) “Sawasdee League” at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) last weekend. Although the international school teams were absent, four teams including representatives from the PCG’s Youth Academy, Baan Sapam and Thai Hua played some closely contested matches. The ACGround officially opened last year. Video: Phuket Today…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: World Peace under fire; Cabinet wows with vows; Five supercars seized; White masks suspend protest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community World Peace chief welcomes DSI probe The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The World Peace University (WPU) yesterday denied any wrongdoing in the wake of emerging evidence that it has never been accorded the status of a “higher-education institute”.“We don’t cause any trouble. We just confer honorary doctorates,”…
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More rain forecast as Phuket housing estate goes underwater
PHUKET: More rain is forecast for the coming days as Phuket suffers heavy deluges causing minor flooding at locations across the island. More than 68mm of rainfall was recorded at Phuket International Airport yesterday and 56mm fell on Phuket Town, with both locales recording more than 25mm within a three-hour period. A three-hour rainstorm on Tuesday brought flooding again to…
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