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Phuket Live Wire: WiFi versus 3G
PHUKET: More than a dozen people have asked me in the past week, “What’s the difference between WiFi and 3G?” I am sure the interest has nothing to do with learning about technology. Every one of the people is considering buying an iPad 2. They can figure out which color they want and how much memory they want, but they’re…
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“Comebacks happen in finals”
“I said at the break that comebacks happen in finals and used the example of Liverpool in the Champions League. I knew we could come back from the deficit.” Leinster out-half and man of the match, Jonathan Sexton after his team’s victory over Northampton Saints in the Heineken Cup Final.May 22, 2011 — Neil Quail
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Thailand champions from Phuket place fifth in South Africa
PHUKET’S golfing duo Michael Weinstein and Kenth Fredin returned from a successful – if somewhat saturated – World Corporate Golf Challenge (WCGC) Finals held in the Eden district of South Africa. Victory in Bangkok at the qualifying tournament in March this year, awarded Michael and Kenth the opportunity to represent Thailand at the 36-hole challenge final. Played on the Jack…
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Football still in the dark ages
PHUKET: I USED to love football. A game for thugs played by gentleman as the saying partly goes. My father played for Glentoran in Northern Ireland and in later years he became a respected referee. My younger brother followed this officious capacity in sports and became an international hockey umpire. As one can imagine, our household was never short on…
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Crowds turn out to support Phuket election candidates
PHUKET: A large crowd of supporters greeted three political hopefuls this morning as they arrived at Phuket Provincial Hall to register their candidacies with the Phuket Election Committee (PEC). First on hand to register, at 8:30am, was Bhumjaithai Party candidate Jirayus Songyos, who will contest Phuket Constituency 2. The second applicant was Pheu Thai Party candidate Wisit Jai-arj, who will…
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Phuket expat hotelier and Hash House Harrier dies in motorbike crash
PHUKET: A Phuket expat was killed yesterday morning when he lost control of his 1,400cc motorcycle on a notoriously dangerous curve on Thepkrasattri Road. Irish national Patrick “Paddy” O’Mahony, who turned 57 on Sunday, was travelling toward the Sarasin Bridge on his red Kawasaki ZZR 1400 when he crashed near the turnoff to the JW Marriott Resort & Spa. A…
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Honorary Consuls tackle Phuket tourism’s Big Bad Four
PHUKET: Tuk-tuks, jet-skis, dirty water and bad publicity abroad once again topped the agenda at the sixth “Honorary Consuls Meeting with Local Authorities” at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon. Governor Tri Augkaradecha opened the proceedings by apologizing for some “inappropriate language” by some attendees at the previous gathering in February. He also promised to keep the meetings short by inviting…
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Tonight, Tonight: Phuket Police chief to square off against boxing legend
PHUKET: The island’s “Top Gun” will take on Thailand’s legendary boxing champion tonight in a charity bout to raise relief funds for the families of police still suffering from the devastating flooding in parts of the south that took place in late March. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong will enter the ring against former WBA champion Khaosai Galaxy in…
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FC Phuket caught by Hares
PHUKET: Recovering from their disappointing home loss last week, FC Phuket traveled to eastern Thailand on Saturday where they managed a draw against Chantaburi FC. The 12th-place Chantaburi “Hares”, who drew against Suphanburi FC 2-2 in an away game last week, were not to be taken lightly on their home turf. A lethargic 45 minutes and several poorly missed opportunities…
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Sunday Opinion: Phuket Town could become a driver for island-wide dining
PHUKET: Phuket Town’s plan to apply for listing as a UNESCO “City of Gastronomy”, if carried out, would be one of the more rational overtures put to the United Nations (UN) by Thailand in recent years. But it’s premature to think that we’ll soon be seeing a wave of ‘gastro-tourists’ coming to Phuket to sample the local cuisine. [See story,…
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Wedding double booking bumps Phuket MP registration
PHUKET: A wedding booked at the Community Hall in Phuket Town means that candidates wanting to contest the upcoming elections must now register at a makeshift center at Provincial Hall. “The couple had booked their wedding before the election day of July 3 was announced and they have already sent out their wedding invitations,” Phuket Election Commission Director Kitipong Thiengkunakrit…
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Phuket poor get food, scholarships
PHUKET: Some of Phuket’s poorest people were on hand at the Kusoldharm Foundation headquarters yesterday afternoon to accept donations of food as part of the annual Te Krajard merit-making ceremony. The event marks the birthday of the Chinese God Hui Joh that is highly revered by Phuket’s ethnic Chinese community. Led by Kusoldharm Foundation President Benjawan Tamphanuwat, workers distributed 3,000…
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Phuket prisoners ready to break out the furniture
PHUKET: The annual fair for inmates to sell their wares made while serving their prison sentences will return to Phuket from June 3 to 12, Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon has announced. Handmade products from 25 prisons throughout Thailand’s 14 southern provinces will be on sale at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town at the 8th annual Southern Prison Products Fair.…
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Phuket’s fireball yacht probe hits the doldrums
PHKET: The police investigation into whether or not any people were trapped inside a 40-foot yacht that burst into flames and sank last Saturday has stalled. Chalong Police Duty Officer Boonlert Onklang told the Phuket Gazette on Wednesday that no person had claimed ownership of the yacht, which was identified by a witness to the fire as Karni. “I checked…
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Abhisit heads for Phuket, Anchalee to run for Democrats
PHUKET: Caretaker Prime Minister Abihist Vejjajiva will visit Phuket next Thursday to head a Democrat rally at Saphan Hin. The news came today as longstanding Phuket Democrat Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr confirmed she will be the Democrat Party candidate contesting the Phuket 1 constituency in the July 3 general election. Mrs Anchalee this morning spent an hour visiting residents on Thalang…
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Abuse of Phuket tourists: ‘Bar mafia’ crackdown looms
PHUKET: Foreign “mafiosi” who cheat and even assault foreign tourists sometimes do so with the support of Phuket officials, yesterday’s meeting with a high-ranking Ministry of Interior (MoI) official was told. Interior Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Pranai Suwannarat was in Phuket to hear directly from tourism industry operators and analysts about problems facing the industry. His findings during the four-hour…
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Police yet to question crew over Phuket diver death
PHUKET: Almost two weeks after Japanese dive tourist Hitomi Shibata died after being struck in the head with a boat propeller off Koh Racha Noi, police have yet to question the crew of the boat she was on. Chalong Police Duty Officer Attawat Suwannarat on Wednesday told the Phuket Gazette that he was still investigating the case and had not…
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Snooker stars take their cue for Phuket Cup
PHUKET: Snooker is back in the frame from June 6 to 11 when 19 professional players challenge for the 2011 SangSom Phuket Cup to be held at the Royal Paradise Hotel and Spa Patong. The tournament is part of Thailand’s Ranking Circuit Snooker Championship and will include two English professionals: Stuart Bingham and Alfred Burden. Thai star Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm, or…
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Phuket police probe into drinking shooting death on hold
PHUKET: The key witness to the shooting death of a Ratcha Buri man in Phuket last weekend remains at large, and the investigation is suspended until relatives hold funeral services for the deceased. The victim, 34-year-old Yodthong Pinjit, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the top of the head in his small home near Patong Temple last Saturday…
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“Beaten, cheated, cursed’: Phuket tourists get it all
PHUKET: Tourists being beaten, cheated and cursed were among the top problems plaguing the island’s critical tourism industry, Interior Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Pranai Suwannarat heard from industry experts today. Mr Pranai this afternoon chaired a meeting at Provincial Hall attended by Vice Governor Niwit Arunrat and about 20 other officials from provinces along the Andaman coast, all present to…
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Korean investors bid for Phuket light rail transport system
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha yesterday received yet another delegation expressing interest in developing a light rail system on the island. Kwang Sik Chun, Chairman & CEO of Korean firm Jung Yong Development Corp (JYDC), said his company would like to invest in the project, starting with a pre-feasibility study on the two proposed routes: from Chalong Circle to Phuket…
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Phuket AirAsia workers in late night car crash
PHUKET: Four Thai AirAsia employees were seriously injured early this morning when the car they were riding in crashed into a power pole in Thalang. The accident, reported at 2:10am, occurred about 200 meters from the Mae Ju souvenir shop on Thepkrasattri Road northbound in Thepkrasattri subdistrict. A rescue worker reported there was heavy rainfall and flooding at the time…
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Phuket Live Wire: iPad2 in Thailand is a steal
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand should take out a full-page ad in the New York Times. “Fly to Thailand,” it could say, “and get a 20 per cent discount on a new iPad 2.” Hard to believe, but the iPad 2 is significantly cheaper in Thailand than in the US – and the savings are even greater if your…
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Pheu Thai names Phuket District 1 candidate
PHUKET: The Pheu Thai Party yesterday announced Wisit Jai-arj as its candidate for the Phuket District 1 constituency seat in Parliament. The announcement was made by Dr Olarn Chaipravit, a Pheu Thai board member, at the opening of Mr Wisit’s campaign office in Phuket Town. Pheu Thai Party southern region leader Pichet Sathirachawal and Korkaew Pikulthong, another Pheu Thai leader,…
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Phuket locals alarmed by tsunami-tower silence
PHUKET: Officials in Bangkok say all 19 tsunami warning towers in Phuket are operational and functioning correctly, yet some local residents say they haven’t heard the sirens sound for months. The towers are supposed to be tested by playing the national anthem at regularly-scheduled times twice a month. But Siriprapa Auychai, a 29-year-old masseuse who works at the south end…
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Phuket meth mule busted, 1500 pills seized
PHUKET: In the latest drug arrest, Phuket City Police last night nabbed a man found in possession of 1,500 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and a small amount of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Police said Tossapol Maneepakorn, 21, was pulled over at a police checkpoint on Rassadanusorn Road in the Ban Kuku area of Rassada at about 11:30 pm. As they…
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Service for Phuket’s Louis Bronner this Sunday
PHUKET: A funeral service for Louis Bronner will be held at Wat Ladthiwanaram in Chalong on Sunday. Mr Bronner, the renowned general manager of the Boathouse restaurant in Kata, died on Monday after complications from heart surgery. He was 70 years old. His remains are being kept at Sala 16 of Wat Thadthong in Bangkok, where friends and family can…
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Phuket hospital set to open its doors after 11-year wait
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration (OrBorJor) Hospital in Phuket is set to open on a trial basis next month. The hospital, on Sri Sena Road in Phuket Town, is scheduled to begin offering limited services from June 1, OrBorJor Hospital Director Yee Yitathasiri said. A grand opening ceremony is scheduled for May 31 to mark the considerable accomplishment. The building,…
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Phuket water shortage solution entered into royal contest
PHUKET: A small project created by villagers in Thalang to help them cope with chronic water shortages has landed them in a national competition for the most innovative water resource project in the country. The project, in Baan Pakrongcheep, Thepkrasattri, comprises a 1,500-cubic-meter reservoir near the Klong Phra Taew Dam and a smaller 500-cubic-meter reservoir behind Baan Pakrongcheep School. The…
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Phuket Gov to marry again, Baba style
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and his wife Nalinee will renew their wedding vows as part of a Baba Pernanakan (“Straits Chinese”) mass wedding ceremony in June. The news was announced last week when Gov Tri met a delegation from the Thai Peranakan Association led by its President, Dr Kosol Tang-Uthai. During the meeting, which focused on details of the…
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