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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Young mom killed in Phuket hit-and-run
PHUKET: A young mother riding a motorbike was killed instantly in a head-on collision with a car in Srisoonthorn early yesterday morning. Maj Sekson Komsakorn of the Cherng Talay Police identified the deceased as 26-year-old Dok-aor Ponsri, a native of Ubon Ratchathani. After receiving a report of the accident just before 2am, Kusoldharm Foundation workers rushed to the scene to…
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Phuket to catch first glimpse of eclipse in Thailand
PHUKET: A partial solar eclipse on Friday will be visible in Phuket before any other province in Thailand, scientists say. Asst Prof Dr Sakshin Bunthawin, head of the Biotechnology of Electromechanics Research Unit at Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, said the eclipse will begin at 1:51pm and reach its peak at 3.28pm, at which time 57% of the sun’s…
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Police to tackle Patong traffic woes
PATONG, PHUKET: In a bid to solve the worsening traffic problems in Patong, police are considering establishing a vacant lot behind Jungceylon as a center for the local car hire industry. Many car rental companies are presently based along the heavily congested beach road, occupying much of the public parking spaces there. Col Jakkawat Boonthaweekulsawat, head of the Kathu Police…
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Abandoned baby family flee Phuket
RASSADA, PHUKET: A Burmese couple, recently reunited with their baby daughter after allegedly abandoning her twice, have fled their workers’ camp and are believed to be heading back to Burma. Residents of the camp said the couple and their baby had vanished by Sunday morning. For our previous report, click here. The camp, comprised of corrugated tin shacks, houses workers…
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Winner of Phuket Red Cross raffle announced
PHUKET: The Phuket chapter of the Thai Red Cross Society has announced the winners of the top two prizes in its annual charity raffle, the drawing for which took place on Saturday night at the Red Cross Fair at Saphan Hin. The winner of the first prize, a 2.7-million-baht detached home in the Phanason Parkville 3 housing estate in Srisoonthorn,…
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Phuket mini-marathon on February 7
WICHIT, PHUKET: Wichit Municipality will host its fourth annual ‘mini-marathon’ on February 7, with races over two distances. Wichit Mayor Kreetha Saetan said the event is meant to teach young people how to spend their time productively, support healthy drug-free lifestyles and – of course – support tourism. Races will start in front to the Wichit Municipality offices on Chao…
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Hanged man once a wealthy Phuket expat
PHUKET: The body of a man found hanged in a wooded area of Rawai last Wednesday has been identified as a native of Hamburg, Germany. Police have so far been unable to confirm the exact spelling of his name or his age, as no documents identifying the deceased were found. Officials at the German Embassy told the Gazette today they…
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Phuket plastic bag MOU: Tesco, 7-11 continue hold-out
PHUKET: Tesco-Lotus and 7-Eleven remain among the few major Phuket retailers yet to sign an agreement to begin charging customers a nominal fee for plastic bags, it was announced during a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Friday. The meeting, chaired by Phuket Vice Gov Teerayut Eimtrakul and three of the project leaders, was attended by representatives of island retailers…
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Panther on the loose in Chumphon
CHUMPHON: A huge black panther has been attacking livestock in a village next to a national park in Muang District. Local resident Sanguan Damsanit told reporters on January 6 that he saw the animal on New Year’s Day in a field in Tambon Tha Yang. Mr Sanguan, 55, said that when he went to round up his eight head of…
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OPINION: CCTV expansion in Phuket: Is it warranted?
PHUKET: On the face of it, the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization’s (PPAO’s) funding of 53 more closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at a cost of 17 million baht seems a wise use of taxpayer money, which could provide a needed boost in security, albeit initially to Phuket Town residents only. Numbers alone justify the increased use of ever-improving CCTV technologies in…
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Phuket kids have their way on Children’s Day
PHUKET: It was a busy day for kids in Phuket today, which is National Children’s Day in Thailand. There were numerous prizes and giveaways all over the island: Jungcyelon, Rajabhat Phuket University, Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Phuket Provincial Hall and the new provincial bus terminal in Rassada, to name just a few. It was mostly fun and games, but there were…
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Phuket Police find parents of abandoned baby
PHUKET: A four-month-old baby girl who was abandoned by the side of the road earlier this week has been united with her parents, but the baby’s safety remains a concern for authorities. The young baby was found outside a shop house on Palian Road in Ban Kuku, Rassada District just after 7pm on Wednesday by a local resident. Crying loudly,…
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Phuket Luxury property sales top Bt1.1bn
PHUKET: Phuket’s luxury property market saw transactions worth 1.1 billion baht for the period of July through November last year, according to market research by leading Thai consulting firm C9 Hotelworks.A growing resale sector accounted for 50 percent of the sales.According to Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9, “There was an absence of new high-end product in 2009, which propelled the secondary…
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Course set for “fun’ regatta
PHUKET: The Phang Nga Bay Regatta 2010, one of the world’s most scenic sailing events, will be the center for the Southeast Asia’s yachting community this February 3-7.Encompassing four days of racing and five days of partying that covers the three provinces of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, the regatta’s success in past years has helped it earn the nickname,…
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Kamala Fest 2010 underway in Phuket
KAMALA, PHUKET: The three-day Kamala Fest 2009 got underway this morning with a fishing competition, followed by a fancy parade in the afternoon. The official opening ceremony will be at the auspicious time of 6:39pm, when Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop will ring a bell to declare the festival open. There will also be a fireworks display. Song and dance performances…
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Soccer for seniors in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Office is organizing a soccer tournament for seniors – and those under 38 years of age need not apply. Play in the first Senior Chai Field Cup soccer tourney kicks off Friday, January 15 at the Chai Field, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall on Narison Rd in Phuket Town. Teams of up to 12 players of any…
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Phuket kids have their day
PHUKET: Tomorrow is Children’s Day. Around Phuket, many government, public and commercial venues will be putting on free entertainment for the island’s little people and their families. Normally restricted government offices will open their doors and to allow young visitors inside for educational tours and information. Strong moral values, health and education are an important message promoted and rewarded on…
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PIMEX International Boat Show begins
PHUKET: The latest gleaming luxury yachts, water craft, sailing equipment and other hi-tech marine products are on show at Royal Phuket Marina’s exhibition hall for this year’s PIMEX International Boat Show, which officially opens tomorrow.From Friday through Sunday, 45 luxury yachts and 80 exhibiting companies are welcoming potential buyers, families, hard-core boat junkies, or anyone just curious about all the…
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Love triangle turns deadly in Phuket
PHUKET: Police have arrested two people for the brutal stabbing murder of a Kathu town council member in a Phuket Town hotel late yesterday afternoon. Lt Col Pitakpon Sompong said staff at the Park Inn Hotel on Luang Phor Rd contacted police at 6:30pm yesterday to report a heated argument taking place inside Room 30. Just as police were arriving…
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Dutch consular outreach visit to Phuket
PHUKET: The Dutch Embassy will hold a consular outreach trip to Phuket on Wednesday, January 13. Peter Trimp, head of the Dutch Embassy’s Consular Affairs section, will be at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Town from 10am to 12:30pm that day to provide a number of consular services to Dutch residents of Phuket and…
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Phuket City police nab thieving teens
PHUKET CITY: Phuket City Police on Tuesday morning held a joint press conference to announce the capture of four young men arrested on various theft charges. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Thantipong presented the first suspect, identified as 23-year-old Thepkrasattri resident King Polasan. Despite the first name, the youth’s recent actions were anything but regal. Mr King was arrested at…
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Hollywood-style bar brawl in Patong
PHUKET: A bar in Patong was wrecked this morning when a vicious fight broke out between two gangs at 3am.The men, numbering at least ten, were all young and muscular and smashed wooden chairs and bottles over each other in the fight on Soi Happy off Rat-U-Thit 200 Pii Road, said Phuket Immigration Volunteer Mr Robin Lee.Three police officers, including…
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UPDATE: Phuket tuk-tuk assault case
PHUKET: A Patong tuk-tuk driver charged with assault for allegedly beating a Canadian tourist has been granted bail. Tassanarit Damthong, 30, handed himself in at Kathu Police Station at 3pm on Tuesday. He was arrested and charged with the assault of Canadian tourist Ivan Bob Anwar, 51. Mr Anwar claimed he was punched five times after refusing to pay 150…
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Mystery hanging in Rawai woods
PHUKET: The body of a man presumed to be of European descent was discovered hanging from a tree in a secluded area of Rawai yesterday afternoon.Police were unable to identify the deceased but said he was Caucasian, about 180cm tall and estimated to be in his 40s.He had been dead for about eight hours before his body was found, police said.A local…
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More tuk-tuk trouble in Phuket
PATONG, PHUKET: A Canadian tourist was hospitalized after being punched repeatedly in an attack involving a tuk-tuk driver yesterday afternoon. Ivan Bob Anwar, 51, told the Gazette that he was punched five times in the attack, which resulted in a large gash above his left eyebrow requiring five stitches. He also sustained a bloody nose and bruising to his face.…
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British man dies in Phuket
KOH KAEW: A 65-year-old Englishman was found dead in his rental home near the Boat Lagoon yesterday afternoon. The deceased, Barry Ronald Cutler, was found at about 4pm, naked and lying on a staircase landing in his rented home in Phuket Inter Villa residential estate on Soi Bangkoo 1. Mr Cutler rented the house in October and lived alone. A…
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Disabled to help Phuket City Police with CCTV monitoring
PHUKET: Phuket City Police are moving forward with a plan to have disabled people monitor closed-circuit television (CCTV) security cameras, but the project will be limited to those who can get up the stairs to the fourth-storey CCTV control room on their own. Phuket City Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit told the Gazette yesterday that his department is working with the Phuket…
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Crackdown on roadside food vendors in Wichit
WICHIT, PHUKET: Wichit Municipality has made an ambitious New Year’s resolution: to rid public roads of food vending carts and trolleys. Wichit Mayor Kreetha Saetan said the municipality and local public health workers have pleaded with mobile food vendors for over a year not to set up along public roads, especially in the market area across from the Phuket Villa…
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Karon tuk-tuk driver gets bail
CHALONG, PHUKET: The Karon tuk-tuk driver accused of attacking a family of French tourists with a metal pole on December 26 turned himself in to police and was released on bail, the Gazette has learned. Chalong Police Inspector Chana Suthimas identified the alleged attacker as 32-year-old Likhit Thaengthae, a resident of Karon. Mr Likhit appeared at Chalong Police Station at…
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Fabio! Your wallet’s in Phuket
KAMALA, PHUKET: Kamala Police are trying to contact an Italian tourist named Fabio Fanzani, whose wallet was found by a Thai tourist at Surin Beach and handed over to authorities a week ago. Lt Col Supavich Suvanpirom said the wallet was found by 31-year-old Petchaboon native Khanungnit Kwanyao, who is in Phuket for the New Year holiday. “I saw the…
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