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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 metered taxis still under the gun
PHUKET: A spat between “regular” taxi drivers and a metered taxi driver broke out in Patong on December 26, highlighting the ongoing tensions between the two groups. The Patong taxi drivers accused the metered taxi driver of trying to pick up a fare from the street while on “their turf”, when all he allegedly did was provide directions to a…
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Hong Kong tourist dies in Phuket ICU after “mysterious’ swimming incident
UPDATE: Since this story was posted online, staff at Bangkok Hospital Phuket have confirmed that Mr Lai has died in the hospital’s ICU. “We cannot release any details as per the family’s request,” the staffer said. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa staff confirmed they have been notified of Mr Lai’s death. “We are still working with the police in…
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Hundreds of Rohingya refugees offshore north of Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has confirmed reports of hundreds of Rohingya in open boats in the Andaman Sea off Phang Nga, just north of Phuket. The news comes as thousands of ethnic Rohingya flee the violence in Myanmar. “We have heard there are about nine boats containing hundreds of Rohingya, but they have yet to land anywhere along the coast,”…
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Phuket “Ae Inside’ killer to face Cha-am justice first
PHUKET: Phuket Police will have to wait for their counterparts in the Thai tourism town of Cha-am to close their murder investigation before taking the confessed assassin of Phuket newsman Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwitthayaporn into custody (click here). Police from the Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok, along with local Cha-Am Police, moved in and arrested Tossapol Ketkaew, 36, at…
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Phuket Futsal: Andaman Pearl suffer shark attack
PHUKET: Top of the table Chonburi GH Bank ABAC were too strong for a spirited Phuket United, with the Andaman Pearl losing at home 3-2 last Saturday night.The high tempo match – the 14th match of the GMM Sport Thailand Futsal Premier League 2012-2013 season – was played in front of about 1,200 vocal supporters at the Saphan Hin Indoor…
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Phuket Police to order Bangkok autopsy for Dutch tourist
PHUKET: Police investigating the death of a Dutch tourist whose body was discovered floating off Patong Beach yesterday will send the man’s body to Bangkok for an autopsy in order to identify the cause of death.The body of Stephan Buczynski, 26, was discovered at about 9:30am by a tourist riding a jet-ski some 500 meters offshore from the north end…
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Phuket beach turf war leaves car gutted by flames
PHUKET: Phuket police believe a Honda Jazz belonging to a beachfront seafood restaurant owner was maliciously set ablaze last night as part of an ongoing conflict between vendors in the Surin Beach area. Police declined to name the owner of the car for safety reasons. The owner parked the car in front of the restaurant at about 3pm yesterday. Just…
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Phuket Finance: Investing in “frontier markets’
PHUKET: I have recently come across an investment concept that’s caught my interest, and for those of you with a speculative bit of capital to allocate – you might find it interesting also. Fund Management Group has recently launched an equity-based fund, spread across what they call new frontier countries. According to them, frontier markets represent 40% of the world’s…
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Phuket Sports Watch: Inter Milan trump Pescara 2-0
PHUKET SPORTS WATCH – World sports news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Inter boost title bid with victory over Pescara Reuters/Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Inter Milan invigorated their Series A title challenge by beating Pescara 2-0 at the San Siro yesterday to move within six points of national football leaders Juventus.Goals in either half from Rodrigo Palacio and…
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A heart lost in Seoul: an English professor struggles with life after love in Phuket
SPECIAL REPORTPHUKET: In a cautionary, age old island tale, one known by many jaded and broken-hearted men on Phuket, Barry (not his real name) fell in love with a young Thai bar girl. “It was early Spring, 2010, almost three years ago. Her name was Liz (not real name). I fell madly in love with this girl. Each second apart…
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Blockade-sparked tour counter blitz, ‘well received’
PHUKET: A blockade of the Karon beachfront road by tuk-tuk and taxi drivers has sparked a police blitz on all tour counters in the area using Russian nationals to sell tours. So far the blitz has been “well received”, Karon Police Deputy Superintendent Narong Laksanawimon told the Gazette on Wednesday. The tour counters allegedly specializing in Russian services were individually…
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Royal Thai Police parade highlights Phuket, Pattaya tourism-safety campaign
PHUKET: Royal Thai Police stormed Phuket’s party street, Soi Bangla, with an 800 officer strong parade yesterday to highlight a 30-day safety campaign aimed at slashing the criminal activity in Phuket and Pattaya. “We expect the 30-day project to decrease the criminal activity in Phuket by 50 per cent, and significantly increase how safe tourists feel on our island,” Phuket…
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Love sick member of the Royal Thai Navy found hanged in Phuket
PHUKET: A member the Thai Royal Navy was found hanged in his Phuket garage, just days after he discovered his girlfriend was having an affair.The body of Wanchai Sripangmol, 23, was found hanging from a rafter in his Kathu garage by his parents yesterday morning.“He took leave over New Year to visit his girlfriend in Kalasin Province only to find…
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Obama, Karzai accelerate end of U.S. combat role in Afghanistan
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: (Reuters): President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed yesterday (January 11) to speed up the handover of combat operations in Afghanistan to Afghan forces, raising the prospect of an accelerated U.S. withdrawal from the country and underscoring Obama’s determination to wind down a long, unpopular…
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Australian tourist found dead from possible drug overdose in Phuket resort
PHUKET: Patong police believe an Australian tourist who was found dead in his Phuket hotel room yesterday died from a drug overdose. The 45-year-old, whose name has yet to be released to the public by police, was staying at a resort in the Patong beach area. Captain Teerasak Boonsang of the Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette the man’s body…
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Phuket Business: The sweet taste of success at Vanich Sweetcorn Farm
PHUKET: Mr Apirag Vanich is the owner of the Vanich Sweetcorn Farm, which produces corn-based foodstuffs and drinks including; corn milk; boiled corn, fresh sweet corn and baby corn.They also produce three healthy drinks which are; butterfly pea flower tea, corn silk tea and mulberry juice. Vanich Sweetcorn Farm, spread out over an area of about 67 rai, uses modern…
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No one seriously injured in Children’s Day car crash
PHUKET: A single car crash on the bypass road is slowing down morning traffic on Children’s Day (today) as Phuket commuters and others pause to look at the wreckage. The driver, sitting stiffly on the slope of the ditch where his Suzuki Swift came to its final rest, confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that he was “okay”, given the circumstances.…
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Phuket Media Watch: China sends troops to Myanmar border
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China sends troops to border with conflict-torn Myanmar Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: China has sent soldiers to its border with Myanmar amid concern that escalating violence between the Southeast Asian country’s government and ethnic separatists is spilling over, an official Chinese newspaper reported yesterday. The…
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Phuket Police have balls, promise to be gentle with ticket sales
PHUKET: The Karon Police do have balls, but heavy-handed tactics in selling the tickets will stop, the Karon acting police chief confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today. The news follows a mob of angry residents in the popular Phuket tourist area of Karon Beach gathering at the newly-established Karon Police Station yesterday. Their complaint: the “strong tactics” used to sell…
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Phuket Sports: Bay Regatta back in style
PHUKET: THE Bay Regatta, formerly known as the Phang Nga Bay Regatta, will take place January 30 to February 3. The popular sailing event takes in the scenic cruising grounds around Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi. The event is organized by Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) and is expected to attract around 40 boats this year. The racing is split…
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Phuket Sports: Phuket FC flies in Dudu for new season
PHUKET: Phuket FC has signed 25-year-old Brazilian striker Luiz Eduardo Porcino, better known as “Dudu”, from Osotspa FC. Dudu scored 10 goals in 28 games for Buriram PEA FC in 2010.“We told Dudu that if he plays in the Thai Premier League there will be strong competition with footballers of his caliber. But if he joins us in Phuket and…
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Phuket Sports: Andaman Pearl continue to shine
PHUKET: The Andaman Pearl’s last away game against CAT FC at Grand Sport Park, Bangkok, was played without their head coach issuing instructions from the sidelines. Suphol Senapeng was admitted to hospital in the early hours of Wednesday morning suffering from a severe stomach ache. Phuket United used coach Suphol’s absence as an added incentive to continue their fine form…
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Hot-headed somtam vendor wanted for Phuket shooting
PHUKET: Phuket Police are on the lookout for a somtam (spicy Thai salad) vendor following a local building supplies shop staffer being shot in the head at point-blank range with a homemade zip gun south of Phuket Town last night. Somjit Chueajan, 21, from Lampang province in northern Thailand, remains in the intensive care unit at Vachira Hospital Phuket, in…
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Children’s Day play starts tomorrow
PHUKET: Tomorrow Thais across the country will be celebrating the annual Children’s Day festivities. In Phuket Town, the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (OrBorJor) will be staging its activities at the Provincial Hall (map here) from 8am to 4pm. Among the activities, 83 bicycles will be given away as prizes, a “Children’s Playland” will be set up and gifts, games, prizes,…
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101 dead and 200 injured in Pakistan bombings
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: (Reuters): At least 101 people were killed in bombings in two Pakistani cities yesterday (January 10) in one of the country’s bloodiest days in recent years, officials said, with most casualties caused by sectarian attacks in Quetta.The bombings underscored the myriad threats Pakistani security forces face from…
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One student injured in California school shooting
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: (Reuters) – A student armed with a 12-gauge shotgun opened fire in a California high school yesterday (January 10), critically wounding a fellow student before two staff members talked the boy into putting down his weapon, authorities said.The suspected sole gunman, a 16-year-old boy, was arrested by…
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Rescued baby dolphin and mother losing deadly battle at Phuket Marine Biological Center
PHUKET: Serious internal infections have left a mother striped dolphin and her baby in critical condition, despite the pair being rescued on January 4 in Phang Nga and receiving round the clock care at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). “The mother dolphin has been unable to swim since she was first rescued. She had wounds on her skin and…
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After Phuket, ambassadors target tourist safety in Krabi
PHUKET: The British, Canadian and Dutch Ambassadors to Thailand met with the top cop in Krabi yesterday to discuss tourism-safety measures and to follow up on several prominent police cases. The visit comes just two days after the three ambassadors spoke with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut to highlight their chief concerns for tourists’ safety in Phuket. Speaking with Krabi Provincial…
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Unidentified body found in Phuket canal
PHUKET: The body of an unidentified Asian man with head wounds and heavy bruising was found floating in a canal near Layan Beach (map here) on Phuket’s west coast, in the early hours of this morning. “We received a report at about 3am from the fisherman who discovered the body. We believe the body was in the water for about…
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Police reinforcements to bolster Phuket tourist safety
PHUKET: A 30-day boost in tourist-safety measures on Phuket sees an additional 400 Royal Thai Police, sourced from every division of the force, stepping foot on the island today. The desperately needed extra “troops” on the ground comes days after Ambassadors to Thailand from Canada, the Netherlands and UK visited Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut to voice their concerns about tourist…
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