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Middle Way meditation on Sunday
PHUKET CITY: There will be a Middle Way meditation training session at the Phuket Meditation Center from 3pm to 5pm on Sunday. The teaching monk will be Phra Thada Jaranatharou, who has re-arranged his busy schedule and will fly in from Bangkok for the session. Fluent in English, Phra Thada has a bachelors’ degree in industrial electrical technology from King…
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Phuket acid attack meters from cop shop
PATONG, PHUKET: A man threw acid in the face of a 27-year-old woman just 100 meters from Kathu Police Station in the early hours of this morning. The victim, Sirirat Nankham, is being treated at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Her left eye is swollen shut and she has blisters all over her body. Ms Sirirat, who works as a cashier at…
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Foreign diver found dead in Patong
PATONG, PHUKET: Kathu Police are still trying to determine the identity of a foreign woman found dead in Patong Bay on Tuesday afternoon. The body, presumed to be that of a middle-aged Caucasian woman, was pulled from the water at about 5pm by Kusoldharm Foundation workers. The bloated corpse was discovered floating at 4:30pm about four meters offshore from Paradise…
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Hold outs against jet-ski insurance scheme
PHUKET CITY: The majority of jet-ski operators on the island have applied for compulsory insurance, but five operators are holding out against the new regulation. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop yesterday afternoon held a meeting with 15 jet-ski operators to discuss compliance with a provincial policy requiring all jet-ski operators to apply for policies by the deadline that passed on Monday.…
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Phuket bag charge delayed by two months
PHUKET CITY: The launch of a plastic bag charging scheme which aims to reduce the amount of garbage generated on Phuket has been postponed for more than two months. Phuket Energy Office chief Jirasuk Tummawetch said the slated December 5 launch date did not leave enough time to promote the project sufficiently. The scheme will see major retailers such as…
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Canine caper leaves cleric in coma
PITSANULOKE: An errant monk was caught in a compromising position on November 5 after he suffered a stroke while having sex with a temple dog behind Sam Toei Temple in Wat Thong District. Villagers were drawn to the scene by the howls of protest from the dog, which the monk had lashed to a tree. After seeing the monk in…
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Phuket prepares for HRH Princess Bejaratana’s birthday
THALANG, PHUKET: Phuket will join the rest of the nation in celebrating the 84th birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda Sirisobhabannavadi on November 24. Tha Rua Temple in Thalang has been chosen as the focal point for the celebrations. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop will open the activities at the temple at 9.30am. Locations for celebrations held by the…
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Fury over flooding in Patong
PATONG / PHUKET: Pedestrians and motorists were struggling through meter-deep floodwater on Nanai Road this evening following heavy rains earlier today. Local residents fed up with the flooding, which they claim has become worse over the past few months, have nicknamed the 50-meter stretch of road ‘Nanai River’. Several local residents who spoke to the Gazette in May predicted severe…
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Reef relief: Phuket fishermen get massive haul
KARON, PHUKET: An artificial coral reef sunk off Phuket’s Karon Beach two years ago is thought to be responsible for a bumper haul of fish caught by local fishermen earlier this month. Around 400 jacks weighing four to five kilos each were caught in a single day by a small group of fishermen using a local type of net called…
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Phuket to host Asia-Pacific Ironman Championship
LAGUNA PHUKET: The world’s top Ironman competitors will descend on Laguna Phuket next year following confirmation that the Cherng Talay-based resort complex will host the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship race. The announcement of the season-ending event comes after an agreement to stage the race was signed between Laguna Hotels and Resorts Plc and the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The…
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Expectations high for Phuket’s high season
PHUKET CITY: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced that hotel occupancy rates in Phuket should hit 80 percent during the high season. According to the new TAT South Region 4 office director Ms Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, Phuket hotel and tour operators say advance bookings are on the rise. Occupancy rates should climb to 80 percent after the Christmas and New Year…
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Belgian beauties arrive on Phuket
PHUKET: Twenty Miss Belgium 2010 contestants began an eight-day stay on Phuket today with an introduction to the media at the Cape Panwa Hotel and Spa.The beauty pageant finalists are in Phuket by invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and will be taking part in photo and video shoots, kayaking and Thai cooking classes around the island.TAT South…
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Phuket bike bandit leaves Brits broke
PHUKET: Two tourists robbed in Kata were left penniless when a thief snatched a bag containing all their remaining holiday cash from the basket on their rented motorbike last week.The thief, riding another motorbike, snatched the bag on Kata Noi Road early Monday evening.The bag belonging to British holidaymaker 21-year-old Emma Kim Parker, a passenger on the bike driven by a male…
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Readers’ Poll: Will plastic bag scheme help Phuket?
PHUKET CITY: Some said it could never happen, but starting on December 4 most of the island’s major retailers will begin charging customers for plastic bags. Already on board with the project are Central, Big C, Tesco-Lotus, Makro, Supercheap and Jungceylon. Do you think this initiative will cut down significantly on the approximately 500 tonnes of garbage sent to the…
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Race against time on Phuket’s Thalang Road
PHUKET CITY: Work to bury power cables along Thalang Rd is nearing completion and the city is hoping to have the project completely finished in time for the fourth Old Phuket Town Festival next month. Aekapop Patpathom, project engineer with the Provincial Electrical Authority (PEA) office in Phuket, said all of the underground conduits have been installed. He initially expected…
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OPINION: Just missing the locals in Phuket
PHUKET: Now in its fourth year, the Phuket Thailand Open beach volleyball tournament last week was the best and biggest ever, with 66 teams from 28 countries taking part. There was a great deal of excitement during the third-place final, when a large contingent of Russian fans cheered Maria Bratkova and Evgenia Ukolova to an exciting win over Lauren Fendrick…
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Phuket Veg Fest out of control: Readers’ Poll
PHUKET CITY: Almost half of Phuket Gazette readers think the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival is ‘getting out of hand’ in terms of firecrackers and self-mutilation, and that the authorities should step in and impose some order. Of the 330 readers who took part in the poll, 48.8% overall agreed with the statement that: ‘The fireworks and self-mutilation are out of…
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Phuket teen nets badminton gold
PHUKET CITY: Phuket badminton star Maneepong Jongjit, 18, helped to secure Thailand’s first-ever gold medal at the Yonex-Sunrise BWF World Junior Championship in Malaysia earlier this month, winning the mixed doubles title with partner Rodjana Chuthabunditkul. Maneepong and Rodjana overcame Indonesian duo Angga Pratama and Destiara Haris Della by two sets to one (21-19, 14-21, 21-17) in 38 minutes to…
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One-Two-Go to launch new Phuket flight
PHUKET CITY: Low-cost carrier One-Two-Go will launch a second daily round-trip flight between Bangkok and Phuket starting on December 3. One-Two-Go Public Relations and Marketing Communications Officer Namon Patisang said fares for the flights begin at 1,750 baht, all inclusive. The new flight will depart Phuket at 1:40pm daily and make the return from Don Meuang at 3:30pm. One-Two-Go already…
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MNRE orders halt to Phuket mangrove destruction
THEPKRASATTRI, PHUKET: After receiving a deluge of complaints, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Suwit Khunkitti has ordered his department to put a stop to the continuing destruction of Phuket’s dwindling mangrove forest reserves. On Wednesday morning, Mr Suwit sent high-ranking officials to a site at Thamaphrao Village in Tambon Thepkrasattri, where more than 50 rai of forest have…
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Michael Jackson’s This Is It arrives in Phuket
PHUKET: The Michael Jackson documentary This Is It is now showing at the SFX Coliseum cinema in Central Festival Phuket, an SFX spokesperson has confirmed.The announcement follows news last month that Phuket cinemas could not show the digital version of the movie upon its worldwide release on October 28 as none of the theaters had the digital projection equipment required.However,…
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Swiss arrested on child molestation charges
PHUKET CITY: A former Swiss bank employee and tourist to Phuket has been arrested in Chiang Mai on charges of sexually harassing boys under the age of 15.Region 5 Police identified the alleged pedophile as Swiss national Cornel Josef Wietlisbach, age 54.Mr Wietlisbach’s arrest followed a one-month investigation by police and Swiss Embassy officials.Police made the arrest after questioning his…
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New coral reef found near Phuket
PHUKET CITY: A new coral reef covering an area almost the size of two soccer fields has been discovered off the coast of Phang Nga. The reef was discovered by fishermen around five nautical miles west of Kho Khao Island in Phang Nga’s Takuapa District. The reef lies at a depth of about 21 meters. Mr Chaimongkol Yaemarunpattana, a coral…
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Phuket reds, yellows ready to roll
PHUKET: Phuket’s yellow-shirted People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters and their red-shirted opponents, the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), will both be traveling to large gatherings in the near future.The Phuket PAD will be heading to Bangkok to protest former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s appointment to a high-level advisory position by Cambodian premier Hun Sen.The protest will…
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Belgian beauties bound for Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Twenty Belgian beauties will touch down in Phuket on Monday as part of eight days of activities in the run up to the 2010 Miss Belgium pageant. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) South Region 4 office director Bangornrat Shinaprayoon said the activities will include beach tours, photo and video shoots, kayaking in Phang Nga Bay, Thai cooking classes,…
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Chalong – Patong road ‘coming soon’
PHUKET CITY: A new road linking Chalong and Patong will reduce accidents, save fuel and result in the destruction of fewer trees than detractors believe, the Phuket governor said on Monday. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop was addressing a meeting at Provincial Hall to discuss progress on the controversial project, a key part of his plan to improve Phuket’s road network.…
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British man dies in Rawai
PHUKET CITY: A 52-year-old British man was found dead in his rented home in Rawai earlier today.Chalong Police Duty Officer Tienchai Duangsuwan was informed of the death by the man’s Thai girlfriend at 3:30am.The couple shared a rented home on Soi Kok Mar in Rawai.They moved into the dwelling about one week ago.The woman told police the man had earlier…
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Phuket blackout schedule announced
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced the following scheduled power cuts to carry out maintenance on high voltage wires, starting with parts of Chalong on Thursday.November 12 (9am to 4pm): ChalongAffected areas include parts of Patak Rd, south side, from Chalong Circle to the Phuket Shooting Range. Patak Villa is among the affected…
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Hainan delegation tours Phuket
PHUKET CITY: Representatives from the Chinese province of Hainan paid a visit to Phuket as part of a three-day study tour examining tourism management and development strategies. The Hainanese delegation held talks with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, Vice Governor Smith Palawatwichai and other officials at Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon. It was the final day of their three-day stay in Phuket,…
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More trouble at Panason City in Phuket
WICHIT, PHUKET: Problems continue at the troubled Panason City housing project, with workmen this morning allegedly trying to bury seven houses under mounds of earth using three excavators, according to residents of nearby Ketkaew village. Four of the houses were still occupied, 50-year-old local woman Yaowaluck Promsiri said. The incident caused outrage among local residents, 30 of whom are understood…
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