News
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Phuket Sports: Brazil top futsal world rankings after winning fifth title
PHUKET: Brazil’s national futsal team have reclaimed their world number 1 ranking after being crowned world champions in Bangkok last Sunday. Meanwhile, the previous number one, Spain unofficially become the world’s second best team after holding the top ranking for the past two years. Brazil concluded their dominance of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012, winning all seven of their…
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Live Wire: Getting wired into Phuket
PHUKET: High season is approaching. Every year about this time I start getting inquiries about connecting to the Internet in Phuket. As people flock to Phuket for vacations and new jobs, many decide to stay for a week or a month or a decade, and one of the very first questions they have is how in the world to get…
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Phuket protesters to bolster ranks of anti-government rally in Bangkok
PHUKET: A group of Phuket anti-government protesters called the “Phuket Mass Power Group” will join the Pitak Siam anti-government rally at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok on Saturday. “We are not happy with the government’s work,” Apharat Chartchutikumjorn, Pitak Siam coordinator for Phuket, told the Phuket Gazette. “Pitak Siam leader Gen Boonlert Kaewprasit will lead thousands of us in a…
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Police identify Russian tourist killed in Phuket car crash
PHUKET: Police have identified the foreign man who died in a high-speed car crash early Saturday morning on a Phuket west-coast road as Andrei Pavlov, a 31-year-old Russian national. (Click here to see Phuket Breaking News report.) Patong Police inspector Pratuang Polmana confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that Mr Pavlov was a tourist living in rented accommodation in Kamala. “He…
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Phuket FC get new head coach ahead of next season
PHUKET: The Islanders, Phuket FC have secured a new Head Coach, with an official announcement expected to be made this Saturday. Paniphon “Tu” Kerdyaem, a former coaching staff member of Thai Premier League team, Army United will fill the vacancy left by Anurak “June” Srikerd, who coached the struggling team in the final six matches of last season, and helped…
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Phuket Business: Tourism growth projected at 15% by Seacon head
PHUKET: Piya Sosothikul, executive director of Seacon Group, and owner of the Renaissance Phuket Resort and Spa, recently gave his outlook for Phuket tourism. Mr Piya said he expects tourist arrivals to increase by 15% this year, despite a decline in arrivals from the island’s traditional tourist source markets in Western Europe, due to the economic and financial crises affecting…
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Thailand Futsal League – Phuket United down Samut Prakarn on the road
PHUKET: The island’s pro futsal team, Phuket United, were victorious in their second match of the Thailand Futsal Premier League 2012-2013 season, winning 3-0 on the road last night against Samut Prakarn United. Goals were scored by both of the club’s foreign players – Brazilian duo, Rogerio Moreira and Jackson Santos – as well as Thai player, Nattaphong Buachary. After…
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Krabi Police clamp down on noisy motorbikes
PHUKET: Krabi Police destroyed more than 600 illegal motorbike exhaust pipes seized during police checks across the bay from Phuket in September. At a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the culmination of a campaign entitled “Youths join together: ride motorbikes without modified exhaust pipes”, Krabi Governor Prasit Osathanon and Krabi Police Commander Nantadech Yoinuan witnessed the crushing of the impounded…
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World News: Fragile truce takes hold; Bus bombing in Tel Aviv
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hamas-Israel ceasefire takes hold but mistrust runs deep Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers finally took hold today after eight days of conflict, although deep mistrust on both sides cast doubt on how long the Egyptian-sponsored deal can last.…
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World News: Fallen Gurkhas honoured
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nepal rites to banish ghosts of fallen Gurkha soldiers Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Wrapped in white and with their heads shaven, retired Gurkha soldiers sat cross-legged on the stems of dried rice plants for three days of symbolic and traditional mourning, laying to rest the…
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Champions League football: English riches not enough on European stage
PHUKET: Real Madrid and AC Milan led a procession of six teams into the Champions League last 16 last night while big-spending Manchester City failed again on the European stage to further dent English soccer’s standing. Milan qualified with a 3-1 win at Anderlecht, their goals including a spectacular overhead kick by Philippe Mexes which was a near carbon copy…
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Phuket biologists believe stranded dolphin now safely out to sea
PHUKET: Officers at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) who released a stranded Spinner dolphin back into the sea on Saturday are confident that it is now safe. “Our officers monitored the release area after letting the dolphin go on Saturday. We haven’t seen it return to the beach,” Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, who heads the PMBC’s Endangered Species Unit, told…
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Phuket Business: Pepsi gets new Andaman arm
PHUKET: Super Cheap Co Ltd has taken over distribution of Pepsi beverage products in Phuket and two other key Andaman coastal provinces, a spokesperson from the local retail giant has confirmed.The development follows the expiration on November 1 of a long-running contract between the Thai subsidiary of Pepsi-Cola (PepsiCo) and local beverage firm Serm Suk.Prior to the split, Bangkok-based Serm…
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Phuket Business: Coca-Cola pouring B200mn into Thai cola battle; New player enters market
PHUKET: Coca-Cola (Coke) is spending 200 million baht on marketing in the final quarter of this year in hopes of surpassing Pepsi to become the undisputed leader of Thailand’s 38.5 billion baht carbonated-drink market.Colas represent about 75% of Thailand’s carbonated drink market. This is followed by flavored drinks (20%) and lemon-lime beverages (5%). The cola segment is also the most…
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Phuket Sports: IronTwins talk about competing
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette continues its build up to this year’s Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club IronKids on December 1. This week, Dutch twins Chloe and Maxime Schrijnemaekers, 10, are the featured IronKids.Chloe’s views on IronKidsPhuket Gazette: Why do you compete in IronKids?I really like the sport and love doing three sports combined into one event. Also, it gives me…
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One Phuket swimmer drowns, one sent to hospital
PHUKET: Two swimming* incidents on Koh Racha, about 25 kilometers south of Phuket, have left a Chinese woman dead and an Indian woman in hospital. (Click here to see Phuket Breaking News report.) Yuan Dingrong, 56, who was spending a week in Patong with nine of her family members, drowned after getting into difficulties while swimming* off Ao La (La…
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Phuket mass fish deaths put flood-prevention project on hold
PHUKET: Dredging of a popular fishing pond in Suan Luang (Rama IX Park)* in Phuket Town is on hold after hundreds of fish were found dead along the banks of the pond this morning. Local residents believe the fish died from oxygen depletion in the water brought on by dredging. The dredging is part of a 25-million-baht flood-prevention project. Residents…
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Tourists rushed to Phuket after ‘near drowning’ during snorkelling day trip
PHUKET BREAKING NEWS: A 50-year-old Chinese tourist has been rushed to Phuket International Hospital after being pulled from the water feared drowned while snorkelling off Racha Yai Island at about midday today.Meanwhile, about the same time also off Racha Yai Island, an Indian woman, about 40 years old, was pulled from the water after also choking on water difficulties while…
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Phuket Airport authorities approve all ‘new’ taxis
PHUKET: Despite an Airports of Thailand (AOT) senior executive just last month announcing a freeze in the number taxi vehicles serving Phuket Airport, local officials yesterday approved every request made by local taxi operators to boost their airport fleets. Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by all main parties involved (see below), the Phuket Mai Khao Company and the…
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World News: Extramarital sex not unusual says wife of U.S. General on trial for adultery
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET (Reuters): The wife of a U.S. Army general facing adultery and sex charges said on Monday that military marriages have suffered from the extended U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and described infidelity as an emotional war wound that gets overlooked.In an interview with Reuters, Rebecca Sinclair…
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Phuket Police suspect ‘pre-existing condition’ caused Russian tourist drowning
PHUKET: Phuket Police suspect that an underlying medical condition led to the drowning of a 69-year-old Russian tourist off Patong Beach yesterday morning.Patong Police Capt Teerasak Boonsaeng was informed at 10:30am that a body had been recovered by a jet-ski rider from the water off just north of Loma Park.Police Superintendant Chiraphat Pochanaphan along with Kusoldtham Rescue Foundation workers attended…
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Work on Phuket underpass deferred to Friday
PHUKET: The lane closures to make way for the construction of Phuket’s first underpass in front of the Phuket Central Festival shopping mall has been postponed for two days. Originally planned to commence on Wednesday (tomorrow), Italian-Thai Development project managers confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today that the start had been delayed intentionally to prevent mid-week traffic congestion. “The lane…
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PAD rallies in Phuket to “reclaim Thai petrol’
PHUKET: Key leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) staged a rally in Phuket Town yesterday to inspire support for their “reclaim PTT” campaign.The campaign opposes the privatization of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) Public Company Limited, which currently operates as a state enterprise listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET).The leaders of the PAD, better known…
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Phuket police nab bag snatchers in Patong
PHUKET: Police quickly arrested three young men today, all of whom have reportedly confessed to no fewer than eight bag-snatches in Phuket’s premier tourism town of Patong.The arrests followed a bag snatching on the Patong beach road, at 12:36am.Quick police action saw officers move in and arrest the three suspects – Sarayuth “Ice” Aisuwan, Bunharn “Diao” Banpeung and one man…
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Russian man drowns off Phuket Beach
PHUKET BREAKING NEWS: Phuket police have reported that a 69-year-old Russian tourist drowned off Patong Beach this morning. The body of the man, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin, was found near the northern end of the beach at about 10:30am. Police believe the man died an hour before his body was found. “The man arrived in…
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World News: NATO allies may send missiles to Turkey
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Netherlands, Germany may send missiles to Turkey – report Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Turkey has said it has intensified talks with NATO allies on how to shore up security on its 900-km (560-mile) frontier with Syria after mortar rounds fired from Syria landed inside its…
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World News: Obama begins historic Myanmar visit
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Praise and pressure as Obama begins historic Myanmar visit Reuters / Phuket GazetteYANGON: Barack Obama became the first serving U.S. president to visit Myanmar today, trying during a whirlwind six-hour trip to strike a balance between praising the government’s progress in shaking off military rule and pressing…
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Chaianan wins re-election as Kathu Mayor in Phuket polls
PHUKET: Chaianan Sutthikul was re-elected to his second consecutive term as Kathu Mayor in the Kathu mayoral election and Kathu Municipal council election held in central Phuket yesterday.In the preliminary vote count, Mr Chaianan scored 5,437 votes to defeat his only rival for the Kathu top seat: two-time former Kathu Mayor Prasert Khaokijpaisarn. Mr Prasert was elected to his first…
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World News: Pressure for ceasefire mounting in Israel-Gaza conflict
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community More diplomacy to try to halt Israel-Gaza fighting Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Hostilities between Islamist militants and Israel entered a sixth day as diplomatic efforts were set to intensify to try to stop rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and Israeli air strikes on Gaza.International pressure for…
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World News: Israel, Gaza intensify bombings this morning
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Israel, Gaza fighting rages on as Egypt seeks peace Phuket Gazette / ReutersPHUKET: Israel bombed militant targets in Gaza for a fifth straight day this morning (Phuket time), launching aerial and naval attacks as its military prepared for a possible ground invasion, though Egypt saw “some indications”…
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