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Phuket star gazers hope for clear skies
PHUKET: Weather permitting, the annual Leonids meteor shower should be viewable with unaided eyes after midnight tonight. The show will reach its peak between 3am and 5am, according to the National Astronomical Research Institute. Phuket people might not want to do an all-night vigil hoping to catch a glimpse, however. The northeast monsoon continues to prevail over Southern Thailand’s west…
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Phuket motorcycle helmet campaign hits streets of Patong
PHUKET: Over a thousand Patong residents yesterday took part in a parade in support of the “100% motorcycle helmet use” campaign underway across Phuket. The parade, held along the beach road in Patong, is part of the public awareness phase of the campaign. It was organized by Kathu Police, the Patong Taxi Federation, and Patong Municipality. The safety campaign, which…
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Phuket youth rugby club seeks donations
PHUKET: Members of Phuket’s Lomas Rugby club are appealing for donations as they get ready for a busy tour schedule. The club, which relies on contributions to pay expenses, is sending teams to two important youth tournaments in the coming weeks. The under-15 and under-12 squads will compete in the National Sevens Regional Qualifiers to be held in Krabi on…
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Two new vice governors for Phuket
PHUKET: Two new vice governors will take up office in Phuket later this month under the latest civil service reshuffle approved by the Ministry of Interior. The two new vice governors, effective from November 29, will be sitting Krabi Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen and sitting Surin Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak. Their appointments, approved on Saturday, are expected to lighten the…
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Phuket Amateur Golf Open event at Laguna on Sunday
PHUKET: There are a number of places still available for the Phuket Amateur Golf Open event at Laguna Golf Club on Sunday. The event is the fifth in a series of 11 events to determine who is Phuket’s best amateur golfer. First and second place winners in each tournament will qualify for the 11th and final tournament, the Phuket Amateur…
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Phuket poll: Will the strong baht hurt high-season tourism?
PHUKET: With the Thai baht surging against many foreign currencies, the Gazette asks readers what effect they think the strong baht will have on the local economy entering the “high season” for tourism. To vote in the latest readers’ poll, click here or on the icon at the top right of this page. — News editor
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Qatar Airways flight a boon for Phuket
PHUKET: A new daily flight connecting Doha and Phuket is set to benefit the island in a number of ways, including improving travel options among European tourists wishing to holiday in the Andaman region. The first Qatar Airways flight from Doha, with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur, landed in Phuket on October 12. Phuket is one of nine new destinations…
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Phuket International Sportfishing Tournament starts Thursday
PHUKET: Registration for the annual Phuket International Sportfishing Tournament 2010 starts from 5pm tomorrow, with competitors setting out from Chalong Pier over the following three days in search of 11 eligible species, including black marlin, sailfish, cobia, barracuda and tuna. Trophies will go to the heaviest catch in each category, as well as for the most billfish releases. There will…
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Phuket Police nab drug dealing cousins
PHUKET: Phuket Police arrested two young cousins from Ratchaburi for possession of 2,600 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills with intent to sell on Saturday. The pair were identified at a press conference at Phuket City Police Station this morning as Natsuda Nakprasit, 20, and her cousin Naret Radomkij, 19. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong said the pair were approached by…
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Phuket art galleries to show beach clean-up artwork
PHUKET: Beginning next month, selected art galleries in Phuket will stage a series of “marine debris” exhibitions comprising artwork made from trash collected during beach clean-ups. The grand opening will be at the Nakhonnai Museum, opposite the Golden Tulip Mangosteen Resort & Spa on Saiyuan Road Soi 2 in Rawai. Doors will open at 6pm on December 1. Subsequent showing…
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Phuket private healthcare gets a thumbs-up: poll
PHUKET: A majority of Phuket Gazette on-line readers have a favorable opinion of private health-care services in Phuket, the results of the latest Readers’ Poll reveal. Last week readers were asked: “With two international hospitals and numerous private clinics, Phuket has been much touted as a medical tourism hub. Cost considerations aside, how would you rate the overall quality of…
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Phuket to host Asian Beach Games 2014
PHUKET: Phuket is set to host the fourth-ever Asian Beach Games in 2014 after Thai officials inked a deal with the Olympic Council of Asia on November 13. Thailand was the only country that made a bid, said Olympic Committee of Thailand president Yutthasak Sasiprabha. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradecha said the sporting extravaganza could bring as much as one billion…
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Volleyball challenge: Let’s keep Phuket a winner in tourism and sports
PHUKET: By all accounts, this year’s Phuket Thailand Open, the globe-trotting women’s beach volleyball tournament, was the biggest, best and most entertaining to date. A real boon for tourism at the tail end of the low season, the competition showcased the considerable talents of these professional athletes and culminated in an exciting day of finals with a rivetting tie-breaker for…
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FC Phuket beats Loei City 2:1
PHUKET: FC Phuket came from behind to beat Loei City 2-1 last night, greatly improving their chances for promotion to Division 1 of the Thai Football League. FC Phuket dominated play in the first half, but failed to convert on numerous scoring chances. A goal by Loei City early in the second half silenced the crowd, but a converted penalty…
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Bizarre murder-suicide in Phuket Town restaurant
PHUKET: A restaurant owner shot his sister-in-law in the head and then turned the gun on himself in front of shocked patrons at a Phuket City restaurant last night. Phuket City Police received a report of the shooting at at the Khrua Pailin Restaurant on Surin Road in Phuket Town at about 9:20pm. Led by Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai…
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Phuket land dispute stalls sea gypsy culture center project
PHUKET: More than a hundred sea gypsies handed a letter of protest to Phuket Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat on Thursday, demanding action over alleged encroachment at the site of the planned Urak Lawoi Culture Center on Koh Sireh. The protesters, who live in the nearby Laem Tukkae community, said they were at first unconcerned when they noticed workmen removing barbed…
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Sink or swim Saturday for FC Phuket
PHUKET: Tomorrow evening’s clash at Surakul Stadium is a must-win for FC Phuket in their quest for promotion to Thai League Division One. Kickoff for the AIS Regional League Division 2 match against Loei City will be at 6pm. The Southern Sea Kirin need an immediate return to winning after a disappointing 1-1 draw against Bangkok FC last weekend. FC…
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More rain for Phuket, Andaman coast
PHUKET: The heavy rains Phuket is experiencing will continue over the next 24 hours, according to the latest Meteorological Department (MET) forecast. According to the latest report issued by the MET’s Southern Meteorological Center (West Coast) at Phuket Airport, a monsoon trough remains fixed over the Southern Thailand. More rain, with isolated heavy rain, is expected along the west coast,…
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Norwegian dies in Phuket suicide plunge
PHUKET: A young Norwegian man took his life this morning by jumping from the 13th floor of a Phuket hotel. The 26-year-old, whose name is being held pending notification of kin, was found dead on the grounds of the Phuket Palace Hotel in Patong just after 10:30am. Capt Weerapong Rakkitteo of the Kathu Police said CCTV camera footage taken at…
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Phuket landing fees slashed to lure more tourists
PHUKET: Airlines that launch a service connecting Phuket with a “new” destination will have their landing fees for all flights on that service slashed by 95%. As an added bonus, airlines that open any such new routes will receive 70 baht per passenger on any scheduled flights landing in off-peak hours: from 1am to 8:59am and 10pm to midnight. Effective…
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Phuket blackout schedule for November
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced scheduled blackouts to carry out maintenance on high voltage power lines, install new lines and move power poles. The blackouts – in Rassada, Chalong and Kathu – will last from 9am to 4pm at the following dates and locations: November 15, Rassada: Thepprathan Road on Koh Sireh, from the T-Junction at…
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Temple thief shooting “self-defense’: Phuket Police
PHUKET: A man gunned down by police on Sunday was shot in self-defense, police say. “Police were chasing him, and the robber started shooting at the officers, so they returned fire,” Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit said. The man was shot four times in the chest. “He died instantly at the scene,” Col Wanchai added. No identification was found…
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Phuket health workers battle HIV/Aids, STDs – and social stigma
PHUKET: It’s no secret that prostitution, while illegal, is rife on Phuket. While most public agencies turn a blind eye to the reality, the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) however, continues to run its ongoing campaign to ensure sex workers have voluntary regular health checks. On the front lines as head of the PPHO’s HIV/Aids division is Eam-orn Kittitornkul, a…
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Phuket Poll: Are Phuket hospitals up to scratch?
PHUKET: With two international hospitals and numerous private clinics, Phuket has been much touted as a medical tourism hub. But just how good are the services offered at these facilities? In the latest Phuket Gazette poll, we ask readers to rate the overall quality of private healthcare facilities on the island. Have your say by clicking here or on the…
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Phuket surf claims two more victims
PHUKET: Friends and relatives watched in horror as Thai construction worker Kittisak Thongtirat was swamped by a big wave, then disappeared in rough surf at Karon Beach on Monday. He was one of two people who drowned at the popular beach that afternoon. Duty officer Nitikorn Rawang of Chalong Police said Mr Kittisak, 25, went swimming near the Centara Grand…
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Patong taxis to get meters, call center
PHUKET: Following numerous complaints about overpricing and poor service, the Phuket Land Transport Office will impose order on black-plate taxis and tuk-tuks operating in both Patong and Kamala, it was announced yesterday. The news followed a meeting yesterday between Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, Police Civil Service Commission board member Pol Gen Pichit Khuantechakup, Phuket Land Transport chief Kanok Siripanichkorn and…
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House top prize in 2011 Phuket Red Cross raffle
PHUKET: A new home will be the grand prize in the raffle held during the upcoming Phuket Red Cross Fair. Plans are already well in place for the joint Red Cross Fair and New Year celebrations in Phuket Town, which will take place over 11 fun days at Saphan Hin public park. The “Good Things of Phuket and Red Cross…
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Iced beer is queer: Phuket poll
PHUKET: A majority of Phuket Gazette readers frown on the practice of putting ice in beer as a way of keeping it chilled, the results of a recent readers’ poll reveal. Of the 689 people who voted in the twelve-day poll, 53.7% overall answered: “It’s wrong. Beer isn’t meant to be drunk that way.” However a significant number, 37.7%, approved…
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Phuket picks up Condé Naste awards
PHUKET: Phuket has once again made its way into top global travel rankings, claiming several honors in Condé Naste Traveler’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards. Phuket was ranked third in the Top Islands Asia category, with a score of 80.2 out of 100. The Maldives scored 86.4 and Bali 84.4, claiming the top two spots respectively. Koh Samui was 8th, with…
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AirAsia to launch Phuket – Bali flights
PHUKET: AirAsia will operate four flights weekly between Phuket and Bali starting December 17. “I know it’s a challenging route, but with the high number of people visiting Bali, I believe that some of them may want to visit Phuket, too,” Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijileveld said at the launch yesterday. “I also believe that Scandinavian tourists in Phuket want…
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