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Sponsored Promoting sustainable tourism at Blue Tree Phuket: Initiatives and impact
Blue Tree Phuket has been offering experiences that are both fun and environmentally conscious for many years. The comprehensive entertainment hub and waterpark has implemented numerous programs to enhance the sustainability of its practices, with its most recent endeavour being...
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Phuket Immigration “best in South’
PHUKET: Pol Col Witawat Buranasompop, Superintendent of the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO), today announced that his office has been chosen as the best immigration office in the south for its level of service and the improvements it has made.The PPIO received the award from Immigration Division 3 on September 30, Col Witawat said, proudly adding that PPIO Deputy Superintendent…
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Myanmar upheaval “no cause for concern’
PHUKET CITY: The current political upheaval in Myanmar should not cause any material changes to the position of Burmese labourers in Phuket, the Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Office, Pol Col Witawat Buranasompop, said today.Col Witawat told the Gazette that his office had been advised by the national immigration office to monitor Burmese labourers on the island in the wake of…
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Underground power plans delayed by funds hurdle
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) will start to install underground power cables in Phuket City and Patong … when the money can be found for the project.PPEA Manager Amorn Sang-hearn told the Gazette today that the PPEA had earmarked Thalang Rd in Phuket City and Thaweewong Rd in Patong as the first places where power cables would be…
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Early hours will cut flesh trade – Gov
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has revealed a long-suspected but until now unstated reason for the new rules mandating 1 am closure of entertainment venues – the need to reduce prostitution.The Governor was responding to threats by entertainment business leaders in Patong to close their doors indefinitely from October 26 to protest recently introduced rules requiring venues in entertainment zones…
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A cut above
CHON BURI: An enraged woman in Chon Buri’s Banglamung District cut off her partner’s penis at about 2 am on October 18, the second such incident in a month in the same province. The victim, 24-year-old furniture shop employee Songram Yospanya, explained that his long-term partner Rungnapa Pongaree, 32, felt neglected after he took on a “minor wife”. It should…
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Work permit rules tightened
PHUKET: Changes to the criteria for granting work permits were quietly introduced in Phuket on October 8, tightening many of the rules, closing some loopholes and clarifying some gray areas.Labor Department offices around the country received the new rules in an order dated September 30 and signed by the Director General of the Department of Employment, Juthathawat Intharasuksri.The main points…
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Night venues threaten indefinite closure
PHUKET CITY: Entertainment venues throughout Phuket are set to close their doors for an indefinite period on October 26 in protest against the government’s new early-closing policy.Sompetch Moosophon of Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA) told the Gazette that PEBA members had decided to take the drastic decision to close their businesses at a meeting on Saturday at The Metropole hotel.According…
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Road death toll shows improvement
PHUKET: Official figures for the year to September 20 show 122 deaths of people on motorcycles on the roads of Phuket, 15 more in cars, and one on foot for a total of 138.The figures are an improvement on those for the same period of 2003, when 145 died on Phuket’s roads, 139 of them while riding motorbikes.Sixteen people died…
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Phuket “still free of bird ‘flu’
PHUKET: With the official start of the tourism high season just two weeks away, the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office (PPLO) has reconfirmed that Phuket is still free of bird ‘flu.The head of the PPLO, Sunart Wongchawalit, said today that his office had once again checked all the poultry farms in Phuket and had found no sign of the disease.The PPLO…
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5-4-3-2-1-blastoff!
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Highways Office (PPHO) has installed “count-down” traffic lights at three points on Thepkrasattri Rd.The Chief of the PPHO, Wanchai Wattanasiri, said the installation of the new lights – which show how many seconds are left before the signal changes – is aimed at cutting the number of accidents resulting from people running red lights.The new lights,…
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Duty-free zone hits bureaucratic speed bump
PHUKET: The committee responsible for drafting a plan to establish a duty-free zone in Phuket has postponed its October meeting in order to give new members time to review the details of the scheme.No date has been set for the next committee meeting.The delay follows the latest reshuffle in Thailand’s bureaucracy, during which key members of the committee were transferred…
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Thaksin, Badawi tackle border issues
LAGUNA PHUKET: In two hours of consultation yesterday, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi discussed progress on initiatives aimed at improving bilateral ties and improving security in the troubled region along the border between the two countries. The initiatives, laid out in the nine-point Joint Development Strategy (JDS) Action Plan signed by the…
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THAI offers cut-rate Bangkok-Phuket flights
PHUKET: Thailand’s national airline, THAI, is slashing the price of flights between Phuket and Bangkok by nearly 1,000 baht for two months from November 1.The special fare of 1,700 baht one-way will be available for passengers who book “e-tickets” over the Internet and fly between November 1 and December 31. The full one-way fare is 2,625 baht.In a promotion called…
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Tourist electrocuted during rains
PHUKET: A 19-year-old Canadian tourist was electrocuted by a downed power cable in Patong during Saturday’s torrential rains.Noah Yelizarov, of Richmond, was found on the sidewalk near the Jintana Hotel. A broken electrical cable was nearby.Firefighters used a piece of wood to move the cable away and retrieve Mr Yelizarov’s body, but he was pronounced dead at Patong Hospital.Hospital director…
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Phuket Airport revenues soar
PHUKET AIRPORT: Phuket International Airport recorded almost 30% more revenue last year than in the previous year.Figures released this week during celebrations marking the airport’s 16th anniversary, show it brought in revenue of just over 1 billion baht between October 1 2003 and August 31 this year, compared to 785 million baht over the same 11 months in 2002 -2003.The…
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Patong businesses threaten “mob’ action
PATONG: After two weeks of unsuccessfully petitioning the government to compromise on operating hours, members of the Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA) said in a meeting at Patong Hospital on Friday night they would have no alternative but to demonstrate if a last-ditch appeal to PM Thaksin Shinawatra is ignored.PEBA President Sompetch Moosophon said, “We will send the final petition…
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Top triathletes sign up for Laguna event
BANG TAO: Some of the world’s top triathletes will once again compete in the 11th Thai Airways International Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT), which will be held at the Laguna Phuket Resort on November 20.Some 500 athletes from more than 32 countries are expected to vie for prize money totaling US$20,000.Athletes already confirmed in the men’s category include: Australians Simon Thompson,…
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Thai champ wins lackluster Patong fight
PATONG: In the highly anticipated non-title fight between World Boxing Council flyweight champ Pongsaklek Wonjongkam and Randy Mangubat of the Philippines, the Thai champ improved his record to 55-2 in a rather lackluster win on points. However, in the first bout between Asian Boxing Council (ABC) Flyweight Champion Denburapha TwinsSpecial and top-ranked challenger Ponomrunglek Kratingdaeng-gym, the crowd was treated to…
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Thaksin to meet Malaysian PM in Phuket
PHUKET: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will hold his annual meeting with his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket next Wednesday.Yesterday, Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura called a meeting with the heads of government departments in Phuket to prepare for the mini-summit, during which cabinet ministers from both sides will also meet for talks.The governor…
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Bokhin offers glimmer of hope for bars
PHUKET CITY: Phuket’s bars and entertainment venues may be allowed to open later again, if their owners can convince the authorities that they are seriously taking action against under-age patrons, drugs and drunk-driving.Bhokin Balakula, Interior Minister, told the Gazette today that the entertainment laws must be enforced. But, he added, “There is a possibility the rules might be re-considered, if…
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Top boxing bouts moved to Patong
PATONG: Due to continuing rainy conditions, the three boxing matches scheduled to be staged at the Nong Harn Public Area along Karon Beach today have been moved to the Patong Boxing Stadium on Soi Kepsup 2, next to the Rock ‘n Bowl Bowling Alley.The action will get underway at 3:45 pm this afternoon. Admission is free. The main event will…
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All together, now…
PHUKET: Young musicians from nine Southeast Asian countries have been attending a week-long music camp in Phuket.Altogether, 243 students aged between 14 and 25 took part in the “Sayowe” camp. Sixty of the students are from Thailand.They are due to show off the results of their studies at concerts tomorrow night and Saturday at the Thai Cultural Centre in Bangkok.…
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American dies in motorbike accident
PATONG: A 43-year-old American tourist was killed when the motobike he was riding overshot a bend on the Patong-to-Kamala road early yesterday morning.The dead man has been named by police as Marko Lislie Balfour. Mr Balfour had been staying at the Marine Inn, Patong Beach. The accident happened at approximately 1:30 am on Thursday. Pol Maj Chaiyaphot Laorhumwirog of Kathu…
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Olympic heroes head for Phuket
PHUKET: People in Phuket have a chance to see and maybe chat with Thailand’s most successful Olympic team ever, when the athletes come to Phuket as part of a three-day victory tour of the Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi.The tour is yet another of the rewards heaped on the 60-strong squad, plus support staff, for their efforts in Athens –…
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Swede dies in road accident
RAWAI: A 43-year-old Swedish resident of Rawai, named by police as Hans Ingemar, died in a motorcycle accident on Saiyuan Rd on Saturday night. His Thai girlfriend, who was riding pillion, was seriously injured when the motorbike collided with a pickup truck at around 11:30 pm.Mr Ingemar was taken to Wachira Phuket Hospital after the accident but was pronounced dead…
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F1 boat racing in Phuket confirmed
PHUKET: Phuket is to host a round of the world’s premier inshore powerboat racing championship, the UIM Formula I Powerboat Grand Prix, it was confirmed this week.Phuket Chamber of Commerce Chairman Pamuke Archariyachai told Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura on October 5 that championship organisers UIM had selected Phuket Deep Sea Port at Cape Panwa as the venue for one of the…
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Human Bar Code
PHUKET CITY: After undergoing an emergency appendectomy, a patient at Bangkok Phuket Hospital found himself unable to enter Big-C Supercenter without setting off the magnetic anti-theft security devices. Confused, embarrassed and unable to fulfill his rightful role in the Phuket consumer economy, 44-year-old Prapet Tiranon returned to the hospital and asked physicians to X-ray him to see if they had…
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Australian expertise sought for Chalong marina
PHUKET: Australian experts are being sought to help with developing the master plan for the proposed public marina project in Chalong Bay, Vice-Governor Niran Kalayanamit has told the Gazette.The vice-governor met with Ian Davey, Commercial Consultant for the Australian Embassy in Thailand, on Friday. V/Gov Niran told the Gazette that Mr Davey promised him that a professional consultant would be found…
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Bird ‘flu measures tightened up
PHUKET: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has ordered all state agencies to cooperate in eradicating bird ‘flu, after the reappearance of the disease in parts of Thailand this year.On Thursday, Gov Udomsak called a meeting of heads of state agencies in Phuket to ensure the island remains free of the disease.This meeting followed one the previous day in Bangkok, during which Prime…
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OrBorJor sets budget at B405m
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor) has set a budget for 2004-2005 of 405 million baht.Members met on September 30 and voted unanimously for the budget, which is 42 million baht – 11.6% – higher than the one for 2003-2004.Almost a quarter of the budget is earmarked for promoting Phuket as a tourist destination, and educational projects and programmes…
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