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Phuket keen to host 2015 World Weightlifting Championships
PHUKET: The Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association (TAWL) is considering proposing Phuket to host the World Weightlifting Championships in 2015. A TAWL delegation visited Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning to discuss the idea in a meeting chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Teerayut Eimtrakul. TAWL director Montol Chartsuwaan said Phuket was among three locations under consideration. The others are Pattaya and Hua…
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383 dengue cases in Phuket
PHUKET: There have been 383 cases of dengue fever year-to-date in Phuket, but no deaths, the Ministry of Public Health says. Dr Wiwat Seetamanotch, deputy director of the Phuket Public Health Office and an expert on the disease, said the 383 cases so far this year has already surpassed the total number of cases in 2009, when 309 were recorded…
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Phuket celebrates HM The Queen’s Birthday
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop on Monday presided over the opening of a project to plant 999 Yang Na trees at Rama IX Park as part of activities in honor of HM The Queen’s Birthday tomorrow. The event, which began at 9am, also included the release of 9,999 “effective micro-organism” (EM) balls into ponds at the park, also known as…
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Phuket tourism: bigger pic needed; Phuket yachts; Surf’s up
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Call to relax constraints on tourism Phuket could benefit substantially if Thailand were to think wider in the regulation of its vital tourism industry. The Thai tourism industry needs to relax its regulations and give more access…
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Laguna Phuket sells Dusit Thani for Bt2.62b
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket has sold the Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket resort to Dusit Thani Public Company Limited for 2.62 billion baht, according to a Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) transaction report. The 226-room upscale property, opened in 1987, was the first built by visionary Singaporean hotel developer KP Ho at Laguna Phuket, an integrated resort complex built on degraded tin…
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Blackouts in Phuket tomorrow: PEA
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced a scheduled blackout to carry out maintenance on high voltage power lines in Rawai and Chalong from 9am to 4pm tomorrow. Affected areas include: Rawai: Much of Nai Harn, including Saiyuan Road, Soi Kok Yang, Soi Hua Phru, Soi Kok Makham, Soi Naya and the beach road Chalong: West side of Chao…
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Body of drowned Bahraini tourist recovered off Phuket
PHUKET: The body of a Bahraini tourist was recovered early this morning, three days after disappearing in heavy surf off Karon Beach on Sunday afternoon. Uten Singsom, head of the Phuket Lifeguard Club contingent assigned to patrol Kata-Karon, identified the deceased as Ali Abdulaziz Salman Alsaeed, age 25. Mr Ali arrived in Phuket on August 5 with three friends, all…
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More Phuket Airport taxis approved
PHUKET: The Transport Ministry has formally approved a request by Airports of Thailand (AoT) to increase the number of taxis and vans that can operate at Phuket International Airport by 60. News of the approval came at a meeting chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat at Phuket Provincial Hall on Friday morning. Phuket Land Transport Office director Kanok Siripanichkorn…
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Phuket SEZ a dream?; Mega-show for Phuket; Election fraud; court begins
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Special Economic Zones: Phuket hopes remain a dream In a development sure to raise eyebrows in Phuket, Sa Kaew province has been chosen to become a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to promote trade and investment in eastern…
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Environmentalists urge amendment of Phuket development plan
PHUKET: A written appeal to amend Phuket’s General Development Plan was submitted by local environmental and community groups last week. Addressed to Gov Wichai Phraisa-ngob, the letter was received by Vice Governor Teerayut Eimtrakul who commented that a committee would be arranged to consider issues raised in the document before passing on any suggested amendments to the Department of Public…
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Phuket expats can enter census data on line
PHUKET: Foreigners in Phuket wanting to take part in the national census can do so on line from September 1, the Phuket Provincial Statistical Office has told the Gazette. Prapai Pukngarm, a technical and planning officer at the office, said the National Statistical Office (NSO) website (www.nso.go.th) should be ready to accept census data from September 1, when data collection…
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Phuket Bus Terminal 2: the saga continues
PHUKET: A plan by the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) to open its new provincial bus station by October 1 is in jeopardy because local residents oppose having buses do U-turns on Thepkrasattri Road, the Gazette has learned. PLTO Chief Kanok Siripanichkorn told the Gazette last week that his office hoped to have the 128-million-baht facility in operation by October…
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Phuket drowning victim identified
PHUKET: Police have identified the body of a man found washed up at Ao Yon over the weekend as that of Rawai resident Abdulloh Thaodaeng, aged 46. Phuket City Police were notified that a body was discovered lying face up on Ao Yon beach in tambon Wichit at about 2:30am yesterday. Police were initially unable to identify the corpse, clad…
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Phuket Poll: Foreign tourists lax on Thai culture
PHUKET: Foreign visitors to Phuket make some, but not considerable, effort to understand and respect Thai culture, the results of the latest Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll reveal. A total of 325 readers took part in the two-week survey, posted on July 22, 2010. The poll followed a report by the local Culture Ministry office that a foreigner running a restaurant…
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FC Phuket breeze past Hatyai FC, 2-0
PHUKET: The Division Two South title in the AIS Regional League is within easy reach for FC Phuket following a comfortable 2-0 win against Hatyai FC at Surakul Stadium yesterday evening. FC Phuket went into the match brimming with confidence, having put together back-to-back league wins after the surprise loss to Yala FC. FC Phuket started the match brightly, but…
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Phuket wet market to open this month
PHUKET: Although vendors and city officials continue to haggle over costs, the new wet market on Ranong Road will open by the end of the month, Phuket City Municipality says. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana and city council members met with vendor representatives at Phuket City Hall on Monday. Provincial Deputy Governor Teerayut Eimtrakul served as chairman of the meeting…
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Andaman Motor Expo underway in Phuket
PHUKET: The Andaman Motor Expo 2010 is underway on the first floor of Central Festival Phuket’s HomeWorks complex. Among the makes on display are Toyota, Isuzu, Mazda, Proton, Mitsubishi, Chevrolet, BMW and Volvo. Companies selling car accessories and finance firms also have booths and displays. There are also classic cars on display, including a replica of the #53 Herbie “The…
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Work begins on new Phuket Town road
PHUKET: Construction began yesterday on a new road that will link Saphan Hin to Chao Fa East Road in Phuket Town. With an axe-chop to a cement bag, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop kicked off the opening ceremony at 9:30am with Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana, Phuket MP Raywat Areerob and Phuket Rural Roads Office Director Teeraporn Jirarattanakorn. The ceremony took…
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New hope for Phuket bus station
PHUKET: The new terminal for inter-provincial buses will open for service in October, Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) Chief Kanok Siripanichkorn has told the Gazette. Work on the 128-million-baht facility was completed in early December last year, but the station has sat idle ever since. “Bus terminals like this are usually handed over to local organizations to manage. Initially, Rassada…
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Phuket government offices to close for Mother’s Day
PHUKET: All Thai government offices, including Phuket Immigration, will be closed August 12 and 13 for the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit. Her Majesty’s birthday on August 12 is also celebrated as Mother’s Day in Thailand. “Our office will be closed on August 12 and 13, and will reopen on August 16,” Phuket Immigration Chief Col Panuwat Ruamrak confirmed to…
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Phuket PAD protest; oil drills defended; Bangkok bombs; economy booms
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Phuket PAD adding fuel to temple fire Phuket members of the People‘s Alliance for Democracy are on their way to Bangkok this morning to join a rally at Government House. The Phuket contingent wants to help the…
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German-Thai couple nabbed for Phuket burglary
KAMALA: A German and his Thai girlfriend were arrested Wednesday for burglary and possession of stolen goods after the couple’s alleged victim spotted one of them carrying her missing handbag in Kamala, police said. Natthapakin Kuanchaipruek, superintendent at Kamala Police Station, presented Karsten Lange, 45, and his girlfriend Pattranit Morida, 29, at a press conference yesterday. Police said Mr Lange…
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2nd Phuket Traditional Costume Contest on Sunday
PHUKET: The second-annual Phuket Traditional Costumes Contest will be held on August 8 from 2pm to 4pm at the Thalang National Museum, the museum’s director Atchima Nookhong announced August 2. Ms Atchima said the traditional costumes show the cultural identities of Phuket people, displaying the diversity of origins of people co-existing on the island for a long time. “Globalization has…
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Preah Vihear protest: Phuket PAD off to Bangkok
PHUKET: Phuket members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy will travel to the capital tomorrow to join a rally at Government House, where they will pressure the government to resolve the ongoing dispute over the Preah Vihear temple. Preah Vihear temple, built on the hilly border between Thailand and Cambodia, was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice…
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Brit biker sets record for Thai King
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. PHUKET: Away from his home in Chiangrai for more than three months, British expat Alan Bate completed his trip around the world in honour of His Majesty the King of Thailand yesterday and set a new record…
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Phuket Police: ‘Serial suicide’ girl a con artist
PHUKET: The “suicidal” teenage girl who threatened to hurl herself from a pedestrian walkway in Phuket Town yesterday is actually a serial con artist who has tried similar scams in other parts of the country, police say. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit told the media today that police left Phuket yesterday to escort 19-year-old Orasa Lapruek back to her…
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Mother’s Day photo contest by Radio Thailand, Phuket
PHUKET: The Radio Thailand office in Phuket is holding a digital photo contest with the theme of “The bond between mother and child” in celebration of national Mothers’ Day on August 12, which is the 78th birthday or HM Queen Sirikit. All submissions will be judged on beauty, creativity and how well they express the stated theme. Images must original…
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Baba Peranakan mass wedding in Phuket Town
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is organizing a mass wedding ceremony in the “Baba Peranakan” (Straits Chinese) tradition to take place in Phuket Town this month. The colorful event, organized jointly with the Phuket Peranakan Association (PPA) and Phuket City Municipality, will take place August 14 and 15. It is intended both as a celebration of Peranakan culture…
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Phuket crash helmet campaign: fines start July 1, 2011
PHUKET: The public awareness part of the Phuket City Police “100% motorcycle helmet use” campaign will run another full year before offenders will face fines, it has been announced. The campaign, which began in April, is intended to bring helmet use in Phuket City Police District to 100%, both among operators and their passengers. July 1 this year was initially…
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Cockfighting a gamble in Phuket
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world about Thailand, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. PHUKET: Initially reported by the Phuket Gazette on Monday, a raid on a cockfighting ring in Phuket on Sunday has caught the attention of online gambling journal ‘Gaming Zion’, which in a report filed last night looks…
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