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Is tap water in Thailand safe to consume?
Wondering if you can drink the tap water in Thailand? From brushing your teeth to filling up a bottle, it’s helpful to understand a few basics. Tap water safety in Thailand varies by location, and while some people use it...
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Phuket tourism shrugs off Bangkok blasts: PTA
PHUKET: The recent bombings in Bangkok have not resulted in cancellations of hotel bookings in Phuket and the island’s tourism industry prospects for 2012 remain strong, the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) has announced. Barring a “major incident”, Phuket can expect to have strong tourist arrival figures from both Europe and Asia throughout 2012, PTA President Jirayus Somboon told the Gazette.…
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Phuket business: Inflated eats; Flower sales bloom; Kata – Karon branded green; Taiwan bar raised
PHUKET: In light of the continuously rising cost of living, accounting books of rice and noodle vendors across Phuket and Thailand could become subject to increased audits this year. As of yesterday the Department of Internal Trade (DIT) issued official price cap suggestions for 10 common Thai menu items to be priced under 35 baht. These include rice dishes served…
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Phuket business: Local suppliers to extend reach
PHUKET: Red Bull’s national distribution arm is looking to capitalize on local supply markets, a strategy which could extend the reach of Phuket-sourced products into greater national, regional and global markets. Durbell, a key logistics affiliate of the Red Bull Beverage Company (the producers of Krating Daeng) aims to diversify its offerings and keep ahead in the expanding wholesale and…
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Phuket business: FC Phuketonomics: ball business
PHUKET: Despite having nearly been dissolved due to swelling debts, FC Phuket 1688 Co Ltd generated the fifth highest turnover out of 18 Division 1 clubs, statistics released by the Thai Premier League (TPL) have revealed. Concluding last month, the 2011-2012 season’s tallied receipts show that the Southern Sea Kirin had generated more than 2.8 million baht, which equates to…
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Phuket Live Wire: Keeping malware at bay for free
PHUKET: Continuing the series answering questions I hear most often from PC users here in Phuket, I have a very unpopular choice for antivirus (AV) software. Here’s the question: “Woody, I got a copy of (one of the major antivirus products) when I bought my new PC. It worked fine for six months, but now it wants money. I tried…
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Phuket poll: Irksome complaints by foreigners
PHUKET: Foreigners in Phuket, both tourists and residents, have developed somewhat of a reputation for complaining over the years. The latest Phuket Gazette readers poll, online now, asks readers: Which of the following topics are you most tired of hearing foreigners in Phuket complain about? And the nominees are: • Overpriced alcohol• Double-pricing (when foreigners pay more than Thais)• Tuk-tuks,…
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Pregnant Swede still in Phuket hospital after chlorine gas exposure
PHUKET: A pregnant Swedish woman exposed to a cloud of chlorine gas at a Phuket resort on Saturday remains in the hospital, despite the resort management’s claims that all of those affected were treated and released the same day. Patong Hospital official Hathairat Rangsansarit told the Phuket Gazette today that all 37 victims, initially rushed to Patong Hospital, were later…
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Tremor hits Phang Nga, no damage reported
PHUKET: Coastal residents of Takuapa District in Phang Nga were put on alert this morning following a minor earthquake. The event turned out to be a localized tremor that caused no damage, not the effects of a larger event further away like the tsunami-causing quake that devastated Phuket and the entire Andaman coastline in 2004. Somkiat Intorrajan, director of the…
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Paddling Lanta to Phi Phi
PHUKET: Relieved but exhilarated five paddleboarders successfully finished their 32-kilometer paddling challenge from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi earlier this month. In a time of 4 hours and 32 minutes on February 3, the “Stand Up Paddle” (SUP) team successfully laid their boards to rest on Phi Phi Don. Team members were Starboard team rider, Lina Augaitis; Owner of…
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Village go coco-nuts over Patong defeat
PHUKET: In a crucial Phuket Island Furniture League match, Patong and the Village faced each other at the ACG with both teams needing a win to boost their hopes of a showdown with title favorites, Laguna CC. Undefeated so far this season, the Village knew that taking points from Patong would effectively end the reigning champions expectations of at least…
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Five dead, 16 injured in Phang Nga crash
PHUKET: Five people returning from a Phuket cremation ceremony were killed on Saturday night when the crowded pickup they were riding in slammed into a tree in Phang Nga. Sixteen others were seriously injured. A songthaew (pickup modified for passenger transport) was returning Buddhist adherents from the cremation ceremony of Mai Khao Temple Abbot Luangpor Daeng when the accident occurred…
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Sweet sixteen in Phuket’s AFL round four
PHUKET: Cancelled and postponed games meant only two matches were played in round four of the Phuket Adult Futsal League presented by Thanachart Bank. Despite only two games on the card, sixteen goals were scored to ensure an exhilarating night of football. TSLC and SGS faced off in the first encounter with the home side looking to keep their unbeaten…
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Royal Thai Navy intercepts 27 Phuket-bound Burmese
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command arrested 27 Burmese en route to Phuket aboard a fishing boat off the coast of Ranong on February 10. The group were charged with entering the country illegally and were taken ashore to be prepared for deportation. The arrest was made by the staff of HTMS Chonburi under the supervision of Lt…
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Slapping, spitting, boxing and bottling
PHUKET: “He’s blown his only chance, the last thing you want to do is pick a fight with Vitali.” Adam Booth, the boxing trainer of Britain’s David Haye (former WBA heavyweight champion), said Dereck Chisora lost any hope of beating WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko when he slapped him at Friday’s weigh-in… before their fight. British boxer Chisora, born in…
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Prompong in Phuket to launch tourist safety campaign
PHUKET: Government spokesman Prompong Nopparit was back in Phuket last night to launch a new tourist safety campaign that will see a rapid expansion in the number of closed-circuit television cameras in Patong and other popular tourist destinations. Mr Prompong, a party list MP for the ruling Pheu Thai Party, at 7pm held an informal meeting with the press on…
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Sunday Opinion: Swift actions to regulate Phuket crime
PHUKET: Efforts by the Phuket Provincial Office and related agencies to tackle the problem of unregulated “swiftlet ranching” are admirable in their foresight, but regrettable in approach. (See here to read “Tourism finds swiftlet avaries difficult to swallow”). As many residents of this island are aware, mainland Chinese are one of the largest and most rapidly growing segments of the…
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Patong Carnival tops poll as Phuket’s top funfair
PHUKET: The annual Patong Carnival is Phuket’s top free funfair according to a recent readers’ poll by the Phuket Gazette. The two-week poll, launched late last month, asked readers, “Which of the following annually-staged free events do you most enjoy?” Patong Carnival ranked as the top response, garnering 59.7% of votes overall. The Old Phuket Town Festival ranked second with…
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Phuket experts date Krabi relics at 3,000 years old
PHUKET: A trove of ancient artifacts unearthed in Krabi recently could be up to 3,000 years old, experts at the Fine Arts Department Office in Phuket have estimated. Reporters invited by a village headman in Baan Klang subdistrict, Ao Luek, were the among the first to view the items, discovered by residents of Baan Khao Ngam village last week. Ban…
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Jetstar flights to Phuket to airlift stranded Aussies home
Suggested Heading: PHUKET: Jetstar has scheduled an additional ad-hoc service from Phuket to Australia on Sunday in order to assist travellers stranded by the overnight collapse of Air Australia on Thursday. The ad-hoc services will be operated by an A320 aircraft with up to 180 seats and will fly from Phuket to Darwin (via Singapore) with onward connections to Jetstar’s…
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Chlorine gas guests return safely to Phuket resort
PHUKET: All the guests affected by the chlorine gas cloud at the Phuket Orchid Resort in Karon this morning have safely returned to the resort, it was announced at a press conference this afternoon. “Every single person taken to hospital has returned to the resort. Not a single person has checked out. They are all okay,” said resort general manager…
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Weird World News: Fatal feast of “bypass burger’, dumplings and butt crack cocaine
PHUKET: You are what you eat. Diners at “Heart Attack Grill” should remember this. So should competitors in dumpling-eating competitions and anyone else who ingests alien-objects or pain-inducing toxins into their body without thinking about it. This week’s Weird News round-up is a grim reminder to avoid what’s not fit for consumption. Customer has heart attack while scoffing ‘Triple Bypass…
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Phuket forecast: good chance of rain this weekend
PHUKET: The weekend forecast for Phuket calls for “widely scattered to scattered” thundershowers through Monday, with variable winds and temperatures at night reaching as low as 22°C.For the 24-hour period starting at noon today, the forecast by the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) center at Phuket Airport calls for partly cloudy conditions with scattered thundershowers covering 60% of the province.Similar forecasts…
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Phuket kickboxer murder fugitive Lee Aldhouse wins right to appeal extradition
PHUKET: The return to Phuket of fugitive British murder suspect Lee Aldhouse remains on hold, as the kickboxer has won the right to appeal an extradition order, the UK media has reported. Lee Aldhouse, 27, successfully fled Thailand after he allegedly stabbed American Deshawn Longfellow to death in August 2010. He was later arrested at Heathrow Airport on an unrelated…
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Phuket Gazette Sports Bag: This week in Sports
PHUKET: The starter’s gun has fired and first out of the blocks is this week’s Phuket Gazette sports round-up.Your international sports page features a sprint through the Premiership with a glance to the side at Spurs’ rout of Newcastle, Thierry Henry’s parting gift to Arsenal, Zambia’s African Cup of Nations win, another Luis Suarez shake-down and why Carlos Tevez is…
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Phuket Gazette: 400 Frankfurt flights cancelled; Pilot dies during flight; Small plane crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 400 flights cancelled as ground controllers strike at Frankfurt airport PHUKET (News Wires): More than 400 flights have been canceled at Frankfurt Airport in Germany after ground controllers launched a two-day strike over a wage dispute yesterday, aviation officials said today. Only 16 of the 200…
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Battle to keep Phuket beaches clear continues
PHUKET: The battle to keep Phuket’s beaches free of illegal vendors continues to be a pitched one, with each small advance seemingly followed by a setback.In the latest development, four local residents have set up small restaurants on the sands of Kata Beach with low-to-the-ground Japanese-style dining tables selling grilled and barbecued meats every evening starting at dusk.Orders by Karon…
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Phuket alcohol ban ahead of local elections
PHUKET: A ban on the sale of alcohol goes into effect in Srisoonthorn Municipality at 6pm tonight ahead of local elections tomorrow.Phuket Election Commission Director Kittipong Thiengkunakrit told the Phuket Gazette, “The alcohol ban will be in effect from 6pm Friday night through to midnight Saturday night due to the Srisoonthorn municipal elections on Saturday, February 18.”Mr Kittipong explained that…
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Qantas, Jetstar offer way home for stranded Air Australia tourists
PHUKET: National Australian airline Qantas and low-cost carrier Jetstar have announced special fares for tourists left stranded by the financial collapse Air Australia yesterday. Air Australia management declared going into voluntary administration late last night Phuket time, which resulted in the immediate grounding of their entire fleet. Qantas this morning announced the airline was drawing up a plan to assist…
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Violence condemned; drone strike; mass escape; Florida execution
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Reporters Without Borders condemns violence by Israeli forces against journalists PHUKET (News Wires): Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday condemned the alleged violence used by Israeli forces against Palestinian, Israeli and foreign photojournalists covering demonstrations against Israel’s West Bank separation barrier. In a statement, the Paris-based press…
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Blasts hit confidence; Security tightened; Bomb expert trained suspects
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Confidence of tourists will be hit by blasts PHUKET (The Nation): Tourism business operators believe that Tuesday’s bomb blasts in Bangkok will have a slight impact on the industry in the current first quarter of the year, according to a survey by the Center for Economic…
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