News
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In Thailand's rapidly evolving financial landscape, Forex is a vital channel for retail and institutional investors. In recent years, Thailand's trading community has turned to algorithmic solutions and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the foreign exchange market. Automated trading systems are...
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Major Phuket water shortage starts Monday
PHUKET: Residents in parts of Wichit, Kathu and Phuket Town are advised to start storing water over the weekend, as their water supply will be cut off from 9am on Monday through Tuesday afternoon. The Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority announced that the scheduled supply disruption is to allow installation of water mains on Wichit Songkram Road, in front of Surakul…
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Korean commits suicide in Phuket
PHUKET: A Korean man found hanging by the neck at a Patong guesthouse this week had told his long-term Thai girlfriend he had safely returned to South Korea, police said. The body of 34-year-old Lee Jai Yup was discovered at Tina Guesthouse on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road on Tuesday afternoon. Just days earlier, Mr Lee had seen off his girlfriend…
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Phuket Town officials tackle Saphan Hin woes
PHUKET: Foul smells, litter strewn throughout the area and a downturn in local trade were named as three of the biggest problems arising from large-scale events being held at the Saphan Hin central stage area, officials were told on Wednesday. Located at the Tin Mining Monument roundabout, the stage and its large brick-paved open area (about the size of a…
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Phuket expats urged to complete on-line census
PHUKET: Foreigners living in Phuket can now take part in the 2010 National Census by completing an on-line data form available at the National Statistical Office (NSO) website: www.nso.go.th. After several failed attempts using a Firefox browser, the Gazette contacted the NSO and was informed by its ICT Center that the data entry “works better” using Internet Explorer. Participants must…
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Phuket celebrates revered monk’s 114th birthday
PHUKET: Birthday celebrations are ongoing today as revered Phuket monk Luang Pu Supha is joined by hundreds of well-wishers at his namesake temple in Chalong. Luang Pu Supha is 114 years old today. Having helped build 38 temples throughout Thailand, Luang Pu Supha is regarded as an iconic theological figure and inspiration by many. More than 200 monks from around…
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Two firsts for Phuket King’s Cup 2010
PHUKET: In a move to broaden the appeal of yacht racing and support youth sailing in the region, organizers of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta have announced two major changes to the annual international event. It was announced yesterday that, for the first time, in the regatta’s 24-year history, dinghies will race as part of the official King’s Cup Regatta…
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August drug cases up 70% year-on-year: Phuket Police
PHUKET: August has seen a 70% jump in the number of reported drug cases year-on-year in Phuket, according to statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police. According to the statistics, 333 were people arrested in 305 drug cases last month, a 70.1% increase on the number of cases reported in August 2009. However, the numbers for last month were down…
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Phuket murder suspect Lee Aldhouse faces swift extradition from UK
PHUKET: The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in Bangkok has petitioned UK authorities to place Lee Aldhouse under provisional arrest when he is released from Wormwood Scrubs Prison in London on September 24. Mr Aldhouse, 28, is wanted for the stabbing murder of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in Rawai on August 14. The incident occurred after a brawl…
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Bangkok bound: Five tons of toxic waste rolls off Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) held a “send off” ceremony Tuesday morning for a five-ton truckload of toxic household waste that will be destroyed at a plant near Bangkok. Collected from local administration organizations over a period of months, the waste comprised fluorescent bulbs, dry batteries, used chemical containers and other items not suitable for incineration. The waste…
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Phuket sea gypsy cultural center moves ahead
PHUKET: The award-winning design of the Orang Laut Culture Center is one big step closer to construction now that the extra budget needed has been approved. The Phuket Cultural Office (PCO) announced they will soon be seeking tenders for construction. The center, which takes its name from the Malay Orang Laut, meaning “sea people”, will be built at Baan Laem…
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Phuket engineer slain in Cherng Talay
CHERNG TALAY: A construction engineer was gunned down yesterday evening on the main road linking Thalang Town and Cherng Talay. Cherng Talay Police received a report at 9:30pm that a man had been shot dead on Baan Don-Cherng Talay Road. Arriving at the scene, Superintendent Witoon Kongsudjai and duty officer Capt Tatchagrit Ritnuang found the bloody, bullet-riddled body of Sirichai…
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Phuket police grill prime suspect in karaoke girl murder
PHUKET: The prime suspect in the investigation into the murder of a karaoke hostess whose body was found south of Patong on Tuesday presented himself at Chalong Police Station yesterday morning. Phitsanulok native Nipon “Maew” Pongpanit, 20, was subjected to more than 10 hours of questioning by police. He was wanted for questioning over the rape and murder of his…
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Two-headed turtle dies in Phang Nga
PHUKET: The two-headed Hawksbill turtle born on the Similan Islands in July died in late August at about one month of age, the Gazette has learned. Chaloemsak Chaijit, information officer at the Royal Thai Navy base in Phang Nga, said the reptile died at about noon on August 29. Staff at the Sea Turtle Conservation Unit there noted a lack…
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Qatar Air ready for Phuket; Sheraton Phuket eyes mice
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news about Thailand from around the world, compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. Qatar Air to launch daily flights to Phuket PHUKET: Qatar Airways will expand and strengthen its first and business class offerings with the addition of Phuket to the airline’s Thailand routes. The daily service to and from…
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Phuket’s dirtiest road set for October cleanup
PHUKET: After months of dumped trash piling up along Pracha Uthit Road in Rassada, efforts to clean up the mess will start October 1, Rassada Municipality has confirmed. Nichmon Keatmanee, Director of the municipality’s Public Health and Environment Division, said: “We admit that Pracha Uthit Rd is under the responsibility of Rassada Municipality. We have a private company to pick…
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Phuket police identify karaoke murder victim
PHUKET: Police this afternoon identified the body of the woman who was raped, murdered and abandoned in the hills just south of Patong. They told the Gazette the corpse was that of karaoke hostess Anicha Khaigunha, 21, from Khon Kaen. Her body was found about three kilometers from Sirirat Rd, halfway between Patong and Karon, by waterworks contractor Ong-ard Kongkaew,…
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‘Run4Rino Charity Run’ in Phuket next month
PHUKET: Runners of all ages from around Phuket are coming together to help young Rino Mangon Vogt, who is bravely battling a rare cardiac condition and urgently needs heart surgery. Participants in the “Run4Rino Charity Run” at Nai Harn Lake on October 17 will each set a target number of laps to run around the 2.1-kilometer circuit. Before the run…
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Phuket sea gypsies perform turtle exorcism ritual
PHUKET: Sea gypsies in Rawai held an exorcism ceremony on Mai Thon Island recently to seek forgiveness from their guardian spirit. They were hoping to appease spirit Balai Da Toe after two fellow sea gypsies died from food poisoning in June after eating Hawksbill turtle meat. Many others fell seriously ill, but survived the meal. The late-August ceremony, involving the…
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Phuket Town tackles power line problem
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality, working with the Provincial Electric Authority and public and private telecommunication companies, on Saturday began stripping down unused power lines and other overhead cables along Mae Luan Rd in Phuket Town. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana told the Gazette the pilot project is part of a municipal plan to beautify Old Phuket Town and surrounding areas.…
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“Passion for Fashion” show raises money for Phuket charity
PHUKET: Over 250 Phuket locals and tourists raised a whopping 250,000 baht for underprivileged children at the Andara Resort & Villa’s “Passion for Fashion” charity fashion show in Kamala on Sunday afternoon. Resort General Manager Andrew Whitaker said the event was a “win, win” for all involved, with 100% of proceeds from all tickets going to a worthy cause. The…
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Bt3.8m toilets completed at Phuket’s Laem Phromthep
PHUKET: A new restroom costing 3.8 million baht at Phuket’s landmark tourist attraction Laem Phromthep is now complete, but not yet ready for business. The men’s toilets feature six cubicles and eight urinals, while women’s facilities are served through 11 separate chambers. A ceremony to mark the transfer of the new toilets from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Office…
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Call for action over illegal Burmese workers in Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Chamber of Commerce (PCC) is demanding that action be taken to deal with the the large and growing population of Burmese in Phuket. Dr Sirichai Silapa-archa, chairman of the PCC and also a deputy director at Vachira Phuket Hospital, told the Gazette that the number of newborns at Vachira alone ranges from about 60 to 100 a…
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Art Village Weekend at Royal Phuket Marina
PHUKET: Art lovers will want to visit Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) on September 18 and 19, designated “Art Village Weekend”. The weekend includes several forms of art and music, including paintings, sculptures, mixed media, handmade products, batik apparel, postcards, tattoos, performance art, shadow puppet shows as well as performances by local bands and other talented artists. All are invited to…
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Phuket convention center should open mid-2014
PHUKET: Work on a world-class conference and exhibition center for Phuket should begin next year and be ready to open by mid-2014, project consultants told two recent public hearings. The meetings about the proposed Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (Phuket-ICEC), planned for the island’s northern tip, met with no serious opposition, but some concerns over environmental impact and infrastructure…
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Thai attitude to foreign labor needs urgent fix
BANGKOK: If Thailand is to move forward as a nation, we have a moral obligation to be fair. In what is billed as the largest human-trafficking case ever brought by the US federal government, six contractors have been accused of a scheme to hold 400 Thai workers in virtual slavery on farms in Hawaii and Washington State. Global Horizons Manpower…
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Phuket Surf Lifesaving Carnival a hit with tourists
PHUKET: The Surf Lifesaving Carnival was in full swing today as spectators, bands, surfers and VIPs gathered on Patong Beach for some fun in the sun. The event, organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization and sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, began at 9am with competitive events with age categories ranging from under 15s to over 50s. Among the numerous…
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Phuket primed for tsunami warning drill
PHUKET: The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has confirmed the precise times the NDWC will sound the tsunami warning towers in the six Andaman provinces, including Phuket, during the full-scale evacuation drill on Monday. Dr Somsak Khaosuwan, director of the NDWC’s warning system management team, this morning told the Gazette that the tsunami warning towers will sound at four times:…
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Phuket Punchline Comedy returns in October
PHUKET: Following the success of its sell-out show in June, the Phuket Punchline Comedy Club will return to the Holiday Inn Resort in Patong on October 13 with three more top-class comedians. Set to take the stage this time are Englishman Pierre Hollins, Australian Darren Sanders and Philberto from Portugal. Pierre Hollins claims the only “proper jobs” he’s ever had…
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U-turn scheme planned to solve Phuket bus woes
PHUKET: Hopes are being pinned on a novel approach to traffic control to solve the problem of how cross-country buses will head north after departing Phuket’s new provincial bus terminal on Thepkrasattri Rd southbound in Rassada. How buses will head north is one of two crucial issues facing the new terminal, which has been sitting idle since its completion in…
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Tsunam drill puts Phuket students on alert
PHUKET: Some 350 primary school students in Patong ran for higher ground today in a tsunami drill organized by the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket). At 1pm yesterday, the students at Baan Sainamyen School in Patong were split into two groups and educated about tsunamis by DDPM-Phuket officer Thanakuan Pinthong. After the information session,…
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