News
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English out of World Cup in Phuket
PHUKET: Authorities in Patong are reportedly cracking down on bars illegally showing World Cup football matches with English-language commentary. A source has told the Gazette that officials last night raided a restaurant that allegedly violated international copyright law by airing broadcasts telecast on the Malaysian-based Astro SuperSport satellite TV network. Astro Supersport is included in packages offered by many local…
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Phuket hero pulls motorist from burning Volvo
KOH KAEW, PHUKET: A courageous 62-year-old man saved a driver’s life by pulling him from a burning car following a crash in Koh Kaew before dawn this morning. Armard ‘Mard’ Pattanee rushed to the crumpled Volvo after hearing a loud bang. He cut driver Banjong Laocharoen’s seatbelt and helped him to safety – shortly before the car became completely engulfed…
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Phuket opinion: lax standards led to mudslide deaths
PHUKET: Like so many accidents in Phuket, the fatal mudslide at a building site in Patong earlier this month could have been prevented if any of the parties involved – developer, contractor and local officials – had done their jobs professionally. (See front page story in the June 12-19 issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here.) If the…
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British woman survives macaque attack during Phuket holiday
PHUKET: A British woman with a life-long fear of monkeys was seriously injured by several primates while visiting Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don Island on May 21. Dee Darwell, 56, arrived in Phuket on May 18 and had a couple of “lovely” days before setting off on a one-day trip to Phi Phi Don and surrounding islands with Siam…
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Phuket Court dismisses sex case against PIA teacher
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. World Cup? Get instantaneous scores and news updates right here on the Gazette Online (fed directly from FIFA). PHUKET: ABC News reports that child sexual assault charges against a Tasmanian teacher working in Phuket have been dropped. Andrew Clements,…
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Briton sentenced over stepson’s death in Phuket
PHUKET: A British man sentenced to 18 months in prison for the accidental death of his Thai stepson in 2007 plans to appeal the ruling. The judge ruled that UK national David Murray, 40, used excessive force in trying to discipline his stepson Narid “Curly” Budtharai, who was eight years old when he died of head injuries. The trauma occurred…
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Bt9m sign for Patong Hill, Phuket
PHUKET: Work is underway on a nine-million-baht sign welcoming motorists to Patong. Patong Mayor Pian Keesin said the sign, meant to mark the border between Kathu and Patong, is destined to become a famous Patong landmark. Construction started on April 9 and is scheduled to finish by September 5. Almost 9.1 million baht in funding for the project has come…
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Phuket, Chiang Mai to brainstorm tourism promo strategies
PHUKET: Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) offices in Phuket and Chiang Mai will meet with travel agencies in the northern city to brainstorm ways of strengthening links between the two provinces. Sobtana Aunprasert, Assistant Director of the TAT office in Chiang Mai office, announced the meeting will be held June 18 to 20 at Ratilanna Spa Resort. The riverside gathering…
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Charkrit wins Laguna Phuket Marathon
PHUKET: Records were broken yesterday as Thai athletes dominated the 2010 Laguna Phuket International Marathon, claiming first place in both the men’s and women’s races. Charkrit Boonkong won the men’s event in 2:40:08, just over two minutes off the course record time of 2:37:53 set by defending champion Stephen Paine from Australia in 2008. Compatriot Thanyathorn Samutnoi won the women’s…
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Catcalls for cloudbursts
PHICHIT: After suffering from the worst drought in a decade, some 200 villagers in tambon Don Seua Leuang resurrected an old local tradition in which female cats are paraded around the village and doused with water in the hopes that their screams will induce the rain gods to release their bounty. The ritual took place at 2pm on June 5…
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Tuk-tuks blockade US military in Phuket
PHUKET: The future of Phuket as a rest and relaxation destination for US Navy ships is in jeopardy following a blockade of the access road at the Phuket Deep Sea Port by taxi drivers demanding sailors use their service instead of a free transport service provided by the US military. Details of what transpired last night have yet to be…
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Phuket Police nab cell phone bandits
PHUKET: Seven Phuket Vocational College students robbed of their mobile phones at knifepoint on Thursday will be reunited with their devices, thanks to the efforts of the Phuket City Police. Officers led by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong yesterday presented the two young men to be charged with the robbery – Surachet ‘Um’ Pisetsin, 19, and his 17-year-old alleged…
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Phuket murder suspect arrested after 3 years on the run
PHUKET: After three years on the run, a man wanted for a stabbing murder in Phuket Town in 2007 has been arrested by police in Phang Nga. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong, Deputy Commander Peerayut Karajedee and Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit yesterday afternoon led a press conference to announce the arrest 26-year-old Tossaporn ‘Peh’ Jarunrak. Mr Tossaporn…
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Phuket bars stay open late for World Cup matches
PHUKET: On opening day of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, host South Africa drew 1-1 with Mexico in a thrilling game, while France struggled to 0-0 draw against 10-man Uruguay in an uninspiring match. Bars in Patong have been allowed to stay open later than the normal 2am closing time, and many people lined the bars along Soi Bangla late…
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Laguna Marathon: Ananda to walk for charity in Phuket
PHUKET: The fifth annual Laguna Phuket International marathon gets underway bright and early at 4:30 tomorrow morning. Organizers say this year’s event is on track to attract some 5,000 runners competing in a full marathon, half marathon, 10.5km run, 5km family walk and 2km children’s run. Among the competitors will be Thai movie star Ananda Everingham, taking part in the…
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Phuket tsunami fears groundless: MET
PHUKET: The Meteorological Department (MET) has dismissed as groundless Internet reports that a celestial alignment will cause a tsunami-producing earthquake and solar flares tomorrow. The rumor appears to have started in Thailand following a posting on a Thai-language website. According to the post, a rare alignment of the Earth with Jupiter, Uranus, the Moon and the Sun will create strong…
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Phuket Senator slams Gov’t tourism recovery plan
PHUKET: Phuket Senator Thanyarat Achariyachai has slammed the government’s tourism-industry recovery measures, saying the tax incentives miss the mark and will do little to help operators outside the capital. Senator Thanyarat, who chairs the Senate Committee on Tourism, said that hotel occupancy rates have plummeted nationwide since the red shirt protests in April and May. She warned that hotels will…
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KBank lends Bt1.2bn for new Novotel project in Phuket
PHUKET: In a vote of confidence in Phuket’s tourism market, Kasikorn Bank (KBank) recently approved a 1.2-billion-baht loan to Bayshore Wing Co Ltd to construct a four-star, 305-room Novotel franchise hotel in Patong. News of the approved loan came last month, during a period of heavy debate over how much Phuket’s tourism-dependent economy would suffer from the dual threats of…
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Phuket ready for World Cup action
PHUKET: Phuket Gazette readers will have noticed, a few days ago, that we launched a dedicated Phuket Gazette web page expressly for football fans in Phuket needing their daily fix of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off tonight in South Africa. Just click on the 2010 World Cup button in the right margin (toward the top) of this…
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Phuket Andaman Halal 2010
PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Andaman Halal 2010 fair will showcase the island’s Muslim culture, traditions and foods in Saphan Hin from June 18 to 20. The event has been organized by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) in conjunction with the Phuket Islamic Committee Office, the Halal Science Center of Chulalongkorn University, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The…
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Bank heist: Colombian gang arrested in Krabi
PHUKET: Three foreign suspects were arrested in Krabi yesterday for the theft of 12 million baht from a vehicle in the headquarters parking lot of one of Thailand’s largest commercial banks, the state-run media has reported. The suspects – one American and two Colombians – allegedly smashed a car window in a pick-up truck and lifted the cash in a…
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Hit-and-run, crash-and-burn in Phuket
PHUKET: A man trying to flee after a hit-and-run accident on Monday night smashed into a power pole and barely escaped alive after his car was engulfed in flames. Phuket City Police Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit said the driver was a well-known local businessman who was drunk at the time. According to a Phuket City Police preliminary investigations, the man was…
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Phuket ‘Geekfest’ set for June 20
PHUKET: Phuket’s Sunday-morning Computer Clinics turn three years old on June 20, when a gala ‘Geekfest’ will feature food, fun, and – most importantly – answers to your most pressing computer questions. “The Computer Clinics bring together PC users, from complete novices to Phuket’s most knowledgeable PC gurus. Everybody has questions – which Internet connection works best, where to take…
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Phuket to host ‘Global Ad Awards’, maybe
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Adman Patrick Ferrara has launched a campaign to promote ‘Global Advertising Awards’, to be held in Phuket in Febuary 2011, and he claims it will outdo, and eventually overtake, the 2010 Cannes Lions advertising fest. According to Advertising…
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Pitfalls for expats in Phuket: Do you really own your villa?
PHUKET: Many foreigners who buy property in Phuket opt for a stand-alone house (or ‘villa’), either in a managed estate or on a single plot, instead of an apartment or condominium, as the latter usually do not provide the individuality and/or privacy the buyer seeks. Due to legal restrictions in Thailand that prohibit land ownership by foreigners, it is common…
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Phuket Promotion: Mass Indian weddings
Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: More than 1 billion baht is expected to be in circulation in Phuket if a plan to bring in over 400 Indian couples for marriage and honeymoons is realized, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in…
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Phuket Gov speaks out on Patong landslide disaster
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop has expressed sorrow and frustration over the mudslide that killed two workmen in Patong on Sunday. The monsoon season rains have begun and the state of the island’s hillsides mean Phuket will likely encounter more landslides, Gov Wichai said. Gov Wichai said that since the beginning of his term in Phuket he has spoken out…
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Feng shui concerns over Phuket tunnel project
PHUKET: The proposed traffic tunnel beneath Patong Hill is drawing opposition from some unexpected quarters, as some elderly ethnic-Chinese residents of the island believe the project could ruin Phuket’s feng shui and bring economic ruin. According to a Chinese legend, Phuket is a golden sea dragon emerging from the Indian Ocean. Tradition holds that this dragon, Hai Leng Ong, is…
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Phuket man denies role in BKK heist
PHUKET: The owner of a car rental company in Rawai has presented himself to Metropolitan Police in Bangkok, saying he had no role in the 12-million-baht robbery outside a bank in downtown Bangkok on Friday. Soon after learning that one of his vehicles had been used in the heist, 44-four-year-old Wichian Choochum of Rawai Village 1 turned himself in to…
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Two dead in Phuket mudslide
PHUKET: Two men are dead and a third injured following a mudslide at a hillside construction project during heavy rains in Patong yesterday afternoon. The slide hit at around 1:30pm as workers used a backhoe and other heavy equipment to excavate terraces in a hillside plot of a resort project on Soi Sang Krasee off Nanai Road in Patong. Patong…
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