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Phuket Gazette World News: Detroit bankrupt; Ukraine still not in Europe; Aussies probe Chinese spy; Santa gets an escort
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ukraine protesters threaten tighter blockade over spurned EU pact Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Ukraine’s government faced a tightening blockade of key buildings by protesters in the capital Kiev on Wednesday amid a crisis over its rejection of closer ties with the European Union that has piled pressure…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Truce in Bangkok; Suthep calls for People’s Assembly; More officials face rice-pledge probe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tactical truce reached in Bangkok The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The month-long political confrontation came to a pause yesterday as the nation prepares for His Majesty the King’s birthday tomorrow.In a televised statement, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra urged all Thais to unite, to show their love for…
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Conflicting reports of coral damage at popular Phuket dive site
PHUKET: Many members of the Phuket diving industry stand at odds with the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s (PMBC) assessment of damage to corals at Racha Yai caused by a storm that lashed the region late last month.“The storm that day [November 23] was not the first time corals in the area have been damaged by inclement weather,” PMBC Director Ukkrit…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Protesters enter Government House; Yingluck meets Army Chief; No more teargas, police ordered
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Protesters declare victory The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Anti-government protesters have declared victory today after they were allowed to enter Government House and the Metropolitan Police Bureau.The protesters were seen moving cement barricades earlier blocking their ways at both venues.Protest leaders declared the victory at the Rajdamnoen…
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Phuket Gazette World News: New York train speeding; Colombian president optimistic about peace; Fate of WTO to be decided in Bali
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New York train was speeding before derailment Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A New York commuter train that derailed on Sunday morning, killing four people, was traveling nearly three times faster than the speed limit for the curved section of track where it crashed, officials said on Monday.The…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Suthep targets police HQ; Protesters hit with live rounds; Train north derails; Woman dies in Rottweiler attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suthep targets city police HQ The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban insisted last night on taking a tough stance against the Yingluck Shinawatra government by calling on his supporters to continue with their efforts to seize the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) – which…
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Student protesters “satisfied’ with results of march on Phuket Police HQ
PHUKET: More than 1,000 student protesters departed from Phuket Provincial Police Station this afternoon satisfied with the results of their march, which had arrived at the island’s police headquarters to ask officers to join their campaign to remove Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office. “We would like all police officers to be working for the people of Thailand, not the…
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Russian tourists rescued from drowning at Patong Beach
PHUKET: Life guards at Patong Beach rescued two Russian men from drowning within 10 minutes of each other yesterday. Vladimir Himonov, 67, was rescued from the surf in front of the Ocean Plaza shopping center (map here) at 11am. “Life guards saw Mr Himonov swimming about 200 meters from shore. They realized that the Russian tourist was struggling in the…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta day 1 results
PHUKET: Day 1 of the 27th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta has officially concluded – the racing anyway – and the results are as follows:IRC 01. Boat: Jelik Skipper: Frank Pong Country: Hong Kong2. Boat: Oi ! Skipper: Ahern Bailey Wilmer Country: Australia 3. Boat: OneSails Racing Skipper: Ray Roberts Country: Australia IRC 11. Boat: Foxy Lady VI Skipper: Bill Bremner…
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Australian real estate agent in arson murder-suicide over internet usage
PHUKET: Jealousy and his stepson’s obsession with the internet drove an Australian real estate agent to burn down his house around him with his family inside, the man’s wife told Krabi Town Police. Naruthai Port, recovering in Krabi Hospital from serious burns across 60 per cent of her body, told police that Australian Richard Port locked all the doors to…
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Mother, daughter escape falling Phuket power poles
PHUKET: A mother and daughter were unharmed by a power pole that came crashing through the roof of their home on Kata Hill early yesterday morning.The utility pole, which luckily had broken free from the live electrical cables attached to it when it fell, punched a hole through the car port roof attached to the house, explained homeowner Kanlaya Sripitak.“My…
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Phuket protesters promise not to target airport, bus station
PHUKET: Protesters in Phuket have vowed not to attempt to close Phuket International Airport or bus stations on the island as they continue their campaign to garner support from government officers. Last Wednesday thousands of protesters gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall demanding that officers walk away from their desks as a sign of support for the anti-government rally (story here).…
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Protect yourself from cyber-crime – Phuket Business
PHUKET: As an expatriate living in a foreign country, you are particularly vulnerable to cyber-crime as you probably use the Internet to access your financial accounts and the statements associated with those accounts. With that in mind, here are ten tips to help you foil potential cyber-criminals: Security starts with your financial institution Although it’s inconvenient, your financial institution should…
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Phuket Gazette World News: New York train crash, 4 dead, 70 injured; Fast and Furious star dies; Honduras protests erupt; India space race overtakes China
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New York train derailment kills four, injures 70 Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A suburban New York train derailed on Sunday, killing four people and injuring 70, including 11 critically, when all seven cars of a Metro-North train ran off the tracks on a sharp curve, officials said.The…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Clashes leave 3 dead; Army heads Yingluck-Suthep meet; Social media peace surge
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hospitals say 3 killed, 58 injured The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Three people were killed in yesterday’s unrest and at least 58 injured, according to an official report by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Erawan Health Emergency Centre late yesterday.At least two of the victims died of gunshot wounds.…
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Rasmus Petreus and Melissa Hauschildt win Challenge Laguna Phuket
PHUKET: Rasmus Petreus of Denmark and Melissa Hauschildt of Australia are the respective men’s and women’s champions of the inaugural Challenge Laguna Phuket, having crossed the finish line with times of 4:05:06 and 4:30:29, respectively. Mr Petreus was followed closely by Alberto Casadeli of Italy who clocked in at 4:07:13, and his Italian compatriot Alberto Alessandroni in 4:07:52. From strength…
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Phuket Sport: Inaugural Thanyapura Junior Challenge triathlon winners
PHUKET: Hundreds of junior athletes and spectators alike turned up at Thanyapura Phuket this morning to participate in the inaugural Thanyapura Junior Challenge triathlon event, which turned out to be a special and timeless day for many. Indeed, the spirits of staff, local media, peers, parents and relatives were seemingly unhindered by the morning’s blistering heat and humidity; supporters wholeheartedly…
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Phuket Opinion: Changing for a Safer Phuket
PHUKET: While wishing ‘Safer Phuket’ (story here) the best of luck in its difficult mission to raise marine-safety standards in local waters to international levels, it is clear that the new NGO’s success will depend on its ability to change a deeply-entrenched “culture of carelessness” that pervades locally, both on land and at sea. This will be no small challenge.…
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Australian real estate agent, step-son killed in suspected arson attack
PHUKET: Australian real estate agent Richard Port and his 17-year-old step-son were trapped and killed in a house fire that police suspect was intentionally started across the bay from Phuket early this morning, in Ao Nang.“Nobody was able to leave the house as the fire block all the exits. We could hear a woman screaming for help through the front…
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Swimming skills for life surface at Phuket’s Thanyapura
PHUKET: Water is integral to the Phuket lifestyle – to the island way of life. Yet, surprisingly, many locals born and raised in this tropical paradise risk growing up without ever learning how to swim. Avoidable, tragic drownings are an all-too-common reminder and result of this deplorable lack of swimming knowledge and skills. It’s easy for us to take our…
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Phuket’s football academy offers trials for scholarships
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) is holding football trials (try-outs) for outstanding male and female footballers (aged 14 to 17 years) who wish to be considered for a scholarship place in the high performance BISP/Cruzeiro Football Academy. The trials for scholarship applicants will be held at BISP on 25/26 January 2014, but applicants need to apply via the BISP…
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The Genesis of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
PHUKET: It was in June, 1986, when a number of leading lights in the Thai sailing fraternity came together with an idea: A Regatta for our King who would turn 60 the following year and the regatta to be held in Phuket, previously untouched by a sail-fest of such significance. Then current-Commodore of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, Chris J…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Protesters storm Army HQ; Replacing Yingluck is not an option; Abhisit could take Suthep’s place
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Protesters storm Army HQ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a symbolic move, hundreds of anti-government protesters stormed the Army headquarters on Rajdamnoen Nok Road yesterday and briefly occupied the lawn of the headquarters. The move was one of the more dramatic moments in their…
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Phuket Opinion: Tackling power woes needs input from all
Natthaporn Kochsiripong, 34, is the Electricity Supply Assistant Manager at the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA). A Bangkok native, Mr Natthaporn has a degree in engineering from Thammasat University and a master’s degree in management from Ramkhamhaeng University. Here, he talks about the electrical issues facing Phuket. PHUKET: Phuket has become an island that never sleeps. This has caused a…
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Sights set on a Safer Phuket
PHUKET: A new safety initiative was launched this week with the aim of improving the island’s coastal water safety through significant changes in safety standards and training. The initiative, ‘Safer Phuket’, has received executive level support, endorsed by Governor Maitri Inthusut along with backing from several Government departments and HE Ambassador Mark Kent of the British Embassy in Bangkok. Martin…
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Patong eyes giant Ferris wheel to get Phuket high season rolling
PHUKET: Phuket officials are scrambling to find a location to set up the Patong Eye, a giant Ferris wheel that is hoped to spin out fresh revenue during and after the Patong Carnival starting on December 15. “The Patong Eye could generate money to compensate for financial losses from Thailand’s National Youth Games last year,” said Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat…
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DSI puts violent Phuket taxi driver rank in cross hairs
PHUKET: The head of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) team operating in Phuket believes that enough information was gathered during a sting operation of a violent taxi rank on the island to launch a full-out investigation. “For us to step in, we must declare a case a ‘special investigation’. Given what happened at the Merlin Beach Resort at Tri…
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Kamala Police net meth dealers in hotel sting
PHUKET: Plainclothes police arrested two ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) dealers in a sting operation at a Phuket guesthouse on Wednesday night, seizing a total of 1.6 grams of the drug. Lt Suchart Chumphusaeng led four other officers of the Kamala Police in the raid at Popeye’s Place guesthouse, near Phuket FantaSea, where plainclothes officers had arranged to buy 1.6 grams…
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Doctor: American snorkeller fatality in Similans a heart attack, not a drowning
PHUKET: A 78-year-old American snorkeler died from a heart attack in the Similan Island National Park on Tuesday, a doctor at Thai Muang Hospital confirmed to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. Officers of the Royal Thai Navy, keeping any eye on tourists in the water from the beach, did not spot William Aloyuisus McCleary’s motionless body at first, as it was…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Abhist digs in; Yingluck rejects protesters’ demands; Anand calls for mutual retreat, peace talks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abhisit: Dems will strive to oust ‘Thaksin regime’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva Thursday insisted his party is determined to overthrow the “Thaksin regime”, saying the government had lost legitimacy. He said the Democrats are ready to support popular…
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