Search Results for: Thailand
- Phuket News
Governor opens King’s Cup Regatta office
CHALONG BAY: The Governor of Phuket, Chadej Insawang, officially opened the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta organizing committee’s permanent office in Chalong Bay on Saturday. At the opening, the committee announced that the 13th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is scheduled to begin on Monday, December 6, 1999 off Ao Nang in Krabi and finish on Saturday, December 11, 1999 at Kata…
- Phuket News
Phuket prepares for regional sports contest
PHUKET TOWN: The local office of the Sports Authority of Thailand is currently putting together the squad to represent Phuket in the “Four Ages Sports Against Drugs” tournament in Songkhla between May 29 and June 2. Khun Wirat Visuttarom, head of the office, explained that the purpose of the tournament is to promote sport, to build relationships between various groups…
- Phuket News
Mountain hikes to resume
PATTANI PROVINCE: Local authorities here have decided to repeat their successful eco-hikes to the top of Sankalakiri Mountain, the highest peak in southern Thailand. Over the course of two days and one night, hikers will be guided through the forest and to the top of the mountain. From the summit, 1,300 metres above sea level, they can look down into…
- Phuket News
Advice on spotting funny money
PHUKET TOWN: Khun Chaiyos Chinda-Udomset, president of the Phuket Commercial Banks Association, has offered advice on how the public can identify forged 1,000- and 500-baht notes that are circulating in Thailand. He said the fake bills are printed on thinner paper than the real ones, and the surface of the paper is more slippery than that of genuine notes. In…
- Phuket News
Weatherman warns swimmers: Be careful!
PHUKET: The island’s top meteorologist has warned that people should be careful when swimming off Phuket’s beaches because of large swells generated by storms out at sea. Khun Amorn Chantanavivate, Director of the Meteorological Department, said a tropical depression over the South China Sea was causing storms in the region. He urged swimmers to check flags on beaches to see…
- Phuket News
Pétanque players call it a draw
CHERNG TALAY: The winners of prizes in Phuket’s fourth international pétanque competition on Sunday (April 25) had to be decided by a draw after confusion over the points awarded in the final. Philippe Cablat, manager of the Black Cat restaurant where the tournament was held, was a little embarrassed. “I don’t want to tell you the names of the draw…
- Phuket News
Teams named for Phuket Rugby Sevens
PHUKET: The Thai Rugby Union has named 15 of the 16 teams that will compete in the Phuket Rugby Sevens on July 3 and 4 at Sapanhin Stadium. Negotiations to confirm the last of the 16 sides are continuing. Apart from Thailand, the sides already confirmed are: China, England, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Scotland, Singapore, Sri…
- Phuket News
Fund to pump millions into democracy education
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket has received approval from the Miyazawa Fund to spend millions of baht educating people about Thailand’s new constitution. Though the exact amount to be spent on the five-month project is not yet finalised, it will involve hiring four coordinators at 8,000 baht a month each, and 96 educators at 5,000 baht a month each, for a total…
- Phuket News
School Gears Up For Green Certificate
PHUKET TOWN: Stree Phuket School is one of 13 schools in Thailand selected by the Department of Education to apply for international certification that they meet ‘best practices’ for environmental management. To get ISO 14001 certification from the International Standards Organization, the school will have to show that it has an efficient system for managing everything from separation of waste,…
- Phuket News
Floating Medics Go Back To Sea
PHUKET TOWN: The floating medics of the south are back at work again after a two-month break for their vessel, the Andaman, to undergo a thorough overhaul following nearly five years at sea. Their first job on the refurbished vessel was to help tourists and athletes involved in the 3rd Thailand International Canoe Races at Krabi earlier this month. Dr…
- Phuket News
Marital Bliss Imperiled In Paradise
PHUKET: If you want a marriage that’s going to last, don’t marry in Phuket, and definitely don’t marry someone from either the hotel or entertainment industry – it could all end in tears. That, at least appears to be the message from Phuket’s latest marriage and divorce statistics. It seems that couples getting hitched in Phuket are more likely to…
- Phuket News
Police Nab Suspected Serial Murderer
PHUKET TOWN: Police have announced the arrest of a member of a three-man gang believed responsible for a string of murders and vehicle thefts across the southern provinces of Thailand between July and December last year. In custody and charged with murder and theft is Prapai Baupeng, 26, from Krabi. Phuket police allege that he and two others would typically…
- Phuket News
Laguna Resorts & Hotels Announces Record Results
BANGKOK: Laguna Resorts & Hotels, Thailand’s second largest public hotel company, which owns Laguna Phuket, announced a record year in 1998 against the background of the regional economic crisis. Revenues climbed to Baht 2.3 billion, up from last year’s 1.6 billion, an increase of 47%. This was largely due to increased revenues at the Laguna Phuket hotels, (Banyan Tree Phuket,…
- Phuket News
VIP Welcome Awaits Octogenarians
PATONG BEACH: A VIP welcome awaits a German couple when they arrive in Phuket on February 22. Rudolf and Caroline Frommlet, both 86 years old, have being coming to the island every year for the past 17 years, so the Tourism Authority of Thailand is planning a special ceremony for the couple at the airport this time around. Rudolf and…
- Phuket News
Metropole Makes Room For Beauty
PHUKET TOWN: Sixty of Thailand’s most beautiful women will be visiting Phuket from March 20-24 in a warm-up for the Miss Thailand beauty pageant. The girls will be taking part in rehearsals for the pageant, which will be held in Bangkok on March 27. The contestants also visited Phuket last year. The trip is sponsored by the Phuket Chamber of…
- Phuket News
Phuket Airport To Add Personal Touch
PHUKET TOWN: Government departments and tourism businesses have launched a program to improve the quality of service at Phuket International Airport. Plans for a “Living Room of the Nation” project were thrashed out during a seminar attended by over 250 people at The Metropole hotel on February 11. The project aims to train staff at the airport to provide high-level…
- Phuket News
New Stadium For Karon
KARON BEACH: Construction started earlier this month on Phase I of a 10 million baht football stadium and grandstand at Karon. Located on 10 rai of land on Bang Ngueg Road (the ‘Beach Road’) at the south end of the beach near the Ruam Thep Inn, the 1,000-seat, 117-meter-long facility is slated for completion in September. Tawee Thongchaem, head of…
- Phuket News
Municipal Schools Hiring Foreign Teachers
PHUKET TOWN: In a first for Thailand, the Phuket Municipality is to enter into a contract with a private company to improve the quality of English among primary students at municipal schools. ELT Phuket will be employed to raise the standard of English among the municipality’s teachers, according to Somjai Suwansupana, a Phuket municipal counselor. “We want to improve the…
- Phuket News
Hygienic Food – An Amazing Achievement
PHUKET TOWN: Many of Phuket’s restaurants need to lift their standards of cleanliness and service, according to Cdr Dr Deja Sukaromana, the Deputy Minister of Public Health. Cdr Dr Deja is in Phuket to promote the “Amazing Hygienic Food” campaign set up by the Phuket Provincial Health Department and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Restaurants are an intrinsic part of…
- Phuket News
1998 Saw Growth In Crime, Arrests
PHUKET TOWN: The number of crimes in Phuket increased by 2.5 percent to 3,065 last year, according to figures handed to the Gazette by Phuket Provincial Police earlier this week. Arrests also increased, climbing 5.9 percent to 4,504 in 1998. Police said the increase in criminal activity on the island was due to Thailand’s economic slump, rising unemployment having forced…
- Phuket News
The Beach Hits Phuket
Producers of the controversial movie The Beach, featuring superstar Leonardo DiCaprio, are seeking permission from authorities to film a number of scenes in Phuket. Film-makers want to shoot scenes in a shoe factory in Baan Manic from February 27 to March 17; at Cape Promthep March 3; Naithon Nui Beach on March 18; Surin Beach from March 19-22; Kata Beach…
- Phuket News
Visa Criteria, Procedures Clarified
PHUKET TOWN: The superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, Pol Col Phirojana Praesakul, confirmed to the Gazette this morning that the financial requirements for the non-immigrant ‘O-A’ visa are as follows: 1) at least 800,000 baht in liquid funds in a Thai or overseas bank (the definition of “liquid” was not immediately available, so it was not clear whether fixed…
- Phuket News
Speed Limit Signs Sorely Needed
PHUKET TOWN: Widespread confusion and ignorance of the law with respect to speed limits in Phuket province was underscored in the Gazette Poll which closed at noon today. Only 22% of the 911 participants in the internet poll knew (or guessed correctly) that speed limits apply to all roads on the island (and throughout Thailand). In response to the question,…
- Phuket News
Divergent Views On Priorities For The New Year
PHUKET: Greater emphasis on education was considered the most important priority for Thailand in the new year, according to the Gazette Poll which closed at noon today. Containment of corruption ranked a close second. From the four available answers to the question, “What’s your Number One wish for Thailand in 1999?”, 34.3 percent of the internet poll’s 735 participants opted…
- Phuket News
Europeans Boost Arrivals
BANGKOK: Aided by double-digit growth in the European and Oceanian sectors, international tourist arrivals to Thailand posted a 7.3 percent year-on-year increase during the first ten months of 1998, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported today. From January 1, 1998 through October 31, 1998, a total of 6,235,639 tourist arrivals were recorded. During the same period a year earlier,…
- Phuket News
Supercenter To Anchor Bypass Intersection
PHUKET TOWN: Ground has been broken for a new Lotus Supercenter at the intersection of Phra Phuket Road, (also known as the Samkong-Kathu Road), and the Chalerm Prakiat Ror 9 Road, (also known as the Bypass Road), on the city’s northwest side. A marketing representative for Bangkok-based Ek-Chai Distribution System, which operates the retail center chain for joint-venture partners Tesco…
- Phuket News
Sex Does Matter In Selling Phuket
PHUKET: To the surprise and disappointment of many local residents, the Phuket Gazette’s Internet poll for the week ended December 18 suggests that large numbers of people familiar with the island believe the local sex industry does help to attract tourists. Of the 789 participants in the poll, 54.8 percent were of the belief that the availability of ‘paid sex’…
- Phuket News
TAT Reports Sharp Outbound Decline
BANGKOK: Outbound travel from Thailand recorded a 28 percent year-on-year decline during the first half of 1998, the Tourism Authority of Thailand reported. From January 1, 1998 through June 30, 1998, a total of 689,914 Thai nationals departed the Kingdom for international destinations. During the same period last year, a total of 957,453 travelers were recorded. Travel to all but…
- Phuket News
Europeans Check In For Long Stays
BANGKOK: When it comes to taking a holiday in Thailand, German and Swiss tourists check in for the longest stays. Vacationers from the two European countries remained, on average, in the Kingdom longer than any other segment surveyed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in its just-released detailed statistical report for the first half of the year. From January…
- Phuket News
Search Continues For Suspects
PHUKET TOWN: Police investigators are continuing their manhunt for two Thai male suspects wanted in connection with the October 27 shooting of Sea Canoe Thailand Day Trip Operation Manager Panwong Hirunchai. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Kongpol Suwannaraks told the Gazette yesterday that the suspected gunman and getaway motorbike driver, both Thai males, remain at large. Three teams of investigators have…
