Search Results for: lion
- Phuket News
Tranlee Travel assets seized in Phuket, Phang Nga raids
PHUKET: Investigators have seized buses, boats, land and millions of baht as they delve deep into the operations of Phuket-based tour operator Tranlee Travel Co Ltd. Three teams of police simultaneously seized 33 boats and 57 buses in Phuket yesterday. They also raided Racha Spa Co Ltd, located in Phuket Villa 5 housing estate in Chalong. Police believe documents found…
- Phuket News
Proposed light rail delayed yet again
PHUKET: Phuket’s multi-billion-baht light rail project is being given another month to revise its plans yet again. Planners are revising arrangements that would ensure the safety of motorists using roads running alongside the proposed track routes and the airport’s connecting train station. The Ministry of Transport has requested that the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP) modify…
- Thai Life
Thai animal cruelty campaign wins top honors at Cannes
PHUKET: An awareness campaign by Bangkok-based advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather won five awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity held late last month. Their video shows ‘Leatherworks’, a typical pop-up shop of luxury goods located inside a large shopping center in Bangkok. Unsuspecting shoppers are filmed browsing through rows of snake-skin shoes and crocodile-skin handbags, but once…
- Business News
Tai Ping comes to town
PHUKET: Bangkok based fabric designer and manufacturer Thailand Carpet Manufacturing Plc opened its first satellite store in Phuket on June 25 to cater to growing demand in the province for high-quality custom- design flooring. Targeting Phuket’s hospitality industry, the company, under the brand name Tai Ping, expects to earn about 20 million baht in revenue in their first year. Located…
- Opinion
Opinion: Improving communication to prevent accidents
PHUKET: Wang Huijuan is the Chinese vice consul general and head of the Chinese Consular Office in Phuket. Originally from Beijing, she has been working in this position since 2014. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Nankai University in China. Here, she talks about her suggestions to solve the problem of unexpected incidents and accidents involving…
- Phuket News
Burmese migrants ‘better off’, says employment chief
PHUKET: Nothing much will change for the 100,000 migrant Myanmar nationals currently living and working on the island, Phuket Employment Office director Pitoon Damsakorn told the Phuket Gazette, shortly after the visit to Thailand by the State Counselor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi last week. Ms Suu Kyi’s arrival in Thailand last week for a three-day visit to meet…
- Phuket News
Phuket to benefit from Phang Nga airport
PHUKET: A new airport in the works at Phang Nga will help ease air traffic issues in Phuket, Phang Nga Governor Pakkapong Tawiphat told the Phuket Gazette last week. “The airport is set to be located in Taimuang District. The project is backed by a private company that has asked to remain nameless for the time being,” the governor says.…
- Thai Life
Ready, steady, get Footloos
PHUKET: The multi-billion-baht Phuket tourism industry caters to adventurers and wellness seekers from across the globe, with a seemingly endless stream of tour companies offering a multitude of services. Now imagine if you could get all these services in a few clicks on a single platform. That, in short, is the idea behind Footloos, an online marketplace dedicated to an…
- Business News
Lanna hopes to foster Phuket-Chiang Mai trade
PHUKET: Tourism officials from northern provinces are hoping that a scheme to circulate tourists within the country will lead to better trade connections between Chiang Mai and Phuket. Samroeng Chaisen, head of the ‘Office of Strategy Management Upper Northern Provincial Cluster 1’, Supawan Teerarat of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and other relevant officers met on June 16 to…
- Property
Boat Pattana announces new luxury villa project
PHUKET: Boat Pattana Co Ltd announced a new ‘limited edition’ high-end villa construction in progress in Phuket on June 13. “The project, named ‘Deva Escape’, will be located on the Bypass Road (Chalermprakiat Ror 9 Road) near IKEA, starting at 34 million baht for villas ranging 1157.6-1642.92 square meters,” said Panupong Kritchanarat, chief executive officer of Boat Pattana Co Ltd.…
- Opinion
Governor’s Letter: Evaluating plans to develop Phuket Bay
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has held his current position since September 30, 2015. He is a Phuket native with a master’s degree in political and administrative science from the National Institute of Development Administration. Here, he shares his perspective on plans for the 63-billion-baht Phuket Bay project – a 3,000 rai artificial island proposed as a host venue for…
- Phuket News
Fatal crash victim’s family demands B2.1mn in damages
PHUKET: The family of a German man killed in a Phuket road accident in December last year has demanded 1.3 million baht as compensation for his death and 800,000 baht for his partner’s injuries. The suspect, Jakarin Rodpradit, 26, has requested a month to assess the situation, after both sides met for negotiations at Phuket Provincial Court this afternoon. He…
- Business News
A closer look at the luxury car market
PHUKET: The exponential increase in the number of cars – particularly high-end ones – in Phuket in the last decade alone, warrants a closer look at some of the factors that make this multi-billion-baht business tick. Millennium Auto, one of the newest luxury car outlets to open on the island, gave an exclusive account of the ins and outs of…
- Phuket News
Road closures in Koh Kaew may last until October
PHUKET: Parts of Soi Koh Kaew 33, behind the Isuzu showroom off Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew, are under construction, with crews warning that road closures may inconvenience local residents and workers, including the staff at the Phuket Gazette. Construction crews reportedly have an 8.4-million-baht budget to build a retaining wall along the side of the soi. Large backhoes and…
- Thailand News
Suu Kyi to discuss refugee crisis during first state visit
BANGKOK: Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi will face questions about the refugee crises after her arrival in Bangkok today for her first official visit to strengthen ties between the neighboring countries. While many observers view the Nobel-prize winner as the first Myanmar civilian government official in half a century, Ms Suu Kyi refrained from drawing attention to the…
- Phuket News
Chinese bike rider killed in collision with Kamala wall
PHUKET: A Chinese motorcyclist was killed last night when he lost control of his bike on Kamala Hill and collided with the concrete wall of an abandoned house. His female pillion passenger suffered severe head injuries in the crash. The motorcycle was snapped in two by the force of the collision, which left a gaping hole in the side wall…
- Thai Life
Blazing Saddles: When in Phuket, do as Brisbane does
PHUKET: Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane has a population of 2.3 million people, some four times the official figure for Phuket. Yet driving around Brisbane, as I did recently, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a quiet country town. The traffic flows efficiently and there are rarely any bottlenecks, or congestion, with which to contend. Certainly Brisbane…
- Opinion
Opinion: Importance of responsible publishing
PHUKET: Busaya Jaipiam, 56, is the Phuket Provincial Public Relations Chief. She is originally from Surat Thani, and received a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. She also obtained a master’s degree in Political Science from the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA). Here, she talks about the media’s – and all citizens’ – responsibilities when…
- Phuket News
Krabi locals pray to fossil for lottery win
KRABI: Locals prayed over an age-old fossil earlier this week, hoping to receive blessings in the shape of a winning lottery ticket. The fossil was among others discovered when Wutthichai Rodkoom was dredging his land with a backhoe in Khlong Thapsai, Khlong Thom District, in April. Each stone weighed a few hundred kilograms. “I didn’t realize the stones were fossils…
- Thai Life
Looking Back: A Brief History of Thong Dee (Part 2)
PHUKET: Picking up from where I left off in part one of the history of Thong Dee, in 1765, the Burmese invaded Siam with the aim of crushing Ayutthaya. King Ekkathat tried desperately to defend his country from the invaders. When Ayutthaya came under siege, the king sent word to Phraya Taksin for assistance. Taksin assessed the situation and believed…
- Phuket News
Tour company director arrested, another on the run
PHUKET: Police arrested a senior director and shareholder of Tranlee Travel Co Ltd today for allegedly faking two Thai national ID cards used to register the company. Another director is on the run. “Kritchakorn Roongmongkolnam, one of the company directors, surrendered today. The other, named Weerachai Kampaiprapankul, is still on the run,” said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Saman Chainarong.…
- Phuket News
Storms damage famous fossils in Krabi
KRABI: Geologists are seeking a solution to preserve one of Thailand’s largest fossil sites, after it was damaged by monsoon waves. Naturally-formed slabs of fossilized shells, believed to be about 75 million years old, at Fossil Shell Beach – locally known as ‘Susan Hoi’ – have broken off recently. The beachfront site in Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi…
- Opinion
Island View: The perks of parking are ready to be reaped
PHUKET: Friends often whine to me about the traffic issues in Phuket Town, usually about how difficult it can be to get in and out of town during morning and evening rush hours. But I had no idea just how implausibly gridlocked the center of town can become, until I scheduled a lunch meet there. We were booked to meet…
- Phuket News
Phuket going ‘smart’ with B430mn initiative
PHUKET: The province is forging ahead to develop ‘smart city’ status with a 430 million baht initiative launched earlier this year. Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak gave the green light on March 21 to launch the pilot project. “The Thai government had been developing a smart-city concept, focusing on information-technology systems, which would become the foundation for the economy, society…
- Opinion
Opinion: Education key to “Smart City’ success
PHUKET: Given its present status as a mass tourism destination, Phuket has potential for development as one of the enthusiastically-dubbed ‘Smart Cities’. In the broader sense, however, the real key to our future success in this digital age lies in raising local educational standards. Previous successive governments have trumpeted similar grandiose schemes, but without adequate funding or ever directly addressing…
- Thai Life
Keep It Green: Getting our environmental act together
PHUKET: Whether it’s mantas or methane, protection or disposal, the world needs to get its act together. First some facts. Half of the world’s carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans. That the seas are a sink for CO2 is wonderful; it’s just that they are being damaged in the process. Hence, the dramatically increased levels of carbonic acid. One…
- Thailand News
Huge haul of illegal fireworks seized in raid
SAMUI: Police seized an illegal stockpile of fireworks estimated to be worth two million baht from a shophouse in Koh Samui this week. Police raided the property on Taweerat Road in the Bo Phut district at 5pm, after a tip off from local officials. Bo Phut Police Lt Denduang Tongsisuk said the owner, named only as Mr Off, had locked…
- Phuket News
Phuket FC pres furious after false reports of club’s bankruptcy
PHUKET: The president of the Phuket Football Club (Phuket FC) is fuming after news reports about the club’s alleged financial troubles went public earlier this month. Reports stated that management owed club players and staff two months in back pay, amounting to more than 1.6 million baht. Reports also stated that electricity services were cut at the team’s headquarters, after…
- Thai Life
Phuket divers do it in the monsoon season too
PHUKET: Though nearly a month late, the southwest monsoon season finally arrived in Phuket. With the annual torrential rains comes the standard question, “Is there still diving around Phuket?” The simple answer is, yes. Unlike the diving in Khao Lak, which pretty much has its shutters pulled down when the Similan Islands are closed, Phuket continues to offer excellent diving…
- Property
Post-high-season autopsy on Phuket’s luxury property market
PHUKET: As I sit in my office on a faceless Saturday afternoon heading into low season, a song that flips up on Spotify grabs my attention – Ike and Tina Turner’s ‘River Deep, Mountain High’.My heart nearly skips a beat as Tina grittily sings the lines “And it gets stronger, in every way. And it gets deeper, let me say.…
