Search Results for: lion

  • Phuket NewsPhuket City to spend more than B100mn on flood defense

    Phuket City to spend more than B100mn on flood defense

    PHUKET: In the wake of floodwaters inundating Phuket Town in August, Phuket City Municipality is looking to spend 100 million baht on flood defense measures, starting with a 10-million-baht study conducted by a private consultant. The news was delivered at a public meeting chaired by Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town on Wednesday.…

  • Phuket NewsWife begs gold-thief husband to turn himself over to Phuket Police

    Wife begs gold-thief husband to turn himself over to Phuket Police

    PHUKET: The captured wife of a brazen smash-and-grab gold thief last night begged her husband to turn himself over to the Phuket Police so that she could return to Burma and take care of her children. In the midst of tears, Mrs Musa insisted that she did not know the shampoo bottles she was fleeing to Burma with were stuffed…

  • Phuket NewsFears of Phuket underpass traffic jams prompt ‘alternative routes’ plan

    Fears of Phuket underpass traffic jams prompt ‘alternative routes’ plan

    PHUKET: The Highways Department yesterday held a public meeting to suggest alternative routes for motorists to alleviate traffic congestion when construction of Phuket’s first underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, begins next month. The news came at a public meeting chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa at Wichit Municipality Office. Present were…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket gold thief’s wife tips off police

    Phuket gold thief’s wife tips off police

    PHUKET: Phuket Police this morning are combing the Kathu Waterfall area after the wife of smash-and-grab gold thief Mr Koson tipped off police to his probable whereabouts. The Burmese woman, yet to be named by police, was arrested at the Mo Chit Bus Station in Bangkok last night with gold jewelry valued at about 1.8 million baht in her possession,…

  • Thai LifePhuket Environment: Fishing till the seas run dry

    Phuket Environment: Fishing till the seas run dry

    PHUKET: There are certain indisputable facts about fish. With very few exceptions, they look good, taste good and they do you good. Dietitians recommend at least two fishy portions a week. So-called “oily fish” – herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna and sardines – are especially good for you since they contain omega 3 fatty acids that help keep immune systems healthy…

  • Phuket NewsManhunt for Phuket gold shop thieves begins

    Manhunt for Phuket gold shop thieves begins

    PHUKET: Police now have arrest warrants issued for the two men wanted for the robbery of a Phuket gold shop yesterday and have set up two teams of officers to track the men down. Meanwhile, police stations throughout Southern Thailand have been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspects in their respective jurisdictions. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket tour companies wary of national park admission fee hike

    Phuket tour companies wary of national park admission fee hike

    PHUKET: Many Phuket tour and dive companies are waiting to see how the final confirmation of the significant hike in national park fees will affect their businesses.The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) announced that the entrance cost at many popular national parks in Thailand would see their first jump in a decade starting January 1.“Although I…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police identify one brazen gold thief

    Phuket Police identify one brazen gold thief

    PHUKET: Phuket City Police have identified one member of the brazen gold bandit duo who robbed a shop of about 3 million baht worth of gold jewelry yesterday. Police identified the man only as “Son”, a roadside food vendor. After a dragnet attempt at a fish factory left police empty handed, they raided Son’s home, only to find that he…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police gold thief dragnet comes up empty

    Phuket Police gold thief dragnet comes up empty

    PHUKET: Phuket City Police have given up their attempt to net a pair of brazen gold thieves at a fish factory today. They have now issued “wanted alerts” for the two men to police stations throughout the neighboring provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi. Included in the alerts are images of the two wanted men, who police believe are Burmese,…

  • Phuket NewsPolice set up cordon to capture brazen Phuket gold shop robbers

    Police set up cordon to capture brazen Phuket gold shop robbers

    PHUKET: Police have surrounded a disused fish processing plant on the east side of Phuket Town this afternoon in the hope of capturing two men who shot a gold shop owner with an air pistol before making off with an estimated 3 million baht in jewelry. Phuket City Police were informed at 1:30pm that the Yong Chuan gold shop in…

  • Thai LifeLand of smiles: Ye olde Curmudgeon’s imaginary interview

    Land of smiles: Ye olde Curmudgeon’s imaginary interview

    PHUKET: In the wake of the recent Republican convention, I thought I’d do an imaginary interview with US presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Imaginary interviews are always more fun than real ones, because you can make your interviewee say anything you want. This one would go like this:Me: Our readers want to know what experience you have in foreign affairs.Mitt: Well,…

  • Phuket NewsPM Yingluck pledges splurge on developing Phuket tourism

    PM Yingluck pledges splurge on developing Phuket tourism

    PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday named Patong Beach, Old Phuket Town and Promthep Cape as three Andaman tourist attractions to receive “emergency budget” support.Also on the list to receive special attention were Phi Phi Island and Ao Nang, both in Krabi province, to make them more “tourist friendly” ahead of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) coming into effect…

  • OpinionPhuket Opinion: Through the revolving door

    Phuket Opinion: Through the revolving door

    PHUKET: After eight months serving as Phuket’s top-ranking police officer, Chonasit Wattanvrangkul will be transferred out of the province to continue his career elsewhere. At the same, at the end of this month, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha will retire. While Col Chonasit’s replacement will be Narathiwat Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Chote Chawanwiwat, a replacement for Governor Tri has yet…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket National Park chief lays to rest death threat rumor

    Phuket National Park chief lays to rest death threat rumor

    PHUKET: Sirinath National Park chief Cheewapap Cheewatham has denied claims that he or any other officers investigating alleged encroachment onto national park land have received death threats. “Since I started my work here, I have not received any death threats from anyone. I have not heard any reports of any other officers receiving death threats, either,” chief Cheewapap said. “However,…

  • Phuket NewsBogus Phuket tour guides, gem rip-offs in firing line

    Bogus Phuket tour guides, gem rip-offs in firing line

    PHUKET: Phuket jewelry shops that overcharge tourists and tour companies that hire illegal guides are to be targeted by the latest campaign by provincial authorities to preserve a “billion baht” business, officials were told this week.“I want tour companies to follow the law. Their main tour guides must be Thai. If they do not, they will be in trouble,” Phuket…

  • Phuket NewsPM Yingluck heads to Krabi over disaster preparedness

    PM Yingluck heads to Krabi over disaster preparedness

    PHUKET: Officials in Krabi province, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, are ramping up security ahead of a lightning visit by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday, when she will head a meeting of provincial governors from the five provinces of the “Andaman cluster” to discuss “disaster preparedness”. PM Yingluck will attend the foundation-stone laying ceremony for the new emergency…

  • World NewsWorld News: Apple device IDs stolen – rumors of FBI involvement denied

    World News: Apple device IDs stolen – rumors of FBI involvement denied

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Apple device IDs stolen from Florida-based digital publishing firm Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Identification numbers for more than one million Apple products that were posted online by hackers last week had been stolen from a Florida-based digital publishing firm, not from the laptop of an FBI…

  • Phuket NewsRoad safety campaign to slash Phuket death toll to 50 per year

    Road safety campaign to slash Phuket death toll to 50 per year

    PHUKET: Officials are moving ahead with a campaign to reduce the number of deaths on Phuket’s roads to just 50 per year within the next three years. Last year, 116 died in road accidents in Phuket. The move is part of a nationwide campaign to reduce the road accident death toll in conjunction with the United Nations’ “Decade of Action…

  • Phuket NewsNew B153mn indoor sports center opens in Phuket Town

    New B153mn indoor sports center opens in Phuket Town

    PHUKET: Sports fans and spectators packed the 4,000-seat Indoor Sports Complex at Saphan Hin to the rafters on Saturday for the new venue’s official opening ceremony. Built on 207 rai at a cost of about 153 million baht, the center was first used for the 28th National Youth Games, dubbed the “Phuket Games”, held on the island earlier this year.…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Food Festival goes “booze-free’, but lays on the entertainment

    Phuket Food Festival goes “booze-free’, but lays on the entertainment

    PHUKET: For the first time in its 15-year history, the annual Phuket Good Taste Food Festival at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town this year will be held specifically without any alcohol for sale and with no plastic food containers. Announcing the news on Saturday, Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana said that about 100 booths selling food will be at this…

  • Business NewsPhuket Business: Thailand – US trade reviving

    Phuket Business: Thailand – US trade reviving

    PHUKET: More than 700 American companies will have a combined investment of US$40 billion – approximately 1.25 trillion baht – in Thailand by the end of 2012, a business leader recently told the Thai government. The president of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Joe Mannix revealed the figure in a speech given at a thank-you function for the government,…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s first underpass to spur new traffic woes

    Phuket’s first underpass to spur new traffic woes

    PHUKET: Motorists have been warned to expect major delays when construction begins next month on a 599-million-baht underpass at the Darasamuth Junction, on the bypass road near the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall. Chavalert Lertchavanakul, Project Manager at the Department of Highways’ Bureau of Bridge Construction in Bangkok, broke the news at a meeting in Phuket to finalize areas of…

  • Phuket NewsChalong seeks B300mn for Phuket flood prevention

    Chalong seeks B300mn for Phuket flood prevention

    PHUKET: The Chalong Municipality has requested 300 million baht in funding from the Royal Irrigation Department for a permanent flood-prevention system after last month’s floods again highlighted the issue of flash flooding in Phuket. The project proposes the construction of retaining walls along all canals in the Chalong area to prevent debris and soil from clogging and disrupting the water…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Sports NFL kicks off

    Phuket Sports NFL kicks off

    PHUKET: Super Bowl Champs the NY Giants hosted the Cowboys on Wednesday night to kick off the 2012 NFL regular season. These two teams clashed last year during the final game of the 2011 regular season, which decided the winner of the NFC East. New York went on to win that game and gain a wild card birth, which paved…

  • Phuket NewsB100bn up for grabs: Krabi told to prepare for AEC 2015

    B100bn up for grabs: Krabi told to prepare for AEC 2015

    PHUKET: With 100 billion baht (US$ 3 billion) requested by government agencies for Thailand’s preparation for the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, private and government organizations in Krabi were called on yesterday by the Asean Secretary-General to step up their efforts in order to establish a “central role” in the Andaman. “Krabi will have an advantage over several other…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket gets ready for tourism boom with “Big Cleaning Day’

    Phuket gets ready for tourism boom with “Big Cleaning Day’

    PHUKET: The three district offices covering the entire island staged cleanups at public areas across Phuket yesterday as part of the “Big Cleaning Day” initiative. More than 500 people, including government officers, staff from private businesses as well as local students and residents, gathered at Saphan Hin Park in Phuket Town, where the Muang District Office held its activity under…

  • World NewsWorld News: Destruction in Syria is reaching ‘catastrophic proportions’: UN envoy Brahimi

    World News: Destruction in Syria is reaching ‘catastrophic proportions’: UN envoy Brahimi

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UN envoy says destruction in Syria is reaching ‘catastrophic proportions’ Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: The new Joint Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) and the Arab League on the Syrian crisis, Lakhdar Brahimi, yesterday said the death toll as a result of the ongoing civil…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Live Wire: Wait until Christmas

    Phuket Live Wire: Wait until Christmas

    PHUKET: Last week I talked about the direction the computer industry is headed as we barrel along toward the Christmas season. If you’re thinking about buying any new electronics – computer, tablet, phone, maybe even a TV – it would be worthwhile to stay on top of developments between now and Christmas. Some of the stuff coming down the pipe…

  • Business NewsPhuket Business: Beer, wine and automobile excises poised for revision

    Phuket Business: Beer, wine and automobile excises poised for revision

    PHUKET: In light of Cabinet’s recent approval of tax hikes for cigarettes and liquor, the Excise Department is now looking to increase revenue shares from the trade of beer, wine and automobiles.Quoted in a report by the Nation, Benja Louichareon, director-general of the Excise Department, said, “The department is also looking at whether it should increase tax on beer and…

  • Business NewsPhuket Business: AMCHAM affirms commitment to saving the environment

    Phuket Business: AMCHAM affirms commitment to saving the environment

    PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Greater Phuket Chapter assembled at Holiday Inn Patong for its third meeting of the year recently. Organized in conjunction with environmental organization, SEEK, the evening’s discussions focused on ways that hospitality and tourism stakeholders can implement “Green Tourism” practices while reducing operational overheads and thus increasing profit margins. The meeting followed an all-day,…