Search Results for: lion

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Gazette: Tourists go ape for Krabi bus stops

    Phuket Gazette: Tourists go ape for Krabi bus stops

    PHUKET: Tourists to Phuket’s neighboring Krabi Province are impressed by a new two million baht network of bus stops that feature a striking monkey design, the province’s transport chief says. Worawut Ma-in, an expert in logistics and acting chief of the Krabi Transport Office, says construction of the 13 stops has just been completed. The project was launched at the…

  • PropertyPhuket development funds continue to pour in: Tanan Tanphaibul

    Phuket development funds continue to pour in: Tanan Tanphaibul

    PHUKET: Bangkok based developers will pump as much as 30 billion baht into the local economy this year, the head of Phuket Real Estate Association (P-REA) has said. Demand for reasonably-priced homes and condominiums is luring many investors to Phuket, P-REA President Tanan Tanphaibul said at a recent press conference to announce the group’s “Phuket Life & Drive 2012” exhibition,…

  • Business NewsTourists from Taiwan to Phuket to double in 2012: PTA

    Tourists from Taiwan to Phuket to double in 2012: PTA

    PHUKET: The number of Taiwanese tourist arrivals in Phuket this year is expected double last year’s figure, a senior government official has announced.Paiboon Upatising, currently caretaker president of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), said that the island can expect up to 100,000 Taiwanese arrivals in 2012 – compared with 50,000 last year.The projections were announced following the “Phuket Road…

  • Business NewsIllegal Phuket migrant workers get five-month reprieve

    Illegal Phuket migrant workers get five-month reprieve

    PHUKET: More than 20,000 unregistered migrant workers in Phuket now have until mid-June to register with the government, thanks to a Cabinet resolution earlier this month extending the deadline by five months. The extension gives employers time to obtain two-year work permits for unregistered alien workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia, said Phuket Provincial Employment Office Chief Noppadol Ployudee. Workers…

  • Phuket NewsDutch theft victim still loves Phuket

    Dutch theft victim still loves Phuket

    PHUKET: A Dutch tourist is out 5,000 baht and a mobile phone after her bag was snatched by a thief in Phuket yesterday. Monika Van Rossum told Chalong Police the theft occurred in the early evening while she and her husband were walking near the PTT service station on Patak Road. “We went out to have dinner. After that we…

  • Thai LifePhuket Lifestyle: QSI Tigers unveil new den; QSI fun run

    Phuket Lifestyle: QSI Tigers unveil new den; QSI fun run

    PHUKET: Quality Schools International (QSI) Phuket unveiled its new and improved sports den, with students rushing the field after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The US$120,000 (just over 3.7 million baht) new facilities include a multipurpose basketball court, a football field enveloped by a 100-meter running track and a new garden and waterfall. Emotions ran high at the opening ceremony with large…

  • Thailand NewsPhuket Gazette: Myanmar lifts ban on Suu Kyi; Malaysia willing to help Thailand; Request for Iranian

    Phuket Gazette: Myanmar lifts ban on Suu Kyi; Malaysia willing to help Thailand; Request for Iranian

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Myanmar lifts government ban on Suu Kyi rallies PHUKET (News Wires): Myanmar election authorities have lifted a ban on rallies by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi after the National League for Democracy (NLD) complained about the restrictions, a Burmese news organization in exile reported yesterday.…

  • World NewsPhuket Gazette: Rebels release UN peacekeepers; UN calls on Israel to release prisoners; Inmates escape

    Phuket Gazette: Rebels release UN peacekeepers; UN calls on Israel to release prisoners; Inmates escape

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rebels release peacekeepers in Sudan’s DarfurPHUKET (news Wires): More than 50 international peacekeepers and other personnel who were blockaded by rebels in northwestern Darfur on Sunday have been allowed to leave, officials at the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) confirmed yesterday.The 55-person peacekeeping contingent was…

  • PropertyBidding for Phuket Town’s Thavorn Grand hotel, soapy massage closes tomorrow

    Bidding for Phuket Town’s Thavorn Grand hotel, soapy massage closes tomorrow

    PHUKET: The bidding deadline for Phuket Town’s iconic Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel and adjoining facilities will close tomorrow at 4pm.A spokesperson from Star Asset Management Ltd told the Phuket Gazette that closed bidding starts at 415 million baht.The package for sale is for the 17-storey, 154-room hotel, its attached grand ballroom, car park and the adjoining “soapy” massage parlor in…

  • Business NewsPhuket business: Local suppliers to extend reach

    Phuket business: Local suppliers to extend reach

    PHUKET: Red Bull’s national distribution arm is looking to capitalize on local supply markets, a strategy which could extend the reach of Phuket-sourced products into greater national, regional and global markets. Durbell, a key logistics affiliate of the Red Bull Beverage Company (the producers of Krating Daeng) aims to diversify its offerings and keep ahead in the expanding wholesale and…

  • Business NewsPhuket business: FC Phuketonomics: ball business

    Phuket business: FC Phuketonomics: ball business

    PHUKET: Despite having nearly been dissolved due to swelling debts, FC Phuket 1688 Co Ltd generated the fifth highest turnover out of 18 Division 1 clubs, statistics released by the Thai Premier League (TPL) have revealed. Concluding last month, the 2011-2012 season’s tallied receipts show that the Southern Sea Kirin had generated more than 2.8 million baht, which equates to…

  • PropertyPhuket property: Asia’s big two markets mature

    Phuket property: Asia’s big two markets mature

    PHUKET: Talk about “dream island destinations” in Asia and without a doubt Phuket and Bali rule the numbers game in terms of popularity. If talk turns to resort real estate both are heavyweight contenders in the title fight. Round after round, punches or blows only end with the ringing of a bell. Practically speaking, when it comes to the life…

  • PropertyAMCHAM to stage Design Evolution workshop

    AMCHAM to stage Design Evolution workshop

    PHUKET: Two leading home and building designers in Asia will head the Design Evolution workshop being held by the Phuket Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) at Royal Phuket Marina on March 9. Phuket has long been hailed as the birthplace of the tropical island villa getaway in Asia. Follow the amazing journey that started at the Amanpuri…

  • Thailand NewsBlasts hit confidence; Security tightened; Bomb expert trained suspects

    Blasts hit confidence; Security tightened; Bomb expert trained suspects

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Confidence of tourists will be hit by blasts PHUKET (The Nation): Tourism business operators believe that Tuesday’s bomb blasts in Bangkok will have a slight impact on the industry in the current first quarter of the year, according to a survey by the Center for Economic…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket officials set agenda for Cabinet visit

    Phuket officials set agenda for Cabinet visit

    PHUKET: Local government officials and private sector groups will tomorrow finalize which projects will be presented to the Cabinet during the top-level ministerial visit to Phuket on March 19-20. The news comes following a brainstorming session in on Tuesday. “We discussed the monorail project, Patong tunnel project, the Convention and Exhibition Center and the airport expansion,” said Phuket Governor Tri…

  • Business NewsChinese government eyes interest in Phuket light rail

    Chinese government eyes interest in Phuket light rail

    PHUKET: A state enterprise from the People’s Republic of China is the latest party to express interest in investing in Phuket’s light-rail project.An administration and engineering team from Mashucon Co Ltd announced the news in a meeting with Phuket Governor Tri Augaradacha at Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon.Executive Chairman Nopphon Tansakul told the governor that his team came on behalf of…

  • Business NewsPhuket Business: Toyota Sure opens shop

    Phuket Business: Toyota Sure opens shop

    PHUKET: With so many new cars hitting the streets, the island’s used car and trade-in market is rapidly growing – particularly good news for car owners having second thoughts about a recently purchased or leased vehicle. Benchmarking market growth, Phuket’s Toyota Pearl recently held the soft opening of Toyota Sure, the brand’s renowned second-hand car dealership, located off Chalermprakiat (Bypass)…

  • World NewsPhuket Gazette: ‘Morality Police’ nail Valentines couples; Google gobble of Motorola moving forward

    Phuket Gazette: ‘Morality Police’ nail Valentines couples; Google gobble of Motorola moving forward

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysian police arrest couples on Valentine’s Day PHUKET (News Wires): Islamic “morality police” have arrested at least five couples in a Malaysian city for being intimate on Valentine’s Day, local media reported last night. It follows similar operations in previous years. The Star, the country’s largest…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket mass wedding goes off – with a hitch

    Phuket mass wedding goes off – with a hitch

    PHUKET: Organizer have confirmed the mass wedding at Phromthep Cape is going ahead today, even though some government agencies wanted it canceled. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak received a letter of complaint claiming that the private sector shouldn’t be allowed to use public land for commercial purposes. Part of the event includes a flower exhibit that would remain on the…

  • World NewsPhuket Gazette: Reactor temperature rises at Fukushima Daiichi; Schiphol reopened after bomb threat

    Phuket Gazette: Reactor temperature rises at Fukushima Daiichi; Schiphol reopened after bomb threat

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nuclear reactor at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant rises to 82°CPHUKET (News Wires): The bottom of one of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in eastern Japan rose to 82 degrees Celsius (179.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday afternoon, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said…

  • Phuket NewsNew shine for old Phuket shrine

    New shine for old Phuket shrine

    PHUKET: Work is currently underway on a new cultural museum and shrine that will showcase the way of life and traditions of Phuket’s ethnic Hainanese community, which date back to Phuket’s tin mining days. Former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai was in Phuket last week to preside over a pillar-laying ceremony at Thni Kong Thua Shrine in Wichit. Built over a…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Sports: Synergy are BSS soccer champions

    Phuket Sports: Synergy are BSS soccer champions

    PHUKET: Brazilian Soccer School’s second international football tournament took place recently at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) with hundreds of young enthusiasts there to show their passion and flair for the beautiful game. Team Synergy, a team that is co-sponsored by TSLC, won the U14 title and did so without losing a single match. Nine local boys from Phuket…

  • PropertyPhuket Property Watch: There’s no such thing as an easy A

    Phuket Property Watch: There’s no such thing as an easy A

    PHUKET: I am often reminded by a chain of long suffering editors at the Phuket Gazette that my beat is property, tourism and leisure. Do I stray? Yes, like a punch drunk lunatic, wired on rapid fire staccato sentences. Some of it makes sense. Other times, it even makes me look into the mirror and pose the question – what…

  • OpinionPhuket Opinion: Why the muddle with maps?

    Phuket Opinion: Why the muddle with maps?

    PHUKET: Over the past century, mankind has made astonishing progress in understanding the nature of the universe, but it seems technological advances have now outstripped the ability of many of us to put them to the best possible use. One good example is in the field of cartography. Maps produced with painstaking effort and considerable risk a century ago, pale…

  • World NewsPhuket Gazette: Military options in Syria; Drone kills 10; Medical TV drama ‘House’ to end

    Phuket Gazette: Military options in Syria; Drone kills 10; Medical TV drama ‘House’ to end

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Report: U.S. reviewing military options in Syria to end conflictPHUKET (News Wires): The U.S. government has begun a preliminary internal review of U.S. military capabilities in Syria in the event U.S. President Barack Obama calls for them, senior administration officials told CNN.The officials, speaking on the condition…

  • PropertyPhuket Property: Bangkok developers expand upcountry

    Phuket Property: Bangkok developers expand upcountry

    PHUKET: Hit hard by high waters and high competition, many developers in the property market of Bangkok and its suburbs are now expanding their portfolios to include more upcountry projects. Real estate markets that stand to gain the most from such a trend include Phuket, Pattaya, Chon Buri, Hua Hin, Khao Yai and Chiang Mai. Leading property firms investing in…

  • PropertyPhuket Property Watch: The art of changing places; tax hoopla; more foreign banks?

    Phuket Property Watch: The art of changing places; tax hoopla; more foreign banks?

    PHUKET: Sometimes more is more. At the other end of the universe less can also be more. Sounds confusing? It’s not really. Take the recent repositioning of the upscale hotel Indigo Pearl into an all villa and suite property as a prime example. Working with legendary designer Bill Bensley, an estimated 1.2 billion baht has been invested in the extreme…

  • World NewsPhuket Gazette: Shark attacks surge; Iran grabs ‘BBC journalists’; Teacher facing death for drugs; Five missing in Japan tunnel collapse

    Phuket Gazette: Shark attacks surge; Iran grabs ‘BBC journalists’; Teacher facing death for drugs; Five missing in Japan tunnel collapse

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Study: Shark attack deaths worldwide highest since 1993 PHUKET (News Wires): Sharks killed at least a dozen people worldwide last year, the highest number in nearly two decades, according to statistics released by the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) at the University of Florida on Tuesday.…

  • Phuket NewsAlleged “call center’ gang of expats busted in Phuket

    Alleged “call center’ gang of expats busted in Phuket

    PHUKET: Phuket Tourist Police arrested three Filipino members of an alleged ‘call center’ gang for fraud, but the alleged mastermind, a Briton, remains at large. Nakkaphan Phota of the regional Tourist Police office in Phuket Town told the Gazette yesterday that all of the suspects were foreigners. Following a tip-off from the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok, three suspects were…

  • Business NewsPhuket Business: Get ready for higher petrol prices

    Phuket Business: Get ready for higher petrol prices

    PHUKET: Now that we are fully into the swing of 2012, the Christmas tradition of goodwill to all men seems a lifetime away. When I get out of bed and go on my now regular morning beach run in Phuket – yes, my New Year’s resolution is still being adhered to – global problems seem to be a million miles…