Search Results for: fishing

  • Phuket NewsTrawler sinks off Phuket after collision with barge

    Trawler sinks off Phuket after collision with barge

    PHUKET: In the latest marine mishap off Phuket, a crew of 12 fishermen were saved by another fishing boat after their trawler slammed into a sand barge off Wichit last night. Pol Sub-Lt of the Phuket Marine Police received a report of the accident at 7am. The 10-meter trawler Sri Thong Prae 4 from Ranong was cruising about 2 kilometers…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Raceweek draws to wild close

    Phuket Raceweek draws to wild close

    PHUKET: Winds gusting up to 35 knots and driving rain drew the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek regatta to a dramatic close yesterday with two men being catapulted overboard and at least one boat being left with her mast in tatters. The racers received an early warning before the final day of racing after news spread yesterday morning that Stuart Williamson’s…

  • Phuket NewsWarning to Phuket Tourists: Don’t swim! | Thaiger

    Warning to Phuket Tourists: Don’t swim!

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. PHUKET: Red flag warnings are in force along Phuket’s west coast beaches, several of which have achieved notoriety in recent years for scores of drownings and near-drownings during the monsoon season (May through October). Strong West/Southwesterly winds reaching speeds…

  • Phuket NewsGiant Clam in peril in Phuket waters

    Giant Clam in peril in Phuket waters

    PHUKET: Fisheries experts are trying to find ways to culture hardier types of giant clams in order to make the huge mollusks better able to cope with rising sea temperatures, the state-run Thai News Agency has reported. Kongkiat Kittiwattawong, a researcher with the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), said giant clams in local waters face a variety of natural and…

  • Phuket NewsAlien worker scheme flops in Phuket

    Alien worker scheme flops in Phuket

    PHUKET: Phuket is facing a shortage of alien labor as the numbers of registered alien workers requesting extensions of their permits are down 15,166 year-on-year, according to official figures. The Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) said that this year only 49,017 out of 64,183 registered workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia extended their work permits. The vast majority of these,…

  • Phuket NewsDugong in decline off Phuket

    Dugong in decline off Phuket

    PHUKET: The fishing industry continues to take its toll on Thailand’s highly endangered dugong population, with at least three deaths so far this year. Dugong researcher Karnchana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) said two dugong carcasses were recovered in waters off Trang in January and sent to the PMBC for autopsy. Both animals were likely killed by…

  • Phuket NewsTraditional paddlers back in Phang Nga Bay

    Traditional paddlers back in Phang Nga Bay

    PHANG NGA: To the excitement of local villagers, rowers are once again taking to the waters of Phang Nga Bay in traditional boat races. Today is the final day of the second annual Phang Nga Bay Canoe and Long Boat Racing Festival, which started on Wednesday at Ta Dan Pier. Koh Panyee Tambon Administration Organization (TAO) organized the event in…

  • Phuket NewsBeached dolphin dies in Phuket

    Beached dolphin dies in Phuket

    PATONG, PHUKET: Marine biologists were unable to save a wounded dolphin found clinging to life off Patong Beach yesterday. Veterinarian Patcharaporn Kaewmong of the Phuket Marine Biological Center’s endangered species unit responded to reports of a beached dolphin just before noon yesterday. Arriving at the scene off Loma Park, Ms Patcharaporn found the 60-kilogram, 2.2-meter spotted dolphin in weakened condition,…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket rescuer: Italian’s boat “did not capsize’ | Thaiger

    Phuket rescuer: Italian’s boat “did not capsize’

    KAMALA, PHUKET: An elderly Italian man found unconscious on a dinghy in Phuket’s Kamala Bay on Friday reportedly complained to his girlfriend of chest pains before setting out. Dinu Costa, 71, was later pronounced dead by doctors at Patong Hospital. Some local media reported that Mr Costa died after waves caused his boat to capsize. However, Phuket Ruamkatanyu Foundation rescue…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s Ironman to climb Mont Blanc – for local charity | Thaiger

    Phuket’s Ironman to climb Mont Blanc – for local charity

    PHUKET: Les Bird’s teeth are clenched, muscles taut and body drenched in sweat as he sprints the last leg of his training hike to the summit of Nakkerd Hill in Chalong. As he heaves off his 40 kilogram bag and glances at his watch, Les scolds himself for finishing his training hike in under an hour. “I need to slow…

  • Phuket NewsFour arrested for aquarium fish smuggling in Phuket

    Four arrested for aquarium fish smuggling in Phuket

    PHUKET TOWN: Four residents of a Sea Gypsy community in Rawai were arrested yesterday for smuggling protected marine species. The suspects, 34-year-old Pichit Bangjak and three minors, were arrested at 11am in a pickup truck parked along Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada, near the Phuket Highways Department Office. A search of foam coolers in the bed of the truck uncovered 250…

  • Phuket NewsPaddlers go for gold in Phuket

    Paddlers go for gold in Phuket

    PA KHLOK, PHUKET: One of the more colorful events taking place this weekend is the 6th Annual ‘Hua Tong’ Boat Paddling competition at Ao Por Pier in Pa Khlok. Eighteen teams with ten paddlers each are taking part in the main competition, which began at 9am yesterday with an opening ceremony presided over by Phuket Vice Governor Smith Palawatwichai. In…

  • Phuket NewsLeatherbacks return to Phuket | Thaiger

    Leatherbacks return to Phuket

    MAI KHAO, PHUKET: Sirinat National Park and a local conservation organization have set up watches to protect leatherback turtles returning to lay eggs on Mai Khao Beach this nesting season. Nonthawit Chaturabandit, chief of Sirinat National Park, said that in the past many leatherback turtles nested on beaches inside the park. Local residents used to set up camps by the…

  • Phuket NewsFive finalists in Phuket Bt300m park design battle

    Five finalists in Phuket Bt300m park design battle

    PHUKET: Five architects have emerged victorious in the opening skirmishes of a battle for the right to design a new 300-million-baht historical park commemorating the Battle of Thalang. The new park is expected to become a major tourist attraction showcasing Phuket’s colorful history. For our previous report, click here. A committee comprising architecture experts, historians and local politicians has whittled…

  • Phuket NewsGlimmer of hope for Phuket sea turtles

    Glimmer of hope for Phuket sea turtles

    MAI KHAO, PHUKET: In a rare positive development for the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, an enormous female has laid a clutch of eggs at Mai Khao Beach. Vigilant staff of the Mai Khao Sea Turtle Conservation Group carefully prodded the sands with a sharp iron bar to discover the eggs on Tuesday night following reports by villagers that a…

  • Phuket NewsKamala Fest 2010 underway in Phuket | Thaiger

    Kamala Fest 2010 underway in Phuket

    KAMALA, PHUKET: The three-day Kamala Fest 2009 got underway this morning with a fishing competition, followed by a fancy parade in the afternoon. The official opening ceremony will be at the auspicious time of 6:39pm, when Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop will ring a bell to declare the festival open. There will also be a fireworks display. Song and dance performances…

  • Phuket News‘Seven Days of Danger’: 3 dead, 56 injured in Phuket | Thaiger

    ‘Seven Days of Danger’: 3 dead, 56 injured in Phuket

    PHUKET CITY: Three people died and 56 more suffered injuries requiring hospital admittance in Phuket during the first four days of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road safety campaign that began December 29. Sun Chuntarawong, who heads the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket (DDPM-Phuket), said the first fatality was six-year-old Kitikwan Srichai of Phang…

  • Phuket NewsEnglishman dies in Phuket boating accident

    Englishman dies in Phuket boating accident

    CHALONG, PHUKET: An Englishman died yesterday after the catamaran he was sailing in with two friends capsized off Koh Hei.Chalong police identified the deceased as UK national Kevin Corrigan, a retired former employee of AIG Insurance.One of the survivors, 67-year-old English expat Bill Dobbs, told the Gazette that he and Mr Corrigan left Chalong Bay in the catamaran owned by…

  • Phuket NewsKamala Fest 2009 activites announced | Thaiger

    Kamala Fest 2009 activites announced

    KAMALA, PHUKET: Live performances from Kangkeng and Hin Lek Fai as well as a fishing competition and a football tournament are among the highlights of the Kamala Festival 2010, set to take place next month. Juta Dumluck, president of the Kamala Tambon Administration Organization (TAO), recently announced details of the festival, funded to the tune of three million baht. The…

  • Phuket NewsMan drowns in Phuket tin mining pond

    Man drowns in Phuket tin mining pond

    KATHU, PHUKET: An unemployed former monk died of apparent drowning in a tin mining pond opposite Kathu Temple yesterday.The deceased was identified by his Thai ID card as 59-year-old Sa-ngiam Sompanpaing, a resident of Srisaket province.His friend and regular fishing partner Thiti Srinakuang, 59, said the pair regularly cast fishing nets into the pond.After arriving at the pond around noon…

  • Phuket NewsTurtles released in Phuket for HM The King

    Turtles released in Phuket for HM The King

    WICHIT, PHUKET: About 100 students, sailors and marine biologists gathered this morning to take part in a turtle release ceremony to mark the 82nd birthday of HM The King tomorrow.The release, chaired by Vice Admiral Chumnum Ajwong, took place at Cape Panwa, on the beach between the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) and the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area…

  • Phuket NewsReef relief: Phuket fishermen get massive haul

    Reef relief: Phuket fishermen get massive haul

    KARON, PHUKET: An artificial coral reef sunk off Phuket’s Karon Beach two years ago is thought to be responsible for a bumper haul of fish caught by local fishermen earlier this month. Around 400 jacks weighing four to five kilos each were caught in a single day by a small group of fishermen using a local type of net called…

  • Phuket NewsPa Khlok man named Phuket’s ‘Outstanding Citizen’

    Pa Khlok man named Phuket’s ‘Outstanding Citizen’

    PA KHLOK, PHUKET: A 47-year-old Muslim man with no education past high school has won top honors for Phuket in a nationwide search for the most outstanding citizen in each Thai province. Jeerasak Torthip was named an ‘Outstanding Citizen’ for his work in securing a simple, sustainable way of life for the people of Bang Rong Village, a coastal community…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket firm charged with encroachment | Thaiger

    Phuket firm charged with encroachment

    PHUKET CITY: The state prosecutor’s office has charged the owner of a Phuket company with conspiracy to encroach on state land on Yao Yai Island in Phang Nga Bay. The defendant was identified as Chaiyapon Phoojareorn, owner and manager of Ji Liang Phuket Fishing Co Ltd. Mr Chaiyapon was yesterday formally charged in the Region 4 Criminal Court in Bangkok…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket autopsy for large dugong | Thaiger

    Phuket autopsy for large dugong

    PHUKET: A large female dugong measuring almost three meters long and weighing more than a third of a ton died off the coast of Trang and was brought to Phuket for examination yesterday.The crew of a squid fishing boat found the dugong dying in the sea between Koh Libong and Koh Laoliang in yesterday morning.By the time officials from the Office…

  • Phuket NewsTrawling fingered as threat to Phuket dolphins

    Trawling fingered as threat to Phuket dolphins

    PHUKET: Trawling by fishermen in the seas off Phuket and other parts of Thailand has led, it is charged, to the deaths of around 20 dolphins since the beginning of this year.Two more turned up dead last week in Satun province, on the southern border with Malaysia, and one was found on Saturday, badly injured in the surf off Nai…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Immigration sweep nets 42 foreign workers

    Phuket Immigration sweep nets 42 foreign workers

    KARON, PHUKET: Forty-two foreign workers were arrested during an Immigration police raid on vendor stalls in Karon early last night. Phuket Immigration Police Superintendent Col Chanatpol Yongbunjerd said the arrests were part of an ongoing crackdown on alien workers violating the terms of their work visas by engaging in work, such as retail sales, that is restricted to Thai nationals.…

  • Phuket NewsTwo more sick turtles found in Phuket

    Two more sick turtles found in Phuket

    KATA, PHUKET: Two stricken turtles have been found in Phuket over the past two days. Fishermen found an injured olive ridley turtle missing its front-right flipper floating in the sea off Kata Beach yesterday evening. Dr Patcharaporn Kaewmong, a Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) vet, said the turtle was hit by a boat motor, severing the flipper. The roughly 15-year-old…

  • Phuket NewsDrownings continue in Phuket: Italian, Thai dead

    Drownings continue in Phuket: Italian, Thai dead

    PHUKET CITY: An Italian tourist and a Thai recreational fisherman are Phuket’s two most recent drowning victims. Kathu Police were notified at 5pm on Monday that Italian national Antonio Salvatorebucca, 46, went missing in the surf at Patong Beach, across from the Thara Patong Beach Resort. The report was made by a friend of the deceased, 39-year-old Italian Zanchetta Gianluca.…

  • Phuket NewsFreedom for giant turtle captured off Phuket

    Freedom for giant turtle captured off Phuket

    PHUKET: A green sea turtle rescued near Phuket  in April this year has finally been given its freedom. The turtle, thought to be about 50 years old, was almost a meter long and weighed a massive 120kg. It was rescued off Koh Bon during an early morning raid by Phuket-based marine inspectors who had been tipped off about an illegal…