Search Results for: lion

  • Phuket NewsPolice join forces to hunt B1mn holdup robbers

    Police join forces to hunt B1mn holdup robbers

    PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police are now involved in the hunt for two men on a motorbike who robbed gas station staffers at gunpoint and made off with nearly 1 million baht on June 11. The person riding pillion on the motorbike pulled out a gun and demanded money from the staffers transporting it from the Shell gas station on Phra…

  • Phuket NewsSunken pillar at Chalong Marina poses threat to boats

    Sunken pillar at Chalong Marina poses threat to boats

    PHUKET: Officials have posted a line of small red and white flags to mark a large metal pillar that lies submerged near Chalong Pier and is a possible danger to passing boats. The pillar, called a stanchion, had been attached to a pontoon and was part of the Chalong Marina still under construction. “The pillar broke during last weekend’s storm,”…

  • Thailand NewsPeople with health issues may be banned from driving | Thaiger

    People with health issues may be banned from driving

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community People with health issues may be banned from driving The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Medical Council is planning to propose a driving ban for patients whose health condition could turn them into dangerous drivers. In foreign countries, people with heart diseases, severe forms of…

  • Phuket NewsRelief fund set up to assist residents after storm lashes Phuket

    Relief fund set up to assist residents after storm lashes Phuket

    PHUKET: The Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) will use cash from a 4-million-baht emergency-relief fund to help residents who suffered property damage from the storm that hit Phuket over the weekend. “We set this up after the recent strong winds damaged local homes,” Cherng Talay Mayor Ma-ann Samran told the Phuket Gazette today. A total of 10 families suffered…

  • Thailand NewsTourism bodies call for junta to lift martial law

    Tourism bodies call for junta to lift martial law

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Now scrap martial law, tourism begs junta The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Key tourism bodies have called on the military junta to lift martial law in a further effort to lure foreign tourists back to the Kingdom. “The military has lifted the curfew to restore…

  • Phuket NewsPassport overload prompts British embassy to issue extensions

    Passport overload prompts British embassy to issue extensions

    PHUKET: The British embassy in Bangkok today was to begin accepting applications for passport extensions for up to one year in order to help stave off the flood of applications received by Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) in the UK. A British Government notice issued on Friday cited Home Secretary Theresa May as announcing the news as part of “a…

  • World NewsIraq rebels seize Northwest town in heavy battle

    Iraq rebels seize Northwest town in heavy battle

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iraq rebels seize Northwest town in heavy battle Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Sunni insurgents seized a mainly ethnic Turkmen city in northwestern Iraq on Sunday after heavy fighting, solidifying their grip on the north after a lightning offensive that threatens to dismember Iraq. Residents reached…

  • World NewsColombia’s Santos wins re-election, to push on with peace talks

    Colombia’s Santos wins re-election, to push on with peace talks

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Colombia’s Santos wins re-election, to push on with peace talks Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos won a second term on Sunday with an election victory that allows him to continue peace talks with Marxist guerrillas to end a half-century war. Santos…

  • Phuket NewsMessi strike lights up Maracana as Argentina sink Bosnia

    Messi strike lights up Maracana as Argentina sink Bosnia

    PHUKET: Lionel Messi finally made his mark on the World Cup and lit up the Maracana with his first goal in the finals for eight years as Argentina were forced to battle for a 2-1 win over debutantes Bosnia in their opening Group F match on Sunday. Messi, four-times world player of the year and Argentina’s best footballer since Diego…

  • World NewsThousands of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon forced to work, says aid group | Thaiger

    Thousands of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon forced to work, says aid group

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thousands of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon forced to work, says aid group Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: At least 50,000 Syrian refugee children in Lebanon are working, often in dire conditions and for 12 hours a day, to pay for food and shelter for their…

  • Phuket NewsCrazed World Cup fans in Phuket: “Get it here!’

    Crazed World Cup fans in Phuket: “Get it here!’

    PHUKET: The FIFA World Cup kicks off at 3am tomorrow with the opening match between Brazil and Croatia, marking the 19th edition of the renowned tournament that has simply become known as the World Cup. An estimated 3.2 billion people around the world – roughly half the global population – are projected to watch the world’s finest players compete for…

  • World NewsIraq Kurds seize Kirkuk; Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad

    Iraq Kurds seize Kirkuk; Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iraq Kurds seize Kirkuk; Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Iraqi Kurds seized control of the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Thursday, while surging Sunni Islamist rebels advanced towards Baghdad, as the central government’s army abandoned its posts in a rapid…

  • Phuket NewsRoad divider to feature lights and landscaping

    Road divider to feature lights and landscaping

    PHUKET: A road divider to improve safety and relieve traffic congestion on Chao Fa East Road is expected to be finished in two months. “We’re building it because of the number of accidents and traffic jams that occur on this stretch,” said Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad. People making u-turns on the road pose a particular danger, Mr Samak…

  • World NewsIsolated North Korea a visitor draw, but sometimes literally a tourist trap

    Isolated North Korea a visitor draw, but sometimes literally a tourist trap

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Isolated North Korea a visitor draw, but sometimes literally a tourist trap Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: “Taking you to places where your mother would rather you stayed away from.” That’s how one Western travel agency advertises its tours to North Korea. The U.S. government doesn’t…

  • Phuket NewsAll World Cup matches to air live on free TV

    All World Cup matches to air live on free TV

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Free World Cup telecast The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a bid to live up to its motto of “Bringing happiness back to Thai people”, the junta yesterday managed to pull off a deal for the live telecast of all World Cup 2014 matches on…

  • World NewsSunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery | Thaiger

    Sunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Sunni insurgents from an al Qaeda splinter group closed in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery yesterday after seizing the northern city of Mosul in a devastating show of strength against the Shi’ite-led…

  • EntertainmentCrowning glory of a great novelist

    Crowning glory of a great novelist

    PHUKET: Once a decade, Donna Tartt produces a hefty, great novel. At age 28, she published The Secret History, a murder mystery centered on a clique of young classical scholars at Bennington. A decade later, she returned to her Mississippi childhood for The Little Friend. And now she has just won the Pulitzer Prize for her third and best novel,…

  • Phuket NewsThongchai seeks major breakthrough at US Open

    Thongchai seeks major breakthrough at US Open

    PHUKET: Asian Tour legend Thongchai Jaidee steps into his fourth US Open appearance this week eager to finally stamp his mark on the Major stage. The decorated Thai star, the only man to win three Asian Tour Order of Merit crowns, arrives at Pinehurst No 2 with his confidence sky-high after securing a play-off victory at the Nordea Masters over…

  • Thai LifeBlots on the landscape

    Blots on the landscape

    PHUKET: I recently flew from Bangkok to Phuket. Soaring high above this city of 12 million souls, a sprawling conurbation of concrete buildings, bisected by modern expressways and crisscrossed by venerable canal systems, we headed out toward the Gulf of Thailand where the black waters of the Chao Phraya river disgorge into the blue sea. Blue only until you looked…

  • Business NewsInternational arrivals and hotel occupancy strong in first quarter

    International arrivals and hotel occupancy strong in first quarter

    PHUKET: The number of international tourist arrivals to Phuket grew by 6.9% year-over-year (YOY) to 962,953 arrivals in the first quarter of 2014. An increase in direct international flights to Phuket have helped insulate it from any negative impact from the ongoing political turmoil in Bangkok, according to CBRE. The average occupancy of upscale hotels (with rates over 2,000 baht…

  • World NewsTaliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault

    Taliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pakistan’s Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for an attack on a security academy at Karachi’s airport on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after an all-night siege by Taliban gunmen at Pakistan’s busiest airport…

  • Thailand NewsWorld Cup live broadcasts threatened by court ruling, warns RS

    World Cup live broadcasts threatened by court ruling, warns RS

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community RS warns it might scrap live telecast if court rules in favour of NBTC The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: All 22 million households in the country might face a blackout of the 64 live matches of the World Cup football tournament if the Supreme Administrative…

  • Phuket NewsTrueVisions to broadcast all World Cup 2014 matches

    TrueVisions to broadcast all World Cup 2014 matches

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community TrueVisions to broadcast all World Cup 2014 matches The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: RS Inter announced late yesterday that it has authorised TrueVisions to broadcast all 64 matches of World Cup 2014 tournament. As recently as Friday, RS International Broadcasting and Sport Management were in…

  • Thailand NewsPolice set to crack down on football gambling

    Police set to crack down on football gambling

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police set to crack down on football gambling The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ahead of the World Cup kick-off on Thursday, police have launched an operations centre to crack down on football gambling, both online and offline, as well as SMS lucky draws. According to…

  • Thai LifeA deserving destination

    A deserving destination

    PHUKET: Malaysia’s bustling capital is certainly not a secret travel getaway, especially for expats residing in Phuket. The city once served as a major visa-run destination, but Kuala Lumpur (KL) may have dropped off the radar for many people when the Thai embassy there ceased issuing one-year visas. Nowadays, for many Phuket locals, KL is most often referenced when talking…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Prison remains “white’, overcrowded

    Phuket Prison remains “white’, overcrowded

    PHUKET: A pre-dawn search of Phuket Prison today failed to uncover any drugs or contraband hidden by prisoners, again branding the overcrowded facility a “White Prison”. More than 200 officers led by Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon started the mass search at 5am. All of the 2,870 inmates, male and female, were searched. The search included personal lockers, sleeping quarters,…

  • World NewsPakistan militants attack Karachi airport, 23 dead

    Pakistan militants attack Karachi airport, 23 dead

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Militants attack airport in Pakistan’s Karachi, 23 dead Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Gunmen attacked one of Pakistan’s biggest airports on Sunday and at least 23 people were killed, including all 10 of the attackers, media reported. The attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan’s…

  • Cannabis NewsPolice told to get better results; target quality, not quantity | Thaiger

    Police told to get better results; target quality, not quantity

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police told to get better results; target quality, not quantity The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has given 30 days for drug-suppression units to deliver tangible, better results. Quality – not quantity – should be the focus, it…

  • Phuket NewsTaxi driver found with over B100mn in bank spurs money laundering investigation

    Taxi driver found with over B100mn in bank spurs money laundering investigation

    PHUKET: The discovery of a taxi driver’s bank book that showed assets of more than 100 million baht has initiated investigations into possible money laundering. Officers discovered the bank book this morning while searching the home of the driver, who has not yet been named. “A number of drivers had unexpectedly high bank balances, and we intend to check each…

  • Phuket NewsBreaking News: Phuket taxi driver arrested with B100mn | Thaiger

    Breaking News: Phuket taxi driver arrested with B100mn

    PHUKET: Police today arrested a Phuket taxi driver who had more than 100 million baht in his bank account. Officers are now investigating the origins of the funds and whether the suspect was involved in money laundering. — Woranut Pechdee