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  • Phuket NewsEGA launches ‘smart kiosks’ in Phuket

    EGA launches ‘smart kiosks’ in Phuket

    PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong last week chaired a seminar titled ‘GovChannel Roadshow 2017: Digital Local Government’ at Novotel Phuket Phookeethra in Phuket Town. The seminar introduced the launch of a ‘smart kiosk’ at Big C supercenter, making Phuket the first province in the South to have one. “In continuation of the Smart City project, the GovChannel roadshow was…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket gov tightens security measures amid reports of bomb threats

    Phuket gov tightens security measures amid reports of bomb threats

    PHUKET: The Phuket Governor has ordered a security boost in Phuket, particularly at crowded areas such as department stores and fresh markets, as well as at all entry and exit points such as Phuket International Airport, bus terminals, deep sea ports and checkpoints. Following reports of bomb threats in Phuket and bomb blasts in Bangkok last month (story here), Governor…

  • Phuket NewsColdwell Banker launches operations in Phuket

    Coldwell Banker launches operations in Phuket

    PHUKET: American real estate firm Coldwell Banker this week announced its launch in Phuket. The agency has officially opened its doors in Baan Don Cherngtalay, bringing to the island the strength and reach of its global brand with a real estate network of 3,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 50 countries and territories, and more than 86,000…

  • OpinionOpinion: Struggling to preserve natural resources

    Opinion: Struggling to preserve natural resources

    PHUKET: The recent arrest of a bus driver en route to Phuket with over 1,000 protected marine creatures raises a number of important issues that should be addressed by authorities. First is the issue of Thai law enforcement’s ongoing struggle to preserve what little remains of our natural resources. One week we read that a foreign tourist is behind bars…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket beauty pageant with a purpose

    Phuket beauty pageant with a purpose

    PHUKET: Phuket is slated to hold the first ‘Miss Supranational Phuket 2017’ contest next month. All profits from the event will be donated to Vachira Phuket Hospital. The concept of the pageant is ‘Absolutely Phuket’ and organizers aim to find the “most beautiful woman who truly represents the island”. “This is the first time that this event has been organized…

  • Thai LifeHooper Trips Asia: Novice Monks walking morning alms

    Hooper Trips Asia: Novice Monks walking morning alms

    PHUKET: To visit Bagan in Central Myanmar is to walk through a portal back in time. Life meanders at a much slower cadence here and it’s simple beauty can’t help but soak into your bones. For over 2,500 years the tradition of Buddhist monks walking morning alms has been rooted here. It’s a glimpse into the very fabric of Burmese…

  • Thai LifeExcuse Buster: Health benefits of raw, natural cacao

    Excuse Buster: Health benefits of raw, natural cacao

    PHUKET: “Basic science has demonstrated quite convincingly that dark chocolate, particularly with a cocoa content of at least 70%, reduces oxidative stress and improves vascular and platelet function,” commented Frank Ruschitzka, professor of cardiology and Director of Heart Failure/Transplantation at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Who doesn’t love consuming chocolate in one form or another? However, one question I often…

  • PropertyProperty Watch: The island that never gives up

    Property Watch: The island that never gives up

    PHUKET: Phuket is an island in which the motto “Never Give Up”, rings true. At one time, t-shirts and souvenirs could be seen listing the issues that businesses in Phuket had faced year after year, and yet through the human trait of perseverance and resilience, Phuket and its people carried on. So far as property investment is concerned, the same…

  • Thai LifeProfile: Aaron Hooper – Striving for the joy of pure creation

    Profile: Aaron Hooper – Striving for the joy of pure creation

    PHUKET: Aaron Hooper is an award-winning chef, originally from the US. Having moved to Thailand and worked in the restaurant business for nearly 15 years in Phuket and Bangkok, he has recently refocused his interest toward writing and photography. Aaron was an English major in college, where he also studied photography. Choosing then to take a sabbatical, he travelled around…

  • Koh Samui NewsGang of fake gold peddlers arrested in Phuket, Samui

    Gang of fake gold peddlers arrested in Phuket, Samui

    PHUKET: Four men and three women were arrested this weekend for allegedly selling 4 million baht worth of fake gold in several Phuket gold shops over the period of a month. Two suspects are still on the run. Five of the suspects were nabbed at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint, one in Patong, and one in Koh Samui. The suspects are…

  • Phuket NewsBus driver caught with nearly 1,000 protected marine creatures

    Bus driver caught with nearly 1,000 protected marine creatures

    PHUKET: A bus driver was arrested in Phang Nga early this morning with nearly one thousand protected marine creatures. He was enroute to Phuket. “We received information from one of our sources that a big delivery of marine creatures would be made by bus today. We monitored the route and finally spotted the bus on Petchkasem Road in Moo 2,…

  • Koh Samui NewsOn Deck: Samui – The unpolished marine jewel of Thailand

    On Deck: Samui – The unpolished marine jewel of Thailand

    PHUKET: Samui is an island of coconuts and a microcosm of Thailand’s modern tourism industry, with facilities geared to backpackers at one end of the scale, right up to five-star resorts at the other, and everything in between. From a marine perspective, it is – to some extent – an unpolished jewel. If Samui Island was on Thailand’s east coast,…

  • Phuket News10kg monitor lizard found in Phuket home

    10kg monitor lizard found in Phuket home

    PHUKET: A 10kg monitor lizard was released into a forest after it was found in a foreigner’s house in Thalang yesterday. “We received a request from the owner of the house to help catch the lizard in Baan Suan Neramit 5, Srisoonthorn sub-district. When we arrived, it was hiding somewhere in the house,” said Pongpan Juanan of Kusoldharm Foundation. “It…

  • PropertyInfinity Condominium launches new project in Bang Tao

    Infinity Condominium launches new project in Bang Tao

    PHUKET: Infinity Condominium held the grand opening of its seven-storey condo project in Bang Tao late last month. The project will comprise of 78 units ranging from 59 square meters to 60.6sqm and include one bedroom, two bedroom, and two bedroom deluxe condominiums. “Construction will start by end of the year and is expected to be completed in two years.…

  • Phuket NewsPrivate entrepreneurs reveal plans to launch ‘smart buses’

    Private entrepreneurs reveal plans to launch ‘smart buses’

    PHUKET: The shareholders of Phuket City Development Co Ltd (PKCD), a group of private entrepreneurs who came together late last year to form a company to work hand in hand with government departments to boost investment and promote seamless business operations in Phuket (story here), revealed their latest plans on Tuesday. The company announced that six separate “offshoots” would handle…

  • Thai LifeProfile: Mexican Ambassador Jaime Nualart meets with the Gazette team

    Profile: Mexican Ambassador Jaime Nualart meets with the Gazette team

    PHUKET: Jaime Nualart is currently the Ambassador of Mexico to Thailand. Born in Mexico City in 1952, Amb Nualart remembers his childhood with fondness. “I went to a good school and was among the top three students in my class. I had good friends, but I was also very shy. That is perhaps the reason my mother decided to enroll…

  • Cannabis NewsOpinion: Need to revise drug laws

    Opinion: Need to revise drug laws

    PHUKET: The recent arrest by Region 8 Police of two men for posing as officers of the law and trying to extort money from the families of teenage boys found drinking krathom leaf extract is just the latest reminder of the need for Thailand to reconsider and revise its draconian drug control laws. It might strike some as futile to…

  • Phuket NewsBelgians wanted for shoplifting in Phuket

    Belgians wanted for shoplifting in Phuket

    PHUKET: Police are hunting for two foreigners who allegedly stole mobile phone accessories from an electronics store in Phuket on Friday. A Facebook user named Maii-Ly Chaiviriyawong (whose real name is Nichapa-orn Chaiviriyarong and is the owner of the shop) shared pictures and CCTV footage of the incident on social media. Ms Nichapa-orn owns a shop named ‘Remax’ in Samkong.…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket police recapture escaped drug dealers

    Phuket police recapture escaped drug dealers

    PHUKET: Police yesterday recaptured two suspects who fled custody after being arrested for possession of drugs on May 2. Suriya Lakpech and Wasurat Malikabutr, both 21, had been found with 7kg of ya ice (cystal methamphetamine) and 10 ya bah pills (methamphetamine) in their possession. On the way to the police station, they had “managed to unlock their hand cuffs”…

  • Business NewsFinance: Track price action, not pundits’ talk

    Finance: Track price action, not pundits’ talk

    PHUKET: As I am writing this, I haven’t turned on a TV in more than 10 days. So I am not getting any news from a verbal source about nuclear confrontations with North Korea, Trump uncertainty or whatever else is going on in the world. However, I have been reading the news and it’s different when you read news versus…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket gov’s social media imposter sparks security concerns

    Phuket gov’s social media imposter sparks security concerns

    PHUKET: Cyber security and Facebook seem to be the hot topics this week as Phuket police hunt for a Facebook user who made a fake profile with a name closely resembling the Phuket Governor’s and used his picture to impersonate him. The suspect also asked several high-ranking Phuket officials to transfer money to his account. The Facebook account was set…

  • Phuket NewsBody of 21-year-old found in Phuket apartment

    Body of 21-year-old found in Phuket apartment

    PHUKET: Police are investigating the cause of death of a ladyboy whose body was found in her room in Rassada this morning. “We received a report from an apartment complex near Rajabhat University at about 9:20am that a pungent smell was emanating from a room on the second floor,” said Lt Col Chao Phomna of the Phuket City Police. “We…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket police yet to uncover reason for toilet fight involving foreigner

    Phuket police yet to uncover reason for toilet fight involving foreigner

    PHUKET: The motive behind an attack on a toilet attendant in Patong by a group of foreigners remains unclear as the victim has refused to a file a complaint. On May 3, a Facebook user offered a reward of 5,000 baht to anyone who could help him find the foreigner who allegedly refused to pay a 10 baht fee to…

  • Thai LifeOn Deck: Submersibles for the average Joe

    On Deck: Submersibles for the average Joe

    PHUKET: Submarines are a hot topic in Thailand right now. These hulking underwater “monsters” have been top of the Royal Thai Navy’s shopping list for a long time and now, finally, they have been given the green light to buy. There’s been plenty of debate in the last few years, but previous attempts were ultimately shot down. The two main…

  • Business NewsFinance: Market pullbacks make great opportunities

    Finance: Market pullbacks make great opportunities

    PHUKET: Pullbacks are great opportunities to see where the strongest stocks are, allowing investors to make a watch list of potential leadership stocks or sector ETFs that are holding up in the face of bad news. Since early March, we have been seeing the S&P 500 undergo some consolidation involving a pullback. A 2-8 per cent pullback is perfectly healthy…

  • Phuket NewsThree minors among gang of nine arrested for cable thefts in Phuket

    Three minors among gang of nine arrested for cable thefts in Phuket

    PHUKET: A nine-member gang was arrested with 500kg of stolen copper cables and cutting tools at a construction site in Phuket this morning. The suspects included three minors, while the rest ranged in age from 28 to 46. The leader of the gang was named by police as Suriya Talad, 28, chief of the construction site in Pa Khlok where…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket police hunt for ATM skimmer

    Phuket police hunt for ATM skimmer

    PHUKET: Police are hunting for an ATM skimmer after at least 15 people last week filed complaints again about unauthorized withdrawals from their Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) accounts. The complaints were lodged at Thung Thong Police Station about ATM withdrawals made in Songkhla from Phuket-based accounts. Lt Col Ampolwat Saengrueng of Thung Thong Police revealed the details of the ongoing…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Gazette to stop print edition of newspaper locally, reorienting hard-copy production for wider market in The Nation

    Phuket Gazette to stop print edition of newspaper locally, reorienting hard-copy production for wider market in The Nation

    PHUKET: It’s like Grandma’s little drinking problem. Everyone knows, but people don’t much talk about it. And so it goes with the publishers of hard-copy newspapers these days – worldwide. We know where print is headed, so the only real choices are whether to get out now or, say two years from now. We’ve opted for the former, meaning that…

  • Phuket NewsMajor Phuket bust yields B2mn worth of drugs

    Major Phuket bust yields B2mn worth of drugs

    PHUKET: A Phuket drug dealer was arrested in Chalong with nearly 2 million baht worth of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and ya bah (methamphetamine) by Border Patrol Police (BPP) this week. The suspect was found in possession of 8,658 ya bah pills and 15.02g of ya ice. “The arrest was made after we got a report from one of our…

  • Phuket NewsTAT, Phuket Tourist Police come to American tourist’s aid

    TAT, Phuket Tourist Police come to American tourist’s aid

    PHUKET: A lost American tourist, who could neither recall the name nor the address of the hostel he was staying at, was safely returned there by tourist police this morning. Boyce Reid Brown, 48, was wandering around Phuket Town on foot when he happened to find the office of the Tourism of Thailand (TAT) and stepped inside to ask for…