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- Opinion
First Person: Small hospital with big debt
Dr Sirichai Silpa-archa has been the director of Patong Hospital since 2013. Prior to becoming hospital director, he worked at Vachira Phuket Hospital for 26 years. He earned his medical degree from Chulalongkorn University, and later a specialist degree in urology from Chiang Mai University. Here he talks about the trials and tribulations of managing a small, local hospital trying…
- Phuket News
‘Not guilty’ says judge in PhuketWan Computer Crimes Act verdict
PHUKET: A Phuket judge dismissed the Royal Thai Navy Computer Crimes Act case against Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, of local news blog PhuketWan, this morning. “We’ve been waiting for two years for today. The judges have done his job,” Ms Chutima told the Phuket Gazette. “It is great to know that Thailand has freedom. This is good for Thai…
- Phuket News
Monkey Beach gibbon tout arrested
PHUKET: Quick action by officers after receiving a tip-off from a Phuket Gazette reader saw a gibbon tout photographed working on the sands of Monkey Beach put behind bars last week (story here). Anan Nadee, 20, was arrested along with Bancha Songkhai, 24, in front of the Andaman Resort on Phi Phi Don while using ther illegally owned gibbons as…
- Phuket News
Chinese currency devaluation could shake Phuket
PHUKET: Leaders of Phuket’s tourism and property industries are uncertain what the impact of the yuan’s tumble this month will be, as tremors continue to be felt throughout the world. A 138% surge in Chinese visitors during the first half of 2015 helped pave the way for the Thai tourism industry to bank more than 697 billion baht in total…
- Property
Myriad designs becoming more popular
PHUKET: As most villa projects in Phuket are individually owned and cater to the requirements of the individual buyer, one sees a plethora of interior designs ranging from very conservative to highly modern. However, those that are influenced by Thai architecture stand in sharp contrast to replicas of European styles. “Rightly called the Isle of Million Dollar Homes, Phuket has…
- Phuket News
Phi Phi gibbon touts arrested
PHUKET: An animal tout who was photographed earlier this month showcasing her dressed up gibbon to tourists on Phi Phi Island (story here) has been arrested. Nattaporn Sithisak, 22, along with Saman Prabphet, 52, both from Krabi, were arrested in a joint effort raid by officers from the Thung Talay Non Hunting Zone and the Natural Resources and Environment Crime…
- Phuket News
Video Report: Police get fright as 20kg python turns himself in
PHUKET: A 20-kilogram python gave police officers a fright at the Phuket City Police Station canteen on Wednesday morning. “This time we got a call from a police officer, not a local resident as usual, to catch a python at the police station,” said Sakun Naepnean, a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker. “The officer told us that he was going to…
- Phuket News
Phuket beach rules still at sea
PHUKET: Contrary to earlier reports, no final decision has yet been made by Governor Nisit Jansomwong on how to manage Phuket’s controversial beach chair situation. At a meeting on Thursday, Pun Thongchumnum, head of the research team from Prince of Songkhla University’s Phuket Campus, informed the governor of the results of the team’s investigation. The team suggested the government continue…
- Phuket News
British expat pleads guilty to North Korean meth smuggling charges
PHUKET: A former Phuket resident involved in an international plot to move enormous stockpiles of North Korean drugs through Thailand and into the United States pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. British national Scott Stammers, 46, was arrested in Phuket with four other foreigners in September 2013 as they prepared…
- Phuket News
Video Report: Rescue worker dances with king cobra
PHUKET: A two-meter-long cobra was successfully wrangled after hiding from rescue workers at the back of a rental room in Chalong yesterday evening. Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers received the call from a woman who had seen the reptile while getting water from her well at Baan Na Bon. “When we arrived, we couldn’t find the cobra, but after searching around…
- Business News
Finance: Greece’s economy not too big to fail
PHUKET: As the Greek crisis continues to rattle financial markets and the euro, investors need to understand that Greece being in default is actually business as usual for the country when you look more closely at its history: Greece’s first default occurred during the fourth century BC when around a dozen Greek city-states borrowed from the Temple of Delos at…
- Opinion
Opinion: Cyclocops roam
PHUKET: THE recent launch of two-wheeled ‘Beach Police’ patrols at every police district on the island is a small, yet potentially positive pedal forward for a provincial police force that has developed a dubious reputation for ensuring tourist safety along our world-famous shorelines. But it’s sad that the initiative, ordered by Police Region 8, had to come in direct response…
- Thai Life
Food: Benny’s: a bite of classic Americana
PHUKET: Tucked away between four and five-star hotels by the sea in Surin, you’lll find Benny’s Cocktails and Grill. This eight-table eatery, created by gutting an old Thai-style house, offers a wonderfully intimate, cozy and comfortable ambiance, enhanced (somewhat uniquely for Phuket) by diner-friendly noise levels that enable conversation. “All of my cocktails are original recipes” says Italian proprietor Benedikt…
- Phuket News
Public invited to join search and rescue drill, exhibition
PHUKET: The general public is invited to watch as rescue boats and aircraft are deployed for a two-day Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) drill and exhibition at the Ao Makham deep sea port starting tomorrow. “The drill will run from 9am to 4pm both days,” confirmed Vice Admiral Sayan Prasongsamrej, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command. “There…
- Phuket News
Bangla bars investigated for encroachment
PHUKET: Almost 30 businesses along Phuket’s primary party street Soi Bangla are being investigated for illegal encroachment, confirmed Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong yesterday. The 28 businesses, occupying 33 units, are allegedly on one rai of land that belongs to the municipality, explained Mr Sayan. “We will be investigating exactly how the businesses located near the beachfront road, on the…
- Phuket News
Widow ghosts “force’ men to cross-dress for protection
PHUKET: The sudden string of deaths of ten fit and healthy men in Nakohn Phanom province has locals pulling out all the ritualistic, spiritualistic and superstitious plugs to avoid widow ghosts, pee mae mai. Red shirts hanging in front of homes to ward off the ghosts are a common sight in the Don Nang Hong sub-district, with some male teenagers…
- Phuket News
Beach police confident about positive effect [video]
PHUKET: The Phuket Beach Police program is rolling forward successfully despite having booked no cases yet, said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayut Karajedee. “Things are going well. However, we will run the program for a bit longer before we do our own evaluation and source community feedback,” Col Peerayut said. “It’s just too early to know what the exact…
- World News
National Guardsman to be honored over French train attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community National Guardsman who helped thwart attack on French train to get medal Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A National Guardsman, one of three Americans who disarmed a gun-toting suspected Islamist militant on a high-speed train in France, will be awarded the U.S. Army’s highest non-combat medal,…
- World News
North, South Korea reach agreement to ease tensions
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North, South Korea reach agreement to ease tensions Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: North and South Korea reached agreement early on Tuesday to end a standoff involving anexchange of artillery fire that had pushed the divided peninsula into a state of heightened military tension. Under the…
- Property
Property Watch: Island remains worthy investment
PHUKET: Like many Phuketians, I took a ‘green season’ break with my family. I chose Sydney and the Gold Coast, and inevitably a visit of this nature leads to comparisons with my home island of Phuket. Property investors interested in Phuket will also conduct their own comparisons and therefore agents, developers and owners who wish to sell should take note…
- Phuket News
All hands on deck for Phuket flood prevention
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong has ordered all relevant local authorities to tackle the chronic flooding issues on Phuket. “The recent bout of floods have highlighted how serious the problem with drainage systems are in certain areas of the island, especially villages and other low-lying places,” Governor Nisit said. “We have a team, led by Vice Governor Pallop Singhasenee, developing solutions…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok Bank warns of viral fraud
PHUKET: Bangkok Bank has issued a warning about malicious software designed to make bank transactions from the accounts of customers who have registered for their online banking service, ‘Bualuang iBanking’. Bangkok Bank’s warning explained that false messages have been sent to iBanking customers via SMS, MMS and emails purporting to be from the bank. The messages ask the receiver to…
- Opinion
Opinion: On same-sex marriages
Robert R Virasin serves as managing director of Virasin and Partners. He is a licensed United States attorney and a graduate of the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Houston Law School and Chulalongkorn University. Here he talks about the real issue with same-sex marriages and the legal obstacles that these couples face. PHUKET: After 15 years of…
- Phuket News
Pothole suspected in Phuket bikers death
PHUKET: Police suspect a large pothole caused the death of a man driving a Honda 150cc CBR motorcycle on a curvy road in Mai Khao last night. Pattanapong Nainet, 20, was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, said Lt Thanom Thongpan of the Tah Chat Chai Police. “There was no identification cards on his person, only 42,360…
- Thai Life
Books: Get lost in an epic Jamaican novel
PHUKET: Trinidad had V S Naipaul and Jamaica now has Marlon James through his third novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings (Riverhead Books, New York, 2014, 688pp), which is an epic tale of gang warfare in Jamaica, spilling over to Miami and New York and spanning the years 1976 to 1991. Like a Russian novel, a big cast of…
- Business News
Bill to slash cheap package tours, arrival numbers to be unaffected
PHUKET: The plan by Cabinet to put an end to cheap tour group packages arriving in Thailand will not have a significant affect on the industry in Phuket, says Santi Pawai, Director of the Phuket office of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport (MOTS). “I’ve heard about the draft bill, but have yet to receive any official notification. I believe…
- Phuket News
Joyride ends in Patong for van thief
PHUKET: A man who stole a van and took it for a joyride to Patong was arrested by Karon Police while near Jungceylon last night. “At about 11:30pm, we were informed of a van theft at a 7-Eleven store in Nai Harn,” confirmed Lt Col Ason Jiraksa of the Karon Police. “Driver Panudet Kumuda, 25, left the engine running while…
- Property
Video Report: Sansiri launches mid-rise condo
PHUKET: There are panoramic views of the island with glimpses of the sea from the 14th floor of Sansiri Plc’s recently completed, mid-rise condominium The Base Height-Phuket, making it something truly special. With the starting price of a 30-square-meter unit, including all transfer expenses at the Land Office, coming to 1.99 million baht during a promotional period, this high-class condominium…
- Phuket News
Phuket divers recovered after night lost at sea
PHUKET: Two scuba divers were found and safely rescued this morning after disappearing from the tour group they were part off yesterday evening.VTT Group brought the tourists to Koh Racha Noi to scuba dive. When it came time to bring everyone back on board the boat, the crew realized that Thai tourist Asang Saelor, 31, and Chinese tourist Huaqiu Ji,…
- Phuket News
Rogue waves sink Phi Phi cargo ship
PHUKET: Fishermen rescued two men after their cargo ship was allegedly sunk by rogue waves in Krabi yesterday afternoon.Phon Boon Phi Phi Don 1, carrying construction materials to Phi Phi, was reported missing by the boat owner at about 3:30pm, said Krabi Marine Police Chief Anurak Parinyasathiragul.Marine Police and the Navy immediately began a search for the 15-meter-long boat and…