Search Results for: cat

  • PropertyPhuket’s property of tomorrow

    Phuket’s property of tomorrow

    PHUKET: The year 2014 saw a number of new property developments – most noticeably condominiums – emerge on the Phuket map, fundamentally changing the Phuket landscape. To find out what tomorrow holds for the island’s property market, the Phuket Gazette‘s Maciek Klimowicz talked to Uthai Uthaisangsuk, senior executive vice president of Business Development and Project Development Division at Sansiri, one…

  • Business NewsFinance: Five bad investments to avoid

    Finance: Five bad investments to avoid

    PHUKET: While there are good investments that can turn into bad investments along with bad investments that can eventually turn into good investments, there are some that are generally always bad for investors. With that in mind, the following investments are ones you should either avoid or limit your exposure to: 1) Your employer’s stock: Legendary fund manager Peter Lynch…

  • Phuket News10 per cent of Patong Beach not enough, says mayor

    10 per cent of Patong Beach not enough, says mayor

    PHUKET: A three-month trial of a scheme to get beach vendors back to work in special zones along Patong Beach was launched on January 3, but the zones do not encompass enough space to cater to the volume of daily visitors, says the local mayor. The zones are roughly 100m-wide swaths of beach that extend down to about the waterline,…

  • Thai LifeGardening: Yes, we have bananas

    Gardening: Yes, we have bananas

    PHUKET: I was talking recently with an English lady visiting Phuket about gardening, and the subject of bananas came up. “Do you know”, she enthused, “that banana skins put around the roots of rose bushes promote better growth?” “No,” I replied in surprise. But then I wouldn’t have known that, since bananas were like gold dust in my childhood, and…

  • Phuket NewsDtac brings 4G to Phuket

    Dtac brings 4G to Phuket

    PHUKET: Total Access Communication Public Company Limited, commonly known as dtac, on Thursday announced the roll out of 4G services in Phuket. Phuket is the first southern province to receive 4G service, after dtac launched in Bangkok. “In 2014, internet usage in Phuket [grew] by 150% compared to the previous year. The top five favorite applications used in the area…

  • Phuket NewsWanted Aussie Bandido Brett Pechey not on Phuket police watchlist

    Wanted Aussie Bandido Brett Pechey not on Phuket police watchlist

    PHUKET: Local law enforcement chiefs today confirmed that wanted Australian biker Brett “Kaos” Pechey, who is currently living in exile, is not a wanted man in Phuket – but they are keeping a lookout for him. Mr Pechey is the former president of a Bandido chapter in Brisbane and wanted on extortion and riot charges in Queensland. He was featured…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s Grumpy Old Men to remember expat Little John

    Phuket’s Grumpy Old Men to remember expat Little John

    PHUKET: The island’s Grumpy Old Men Society (GOMS) will hold a memorial service in Rawai tomorrow in honor of a special request by Phuket expat John Devenport, who died last year (story here). The event at Gig’s Jam Club will start at about 8pm, with the Thai band Cold Chilli playing into the night. “John passed away in England and…

  • Phuket NewsNFL Conference Championships: Final four

    NFL Conference Championships: Final four

    PHUKET: There were some great games, along with a few surprises and questionable calls, in last weekend’s ‘divisional playoff’ round in the National Football League (NFL). When it was all over, the results only reinforced what most seasoned observers already knew: having an ‘elite’ quarterback is a key to playoff success. NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks…

  • Business NewsStrategies for survival: Responding to the Russian tourist crunch

    Strategies for survival: Responding to the Russian tourist crunch

    PHUKET: There was much talk last year of the protests in Bangkok and the ensuing coup striking at the heart of Phuket’s tourism and hospitality industries, with many key tourism figures on the island fearing the worst. Yet, it turns out, that while the island has survived the political turmoil in the country’s capital relatively unscathed, it is events unfolding…

  • Phuket NewsVietnamese cargo ship rams, sinks Thai fishing boat off Phuket

    Vietnamese cargo ship rams, sinks Thai fishing boat off Phuket

    PHUKET: Marine officials have detained a Vietnamese cargo ship in Phang Nga after the vessel struck and sank a Thai fishing boat off Phuket yesterday. “We were anchored about 10 nautical miles from Phuket Airport, when at about 8:40am a cargo ship named Phuong Nam 69 came from nowhere and rammed our bow hard,” Arom Sri-im, owner of the fishing…

  • Phuket NewsPolice nail two drug dealers in Rassada

    Police nail two drug dealers in Rassada

    PHUKET: A team of Phuket City Police officers arrested two major drug dealers yesterday in possession of nearly 75 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and more than 200 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills. Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Santi Chai-niramai and an anti-narcotics team, acting under nationwide orders from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the Royal…

  • Business NewsChallenge of importing the food Phuket loves

    Challenge of importing the food Phuket loves

    PHUKET: What is the first thing most expats start to miss from their home country? Family? Maybe for some, but for most it’s food. Luckily, the days when all you could eat in Thailand was the local cuisine are gone. Today, buying a piece of Dutch cheese, a few slices of Italian ham or some French paté is as easy…

  • Phuket NewsTeen shooters arrested in Phuket

    Teen shooters arrested in Phuket

    PHUKET: The drive-by shooting that left a 19-year-old dead on the streets of Phuket Town on December 29 was a mistaken hit, the shooters have confessed to police. Police arrested two teens, given the pseudonyms “Joey”, 15, and “James”, 16, in a house near Kathu Temple yesterday for the shooting death of Chalong Netphetdang, 19, originally named by police as…

  • Phuket NewsLegal Phuket jet-ski operators threaten to join illegal cowboys

    Legal Phuket jet-ski operators threaten to join illegal cowboys

    PHUKET: Fed up with illegal jet-ski operators serving tourists at Bang Tao Beach, the local legal jet-ski brigade yesterday threatened to abandon all legalities and join the jet-ski cowboys. Unregistered and uninsured jet-skis and parasail boats returned to the beach in November, said Surachai Yomdee, head of the Bang Tao Jet-Ski Club. “The illegal jet-skis and parasail boats do not…

  • PropertyExpats target market for Thalang residential housing project

    Expats target market for Thalang residential housing project

    PHUKET: Following the completion of phase one of 59 European-style tropical townhomes in Thalang under the banner “Baan Tak r Kard”, local developer Living Vis has launched the second phase of its residential development under the brand “r homes”, in a bid to attract more expat buyers. “More than 80 per cent of the two- and three-bedroom homes in phase…

  • Thailand NewsPolice accused of kidnap, Bt2m ransom from Korean gambling ring | Thaiger

    Police accused of kidnap, Bt2m ransom from Korean gambling ring

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police accused of kidnap, Bt2m ransom from Korean gambling ring The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Seven police officers will be summoned to explain their role over allegations that they demanded Bt2 million from South Koreans who have illegally operated online gambling services. Investigators are also…

  • Phuket NewsVideo Report: World Pencak Silat Championship biggest – ever, say officials

    Video Report: World Pencak Silat Championship biggest – ever, say officials

    PHUKET: At the the opening ceremony on Saturday, officials marked the 16th World Pencak Silat Championship 2015 as the largest such event for the Indonesian martial art. “Under the campaign ‘Uniting Silat, Uniting the People’, we hope to raise the world’s awareness of this sport. We hope that all pencak silat member countries will be united and grow strong,” said…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket cyclist arrested for robbing store with lighter gun

    Phuket cyclist arrested for robbing store with lighter gun

    PHUKET: Police tracked down and arrested a known cyclist early this morning after he robbed his local Family Mart convenience store with a lighter gun to buy some beer a few hours earlier. Key to finding the suspect, Narin Gamegaeman, 26, was that he made his getaway on his bicycle, said Maj Col Thitirat Arsakij of the Thung Thong Police.…

  • Thailand NewsRows over energy issues heat up | Thaiger

    Rows over energy issues heat up

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rows over energy issues heat up The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Several energy issues are threatening to trigger serious conflicts between the government and communities this year. Just as activists, conservationists and local communities have expressed their firm intention to protect their environment from potentially…

  • World NewsMillions, world leaders, join Paris protest against attacks

    Millions, world leaders, join Paris protest against attacks

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Millions, world leaders, march in Paris to protest attacks Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: World leaders including Muslim and Jewish statesmen linked arms to lead more than a million French citizens through Paris in an unprecedented march to pay tribute to victims of Islamist militant attacks.…

  • Phuket NewsThree foreign neighbors robbed in one night

    Three foreign neighbors robbed in one night

    PHUKET: Three foreign neighbors were robbed last night of cash and valuables amounting to more than 100,0000 baht. This morning, Thalang Police were called to the scene, the Baan Bang Rong Community. “The three bungalows are located next door to each other and were robbed sometime last night or early this morning,” said Thalang Police Superintendent Sirisak Wasasiri. “The owners…

  • Phuket NewsMinivans bound for nearby provinces back at Bus Terminal 1

    Minivans bound for nearby provinces back at Bus Terminal 1

    PHUKET: Those catching minivans from Phuket to nearby provinces now need to go to Bus Terminal 1, the old bus terminal, the Phuket Gazette was told this week. The change took place on December 15, after the National Council of Peace and Order (NCPO) received complaints from Phuket passengers. “Customers said that because Bus Terminal 2 is situated outside of…

  • Thailand NewsStateless children make plea for Thai nationality, rights | Thaiger

    Stateless children make plea for Thai nationality, rights

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Stateless children make plea for Thai nationality, rights Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: As New Year and National Children’s Day gifts, homeless and migrant children in Thailand are asking for Thai nationality and basic rights. Kaloh Ma-yeur, a 21-year-old freshman at Loei Rajabhat University, recalled…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket driver’s licence tests start rolling toward privatization

    Phuket driver’s licence tests start rolling toward privatization

    PHUKET: The Department of Land Transport (DLT) has begun rolling out its campaign to privatize driving tests, with the goal of having private-company driving schools conduct all the practical and theory tests on the government’s behalf by 2017. People applying for their first driver’s licence will soon be able to watch the mandatory training video at a driving school instead…

  • Thai LifeBalance Matters: Counseling, a first encounter of the helpful kind

    Balance Matters: Counseling, a first encounter of the helpful kind

    PHUKET: Roughly one out of 15 people are affected by poor mental health at least one time in their life, but many don’t realize that they need help, that help exists, how it works or indeed how to find it. Most of us have heard of counseling (also referred to as therapy or psychotherapy), but that doesn’t help people understand…

  • Business NewsLaguna Phuket wins “Best Tourists Destination in Asia’ award

    Laguna Phuket wins “Best Tourists Destination in Asia’ award

    PHUKET: Laguna Phuket was voted one of the “2014 Best Tourists Destination in Asia” at the 11th Annual Golden Pillow Awards, held in Hangzhu, China, under the award’s category for overseas destinations and hotels. Occupying some 600 acres (2.4 square kilometers) of tropical beachfront parkland on the the northwest coast of Phuket, Laguna Phuket wins its first ever Chinese award.…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket light rail is a game changer, says property expert [video] | Thaiger

    Phuket light rail is a game changer, says property expert [video]

    PHUKET: The long-awaited project to build a “light rail” mass-transit system to ferry tourists and residents the length of the island passed its third and final public hearing on Tuesday, when it was revealed that construction is slated to begin in 2021. The 23.5-billion-baht project has been heralded as an enormous development for the island’s tourism and property industries, with…

  • Thai LifeEnvironment: Piscine pollution – killing fields

    Environment: Piscine pollution – killing fields

    PHUKET: Some time ago a friend rang to say that the beach at Kata was littered with dead fish – mostly of an emerald green color. My guess was that they were reef-dwelling parrot fish and out of curiosity, I decided to venture down to Nai Harn Beach. A scene of carnage awaited me; there were hundreds of very dead…

  • PropertyThe Santa Clause: Many happy rental returns

    The Santa Clause: Many happy rental returns

    PHUKET; What did Santa Claus bring you via your property investment this Christmas? Was it 5% guaranteed net rental return on your property investment? 6%? 7%? A 60:40 or a 50:50 split of all expenses and rental returns after expenses? Looking at the wide mix of so-called guaranteed returns promised in property ads, online and on billboards in Phuket, it…

  • Business NewsFinance: The perfect investment for retirees

    Finance: The perfect investment for retirees

    PHUKET: The headlines for the past few weeks have not been pleasant. Stocks have been dropping, oil crashed and if that wasn’t bad enough we had the Ebola crisis. When news like this hits, some people want to run and hide, but I look at it as an opportunity to put money to work. I never invest 100% of my…