Search Results for: cat

  • Phuket NewsPark wins LPGA Championship in playoff

    Park wins LPGA Championship in playoff

    PHUKET: Park Inbee of South Korea won the LPGA Championship in a sudden death playoff against Catriona Matthew of Britain on Sunday, giving her victories in the first two women’s major championships of the year. Park won on the third hole of the playoff at Locust Hill Country Club outside Rochester, New York, with a birdie on the par-four 18th…

  • World NewsMissouri under curfew to stave off more riots after black teen shot by police

    Missouri under curfew to stave off more riots after black teen shot by police

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Curfew in Missouri staves off more riots where black teen shot by police Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Authorities on Sunday imposed a midnight curfew for the second night a row in the tense St. Louis suburb where an unarmed black teen was shot to death…

  • Thailand NewsSurrogacy law ‘must be of world standard’

    Surrogacy law ‘must be of world standard’

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Surrogacy law ‘must be of world standard’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Australian Government has asked Thailand to adopt international standards when it passes a surrogacy law this year. Acting permanent secretary for Justice Charnchao Chaiyanukit said yesterday that Australian Ambassador to Thailand James…

  • Business NewsImpiana welcomes new general manager and executive chef

    Impiana welcomes new general manager and executive chef

    PHUKET: IMPIANA Resort Phuket recently announced the appointment of its new General Manager for all Thailand based Impiana properties David Xavier and new Executive Chef Christoph Lindner. Malaysian national Mr Xavier comes to Phuket following a tenure as resort manager for Impiana in Chaweng Noi Koh Samui, director of food and beverage at Impiana KLCC and banquet and catering manager…

  • Phuket NewsWe can’t save drivers from themselves: Phuket police

    We can’t save drivers from themselves: Phuket police

    PHUKET: There will be no concerted effort by Phuket police to ramp up road safety despite six people – including three teenagers – being killed in road accidents in less than 24 hours last weekend. Phuket’s road nightmare began on August 8, when Red Mountain Golf Course caddy Sakon Banchongkaeo, 34, died after the motorbike on which she was riding…

  • World NewsEvidence suggests Ebola toll vastly underestimated – WHO

    Evidence suggests Ebola toll vastly underestimated – WHO

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Evidence suggests Ebola toll vastly underestimated – WHO Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Staff with the World Health Organization battling an Ebola outbreak in West Africa see evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimates the scale of the outbreak, the U.N. agency…

  • Phuket NewsSteeplechase winner disqualified for shirtless celebration

    Steeplechase winner disqualified for shirtless celebration

    PHUKET: Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad was stripped of the 3,000-meter steeplechase gold medal after performing a shirtless celebration down the final straight at the European Athletics championships on Thursday. The Frenchman, well clear of the rest of the field, pulled off his vest as he came around the final bend, put it in his mouth as he waved to the crowd. He…

  • Phuket NewsRussian tourist’s death ruled suicide by Phuket police

    Russian tourist’s death ruled suicide by Phuket police

    PHUKET: Police have concluded that a Russian tourist found dead in his Phuket hotel room died of self-inflicted wounds, after eliminating the possible involvement of a ladyboy seen in his company. Fedor Vasilev, 33, from the Sakha Republic, was found dead yesterday morning with seven stab wounds to his chest and a deep laceration running the length of his forearm…

  • Thai LifeArmy stormed Phuket before coup, for diving

    Army stormed Phuket before coup, for diving

    PHUKET: Months before General Prayuth Chan-ocha stepped in with the Army’s coup to wrestle some semblance of order back to Thailand, a group of military officers from throughout the nation stormed Phuket. But they didn’t come for the taxi mafia, tuk-tuk cartels, illegal workers or even the land encroachers – they came for the diving. Standing pool-side amid an air…

  • OpinionThe morality of surrogacy

    The morality of surrogacy

    PHUKET: The recent case of baby Gammy has highlighted the ethical and legal minefield embedded in commercial gestational surrogacy arrangements (story here). Gammy, who suffers from Down syndrome and other medical complications, is one of the twins born to Thai national Pattaramon Chanbua, after she was paid 300,000 baht to be implanted with the fertilized eggs of an Australian couple…

  • OpinionPhuket road safety: Time to tank it in

    Phuket road safety: Time to tank it in

    PHUKET: Recent developments on our roads seem to indicate that the law enforcement campaign ordered by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) may be pushing up against a serious limit: Thai society’s deeply ingrained “culture of carelessness”. The past week in Phuket has seen an unprecedented spate of high-speed vehicle tragedies resulting in deaths, serious injuries and property…

  • Phuket NewsATM skimming scam cashes in for 1.4 million across bay from Phuket

    ATM skimming scam cashes in for 1.4 million across bay from Phuket

    PHUKET: More than 1.4 million baht was skimmed from the accounts of 43 ATM card holders across the bay from Phuket in Krabi since August 7, Krabi City Police revealed today. “After questioning victims, it appears that the skimming has mostly targeted Bank of Ayudhaya customers,” Col Wittaya Meksai of the Krabi City Police told the Phuket Gazette this morning.…

  • Business NewsHotels and shops plead for end to martial law | Thaiger

    Hotels and shops plead for end to martial law

    PHUKET: Hotels and shopping malls in Bangkok are pushing for the lifting of martial law before the high season arrives in the hope that tourists and business travellers will come back to the capital. Prakit Chinamourphong, an ex-president and adviser to the Thai Hotels Association, said that if the junta ended martial law, the hotel and travel business would quickly…

  • Thailand NewsDNA tests show 9 babies fathered by same man | Thaiger

    DNA tests show 9 babies fathered by same man

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community DNA tests show 9 babies fathered by same man The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The nine infants discovered in a police raid last week at a Bangkok condominium in connection with unauthorised surrogacy were fathered by the same man. However, a DNA link between them…

  • Pattaya NewsTragic end to building collapse in Pathum Thani

    Tragic end to building collapse in Pathum Thani

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tragic end to building collapse in Pathum Thani The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Buri Ram woman who made a desperate dash from the northeast to Pathum Thani in search of her husband – trapped in a building that collapsed late on Monday – was…

  • Phuket NewsBritish siblings “overwhelmed’ by Phuket reunion

    British siblings “overwhelmed’ by Phuket reunion

    PHUKET: Ben and Emily Willgrass have broken their silence to express gratitude to all Thai people for their kindness and generosity after an emotionally overwhelming reunion with their Phuket tsunami saviors last month. Nearly 10 years later and thanks to a successful call for help via Facebook (story here), the Willgrass siblings were able to track down Yupin Sengmuang and…

  • Phuket NewsMcIlroy wins PGA Championship, claims fourth major

    McIlroy wins PGA Championship, claims fourth major

    PHUKET: Pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy recovered from a stumbling start to overcome a series of challengers and clinch his fourth major title by a shot at the PGA Championship on Sunday. A stroke in front of the chasing pack overnight, the Northern Irish world number one lost the lead but regained control after the turn, signing off with a three-under-par…

  • Phuket NewsFive to face charges for illegally claiming Phuket national park land

    Five to face charges for illegally claiming Phuket national park land

    PHUKET: Deputy Director-General of the Land Department Thammasak Chana has publicly vowed to pursue legal action over five cases of attempting to use SorKor 1 land documents to claim 445 rai of land in Phuket’s Sirinath National Park. In all five cases, the claimants applied for their SorKor 1 documents to be upgraded to full Chanote land titles, Mr Thammasak…

  • Phuket NewsMarine office to battle Phuket tar balls on beaches

    Marine office to battle Phuket tar balls on beaches

    PHUKET: Officials are set to re-launch a campaign to control used oil being dumped from boats off Phuket’s shore after balls of black tar appeared on the island’s beaches late last month (story here). “I have seen the photos of the substance myself, and can confirm that they are balls of tar,” Phuket Marine Office chief Phuriphat Theerakulpisut told the…

  • World NewsAt least 39 killed in Iranian plane crash | Thaiger

    At least 39 killed in Iranian plane crash

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community At least 39 killed in Iranian plane crash Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: At least 39 people were killed on Sunday when an Iran-140 Sepahan Air passenger plane crashed after takeoff from Tehran’s Mehrabad airport on a flight to Tabas in northeast Iran, state media reported.…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s road nightmare gets worse: Italian man dies in crash

    Phuket’s road nightmare gets worse: Italian man dies in crash

    PHUKET: The death of an Italian man in a Ducati motorbike accident in Karon before dawn today has brought the number of road fatalities in Phuket to six dead in less than 24 hours. The man, whose name is being withheld, lost control of his motorbike on a curve in the hills to north of Karon at about 5:30am. “He…

  • OpinionPlaying the role of manager and mum in Phuket

    Playing the role of manager and mum in Phuket

    Sumontha Urvois, 37, from Suphan Buri, is the Executive Assistant Manager of the Grand Mercure Phuket Patong. She has a master’s degree in hospitality management and more than 14 years’ experience in the industry with the Accor Group. Before coming to Phuket, she worked for two years as Rooms Division Manager at the Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square. Here, she…

  • OpinionFeelin’ fat like a Phuket expat

    Feelin’ fat like a Phuket expat

    PHUKET: Living in Phuket as a Western-born woman could prove dicey for the faint of heart, even more so for those who suffer from the occasional lack of self-confidence. Once you settle into life on the island, it doesn’t take long to tune in to the stark differences in cultural norms, especially when it comes to discussing body weight. Making…

  • OpinionBraving the Phuket land encroachment backlash

    Braving the Phuket land encroachment backlash

    PHUKET: The island should applaud the courage and dedication of Sirinath National Park Chief Kitiphat Taraphiban for continuing the campaign to rid the park of all encroachment – even in the face of recent death threats (story here). The state of many national parks and protected conservation areas is an embarrassment, with many beautiful locations degraded by corruption-fuelled, unregulated development.…

  • Thailand NewsProbe into Japanese ‘dad’ eyes baby trafficking intent

    Probe into Japanese ‘dad’ eyes baby trafficking intent

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Probe into Japanese ‘dad’ eyes baby trafficking intent The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police are looking into whether the 13 babies purportedly linked to surrogacy services were meant to be trafficked, as evidence suggests a Japanese man fathered at least nine infants via surrogate mothers.…

  • World NewsU.S. air strikes begin as Obama calls to prevent Iraq genocide

    U.S. air strikes begin as Obama calls to prevent Iraq genocide

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. air strikes begin as Obama calls to prevent Iraq genocide Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: U.S. warplanes bombed Islamist fighters marching on Iraq’s Kurdish capital on Friday after President Barack Obama said Washington must act to prevent “genocide”. Islamic State fighters, who have beheaded and…

  • Phuket NewsPolice to confirm Phuket caddy in fatal motorbike crash

    Police to confirm Phuket caddy in fatal motorbike crash

    PHUKET: Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward who may be able to confirm what occurred in a fatal motorbike accident this afternoon involving a pick-up truck driven by a 22-year-old man. Sakon Banchongkaeo, 34, was killed in the accident on the Koh Kaew – Nakok road, which is often used as a shortcut from Thepkrasattri Road in Koh…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s Club Med to cough up public land, but will stay

    Phuket’s Club Med to cough up public land, but will stay

    PHUKET: Negotiations between Club Med management and the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO), which owns the land the resort sits on, concluded late this afternoon with the news that the resort will stay. “Club Med has agreed to make three rai available as public land to be used as the local residents see fit, and with that we will renew…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket “mega meth mule’ shipped millions, say police

    Phuket “mega meth mule’ shipped millions, say police

    PHUKET: A mother arrested at a school car park in Phuket Town yesterday led to the “accidental” arrest of man who has since confessed to shipping millions of ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and kilograms of ya ice (crystal methamphatime) throughout Thailand, say police. The string of arrests began on Monday, when officers took into custody Uten Wanthong for possession of…

  • Business NewsRuler of the rubber world

    Ruler of the rubber world

    PHUKET: It started way back in the 16th century when an explorer saw tribal people in Mexico playing games with balls made out of a soft, bouncy material. It took another couple hundred years before anyone actually sat down and took a long, scientifically inquisitive look at what that material was. And its first practical use came in the form…