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  • Phuket NewsPhuket to host Asian Hospitality & Travel Show in October

    Phuket to host Asian Hospitality & Travel Show in October

    PHUKET: Events Thailand team and Skal Phuket are combining talents to stage the inaugural ‘Asian Hospitality & Travel Show’ at the Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center from October 1 to 3. “The exhibition is geared towards becoming a platform for networking between suppliers within the Asian Hospitality and travel sectors,” said Events Thailand committee member Simon Samaan, who…

  • Phuket NewsUpdate: Phuket International Film Festival | Thaiger

    Update: Phuket International Film Festival

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Scheduled for June 4-13, the Phuket International Film Festival is offering 10 days of award-winning movies, parties and networking events with international filmmakers, cultural activities and, of course, world-famous Thai hospitality. The film festival is unique in that…

  • Phuket NewsAir Asia aids Phuket | Thaiger

    Air Asia aids Phuket

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: AirAsia Group is today kicking off a promotional campaign called “It’s OK, Thailand”. The campaign aggressively markets Bangkok as well as other Thai destinations, most notably Phuket, with low fares to revive Thailand’s travel and tourism industry. The…

  • Phuket NewsTravel warning revision to benefit Phuket | Thaiger

    Travel warning revision to benefit Phuket

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Britain’s Foreign Office eased its advice against travel to the Thai capital yesterday as Bangkok slowly returned to normal after protests and riots. Britain had advised against all travel to Bangkok, including Phuket and Thailand in general, earlier…

  • Phuket NewsBriton dies in Phuket hotel room | Thaiger

    Briton dies in Phuket hotel room

    PATONG, PHUKET: The body of a British man who died of apparent heart failure was discovered by his father in a Patong hotel room yesterday afternoon. Kathu Police Duty Inspector Jakkapong Luang-aon identified the body as that of UK national Kevin Dean, age 47. Mr Dean’s body was discovered at about 2:30pm on the bathroom floor of his room at…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket tourists divert to Bali | Thaiger

    Phuket tourists divert to Bali

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The long-running political crisis in Thailand appears to have had a positive spin-off for Bali’s tourism industry, with more foreign tourists than usual visiting the Indonesian island instead of Thai destinations such as Phuket. The Jakarta Globe reports…

  • Phuket NewsMumbo jumbo in Phuket hotel bookings | Thaiger

    Mumbo jumbo in Phuket hotel bookings

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Phuket readers of stories from a wide array of ‘media outlets’ are by now well accustomed to conflicts, mumbo jumbo and gobbledygook when it comes to hotel occupancy, forward bookings and other tourism statistics. There are times when…

  • Phuket NewsDrunk driver in Phuket pile-up

    Drunk driver in Phuket pile-up

    PHUKET CITY: A 30-year-old man tested five times over the legal alcohol limit after smashing his truck into an oncoming pickup, scattering seven motorbikes and their passengers across the road. Nakhon Sri Thammarat native Wirot Songpan was driving his black pickup truck home at rush hour on the morning of May 19 after a night of drinking in Saphan Hin…

  • Phuket NewsSea rescue course in Phuket

    Sea rescue course in Phuket

    PHUKET: A sea rescue course for 40 volunteers and government officers is underway at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) training center in Phuket. The 45-day Andaman Sea Rescue Course, funded by DDPM region 18, began on April 19 and is scheduled to end June 2. The course includes sessions on radio communication and maritime law by instructors…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Airport safe, security stepped up | Thaiger

    Phuket Airport safe, security stepped up

    PHUKET: Security at Phuket International Airport has been beefed up following outbreaks of violence across Bangkok and other parts of the country today. Airport Director Pratueng Sornkham said more police officers were called in to guard the facility from 11am this morning. Stricter security procedures are now in operation and will remain so until the situation changes, he said. He…

  • Phuket NewsUrgent call for blood in Phuket

    Urgent call for blood in Phuket

    PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center is asking for urgent help as Thailand is facing a nationwide blood shortage due to the political unrest in Bangkok. Pareeya Jullaphong, corporate social responsibility project manager at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, said the National Blood Center and Red Cross Society in Bangkok are unable to distribute blood across the country as normal due to…

  • Phuket NewsKorean, Thai charged over Phuket horror crash | Thaiger

    Korean, Thai charged over Phuket horror crash

    PHUKET: Two men wanted by police for their involvement in a deadly crash on the bypass road earlier this month have reported to police, but only one accepts that his negligence might have played a role in the collision that claimed the lives of a young couple from Kathu. Phuket City Police duty officer Thada Sodarak said that 30-year-old truck…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Gazette partner journalist shot in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette partner journalist shot in Bangkok

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Chaiwat Phumpuang, a photo-journalist in the Nation/Gazette news pool, has become the latest victim of the protest violence in Bangkok. The award-winning lensman, who has covered many political crises, was shot in the leg while recording the demonstrations…

  • Phuket NewsSunday Summary / update on Thai Crisis | Thaiger

    Sunday Summary / update on Thai Crisis

    PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette‘s own correspondents and Nation partner reporters in Bangkok join our Phuket-based NEWS Hound team this morning to present a Sunday snapshot of the turmoil in Bangkok and some glimpses into its increasingly adverse impacts. 24 dead as army told to “shoot on sight” Since violence re-erupted in Bangkok on Thursday with the shooting of renegade army…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket hotel occupancy in “massive decline” | Thaiger

    Phuket hotel occupancy in “massive decline”

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s deputy governor for marketing communications, Prakit Piriyakiet, has just completed an inspection of hotels and resorts in Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak to shortlist properties for the annual Thailand Tourism Awards. The trip revealed…

  • Phuket News“Kathu Culture Road’ fair in Phuket

    “Kathu Culture Road’ fair in Phuket

    PHUKET: Kathu will host its second annual ‘Kathu Culture Road’ fair from June 25 to 27, the municipality has announced. Kathu Mayor Chaianan Suthikul said they decided to host this year’s event in June as a way of attracting more tourists in the low season and to preserve Kathu’s unique culture. With a total budget of about 1 million baht,…

  • Phuket NewsNew marketing director at Laguna Phuket | Thaiger

    New marketing director at Laguna Phuket

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: The Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket has announced the appointment of Ms Erica Robinson as Director of Marketing Communications. She will lead the marketing and communication strategies for the resort, which is based in the Laguna Phuket complex. With ten…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket shunned by travellers | Thaiger

    Phuket shunned by travellers

    PHUKET: In poll results sure to shock many in Phuket, Thailand’s Koh Lanta, Khao Lak, Koh Pha-Ngan and Koh Samui have won 4 out of 10 honors for the Top Ten beach destinations in Asia. Phuket did not rank among them. The poll, conducted by TripAdvisor and titled ‘Traveler’s Choice Awards for 2010’, closed yesterday.  The Thai beach resorts were…

  • Phuket NewsHot, humid conditions in Phuket

    Hot, humid conditions in Phuket

    PHUKET: Thai authorities issued a public health warning earlier this week after nationwide temperatures soared to their highest in 20 years. With temperatures across the country hitting 40 degrees Celsius, the Public Health Ministry advised people to stay indoors to avoid getting heat stroke. Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said exposure to heat could result in abnormally high body temperature,…

  • Phuket NewsBomb found at ASTV Phuket office

    Bomb found at ASTV Phuket office

    PHUKET: A shopping bag containing a live hand grenade was found hanging from the front door of the ASTV television network office in downtown Phuket Town this morning. Phuket City Police were informed by the Phuket Special Branch Police at about 9am that someone had called in to report that a bomb had been placed at the office, located in…

  • Phuket NewsFrank Visakay dies in Phuket, age 71

    Frank Visakay dies in Phuket, age 71

    PHUKET: Long-term Phuket expat Frank Visakay of the USA died in his rented home in Rawai today of apparent heart failure. He was 71. Neighbors discovered his body in his home on Soi Pattana after becoming concerned because he had not left the house for a few days. Friends close to Mr Visakay said he had been suffering from a…

  • Phuket NewsCable TV Internet in Phuket

    Cable TV Internet in Phuket

    PHUKET: Cable TV users in Phuket can now take advantage of fast broadband Internet after a number of local cable companies signed MOUs with communications provider CAT Telecom. On Friday, Rawai Cable became the latest company to sign the agreement, which allows CAT to provide 4MB Internet through existing cable connections. The other companies are Phuket Cable, PA Business Phuket,…

  • OpinionOPINION: Crackdown on cracked heads in Phuket

    OPINION: Crackdown on cracked heads in Phuket

    PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong’s order for a crackdown on riding as a passenger (pillion) on a motorbike without a helmet is laudable, but won’t be easy to enforce. Under the plan, police will be responsible for ensuring compliance with an existing law that allows them to issue fines of up to 500 baht for anyone caught on…

  • Phuket NewsTAT bike tour of Old Phuket Town | Thaiger

    TAT bike tour of Old Phuket Town

    PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Phuket is inviting people to take part in an educational bike ride around Phuket Old Town on May 23. The four-hour ride, which starts at 7am, will be a cultural tour of the town with stops at historically important sites and explanations about the local way of life. The event is…

  • Phuket NewsNew EMS service launched in Phuket

    New EMS service launched in Phuket

    PHUKET: Delivering pianos to Chiang Mai and letters to mom in New York got easier on April 30 when Thailand Post opened a new service center in Koh Kaew. ‘Phuket EMS World and Logispost’ is the only facility in the region dedicated to international deliveries and shipments of large items. EMS World and Logispost chief Narat Sangarkas said service standards…

  • Phuket NewsReporter shot dead in Phuket

    Reporter shot dead in Phuket

    WICHIT, PHUKET: Police have launched a manhunt for a killer after a local reporter was found riddled with bullets in Phuket this morning. The bloodied body of Somchai Kuamsap, 37, was discovered by the side of Chao Fa East Road outside Seemum Market around 4am. Police found a slip in his wallet indicating Mr Somchai, a reporter at a local…

  • Phuket NewsNew flights for Phuket | Thaiger

    New flights for Phuket

    Phuket NEWS Hound – A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PHUKET: Opodo Travel News announced yesterday that Air Berlin will add an extra weekly flight into Phuket toward the end of this year. A new Airbus A330-200 aircraft will be stationed at Berlin-Tegel airport to fly the sector. The…

  • Phuket NewsMonsoon rains hit Phuket

    Monsoon rains hit Phuket

    PHUKET: Thunder and heavy rain across Phuket yesterday morning indicate that the monsoon season is settling in. Sorot Sawatdiraksa, a meteorologist with the Southern Meteorological Center at Phuket Airport, said the rains were the first heavy morning rains this year. “The rain is a sign of change. Before yesterday there were no morning rains, only hot-season evening rains related to…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket needs marketing independence: PTA

    Phuket needs marketing independence: PTA

    PHUKET: With the local economy continuing to suffer because of political strife elsewhere in the country, it is time for Phuket to take a more independent approach to destination marketing, one tourism industry analyst says. Bhuritt Maswongsa, vice president for marketing of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), said the average occupancy rate in Phuket for April 2010 was about 70…

  • Phuket NewsLast chance for peace? | Thaiger

    Last chance for peace?

    PHUKET: Is the light at the end of the tunnel that of a train coming our way? The answer depends on how the red shirts, who have been tired, dispirited and discredited, respond today to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s unexpected offer to hold a general election on November 14. Whether the 30-minute national address last night is a game-changing moment…