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Man crushed by Phuket Town juggernaut
PHUKET: A man wearing a safety helmet was crushed beneath a 10-wheel water-bowser truck, causing heavy traffic congestion for about an hour on Kra Road in Phuket Town this morning.The unidentified man, thought by Phuket Town Police to be in his forties, was transporting roasted-rice-bamboos on the rear of his motorbike at the time of the accident.The driver of the…
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Phuket Police cease investigations into two swimming pool drownings
PHUKET: Police are not continuing their investigations into the drownings of two tourists in swimming pools at two separate luxury resorts in Phuket last week. The two unrelated incidents, which both involved newly arrived tourist couples, occurred in Nai Harn, in the south of Phuket. The first drowning occurred on October 6 at a resort at the north end of…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival vendors protest over street rents
PHUKET: Food vendors to operate stalls near the Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket Town during the upcoming Vegetarian Festival have successfully overturned the shrine committee’s decision this year to hand over the right to collect stall site rents to homeowners in the downtown area. About 30 people representing close to 100 Chinese vegetarian food vendors gathered around noon yesterday to…
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Joyriders nabbed by Phuket Police
PHUKET: In one of his first public press conferences as Phuket’s top-ranking police officer, Maj Gen Choti Chavaviwat this morning announced the arrest of two men for stealing a car to go joyriding around the island. Joining Kamala Police Deputy Superintendent Winai Kongkaew at Phuket Provincial Police headquarters in Phuket Town, Gen Choti announced the arrests of 32-year-old Phuket native…
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Phuket FC Islanders devour T-Rex in seven goal thriller
PHUKET: Seven of at least nine goals netted were allowed in Phuket FC’s survival match last night against the Khon Kaen FC T-Rex, with the Islanders earning a convincing three points at home by a 5-2 scoreline. Played at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town, the midweek match was played in front of a humble crowd of 2,100. Languishing in 15th…
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Quebec coroner refutes Thai autopsy results for Belanger sisters
PHUKET: A Quebec coroner has refuted claims by Thai officials that the Belanger sisters died in their Phi Phi hotel room in June after consuming the insecticide DEET. Audrey Belanger, 20, and Noemi Belanger, 25, were found dead in their hotel room on Phi Phi Island on June 15. Both had suffered a violent physical reaction to suspected poisoning. Autopsies…
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Phuket prepares for important ‘footy’ matches
PHUKET: Both of the island’s national-level sports teams have important matches lined up, today and tomorrow. In 11-a-side football, the Phuket FC “Islanders” are ready to host Khon Kaen FC “T-Rex” at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town with a 6:30pm kickoff this evening. Both sides will be fighting hard for all three points to help them steer clear of relegation,…
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Call for blood donations ahead of Phuket Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) is calling for a boost in blood donations ahead of the upcoming Vegetarian Festival, which begins on Sunday. The PRBC’s blood stocks usually fall dramatically during the festival as demand rises and donor numbers reduce, due to the physical demands made by the festival’s purification rituals. Acting Director of PRBC Pornthip Rattajak told the…
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World News: NATO pledges ‘solidarity’ for Turkey
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NATO warns alliance is ready to defend Turkey if necessary Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen yesterday called on all parties in the region to avoid an escalation of tensions along the Syria-Turkey border, warning that the military alliance is…
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Phuket scrubs up ahead of Vegetarian Festival
PHUKET: Residents in Phuket’s Srisoonthorn area today staged their “Big Cleaning Day” to prepare for the upcoming Vegetarian Festival, which will get underway on Sunday night. Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak led the event this morning, which began with cleaning the area immediately surrounding the island’s famed Heroines Monument. Leading an army of volunteers and officers from Srisoonthorn Municipality was…
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Mayor Pian unveils “14 strategies’ to develop Patong
PHUKET: Pian Keesin, launching into his final term as Patong Mayor, has revealed a grand plan of “14 strategies” to transform Patong into a “Livable and Sustainable Tourist Destination City”.Speaking at a Patong council meeting on Monday, Mayor Pian said, “In order to prepare our town for the beginning of the Asean Economic Community [AEC] in 2015, we will have…
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Krabi farm owners pleads for return of fossils
PHUKET: The owner of a plot of land in Krabi, believed to be the site of a massive shell fossil discovery, has asked for people to return the fossils stolen from his land and not to steal any more of them . Chob Pankaew, 55, announced news of the discovery of a huge collection of fossil shells on his farm…
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Phuket Business: Challenges ahead of ASEAN’s young union
PHUKET: Eliminating tariffs that financially penalize members of ASEAN, is one of the stated long-term goals of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community).When economic unions were proposed in the United States and Europe, tariffs became a defining factor that would later determine the outcome of those unions.Now that ASEAN has decided to form an economic union – the AEC – in…
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Phuket Business: Calculating the Sharpe ratio
PHUKET: One statistic you will often see when looking at a fund’s performance is the “Sharpe ratio”. This is an attempt to quantify the excess return for a given level of risk. For example, two funds may both return 12%. If one returns a steady 1% every month while the other swings up and down, common sense and our blood…
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US Navy in Phuket to splash out B2mn a day
PHUKET: Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) Vice President Bhurit Maswongsa today estimated that the US Navy sailors currently visiting Phuket are expected to spend 10 million baht during their five-day stay on the island. The USS John C Stennis and USS Mobile Bay dropped anchor in Ao Makham bay, off Phuket’s east coast, on Sunday, to give the 5,350 servicemen and…
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Brazen Phuket snatch artist targets Russian tourist
PHUKET: A Russian tourist in Phuket Town became the latest victim of a snatch theft yesterday when an unidentified man stole her bag in broad daylight. Phuket City Police inspector Lt Col Yongyuth Krongmalai received a report of the snatch at about 3:30pm. Arriving at a retail store on Patipat Road, Col Yongyuth was confronted with the victim, a rather…
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Phuket Airport to suffer overcrowding during expansion project
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport director Prathuang Sornkham, speaking at the airport’s 24th anniversary yesterday, offered an advance apology for passenger delays anticipated while the complex undergoes expansion and renovation over the next three years. Mr Prathuang told the media that the already overcrowded airport would be even more jammed than usual as, adding to the 35 regular airlines and eight…
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New Phuket Police chief ramps up island security
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police Commander Choti Chavaviwat today announced that inspections of vehicles passing through the Tah Chat Chai police checkpoint – located on the only road linking Phuket with mainland Thailand – will be subjected to more stringent searches in order to boost security.“The Tah Chat Chai checkpoint is on the only road in and out of Phuket, so…
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Unfinished Bangkok arena forces FIFA to move Futsal World Cup
PHUKET: Organizers of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 have announced a revision of the match schedule, citing severe weather conditions delaying the construction of the event’s main facility, the 12,000-seat Bangkok Futsal Arena (BFA). Five group matches – mostly involving Thailand’s Group A – initially scheduled to be played at the yet-to-be-completed facility, are now set to be…
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Phuket FC fall in Cavalry charge, stumble on road to survival
PHUKET: The Islanders suffered their third straight loss and subsequently slipped into 15th place of the 18-team team league, following a 2-0 scoreline away at Suphanburi on Saturday night. One goal in each half by the Suphanburi FC Elephant Cavalry’s Yodrak Namangrak and Phaisan Pona on 23 and 53 minutes, respectively, sealed the result, securing the home side’s second-place standing…
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Rare “hairy leg mountain crab’ spotted in Phuket
PHUKET: A rare type of crab, thought to be extinct on Phuket, was recently found on the island, years after any previous confirmed sightings were reported. An officer at the Phuket Marine National Park Research Center caught a “hairy leg mountain crab” in a mangrove forest at Tah Chat Chai, at the northern tip of Phuket, last Wednesday. “This kind…
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Fire damage to Phuket LPG cargo ship estimated at B400k
PHUKET: Damage to the liquid propane gas (LPG) cargo ship that caught fire off Phuket yesterday may reach up to 400,000 baht, the Phuket Gazette was told today.“The communications room was heavily damaged by the fire. We believe that’s where it started. The radio and radar systems were damaged, as were a storeroom and one room in the crew’s quarters,”…
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USS John C Stennis and USS Mobile Bay docked in Phuket until Thursday
PHUKET: THE USS John C Stennis and USS Mobile Bay have docked in Phuket to give their complement of 5,350 servicemen and women the chance to grab some ‘R and R’ before possibly being re-deployed in the Middle East. Sailors will be rotated off the ship daily in groups of 1,500 to 2,000. The Stennis is the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered…
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“Ruptured my right testicle….”
“Ruptured my right testicle, got a knee one minute into the second half, had to have it removed.” PHUKET: Warrington prop forward Paul Wood ruptured a testicle during Saturday’s Rugby League Grand Final. Wood suffered the injury at the start of the second half after catching a knee to the groin, but he played on before going to hospital after…
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Destination marketing: Heritage experts shed light on Phuket’s cultural identity
PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce teamed up with the Phuket PR Network last night to present a fascinating and most entertaining culture-preservation lesson at the Blue Elephant in the heart of Old Phuket Town.The event was headlined by two heritage preservation experts, who gave captivating lectures about the importance of Phuket’s cultural past, present and future.Dr Yongtanit Pimonsathean, a…
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Go Eco Phuket aims to maintain momentum
PHUKET: Go Eco Phuket, the local marine conservation group launched last weekend with the world’s biggest reef cleanup, is looking to maintain its momentum by joining the Royal Thai Navy in scuttling a ship to use as an artificial reef. Group members have already held discussions with local Naval officers about the project, which is expected to ease the pressure…
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Phuket locals taught to fight crime for tourist safety project
PHUKET: About 150 employees in Patong, including rental car operators, motorbike taxi drivers and beach masseuses, attended a seminar this week designed to train them as active members of the Patong Safety Zone project, which has already been hailed as a success by police.“The Patong Safety Zone project has been running for awhile, and we have already noticed a decrease…
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PSS show improvement at YFH Soccer Tournament
PHUKET: Phuket Soccer Schools (PSS) participated in the annual Youth Football Home (YFH) Soccer Tournament in Thalang last weekend. The tournament saw the finest juniors teams on the island compete in two age groups, with players represented at Under 11 (U11) and U13 levels. Each age group consisted of 10 teams in two groups of five. Saturday saw each team…
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Phuket village headmen rally against new election law
PHUKET: More than 200 subdistrict chiefs and village headmen gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning to protest the amendment of a law dictating the amount of time between their elections.Previously, the law allowed subdistrict chiefs and village headmen to maintain their position until they reached the age of 60. The new amendment changes the length of the “elected term”…
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Phuket worker’s family compensated after electrocution
PHUKET: The Arrow Media advertising company has agreed to pay 100,000 baht compensation to the family of one of its workers who was electrocuted by a bare high-voltage power line at the Darasamuth Intersection on September 28.Wai Hayoung, 32, was killed instantly after being electrocuted by a 115,000 volt (115kv) power line while climbing an advertising board to make repairs.An…
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