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Phuket business: New tourism and hotel college enrolls for May
PHUKET: In response to swelling demand in the island’s booming services industry, Thalang Technical College will be developing into the Phuket Hotel and Tourism College. The move was announced earlier this week by the college’s director, Suthep Yongyuth.“We first opened in 1997 as the Phuket Technical College number two, and then changed our name to Thalang Technical College in the…
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Transport Minister gives Bt180mn Phuket mangrove flyover green light
PHUKET: With the Thai Cabinet meeting to be held in Phuket a week away, Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan in Phuket in person yesterday promised that the 180-million-baht elevated road over a mangrove forest at Saphan Hin will be presented to Cabinet for approval. In front of the press, Mr Jarupong even guaranteed that the Klong Koh Pee road project will…
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Bee swarm invades Krabi school
PHUKET: A swarm of wild bees invaded several classrooms at Baan Tabpol School in Krabi’s Khao Phanom District on Friday, stinging 23 students and a teacher.Three of the children – aged 9, 10 and 12 – were taken to hospital for treatment for multiple bees stings, said School Director Bussakorn Hohkul.“Doctors had to inject antihistamine in one of the boys…
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New Phuket Weekend Market opens at Boat Lagoon
PHUKET: The Boat Lagoon Weekend Market opened yesterday to a welcome reception by local vendors and market goers. With pitch rentals as low as 100 baht, vender Jantima Tanpitakpong saw the opportunity to set up a stall of her own. “We buy handmade items, add value to them and sell them on. We don’t have our own shop yet, so…
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Phuket Airport factored into plans for regional aviation hub
PHUKET: A high-level board delegation representing Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT), including six directors of major airports in Thailand, met yesterday at Phuket International Airport to discuss strategies to place Thailand in the top 10 of Asia’s aviation hubs. In line with AOT’s aspirations for Thailand to become a regional aviation hub, the current expansion planned project to…
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Phuket OrBorJor election becomes a two-horse race
PHUKET: Registration closed yesterday for candidates to enter the April 7 Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) presidential election, with a second candidate entering the race and another withdrawing on the grounds that the election was “unfair”. Chayot Wisartpong from Pa Khlok, arrived at Phuket Community Hall with his supporters to register with the Phuket Election Commission shortly after 3pm. Mr…
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Anti-corruption probe uncovers Phuket land deals’ dirty history
PHUKET: A probe into the issuance of land title deeds in Phuket has uncovered widespread encroachment into protected forest areas and identified government officials as playing the key role in facilitating the theft of state property. Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission secretary-general Pol Col Dusadee Arayawuth, in Phuket as part of the investigation, yesterday told the press his office had identified…
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Phuket Poll: Which inbound market has highest growth potential?
PHUKET: By almost all accounts, 2011 was a banner year for Phuket tourism. With 2012 well underway, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and local tourism industry leaders continue to seek out promising new sources of tourists. Phuket tourism representatives tirelessly attend tourism trade shows at home and abroad to present the latest tourism products to the international market, and,…
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Phuket sports: Laguna pillage the Village
PHUKET: Following Laguna CC’s recent loss, the Island Furniture League season was thrown wide open with the in-form Village Cricket Team holding all the cards going into the last round of matches. The fourteenth match of this season saw an undefeated Village team up against Laguna at the ACG on Sunday with the latter still licking their wounds from their…
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Phuket Gazette: 77 kids rescued in major trafficking bust
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chinese security forces arrest hundreds, rescue 77 children in major trafficking bust PHUKET (News Wires): Chinese police have arrested more than 300 suspects during a nationwide investigation into four child trafficking rings, the government announced yesterday. More than 70 abducted children were rescued. China’s Public Security…
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Phuket Bus Terminal 2 to open ‘after Songkran’
PHUKET: The Administrative Court in Nakhon Sri Thammarat has thrown out a complaint against work on the new turning in front of Phuket Bus Terminal 2, which the Land Transport Office now hopes to have in operation shortly after the upcoming Songkran holiday. Phuket Land Transport Office [PLTO] chief Teerayut Prasertpol told the Phuket Gazette he received a telephone call…
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Weird World News: Fox mugs man, kitesurfer stabs shark and nerds design robo-Cheetah
PHUKET: This has been a week of man taking on wild. From the cobbled and cold streets of England to the warm waters of the Red Sea and at a state-of-the art Massachusetts robotics lab, snarling and snapping animals coming face-to-face with man made headlines this week. Man ‘mugged’ by fox A BRITSH man claims he was mugged by a…
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Phuket Heroines honored at “Battle of Thalang’ re-enactment
PHUKET: Those wanting to catch the re-enactment of the Battle of Thalang, from which the Phuket heroines “Jan” and “Mook” gained their fame, should clear their schedule from March 13 to 15. The official program of events for the annual celebrations will start on Sunday, but the re-enactment of the historic battle at Thalang Victory Memorial Field doesn’t begin until…
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Drug-dealing, sex-buying monk defrocked
PHUKET: A SEX-CRAZED monk in the Northern province of Lamphun has been defrocked and charged by police for allegedly selling ya bah (methamphetamine) to local teenagers. Phra Phichat In-wan of Wat Rongkutai in the province’s Maeraeng Subdistrict spent much of his drug profits on prostitutes that he had sex with on temple grounds, according to police. The disgraced clergyman kept…
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QSI Phuket Fun Run all set for go tomorrow
PHUKET: Athletes across the island and families who just like enjoying walks are getting ready for the Quality Schools International (QSI) Phuket 10th Annual Fun Run on Saturday, March 10, starting at 9am and jogging on to 1pm. The traditional 1km, 6km, 12km individual and team runs are ready for the off, while food, drink and games will also be…
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Finn tourist killed in crash on Phuket’s Big Buddha Hill
PHUKET: The Finnish Embassy today named 32-year-old Tuomas Johannes Mustonen as the Finnish tourist who died in a motorbike accident on Big Buddha Hill on Wednesday. Mr Mustonen’s body was found by police patrolling the area of the Big Buddha on the evening of Makha Bucha Day. “While on patrol, officers came across a Yamaha Fino motorbike. Nearby, they discovered…
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Body lotion bust uncovers Phuket motorbike, drug gang
PHUKET: Two shoplifters apprehended at a Phuket 7-Eleven store were later found to be involved in the theft of seven motorbikes and were dealers of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), police announced yesterday. Staff at the 7-Eleven store near Phuket International Airport informed police that a man and woman were caught on the store’s CCTV system stealing items from the shop.…
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Phuket Gazette: Exotic wildlife worth Bt200m found
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Exotic wildlife worth Bt200m found PHUKET (The Nation): Thai police yesterday searched the Saraburi home of a former Chatuchak Market animal vendor and found 300 to 400 caged animals with an estimated black market value of 200 million baht. Pol Maj Gen Norasak Hemnithi, chief of…
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Phuket Gazette: Syria – First high-ranking official joins uprising
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Syria’s deputy oil minister defects from Assad PHUKET (News Wires): Syrian Deputy Oil Minister Abdu Hussameddin yesterday announced his defection from the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, becoming the first high-ranking civilian official to join the uprising which began a year ago. Hussameddin, 58, appeared in…
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Phuket Gazette: British Royal Navy submariner charged with ‘leaking’ secrets
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Leaky submarine’?: British Royal Navy crewman charged with communicating secrets PHUKET (News Wires): A British Royal Navy submariner was arrested in southwestern England earlier this week and is being accused of leaking classified information, police said on Thursday. He has been charged with breaching the Official…
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Phuket tourist electrocution brings probe, safety blitz
PHUKET: The electrocution of 45-year-old Russian tourist Fedor Samsonov at a high-end Phuket resort last night has prompted an investigation by police and a full-scale safety inspection of the resort’s electrical system. “This is very tragic and we feel very much for the family,” said Lars Ydmark of resort management company Tri-Asia, which manages the Dewa Karon Beach Resort. The…
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Phuket sports: Krabi put their talons into FC Phuket
PHUKET: FC Phuket suffered a 1-2 defeat to fellow Division 1 rivals, Krabi FC in a charity match played at Surakul Stadium yesterday evening. In essence a derby game, it was the Southern Sea Kirin’s fourth of the 2012 pre-season schedule so far. Proceeds of the ticket sales will be used to help return former Phuket player Camara Ahmed back…
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Phuket Crime: Dokset DNA results show human skull hit with heavy object
PHUKET: Preliminary results from forensics tests conducted on remains found at the home of Norwegian Stein Dokset have found that they are those of a human female. They have yet to be confirmed as those of Rungnapa Suktong, however, the Phuket Gazette has been told. The remains were found in the locked basement bathroom at Mr Dokset’s luxury villa in…
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Phuket Gazette: Four Troops killed in Thai bomb attack; Quick probe into criminal cases crucial
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Four troops killed, another injured in Narathiwat bomb attack PHUKET (The Nation): The unit was returning home after providing security to Buddhist devotees and monks at a temple in the evening of Maka Puja Day when the explosion occurred at 10:40pm yesterday. The explosion occurred on…
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Phuket workers have new hospital option under social security
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) Hospital is accepting applications from workers who want the new hospital to be their primary healthcare provider under the Social Security insurance scheme. The OrBorJor hospital, located on the east side of Phuket Town, has been actively courting new patients since its opening in May last year. Darawan Jinda, who heads the hospital’s…
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Immigration tops list of “most worn-out complaint’ in Phuket poll
PHUKET: Griping about immigration requirements is overwhelmingly the topic readers are most tired of hearing foreigners in Phuket complain about, according to the most recent Phuket Gazette Readers’ Poll. A total of 1,982 readers took part in the poll, which ran from February 17 until this morning. Readers were asked: “Which of the following topics are you most tired of…
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Phuket Gazette: Huge solar storm to hit Earth
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Huge solar storm to hit Earth – could disrupt power grids, satellite navigation systems and plane routes PHUKET: The BBC has reported a strong solar storm is expected to hit Earth shortly, and experts warn it could disrupt power grids, satellite navigation systems and plane routes.…
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Phuket Police to start patrols with the “All Blacks’
PHUKET: Phuket Police will soon be patrolling the streets of Phuket in brand-new all black Mazda2 cars. The 10 new patrol cars were bought with 5.9 million baht provided by Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok, said Phuket City Police administrator Charturong Laddayam. “The new patrol vehicles are expected to improve our international image and help our relations with tourists,”…
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Phuket Gazette: Expert says Western lifestyle spawns ‘global public health disaster’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UN expert says globalization of Western lifestyle spawns ‘global public health disaster’ PHUKET (News Wires): A United Nations independent expert on Tuesday said an international public health disaster persists as undernourishment and overweight problems have spawned from the globalization of western lifestyles. UN Special Rapporteur on…
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Phuket Gazette: Thai women courted; Hopewell back in public eye; PM in Japan;
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pheu Thai, Democrats take different paths in wooing women voters PHUKET (The Nation): Both parties cite the importance of women, their roles in taking care of families and their forming a key part of the workforce. As the world celebrates International Women’s Day today, the two…
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