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    10 Best restaurants in Asoke, Bangkok

    The Thaiger key takeaways This neighbourhood is one of Bangkok’s busiest eating zones, lined with Thai diners, brunch favourites, Japanese joints and some of the city’s most reliable pizza. Its central location and direct BTS/MRT access make it one of...

  • Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest – Let the games begin! [VIDEO] | Thaiger

    Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest – Let the games begin! [VIDEO]

    PHUKET: It’s here and it’s going to be big! Laguna Phuket Triathlon schedule. Click here for more details. Challenge Laguna Phuket Press Conference in Bangkok. The much-anticipated Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest 2013 will kick off with the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on Sunday (November 24) which is celebrating its 20th anniversary and will finish with the Challenge Laguna Phuket a…

  • Runaway Phuket Thai Post truck slams into cars on Patong Hill [Video] | Thaiger

    Runaway Phuket Thai Post truck slams into cars on Patong Hill [Video]

    PHUKET: A Thai Post lorry that failed to make the steep climb up Patong Hill yesterday afternoon, faltered then careened backward down the hill, slamming into cars and pickups as it went. “The truck slid down the hill at about 2:15pm. It ended up stopping at almost the same spot as the student bus that rolled backward down the hill…

  • Python snared near Phuket Town park | Thaiger

    Python snared near Phuket Town park

    PHUKET: A Phuket City street sweeper raised the alarm in Phuket Town earlier this week when he spotted a five-meter python hiding in a storm drain near Saphan Hin Park. “Many people were exercising in the area. I was afraid it posed a danger to them,” the street sweeper told the Phuket Gazette. Saphan Hin Park (map here) is renowned…

  • Weather dampens spirits, search for missing Singaporean tourist continues | Thaiger

    Weather dampens spirits, search for missing Singaporean tourist continues

    PHUKET: The search resumed today for missing tourist Gao Yang, who slipped from the rocks at Phuket’s Promthep Cape late yesterday afternoon. “We resumed our search this morning,” said Phuket Marine Police Inspector Chatchai Sakdee. “Rawai Municipality officers have joined the mission. They provided one speedboat and one small boat to help conduct the search,” he added. “We have divided…

  • British tourist drowns after Phuket weather warning issued | Thaiger

    British tourist drowns after Phuket weather warning issued

    PHUKET: A British tourist drowned at Karon Beach yesterday afternoon, hours after a heavy weather warning was issued for Phuket and other areas along the Andaman coast. Police named the victim as Edward Joseph Brookes, 63, from England. Mr Brookes disappeared in the surf in front of Karon Municipality Stadium (map here) at 2:40pm after enjoying lunch with his wife,…

  • Phuket King’s Cup Regatta hosts underline support | Thaiger

    Phuket King’s Cup Regatta hosts underline support

    PHUKET: Kata Group Resorts Thailand is to be the host sponsor of the 27th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, making this the 15th year that the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2013 Nominee has supported the renowned international yachting spectacle. The regatta will be held from November 29 to December 6, 2013. Kata Beach Resort and Spa, one of six properties owned…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: North Korea may have detained US veteran; White House seeks to assure Asia; Afghanistan-U.S. reach agreement | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: North Korea may have detained US veteran; White House seeks to assure Asia; Afghanistan-U.S. reach agreement

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea may have detained elderly U.S. man Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: North Korea appears to have detained an 85-year-old California man who had entered the country on a tourist visa, pulling him off a plane as he was about to leave the reclusive Asian country last…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt reels under court blow; Bt2-tn transport bill approved; Heavy rain across South | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt reels under court blow; Bt2-tn transport bill approved; Heavy rain across South

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt reels under court blow The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The verdict of the Constitutional Court yesterday striking down a charter amendment for an all-elected Senate has put the ruling Pheu Thai Party and coalition partners under huge pressure as their 312 lawmakers could be subject to…

  • Phuket panty sniffer caught mid-snatch | Thaiger

    Phuket panty sniffer caught mid-snatch

    PHUKET: An off-duty security guard was caught red-handed stealing women’s panties off a clothesline in Phuket Town last night. Residents of Phol Place apartments, behind Surakul Stadium (map here), heard someone walking around the dimly-lit area near their building at about 9:30pm. “They saw a man lurking near the building, and they kept an eye on him. When they spotted…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Security tightened in capital; Cop helped Russian scammers; Changes needed in HIV fight; Thais score low in English | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Security tightened in capital; Cop helped Russian scammers; Changes needed in HIV fight; Thais score low in English

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Security in Bangkok tightened Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Security has been beefed up in Bangkok as protesters wait to hear the Constitutional Court’s ruling on charter amendment to be announced later today.About two companies of policemen were deployed to secure the court compound, with 20 officers…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Obama knew of issues; Suicide bombers attack Iranian embassy; Fisherman returned after 40 years | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Obama knew of issues; Suicide bombers attack Iranian embassy; Fisherman returned after 40 years

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama was briefed earlier in year on health website problems Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: President Barack Obama, who has portrayed himself as surprised by technical problems with the government’s new health care website, was briefed earlier this year on a consultant’s report that warned of possible widespread…

  • Alleged contract killer’s accomplices arrested in Phuket, extradited from Thailand | Thaiger

    Alleged contract killer’s accomplices arrested in Phuket, extradited from Thailand

    PHUKET: Five men arrested in Phuket in the same operation that snared the alleged contract killer and US drug dealer Joseph “Rambo” Hunter were extradited to the United States today. Escorted by armed police commandos, Britons Philip David Shackels and Scott Alan Stammer; Slovakian Alexander Lnu; Filipino Allan Kelly Perata; and Taiwanese Ye Tiong Tan Lim were taken from Bangkok’s…

  • Phuket Governor inspects Patong ahead of tuk-tuk clearout | Thaiger

    Phuket Governor inspects Patong ahead of tuk-tuk clearout

    PHUKET: Ahead of the December 31 deadline to clear parking spaces along the Patong beach road for tourists, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusust yesterday inspected the sites where tuk-tuks will no longer be permitted to park after December 31. “The project [story here] can reduce traffic jams in Patong and make the beachfront look more beautiful,” Governor Maitri said. During his…

  • Mont Clair sponsors the King’s Cup regatta | Thaiger

    Mont Clair sponsors the King’s Cup regatta

    PHUKET: The popular wine brand, Mont Clair is to sponsor the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta for the sixth consecutive year following the popularity of its wines during previous race years. Mont Clair South African Wine products will be available for all guests, as sailors, spectators, VIP attendees, media guests and sponsors relax and party to live entertainment amid an expected…

  • Black Eyed Peas rapper highlights Filipino plight with Phuket show | Thaiger

    Black Eyed Peas rapper highlights Filipino plight with Phuket show

    PHUKET: Over 400 people gathered to watch Grammy-award-winning international pop star and rapper from Black Eyed Peas apl.de.ap drop beats at Xana Beach Club to raise funds for the victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the central Philippines over a week ago. “I thought we [Filipinos] were tough, until this happened. Like I’ve never seen this magnitude of people…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Real chance for nuke deal; Police hunt gunman in Paris; US Midwest tornado survivors start recovery | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Real chance for nuke deal; Police hunt gunman in Paris; US Midwest tornado survivors start recovery

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Putin tells Iran’s leader of ‘real chance’ for nuclear deal Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iran’s Hassan Rouhani there was a “real chance” for a nuclear deal, two days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers, hoping to end a decade-long…

  • Alcohol a factor in fatal head-on collision, police say | Thaiger

    Alcohol a factor in fatal head-on collision, police say

    PHUKET: Police suspect that alcohol played a critical role in the death of a 27-year-old woman who was in a head-on accident near the Thung Thong Police checkpoint early Saturday morning. Kamontip Seangkuenun was found dead at the scene – the divided road near the entrance to Soi Bangthong (map here) – at about 3:15am. Ms Kamontip slammed head-on into…

  • Phuket holidaymaker issued American child sex assault warrant | Thaiger

    Phuket holidaymaker issued American child sex assault warrant

    PHUKET: The American arrested in Phuket for the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Harris County, Texas, was due to fly home on Wednesday. “I came here for a vacation,” 41-year-old Forrest Wayne told the Phuket Gazette today from his holding cell at Phuket Immigration (map here). Mr Wayne entered Thailand on November 1, three days prior to…

  • Health concerns boil over French passenger at Phuket airport | Thaiger

    Health concerns boil over French passenger at Phuket airport

    PHUKET: A French tourist leaching yellow pus from the back of his neck prompted fears that he might infect other passengers at Phuket International Airport on Friday.Airport authorities removed Michel Dominique Godfroy, 56, from the international departure lounge a little after 11:30pm.“We were called to the airport at 11:45pm,” a Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker told the Phuket Gazette.The rescue workers…

  • German tourist dies in Phuket surf | Thaiger

    German tourist dies in Phuket surf

    PHUKET: A German man died at Patong Beach yesterday afternoon after being overwhelmed by the strong surf and two-meter-high waves.Klaus Dieter Hermann, 76, was pulled from the surf at 1:40pm, Capt Nattaya Supanpong of the Patong Police confirmed to the Phuket Gazette.“Lifeguards noticed Mr Hermann was swimming alone when he encountered difficulties in the big waves,” Capt Nattaya explained. “When…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Russian plane crash leaves 50 dead; Bachelet leads in Chile; Tornadoes rip Midwest | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Russian plane crash leaves 50 dead; Bachelet leads in Chile; Tornadoes rip Midwest

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boeing airliner crashes in Russian city of Kazan, 50 killed Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A Boeing 737 airliner crashed on Sunday in the Russian city of Kazan, killing all 50 people on board and spotlighting the poor safety record of regional airlines that ply internal routes across…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Pheu Thai prepares for worst; Armed men among protesters; Russians hurt as tour bus flips | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Pheu Thai prepares for worst; Armed men among protesters; Russians hurt as tour bus flips

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pheu Thai braces for the worst The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The ruling Pheu Thai Party is preparing for the worst-case scenario on Wednesday when the Constitutional Court announces its ruling on the proposed amendment of the Constitution, a decision that could bring the government down.The opposition…

  • Muay Thai legend Buakaw fights in Phuket | Thaiger

    Muay Thai legend Buakaw fights in Phuket

    PHUKET: Phuket fight fans will have an opportunity to watch legendary MuayThai fighter Buakaw Banchamek in action in Patong… tomorrow night (November 18), in a special exhibition match at the Patong Boxing Stadium on Sainamyen Road. Buakaw, a two-time K1 World Max champ with well over 300 fights, is far and away Thailand’s most famous currently-active pugilist. In the Patong…

  • Lanterns not cleared for Loy Krathong lift-off in Phuket | Thaiger

    Lanterns not cleared for Loy Krathong lift-off in Phuket

    PHUKET: Airports of Thailand (AoT) Phuket warned those celebrating Loy Krathong today that releasing lanterns in the Air Safety Zone surrounding the international airport could result in charges carrying a sentence of up 20 years imprisonment or death. The hefty penalty is cited in Thailand Air Navigation Act, BE Section 6(3). “People like to release lanterns during Loy Krathong, especially…

  • Phuket Opinion: Preserving the essence of Phuket | Thaiger

    Phuket Opinion: Preserving the essence of Phuket

    General Manager of Business and Network Development at DaimlerChrysler (Thailand) Co Ltd, Pannate Rangsinturat, 36, is a Phuket native. She graduated from Chulalongkorn University with a degree in international relations and has earned a master’s degree in European studies from Cambridge University. Here she talks about the changes she sees when she returns to Phuket and how they can be…

  • Special Report: The ongoing battle for a place to call home | Thaiger

    Special Report: The ongoing battle for a place to call home

    Special Report: A poor community of less than 500 people who mostly make a living from picking through the trash at Saphan Hin have made a plea to the Phuket Governor for help in expediting their claim to live in a protected mangrove forest on the outskirts of Phuket Town. Will the villagers finally get a place to call home?…

  • Phuket Opinion: Level ground | Thaiger

    Phuket Opinion: Level ground

    PHUKET: It is astounding to be in a place where so many “haves” and “have-nots” co-exist in such close proximity. We live on an island where trucks packed with rain-soaked illegal migrant workers are such a common sight that many of us have grown impervious to their suffering as we wait and hope for the traffic light ahead to turn…

  • Loy Krathong festivities muted in Phuket | Thaiger

    Loy Krathong festivities muted in Phuket

    PHUKET: There will be muted celebrations for one of Thailand’s largest holidays, Loy Krathong, the “Festival of Light”, tomorrow in respect of the recent passing of His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara Somdet Phra Sangharaja.Traditionally, thousands of people across the nation release krathong, lotus-shaped floats traditionally made of banana leaves, with a small offerings of food, flowers, joss…

  • Taxi man “Brother Pom’ plays down DSI allegations of queue jumping | Thaiger

    Taxi man “Brother Pom’ plays down DSI allegations of queue jumping

    PHUKET: The leader of the Central Festival Phuket taxi group, who stands accused by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) of queue hopping, told officers not to worry about how he runs the shopping mall’s taxi network. “This is not a big thing to focus on… I would like to let the DSI know that they don’t need to worry…

  • More babies for China; Iran nuclear deal on horizon; Weak rules threaten UN climate plan for forests | Thaiger

    More babies for China; Iran nuclear deal on horizon; Weak rules threaten UN climate plan for forests

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China to loosen one-child policy, end labour camps Reuters / Phuket GazetteChina will ease its family planning policies and abolish a controversial labour camp system, according to a key document issued after a ruling Communist Party meeting, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday.Couples will be…