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  • Phuket Live Wire: Landing that special connection | Thaiger

    Phuket Live Wire: Landing that special connection

    PHUKET: In the past five editions of Live Wire, I’ve been talking about the things you need to consider if you want to get a good internet connection in Phuket. Believe me, it ain’t easy. I’m moving to Kathu shortly, and the kinds of problems I’m having are no doubt indicative of the kinds you’ll have, the next time you…

  • Phuket Business: How expats can simplify their finances | Thaiger

    Phuket Business: How expats can simplify their finances

    PHUKET: Moving to another country to work or retire, like Thailand, can be a daunting undertaking that will inevitably make managing your finances more complicated and time consuming. With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you simplify your finances so you can quickly start enjoying your new life as an expat:Consolidate your financial accounts:If you have…

  • Phuket Business: Recalling the cycle of market emotions | Thaiger

    Phuket Business: Recalling the cycle of market emotions

    PHUKET: My first investment was in a stock fund in 1990 when I was an engineering student at university. I was told to just buy and hold and put money in blindly and it will grow. They were somewhat right but I wanted to know more and began a quest to find a way to pinpoint what is known as…

  • Phuket Milestone: ‘A History of Phuket’ to launch March 8 | Thaiger

    Phuket Milestone: ‘A History of Phuket’ to launch March 8

    PHUKET: Although the Thai resort island of Phuket has become a world-renowned tourist destination and is now home to many thousands of expatriates, limited attention, particularly in the English language, has ever been given to the rich history and cultural storylines that have accompanied its phenomenal growth. That has now changed. The Phuket Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce…

  • Thailand News: Tourists should be warned – expert; Olive branch to militants; Match-fixing allegation | Thaiger

    Thailand News: Tourists should be warned – expert; Olive branch to militants; Match-fixing allegation

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Warn tourists about Thai driving habits, expert says Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: It is time for all foreign tourists to be informed frankly about how to travel safely in Thailand, an expert on accident analysis urged yesterday. “They should know that travelling in Thailand…

  • Confessed killer Aldhouse, a fighter afraid to fight | Thaiger

    Confessed killer Aldhouse, a fighter afraid to fight

    PHUKET: British national Lee Aldhouse admitted in court today that he was afraid to fight the premeditated murder charges he faces for the slaying of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in 2010. Nonetheless, the confessed killer entered a plea of “not guilty” in front of a judge at the Phuket Provincial Court. “I am afraid to fight the case. I…

  • Paul Wilson set to guide Laguna Phuket Golf Club | Thaiger

    Paul Wilson set to guide Laguna Phuket Golf Club

    PHUKET: A new management team has taken the helm at Laguna Phuket Golf Club following the departure of former Director of Golf, Tim Haddon, who now heads up the recently-opened Laguna Lang Co Golf Club in central Vietnam. Paul Wilson has been appointed assistant director of golf at Laguna Phuket to guide the club through its planned course renovations during…

  • Thailand Futsal: Phuket pearl anchored by Thai Port – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Thailand Futsal: Phuket pearl anchored by Thai Port – VIDEO

    PHUKET: The Pearl of the Andaman, Phuket United, succumbed 2-3 to a stronger Thai Port Futsal Club on Saturday night in Phuket Town. The match, Phuket’s 22nd and Thai Port’s 23rd in the 30-fixture GMM Thailand Futsal Premier League (TFPL) 2012-2013 season, was played in front of about 800 fans at the Saphan Hin Indoor Sports Complex. Thai Port –…

  • German in stable condition after three-storey fall | Thaiger

    German in stable condition after three-storey fall

    PHUKET: The German tourist who fell from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room early Saturday morning was moved from the Vachira Phuket Hospital ICU to a different ward, but is still on life support. Police rushed to the Kalim Resort at 2:45am on Saturday morning to find German national Alexander Sven Zott, 35, unconscious on the pavement after the…

  • Phuket Business: Makro opens new branch in Patong | Thaiger

    Phuket Business: Makro opens new branch in Patong

    PHUKET: Membership-base, wholesale food retailer, Siam Makro PCL has expanded its Phuket operations with the opening of its Makro Food Service branch in Patong. Located in the area of the Mae Ubon Derm fresh market on Nanai Road in Patong, the new branch is the second Makro store on the island. Its retail area spans a total 1,000 square meters,…

  • Phuket Business: Alien labor window extended | Thaiger

    Phuket Business: Alien labor window extended

    PHUKET: Employers of ‘low-skill migrant workers’ in Phuket and across Thailand have until March 16 to have their respective employees registered under the National Verification (NV) process, the Phuket Labor Office has confirmed. Applying specifically to temporary laborers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, the latest NV deadline is an extension of another extension. The Phuket Gazette reported last week online…

  • Phuket Gazette Sports: EPL and FA Cup review; Lady driver takes Daytona pole; Tennis: Serena beaten; Nadal Wins | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Sports: EPL and FA Cup review; Lady driver takes Daytona pole; Tennis: Serena beaten; Nadal Wins

    Five-goal Liverpool crush below-strength Swansea Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho scored on his first start for Liverpool who leapfrogged Swansea City into seventh place in the Premier League by crushing the below-strength Welsh side 5-0 at Anfield yesterday. Swansea manager Michael Laudrup rested a host of regular starters with next weekend’s Capital One (League) Cup final…

  • Dubai student drowns north of Phuket near Phang Nga waterfall | Thaiger

    Dubai student drowns north of Phuket near Phang Nga waterfall

    PHUKET: A student from Dubai drowned near a Phang Nga waterfall, north of Phuket, on Valentine’s Day after having left his friends to explore the area.Muhammad Ali, 20, had separated from his friends to “walk around and take photos” in the Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation Area after a morning of rafting at Kong Songprak, said the conservation area chief Uthen…

  • Swiss man dies allegedly avoiding police checkpoint | Thaiger

    Swiss man dies allegedly avoiding police checkpoint

    PHUKET: A Swiss visitor allegedly trying to avoid a police checkpoint in Chalong died early this morning after his car hit a shelter in Rawai, on Phuket’s south coast, flipped and landed in the sea below.The 46-year-old was driving with a female companion when he hit the shelter at the sea gypsy village in Rawai.“We got the report at about…

  • Toilets run dry in Rassada despite well endowed reservoirs | Thaiger

    Toilets run dry in Rassada despite well endowed reservoirs

    PHUKET: Despite the assurance that water supplies were going to keep taps in Phuket wet (see here), the Phuket Gazette received a report on February 14 that a resident of Baan Rockgarden 5 in Rassada had been without water for three days. The Gazette relayed the information to Mr Pisak and learned that a water pipe had broken, preventing water…

  • No shortage of water in Phuket this dry season, officials say | Thaiger

    No shortage of water in Phuket this dry season, officials say

    PHUKET: Phuket has enough water on hand to supply the whole province this dry season, said Pisak Chonlayut, Manager of the Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority on February 13. At a meeting to discuss Phuket water supplies chaired by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut, Mr Pisak said that 48.5 millions cubic meters of water are currently in reservoirs in Phuket province, with…

  • German tourist on life support after fall from Patong hotel balcony | Thaiger

    German tourist on life support after fall from Patong hotel balcony

    PHUKET: A German tourist tumbled from a balcony in Patong early this morning and is on life support at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Patong Police received a report at 2:45am that the 35-year-old German had fallen from the 3rd floor balcony of his room at the Kalim Resort. “At the scene we found the man, dressed in a striped shirt and…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: 6-year-old girl raped in northern India | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: 6-year-old girl raped in northern India

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 6-year-old girl violently raped, dumped on street in northern India Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: A six-year-old girl was raped and physically brutalized last week before being dumped on the side of a street in northern India, local media reported yesterday. It is the latest incident in…

  • Phuket: Drug store to the world | Thaiger

    Phuket: Drug store to the world

    PHUKET: The recent fining of a pharmacy owner in Chalong Police District (story here) for the illegal sale of prescription drugs is just the tip of an iceberg that needs to be urgently addressed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and law enforcement agencies in Phuket. The year 2012 was the first ever that death by overdose of prescription…

  • Phuket Gazette Sports: FA Cup | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Sports: FA Cup

    United to make changes for Reading FA Cup clash Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Manchester United will ring the changes for their FA Cup fifth-round clash with Reading on Monday (Tuesday morning Phuket time), but manager Alex Ferguson still expects his new-look side to get through against the Premier League strugglers. United came through their midweek Champions League last-16 1-1…

  • Image of Chinese Goddess of Mercy moved for Old Town Phuket Festival | Thaiger

    Image of Chinese Goddess of Mercy moved for Old Town Phuket Festival

    PHUKET: An image of the revered Chinese Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin, and a jade stamp from China made their annual journey from Pud Jor Shrine to Queen Sirikit Park today as the Old Town Festival commences (see story). The white jade stamp is a replica of a 1,000-year-old stamp in a shrine in Suining, China, and was presented to…

  • Teachers, students plant rare species of palm in Phuket National Park | Thaiger

    Teachers, students plant rare species of palm in Phuket National Park

    PHUKET: Phuket teachers and students helped plant 100 of the rare White Back Palm trees near Ton Sai Waterfall yesterday in honor of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut led the tree planting ceremony, which included officers from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Teachers and students from Muang Thalang School and Weerasatree Anusorn School joined…

  • Three beached dolphins treated and released in Phang Nga | Thaiger

    Three beached dolphins treated and released in Phang Nga

    PHUKET: The three Spotted dolphins that beached themselves on February 7 in Khao Lak have not returned to land after being treated and released back into the sea, Patcharaporn Kaewmong, a veterinarian at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “I think they are safe since they have not come back to us,” said Dr Patcharaporn.…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Meteorite shower in Russia – 400 injured; Asteroid passing-by | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Meteorite shower in Russia – 400 injured; Asteroid passing-by

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Meteorite hits central Russia, 400 hurt Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: About 400 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central Russia today sending fireballs crashing to Earth, smashing windows and setting off car alarms. Residents on their way to work in…

  • Motorbike with sidecar backslides down hill and flips, killing one | Thaiger

    Motorbike with sidecar backslides down hill and flips, killing one

    PHUKET: A motorbike with a sidecar carrying six Burmese workers slid down a hill and flipped over in the Blue Canyon Country Club in northern Phuket yesterday, killing one and seriously injuring two. Police received the report of the accident at 6:50 pm and rushed to the scene with Kusoldharm foundation rescue workers. “One of the passengers, Mr Muang, told…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Calls to recognize gay marriage made | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Calls to recognize gay marriage made

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Same-sex couples call for marriage rights Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Valentine’s Day yesterday saw lovebirds register their unions at district offices, especially those with “lucky” names such as Bangkok’s Bang Rak (“Village of Love”). Same-sex couples who showed up only to be turned down, as such…

  • Myanmar Navy coming to Phuket in historic diplomatic visit | Thaiger

    Myanmar Navy coming to Phuket in historic diplomatic visit

    PHUKET: Two warships from the Myanmar Navy are due to arrive in Phuket on February 20 in the navy’s historic first-diplomatic visit to a foreign country. The Myanmar Navy, which currently operates more than 122 vessels, will arrive in Phuket to mark 65 years of diplomatic relations with Thailand, and offers the chance for joint military discussions, Lieutenant Commander Chaloemsak…

  • Phuket-Ranong visa-run van flips three times in Phang Nga | Thaiger

    Phuket-Ranong visa-run van flips three times in Phang Nga

    PHUKET: A visa-run van returning to Phuket from Ranong with 10 Russian passengers flipped three times as it took a sharp turn at “high-speed” on the wet roads of Phang Nga yesterday. None of the passengers were seriously injured. “On the way to Ranong the driver was going very, very fast. We understood that he was a professional driver, but…

  • Government stages lottery draw in Phuket to fight rumors of rigging | Thaiger

    Government stages lottery draw in Phuket to fight rumors of rigging

    PHUKET: To dispel rumors of the national lottery being rigged, the Government Lottery Office (GLO) will be staging one of its lucky draw mobile events in Phuket at the Metropole Hotel in Phuket Town (map here) on March 1. “The rumor was started by a scam letter which guaranteed that the numbers people chose would be drawn, for a fee,”…

  • DSI Chief launches investigation into Russian-owned businesses in Phuket | Thaiger

    DSI Chief launches investigation into Russian-owned businesses in Phuket

    PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) launched their own inquiry yesterday into Cherng Talay locals’ complaints that foreigners were stealing their jobs. The visit comes in the immediate wake of the Phuket Employment Office’s crackdown on illegal foreign businesses currently underway (story here). Lt Col Somboon Sarasit, head of the DSI’s Bureau of Special Crime Unit 3,…