News
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Illegal worker “sweep’ to target Phuket
PHUKET: A special task force of government officers will sweep through Phuket and arrest and likely deport any foreigners found working illegally, the Gazette has learned. The move follows the creation of a Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) task force set up to identify and arrest any foreigners found working without appropriate permits. Headed by PPEO chief Noppadol Ployudee, the…
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Gov lauds PPAO sponsorship of Laguna Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: Ahead of the 17th Laguna Phuket Triathlon this Sunday, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has lauded the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) for becoming an official sponsor of the event for the first time ever. The annual triathlon kicks-off a week of sporting and social activities culminating with the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship the following Sunday on December 5,…
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Business Air increases Phuket – South Korea flights
PHUKET: Bangkok-based airline Business Air has announced plans to increase flight frequency on its service connecting Phuket with Incheon, South Korea. The extension to the carrier’s existing Phuket – Incheon route will make it easier for holidaymakers to travel between the two destinations during the high season for tourism. Business Air already runs four weekly flights from Phuket to Incheon,…
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New tsunami buoys off Phuket by new year: NDWC
PHUKET: Two new Italian-built tsunami direct detection units will be installed off Phuket by the end of the year, the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has revealed. NDWC Director Somsak Khaosuwan said the two units, known as “tsunameters”, will be located about 400 to 500 kilometers offshore. Although the exact locations have yet to be determined, one of the units…
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Phuket Immigration launches online hotel guest registration drive
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration is warning hoteliers they could soon face fines if they fail to register their guests’ details though the agency’s new online database. Phuket Immigration Superintendent Panuwat Ruamrak made the announcement at an instructional seminar at the ICT Center in Saphan Hin earlier this month. “After one month, we will look at how the system is performing. We…
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Case closed on bizarre murder-suicide in Phuket restaurant
PHUKET: Police have closed the case file on the bizarre murder-suicide that shocked Phuket Town earlier this month. Diners at Khrua Pailin Restaurant were stunned when restaurateur Bundit Anurakbundit stood up from a table of friends, walked across the restaurant floor to his sister-in-law Wassana Jarit and shot her in the head point-blank. He then turned the gun on himself.…
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British expats’ Phuket home burgled
PHUKET: A British couple living in Rawai returned home from dinner last night to find their house burgled, with several valuable items stolen. Charles Stuart Crompton and his wife left their home in Soi Natai at 8:30pm on Tuesday night and went out for a meal. When the couple returned home two hours later they found their house had been…
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Phuket’s most wanted: DEA souvenirs
PHUKET: Officers from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) met with their Thai counterparts in Phuket yesterday to discuss when and where they will hand out souvenir items bearing images of some of the “most wanted” drug traffickers in Asia. Attending the meeting at Tourist Police headquarters in Phuket Town were DEA Group supervisor David McConell and special agents Scott…
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Phantom of the ape paw
PHUKET: A bizarre dream has convinced a woman in Phrae province that a pile of stones her husband dug out of a mung bean field are the fossilized hands of prehistoric apes. In typical Thai fashion, residents of the village in Tambon Naphoon in Wangchin District are now queuing up to see the “hands” in order to divine winning lottery…
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Phuket Poll: Will the new Chalong Marina curtail the drug trade?
PHUKET: Officials hope the opening of the new Chalong Marina, with improved Customs and Immigration controls, will lead to a decrease in drug trafficking on the island. How much of an effect on the island’s drug trade do you expect the new facility to have? Have your say in the new Phuket Gazette readers’ poll by clicking here or on…
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UK language testing for spousal immigrants starts Monday
PHUKET: Thai spouses applying for visas to join or marry British partners in the UK now have to pass an English language test that is unavailable in Phuket. “From November 29, any non-European migrant who wants to enter or remain in the UK as the partner of a British citizen or a person settled in the UK will need to…
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Strong Thai baht will hurt Phuket: Poll
PHUKET: The surging Thai baht will have a negative affect on this year’s high season for tourism, a majority of Phuket Gazette online readers think. The poll asked online readers: With the Thai baht up more than 11% against the US dollar this year and gaining against many other foreign currencies, it is more expensive for many foreigners to travel…
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Facebook seminar in Phuket tomorrow
PHUKET: Following his standing-room-only Facebook presentation last month, PhuketSchool.com director Sitthichai “Mr X” Laoveerakul will present a follow-up seminar tomorrow night. The seminar at The Nap hotel in Patong last month drew about 70 people, possibly the largest computer-related gathering ever in Phuket, said Phuket IT guru Woody Leonhard. That event focused on using Facebook to publicize businesses, charities and…
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Phuket update: Chalong Marina project
PHUKET: Phase two of the construction of the new Chalong Marina is well underway and scheduled for completion in September 2011. Officials say the opening of the new marina should help reduce drug trafficking in Phuket. Project work is being carried out jointly by Golden Plan Co Ltd and Prommitr Co Ltd. Phase one of the project saw construction of…
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Phuket Opinion: Good news for medical tourism
PHUKET: Results of a recent Phuket Gazette readers’ poll provide an interesting glimpse into how Phuket’s expatriate community feels about private healthcare services on the island. (See statistics in this week’s issue of the newspaper. Digital subscribers click here.) The poll question asked readers to rate the overall the quality of treatment offered at private hospitals and clinics in Phuket.…
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The Chedi Phuket rebrands as The Surin Phuket
PHUKET: The Chedi Phuket has been re-branded as The Surin Phuket, the name change effective from the beginning of this month. Senior Sales Executive Sureerat Bunpanluek said The Chedi Phuket was managed by General Hotels Management (GHM) as The Chedi since 1995. Last year the resort’s Board of Directors decided not to renew its contract with the management company. “Since…
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Tie game for FC Phuket and Loei City
PHUKET: FC Phuket picked up another point in their bid for promotion to Division 1 of the Thai League this afternoon with a scoreless draw at Loei City. In other matches in Group B play, Chainat FC rediscovered their scoring touch by beating Samut Prakarn on the road 4-2, while Rayong FC drew at Bangkok FC, 1-1. The top two…
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Phuket property massacre: Mother and daughter killed
PHUKET: A well-known real estate dealer and her daughter were killed when their car was riddled with bullets by gunmen in Phuket Saturday evening. A second daughter was seriously injured in the attack, which took place in the Yoojaroen Project 1 estate in village 8, Pa Khlok. Police are hunting the killers and the mastermind behind the slaughter. They believe…
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Dengue control inititiative launched in Phuket Town
PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality has designated four city temples as “pilot areas” in the battle to stop the spread of dengue fever. Phuket Town Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana told the state-run MCOT news agency there have been 693 confirmed cases of dengue in the city so far this year. The number of new cases being reported is on the rise. Monsoon…
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Aussie ambassador in Phuket: Safety is our priority
PHUKET: The new Australian ambassador to Thailand yesterday named the safety of Australian tourists as his mission’s top priority in Phuket. In Phuket to meet the governor yesterday, Ambassador James Wise said, “The problem that we worry about most of all in Phuket – and anywhere else in the world – is to be very assured that Australians are as…
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Finns find gold in Phuket
PHUKET: A Finnish company has opened its first Thailand branch in Phuket, giving jewelry owners a unique opportunity to cash in old gold – regardless of its karat rating. The ‘GoldToMoney’ shop, located at Chalong Circle, may deceive passers-by because it has not an ounce of gold on display. That’s because the company does not sell gold. It only buys…
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Loy Kratong activities in Phuket
PHUKET: As the weekend approaches, people throughout Phuket and across the Kingdom are preparing for the annual Loy Krathong festival on Sunday. Stages are being set up for entertainment and vendors are preparing for the droves of people who will float their krathong at popular sites in Phuket. For those who have yet to decide where to spend Loy Krathong…
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FC Phuket primed for success in Loei
PHUKET: The FC Phuket promotion bandwagon is back on the road this weekend, with the team traveling north to face Loei City on tomorrow afternoon. Kickoff for the AIS Regional League Division 2 playoff match will be at 4pm. Last Saturday the Phuket team came from a goal down to beat Loei 2-1 on the home turf at Surakul Stadium.…
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Loy Krathong losing its luster among Phuket youths
PHUKET: Tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out for Loy Krathong events to be held across Phuket on Sunday night, yet many young Thais seem to be losing interest in the tradition. From Mai Khao to Rawai, floats adorned with flowers and alight with candles will be set adrift at sea, on canals, lakes and rivers to…
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Drug cases top Phuket crime statistics for October
PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police for October this year show decreases in most crime categories, with narcotics-related crimes once again the most common. There was no change in the number of Category 1 (heinous) crimes year-on-year, with 10 cases reported. There were four pre-mediated murders reported with two arrests in October this year and five cases…
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Disaster preparedness drills planned for Phuket
PHUKET: A full tsunami evacuation drill is set to take place in Phuket on December 24, provincial officials have announced. Speaking at a disaster preparedness meeting at Provincial Hall on Wednesday, Phuket Vice Governor Niwit Aroonrat said the drill is aimed at testing emergency response units’ readiness for disaster. The full drill will be the culmination of three days of…
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Aussie carrier Strategic Air to launch Phuket services
PHUKET: Australian carrier Strategic Airlines is preparing to launch non-stop direct flights to Phuket from Melbourne and Brisbane early next year, the Herald Sun has reported. The full-service carrier will offer twice-weekly flights, Tuesday and Fridays, from Melbourne to Phuket starting from February 22, 2011. The move follows Virgin Australia’s decision to end its Phuket service. Strategic’s service will be…
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Entries for Phuket King’s Cup Regatta near 100 mark
PHUKET: Almost 100 boats have already registered for this year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, which will get underway off Kata Beach on December 4. Inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, the event attracts participants from around the world and generates in excess of 100 million baht into the local economy annually.…
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Ronald Fanelli update: Still no return to Phuket Prison
PHUKET: Legal proceedings against confessed killer Ronald Fanelli are on hold until the American returns to Phuket, the Gazette has learned. Mr Fanelli is currently undergoing psychiatric examination at a facility in Surat Thani. The former US Navy officer was taken to Suan Saranrom Hospital for examination on September 13, reportedly at his own request. The case against him has…
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Phuket mototaxi driver dies of glue overdose
PHUKET TOWN: A motorcycle taxi driver was found dead in an abandoned cinema in Phuket Town yesterday after an apparent overdose on glue, police said. Police estimated that Bangkok-native Thianchai Atwinit, 33, died three days before his body was discovered. Phuket City Police Duty Officer Somchai Nuboon was alerted to the grim discovery by a local resident at about 7:30pm…
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