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Phuket ushers in the New Year 2013
PHUKET: About 1,000 people gathered at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town this morning to join a mass blessing ceremony to usher in the new year 2013. Phuket residents, officials and tourists offered alms to 145 monks as part of the festivities this morning. Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa at 7am officiated the blessing ceremony, joined by Vice Governors Somkiet…
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Phuket 2012: Safety shaken, not stirred
PHUKET: The need for a quicker exit from Phuket’s nightlife capital of Patong was highlighted by the chaos on the road in the early hours of April 11, after a 7.3-magnitude, submarine earthquake, that struck off Sumatra, caused the National Disaster Warning Center to issue a tsunami “alert” (not a warning) that had coastal residents heading for the hills. A…
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Phuket’s deadly ‘Seven Days of Danger’ claims two more lives
PHUKET: Two men on a motorcycle on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang were hit and crushed under a Phuket tour bus early this morning, bringing to seven the number of deaths in the ongoing “Seven Days of Danger” new year road-safety campaign. As is relatively standard practice in Phuket, the bus driver fled the scene and is being sought by the…
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Sydictive skips a beat in Phuket beach party launch
PHUKET: The crowd of 50,000 people predicted by the Sydictive party organizers has yet to appear on Patong Beach, despite the event having started last night. The much-ballyhooed party got off to a seven-hour late start yesterday due to incomplete preparations. It reopened today at 3pm to a small group of people. Despite some complaints on the Sydictive Element’s Facebook…
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Phuket Opinion: Trash the past for the New Year
PHUKET: A new 960-million-baht incinerator went into operation in the middle of last year, yet Phuket still faces a solid waste crisis – one that requires a better solution than simply building a third incinerator at Saphan Hin. (See also tomorrow morning’s Web review of ‘Phuket 2012: Feeling the pinch from growing pains’.) When the new plant went into operation,…
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Phuket 2012: Feeling the pinch from growing pains
The government continues to pour money into Phuket’s infrastructure, as nothing seems to hamper the rapid growth of the island as a tourist destination. Billions of baht have been spent, but when will the results be felt? Stephen Fein reports.SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: While Phuket Airport remains the single largest bottleneck for foreign arrivals, the island also continues to suffer from…
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Go Eco Phuket record-breakers win “Person of the Year’
PHUKET: As with our ‘Person of the Year Award’ last year, we have again opted for the plural and are delighted to announce that the honor goes to two of the driving forces behind the launch of the marine conservation group Go Eco Phuket. The group united dive centers throughout the island and rallied the support of the Royal Thai…
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ENGLISH FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Man City draw on recent memory for New Year title fight
PHUKET (Reuters): Champions Manchester City go into 2013 facing a daunting seven-point deficit on Premier League leaders Manchester United and a testing encounter against stubborn Stoke City on Tuesday.Roberto Mancini’s side ended the year which delivered their first Premier League title with a gritty 4-3 triumph over Norwich City, proving their high-profile players also have the mettle for a fight.It’s…
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Phuket hospitality running on a full tank
As Phuket looks back a year full many negative news reports, the Phuket Gazette is happy to publish this reader’s first-person account of what makes living in Phuket great. PHUKET: Phuket is the Thailand I know and love. Having flown straight to the island and stayed, I have only heard rumors of “mainland” hospitality and the kindness Thai people are…
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Heavy showers set to dampen Phuket new year
PHUKET: The heavy thunderstorm showers that have drenched Phuket over the past few days are forecast to continue until at least Wednesday, according to the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD). The TMD today issued a forecast for heavy showers for New Year’s Eve and Day, with a 60% chance of precipitation across the island. Those celebrating the new year in the…
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Phuket moorings break loose, wreak havoc for yachtsmen at Chalong Bay
PHUKET: As yachts continue to arrive in Phuket ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations and countdown tonight, the new moorings installed in Chalong Bay late last month have already wreaked havoc, with brand-new mooring lines breaking and setting boats adrift. The broken lines have sent the yachts and other vessels to smash against their neighbors in the bay, resulting…
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Two dead in Phuket motorbike crash
PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify a foreign man and a woman killed in a motorcycle accident in Cherng Talay, on central Phuket’s west coast, last night.The pair were riding a motorcycle along the Cherng Talay-Baan Don Road when they were struck by a pickup truck in front of Soi Pasak 3 at about 9:15pm, Lt Col Rassada of the…
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Aldhouse pleads “not guilty’ to Phuket murder charge
PHUKET: British national Lee Aldhouse entered a plea of not guilty this week for the murder of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in Phuket in 2010.Aldhouse was presented to the Phuket Provincial Court on Wednesday and formally charged with murder. The maximum penalty under the charge is death.“He has been charged with premeditated murder under Section 288 of the Thai…
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Day two of Seven Days of Danger witnesses another road-death
PHUKET: Phuket’s road-death toll increased by one as the second day of the “Seven Days of Danger” came to a close at midnight on Friday, according to the official Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket branch (DDPM-Phuket) statistics. The death toll increased after a family riding a motorbike southbound on Thepkrasattri Road near the Thalang Tesco Lotus was hit…
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Phuket Poll: Should parking lots be mandatory?
PHUKET: Queuing is an unpleasant but unavoidable aspect of modern life – we queue to check in at the airport, to buy a movie ticket and to purchase things in a store. And more and more in Phuket, we queue to park our cars. Poor oversight of parking lots, lack of public transportation and a growing number of cars on…
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Colorful Countdown Phuket kicks off today
PHUKET: The New Year celebrations on the island starts at 6pm today as the annual “Colorful Countdown Phuket” for 2013 kicks off. The event, put on by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization, will be held at Chai Field (map here), opposite Provincial Hall in Phuket Town. The event will host a variety of top Thai artists, including Thai-country rock singer…
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Phuket human traffickers jailed for deaths of 54 illegal Burmese
PHUKET: Four Thais found guilty of human trafficking were sentenced to between three and 10 years’ imprisonment yesterday for their intricate involvement in the 2008 “death truck” that left 54 Burmese dead from suffocation inside a seafood container bound for Phuket. Of the 121 Burmese found in the sealed container heading from Ranong, 17 men, 36 women and one 8-year-old…
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Phuket United cancel Brazilian player’s contract
PHUKET: Phuket United have canceled the contract of Brazilian player Rogerio Moreira and sent him back to Brazil. Mr Suphol Senapeng, Phuket United’s head coach, told the Phuket Gazette: “Rogerio was unhappy because we refused to pay for an air ticket for his wife to come to Thailand from Brazil. He didn’t want his wife to pay for the ticket…
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Phuket Sports: Brothers Grimes racing year
PHUKET: Since the last update by the Phuket Gazette on the progress of Ben and Sam Grimes in their rookie karting race year, the boys have made good progress in the second half of the season. Clearly their mid-season driver coaching and testing sessions, together with improved fitness levels paid off, and showed just how important investing time and effort…
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Phuket tour bus driver charged for 18-vehicle pileup
PHUKET: The driver of the tour bus that caused an 18-vehicle pileup in Patong last night was today charged with reckless driving causing damage to property and health. Prawet Wongthai, 51, was driving towards Patong from Kata Beach when he realized the bus brakes had failed. Unable to stop, he caused a collision involving 17 vehicles before coming to a…
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World News: Americans still want their guns, with some restrictions
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community After Newtown, Americans want their guns, with some restrictions Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Nearly seven in 10 Americans support the idea of placing strong or moderate limits gun ownership following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed yesterday.But laws that permit citizens…
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Former Phuket FC player Camara Ahmed dies
PHUKET: Former Phuket FC player Camara Ahmed passed away last week at his home in the Ivory Coast. Camara suffered a cardiac arrest on October 30, 2010, during a 1-0 playoff win over Chainat FC. The popular footballer was moved from a hospital in Phuket back to his native Ivory Coast a few months ago. Phuket FC’s manager, Mr Jakkapop…
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World News: Stormin’ Norman stands down
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Famed Gulf War US General Schwarzkopf dies Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Retired US General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr, who headed the coalition forces that drove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s army out of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm, has died, a US official said yesterday. He was 78.The highly…
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Thailand News: A look back at some of the memorable moments for Thai athletes in 2012
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Triumphs, tears and TV rights The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: This year was a mixed bag for Thai athletes on the international front. The Nation looks back at some of the memorable moments and missed opportunities and wishes Thailand’s sportsmen and women a brighter future on the…
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World News: Residents evacuated as Nicaragua volcano spews ash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nicaragua volcano spews ash cloud, residents evacuated Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Nicaragua’s tallest volcano has belched an ash cloud hundreds of meters into the sky in the latest bout of sporadic activity, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents, the government said yesterday. The 5,725-foot (1,745-meter)…
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International Sports: Sri Lanka fight back
Clarke scores ton as Sri Lanka fight back Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Michael Clarke struck a sparkling century to help drive Australia to a first innings lead of 176 runs at tea on day two of the second test today, but Sri Lanka hit back with three wickets to hold hopes of saving the match. The Australian skipper combined…
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Witness testifies shot that killed Italian came from where security forces were deployed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Shot that killed Italian came from area where troops were deployed: witness The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Criminal Court yesterday heard a witness testify that the gunshot that killed Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi came from where the security forces were deployed during the 2010 political…
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Phuket tsunami memorial service sets Patong Beach aglow
PHUKET: Patong Beach was set aglow last night as hundreds of local residents and tourists joined the annual Light Up Phuket memorial service to honor those who died in the tsunami that struck the island eight years ago. Thai official figures state that the tsunami killed over 5,000 people and more than 3,700 disappeared in the waves that struck the…
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Phuket gifted “zero death start’ to Seven Days of Danger
PHUKET: Phuket woke up to the first dawn of the annual “Seven Days of Danger” new year national road-safety campaign without recording a single death on the roads. However, the first casualty recorded since the campaign began at midnight last night was a 33-year-old woman who crashed her motorbike at high speed on Sakdidet Road in Phuket Town at about…
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Phuket Sports: Premier League Boxing Day delights
Spurs hail Bale after hat-trick makes Villa wail Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale is among the most special talents in world football, manager Andre Villas-Boas said after the left winger grabbed a hat-trick in yesterday’s 4-0 mauling of Aston Villa. Jermain Defoe put Spurs in front in the 58th minute at Villa Park before Bale blew…
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