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Rumors fried: Phuket KFC certified halal
PHUKET: A furor among local Muslims over whether the fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) serves halal food, which Islamic law permits to be eaten, has been resolved – yes it does. Rumors were circulating on Facebook and Thai forums that KFC’s food was not halal because the chain does not display a “halal approved” sign on its shops, Komol…
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One still missing after wave on Phuket’s deadliest beach sweeps six into deep water
PHUKET: Two foreigners and four others were caught by a single wave and dragged away from shore at Phuket’s deadliest beach this afternoon. Lifeguards were able to immediately save five of them. One is still missing. “Apisit Songkert, 13, went missing at about 5:50pm,” said Uten Singson, chief lifeguard Kata-Karon Beach. Mr Apisit, a Karon local, was at the beach…
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South African union holds mass meeting in deadlocked platinum strike
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community South African union holds mass meeting in deadlocked platinum strike Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The leader of South Africa’s AMCU mining union is due to meet with its members this week to update them on the progress of wage talks with platinum producers after negotiations…
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Thousands of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon forced to work, says aid group
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thousands of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon forced to work, says aid group Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: At least 50,000 Syrian refugee children in Lebanon are working, often in dire conditions and for 12 hours a day, to pay for food and shelter for their…
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Crazed World Cup fans in Phuket: “Get it here!’
PHUKET: The FIFA World Cup kicks off at 3am tomorrow with the opening match between Brazil and Croatia, marking the 19th edition of the renowned tournament that has simply become known as the World Cup. An estimated 3.2 billion people around the world – roughly half the global population – are projected to watch the world’s finest players compete for…
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Iraq Kurds seize Kirkuk; Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iraq Kurds seize Kirkuk; Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Iraqi Kurds seized control of the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Thursday, while surging Sunni Islamist rebels advanced towards Baghdad, as the central government’s army abandoned its posts in a rapid…
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Phuket police suspect B900k armed robbery was inside job
PHUKET: Phuket City Police officers are questioning employees of the gas station whose staff were robbed at gunpoint of more than 900,000 baht in cash yesterday morning. Police hope to determine whether or not the armed robbery was an inside job, Phuket City Police Superintendent Sermphan Sirikong told the Phuket Gazette today. “Police believe that the suspects might have relations…
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Red flags up on Phuket’s deadliest beach
PHUKET: Lifeguards on Phuket’s deadliest beach have put out red flags to warn of strong surf. The warnings have been set up on Kata Beach and Karon Beach. Eight people drowned at Karon Beach between October 2012 and September 2013, making it the deadliest beach in Phuket (story here). “There have been strong, high waves lately. I would like to…
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Road divider to feature lights and landscaping
PHUKET: A road divider to improve safety and relieve traffic congestion on Chao Fa East Road is expected to be finished in two months. “We’re building it because of the number of accidents and traffic jams that occur on this stretch,” said Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad. People making u-turns on the road pose a particular danger, Mr Samak…
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65 Cambodian laborers arrested on their way home – to be deported
PHUKET: A group of 65 Cambodian construction workers preparing to return home were arrested in Rassada yesterday and charged with illegally entering the country. Phuket City Police received information from undercover officers that the group would be arriving at a pier in Rassada in the evening. “We waited at the pier for an hour, and then the group of Cambodians…
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Land slip near Patong Hill Road, expected rainfall bring warnings from officials
PHUKET: Phuket officials are scrambling to repair land near the Patong Hill road which slid as a result of heavy rains last week. “We have inspected the road already and have determined that the landslide will not affect residents in the area, as no one lives near the site,” said Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad. The area – to…
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Officials clear vendors from four Phuket beaches
PHUKET: Officials yesterday gave vendors at four popular tourist beaches in Cherng Talay just seven days to vacate their plots or face forced eviction and legal action. Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada and Cherng Talay Mayor Ma-ann Samran, supported by about 50 officers, informed the beach vendors of the deadline in the morning. “More than 100 businesses are operating along…
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Curfew lifted in more districts across 17 provinces
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Curfew lifted in more districts across 17 provinces The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The curfew has been lifted across certain districts in another 17 provinces, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) announced on Tuesday night. The order applies to two districts in Songkhla…
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Sierra Leone shuts borders, closes schools to fight Ebola
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sierra Leone shuts borders, closes schools to fight Ebola Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Sierra Leone shut its borders to trade with Guinea and Liberia on Wednesday and closed schools, cinemas and nightclubs in a frontier region in a bid to halt the spread of the…
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Isolated North Korea a visitor draw, but sometimes literally a tourist trap
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Isolated North Korea a visitor draw, but sometimes literally a tourist trap Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: “Taking you to places where your mother would rather you stayed away from.” That’s how one Western travel agency advertises its tours to North Korea. The U.S. government doesn’t…
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All World Cup matches to air live on free TV
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Free World Cup telecast The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In a bid to live up to its motto of “Bringing happiness back to Thai people”, the junta yesterday managed to pull off a deal for the live telecast of all World Cup 2014 matches on…
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Video Report: Coping with the Phuket taxi crackdown
PHUKET: Island taxi drivers talk about the effects of the police crackdown on their businesses, as well as their fears and hopes for the future. PGTV reports on the current Region 8 police crackdown on Phuket’s so-called taxi mafia and details some of the history of passenger abuse, unfair trading practices, intimidation and acts of violence against tourists and residents…
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Governor outlines new transport plans, with Kata-Karon as model
PHUKET: With illegal taxi booths cleared out from west coast beaches, Governor Maitri Inthusut plans to initiate a public transportation system and conduct a major taxi service overhaul, starting in Kata-Karon. “After we have cleared all illegal taxi booths from Karon and arrested all the people who behave like mafia, it’s time to set up a new plan for public…
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Sunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Sunni insurgents close in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Sunni insurgents from an al Qaeda splinter group closed in on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery yesterday after seizing the northern city of Mosul in a devastating show of strength against the Shi’ite-led…
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Philippines captures top al Qaeda-linked militant
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Philippines captures top al Qaeda-linked militant Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Philippine security forces yesterday captured a top al Qaeda-linked Islamist wanted by the United States and involved in the kidnapping of Western tourists, and hailed the arrest as a major blow to his militant network.…
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Japan blasts Chinese bid for U.N. recognition of Nanjing massacre
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Japan blasts Chinese bid for U.N. recognition of Nanjing massacre Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Japan protested to China on Wednesday after Beijing applied for the inclusion of the 1937 Nanjing massacre and the “comfort women” forced to work in wartime military brothels in a UNESCO…
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International arrivals and hotel occupancy strong in first quarter
PHUKET: The number of international tourist arrivals to Phuket grew by 6.9% year-over-year (YOY) to 962,953 arrivals in the first quarter of 2014. An increase in direct international flights to Phuket have helped insulate it from any negative impact from the ongoing political turmoil in Bangkok, according to CBRE. The average occupancy of upscale hotels (with rates over 2,000 baht…
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No mention of crisis as Blatter opens FIFA Congress
PHUKET: FIFA president Sepp Blatter made no reference to the various crises surrounding world soccer’s governing body when he opened the annual FIFA Congress on Tuesday with a short welcoming speech to delegates from 209 countries. The 78-year-old Swiss made no mention of the allegations and investigation into corruption surrounding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups or…
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Airport Express Bus sets sights on Kata-Karon; seeks security from violent taxi attacks
PHUKET: The owner of Phuket’s Airport Express Bus is ready to extend his route into Kata-Karon as soon as the safety of his staff and customers can be guaranteed. “I’ve always wanted to run my buses into Kata-Karon,” Prakob Panyawai told the Phuket Gazette today. “Though I have just started talking to the Phuket Land Transport Office, police and officials…
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Phuket taxi operators no-show at own media event, fear assembly ban
PHUKET: Taxi operators were no-shows at the media conference they scheduled for themselves at Loma Park yesterday. The operators had called the meeting in order to publicize how the destruction of their booths by police had affected their livelihoods (story here). About 20 reporters showed up at Loma Park for the 6pm meeting, but no taxi drivers appeared. After about…
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Cause of Phuket wall collapse that killed three still unknown
PHUKET: Police still have not determined the cause of a wall collapse at a construction site yesterday that killed three Myanmar nationals. The accident occurred at the Crystal Wild Resort, a property under construction on the Ao Yon-Khao Khad Road, at about 4:30pm, said Lt Jarus Lempan of the Wichit Police. “The wall at the entrance to the hotel, which…
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What it takes to stay safe while snorkelling in Phuket waters
Special Report The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says that about 80 per cent of visitors to Phuket plunge into the Andaman Sea with snorkelling gear to explore Thailand’s treasures below the surface. At least eight of those tourists have died while snorkelling within the last 16 months. The Phuket Gazette‘s Chutharat Plerin and Saran Mitrarat dive into the issue.PHUKET:…
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The military coup is bullish for the Thai Stock Market
PHUKET: For those of us from the United States and Western Europe, it is hard to imagine a military coup occurring in our home countries. Matter of fact, I get calls from nervous friends and relatives asking if I’m okay and if there are tanks in the street. Well, for those of us that have lived here for quite some…
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Curfew lifted in 20 more provinces, not Bangkok
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Curfew lifted in 20 more provinces, not Bangkok The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order last night lifted the curfew in 20 more provinces, but the curfew in Bangkok remains in effect. The provinces where the curfew was lifted entirely…
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Taliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taliban gunmen attack Karachi airport academy in second assault Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Pakistan’s Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for an attack on a security academy at Karachi’s airport on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after an all-night siege by Taliban gunmen at Pakistan’s busiest airport…
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