News
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Thai authorities arrest 112 Rohingya after boat washes ashore in Phang Nga
PHUKET: Heavy seas on Saturday forced a boat loaded with 112 Rohingya, attempting the perilous journey to Malaysia, to land north of Phuket on Tai Muang beach in Phang Nga, where they were promptly arrested by the authorities. According to police the boat was part of a flotilla of seven boats ferrying over 1,000 Rohingya that departed their native Rakhine…
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Burst water main topples power pole in Phuket
PHUKET: A power pole that fell onto a house and injured a man in Phuket yesterday was unstable due to the water erosion caused by a burst water pipe, locals told the police. Police received the report of the incident at about 3pm and arrived to find power lines hanging on the ground near a freshly dug waterline trough on…
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Phuket Poll: Let us pay, not run for visas, expats say
PHUKET: More than half of all respondents to a Phuket Gazette online poll have voted for options other than making the obligatory, and often dangerous, visa runs that are required every 30 to 90 days in order to continue their stay in Thailand. Nearly a quarter of all respondents, including Thai nationals, preferred foreigners to present themselves to the Phuket…
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Doing Business in Thailand: AMCHAM Legal Forum
PHUKET: AMCHAM will hold a forum titled ‘Doing Business in Thailand – 3 Things You Should Know’, on Thursday, November 29, at Royal Phuket Marina. Three top international lawyers will be on hand to talk about how to do business without Thai nominees, enforcing contracts through arbitration, and the increasing focus on criminal corrupt practices and anti-corruption laws. The event…
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Petraeus-Broadwell Affair: Irony and tragedy before and after the revelation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET / CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters): When Paula Broadwell first met David Petraeus in 2006, she was a soldier-turned-graduate student at Harvard University. The acclaimed U.S. Army general gave her his card and offered to help her with her studies.Broadwell soon began trading emails with the general, and…
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Earthquake Update: Reports from Myanmar say little damage, but one dead, several missing
PHUKET (Reuters): The major earthquake that shook Mandalay this morning, and was felt in Bangkok but apparently not Phuket, is likely to have caused limited damage to Myanmar’s second larget city, although one person has been reported dead and several construction workers are missing. The 6.6 magnitude quake struck around 60 km (37 miles) northwest of Mandalay, the U.S. Geological…
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Strong earthquake felt in Bangkok this morning; no reports of tremors in Phuket
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityPHUKET: A major earthquake measuring 6.6 magnitude struck central Myanmar this morning, around 60 km (37 miles) northwest of the city of Mandalay, the U.S. Geological Survey said.Residents in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand, also said they felt the strong quake.There have been no known reports of…
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Phuket World Sports: Klitschko triumphs over Wach, retains world title belts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international communityReuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET / HAMBURG: World heavyweight boxing champion Vladimir Klitschko was made to go the distance against Polish challenger Mariusz Wach but earned a unanimous points decision last night to retain his four title belts.The 36-year-old Ukrainian, who holds the IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA crowns,…
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Phuket Poll: Should Phuket fight for the right to party?
PHUKET: Paris Hilton’s announcement late last month that a two-day dance party will be held at Surin Beach to celebrate New Year 2013 has set the cat among the pigeons, sparking a debate over whether or not Phuket should host such large-scale events. The event, being organized by Sydictive Element, is hoping to bring 14 world-renowned DJs and artists to…
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Phuket motorists in three death-defying accidents in one day
PHUKET: With the tourism high season fast approaching and Phuket’s roads about to become much busier, several Phuket motorists managed to escape death in three separate serious accidents all occurring within 18 hours. The most recent was a collision between a tour van and a six-wheeled dirt truck on the Patong-Kamala road at about 11:30am today. Capt Jakkapong Luang-aon of…
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Krabi Police reject YouTube rapist bail blame
PHUKET: The Krabi Provincial Police will post a YouTube video in response to the “Evil man in Krabi” music video that has caused a furore in Phuket’s sister tourism province across Phang Nga Bay. The news was announced at a press conference yesterday called by Krabi Governor Prasit Osathanon to answer publicly what action has been taken in the case.…
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Phuket Sports: Breaking free from the fear of choking
PHUKET: It’s been an eventful few weeks with Sumitra “Dear” Basnyat winning the inaugural Sugarpova contest and playing events in Bahrain and Bangkok. Sumitra concluded a major change with her equipment sponsor, which means for the next critical phase of her career we will be using and promoting Pacific racquets/grips and strings. Maria Sharapova launched her Sugarpova candy brand a…
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Phuket Sports: King’s Cup helps sports tourism
PHUKET: Recognized throughout the eastern hemisphere as the premier sailing event of its kind, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta will once more put on a spectacular display of the finest sailing talent from around the world from December 1 to 8, 2012. In addition, the Regatta’s gravitas in attracting sailors from over 35 countries, and some of the fastest racing…
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Phuket Sports: English Premier League review and look ahead
PHUKET: Robin Van Persie scored his 10th league goal of the season against his former team, Arsenal, to help send Manchester United on their way to a comfortable 2-1 win. On this showing, Arsenal have a long way to go if they want to be taken seriously as title contenders. The sending off of Jack Wilshere for two yellow cards…
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Phuket incinerator struggling to cope with landfill, rising tide of trash
PHUKET: Phuket’s main landfill site on the outskirts of Phuket Town is a long way from disappearing, despite the new 960-million-baht incinerator working at near-capacity of 700 tons of trash a day. Prachum Suriya, chief of the Phuket City Municipality Environment Office, confirmed to the Phuket Gazette on Wednesday that the landfill site is “100 per cent full”. Earlier in…
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World News: Syria – Millions in need of aid as winter sets in
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thousands flee Syria in exodus, millions more in need of aid Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Thousands of Syrians fled their country yesterday in one of the biggest refugee exoduses of the 20-month civil war after rebels seized a border town, and the United Nations warned that…
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Phuket wall collapse prompts buildings safety blitz
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut has vowed to set up a task force to inspect building sites on hill slopes across the island in order to prevent any further incidents like the wall collapse that endangered the lives of a mother and child this week. Atchara Jutisen, 28, and her 3-month-old baby boy Attawat “Big” Chottantikul last Sunday escaped injury…
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Phuket Opinion: Let crime take center stage
PHUKET: Having an apprehended bank robber give advice on how to keep banks safe from similar armed felons was just one of the interesting developments regarding “financial security” in Phuket this week. Confessed bank robber Anusit Kaewmookda suggested that each bank branch have a security guard on duty to deter robbers. Despite Mr Anusit’s good intentions with such advice, the…
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International Cricket: Rain delays start of Aussie test
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World sporting news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rain delays start in Australia-South Africa test Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Heavy rain at the Gabba prevented the second day of the first test between Australia and South Africa from getting underway today.South Africa had reached 255 for two in their first innings with Hashim Amla…
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Krabi Tourism chief blames police rape case cover-up for tourism backlash
PHUKET: The president of the Krabi Tourism Association has criticized the police for their handling of a rape case, accusing the local authorities of a failed cover-up that has now backfired and is costing local resorts lost revenues through booking cancellations by tourists.The news follows the posting online of a YouTube music video called “Evil man from Krabi”. The video,…
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Phuket friends to hold Chris Hart Memorial Football Tournament
PHUKET: Friends, coworkers and footballing colleagues of Chris Hart, who died tragically in a motorbike accident on Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang on Tuesday night, are invited to attend a seven-a-side football tournament in his honor. Eric Haeg, who organized the event, to be held at Headstart School, wrote on his Facebook page: “Please feel free to attend even if you’re…
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Phuket-based hotel booking site sells for US$25mn
PHUKET: Blair Speers, founder of the Phuket-based hotel booking website HotelTravel.com, sold the company to Indian online travel agency (OTA) MakeMyTrip.com for US$25 million (over 760mn baht).Mr Speers, a resident of Phuket for the past 20 years, founded HotelTravel.com in 1999.MakeMyTrip.com reportedly paid US$15mn in both cash and shares upfront, with the remaining US$10mn to be paid in MakeMyTrip shares…
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New generation of rescue workers train up for marine incidents
PHUKET: A new generation of rescue workers and Phuket Marine Police received necessary training in marine search and rescue as part of their adaptation to the growing number of water related deaths on the island, said the Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation President.Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation workers, who are more normally associated with the grisly business of saving lives on the roads, spent…
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Baby elephant DNA results finally revealed
PHUKET: After months of silence, the DNA results needed to determine the legality of three baby elephants seized in raids on Phuket in February have been released for two of the three young pachyderms, while one’s fate is still undetermined. The DNA results for the baby elephant seized from the Phu Thai Souvenir Market in Chalong proved that it was…
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Phuket Sports: BIS tournament underway
PHUKET: British International School (BIS) kicked off its Phuket International 7-a-side Football Tournament this morning. The tournament is now in its 11th year and 23 schools from South Korea, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore brought with them a total of 88 teams. This morning started with a welcome from BIS Phuket’s headmaster Neil Richards before the first games,…
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Retired Swedish expat found hanged at Phuket shopping mall
PHUKET: Staff arrived at the HomePro Village in Chalong this morning to find a retired Swedish expat hanged from a drainpipe at the back of the complex. Sub Lt Kraisorn Boonprasob of the Chalong Police told the Phuket Gazette that he was notified of the discovery at 7:30am. “When we arrived, the wife of the man was already at the…
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World Sports: Update of action and news from across the globe
PHUKET: A round-up of the latest news from the world of sport for Phuket’s international community. Football – European footballInter Milan and Bayer Leverkusen cruised into the Europa League knockout stage with emphatic wins last night, but holders Atletico Madrid and former winners Liverpool suffered surprise defeats. Russia’s Rubin Kazan, Olympique Lyon, Hanover 96 and Metalist Kharkiv joined Bayer and…
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Thailand News: Landmark visit by Obama to Myanmar part of Southeast Asia tour
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama to make landmark visit to Myanmar Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: President Barack Obama later this month will become the first US leader to visit Myanmar, marking the strongest international endorsement so far, of the fragile democratic transition in the once-isolated Southeast Asian country, after…
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Work on Phuket’s B600mn underpass to start November 21
PHUKET: The leading engineer heading the project to build Phuket’s first underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection, located in front of the Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, today confirmed that work will commence on November 21. Speaking at a meeting at the Phuket Highways Office in Phuket Town this morning, Itiwatra Kritsanavanich said that the inside lanes on the north side…
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Phuket youth crime blitz nets 220 arrests for weapons, drugs charges
PHUKET: In a 12-day blitz on youth crime in Phuket Town, Phuket City Police arrested 220 people on drugs and weapons charges – and six youths for attempted murder after being caught in two separate gang sword fights at Saphan Hin.Phuket City Police chief Col Sermphan Sirikong told the Phuket Gazette today that the campaign began on October 25 and…
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