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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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All About Eva: Court probe opens door to new era for Phuket beachfront property projects
THAILAND stands on the brink of a great leap forward in boosting investor confidence in beachfront properties and resorts, if court officials uphold existing building regulations on construction of buildings along the Phuket shoreline. Here, the Phuket Gazette investigates what is at stake in enforcing the building code. SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: The environmental court inspection of an upscale real estate…
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Opinion: “Thainess’ falls short of ecologically sustainable tourism
PHUKET: In the past 20 years, Thailand’s tourism industry has grown in leaps and bounds due to the hard work of the industry’s private-sector and effective campaigns created by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). One of the TAT’s most successful ever was its “Amazing Thailand” campaign launched in 1998, which aimed to bolster the country’s tourism income after the…
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Finance: Learning to re-balance a portfolio
PHUKET: Portfolio re-balancing is one of the trickier aspects of investment management, as you will inevitably need to make some hard and counterintuitive decisions to ensure that your portfolio’s asset allocation continues to meet your investment goals and risk-tolerance level. But why, how and when should you re-balance your investment portfolio?WHY YOU NEED TO TAKE WINNERS AND LOSERS OFF THE…
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Cricket: Thalang big guns fire in Village win
PHUKET: The Thalang Cricket Team (TCT) big guns fired up last Sunday in a win over the Village Cricket Team at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) in Thalang. Fresh off an upset victory against top-of-the-league Patong, the Village were looking to climb higher up the ladder with a win against a TCT side that had yet to find form with…
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Activist children manage unprecedented blow to Taiji dolphin slaughter (video)
PHUKET: A letter presented by a group of children from Phuket’s Gecko School was accepted by the Taiji Major’s Office, which in the past has publicly supported the annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins. “We will pass down the history of our ancestors to the next generation. Preserve it. We have a strong sense of pride about this,” Mayor Kazutaka…
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Phuket jet-ski operator banned after attempted shakedown
PHUKET: A jet-ski operator was banned today from running his rental business for one month following an incident in which he demanded two tourists to pay 200,000 baht for repairs to two uninsured jet-skis (story here). The Bang Tao jet-ski operator, Air Yotharuk, had his helmsman license suspended and his two jet-skis Yotharuk 1 and Yotharuk 2 banned by the…
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New beach rules now standard throughout Phuket, says Governor
PHUKET: The trial rule of restricting vendors to only 10 per cent of the beach is to be rolled out at all beaches in Phuket, Governor Nisit Jansomwong has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “Local administrations will remain responsible for regulating and enforcing the new rules [story here], which include no sun loungers at any beaches,” he added. “The local…
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Tourist crashes jet-ski into yacht, dies
PHUKET: A tourist died in hospital after crashing a jet-ski into a yacht anchored at Nui Bay, off Phi Phi Island, yesterday. Wu Xixiong, 46, was taken to Phi Phi Hospital with a broken neck, jaw, arm and leg. Due to the extent of his injuries, he was transferred to Bangkok Hospital Phuket, confirmed Surasak Mongkolchaiyasit of the Krabi Marine…
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Phuket waste incinerator granted B530mn for repairs
PHUKET: A budget of 530 million baht to repair the defunct waste incinerator at the Phuket City Waste Management facility at Saphan Hin has been approved, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong announced this week. “Though Phuket has two incinerators, one has been offline for almost two years, leading us toward an inevitable crises by 2020, if nothing is done,” said Kasem…
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Phuket’s B23.5bn light rail inches toward Cabinet approval
PHUKET: The final plans for the long-awaited Phuket light-rail project, slated to cost 23.5 billion baht, will not be presented to Cabinet for approval until next year at the earliest, the Phuket Gazette has been told. “The plan itself is more than 90 per cent complete. However, experts need to make adjustments to match local Phuket residents’ needs,” Governor Nisit…
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Tuk-tuk driver punches Australian in face over fare
PHUKET: A tuk-tuk driver has confessed to punching an Australian national in the face after an argument about the price of a ride yesterday evening. “Mr Sipeng, 20, told us that he was punched by the tuk-tuk driver after he got into an altercation with him about the price of the ride from Sugar Palm Residence Condominium, where he lives,…
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Phuket public hospital denies any responsibility in expat nightmare ordeal
ALLEGATIONS of neglect and mistreatment at Vachira Phuket Hospital levelled by a long-term Phuket expat who has since died, pose grave questions about the state of public healthcare at the island’s main government hospital – many questions about which remain unanswered. Here, the Phuket Gazette investigates what counts for healthcare in Phuket. SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: Top staff at Vachira Phuket…
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Blast injures five at Bangkok Army depot
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Blast injures five Bangkok Army depot The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Five civilian personnel were injured yesterday in an accident at the Army’s Ordnance Department in Kiakkai in Bangkok during routine maintenance and inspection of anti-tank rocket-propelled grenades and launchers, a deputy Army spokesman said.…
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Gunmen fire on Marseille police as PM Valls visits city
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gunmen fire on Marseille police as PM Valls visits city Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Gunmen fired on a police car in Marseille on Monday in what local officials said was a drug-related incident, just hours before a visit by Prime Minister Manuel Valls to hail…
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Police hunt temple thief after B100k donation snatch
PHUKET: Police are searching for a man who is suspected of stealing more than 100,000 baht in cash from Tah Reua Temple, which houses Phuket’s top monk, Phra Visutthi Thamma-kanee. Officers were alerted to the theft at 10:30am yesterday. “Phra Visutthi Thamma-kanee said that he saw a man about 40 years old sitting in front of the monks’ dormitory at…
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Tourists dodge Phuket jet-ski scam shakedown
PHUKET: Negotiations and a police complaint have mostly thwarted an attempted shakedown by a Bang Tao jet-ski rental operator, who initially asked two Chinese tourists to pay 200,000 baht for repairs to two uninsured jet-skis. Six Chinese tourists hired four jet-skis at Bang Tao Beach on Saturday afternoon, explained Anusorn Salae, the former president of the Bang Tao Jet-ski Club.…
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Australian arrested in insurance fraud scam
PHUKET: An Australian teen failed in an attempted insurance fraud scam after Phuket police investigated his claim of being robbed at knifepoint on Karon Beach yesterday. Alex Gorgees, 19, from New South Wales, told Karon Police that he was robbed of cash and personal belongings valued at about 389,500 baht. “He said that three unknown men held him at knifepoint…
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Phuket gears up for the ‘Year of the Goat’
PHUKET: Chinese New Year, ringing in the “Year of the Goat”, will be celebrated in style at Sanam Chai Park in Phuket Town on February 19. The highlights of this year’s event, kicking off at 5pm, will be a performance by a troupe of acrobats hailing from Beijing, as well as a concert by Getsunova, a famous Thai pop-rock band.…
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Tourist in ICU after Samui safari pick-up truck flips
PHUKET: A Russian tourist remains in intensive care after a safari pick-up truck flipped onto its side on Koh Samui Saturday afternoon. Koh Samui police chief Paitoon Krajajang has vowed to track down the driver, Vanich Sridon, 29, who fled the scene. “He is wanted for reckless driving, causing injury,” he said. “We have dispatched officers to track him down.”…
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Patong bar raided for baraku, hookahs
PHUKET: Kathu District officials raided a bar in Patong early Saturday morning for selling hookah tobacco and providing water pipes – a smoking style called baraku in Thailand – to customers, mainly tourists. Barkeeper and Myanmar national Tan Ser U was arrested in the raid of the Red Sky Bar on Sirirat Road at the southern end of Patong at…
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French expat survives savage hatchet attack
PHUKET: A French businessman was savagely attacked with a hatchet last night after arriving at his home in Cherng Talay yesterday. Eric Seigneurin, 53, who had just arrived home with his wife from their restaurant business, was attacked as he got out of his car at about 12:15am. “After Mr Seigneurin got out of his car, a man wearing a…
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Bruised Australian PM Abbott survives leadership challenge
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bruised Australian PM Abbott survives leadership challenge Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott survived a challenge to his leadership on Monday after his ruling Liberal Party voted down a motion to unseat him after weeks of infighting, but the attempted revolt appears…
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SCB building closed after towering inferno
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community SCB building closed after towering inferno The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The whole main building of Siam Commercial Bank headquarters in Bangkok is now closed to the public in the wake of a fire that raged through some of its floors from late Saturday night…
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Phuket Valentine’s Day event to offer new homes to hermit crabs
PHUKET: In an effort to inspire a love of nature, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) is organizing a Valentine’s Day event aimed at donating new shells for the humble hermit crab. Hermit crabs have soft, spiral-shaped abdomens which are vulnerable to predators. They protect themselves by salvaging the empty shells of other crustaceans and other objects, sadly sometimes…
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Russian tourist caught in Phuket cocaine bust
PHUKET: Police have arrested a Russian tourist for selling cocaine at a shopping center car park in southern Phuket after he tried to sell the drugs to an undercover police officer. Officers arrested Anton Rybak, 25, on Friday after a sting operation at the car park of the Makro store in Rawai, said Lt Col Kritsana Yardkham, senior inspector of…
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Village CC win over Patong CC lifts them off the bottom
PHUKET: Village CC secured their first win of the season last Sunday with a win over Patong CC to to move off the bottom of the senior league table. Village were looking for their first win of the season, whilst Patong in second place were looking to go top of the league. Patong won the toss and elected to bat.…
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Healthy newborn girl found beside Phuket trash can
PHUKET: Police are searching for the mother of a healthy newborn girl found abandoned beside a trash can in front of a house in Srisoonthorn, Thalang, last night. Manit Limmanee had just left his house on his way to the local grocery store at about 7:30pm when he heard a baby crying. “At first, I thought it was a cat,…
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Power pole transformer suspected of setting house on fire
PHUKET: Police are investigating whether a power transformer sparked a blaze in Thung Thong late last night in which the front of a house was set afire, with a car and a motorbike damaged, and another motorbike completely destroyed. Firefighters were called to the scene, in the Irawadee housing estate, at about 11:50pm. They took about 30 minutes to douse…
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Phuket FC season opens in Trat
PHUKET: The island’s premier football club, Phuket FC, will open their 2015 campaign in the Yahama Division 1 national football league against Trat on Valentine’s Day, with the modest goal of surviving the hotly contested division. “It is challenging to have new players join the squad and getting the whole team playing well,” a realistic Songyod “Coach Daeng” Klinseesuk told…
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BIS youth soccer camp open to all
PHUKET: Time is running out to register for the 3rd BISP Football Camp, to be held on February 16-18. The deadline for entries is February 10. The camp offers boys and girls aged 10 to 18 specialized football training by BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy Head Coach Jonathas Candido and Strength & Conditioning Head Coach Christopher Gaffney. “Our focus is to…
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