News
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Sponsored The best luxury pool villas in Phuket, Koh Samui, and Bali to book this summer
Phuket, Koh Samui, and Bali share several things in common: vivid blue oceans, beautiful beaches, and lush tropical landscapes. Alongside these natural beauties, they also house luxury pool villas for rent that provide the perfect setting for a dream vacation....
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5-meter python caught at Phuket Villa 5 estate
PHUKET: Rescue workers last night caught a 5-meter-long python at the Phuket Villa 5 housing estate, near Kajonkietsuksa School in Wichit. “We received a report from security guards at Villa 5 that a big python was moving around the streets in the estate,” said Phuket Ruamjai Rescue Foundation Chief Saiyan Thamaphan. It took rescue workers only five minutes to bag…
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Foul play not ruled out in death of unidentified woman
PHUKET: Police have yet to rule out foul play in the death of an unidentified woman whose body was found floating in a Rassada canal this morning. Officers believe that the woman had been dead for two days before her body was discovered by villagers. “At this point, all we know is that she is about 150-160 centimeters tall and…
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Thai seafood exports not affected by slavery reports
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai seafood exports not affected by slavery reports Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Thailand said on Monday seafood exports to the United States, Europe and Australia have not been hit by reports of slavery and forced labour by campaign groups and media. The comments come as…
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Landslide devastates Chinese industrial park, 91 missing
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Landslide devastates Chinese industrial park, 91 missing Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: At least 91 people were missing after a huge mound of mud and construction waste collapsed at a business park in southern China and buried 33 buildings in the country’s latest industrial disaster. Premier…
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Phuket police yet to question key witness of fatal Brit tuk-tuk incident
PHUKET: Police have yet to question the only witness to the death of a British woman who fell from the back of a Phuket tuk-tuk in the early hours of yesterday (Sunday) morning. Elizabeth Corrigan, 29, was allegedly inebriated as she and a foreign man, who police decline to name, made their way from Soi Bangla in Patong to their…
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Phuket motorbike rental operator posts 30k baht reward for Ukrainian man’s arrest
PHUKET: The owner of a Phuket bike rental shop put up a 30,000-baht reward on December 18 for any information leading to the return of a stolen bike. Chalong Police secured an arrest warrant for Ukrainian national Ivan Tretiak, 25, two days prior to the posted reward. “Mr Tretiak is wanted for defalcation. I am currently working on two separate…
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More than a dozen tourists dead in Chiang Mai bus crash
CHIANG MAI: At least 14 Malaysian tourists were killed and many others injured when their tour bus hit a power pole and ran off a mountainous road in Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district yesterday. Police said that the bus was on national highway 118 through Ban Pang Fan village between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces when the driver lost…
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Surin Beach demolition stalled yet again
PHUKET: The expected end-of-year demolition of buildings on Surin Beach has been delayed, according to Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat. “There are many documents that the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization [PPAO] need to review and prepare before demolition begins, as some of the buildings at Surin were built by the government,” Vice Governor Chokdee told the Phuket Gazette. “There will…
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Mum denounces Phuket teacher for alleged child abuse
PHUKET: The mother of a student at Satree Phuket School accused a teacher of abusing her 14-year-old daughter on December 14. Chomphunut Bunsophap claimed in a Faceook post that a teacher, who she did not name at the request of the school, struck her daughter in the back of the head with a hard-backed book as a form of punishment.…
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18-wheeled Phuket truck bursts into flames
PHUKET: The cab of an 18-wheeled truck burst into flames while south bound on the bypass road in Phuket at about 1:15 this afternoon. The driver of the truck, Sanit Kartmek, 43, was not injured in the incident. “At this point, we assume that the fire was caused by a short circuit in the vehicle. However, we will investigate further,”…
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Australia PM: whaling spat shouldn’t be allowed to hurt Japan ties
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia PM: whaling spat shouldn’t be allowed to hurt Japan ties Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull agreed on Friday to drive their security cooperation further, despite Australia’s “deep disappointment” in Japan’s restart of whaling activities. Japan’s…
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Bullied by teachers, many LGBT Cambodians drop out of school
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bullied by teachers, many LGBT Cambodians drop out of school Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Three out of five LGBT people in Cambodia say they have been bullied at school, with many being tormented by teachers and dropping out as a result, rights advocates have found.…
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Phuket underpass construction company dodges fines for another month
PHUKET: After months of deadline extensions for the Samkong Underpass project, the Phuket Department of Highways has given the construction company in charge of the project an additional 30-day grace period before it starts to levy hefty fines. “We will not start fining them 2 million baht a day for about one more month, as we had ordered them to…
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Escaped TB prisoner surrenders to Phuket police
PHUKET: Police last night surrounded the house where an escaped prisoner was hiding, forcing him to surrender. Nimit Jindamanee, 45, was on the run after he managed to free himself from his restraints and elude his custodian at Vachira Phuket Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital on September 28 in order to be treated for tuberculosis and immune deficiency…
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Digging starts at Chalong Underpass site
PHUKET: Construction workers have started digging drainage ditches on each side of Chao Fa West Road for the Chalong Underpass project, the Phuket Highway Department confirmed yesterday. Work started on December 17, closing one south-bound lane of Chao Fa West Road. “It will only take us 15-20 days to put in the drains along a two-kilometer stretch of the road,”…
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Governor attempts to revive Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center
PHUKET: The Phuket governor is attempting to resurrect the Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) after the plan was killed during the Yingluck Adminsitration’s rule. “I am willing to breathe new life into this project in Mai Khao; as a member city of Thailand’s MICE [Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, Exhibitions], the only thing we are missing to fully comply…
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“HKT love Dad’ cycling event this Sunday
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport has announced its upcoming ‘HKT love Dad’ cycling event to take place this Sunday. The event aims to honor and celebrate HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 88th birthday as participants cycle a 29-kilometer loop from the airport’s X-terminal, past Thalang Technical College to Laem-Sai Pier and back. Additionally, there will be a release of 300,000 shrimp into…
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Influx of tourists expected over upcoming holiday season
PHUKET: Up to 800,000 foreign tourists are expected to visit the country in the next two weeks, but total annual arrivals will likely miss the 30 million target predicted by the private sector. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects a total of 28.8mn arrivals this year, slightly higher than the original projection of 28-28.5mn. The country’s previous highest arrival…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Footloose driving skills
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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Successor to Saab announces $12 billion China electric car deal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Successor to Saab announces $12 billion China electric car deal Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: The China-focussed consortium that bought bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab – and bet on going all electric – unveiled its first major deal on Thursday, a mammoth $12 billion (8 billion pounds)…
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Apple to launch Apple Pay in China, take on Alibaba, Tencent
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Apple to launch Apple Pay in China, take on Alibaba, Tencent Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said it will launch its payment service in China as soon as 2016, pitting it against entrenched Chinese rivals Alibaba Group Holding (BABA.N) and Tencent Holdings (0700.HK).…
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Police work to identify victim of single vehicle crash
PHUKET: Officials are looking to identify one of the two victims of a single vehicle crash in Chalong early this morning. Police believe that Chiang Rai native Surapong Sae-lee, 24, lost control of his pick-up truck at a curve near King Power Phuket, causing him to slam into a utility pole. The impact killed both Mr Surapong and his passenger,…
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Brit beaten by Patong tuk-tuk driver
PHUKET: Police have charged a Phuket tuk-tuk driver for savagely beating a British national over a discrepancy in the price of a ride in Patong on December 15. “William Joseph Kamarell, 22, explained that a tuk-tuk driver had picked him up at Soi Bangla in Patong and took him about five kilometers to where he was staying on Nanai Road,”…
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Phuket to host “Southern Architectural Expo 2016′
PHUKET: The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage (ASA) is hosting the ‘Southern Architectural Expo 2016’ in Phuket from January 29-31. “The theme of the event is Yapp Roi (South Up) which is meant to reflect and promote the identity of the south,” said Prachya Sukkaew, the vice president of the ASA Southern Office. Mr Prachya explained that education…
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A Decade Ago: Renewed spark of hope
PHUKET: A decade ago on page one, the Phuket Gazette told the story of a renewed spark of hope that filled the souls of Sascha and Patchara Meissmer, as they re-launched the search for their young daughter, Solitaire, who went missing in the 2004 tsunami. “On December 26, I held onto Solitaire as tightly as I could, but the second…
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Opinion: Finding common ground with GMO Bill
Somchai Sakulchit is a Phuket native and current president of the Phuket Farmers Council. He graduated from Phuket Rajabhat University with a master’s degree in Crop Sciences. Here he talks about the negative effects that the new bill regarding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) will have on Phuket and ways to amend it in order to minimize the impact on small…
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Community at the core of success for Natthakanya ‘Apple’ Saengpho
PHUKET: It’s been a stellar year – and then some – for Natthakanya ‘Apple’ Saengpho, CEO of the Paradise Group. Andara Signature – the latest project from Andamandara Development, the company she runs with Dr Allan Zeman – won best Phuket villa development, best Thailand villa development, best residential architectural design and best landscape architectural design at the Thailand Property…
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Island View: Always something new in Phuket
PHUKET: Settling down in a new place can sometimes be unnerving, but it’s usually outweighed by all the little things that attracted you to it in the first place. I’m drawn to Phuket because it’s very multi-faceted and there’s no lack of activities to enjoy, no matter what time of year it is and regardless of whether you’re alone or…
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“Missing’ British backpacker gone diving on Phi Phi
PHUKET: Phi Phi Police located a British backpacker, who was reported missing by deeply-concerned family members after an unnerving ‘final’ phone call, as he was signing up for a scuba diving course on the tropical island at about 4pm yesterday. Jordan Lewis Jacobs, 21, has been on the road since September 2014, having postponed his return to the United Kingdom…
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Business Buzz: Social media year in review
PHUKET: This has been a big year for social media, so I thought it worthwhile to review some of the interesting facts and figures. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in the United States were the leading platforms, and the amount of time, effort and money spent in social media marketing has risen rapidly. Social media are now well and truly established,…
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