News
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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Phuket land grab suspect arrested
PHUKET: Police charged a man with encroaching on a protected Phuket forest yesterday after he was found building two houses amid mangroves in Wichit. The arrest came during a raid led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak at a site near Klong Mudong (map here). The raid was inspired by a complaint filed by local villagers, Vice Governor Somkiet told…
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Chef murdered in Phuket likely bag-snatch victim
PHUKET: Police suspect that the chef who was fatally stabbed early yesterday morning while on his way to work was the victim of a bag-snatch. Eyewitnesses told police that Dithchart Insom was riding north on the Kathu-Naka road (map here) when two men on a motorbike rode alongside him and ordered him to stop. “When Mr Dithchart stopped, the men…
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Phuket Gazette World News: China riot leaves 16 dead; UN seeks US$6bn to avoid Syrian catastrophe; NSA tactics ruled unlawful; Philippines bus plunge leaves 22 dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Riot in China’s Xinjiang kills 16, “terror gang” blamed Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Chinese police shot and killed 14 people during a riot near the old Silk Road city of Kashgar in which two policemen were also killed, the local government said on Monday, the latest unrest…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Child killer confesses; Democrats to vote on election boycott; Cold bites hard in North
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lessons learnt in sad fate of 6-year-old girl The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A former convict has confessed to raping and strangling a six-year-old girl in Bangkok earlier this month after she strayed briefly from her father’s attention. Police say she was just one of his many…
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Former Phuket police volunteer denied bail
PHUKET: Long-time expat and well-known Tourist Police Volunteer Garry Halpin has been denied bail by police, the Phuket Gazette was told today. Mr Halpin was arrested on Saturday night in a police sting operation during which he was found in possession of more than 18 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Mr Halpin was placed under arrest after he bought…
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Phuket Provincial Hall officially re-opens today
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Hall, closed at the request of anti-government protesters last month, officially re-opened today. On November 27, thousands of protesters massed at the hall, presented Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut with a bouquet of flowers, and asked him to shutter the building. He obliged, but carried on working at various locations outside the hall (story here). The main government…
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Phuket murder trial of Swedes enters closing stages
PHUKET: Tommy Viktor Soderlund, one of two Swedish nationals charged for the stabbing murder of Maksim Schantz two years ago, reiterated his plea of not guilty at Phuket Provincial Court today. Mr Soderlund, in court to testify, repeated his plea of not guilty and gave his version of events that led to the killing of Russian-born Swedish national Mr Schantz…
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Jetstar begins direct Phuket-Melbourne flights
PHUKET: Jetstar Airways has launched its non-stop service between Phuket and Melbourne, connecting Phuket to one of its most important source markets just in time for the tourism high season to kick off. “The first flight of the service directly to Phuket left the ground on December 14, making it the first direct low-cost carrier service for travellers between the…
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Be forewarned about 4G in Phuket
PHUKET: Lest you think it’s 3G déjà vu all over again, the current state of 4G in Phuket has a few interesting new wrinkles. In many ways, the impending 4G roll out – which is already under way, at least in theory – isn’t nearly as confusing as the 3G roll out two years ago. Thank heavens! Let’s start with…
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Queens of the beach compete
PHUKET: With the success of the PTT School Tournament, held in conjunction with the recent 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball Phuket Open, organizer Bob Selznick wanted to give students another chance to develop their skills on the sand by hosting a new tournament. “I promised the girls that I would teach them, and hold a two-person per side beach volleyball tournament…
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Patong Carnival Fun Fest underway
PHUKET: Thousands of tourists and Phuket residents lined the streets of Patong yesterday evening to usher in the annual Patong Carnival, held each year to unofficially mark the beginning of the tourism high season. This year, branded the “Patong Fun Fest”, the carnival got underway with the traditional parade, snaking its way from Phang Muang Sai Kor Road, Prachanukhro Road…
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Karon named deadliest Phuket beach
PHUKET: Karon Beach was marked as the deadliest beach in Phuket after eight people drowned between October 2012 and September 2013, said Karon Police Superintendent Weerawat Jantarawichit on Friday. “We have put up signs in many languages warning people about the dangers, but they have not been successful – this is very concerning,” Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut said in a…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Man held for killing girl, 6; Govt forum backs elections; Elite peace unit ramps up lese majeste crackdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man held in killing of girl, 6 The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police have arrested a man suspected of kidnapping and killing a six-year-old girl. Footage from security cameras in Bang Na in Bangkok showed the man walking with a girl reported as missing by her parents…
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Tourist Police Volunteer busted for drug dealing in Phuket
PHUKET: Provincial Police arrested long-time expat and well-known Tourist Police Volunteer Garry Halpin yesterday for dealing drugs to tourists and local teens. Mr Halpin, 52, was arrested at the Chalong Villa and Spa last night, where he was in possession of over 18g of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), drug paraphernalia, a digital scale and cough syrup. “Garry was a tourist…
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Aggressive British beggar beaten on Bangla
PHUKET: A British beggar who was verbally abusing tourists who weren’t giving him money was attacked on Phuket’s main party street, Soi Bangla, last night. Patong Police and Kusoldharm rescue workers arrived at the scene to find Aziz Javid, 29, sprawled out on the road with a crowd of onlookers standing around him. “He was suffering from a minor head…
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Stunning Airshow set for Phuket’s Patong Beach tomorrow afternoon
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has just been advised of an Airshow over Patong Beach tomorrow (Sunday, December 15) at 4pm. Organized by Patong Municipality to celebrate the opening of Phuket’s high season for tourism, the show will be repeated, also at 4pm, on Monday and Tuesday as well. The show stars world-renowned stunt pilot Les Vorosmarthy who flew into Phuket…
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Phuket Governor pushes ‘Visiting 3K Police Stations’ project
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut inspected Karon Police Station yesterday as part of his “Visiting 3K Police Stations” campaign to promote Phuket as a safe holiday destination. The governor is using the project to keep a close eye on police stations at three key tourism beach areas – Kathu (Patong), Kamala and Karon. In October Governor Maitri was given a…
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Another Phuket taxi driver arrested for assaulting a tourist
PHUKET: Karon Police yesterday arrested a taxi driver for threatening and assaulting a tourist with a piece of bamboo. Narongsak “Petch” Kongsawat, 19, was arrested at the taxi rank in front of the Centara Grand Beach Resort, Phuket, at about 4:30pm. “Police identified themselves, showed the arrest warrant and took Mr Narongsak to the police station for questioning over an…
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Missing Chinese tourist suffering from Alzheimers found in Phuket Town
PHUKET: A 59-year-old Chinese tourist who was reported missing two days ago and suffers from Alzhiemer’s disease was found last night. The last sighting of Deshen Zhaun, before he was found, was at at 3pm when he entered Madam Massage in the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town, said the man’s son-in-law, Wichit Sae-Ju. “When I returned to pick him…
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Desperate Phuket mother turns to spirit medium to find missing daughter
PHUKET: The mother of missing 7-year-old Nong Dear has resorted to consulting a spirit medium after police efforts have failed to yield any results in the week the girl has been missing (story here). “It’s been a week now; I know police are working hard, but they are still unable to find my daughter,” Jaroon Papkaew said. “I didn’t know…
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Phuket Drift: Pickup makes move, flips, crashes
PHUKET: A pickup truck thwarted in a passing maneuver on Thepkrasattri Road flipped over and landed upside down on the median in Mai Khao yesterday morning. The cab was partially crushed by the impact, but the passenger and driver escaped with only minor injuries. Called to the scene at Baan Suan Maphrao at about 10:30am, police found Wutirai Chuchuay, 26,…
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Tesco Lotus opens new Phuket department store in Chalong
PHUKET: Tesco Lotus today opened its new Chalong Phuket Department Store on Chao Fa West Road.The store offers a wide range of fresh food and groceries, as well as a large variety of housewares, electronics, toys and furniture. The store complex has 72 commercial tenants including banks and leading restaurants. The Tesco Lotus store will create 170 jobs in the…
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Man caught exposing his “big gun’ to Patong ladies
PHUKET: A man who thought it was a good idea to show all the ladies along his street in Patong that he had a big gun in his pants has been arrested and charged with possession of an illegal firearm. He was also charged with carrying a naked weapon in a public place. Officers were alerted to the man’s antics,…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Kim Jong Un executes uncle; France calls to extradite Kazakh billionaire; 15 wedding guests killed in drone strike
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has powerful uncle executed Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: North Korea said on Friday the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, previously considered the second most powerful man in the secretive state, has been executed for treason, the biggest upheaval since the…
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Phuket Opinion: Pushing for an Old Town revival
Phuket native Don Limnun-thaphisit, 49, is the project leader of Lardyai walking street and the head of the Phuket Old Town community. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Prince of Songkhla University in the faculty of Science. Here he talks about the need to revive Phuket Old Town and increase the popularity of the Lardyai street market with tourists.…
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Phuket Opinion: Mixing danger
PHUKET: The recent claim of drink spiking by a young British tourist who survived a two-storey fall from her Patong hotel room is just the latest in a long string of similar accusations by foreign tourists, the vast majority of which go unreported. Reliable sources in several units of the local Tourist Police have over the years said that claims…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Abhisit pleads not guilty to murder; Reform tussle; 2-yr-old shot in Pattani; DSI hits abortion-pill websites
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ex-PM Abhisit pleads not guilty to murder charge The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is determined to appear in court to fight accusations that he is responsible for the deaths and injuries of many people during the bloody dispersal of red-shirt demonstrators in…
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Phuket’s iBless Philippines donations reach typhoon victims
PHUKET: Funds and relief goods collected for victims of Typhoon Haiyan under the iBless Philippines campaign have been sent to the Philippines, and more fund raising events are in the works. “We sent 139,468 baht and 2,700kg of emergency relief goods to the Philippines on November 29,” Bernardita Sanchez, an iBless committee member, told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. Some of…
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New Kathu District Chief vows to continue beach free-zone project
PHUKET: The new Kathu District Chief vowed today to pick up the reins of the Patong “beach clear” zone, which was set in motion by former Kathu chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol. In July Mr Veera requested that the Patong Municipality clear all vendors – including sun bed operators – from a large section of Patong Beach (story here). Mr Veera’s parting…
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Faulty Phuket public lighting deals deadly electric shock
PHUKET: A construction worker died from an electric shock yesterday afternoon when he leaned against a barbed wire fence to urinate. “The fence was accidentally electrified by a frayed wire,” said Lt Peerasit Noopayan of the Cherng Talay Police. A nearby light pole was leaning to one side, and the frayed wire which supplies it with electricity came into contact…
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