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    Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management

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  • Phuket Deputy Honorary Consul: Russian tourists cause most problems, not expats

    Phuket Deputy Honorary Consul: Russian tourists cause most problems, not expats

    PHUKET: Santi Udomkiratak, 48, has been the Deputy Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation for the provinces of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga since 2008. Born and raised in Phuket, Mr Santi received a degree in mechanical engineering from King Mongkut’s University of Technology in Bangkok. Here, he gives his views on Russians in Phuket. Most of the problems we…

  • PACC it all in, Phuket

    PACC it all in, Phuket

    PHUKET: This week’s exclusive lead story in the Phuket Gazette newspaper about the decision of the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) to shelve its investigation into encroachment cases here in Phuket comes as a disappointment – but not much of a surprise. Phuket has a long history of land probes, all of which are motivated by political forces. In the…

  • Public sector Anti-Corruption Commission packs in Phuket land title investigations

    Public sector Anti-Corruption Commission packs in Phuket land title investigations

    PHUKET: The investigation by the Public sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) into allegedly illegally issued land titles covering more than 500 rai of land in Phuket has silently been dropped.The PACC, set up specifically to fight corruption among government officials, quietly dropped the probe into hundreds of Phuket land titles just days after Col Dusadee Arayawuth, who had initiated the investigation,…

  • Rawai Municipality takes charge of one of many environmental issues plaguing Racha

    Rawai Municipality takes charge of one of many environmental issues plaguing Racha

    PHUKET: The Rawai municipality was assigned to take charge of the mounting trash-disposal issues on Koh Racha Yai despite progressive local government talks yesterday with hotel and resort representatives about a conglomerate of environmental issues facing the once pristine island. “Though hotel and resort representatives agreed to take care of the trash-disposal problem themselves, I have assigned the Rawai Municipality…

  • Entertainment: ‘Lost in Thailand’ draws more Chinese; Crazy about cabaret

    Entertainment: ‘Lost in Thailand’ draws more Chinese; Crazy about cabaret

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘Lost in Thailand’ draws more Chinese Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Chinese New Year in Thailand this year is likely to see a taste of real culture from China. Thanks to the movie “Lost in Thailand”, a huge box-office success in China, a greater number…

  • PATA meeting questions whether Thai culture is good for tourism

    PATA meeting questions whether Thai culture is good for tourism

    PHUKET: Despite the various shortcomings in Thailand’s service industry, tourists keep coming back, two Thai journalists recently told a tourism meeting in Bangkok. Attending the meeting, Ken Scott, Managing Director of his own communications firm, ScottAsia Communications, reports: Thailand is a like a cunning cheer leader, a good looker, an easy date who cheats at her exams and gossips about…

  • Syrian rebels maintain pressure; UN denounces | Thaiger

    Syrian rebels maintain pressure; UN denounces

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Assad’s forces try to beat back rebels closing on Damascus Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Syrian government forces battled on Friday to recapture sections of the Damascus ring road from rebels pressing in on the capital, opposition activists said. War planes fired rockets around Jobar, Qaboun…

  • Phuket Old Town festival to showcase Chinese heritage

    Phuket Old Town festival to showcase Chinese heritage

    PHUKET: The annual Phuket Old Town Festival will begin on February 15, ushering in the three-day celebration of the town’s historical origins and unique ethnic mix of cultures. To announce this year’s festival, leading Phuket dignitaries gathered at Queen Sirikit Park on Thursday night. Joining Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana in announcing the event were representatives from Phuket City Municipality,…

  • Police snap up “kratom’ grower in northern Phuket

    Police snap up “kratom’ grower in northern Phuket

    PHUKET: Police in the northern Phuket area of Thalang yesterday raided and shut down a tropical fruit orchard that was also being used as a kratom-growing operation. The orchard owner, named by police as Nathee Tianthong,50, had five kratom trees growing on his property – in his house police found 400 grams of harvested leaves. All five trees were cut…

  • Phuket City police bag druggy by using GPS tracker from stolen iPhone

    Phuket City police bag druggy by using GPS tracker from stolen iPhone

    PHUKET: Police quickly nabbed a Phuket druggy by using the GPS tracking feature of the iPhone he had stolen from a German tourist yesterday. The German tourist, David Trebs, was standing in front of the 99 Oldtown Boutique Guesthouse in Phuket Town at about 2am yesterday when a man on a motorbike drove by and snatched his iPhone, explained Lt…

  • Phuket Soccer Schools and Thanyapura set for international tourney

    Phuket Soccer Schools and Thanyapura set for international tourney

    PHUKET: The Phuket Soccer Schools (PSS) is hosting a 40-team international tournament this weekend at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC). Teams will compete in U8, U10, U12 and U14 age groups. The tournament has attracted teams from Hong Kong, Singapore, Koh Samui and Phuket. The opening ceremony starts at 8:30am on Saturday with the closing ceremony taking place on…

  • Phuket Moevenpick to increase Thai occupancy | Thaiger

    Phuket Moevenpick to increase Thai occupancy

    PHUKET: Moevenpick Resort Bangtao Beach, a luxury boutique hotel in Phuket, aims to raise its profile in the local arena by increasing the proportion of Thai guests to about 5% this year, up from a tiny slice at present.The hotel opened officially in mid-2011. The new strategy is part of the operator’s plan not to rely too heavily on foreign…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Damascus rebels, CIA ‘Zero Dark Dirty’, Bangladesh war crimes, Russian jets, Pussy Riot

    Phuket Gazette World News: Damascus rebels, CIA ‘Zero Dark Dirty’, Bangladesh war crimes, Russian jets, Pussy Riot

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Syrian jets bomb Damascus ring road to halt rebel push Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Syrian government jets bombarded the Damascus ring road on Thursday in a bid to halt a rebel advance which threatens President Bashar al-Assad’s hold on the capital, insurgent commanders and opposition…

  • Thailand Futsal League: Andaman Pearl bagged by CAT

    Thailand Futsal League: Andaman Pearl bagged by CAT

    PHUKET: The island’s pro futsal team, Phuket United, suffered their fifth straight loss on Wednesday night, losing at home 1-2 to the state-owned telecom corporation flagship team, CAT FC. Played in front of about 500 fans at the Saphan Hin Indoor Sports Complex, the match was both sides’ 19th of 30 fixtures in the Thailand Futsal Premier League (TFPL) 2012-2013…

  • Phuket migrant workers granted three-month deportation reprieve

    Phuket migrant workers granted three-month deportation reprieve

    PHUKET: Cabinet has passed a resolution allowing migrant workers in Phuket and across the Kingdom an additional three months to complete the nationality verification process, Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) chief Yawapa Pibulpol told the Phuket Gazette today. “According to Cabinet’s resolution, migrant workers’ deportation deadline has been extended until April 15,” Ms Yawapa said. “What action we will take…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: 9-year-old girl gives birth in Mexico | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: 9-year-old girl gives birth in Mexico

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 9-year-old girl in western Mexico gives birth Phuket Gazette / Wires PHUKET: A 9-year-old girl in Mexico’s western state of Jalisco has given birth to a baby girl after a pregnancy of more than seven months, police and prosecutors said on Wednesday, making her one of…

  • Rogue wheel in Phuket leaves Russian in ICU

    Rogue wheel in Phuket leaves Russian in ICU

    PHUKET: A Russian biker remains unconscious in Bangkok Hospital Phuket’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after being knocked from his motorbike by a rogue wheel that flew off a 10-wheeled truck on Thepakasatrri Road yesterday. The Russian, named by police as Alexey Balabko, 26, was a riding a “big bike” when he was struck by one of two wheels that came…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Gambling talk hits tourism tables; B2trn transport plans; No visas for Gulf medical tourists

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Gambling talk hits tourism tables; B2trn transport plans; No visas for Gulf medical tourists

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kingdom must consider legalised gaming soon, tourism forum hears The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The nation’s pre-eminent gathering of tourism and travel-industry experts has concluded that while Thailand looks headed for its best year ever for tourist numbers and revenues, action to legalise gaming, improve infrastructure and…

  • Phuket jet-ski operator nabbed, denies anchor attack | Thaiger

    Phuket jet-ski operator nabbed, denies anchor attack

    PHUKET: Police have apprehended the Phuket jet-ski operator who reportedly swung an anchor angrily at the head of a German tourist at Kata Beach on Monday (story here). Named only as “Mr Buntoon”, age 33, the operator was brought in for questioning by Karon Police yesterday. “He confessed that he run over the German man’s belongings with the jet-ski trailer…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Tsunami devastation; Pompeii mafia; SA gang rape victim dies; Syrian rebels advance; Greeks fight for food

    Phuket Gazette World News: Tsunami devastation; Pompeii mafia; SA gang rape victim dies; Syrian rebels advance; Greeks fight for food

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tsunami kills 7, destroys hundreds of houses in the Solomon Islands Phuket Gazette / WiresPHUKET: The major earthquake that struck near the Solomon Islands yesterday, triggered a tsunami that destroyed entire villages and claimed the lives of at least seven people, officials confirmed today.The 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck…

  • Phuket full-scale tsunami drill not to be announced in Russian

    Phuket full-scale tsunami drill not to be announced in Russian

    PHUKET: Phuket will hold its annual full-scale tsunami evacuation and marine rescue drill at Karon Beach on February 21, but the tsunami warning messages will not be played in Russian, the Phuket Gazette was told today. “The Ministry of Interior requires the six Andaman provinces in the tsunami hazard zone to hold a tsunami evacuation and marine rescue drill at…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Solomon tsunami kills 5, more deaths likely | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Solomon tsunami kills 5, more deaths likely

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tsunami kills at least five in Solomons after big Pacific quake Phuket GazettePHUKET: The powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake that triggered a tsunami today killed at least five people, including a 10-year-old boy, in a remote part of the Solomon Islands.The quake struck 340 km east of Kira…

  • Party monk defrocked over drugs, sex romp in Phuket

    Party monk defrocked over drugs, sex romp in Phuket

    PHUKET: A monk and two female friends having a sex party in a Patong hotel room were busted by police for drug use yesterday, and the monk was subsequently defrocked. After receiving a tip from local residents, police raided a hotel room at the southern end of Patong Beach. “We went to the location provided and found a monk and…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Pacific tsunami alert lifted | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Pacific tsunami alert lifted

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tsunami threat lifted after big South Pacific quake Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands earlier today, triggering a small tsunami that swept into isolated island communities and sparked tsunami alerts across the South Pacific that were later cancelled.Damage reports…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Pacific Islands tsunami alert; Syrian talks, Vatican abuse; Obama in Israel

    Phuket Gazette World News: Pacific Islands tsunami alert; Syrian talks, Vatican abuse; Obama in Israel

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Solomon Islands 8.0 quake triggers Pacific tsunami warning Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: An earthquake measuring 8.0 magnitude struck southeast of the Solomon Islands on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The shallow quake was only 5.8 km deep and the epicentre was 81 kilometers west…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Andaman erosion; avian flu alert; Poh pardon; polls to please

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Andaman erosion; avian flu alert; Poh pardon; polls to please

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Officials eye Andaman coastal erosion The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Marine and Coastal Resources Department is formulating plans to tackle coastal erosion in six Andaman Sea provinces. The most severe erosion was found in Tambon Saladan on Krabi’s Koh Lanta, where five meters of…

  • Phuket parents join “fight club’ | Thaiger

    Phuket parents join “fight club’

    PHUKET: Two parents tired of having their boy picked on by a gang of students at school took matters into their own hands today by turning up at the school and “slapping” the five bullies. They have since been charged with assault. Sgt Paritat Duangkamol of the Thalang Police was called to Muang Thalang School at 8:10am. Outside the principal’s…

  • Phuket Police search for jet-ski operator after anchor attack on German tourist

    Phuket Police search for jet-ski operator after anchor attack on German tourist

    PHUKET: Karon Police are looking for a jet-ski rental operator at Kata Beach who yesterday allegedly swung an anchor at the head of a German tourist.When contacted by the Phuket Gazette, Col Werawat Juntharavijit*, Acting Superintendent of the Karon Police, today said he had yet to be informed of the incident.“I have not received a report about this. I will…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: YouTube sex spoof withdrawn; Saudi case twist; Bangkok polls turn black; Hotels ride high

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: YouTube sex spoof withdrawn; Saudi case twist; Bangkok polls turn black; Hotels ride high

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Spoof on Thailand removed from YouTube The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Apinand Poshaya-nond, the deputy permanent secretary for culture, has confirmed the removal yesterday of a controversial video posted on YouTube satrizing a computer language-learning program that taught potential toutrists how to negotiate with Thai prostitutes in…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Alabama hostage standoff ends with child freed

    Phuket Gazette World News: Alabama hostage standoff ends with child freed

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Alabama hostage standoff ends with child safe, gunman dead Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The FBI stormed an underground bunker in rural Alabama on Monday, safely rescuing a 5-year-old boy held hostage for nearly a week and leaving his kidnapper, who had also killed a school bus driver,…