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 Sports: Warlords conquer the Islanders
PHUKET: A poorly coordinated and lackluster Phuket FC defense conceded five consecutive goals in a devastating 5-1 away loss last night to Saraburi FC. Played in front of 1,328 fans at Saraburi’s OrBorJor Stadium in Saraburi province, about an hour’s drive northeast of Bangkok, the match was both side’s 28th of 34 scheduled fixtures. Though playing without their key Brazilian…
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Phuket ‘jellyfish attack’ report eludes hospitals, confounds experts
PHUKET: Local hospital staff and experts at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) are confounded by the story of a British woman, reported in sensational fashion yesterday, as suffering extreme injuries in a jellyfish attack “somewhere near Phuket”. Although the story, published by the Daily Mail in the UK, showed that British mum Sam Webster, 37, clearly suffered serious injuries,…
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Phuket Burmese decry gold shop bandits
PHUKET: A crowd of onlookers at the re-enactment of the robbery of Yong Chuan gold shop in Rassada shouted disparaging remarks and denounced the prime suspect as he retraced his getaway from the Karn Keha Housing estate yesterday. “You have shamed our community” and “We’re glad you finally surrendered,” were shouted at the suspect, named by police only as “Koson”.…
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Woman cheats death with fake funeral
PHUKET: Friends and family of 80-year-old Kulap Chomduang gathered at Sop Tui Temple in the northern province of Lampang for her funeral in early August. Mrs Kulap had been suffering from a variety of health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer of the uterus. But there was a catch: Mrs Kulap wasn’t dead. Since then, Mrs Kulap has…
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Weird World News: You never know what you’ll get, from a baby to false gold
PHUKET: Forrest Gump famously said, “My Mama always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.'” In honor of Mrs Gump’s timeless wisdom, this week’s Phuket Gazette Weird World News roundup is popping out a baby, drilling for gold and counting its carats in diamonds all in the name of getting more, or…
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American aircraft carrier to arrive in Phuket
PHUKET: The American aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis (CVN-74), dispatched four months ahead of schedule back in August, will arrive in Phuket early next month along with two US warships and 3,500 sailors.The Washington-state-based aircraft carrier’s current mission is to ensure security and stability in the “vital Asia-Pacific region”, according to the ship’s Facebook page. The departure of the…
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Phuket Sports: International sporting round-up
PHUKET: THE ICC World Twenty20 started in Sri Lanka on Tuesday and runs until October 7. The fourth edition of the tournament features ten ICC full members and two other ICC members who had to qualify for the tournament. India, England and Afghanistan are in Group A. Ireland are in group B with the West Indies and Australia. Group C…
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World News: 19 dead as anti-Islam film protests turn violent
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anti-Islam film protests in Pakistan turn violent, at least 19 killed Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: At least nineteen people were killed and scores injured across Pakistan as widespread protests against the anti-Islam film turned violent, local media reported yesterday. In the southern port city…
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United Nations launches initiative to plug ‘gaps’ in Thai disaster management
PHUKET: Marking nearly one year ago since floodwaters inundated most of Thailand and its capital Bangkok, the Royal Thai Government and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) launched a new initiative today to boost the capacity of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) to be able to respond to large-scale floods and other natural disasters. The DDPM is…
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Phuket gold thief surrenders to see ‘dying wife’
PHUKET: One of the two men wanted for making off with millions of baht in jewelry from a Phuket gold shop on Monday surrendered to police today, saying that he wanted to see his wife again before she died from a heart condition. The man, a Burmese national named by police only as “Mr Koson”, arrived in front of Phuket…
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Cabinet cuts it close with announcement of new Phuket Governor
PHUKET: A last-minute announcement of Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha’s successor is expected to be made on Tuesday, less than a week before the incumbent takes office.Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the Cabinet on Tuesday were given a list of 19 provincial governor positions that will be available come October 1, according to the Cabinet meeting’s minutes.Governor Tri and 16 others…
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Phuket Sports: Ballers rock Saphan Hin
PHUKET: Thailand’s most significant international basketball tournament has livened up Phuket Town’s brand new 4,000 seat Gymnasium with some fast-paced, slam-dunk and swooshing action this past week. The third and fourth playoff will see PEA (THAI) take on CLS Knights (INA) at 2pm with the final to be played at 4pm which will test the Rising Stars (Thai) against the…
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Phuket City to spend more than B100mn on flood defense
PHUKET: In the wake of floodwaters inundating Phuket Town in August, Phuket City Municipality is looking to spend 100 million baht on flood defense measures, starting with a 10-million-baht study conducted by a private consultant. The news was delivered at a public meeting chaired by Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket Town on Wednesday.…
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Official probe finds Tiger Disco failed to meet fire-safety regulations
PHUKET: The findings of an official investigation into the Tiger Discotheque fire that killed four people on August 17 were publicly released yesterday. They cite failure by nightclub management to adhere to multiple fire-safety regulations. The report, compiled by the Building Society Inspectors and Officers Association (BSA) and the Association of Siamese Architects (ASA), did not cite the cause of…
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World champion eyes Laguna Phuket Ironman 70.3 title
PHUKET: The recently-crowned 2012 Ironman 70.3 World Champion, Leanda Cave, has signed up for the Laguna Phuket event less than 24 hours after completing her epic World Championship victory in Las Vegas on September 9, and before resuming training for her next title bid at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii on October 13, it was revealed by the…
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Dealer busted after kratom smuggled into Phuket as ‘fresh vegetables’
PHUKET: Phuket Police acting on a tip-off yesterday arrested a dealer and seized 54kg of kratom leaves from an address in Cherng Talay. Col Jirasak Siemsak received the tip-off at about 5pm and quickly put together an investigation team under the command of Maj Pongnarin Suthin. On arrival at a house on Soi Pasak 4, off the Baan Don-Cherng Talay…
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Phuket powers up to fewer scheduled blackouts
PHUKET: Residents and businesses across the island are likely to be subjected to fewer scheduled blackouts in the coming years, the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has told to the Phuket Gazette. The blackouts, needed so PPEA crews can carry out maintenance on high-voltage power lines, install new lines and move power poles, have regularly seen entire areas of the…
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Where the Phuket buffalo roam
PHUKET: To highlight the diminishing number of buffalo still grazing on the island, Phuket Democrat MP Raywat Areerob joined local farmers on Tuesday at a small country fair that included a bovine beauty contest. The event, organized by the National Farmers Council (NFC) Phuket office and Srisoonthorn Municipality, with support from the Phuket Agricultural Office, was held at the field…
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Phuket Airport officials unveil how they caught their woman
PHUKET: Following the arrest of a woman wanted by authorities in Bangkok for human trafficking charges, Phuket Airport Immigration officers revealed how they caught the suspect before she could fly out of the country. Phuket Airport Immigration officer Lt Col Wannee Songchaisanguan said that Snr Sgt Maj Wanchai Narin was on duty in the departure hall on September 14 when…
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Fears of Phuket underpass traffic jams prompt ‘alternative routes’ plan
PHUKET: The Highways Department yesterday held a public meeting to suggest alternative routes for motorists to alleviate traffic congestion when construction of Phuket’s first underpass at the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, begins next month. The news came at a public meeting chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa at Wichit Municipality Office. Present were…
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Forensic report into cause of Phuket’s Tiger Disco fire postponed
PHUKET: After all the noise made by officials about the urgency to uncover the truth of the Phuket nightclub fire in August, the release of the investigators’ official report has been postponed while the forensic specialists attend a seminar in Bangkok.Superintendent of the National Office of Forensic Science stated during the investigation of the fire at the Tiger Discotheque on…
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Thailand News: Protest forces US embassy to close early
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anti-US protest forces embassy to shut early Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Five companies of anti-riot policemen were deployed to guard the US Embassy in Bangkok yesterday as about 400 Muslims staged a protest against the US government over an anti-Islam film. “Destroy America!” the…
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Manhunt for Phuket gold shop thieves begins
PHUKET: Police now have arrest warrants issued for the two men wanted for the robbery of a Phuket gold shop yesterday and have set up two teams of officers to track the men down. Meanwhile, police stations throughout Southern Thailand have been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspects in their respective jurisdictions. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit…
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Phuket tour companies wary of national park admission fee hike
PHUKET: Many Phuket tour and dive companies are waiting to see how the final confirmation of the significant hike in national park fees will affect their businesses.The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) announced that the entrance cost at many popular national parks in Thailand would see their first jump in a decade starting January 1.“Although I…
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Irish tabloid suspends editor over topless Kate photos
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Irish newspaper suspends editor over topless Kate photos Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: The editor of the Irish newspaper Daily Star was suspended late yesterday over his decision to re-publish topless photographs of Prince William’s wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, while on holiday in France.The tabloid…
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Phuket Business: Pickup sales champ
PHUKET: Reinforced with continuous, cutting-edge improvements to its steering and suspension systems, the Toyota Hilux Vigo Champ looks to retain its stronghold on the domestic pickup market. The Phuket Gazette had the opportunity to join an exclusive tour of Toyota Motor Thailand’s (TMT) Ban Pho production plant recently, gaining a first-hand look at the prized truck’s production and assembly line.…
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Phuket Business: 200 years of market crises
PHUKET: With the US stock market sitting near its 52-week high, and already having made a 100% move upwards from its low at the peak of the sell-off that occurred during the financial crisis, I have dug a bit deeper into history to get a feel for the frequency of crashes. I have a good grip on the longer bull/bear…
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Phuket Police identify one brazen gold thief
PHUKET: Phuket City Police have identified one member of the brazen gold bandit duo who robbed a shop of about 3 million baht worth of gold jewelry yesterday. Police identified the man only as “Son”, a roadside food vendor. After a dragnet attempt at a fish factory left police empty handed, they raided Son’s home, only to find that he…
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World News: iPhone 5 shatters launch sales records
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community iPhone 5 pre-orders top record 2 million in first 24 hours Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Apple received more than two million orders for its new iPhone 5 during the first 24 hours of pre-orders, exceeding the initial supply and more than doubling the previous…
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Phuket honorary consuls grill local transport chief over new taxi fares
PHUKET: In their first “regular” quarterly meeting with Phuket government officers since February, Phuket Honorary Consuls today delivered a barrage of questions over the new standard taxi fares “agreed to” on September 12. Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, recently returned from a cultural tourism roadshow in Nepal, asked for input from honorary consuls about the new standard fares. Phuket Land Transportation…
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