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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Nearly blind prisoner escapes hospital after surgery
PHUKET: Escaped prisoner Nantachai Boomrak, 23, having absconded from Vachira Phuket Hospital on August 4, found himself back behind bars the next day. Mr Nantachai was originally placed in the hospital by Provincial Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon, who said doctors had informed him that Mr Nantachai would go blind if he did not receive immediate treatment for cataracts.“The Phuket Prison…
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Phuket Live Wire: Don’t get mugged by your mates
PHUKET: I have been holding off writing about more email scams, waiting so I can write about nailing somebody and getting them thrown in jail. So far, no luck. But in the past week I’ve received two messages from people I know, here in Phuket, who have had their email accounts hijacked. That’s quite a coincidence – if it is…
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Weird World News stumbles back onto the podium with Olympic torch
PHUKET: After several weeks of being missing in action, the Phuket Gazette‘s Weird World News Round-up takes the stage again as Olympic gaffs from alleged satanic rituals, that nasty feeling of having overslept something important and a little flag waving – wait that’s not my flag – have kept the people of the world glued to their screens. Can’t see…
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Olympics Update: Thailand gets 2nd medal; Kaew wins; Rangsiya still has a chance
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taekwondo fighter Chanatip hands Thailand bronze Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: Chanatip Sonkham made Thailand proud this morning as the 21-year-old from Phatthalung mercilessly crushed Elizabeth Zamora Gordillo from Guatemala 8-0 in the bronze-medal match of the women’s Taekwondo 49kg class in the 30th Olympic…
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World News: Daring rescue mission in Antarctica
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia to the rescue in Antarctica Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: An Australian rescue plane took off from New Zealand yesterday evening to carry out a daring rescue mission in Antarctica, where an American citizen at a research station is in urgent need of surgery,…
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Thai Jonah: the fishy tale of Rewat Nongwong
PHUKET: A 24-year-old man who claims he have spent three days underwater without dying was the subject of a miracle, according to some Ayutthaya residents who believe his tale. To others, including rescue workers who spent three days looking for him in the filthy Chao Praya River, the man, Rewat Nongwong, is a liar – one who should face criminal…
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Phuket FC sink Navy, 1-0
PHUKET: A beautiful second half goal by defender Nontaphan “Berm” Jiensathawong was enough to secure Phuket FC a 1-0 win over higher-ranked Navy in a match at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town last night. Just over 2,000 fans turned up for the match, which was played in perfect conditions and heavy security, including a detachment of uniformed Navy servicemen. Navy…
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Prosecutor calls for new evidence in off-duty police shooting
PHUKET: The off-duty police officer alleged to have shot and killed a man in Phuket Town on May 5 has been placed on inactive duty pending a review of new evidence by the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. The officer, Cpl Rachaporn Semaksorn, was assigned to the Patong Police at the time of the incident, during which it is alleged he shot…
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BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Smith killers get life in prison
PHUKET: The two men charged with killing 60-year-old Australian tourist Michelle Smith in a bungled bag snatch in Phuket on June 20 have been sentenced to life in prison. The sentences were handed down at Phuket Provincial Court this afternoon. The judge presiding over the three-day trial commuted death sentences to lifetime imprisonment after both men pleaded guilty. Surasak Suwannachote…
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World News: Syrian PM Riyad Hijab defects; Amnesty raises concerns
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM Riyad Hijab defects from Assad regime Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab on Monday announced his defection from the Assad government and said he is joining the opposition, his spokesman told reporters. It is the highest-profile defection since the uprising began…
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18-wheeler wipes out pickup truck, noodle stand: 1 dead, 6 injured
PHUKET: Thalang Police are searching for the driver of an 18-wheel truck and trailer that slammed into a pickup, plowing the vehicle into a roadside noodle stand in Phuket last night. The driver of the rig fled the scene, where one person was killed and six more injured. Thalang Police were notified of the accident, on Thepkrasattri Road northbound near…
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Surin dared killer into bag snatching, court told
PHUKET: The man who wielded the blade in the bungled bag snatch in which Australian tourist Michelle Smith was killed on June 20 was teased into it by his accomplice, the Phuket Provincial Court heard today. In presenting police evidence in the charges against the accused, Surasak Suwannachote and Surin Tadthong, Lt Col Boonlert Onklang of Chalong Police today read…
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Raid on suspected Phuket casino ‘not spiteful’: Environmental Crime chief
PHUKET: The investigation of a suspected casino under construction on Rang Noi Island, just off the coast of Phuket Town, was carried out last Tuesday without prejudice and was not intended to defame or spite anyone, the top officer leading the raid has told the Phuket Gazette. Armed with a search warrant issued by the Phuket Provincial Court, more than…
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Patong political hopefuls flock to register candidacies
PHUKET: It was a busy morning at the Patong Municipality Offices yesterday, when two rival teams of Phuket politicians registered their candidacies for the upcoming municipal election scheduled for September 2. Incumbent Mayor Pian Keesin led his blue-shirted Rak Patong (“Love Patong”) team to the office, while rival mayoral candidate Kittisan Kuru led his yellow-shirted Patong Gao Na (Patong Progress)…
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World News: Obama says America needs soul-searching on gun violence
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama says America needs ‘soul-searching’ on gun violence Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday said the government should examine additional ways to reduce violence after a mass shooting at a Sikh temple in southeastern Wisconsin, but he stopped short of calling…
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Online poll highlights fears of Phuket property “bubble’
PHUKET: A majority of Phuket Gazette online readers feel that real estate prices in Phuket will fall over the next five years due to oversupply, according to the most recent online poll. A total of 1,868 readers who took part in the 12-day poll were asked: Tanan Tanpaiboon, former head of the Phuket Real Estate Association, recently warned that over-development…
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Accomplice to Michelle Smith’s killer changes plea, admits guilt
PHUKET: The man who drove the motorbike, used in the attack that led to the death Australian tourist Michelle Smith on June 20, changed his plea today after initially denying all charges against him. At the beginning of today’s court proceedings, Surasak Suwannachote admitted to his part in the crime and pleaded guilty to the charge of “gang robbery causing…
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Emirates to launch Dubai – Phuket daily flight service
PHUKET: Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, continues its network expansion with the announcement of the start of daily services to Phuket in Thailand. Phuket, the largest island in Thailand, will, from December 10, become Emirates’second destination in Thailand. To be serviced by a three-class Airbus aircraft, flight EK378 will depart Dubai at 12:45pm and arrive at Phuket…
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Ailing dolphin under treatment in Phuket
PHUKET: Veterinarians at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) say that a striped dolphin that washed ashore in Phang Nga last week is in a stable condition at their facility, but fear for its long-term survival prospects due to its inability to feed on its own. Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong told the Gazette this morning that the dolphin, which washed ashore…
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Phuket Business: Football Club sales steady
PHUKET: Business was steady for Phuket FC during the first half of the 2012 season, with the club’s accounts revealing nearly a million baht in revenue. Accounts for the 18-team Thai Yamaha One soccer league (Division 1), recently released by league’s mother company, Sponsor Thai Premiere League, show that Phuket FC generated a gross revenue of 976,830 baht from March…
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Phuket cop arrested, linked to meth trade
PHUKET: Phuket Police arrested a fellow policeman on Saturday just hours after he was named by another drug suspect for involvement in the sale and distribution of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Jamroon Plaiduang told the Phuket Gazette this morning that officers arrested Sen Sgt Maj Kumthorn La-orsuwan, 40, after drug suspect Mana “Tham” Jindamanee, 37,…
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Michelle Smith attacker pleads guilty to ‘gang robbery causing death’
PHUKET: Surasak Suwannachote, the man on trial for stabbing Australian tourist Michelle Smith in a bungled bag snatch on June 20, appeared at Phuket Provincial Court this morning and confessed to gang robbery resulting in death. Surin Tadthong, the driver of the motorbike in the attack, denied all charges against him. Surin’s denial came despite an earlier confession, which he…
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Phuket Customs seize B8mn of smuggled fuel in Krabi
PHUKET: Phuket Customs officials this morning announced the seizure of what they claim is 8 million baht of smuggled fuel. Customs and navy officers seized the “black oil” as it was being pumped from a wooden ship converted into a fuel tanker to a fuel transport truck waiting on shore late on Friday night in Krabi. Two crew members of…
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Krabi – Phuket match marred by hooliganism
PHUKET: Some 400 Phuket FC fans, players and staff were held hostage for nearly three hours inside Krabi Provincial Stadium last night following a heated derby match that ended in a goalless draw. Traveling to Krabi by bus, members of Phuket’s three main fan clubs – the Hard Core, Hulk and Mask – were united into one energized cheering force…
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Phuket Opinion: Police intelligence, deeper ties to community key to cutting the murders
PHUKET: The recent arrest of Belgian murder suspect Marc De Schutter is the latest in a series of events that have kept Phuket in the international spotlight. (See front-page story, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) The De Schutter arrest also highlights the need for a more savvy approach by authorities…
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Phuket FC prepared for ‘Andaman Eagles’
PHUKET: Die-hard Phuket FC fans will be heading across Phang Nga Bay tomorrow to cheer their side in a southern derby against premier league hopefuls Krabi FC. Kickoff for tomorrow’s match, to be played at Krabi Provincial Stadium, is at 6pm. The 6,000-seat capacity can fill up pretty quickly; those seeking good vantage points should get there at least an…
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Korat Boy, 14, dies after crashing into parked truck in Phuket
PHUKET: A 14-year-old boy from Nakhon Ratchasima died after crashing his motorbike into a large truck parked by the side of the road in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Chalong Police at 2:15pm received a report of a crash near the Land & Houses residential estate on Chao Fa West Road in Chalong. Arriving at the scene with Phuket Ruamjai Rescue Foundation…
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‘Stars’ to shine in Phuket Life Music Festival tonight
PHUKET: Jaruwat “Dome” Cheawaram, better known as “Dome The Star”, will headline at the Phuket Life Music Festival 2012 in Phuket Town tonight. The concert will be held at Anuphas Field on Phang Nga Road, site of the old Phuket Weekend Market, from 7 to 10:30pm. Other live acts to appear on the night include “Hun and Can”, two contestants…
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World News: Kofi Annan quits due to the Syrian Govt’s intransigence
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kofi Annan to quit as UN-Arab League special envoy for Syria Phuket Gazette / News Wires PHUKET: Kofi Annan informed the United Nations (UN) and the Arab League on Thursday that he will resign as their special envoy for the Syrian crisis at the end of…
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Thailand News: Update on drug bust; Leaders oppose curfew; Drink still flowed
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Drug packaging warehouse raided after Aussie tip-off Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: A Thai warehouse for terracotta pots was searched by police who believe that it served as a transit point for illicit drugs to be smuggled into Australia. National Police chief Priewpan Dhamapong said…
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