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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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Long-term Phuket expat Joanne Cooney dies, age 51
PHUKET: Long-term Phuket expat Joanne Cooney died in Queensland, Australia, on Sunday night. She was 51. Originally from Adelaide in South Australia, Ms Cooney first arrived in Phuket in 1983. Ms Cooney became well known on the island. She spent years working for Thai Marine Leisure and was one of the original editors for the Phuket-based sailing magazine SEA Yachting.…
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Rolling boulders crash into Phuket resort
PHUKET: The management of an upscale hillside villa resort in Phuket has filed a police complaint after huge boulders tumbled down from a road construction project last Saturday, causing property damage and frightening guests. Wassana Yukhunthon, public relations manager at the luxury L’Orchidee Residences off Phra Barami Road Soi 4 at the north end of Patong, told the Phuket Gazette…
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High hoops for youth basketball in Phuket
PHUKET: THE PHUKET Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) and the Phuket Basketball Club’s second annual provincial basketball competition is now underway. The opening ceremony of the “Basketball PPAO Phuket Junior League 2011” was held at Saphan Hin, Gymnasium 1, on June 25 and the league will run until September 23 with matches starting at 4pm every Friday. OrBorJor President, Paiboon Upatising,…
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Phuket Red Cross blood drive for July
PHUKET: Following a successful campaign in June, the Phuket Regional Blood Center has announced the dates for its July blood drive. “By June 28, we had 2,124 blood donations for the month. This was above our target of 1,500-2,000 donors,” said Suphawan Rattanachan, an officer with the Phuket Red Cross. “This month the need for blood won’t be as high…
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Phuket guides call for action over Korean, Russian rivals
PHUKET: A Phuket provincial sub-committee has been formed to tackle the issue of illegal guides from Russia and Korea working in the local tourism industry. Phuket Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat on Tuesday chaired a provincial committee meeting aimed at tackling a variety of tourist rip-offs. The gathering followed a visit to Phuket by the Interior Ministry in May when officials…
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Sailing courses at Phuket’s ACYC
PHUKET: Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) is now an officially recognized Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Shore Based Training Center and will be running theory courses at the club in Chalong. Courses are open to members and non-members and apply equally to sail boats and powerboats. Being shore-based, the courses are invaluable to people who have their own powerboat, but have…
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Phuket expo center coming “no matter what’: Raywat
PHUKET: Construction of Phuket’s International Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC) will begin in three to four months no matter which party forms the next government, a Democrat Party candidate said yesterday. Raywat Areerob, incumbent MP candidate for Phuket constituency two, told the Phuket Gazette the election results would not affect existing plans to build the ICEC in Mai Khao. “[If…
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Officials ‘slash and burn’ 25 tons of pirate goods in Phuket
PHUKET: Counterfeit goods worth more than 58 million baht were destroyed at the incinerator in Phuket Town this morning as part of the nationwide crackdown on copyright infringement. Before the serious destruction began, high-ranking officials and guests used box cutters to slash fake Louis Vuitton bags and Ralph Lauren shirts, while others smashed pirated DVDs with oversized sledgehammers. “This is…
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Phuket official arrested, denies vote buying
PHUKET: A village headman in Phuket has been arrested for alleged electoral fraud after police found evidence of vote buying in his Thalang home this morning. At 6:30am Thalang Police served a search warrant on Pa Khlok Village 4 headman Jaran Thorthip and found a box containing 70,000 baht, a list of 157 names and campaign brochures promoting Jirayus Songyos,…
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Federer out, Murray in
PHUKET: “I was just perfect today. I served just unbelievably.” Jo-Wilfried Tsonga doesn’t hold back on describing his performance against six-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer in Wednesday’s quarter-final at the All England Lawn Tennis tournament.True, it was a fantastic performance, but certainly not perfect. Federer had gone two sets up before the big serving French player clawed his way back…
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Phuket outshines Big Bang in Toyota Cup
PHUKET: In Toyota League Cup second round play last night, FC Phuket downed Division 1 rivals Big Bang Chulalongkorn University (BBCU) 2-1 in extra time in front of a large crowd at Surakul Stadium. The ‘Southern Sea Kirin’, as FC Phuket is sometimes known, got the scoring underway on 15 minutes with slick passing between Niran Phanthong and Nitirote Sukuma…
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Reward offered for help in recovery of missing Phuket rental car
PHUKET: A Hungarian man who rented a car in Phuket in mid-April has yet to return it and the owner is offering a reward to anyone who can help recover it. Supornchai Thuenthin, a 43-year-old car rental operator in Patong, held a small conference at the Tourism Authority of Thailand office in Phuket Town on Monday in hopes of getting…
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Butti killing: Kavatassi denied bail
PHUKET: The Italian man who allegedly hired a hit squad to assassinate a business partner in March has been denied bail by Phuket Provincial Court. See our earlier report here. A bail request lodged by Denis Kavatassi was rejected and the Italian remains in custody at Phuket Provincial Prison on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, Lt Col Weerayut Sittirattanakul…
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FC Phuket vs “Big Bang” Chula in Toyota Cup action tonight
PHUKET: Second round matches of the Toyota League Cup get underway this evening, with FC Phuket facing a formidable challenge against Big Bang Chulalongkorn University (BBCU). Division 1 rivals, the teams have played once already this season. That fixture, at Surakul Stadium on March 13, ended in a 0-0 draw. BBCU led the league at the time and Phuket were…
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7 rounded up on drugs, arms, theft charges in Phuket
PHUKET: The arrest of one man found with drugs and a handgun on his person at a roadside police checkpoint on Sunday night has led to the arrest of seven more suspects. Col Komol Wattarakorn, Deputy Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, presented the eight suspects, along with two others, at a press conference at Phuket City Police Station yesterday. “We…
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Phuket Live Wire: The empire strikes back, TOT steps up
PHUKET: LONG the whipping boy in Phuket’s internet competition, TOT is finally showing signs of life and offering some real alternatives. Some people have had good TOT lines for years, and haven’t found any reason to switch. But an alarmingly large percentage of people I know with TOT lines have given up and gone with competitors – most frequently True…
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Phuket Customs warns of foreigners cheating Thai ladies
PHUKET: Thai Customs officials at Phuket International Airport have issued a warning for Thai ladies not to be deceived by foreigners asking for money to help pay for import or customs duties. “Customs have received many complaints from victims explaining that the ‘thieves’ are foreigners they made friends with on the internet,” said Customs officer Monthira Cherdchu. “For awhile, they…
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Hotel cook drowns at Phuket beachside lake
PHUKET: A hotel cook drowned last night at Nong Harn Lake, at the northern end of Phuket’s tourist-popular Karon Beach, sparking a three-hour search for his body. Kasin Wirachod, 41, employed by a prominent Karon hotel, supplemented his income by catching fish in the lake, an old tin mine quarry surrounded by resorts and restaurants. Mr Kasin, originally from Sakon…
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Phuket beachfront cables buried, but road awaits resurfacing
PHUKET: The power cables along the Karon beachfront, on Phuket’s tourist-popular west coast, have been finally buried, but the road still needs resurfacing. “We are now seeking tenders for a construction company to pave the road,” Norasak Phuriphattaraphan, an engineer at Kata-Karon Municipality’s Public Works Division, told the Phuket Gazette today. “We expect to have selected a company to carry…
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Election Thailand: Poor turnout at Phuket ‘absentee’ polls
PHUKET: Despite more than 40,000 people taking the time to pre-register to cast “absentee ballots” for the July 3 election, only half that number actually turned up at polling stations in Phuket yesterday. “A total of 20,874 people cast ‘absentee votes’, which is 51% of the 40,630 people who registered to do so,” said Phuket Election Commission Director Kitipong Thiengkunakrit.…
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Aussie tourist jumps to his death in Phuket
PHUKET: A distressed Australian tourist in Phuket jumped to his death from the sixth floor of a hotel in Patong today. Marc Gerard Hoy, 34, had worried staff at the Bel Air Resort Phuket near Patong Hospital by behaving strangely when he checked in at 3am this morning. A female hotel receptionist, who asked not to be named, told the…
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Sunday Opinion: Phuket declares support for roadside trash in national elections
PHUKET: As Thailand’s general election draws near, one can only guess what tourists in Phuket might make of it all. So ubiquitous and impressive is the roadside pollution that many visitors will spend their holiday bewildered as to why they are looking at thousands of colorful images of suited monkeys, salivating dogs and fatuous monitor lizards. For many, the preponderance…
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Phuket’s young voters want job security and stronger tourism policies
PHUKET: Students at Phuket Vocational College rate job security and sustainable development of Phuket’s tourism industry among their top criteria in selecting which candidates to vote for in Thailand’s general election next Sunday. About 300 students from the college on Thursday attended a rally at Saphan Hin, where the three candidates contesting Phuket Constituency 1 urged the students to exercise…
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Nice one: FC Phuket sign French goalie Matijas
PHUKET: FC Phuket have signed goalkeeper Jonathan Matijas from France and have their eyes on other foreign players, the team has announced. FC Phuket General Manager Ahsin Arammethapongsa this morning confirmed the club has signed an agreement with Matijas, a tall 21-year-old from Nice who comes from Amiens SC in the French Ligue 2. Matijas will join Phuket at the…
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McEnroe on Murray
PHUKET: “Murray has now put himself in a very good position, once again. He had to step it up against a more experienced player and he did just that and showed signs that he could go all the way – he was brilliant at times.” Former Wimbledon champion and a true legend of the sport, John McEnroe remarking on the…
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Strong winds ground pilots at Phuket Fun Fly
PHUKET: Paragliding enthusiasts assembled in Rawai for Phuket Fun Fly 2011 found the wind too strong this morning for pilots to safely get off the ground, but expect flying conditions to improve over the weekend. “We still cannot glide right now because the wind is too strong. It is too dangerous,” said Sarayut Chinpongsatorn of the Thai National Paragliding Team.…
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School van crash: Police to pursue charges against pickup driver
PHUKET: Police will pursue charges against the driver of a speeding pickup that crashed into a school van on Tuesday morning, killing two and leaving many others injured. The driver, 41-year-old Nikom Kaewmanee, told police he was driving at about 100kmh when he tried to overtake the van, which had 15 occupants, Thalang Police told the Phuket Gazette . The…
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FC Phuket braces for Songkhla stampede
PHUKET: League Division One’s southern derby is sure to bring herds of fans to Surakul Stadium tomorrow, when a resurgent FC Phuket aim to tame the “Fighting Bulls” of Songkhla FC. In addition to those travelling with the team, massive support is expected at the game from a huge population of Phuket residents who hail from Songkhla. The fixture tomorrow…
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Phuket caught in nationwide alcohol ban this weekend
PHUKET: The sale of alcohol will be banned throughout Phuket this weekend ahead of the polls opening for the absentee and early voting on Sunday, Phuket Police Commander Pekad Tantipong has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “The sale of alcohol will be prohibited from 6pm on June 25 [Saturday night] through to midnight on June 26 [Sunday night],” Maj Gen…
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Police net thief in B100mn Phuket tuna factory haul
PHUKET: Phuket City Police have arrested a man they believe is part of a gang which stole equipment with a reported value of almost 100 million baht from a tuna cold storage facility in Rassada. The management of the Siam Tuna company informed police that the company’s new facility had been broken into repeatedly and equipment worth almost 100 million…
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