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Opinion: In mourning
PHUKET: The Gazette joins the Phuket community in mourning the death of Paiboon Upatising, who passed away after a long battle against cancer last week. A descendent of Chinese immigrants, Mr Paiboon was a highly-successful businessman, who used his own good fortune to help those in need. In addition to having exclusive rights to sell Boon Rawd Brewery products on…
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On your mind: Realpolitik defines US/Thai relationship
PHUKET: Webster’s dictionary defines realpolitik as a system of politics based on a country’s situation and its needs, rather than on ideas about what is morally right and wrong. No doubt, US government officials would deny that realpolitik defines American policies, but it is hard to see any clear moral imperative with regard to that country’s relationship with Thailand. The…
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Phuket officials issue landslide, flash flood warning
PHUKET: The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office has issued an official landslide and flash flood warning for several areas on Phuket following days of heavy rain. The alert was issued for parts of Kamala, Cherng Talay and Thepkrasattri. “Earlier this week, we asked every local government office to be aware of the weather conditions that could lead to…
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Special Report: ‘Pink Panther’ passes
PHUKET: Legendary champion of Phuket people and the highest elected official on the island Paiboon Upatising lost his battle against colon cancer on August 2 at the age of 58, with his wife and eldest son by his side. The former Phuket senator, suspended President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) and charter President of the Rotary Club of…
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UPDATE 1: Blows for Obama as key lawmakers come out against Iran deal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UPDATE 1-Blows for Obama as key lawmakers come out against Iran deal Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: U.S. President Barack Obama’s hopes of preserving the nuclear deal between Iran and worldpowers were dealt a setback on Thursday when Chuck Schumer, one of the top Democrats in…
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China removes cross from church after month-long protest ends
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China removes cross from church after month-long protest ends Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Chinese authorities removed a cross from a church on Friday after Christian protesters ended a month-long sit-in on the building’s roof in a bid to protect the cross from what they said…
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Two-day Phuket demolition comes to end
PHUKET: Two days of demolishing illegal buildings on Phuket’s west coast came to an end yesterday with local officials vowed to return and remove any other illegal structures found. “The owners of two venues, including Octopus restaurant, were fully aware of the orders to vacate the premises and tear down the structures,” said Thalang District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol, who led…
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Python caught prowling at sacred Phuket shrine
PHUKET: A large python was discovered seeking highland near a Phuket shrine permeated with local lore. The estimated three-meter-long snake, weighing about five kilograms, was quickly bagged at the Baan Toh Sae shrine in Kathu Wednesday, Kusoldharm Foundation rescue worker Kasun Naepnean told the Phuket Gazette. The shrine was built in honor of the legend of Toh Sae, who arrived…
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Trump is center of attention in feisty first Republican debate
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Trump is center of attention in feisty first Republican debate Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Donald Trump was the center of attention at a testy first Republican presidential debate onThursday, drawing boos from the crowd and a rebuke from a rival when he refused to rule…
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Phuket’s small boat warning remains in effect
PHUKET: The warning issued by the Phuket Marine Office for all boats less than 10-meters long to stay ashore remains in effect today. “However, it is fine for smaller boats to access nearby islands, such as Coral Island, Koh Lon or islands in Phang Nga Bay,” said Natchapong Pradit of the Phuket Marine Office. The letter issued by the Department…
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Trump draws boos as he bristles at ‘War on Women’ question
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Trump draws boos as he bristles at “war on women” question Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: White House contender Donald Trump, known for his inflammatory rhetoric, reacted with pique at a Republican presidential debate yesterday when asked about his past comments calling women “fat pigs”, “dogs”,…
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Video Report: Boat Arcade to open next month
PHUKET: With a lot of activities for children and their doting parents, the brand new Boat Arcade, branding itself as the ‘East Coast Edutainment & Family Center’, expects to be a smash hit when it opens its doors next month. The two-storey, high-street style shopping, dining and edutainment complex is dedicated to the island’s international community. Located at the Boat…
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Food still on table as armed drug dealer gives police the slip
PHUKET: Police are hunting an armed drug dealer who managed to flee his home before officers arrived last night to seize a cache of drugs worth more than 5 million baht and a number of firearms. “When we arrived at the suspect’s home at Si Suchat Grand View 5 in Rassada, the air conditioner was still on and there was…
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Patong Police on high alert for flash flooding
PHUKET: Officers working at low-lying Patong Police Station are on high alert after their station succumbed to flash floods again earlier this week (story here). “The water has drained from the office now,” Lt Col Pongpichan Chayanonpiriya of the Patong Police told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. “We will be better prepared next time, and pay closer attention to weather warnings.”…
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School laptop thief arrested at worker camp
PHUKET: Police arrested a Myanmar national on Tuesday for allegedly swiping laptops costing an estimated 240,000 baht from Satree Phuket School’s science and math center last month (story here). “We were able to arrest the suspect, known only as Mr Lek, at about 2pm in a worker camp. At his place were seven of the 10 stolen laptops and the…
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Facebook post helps identify drowned woman
PHUKET: Facebook users were able to identify the woman who plunged to her death off Rawai Pier yesterday, after pictures of her body were posted on the social media platform. Witnesses saw Sriwann Sarapoo, 49, walk down the pier in the heavy rain at about 8:30am. “We were told that she walked to the end of the pier, where the…
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Malaysia confirms wing part washed up on beach is from missing MH370
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Malaysia confirms wing part washed up on beach is from missing MH370 Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A piece of a wing that washed up on an Indian Ocean island beach last week was part ofthe wreckage of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Malaysia said on Thursday,…
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Phuket DDPM warns of heavy rains, flash floods and landslides
PHUKET: The Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has issued a five day weather warning for Phuket starting today. “As there will be heavy rains, as well as the possibility of flash floods and landslides, for the next five days, everyone needs to be very careful,” said Santhawat Riwleung, chief of the DDPM Phuket Office. “I have already forwarded…
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Australia says initial MH370 debris drift models gave wrong clues
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Australia says initial MH370 debris drift models gave wrong clues Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Initial models of where potential debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines passenger jet mightfirst wash up had incorrectly identified Indonesia as the most likely location, the Australian body leading the search…
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German justice minister sacks top prosecutor over treason row
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community German justice minister sacks top prosecutor over treason row Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Germany’s government sacked the top public prosecutor on Tuesday after he accused the justice ministry of interfering in a widely criticised treason investigation against a news website. In a rare clash between…
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A Decade Ago: Tsunami warning issued in Phuket
PHUKET: More than seven months after the devastation of the tsunami tore apart communities along the Andaman coast and swept away entire villages in Indonesia, Thailand’s National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) issued a tsunami warning. An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale had struck the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, only 664 kilometers from Phuket, but no tsunami rose from…
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Thailand arrests five for trafficking women into sex slavery in China
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand arrests five for trafficking women into sex slavery in China Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Thailand has arrested five people suspected of trafficking Thai women into sex slavery in China and believed to be part of a ring that has also trafficked women into Malaysia…
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Police officer’s son caught dealing drugs from barracks
PHUKET: A police officer’s son, along with three other men, were arrested with nearly three million baht worth of drugs at a residence at the Ao Luek Police Station barracks in Krabi on August 2. The four men were caught in possession of one kilogram of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and nearly 8,000 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine). Ao Luek…
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Unique Four Regions Fair’ to start on Mother’s Day
PHUKET: A special ‘Unique Four Regions Fair’ will take place on Mother’s Day, HM Queen Sirikit’s birthday, on August 12 and continue through August 16 at Sanam Chai Park in Phuket Town. Organized by the Royal Thai Navy’s Phuket-based Third Area Internal Security Operations Command [ISOC] and sponsored by the provincial police and municipality, this nationwide event is the fourth…
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Japan A-bomb survivors speak out against nuclear power, decry Abe’s view of war
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Japan A-bomb survivors speak out against nuclear power, decry Abe’s view of war Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: When Atsushi Hoshino set out to revive a group representing atomic bomb survivors in the rural northeast Japanese prefecture of Fukushima 30 years ago, one topic was taboo…
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Idaho woman comes under fire for celebrating her killing of giraffe
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Idaho woman comes under fire for celebrating her killing of giraffe Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A big-game trophy collector from Idaho has ignited a firestorm of criticism fromanimal-rights activists for flaunting online images of herself posed with the carcasses of a giraffe and other wildlife…
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Obama administration faces criticism over human trafficking report
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama administration faces criticism over human trafficking report Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Several U.S. politicians sharply criticized the Obama administration on Monday over an annual global report on human trafficking in response to a Reuters article chronicling how senior U.S. diplomats had watered down rankings…
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Swedish tourist falls from Phuket hotel
PHUKET: A Swedish tourist and a Thai woman took a tumble from the balcony of their room at the Phuket Paradise Hotel in Patong early this morning. “When we arrived at the scene, Dahlin Erik Conny, 33, was unconscious and Numpueng Kumpuong, 26, was crying out in pain on the ground,” said Lt Col Jessada Saengsuree of the Patong Police.…
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High ranking officials mourn death of “Pink Panther’
PHUKET: Numerous Phuket officials showed up to pay their respects to former Phuket senator and Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon ‘The Pink Panther’ Upatising, who lost his battle against cancer Sunday morning (story here). The well-established politician had been dubbed Phuket’s ‘Pink Panther’ for his use of pink to brand his public projects and his ability to turn…
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Rescuers in Myanmar struggle to reach flood-hit areas, toll seen rising
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rescuers in Myanmar struggle to reach flood-hit areas, toll seen rising Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A death toll of 27 from flooding across Myanmar was expected to rise as rescue workers struggled on Monday to reach some of the hardest-hit and most remote inundated areas,…
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