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Sponsored Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
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Phuket lifeguard contract signed – budget remains unaltered
PHUKET: In the aftermath of Phuket’s deadliest beach weekend and the first-time-ever forced closure of sections of beaches by lifeguards, the Phuket Lifeguard Club’s contract with the local government has been renewed, but only for 10 months (story here). “The contract was renewed on June 28 and will last for 10 months,” an officer at the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization…
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Interview with a Thai TRANSPAC sailor
PHUKET: Local sailor Mr Patinyakorn Buranrom is set to become the first Thai sailor to skipper a yacht in a major international yacht race when he competes this coming week in the Transpacific Yacht Race (TRANSPAC) from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Mr Patinyakorn Buranrom from Phuket, and a member of Ao Chalong Yacht Club, spoke to the Gazette about the…
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Nine Phuket students given anesthesia after suffering from Khao Lak “curse’
PHUKET: Nearly two dozen Phuket students were rushed to Patong Hospital this morning after they collapsed screaming and convulsing during morning assembly – three out of the nine students who were administered anesthesia by doctors at the hospital remain there. According to reports, the culprit seems to be a ghost in the tourist haven Khao Lak who was offended by…
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Phuket Grimes brothers’ karting season speeds up
PHUKET: Ben and Sam Grimes’ 125cc Junior Class karting season continues at a blistering pace. The brothers recently completed two rounds of the Thai National Championship and two rounds of the Rotax Asia Max Challenge (AMC) series, held in Malaysia. At round two of the Thai Championship in Saraburi, Ben qualified fourth with Sam coming in seventh. An erratic race…
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Phuket FC loses direction as FA Cup draws them to Bangkok
PHUKET: The Islanders were unable to maintain their top-five standing in conclusion to the Yamaha League One (YL1) 2013 season’s first half, losing at home 0-1 on Saturday evening to a more-determined Nakhon Ratchasima FC. Phuket FC’s fixture list is rapidly becoming congested facing two-and-a-half matches in just eight days, including an away match in the FA Cup to SCG…
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Phuket Raceweek expects big fleet to blow in
PHUKET: The award-winning Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek is set to welcome a large multinational fleet of boats to its 10th edition, to be held July 17-21 at Cape Panwa Hotel off the Southeastern tip of the island. Over the last 12 months, regattas around the region have experienced a decline in entries, however, Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek looks…
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Phuket family man struggling with debt hangs himself
PHUKET: A 52-year-old Phuket ice cream vendor who was despondent over heavy debts was found hanged at his home in Baan Don, Thalang, yesterday.Police presume the death to be suicide.Rabieb Kasiraksa woke at 5:20am to find her husband Chinda hanged from a beam in the kitchen, said Lt Thani Petchswee of the Thalang Police.“When we arrived at the house, Mrs…
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Blaze engulfs Phuket cable yard
PHUKET: Fire broke out at the TT&T cable yard on Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew last night, causing an estimated 10 million baht in damage. No injuries were reported. Firefighters arrived soon after 8pm to find the yard next to the TT&T main office building – located opposite the Isuzu showroom, north of Boat Lagoon (map here) – engulfed in…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt won’t budge on rice price; Cabinet V sworn in; Cameras out in Deep South attack
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt won’t budge much on rice price Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Despite increasing pressure from farmers, the National Rice Policy Committee is unlikely to budge on the new rice-pledging price of Bt12,000 per tonne, due to financial burdens, a government source has revealed. Deputy Prime Minister and…
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Phuket Gazette World Sports: Brazil dominate Spain to win Confed Cup
Brazil crush 10-man Spain to win Confederations Cup Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Brazil humbled world and European Champions Spain with a crushing 3-0 win in the Confederations Cup final on Sunday, ending their opponents’ three-year record run of 29 unbeaten competitive matchesTwo goals from Fred, one either side of a stunning left-foot shot from Neymar, gave next year’s World Cup…
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Phuket Gazette Queer News: Bank robber throws OJ at terrified teller
PHUKET: While guns may be the weapon of choice for most bank robbers here in Phuket, one resourceful criminal managed to steal more than 200,000 baht from a branch of Bangkok Bank using something a little more innocuous: a bottle of orange juice. Cops announced the arrest of Kittisak Rueankon, 42, on June 16 after they found him hiding out…
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Phuket police street shooter walks free
PHUKET: All charges against a Phuket police officer arrested for shooting dead a civilian in Phuket Town have been dropped. Cpl Rachaporn Semaksorn and his brother, Dechaporn, were arrested after witnesses identified Cpl Rachaporn as the man who pulled out a gun and shot 21-year-old Ekkasit Sangangam at point-blank range. The incident occurred on Phun Pol Soi 11, in the…
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Patong ladyboys given stiff treatment, Phuket club shut down
PHUKET: The Dragon Club, an erection behind the Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong (map here), was shut down on Thursday night after it was found to be hosting lewd shows in addition to doing business without a required license. “We raided the entertainment venue at about 10:30pm and found a naked show being performed on stage,” Lt Col Nikorn of…
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Belgian expat stabbed by Thai girlfriend out of Phuket ICU
PHUKET: The 62-year-old Belgian expat who was stabbed multiple times by his Thai girlfriend earlier this week is out of intensive care, hospital staff have confirmed. Ferdinand Salden was stabbed repeatedly by his girlfriend of six years, Yossapa Janthep, 36, amid a violent domestic dispute at their Patong home on Wednesday night (story here). Mr Salden lapsed into a coma…
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Phuket Sports: Tyres, teams and tracks – F1
PHUKET: We are seven races down in a nineteen race season. It is a good time to reflect. Pirelli succumbed to pressure and ran Montreal on intermediates instead of softs on a surface as smooth as a worm’s belly. That proved what we all knew; with tyres that do not degrade on a smooth dry track, the fastest car will…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Egypt tensions rise, one American killed; Snowden tips US return; Vatican cleric arrested for money laundering
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Egypt cleric warns of civil war, American among protest dead Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Two people, one an American, were killed when protesters stormed an office of Egypt’s ruling Muslim Brotherhood in Alexandria, adding to growing tension ahead of mass rallies aimed at unseating the Islamist president.A…
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Phuket FC look to skin Korat Swat Cats tonight
PHUKET: Fifth placed Phuket FC are in top form for their home match tonight against 6th placed Nakhon Ratchasima FC – the “Korat Swat Cats”. The match will be the 17th and final fixture of the Yamaha League One (YL1) 2013 season’s first half. Following the team’s 3rd round Thai FA Cup win over Ratchaburi on Wednesday (story here), an…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Gold rush as prices plummet; Illegal resorts slash forests; Thaksin passport questioned; MPs drive LGBT rights bill
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New gold rush as prices plummet The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Savers nationwide are flocking to gold shops, enticed by the falling price of the precious metal, which yesterday tumbled to a 34-month low amid fears of an end to the US quantitative easing policy.Gold bar fell…
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Thai athletes prepare for battle at the AIMAG
PHUKET: Over 2,000 athletes from 45 countries, including 116 athletes from Thailand, will compete at the upcoming 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), to be held in Incheon, South Korea through to July 6.The event kicked off earlier this week. AIMAG is a multi-sport event held every two years and regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia. The…
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Rohingya trafficking suspect to be charged for abduction, rape
PHUKET: The man accused of repeatedly raping a Rohingya woman he was allegedly to smuggle from a welfare shelter in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, to Malaysia will face rape and abduction charges, police today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “We were issued an arrest warrant today that will allow us to take him into custody and proceed with pressing…
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Phuket expat, in death revealed as witness in shocking Sweden murders
PHUKET: The 57-year-old Swedish expat found dead in her home in Chalong earlier this month was a key witness to one of the most shocking murder trials in Sweden’s history. The body of Aino Marianne Seppala was found lying on a couch in her living room on June 10. There was no evidence of violence in the room, reported police…
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Phuket Opinion: Promoting Islam for Phuket youths, tourists
Maroj Thongyon, a 66-year-old Phuket native, has been a member of the committee of the Phuket Islamic Council since 1990 and is president of the Foundation Nurul Islamiah. Two years ago he took the position of Imam at the Nurulislam mosque in Patong. Here, he talks about the loss of cultural identity among Phuket Muslim youth and the opportunity to…
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Phuket man steals from women to pay for women
PHUKET: Phuket Police on Wednesday arrested a thief who confessed to stealing mobile phones from women in order to pay for prostitutes.His most recent victim, Kanyakorn Nhoopong, reported to police on Wednesday that her mobile phone had been stolen from her clothing shop on Yaowarat Road.“I put my iPhone on a table in my shop,” Ms Kanyakorn said.“There was a…
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Phuket Opinion: Human trafficking is Thailand’s failure
PHUKET: Few issues are more tragic and complex than human trafficking. Recent warnings by the US that Thailand faces relegation to Tier 3 status in the US Trafficking Persons Report for 2013 should serve as a wake-up call to all of the Thai government agencies that should be working together to bring human traffickers to justice, but are failing miserably.…
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Phuket Opinion: Exceptions, all of us
PHUKET: As children we were told that we were special, unique – exceptional. Those of us who have flocked to this little island have taken our parents’ words in stride and to heart. Individuals of every nationality in Phuket believe that they are an exception – an exception to everything: laws, moral creeds and consequences. I am without a doubt,…
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Special Report: Navy ships scuttled south of Phuket for fishy passengers
Special Report: Three Royal Thai Navy vessels have been scuttled in Krabi Province to provide superstructures for artificial reefs as part of the province’s bid to create underwater learning centers for divers and boost the Andaman province’s tourism industry. The Gazette’s Irfarn Jamdukor reports. PHUKET: The ships are designed to function as both artificial reefs – human-made underwater structures usually…
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Phuket Business Feature: Hydroponics – a happy medium
PHUKET: Located about a kilometer west of Chao Fah West road, en route to the Big Buddha, the DN hydroponic farm is not the bustling business operation it might at first seem. “I can supply large orders, but this is really just a hobby,” insists Pakdee “Doo” Khruthanang. Ms Pakdee’s primary hat is running her business, West Coast Divers, which…
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New Phuket detour to ease congestion at underpass construction site
PHUKET: Officials this week inspected the site of a new two-lane detour that will allow travellers between Patong and Chalong to bypass the Darasmuth Intersection in front of Central Festival, relieving congestion. The detour is in response to traffic jams at the intersection caused by the construction of the Darasmuth underpass (story here), said Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasipa. One…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Court orders hearings on B350bn water plan; Yingluck tipped for Defence; Rice farmers urged to hold; Minister misses the bus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Court orders studies on water plan The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The government is mobilising legal advice on how to unlock projects under the Bt350-billion water-management scheme after the Central Administrative Court yesterday ordered complete environmental and health impact assessment reports on projects likely to harm the…
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Poles are for climbing at Phuket Agricultural Fair
PHUKET: Seven kinds of goats could be found behind Tesco Lotus in Cherng Talay on Monday and Tuesday this week, during Cherng Talay’s ninth annual agricultural fair, which also entertained local residents with durian races, pole-climbing matches, cooking contests and animal competitions. “Tourism in Phuket has made agricultural jobs less important,” said Cherng Talay Subdistrict Administrative Organization (OrBorTor) President Ma-ann…
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