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Phuket New Year celebrations take to the sky
PHUKET: Residents in the south of the island have started their Phuket New Year celebrations a little early this year, with the opening of the Rawai Sky Night Festival 2010 at Nai Harn Beach. The festival continues tonight, with stage and live music performances from 6pm. In addition to the live performances and contests, local vendors are selling food, drink,…
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Phuket Person of the Year Award to be announced today
PHUKET: Sixteen nominations from readers, four finalists, one winner. The Phuket Gazette‘s ‘Person of the Year’ Award goes to that person who in the opinion of Gazette editors stands out most for good deeds or excellence as a role model in activating people to work together toward a better Phuket. Who won the Award for 2010? What were the key…
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Deadly “Seven Days’ begin: Eight accidents, no deaths in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket’s holiday road toll stands at eight accidents with no deaths reported after Day One of the Seven Days of Danger national road safety campaign, which began yesterday. The statistics, being compiled by the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), list four accidents occurring in Phuket Town, two in Kathu and two in Thalang.…
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Phuket police get in the holiday spirit – of saving lives
PHUKET: Motorists heading to Phuket over the New Year holiday have a new place to take a break from long hours on the road: a Phuket Highway Police box on Thepkrasattri Road. Available free of charge, 24 hours a day, at the Muang Mai Highway Police box are tea and coffee, clean restrooms and toilets, foot massages and even a…
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Phuket pirates unperturbed by arrest
PHUKET: Five people were arrested on Tuesday for selling counterfeit handbags in Patong, but at least one of them swore she would be right back in business after paying a fine. Patong police and representatives of high-end handbag companies led the raid on five shop operators, all working inside the tourist-oriented Sainamyen Plaza on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road. Chananan Hatthapradit,…
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NCCC to pursue criminal charges against former Phuket Land Registrar
PHUKET: The National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) says it will pursue criminal charges against a former Phuket Land Office registrar and a well-known local businessman over an encroachment case dating back to 1997. NCCC Secretary-General Apinan Issarangkul Na Ayudhaya made the announcement on Tuesday following a meeting in Bangkok. The commission ruled that former Phuket Land Office Registrar Thawatchai Anukul…
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Phuket baby saved from trash pile
PHUKET: A Phuket baby boy, thought to be just hours old and with the umbilical cord still attached, has been found abandoned near a dump site in Kathu. Phongthep Joyjard, a respected elder who lives in the area, discovered the newborn while he was out exercising on Soi Saithong near the dump site on Tuesday evening. He heard the baby…
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FC Phuket loses to Buriram
PHUKET: Despite a strong showing, FC Phuket went down to Buriram FC by a score of 0-1 in the championship match of the Thai League Division 1 promotion playoffs in Bangkok this evening. Phuket FC had a clear advantage in terms of possession and good chances, but the only goal of the match came at 39 minutes of the first…
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Keep Phuket land for Phuket people: Land Chief
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Land Office chief Paitoon Lertkrai today told the Gazette that he is deeply concerned that far too many Phuket people are selling their land to off-islanders. “I do not mean just people from other countries, I mean anyone not from Phuket,” he said. “Right now many Phuket people are selling their land, and most of the buyers…
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Anchalee confirmed to become Sec-Gen to PM Abhisit
PHUKET: Phuket MP Raewat Areerob today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr will take up the position of Secretary-General to the Prime Minister from January 2. Mrs Anchalee, who long served as a Democrat Party MP, will replace outgoing Secretary-General Korbsak Sabhavasu following his resignation. The news follows days of speculation about whether or not PM Abhisit…
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Phuket Poll: Are there too many hotels on the island?
PHUKET: Official figures by the Tourism Authority of Thailand for 2010 put the number of registered hotels and accommodation establishments in Phuket at 703, up 10.8% from the official figure (639) for 2008. There was a similar jump in the total number of rooms in these establishments over the same period, the figure rising from 38,528 to 43,036, a percentage…
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Notice to our readers re New Year’s holiday office hours
PHUKET: As we approach the New Year’s holidays this weekend, the Phuket Gazette would like to remind readers that our business offices will be closed this Friday and Saturday, December 31 and January 1. Classified advertisers wishing to have their ads included in the January 8-14 issue of the Phuket Gazette are asked to ensure that we receive those ads…
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Phuket water? We wouldn’t drink it: Poll
PHUKET: Less than 20 per cent of Phuket Gazette readers think tap water on the island is safe to drink, results of the latest online readers’ poll reveals. The poll, launched on December 18, asked readers: Do you think tap water in Phuket is safe to drink? Overall, almost half of all respondents (49.2%) answered “no”, compared with just 19.8%…
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Phuket aglow with tsunami remembrance ceremonies
PHUKET: Hundreds of people turned out for Phuket’s three main tsunami remembrance services yesterday. The day began with wreaths being laid at the Tsunami Wall of Remembrance in Mai Khao following a speech by Sarawut Srisakukarm, President of the Mai Khao Tambon Administration, at 8:30am. At the Tsunami Monument in Kamala, services began just after 11 am with a speech…
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Kata Royal Condo moves to save Phuket view
PHUKET: Following complaints by local residents, developers of a condominium project in Phuket have agreed to not build the top two storeys of the apartment block to preserve views over Kata Bay. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the Kata Royal Condo project on Patak Road was originally approved for seven storeys. However, when local residents realized the structure would…
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Swedish man found dead in Phuket
PHUKET: Police in Phuket are investigating the death of a Swedish man whose body was found in his rented room at Cherng Talay yesterday. Police identified the man as Swedish national Felipe Basualto Trincado, 25, born in Santiago, Chile. His next of kin in Sweden have been notified of his passing, Swedish Embassy officials confirmed today. Mr Basualto Trincado’s body…
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BREAKING NEWS: FC Phuket promoted to Division I
PHUKET: FC Phuket will be promoted to Division I of the Thai League following an exciting come-from-behind 2-1 win over Samut Prakarn at Surakul Stadium this afternoon. Samut Prakarn silenced the crowd by scoring in the opening minutes of play. Despite dominating play for most of the first half, FC Phuket were unable to score the equalizer going into half-time.…
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Wishing you a very Merry Christmas
PHUKET: As yet another year full of ups and downs draws to a close, thousands of travellers are trying to find their way to Phuket’s shores from the cold shelter of snowed-in airports across Europe and the UK. Thousands more have already landed in Phuket, helping to usher in the high season by joining the carnivals, festivals and other events…
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Phuket stages full-scale tsunami drill
PHUKET: Scores of emergency rescue workers from all over Phuket took part in two hours of search-and-rescue drills at Saphan Hin this morning. The drill was intended to improve the ability of staff to react in an effective and organized fashion in the event of a disaster by giving them practical experience using rescue equipment and coordinating efforts among the…
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Judgment Day for FC Phuket
PHUKET: FC Phuket face a date with destiny on tomorow afternoon at Surakul Stadium when they take on Samut Prakhan in their final Thai League playoff game of the season. Kick-off is at 4pm. The club currently sits in second place, a point behind table toppers FC Chainat and two ahead of FC Rayong who they defeated 2-0 on home…
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Phuket high season down 25% year-on-year: analyst
PHUKET: The start of this year’s high season for tourism in Phuket is down about 25% overall compared with last year, one industry analyst has said. Bhuritt Maswongsa, vice-president for marketing at the Phuket Tourist Association, said occupancy rates at Phuket hotels in November were only about 60%, on average. “We used to get occupancy rates in the 70% to…
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New Phuket traffic flow given green light
PHUKET: Changes to the Patong traffic flow, on Phuket’s west coast, moved a step closer this week when officials confirmed the new one-way system will take effect on January 15. Adding to the changes will be new parking zones and regulations coming into effect on December 30, with new road markings and signs being put in place to assist motorists.…
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Skype back on in Phuket in time for Christmas
PHUKET: Skype internet telephone service has “stabilized” with core services returning to Phuket just in time for Christmas. “We’ve been able to successfully stabilize Skype due to the dedicated supernodes deployed by Skype’s engineering team,” Skype CEO Tony Bates wrote on the company’s website earlier today. “We’re at roughly 90 per cent of normal user volumes,” he said. “Audio, video…
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Phuket Poll: Is our tap water safe to drink?
PHUKET: The current issue of the Phuket Gazette out today carries a feature on whether Phuket tap water is safe to drink. The authorities say it is at the point it leaves the water treatment plants, but resident water-quality expert Brad Kenny of Environmental Solutions says there are many factors that affect water quality between where the water is treated…
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Local tour operators furious at Russian counterparts
PHUKET: Russians allegedly running illegal tourism businesses in Phuket have sparked outrage among local tourism operators.Sukadach Ratanaburi filed a group complaint at the Governor’s Office on Monday, together with about 100 local tourism business operators with him for support. “These Russians are stealing our jobs,” Mr Sukadach said. “They set up tour information counters by the roadside, sit there and…
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Site chosen for new Phuket Provincial Hall
PHUKET: The new provincial hall under planning will be built on a 15-rai vacant plot of government land in Phuket Town. The site chosen is next to the Regional Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Center on Damrong Road.The announcement was made on Wednesday at a meeting convened especially to discuss the project. “There are many government offices here at the current…
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Details of Phuket tsunami memorial services announced
PHUKET: Details of Sunday’s remembrance services for those who lost their lives in the 2004 tsunami disaster have been announced. The first service will take place at 8:30am at the Tsunami Wall of Remembrance in Mai Khao. Later in the morning, at the Tsunami Monument in Kamala, memorial speeches will be given by various dignitaries, including Governor Tri Augaradacha and…
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Foreign pirate duo nabbed in Phuket raid
PHUKET: Two alleged foreign copyright pirates were arrested in a raid by Phuket police yesterday. High-ranking provincial officers along with Patong Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakhao led the search on a warehouse off Nanai Road in Patong. The warehouse tenants named as Truong Van Doan, 33, and Tong Vankorn of Vietnam, were arrested at the scene, police said. Police seized about…
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Phuket Skype users still “offline”
PHUKET: Skype users around the world, including Phuket, are still reporting outages of the popular Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The Luxembourg-based Skype announced yesterday on its website that it noticed a falling number of people logged on to the system “which wasn’t usual or expected” and decided to investigate. The company has apologized to users and said the problem…
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Phuket to remember tsunami victims
PHUKET: Services to remember those in Phuket lost to the 2004 tsunami disaster will be held at Patong, Kamala and Mai Khao this Sunday. Governor Tri Augaradacha announced today that the annual Light Up Phuket event will be held at Loma Park in Patong. In Mai Khao, a remembrance service will be held at the Wall of Remembrance. He added…
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