Month: June 2011

  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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 News

    Phuket restaurants race against coastal erosion

    PHUKET: Restaurant owners along the Rawai beachfront on Phuket’s southern coast are racing to repair a collapsed section of the seawall and pavement before monsoon surf causes more damage. The damaged section of the seawall spreads over about 100 meters and includes at least one privately owned restaurant. Rawai Municipality has placed rocks along 60m of the waterfront to slow…

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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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 News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    Phuket tuk-tuk driver questioned over rape of tourist

    PHUKET: A Patong tuk-tuk driver questioned by police has denied any involvement in the alleged rape of a 21-year-old British female tourist in Phuket early on Monday morning. The woman went to Bangla Road with friends on Sunday night but later separated from them and went to another bar alone, said Kathu Police Duty Officer Jakkrapong Luang-aon. “She hired a…

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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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 News

    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 News

    Brutal execution

    PHUKET: “This is going to be the most brutal execution of a boxer that you’ve seen for many, many years. Don’t go to the hospital with your brother. Make sure you’re there, don’t go with the ambulance.” WBA Heavyweight Boxing Champion David Haye, 30, from Great Britain voiced and illustrated his intentions towards the Klitschko brothers (Wladimir, 35, – IBF…

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  • Phuket NewsPhuket Customs warns of foreigners cheating Thai ladies | Thaiger

    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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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Thai Life

    Phuket dog hero wins top award

    PHUKET: THE valiant efforts of Gill Dalley, co-founder of Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation (SDF), were recognized earlier this month when she was named the first Asia Pacific Canine Hero at The SPCA Canine Welfare Awards ceremony in Chengdu, China. The award was established to recognize significant contributions for the betterment of canine welfare in Asia. Gill was singled out among…

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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    FC Phuket take Songkhla by the horns

    PHUKET: Saturday’s “southern derby” at Surakul Stadium lived up to expectations for an exciting match, but failed to produce any goals for FC Phuket and regional rivals Songkhla FC. The game was originally scheduled for March, and with the fixture filled Phuket and Songkhla are now up to date for league games played. Each of the 18 teams in League…

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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Opinion

    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 News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    Phuket Tourist Police volunteers branch out

    PHUKET: Phuket’s newest Tourist Police Volunteer Center opened at Chalong Circle this week and is already helping foreigners in need in the south of the island. Within hours of opening their doors on Monday, officers at the center were called on to assist a Russian couple whose rented motorbike was involved in a minor accident at the roundabout. The motorbike…

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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket News

    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 News

    Phuket rubber tapper killed by hoe

    PHUKET: Phuket Police are questioning the girlfriend of a rubber tapper found bludgeoned to death in the hills behind Layan Beach earlier today. Thalang Police responded to a report of a murder in Cherng Talay Village 6 at 9:20am. At the scene, inside a small hillside shack, they found the body of a 49-year-old man thus far identified only as…

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  • Phuket News

    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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  • Phuket NewsPolice net thief in B100mn Phuket tuna factory haul | Thaiger

    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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  • Phuket News

    Bogus timeshare operators under fire in Phuket

    PHUKET: A high-powered task force set up by the Phuket Governor yesterday declared war on illegal timeshare operators in Phuket. The focus is on those that use bait and switch and other illegal tactics to bilk up to a billion baht from unsuspecting tourists. “Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha is very serious about solving the problems with timeshare companies and he…

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  • Phuket NewsSwiss son finds mom’s suicide note | Thaiger

    Swiss son finds mom’s suicide note

    PHUKET: A son of 61-year-old Swiss woman Ursula Balzan, whose body was found floating off Phuket’s east coast last week, has confirmed the handwriting in a suicide note as that of his mother, say police. Roman Balzan, 36, one of Mrs Balzan’s two sons, flew to Phuket from Switzerland last Sunday, Phuket City Police duty inspector Sien Keawthong told the…

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  • Phuket News

    Wichit to open first ‘community dialysis center’ in Phuket

    PHUKET: The first kidney dialysis center in Phuket to be run by a local administrative body is 80 per cent complete, the Mayor of Wichit has announced. Work on the five-million-baht Wichit Kidney Dialysis Center, located at the Laem Son Public Health Center on Pattana Thongthin Road, began about five months ago, he said. The center will offer dialysis for…

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  • Phuket News

    MCC to play in Phuket

    PHUKET: The prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced today that the first match of their Thailand cricket tour will be played at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) in Phuket. According to information received by the Phuket Gazette, “The [ACG] has been designated the venue for the first game of their [MCC] Thailand tour in February of 2012.” The news comes…

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  • Phuket News

    More bluebottles wash ashore in Phuket

    PHUKET: The Phuket coastline is still not yet clear of Portuguese man o’ war “jellyfish”, with the latest sighting by a sharp-eyed beachcomber at Patong Beach at dusk yesterday. Professional photographer Dan Hartwright was walking along the beach with his young son on his back when he noted the characteristic air bladder of one of the creatures washed up on…

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  • Phuket News

    Vote buying on the rise in Phuket: Governor

    PHUKET: Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha yesterday ordered all police officers across Phuket to keep an eye on specific communities where vote buying is reportedly taking place, ahead of the July 3 general election. The governor yesterday chaired a meeting of Phuket Election Commission (PEC) and representatives from every police station on the island. “The PEC has received many complaints about…

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