sungate

Agree completely. I stopped reading a while ago. The editor's comments were childish and often insulting. Seems a strange way to do business - to argue with and belittle your readers.

To be fair the website did one good story, about the Rohingya boat people. That seems a long time ago. Such a shame, Phuket would only benefit from a reasonable news source.

Yup, me too. Somebody called it a "ragsite", by which I guess he means an electronic tabloid, which describes it perfectly. They rarely let the facts get in the way of a good story LOL. But unlike printed tabloids, phuketwan is a one-man band and has kind of burned out. For local news, I read the gazette, which is more professional and has improved a lot in recent months. And for Thai news I sort of alternate between the bangkok post and the nation.

The toursm figure of just 8% always puzzles me:-

1. Because it would be impossible to assess an exact figure with the sector covering such a wide ranging area ie. from tuk-tuk drivers to bar girls to street vendors et al.

2. The number of people who will not be on any "books." This includes many if not most of the above. I never seee a tuk-tuk fare recorded in any way or get a receipt from a street vendor. As for bar-workers, they come and go by the day.

3. How would they know what percentage of each one thousand baht is spent in, for example, Robinsons by tourists, Thais or ex-pats?

The amount of black money floating around the Thai economy must be inestimatable and much of this is related to tourists.

The fact is, that most on this Board recognise this fact, yet official figures are still spewed out ad nauseum. The "black" may well be taken into account to a certain extent, but it all has to be based upon guess-work which itself, and for some reason or reasons, is always under-pinned.

Sooooo, do you think it's more than 8%? Or less than 8%?

Oh dear oh dear. One old chap with ONE fishing line is arrested whilst fishing for food for his family.

The cops should have taken him to the market and bought him a fish instead of arresting him.

What a waste of time.

Poisoning the pond with chemicals is one thing but one old fella fishing for his supper............

Pathetic.

They should have advised him and moved him on.

Errrr, how can you say he's an "old chap" when the story starts out: "A 26-year-old man faces up to three years in prison...."? Or are you yourself a very, very young chap? )

When you see the surf and undertow on the beaches on the west side of phuket this time of the year it amazes me people can be stupid enough to go into the water

Amazes me too. It seems everyone thinks that he or she is immune to the danger, somehow invincible against the local waters no matter how fully warned they might be. Or maybe they think that those who post the red flags are just overly-cautious wimps. But if you've ever been caught in a heavy undertow and carried out to sea, as I once experienced in the Caribbean, you know how helpless the situation is and how utterly terrifying it can be.

I worked as a tour guide on a sunset cruise on Phi Phi and passed the cliff that people jump from everyday. It is as the article says around 20 metres high. From that height hitting the water at the wrong angle can cause severe whiplash as I suspect has been the case here. This is not the first accident involving cliff jumping on Phi Phi, it is very dangerous.

As for the patient being transported by wheelbarrow, it was more likely one of the large handcarts used by the hotels and dive shops to transport luggage and equipment, not something you would find on a building site. This is literally all that is available on Phi Phi for transporting casualties, there are no vehicles on the island.

Horrendous. I wonder if jumping off a 20-meter cliff (by inexperienced people, no less) is licensed by the TAT. It sounds to me like that activity needs to be stopped NOW. But who, I wonder, would/could stop it?

It's attitudes like Mr Tribunyat's that really hold Thailand back from catching up with the rest of the world – so insular, racist (he actually says he's "frightened" of foreigners) and out of sync with the 21st century.

And he who is so small and scared of foreigners also wants to see Phuket become a special economic zone! Whatever for?

Trash can be found on Soi Bangla 24 hours a day and that is not going to change – with or without a 'zero-tolerance policy' and with or without the tough talk.

agreed, it was a rather odd article today! they dont usually include the whole he said this and they said that style. Not very impressive unfortunately but hopefully wont happen again! back to the topic, the check points have started to get rather annoying! First with the poor announcement to foreigners on where to go to get stickers etc...and now there seems to be really long lines of traffic in Koh Kaew, Manik, cherngtalay and at the end of the surin beach road on your way back from Kamala is even worse with the traffic going all the way to Lampsing today! speed it up boys! All I have seen the army guys do is sit and speak to the local catoyes in the evening!

Traffic ? I live two blocks from Laguna. Last night, when driving from Royal Phuket Marina to my home at 6:30pm, there were no tailbacks at all the entire distiance - not in Koh Kaew, not in Manik, and not in Cherngtalay. And this morning, when I went back to RPM at 8am, same - not back-ups at all. I almost had the idea that the Asean meetings had been canceled. Perhaps beauty is just in the eye of the beholder.

Please return and post your exp when the conference is in full swing, I'm curious to see what impact (hopefully none) it's had on your travel.

So far it's been smooth sailing for me too. Did an Airport run from RPM area with he drop off in Kamala, lots of check points along the way. see post ASEAN Checkpoint list but smooth sailing through all of them, only got stopped once to say hello.

Very light again last night and again this morning, but could get heavier now as result of Indo bombings....

I think it's true. In the gazette classifieds, under 'Household Items' and under 'Wheels & Motors', i see more and more ads with headlines like "Leaving Thailand - must sell!", Motorbike - returning home, forced sale", "Moving Sale - everything cheap!"..... These kinds of ads seem to far outnumber those under 'Accommodation Wanted', 'Property Wanted', etc, etc. Sad to see - a pity.

agreed, it was a rather odd article today! they dont usually include the whole he said this and they said that style. Not very impressive unfortunately but hopefully wont happen again! back to the topic, the check points have started to get rather annoying! First with the poor announcement to foreigners on where to go to get stickers etc...and now there seems to be really long lines of traffic in Koh Kaew, Manik, cherngtalay and at the end of the surin beach road on your way back from Kamala is even worse with the traffic going all the way to Lampsing today! speed it up boys! All I have seen the army guys do is sit and speak to the local catoyes in the evening!

Traffic ? I live two blocks from Laguna. Last night, when driving from Royal Phuket Marina to my home at 6:30pm, there were no tailbacks at all the entire distiance - not in Koh Kaew, not in Manik, and not in Cherngtalay. And this morning, when I went back to RPM at 8am, same - not back-ups at all. I almost had the idea that the Asean meetings had been canceled. Perhaps beauty is just in the eye of the beholder.

Does this mean "fast track" clearance ONLY? In other words, can you get clearance with no sticker at all if you're willing to accept 'slow track' or 'reasonable track' passage? Does anyone know for sure?

Anyone know what company he worked for , as the guy rings a bell but i cannot think where i know him from ( but i think he owned a property company along nanai rd )

There's a story in the Gazette, with pic, at http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.as...yes&Id=7066 But it doesn't say what company he worked for.

Great - of all the headlines they could have chosen they had to go and use this one - searches for Phuket are going to bring this one up fast because of the "Swine Flu" searches elsewhere.

If he did not get it here, he is no longer here, and there are no related cases how is this news?

Does the Gazette not get that we are in an economic downturn and we need every advantage we can to survive it - such irresponsible reporting only harms the island.

If people were being infected here for sure report it if you must but this is just an attempt at sensation journalism at its worst - only good thing to come from it is that the Gazette will probably get an increase in their hits on their website. No doubt another news story next week to say they hit XYZ number of visitors this month

There are so many nails going into the coffin wood is now the minor part

Love it. "...we are in an economic downturn and we need every advantage we can [get] to survive it." So I guess the lesson for newspapers is that they should ignore this inconvenient little public health threat so we can all focus exclusively on the business of making money. Brilliant!

PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette's editorial this week comes in the form of an open letter to World Boxing Council (WBC) President Jose Sulaiman on the topic of race-based pricing at the world title fight held at the Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong, Phuket on May 29.

Dear Mr Sulaiman:

As you are no doubt aware, WBC champion Oleydong Sithsamerchai recently retained his strawweight crown in a title defense against Muhammed Rachman at the new Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong, Phuket.

What you might not be aware of is that the host venue charged foreign spectators – tourists and local expatriates alike – a minimum of 2,000 baht (US$58) for seats, while charging Thai nationals a maximum of only 300 baht (US$8.70) to watch the same contest.

Sadly, double-pricing policies based on race or nationality are still quite common in Thailand, but to our knowledge this is the first time they have been imposed at a WBC-sanctioned event. The Phuket Gazette views this as a very negative development that could tarnish the reputation of your council, which has long enjoyed its status as the premier international sanctioning body in the Kingdom.

In the previous two WBC-sanctioned events held in Phuket, including Oleydong's first title defense staged in Phuket City last June, admission was free to all. Thousands turned up to cheer on local favorite Oleydong, who comes from nearby Trang province.

Free admission has been the case at almost all WBC boxing events in Thailand in the past, ensuring big crowds and the kind of excitement that can only be beneficial to title fights. These contests are also routinely broadcast around the country on free-to-air television.

While the Phuket Gazette has no problem with stadiums charging for seats, the practice of imposing a two-tiered pricing structure based on perceived race or nationality is inherently inequitable, backward and – in the end – self-defeating. Is it any wonder there were so many empty seats at this latest fight?

We hope the WBC will consider such double-pricing policies in the context of the WBC Constitution and Code of Ethics, which clearly states that people in the professional boxing industry should "oppose discrimination on the basis of race, nationality or religion, and act forcefully to counteract it, never co-operating with those who practice it".

In view of this, and in order to maintain the fairness and the integrity of the sport of boxing, we ask that the WBC take steps to apply, as a precondition, fair and equitable ticket pricing structures for events it sanctions in the future.

– The Editor

-- Phuket Gazette 08/06/09

I couldn't agree more. Race-based pricing is bad not only for marketeers of boxing but also for any other business or public service (schools, buses, national parks, etc) catering to an international clientele. It's embarrassing and completely out of date in today's world, but neither the Gazette nor anyone else is going to change it in Thailand.

A case of the pot calling the kettle black?

The other side to this story is PG refusing to write controversial or cases of misconduct by public officials or their advertisers, but the media that they are now castigating actually write about local issues, good or bad for the local image.

I thought the story was 'right on', like why should Thailand allow tourists to do things Thais would be arrested for? Good question, na? Hmmmmm, I wonder where Mr Somtamnication is from )

I went to the steakhouse tonight and the food was, well it's the best dam_n steak I've had in Asia. Being a carnivore and a steak junky I give this place 2 thumbs up. I had the 700oz. top sirloin slathered beneath a buttery mushroom cream . REAL mashed potatoes and a salad bar with all sorts of salads ranging from pasta salads, potato salads, chicken salads, grilled veg salads, etc.. and of course just greens and several choices of dressing, with everything included (steak dish and all you can eat salad bar) 600 baht. Two people helped with my meal but I still had to have it wrapped up.

My mate had the Ny strip steak topped with a burbon bbq sauce, horse radish mashed potatoes, and the salad bar. 400ish baht.

Both steaks cooked perfect medium rare. I'm drooling on my keyboard! MUST GO BACK SOON!!!!

Pretty romantic venue without being pretenscious too.

Errrrr, third floor above WHICH Starbucks in Patong? What road? Is it on the beach road near Baan Thai resort? Please let me know. I am also a steak (and mashed) junky. Thanks in advance for info.

looks like the PM buys his clothes from Tesco Lotus lol

I agree. He has better taste in choosing the reporters he will speak with than in choosing his attire.

Well I went back on the weekend and there is still that gawdawful music blaring out. Who do think they are benefiting? Does anyone really like this noise?

Do you mean inside the supermarket as well as outside? If inside then we all should complain to the management. I am not against quiet, relaxing, background music & if done correctly I believe it can induce shoppers to buy more but this appears to be an unknown concept here.

It was mostly outside but the muzak inside was played too loud as well probably to try and drown out the two sources of outside noise.

Therein lies the problem - everyone trying to drown out each other with noise so that in the end it is just an unpleasant experience.

Yes, the "music" noise outside Villa is almost unbearable. Until either Villa itself or the landlord of the complex can get that back under control and reduce it to civilised level, I have no choice but to keep my shopping at Carrefour.

I downloaded it with no problem at all. Neat. Thanks.

As a relative newcomer to this forum, and a believer in walking before you run, I've spent the last few months or so following the various posts, and sometimes trying to add to them if I felt I had something constructive to say. What I've most appreciated about this, is the diversity of response, the knowledge that I've gained, and the humour that I've witnessed. Sometimes, we are all prejudiced in our opinions and beliefs, but it very much makes it a healthy forum.

I'm also a newbie and have to agree with pagallim's sentiments - particularly his last sentence re health of the forum. The ThaiVisa practice of vaporizing comments designed to damage another member, culture, or business is well warranted, and I find the moderators quite reasonable in this respect. Nope, I'm not politically correct - just want to see the forum regarded as an interesting and respected place - not as a snake pit.

Press like this certainly is not a positive for the Phuket market and there have historically been few project defaults in Phuket in the past. This looks to be a developing story as the UK news has given only Joe Cole's side of the story. There needs to be a balance in the sources for the story and certainly a statement from the Phuket group would be helpful.

NOTE: The Phuket Gazette had no difficulty in reaching management at Lersuang's Phuket office for comment yesterday. The Gazette is now preparing a special report for publication early next week.

isnt phuket gazzette helping on the matter and actually slaming the uk paper?

I think you are right, Boater. The Gazette is attempting to prepare a TWO (or maybe even THREE) sided story - not the knee-jerk type of report that pagallan seems to want. It looks like pagallan has lost the plot?

I agree totally with baabaabobo and hdrider. What started out as a nice, quiet and sophisticated place to shop has already gone "Phuket". I was there yesterday and the music was horrendous inside the shop, so my wife and I just left. And at the front door, they've hired some guy with a computer, an amp, a mixer and two jumbo speakers to make as much noise as humanly possible. Why would Villa do that? Seems to me they don't understand their market. I shan't be going back.

A mob has closed the road in Surin beach from both directions. Make alternate arrangements if needing to drive through here.

Yes, and i understand it's likely to go on for some time. It's about the shooting death of a 12 year old boy in an internet cafe in Bangtao. There's a story on it on the Gazette website. They even had to cancel a meeting tonight in Surin set up to help promote tourism. But how can you promote tourism with mob after mob after mob creating such a bad image for Thailand?

well everyboby living in phuket ..how did ye all think the bike week went this year in phuket ??????????

This was a fantastic event. Not one accident or negative incident, and colorful in the extreme. It made the front page of the Phuket Gazette this week and is the subject of a laudatory cartoon on their editorial page. Phuket needs more events like this!