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The Phuket News Novosti Phuket Khao Phuket
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Phuket TV - PHUKET XTRA: VIDEO: Yacht meets coral! E-cigarettes to stay illegal? Bombs go off in deep south! || August 21

Phuket TV - PHUKET XTRA: VIDEO: Yacht meets coral! E-cigarettes to stay illegal? Bombs go off in deep south! || August 21

Phuketian only Thai to take on 160-kilometre Dutch historical walk

Phuketian only Thai to take on 160-kilometre Dutch historical walk

Ladies first: Nominations open for third Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia

Ladies first: Nominations open for third Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia

Justice for Molly: Heartbroken mother wins case against municipality after four-year fight

Justice for Molly: Heartbroken mother wins case against municipality after four-year fight

Teen entrepreneur making Phuket proud with charity start-up

Teen entrepreneur making Phuket proud with charity start-up

A meal with Scot Toon, Managing Director – Asia for The Pavilions

A meal with Scot Toon, Managing Director – Asia for The Pavilions

Back on board with record-breaking sailor Yassine Darkaoui

Back on board with record-breaking sailor Yassine Darkaoui
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A unique bond: Descendants of original Siamese Twins Chang and Eng visit the homeland
A unique bond: Descendants of original Siamese Twins Chang and Eng visit the homeland
Sunday 1 July 2018, 11:00AM
If Zack Blackmon Jr were to tell you that he’s a direct descendant of the original Siamese Twins Eng and Chang Bunker, there’s no way you’d believe him. White skinned, blue eyed and with a delightfully thick North Carolinian accent, Blackmon Jr, 67, is in fact the great-great grandson of Eng.
Inspired Phuketian: A legacy of sustainability
Inspired Phuketian: A legacy of sustainability
Sunday 25 March 2018, 10:00AM
The late King’s given name, Bhumibol Adulyadej, translates in English as “Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power” and it was his dedication and commitment to supporting those who toiled on the land – the country’s farmers and rural communities – that secured the monarch’s place in the hearts of Thai people.
Phuket’s Mr Bean plays jails for laughs
Phuket’s Mr Bean plays jails for laughs
Saturday 17 February 2018, 01:30PM
With the signature red tie, brown blazer, briefcase and teddy bear, a Thai computer technician has become a national sensation through his uncanny Mr Bean impersonations that are tickling a country that loves slapstick comedy.
Able Wanamakok's new life-coaching collaboration seeks to create confident communicators
Able Wanamakok's new life-coaching collaboration seeks to create confident communicators
Saturday 27 January 2018, 02:58PM
Phuket-based International TV presenter, News Anchor and MC Able Wanamakok, the driving force behind the recent Inspired Phuketian series of motivational talks, has embarked her next venture in the booming life-coaching industry with the launch of Find Your Voice Asia.
Phuket's Sipatrada ‘Winnie’ Phiutong wins Miss Teen Thailand
Phuket's Sipatrada ‘Winnie’ Phiutong wins Miss Teen Thailand
Thursday 25 January 2018, 02:22PM
Sipatrada “Winnie” Phiutong, a 15-year-old Thai-American girl from Phuket, was crowned Miss Teen Thailand 2017, in the competition final last night (Jan 24) at BCC Hall in Bangkok.
IT guru looks to deliver freedom via crypto-investment
IT guru looks to deliver freedom via crypto-investment
Saturday 20 January 2018, 03:00PM
Phuket-based Oju Group has launched its own cryptocurrency OjuT (pronounced “oh-joo-tee”) in an ICO aimed at leveraging the company’s expansion to be upheld by real-world assets.
Phuket's Winnie one of the youngest entrants in Miss Teen Thailand
Phuket's Winnie one of the youngest entrants in Miss Teen Thailand
Thursday 18 January 2018, 06:04PM
Local student Sipatrada “Winnie” Phiutong will be heading to Bangkok this month to take part in the final of the Miss Teen Thailand competition with the hope of taking the crown home for Phuket.
Leverage for life: IT guru looks to deliver freedom via Phuket crypto-investment
Leverage for life: IT guru looks to deliver freedom via Phuket crypto-investment
Sunday 14 January 2018, 10:00AM
Phuket-based Oju Group has launched its own cryptocurrency OjuT (pronounced “oh-joo-tee”) in an ICO aimed at leveraging the company’s expansion to be upheld by real-world assets. Yet for Wu Di, the founder and driving force behind the group, the ICO represents so much more – it is a means to fulfilling his long-term dream of providing a way for people to achieve their own personal freedom.
[VIDEO] The Snake Apprentice
[VIDEO] The Snake Apprentice
Wednesday 6 December 2017, 12:20AM
In addition to medical emergencies, rescue workers in Phuket are often called to catch snakes from just about anywhere. Vincent Modell is the only foreigner in Phuket volunteering as a rescue worker. This is how he learned to catch snakes! Produced by: JP Mestanza ThePhuketNews.com
Maxim Rubtsov – The man with the golden flute
Maxim Rubtsov – The man with the golden flute
Sunday 3 December 2017, 12:01PM
“Miraculous”, “superb”, and “absolutely impeccable”. These were the words that the English-language media used when Russian flautist Maxim Rubtsov debuted to discerning US classical music audiences in the early 2000s. But it was not just his superb talent and mastery of technical skills that allowed him capture the hearts of his audiences.
Pioneering Phuket sea-kayaker John Gray on his life of adventure and love of nature
Pioneering Phuket sea-kayaker John Gray on his life of adventure and love of nature
Sunday 26 November 2017, 11:45AM
John Gray is a giant of a man, both in reputation and personal stature. He’s affectionately known as “The Caveman” for his pioneering work in bringing the adventure sport of sea kayaking to the caves, lagoons and hongs of Phang Nga Bay.
Inspired Phuketian: Seizing opportunity vs being an opportunist
Inspired Phuketian: Seizing opportunity vs being an opportunist
Saturday 25 November 2017, 05:17PM
Seizing a great opportunity can be a tipping point for many people; rapidly propelling them to success in business, increasing their wealth, winning in a game, a war or even making a positive change in the world.
Inspired Phuketians – In pursuit of happiness
Inspired Phuketians – In pursuit of happiness
Saturday 21 October 2017, 02:00PM
I find that we all have this one thing in common; we all want to be truly happy. This makes the pursuit of happiness a true conundrum as old as the ages.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej – A long life lived with love for his people
King Bhumibol Adulyadej – A long life lived with love for his people
Friday 13 October 2017, 09:00AM
For seven decades, King Bhumibol Adulyadej was Thailand’s guiding light. The monarch, regarded far and wide as Father to the nation, took the country out of several deadly turns with his wise counsel. His fortitude and devotion to human development were an inspiration to all.
Humble Hero: The story of how Phuket expat Steve Kelsall brightened kids’ lives
Humble Hero: The story of how Phuket expat Steve Kelsall brightened kids’ lives
Saturday 7 October 2017, 09:00AM
Steve Kelsall, Guest Service Manager at the Ao Chalong Villa Resort & Spa, embodies the generous spirit of Phuket’s large and long-standing expatriate community.
Meet the guys behind Phuket’s legendary surf shop: Freedom Boardsports
Meet the guys behind Phuket’s legendary surf shop: Freedom Boardsports
Saturday 9 September 2017, 10:00AM
Walking in to Freedom Boardsports for the first time, my jaw dropped at sheer number boards on display, lining the walls and stacked on shelves, there were hundreds of surf boards, wake boards, body boards, and stand-up paddle boards, taking up every bit of available space in the modestly-sized showroom. I was there to meet Rick Reynolds and Tom Fekete who, with their half century or more of combined local surf knowledge, are the brains behind Freedom Boardsports – the largest boardsports dealer in Southeast Asia. After some quick introductions, I sat down with Rick and Tom to talk about the history of the business and how they had steered it become such a prominent player in the Phuket’s, and indeed the whole of Southeast Asia’s, boardsport industry. As you might suspect, it wasn’t an overnight success story.   Rick, who opened the original Cobra Surf Shop in Phuket Town (because that’s where you had to go to buy anything, in those days!) has been a mainstay of the island’s boardsports community for more than 30 years. “We first opened in 1986 and we were a purely windsurfing company – we were a branch office for a large manufacturing company called Cobra International, which is now based in Chonburi. It was then, and still is now, the largest windsurf, surfboard and SUP manufacturer in the world,” says Rick. “We started off selling mostly windsurfing equipment and a few odds and ends. Over the years we expanded to become a comprehensive watersports supplier; selling hobie cats, kayaks, canoes, windsurfing equipment, body boards, snorkelling equipment and life jackets. “The main target in those days was hotel supply contracts. So we were very well known for a long time with a lot of the big resorts like the [Le] Meridien and all the Laguna Resorts. We were active on both coasts too, especially in Samui and Koh Phangan. The entire south of Thailand from Hua Hin down we supplied… I won’t say every hotel, we had competitors… but a lot of them,” says Rick. In the 1990s surfing took off in a huge way, quickly becoming a world-wide professional sport and a cultural phenomenon. Rick was riding the wave of the sport’s new-found popularity by organising surf competitions and helping to strengthen the local surf scene. It was during just such a competition that Rick first metTom Fekete – a lifelong surfer hailing from California’s Huntington Beach, just south of Los Angeles. They didn’t know it at the time, but that fateful meeting would serve as the foundation for what would become their long-standing business partnership. I was around 2014 when Rick, then the sole owner and operator of his Cobra Surf Shop, found himself in search of partner that could help him modernise and revitalise his business. “There were a lot of missed opportunities being a one man show, so I was very actively looking for a partner, but I’m very fussy… and Tom’s name ended up at the top of the list,” says Rick. As luck would have it, Rick caught Tom at the perfect time, he had only recently sold off his surf-safari charter business in Indonesia after his largest boat was severely damaged in a tsunami. As soon as they had shaken hands on the deal, Tom wasted no time – transforming the company from a laidback local surf shop to a modern, online and tech-savvy enterprise. And it seems to have worked, says Tom, they’ve had steady positive growth over the last three years, that shows no sign of stopping. “Freedom Boardsports was Tom’s brainchild and he built up our brand very effectively, it has really just been growing like a mushroom. Our reputation online is very solid, Tom does our social media and our website, which he maintains on a daily basis, and he is very, very active on it,” says Rick. “The new website was key to the modernisation, I had some ideas for layout of the shop and I’m a little bit more active in the local surfing community. I’m out there everyday surfing and talking to everyone, so I’m a bit more familiar with the products, the new trends and what people want,” adds Tom. Their online business is booming too, the only thing holding them back is high-shipping costs and cross-border tax and monetary law red tape.   “I’d say almost half of our business is taken care of online, even though we don’t have our online shopping cart open; due to issues with credit cards and the laws allowing us to charge over the internet. But nevertheless, all the communication goes through the website,” says Tom. Both Tom and Rick agree that the current boom in stand-up paddle boards (SUPs) has been great for business and is just getting started. “Thailand has been slow to get traction on SUPs, they are about five years behind on the popularity compared to other countries. But now, with the balance between surf season and the SUP sales, we have a much more even rate of sales throughout the year,” says Rick. Adding to their booming SUP sales, Freedom has secured a contract with the Phuket Lifeguard Service to supply all of their surf-rescue boards. They make their own custom board-bags right in the shop. To top it all off, they even had a member of the Thai Royal Family drop in unexpectedly to purchase a surfboard. Further strengthening the market, according to Tom, is the fact that surfing seems to be rapidly gaining in popularity among sports-minded Thais and they often prove to be particularly discerning customers. “The Thais are starting to get into surfing more and more. Whereas before they were all on hand-me-down boards, now they come in and want the best. We’re even selling boards in Bangkok, no one used to want a tan, but now it’s becoming cool. I see kids from Bangkok down on the beach here all the time,” says Tom. Another little-known reality of the boardsport industry is that Thailand is home to some of largest and best board manufactures in the world – most notably Cobra International Co. Ltd – the largest board manufacturer in Asia. “Up to about fifteen years ago they used to hide the fact that the boards where made in Thailand, well not hide… but just not promote it. Nowadays, it’s a badge of quality to say a surfboard, or any board, was made in Thailand – usually at either at Cobra or at another factory called Firewire – both of which we represent exclusively. It’s a badge of quality, as opposed to ‘Made in China’, says Rick. The other pillar of their success, says Rick, has been to stock the best quality brands and provide the highest level of customer service possible. “Every product in this shop is top end, we get top of the line brand name products under strict quality controls, we don’t deal with cheap off-brand products, so we feel we can stand completely behind our products,” says Tom. “When it comes to online shopping, we are a true bricks-and-mortar company and with our stock, if people see it on the website, they can come in the next day and buy it. Or we can ship it straight out to you. We ship overseas very frequently, mainly in the Southeast Asia,” he adds So what’s next for Freedom Boardsports? I ask Tom and Rick. The gregarious pair seem a bit more tight-lipped about the future, but hint at plans to expand to become a region-wide distributor for some of the biggest manufactures in the industry. “That’s what we’re tirelessly working towards,” says Rick, “fortunately we have the advantage of longevity, reputation and connections in the industry developed over 30-odd years,” he adds.   For more information visit Freedom Boardsports online.
The long game: Trisara MD Anthony Lark says sustainable tourism is the future
The long game: Trisara MD Anthony Lark says sustainable tourism is the future
Saturday 26 August 2017, 10:00AM
Sitting on the gorgeous outdoor terrace of the luxurious Trisara Resort overlooking the Andaman Sea and enjoying their wonderful Sunday brunch, I feel that this is exactly what all of Phuket would be like if it existed on some exalted celestial plane.
On the front line with a Kusoldharm rescue worker
On the front line with a Kusoldharm rescue worker
Saturday 22 July 2017, 10:00AM
The shockingly high number of road deaths in Thailand is an all to familiar topic of discussion among the country’s expat community. Global statistics rank Thailand’s roads as among the most dangerous in the world and Phuket regularly reports the highest number of road deaths of any province in the country.
The ‘illy’ school of rock
The ‘illy’ school of rock
Saturday 15 July 2017, 10:00AM
If you’ve lived in Phuket for any length of time, there is a good chance you’ve heard the Colin “illy” Hill Band performing their high-octane classic rock ’n’ roll or laid-back breezy acoustic sessions at one of the many events on the island’s social calendar.
Phuket girl 'Hooto' has a star turn on The Voice Kids talent show
Phuket girl 'Hooto' has a star turn on The Voice Kids talent show
Sunday 2 July 2017, 12:00PM
Yada “Hooto” Sajjakul is one very confident 15-year-old, while many kids her age might shy away from the spotlight, she has taken to national television as a contestant on The Voice Kids and belted out songs in front of millions of people. The Phuket News recently got in touch with Hooto to ask her some questions about her meteoric rise to national attention.
SKYPARK
La Boucherie
ZENITHY POOL VILLAS
MYLANDS
tile-it - Phuket’s Quality Tile Boutique
The Sunday Brunch Club and Pool Party
HeadStart International School Phuket
Thai Residential
Dan About Thailand
MACNELS SHIPPING PHUKET