Opinion
The Thaiger Opinion Columns.
-
Opinion: Legalizing Phuket’s illegal laborers
Kriengkrai Arpabuthsayapan is the head of the Phuket Provincial Office of Labor Protection and Welfare, a position he has held since May 2015. From Surin Province, Mr Kriengkrai has worked in the field for more than 15 years, serving in many provinces during his career. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Labor and Welfare Development from Thammasat University. Here…
-
Island View: Plea to Phuket bikers
PHUKET: I don’t tend to be a conspiracy theorist. However, it is evident that motorbike drivers in Phuket have some sort of LINE or Facebook group in which they plot how to subtly commit suicide and irritate those of us with cars. The only other explanation is the hundredth monkey effect, which is described on Wikipedia as “a purported phenomenon…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Songkranophobia
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
-
Opinion: Skewing statistics – the positive and negative
PHUKET: The recent revelation that Phuket has the highest reported incidence of human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/Aids) cases in Thailand should be a cause for concern and increased personal awareness, but not panic. As pointed out by the local Provincial Health Office, Thailand’s province-based statistical reporting of national trends in the global HIV/Aids pandemic has been…
-
Island View: The spirit of Songkran
PHUKET: Songkran is one of the happiest festivals celebrated by Thais. When I was young and lived in Phuket, I always found the Songkran celebrations in other provinces such as Chiang Mai to be very unique and beautiful. Over the years Phuket has grown into a hub filled with Thais from all corners of the country living and working here,…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Overenthusiasm at Songkran
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
-
Opinion: The conundrum of Phuket International Airport prices
PHUKET: Although it took years to act, the Ministry of Commerce is to be commended for finally ordering an end to blatant overpricing on the most basic of consumer goods at Phuket International Airport: food and bottled water. As so artfully pointed out by the airport’s chief financial officer, high prices for consumer goods at airports is hardly a phenomenon…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Petting every dog you see
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
-
Opinion: Patong needs to break with tuk-tuk transport
PHUKET: The introduction of traffic barriers to stop pedestrians crossing Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong serves as yet another reminder that the traffic problem in the tourist town could be vastly improved by the introduction of a simple, reasonably-priced public transport system. Patong Police and Patong Municipality, the forces behind the barrier project, believe that not having pedestrians venture…
-
Opinion: ATUS protecting the dive industry
Ratanaporn Promchoo, 35, is the president secretary of the Association of Thailand for Underwater Sports (ATUS) and has been working with the ATUS for ten years. She graduated from Rajabhat Nakhon Sri Thammarat University with a bachelor’s degree in science. Here she talks about what the ATUS does to help promote and protect the dive industry. PHUKET: ATUS was founded…
-
Opinion: Missing children in Phuket
Ekkalak Lumchomkae is currently the Missing Person Center Chief of the Mirror Foundation. He was formerly a lawyer at a private law firm and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Law from Ramkhamhaeng University. Here he discusses the recent cases involving missing children on the island as well as the reasons for the disappearance of some of Phuket’s youth. PHUKET:…
-
Opinion: Understanding cultural differences when travelling
PHUKET: As thousands of Chinese descend upon the island each week, it is hard to ignore the xenophobic and often crude comments made about their behavior, spending habits and general demeanor. A recent video showing dozens of Chinese tourists stampeding a Chiang Mai buffet and using their plates to shovel up two to three plates of prawns their way highlighted…
-
Opinion: Visa Overstay – Nefarious Intentions or Just Bad Planning?
PHUKET: The recent push to publicize the need for foreign tourists not to overstay their visas is long overdue, but we hope the Immigration Bureau will use its sweeping powers in fair and compassionate ways that consider extenuating circumstances – especially those involving victims of accidents or crime. The crackdown, which actually comprises little more than stricter enforcement of existing…
-
Opinion: Putting up with golf prices
Terayout Prasertphol is the recently appointed chief of the Phuket Golf Association and former chief of the Phuket Land Transportation Office. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Ramkhamhaeng University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA). Here he talks about how Phuket’s expensive golf industry thrives with high-end tourists.PHUKET:…
-
Island View: Banning climbing and scuba diving will not prevent stupidity [video]
PHUKET: We are all capable of stupidity; for some it is easy, for others – myself included – the stupidity starts when the dawn breaks. Whether it’s walking into doors, tripping over cats, sticking the car in reverse instead of drive, or falling off mountains, none of us intends to do these obviously stupid things… but they still happen. Which…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Speeding Taxi Drivers
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
-
Opinion: Travelling at light speed
Sirigate Apirat is the project secretary of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP). He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Ramkhamhaeng University and has been serving as an analyst at the OTPP since 1995. Here he talks about the issues and benefits of the proposed light rail system on Phuket. PHUKET: Phuket’s light rail…
-
Island View: Island of lost souls
PHUKET: The recent death of American national Nathan D House is just one of many incidents in which people travel to this tropical paradise to end their lives. Though the death of Mr House is still under investigation, the note he supposedly left behind, as well as a website under his name detailing his well-articulated thoughts surrounding the topic of…
-
Opinion: Push for preventive medicine in Phuket
PHUKET: We hope that Nora Galgoczy speaking openly about contracting the incredibly common sexually transmitted disease Human papillomavirus (HPV) and her subsequent battle with cervical cancer will inspire at least some of our readers to take a more proactive approach in preventing the life-threating or debilitating medical conditions out there that are largely preventable, thanks to modern medicine. Over the…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Souvenirs for Thai colleagues
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
-
Island View: Travelling responsibly
PHUKET: The recent incident involving Grace Taylor, a British backpacker in Krabi who made a frantic phone call to her family alleging that people were ‘trying to hurt her’, sparked a lot of debate on social media about the ethics of travelling responsibly. Fortunately, Ms Taylor’s family was able to get to her in time and she was soon in…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Fighting a katoey
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
-
Opinion: Time for a jet-ski-free Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette applauds the Central Investigation Bureau’s (CIB’s) recent crackdown on illegal jet-ski rental operators and the coincidental transfer of the industry’s long-time ‘champion’ to a relatively inactive post. We hope whoever is assigned to replace former Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut will make tourist safety a real priority and begin to clamp down. The problems that…
-
Island View: Old Town done right [video]
PHUKET: When a dance choreographer based in Manhattan, New York, finds the splendor of the Old Town Festival magical, engaging and fulfilling, then you know Phuket is doing something right to promote cultural tourism on the island. She was here for the sun, sand and sea – like the vast majority of Phuket tourists – so I hadn’t planned on…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Crossing compassion wires
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
-
Opinion: Orchestrating freedom for orangutans
PHUKET: The tale of the disappearance of orangutan Milo from a local zoo and her subsequent rediscovery a few days later deserves a slot in the annals of the ‘Amazing Thailand Always Amazes’ series. Now that the issue has drawn the interest of the national and international media, the Phuket Gazette hopes that sustained interest will pressure the Department of…
-
Opinion: Climbing: a balancing act
Maitree Chankarn, 50, is the owner of Baan Than Khao Bungalow on Koh Yao Noi. He is originally from Koh Panyi, Phang Nga. In addition to the bungalows, which saw a tourism boom in the last five years, he runs a number of other small businesses on the island. Here, he asks that the rock climbing walls in Koh Yao…
-
Island View: Pollution in Paradise
PHUKET: In 2015, Delhi was named the world’s most polluted city. When I first saw this report, it made me think back 10 years ago when I was a university student in Phuket and went to Bangkok for a three-month internship. Nearly a decade ago, everything in Bangkok was good – except for the air pollution. The main reason was…
-
Opinion: Sailing into the future
Omsin Chivapreuk, 64, is the nation’s Deputy Transport Minister. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Kasetsart University and studied Advanced Management at Harvard University. Here he talks about his expectations for the Thailand Yacht Show and how Phuket will benefit from the prestigious event. PHUKET: The Thailand Yacht Show is the first time that the Thai…
-
Opinion: Directing ships of cash to Phuket
PHUKET: After months of reporting one marine mishap after another, the inaugural Thailand Yacht Show (TYS) comes as a refreshing and long overdue reminder of just how important the marine leisure industry is to the island – and why all sides need to work harder to further develop the province into the true marine hub of the region. Phuket’s marine…
![Island View: Banning climbing and scuba diving will not prevent stupidity [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/14_2016321112438843_tNRsmiXKoigNSxwKHzeqXtJeCTjmvcVppmhbUFmJ_jpeg.jpeg)
![Island View: Old Town done right [video] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/14_201634925278_ifZlOIMTSLmOvgPZhcpySItJlXcYHgfpMEaaNmuf_jpeg.jpeg)
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.