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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Phuket Milestone: ‘A History of Phuket’ to launch March 8
PHUKET: Although the Thai resort island of Phuket has become a world-renowned tourist destination and is now home to many thousands of expatriates, limited attention, particularly in the English language, has ever been given to the rich history and cultural storylines that have accompanied its phenomenal growth. That has now changed. The Phuket Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Britain’s National Secular Society highlights clerical sex abuse cases
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.N. body says U.S. lax on clerical sex abuse cases Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A U.N. committee has accused U.S. legal authorities of failing to fully pursue cases of child sex abuse in religious groups, an issue especially troubling the Roman Catholic Church. The Committee…
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Thailand News: Tourists should be warned – expert; Olive branch to militants; Match-fixing allegation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Warn tourists about Thai driving habits, expert says Phuket Gazette / The Nation PHUKET: It is time for all foreign tourists to be informed frankly about how to travel safely in Thailand, an expert on accident analysis urged yesterday. “They should know that travelling in Thailand…
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Confessed killer Aldhouse, a fighter afraid to fight
PHUKET: British national Lee Aldhouse admitted in court today that he was afraid to fight the premeditated murder charges he faces for the slaying of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in 2010. Nonetheless, the confessed killer entered a plea of “not guilty” in front of a judge at the Phuket Provincial Court. “I am afraid to fight the case. I…
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Thailand Futsal: Phuket pearl anchored by Thai Port – VIDEO
PHUKET: The Pearl of the Andaman, Phuket United, succumbed 2-3 to a stronger Thai Port Futsal Club on Saturday night in Phuket Town. The match, Phuket’s 22nd and Thai Port’s 23rd in the 30-fixture GMM Thailand Futsal Premier League (TFPL) 2012-2013 season, was played in front of about 800 fans at the Saphan Hin Indoor Sports Complex. Thai Port –…
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Phuket’s top cop pushes for Valentine’s Day violence investigation
PHUKET: Phuket’s top cop took the reigns in a Valentine’s Day violence case after an allegedly attacked teen couple expressed their concern that the perpetrators would be protected from the law by their father, a Thalang police officer. Police Commander Choti Chavalviwat summoned Thalang Police Acting Superintendent Sirisak Wasairi to report to him immediately about the case, which revolves around…
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German in stable condition after three-storey fall
PHUKET: The German tourist who fell from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room early Saturday morning was moved from the Vachira Phuket Hospital ICU to a different ward, but is still on life support. Police rushed to the Kalim Resort at 2:45am on Saturday morning to find German national Alexander Sven Zott, 35, unconscious on the pavement after the…
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Phuket Business: Makro opens new branch in Patong
PHUKET: Membership-base, wholesale food retailer, Siam Makro PCL has expanded its Phuket operations with the opening of its Makro Food Service branch in Patong. Located in the area of the Mae Ubon Derm fresh market on Nanai Road in Patong, the new branch is the second Makro store on the island. Its retail area spans a total 1,000 square meters,…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: EPL and FA Cup review; Lady driver takes Daytona pole; Tennis: Serena beaten; Nadal Wins
Five-goal Liverpool crush below-strength Swansea Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho scored on his first start for Liverpool who leapfrogged Swansea City into seventh place in the Premier League by crushing the below-strength Welsh side 5-0 at Anfield yesterday. Swansea manager Michael Laudrup rested a host of regular starters with next weekend’s Capital One (League) Cup final…
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VIDEO: This Week Today from the Phuket Gazette
PHUKET: This Week Today from the Phuket Gazette features top news, sports and events from around the Pearl of the Andaman. Anchorman Isaac Stone Simonelli, the Gazette‘s managing news editor, introduces the top stories from the island, brought to you by PGTV. In this week’s round-up: – DSI investigates foreign businesses in Cherng Talay – PMBC introduces jellyfish warning signs…
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Dubai student drowns north of Phuket near Phang Nga waterfall
PHUKET: A student from Dubai drowned near a Phang Nga waterfall, north of Phuket, on Valentine’s Day after having left his friends to explore the area.Muhammad Ali, 20, had separated from his friends to “walk around and take photos” in the Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation Area after a morning of rafting at Kong Songprak, said the conservation area chief Uthen…
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Swiss man dies allegedly avoiding police checkpoint
PHUKET: A Swiss visitor allegedly trying to avoid a police checkpoint in Chalong died early this morning after his car hit a shelter in Rawai, on Phuket’s south coast, flipped and landed in the sea below.The 46-year-old was driving with a female companion when he hit the shelter at the sea gypsy village in Rawai.“We got the report at about…
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No shortage of water in Phuket this dry season, officials say
PHUKET: Phuket has enough water on hand to supply the whole province this dry season, said Pisak Chonlayut, Manager of the Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority on February 13. At a meeting to discuss Phuket water supplies chaired by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut, Mr Pisak said that 48.5 millions cubic meters of water are currently in reservoirs in Phuket province, with…
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Phuket Police officer’s sons accused of Valentine’s Day attack
PHUKET: A teenager alleged that the sons of a policeman attacked her and her boyfriend with a metal rod and a knife on Valentine’s Day, then threatened her boyfriend with a gun while the policeman restrained him.The 17-year-old teenager, given the pseudonym “Koy” because of her age, said that she and her boyfriend Benz Densiri, 18, were leaving the garage…
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German tourist on life support after fall from Patong hotel balcony
PHUKET: A German tourist tumbled from a balcony in Patong early this morning and is on life support at Vachira Phuket Hospital. Patong Police received a report at 2:45am that the 35-year-old German had fallen from the 3rd floor balcony of his room at the Kalim Resort. “At the scene we found the man, dressed in a striped shirt and…
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Phuket Gazette World News: 6-year-old girl raped in northern India
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 6-year-old girl violently raped, dumped on street in northern India Phuket Gazette / News WiresPHUKET: A six-year-old girl was raped and physically brutalized last week before being dumped on the side of a street in northern India, local media reported yesterday. It is the latest incident in…
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Phuket Gazette Sports: FA Cup
United to make changes for Reading FA Cup clash Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Manchester United will ring the changes for their FA Cup fifth-round clash with Reading on Monday (Tuesday morning Phuket time), but manager Alex Ferguson still expects his new-look side to get through against the Premier League strugglers. United came through their midweek Champions League last-16 1-1…
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Phuket Opinion: Change is natural for Chinese traditions
PHUKET: Teeravut Sritularak, 65, was born and raised in Phuket. He is the president of the Jui Tui Shrine and on the management team of Pud Jor and Kiew Tian Shrines. Here he talks about changes in the way Chinese New Year is celebrated in Phuket. Change is natural, the important thing is understanding the traditions’ true meanings and celebrating…
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Image of Chinese Goddess of Mercy moved for Old Town Phuket Festival
PHUKET: An image of the revered Chinese Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin, and a jade stamp from China made their annual journey from Pud Jor Shrine to Queen Sirikit Park today as the Old Town Festival commences (see story). The white jade stamp is a replica of a 1,000-year-old stamp in a shrine in Suining, China, and was presented to…
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Teachers, students plant rare species of palm in Phuket National Park
PHUKET: Phuket teachers and students helped plant 100 of the rare White Back Palm trees near Ton Sai Waterfall yesterday in honor of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut led the tree planting ceremony, which included officers from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Teachers and students from Muang Thalang School and Weerasatree Anusorn School joined…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Meteorite shower in Russia – 400 injured; Asteroid passing-by
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Meteorite hits central Russia, 400 hurt Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: About 400 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central Russia today sending fireballs crashing to Earth, smashing windows and setting off car alarms. Residents on their way to work in…
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Six busted with 1.5 million in drugs in Phang Nga, north of Phuket
PHUKET: Police busted a drug ring yesterday, netting drugs with a street value of about 1.5 million baht when they arrested six drug dealers with ya bah (methamphetamine), ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and cough syrup in Phang Nga, north of Phuket. Acting on a tip-off, police went to the home of Chaiyuth Prasanphan, 35, and his brother Somchai Prasanphan, 40,…
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Motorbike with sidecar backslides down hill and flips, killing one
PHUKET: A motorbike with a sidecar carrying six Burmese workers slid down a hill and flipped over in the Blue Canyon Country Club in northern Phuket yesterday, killing one and seriously injuring two. Police received the report of the accident at 6:50 pm and rushed to the scene with Kusoldharm foundation rescue workers. “One of the passengers, Mr Muang, told…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Calls to recognize gay marriage made
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Same-sex couples call for marriage rights Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: Valentine’s Day yesterday saw lovebirds register their unions at district offices, especially those with “lucky” names such as Bangkok’s Bang Rak (“Village of Love”). Same-sex couples who showed up only to be turned down, as such…
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Phuket-Ranong visa-run van flips three times in Phang Nga
PHUKET: A visa-run van returning to Phuket from Ranong with 10 Russian passengers flipped three times as it took a sharp turn at “high-speed” on the wet roads of Phang Nga yesterday. None of the passengers were seriously injured. “On the way to Ranong the driver was going very, very fast. We understood that he was a professional driver, but…
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Brake failure on fleeing bus causes second accident
PHUKET: A tour bus fleeing the scene of an accident suffered brake failure and crashed into a utility pole on Patong Hill yesterday, causing a three-hour traffic jam. Patong Police received the accident report at 4pm and arrived at the scene to find that the bus driver had fled. “A bus with a Pegas Touristik company logo heading from Phuket…
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Government stages lottery draw in Phuket to fight rumors of rigging
PHUKET: To dispel rumors of the national lottery being rigged, the Government Lottery Office (GLO) will be staging one of its lucky draw mobile events in Phuket at the Metropole Hotel in Phuket Town (map here) on March 1. “The rumor was started by a scam letter which guaranteed that the numbers people chose would be drawn, for a fee,”…
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DSI Chief launches investigation into Russian-owned businesses in Phuket
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) launched their own inquiry yesterday into Cherng Talay locals’ complaints that foreigners were stealing their jobs. The visit comes in the immediate wake of the Phuket Employment Office’s crackdown on illegal foreign businesses currently underway (story here). Lt Col Somboon Sarasit, head of the DSI’s Bureau of Special Crime Unit 3,…
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Phuket Live Wire: Woody’s laws for land lines
PHUKET: In the past four editions of Live Wire, I’ve been talking about the things you need to consider if you want to get a good internet connection in Phuket. Believe me, it ain’t easy. I’m moving to Kathu shortly, and the kind of problems I’m having are no doubt indicative of the kind you’ll have, the next time you…
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Rose vendors absorb inflation for ‘day of love’
PHUKET: Flower vendors across Phuket are relishing increased orders and sales for the ‘day for lovers’, even despite rising prices. Pran Supasri, a flower shop owner near Vachira Hospital says, “Rose prices have not increased significantly when compared to last year’s price.” He added that even though the price of roses has increased slightly ahead of Valentine’s Day, flower vendors…
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