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Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
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Phuket Gazette World News: Syria gas kills hundreds; Bo Xilai trial begins; Pink Panther arrested; Manning gets 35 years
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Trial of Bo Xilai opens in China Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police blocked entry to a courthouse in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan on Thursday where the trial of ousted politician Bo Xilai is to open, the final, dramatic chapter of the country’s most politically charged…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Baht slides; House of shame; E-tags for inmates; DNA ID checks in Ranong
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Baht further slides against US$ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Falling to a one-year low yesterday at 31.82, the baht has suffered from depreciation against the US dollar along with most emerging-market currencies. Compared with this year’s peak of 28.62, registered on April 19, the…
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Phuket student drug flunkies heading for summer camp rehab
PHUKET: A group of 29 Phuket students – all of whom tested positive for drugs – are in for a summer camp they’d not expected. They are now signed up to spend nine days getting clean and learning about the dangers of substance abuse. From today, August 22, to 30, the students will join a stricter-than-normal summer camp at Phuket’s…
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VIDEO REPORT: Police set reward for Democrat Party Phuket office thief
PHUKET: A reward of 5,000 baht was offered this morning for any information leading to the arrest of a thief who is believed to have broken into the Democrat Party Phuket office not once, but twice this month.In addition to robbing the office of an undisclosed amount of money, the thief also vandalized the interior. The office is located on…
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Seawater quality to be monitored, results sent to island’s consulates
PHUKET: Amid concerns over worsening seawater quality at Phuket’s beaches, results of bi-monthly tests will be sent to the Phuket consulates, Governor Maitri Inthusut told 11 consul-generals yesterday. Phuket’s beach waters were regularly monitored in the past, but budget cuts brought an end to that program (see p8 and p9 of the digital Gazette online here). The Governor’s plan to…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Leak highly radioactive; Boston bomber had mulitple wounds; Iraq being dragged into war; Circus comes to Afghan kids
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Wrecked Fukushima storage tank leaking highly radioactive water Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Contaminated water with dangerously high levels of radiation is leaking from a storage tank at Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, the most serious setback to the clean up of the worst nuclear accident…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Scuffles end meeting; Canadian picked up in penny scam; Teachers still targets; Mass Rohingya escape; Fertility rite
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Scuffles, boos bring chaos to constitution change meeting The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Parliament President Somsak Kiatsuranont, whose nickname is “Gavel Master”, lived up to his name and used his gavel vigorously for the first time yesterday during the House-Senate joint meeting deliberating constitutional amendments.…
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Officials baffled over dead Koh Racha Yai fish
PHUKET: Several dead reef fish collected from the dozens of dead fish found at the popular dive destination of Koh Racha Yai were brought to the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) earlier this month after local fishermen, villagers and divers voiced concern that they may have been poisoned, perhaps by cyanide.“In the last week to 10 days, there have been…
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Rohingya play ‘pity card’ for media: Deputy Interior Minister
PHUKET: Deputy Interior Minister Wisarn Techathirawat says the presence of the media encourages Rohingya refugees to “act-up in front of the camera” in order to get sympathy. Mr Wisarn was at the Phang Nga Immigration center yesterday to inspect the facility, following a Rohingya riot there earlier this month. “The media often knows that the Rohingya are arriving even before…
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Copper thief copped at Phuket checkpoint
PHUKET: Police arrested a man carrying 100,000 baht worth of stolen copper wire concealed in fertilizer sacks at a routine checkpoint in Thalang yesterday .Eakkapan Pinthong, 22, a construction worker at the Karn Keha public housing estate in Srisoonthorn, appeared nervous as he approached the checkpoint on Baan Don Road shortly after midnight yesterday, police said.“He was riding a motorbike…
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Phuket officials vow swift action on dirty Patong beach water
PHUKET: Patong officials are determined to discover the source of foul water being pumped into the sea at Patong Beach following a large section of dirty water surfacing at the beach yesterday. “Our municipality was not aware of the problem. However, now that we know, we will step in to solve the problem as soon as possible,” Panida Klinbbusa, an…
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Northbound lanes at Phuket underpass to re-open, relieve congestion
PHUKET: The northbound lanes entering the Darasamuth Intersection, in front of the Central Festival Festival shopping mall, will be re-opened this afternoon, relieving some of the heavy traffic congestion in the area. Excavating the road required workmen at the site to close all northbound lanes for several hours this morning and redirect traffic along the spur road to join Wichit…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Muslim Brotherhood leader arrested; Egyptian security forces kill journalist; Spain UK tensions; Al Qaeda suspected of planning train attacks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Egypt arrests Muslim Brotherhood leader Badie Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Egyptian security forces have arrested the top leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, state media reported today, pressing a crackdown on his group. Mohamed Badie, 70, was detained at an apartment in Nasr City in northeast…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: 600 Thais evacuated from Egypt; 7BN seized; Absolute control – MP Ongart Klampaiboon; Oil spill recovery plan
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 600 Thais flown back, 300 still in Egypt The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than 600 Thais have been evacuated from Egypt on flights arranged by the Thai government in the wake of the unrest which has so far claimed some 900 lives. Another 300…
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Tourism Malaysia closes Phuket office after 13 years
PHUKET: Tourism Malaysia announced today that it will close its Phuket office and all other offices outside of Bangkok by the end of this month.“There will only be one office in Thailand, and that will be in Bangkok,” Deputy Director General of Tourism Malaysia Chong Yoke Har said.Mrs Chong made the announcement at an appreciation dinner for Phuket’s media and…
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Family escapes injury in Phuket tour bus shunt
PHUKET: A 66-year-old man, his wife and their toddler granddaughter luckily escaped injury this afternoon when the car they were travelling in was shunted from behind by a Phuket tour bus at speed on Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew.The force of the impact sent Saeree Krajangsee and his Honda City sedan careening over the median strip and slamming into a…
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Russian shot in Phuket beachfront drive-by
PHUKET: A Russian man is recovering in hospital after being shot in the back during a drive-by in Rawai on Saturday night.Maksim Klocskov, 32, was shot in the back after a bullet penetrated the trunk and back seat of the car he was riding in.Mr Klocskov was rushed to Phuket International Hospital and a medical team immediately began operating on…
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British teen dies after severe allergic reaction to cashew nut in Phuket
PHUKET: A 14-year-old British boy, on holiday with his family, went into shock and died after consuming a single cashew nut last night in Patong.Ethan Williams was taken to Patong hospital, but died en route, Patong Hospital Director Dr Sirichai Silapa-acha said.Doctors believe that Ethan died either from an acute allergic reaction to the cashew nut or bronchial spasms brought…
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Brothers arrested for hotel room drug depot shopfront
PHUKET: Two brothers were arrested on drugs charges on Friday, with police suspecting that the siblings were using a hotel room in Cherng Talay to store and sell their wares. “We received a report from one of our undercover agents about the brothers renting a hotel room to store drugs, and we obtained a warrant to search their house in…
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Russian found hanged from tree at Phuket landmark
PHUKET: A Russian man was found dead, hanged from a tree in a wooded area near Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape, at the southernmost tip of the island, on Saturday morning. Chalong Police received news of the deceased foreigner at 8:30am. “We found the body of Vladimir Slobodenyuk, 29, from Russia, hanging by a length of nylon rope from a large…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Speaker spending probe; Samui alarmed over oil spill; Homeless foreigners hurt image; Emma Thompson to join talks
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Samui, nearby islands also vulnerable to oil leaks The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The oil-spill crisis on Koh Samet has scarred the Kingdom’s tourism industry and operators, especially those in Koh Samui and neighbouring islands, are voicing concern that their investments will go down the drain if…
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Phuket police net 78 illegal fishermen
PHUKET: Police rounded up 84 suspected illegal fishermen from across the island yesterday through raids on the Phuket Fish Marketing Organization, the Patong area and various boats dotted along the Phuket coastline. “Officers were arranged into three teams and inspected locations where we guessed illegal immigrant workers might be found,” said Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sanchai Chokhayaikij. On seeing the raiding…
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Phuket hospital confirms identity of severely beaten Nepalese tailor
PHUKET: A change of corners in the beating of a Nepalese tailor has revealed that the tailor, Aung Aung Latt, was in fact the one hospitalized after being severely beaten by another tailor who has only been identified as “Rocky”, despite previous reports (see here). Vachira Phuket Hospital staff were unable to confirm or deny the identity of the hospitalized…
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Phuket FC hope to devour Khon Kaen’s T-Rex tonight
PHUKET: Recovering from their Wednesday night draw with Royal Navy FC, 6th-placed Phuket FC will be looking to bag all three points in their away fixture tonight against the 14th-placed Khon Kaen FC T-Rex. To kickoff at Khon Kaen OrBorJor Stadium at 6pm, the match is both side’s 23rd of 34 scheduled matches in the Yamaha League One 2013 season.…
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Mafia rule: Patong Kingpin points finger at officials
PHUKET: Preechavude ‘Prab’ Keesin, son of Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, has lashed out at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), calling on them to tackle corruption among government officers and the ranks of law enforcement officials. Mr Prab and Mayor Pian were among the 11 parties named by the DSI as “mafia” operating illegal taxis on the island. The result…
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Phuket Provincial Hall adds more CCTVs to tighten security
PHUKET: Four high-definition CCTV cameras have been added to the entrance and exit of the Phuket Provincial Hall complex following the bomb blast on the grounds on August 1 (story here). “Two new CCTV were placed at the entrance and two were placed at the exit so they will be able to zoom in on the license plates of cars…
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Phuket Opinion: Phuket Town, worthy of Unesco World Heritage status
PHUKET: Approaching Phuket Town from the north at dusk provides a magical moment. At the intersection of Thepkasattri and Thalang Roads, the ivory-white Song Nuan Pharmacy building is cinematically lit with colors that manage to stay just on the right side of garish.Every time I pass it on my daily two-wheeled commute home, and then proceed through streets lined with…
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Phuket Opinion: Health insurance for tourists at 7-Eleven
Dr Sirichai Silpa-archa has been the Director of Patong Hospital for six months and was Deputy Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital for 26 years. He has a medical degree from Chulalongkorn University with a specialty in Urology from Chiang Mai University, as well as an MBA. Here, he discusses options for relieving the financial burden of uninsured foreign tourist and…
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Krabi International Airport shifting to 24-hour service
PHUKET: In a move to service increasing numbers of visitors to Krabi and provide some relief for the overcrowded Phuket International Airport, Krabi International Airport will become a 24-hour facility, its director said yesterday. “The number of tourists visiting our province has been going up in recent years, and the demand for flights and airport services is increasing,” Krabi Airport…
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Phuket to remember long-term expat Marc Harrington, 66
PHUKET: Friends of long-term Phuket expat Marc Harrington, who died on Tuesday, will be holding a fundraiser next Friday, August 23, to help cover hospital and funeral expenses so they may lay him to rest. Mr Harrington, a British national from London, was admitted to Vachira Phuket Hospital on June 22 after suffering a head injury in a motorbike accident…
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