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    Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?

    Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...

  • Phuket holds a seminar for Ponzi scheme fraud protection | Thaiger

    Phuket holds a seminar for Ponzi scheme fraud protection

    A seminar was held today (November 9), aiming to provide knowledge to people about Ponzi schemes and fake products. The seminar was chaired by the Phuket Governor and attended by many authorities including Pol Col Prawut Wongseenil, Deputy Director General of DSI and President of Anti-Ponzi scheme Association, Samat Jenchaijitarawanit. A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation where the…

  • The Laverty’s Little Lie – how NOT to scam your insurance company | Thaiger

    The Laverty’s Little Lie – how NOT to scam your insurance company

    PHOTO: express.co.uk When we first saw this story, not provided by one of our reporters but from a UK provincial rag, we were suspicious. We contacted the local police. Nothing. We asked other reporters around the island. Nothing. We re-published the article with the caveat that we were trying to verify the facts with local police. We weren’t the only…

  • UPDATE: Four Japanese and a Thai guide killed as passenger van rams truck | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Four Japanese and a Thai guide killed as passenger van rams truck

    Five people were killed and one injured when a minivan rammed into the rear of a running truck in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district on Wednesday. Earlier we reported on The Thaiger and Phuket Gazette that six had been killed. The van was reportedly carrying four Japanese and a Thai guide in addition to the driver. The van caught fire soon…

  • Phuket Gateway 2.0 to be ready next month | Thaiger

    Phuket Gateway 2.0 to be ready next month

    Phuket Gateway will be ready to kick off on December 12 this year and is expected to be the welcoming landmark of Phuket at the top of the island providing useful information to travelers. This morning (November 9) Phuket’s Governor, Norapat Plodthong, chaired a meeting to follow up on the project – the Phuket Gateway at Thachatchai – which was…

  • Where’s the best place to do business in Asia? (It’s not Thailand) | Thaiger

    Where’s the best place to do business in Asia? (It’s not Thailand)

    Singapore, closely followed by South Korea, remains the best country in which to run a business, according to the World Bank. While Brunei, Thailand and India have registered the most notable improvement in the ease of doing business. Pakistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh are the region’s lowest ranked economies. In the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business list, Singapore has been…

  • Bangkok’s Number Two. Who’s Number One? | Thaiger

    Bangkok’s Number Two. Who’s Number One?

    PHOTO: skyscrapercity.com Euromonitor International has released its annual Top City Destinations Ranking for 2017 covering 100 of the world’s leading cities in terms of international tourist arrivals. This year’s report includes forecast data up to 2025 and incorporates future travel trends to give further insight on how travel trends are borne out of the opportunities and challenges that cities face.…

  • Top Asian sports brands & events recognised at 2017 SPIA Asia Awards | Thaiger

    Top Asian sports brands & events recognised at 2017 SPIA Asia Awards

    A successful 3rd SPIA Asia – Asia’s Sports Industry Awards & Conference came to a close with a black-tie Awards Gala Dinner with , Mr Nattavuth Ruengves, Deputy Governor for Elite Sports and Sports Science of Sports Authority of Thailand and Mr. Somyot Poompunmoung, President of the Football Association of Thailand and more than 400 VIP guests in attendance, gathered…

  • Billion baht sports & conference complex to be built at Mai Khao Beach | Thaiger

    Billion baht sports & conference complex to be built at Mai Khao Beach

    Phuket’s Governor led a team to visit 150 rai of land on Mai Khao Beach today (November 8) to review the plans to build a sports complex with a 900 – 1,000 million Baht budget from the budget year 2019. The sports complex is expected to attract more sports tourism to the island featuring a sports centre, exhibition hall and…

  • 3 day old baby left at Phang Nga hospital | Thaiger

    3 day old baby left at Phang Nga hospital

    PHOTO: Takuapa Hospital in Phang Nga – THMaps.com A healthy 3 day old baby has been dumped in a Takuapa hospital’s ER section along with 2,000 Baht in cash. At about 9pm on November 6, at Takuapa Hospital in Phang Nga, a baby was found next to a medicine room. He is 2.6 kilograms and estimated to be only 3…

  • No ifs or butts. Smoking ban starts on Patong Beach. | Thaiger

    No ifs or butts. Smoking ban starts on Patong Beach.

    Patong City Council has designated 20 smoking areas along Patong Beach to comply with the smoking-ban-on-the-beach policy of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department (MCRD). The Patong City Administration Organisation opened the smoking areas in order to encourage people not to smoke and drop cigarette butts on the beach, and instead support the department’s new policy. Patong Beach is among…

  • 23 day tax break to stimulate economy | Thaiger

    23 day tax break to stimulate economy

    The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a 23-day tax break for consumers to boost shopping activities nationwide by an estimated 10 billion baht and stimulate the economy. The Finance Ministry will lose about 2 billion baht in personal income tax collection as a result of the campaign, but the retail and other sectors will probably gain a combined 10 billion baht…

  • UPDATE: Krabi rape case | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Krabi rape case

    The results from a complete body examination of the 15 year old girl from Krabi, who was allegedly raped by her stepfather for five consecutive years, will be ready in one month. The President of Muslims for Peace revealed that the stepfather also forced her to get an abortion when he realised she was pregnant. “The relatives told me that…

  • 178 rai at Layan & Laypang beaches to be public park | Thaiger

    178 rai at Layan & Laypang beaches to be public park

    Phuket’s Governor has set up a committee to work on the 178-rai land’s issues at Layan and Laypang beaches. He’s made it quite clear… “businesses and whoever is occupying the beach land must move out”. “We will enforce the law according to the court to evict them. First of all,we will announce that it is illegal from now on to…

  • THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 7 | Thaiger

    THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 7

    Veterans urge NCPO not to start political party | Khon Kaen hotel owner sues water authorities | Mystery over 50 year old Brit ‘bashed in Phuket’ | Mystery over Phuket’s ongoing bad weather…will it come? Today at the Melbourne Cup Charity function raising money for Phuket Has Been Good To Us and Good Shepherd Foundation.

  • Sports tourism flourishing in Phuket | Thaiger

    Sports tourism flourishing in Phuket

    By Paul Poole, Thailand’s sponsorship guru Few places in Thailand host more sporting events than Phuket, and every year thousands of tourists – both local and foreign – head to the island to participate in or witness a sporting event. Hardly a month goes by without a sporting event taking place on Phuket. Be it swimming, biking, running, golfing or…

  • 15 year old allegedly raped by stepfather for 5 years | Thaiger

    15 year old allegedly raped by stepfather for 5 years

    Muslims for Peace Foundation rescued a 15 year old girl who alleges she was a rape victim of her 67 year old stepfather for 5 years. The Foundation as well as the staff of Krabi Children and Family Shelter brought the girl to the police on November 2 claiming that she had been raped since she was 10 years old…

  • Phuket’s Centre for Rights and Liberties Protection in Criminal Cases officially opens | Thaiger

    Phuket’s Centre for Rights and Liberties Protection in Criminal Cases officially opens

    Today (November 6), the Centre for Rights and Liberties Protection in Criminal Cases has officially opened at the Phuket Provincial Juvenile and Family Court aiming to offer proper protection and education to the people involved in criminal cases and to assist the legal process to continue under the rule of law. “This will help people understand more about the rights…

  • Supreme Court says Layan beachfront is ‘public land’ | Thaiger

    Supreme Court says Layan beachfront is ‘public land’

    PHOTO: y Travel Blog Today the Phuket Gazette visited Layan Beach following the verdict in the Thai Supreme Court that confirmed that the land, where six beach restaurants and businesses continue to operate, was public land. The land in question spans the an entire 3 kilometre frontage including stretches of Layan and Laypang beaches and covering some 178 rai of…

  • 50 year old Brit’s dream holiday turns into a nightmare | Thaiger

    50 year old Brit’s dream holiday turns into a nightmare

    A dream holiday turned into a nightmare for a husband and wife when he was robbed at gunpoint and left so badly hurt he needed emergency surgery. Mik Laverty was mugged during he and wife Denise’s first full day in Thailand and now the couple’s friends are raising money towards his treatment and to help get them home. Mr Laverty…

  • THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 6 | Thaiger

    THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 6

    Layan Beach restaurants poised for eviction following loss of Supreme Court battle | No selfies with ‘Toon’ please | 65 year old woman finds a partner after posting an ad on her gate | Hua Hun-Pattaya ferry service suspended today | Local tour boat capsizes with 16 on board.

  • Tourist boat capsizes off Phuket | Thaiger

    Tourist boat capsizes off Phuket

    A tour boat carrying 16 Chinese tourists and several Thais sunk off Phang Nga Bay on Sunday morning, as a mechanical issue was being repaired and large waves capsized the vessel, said Ao Phang Nga National Park chief Sarayuth Tansathien. A 29 year old Chinese tourist sustained bruises on her chest and arms while the rest of the passengers were…

  • AoT airports increase traffic 6% in past 12 months | Thaiger

    AoT airports increase traffic 6% in past 12 months

    A total of just over 129 million passengers travelled through the six airports operated by the Airports of Thailand in 2017, a 7.73% increase from the previous year (September 2016 – September 2017). The six airports operated by the AoT are Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Mae Fah Luand in Chiang Rai. From September 2016 to…

  • Royal Crematorium tours might continue beyond November | Thaiger

    Royal Crematorium tours might continue beyond November

    Deputy PM Tanasak Patimapragorn yesterday says that he would seek to extend public tours at the Royal Crematorium beyond the end of November if there is sufficient interest. But the scheduled closing at the end of this month would remain if only a small number of people wish to tour the sacred site, he said. Tanasak said the PM would…

  • Supreme Court says Layan beachfront is ‘public land’ | Thaiger

    Supreme Court says Layan beachfront is ‘public land’

    PHOTO: y Travel Blog Today the Phuket Gazette visited Layan Beach following the verdict in the Thai Supreme Court that confirmed that the land, where six beach restaurants and businesses continue to operate, was public land. The land in question spans the an entire 3 kilometre frontage including stretches of Layan and Laypang beaches and covering some 178 rai of…

  • Phuket strengthens security measures at croc farms | Thaiger

    Phuket strengthens security measures at croc farms

    Following the rains in Phuket which resulted in some areas being flooded, Phuket Fisheries Officers visited crocodile farms to ensure the security for locals and tourists preventing the farms’ reptiles from escaping to outside waters. There are 4 businesses with about 500 crocodiles in Muang Phuket and Thalang District and one personally owned crocodile in Thalang District. The team of…

  • Phuket Smart Bus to launch start of 2018 | Thaiger

    Phuket Smart Bus to launch start of 2018

    Phuket Smart Bus, as a part of Phuket City Development (PKCD), is launching the first ten smart buses, thanks to an investment of 40 million Baht, aiming to develop Phuket public transportation. The route will be from Phuket International Airport straight to Phuket Town. “Phuket Smart Bus is one of the twelve Smart Growth projects we created for Phuket. The…

  • THAIGER TODAY Friday, November 3 | Thaiger

    THAIGER TODAY Friday, November 3

    Parts of Royal Crematorium now closed to visitors | Flights cancelled to Chiang Mai Airport | Bodyslam ‘Toon’ kicks off his 2,000 km charity run | Bad weather still being predicted | Big joint venture announced between Central and JD.com.

  • 90 flights cancelled over Loy Krathong | Thaiger

    90 flights cancelled over Loy Krathong

    Several airlines have cancelled a total of 90 flights to and from Chiang Mai during the Loy Krathong Festivities today and tomorrow out of safety concerns. Authorities say the cancellation of flights is a precaution against possible air accidents from the release of hot-air, smoke and lantern during the festival. Two years ago in 2015, 27,000 lanterns were released but the…

  • Governor visits flooded areas and discovers clogged drains | Thaiger

    Governor visits flooded areas and discovers clogged drains

    After a flash flood occurred on October 31 following just an hour of rain, Phuket Governor with his team visited the concerned areas and found that the drains were clogged by trash (again!). A budget of 220 million Baht is being set aside as part of the solution. A team consisting several departments at the Provincial office visited Thepkasattri Road…

  • Sun Sea Sand Colour! Patong Parade kicks off the 2017 Festival. | Thaiger

    Sun Sea Sand Colour! Patong Parade kicks off the 2017 Festival.

    The Patong Parade kicked off the Patong Festival for 2017 under the banner ‘Sea Sun Sand’. The annual parade has never looked better with local businesses going to a lot of trouble. And the crowds certainly reacted with record turn-out of both locals and tourists (who probably had little idea the event was on). There were the usual delays as…