Opinion
The Thaiger Opinion Columns
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Sponsored A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day
The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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Opinion: Re-evaluating beach safety in Phuket
PHUKET: IT IS reassuring to know that lifeguard services will continue uninterrupted at popular Phuket beaches this year (story here), but we still need to do a better job of publicizing beach safety risks. The pending contract agreement between the Phuket Lifeguard Club (PLC) and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) will continue to minimize the number of preventable drowning…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Burning in Thai Hell
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.…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: New Year’s Resolutions
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.…
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Opinion: Tackling IUU fishing
PHUKET: The hunt for the Taiwanese owner of a fleet of seven fishing vessels currently impounded in Rassada (story here) is a test of the willingness and ability of Thai authorities to tackle Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing vessels that port in Phuket. Taiwanese tuna fishing vessels have a long history of using Phuket as a base of operations,…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Trying to bribe fish
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.…
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Opinion: Risking life and limb for visa runs
PHUKET: If you are a foreigner living in Thailand, you need a visa. That’s fair enough. It’s like that all over the world. But no matter what kind of visa the foreigner has here, he or she often has to spend time and money, and frequently to risk life and limb, just to stay legal. Last week brought news of…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Festive Season Jingles
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.…
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Opinion: Adieu, 2016
PHUKET: As the year draws to a close, social media have been flooded with an increasingly common sentiment: ‘Good Riddance, 2016’. Fair enough. The past year has seen so many unprecedented – many would say negative – developments that it would be futile to try to list them all here. But a few do stand out as potentially bellwether. In…
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Opinion: Change Phuket’s tired old safety script
PHUKET: The high season is well upon us and the Marine Department and related agencies are working hard to ensure tourist safety at sea. Despite relatively calm conditions at this time of year, the highly-seasonal ‘feast or famine’ nature of Phuket tourism makes this a stressful period for those responsible for public safety offshore. This is due primarily to the…
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Phuket’s new marine chief talks safety
PHUKET: Surat Siriasaiyas is currently the chief of the Phuket Marine Office. He was appointed to the post after six months of Phuket having only an acting head, since ex-chief Phuriphat Theerakulpisut was transferred to Nonthaburi in February. Here, he talks about his major concerns regarding marine safety and management in Phuket. The hot issues in the marine industry in…
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Island View: Train road workers in Phuket
PHUKET: Travelling in my car along Thepkrasattri Road at dusk from Thalang the other day, I hit a strip of the three-lane highway that was being resurfaced. The roadwork crew had enough forethought to put a grimy 40km/hr speed limit sign on the median strip, just before motorists hit the edge of the freshly gouged surface, as well as a…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Riding the Songthaew
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.…
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Opinion: Inspiring the next generation of Phuket sailors
PHUKET: Capt Kritsada Rattanasupa, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, has been involved in the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta for several years. Here, he talks about how the navy supports the Regatta and about promoting sailing for the next generation of young sailors in Phuket. Sailing is one of those clever sports that involves…
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Island View: Safety needs more than lip service
PHUKET: The province has seen an alarming number of road accidents and deaths this month. While these incidents aren’t isolated or unusual, they got me thinking about what efforts were being made to alleviate the situation, which led me to think of the helmet safety campaign implemented in January this year. The ‘one district, one road with 100 per cent…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Same menu as Thais
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.…
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Opinion: Handing over the sails to Phuket’s next generation
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette is pleased to welcome sailing enthusiasts from across the region to Phuket for Asia’s premier sailing competition, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. As this year’s competition marks the 30th anniversary of the event, this week is an ideal time to reflect on the three decades of the event’s development, as well as to consider ways to…
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Island View: Never at a standstill
PHUKET: I have lived in Phuket for about 12 years now and seen plenty of things come and go. While some things have changed for the better, others perhaps not so much. Anyone who last visited Phuket a decade ago would be faced with a very different spectacle today. One thing I have noticed in the past few years is…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Seduce a sexy Thai lady
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.…
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Opinion: Security systems go at Phuket International Airport
PHUKET: Ongoing infrastructure improvements at the newly-expanded Phuket International Airport (HKT) have resulted in some long delays for passengers arriving at peak hours. One area, however, where systems were fully in place at the time of launch is Airport security. The Phuket Gazette commends Airports of Thailand (AoT) and their subcontractors for their dedicated work to get security staff at…
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Island View: The nation grieves
PHUKET: IT IS as many of us had feared; Donald Trump is soon to be the man in the White House and signs of chaos have already begun to erupt in many parts of the United States and even other parts of the world. Markets are tumbling, people are calling for a re-count, others have taken to the streets in…
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Opinion: No cellphones while re-fuelling
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette wishes the Department of Energy Business (DoEB) the best of luck in its bid to get all motorists to put away their mobile phones while filling up at gas stations – it will certainly be difficult. In May this year, officials of the DoEB confirmed that service station personnel would play a key role in ensuring…
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Opinion: Working as a female government official in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Siwaporn Chuasawad is originally from Bangkok, but her family moved to Samut Prakan in an official capacity, as her father worked for the Royal Thai Navy. She assumed her current post on October 10, together with two other vice governors. Her husband has recently been appointed as Deputy Director of the Phuket Land Department. V/Gov Siwaporn…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Not a gogo bar girl
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.…
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Governor’s Letter: Resolving conflicts between Thais and foreigners
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Dr Chokchai Dejamornthan is the island’s 47th governor. Originally from Chachoengsao, he holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Christian University of Thailand, a master’s in Social Development from the National Institute of Development Administration, and a bachelor’s degree in Law from Thammasat University. Here, he talks about resolving conflicts between Thais and foreign tourists on the…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Forget why you moved to Thailand
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.…
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Opinion: Every cloud has a silver lining
PHUKET: The flooding that inundated many parts of the island late last week is an indication that massive capital investment in various flood-prevention schemes is a remedy that has to contend with land-use planning and construction oversights that have characterized Phuket’s often erratic ‘development’ over the years. One of the worst-hit areas was Patong, where scores of businesses and residences…
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Opinion: Enhancing visitor safety in national parks
PHUKET: Piyawat Sukhon, 52, took up his position as the chief of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non Hunting Zone in Phuket last June. He is originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Forestry School in Phrae Province, and a Masters Degree in forestry from Kasetsart University. While working for the Department of National Parks, Wildlife…
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Island View: Learn to check ourselves
PHUKET: Whether you live in Phuket, Philadelphia or the Philippines, one topic you cannot avoid hearing about is the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. It would not be an understatement to say that not only Americans, but the whole world is waiting to see how this plays out. While I’m generally not interested in politics, and certainly not…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Noodles in pyjamas
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.For…
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Opinion: Battling carnage on the roads
PHUKET: As Phuket’s tourism industry prepares to welcome an influx of international arrivals for the upcoming high season, the island’s image has once again been tainted by violence within the taxi cartels. Turf wars among the island’s tuk-tuk drivers is one of the lines of inquiry Phuket police are looking into following the shooting murder of the president of the…
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