Opinion
The Thaiger Opinion Columns
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Sponsored Promoting sustainable tourism at Blue Tree Phuket: Initiatives and impact
Blue Tree Phuket has been offering experiences that are both fun and environmentally conscious for many years. The comprehensive entertainment hub and waterpark has implemented numerous programs to enhance the sustainability of its practices, with its most recent endeavour being...
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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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Island View: Time to speak up
PHUKET: Since my busy work schedule doesn’t allow much time to travel, when an old friend from college who I hadn’t seen for over ten years decided to visit, I took the opportunity to do just that. We took a ferry to Phi Phi, which was conveniently booked via a website along with arrangements for a chartered van to pick…
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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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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Aiming your feet at 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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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: 10-year visas not accessible to all
PHUKET: A plan to introduce 10-year visas for ‘senior’ foreigners makes sense overall, but we hope those drafting the legislation can find a way to fine-tune it so a wider range of long-term expats, many of whom have contributed much to the Kingdom, can also qualify. Under the recently-revealed plan (story here), the 10-year visas would be realistically obtainable to…
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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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Opinion: Taking care of society’s unwanted
PHUKET: Noppadol Poungpun is the Project Manager of the Life Home Project Foundation, a non-profit organization with the goal of offering children, women and patients suffering from HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) a more dignified life. Originally from Surat Thani, Mr Noppadol has lived in Phuket and worked for the foundation since 2002. He graduated…
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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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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Waiter won’t tell the cook
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: 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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Island View: House hunting in Phuket
PHUKET: I’ve been living the good life at a posh little condo in Kathu for a couple of years now. I’ve changed to at least four different apartments, but all in the same complex, because I liked the idea of having a pool and a gym I can use daily. However, I’ve come to realize that I may be paying…
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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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Island View: Check yourself before passing judgment
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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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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Island View: Willing to go the distance for HM the King
PHUKET: The news of the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13 has brought immense sadness to all Thais. Facebook and other social media is filled with messages of love and condolences. Every time I see such messages, it brings tears to my eyes. People are commemorating his life and achievements by sharing his history, hard work…
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