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5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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Stop growing marijuana without our permission, warns Thai narcotics board
PHOTO: Rick Proctor/Unsplash.com The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) in Thailand is warning the public that cannabis plants cannot be grown at home without official permission, adding that the law is clear the plants can only be grown for medical use and research purposes. It’s understood that since use of the drug for medicinal purposes was legalised earlier…
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Missing baby found dead in central Thailand home
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times A baby reported missing last week has been found dead behind the bathroom in his own home in Sukothai, central Thailand, according to a report in the Bangkok Post. It’s understood the baby’s mother reported her 18 day old son as missing, telling police at Si Satchanalai station that the child had disappeared after she’d left…
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King cobra pops up at Korat night market
PHOTO: www.herpingthailand.com Villagers in Isaan, north-east Thailand, got a bit of a surprise when a king cobra, measuring 4½ metres in length and weighing 6 kilos, turned up at a market in Korat. Seeing the snake glide into the market area, residents contacted the local rescue team, who managed to successfully catch the intruder, who was curled up under one of…
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Thais most likely to abuse tourist visas in South Korea
MONTAGE: TNews The South Korean Government reports that there are about 370,000 illegal immigrants in the country. Thais are the number one offenders as the highest number of illegal immigrants living and working in South Korea. The South Korean Ministry of Justice has revealed the official number of illegal immigrants living and working in South Korea is 370,889 illegal immigrants,…
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Indonesia’s burning issue – controlling the palm oil giants
PHOTOS: Donny Sophandi and AFP A brutal Indonesian forest fire season blanketed some of south east Asia in choking smog is renewing scrutiny of the country’s major palm oil and paper companies. Activists are accusing them of breaking promises to halt logging. The monster plantation blazes sent a pall of acrid smoke over the region for weeks, closing schools and…
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China celebrates 70 year anniversary, Hong Kong protesters have their own plans
by Laurent Thomet and Helen Roxburgh China celebrates 70 years of its Communist Party history today with a parade of tanks, missiles and troops, a muscular display of its rising superpower status since 1949. Authorities in Beijing have closed roads, banned the flying of kites, and shut some bars as they tightened security for an event celebrating China’s journey, from…
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Thousands rally in Indonesia to protest legal-reforms
“The protests are among the biggest student rallies since mass street demonstrations in 1998 toppled the Suharto dictatorship.” Thousands have rallied across Indonesia today in fresh demonstrations sparked by a raft of divisive legal reforms, including banning pre-marital sex and weakening the anti-graft agency. At least two students have died and hundreds more have been injured as unrest swept across…
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Economic ministers to meet next Monday for economic and tourism ‘Council of War’
The council of economic ministers will meet next Monday, on October 7 in Bangkok, to discuss the current economic and tourism situation. Kobsak Pootrakool, the deputy secretary-general to the PM for political affairs, says the meeting will confront obstacles facing the country’s tourism industry. “The ministers will also discuss the country’s export situation”. The Nation reports that the Commerce Ministry…
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China’s manufacturing sector improves during September
PHOTO: China Daily “Caixin said confidence among goods producers was still subdued as worries persisted over the outcome of China-US trade negotiations.” China’s manufacturing sector showed unexpected signs of improvement during September with two indexes showing that manufacturing activity edged up, despite ongoing trade pressures with the US. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the Purchasing Managers’ Index rose…
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China gives Thai Princess Medal of Friendship in lavish Beijing ceremony
Thailand’s HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has been awarded the Medal of Friendship from The People’s Republic of China, the highest medal offered to foreigners by China. The presentation ceremony happened yesterday in Beijing in a lavish ceremony held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, before officials and other recipients of the award. The award was given as…
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Samui airport ‘spy cam’ taken offline after police raid home of British expat
FILE PHOTO: panvimanresortkohphangan.com Police, immigration and airport authorities have closed down a ‘spy cam’ that was providing real-time video of activities at Koh Samui’s Airport. Police headed to a house next to the Koh Samui Airport after complaints that a CCTV camera was recording take-offs and landings at the airport. The authorities deemed that the camera could pose a security risk.…
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Brexit dampens British housing market
“In London, property values dropped by 4% in the first quarter from their level earlier this year, the sharpest drop since 2009 when the global financial crisis was raging.” by Véronique Dupont As Britain’s deadline to leave the EU approaches, property prices have slowed or dropped, especially in London, with sector analysts warning of worse to come if Britain crashes…
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Hong Kong stocks open lower, another weekend of strife ahead
PHOTO: AFP More protests in Hong Kong over the weekend, and threats of interruptions to communist China’s 70th anniversary celebrations starting tomorrow, is weighing heavily on investors this morning. Hong Kong stocks opened lower this morning, extending losses at the end of last week, a day before mass pro-democracy protests planned in the city on communist China’s 70th anniversary. The…
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“Richest man in Khon Kaen” in stand-off with police
PHOTO: Sanook A foreigner, previously covered in the media last week after driving his Ferrari into the rear of a female’s car, and then attacking her, is back in the headlines with another case, again in Khon Kaen, north-east Thailand. According to Sanook, ‘Wesly’ held a knife to his own throat for over 7 hours, but police officers finally persuaded…
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Transport Minister pressures State Railway board to resign
PHOTO: The Nation Board members of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) are expected to tender their resignations to Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob ‘soon’, according to sources to The Nation. There has been speculation for some time that the members have been under pressure to resign, as the minister reportedly wants to reconstitute the board. Among many other issues, the…
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Thanathorn says Future Forward by-election win in Nakhon Pathom will start a domino effect
PHOTO: Facebook/Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit says that, if the opposition bloc wins the by-election in Nakhon Pathom on October 23, it will be the first domino to fall and set the stage for a change of government. Nakhon Pathom is directly north-west of Bangkok. The Future Forward party is fielding Pairatchote Chantharakachorn to contest the by-election, while other opposition parties,…
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Suvarnabhumi villagers still chasing compensation from government after 13 years
PHOTO: Khaosod Villagers living next to Suvarnabhumi Airport have filed a complaint about the noise from the planes. The villagers say they have been suffering from the airport noise for years since the construction of Suvarnabhumi (it opened in September 2006). Leader of the Dinui Yiddee Muslim Community, Saenee Kamsawat, says they are in the process of filing an official…
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Aaaaaw, baby elephant takes a nap
VIDEO: ส่วนประชาสัมพันธ์และเผยแพร่ กรมอุทยานแห่งชาติ สัตว์ป่า และพันธุ์พืช A video of a young baby elephant taking a nap in a Thai national park has won the hearts of thousands of netizens. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation uploaded on its Facebook page a short video clip that showed a baby elephant taking a nap on the lap of its caretaker. Up…
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17 apprentice students killed in Samut Prakan crash, Thailand
Seventeen students have been killed after their overloaded pick-up truck crashed and overturned in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan, east of Bangkok. Police report the incident happened at 1am this morning. A taxi driver from Si Sa Ket has told Thai media that shortly before 1am he saw the pick-up travel out of a Soi “at high speed”…
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Renting a motorbike in Thailand? Have a valid license.
Transport minister Saksayam Chidchob says he’s intent on tackling Thailand’s shameful road toll. Recognising that motorcycles are the main culprit (75% of road deaths in Thailand involve motorcycles and motorbikes), he’s proposing some new laws, at least for tourists at this stage. Up until now tourists have been easily able to rent a motorcycle by just showing a passport, according…
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Boris Johnson could be forced to step down as British PM
It will be another battle royale in the British House of Commons next week as opposition law-makers prepare a plan to force the embattled British PM out of office. The British PM Boris Johnson could be forced to step down next week as opposition MPs join forces to replace him with an interim administration in order to secure another Brexit delay…
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Most of Thomas Cook stranded customers back in UK
PHOTO: The Guardian More than half of of the 150,000 holidaymakers left stranded abroad following the collapse of British travel company Thomas Cook are now back in the UK. The local Civil Aviation Authority says that 76,000 people have now been repatriated in the first six days of ‘Operation Matterhorn’ – Britain’s largest peacetime repatriation of its citizens. 178 year…
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Bangkok bus union is opposing plan for private sector operation
PHOTO: Daily News The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority labour union is voicing its strong objection to the Transport Minister over his plans to contract private companies to operate the city’s bus services, and the shelving plans to procure a fleet of 3,000 new buses. Thai PBS reports that the union president, Veerapong Wongwaen, says that the union will submit a…
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Thanathorn dares Prawit to have a face-to-face meeting over NY protests
Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is daring Deputy PM and luxury watch enthusiast Prawit Wongsuwan to summon him for questioning, whether the party might be linked to anti-government protests in New York last week. The protesters, waving placards like “Stop the human rights abuses” and “We want fair elections”, was held out side Pm Chan-o-cha’s hotel in New York…
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OPINION: Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival is now for the tourists, not the locals
OPINION: Pruth Kulprasit Phuket’s vegetarian Festival is an annual event steeped in ancient Chinese mysticism and fused with local island traditions and Buddhism. It’s a cacophony of noise, spiritualism, body piercing and rather bland vegetarian food. For the tourist or expat that witnesses the parades, fire-walking and ceremonies for the first time it’s a shock to the senses.For local Thai-Chinese,…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival events 2019 – schedule and history
The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival, aka. ‘Nine Emperor Gods Festival’, always runs during the ninth lunar month. For expats and tourist ‘newbies’ the Vegetarian Festival is a lot to do with parades, firecrackers, bizarre ceremonies and spiritual mystiques piecing themselves, and little to do with vegetarian food. Whilst we’ve tried to provide a program here, any time schedule at individual…
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Many parts of Ubon Ratchathani remain under water
PHOTO: AFP Local officials say seven districts in Ubon Ratchathani, north-east Thailand, are still flooded, including the districts of Muang, Warin Chamrap and Sawang Weerawong, where the situation is described as serious. Satellite images show that around 140,000 rai of land along the Moon and Chi rivers is still flooded. The flooding, a culmination of storm Podul and tropical depression…
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Phuket encroacher is handed down 10 year sentence
PHOTO: Nai Yang Beach, just part of the coastal land along Phuket’s north-west coastline The Department of Special Investigation have successfully prosecuted an encroachment case involving land on Phuket’s north-west coast. The Criminal Court handed down a 10 year sentence to Anek Lipracha, a prime suspect in a case involving encroachment of 93 rai of coastal land in Sirinat Marine National…
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Pattaya Indoor Cricket League – Round 3
Round 3 was played at Rugby School in Bang Lamung between PCC (Pattaya Cricket Club) and RST (Rugby School Thailand). There were indoor cricket debutants for both teams: Carl Pohl for RST and Pravit Grover, Edwin Van Rensburg and Andy Holt for PCC. This was yet another very close game where dropped catches, missed run out opportunities and extras were…
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Chinese tourists surge during Phuket’s vegetarian festival
… and it’s not much about vegetarian food. It’s on again, one of the most bizarre festivals on the world’s calendar of WTF events. The Phuket Tourist Association says that the Phuket Vegetarian Festival that runs until October 7, is expected to bring in around 2 billion baht in your revenue. They say that, despite the high value of the…
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