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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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WeWork Labs join hands with local industry to innovate Thailand’s food industry
WeWork Labs today announces its partnership with National Innovation Agency (NIA), SET-listed Thai Union Group and Mahidol University’s Science Faculty for the SPACE-F program that aims to build a sustainable ecosystem to nurture FoodTech startups in Thailand. SPACE-F is the first global FoodTech startup incubator and accelerator in Thailand and will provide innovative services and support to empower the next…
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BTS asked to pay 100 billion construction costs in exchange for 30 year concession extension
Manit Techa-apichoke, president of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration-owned Krungthep Thanakhom, says the state firm was empowered by Article 44 of the interim charter to conduct negotiations with the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) over the 100 billion baht debt transfer and concession extension. Manit says the negotiation should be completed in about two months. The Nation reports that the BMA will negotiate with…
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Four down, one to go – Phuket’s traffic underpass network nearly complete
The 540 million baht underground tunnel at Chalong Circle has now been officially opened by the Thai PM. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha presided over the official opening yesterday morning. The tunnel, about 350 metres long, travels between Viset Road and Chao Fah West. Above ground the intersection moves traffic around the renovated roundabout where traffic from Kata (Patak Road), Chalong Pier…
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Future Forward legal team submits ‘share-gate’ evidence
PHOTO: Future Forward party secretary-genera, Piyabutr Saengkanokkul In submitting further evidence and clarification over ‘share-gate’, Future Forward party’s legal team has also asked for Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit’s MP status to be reinstated. Thanathorn was suspended from his MP duties when the Constitutional Court decided to accept a case over his alleged media share holdings. The party’s secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul says, as…
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Aussie couple blame a dodgy pad thai in Thailand for two years of hell
A couple from Perth in Western Australia are blaming a plate of Pad Thai has put them through two years of hell. (The link between the pad thai, though implicated by the couple, and their illness was never fully explained) Stacey Barnes and Ryan Prigg from Perth, along with their two children, visited Thailand for a holiday in 2017. Once…
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Thai Justice officials push for action against parents of teenage biker in Chiang Mai
The Thai Justice Ministry is urging police to take action against the parents of a 13 year old boy whose foot was torn off in a crash on a 1000cc Kawasaki motorcycle they bought him. The incident in northern Chiang Mai on July 6 was caught on video that went viral drawing a lot of criticism online. Read The Thaiger story…
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Post-election uncertainties see World Bank downgrade GDP further
Thai GDP growth is projected to fall from 4.1% last year to 3.5% in 2019, according to a World Bank report out today. The Thailand Economic Monitor noted that exports contracted by 4% in the first quarter of 2019 – the first quarterly contraction in three years. Private investment and household consumption continued to grow close to their three-year high, helped…
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New EU-Vietnam free trade deal threatens Thailand
PHOTO: Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, where the new trade deals with the EU were signed last week Vietnam’s new trade deal with the EU is threatening Thailand’s trade and investment. The European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement were signed on June 30 in Hanoi. Thailand has no free trade agreement with the EU so all Thai…
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Indian tourists filling the gap as Chinese eschew Thailand
PHOTO: The Vijitt Resort, Rawai, Phuket Thailand’s currently patchy tourism industry, down but not out, is getting some interim support from visitors from the population colossus to its west, India. The new arrivals are filling in the gap, not quite a gaping hole as yet, of bumper arrivals from China. At a beachfront hotel on Phuket’s south west coast, the occupancy…
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Green Island – Thailand’s fully self-sufficient tropical paradise
For those wishing to escape the hectic life, spend a peaceful getaway in the embrace of Thai nature, and take lungfuls of pure air at a place unknown to most tourists, Pha Luai Island is an ideal destination. With a population of only 180 households and situated in Surat Thani’s Ang Thong Islands Marine National Park, just a stone’s throw…
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Bangkok’s MRT to start passenger free ‘test drive’ on Blue Line extension this month
The Mass Rapid Transit Authority is poised to open the MRT Blue Line Thaphra extension for passenger test runs later this month. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) commenced internal test runs on the MRT Blue Line’s Hua Lamphong – Bangkae extension on July 1. The early phase of the test is intended to ensure the preparedness of officials to…
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PM opens Chalong Underpass and meets local supporters in Phuket
PHOTOS & VIDEO: District 5 PR Office The PM arrived at the Chalong Underpass area this morning to officially declare the controversial 350 metre underground road tunnel open. The roadworks took nearly four years to complete and caused financial pain, inconvenience and turmoil for both businesses and residents in the south of the island. The Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos was…
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‘Net idol’ arrested over monetising online porn and gambling
PHOTOS: The Nation | AsiaOne Bangkok police have arrested a “net idol” (a popular Thai social media poster) for allegedly running a closed online group where pornography was sold and gambling promoted. A police source says that 32 year old Jindarat “Amp” Seripaiboonsap was arrested two days earlier at a home on Phetchkasen Soi 48 in Phasi Charoen district. She…
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New Pattaya police chief ‘reads the riot act’ to pubs and nightclubs
PHOTOS: 77Kaoded The new Pattaya police chief is laying down the law for pubs and nightclubs around Pattaya about rules and regulations. A meeting over the weekend heard that customers under 20 were not permitted, customers must not bring drugs or weapons into the venues and that closing hours must be strictly adhered to. 100 local staff, owners and managers…
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Myanmar’s ‘Bagan’ awarded UNESCO World Heritage status
UNESCO has added Myanmar’s ancient capital Bagan, a collection of thousands of temples and stupas, as a World Heritage Site, nearly a quarter of a century after the Buddhist temples were first nominated for listing. The decision finally recognises the importance of the central Myanmar site – which includes more than 3,500 stupas, temples, monasteries and other structures built between…
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Chiang Mai teenager survives big bike collision but loses leg – VIDEO
A 13 year old Chiang Mai teenager is lucky to escape with his life after a high-speed crash in front of the Sri Arun Market in the San Kampaeng district of Chiang Mai. The person posting video of the incident estimated he was traveling at 150 kph when he hit another motorbike, before sliding into a car at high speed.…
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Two defence volunteers killed by suspected insurgents in southern Thailand
Two defence volunteers guarding a road checkpoint in Yala, southern Thailand, have been shot dead while a third volunteer and a villager have been wounded in an attack by suspected insurgents. According to witness accounts, six suspected insurgents, riding three motorcycles, approached the checkpoint in Tambon Lampaya yesterday afternoon (Sunday) and the three pillion passengers opened fire at the volunteers…
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Chiang Mai hotels battle disruptors
by Bill Barnett Thailand’s northern tourism hub of Chiang Mai has become a victim of its own volume-driven success. According to hospitality data provider STR, market-wide hotel occupancy for the first five months of the year is down 5.1%, compared to the same period in 2018. In the newly released C9 Hotelworks Chiang Mai Hotel Market Update, the comparison between…
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Thai PM visits Phuket today – this is what he’s doing
The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is in Phuket today. His main task is to officiate over the official opening of the Chalong Underpass. Then he’s off to Cape Panwa for the rest of the busy schedule… 8.40am Arrive at Phuket International Airport. Welcome by a formal reception. 9:15am PM travels to Chalong Underpass receptions area. 10am Official opening ceremony for…
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Nigerian and Thai wife arrested in Chon Buri over $50,000 romance scam
PHOTO: Naewna Nong Prue police say they’ve arrested a Nigerian man and his Thai wife over their alleged collusion in an online romance scam. Police claim 40 year old Uchenna Joseph Amujiogu and 36 year old Wassana Kanchiak scammed a Thai woman out of 2 million baht. The woman contacted police in June after she realised she had been a victim…
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Dugongs ‘live’ from today starring Miriam and Yamil
PHOTO: กรมทรัพยากรทางทะเลและชายฝั่ง Be your own director, choose the camera and follow your baby dugongs live. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and TOT are running live trials for a livestream of the care facilities where the two young dugongs ‘Mariam’ and ‘Yamil’ are now living, one in Trang and one in Phuket. The DMCR and TOT intend to provide…
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Dog helps lost woman back down from Kanchanaburi forest
A Facebook user, Miyabi Cosmo, has shared her story about a dog who rescued her from a forest in the province of Kanchanaburi, western Thailand, leading her back down the hill. According to the Thai-language Khao Sod, the woman lost her way in the woods. She tried to use her mobile to contact her friends, but there were no mobile…
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19 million baht put aside to rehabilitate controversial Doi Suthep land in Chiang Mai
The Thai Judiciary Office says they will allocate 19 million baht for the rehabilitation of land at the foot of Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep – recently the subject of controversy and protests from local activists and environmentalists. The plot was initially set aside, then developed as a site for court officials’ residences, but Chiang Mai locals said the development was…
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Windmill GoGo in Pattaya raided: Three arrested over prostitution and underage sex
PHOTO: รอบพัทยา Ok As difficult as it might be to believe, police have found MORE evidence of prostitution in Pattaya. Attention this time turned to the red-light district of Walking Street where regular ‘inspections’ from police and officials in the past have found ‘no prostitution’ (cough…). Police conducted a raid using an ‘undercover informant’ after receiving tip-offs the bar was…
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Chiang Mai protesters petition Governor over Rinkham Intersection upgrade
An activist group is taking its protest about the upgrading of an intersection in Chiang Mai to the local governor. The Chiang Mai Highway District Office 2, which has been tasked with overseeing the project, and Chiang Mai governor Supachai Iamsuwan will hold a press conference to address residents’ concerns at the Chiang Mai Government Complex next Tuesday. The proposed…
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Pattaya fund-raiser donates 10,000 baht for disabled sailing
PHOTO: Three Thai national sailing male athletes from the Disabled Sailing Thailand Thai and foreign businesspeople got together in Pattaya to raise about 10,000 baht for the Disabled Sailing Thailand project at a fundraiser in Bang Saray. Peter Jacobs, the Project Founder, hosted the party last weekend for 250 sailors and supporters at the Bang Saray Beach Club that included…
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‘Grow up’ , ‘don’t throw tantrums’ – Palang Pracharat spokesperson
PHOTO: Uttama Savanayana, left, and Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, deputy spokesperson for Phalang Pracharat Party, is lambasting the opposition for being “childish and narrow-minded” as it filed its petition to censure the PM. He says the opposition should give the new government some time to work before launching no-confidence motions against it. “I want the opposition to be more open-minded…
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‘Thailand’ through the eyes of non-Thai filmmakers
In addition its current “Drug In Film” project, the Thai Film Archive is also holding a program of historical and contemporary films about Thailand as seen through the eyes of non-Thai filmmakers. The series, dubbed “Exotic Thailand”, will run through July and August, and features 15 films made in Thailand by international directors, including historical works like “Chang: A Drama of the…
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Dead dugong, dolphin found off southern Thai beaches
PHOTO: Manoch Wongsuryrat A three-metre long dugong has been found dead off the coast of Trang in southern Thailand. The total number of dead dugong found this year has reached seven, according to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources when they spoke to Thai PBS. Fishermen found the mammal and towed it ashore for veterinarians to examine. The dugong…
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German arrested in Phetchabun on Interpol warrant
A 43 year old German man, Sacha Durst, wanted in Germany for fraud and document forgery, has been arrested in the province of Phetchabun, central Thailand, according to Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Sompong Chingduang. Following a request from their German counterparts, Thai police arrested Sacha Durst who had reportedly been laying low in Thailand since 2015, at a resort in…
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