News
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Sponsored 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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Two arrested with more than 250,000 baht worth of krathom
PHUKET: Police arrested two Burmese workers with about 200 kilograms of krathom in Patong yesterday. Col Chaiwat Auikam of Patong Police handled the case. “We same a man, who we later learned was called ‘Piew’, acting suspicious in front of SuperCheap Patong. He tried to escape when we approached him. He was clean, but upon inspecting his motorbike we found…
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Long term Phuket expat David Ratcliffe passes away at 75
PHUKET: Popular Phuket expat David Simon Ratcliffe has passed away at the age of 75, on April 6. He will be sorely missed by his loving wife Cindy, his three daughters – Sian, Claire and Sarah – and his ten grandchildren. He is survived also by his two older sisters, Ann and Elizabeth. Born on 18 October 1942 in Cardiff…
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Songkran festivities hit Patong, police warn against sexual harassment
PHUKET: Patong is now heaving with tourists as the much anticipated Songkran festivities kicked off prematurely this morning. Despite warnings by officials to restrict water-throwing activities to tomorrow, April 13, Phuket locals and tourists jumped the gun and began celebrating the holiday today. Lt Col Seksan Komsakorn of Patong Police notified Phuket Gazette reporters that three main checkpoints for the…
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New Phuket Governor meets with officials, orders “organized’ disbursements
PHUKET: New Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong met with local officials at Provincial Hall for the first time this morning. He was welcomed onto the island this Monday (story here), and ordered authorities to work smart and ‘manage’ expenditures related to local government projects. “I am ready to help Phuket move forward and become stronger. I also intend to continue development…
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Businesses hiring 1,700 students for school break
PHUKET: More than 1,700 students can spend their school break earning a wage and gaining experience in a program arranged by the government’s Employment Department. Waranon Pitiwan, the department’s director-general, said 243 businesses have offered to temporarily take on 1,760 students aged 15 and up, in jobs such as customer service, cashiers and sales assistants. They include Ek-Chai Distribution Systems…
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Nok Air apologizes for cancelled weekend flight, blames bad weather
PHUKET: Numerous complaints by passengers of a grounded Nok Airplane this weekend resulted in an official public apology by the airline via social media yesterday. At least 150 passengers were affected by the cancellation of flight DD7525, which was slated to leave Phuket International Airport at 10:50pm on Saturday and land at Don Muang in Bangkok at 12:12am on Sunday.…
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Officials say Phuket ready to deal with Songkran influx
PHUKET: The island’s officials are preparing to manage the influx of visitors, both local and foreign, who swarm into Phuket during Songkran, which is being celebrated nationwide this week. Phuket International Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan has confirmed that an in-line screening system was recently added to the airport, which will help ease passenger congestion, make processing times faster and highlighting…
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New Phuket governor arrives on the island
PHUKET: Newly-appointed Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong arrived in Phuket this morning, a week after ex-Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan’s transfer was announced by the National Council for Peace and Order (story here). Governor Norraphat visited Wat Phra Thong, or the ‘Temple of the Golden Buddha’, and paid his respects at the Heroines’ Monument before arriving at Provincial Hall. “My first priority is…
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Finance: What interest rate hikes mean for investors
PHUKET: Early last month, the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates, with the market largely ignoring the long-expected move. With at least a couple of more rate increases expected in the near future, I would still not expect the market to suddenly turn bearish. If the Fed thought the US economy was still too weak, they would not be raising…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Taking Songkran too seriously
PHUKET: 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…
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One arrested, one on the run in B1.2mn Phuket drug bust
PHUKET: Police seized more than 300g of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), a bomb and car from a rented room in Patong today. One suspect was arrested while another is on the run. The bust was conducted at Phra Metta Road and the haul was valued at 1.2 million baht. “We received complaints from locals that a woman named Urai Haha,…
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Gearing up for the Songkran holidays in Phuket
PHUKET: The recent death of a ‘ghost riding’ Thai motorcyclist along Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang (story here) should serve as a sobering reminder to all motorists of the need to be on full alert during the upcoming Songkran holiday period. As noted in this space numerous times in the past, Phuket seldom experiences the kind of spikes in road accidents,…
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Patients treated in hallways at overcrowded Samui Hospital
SAMUI: Locals in Samui have lodged complaints about overcrowding at Samui Hospital leading to makeshift arrangements to accommodate patients in the hospital’s hallways. Patients and their families say that the hallway is hot, uncomfortable and mosquito ridden. “Currently, we only have 133 beds, but about 160 patients to cater to,” said Samui Hospital Director Dr Theerasak Virtanon. “Additionally, we have…
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His Majesty the King signs Thailand’s new constitution
BANGKOK: His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn yesterday signed the country’s new constitution – the 20th – giving it royal endorsement and setting in motion a process for the next general election, which is expected late next year. Through a court secretary, HM proclaimed the new charter’s promulgation in a televised royal ceremony that included local and foreign dignitaries, including Prime…
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British expat believed to have died of electrocution in Phuket
PHUKET: Officials have been instructed to examine a power pole that may have electrocuted and caused the death of a British expat at his house yesterday afternoon. “We received reports of the incident in Rawai and went there to investigate further. At the scene, we found the unconscious body of Paul Wilkinson, 55,” said Lt Col Kanan Somrak of Chalong…
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Woman escapes injury after vehicle catches fire in Phuket
PHUKET: A Phang Nga woman escaped injury after her car caught fire in Phuket yesterday afternoon. Thalang Police officers received a report of a burning vehicle at the Mud Dok Khao-Nai Yang junction. “Weeraya Thitiwanna, 34, had just driven from Phang Nga to Phuket when her car started smoking and caught fire,” said Capt Chatree Chuwichian of Thalang Police. “She…
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Finance: Don’t buy into the 13 trillion dollar lie
PHUKET: Following on with lessons from Tony Robbin’s book ‘Money: Master the Game’ is a very important Wall Street myth that he busts. When you pay an active manager to buy and sell shares of stock on your behalf, you are doing so in hopes that he will ‘beat the market over time’. The truth is that over any extended…
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Nine-year-old survives Phuket fire
PHUKET: A young boy escaped a fire that gutted his house on Tuesday morning near the Rajabhat Junction in Phuket Town. The fire caused at least 300,000 baht worth of damages, while the 9-year-old sustained minor injuries. “At about 9:30am, we received reports of a single story house on fire about 20 meters away from local Member of Parliment (MP)…
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Ex-Gov Chokchai bids farewell to Phuket after transfer order
PHUKET: Ex-Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan released a statement yesterday acknowledging and confirming his transfer to Bangkok. Governor Chokchai is among other high ranking officials slated for immediate transfers, and will be working as a ‘Special Inspector’ in Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s office. (story here). He was welcomed to the island with open arms and a barrage of supporters in September…
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Rawai residents battle floods after heavy rains
PHUKET: Rawai residents have gone into recovery mode after heavy rains in the area caused flooding yesterday afternoon. Inhabitants of the sea gypsy village in Moo 2 helped each other to transport their belongings to higher ground. “The water is about 20-50cm deep on the roads within a 100 meter radius. A number of vehicles were stranded and at least…
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Phuket Governor transferred out just six months into the job
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan has been transferred out after just six months on the job, with Norraphat Plodthong – previously Provincial Management Adviser at the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Interior – being named as his successor. As reported on the Phuket Gazette Facebook Page, last night, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) yesterday afternoon issued…
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Organizers, athletes celebrate close of Phuket off road triathlon
PHUKET: Athletes, families and friends came together at Layan Beach on Saturday for the ‘Xterra Off Road Triathlon and Trail Run’ organized by Active Management Asia (AMA) and Xterra Thailand. More than 350 athletes participated in six events, including triathlons, duathlons and trail runs. Winners of each event are as follows: Xterra Phuket Individual Triathlon Standard 1. Kieran McPherson (New…
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Laguna Phuket extends deadline on charity concert refund
PHUKET: Ticket holders for the Laguna Phuket ‘Big Body+ Charity Concert’ scheduled to be held on August 13, 2016 (story here) have been given an extended deadline to claim ticket refunds, until May 1, 2017. Laguna had previously announced, in September and December last year, that those who wished a full refund, or to contribute the amount toward donations to…
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Birthday-boy survives near-fatal Phuket crash
PHUKET: A local man celebrating his birthday was severely injured after his car collided with a construction barrier early this morning. Police received reports of the incident in front of the Great Glove factory on Si Sunthon road in Thalang at about 2am. “We arrived at the scene to find a badly damaged pick-up truck. The 37-year-old driver, Maysa Tongjub,…
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Phuket celebrity temporarily avoids Military draft, encourages others instead
PHUKET: A Thai celebrity today made an appeal to avoid being drafted in the military this year. The appeal was made at a recruitment drive that is set to receive 3,000 young men for military service from the province. The two-day event started this morning. Tanon Chamroen, Phuket-born winner of popular TV show ‘The Voice Thailand‘, sought his first deferment…
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Phuket Municipality brings in 150,000 baht at fishing festival
PHUKET: The Phuket Municipality Office hosted the 8th annual Fishing festival yesterday afternoon, raking in about 150,000 baht for shrine renovation and supporting education. Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana chaired the event, which took place at 4 pm at the Prince Chumphon Khet Udomsak Shrine in Saphan Hin. She also helped cook food to be distributed at the festival. “The…
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Swedish tourist dead at Phuket hotel after injury
PHUKET: A Swedish tourist succumbed to unidentified health issues in a Patong hotel room yesterday. “We arrived at the 4th floor room in the Patong Merlin hotel room to find the body of the 27-year-old woman on the bed. There were vomit stains on the bed and blanket,” said Lt Col Somsak Thongleang of Patong Police. According to the woman’s…
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Phuket bar fight ends in fatal stabbing, killer arrested
PHUKET: A man was stabbed to death by a fellow staff member at a Phuket Town bar early yesterday morning. “We found the body of Srichan Intaburi, 48 at a bar named Cowboy Pue Chiwit on Surin Road, with knife wounds to his chest and stomach. He was lying face up on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood,”…
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Opinion: What’s next for Laem Singh Beach
PHUKET: The controversy at Laem Singh Beach is just the latest in a long history of beach access disputes in Phuket, but this case raises so many issues that it is difficult to know where to begin the discussion. Taking power almost three years ago, Gen Prayuth and cohorts correctly made Phuket one of their top priorities, imposing measures to…
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Ghost riding Phuket motorcyclist killed in collision with British woman
PHUKET: A 62-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a car driven by a 31-year-old British woman in Thalang last night. “The accident occurred at about 9:05pm on Thepkrasattri Road (southbound) near the Shell gas station in Thalang. At the scene, we found the body of Pongsak Sripuek lying face down on the ground. His arms and legs were…
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