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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Phuket shelter elephant causes ownership dispute
PHUKET: A Krabi man has filed a complaint at the Damrongdhama Center after an elephant he claims was stolen from him 14 years ago turned up with a new owner in Phuket. Somsak Riangnguen, 35, said he bought the elephant (named ‘Yo’) and registered him in Surin Province in 2001. “In 2003, I took Yo to work in Krabi, where…
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Couple die by electrocution at Phuket resort
PHUKET: A Myanmar couple died by electrocution while working at a Rawai resort last night. “The resort is located on Soi Sermsook, Moo 4. We found the body of Min Thaik Non, 29, lying face up on the ground near the bathroom door. We also found a woman’s body lying face down inside the bathroom. She was named by police…
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Former policeman and wife killed in four vehicle pile up
PHUKET: A former police lieutenant and his wife were killed, while three others were injured in a four-car crash in Phuket’s neighboring Phang Nga province this afternoon. Capt Chalermsak Aksornpian of Thai Mueang Police arrived at the scene on Petchkasem Road with rescue workers. “We arrived to find the road littered with metal and plastic car pieces, glass and blood.…
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Phuket locals protest closure of access to Laem Singh Beach
PHUKET: Officials from the Ministry of Justice visited Laem Singh Beach this morning to follow up on a long-standing land dispute between the public, particularly local Thai people and thousands of foreign tourists, and an organization called ‘Bangkok Broadcasting & Television Co Ltd (BB&T)’. The company, which airs Thai national television Channel 7, has announced that starting April 17, they…
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Phuket Roads: Two more critically injured in five-vehicle crash
PHUKET: Two people were seriously injured after a speeding truck driver lost control and hit two parked vehicles, two motorbikes and a restaurant in Thalang again last night. “The accident occurred in the southbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road in front of the Makamdeekwai restaurant. According to witnesses, an Isuzu pick-up, driven by Amorn Det-Aran, 29, was making a U-turn at…
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Large vessels banned from fishing during spawning season
PHUKET: Large fishing vessels will be banned from working in the southern Andaman Sea during the spawning season, from April 1 to June 30, the Fisheries Department announced yesterday. About 4,696 square kilometers of fishing space will be closed off in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang. “According to our research, most marine life in the Andaman breeds between April…
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Ta Chai island to remain closed, says DNP
PHUKET: The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has announced that Ta Chai island is to remain closed ‘until further improvement’ has taken place. The island was indefinitely closed off for all tourists and visitors in May last year, with officials citing ‘marine life recovery and restoration’ as the primary reason (story here). Several groups, including the…
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Korean tourists and dive instructor ‘hunted’ for damaging coral off Phuket
PHUKET: A concerned diver captured pictures of Korean tourists and their Thai dive instructor stepping on coral while diving at Koh Racha Yai yesterday. The diver then shared the snaps with other divers and officials in the hopes of bringing the offenders to justice. A social media user who calls himself ‘Seaman Freeman’ shared the pictures of ‘Try Dive’ activities…
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Defunct Phuket travel company sold out at auction
PHUKET: The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has sold all of Tranlee Travel Co’s assets, 151 items in all, after four auctions yielded total revenue of only 204 million baht (approx US$6 million). The last auction was held yesterday at Phuket City Municipality (story here), where the company’s last 15 buses were sold off. Pawornan Thamanyatanan of the AMLO led the…
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Canadian tourist found dead in Phuket
PHUKET: A 49-year-old Canadian tourist was found dead in a condo in Kathu this morning. He is believed to have been dead for at least two days before his body was discovered. Police received a report of the incident at about 11am from ‘Plus Condo 1’. “We noticed a peculiar smell outside his room, which was on the 6th floor.…
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Phuket to receive B71bn for infrastructure, traffic management
PHUKET: Phuket is slated to receive 71 billion baht in infrastructure funding, with an emphasis on improving traffic management and chalking out effective solutions for the island’s growing traffic woes, the Ministry of Transport announced yesterday. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith held a meeting at the Phuket Boat Lagoon with relevant officers to discuss details of the plan. “Phuket has one…
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Opinion: False killer whales come to Phuket
PHUKET: The sighting of false killer whales by a group of lucky marine tourists in Phuket last week should serve as a reminder that despite mankind’s demonstrated ability to shape our environment, there is still a lot going on around us that we understand poorly – or not at all. The ‘aliens among us’ theme has served as a fertile…
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Troops of monkeys go swimming during heatwave
KRABI: At least a hundred monkeys climbed down a hill to cool off in a pool of water at Wat Tham Sue in Krabi yesterday. Krabi has not seen rain for about two months and this particular area has experienced a severe rise in temperature. “The monkeys climbed down into the pool, close to where tourists had come down for…
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Live coral planted at artificial reef off Phuket
PHUKET: More than 250 pieces of live natural coral (coralline algae) were added to an artificial coral reef in Koh Mai Thon by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) this past weekend. The event was chaired by Kasem Sukwaree, chief of the Phuket office of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE). More than 150 people attended…
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Phuket partygoers injured in early morning crash
PHUKET: Yet another ‘drowsy’ driver and his two passengers were injured yesterday morning when their vehicle overturned near a Koh Kaew gas station. “We found an upside down Honda CRV stuck to a power pole near the PTT station on Thepkrasattri Road. All three occupants were trapped inside the car and rescue workers had to use Jaws of Life to…
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Business Buzz: Establish your online presence from scratch
PHUKET: Many people have asked me how to get started with an online presence, so I have put together a quick overview assuming I was starting from scratch (but knowing what I do now). Facebook Page The very first thing you could do is start a Facebook fan page. This can easily be set up without any skill, cost or…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Nobody sees your actions
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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AMA, Xterra bring off road triathlon, trail run to Phuket [video]
PHUKET: Xterra Thailand and Active Management Asia (AMA) have partnered up to organize the ‘Xterra Off Road Triathlon and Trail Run’ on April 1 in Phuket. Following the success of Xterra Samui held last year, the company is now hosting its debut event in the ‘Xterra Asia Pacific and World Series 2017- Road to Hawaii’. The trail run event, part…
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Phuket, Nakhon Sri Thammarat seek mutual economic benefit
PHUKET: Phuket and Nakhon Sri Thammarat signed a Memorandum of Understanding yesterday, titled ‘Imagine Nakhon Sri Thammarat & Phuket 2017: A new Economic and Tourism Cooperation Development’. The MOU was signed at Phuket Provincial Hall by Phuket Governor Chokchai Dajamornthan and Nakhon Sri Thammarat Govenor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, with other relevant government officers and private sector officials in attendance. “The purpose…
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Phuket tourism operators display their wares in Berlin
PHUKET: At least 28 hotel and tourism operators from the Andaman region participated in the ‘International Tourism Bourse (ITB) 2017’ event held from March 1-12 in Berlin, Germany. Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan, Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) President Sathirapong Na Takuatoong, as well as officials from OrBorJor Phuket and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) were among those present. Her Royal Highness…
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Shamed Phuket travel company’s assets to be auctioned
PHUKET: The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is auctioning off 15 assets, worth about 15 million baht, of Tranlee Travel Co Ltd on Monday. Tranlee was an established, full-function tour service provider in Phuket until July last year, when police arrested a senior director and shareholder for allegedly faking two Thai national ID cards used to register the business (story here).…
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Ukranian severely injured in nightmarish Phuket accident
PHUKET: A Ukrainian woman was critically injured in a horrific car crash in Kathu yesterday. “The accident occurred at about 6:30pm on Phra Phuket Kaew Road, near Bang Jak gas station. At the scene, we found a severely damaged black Toyota Vios with the roof almost entirely blown off,” said Capt Watthana Bamrungthin of Kathu Police. “The victim, Kateryna Mizerniuk,…
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‘Slippery roads’ claim yet another victim in Phuket
PHUKET: An unidentified Thai man died after he fell from his bike and was hit by a van in Karon this afternoon. “The accident took place at about 2:10pm on the uphill road from Chalong to Karon. At the scene, we found a man aged 30-35 years, lying in the middle of the road, with no identification documents on him,”…
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Phuket locals, officials team up to clean up
PHUKET: Officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) joined hands with locals, students and sea gypsies in a trash collection effort at Koh Sireh this morning. A team of 150 people, including Phuket Vice Governor Sanith Sriwihok and Somchai Maisatian of the MNRE, gathered at Laem Tukkae Beach at about 10am. “The focus of this campaign is…
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Finance: Russians slated to return to Phuket
PHUKET: The economy of Phuket will pick up over the next couple of years because the Russian economy, ruble and stock market are finally recovering. Russia’s energy and commodity driven economy was hit hard by low energy and commodity prices, along with President Obama’s sanctions in response to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and other troubles in Eastern Ukraine.…
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Phuket ‘snake master’ captures king cobra in minutes
PHUKET: Bang Tao locals were stunned when a local snake catcher managed to capture a three-meter-long king cobra with his bare hands in a matter of minutes yesterday evening. The incident occurred at a house in Bang Tao Soi 7 at about 5pm yesterday. A local woman, Kob, saw the snake making its way into her neighbor Surin Bilabdullah’s house,…
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Video: B5mn worth of damages caused in Phuket fire
PHUKET: No injuries were reported in an early morning fire, in which at least five shop-houses were burned down in Thalang today. The flames caused an estimated 5 million baht worth of losses, but officials believe that this number may turn out to be higher as more accurate estimates emerge. “We received a report about the fire at about 4:30am…
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Ladyboy injured after jumping off Phuket bridge
PHUKET: An unidentified ladyboy was seriously injured after jumping off a bridge in Rawai early this morning. “Locals reported the incident at about 1:30am. We found her lying unconscious on the ground under the bridge, without any identification documents on her person,” said Lt Col Kanaen Somrak of Chalong Police. Police told Phuket Gazette reporters that she looked to be…
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Suspects hangs himself in Phuket holding cell
PHUKET: A man arrested for trespassing died after he hanged himself in a holding cell at Cherng Talay Police Station early this morning. The suspect, Rossaniyom Putdee, 29, made a noose out of his T-shirt and tied it to a bar inside his cell. His body was taken to Thalang Hospital for further examination. He had been arrested at about…
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Taxi flips on main Phuket thoroughfare
PHUKET: A taxi driver escaped with minor injuries after he flipped his vehicle on Thepkrasattri Road yesterday afternoon. “We found an upside-down green-plated Toyota Altis taxi in the middle of the southbound lane,” said Lt Suporn Muangkai of Thalang Police. The driver, Piyapat Sae-Ong, 47, experienced chest pains from the crash and was taken to Thalang Hospital for treatment. “He…
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