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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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Phuket Gov launches flood donation drive
PHUKET: A special unit to help those affected by the floods in southern provinces was set up by Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan yesterday. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office opened for donations such as rice, instant noodles, water and other dried foods for distribution in the south. “The floods have affected Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani,…
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Phuket Bus flips and crashes in Krabi
PHUKET: A bus headed from Phuket to Trang flipped on its side and crashed into a power pole in Krabi last night, injuring the driver and 22 passengers on board. The crash took place on Petch Kasem Road in the Baan Klang sub-district. Capt Suwit Kaewpreecha of Ao Luek Police received the report about 8:30pm. “It happened on a straight…
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Phuket police hunt for exotic marine creature smugglers
PHUKET: Phuket officials intercepted a delivery of exotic marine creatures on a Bangkok-bound bus at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint about 7pm yesterday. Several rare and endangered marine creatures were found hidden in the luggage compartment when officials stopped the bus for a random check. “We were conducting checks in accordance with the orders of Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen.…
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Van numbers to decrease by 2019
BANGKOK: As many as 40,000 inter-provincial passenger vans could be taken off Thailand’s roads by 2019 because they are not appropriate for public transportation, Deputy Prime Minister Wisanu Krue-Ngam said today. PM Wisanu said that the Transport Ministry’s proposal to use Article 44 of the interim charter to immediately tackle the problem with passenger vans did not solely stem from…
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Swiss man “lost and found’ after two days
PHUKET: An elderly Swiss man who had wandered off from his Karon rental house two days ago was found in Thalang this morning. Rescue workers arrived at the scene after they received a call from locals regarding the man about 10am. “The man was found by locals sitting at a grocery store in Baan Lipon. When they couldn’t communicate with…
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Jail breaking teen finally arrested
PHUKET: A 19-year-old robbery suspect who escaped a police station while being interrogated for his crime was finally arrested yesterday in the northern province of Maha Sarakham. The suspect, named as Chaiwalan Pennuanong, was first arrested on December 13 of last year, after he and his accomplice stole a girl’s bag – the girl subsequently chased them down and crashed…
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One dead, one severely injured in Phuket truck crash
PHUKET: One man was killed and another seriously injured when a watermelon delivery truck crashed into the steel pillars surrounding the Heroines’ Monument early this morning. Police and rescue workers rushed to the scene about 5:45am. “The truck was stuck to the pillars, while pieces of broken fruit were strewn everywhere. Rescue workers had to separate the vehicle from the…
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Business: Thailand’s airports to get overhauls
PHUKET: As authorities anticipate 34 million foreign-tourist arrivals and 150 million domestic air travellers in 2017, major airports including Phuket International, Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang International, U-tapao Rayong-Pattaya International, Krabi International and Chiang Rai Mae Fah Luang International are undergoing renovations or expansion. Meanwhile, there have been calls for some small airports upcountry, such as in Roi-et, Nakhon Ratchasima and Hua…
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Officials hunt perpetrators defacing coral
PHUKET: Officials are hunting for six people suspected of stepping on coral, stealing live coral and feeding fish in Koh Racha between Monday and Tuesday. This move by officials comes after locals at Koh Racha tried to stop an Asian tourist from taking a bagful of coral from the island earlier this week and asked authorities to take immediate action…
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Foreigners caught stealing motorbike on CCTV
PHUKET: Police are hunting for two foreigners who allegedly stole a motorbike in Patong last night. A Facebook user named ‘Tangchuemailaew Ngong Ah Di’ posted a CCTV video, at about 10:40am today, that showed the two unidentified foreign men watching a Thai man drive up and park his bike on the side of the road. The man opened the trunk…
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Four injured in another routine Patong Hill crash
PHUKET: Four people were injured when a six-wheeler crashed into the side of the road on Patong Hill early this morning. Rescue workers arrived at the scene a little after 1:30am to find the truck on its side, with the driver and passengers still stuck inside. “The truck was on it’s way from Patong to Phuket Town and had fallen…
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Severe weather warning issued for Phuket, southern provinces
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office (PMO) today issued a warning for all boats to proceed with caution and for small boats to not leave shore tomorrow or Saturday, due to large waves and predictions of heavy rain. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued a weather warning, titled ‘Heavy to Very Heavy Rain in Lower South and Strong Wind Waves in…
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Thailand denies allegations of fake rice exports to US
PHUKET: Thai government officials yesterday denied allegations by a Facebook user from the United States who last week claimed that when she cooked rice imported from Thailand, she realized it contained plastic. The user, named as Felicity Prak, posted two photos and one video, showing the rice getting stuck to the pan and getting burnt. The post has received more…
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Phuket police investigate series of holiday break-ins
PHUKET: Police are investigating a car break-in at Saphan Hin Park on Tuesday night, reported to be one of at least 15 such cases that occurred throughout Phuket during the holiday period. Phuket City Police officers received a report that someone had broken into a white Honda City by smashing the driver’s side window. “The car owner, named Supawaan Whamaak,…
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Koh Racha ‘conservationists’ call for end to coral theft
PHUKET: Locals in Koh Racha are raising concerns about coral theft after an Asian tourist was caught taking a bag full of coral on a boat bound for Phuket earlier this week. “I was shocked and unhappy to see her carrying our precious coral in a plastic bag, so I tried to talk to her and asked her to return…
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Horrific Chonburi collision spurs talks of change
CHON BURI: The Transport Ministry plans to strictly control passenger vans and replace them with buses after the fiery accident in Chon Buri on Monday caused 25 fatalities. The Bangkok-bound minivan from Chanthaburi ran into a pickup truck loaded with passengers and both vehicles burst into flames, killing 14 people in the van and 11 in the pickup. Two passengers…
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Finance: Stocks are hot, bonds are not
PHUKET: The post election weeks have seen many leadership stocks take off, with the overall breadth of the market uptrend being impressive. The market is being led higher by both small and mid cap stocks, plus sectors like energy, materials, industrial, technology and the economically sensitive Dow Transports – all positive signs for even higher stock prices in the months…
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Phuket cabaret employee caught stealing on video
PHUKET: A cabaret show employee was caught on video while expertly stealing a pair of sunglasses from a woman’s bag on Sunday night. The 32-second clip, which shows a uniformed employee of the Aphrodite Cabaret Show in Kathu pretending to pose with a tourist while digging his hand into her bag to extract the glasses, went viral on social media…
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Gang of seven rob undercover officers, charged with theft
PHUKET: A gang of seven was arrested for attacking and robbing two undercover police officers in Phuket Town on Sunday morning. The Phuket City Police officers went straight to their station to report the crime and worked together with Col Kamol Osiri in order to locate the suspects via CCTV footage. “The teens had robbed the officers of two guns,…
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Samui expats rescue tourists from drowning
SAMUI: Two Russian tourists luckily escaped drowning on New Year’s Day when a group of expats dove in to rescue them from ferocious waves at Chaweng Noi Beach in Koh Samui. Officials had placed red warning flags advising the public not to swim that day due to the rough seas, but the man and woman, both believed to be in…
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Shorter peak season expected in Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket is bound to experience a shorter peak season this year due to a change in the market, and it is a matter of concern for hospitality firms when it comes to the low season, says Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks. “In previous peak seasons, rates or surcharges had benefited many hotels in Phuket, but this year…
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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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Officials hunt for owner of illegal fishing boats
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy and the Illegal Fishing Suppression unit are trying to locate the owners of seven fishing vessels that faked nationality documents to enter Phuket in November last year. The vessels, with 10 crew members on board, were denied entry when officials checked the ownership documents stating Bolivian ownership that turned out to be forged (story here).…
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Two deaths on day 4 of “Seven Days of Danger’
PHUKET: After a three-day run with no road related fatalities, day 4 of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ campaign saw two deaths in accidents on Phuket’s roads. The first incident occurred at 2:10am yesterday, when 24-year-old Patcharin Taosanit crashed her motorbike into a power pole in Rawai. The second incident occurred about 5pm when 26-year-old Chalermluck Ongwimonkarn crashed into a…
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No deaths on Day 2 of “Seven Days of Danger’
PHUKET: The 2nd day of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ in Phuket ended with zero deaths and 9 injuries, according to official statistics provided by the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). The current road safety campaign, which is held nationwide during peak holiday seasons (only), runs from December 29, 2016 to January 4, 2017.…
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Phuket crocodile show goes wrong
PHUKET: A crocodile show in Chalong went wrong yesterday afternoon when one of the crocodiles attacked a performer. The reptile, measuring more than 6 feet in length, snapped its jaws around the wrist of the man and twisted its body. He, in turn, managed to spin in the same direction and saved his wrist from a possible fracture. He is…
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Paralympian visits Phuket during 10,000km journey
PHUKET: A Thai paralympic athlete stopped by Phuket on Wednesday as part of his mission to travel more than 10,000 kilometers over 74 provinces in his wheelchair in honor of the late Monarch, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Phuyin Khumnaan, 41, scored a silver medal at the Asian Boat Race in China this year, along with his girlfriend ‘AJ’. He…
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Krabi officials, transport companies team up for holiday road safety
KRABI: A task force to check transport buses and their drivers has set up camp at the Krabi Bus Terminal during the long New Year weekend. The group, formed by the Krabi Department of Land Transport (DLT), has teamed up with 17 bus service companies to ensure that brakes on all buses and vans are operational. The drivers will also…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Trying to bribe fish
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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Patong Beach road to close for New Year’s Eve
PHUKET: The Patong Traffic Police have sent out an official notice announcing the closure of the beach road (Taweewong Road) tomorrow night. The thoroughfare will be shut down from 11:30pm-1am as a security measure, as well as to manage traffic as thousands of people march to the beach for the countdown to the new year.
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