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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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Demolition execs charged over 4 Bangkok deaths
BANGKOK: Police have charged the managing director and engineer of a demolition firm over the collapse of an eight-storey building in Bangkok that killed four workers on Friday. Boy Ocean Star Company had insisted that it subcontracted the job to another firm, Mega Tools.However, police have charged Boy Ocean Star managing director Mana Kaewmanee and the firm’s engineer Kittipong Yootairomboon…
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One dead, another injured in gruesome Phuket collision
PHUKET: One tourist died and another was severely injured in a horrifying collision with a taxi, while riding their motorbike southbound on Thepkrasattri Road, in front of Baan Jee Teng this afternoon. Part of the deceased’s foot was sliced off and was still attached to the bike, while he also suffered serious injuries to his neck and head. The other…
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Samkong Underpass to be closed for opening ceremony
PHUKET: For the second time since its completion on October 31, the Samkong Underpass will be shut off to the public – this time from 10pm tonight to midday tomorrow for an official grand opening ceremony to be held on-site. The ceremony is scheduled for 7am-9am tomorrow, with Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan and Highways Department Chief Construction Engineer Parinya Sangsuwan…
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Pick-up truck burnt to a crisp in Phuket
PHUKET: Two minor explosions rocked Thalang this morning when a pick-up truck caught fire in the southbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road. The vehicle was burnt to a crisp with an estimated 600,000 baht in losses incurred. The driver of the vehicle escaped unharmed mere moments before the flames erupted. “The blue Toyota Vigo belonged to 34-year-old Wichai Buasri, who was…
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German tourist suffers brain hemorrhage after fight over bar tab
PHUKET: A German tourist was knocked unconscious from a severe head injury early yesterday morning, following a noisy brawl with bouncers at a Bangla Road bar. Thomas Rapp, 31, reportedly racked up a 2,000 baht bill following a night of heavy drinking at Dragon Night Bar on Soi Freedom. “Staff and other witnesses told us that Mr Rapp and a…
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Cobra captured in Chalong home
PHUKET: Snake catchers were called out to a house in Chalong yesterday to capture a large adult cobra that had hidden among antique jars in a store room. “We had to be really careful capturing this one, a female cobra, to make sure we didn’t damage the fragile jars, which were Chinese antiques,” said volunteer snake catcher Sayan Thummapan. Mr…
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Edible jellyfish help Krabi fishermen earn extra cash
KRABI: Fishermen in Krabi are earning extra cash by putting jellyfish on the menus in restaurants around the region. About 100 fishermen in Krabi’s Nhongtalay sub-district are cashing in on the unusual marine menu item, which is edible and does not sting, selling the ‘Lodchong’ jellyfish for up to seven baht apiece. Local council member Udon Bootlhee said the Lodchong…
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Two demolition workers killed in Sukhumvit building collapse
BANGKOK: Two construction workers were killed in Bangkok yesterday when an eight-storey building under demolition on Sukhumvit Soi 87 collapsed. Rescue workers, police and fire-fighters continue their search for the workers this morning, as they are believed to be trapped under the debris. It was initially reported that four workers were in the building, said Noppadol Chaipanya, head of the…
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Krabi village inundated with fly swarms
KRABI: Locals have appealed to authorities for help after thousands of flies infested their homes and neighborhood this week. Villagers in Pru Dindarn sub-district, Khlongthom District say the source of the flies is a chicken farm located about 100 meters from their village. “The flies have caused a lot of trouble for us as they swarm everywhere inside our houses.…
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Trouble makers warned of dire consequences after mysterious luggage causes panic in Phuket
PHUKET: The Explosive Ordnance Unit (EoD) responded to a bomb scare at Phuket’s old bus terminal in Talad Yai District yesterday evening. Phuket City Police officers received reports of an incident at about 6pm, regarding a blue suitcase that had been left next to a power pole opposite the CN Restaurant. Police Lt Apichart Musikasang arrived at the scene with…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Aiming your feet at Thais
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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Change of contact information for Phuket Gazette
The Phuket Gazette wishes to inform it’s readers of a change in contact information. With immediate effect, our readers, customers and business partners can contact us on 076-615244. The change in numbers has been caused by the cessation of business of TT&T and takeover of their services in Koh Kaew by the TOT. We regret any inconvenience caused and thank…
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Opinion: Change Phuket’s tired old safety script
PHUKET: The high season is well upon us and the Marine Department and related agencies are working hard to ensure tourist safety at sea. Despite relatively calm conditions at this time of year, the highly-seasonal ‘feast or famine’ nature of Phuket tourism makes this a stressful period for those responsible for public safety offshore. This is due primarily to the…
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Phuket Gov slashes accidental death target by more than half
PHUKET: Safety on the roads and waterways in and around Phuket is a “top priority” for the high season, Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan has declared, as is customary at provincial hall this time of year. In a meeting with police, disaster prevention officials and public health department heads on December 7, Governor Chokchai set a target of less than 50…
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French tourists robbed in Phuket
PHUKET: A man was arrested for robbing a French couple in Cherng Talay last night. The tourists (whose names have been withheld by police request) flew back to France this morning after being reunited with their belongings shortly after the incident occurred. “According to the couple’s statement and witnesses’ accounts, they were walking near Zscape Condo, between Cherng Talay and…
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Crash victim impaled in grisly Phuket collision, one critical in ICU
PHUKET: A man ended up in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and a woman was severely injured in a gruesome high-speed motorbike collision in Thalang yesterday morning. Captain Suporn Muangkhai of Thalang Police received reports of the incident about 6:30am and arrived at the scene on Khaow Laan intersection, Srisoonthorn Road to find Kitti Chareonrat, 37, lying underneath a motorbike…
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Two injured as truck crashes into utility pole in Phuket
PHUKET: Two people were injured when a trailer truck carrying a backhoe crashed into an electric pole in Phuket’s Thalang yesterday afternoon. Thalang Police received news of the crash on Thepkrasattri Road northbound at about 3:45pm. Officials and rescue workers rushed to the scene where they found the truck trapped in a jumble of wires. “The front side of the…
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Teen robbery suspect on the run after bag snatch arrest
PHUKET: A suspected 19-year-old thief is on the run after escaping from police custody today while he was being questioned about his involvement in a failed ride-by robbery attempt on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Town yesterday (story here) The teen was arrested after he and an accomplice allegedly snatched a bag from a female student on a motorbike, who…
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Kazakhstani tourist dies after falling from Phuket hotel
PHUKET: A Kazakhstani tourist died after falling from the balcony of a 5th floor hotel room in Patong early this morning. Patong Police Chief Lt Col Weerapong Rakhito received reports of the incident at about 4am from the D1 Hotel on Phra Metta Road. “We arrived to find the 42-year-old man still alive, lying face up on the asphalt with…
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Phuket student chases down bag snatchers
PHUKET: A brave university student kept her cool and chased down a couple of bag snatchers in Phuket Town yesterday afternoon, leading to one robber’s arrest, as well as the retrieval of her belongings. The victim, named by police as Chompoonut Noparat, was riding a bike on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Town when a man and a woman on…
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Phuket’s new marine chief talks safety
PHUKET: Surat Siriasaiyas is currently the chief of the Phuket Marine Office. He was appointed to the post after six months of Phuket having only an acting head, since ex-chief Phuriphat Theerakulpisut was transferred to Nonthaburi in February. Here, he talks about his major concerns regarding marine safety and management in Phuket. The hot issues in the marine industry in…
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Phuket officials warn locals against eagle attacks
PHUKET: Officials have issued a warning to Kamala locals to beware of an eagle that has attacked four people since Sunday. Details of the incidents were shared on social media by Seree Lapmak, deputy president of the Kamala OrBorTor. “I believe that the eagle was either released or escaped from somewhere. There have been four injuries so far, with some…
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Parked car bursts into flames
PHUKET: A car parked outside an apartment in Talad Nua spontaneously caught fire yesterday afternoon. The vehicle’s owner, Nathanan Ubonkun, had parked the car in a space behind Poopara Apartment in the morning and left it there, returning at 12:40, after being told by locals that her car was on fire. The inside of the car on the driver’s side…
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Island View: Train road workers in Phuket
PHUKET: Travelling in my car along Thepkrasattri Road at dusk from Thalang the other day, I hit a strip of the three-lane highway that was being resurfaced. The roadwork crew had enough forethought to put a grimy 40km/hr speed limit sign on the median strip, just before motorists hit the edge of the freshly gouged surface, as well as a…
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True breeze brings King’s Cup Regatta to a close on high note
PHUKET: The final day of racing off Kata Beach for the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta on Saturday saw all classes of boats competing in only one race each, making the most of good winds in the afternoon after light conditions earlier in the day. A royal award ceremony presided over by HE Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pukbhasuk, personal representative of…
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Police crash victim succumbs to head injury
PHUKET: A Phuket City Police officer involved in a collision in Thalang on December 1 succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, after fighting for his life for nine days at the Intensive Care Unit at Vachira Phuket Hospital. The 23-year-old officer, Lance Corporal Thanakorn Jimjuan, suffered a severe head injury after crashing into a metal barrier surrounding the Heroines’ Monument…
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Property Watch: Not everything can be ‘unique’
PHUKET: No other word suffers as much abuse in the Phuket property market as the word ‘unique’, to the extent that the misuse itself is almost unique. The word is important for property investors, because the ‘Unique Selling Point’ is a factor that ought to be addressed at an early stage of investment. However, items that are not unique could…
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Man found dead at home, roommate missing
PHUKET: A construction worker was found dead in his room in Patong yesterday afternoon. Police are looking for his roommate, who disappeared after he was seen drinking with him Thursday night. “We received a report at about 12:30pm of a dead man in a room on Pisitkoranee Road,” said Lt Sirinat Cherdchutrakulthong of the Patong Police. “When we arrived, we…
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Relief kits distributed to flood-hit southern provinces
PHUKET: The provincial Public Health Office yesterday morning sent relief packages of food and medical supplies to flood-hit southern provinces including Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Trang, Phatthalung and Songkhla. Residents in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Pak Phanang district have urged state agencies to help drain floodwater from the Pak Phanang River Basin before their farms, including rubber, oil palm and…
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Compromise reached with new site for Patong vendors
PHUKET: The long-standing dispute between Patong Municipality and Loma Park vendors regarding expiration of rental contracts and alleged violation of beach management rules was concluded after both parties reached an agreement yesterday afternoon. A meeting between the two parties held on November 1 was chaired by Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamorthan and lasted several hours. It ended in a deadlock, however,…
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