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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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Russian family of five survives speedboat sinking
KRABI: A Russian family of five, a guide and a coxswain were rescued yesterday evening after their speedboat sprang a leak and sank in Phang Nga Bay. Thanbok Khoranee National Park Chief Champen Pompakdee and a team of officers arrived at the scene – 5 sea miles (over 9 km) from Koh Hong – in three boats and successfully rescued…
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French Consul to hold first aid workshop
PHUKET: The French Honorary Consul of Phuket is holding the first in a series of basic first aid workshops at Bangkok Hospital Phuket on November 17. Organized in collaboration with Bonjour Phuket, the workshop starts at 7pm and will be conducted in French, comprising about 15 minutes of theory by a qualified medic from Noumea Hospital, followed by practical demonstration…
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Phuket yacht dealer sells first Ferretti 850 in Asia
PHUKET: Phuket-based yacht dealership Lee Marine today announced the first sale in Asia of the new Ferretti 850 luxury cruising yacht. The recent sale of the new vessel from Italian designers Ferretti Yachts is sure to raise the bar once again for pleasure yachts in this class, said Lee Marine founder and managing director Joshua Lee. “The Ferretti 850’s dynamic…
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RTN still searching for missing Russian in Similan
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy is still searching for a Russian man who went missing in the Similan Islands last week. Aleksei Stashkov reportedly disappeared last Sunday while swimming at Koh Payan, Similan Islands, on a trip with his cousin, Mikhail Kolmogorov, 60 (story here). Mr Kolmogorov filed a missing persons report last Tuesday after he came across navy personnel…
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Russian tourist dies after Bang Tao swim
PHUKET: A Russian tourist who went swimming at Bang Tao Beach yesterday evening was pronounced dead shortly after lifeguards pulled him from the sea. “Petr Agapov, 57, and his wife had been staying at the Amora Beach Resort in Cherngtalay since November 2,” Phuket City Police Major Nattaya Suphanpong told the Phuket Gazette, after receiving confirmation at 9pm from Vachira…
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Tourist associations tackle overcharging of Chinese visitors
PHUKET: Two Chinese associations in Phuket came together at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint Sunday to distribute brochures detailing ‘fair pricing’ information in order to protect Chinese tourists from being ripped off by tour operators. Ronnarit Cheunsangarun of the Thai Chinese Tourism Association, Phuket Office; Nonpuree Patarakumakornsakul of the Phuket Chinese Guide Association; and other representatives from both associations handed out…
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Royal wreath ceremony held to honor fallen Phuket soldier
PHUKET: A Royal wreath placing ceremony was held at Wat Sopon Wanaram (Pa Khlok Temple) on Saturday to honor fallen soldier Thanapon Kaewpetch, a native of Phuket, who was shot dead while on duty in the Deep South last week. Private Thanapon joined the military on November 1 last year. He was killed while guarding the Thai military installation in…
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Business Buzz: Think before you share online
PHUKET: This month we are going to cover a range of things that have been topical recently, and a timely reminder of what is important locally. I am going to show my age as a Generation Xer. Growing up, compared to now, things are a little bit different. Whenever we had to do a study assignment, we used to go…
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Phuket Gazette bags ‘Best Newspaper in South Thailand’ award
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette is honored to have been named ‘Best Newspaper in South Thailand’ at the prestigious Thailand Professionals Business & Lifestyle Awards in Bangkok on Saturday night. In presenting the award, the organizers noted that readership was the key criterion in arriving at their decision to favor the Gazette. “With national distribution throughout Thailand, the newspaper is the…
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DDPM drains flooded areas in Krabi
KRABI: The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Krabi began draining water from about 50 rai of land yesterday morning, after heavy rains in Khao Kram sub-district flooded a mosque, a house and a road in the area. The water level was measured to be 1.5 meters deep, and sometimes goes up to two meters during periods of heavy…
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Phuket to hold commemorative event for HM’s 30-day passing
PHUKET: Phuket is set to hold a commemorative event for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 30-days passing this weekend. Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan has invited everyone across the island to come and pay their respects to His Majesty the King at Laem Prom Thep (Promthep Cape), Rawai, this Saturday at 3pm. The public is also invited to join in the…
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Phuket man dies during final act of kindness
PHUKET: A good Samaritan who volunteered to help remove trees that had fallen and trapped cars in Pa Khlok yesterday passed out while he was doing it and was later pronounced dead at Thalang Hospital. Social media user Suchat Leucha posted a message on Facebook which read: “Deeply sorry about the passing of a kind old man, who along with…
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Island View: House hunting in Phuket
PHUKET: I’ve been living the good life at a posh little condo in Kathu for a couple of years now. I’ve changed to at least four different apartments, but all in the same complex, because I liked the idea of having a pool and a gym I can use daily. However, I’ve come to realize that I may be paying…
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Mon motorcyclist mugs Russian clubber in Patong
PHUKET: A Mon man was arrested on Saturday for robbing a Russian woman in a dark alley when she took a ride with him after leaving a night club on Bangla Road at 2am looking for a taxi. The 30-year-old victim, named by police only as ‘Victoria’, said she was beaten and robbed by Samlee Sangjan, 27, on Tuesday after…
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Drinking session leads to stabbing death in Srisoonthorn
PHUKET: A 23-year-old man died in Thalang last night after he was stabbed in the neck and chest by his 31-year-old drinking buddy. Thalang police confirmed this morning that the body of Boonnam Ravea, 23, was found in a pool of blood at a house in Moo 7 in Srisoonthorn at 12:30am. Mr Boonnam’s body had stab wounds under his…
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1 killed, 26 injured as coach to Phuket flips on wet bend
PHANGNGA: One man was killed and 26 passengers injured when the driver of a double-decker bus lost control in a sharp curve on a wet road in Phang Nga yesterday afternoon. The bus left the road and flipped, ending up on its side, crumpling the top deck and killing a naval officer based at the Third Area Naval Command in…
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Australian tourist injured in elephant attack
PHUKET: An Australian tourist was hospitalized after he was attacked by an elephant chained to a tree inside a forest in Mai Khao. “Chan Yong Shun, 62, had gone for a walk in the area on Monday, when he came across the four-year-old elephant named Namwan and moved closer to take a picture,” said Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Prawit…
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Flash floods cause massive traffic jam in Phuket
PHUKET: Flash flooding has caused a major traffic jam on Thepkrasattri Road southbound, with hundreds of vehicles trying to make their way through the catastrophe this afternoon. Police and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers are redirecting small vehicles and motorcycles to use the alternative road in front of Phuket Muang Thalang School. The flood occurred north of Thalang Town after hours…
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Busted again: Ex-convict arrested for drug possession
PHUKET: A 21-year-old ex-convict was arrested with 48,700 pills of ya bah (amphetamine), while her two accomplices are on the run from police. Papawadee Yuanset was arrested near a mangrove forest in Pa Khlok about 5pm yesterday. She had previously been sentenced for possession of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) with intent to sell and was released from prison about a…
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Finance: Watching elections and electronics
PHUKET: October is known for volatility and a stock market pullback just before the US election could still happen. However, over the past several weeks, I have been seeing defensive stocks weaken and growth stocks start to strengthen. There has also been some movement back into IPOs which could be signs of a speculative bull market forming. Aside from the…
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Opinion: Every cloud has a silver lining
PHUKET: The flooding that inundated many parts of the island late last week is an indication that massive capital investment in various flood-prevention schemes is a remedy that has to contend with land-use planning and construction oversights that have characterized Phuket’s often erratic ‘development’ over the years. One of the worst-hit areas was Patong, where scores of businesses and residences…
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Four foreigners arrested for theft
HUA HIN: Four foreigners were arrested in Hua Hin on Wednesday for breaking into a car and stealing 188,000 baht in cash in Surat Thani on Monday. The suspects were named as Nofadly Bin Bakhtiar from Malaysia, and Asis Bin Bakar, Agung Pratama and Arie Darma from Indonesia. “On Monday, the victim, 72-year-old Niyom Srisawat, withdrew 188,000 baht in cash…
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Dropped candle blamed for Phuket blaze
PHUKET: A candle falling onto a bed is believed to have been the cause of a fire which gutted a row of five houses in Thalang last night. No one was injured in the blaze, which broke out at 10pm in the Baan Mak Prok community and quickly spread to nearby houses, Tah Chat Chai Police Capt Thanom Thongpan told…
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Body of fallen Phuket soldier returns home
PHUKET: The body of a soldier, shot dead while on duty in Pattani last night, was brought back to his home in Phuket’s Pa Khlok sub-district today. Private Thanapon Kaewpetch, 23, had completed his term as a soldier, but had been carrying on his duty voluntarily. Phuket officials and army personnel, led by Gen Akom Pongprom of the 41st Military…
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Free trip to Grand Palace for Phuketians in mourning
PHUKET: Phuketians wishing to pay their respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej can now avail themselves of a free trip to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. “The Ministry of Interior has made arrangements for people to visit the Grand Palace from 9am-4pm every day,” said Phuket Governor Chokchai Dejamornthan. “Therefore, we plan to take people from Phuket to Bangkok…
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Shooting suspect arrested in Phuket
PHUKET: A suspect wanted for shooting and injuring a boat crew member last week was arrested yesterday in Rassada. The victim, named Suchat Hetthong, was injured when a heated argument led to a shootout at his home near Koh Sirey Bridge (story here). “Our investigations led us to arrest one of the suspects, named Parin Supalak, 18, at his rented…
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Indebted Phuket man found hanged
PHUKET: A motorbike taxi driver was found hanged in a room in Patong last night, along with a letter nearby. “We found the body of Boonchai Tongsirikul, 65, hanging from a nylon rope in a room on Pisitkoranee Road,” said Capt Sininat Cherdchutrakulthong of the Patong Police. “There were no signs of a struggle or any violence inflicted on his…
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B5mn worth of damages in Phuket plant fire
PHUKET: A power controller at the Patong water treatment plant caught fire early Tuesday morning, causing an estimated 5 million baht worth of damages. “Firefighters took 20 minutes to put out the blaze. Nearby locals reported a loud explosion, followed by smoke and flames from the plant,” said Patong Police chief Lt Col Weerapong Rakhito, who inspected the site soon…
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Five years for molester of American tourist
KRABI: The Thai man who sexually assaulted 23-year-old American tourist Hannah Michel Gavios on September 1, resulting in her falling down a 45-meter cliff at Railay Bay in Krabi, has been sentenced to five years in jail. Ms Gavios was temporarily paralyzed after falling down the crevice at night while attempting to flee the advances of Krabi native Apai Ruangwong,…
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Renovation begins on Phuket’s old airport terminal
PHUKET: Work began today to revamp the domestic terminal at Phuket International Airport, following the opening of the new international terminal on September 16. Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan said the renovation is ‘expected’ to take 330 days. When complete, the former domestic terminal will be re-opened as a ‘commercial zone’ designed to fit in with the new international terminal. The…
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