News
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Sponsored Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Phuket Marine Police offer boat-taxi service
PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Police were in the boat-taxi business for three days as they helped Nai Yang residents get from their homes to work this week. “The floods were very bad in the area, so we started taking residents from their homes to dry land so they could go to work, and then back to their homes in the…
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Local swimmers make splash at FINA
PHUKET: Future Olympians, who are on a year-long FINA swimming scholarship at Thanyapura while they prepare for the Rio Olympics, stormed to victory in the pool in Kazan, Russia breaking a total of eight national records from four different countries. “The debut of the ‘FINA Road to Rio’ group has been such a success so far, with five swimmers from…
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Fresh funds to put Chalong Dam construction back online
PHUKET: A 180-million-baht budget has been allocated to restart the stalled-out Chalong Dam project, which was originally slated for completion in 2013, revealed Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong in an exclusive interview earlier this week. “The project stopped due to budget issues, as it ended up costing significantly more than was planned,” Governor Nisit said. “With the newly allocated budget, the…
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Chinese tourist drowns in Phuket no-swim zone
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist drowned after being swept out to sea in a red-flag zone on Karon Beach yesterday, confirmed police. Chunhua Qi, 43, was rushed to Patong Hospital after lifeguards were able to recover him. He was pronounced dead by doctors. “According to the tour leader, Mr Qi was swimming when a wave suddenly came and washed him away,”…
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Saddle up to “Bike for Mom’
PHUKET: People throughout Thailand, including Phuket, will mark the auspicious occasion of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 83rd Birthday with a mass bicycling event entitled ‘Bike for Mom 2015’ on Sunday (August 16). The event is being held in response to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn’s wish to express his gratitude and loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen on…
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AoT yet to set Phuket launch date for APPS
PHUKET: Airports of Thailand (AoT) has yet to confirm the exact Phuket launch date for the Advance Passenger Processing System (APPS), which will see all international passengers paying an additional 35 baht for background checks. “Initially, the APPS was expected to be launched in December. However, AoT was informed that airlines had already sold many tickets in advance for that…
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Search continues for missing Korean tourist
PHUKET: Rescue workers have resumed their search for a Korean tourist who went missing in the heavy surf off Kata Noi yesterday evening. “Seo Seungin, 45, was swimming in a red-flag area with his girlfriend when he went missing,” said Supachai Janphet, chief of Karon Municipality Tourist Rescue Center. “The area is watched by hotel lifeguards, but they didn’t see…
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Officers flag four suspicious Phuket companies
PHUKET: The Phuket Business Development Office (BDO) is investigating four companies for possibly using Thai nominees to maintain control over their businesses. “The names of the four companies, comprising three tour companies and one property company, have yet to be revealed, as the investigation is still underway and charges have not been filed yet,” confirmed Phuket BDO Chief Nimit Kangkajit.…
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Phuket Poll: Short-term impact on public transport
PHUKET: A number of projects have been put in motion to improve the public transport sector following the cleanup of the taxi mafia by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) last year. There are many long-term projects that have been on the table for years, such as the light-rail system. However, there have also been a several new…
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HM the Queen’s birthday celebrations underway
PHUKET: Celebrations of the auspicious occasion of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 83rd birthday, which is also National Mother’s Day, began early this morning. At 7:10am, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong led the island’s top officials in offering alms to 84 monks at Sanam Chai (Chai Field) near Provincial Hall. Those attending the special occasion dressed in blue in honor of HM…
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Heavy rains increase damage to closed road
PHUKET: A road in Koh Kaew has been closed for safety reasons due to its poor quality of construction and the island’s recent heavy rains. Soi Koh Kaew 33, a main route from Thepkrasattri Road past the Phuket Gazette offices to the British International School, is now closed to all traffic after local officials deemed it too dangerous to use.…
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A Decade Ago: Angry taxi drivers and a “Poop-free Patong Bay’
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong is making great efforts – with what appears to be the buds of success – to make metered taxis a pillar of public transport on the island. However, a decade ago, then-Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura was hearing a different tune as his metered-taxi push left his car stuck in a sea of furious airport ‘limousine’ drivers.…
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Pink Panther laid to rest in Phuket
PHUKET: Thousands of people turned out to mourn the death of former Phuket senator and suspended Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising as he was laid to rest at a Catholic graveyard in Phuket Town yesterday. Adviser to the Minister of Interior Siwa Sangmanee attended the funeral as the guest of honor and headed the ceremony of putting…
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Virgin Australia’s withdrawal won’t hurt Phuket
PHUKET: Phuket tourism and arrival numbers will not be affected by Virgin Australia cancelling flights to Phuket and Bali from Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth, Director of Phuket International Airport Monrudee Gettuphan confirmed today. Virgin Australia will replace services with its budget offshoot Tigerair in a bid to stem bleeding from its international operations, where losses widened to AUS$69 million for…
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TAT pushes Phuket greens for “green season’
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is doing its best to get domestic tourists and expats living in Thailand onto Phuket’s greens during the region’s ‘green season’ with the Phuket Golf Festival. From now until the end of September, the TAT is backing a special promotional price for six golf courses in Phuket, as well as special flight rates…
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Google morphs into Alphabet; investors cheer clarity
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Google morphs into Alphabet; investors cheer clarity Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Google Inc announced a surprise overhaul of its operating structure on Monday, creating a holding company called Alphabet to pool its many subsidiaries and separate the core web advertising business from newer ventures like…
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BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy spend summer in Brazil
PHUKET: This summer, eight boys from the BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy, based at British International School Phuket (BISP), trained at the home of Brazilian champions Cruzeiro EC to learn about the facilities, watch training sessions and meet the players. Cruzeiro International Development Coordinator Adriano Queiroz explained that the Phuket-based student-athletes were invited to spend a month in Brazil where they…
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Phuket’s future Olympian smashes swimming national record
PHUKET: A Nepalese swimmer has smashed a national record at the FINA World Championships just three months after she was forced to sleep in a car and not train for a month, due to the devastating earthquake in Nepal. Sofia Gadegaard Shah, 17, who has already secured a wildcard to the 2016 Olympics, was a symbol of resilience on August…
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Post Office continues to deliver illegal drugs to Phuket
PHUKET: Illegal drugs are continuing to be delivered by the Thai Postal Service, despite concern being raised nationally early last month, said the Thalang District Chief last week. The confirmation came on Saturday morning as officers arrested Siriphop Jaitrong, 35, as he was picking up 5.4 kilograms of kratom leaves from the Pa Khlok Post Office. Thalang District Chief Veera…
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Opinion: Corruption battle
Law Professor Chaisit Trachoetham, 65, has been the Chairman of the State Audit Commission since 2014. He earned his Bachelor’s in Law from Thammasat University, where he is also a professor, and his Bar-at-law and Doctorate from Mahasarakam University. He has been a judge for 37 years, and is also a former president of the Court of Appeals and the…
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Opinion: Real estate xenophobia
PHUKET: While some Thais are jittery about foreigners buying Thai real estate, particularly land in some form or another, they should remember that they themselves can buy real estate in most western countries, with the rationale being that one can never bring that piece of real estate back to one’s home country. It is also pertinent to remember that Thai…
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New push to turn Phuket into medical tourism hub
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong is ready to help local hospitals make a push into the medical tourism industry as millions of baht flow in for eye-care centers. “More than 30 million baht has been approved for eye-care centers at public hospitals, specifically Vachira Phuket Hospital and Patong Hospital,” Governor Nisit said in an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette…
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Typhoon lashes China’s east coast, eight dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Typhoon lashes China’s east coast, eight dead Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A typhoon battered China’s east coast on Sunday, killing eight people and forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights and evacuate more than 163,000 people. Typhoon Soudelor killed six people in Taiwan earlier on…
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Business Buzz: Is ‘social media’ a fad, or is it forever?
PHUKET: It doesn’t matter where we go today, we are surrounded by social media and its influences. Tweet this, like that, share and like this… Terms we were not familiar with not that long ago are now in common daily language. So is this a passing fad or is the social media craze here to stay, and even more importantly,…
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Ferguson protests mostly peaceful on anniversary of Brown shooting
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ferguson protests mostly peaceful on anniversary of Brown shooting Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Hundreds of people marched, prayed and observed a moment of silence in Ferguson, Missouri, on Sunday, a year to the day after a white police officer shot an unarmed black teenager to…
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Many areas suffer severe flooding
PHUKET: Local officials and Thalang District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol took their boats out to check on about 50 households in Baan Nai Yang yesterday after they were inundated with about a meter of water. The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority [PEA] shut down power to the affected area to prevent accidents, confirmed Narong Petcharat, a Sakoo Administration Organization (OrBorTor) council member.…
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Fast Fun Fest drifts through Phuket – rain or shine
PHUKET: The Toyota Motorsport 2015 ‘Fast Fun Fest’ is revved up so that revellers can have a good time at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town this weekend – rain or shine. The free, two-day event will run from 10am to 6pm and showcase the skills needed for the street car race and a drifting competition. Additionally, those attending will have…
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Opinion: In mourning
PHUKET: The Gazette joins the Phuket community in mourning the death of Paiboon Upatising, who passed away after a long battle against cancer last week. A descendent of Chinese immigrants, Mr Paiboon was a highly-successful businessman, who used his own good fortune to help those in need. In addition to having exclusive rights to sell Boon Rawd Brewery products on…
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Phuket officials issue landslide, flash flood warning
PHUKET: The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office has issued an official landslide and flash flood warning for several areas on Phuket following days of heavy rain. The alert was issued for parts of Kamala, Cherng Talay and Thepkrasattri. “Earlier this week, we asked every local government office to be aware of the weather conditions that could lead to…
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Special Report: ‘Pink Panther’ passes
PHUKET: Legendary champion of Phuket people and the highest elected official on the island Paiboon Upatising lost his battle against colon cancer on August 2 at the age of 58, with his wife and eldest son by his side. The former Phuket senator, suspended President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) and charter President of the Rotary Club of…
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