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If you’re an expat living in Thailand, you’ve likely experienced the complexity of navigating healthcare abroad. With Black Friday rolling in, it’s the perfect time to secure a health insurance plan that provides peace of mind and a safety net...
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Phuket ready to host 16th World Pencak Silat Championship
PHUKET: Phuket will host the 16th World Pencak Silat Championship next year, touted to be the biggest gathering of martial arts competitors ever held in the sport, with more than 600 athletes from 47 countries. “Thailand has hosted many international sporting events in the past with great success. We expect this to be the biggest gathering of athletes yet for…
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Phuket Governor demands explanation of immigration extortion complaint
PHUKET: The Phuket Governor has demanded that the Patong Immigration chief clarify why a foreigner filed a complaint alleging extortion by his officers. The immigration chief has been given 15 days. “A foreigner filed a complaint at the Damrongtham Center [ombudsman’s office] at Phuket Provincial Hall – the complaint is now in my hands,” Governor Nisit Jansomwong told the Phuket…
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Phuket’s bypass road says goodbye to big sinkhole
PHUKET: Traffic is flowing normally again on the bypass road as construction to fix a gaping sinkhole left behind after days of heavy rain storms last week, was completed today. “The road repairs are done. The lane has been re-opened and is now in use,” Phuket Highways Office Director Samak Luedwonghad told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon. “The hole was…
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Officials scramble to dismantle human trafficking network north of Phuket
PHUKET: Officials north of Phuket are attempting to unravel a human trafficking network after the arrest of a Thai “caretaker”. “It is clear that locals are part of this network. We will dismantle it,” vowed acting Phang Nga Governor Prayoon Rattanasenee today. Songphol Klaimee, 20, also known as “Boss K”, confessed to police that he had been assigned the task…
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Phuket’s much-needed Chinese consulate to open by month’s end
PHUKET: The long search for a home for the Chinese consulate in Phuket has come to an end, it was announced yesterday. The new consular office will be open by the end of the month, said Wang Huijian, who will be stationed there as the vice-consul general and director . It will be in the Royal Place project, the same…
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Krabi shrimpers claim buyer cheated them of B30mn
PHUKET: A group of shrimp business operators east of Phuket have filed a complaint against their buyer, claiming they have been cheated out of a collective 30 million baht. The 13 operators turned up at the Krabi Damrongtham Center (ombudsman’s office) to file the complaint against shrimp trading company Sor-Mana yesterday morning. “We haven’t received any payment since the deal…
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Buakaw Under Fire: Fighter flees the ring in championship fight
PHUKET: Once famous for his exhilarating K-1 boxing style, controversial Buakaw Banchamek’s tarnished reputation has suffered yet another setback with his latest antics in the ring, opting to flee the arena and shocking the crowd before the end of his fight. Rising to stardom as one of the most acclaimed K-1 fighters, who drew plaudits with countless captivating fights, Buakaw’s…
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More human trafficking victims netted north of Phuket
PHUKET: A group of 72 human trafficking victims destined for Malaysia were caught in a raid in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, today. Four of the 72 men, who Thai officials are identifying as Rohingya, were taken to Takuapa Hospital to be treated for extreme exhaustion and minor scratches to their feet and bodies, Takuapa District Chief Manit Pianthong said.…
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Phuket officials call meeting to halt island’s growing elephant population
PHUKET: Provincial officials will meet with relevant authorities tomorrow to discuss ways to curb the large number of legal and illegal elephants that continue to arrive on Phuket. “Officials, led by the Phuket Livestock Office, will come together to look at ways to manage the island’s burgeoning elephant population, which has already surpassed the maximum number allowed,” Vice Governor Somkiet…
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The second Phuket Classic bodybuilding competition comes to a close
PHUKET: Shoppers at Central Festival were surprised to find more than 150 oiled-up bodybuilders strutting their stuff for the “Phuket Classic” bodybuilding and modeling competition yesterday. In its second year, the competition was organized by Wilaiporn Wannaklang, president of the Phuket Bodybuilding Club and reigning Women’s World Champion. Ms Wilaiporn took a moment during Saturday’s hectic weigh-in at the Dara…
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Phuket photo contest: Capture the essence of Patong
PHUKET: The Patong Municipality has announced its “Blissful Beach@Patong” photo and video contest in hopes of attracting more tourists to the party town in the lead-up to this year’s high season. “This is the first time we have held this contest. We feel that it is a great way to introduce and advertise Patong Beach to new tourists,” said Boonsong…
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Phuket property rental platform aspires to clear muddied waters
PHUKET: Being an entrepreneur can be daunting at times. It often entails subjecting oneself – and one’s bank account – to an unknown level of risk and necessitates taking a blind step into the unknown. There are usually no guarantees and failure is a common, yet unwelcome, outcome. “Five months ago we said ‘we are going to come out to…
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Booze blamed for Phuket drowning
PHUKET: Lifeguards are blaming heavy drinking for the drowning of an 18-year-old on Phuket’s Kata Beach yesterday morning. “There were about six men and one woman drinking on the beach after work. At about 9:20am three of them were swimming in a closed-off section of the beach. They were dragged out by the waves,” Kata-Karon chief lifeguard Uten Singsom told…
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Phuket python caught gobbling up gamecock
PHUKET: A 20-kilogram python was caught eating a prized rooster inside a chicken coop in central Phuket yesterday. Frightened Thalang residents called Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers to the scene just after midnight when they found the large python with the half-consumed bird. “I heard the roosters making very unusual noises. I was afraid to go out alone, so I grabbed…
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Fluky Phuket winds test sailors in ACYC Race 6
PHUKET: Splendid weather greeted sailors yesterday, but as glorious as the day was, there was little wind for Ao Chalong Yacht Club’s Race 6, Series 2. A slow downwind start with a four-knot tailwind got the boats on their way, popping spinnakers as they crossed the start line. Fluky winds tested the group as they sailed around Koh Lon and…
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Mayor gives reward for return of cash-stuffed wallet in Phuket
PHUKET: A 10,000-baht reward was handed over to an honest Tesco Lotus employee after she returned a cash-stuffed wallet to a Phuket mayor who had left it behind. “I was helping a Burmese person translate the language on the ATM outside the Cafe Amazon at the PTT gas station in Chalong when I noticed the wallet,” explained Sorada Toiparn, 47.…
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Traffic expert says underpasses not enough for Phuket
Dr Agachai Sumalee, 36, is a scientist at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology and an associate professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has a PhD in Operations Research from Leeds University in England. On September 17, Dr Agachai won the ASPIRE prize for creating an intelligent transportation system that reduces highway congestion in Bangkok. Here, he reveals his concerns…
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Letter from the Governor: Maitri Inthusut says so long to Phuket
PHUKET: I will leave this island with no regrets about anything I have done as the governor of Phuket. I have done my best, and am confident that I have brought many people together. I am proud to have been part of so many beneficial projects and events over the past two years. Phuket is a small, but big city.…
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Police foil Russian ATM skimmer’s Phuket escape plan
PHUKET: Police nabbed a Russian ATM skimmer for stealing more than 100,000 baht from foreigners’ bank accounts just before he was set to leave the island yesterday morning. Nicolai Petrishin, 27, was arrested at Novotel Resort in Kamala in possession of equipment used for the scam. “We received three complaints from Kasikorn Bank between September 29 and October 5 stating…
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F1: Prayers, politics, practices and plans
PHUKET: Well, apart from Rosberg’s DNF, Singapore went according to form, and Japan of course was affected by a typhoon. This weekend, F1 finally arrives in Russia for its first time at the pristine Sochi Autodrom. It’s hard to bet against a Mercedes 1st and 2nd here, with Red Bull’s cars not far behind and a good showing from Williams…
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Phuket Immigration denies allegations foreigners must pay for services
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration has denied claims it is charging fees for its services, after a Phuket Gazette reader alleged he had to pay 500 baht in the Patong office for an address verification. “I just bought a new motorcycle, so I had to do the address confirmation again yesterday [on October 8],” the reader wrote in the comment section for…
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PWA announces yet another Phuket Town water shutoff
PHUKET: The Phuket Water Authority (PWA) has announced that water supply in Phuket Town will be shut off in some areas from 9pm this Saturday to 5am on Sunday – for the second time in one week. Under the PWA’s plan to improve Phuket Town’s water-treatment system, supply will be cut off along several roads in the area*. Supply was…
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Phuket Police conclude tourist rape investigation
PHUKET: Police have concluded their investigation into a man who confessed to tying up a Russian tourist, but denied raping her. Police arrested Somdet Srisai, 33, on September 27, after a 29-year-old Russian woman filed a complaint with Karon Police (story here). “We have completed our investigation. The victim has given us all relevant information that can be used in…
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Hundreds gather at home of fallen former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin [video]
PHUKET: Hundreds of people gathered at the Keesin family home in Patong yesterday afternoon in memory of former Mayor Pian Keesin, who was found dead in one of his other homes, north of Phuket Town, on Tuesday morning (story here). The Keesin family has declined to publicly reveal the cause of death. Among the guests present was current Patong Mayor…
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Opinion: Hooters or bust? Tourists should be handled more delicately
PHUKET: The foreign family with their two young children being subjected to a military-clad scare during a raid on the illegal taxi they hired is unfortunate (story here), but efforts by police to rid the island of “black plate” taxis still deserve full public support. Like many other tourism-tarnishing incidents, this one involved tourists travelling on the “mafia mile” between…
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Phuket marine officials investigate mysterious fish deaths
PHUKET: Marine officials are searching for an explanation as to why dozens of fish have been dying recently near Koh Racha Yai island off the southern coast of Phuket. “A parrot fish was swimming in slow circles close to death… at Ao Konkare [Bay 1] [on Wednesday]. What would cause its eyes to bulge out like that?” local diver and…
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Beach thief nabbed in Phuket
PHUKET: Police arrested a snatch-and-dash beach thief in Phuket last night. The 20-year-old Myanmar national named by police only as “Mr Kla” was arrested at 8:30pm after Patong Police caught up with him on the island’s main party strip – Soi Bangla. “Mr Kla confessed that he had stolen an iPad from a family of Korean tourists when he saw…
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Phuket Gazette sponsors Asian Beach Games
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has joined forces with the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) to ensure that the world takes notice every day as Asia’s top athletes battle it out from November 14 to 23 at the 4th Asian Beach Games. With Governor Nisit Jansomwong encouraging the local community to get involved, both to show that Phuket can still glisten…
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Managing your retirement
PHUKET: When planning for retirement, once a plan is in place, the next step is actually to manage it. While it’s not a full-time job, there are certain things that need to be regularly taken care of in order to ensure one’s retirement runs smoothly. First, the age-old question of whether to rent or buy needs to be addressed. Many…
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Asean Business and Investment Summit to be held in Yangon
PHUKET: The Asean Business Advisory Council (ABAC) has announced that this year’s Asean Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) will be held in Yangon, beginning November 11. The three-day conference, now in its 11th year, will see representatives from both the private and public sectors addressing ways Asean can better leverage its cultural bonds, history and infrastructure growth to promote the…
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