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This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
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Phuket jet-ski operator banned after attempted shakedown
PHUKET: A jet-ski operator was banned today from running his rental business for one month following an incident in which he demanded two tourists to pay 200,000 baht for repairs to two uninsured jet-skis (story here). The Bang Tao jet-ski operator, Air Yotharuk, had his helmsman license suspended and his two jet-skis Yotharuk 1 and Yotharuk 2 banned by the…
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New beach rules now standard throughout Phuket, says Governor
PHUKET: The trial rule of restricting vendors to only 10 per cent of the beach is to be rolled out at all beaches in Phuket, Governor Nisit Jansomwong has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette. “Local administrations will remain responsible for regulating and enforcing the new rules [story here], which include no sun loungers at any beaches,” he added. “The local…
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Tourist crashes jet-ski into yacht, dies
PHUKET: A tourist died in hospital after crashing a jet-ski into a yacht anchored at Nui Bay, off Phi Phi Island, yesterday. Wu Xixiong, 46, was taken to Phi Phi Hospital with a broken neck, jaw, arm and leg. Due to the extent of his injuries, he was transferred to Bangkok Hospital Phuket, confirmed Surasak Mongkolchaiyasit of the Krabi Marine…
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Phuket fertility center to give birth to boost in medical tourism
PHUKET: IVF Phuket by the Safe Fertility Center is expected to boost tourist numbers, Vice Governor Suthee Thongyam said at the grand opening of the center’s new building on Sunday. “The prices at this qualified clinic are much cheaper than similar treatments outside of Thailand. Therefore, I am expecting the clinic to bring more tourists to the the island for…
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Phuket’s B23.5bn light rail inches toward Cabinet approval
PHUKET: The final plans for the long-awaited Phuket light-rail project, slated to cost 23.5 billion baht, will not be presented to Cabinet for approval until next year at the earliest, the Phuket Gazette has been told. “The plan itself is more than 90 per cent complete. However, experts need to make adjustments to match local Phuket residents’ needs,” Governor Nisit…
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Tuk-tuk driver punches Australian in face over fare
PHUKET: A tuk-tuk driver has confessed to punching an Australian national in the face after an argument about the price of a ride yesterday evening. “Mr Sipeng, 20, told us that he was punched by the tuk-tuk driver after he got into an altercation with him about the price of the ride from Sugar Palm Residence Condominium, where he lives,…
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Phuket public hospital denies any responsibility in expat nightmare ordeal
ALLEGATIONS of neglect and mistreatment at Vachira Phuket Hospital levelled by a long-term Phuket expat who has since died, pose grave questions about the state of public healthcare at the island’s main government hospital – many questions about which remain unanswered. Here, the Phuket Gazette investigates what counts for healthcare in Phuket. SPECIAL REPORT PHUKET: Top staff at Vachira Phuket…
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Special envoy to Chinese president Xi Jinping visits Phuket
PHUKET: Meng Jianzhu, a Chinese senior politburo member, security official and special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, was in Phuket to pay a courtesy visit over the weekend. Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong and Monrudee Gettuphan, acting general manager of Phuket International Airport, welcomed Mr Meng as he arrived at the airport on Saturday. Mr Meng, who currently holds the…
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Gunmen fire on Marseille police as PM Valls visits city
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Gunmen fire on Marseille police as PM Valls visits city Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Gunmen fired on a police car in Marseille on Monday in what local officials said was a drug-related incident, just hours before a visit by Prime Minister Manuel Valls to hail…
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Police hunt temple thief after B100k donation snatch
PHUKET: Police are searching for a man who is suspected of stealing more than 100,000 baht in cash from Tah Reua Temple, which houses Phuket’s top monk, Phra Visutthi Thamma-kanee. Officers were alerted to the theft at 10:30am yesterday. “Phra Visutthi Thamma-kanee said that he saw a man about 40 years old sitting in front of the monks’ dormitory at…
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Tourists dodge Phuket jet-ski scam shakedown
PHUKET: Negotiations and a police complaint have mostly thwarted an attempted shakedown by a Bang Tao jet-ski rental operator, who initially asked two Chinese tourists to pay 200,000 baht for repairs to two uninsured jet-skis. Six Chinese tourists hired four jet-skis at Bang Tao Beach on Saturday afternoon, explained Anusorn Salae, the former president of the Bang Tao Jet-ski Club.…
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Finance: If I could be 30 again
PHUKET: In my last column, I wrote about what advice I would give my 20-year-old self, if I could turn back the clock and do it all again. Today, I will focus on a much more recent time frame in my life and discuss what kind of advice I would give to someone who has just turned 30. What are…
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Phuket gears up for the ‘Year of the Goat’
PHUKET: Chinese New Year, ringing in the “Year of the Goat”, will be celebrated in style at Sanam Chai Park in Phuket Town on February 19. The highlights of this year’s event, kicking off at 5pm, will be a performance by a troupe of acrobats hailing from Beijing, as well as a concert by Getsunova, a famous Thai pop-rock band.…
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Tourist in ICU after Samui safari pick-up truck flips
PHUKET: A Russian tourist remains in intensive care after a safari pick-up truck flipped onto its side on Koh Samui Saturday afternoon. Koh Samui police chief Paitoon Krajajang has vowed to track down the driver, Vanich Sridon, 29, who fled the scene. “He is wanted for reckless driving, causing injury,” he said. “We have dispatched officers to track him down.”…
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Patong bar raided for baraku, hookahs
PHUKET: Kathu District officials raided a bar in Patong early Saturday morning for selling hookah tobacco and providing water pipes – a smoking style called baraku in Thailand – to customers, mainly tourists. Barkeeper and Myanmar national Tan Ser U was arrested in the raid of the Red Sky Bar on Sirirat Road at the southern end of Patong at…
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New police station near airport, more officers slated for Phuket
PHUKET: National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang has backed a new police station to be set up near Phuket International Airport, Region 8 Police Commander Decha Budnampeth told the Phuket Gazette today. Maj Gen Decha yesterday personally escorted Gen Somyot, who arrived in Phuket on Friday, to inspect several potential sites near the airport for the new police station. “I proposed…
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Bruised Australian PM Abbott survives leadership challenge
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bruised Australian PM Abbott survives leadership challenge Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott survived a challenge to his leadership on Monday after his ruling Liberal Party voted down a motion to unseat him after weeks of infighting, but the attempted revolt appears…
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SCB building closed after towering inferno
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community SCB building closed after towering inferno The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The whole main building of Siam Commercial Bank headquarters in Bangkok is now closed to the public in the wake of a fire that raged through some of its floors from late Saturday night…
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Phuket Valentine’s Day event to offer new homes to hermit crabs
PHUKET: In an effort to inspire a love of nature, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) is organizing a Valentine’s Day event aimed at donating new shells for the humble hermit crab. Hermit crabs have soft, spiral-shaped abdomens which are vulnerable to predators. They protect themselves by salvaging the empty shells of other crustaceans and other objects, sadly sometimes…
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Phuket to host NCPO Valentine’s Day concert
PHUKET: Joining the roster of Valentine’s Day events in Phuket will be the “Thailand toward reformation” concert and festival, to be held in Saphan Hin from 10am on February 14. “According to an order handed down from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), 24 concerts are to be held in different provinces throughout Thailand to support the government’s…
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Village CC win over Patong CC lifts them off the bottom
PHUKET: Village CC secured their first win of the season last Sunday with a win over Patong CC to to move off the bottom of the senior league table. Village were looking for their first win of the season, whilst Patong in second place were looking to go top of the league. Patong won the toss and elected to bat.…
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Healthy newborn girl found beside Phuket trash can
PHUKET: Police are searching for the mother of a healthy newborn girl found abandoned beside a trash can in front of a house in Srisoonthorn, Thalang, last night. Manit Limmanee had just left his house on his way to the local grocery store at about 7:30pm when he heard a baby crying. “At first, I thought it was a cat,…
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Power pole transformer suspected of setting house on fire
PHUKET: Police are investigating whether a power transformer sparked a blaze in Thung Thong late last night in which the front of a house was set afire, with a car and a motorbike damaged, and another motorbike completely destroyed. Firefighters were called to the scene, in the Irawadee housing estate, at about 11:50pm. They took about 30 minutes to douse…
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Guns seized, staff test positive for drugs in Phuket beach mafia thug raid
PHUKET: Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak and several high-ranking officials visited Nui Beach in Karon yesterday to investigate complaints by locals that mafia thugs were charging people a fee to use the beach. “We received a complaint filed through the Damrongtham Center that some people had taken control of the area and were claiming it as their own private beach,” said…
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BIS youth soccer camp open to all
PHUKET: Time is running out to register for the 3rd BISP Football Camp, to be held on February 16-18. The deadline for entries is February 10. The camp offers boys and girls aged 10 to 18 specialized football training by BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy Head Coach Jonathas Candido and Strength & Conditioning Head Coach Christopher Gaffney. “Our focus is to…
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Tourists witness enraged man beating van driver
PHUKET: Two Phuket tourists were whisked away from a violent confrontation after their van driver was threatened at gunpoint and beaten by a road-enraged driver in Thalang. A man, who police declined to name, cut off the tourist van off on Monday, demanding that the driver get out of the vehicle to account for his driving. Van driver Thatchai Saisa-ard,…
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Phuket beachfront estate faces court probe, trial
PHUKET: An inspection team yesterday investigated the site of an upscale estate by the Eva Group in Rawai ahead of a trial to be held “as soon as possible”. The inspection was led by Tawatchai Sontiwanit, chief judge of the recently formed environmental division of the regional Administrative Court responsible for Phuket. Nitisak Chobdamrongtham of the Architect Council of Thailand…
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Red shirt’s rights to be protected over fake palace statement probe, says Army
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suspect’s rights ‘to be protected’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Kris Buddeechin, the man suspected of disseminating a fake palace statement on a social networking site, is being held without charge under martial law but junta spokesperson Colonel Winthai Suvari has said Kris’ rights would…
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England get revenge with 21-16 victory in Cardiff
PHUKET: England extinguished early Welsh fire with clinical finishing, a brutal display of forward power and a dominant second half show to secure a 21-16 victory in an absorbing Six Nations Championship opener on Friday. Striking the first blow in World Cup year, England held the hosts scoreless in the second half to quieten a noisy Millennium Stadium crowd and…
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Top cop downplays rumor of bombers hiding in Phuket
PHUKET: The island’s top-ranking policeman has downplayed rumors that the men wanted for detonating two pipe bombs outside the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok last Sunday are hiding in Phuket. “Please keep calm, do not panic and do not trust rumors. We have yet to see any evidence that the suspects are here,” Maj Gen Patchara Boonyasit told the…
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