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Sponsored 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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Police arrest driver for death of 12-year-old
PHUKET: Police arrested the driver of an 18-wheeled truck that hit and dragged a 12-year-old girl to death just south of the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint yesterday morning (story here). The truck allegedly struck the motorbike that the girl and her mother were riding, causing minimal damage, but knocking the mother-daughter pair to the concrete. Nong Latthaporn fell under the…
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Police hunt Phuket gambling organizer
PHUKET: Police are hunting the organizer of a gambling event in Phuket who managed to evade arrest during a raid in Thalang last night. “There were more than 10 of them taking part in a gambling game known as Gung-pla [literally, ‘shrimp-fish’]. However, many of them managed to scramble free during the raid,” Thalang Police Superintendent Chanuchan Cholsuwat said. Nonetheless,…
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Direct Phuket-Hainan flights tabled to boost tourism
PHUKET: Direct flights to Phuket from the island’s sister province in China were tabled this week during an official Hainan tourism fact finding mission in Thailand (story here). The plan was announced as officials marked the 10-year anniversary of Phuket and Hainan becoming ‘sister cities’, said Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong. “The direct flights will be good for both provinces’ tourism…
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Business Buzz: The benefits of websites
PHUKET: Almost every business has a website now, but what are the real reasons for having one and are people using them effectively? When I ask many business owners, they often reply that they need one because everyone else has one. But do most people really understand the reasons a website is so important and how they can add real…
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Finance: Get smart with cyber security stocks
PHUKET: The recent New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) trading halt triggered a brief rush into cyber security stocks on renewed fears of yet another serious hack attack. While that incident was apparently caused by a computer malfunction, it shows just how jumpy investors are when it comes to the possibility of a new high-profile hack similar to the one that…
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World number 45 golfer swings by Laguna Phuket Golf Club
PHUKET: Prominent golfer, current Asian Tour Order-of-Merit leader and world number 45 golf player Anirban Lahiri recently visited Phuket, where he conducted a golf clinic and played nine holes with three young and promising island-based golfers at Laguna Phuket Golf Club. On the way to the US Open in Seattle, Mr Lahiri stayed at Laguna Phuket’s Banyan Tree Resort and…
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Chinese to “hack’ Phuket tourism industry
PHUKET: The Provincial Communist Party chief for Phuket’s sister province in China arrived in Phuket this week with hopes of ‘hacking into’ the secret to the island’s strong tourism sector. “Hainan officials are here on a fact finding mission to better understand exactly why Phuket hosts so many tourists from so many countries, while Sanya of Hainan is only playing…
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Eleven Colombian military personnel killed in plane crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Eleven Colombian military personnel killed in plane crash Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Eleven Colombian military personnel were killed on Friday when their transport plane suffered engine failure and crashed in the northern province of Cesar, killing all on board, according to a statement from the…
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Former CEO of collapsed Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange arrested in Japan: reports
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Former CEO of collapsed Mt.Gox bitcoin exchange arrested in Japan: reports Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Mark Karpeles, the former head of defunct bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, was arrested on Saturday in connection with the disappearance of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the virtual…
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China official manufacturing PMI falls to 50.0 in July, below forecasts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China official manufacturing PMI falls to 50.0 in July, below forecasts Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Growth in China’s vast manufacturing sector stalled in July, missing market expectations for slight growth, an official survey showed on today. The official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 50…
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Drive at your own risk
PHUKET: Confronted with a never-ending array of road-construction projects from multi-million-baht underpasses to reparation of enormous potholes, drivers travelling on Phuket’s roads – some of the most dangerous in the world – do so at their own risk, confirmed officials this week. The issue of road construction safety measures was thrown into sharp focus after a Phuket lawyer flipped his…
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Opinion: Packed prison
PHUKET: Credit is owed to the government for finally coming through with funding to build a much-needed and long overdue new prison for Phuket. It is well known that the existing Phuket Provincial Prison is dangerously overcrowded. With a maximum capacity of just 800, the 115-year-old facility currently holds more than 3,000 inmates – a recipe for disaster if ever…
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B500k stolen from temple during Buddhist holiday
PHUKET: About 500,000 baht designated for temple repairs was stolen from an abbot’s residence during the Buddhist holiday of Asarnha Bucha yesterday. This is not the first time that Phra Khru Pothipanyakorn of Wat Suwan Khiri Wong had a large sum of money taken from his living quarters. About two years ago, 200,000 baht was stolen without a trace, Lt…
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12-year-old girl killed in hit-and-run
PHUKET: An 18-wheeled truck hit and dragged a 12-year-old girl to death after she fell off the back of her mother’s motorbike this morning. Vassana Kaewkumpa, 40, screamed for the truck driver to stop as it continued down the southbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road just past the Tah Chat Chai checkpoint, explained police. “Ms Vassana found the body of her…
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WRAPUP 5: Plane debris on remote island points to breakthrough in MH370 mystery
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community WRAPUP 5-Plane debris on remote island points to breakthrough in MH370 mystery Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Plane debris washed up on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean is almost certainly part of a Boeing 777, a Malaysian official and aviation experts said,…
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Boy drowns off Koh Sireh
PHUKET: A 13-year-old boy drowned off Koh Sireh yesterday after his friends were unable to save him and did not report the incident to adults or authorities for nearly three and a half hours. Payu Pairiron, a student at Baan Koh Sireh School, drowned at about 1.30pm after becoming too tired to swim back to the floating walkway. “We started…
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Taiwan students storm education ministry compound in textbook protest
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Taiwan students storm education ministry compound in textbook protest Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Hundreds of Taiwan students stormed the ministry of education compound early on Friday,after one committed suicide earlier in the week, intensifying anti-China protests over textbooks they say are aimed at promoting Beijing’s…
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Hunting club that suspended U.S. hunter donates to top lawmakers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hunting club that suspended U.S. hunter donates to top lawmakers Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: A hunting club that suspended a Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe has given money to the campaigns of numerous U.S. politicians, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell…
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New taxi queues announced for Phuket
PHUKET: More than a year after the National Council for Peace and Order made a sweeping effort to remove illegal taxi stands from Phuket, the provincial government has announced a plan to establish legal taxi ranks at ten locations throughout the island. “The move to establish the taxi stops at some schools, hospitals and police stations on the island goes…
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Cheap tuk-tuk plan rolls forward
PHUKET: Yellow-roofed tuk-tuks costing a flat fee of 30 baht are on the road to Phuket Town in order to lessen congestion and provide affordable public transport in the area, explained Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong. “There will be 87 tuk-tuks registered under the 30-baht flat-fee program. They will only be able to operate in Phuket Town toward Bang Khu intersection…
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Laid-off tailors file formal complaint against Patong exporter
PHUKET: Ten tailors who were recently laid off by a suit exporting company in Patong filed a complaint against their former employer at the Damrongtham Center (ombudsman’s office) on Tuesday. “We have worked for the John Tailor Ltd company for about three years now. We signed a contract when we started working for them. Our pay was determined by how…
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Cabinet nod for upscaling Phuket port
PHUKET: Phuket’s goal of becoming the regional maritime hub has shifted into high gear after the Cabinet agreed to expand the island’s deep sea port to accommodate larger cruise ships. The National News Bureau of Thailand reported yesterday that the Cabinet has given the green light to improve Phuket’s Deep Sea Port, and is considering the construction of a similar…
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Lithium find in exploding star could help solve astronomy puzzle
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lithium find in exploding star could help solve astronomy puzzle Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Astronomers have discovered lithium in a type of stellar explosion known as a nova for the first time, a find that helps clear up a longstanding mystery in astrophysics about the…
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BISP student takes 3rd at golf Teen World Championship
PHUKET: British International School Phuket (BISP) student Mark Luangnitikul came in third place at the golf Teen World Championship 2015 held on Pinehurst course in North Carolina, in the United States of America. More than 500 players from 34 countries competed on courses that have crowned some of golf’s greatest champions. “We are very proud of Mark for taking third…
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INTERVIEW: Australia happy with Pacific trade progress, draws line on sugar
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community INTERVIEW: Australia happy with Pacific trade progress, draws line on sugar Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Australia is pleased with discussions with Pacific Rim trading partners on resolving disputes with foreign investors but will not agree to a regional trade pact unless it wins more access…
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China stocks fall for fourth day but declines ease, Hong Kong shares up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community China stocks fall for fourth day but declines ease, Hong Kong shares up Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: China stocks fell for a fourth day on Wednesday but losses were more subdued than earlier in the week after Beijing reiterated its determination to stabilise its wild…
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Raid nets six rigged metered-taxi drivers
PHUKET: Six metered-taxi drivers were caught and charged for using tampered meters in a swoop initiated by the Phuket Land Transport Office on Friday. “We mounted the raid after many complaints were filed by both tourists and locals about high fares being charged for metered taxis in Phuket,” said Phuket Land Transport Office [PLTO] Chief Teerayout Prasertphol. The six drivers…
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Copyright law to ban internet plagiarism
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Copyright law to ban Internet plagiarism The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Social network scribes should be wary of a new intellectual property law due to take effect on August 4 that outlaws the copying of other people’s work and using it for commercial purposes, deputy…
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Singapore’s ruling party contends with new voting majority
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Singapore’s ruling party contends with new voting majority Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: When Singapore celebrates its50th year of independence on Aug. 9 and its older citizens eulogise the country’s economic feats, its ruling party founded by the late Lee Kuan Yew faces an unprecedented wave…
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A Decade Ago: West coast marina marked for Phuket
PHUKET: With a 2-billion-baht investment, there would be 150 condo units, 45 villas, and a marina with a berth for 30 boats – not a terribly exciting point for a page one story… so was news slow coming into July 23, 2005? No. The twist, and there was a twist, to the project that eventually represented the potential for the…
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