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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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New law seeks better control over beggars, and buskers
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New law seeks better control over beggars, and buskers The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Cabinet Monday gave the green light to a draft bill on street beggars, which empowers the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to send migrant beggars back to their home…
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DSI provides info for probe into UFUN
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community DSI provides info for probe into UFUN The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) passed information about the case against UFUN Thailand’s alleged pyramid scheme to police yesterday for further investigation, as three more people – one a military officer –…
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Man denies role in Samui car bomb
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man denies role in Samui car bomb The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Phattalung man who resembled a suspect in a police sketch wanted over the Central Festival bomb attack on Koh Samui two weeks ago met yesterday with police. Nukul Yongnoo, the manager of…
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Anti-fracking protesters rally at US Embassy
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Anti-fracking protesters rally at US Embassy The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: About 20 members of the ‘Stop Fracking Thailand Network’ rallied outside the US Embassy in Bangkok yesterday to protest against chemical fracking in this country. Two network representatives, Rangsit University professor Dr Smith Tungkasmit…
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Pakistani tourist found dead in resort swimming pool
PHUKET: A Pakistani woman found in emotional distress by hotel staff early this morning was later pulled unconscious from a resort pool and pronounced dead at Thalang Hospital. Staff at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa in Mai Khao recovered Shumyla Mir, 26, from a pool at the resort at about 4:15am. “Her body was later taken to Thalang…
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Minister battles devastating illegal fishing practices
PHUKET: New fishing regulations are to hit Phuket as Thailand looks to close legal loop holes and enforcement issues being abused by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishers. Experts estimate that the global value of economic losses from IUU fishing range between $US10 billion and $US23.5bn annually, reported US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2011. “IUU fishing poses…
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Man slashed in break-and-enter, claims fleeing teen gang attack
PHUKET: Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a man who was found bleeding profusely in a stranger’s home in central Phuket early this morning. Officers arrived at the home, in the Permsak Villa estate in Baan Manik, Thalang, at about 2:30am. “When we arrived, we found Channarong Unong, 25, on the ground bleeding in front of the house,” said Lt…
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Teacher among two more suspects arrested over Samui car bomb
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Teacher among two more suspects arrested over Samui car bomb The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A teacher is among the two new suspects arrested for allegedly playing a role in the Central Festival Samui bomb blast. An informed source revealed yesterday that the 33-year-old teacher,…
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Epileptic crabber drowns on the hunt in Phuket
PHUKET: An epileptic man drowned while catching mole crabs at Mai Khao Beach yesterday afternoon. Uthai Wongpen, 45, was pulled from the water by Centara Grand Hotel lifeguards on patrol in the area. “We were told by eyewitnesses that Mr Uthai was catching mole crabs in knee-deep water, when he suddenly collapsed into the sea. He was floating in the…
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Mother, sister join Navy search for missing American tourist
PHUKET: The mother and sister of missing American tourist Joshua Devine today joined a search by air for their lost loved one, who disappeared from a dive boat off Phuket on April 11 (story here). Mr Devine’s mother, Marie Gallant Major, and his sister Jennifer Bakowski boarded a Royal Thai Navy helicopter after being briefed on the search efforts at…
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Phuket Poll: Thai police lose battle in gaining trust
PHUKET: A staggering 80% of all respondents to a Phuket Gazette poll have stated that they do not trust the Thai Police – either in part or at all. The message was sent loud and clear through the poll, which garnered more than 12,000 votes (click here). Thai nationals led the charge, with 49% saying that they did not trust…
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Phuket Police bust major dealer, seize more than B7m of drugs
PHUKET: A major Phuket drug dealer was arrested with more than 7 million baht of drugs in Phuket Town on Friday night after police were tipped off by one of her sellers. Thammarat ‘Ken’ Matte provided police with the nickname and clues to the location of his supplier after he was arrested with 400mg of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) earlier…
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Opinion: Lay down the Songkran law
PHUKET: Though I have a great deal of respect for many of the changes seen in Phuket following the National Council of Peace and Order taking over and the subsequent rule of Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, I was disappointed to see the Songkran bans announced with such severity (story here) and then enforced with such lack of impunity (story…
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Ex-DSI chief Tarit Pengdith hit with assets freeze
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ex-DSI chief Tarit Pengdith hit with assets freeze The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday announced that it had temporarily frozen nearly 60 million baht in assets of former Department of Special Investigation director-general Tarit Pengdith and a former academic attached to…
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Taxi driver confesses to running down cop, shooting couple dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Cabbie who ran over cop, shot dead couple ‘confesses’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Bangkok taxi driver, who ran over a traffic policeman, stole his gun and shot dead a middle-aged couple in Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai district on Friday, surrendered to police yesterday reportedly…
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Monk disrobed for theft of heads from four corpses
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Monk disrobed for theft of heads from four corpses The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Buddhist monk in Udon Thani province was disrobed in order to face criminal charges, along with two layman accomplices, for allegedly stealing and chopping off the heads of four corpses.…
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F1: The Bahrain challenge – tyres, team rivals and turns
PHUKET: Shanghai provided the exact result I forecasted: Lewis Hamilton followed by Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel, with Kimi Raikkonen well in contention. In fact, the safety car may have stopped any further attrition by the Iceman. It was nice to see Kimi back in form. I speculated before Shanghai about how close Williams could get to Ferrari. The answer…
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Alcohol ban pondered for Phuket passenger boats
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut is considering banning alcohol on all passenger boats operating out of Phuket. The potential ban will be raised at a meeting with tour boat operators on Thursday. The move follows Joshua Michael Devine, 36, a civilian IT operative working at a United States military base in Kuwait, disappearing from on a Similans-bound liveaboard…
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Deputy PM calls for Phuket light rail to serve the beaches
PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula yesterday told the governors of five Andaman provinces that he would like to see the Phuket light-rail project serve popular beaches on the island. “In my opinion, having the light rail expanded to serve the beaches would be a good idea,” Deputy PM MR Pridiyathorn said. “A lot of people visit the beaches,…
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Opinion: Casting a line to catch human traffickers
Lt Col Panya Chaichana, 53, is chief of the Phuket Marine Police. Originally from Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya province, Col Panya has been working for the Marine Police force for 34 years. He started out working for the Phuket Marine Office in 1981 before moving to Satun and Narathiwat provinces. He returned to Phuket in 1997. Here, he talks about…
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Education heads roll, PM Prayut enacts reshuffle
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Education Ministry suffers major shake-up The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: National council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has introduced a big shake-up at the Education Ministry in the push for education reform and greater efficiency. Several top education officials,…
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Govt claims social advances since taking over
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt claims social advances since taking over The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Government has made several achievements on the social front over the past six months, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Cabinet members claimed yesterday. The current administration started working on September…
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Teenagers planned Australian terror attack for ANZAC centenary
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Teenagers planned Australian terror attack for ANZAC centenary Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Teenagers inspired by the hardline Islamic State planned a major terrorism attack in the Australian city of Melbourne to mark the centenary next week of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli during World War…
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Monk held for ‘stealing’ corpse parts
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Monk held for ‘stealing’ corpse parts The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A monk in Udon Thani has been arrested for allegedly stealing a corpse from a local cemetery and chopping off the head of another corpse for black magic purposes. Prachak Sinlapakhom police chief Nawara…
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Prayut takes swipe at media in six-month progress report
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prayut takes swipe at media in six-month progress report The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: In his announcement yesterday on the government’s progress over the past six months, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed that his administration had stuck – so far – to the road…
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Phuket man overrun with debt found hanged
PHUKET: Police are treating the death of a 60-year-old man found hanged at a housing estate in northern Phuket this morning as a suicide. Aphisit Nomrit, 13, found the body of his father, Mr Sommai, inside a wastewater-treatment room at the Karn Keha public housing estate in Thalang at about 9:30am. Mr Sommai lived and worked as a security guard…
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Phuket officials prepare to call off search for missing US diver
PHUKET: Officials leading the search for missing US diver Joshua Michael Devine are preparing to call off their efforts if they fail to find any clues by end of day, Sunday. Mr Devine went missing from the Chontara 1, a Similans-bound liveaboard, on April 11. He was travelling with his wife, Ms Thadsana, and 22 other divers (story here). Officers…
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Neighborhood electric vehicle market thrives on luxury resort island
PHUKET: The numerous luxury resorts in Phuket has helped grow Southern Thailand’s golf cart and other neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) market, which is now in a dead heat with the Central Region, Ekasit Kunanantakul, managing director of Global Electric Motorcars Asia Company, said in an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette. Global Electric Motorcars, now 12 years old, was among…
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Officials call for strict vehicle checks after bus tyre takes out noodle stand
PHUKET: A loose tyre flying off a tour bus and bowling over a roadside noodle stand in northern Phuket on Tuesday has prompted officials to ramp up safety checks of tour buses as they come onto the island. The bus, which was carrying both locals and tourists, was travelling from Phuket to Surat Thani on Tuesday when the tyre broke…
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No charges over boat collision off Phuket
PHUKET: Police will not press any charges over the incident in which a dive boat and a sailboat collided heavily north of Koh Mai Thon, east of Phuket, last Saturday. On returning to Phuket last Saturday afternoon, the captain and crew on board the sailboat Starship alleged that the dive boat North Star struck their vessel and fled after throwing…
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