News
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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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Russian tourists injured in Phuket head-on van crash
PHUKET: Two Russian tourists were injured in a head-on collision that caused long tailbacks on the coastal road north of Patong late Saturday night. Tuii Bulatovskii and Lrina Alexeemko, both 29, suffered minor injuries when a black Chevrolet driven by Pramot Suthipithak, 36, crossed the center line and slammed head-on into the van they were in at about 11pm. The…
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Bar staffer charged for baseball bat attack on Phuket expat
PHUKET: An employee at a bar in Rawai who brutally attacked a British expat with a baseball bat has been charged with assault, police have confirmed. Sarawuth Kongphat, 37, an assistant at the Green Leaf Bar, beat customer Christopher Stark with the bat and fractured his skull, after Mr Stark discovered he did not have enough cash to pay for…
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Copenhagen in shock over shootings, 22-year-old suspect dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Copenhagen in shock over shootings, 22-year-old suspect dead Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police shot dead a 22-year-old Danish-born gunman on Sunday after he killed two people at a Copenhagen synagogue and an event promoting free speech in actions possibly inspired by an attack on the…
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New law orders one-stop service centers for slashing red tape
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New law orders one-stop service centers for slashing red tape The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A new law aimed at ensuring faster processing of state permits and other services should go a long way towards reducing bureaucratic red tape in Thailand, many agree. The State…
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AMLO to seize B4bn in assets from former co-op chief
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community AMLO to seize B4bn in assets from former co-op chief The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: THE former chairman of the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative allegedly embezzled nearly 12 billion baht from its coffers and will have a large number of assets worth almost 4bn baht…
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Woman becomes first Thai driver arrested for refusing breath test
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Driver arrested for refusing breath test The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A female driver has become the first motorist in the country to be punished for refusing a breathalyser test, said the police, who added that they were forced to tow away her car with…
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Samui bar owner, guard confess to slaying Turkish tourist
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Samui bar owner, guard confess to slaying Turkish tourist The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A security guard and the manager of a bar on Koh Samui confessed on Friday to conspiring to shoot dead a Turkish tourist, police said yesterday. Kabin Srisa-ard, 27, the guard,…
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Lost in translation: Phuket police hand out fliers proclaiming “No Summer Dream On Beach’
PHUKET: Police are rushing to fix fliers that were handed out to tourists at Patong Beach yesterday that mistakenly read in English “No Summer Dream On Beach, Start 12 Feb 2015”. “It was a translation error. The A4 flier was supposed to say something that would mean ‘no beach loungers’, as it did in Thai below the English translation,” Deputy…
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Gov inspects Phuket migrant worker camp, gives it 80-per-cent rating
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong led an inspection and health advice session at a workers’ camp in Chalong yesterday, as a first step in improving conditions at the more than 200 camps in Phuket. The inspection follows a meeting last month in which the governor announced his goal to improve health and safety standards at the island’s worker camps (story here).…
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Bicycles banned on Phi Phi Island
PHUKET: Bicycle were banned on Phi Phi Island’s public walkways today following complaints from tourists about crowded streets and reckless cyclists. “The bicycle problem started about three years ago. Since then, the number of bikes on the island has increased significantly,” said Prasert Wongma, deputy chief executive officer of Ao Nang Administration Organization (OrBorTor). “No vehicles are allowed on the…
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Online 90-day immigration check-in yet to be launched in Phuket
PHUKET: Foreigners living in Thailand will be able to report to immigration for their 90-day check-in via the immigration website no sooner than April, an immigration officer confirmed to the Phuket Gazette yesterday. The news follows an experimental launch of the online reporting system in Bangkok last month. “The online 90-day reporting service is being tested now. For the time…
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Baby boy found abandoned in Tesco Lotus parking lot
PHUKET: A baby was found abandoned inside a shopping cart in the parking lot of a Phuket Tesco Lotus last night. The 1-month-old boy, weighing about 2.5kg, was given to staff at the Samkong intersection Tesco Lotus by two women. “They told us that they found him outside in a shopping cart, and then left without providing any further information,”…
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Video Report: Romantic Thailand fast-tracks couples through Phuket immigration
PHUKET: Couples are being fast-tracked through airport immigration for the month of love as part of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Romantic Thailand campaign. The campaign, running from February 1 to 28, has already welcomed more than 400 couples to Phuket, said Anoma Wongyai, director of TAT Phuket. “All couples entering the arrivals hall are invited to register with…
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Pre-Valentine’s Day drug campaign sweeps up five suspects
PHUKET: In an attempt to preserve clean love for Valentine’s Day, Phuket police made a series of drug busts today as part of their “Valentine’s Day Cleanup Campaign”. The raid started with the Phuket City Police arresting 27-year-old Jaturong Sethkhong, in possession of about two kilograms of kratom leaves. He was charged with possession of a Category 5 drug with…
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Finnish golf pro Puhakka takes a swing on Phuket
PHUKET: The island’s Loch Palm and Laguna Phuket golf courses were tested out last week by Finnish pro golfer Peter Puhakka. Puhakka spent the last three-and-a-half months playing courses in Pattaya and Bangkok, taking part in the Bangkok Open Championships (finished 30th with a 151, seven over par) and the Singha All Thailand Tour (finished 50th), before falling short of…
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Dutch national coach uses Phuket to target Olympic gold
PHUKET: The Dutch national swimming team recently returned to Phuket for the third time to stay and train at the Thanyapura sports center. Among them was Ranomi Kromowidjojo, 50m and 100m freestyle Olympic champion, looking to improve her stroke and secure Olympic victory at the 2016 Games in Rio. Yet, challenges lay ahead for the young Olympian, just 24 this…
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Chinese medical tourists flock to Phuket
PHUKET: For thousands of Chinese tourists who flock to Phuket each year, a visit to the island is more than just a chance to relax in the sun. It’s a chance to access medical procedures and treatments not available in their home country. Many countries around the globe have the same pressing healthcare issues: aging populations, increasing medical costs, collapsing…
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Opinion: High time for high-tide building rule enforcement
PHUKET: There is reason to be cautiously optimistic that the unprecedented involvement of the Administrative Court system in a controversial real-estate development case in Rawai (story here) could mark the emergence of a powerful new tool to ensure that local administrative bodies do a better job approving and overseeing work on future projects on the island, thus bolstering investor confidence.…
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Phuket CCTV mass upgrade reaches final hurdle
PHUKET: Budget allocation for the proposed 238 million baht upgrade of CCTV cameras in Phuket has reached its final hurdle and now awaits approval by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong announced this week. Governor Nisit said he was “delighted” by the news. “This is one of my top priorities – to enhance security in Phuket,”…
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Final clearout of Phuket beach encroachers imminent, says governor
PHUKET: Governor Nisit Jansomwong announced yesterday that the final traces of the ubiquitous encroachment onto Phuket beaches that prompted the beach cleanup last year would be swept away as soon as possible. The governor and other island officials. speaking at a press conference held at the Royal Thai Navy base in Cape Panwa, addressed the problem of several buildings still…
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Phuket’s annual Valentine’s Day mass wedding is on (video)
PHUKET: All couples looking to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day tomorrow are invited to register their nuptials at the Muang District Office, where they can join a mass wedding ceremony and win lucky draw prizes and receive memorable wedding gifts that will be given away. “Among the gifts to be given away are stays in honeymoon suites at hotels…
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Video Report: Phuket kids shine at PSS international soccer tourney
PHUKET: More than 250 players from throughout Southeast Asia joined the Phuket Soccer Schools (PSS) 5th International Youth Tournament at Thanyapura’s Stadium Pitch last weekend. Players in Under-8, Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 age groups competed during 12 hours of football involving 28 teams over the two days. “This tournament brings together youth footballers from across Southeast Asia to share their…
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Mosquito spray may have caused SCB fire
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mosquito spray may have caused SCB fire The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Investigators have found that a mosquito-fumigation service might have caused the fire at Siam Commercial Bank headquarters last weekend. “The solution used contains kerosene and petrol,” police spokesman Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri said…
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PM woos private sector to build high-speed trains
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PM woos private sector to build high-speed trains The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has invited the private sector to build short-distance, high-speed trains to attractive sites near Bangkok in order to facilitate tourism. The government will provide support in terms…
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Obama set to announce executive order on cybersecurity threat data
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama set to announce executive order on cybersecurity threat data Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: President Barack Obama is expected to announce an executive order directing the government and companies to share more information about cybersecurity threats in response to attacks like that on Sony Entertainment.…
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Long-stay tourism drive aimed at Japanese
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Long-stay tourism drive aimed at Japanese The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Tourism Ministry has initiated a plan to promote long-stay tourism by focusing on Japanese tourists one of Thailand’s biggest inbound markets, said Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul yesterday. She was speaking after meeting with…
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Video: One killed, three injured in Phuket multiple-vehicle crash
PHUKET: Police are blaming a new set of traffic lights for a high-speed crash that killed one motorcyclist and injured three others on Thepkrasattri Road this morning. Police arrived at the scene, at the old airport junction north of Blue Canyon Country Club, at about 11:45am to find a 10-wheeled truck and a van overturned on the shoulder of the…
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Russians behaving badly arrested in Phuket, face deportation
PHUKET: Immigration Police arrested two Russian men at Nai Harn Beach yesterday after complaints that the men were “behaving badly”, including stealing small items from local stores and failing to pay for meals in nearby restaurants. Officers arrested Mikael Morkretkof, 45, and Denis Rievsef, 32, as the pair were walking along Nai Harn Beach yesterday afternoon, explained Capt Nattapong Klaithong…
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Opinion: “Thainess’ falls short of ecologically sustainable tourism
PHUKET: In the past 20 years, Thailand’s tourism industry has grown in leaps and bounds due to the hard work of the industry’s private-sector and effective campaigns created by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). One of the TAT’s most successful ever was its “Amazing Thailand” campaign launched in 1998, which aimed to bolster the country’s tourism income after the…
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Finance: Learning to re-balance a portfolio
PHUKET: Portfolio re-balancing is one of the trickier aspects of investment management, as you will inevitably need to make some hard and counterintuitive decisions to ensure that your portfolio’s asset allocation continues to meet your investment goals and risk-tolerance level. But why, how and when should you re-balance your investment portfolio?WHY YOU NEED TO TAKE WINNERS AND LOSERS OFF THE…
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