News
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Sponsored Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Navy steps in as hitman death threats issued to Phuket park chief
PHUKET: Navy security personnel have been assigned to protect Sirinath National Park Chief Kitiphat Taraphiban after his office was warned that professional hitmen have been hired to kill him. The 24-hour military bodyguards were called in after Mr Kitiphat’s assistant was told over the phone that “five M16s are ready to get him [Mr Kitiphat] over beach restaurants”. “The caller…
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New dean pledges to start new chapter at Sasin
PHUKET: THE NEW DEAN of the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration, Dipak C Jain, wants to turn the institution into a top business school in Southeast Asia, one that is Asean-focused and driven by some of Thailand’s core strengths. The highly respected educator caught the business school world by surprise when he announced on July 7 that he had…
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Thailand eyes genetics regional database for wild cats
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand the great hope in saving the tiger The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The planning for a genetics regional database for wild cats in Thailand has begun in hopes of rescuing wild breeding tiger populations in the region – but serious law enforcement is still…
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At least 367 dead after quake hits southwest China
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community At least 367 dead after quake hits southwest China Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck southwestern China on Sunday, killing at least 367 people and leaving 1,881 injured in a remote area of Yunnan province, and causing thousands of buildings, including a…
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Censured over shelter deaths, Israel declares seven-hour Gaza truce
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Censured over shelter deaths, Israel declares seven-hour Gaza truce Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Israel said it would unilaterally hold fire in most of the Gaza Strip on Monday to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and allow some of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians…
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Roadside drug tests in Phuket snag 37 users
PHUKET: Five checkpoints manned by 150 military personnel and local officials in northern Phuket netted 37 drivers that tested positive for drugs yesterday. The checkpoints were set up as part of Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut’s ongoing campaign to combat illegal drugs and weapons in Phuket. “We set up [the checkpoint] at 5pm to crackdown on illegal drugs and weapons,” Thalang…
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Government responsible for Phuket beach vendor compensation, says poll
PHUKET: More than 90% of locals believe that the government is responsible for helping those adversely affected by the island’s beach reboot, according to results released by the Phuket Provincial Statistics Office on Friday. The results are based on a questionnaire cataloging 480 locals’ opinions about the National Council for Peace and Order’s (NCPO) move to return Phuket’s beaches back…
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Surin Beach business clubbing unnerves Phuket investors
PHUKET: Investors are re-thinking opportunities in Phuket as local government officers push to have legally established and modified multi-million-baht venues turned to rubble along Phuket’s Surin Beach. “One-and-a-half years ago I invested 1mn euros in the beach club; I believe that I did everything correctly,” an investor, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Phuket Gazette. “I talked to local…
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Phuket Poll: How much is a fair fare?
PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) is pushing for a new fleet of standard metered taxis to serve tourists and residents on the island. The PLTO has asked the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to approve the move, which also includes increased fares for metered taxis (story here). In addressing the issue, PLTO Chief Terayout Prasertphol has…
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Family found huddled together, dead after Phuket Town blaze
PHUKET: A family of three and one woman were found dead this morning in a smoldering Phuket Town furniture shop after firefighters spent three hours battling the deadly flames. The family was found huddled together and the woman was found near a barred window. A fifth person, the owner of the building, managed to leap to safety from the second…
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Water rescue course to promote Phuket beach safety
PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club will hold its fourth annual five-day surf lifesaving training course this month. “The surf lifesaving course will be held from August 25 to 29 at Bang Tao Beach. Accommodation and meals will be provided for the entirety of the course, which is sponsored by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization [PPAO],” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut…
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Officials ponder safety solutions for deadly, iconic Phuket cape
PHUKET: Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos is looking at what safety measures can be taken to prevent accidents at Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape after a second man was thought to have slipped from the rocks and disappeared into the sea this week. Though 25-year-old Teerawat Prasomsub was found safe Thursday night after he was reported missing from the view point (story…
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Obama says that after 9/11, ‘we tortured some folks’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama says that after 9/11, ‘we tortured some folks’ Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: President Barack Obama said yesterday that the CIA “tortured some folks” after the September 11, 2001, attacks, and that the White House had handed over to Congress a report about an investigation…
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Any Phuket police failure to protect legal taxis will have consequences, says military
PHUKET: The military issued a threat today to any Phuket police officers who fail to protect people wanting to become legal metered taxi drivers. “The military will ensure that police look after the safety of customers and their drivers. If officers are found doing otherwise, they will face firm action,” said Capt Petcharat Teanjun of the Third Naval Area Command…
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One-stop registration center good news for Phuket’s taxi-driver hopefuls
PHUKET: In a push to standardize taxi services throughout Phuket, an exhibition with a one-stop service center will open next week to help drivers register their cars to become legal metered taxis. The exhibition will be held from August 9 to 12 at the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), said Jaturong Kaewkasi, chief policy adviser of the PLTO. “There will…
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Exposed Phuket electrical wires shock three construction workers, one still unconscious
PHUKET: Three Myanmar nationals working on a construction site in central Phuket suffered an intense electric shock while on the job this afternoon; one is still unconscious. “After questioning co-workers, we learned that the men were sitting on metal scaffolding waiting for buckets of cement to be lifted up to them by crane,” said Witchit Police Capt Prawat Tantibussapun, who…
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Army protection from mafia gives Phuket airport bus owner confidence to drive to Karon
PHUKET: The Phuket Airport Express Bus is prepared to push through Patong as its owner looks to roll out a new final stop in Karon by mid-August. Airport Express Bus owner Prakob Panyawai is working out the final details of the new route, which will terminate at Karon Municipality. The airport bus was initially planned to run to Kata-Karon, but…
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Breaking News: Phuket parasailor falls from Patong sky
PHUKET: A crowd is growing on Patong Beach after a Phuket parasailing operator lost his grip on the parachute ropes and tumbled from the sky. “The man landed on the sand and broke his arm, but at this point that is all I know,” DDPM-Patong officer Sampawat Wannasangkam told the Phuket Gazette as he rushed to the scene. — Saran…
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Opinion: Phuket beach cleanups – drastic, but necessary
PHUKET: The complete removal of beach lounger and umbrella sets from Phuket’s beaches is a drastic yet necessary step to completely rid the sands of illegal encroachment. It may be a bitter pill to swallow, especially for those who have lost their jobs, but we need to start from ground zero in order to set the stage for a new…
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The future of the resident farang lingers in limbo
PHUKET: Visa runners are now being relegated to history; with no more back-to-backs, it’s the end of an era. This will have a marked impact on the demographics of the island and Thailand as a whole. All those working on a wing and a prayer will now be shown the exit door once and for all, and potentially blacklisted. All…
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Full Metal Dojo returns with second MMA show in Patong
PHUKET: It was on June 7 at Patong’s Seduction Nightclub that MMA entered Phuket for the first time (story here). The Full Metal Dojo MMA event featured a litany of warriors from around the globe. The event saw fighters from Thailand, Cambodia, Finland, the United States, France, and other countries enter the caged-dojo for the first time in Phuket. And…
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Man feared drowned near iconic Phuket cape, found safe, drunk
PHUKET: Fears that a second man within a week had slipped to his death from the rocks at Phuket’s iconic Promthep Cape were dispelled late last night after the man was found alive – and drunk – nearly three hours later. Teerawat Prasomsub, 25, was reported missing by his family, visiting Phuket from Ranong. “The family said that they went…
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Today marks Thai Women’s Day
PHUKET: Various public and private sectors and women’s groups are joining hands with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security in organizing a celebration on Thai Women’s Day today in honor of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. Each year August 1 marks the Thai Women’s Day in honor of Her Majesty the Queen, who is recognized as Mother of the…
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Lessons from the World Cup: Looking to the past to plan for the future
PHUKET: Research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) has found that the enthusiasm Brazilian businesses held for hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup plummeted over the past two years leading up to the event. However, while few business leaders predicted increased investment or increased profits as a result of Brazil hosting the competition, there is hope that infrastructure…
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Well bore rig takes a tumble on Patak Road
PHUKET: Police have played down a “minor” accident that left a rig for boring wells strewn across Patak Road near Chalong Circle yesterday morning. “No people will be charged,” said a Karon Traffic Policeman, who asked not to be named. “No people were injured and no property other than the vehicle involved was damaged, so we will not be investigating…
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Beachgoer baffled by black substance on Phuket beach
PHUKET: Phuket officials are attempting to establish the origins of a black substance found on Karon Beach by a horrified beachgoer last week. The investigation follows pictures sent to the Phuket Gazette by a beachgoer who stepped on an unknown black substance while walking on the popular beach. The beachgoer expressed concern about the possible pollutant and asked for answers…
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South African giraffe dies after ‘head hits bridge’
PHUKET: South Africa’s animal rights body is investigating the death of a giraffe that reportedly struck its head on a bridge while being transported along a motorway. Eyewitnesses say the giraffe, one of two on a truck, hit its head on a bridge on Johannesburg’s N1 motorway, reports the BBC. The vehicle then broke down and the driver had to…
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Job applicants should not be forced to do blood tests for HIV: Rights body
PHUKET: The National Human Rights Commission has condemned businesses that require job applicants to be tested for HIV, saying the move is a “clear violation of human rights”. The NHRC said requiring people to take a blood test could adversely affect people who do this, plus their families, both economically and socially. The agency was responding to complaints from the…
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Expert differs with report on Koh Samet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Expert differs with report on Koh Samet The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Even though a researcher says that Koh Samet’s Ao Phrao is recovering naturally, with the number of marine organisms in the area rising, an academic disagreed, saying the ecosystem was not normal yet…
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Rail mega-project could provide the economy much-needed stimulus
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rail mega-project could provide the economy much-needed stimulus The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The state railway mega-project recently given the green light in part is expected to offer the economy a much-needed lift, while the funding sources could range from banks and public-private partnerships to…
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