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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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Drowning of Phuket boy, 9, spurs lifeguard warning
PHUKET: The drowning of a 9-year-old boy at Karon Beach over the weekend has sparked a warning from Phuket lifeguards for parents to never leave children unwatched at the beach. “Children should never be left unattended near the surf, even if no red flags have been posted to mark it as a dangerous area to swim,” Kata-Karon chief lifeguard Uten…
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Phuket Police to target foreigners at night
PHUKET: Foreigners passing through checkpoints at night will be stopped and searched as part of a new effort to ensure the safety of people and property on Phuket, police announced today. The police initiative is motivated by two recent ATM robberies perpetrated by foreigners and the fact that the number of foreign suspects in criminal cases sharply increased this year,…
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Phuket land grab suspect arrested
PHUKET: Police charged a man with encroaching on a protected Phuket forest yesterday after he was found building two houses amid mangroves in Wichit. The arrest came during a raid led by Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak at a site near Klong Mudong (map here). The raid was inspired by a complaint filed by local villagers, Vice Governor Somkiet told…
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Chef murdered in Phuket likely bag-snatch victim
PHUKET: Police suspect that the chef who was fatally stabbed early yesterday morning while on his way to work was the victim of a bag-snatch. Eyewitnesses told police that Dithchart Insom was riding north on the Kathu-Naka road (map here) when two men on a motorbike rode alongside him and ordered him to stop. “When Mr Dithchart stopped, the men…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Child killer confesses; Democrats to vote on election boycott; Cold bites hard in North
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Lessons learnt in sad fate of 6-year-old girl The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A former convict has confessed to raping and strangling a six-year-old girl in Bangkok earlier this month after she strayed briefly from her father’s attention. Police say she was just one of his many…
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Phuket mother denies rumor that 7-year-old daughter’s body was found
PHUKET: The mother of 7-year-old Natthapa “Nong Dear” Papkaew today dismissed the rumor circulating across Phuket that the body of her missing daughter had been found. “I have heard the rumor, but they’re not true. My little girl has not been found,” Jaroon Papkaew told Phuket Gazette today. Capt Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police confirmed that his officers had…
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Former Phuket police volunteer denied bail
PHUKET: Long-time expat and well-known Tourist Police Volunteer Garry Halpin has been denied bail by police, the Phuket Gazette was told today. Mr Halpin was arrested on Saturday night in a police sting operation during which he was found in possession of more than 18 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine). Mr Halpin was placed under arrest after he bought…
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Phuket Provincial Hall officially re-opens today
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Hall, closed at the request of anti-government protesters last month, officially re-opened today. On November 27, thousands of protesters massed at the hall, presented Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut with a bouquet of flowers, and asked him to shutter the building. He obliged, but carried on working at various locations outside the hall (story here). The main government…
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Jetstar begins direct Phuket-Melbourne flights
PHUKET: Jetstar Airways has launched its non-stop service between Phuket and Melbourne, connecting Phuket to one of its most important source markets just in time for the tourism high season to kick off. “The first flight of the service directly to Phuket left the ground on December 14, making it the first direct low-cost carrier service for travellers between the…
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Monkey business at kratom den north of Phuket
PHUKET: Police raiding a kratom den in Phang Nga last Friday ran into some serious monkey business when they discovered 19 caged macaques. After receiving a tip that beverages made from the leaves of the illegal kratom tree were being brewed in a house in Takuapa, police moved in. “Not only did officers find three men drinking a kratom beverage,…
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Be forewarned about 4G in Phuket
PHUKET: Lest you think it’s 3G déjà vu all over again, the current state of 4G in Phuket has a few interesting new wrinkles. In many ways, the impending 4G roll out – which is already under way, at least in theory – isn’t nearly as confusing as the 3G roll out two years ago. Thank heavens! Let’s start with…
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Queens of the beach compete
PHUKET: With the success of the PTT School Tournament, held in conjunction with the recent 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball Phuket Open, organizer Bob Selznick wanted to give students another chance to develop their skills on the sand by hosting a new tournament. “I promised the girls that I would teach them, and hold a two-person per side beach volleyball tournament…
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Karon named deadliest Phuket beach
PHUKET: Karon Beach was marked as the deadliest beach in Phuket after eight people drowned between October 2012 and September 2013, said Karon Police Superintendent Weerawat Jantarawichit on Friday. “We have put up signs in many languages warning people about the dangers, but they have not been successful – this is very concerning,” Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut said in a…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Bachelet wins in Chile; EU suspends trade talks with Ukraine; Peter O’Toole is dead
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bachelet wins Chile election in a landslide, plans reforms Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Michelle Bachelet was elected as Chile’s president again on Sunday in a landslide victory that hands the centre-leftist the mandate she sought to push ahead with wide-reaching reforms.Bachelet won with about 62 percent support,…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Man held for killing girl, 6; Govt forum backs elections; Elite peace unit ramps up lese majeste crackdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man held in killing of girl, 6 The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police have arrested a man suspected of kidnapping and killing a six-year-old girl. Footage from security cameras in Bang Na in Bangkok showed the man walking with a girl reported as missing by her parents…
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Tourist Police Volunteer busted for drug dealing in Phuket
PHUKET: Provincial Police arrested long-time expat and well-known Tourist Police Volunteer Garry Halpin yesterday for dealing drugs to tourists and local teens. Mr Halpin, 52, was arrested at the Chalong Villa and Spa last night, where he was in possession of over 18g of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), drug paraphernalia, a digital scale and cough syrup. “Garry was a tourist…
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Stunning Airshow set for Phuket’s Patong Beach tomorrow afternoon
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette has just been advised of an Airshow over Patong Beach tomorrow (Sunday, December 15) at 4pm. Organized by Patong Municipality to celebrate the opening of Phuket’s high season for tourism, the show will be repeated, also at 4pm, on Monday and Tuesday as well. The show stars world-renowned stunt pilot Les Vorosmarthy who flew into Phuket…
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Phuket resort looks to bring to heel Kata Noi taxi rank
PHUKET: Reform for the 60-vehicle taxi rank operating at the Katathani Phuket Beach Resort is on the horizon, said Katathani President and CEO Sombut Atiset yesterday. The hotel is working together with the Karon Municipality and Karon Police to establish a balance where everyone can “live together”, explained Mr Sombut. “We are working with the Kata Noi Taxi Service, and…
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Phuket Governor pushes ‘Visiting 3K Police Stations’ project
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut inspected Karon Police Station yesterday as part of his “Visiting 3K Police Stations” campaign to promote Phuket as a safe holiday destination. The governor is using the project to keep a close eye on police stations at three key tourism beach areas – Kathu (Patong), Kamala and Karon. In October Governor Maitri was given a…
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Another Phuket taxi driver arrested for assaulting a tourist
PHUKET: Karon Police yesterday arrested a taxi driver for threatening and assaulting a tourist with a piece of bamboo. Narongsak “Petch” Kongsawat, 19, was arrested at the taxi rank in front of the Centara Grand Beach Resort, Phuket, at about 4:30pm. “Police identified themselves, showed the arrest warrant and took Mr Narongsak to the police station for questioning over an…
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Desperate Phuket mother turns to spirit medium to find missing daughter
PHUKET: The mother of missing 7-year-old Nong Dear has resorted to consulting a spirit medium after police efforts have failed to yield any results in the week the girl has been missing (story here). “It’s been a week now; I know police are working hard, but they are still unable to find my daughter,” Jaroon Papkaew said. “I didn’t know…
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Russia Beyond the Headlines – all about it, in a language you can understand
PHUKET: The latest issue of the Phuket Gazette, on newsstands across the island this weekend, includes our launch edition of Russia – Beyond the Headlines (RBTH).Like the China Daily we pioneered two years ago as a free supplement for our valued readers, RBTH delivers insights into its host country’s relationships with Thailand and Asia. It also explores Russian culture, sports,…
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Phuket Drift: Pickup makes move, flips, crashes
PHUKET: A pickup truck thwarted in a passing maneuver on Thepkrasattri Road flipped over and landed upside down on the median in Mai Khao yesterday morning. The cab was partially crushed by the impact, but the passenger and driver escaped with only minor injuries. Called to the scene at Baan Suan Maphrao at about 10:30am, police found Wutirai Chuchuay, 26,…
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Tesco Lotus opens new Phuket department store in Chalong
PHUKET: Tesco Lotus today opened its new Chalong Phuket Department Store on Chao Fa West Road.The store offers a wide range of fresh food and groceries, as well as a large variety of housewares, electronics, toys and furniture. The store complex has 72 commercial tenants including banks and leading restaurants. The Tesco Lotus store will create 170 jobs in the…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Kim Jong Un executes uncle; France calls to extradite Kazakh billionaire; 15 wedding guests killed in drone strike
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has powerful uncle executed Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: North Korea said on Friday the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, previously considered the second most powerful man in the secretive state, has been executed for treason, the biggest upheaval since the…
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Phuket Opinion: Providing justice for aggrieved consumers
PHUKET: A friend came to see me the other day. He had a problem. He had fully paid for a pool to be built at his rental house. The pool, measuring only 6m x 8m, took the contractor 11 months to build – and within a few months of completion, it was falling apart. The concrete on the pool terrace…
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Phuket Opinion: Pushing for an Old Town revival
Phuket native Don Limnun-thaphisit, 49, is the project leader of Lardyai walking street and the head of the Phuket Old Town community. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Prince of Songkhla University in the faculty of Science. Here he talks about the need to revive Phuket Old Town and increase the popularity of the Lardyai street market with tourists.…
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Phuket Opinion: Mixing danger
PHUKET: The recent claim of drink spiking by a young British tourist who survived a two-storey fall from her Patong hotel room is just the latest in a long string of similar accusations by foreign tourists, the vast majority of which go unreported. Reliable sources in several units of the local Tourist Police have over the years said that claims…
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Phuket’s iBless Philippines donations reach typhoon victims
PHUKET: Funds and relief goods collected for victims of Typhoon Haiyan under the iBless Philippines campaign have been sent to the Philippines, and more fund raising events are in the works. “We sent 139,468 baht and 2,700kg of emergency relief goods to the Philippines on November 29,” Bernardita Sanchez, an iBless committee member, told the Phuket Gazette yesterday. Some of…
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Patong ghost-resort owners ordered to clear way for residents
PHUKET: The absent owners of an abandoned resort in the foothills overlooking Patong have been given three months to respond to an order to allow access across their 200-million-baht plot of land – or face a court order to do so.Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkhaosutthirak delivered the news yesterday at the site of The Crest resort, on Phra Barami Road,…
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