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Did you know that treating a broken leg can cost around 200,000 THB for uninsured patients, and a three-day hospital stay for conditions like dengue fever averages 40,000 to 80,000 THB in Thailand? While healthcare in Thailand is more affordable...
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Weird World News: Packing and products from a “pickle’ to poo
PHUKET: This week’s Weird World News roundup is about putting your product out there, whether it’s a poop machine in Australia, aged hardwood lubricant in the United States or a man’s pickle packaged in a mankini for the Olympics. Smells like ‘modern art’ Those who thought Marcel Duchamp’s urinal art was pushing the limits, hold your nose because Australia’s most…
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Sea Gypsy Cultural Center to open in Phuket this year
PHUKET: The long-anticipated Sea Gypsy Cultural Center, or Urak Lawoi Culture Center, is now scheduled to open toward the end of this year.The inauguration of the facility is expected to happen about six months after it is officially transferred from the Phuket Office of Public Works to Rassada Municipality at the end of this month.At a cost of 5.4 million…
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Phuket sports: Formula 1 – 5 races 5 winners
PHUKET: At Catalunya no driver has ever won starting lower than third on the grid, which makes it a boring race, right?Right and wrong.It was McLaren’s race to lose again. And they did – again! Lewis Hamilton keeps winning on the track, and his pit crew keeps losing it for him. This is from a team renowned for its meticulous…
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French tourist drowns off Freedom Beach, Phuket
PHUKET: The body of Stephane Dacosta, a 33-year-old French national, thought to have drowned yesterday, was recovered from the waters off Freedom Beach this morning.Mr Dacosta was reported missing at about 5pm yesterday by friends who had attempted, with the help of local fishermen, to save him after noticing the French man struggling to swim in the current.“We checked the…
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Phuket’s second drug rehabilitation camp planned for next month
PHUKET: Following the successful drug rehabilitation camp in Koh Kaew at the beginning of this month, organizers are now planning a second one in Wichit for June. “The Koh Kaew drug rehabilitation camp was a success with 67 of a total of 80 subjects participating,” Phuket’s Muang District Chief, Supachai Pochanukul, told the Phuket Gazette on Friday. “The 13 who…
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Archeological site near Phuket used as eco-tourism collateral
PHUKET: Local Krabi villagers, across the bay from Phuket, have ravaged an archaeological site in a mangrove forest in hopes of making it an eco-tourism attraction.A variety of colorful beads were uncovered by local fishermen in Tambol Klong Thom Thai in Krabi about a month ago, said Teerapong Sithisak a 43-year-old resident of the area.After hearing the fishermen’s stories about…
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Phuket live wire: Mac attack
PHUKET: It was inevitable that somebody would create a Trojan – a botnet, no less – for the Mac OS X. But I don’t think anybody expected the first major Trojan would hit as hard, or so many people, as the one we’re witnessing right now. According to numerous sources, more than 600,000 Macs have been infected – and most…
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Phuket business: Google bridges the gap
PHUKET: Amid the fast paced “age of online” a bulk of local businesses have fallen behind a rapidly evolving consumer base, and companies need to catch up, says Ariya Banomyong, head of Google Thailand The country’s first manager for the iconic IT giant was in Phuket last week and the Gazette had the privilege to pick his brain for an…
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Launch of new Phuket incinerator misfires
PHUKET: The long-awaited second incinerator at the Phuket City Municipality facility in Saphan Hin failed to fire correctly during a trial burn this month, dousing the surrounding neighborhood in a foul stench.The disconcerting odor sparked a stream of complaints from local residents and from families visiting the popular recreational park nearby.“We had to move to solve the problem immediately,” said…
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Stranded dolphin saved in Phuket
PHUKET: A stranded striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) was rescued from Kata Beach yesterday morning and is being closely monitored by the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC).The young, weak dolphin was spotted by Kata Beach Resort workers at about 9am.The PMBC was notified and a team went to sea in order to check on the female dolphin’s condition.“A tentative checkup revealed…
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FC Phuket sustain first half dogfight with Airforce, new president appointment official
PHUKET: FC Phuket came from behind in a closely contested match on Saturday night to draw with Airforce United 3-3 at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. All six goals of the season’s 10th fixture were scored in the first 31 minutes of play, with both sides failing to break the deadlock throughout the rest of the match. Opening the score…
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Phuket pileup kills woman, 21
PHUKET: A rear-end collision spun a car out of control on Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew yesterday morning, causing the car to slam into a motorbike, killing the rider.Thalang Police duty officer Patiwat Yodkwan was notified of the accident at 9:15am.At the scene, about 300 meters south of the Tah Reua Temple, Capt Patiwat, fellow police officers and Kusoldharm Foundation…
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American fugitive in Phuket faces deportation to US
PHUKET: An American man arrested in Phuket on Friday faces deportation to the United States, where he is wanted by the California Supreme Court on drugs charges and involvement in lewd shows. Phuket Immigration Police moved in and arrested 46-year-old Michael Anthony Matos at 6pm at an address on Nanai Road in Patong, renowned worldwide as Phuket’s party town for…
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PHUKET OPINION: Speak loudly, but leave “big stick’ on mainland
PHUKET: As this week passed, the non-event of the Red Shirt rally apparently planned to be held at Nai Yang Beach last Sunday settled in as a near miss. The timing could not be a coincidence. Yesterday, May 19, 2012, marked the second anniversary of the violent confrontations in Bangkok between government security forces and the Red Shirt United Front…
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Man stabs boy, 7, in head with screwdriver on Phuket Town street
PHUKET: Police this afternoon arrested a man after he randomly stabbed a 7-year-old boy in the head with a screwdriver while the child was playing with friends in Phuket Town Still in tears and shocked by the attack, the boy’s mother, Chareerat Naksri, told the Phuket Gazette that the stab wound narrowly missed the right ear of her son, Krittamet…
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Monk defrocked after alleged drunk, drugged altercation at funeral
PHUKET: A monk has been defrocked in Phuket and is being held by police after a violent and possibly drug-induced incident at a cremation ceremony this morning.At about 10am Anusit Kulphonmuang, 52, from Udon Thani, reportedly leapt from a wall at Wat Saensuk temple in Phuket Town and seized a 12-year-old girl by her neck.Mr Anusit was reportedly seen drunk…
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Bangkok Hospital Phuket celebrates 17 years
PHUKET: Bangkok Hospital Phuket today launched a two-week health fair to mark the facility’s 17th anniversary. During the fair, which runs until June 3, the hospital is offering special discounts on a range of patient services, including checkups and cancer checks, said Hospital Director Dr Narongrit Havarungsi. “We are also offering special prices on physio-therapy equipment and other recovery items,…
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New Etihad Phuket airlink opens gateway to Europe
PHUKET: The new weekly direct flights between Phuket and Abu Dhabi, and on to Germany, launched last month by United Arab Emirates (UAE) national carrier Etihad Airways have transformed the UAE into a portal for European tourists traveling to and from Phuket and the rest of Asia. The new service was launched on April 15 after Etihad inked a cooperation…
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FC Phuket host Airforce United tonight at Surakul Stadium, new president to be announced
PHUKET: FC PHUKET are looking to get their first home win of the season this evening against Airforce United FC. Kickoff is set for 6:30pm. Going into the 10th weekend of league play, Phuket are now in 17th place of the 18-team Thai Yamaha 1 league with one win, five draws and three losses. Their opponents, the Airforce United “Blue…
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French tourist drowns as Phuket surf danger season begins
PHUKET: One tourist has drowned and a Thai woman narrowly escaped a similar tragedy after being caught in strong surf on Phuket’s west coast this afternoon. Uten Singsom, head of the Phuket Lifeguard Club team at Kata-Karon, told the Phuket Gazette that a lifeguard pulled a Thai woman, aged about 30, from the surf in front of Karon Circle at…
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Thailand’s national ID database crash attributed to “server problem’
PHUKET: The system crash of Thailand’s Department of Provincial Administration central database in Bangkok, affecting Phuket and the rest of the country yesterday and this morning, has been attributed to a “server problem”. Phuket City Municipality was informed yesterday by the Region 8 Bureau of Registration Administration in Surat Thani of the problem, saying that some of the database system’s…
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Phuket hotel receptionist denies raping tourist
PHUKET: The Phuket resort receptionist charged with raping a German tourist has denied the police allegation, saying the incident was of “mutual consent”. Sakchai Thongseedam, a reception staffer at the Centara Karon Resort Phuket, was charged by Chalong Police after a German woman in her 20s staying at the resort filed a complaint yesterday. The woman, whose name is being…
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Phuket takes drug war to the coffee shop
PHUKET: In a marked departure from the usual line in tackling drugs on the island, Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada yesterday took time out to sit down with local village leaders and discuss the drug problem over a cup of coffee. Joined by Col Jirasak Siemsak of Cherng Talay Police Station and Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) Vice President…
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Hanging on jugs at Krabi Rock and Fire Climbing Comp 2012
PHUKET: The karst topography and stunning beach-side limestone edifices of Krabi once again played host to the Krabi Rock and Fire International Contest on April 28 and 29. The 2012 event, organized by the Krabi Rock Climbing Club and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, is designed to highlight Railey and Ton Sai as world-class rock climbing destinations. The contest was…
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Phuket sports: Premiership league season review 2011/12
PHUKET: This season’s Premier League has been one of, if not the most exciting seasons in recent memory. Not since the title decider between Arsenal and Liverpool in 1989 has a season ended with so much drama.The battle between the two Manchester clubs for supremacy was of course the highlight of the show, with both sides stretching out eight point…
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Phuket tourists left to save themselves from dangerous surf
PHUKET: Beach vendors have expressed their fears that it is only a matter of time before someone drowns at Phuket’s popular Nai Harn Beach, as distressed tourists are seen daily in the strong surf. “Since April, Thais and foreigners who regularly hang out at Nai Harn Beach, such as surfers, have often had to go out and save people who…
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Two accidents on Thepkrasattri Road as bad weather hits Phuket
PHUKET: Although the adverse weather is not thought to have directly caused either accident, it may well have been a factor in at least one of the two accidents that occurred along Phuket’s notorious Thepkrasattri Road yesterday.The first incident, shortly after midnight, involved a modified Isuzu D-Max pickup which struck an electricity pole on Thepkrasattri Road in the vicinity of…
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Heavy rains prompt Phuket flood, landslide warning
PHUKET: While the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) today upgraded its “heavy rain warning” for Phuket and the Andaman coast to a flood caution, the Phuket provincial office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) has issued a flood warning for risk areas across the island “We sent the warning letter to every local administration yesterday, warning of possible…
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PHUKET GEM HEIST UPDATE: Turk to face drug charges first
PHUKET: The Turkish national who was arrested in connection with the 30-million-baht gem and jewelry heist in Phuket on Monday will face drug possession charges before being handed over to the Phuket Police to face charges related to the gem heist. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul told the Phuket Gazette that Riza Balkan, 49, was found in possession of…
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Phuket lifeguards likely back on duty “by Monday’
PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguard Club has submitted an offer to restore lifeguard services at Phuket’s key tourist beaches, an offer that is likely to be agreed to by Monday, the Phuket Gazette has learned. The news comes after two rounds of offers by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) to receive applications to provide the services. Both rounds failed to…
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