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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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What’s not covered by health insurance in Thailand?
Health insurance in Thailand has important limits that everyone should know. Many policies do not cover pre-existing conditions, motorcycle accidents, extreme sports, or specific treatments. These gaps can lead to unexpected costs during emergencies. Coverage for outpatient care and hospital...
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Phuket Media Watch – Passing on Thaksin pardon
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Passing on Thaksin pardon The Nation The government appeared to bow to political pressure last week when it backtracked on a plan to grant former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra a pardon on the occasion of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 84th birthday. The People’s Alliance for Democracy…
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Russia launches satellite as part of GPS rival
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Russia launches last Glonass-M navigation satellite of the year Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Russian Space Forces, which is responsible for military space operations, on Monday announced that the year’s last Glonass-M navigation satellite has been launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket. The Glonass-M launch was carried…
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Resort island of Bali bans smoking in all public places
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Indonesian resort island of Bali bans smoking in all public places Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The provincial legislature on the Indonesian resort island of Bali has passed a new law which will soon ban smoking in all public places, the Jakarta Globe reported on Monday. It is…
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Superyachts return for Phuket Rendezvous
PHUKET: The annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, the exclusive international event for both motor and sailing superyachts, returns to Phuket on December 16-18. The annual event, one of the largest gathering of superyachts in Asia, welcomes sail and motor yachts over 100-feet long to the festivities taking place over three days on and off the waters of the Phuket and the…
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Pheu Thai Spokesman vows to take Phuket encroachment issue to Yingluck
PHUKET: In Phuket to hear complaints about corrupt government officials here was Pheu Thai Party spokesman and party list MP Prompong Nopparit who on Saturday vowed to raise specific instances of alleged land encroachment with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Mr Prompong is currently vice president of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee, which includes Phuket Democrat MP Raywat Areerob. At a public…
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Russians to hold presidential elections in March 2012
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Russians to hold presidential elections in March 2012 Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Russian government has decided that presidential elections will take place on March 4 next year, the upper house of parliament announced on Friday. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is widely expected to win the…
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‘Single European Sky’ initiative at risk
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community EU says ‘Single European Sky’ initiative is at risk of missing crucial targets Phuket GazettePHUKET: The European Union (EU) warned that its progress reports on the Single European Sky initiative show that the project is ‘at risk’ of missing crucial targets.“There is a genuine risk that we…
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Phuket ‘brand’ up for discussion at Wednesday’s AMCHAM meet
PHUKET: The Greater Phuket chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) will be holding its next meeting at the Anantara Resort in Mai Khao on Wednesday (November 30). “This meeting is a ‘must attend’ for those working in the hospitality, travel, property and hotel sectors,” says real estate guru Bill Barnett. “At a time when Phuket is making a…
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Phuket Leopards tamed by Tigers
PHUKET: The second match of the Island Furniture League 2011-2012 season saw the young guns of Phuket cricket, the Phuket Youth Development team (Leopards), take on newcomers the Thanyapura Tigers on Sunday, 20 November, 2011 at the Alan Cooke Ground. The ground was basking in sunshine with the pitch and outfield fast, so expectations were high of some big scores.…
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Three Phuket athletes bring home gold
PHUKET: Three athletes from Phuket earned gold medals at the 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia. Nitchaon Jindapol earned a gold medal with the Thailand women’s badminton team, who made hosts Indonesia settle for silver in the final bout. Maneepong Jongjitt also gave Phuket badminton a name, earning a bronze medal with Thailand’s mens’ team. Maneepong, with doubles partner…
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Living With The Tiger: film fights HIV stigma
PHUKET: Attitudes are changing as Phuket gets screenings of an acclaimed documentary about the children of Baan Gerda, an orphanage for HIV-infected kids cast out by their communities and families. What do you do when stuck alone in a small boat with a big, hungry tiger? In the novel The Life of Pi, the protagonist, Pi, comes to form a…
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FC Phuket draw with Saraburi in league restart
PHUKET: After a month-long league lay-off FC Phuket drew with Saraburi FC Warlords in a heated match on Saturday evening with a final score of 2-2 in their Division One encounter. The match was played in front of a crowd of 2,500 at the Saraburi Provincial Administration Organization M150 Stadium. Phuket went ahead in the 16th minute from a strike…
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Southern Thai football is charging ahead with Krabi and Pattalung
PHUKET: Southern Thai football is charging ahead with Krabi FC and Pattalung FC each prevailing at the top of their respective groups in the Thai Premier League (TPL) 2011 Division Two AIS League promotion playoffs. The playoffs, which began in October and are set to conclude in December, divide 12 fine finalists into two groups of six. Upon conclusion, only…
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AMCHAM meeting to focus on “Phuket’ brand
PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Greater Phuket chapter will be holding its next meeting at the luxury Anantara Resort in Mai Khao on Wednesday. “This meeting is a ‘must attend’ for those working in the hospitality, travel, property and hotel sectors,” said Real estate guru Bill Barnett. “At a time when Phuket makes a transition into a mass…
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Italian Cigana bags third Laguna Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: Massimo Cigana from Italy successfully defended his Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) title today and celebrates an unprecedented third victory in the competition.The “Race of Legends” truly has a new legend in its record books after Cigana from Venice sauntered across the finish line in a time of 02:32:51 and adding the 2011 title to his 2010 and 2007 wins.Speaking…
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Russian tourist dies after Phuket beach rescue effort
PHUKET: A 57-year-old Russian tourist has died after being pulled from the water at Phuket’s Kata Beach this morning. Lt Tianchai Duangsuwan of Chalong Police named the victim as Uriu Varnakov. “He was on holiday in Phuket with his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s parents,” he said. Uten Singsom, head of the Phuket Lifeguard Club stationed at Kata Beach, told the…
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Phuket Opinion: Mob behavior not always necessary
PHUKET: The hundreds of Baan Kho En villagers who formed a mob and commandeered the southbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket last week all knew one thing: they had been down this road before. The tragic, avoidable deaths of Anupong Sae-Yu and his aunt Malai Kaewkluan were only the latest deaths on the notorious stretch of road, known locally…
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Knife-wielding robber makes off with B2mn from Phuket currency exchange
PHUKET: Two staffers at a currency exchange kiosk in the popular Phuket tourist area of Karon Beach were bound and gagged and robbed at knife point of mixed currencies with a total value of about 2 million baht last night. Amnard Ponpramun, 27, told the Phuket Gazette that he and his colleague Wilaiwan Khao-ong, 22, were closing up the Siam…
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Laguna triathletes inspire Phuket swim safety program
PHUKET: Organizers of the 18th Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) officially opened proceedings and also launched Laguna’s Swim Survival Program (LSSP) at a press conference this afternoon.Guest speakers at the event held at the Dusit Thani Laguna Resort were led by Paiboon Upatising President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor).Paiboon expressed his delight with the success of this year’s event…
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta offering “Parties for Smarties’
PHUKET: The organizers of the King’s Cup Regatta are calling for volunteers to help officials on the water on race days. “We’re looking for Phuket-based volunteers to help on the water. They must be available for the entire Regatta week, and yachting experience is required,” says Duncan Worthington, one of the organizers of the regatta. Volunteers are needed primarily to…
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Laguna Phuket Triathlon exceeds 1,000
PHUKET: Entries for the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) tomorrow have raced beyond the 1,000 mark for the first time since the inaugural event in 1994.This record number of participants is a confirmation of Phuket’s reputation as one the most popular triathlon destinations in Asia.Sunday morning will see a total of 1,078 athletes from 41 countries jostle for position at the…
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Phuket’s Andaman Travel Trade expo draws thousands
PHUKET: Thousands of visitors turned out for the opening day of the Andaman Travel Trade 2011 yesterday. The bustling event, held with the aim of linking tour operators with businesses throughout Thailand’s six provinces along the Andaman seaboard, continues today at the Convention Hall at Phuket Rajabhat University. Attending this year’s event are 302 tourism operators from 28 countries and…
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Phuket police nab “serial thieves’
PHUKET: An investigation into a spate of robberies in northern Phuket has led to three arrests, but police believe the break-and-enter gang’s ringleader is still at large. Thalang Police Superintendent Witun Kongsudjai, yesterday, presented the three suspects charged with being “sneak thieves” and receiving stolen property. The suspects were Subandit “Bee” Boonsit, 27, Kittisak Wongsaard, 36, and Somyot Taweesaeng, 44,…
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Athletes flock for Laguna Phuket’s 18th international triathlon
PHUKET: Over 1,000 competitors are descending on the island for the 18th Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) which officially begins today with race registration and a press conference at the Dust Thani Laguna Phuket.Registration numbers have smashed all previous records from the 17 year history of this prestigious Southeast Asian athletic event.Master of ceremonies Whit Raymond will introduce several guest speakers…
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Phuket business owners at Karon Beach win reprieve from street clearing
PHUKET: Business owners in the chaotic street of “Soi Centara“, formerly known for years as “Soi Islandia Resort“, in Phuket’s tourist-popular Karon Beach area, have won a reprieve from having structures on their street demolished. Adam Simone, owner of Bershat Guesthouse and a resident in the area for more than 12 years, told the Phuket Gazette, “Two days ago we…
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Phuket gets dedicated “rape case’ police officer
PHUKET: Phuket now has a female police officer dedicated to handling rape and sexual assault cases, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad Tantipong confirmed yesterday. Speaking at the quarterly meeting of Phuket’s honorary consuls and top officials on the island, Maj Gen Pekad confirmed that the officer is stationed at Phuket City Police Station and is on call to handle cases…
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Weird World News: Technology fads with “Robocop’ prison guards, indestructible iPads and the “Hi honey’ banner vending machine
PHUKET: Technology is great for providing distractions, but this week’s Weird World News round-up is all about the latest gizmo goings-on designed to get your attention, and keep it. ‘RoboCops’ to patrol South Korean prisons SOUTH Korean prisons will deploy a fleet of robot guards to keep inmates in line. And at one billion won (about 27 million baht) apiece,…
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Phuket Sports – FC Phuket to battle Warlords in Saraburi on Saturday
PHUKET: FC Phuket returns to action tomorrow evening when they meet ninth-placed Saraburi FC. Set for a 6pm kickoff at the Saraburi Provincial Administration Organization stadium, the match follows a 41-day hiatus from league play – a relief period that allowed several footballers, including Phuket’s Sarach Yooyen, to compete in the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia as well as…
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Khao Sok Organics coming to Phuket
PHUKET: The Australian Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) Sundowners business networking meeting returns to Phuket tonight at the Thanyapura, Phuket International Academy in Thalang. Keynote speaker will be Martin Smesters, managing director of Pura Organics, speaking on producing and using organic food products in Thailand. Pura Organics sources from a network of more than 40 organic suppliers and sources in Thailand.…
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FA u-turn on video technology
PHUKET: “Goal-line technology would be a huge boost for the game [football], and for years we’ve thought this was a good addition to a referee’s armory.” So says Alex Horne, general secretary of the FA, and shocking and confusing are ways to describe his statement. Let’s go back to a previous Phuket Gazette “quote of the day” posted on October…
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