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How much is Thai health insurance?
Health insurance in Thailand is essential for expats and locals, providing financial protection and access to quality care. Costs depend on age, health, and coverage level, with basic plans being cheaper but limited and comprehensive plans offering more benefits at...
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Maritime safety highlighted
PHUKET TOWN: Although not citing any specific threat, Phuket Marine Police are implementing plans to work more closely with other agencies to gather and share intelligence. Deputy Commander of [the national] Marine Police, Pol Col Ularn Anekboon, said, “Phuket, like Koh Samui and Pattaya, has many marine tourist centers and we have to maintain security at all of them. “All…
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Dramatic increases in land value
PHUKET: Phuket property owners can expect higher land taxes in the new year as the Phuket Treasury Office (PTO) has announced an island-wide average increase of 65% in government-appraised land values. The new rates, which reflect the island’s continuing property boom, will be effective from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2007. The Bangkok-based Valuation Authority, which is responsible for…
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Death sentence for activist’s killer
BANGKOK: Bancha Noppawong, arrested for the 2001 murder of environmental activist Jurin Rachapol, has been convicted by a Bangkok court. He was handed the death penalty but is expected to appeal the sentence. K. Jurin was found shot dead on land close to the Wachara Prawn Farm – where Bancha worked – in Pa Khlok. A number of activists, including…
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Mayor leaves legacy of development
PHUKET TOWN: Projects totalling 70 million baht – including a park, high-tech traffic lights and a new symbolic sculpture – are under construction in Phuket Town, marking the end of an era for outgoing Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok. A 10-rai site on Thalang Rd – once home to the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority complex – is under development as a multi-use…
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Patong murder suspect arrested
PATONG: The alleged murderer of a go-go dancer is now in Phuket Provincial Prison, following his December 23 arrest in Bangkok by a team of Kathu Police investigators. The man, identified as 26-year-old Akharadech “James” Phusuwan, was arrested without struggle in his native Bangkok following an investigation led by Pol Maj Chawalit Petchsripia. Akharadech was wanted for the August 20…
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Tourist numbers tipped to rise
PHUKET: New airlines, new air routes and more charter flights should help to increase the number of tourists coming to Phuket next year by about 10%, Lt Cdr Boonchart Prompoon, Director of the Airports Authority of Thailand, Phuket, said on Wednesday. He was speaking at the launch of an “All Smiles All the Time” campaign at Phuket International Airport, a…
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Tin mine land probe concludes
PHUKET: The investigation into land titles covering 17 former tin mines has concluded, with titles covering 663 rai expected to be revoked, Vice-Governor Pongpow Ketthong told the Gazette today. V/Gov Pongpow, who presided over the investigation, said that the results will be passed to Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura before New Year’s Day, though he added that a time frame for…
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Christmas first for Governor
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura tomorrow night will be the special guest answering questions from the island’s English-speaking residents during a new weekly English-language radio show. The program will give listeners a chance to send or call in questions to local officials, with responses read out over the air, usually in a live format. Vice-Governor Winai Buapradit today said the…
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Paradorn goes down in straight sets
CHERNG TALAY: In the final day of play in the Paradorn Super Tour 2003 held at Laguna Beach Resort yesterday afternoon, Chilean Marcelo Rios swept aside Paradorn Srichaphan in straight sets, 6-4; 6-4, causing the Thai tennis superstar to end up winless in the four-city exhibition tournament bearing his name. Playing on a synthetic grass surface in front of a…
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World dive record broken off Patong
ANDAMAN SEA: Briton Mark Ellyatt has set a new world record of 313 meters for the deepest solo scuba dive, beating the previous record by five meters. Describing his historic dive on Thursday, in waters four hours off Patong, Mr Ellyatt said, “It’s a lonely trip, like a trip to the Moon.” The descent into the depths took a mere…
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Old theater burns
PHUKET TOWN: The once-popular Nimit Theater on Chana Jaroen Rd caught fire at 2 am today. Firefighters took 15 minutes to extinguish the fire, and managed to contain the blaze to the ground floor of the two-story building, which has 10 rental rooms. Pol Maj Chokchai Sutthimet, of Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that only three of the…
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Illegal arms crackdown underway
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket’s top law enforcement official says that road checkpoints and surprise home searches are now being used in an all-out effort to rid the island of its remaining illegal firearms, now that the December 15 deadline for the amnesty on handing unregistered weapons to the government has passed. Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Veerayuth Sittimalic told the…
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Senior police officers on the move
PHUKET: Four senior local police officers have received transfers to other provinces as part of a national reshuffle of some 750 of Thailand’s most senior police officers. Locally, the officers being promoted – and their replacements – are: Pol Col Sayan Krasaesan, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Police, is moving to Bangkok to become Deputy Commissioner of Immigration, Region 3. His…
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Jobless benefit lifts social security cost
PHUKET TOWN: Compulsory salary deductions for social security insurance will increase from 4% to 5% from January 1 for workers and for employers. Yaowalak Yangyuen, Chief of Phuket Social Security Office, said, “The Cabinet has approved the increase because we have added unemployment benefits to social security.” Thus, if an employee earns 10,000 baht a month, he or she will…
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Changes made to Paradorn matches
CHERNG TALAY: Laguna Phuket has announced that the sixth player in the Paradorn Super Tour matches to be played at the Laguna Beach Resort tomorrow and Sunday (December 20 and 21) will be 18-year-old Chuang Chia-Jung of Taiwan. Changes to the order of play have also been announced. Saturday will see Taylor Dent play Marcelo Rios at 4 pm, followed…
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Chalong plaza plan cancelled
PHUKET: A 150-million-baht project to develop 40 rai in Chalong into a 700-shop complex has been abandoned. Five thousand customers a day and 120 million baht in annual profits were anticipated for the Phuket Legend Plaza Center but the developer, Eat & Art Management, shelved plans before any work started. All shop reservation fees for the project – which was…
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Patong gears up for polls – again
PHUKET: The Phuket Election Commission (PEC) is preparing to organize an election for Patong Municipality following the dismissal of former Mayor Chalermsak Maneesri after two Provincial Court judges ruled that allegations of cheating in Patong Municipality elections in November last year were proven. Those wishing to enter the murky realm of Patong municipal politics will have from December 15 to…
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Illegal firearms amnesty ends
PHUKET TOWN: The amnesty for handing in unregistered guns and ammunition expired at the end of yesterday. The final tally of weapons handed in or found during the amnesty period was 18 firearms, four explosive devices and more than 7,000 rounds of ammunition. By district, the numbers were: Phuket Town: 10 firearms, 1,300 rounds of ammunition, four explosive devices. Kathu:…
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Police pounce on illegal lottery agent
PHUKET TOWN: Police raided two houses yesterday and seized illegal lottery equipment and a ledger recording 400,000 baht in sales of lottery numbers. They arrested one woman, 47-year-old Saitong Arronrat, who allegedly confessed to involvement in illegal lotteries. Also found in the two houses in Soi Lohrong, off Pattana Rd, were about 50,000 baht in cash, a fax machine and…
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Property auction raises B64 million
PHUKET TOWN: Phuket’s first teleconference auction of bad-debt properties has been declared a success, with prices tripling expectations and huge interest being shown in the process. While there were no bids from Bangkok via the telescreen, about 300 interested parties and bidders turned up at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Sunday, Saeksan Suksang, Chief of Phuket Legal Execution Office…
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Free vaccine in anti-polio campaign
PHUKET TOWN: Poliovirus vaccine was administered free at hospitals, schools and community meeting points today in a campaign to immunize as many children as possible. Although no cases of polio have been recorded on Phuket since 1984, officers from the Phuket Public Health Office combined with volunteers from Rotary clubs, the Red Cross and local hospitals to administer the vaccine…
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AirAsia takes to the skies
PATONG: AirAsia, a new budget airline based in Malaysia, launched its first service, between Phuket and Kuala Lumpur, at the weekend. The exceptionally low rates of 810 baht one way for the daily flights apply until January 31. Seats must be booked 14 days in advance to qualify for the low price. Company CEO Tony Fernandes said that AirAsia will…
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Regional leaders to meet in Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: The Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit will be held in Phuket from February 5 to 9 next year, a spokesperson from the Phuket Governor’s Office told the Gazette today. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his counterparts from the other four countries – along with those of Nepal and Bhutan, which are not formal…
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Murder suspects arrested in Bangkok
PHUKET: Three people have been arrested for the murder of Klinsukon Prangchaipoom, 25, whose body was found in a canal beside the Phuket Country Club Golf Course in Kathu on December 7, stabbed to death. Initial speculation was that the death of K. Klinsukon, who worked in the Millenium Bar in Patong, was a “straightforward” rape and murder. But further…
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Thousands enjoy Old Phuket
PHUKET TOWN: About 10,000 people packed the first night of the annual Old Phuket Festival last night, with Thalang Rd in Phuket Town converted to a walking street for the event. Organizers rated the night a big success, with a parade of students dressed in traditional clothing and local food, crafts, music and entertainment on show. The festival continues today…
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Corpse baffles investigators
THALANG: Police have been unable to identify the body of a man found in shallow water off Ao Por on the morning of December 9. Officers believe, however, that the man was beaten to death and his corpse weighted before being dumped into the sea. Pol Maj Anan Jingjit of Thalang Police Station told the Gazette that the badly decomposed…
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New Year opening for new hospital wing
PATONG: Patong Hospital will open its new outpatient and emergency wing on New Year’s Day – just after what everyone hopes will be a quiet holiday season, at least for hospitals. Construction of the 66-million-baht, four-story building began in 2001 and the grand opening will take place on December 21. The new building houses emergency and treatment rooms, an operating…
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Democracy is not my goal – Thaksin
BANGKOK (The Nation): Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday revealed for the first time the value he places on democracy, saying it was not the foremost thing Thailand needed. In a candid statement made ominous by its release on Constitution Day, Thaksin said that as long as the country could progress and people were happy, he was not concerned about the…
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Shrimp farmers’ loss is consumers’ gain
PHUKET: Shrimp lovers are being urged to eat up vast quantities in Thailand’s national interest. The price of Pacific white shrimp, a popular crop with shrimp farmers, has plummeted because of oversupply and anti-dumping measures being taken in the US and Europe. Prices that were around 200-230 baht a kilogram just weeks ago are now down to 80-100 baht. Tharadol…
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Galaxy of stars for New Year in Patong
PATONG: New Year festivities in Patong will include concerts featuring a galaxy of Thai stars. Every night from December 23 to January 1, local bands and students from local schools will provide live entertainment at Loma Park. There will also be a beer garden as well as market stalls selling food, souvenirs and trinkets. On New Year’s Eve, artists including…
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