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    Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run

    Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...

  • Phuket Business: Why Google is still the best | Thaiger

    Phuket Business: Why Google is still the best

    PHUKET: The word ‘Google’ is a household name, synonymous with the word ‘search’ or even ‘research’ for most people around the world. The name itself originated from the word ‘Googol’, coined by Milton Sirotta, meaning the number 1 followed by 100 zeros; basically an extremely large number. It represents the vast universe of information that Google makes available to the…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Deep South peace talks to table Special Admin Zone | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Deep South peace talks to table Special Admin Zone

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community New administration strategy for South set to be discussed The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: All eyes will be on the first official peace talks scheduled for next Thursday between the separatist movement Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) and Thai officials, during which a proposal to set up a…

  • Phuket Gazette Sports: Salute, suspicions and sympathy | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Sports: Salute, suspicions and sympathy

    Katidis banned for rest of Greek season for Nazi salute Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: AEK Athens have suspended Giorgos Katidis for the rest of the season after the 20-year-old midfielder made a Nazi salute to fans during a game at the weekend.The former captain of his country’s under-19 side had already been banned from all international teams for life by…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Polish mine collapse; Congo up in arms; Pakistani schoolgirl shot by Taliban starts school in UK | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Polish mine collapse; Congo up in arms; Pakistani schoolgirl shot by Taliban starts school in UK

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Seventeen workers trapped underground at Polish mine Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Seventeen miners are trapped underground in a Polish copper mine after an earthquake caused a cave-in, a spokesman for mine operator KGHM said this morning.The miners were trapped 600 metres below ground at the Rudna mine,…

  • Phuket Property Watch: Koh Samui puts on a game face | Thaiger

    Phuket Property Watch: Koh Samui puts on a game face

    PHUKET: War is hell. While the opinion on developing tourism often ranges from heaven to hell or somewhere in-between those luxury hotel 400 thread count fine Egyptian bed sheets (as usual I can’t help but take a quick detour off into the realms of upscale bedding). Apparently there is an ongoing controversy over thread count linen and whether the claims…

  • Phuket to become land probe role model | Thaiger

    Phuket to become land probe role model

    PHUKET: A Deputy Ministry of Interior arrived on Phuket yesterday to launch a land title deed investigation geared to establish Phuket as a role model for land probes.“Many plots of land have been acquired through corrupt officials,” Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Prasopdee told the Phuket Gazette.“This investigation, commencing immediately and lasting 30 days, will establish Phuket as a role model…

  • Phuket Sports: ‘Imagina na Copa!’ | Thaiger

    Phuket Sports: ‘Imagina na Copa!’

    PHUKET: It’s the catchphrase of the year in Brazil: “Imagina na Copa!”It basically means “Imagine what it’ll be like during the World Cup,” and it has become a favourite among Brazilians stuck in traffic or in line at their woefully overcrowded airports.The underlying belief is that the chaos will be worse when Brazil hosts the football tournament in June 2014,…

  • Phuket Police deny drug suspect bribe, make “honor arrest’ | Thaiger

    Phuket Police deny drug suspect bribe, make “honor arrest’

    PHUKET: A senior Phuket City Police officer arrested a woman for tarnishing the name of the Royal Thai Police after she allegedly claimed to have paid him 400,000 baht in bribe money.The news follows Duangporn Luesub, 36, arriving at Phuket City Police Station yesterday to discuss the issue with Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Prawit Engchuan, the sole case officer…

  • Land prices upcountry doubling | Thaiger

    Land prices upcountry doubling

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Provincial land prices double as big developers go upcountry Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The expansion by leading property firms of their investment in the provinces during the course of last year has resulted in land prices doubling in many areas. The main provinces and areas subject to…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Thailand among Asia’s highest achievers; Thai TV unplugged; drought, erosion bite hard | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Thailand among Asia’s highest achievers; Thai TV unplugged; drought, erosion bite hard

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thailand joins ranks of ‘high achievers’ in East Asia The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand has made it into the UNDP’s list of “high achievers” in East Asia, along with China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. The rapid human development progress of Thailand and Asia-Pacific nations…

  • Phuket Police bag two as snatch turns snitch | Thaiger

    Phuket Police bag two as snatch turns snitch

    PHUKET: A young Thai woman wanted as a bag-snatcher was placed under arrest by Phuket Police yesterday after she presented herself at Thalang Police Station to seek guidance over being beaten by her boyfriend. Rudeemas “Yaem” Sumeng, 22, reported the whereabouts of her partner to Thalang Police after he allegedly beat her. She walked into the police station apparently unaware…

  • Beach north of Phuket crawling with baby turtles | Thaiger

    Beach north of Phuket crawling with baby turtles

    PHUKET: The beach at Khao Lampi – Hat Thai Mueang National Park has been full of life over the past month with 339 baby leatherback turtles hatching from five protected nests in the area.“We are still watching two more nests expected to hatch soon. One nest contains 91 eggs and the other contains 84 eggs,” park chief Witoon Detpramuanphol told…

  • Phuket Business: Tax filing deadline nears | Thaiger

    Phuket Business: Tax filing deadline nears

    PHUKET: With the peak of the Thai hot season fast approaching, the Personal Income Tax (PIT) filing deadline is also nigh. Usually, the deadline is March 31, but since the last day of March this year falls on a Sunday, income earners in the Kingdom have been given until Monday, April 1 to file their paper returns, or until Tuesday,…

  • Phuket bus driver found dead, pinned by bus door | Thaiger

    Phuket bus driver found dead, pinned by bus door

    PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a bus driver whose body was found, still standing, pinned by the partially closed door of his own bus this morning.Phuket native Ekkarat Sarapol, 29, from Wichit, arrived and parked his Sawat Travel Company bus alongside other tour buses at the Phuket Boat Lagoon, north of Phuket Town, at 6am.He was last seen…

  • Phuket Events: Professional Beach Volleyball returns with FIVB Open | Thaiger

    Phuket Events: Professional Beach Volleyball returns with FIVB Open

    PHUKET: The Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Beach Volleyball World Tour event, the ‘Thailand Open’ powered by PTT, is set to return to Karon Beach, Phuket, this year. After staging the event in Phuket for six years, the tournament was moved to Bang Saen, near Pattaya, last year but changes to the regulations by the FIVB have allowed the organizers…

  • Sea Warriors hook Blue Marlins | Thaiger

    Sea Warriors hook Blue Marlins

    PHUKET: The Southern Sea Warriors won their first Thailand Yamaha One League (YL1) game of the season, beating Suzuki Si Racha FC 3-1 in front of just over 4,200 fans at Surakul Stadium on Saturday. Last season, Phuket had lost both of its YL1 league matches – home and away – against the Suzuki Si Racha ‘Blue Marlins’. Phuket FC…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Pheu Thai denies Yaowapa groomed for PM; Monarchy TV review axed; MCOT to rule TrueVisions ads | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Pheu Thai denies Yaowapa groomed for PM; Monarchy TV review axed; MCOT to rule TrueVisions ads

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pheu Thai denies grooming Yaowapa as PM’s stand-in The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The ruling Pheu Thai Party yesterday accused the Opposition Democrats of being fanciful in their claims that Pheu Thai heavyweight Yaowapa Wongsawat is being prepared as a stand-in should PM Yingluck Shinawatra meet with…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Kenyan president and war crimes; Damascus under siege; 17 jailed for cop bomb plot; Budapest up in arms; Somali rape reporter freed | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Kenyan president and war crimes; Damascus under siege; 17 jailed for cop bomb plot; Budapest up in arms; Somali rape reporter freed

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Kenyatta lawyers push international court to drop case Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Lawyers for Kenya’s president-elect, Uhuru Kenyatta, will push the International Criminal Court today to drop charges against him after the case against his co-accused collapsed. The case against Kenyatta, on charges of crimes…

  • Phuket Gazette Sports: Red Bulls take front row at F1 season opener | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Sports: Red Bulls take front row at F1 season opener

    Vettel on pole for Red Bull in Melbourne Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: World champion Sebastian Vettel will start the Formula One season-opener from pole position on an all-Red Bull front row later today (1pm Phuket time) after posting the fastest time in the rain-delayed qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. The German, chasing a fourth successive world title this…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Swiss tourist gang-raped in India | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Swiss tourist gang-raped in India

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Swiss tourist gang-raped while camping in India – police Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Four men raped a 39-year-old Swiss woman camping with her husband in an Indian forest, police said yesterday, turning the spotlight anew on the security of women in the world’s largest democracy.…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: UNHCR joins call for probe into Rohingya shootings | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: UNHCR joins call for probe into Rohingya shootings

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community UNHCR urges investigation into alleged Rohingya shooting The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The UN’s refugee agency on Friday called on the government to investigate reports that Thai navy men shot at Rohingya boat people fleeing sectarian conflict in Myanmar. The United Nations High Commissioner for…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Vatican denies Pope silent during ‘dirty war’ dictatorship | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Vatican denies Pope silent during ‘dirty war’ dictatorship

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Vatican denies Pope silent during ‘dirty war’ dictatorship Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Vatican has strongly denied accusations by some critics in Argentina that Pope Francis stayed silent during systematic human rights abuses by the former military dictatorship.Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi on Friday told reporters the…

  • Phuket Town gamblers luck out: 22 arrested | Thaiger

    Phuket Town gamblers luck out: 22 arrested

    PHUKET: A joint police raid on a house in Phuket Town on Thursday night netted 22 gamblers playing the popular “shrimp-fish-giant water bug-flower” [yes] board game. Officers led by Lt Col Prawit Engchuan of Phuket City Police joined teams from the Phuket Provincial Police and Wichit Police in the raid, at the shophouse about 100 meters from Surakul Stadium (map…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Road death toll among highest in the world | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Road death toll among highest in the world

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Road death toll in Thailand among highest in the world The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Up to 26,000 people are killed in road accidents every year in Thailand, which puts the country sixth in the world in terms of road casualties. Of those killed, nearly 80%…

  • Phuket Sports: European football roundup | Thaiger

    Phuket Sports: European football roundup

    PHUKET: Chelsea came from two goals down at Manchester United to draw 2-2 in a thrilling FA Cup quarterfinal last Sunday that capped a bad week for the Premier League leaders who were knocked out of the Champions League on March 5 by Real Madrid.Manchester United and Chelsea drew 2-2 on Sunday as the quarter-finals of the FA Cup took…

  • Phuket Gazette World News: Syria warns Lebanon; Myanmar in democracy drive; UN damns drones; Spain retirees hit | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette World News: Syria warns Lebanon; Myanmar in democracy drive; UN damns drones; Spain retirees hit

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Syria threatens to strike at rebels in Lebanon Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Syria has warned it may strike at rebels hiding in neighbouring Lebanon if the Lebanese army does not act, as its patience “is not unlimited”, the state news agency SANA said yesterday.Syria’s Foreign Ministry told…

  • Phuket Sports: Truth, tyres and tall tales – F1 | Thaiger

    Phuket Sports: Truth, tyres and tall tales – F1

    PHUKET: The 2013 Formula 1 rules are much the same as last year, so slower teams have had a better chance to copy and catch-up in the off-season rather than have faster teams increase their lead with innovations. But the new Pirelli tyres are going to degrade even faster than the 2012 versions. So I expect a very close season.…

  • New Phuket buses ready to run the gauntlet | Thaiger

    New Phuket buses ready to run the gauntlet

    PHUKET Governor Maitri Inthusut confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that he will approve the long-awaited bus service to start serving tourists arriving at Phuket International Airport. The new bus service – to launch with six buses departing the airport to provide a “hop on, hop off” service to the major tourist beaches down the west coast – has one final…

  • Russians nabbed touting macaque monkeys off Phuket | Thaiger

    Russians nabbed touting macaque monkeys off Phuket

    PHUKET: A Russian couple were arrested at a tourist sightseeing island off Phuket yesterday afternoon after they were caught charging tourists to have their photos taken with pig-tailed macaques, a protected species in Thailand.Andrey Belov, 31, and Ekaterina Denisovich, 22 were arrested by Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) officers led by Lt Col Kongkaj Phunoknium. “We went…

  • Triple homicide prime suspect caught at Phuket visa run pier | Thaiger

    Triple homicide prime suspect caught at Phuket visa run pier

    PHUKET: Police have arrested the prime suspect wanted for a triple homicide over a land conflict in Phang Nga.After nearly three months on the run, Somsak Wongsri, 49, was arrested in Ranong on Tuesday.He was wanted for the execution of Prajuab Choojit, 24; Sarawut Boonklin, 31; and Somboon Kimtin, 69, who was the father of popular Thai country music singer…