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    Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?

    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?...

  • Pabuk: 2,000 tourists on Koh Phi Phi moved to Krabi mainland | Thaiger

    Pabuk: 2,000 tourists on Koh Phi Phi moved to Krabi mainland

    PHOTOS: Krabi PR Office About 2,000 tourists on Phi Phi Island moved up on land. Some are Phuket tourists who are currently unable to return to the island due to the ban on boats leaving port. The Ao Nang Tourist Police say that lots of tourists from Phi Phi Island have been arriving at a pier in Krabi City as…

  • Pabuk edges closer to southern Thailand | Thaiger

    Pabuk edges closer to southern Thailand

    PHOTO: Aljazeera “Officials expect the conditions to persist into Saturday.” Aljazeera is reporting that tropical storm Pabuk is forecast to make landfall on Friday evening in Nakhon Si Thammarat coastal islands bringing torrential downpours and strong winds to more than a dozen other provinces in the south. The region is home to one of the world’s biggest natural rubber plantations…

  • 120 foreign tourists being brought back from Koh Racha – Pabuk | Thaiger

    120 foreign tourists being brought back from Koh Racha – Pabuk

    PHOTOS: The Phuket PR Office A boat, organised by officials, is bringing back 120 foreign tourists who have been visiting Koh Racha. The Phuket Governor Governor Phakkaphong Tavipatana says, “Officials have been notified that 120 foreign tourists were stuck on Koh Racha. A boat from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Phuket Office was sent this morning to pick…

  • Pabuk: Warnings for coastal residents to stay indoors | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Warnings for coastal residents to stay indoors

    by Pratch Rujivanarom Strong gale conditions and surging seas are pounding the coastlines of three provinces this afternoon. The Meteorological Department is warning residentsto stay indoors and away from the coast. The provinces affected so far include Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla. Department director-general Phuwieng Prakhammintara says Tropical Storm Pabuk was expected to have greater affect on southern coastlines as…

  • Pabuk: Surging up the coast towards Koh Samui | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Surging up the coast towards Koh Samui

    PHOTO: Vikasa Yoga Retreat The tropical storm ‘Pabuk’ is due to make landfall on the Surat Thani islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao later this afternoon, after sweeping up the southern Gulf coast this morning. At this stage authorities report plenty of rain and strong winds but limited damage. When the storm hits Samui later today it…

  • British motorbike driver dies after collision with power pole in Chalong | Thaiger

    British motorbike driver dies after collision with power pole in Chalong

    A British male motorbike driver has died after colliding with a power pole in Soi Ta-iad (Soi Steroid) in Chalong. The Chalong Police were notified of the incident at 8.40pm last night at an electricity pole in Soi Ta-iad. Police and Emergency responders arrived to find a Kawasaki Ninja 250CC motorbike crashed on the road near the power pole. The…

  • Pabuk: Koh Tao awakens to ‘business as usual’ | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Koh Tao awakens to ‘business as usual’

    Our Koh Tao ‘man on the spot’, Adrian, says that the island currently has heavy rains with some wind, and thunder but that wind is not currently strong. He reports that people are going around their business as usual. “Yesterday a lot of people left the island as we saw the last two ferries leaving around 3pm and they…

  • Deputy PM throws doubt on election date | Thaiger

    Deputy PM throws doubt on election date

    by Chanwanpen and Somroutai Sapsomboon The NCPO has throw a curved ball at the Election Commission, placing the onus on the Commission’s committee to decide the date of the general election whilst taking into account the preparations for the royal coronation ceremony. There’s also been suggestions of a month’s delay from the election’s tentative date of February 24. Deputy PM…

  • Pabuk: Regular updates throughout today following the storm up the coast | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Regular updates throughout today following the storm up the coast

    Storm Watch – 8.30am Rough seas off the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday afternoon as tropical storm Pabuk approached land. Tens of thousands of tourists have been evacuated from local coastal communities and some tourists have evacuated the popular islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan which are in the path of the storm today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h86FqX2CzBc Storm Watch…

  • Pabuk: Friday awakes with the storm surging up the Gulf coastline | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Friday awakes with the storm surging up the Gulf coastline

    30,000 people are estimated to have been evacuated from coastal districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat whilst some tourists are taking precautions of leaving the Gulf holiday islands, airports close, boats remain at mooring and schools are shut. Thailand’s southern Gulf coast prepares for winds up to 95kph, heavy downpours and floods. From Nakhon Si Thammarat up to Chumpon provinces, emergency…

  • Krabi boats banned from leaving ports due to storm ‘Pabuk’ | Thaiger

    Krabi boats banned from leaving ports due to storm ‘Pabuk’

    PHOTOS: Krabi PR Office Krabi ferries and tour boats are being banned from leaving port while some national parks are being closed for tourist safety with the approaching tropical storm ‘Pabuk’. The Krabi PR Office is reporting that the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Krabi Office has issued an order that bans fishing boats, passenger boats and speed boats…

  • Thai woman, who won lottery in 2017 and donated 2 million baht, wins again | Thaiger

    Thai woman, who won lottery in 2017 and donated 2 million baht, wins again

    PHOTO: Shin Min Daily News 53 year old Suwana from Ang Thong in the south of Thailand, can’t believe her luck, as she wins top lottery prize for the second year running. In 2017, she was the lucky winner of 30 million baht – the top prize – and has since proceeded to donate over 2 million baht to build…

  • Precautions taken in the south for Pabuk | Thaiger

    Precautions taken in the south for Pabuk

    FILE PHOTO With the impending arrival of tropical storm ‘Pabuk’, everyone in the coastal regions are bracing for landfall. Koh Samui officials have been ordered to monitor all shipping and tour boats, while all tourists spots and national parks have been told to prepare to close. Phuket airport is already on high alert, urging all passengers to double check their…

  • Similan National Park to be temporary closed due to tropical storm ‘Pabuk’ | Thaiger

    Similan National Park to be temporary closed due to tropical storm ‘Pabuk’

    The Mu Ko Similan National Park in Phang Nga is to be temporary closed for two days, tomorrow and Saturday, for tourist safety with the approaching tropical storm ‘Pabuk’. Mu Ko Similan National Park in Phang Nga announced yesterday that ‘PABUK’ is moving to north-west which will affect the southern part of Thailand from today until Saturday. For tourists safety, the…

  • Pabuk: Phuket Airport, ready for the approaching storm | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Phuket Airport, ready for the approaching storm

    FILE PHOTO Travellers passing through Phuket International Airport in the next few days are being urged to check their flights. Phuket is bracing for some poor weather and heavy unseasonal rains brought on by tropical storm Pabuk. The storm is likely to make landfall in the Gulf island of Koh Samui before heading to Chumpon where it is likely to…

  • Pabuk: Heading for Koh Samui, Surat Thani | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Heading for Koh Samui, Surat Thani

    The projections of ventusky.com show ‘Pabuk’ making its way up the Gulf of Thailand in a north-westerly direction. According to the map model, the storm is likely heading for Koh Samui and likely to make mainland landfall further up the coast around Chumpon. But the fallout from the storm will certainly affect the entire southern coastline from Nakhon Si Thammarat,…

  • Pabuk: Tourists flee Gulf islands of Koh Phangan, Samui and Koh Tao | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Tourists flee Gulf islands of Koh Phangan, Samui and Koh Tao

    “Waves could reach seven meters high in the Gulf of Thailand.” Thousands are departing some of the tourist hot spots including Koh Phangan and Koh Tao as the region’s first tropical storm for January in 30 years heads northwest across the Gulf of Thailand. Tens of thousands of tourists are reported to be fleeing the Thai resort islands of Koh…

  • No restriction on tourist numbers visiting Similan Island for three months | Thaiger

    No restriction on tourist numbers visiting Similan Island for three months

    The Phuket Administrative Court has issued a temporary order for the Similan Islands. The order overturns a recent restriction on tourist numbers on the island for three months. Yesterday the Phuket Administrative Court ruled to temporarily stop the restriction of tourist numbers visiting the Similan Island from January 1 to March 31. The President of Similan Surin Tour Operators, Nipon…

  • Thai oil ship battles with ‘PABUK’ off southern Vietnam – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Thai oil ship battles with ‘PABUK’ off southern Vietnam – VIDEO

    VIDEO: Peerayut Koombunsong A Thai ship carrying palm oil has been battling with seas kicked up by tropical storm ‘PABUK’ off the coast of southern Vietnam. A Video clip has been posted by ‘Peerayut Koombunsong’ on his personal Facebook. Thai media CH7 HD News and CH3 news are reporting that the ship is a Thai ship name ‘Taree Rattana’ which…

  • “Don’t go to Thailand” – another Chinese social media firestorm | Thaiger

    “Don’t go to Thailand” – another Chinese social media firestorm

    PHOTO: Thai Rath Thai Rath is reporting that officials from the Tourist Assistance Centre have made a visit to the female Chinese blogger who lost her left arm in a road accident on the way from Bangkok to Koh Chang. The story has produced another firestorm of criticism in Chinese social media with headlines like “Don’t go to Thailand”. The…

  • Phuket ‘Seven Days of Danger ‘ – final toll of six deaths | Thaiger

    Phuket ‘Seven Days of Danger ‘ – final toll of six deaths

    PHOTO: Sad death of a one month old in an accident on Thepkasttri Road, four days ago According to statistics issued by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Phuket Office, the island registered 4 accidents, 5 injuries and zero deaths on the final day (January 2) of the annual seven day road and marine safety campaign – the Seven…

  • Pabuk: Moving past the southern coast of Vietnam | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Moving past the southern coast of Vietnam

    Vietnam has experienced heavy rainfall and strong winds as Pabuk hovers off the southern coast heading into the Gulf of Thailand. vnexpress.net reports that, as of Wednesday, tropical storm ‘Pabuk’ was stationed around 360 kilometers (223 miles) to the southeast of Con Dao Island off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, with wind speeds of up to 75 kilometers…

  • Pabuk: Koh Samui poised for first New Year tropical storm in 68 years | Thaiger

    Pabuk: Koh Samui poised for first New Year tropical storm in 68 years

    The mirror.co.uk is reporting that there are fears for residents and tourists on Koh Samui as the island braces for the onslaught of tropical storm Pabuk. Pabuk has formed within a mass of thunderstorms and could be the first cyclone to hit Thailand in January in 68 years. Southern Vietnam has already been hit by torrential rain and the cyclone…

  • PABUK: Latest information on the path of the storm across the Gulf | Thaiger

    PABUK: Latest information on the path of the storm across the Gulf

    Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has designated six seaside districts of the central southern coast province as disaster zones and ordered the evacuation of residents by tonight. The evacuations are a safety precaution he said. He says that all schools in these districts will be closed today, while schools in the main city area of Nakhon Si Thammarat will…

  • Angthong National Marine Park closed for 3 days due to approaching storm | Thaiger

    Angthong National Marine Park closed for 3 days due to approaching storm

    The Angthong National Marine Park, off the coast of Surat Thani province, is closing for three days from tomorrow (Thursday) as tropical storm ‘Pabuk’ is expected to hit the southern Gulf coast. The decision has been based on weather warnings from the TMD, which says the storm “Pabuk” will bring unseasonal heavy downpours and high waves in the Gulf of…

  • Phuket small boats ‘should not’ leave port – weather warning | Thaiger

    Phuket small boats ‘should not’ leave port – weather warning

    The Phuket Marine Office has made an official announcement today for boats to be “careful when going to sea”. “Small boats shouldn’t leave from ports until Saturday”. The Phuket Marine Office Chief Wiwat Chitcerdwong says “on January 2, 2019, tropical storm “PABUK” is over the lower South China Sea located at latitude 6.1 degree north, longitude 108.7 degree east with…

  • Pattaya golf course not ashamed of their dual-pricing | Thaiger

    Pattaya golf course not ashamed of their dual-pricing

    Thaivisa is reporting that an ‘anonymous’ tip from an expat golfer has shed light on some interesting pricing options at a Pattaya golf club. Pattaya Country Club recently shared images on social media of their new promotion ‘Swing & Stay’ which clearly shows a foreigner paying 4,600 baht, whereas on the left column it states Thai people pay 3,000 baht.…

  • Power cuts scheduled for parts of Phuket | Thaiger

    Power cuts scheduled for parts of Phuket

    Power is scheduled to be shut-off in Phuket Town and in Thalang this week, according to the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA). A power outage is scheduled from 9am to 4.30pm on Saturday for part of Phuket Town on Phang Nga Road. Another power cut will be in Thalang this Friday from 9am to 4.30pm. Areas to be effected are Baan Thai…

  • Two key tests for the Land of Smiles in 2019 | Thaiger

    Two key tests for the Land of Smiles in 2019

    Thailand faces two major challenges in 2019 – conducting a general election and chairing the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN). Mishandling either task would invite serious damage to both the country and the wider region, according to a New Year editorial in The Nation. “Junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha has made a bad start in tackling the first challenge,…

  • Election Commission denies election date delays | Thaiger

    Election Commission denies election date delays

    PHOTO: EC Secretary General Jarungwit Pumm The Election Commission has been forced to again reiterate that there is no postponement to the February 24 election day. EC Secretary General Jarungwit Pumma said: “There is currently no royal decree for the election but this does not mean the election date will be postponed.” He was responding to widespread rumours that the…