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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...
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Coal power plants shelved for at least three years
The Thai Ministry of Energy has decided to put on hold two coal-fired power plant projects in Krabi and Thepa district of Songkhla for three years pending additional environmental and health impacts assessments and environmental impact studies. Energy Minister Siri Chirapongphan says the ministry would inform the cabinet its decision to put off the two controversial projects and, at the…
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Students satirise Thai politics in annual pre-game parade
Chulalongkorn and Thammasat University students took the opportunity at the traditional football match between the country’s two oldest universities this afternoon (Saturday) to mock prominent political figures. The students used the pre-game parade to satirise the luxury watch scandal involving Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan. They also targetted what they saw as double standards in the judicial system and the…
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January’s national road carnage up 65% – year on year
With the Christmas/New Year road madness out of the way it’s now time to assess the road toll numbers for the first month of the year. After all the publicity leading up to the Christmas/New Year period the numbers are sure to drop. Right? No. In January 2017, 947 died on Thailand’s roads. For January 2018 the number jumped to…
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‘Big drug dealer’ arrested in Rawai
Phuket police have held a press conference to reveal a drug network which included the arrest of one man and seizure of 1.39 kilograms of methamphetamine, worth 5 million Baht. Police allege the drugs belong to a ‘big drug dealer’, 26 year old Nakarin Chaweewongprateep. The police initially arrested 49 year old Suth Saekang in Rawai with 307 amphetamine pills…
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Baby crocodile found in Chalong
A baby crocodile has been found at an old mine in Chalong yesterday (February 1) by local fishermen. Specialists say the reptile appears to be about 1 year old. The two men who found the crocodile, Suchatee Anoma and Pansak Chantawang, say that they were catching fish at the old mine in Soi Nakok and spotted a baby crocodile on…
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Singaporean crashes into the Heroines Monument
A 55 year old Singaporean man, Ang Koh Lin, crashed his Toyota Fortuner into the metal fence adjacent to the Heroines Monument last night (February 1) and was critically injured. Emergency responders provided first aid at the scene and sent him immediately to hospital. From the investigation, police believe that he was driving from Paklok heading west towards the monument…
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Case dismissed against four accused of launching grenades against PDRC demonstrators in 2013
By Kesinee Tangkiaw The first court on Thursday has dismissed a case against four people accused of firing 40mm grenades at demonstrators from the now–defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) at the Government Complex in early 2013, citing insufficient witnesses and evidence. Chatchawawn Prabbamrung, 49, Taweechai Vichakham, 43, Sunthorn Piphuannok, 53, and Somsri Marit, 44, were accused of contempt of…
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Baby crocodile found in Chalong tin mine lake
A local fisherman has found a baby crocodile at an old mine in Soi Nakok, Chalong. Fisheries Officers have been visiting the area and speaking to the man this morning. The question on everyone’s lips…’Where’s the mother?!” More information coming soon.
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Chinese couple photo shoot no-no at temple crematorium
Pictures of Chinese couple taking their pre wedding photos at the crematorium at Chalong temple have gone viral among Thais social media users. People are criticising the couple and their entourage about the inappropriateness of this photo location, showing a proposal with a man kneeing down in front of a woman in red bride dress right in front of the…
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Southern police uninjured as Narathiwat bomb detonates
By Narong Nuansakul Police patrolling an area in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district to safeguard teachers narrowly escaped injury on Thursday morning when a roadside bomb exploded near them. Only the wooden planks of a kerbside stall, which absorbed the force of the blast, prevented serious harm. Ethnic Malay insurgents are suspected of detonating the bomb at 8am on Highway 4084…
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Butt out on 24 Thai beaches
Officials on Thursday began strictly enforcing a ban on smoking on beaches, with offenders facing a possible year in prison and a 100,000 baht fine. The Marine and Coastal Resources Department announced a strict ban on smoking at 24 beaches in 15 provinces to begin with. The aim is to protect the environment, such as by reducing the number of…
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Thaiger Today February 1
Smoking ban enforcement starts today | Yingluck’s assets seized | British Embassy sold in BKK for record amount | Lunar eclipse put on a show, but not in Phuket | ‘Last kiss’ for French and Thai murder plotters | Government uses strategic lawsuits to quell dissent.
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Activists report Thepa power plant concerns to UN
Representatives of the Thepa coal-fired power plant opposition group went to the UN offices in Bangkok yesterday to report their concerns about the project. The group also emphasised in a statement that it would continue its prolonged peaceful demonstration in front of Government House every day until the government definitively revokes the 2,200 megawatt coal-fired power plant project in Songkhla’s…
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Laguna Phuket Marathon to welcome 8,000+ runners for 2018
South East Asia’s leading destination marathon, the award-winning Laguna Phuket Marathon, will take place at the Laguna Phuket resort complex on Bang Tao Beach on June 9 & 10, 2018. Organised by leading event organiser Go Adventure Asia, Laguna Phuket Marathon has been certified by AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races) for a 13th consecutive year and remains…
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Phuket Hotels Association award their first six scholarships
The PHAB (Phuket Hotels Association Benefit) fundraising event was held last year on May 13 and raised approximately 4 million baht. Since then, the Phuket Hotels Association’s Education Working Group has placed advertisements, shortlisted candidates and interviewed the prospects for its scholarship program. The three institutions they will be working with are Phuket Vocational College, Rajabhat University and Prince of…
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THAIGER TODAY January 31
Frenchman and Thai accomplice re-enact murder | Viet Jet back-pedal over PR stunt | Thai PM admits falling popularity | British expat needs triple by-pass – no health insurance | Krabi province investigates marine ambulance | AMLO clamps down on Bitcoin.
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Graham needs a triple bypass. Doesn’t have health insurance.
The plight of a British man highlights the risks for foreigners living in Thailand without health or medical insurance. Story by ThaiVisa… Graham Briar, who uploads videos about life in rural Thailand to his YouTube channel Graham & Pie, urgently needs a triple heart bypass operation but with no medical insurance and not enough money to pay for surgery he…
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A 152 year chance to see a rare triple treat – Lunar Eclipse
Stargazers and astro-photographers will gather at locations along Phuket’s east coast between 6pm and 12pm to catch sight of the very rare triple display of a blue moon, a super moon and a total lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse, a blue moon and a supermoon will occur simultaneously, in a coincidence that last happened almost 152 years ago in 1866.…
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Frenchman confesses to murdering Italian love rival. Re-enactment yesterday.
The much publicised murder of an Italian man, in which his Thai ex-wife and her French boyfriend have been implicated, apparently has been solved after police said the Frenchman had confessed to the killing. Pol Colonel Chaisathien Maneechak, from Bung Nara Police Station in Phichit province, said French national 34 year old Rigaux Amaury had confessed to stabbing to death…
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Krabi authorities consider purchase of marine ambulance
A meeting to discuss marine safety was held at Nong Talay Sub District Administration OrBorTor yesterday (January 30), where the idea was floated to purchase a medical boat (marine ambulance) by the President of Krabi Tourism Association, Wattana Rerngsamut, to increase safety and emergency transportation in case of accidents at sea. The meeting was chaired by the President of Nong…
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Thai woman, French boyfriend blame each other for Italian’s murder
A Thai woman and her French boyfriend have turned on each other after their arrests, with each blaming the other for the murder of the woman’s Italian ex-husband. 38 year old Rujira Eiumlamai told police after her arrest yesterday that she was innocent of the murder, saying it had been perpetrated by her French boyfriend, 34 year old Rigaux Amaury…
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The final search – ‘Ocean Infinity’ looks for MH370
Just days after efforts to find Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 kicked back into gear, details have emerged on the man behind what has been called the “final” search for the missing aircraft. The private company Ocean Infinity has begun a 90 day search for MH370. After several failed attempts to locate the missing Boeing 777, the latest attempt by the…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, January 29
Krabi coal fire plant hearings get no opposition | Frenchman nabbed over Italian’s murder in Tak | Thailand voted the Number One ranking of the list of Best Countries to Start a Business | Anxious wait for Thai fishing ‘yellow card’ to lifted | Wildlife Selfie Code launched | ‘Upcycling the oceans’ event pulls nearly a tonne of rubbish off…
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Workers seek help after ‘false promise’ of jobs in Australia
Fourteen workers in Chaiyaphum filed complaints with police on Monday stating that they had been cheated by a man who charged them money based on a promise to find them jobs in Australia. The workers filed the complaint at Muang Chaiyaphum Police Station at 9.30am, with the acting Chaiyaphum job-placement officer, Thawatchai Upanan, receiving the complaints at the station. The…
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Krabi power plant public hearing went smoothly. Protesters boycot event.
More than 2,500 people attended the public hearing about Krabi’s proposed new coal power plant yesterday (January 28) with 1,150 police and army officers guarding the meeting and watching out for any potential protest activity. The 1,150 officers were guarding the area of the public hearing stage at Klong Kanan Sub District Administration Organisation office (OrBorTor), both in uniforms and…
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4 metre long python found in goat farm
Last night (January 28), the owner of Kiang Tawan goat farm in Krabi, 56 year old Kiang Yaithong, along with his friends, tried to capture a 4 metre and 15 kilogram python that sneaked inside his farm and ate a cat and a few chickens. They tied it up and dragged it out from the goat cage then left it…
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Huge python found in 70 year old’s house
A big python, actually a HUGE python, was found in front of a 70 year old Somneug Pattanawong’s Phuket home today. He heard his dog barking loudly so opened the door to check what the fuss was all about. The python, which is at least 50 kilograms and 6 metres long (that’s about 20 feet) was basking in the sunshine…
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Back to the future. Democrats looking over their shoulder for election candidate.
By SOMROUTAI SAPSOMBOON The future of Chuan Leekpai, the Democrat Party’s chief adviser and former leader, is the subject of speculation as some muse that he will return as its chief ahead of the next general election. The speculation stems from two separate assumptions – that the Democrats and the Pheu Thai Party may join forces to prevent the junta’s…
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Waste water flowing freely onto Krabi’s beaches
Krabi Vice Governor, Pol Capt Apinan Puakpong, with a team of military officers, Krabi Office of Natural Resources and Environment and Krabi Provincial Public Health Office, inspected hotels, resorts and restaurants along Tub Kaeg Beach and found that there are five 5-star hotels as well as one restaurant that have their waste water pipe releasing directly into the sea. The…
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Coal plant protesters hold seminar in Krabi
The Network Protecting Andaman from Coal arranged a seminar to pass on knowledge about the effects from the coal power plant this week. The seminar was headed under the topic ‘Krabi, Andaman – World Tourism Attraction or Charcoal Pollution Source’. The seminar was attended by approximately 500 people, including locals and business owners. “We always disagreed about the Krabi thermal…
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