Opinion

The Thaiger Opinion Columns

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    How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?

    Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....

  • Dissent in Paradise

    Dissent in Paradise

    EDITORIAL The recent silent protest at the country’s most prestigious university in Bangkok, THAT photo of a student in a chokehold from a lecturer and the subsequent publicity, has wider implications than just a sore neck and a university in PR panic. There’s been a lot of media blow-back on the venerated Chulalongkorn University after it was revealed a…

  • Letter to Thai Immigration

    Letter to Thai Immigration

    Congratulations to the Thai Immigration Department for its forward thinking on helping to attract additional tourists by waving visa fees for some countries and halving the visa-on-arrival cost for others. A stroke of genius. I’m not sure how you will inform the citizens of these countries of your cunning plan to lure back the tourists in the wake of the…

  • Opinion: The role of sugar in Thailand’s worsening obesity epidemic

    Opinion: The role of sugar in Thailand’s worsening obesity epidemic

    PHUKET: One of the biggest changes to Phuket’s rapidly urbanizing roadside landscape over the years has been the proliferation of shops selling liquid confections such as chaa manao (lime tea) and a wide range of other colorful drinks, all laced with as many as 25 tablespoons of pure sugar. It would be interesting to do a statistical analysis on this…

  • Opinion: Medical Certificates – Who’s Fooling Whom?

    Opinion: Medical Certificates – Who’s Fooling Whom?

    PHUKET: As part of its ongoing reforms, the current government should revise or eliminate the Medical Certificate (bai raprawng phaet) as a requirement in so many government application procedures. In the process of renewing his work permit, this editorialist was recently handed a form citing, among numerous other documentary requirements, “a medical certificate certifying that the applicant is free from…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Reading maps

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Reading maps

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Opinion: Implications of the Computer Crimes Act

    Opinion: Implications of the Computer Crimes Act

    PHUKET: We can all let out a big sigh of relief now that the new Computer Crimes Act (CCA 2.0) is in effect, protecting us from ‘unsolicited digital advertising’ (aka spam) as well as a host of other annoyances and potential threats. All of the potential implications of CCA 2.0 are far too broad to address in this space, so…

  • Opinion: Need to revise drug laws

    Opinion: Need to revise drug laws

    PHUKET: The recent arrest by Region 8 Police of two men for posing as officers of the law and trying to extort money from the families of teenage boys found drinking krathom leaf extract is just the latest reminder of the need for Thailand to reconsider and revise its draconian drug control laws. It might strike some as futile to…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Half English, half Thai

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Half English, half Thai

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Holding the mototaxi lady

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Holding the mototaxi lady

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Opinion: Tour guides must be fined

    Opinion: Tour guides must be fined

    PHUKET: The recent fine levied on a tour guide for removing a starfish from the sea in a marine national park has once again drawn international attention to how erratic Thai law enforcement appears to be when it comes to issues involving mass tourism, environmental conservation and foreign guests. The latest uproar in social media came after a Thai tourist…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Farang is always wrong

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Farang is always wrong

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Opinion: Jealousy is a powerful motivator

    Opinion: Jealousy is a powerful motivator

    PHUKET: Phuket was in the international news spotlight again last week, this time for the heartbreaking murder of an 11-month-old baby girl, hanged by her own father in Nai Thon (story here). Most readers will already be familiar with the tragically short life of Natalee ‘Biw’ Wongtalay, whose execution went viral after her late father, 21, chose to post it…

  • Opinion: Gov’s ‘war on dirtiness’ a noble aim

    Opinion: Gov’s ‘war on dirtiness’ a noble aim

    PHUKET: Cleanliness is next to Godliness, as the old saying goes, so it is hard not to agree with new governor Norraphat Plodthong’s stated goal of beautifying Phuket “by our hands”. Gov Norraphat, set for mandatory retirement from the civil service in just a few months’ time, has understandably had to set his priorities in a practical way. When one…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Girls you bring back home

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Girls you bring back home

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Opinion: Phuket tourist influx and the rise in hospital bills

    Opinion: Phuket tourist influx and the rise in hospital bills

    PHUKET: During the current ‘restart’ period, the government should consider establishing a system of mandatory, basic healthcare insurance for visiting foreign tourists who lack it while travelling in the Kingdom. As outlined in a recent Phuket Gazette article by Dr Tanwa Apornthip (story here), measures need to be established to authenticate Thailand as a genuine ‘world-class’ tourist destination. Tourist arrival…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Hibernate during Songkran

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Hibernate during Songkran

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Taking Songkran too seriously

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Taking Songkran too seriously

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Gearing up for the Songkran holidays in Phuket

    Gearing up for the Songkran holidays in Phuket

    PHUKET: The recent death of a ‘ghost riding’ Thai motorcyclist along Thepkrasattri Road in Thalang (story here) should serve as a sobering reminder to all motorists of the need to be on full alert during the upcoming Songkran holiday period. As noted in this space numerous times in the past, Phuket seldom experiences the kind of spikes in road accidents,…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: The maid will never tell you

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: The maid will never tell you

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Opinion: What’s next for Laem Singh Beach

    Opinion: What’s next for Laem Singh Beach

    PHUKET: The controversy at Laem Singh Beach is just the latest in a long history of beach access disputes in Phuket, but this case raises so many issues that it is difficult to know where to begin the discussion. Taking power almost three years ago, Gen Prayuth and cohorts correctly made Phuket one of their top priorities, imposing measures to…

  • Opinion: Ensuring the success of coral restoration

    Opinion: Ensuring the success of coral restoration

    PHUKET: The success of a coral reef restoration project off Mai Thon Island is encouraging, but also serves as a reminder of the need to protect coral from the huge array of threats it faces from man’s activities. These threats range from global-scale effects, such as global warming, all the way down to the most local phenomena, such as ignorant…

  • Opinion: False killer whales come to Phuket

    Opinion: False killer whales come to Phuket

    PHUKET: The sighting of false killer whales by a group of lucky marine tourists in Phuket last week should serve as a reminder that despite mankind’s demonstrated ability to shape our environment, there is still a lot going on around us that we understand poorly – or not at all. The ‘aliens among us’ theme has served as a fertile…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Nobody sees your actions

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Nobody sees your actions

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Walking to business meetings

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Walking to business meetings

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Thais have bad taste

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Thais have bad taste

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Opinion: Protecting Phuket’s image as a tourist destination

    Opinion: Protecting Phuket’s image as a tourist destination

    PHUKET: The recent incarceration of a Russian tourist for the heinous crime of feeding breadcrumbs to a fish is just the latest in a long-running series of embarrassments for Thai law enforcement and our tourism industry. The story made international headlines, including such mass media heavyweights as TASS and the UK’s Daily Mail, re-reporting after it was first reported by…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Why Thai kids are scared

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Why Thai kids are scared

    The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…

  • Opinion: Rethinking the power generation strategy

    Opinion: Rethinking the power generation strategy

    PHUKET: Recent protests against construction of the proposed coal burning electricity generating plant in Krabi is a classic case of the NIMBY (‘Not In My Back Yard’) phenomenon, and one which is also seriously testing the government’s resolve over the public’s right to protest. It is difficult to believe that the year is 2017 and we are still burning coal,…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Being an alien in Thailand

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Being an alien in Thailand

    PHUKET: The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister…

  • Ministry of Farang Affairs: Needlessly hating all farangs

    Ministry of Farang Affairs: Needlessly hating all farangs

    The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…

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