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The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...
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Phuket tour bus plunges off Patong hill, 44 students injured
PHUKET: A tour bus carrying students on holiday from Bangkok plunged off Patong Hill this afternoon after failing to make it up the steep incline.No deaths were reported in the incident, but 38 students were taken to Patong Hospital while six others were rushed to Bangkok Hospital Phuket in Phuket Town.“One of the students, a Pakistani national, suffered serious head…
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New Tourist Police Commander joins Phuket boat safety blitz
PHUKET: The new commander of the Tourist Police, Maj Gen Apichai Theamart, yesterday led a team of officers on a safety inspection of boats operating at Rassada Pier, on the east side of Phuket Town. The inspection, aimed at ensuring Phuket tourists’ safety, follows a heavily overloaded ferry from Pattaya capsizing off Koh Lan, injuring many passengers and causing the…
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Phuket tourist van drivers win reprieve against arrests
PHUKET: Local van drivers who shuttle tourists at hotels and resorts to and from the various piers around Phuket have won a reprieve from arrests during the ongoing crackdown on illegal drivers.The news follows a collection of 60 drivers successfully appealing to Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada at Provincial Hall yesterday.“All of us have already applied to the Phuket Land…
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Russian tourist dies after Phuket massage
PHUKET: A Russian tourist died after suffering a heart attack in the middle of receiving a massage in Bang Tao (view here), on Phuket’s west coast, yesterday. Sergey Taruraev, 37, was pronounced dead by medical staff at about 5:30pm, soon after his arrival at Thalang Hospital. An ambulance was dispatched by the hospital after being notified at 4:30pm, by staff…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Senate fails to kill amnesty bill, protests spread abroad; Storm slams Hua Hin; Preah Vihear residents ready to flee
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Amnesty bill protests spread to other countries The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Opposition to the controversial amnesty bill has expanded beyond Thailand’s borders, with Thai expatriates and students in several countries also staging their own protests.The sound of whistles seems to be echoing around the world as…
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Phuket traffic cop perks up to catch coffee fiend
PHUKET: A passerby in Phuket Town helped an off-duty police officer chase down a man who allegedly stole a bag of instant coffee from a 7-Eleven convenience store early yesterday morning.Kampanart Rattanamuay, 34, was found by police with five bags of coffee, a DVD and a pair of gloves.“By the time we arrived, Mr Kampanart had already been captured and…
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Phuket Opinion: Why I’m keeping my dumbphone
PHUKET: Life today is inundated with myriad marvelous advances in technology, not least in the realm of personal telecommunications. I can’t go anywhere without encountering the latest news, entertainment, music or point of view being delivered by a screen a short distance away, a friend within range of such a screen, or by someone’s smart phone. Even on this idyllic…
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Letter from the Phuket Governor: Improving the island step by step, his way
Maitri Inthusut arrived on the island to take up the position of Governor of Phuket on October 8, 2012. With a master’s degree in political science from Thammasat University, he joined the National Security Council, rising to the position of NSC Secretary-General, before taking up the position of Chief Secretary for the Secretariat of the Cabinet. He has also served…
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One killed in Phuket construction work truck crash [video report]
PHUKET: A truck carrying construction workers flipped on a hill on the coast road between Patong and Kamala yesterday, killing one and injuring 12. Kamala Police were notified of the accident at about 5:30pm. By the time they arrived at the scene, traffic police were already there, helping to direct traffic in the long tailbacks building up at the crash…
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Phuket Poll: Is compulsory health insurance for tourists worth it?
PHUKET: Stories of fundraisers to cover the medical costs of friends and loved ones are not strangers to Phuket’s news pages. Dozens of stories a year roll in, and many more remain undocumented, about those travelling through The Kingdom who succumb to unfortunate circumstances and rack up enormous medical bills as doctors fight to save them. Many of these bills…
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12th Phuket BIS international football tourney underway
PHUKET: Launching right on schedule, the 12th annual British International School Phuket (BISP) regional football tournament kicked off this morning with a “short-and-sweet” opening ceremony at 7:30am and the first matches commencing at 8am on the dot. With not too many clouds in the sky, the weather looks favorable for some of the island’s most exciting seven-a-side youth footballing action,…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Super typhoon slams Philippines; Russia ramps up Greenpeace charges; Israel denies Arafat slaying; Odd asteroid tails
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Super typhoon Haiyan slams Philippines, millions seek shelter Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm on earth this year, slammed into the Philippines’ central islands on Friday forcing millions of people to move to safer ground and storm shelters, cutting power and phone…
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British national charged for road fatality in Phuket
PHUKET: A British national was charged with reckless driving causing death after she allegedly forced a 17-year-old student on a motorbike off the road into a utility pole. According to witnesses, Faye Louise Taylor, 39, made a left-hand turn from Thepkasattri Road toward Nai Yang Beach at just past midnight today, cutting off Patiphan Lawan. The 17-year-old Mr Patiphan, who…
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Phuket temple receives 1.2mn baht to mark Kathin ceremony
PHUKET: Temple administrators at Wat Kata yesterday received a donation of over 1.2 million baht as part of the Kathin Ceremony, held each year to mark the end of the Buddhist “month of gratitude”. The donation was presented by officers from the Royal Thai Navy, joined by Karon Municipality officials and a gathering of about 2,000 other Buddhist disciples. “The…
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Hot withdrawal: Phuket ATM robbed of B1.6mn
PHUKET: Thieves used a blowtorch to make off with an estimated 1.6 million baht from an ATM at the entrance to the Boat Lagoon this morning. The theft, at a Siam Commercial Bank ATM, was discovered at about 11am by an employee who had come to service the machine. “The thieves broke the lock on the door of the building…
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Amnesty bagged, Yingluck begs protesters to disperse
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Yingluck pleads with protesters to stop The Nation/Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra went on TV today to issue an urgent plea to all groups of demonstrators to stop their protests, saying that the government had aborted the amnesty effort. Ms Yingluck said that the…
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Phuket Governor leads boat safety blitz
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday continued his campaign to boost marine safety as he inspected boats operating to and from Koh Maphrao, off Phuket’s east coast. The tour was part of a current blitz on marine safety, which was launched following a heavily overloaded ferry from Pattaya capsizing off Koh Lan, injuring many passengers and causing the deaths of…
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Phuket tuk-tuk driver foils snatch-in-action
PHUKET: A Kalim tuk-tuk driver rushed to the aid of a woman who called for help yesterday and managed to apprehend the man who had just snatched her bag.Yongyuth Dhamkong, 42, was driving along the Kalim beachfront road at about 2am when he heard Nongsarang Sakyen, 33, calling for help.“When I drove past the victim, I heard her shout for…
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False alarm over bomb at Phuket school
PHUKET: A cardboard box found at the entrance to Satree Phuket School yesterday morning raised fears among security guards that the package might contain explosives. Police were called to the scene, near the busy Tungka Intersection in Phuket Town (map here), just before midday. “When we arrived, we found a box and an envelope, in a plastic bag from a…
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Phuket alumni, hospital workers protest amnesty bill
PHUKET: Opposition to the amnesty bill continued in Phuket yesterday as university alumni and hospital staff made their opinions known.About 20 Chulalongkorn and Thammasat University alumni association representatives presented Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut a letter of opposition to the bill while explaining how an amnesty could affect Phuket.“If this bill passes, the nation as a whole will experience more corruption,”…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Arafat poisoned, say Swiss; Ireland heads for bailout exit; Germany probes new meat scandal; Philippines braces for super typhoon
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ireland heads for bailout exit in final review Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Three years after going cap in hand to international lenders for a bail out, Ireland is set to step out on its own again.The European Union and International Monetary Fund are due to sign off…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Protest whistles still blow; Call for Bt140bn urgent rice loan; Thai English ‘among the worst’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Protesters refuse to back down until bill is dropped The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Several groups of protesters said they would not stop rallying against the government’s blanket amnesty bill even if the Senate rejects the draft.This declaration came despite the fact that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra…
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Swedish national police chief praises Phuket Police
PHUKET: Sweden’s national police chief Bengt Svenson yesterday praised the Phuket Police for utilizing foreign volunteers and for developing deeper relations with the community.“The way they presented it here, it is the best way [for police] to work: with volunteer tourist police and to be near the citizens, near the tourists, to be among them. That is the best way…
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Phuket expats risking lives on the road to stay in paradise
PHUKET: The visa van crash that took the life of Filipina singer Renita Dequina Polido on October 21 (story here) sent shock waves through the Phuket expat community and raised questions about the logic of a system that requires foreign workers to leave the country to get visas and renew 90-day permits-to-stay so regularly. The early morning accident occurred on…
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Phuket Gazette World News: Dutch seek to free Greenpeace activists; Toronto Mayor admits smoking crack; China eyes adopting international law; Irish referendum on same sex marriage
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dutch take Russia to maritime court to free Greenpeace activists Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Netherlands will ask an international court tomorrow to order Russia to release 30 people detained during a protest against oil drilling in the Arctic. The detainees, two of whom are…
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Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt ready to retreat; Illegal loggers shot dead forest officer; Locals at borders concerned; Logo lawsuit against stalls
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt ‘ready to retreat’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Pheu Thai government appears to be retreating from its stance on backing the controversial amnesty bill, which is facing growing public opposition, while the Senate also seems to be ready to reject the bill. Though…
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Tuk-tuk ejection scheme draws mixed reactions
PHUKET: As the clock starts to tick down on a plan to evict tuk-tuk drivers from parking spots in Patong, response from tuk-tuk drivers varies from flat refusal to requests for fairness in the application of the new measure. “Most tuk-tuk drivers will not agree to move off the road. Where would we work then?” said Sakol Srisompoch, who earlier…
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Phuket beach closed after croc scare
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut asked hotel staffers and local residents yesterday to help keep people out of the water along Mai Khao Beach after a 2.5-meter-long crocodile was spotted in the area on Sunday (story here). “To ensure the safety of tourists and residents, Governor Maitri declared the area a no-swim zone,” Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR)…
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Breakfast blaze cooks Phuket Town vegetarian restaurant
PHUKET: A fire that broke out in a vegetarian restaurant during the breakfast rush today caused customers to scatter.Only minor injuries were reported from the incident. The cook at the Num Heng vegetarian restaurant on Chana Charoen Road told police that she was cooking when the fire started from the gas canister she was using.“I turned my back to get…
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Phuket gold snatch duo hail police pickup as getaway car
PHUKET: Two men who snatched a gold necklace from a 50-year-old woman on Sunday night were arrested after they accidentally waved down a police pickup truck to hitch a ride as they fled. Preeda Adam, 25, from Pathum Thani, and Phuket native Somsak Puangcharoen, 23, were arrested just after midnight yesterday. Both men reportedly worked as kitchen hands at the…
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