Thai Life
Discover the latest regional stories and happenings in Thailand with The Thaiger, your source of credible, informative, and reliable updates. Stay informed about important local events, political happenings, social issues, cultural highlights, and entertainment stories, all curated to ensure you never miss out on what’s happening in the Land of Smiles. Our journalists will keep you informed with all the essential Thai life updates and allows you to connect with the community and experience Thailand like a local.
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Sponsored A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day
The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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![Profile: Phuket’s own Ironman Jaray Jearanai [video] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAzMzggMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Profile: Phuket’s own Ironman Jaray Jearanai [video]
PHUKET: If we mentioned the terms ‘Ironman’ or ‘triathlon’ 10 years ago, not many people on the island would have known what it meant, or paid much attention. These days, however, when a sporting trend becomes popular, the number of interested athletes on the island increases rapidly. Dominating the top of the triathlete rankings since 2011 is Thai athlete, Jaray…
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Looking Back: A brief history of Thongdee
PHUKET: During the late Ayutthaya period, around the year 1750, there lived a boy named Joi in the district of Pichai. His father was a farmer and often tasked him with taking care of the family’s buffalo. Joi was intelligent and fearless. Although slightly small in stature, he was not easily intimidated and often got into fights with bigger kids.…
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Keep It Green: Beware of chemical pesticides
PHUKET: Readers can be immensely helpful, especially when they know more than you do. Come in, Victor Alvarez, who emailed me after I had sounded off about Roundup, the world’s most popular herbicide. I had recommended it in these pages for removing grass and weeds from the cracks in a local mountain road. In fairness, I did suggest that Paraquat…
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By The Book: Effective ways to sell your property
PHUKET: In our experience 15 per cent of sales will fail, become delayed, or end up incurring higher closing fees than necessary, due to sellers being unaware of the sales process, the documents required, and the options available to them. Before a buyer is found for your property and you begin negotiations, it is highly advisable to ensure that ‘your…
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Free mobile cinema to entertain Phuket crowds for a week
PHUKET: A mobile movie theater will be touring Phuket this month, airing free film screenings to school children and members of the public. The Cine Mobile, sponsored by the Thai Film Archive, will be on the island from May 26-June 1, before continuing its tour of the southern provinces. The mobile cinema will screen five films per day – at…
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Property Watch: The great balcony debate
PHUKET: Life on the edge is never easy, as Romeo and Juliet would have told you. One of my many (and growing) property nightmares is the great debate over condominium and hotel balconies. Is it really a balcony, terrace, veranda or even that exotically-tinged Hawaiian tropical lanai? Let’s just stick to balcony for now. Through the ages, architects have struggled…
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Chillva Market brings fun, food and excitement to Phuket
PHUKET: After a successful soft-opening, Phuket’s newest container market is officially open to the general public. Located off of Yaowarat Road, the 20-million-baht Chillva Market’s piece de resistance is a shipping container park, situated around a central bandstand and pond. Phakanan Daowatthanakij, the owner, said that the market is arranged into three zones by stall type: a tent zone sells…
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Profile: Mayor Somjai toils for her hometown
PHUKET: Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana, 64, is a true Phuket native, born and raised in the heart of Phuket Town. Ms Somjai recalls her childhood fondly, but frankly admits that she wasn’t an outstanding student in her school years. However, she still chose to further her education after completing her basic education. She went on to obtain a bachelor’s…
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Law, Life and Society: Benefits of premarital agreements
PHUKET: In Thailand, it is not unusual to see established men marrying younger Thai women. There are also instances where couples are in their second relationship and both bring their own assets into a marriage. In these circumstances, it may be prudent to sign a premarital agreement. A premarital agreement outlines the division of the property, debts, and spousal maintenance…
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Dice Travels: Exploring the world on the roll of a dice
PHUKET: After five years with the Phuket Gazette, our managing editor, Isaac Stone Simonelli, has quit his job and is taking his chances on the road – quite literally. After upgrading his motorcycle, emptying his bank account, going through the bureaucratic nightmare of obtaining a Thai driver’s license as an American, and finalizing a few other preparations, Isaac will be…
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Family fun and adventure at Hanuman World
PHUKET: Zip-lining, abseiling and sky walking are among the adventurous activities on offer for thrill-seeking nature lovers at the recently opened Hanuman World, located in a forest off Chaofah Road in Wichit. The family-oriented treetop attraction is an opportunity for adventurous visitors to ‘fly’ through the forest and take in a bird’s-eye view, and if lucky, spot a rainbow across…
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On Deck: Phuket King’s Cup Regatta wins ‘Best Asian Regatta’
PHUKET: It was a big night at the recent Asia Boating Awards for Phuket and Thailand, with many of the country’s leading marine personalities being nominated for an award. In total, 12 Thailand businesses and events made it onto the short-lists, vying against companies from all around Asia for the 25 awards. Organized by Asia-Pacific Boating and China Boating magazines,…
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Profile: Adriano Trapani’s journey from Milan to Phuket
PHUKET: Adriano Trapani left Kamala Beach, heading up the steep northern hill, when the tsunami struck Phuket’s west coast. “Initially, I thought it was my bike breaking down again, so I stopped and checked it. Everything was fine with the bike, but soon after, people on foot, bikes and in cars started gathering around me, as I was in a…
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Gardening: Growing healthy fan palms in Phuket
PHUKET: When I was a boy I had to endure long waits on sooty railway stations – yes, it was the age of steam – whose walls were plastered with gaudy and incongruous posters of seaside resorts with azure seas, golden sands, bronzed maidens and palm trees. Of course, no beach in the UK actually looked remotely like that, and…
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Video report: Volleyball’s dream girl gives back to community
PHUKET: If you have recently wandered along Karon Beach in the late afternoon, you will have seen a considerable number of volleyball courts stretched across the sandy lot between the road and beach. No, it’s not an international tournament coming to town – that was last month – this is the daily beach volleyball games instigated by one of Thailand’s…
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Blazing Saddles: Benefits of cross training
PHUKET: “The problem with cycling is it’s all legs and lungs boyo,” so said someone who really ought to know. I was cycling with a member of the Welsh national team some thirty years ago in the lung-bursting Brecon Beacons in Central Wales, and his comment has always reminded me of how important it is to balance pedal-pushing with other…
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Looking back: Thao Suranari – a great Thai heroine
PHUKET: Thao Suranari is one of the great heroines who left a mark in Thai history. Formerly known as Lady Mo, Thao Suranari was born in 1772, during the reign of King Taksin the Great. When she was 25, she married Thong Kam, who would later be elevated to deputy governor of Korat. During the reign of King Rama II,…
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By the Book: Erecting a ‘For Sale’ sign when putting your property on the market
PHUKET: Let people know your home is on the market with a ‘For Sale’ Sign! In real estate markets all over the world, it is common practice for property sellers to erect a ‘For Sale’ sign when putting their property on the market, as it increases the chances of selling. The majority of the time the sign will be provided…
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Crossfit trainer heads to Australia for challenge
PHUKET: A Phuket-trained CrossFit beast, 28-year-old Elise Hoefsmit, took top honors in Thailand in the Reebok CrossFit Games 2016 Open, advancing her to the regional competition in Sydney next month. “I’m over the moon. I put in hours of work to get to this point and I’m just beginning. You can’t fake hard work and it certainly pays off,” Ms…
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Where’s the new generation of sailors?
PHUKET: It was amazing how the ‘good old days’ stories kept popping up as I enjoyed after-race drinks at the Phuket Yacht Club (PYC). I could overhear, again: “Wow, the old sailors are really into it (as always), but what about the new generation? Where are they?” Well, they’re right under our noses, but are hardly seen or heard of.…
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Across the land: Unusual times in Phuket tourism
PHUKET: A typical ‘high season’ in Phuket is usually from November to April every year, with the ‘peak season’ being December and January. However, this has not been the case for 2015/2016, where the high season and peak season has passed by hitting a large speed bump. Almost all businesses on the island – tour companies, sailboat hires, hair &…
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Keep it green: This sceptered isle – speedboats, sunloungers and jet-skis
PHUKET: I recently drove along Rawai Beach Road, and counted the number of speedboats hoovering up passengers for island day-trips to Ko Phi Phi and Racha. There were 27, mostly belonging to one company. Later that day, I took the ravishingly beautiful route round Prompthep Cape, down the twisting road to Nai Harn beach and on to secluded Ao Sane…
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Earth Day 2016 on the horizon
PHUKET: Next week, more than one billion people in 192 countries will take action to protect our shared environment. All across the globe, in big cities to small villages and everything in-between, people are organizing, demanding climate action, cleaning up their local communities, meeting with their elected officials, planting trees and teaching their children to protect our planet. This year,…
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Let’s not forget the younger expat sailors
PHUKET: There are plenty of young expats around that bring their own passion into the Southeast Asia regattas and races. Want a few names? Elizabeth Schoch, known as Liz to most, and her boyfriend, Alfie, who often crew on competing boats. They are true enthusiasts and communicate their passion for sailing with great vigor. How about Mig Wehrle and Meike…
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Property Watch: The property name game
PHUKET: It’s hard to trace the origin of the practice of naming people, places and things. Arguably you could start with Adam and Eve, and perhaps that first gated-estate village called the Garden of Eden. Yes, the branding gurus were hard at work, even way back then. I’ve been reading about the current backlash in Mainland China against the increasing…
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Profile: Live to ride, ride to live
PHUKET: As CEO of Power Station Motorsport, Erik Svensson is responsible for the commercial operations of Harley-Davidson of Bangkok and the newly opened Harley-Davidson of Phuket. However, this 74-year-old man’s love affair with motorcycles started more than 60 years ago, when he was at boarding school in Canada. Mr Svensson had picked up boxing after moving from his hometown in…
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Cracking Phuket’s hotel industry with reliable mega-data
PHUKET: Surveys are often seen as one of the lowest forms of data collection for a variety of reasons. Often respondents may not provide accurate answers or be comfortable providing answers that are perceived as unfavorable. Nonetheless, as STR Global has shown with more than 30 years of data collection in the hotel industry, important and valuable data can be…
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Keep it green: Water usage and disposal during Songkran
PHUKET: “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink” would do nicely as a motto for Songkran. When my son and his partner paid a surprise visit from London a few years ago, they unwittingly chose to arrive on the day of the water festival. The motorbike trip from Phuket City to Rawai, a mere 16 kilometers, took three hours.…
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Property Watch: Influence of crime on land value
PHUKET: Reading through the news each week for Phuket, we all see the stabbings; suicides; drive-by shootings; drug hauls; crazed mini-van and other public vehicle smashes; horrific murders and assaults. Some elect to comment on these stories in the hope that those who can do something about the levels of crime will take action not just to deal with crime,…
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On Deck: Dive ban to impact yachting
PHUKET: “Move to regulate diving industry” was a recent headline and front page story in the Phuket Gazette. At first glance I thought; ‘fair enough’, until I read further. Following a spate of deaths and accidents, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket Office, headed by Santi Pawai, has taken it upon themselves to improve safety in the dive…
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