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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Gardening: Neem: A tree for all seasons
PHUKET: Back in February, 2009, the Thai government, in the guise of the Industry Ministry, issued a decree listing 13 herbs as hazardous plants and forbidding their use nationwide. The penalty? Six months in jail or a 500,000 baht fine. There was immediately and, quite properly, an outcry from farmers. Why? Because these ‘hazardous’ substances were all traditional, organically derived…
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Blazing Saddles: Safe cycling in Thailand
PHUKET: The tragic events of the past year have raised the title of this article, ‘Safe Cycling in Thailand’, from a mere eyebrow-raising non sequitur, to the status of a full-blown oxymoron. Following the litany of cyclists’ deaths on Thailand’s roads, many would say there is no such thing as safe cycling in Thailand and that the activity should be…
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Express love for Hong Kong
PHUKET: If you’ve been in business in Asia long enough, eventually you land in Hong Kong. We know the rigmarole: airport to hotel to meeting to hotel and back to the airport. So, despite having been to Hong Kong many times for business, I’d yet to actually tour the city. I wouldn’t have known what there is to see in…
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Property Watch: Phuket pivots into regional education
PHUKET: Sun, sand, surf and study is without a doubt an unlikely combination of S-phrases. That said, Phuket is maturing into a key Asian resort destination for international level education and the upward trend is showing no sign of stopping. This past week, Thanyapura, the umbrella complex of Phuket International Academy, announced plans to further expand their already considerable 3.5…
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Phuket Pads: Hide out in Nai Harn home
PHUKET: A very unusual yet stunning two-storey, four-bedroom modern Thai-style home is hiding in Nai Harn, only 1 kilometer from the famous beach and beautiful Nai Harn Lagoon. This is one of the most coveted locations in which one can live on the island because of its access to upscale lifestyle venues. This home is extremely private, located alone in…
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Property: Building a better market
PHUKET: Although not visible across the island’s multi-fold property market, the dominance of re-sales over new developments is obvious in the luxurious, but not lavish segment, chairman of CB Richard Ellis Thailand David Simister said. Sitting just below the multi-million-dollar villa tier is this interesting segment, which has a number of quality properties in the range of 12 to 30…
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Fixie passion gives birth to criterium
PHUKET: One man’s love of fixed-gear cycling races gave birth to the Southern Criterium which took place in Saphin Hin, Phuket Town last month. Vissaves ‘Bon’ Kumphanthong, owner of Cuca Bike, event organizer and director of the Bangkok Criterium, got hooked on cycling only a few years ago. “It was between 2009 and 2010 that I started looking for a…
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Gardening: Design an aerie in Eden
PHUKET: In a previous article, I wrote about an extraordinary mountain top project in Cebu, in the Phillippines. My brief for this project was to suggest plants for such an environment. We started with an obvious choice: bromeliads. Another very different kind of epiphyte (air plant) is the staghorn fern. Ferns traditionally grow in shade and need moisture – there…
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By the book: Prep your property for rent
PHUKET: Many Phuket property owners purchase here with the intention of renting out their property. Historically, Phuket has provided owners with very attractive rental returns on their investments, a trend which is likely to continue as the island’s appeal to tourists and long-term expats continues to grow. Preparing a property for rent starts at the purchasing stage. A buyer must…
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Books: A great love story
PHUKET: Plot, characterization, dialogue, descriptive style – many elements combine to make a good novel, but the most mysterious is empathy, that magic emotional connection that makes a reader care passionately about fictional characters. In this, first-time novelist Atticus Lish succeeds magnificently. His Preparation for the Next Life (Tyrant Books, New York, 2015, 417pp) opens with this sentence: “She came…
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Property: Boat Avenue goes higher
PHUKET: The Boat Avenue community mall in the Laguna area is in the process of adding seven more shophouses in the main compound and will later build commercial structures along both sides of the newly constructed road. Boon Yongsakul, deputy managing director of Boat Development Company, an offshoot of the famous Boat Lagoon marina, told the Gazette that each of…
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Up in the air: Revamp taking its toll
PHUKET: There has been little reported progress in the ongoing restructuring of Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), and the slow-moving bureaucratic revamp is taking its toll across the entire Thai aviation industry. At the top of the aviation food chain, some Thai-registered commercial carriers have been forced to scrap requests for new routes. A number of important tourist source…
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Brides go gaga for Baba wedding in Phuket [video]
PHUKET: The Thai Peranakan Association and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket, along with local government officials, are organizing a mass ‘Baba Yaya’ wedding ceremony at Sukko Spa Resort with dinner to follow at 75 VT Nam Neaung Restaurant in Phuket Town on June 21. The event celebrates more than 200 years of local traditional weddings in the ‘Baba…
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Property Watch: Breaking down stats
PHUKET: Island condominiums continue to be the horse you have to ride, which is evident when you see mid-rise buildings coming up as far as the eyes can see. For the market though, talk continues to turn toward a bubble, a crash or at least a short break for a little ‘me’ time. So what’s up for Phuket property as…
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Phuket Pads: Great home, great community
PHUKET: The perfect family home is located on a secure estate just walking distance from British International School, and only 15 minutes from Phuket International Academy, two of the most well-known international schools on the island. The six-bedroom – or five-bedroom plus office – home is in an estate which is already full of expat families, making it extremely convenient…
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Property: Small condos boost in sales
PHUKET: A sea change set in for Phuket’s condominium market post-2008 with units smaller than 70 square meters now vastly outnumbering larger ones, according to in-depth research results by Knight Frank Thailand. Research director for Knight Frank Thailand, Risinee Sarikaputra, explained last month that prior to 2008, as much as 84% of Phuket’s condominium supply was larger than 70sqm, with…
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Topping charter charts
PHUKET: Northrop & Johnson Asia won the distinguished ‘Best Asia-based Charter Company’ award at the 2015 Asia Boating Awards in Hong Kong earlier this month. Created by Asia-Pacific Boating and China Boating magazines in 2005, the annual Asia Boating Awards recognize the best in the Asian maritime industry and beyond. The awards serve as a benchmark for the industry in…
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Property Watch: Make change, not war
PHUKET: We may all well remember a court case involving a hot cup of coffee and a customer who sued the coffee shop for serving hot coffee. What a preposterous case, we may cry. How do people inhabit this earth and go about their daily lives, and yet still manage to create issues out of nothing by simply complaining about…
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Books: Failed search for next giant
PHUKET: I’ve long sought for the successors to the twentieth century giants of Brazilian literature, Jorge Amado and Erico Verissimo. So far, I’ve failed. Daniel Galera’s novel Blood-Drenched Beard (The Penguin Press, New York, 2014, 374pp) is the latest disappointment. The prose is pedestrian, the pace leaden and the plot improbable, shading into preposterous. The entire mess limps along in…
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Looking Back: Friar fights way to Siam
PHUKET: Throughout his life, King Naresuan fought many wars with the Burmese in order to liberate Siam from their control. Toward the end of his reign, in the year 1600, Siam had recovered its independence and peace was restored. During this time, the king worked to restore foreign trade for the Kingdom. Due to ongoing wars between Burma and Cambodia,…
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Excuse Buster: Right kind of pressure
PHUKET: The word is out about self myofascial release – foam rolling – and, no, Phuket people, this doesn’t have to do with a ‘soapy’ or ‘happy-ending release’. Foam rolling was once a secretive technique used by professional coaches and therapists, but has become a regular practice for people across the spectrum of fitness levels. Self myofascial release is in…
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Blazing Saddles: Bicycling in Bangkok
PHUKET: I have long believed the bicycle represents something of a magical chariot with the ability to unleash serendipitous experiences at many turns. So it proved on my last visit to Bangkok, where I had flown to spend some time with my 22-year-old daughter, Olivia, who stopped there en route from Sydney to London. Now it’s probably no coincidence the…
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Sea Co-working space to bring waves of change to Phuket’s shores
PHUKET: THE SEA Co-working Space and Marine Library Cafe in Phuket Old Town welcomes people of all walks of life to join projects, events and discussions as the co-owners – Saovapa Atsilarat and Krongkaew Soo-ampon – work to make Phuket more sustainable, one minimized carbon footprint at a time. Housed in a 3-storey building, the venue offers complete office infrastructure,…
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In Focus: Pity the poor pangolin
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette recently reported a gruesome find: a couple strangled and left to rot in a dense rubber plantation in Krabi. People were guided to the spot by the stench; the couple had been dead for about five days. This man and wife were pangolin hunters and the likely explanation for their demise – so far not confirmed…
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Baba Beach Club aims for top tier
PHUKET: Only a perch at the very top is good enough for a 42-rai super project just across the bridge on Phang Nga’s Na Tai Beach, which is being developed by well-known Charn Issara Development Plc in partnership with China-based Junfa Real Estate Company. Called Baba Beach Club, this massive development will have a hotel and a beach club, six…
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Island Fever: After the thrill is gone
PHUKET: We have just hit midair turbulence as the captain turns on the fasten-seat-belt sign. In the row opposite me, an older mother of two has her son in a headlock, and a spare hand clamped over his mouth to muffle the droning noise of what appears to be a manic case of attention deficit disorder. A quick bite to…
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Phuket Pads: Layan villa beckons buyers
PHUKET: Some would say location and convenience are two of the main attractions, in addition to exceptional property value, in what is a very up-market area of Phuket Island. The Laguna, Layan areas are known for houses and villas with starting prices above 20 million baht, which makes this value-for-money gem a great buy. This villa is a part of…
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Start-up property portal prepares to “transform’ market
PHUKET: A start-up technology company created by the same team that built the LivePhuket real-estate company says it’s ready to ‘transform’ Thailand’s property market with a ‘data-driven’ property portal. The portal, launched in Phuket on April 24, provides instant and easy access to the largest selection of newly-built condominiums, all on a platform that aims to simplify the process of…
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Up in the air: Thalang Technical College launches aviation industry program
PHUKET: Thalang Technical College (TTC) has launched Thailand’s first vocational program to prepare students for a wide range of careers in the aviation industry and help support the growing need for skilled staff at nearby Phuket International Airport (HKT). TTC Deputy Director Kochakorn Butsaraporn, who administers the school’s aviation program, told the Phuket Gazette that TTC is proud to be…
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Art: Double-dose of spice features comedy, Indian food
PHUKET: Those looking to add a double-dose of spice to their lives, gastronomically and satirically, need travel no farther than the Spice Box Indian restaurant on Boat Avenue on May 30. That’s where and when internationally renowned American stand-up comedian Tom Rhodes takes the stage to dispense his unique blend of razor sharp and often irreverent comedic commentary. Beginning at…
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