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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Between a rock and a hard place: planning a rockery.
WHEN I was knee high to a grasshopper, the expression ”between the devil and the deep blue sea” meant you were stuck in a hopeless, no-win situation. Nowadays the American adage “between a rock and a hard place” is more likely to be used to convey the same dilemma. But rocks are not always linked to intractable situations: gardeners for…
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EFT Mountain Fish Park grand opening an hour from Phuket
PHUKET: The gates of the Exotic Fishing Thailand (EFT) Mountain Fish Park will swing open on July 26 and 27 to everyone for the facility’s grand opening. During the free event, all are welcome to visit the park, home to more than 60 species of fish from around the world, says park founder Mike Bailey. The 25 rai lake, eight…
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Pop star Tata ties knot with long-time sweetheart in Phuket
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Pop star Tata ties knot with long-time sweetheart in Phuket The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Amita Tata Young, a much-loved Thai-American pop star, wed Chatadul “Mor” Seenapongpipit in a private ceremony on the beach in Phuket yesterday. Businessman Chatadul reportedly proposed to her on May…
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Japanese brunch a reminder of why we love Phuket
If you moved to Phuket to escape the hustle and bustle of big city life, it might be a short while before you start regretting your move. At times, Phuket seems as bad as any urban center, with all its traffic jams, road works and condominiums popping up everywhere. Add the millions of tourists visiting the island each year and…
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Disabled Australian cyclists end week-long tour in Phuket
School staff prepare pandan leaf handicrafts as gifts for the cyclists. Photo: Jeremie Schatz PHUKET: After a week of riding and more than 600 kilometers, a group of 21 cyclists from the Disability Sport and Recreation (DSR) initiative completed their journey from Surat Thani to Phuket Panyanukul School in Pa Khlok on Monday afternoon. The Victoria, Australia-based group, dubbed CyclePower,…
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Go north to Mai Khao and the Sarasin Bridge
PHUKET: The Mai Khao region in Phuket’s northwest has long been home to breeding Andaman sea turtles, not to mention an abundance of other species of flora and fauna, although Homo Touristicus remained noticeable by their absence until quite recently. Nowadays, that’s all changed, as a gathering influx of both tourists and residents flood this formerly quiet corner. The opportunities…
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Southeast Asia surgeons gather for breast augmentation seminar
PHUKET: Bangkok-Phuket Institute of Cosmetic Surgery (BPICS) hosted a breast augmentation seminar and live surgery on July 4 in Samkong. “We invited our colleagues from Hong Kong and from ASEAN countries Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam,” said Institute Director Dr Witoon Wisuthseriwong, who has more than 13 years experience working at Bangkok International Hospital Phuket. About 50 participants had the…
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Environment: Coastal erosion protection system could save Phuket’s shore
PHUKET: Whether people remain in denial or have accepted the inevitability of the effects of global warming, there is no denying that glaciers and ice caps are melting and sea levels are rising. It’s no longer a question of whether or not these factors are happening at the hand of man or by natural processes, but rather a question of…
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The great gibbon fly-out
PHUKET: A network of light aircraft owners known as the Flying Scouts are pitching in to save the environment through a number of innovative projects, one of which was a recent “gibbon airlift” from Phuket to the animals’ new home in Chiang Mai. Most island residents are familiar with the good work done by the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (GRP) in…
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Property Watch: Life in the days of future past
PHUKET: In my lifetime, small men in white suits have walked on the moon. Well, at least they seemed tiny on the television screen. Now, strangers’ voices come out of an iPhone acting as a personal concierge. I still can’t figure out how they fit a tiny person into the iconic Apple device. Yes, technology is a fast-moving landscape that…
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A symbol of prosperity in Koh Kaew
PHUKET: The number 88 has long been symbolic of good fortune, joy and prosperity in Asian cultures and the premium housing development “88 Land & Houses Koh Kaew Phuket” by Land & Houses, one of the country’s leading development groups, is seeking to provide just those for its customers. The 52 rai development is located near the geographical center of…
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Outrigger beach BBQ puts the sun in Sunday
PHUKET: I’m writing this on Monday morning, the universally detested time of the week. But the memory of Sunday evening, the whole of Sunday in fact, allows me to keep my head up and face the challenges of the upcoming days. This is what Sundays are all about – recharging your batteries ahead of a new work week – and…
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Redirecting unproductive behavior
PHUKET: In Daxing, a suburb outside of Beijing, young patients live in guarded cells behind walls topped with barbed wire. They are given medication, participate in therapy and adhere to a physical and dietary regimen to treat their supposed disorder: internet addiction. The problem and its alleged cures had become so great that in 2009, the Chinese government banned physical…
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Krabi’s marina lifestyle is growing fast
PHUKET: Krabi Boat Lagoon, the sister marina of the long established Phuket Boat Lagoon, is garnering strong interest from Phuket residents seeking a quieter lifestyle and solid investment in the fast growing town. The marina, which opened for business in late 2012, has had a steady flow of Phuket regulars moving their boats to take advantage of the less crowded…
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Life’s a beach, even in Phuket
For those who live overseas or else don’t go near the water, the current ongoing transformation of Phuket’s beaches is nothing short of magic. Taxi stands removed, sun lounges nowhere in sight, and structures on public land being dismantled. Every day seems to take a new twist and turn in this reality show-like event. Who’s safe? Who will go? The…
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Making Phuket conservation profitable
PHUKET: Most boaters and divers are sensitive about coral reef areas and try to do the right thing. However, now, with many corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects recognizing the importance of our coral reefs worldwide, a possible alliance between conservationists and businesses in Phuket could be forming to find a profit-oriented solution to the problem of boaters anchoring in coral…
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Lose that pouch belly
PHUKET: To lose weight, you need to eat less and move more – right? What happens if you do that and find that the scale looks better, but the reflection in the mirror stays the same? Many people have been down this puzzling path more than once. Luckily, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Yes, you…
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Amazon unleashes the Fire Phone
PHUKET: For those who have not yet drunk the iPhone Kool-Aid, your time has come to rejoice in the glory of the new Amazon Fire Phone. Announced by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on June 22 and ultimately being shipped from July 27, the Fire Phone has promised to stir things up in the smartphone sphere. At this point, it has…
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Read now or PaperLater
PHUKET: It’s a common mantra, even among media pros, that newspapers are a dying breed of communication. Many feel that once another generation or two have left this world, the daily printed page that some still pine for will cease to be. In many ways it is a blessing. A major reason being the immense amounts of resources embodied in…
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Caught in a love Catch-22
PHUKET: Former Phuket expat Brent William Otto, 45, and Sayam “Kob” Senamuen, 34, weathered a break-up, long separations and the trauma of cancer before reaching the altar last weekend. But the toughest obstacle of all was a US law that didn’t recognize gay marriage. The Phuket Gazette’s Leslie Porterfield reports. The couple met at a pub in Silom while Brent…
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Phuket turning a new leaf on environmental consciousness
PHUKET: The bold challenge for the 2014 World Environment Day was to “raise your voice; not the sea level”. Social justice demands that we protect our environment for the next generation. Our children are entitled to live in a world which remains beautiful and sustainable. Loud must be our voices and loud must be our actions. This demands every member…
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Which island will be the next Phuket?
PHUKET: These days, I seemingly spend far too much time flying around Asia, and one of my hash tags at industry events seems to be #The Phuket Guy. There are far worse things to be called in life, and I’m without a doubt getting off easy. Send in the flip-flops, things might be turning nasty after the sundowners. Aside from…
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Luxury villas by the lake to rent or own
The recently completed By The Lake luxury development, located just minutes from tranquil Nai Harn Beach, offers a hassle-free way to own your own slice of paradise here in Phuket. Tucked away on a quiet and private hillside with picture-perfect views, these two and three-bedroom luxury pool villas are only an 800-meter stroll from the beach. Each villa comes fully…
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Phuket told to send seashells back to seashore
PHUKET: Just because World Oceans Day has whizzed by with the speed of the Agulhas current, there is no reason to stop taking action to protect what is arguably the world’s most important resource – our oceans. To celebrate this year’s World Oceans Day on June 8, the owners of The SEA Co-Working Space and Marine Cafe asked participants to…
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Moving walls, puzzles, sacred tombs – escape if you can
PHUKET: In that magic moment between when the sun has set on Patong Beach and the nightlife hasn’t kicked off, there now exists the embodiment of a childhood fantasy: a world of hidden tombs, moving walls, lasers and code cracking. Chamber of Secrets, Phuket’s first real-life escape game, has opened its doors, but the light only shines a short way…
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Prime deals on eight Sansiri developments
PHUKET: Sansiri, one of the largest real estate developers in Thailand, recently launched the “It’s Prime Time” promotional event in Phuket, offering a “Time for Best Units” promotion across all eight of the company’s completed developments on the island. Buyers will have to move quickly to get a bargain though, as the discount offers are only available until the end…
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International Surfing Day event in Patong cancelled
PHUKET: The International Surfing Day festivities that were announced in the June 7-13 issue of the Phuket Gazette have been cancelled. Organizers announced the cancellation of the June 21 event amid concerns of violating the martial law restriction of gatherings of more than five people. People are still encouraged to visit the beach and pitch in to clean up trash…
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Crowning glory of a great novelist
PHUKET: Once a decade, Donna Tartt produces a hefty, great novel. At age 28, she published The Secret History, a murder mystery centered on a clique of young classical scholars at Bennington. A decade later, she returned to her Mississippi childhood for The Little Friend. And now she has just won the Pulitzer Prize for her third and best novel,…
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Asia Superyacht Rendezvous 2014 (video)
PHUKET: Each year, from December 16 to 18, the shores of Phuket welcome Superyachts, their owners, captains and VIP guests to the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous – an exclusive gathering of sail and motor boats of over 100 feet in length. Last year’s event welcomed 11 Superyachts to Phuket. Six beautiful sailing yachts were in attendance along with five glorious motor…
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Clean and convenient
PHUKET: Phuket Town’s first co-working initiative –The SEA Co-working Space and Marine Cafe – hosted a make-your-own home cleaner workshop at their space on Phang Nga Road on June 5. Led by Green Fins Project Coordinator and environmental health advocate Petchrung “Aey” Sukpong, the workshop covered the process of producing an all natural, all purpose and inexpensive cleaning solution. The…
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