News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
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New 100-baht banknote honors King Taksin “The Great’
PHUKET: New 100-baht banknotes are available at commercial banks in Phuket and elsewhere throughout the country starting today, staff at the Bank of Thailand confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this morning. Bank of Thailand Deputy Governor Paiboon Kittisrikangwan unveiled the new “Series 16” banknote on Tuesday. “The design is to honor King Taksin ‘The Great’ for his contributions to the…
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Kill squad arrested after sour Phuket land deal
PHUKET: A failed attempt to kill a man over a Phuket land deal gone sour resulted in a team of hitmen being arrested in synchronized raids in Phuket and Krabi on Tuesday. All five of the men accused for their roles in the attempted slaying of Songwit Vinyupradit were presented to the press by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit…
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Cricket: Thalang rue wrath of Khan as Laguna top table
PHUKET: Laguna opening batsman Ali Khan smashed seven 4s and eight 6s – including three in a row from Thalang bowler Gary Lane – to take Laguna to the top of the Phuket Cricket Group’s (PCG) senior league at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) in Thalang last Sunday. Khan smashed balls back out of the ground as quickly as they…
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Man dies after slamming motorbike into parked trailer
PHUKET: A unidentified man died after he slammed his motorbike into the back of a parked 10-wheeled trailer in central Phuket last night. Police arrived at the scene on Srisoonthorn Road heading toward Cherng Talay, about 350 meters from the Heroines’ Monument, at about 11:15pm to find the man dead at the scene. “The man had sustained fatal injuries to…
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Old Town Festival returns to the heart of Phuket
PHUKET: The 16th annual Phuket Old Town Festival begins today and will continue through Saturday to celebrate Phuket’s unique culture and traditions. The festival will get underway from 4pm, on four roads in the heart of Phuket Town: Thalang Road, Soi Rommanee, Krabi Road and Phang Nga Road. “This is the 16th year we have held the festival. We always…
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Suspected Chinese diamond robbers arrested
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suspected Chinese diamond robbers arrested The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Three Chinese men, who allegedly stole a 3-million-baht diamond from a jewellery display at Nonthaburi’s Impact Muang Thong Thani on Tuesday, were arrested on the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint in Sa Kaew province early yesterday morning…
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Phuket prepares to stave off drought
PHUKET: The Phuket governor yesterday ordered the island’s leading water authority to prepare for drought, despite the agency’s assurances that local water reserves would be plentiful until the annual rains return in May. “This dry season, we must manage our water resources so that any restriction in supply affects as few people as possible,” Governor Nisit Jansomwong told a meeting…
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Police say jealousy behind Koh Samui murder, 3 charged
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police say jealousy behind Koh Samui murder, 3 charged The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested three Myanmar workers who allegedly conspired to murder a female compatriot whose body was found at a viewpoint on Koh Samui on Monday. Surat Thani police chief Pol…
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Wife and son of dead round-the-world cyclist receive B300k in government compensation
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Wife and son of dead round-the-world cyclist receive B300k in government compensation The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports will handover this week 300,000 baht in assistance money to the wife and son of the late Chilean intercontinental cyclist Juan Francisco…
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Most judges picked for Yingluck case also hearing other Thaksin cases
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Most judges picked for Yingluck case also hearing other Thaksin cases The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: More than half of nine judges selected yesterday by 146 Supreme Court members to be on a panel to hear the rice scheme case against former prime minister Yingluck…
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NACC wants impeachment of Abhisit, Suthep over 2010 crackdown
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NACC wants impeachment of Abhisit, Suthep over 2010 crackdown The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Anti-Corruption Commission has unanimously resolved to kick off the process of impeaching former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban for their alleged mishandling of the bloody…
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Uproar over NRC panel and Buddhist reform
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Uproar over NRC panel and Buddhist reform The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A network of monks and Buddhist followers yesterday officially urged Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to cancel within 15 days the National Reform Council (NRC) committee on the protection of Buddhism. The move…
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Irish teen pleads for justice over alleged Phuket corruption, death threats, kidnapping
PHUKET: A video posted on the Facebook page “Justice for Jessie” has gone viral as 15-year-old Irish girl Jessie Vard pleads for justice for her family, who have allegedly suffered from years of police corruption, death threats, property fraud and kidnapping. Jessie posted the video denouncing the Thai police and justice system ahead of her 61-year-old father, Colin Vard, appearing…
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Funeral services for Phuket expat, developer Stephen Paine announced
PHUKET: Viewing and prayers for well-known property developer and long-time Phuket resident Stephen Paine will begin tomorrow at Wat Thep Vanaram in Baan Manik, Thalang. Mr Paine passed away at his villa in Phuket on Saturday (story here). Services will be held daily from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, and will conclude on Friday. Final funeral rites and the cremation will be…
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Video Report: Illegal tuk-tuk drivers urge Phuket Gov to expedite registration
PHUKET: A group of illegal tuk-tuk drivers drove to Phuket Provincial Hall today to request the governor’s help, as their application process has dragged on for months following the crackdown on illegal drivers last year. “The National Council for Peace and Order’s crackdown on illegal taxis has put us out of work for months,” Anan Plermjit, a representative of the…
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Jomhod wins MMA debut at Full Metal Dojo 4 (video)
PHUKET: Muaythai legend Jomhod Kiatadisak won his first foray into mixed martial arts (MMA) by defeating Cambodian Vorn “Kun Khmer” Viva at the Full Metal Dojo 4 fight event in Bangkok on Saturday. Jomhod, a former Lumpinee and Rajadamnern muaythai champion who now trains at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, defeated Vorn by unanimous decision after three rounds. The fight…
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Phi Phi boat owner charged for “aquarium in the wild’
PHUKET: An “aquarium in the wild” boat owner was fined 10,000 baht for improper use of his boat after a Facebook post criticized the operation of breaking the law. The large fish hold of Lok Tai Taley (World Under the Water) had been converted to allow fish to swim freely into it and guests to walk among them, Maj Anurak…
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Jailing of ‘Wolf Bride’ actors for lese majeste stirs criticism
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Jailing of ‘Wolf Bride’ actors for lese majeste stirs criticism The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Two theater actors, one of whom is a university student, were sentenced to two and a half years in prison for staging a play in 2013 that was deemed defamatory…
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Wild jail brawl leaves 2 dead, 6 convicts hurt
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Wild jail brawl leaves 2 dead, 6 convicts hurt The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: After a brawl at Kanchanaburi’s Thong Pha Phum Prison in which two inmates were killed and six injured on Sunday, prison warden Paithoon Wisetsiri has been transferred to an inactive post.…
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Brit found dead after night of drinking
PHUKET: The body of a 32-year-old British national was found floating off Coral Island today. The man, whose name is being withheld until next of kin are notified, was last seen drinking at the bar at Coral Island Resort last night. “The tourist checked into the resort on Saturday and was staying alone. He was last seen drinking heavily at…
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Motorcyclist dies in collision on “shortcut’ to Phuket Airport
PHUKET: A woman remains in hospital after a fatal car accident left one motorbike rider dead on the road running parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport yesterday afternoon. Officers were called to the scene at 5:15pm, confirmed Lt Col Sarit Butnongsang of the Tah Chat Chai Police. “We arrived at the scene to find a Honda Wave motorcycle…
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Man, 64, arrested for slaying fighting cock thief
PHUKET: A 64-year-old man has been charged for killing a fighting cock thief in the hills north of Patong before dawn this morning. Jarus Rattanarat, 64, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, called the Patong Police at about 1:20am to report the killing himself. “He waited for us to arrive at the scene, at Soi Phra Baramee 7, and told us that…
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Phuket airport taxi flips, Chinese tourist family escape serious injury
PHUKET: A family of three Chinese tourists, including a 5-year-old boy, escaped serious injury on Saturday when the taxi they were in flipped and hit a power pole on Thepkrasattri Road while they were heading to Phuket International Airport. Officers from the Thalang Police were called to the scene of the crash, near Muang Thalang School, at about 11am. The…
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Experts question long-term tourism policy: Quality vs Quantity
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Experts question long-term tourism policy: Quality vs Quantity The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Experts say the government needs to get serious on the long-term development of the tourism industry, and decide whether quality or quantity – that is, sheer numbers of tourists or how much…
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Car-bomb insurgent identified
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Car-bomb insurgent identified The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police said yesterday they have identified two out of the five or six militants behind the huge car-bomb in Narathiwat on Friday, even though information from 22 eyewitnesses was sketchy and of little use for investigators. Deputy…
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Guard of honor for pilot killed in F-16 crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Guard of honor for pilot killed in F-16 crash The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The body of the Royal Thai Air Force F-16 pilot who was killed when his jet crashed in Lop Buri province on Friday will be brought to Bangkok today, Air Force…
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Phuket beach ban rules in handouts, on signs within weeks
PHUKET: In a move to inform Phuket tourists of the latest beach bans and what rules are in force on the sands, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong has ordered that leaflets be handed out at the beaches in four languages. Artwork for the leaflets in English, Thai, Chinese and Russian have been issued to all local administrations, Governor Nisit told the…
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Long-time Phuket resident, developer Stephen Paine passes away
PHUKET: Well-known property developer and long-time Phuket resident Stephen Paine suddenly passed away peacefully this morning. For nearly two decades, Mr Paine was a respected and admired member of the Phuket community. His property development achievements included Surin Heights and the Malaiwana Estate. “Stephen was a generous, compassionate and loyal friend to many on the island and will be greatly…
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Police move to stem sky lanterns, fireworks at Patong Beach
PHUKET: Police have ramped up their campaign against fireworks and khom loi, the traditional “floating sky lanterns” used in celebrations throughout Thailand, in an effort to stop them being launched on Patong Beach. The campaign began in earnest on Thursday night, when officers arrested vendor Chaichana Khuepkrathok, 38, at his house in Patong for selling floating lanterns on public land…
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Phuket Chinese New Year tour bus slams into motorcyclists, houses
PHUKET: A bus hired by a tour company to take Chinese tourists on a four-day excursion from Krabi to Phuket slammed into two motorcyclists last night, before careening into five shophouses. One of the motorbike riders remains in hospital with head injuries. The 13 Chinese tourists on the bus were unscathed, receiving only minor cuts and bruises. “We received a…
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