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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Phuket knife-wielding robber makes off with cash, 7-Eleven stamps
PHUKET: Police are searching for a robber and his accomplice after a man threatened staff with a knife and robbed a 7-Eleven in Rassada, north of Phuket Town, at about 4:30am today. Police arrived at the scene, in front of the Rock Garden housing estate on Pracha-U-Thit Road, soon after the robbery. “Wareerat Sae-Chiaw, 21, and Mali Pimon, 25, who…
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Australian tourist ignores warning sign, injured in fall
PHUKET: An Australian tourist was injured after ignoring a warning sign and falling down a small cliff at the Susan Hoi Shell Cemetery, also known as the “Fossil Beach”, near Ao Nang in Krabi yesterday. According to police, David Grant, 40, was visiting the famous natural attraction with a friend when he decided to climb down the cliff to the…
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Phuket Police vow to continue hunt for Russian murder-kidnap suspects
PUKET: Police have exhausted their leads in the hunt for two Russian men wanted in connection with the murder and kidnapping of a fellow Russian in Phuket earlier this year. Ukrainian Oleksandr Boychuk, 44, and Russian Aleksandr Novichkov, 58, are wanted for the kidnapping of Alexey Slabinskiy, 39, and his girlfriend Iana Strizheus in March (story here). Miss Strizheus was…
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Thailand dodges US sanctions over human trafficking
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Relief as US opts against sanctions The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand yesterday welcomed US President Barack Obama’s decision not to impose sanctions against the Kingdom over its failure to combat human trafficking, assuring it would continue to work hard to improve its performance in…
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Phuket unveils waste-management teaching center
PHUKET: A sustainable waste-management teaching center opened in Saphan Hin earlier this week in a bid to teach island residents how to recycle organic waste and reduce Phuket’s carbon footprint. “More than half of daily household trash is organic waste that can be effectively turned into compost and fertilizer,” said Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana at the center’s opening ceremony…
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Budget approved for billion-baht prison in Phuket
PHUKET: A 1.1-billion baht budget was approved to build the island’s new prison, Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut revealed today in an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette. “The budget has already been approved by the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] and transferred to the Department of Corrections. We will go ahead with the project as soon as possible,”…
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Soccer Schools Tournament to kick off at Thanyapura
PHUKET: Phuket Soccer Schools (PSS) is bringing the National Youth Tournament back to the island, with over 320 players competing in four age divisions. This year’s tournament, to be held on September 27 and 28 at Thanyapura, will see clubs flying in from various parts of Thailand, including Bangkok, Pattaya and Koh Samui, as well as local Phuket teams. To…
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PACC delays charges over alleged dive extortion – again
PHUKET: The conclusion of an investigation of three Chalong Police officers for their alleged abuse of power has been set back again, confirmed the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC). “We still need more time to finish compiling our case,” said Lt Col Wannop Somjintanakul, the PACC officer leading the investigation. He declined to provide a specific date. Col Wannop told…
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Taking Phuket tourists’ safety to heart
Malika Chergui, 61, originally from Morocco, has been a Tourist Police volunteer for nine years. Before retiring in Phuket, she was a successful business and family woman in Italy. Now, she spends her time helping tourists alongside the Phuket Tourist Police. She patrols the streets of Patong every night from 9pm, using her language skills – she is fluent in…
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The price of looks in Phuket
PHUKET: I’ve been disturbed by my electricity bills recently. Ever since I moved into a new, cheaper house a few months back, my electricity bills got substantially higher. In my search for the energy-sucking culprit, I spent one Saturday evening turning different household appliances and gadgets on and off, and checking the electricity meter readings. The result of this little…
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The need to define Phuket with a clear voice
PHUKET: Efforts by local hotel industry leaders to revive the Phuket Hotels Association in order to give a unified voice to the island’s tourism industry could not have come at a better time (story here). Phuket needs a positive public relations push to provide foreign visitors with clear, accurate information about the “new Phuket”, in contrast to its mafia-infested, pre-coup…
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Two die, two injured, travelling four-up on Phuket motorbike
PHUKET: Two ethnic Mon men died and another two were seriously injured in Phuket after the motorcycle they were riding slammed into a tree last night. “According to witnesses the four men, all riding on the same motorbike, were travelling at high speed when they hit a tree on Thepkrasattri Road near Baan Tah Reua Shrine at about 11:40pm,” explained…
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Hunt for Koh Tao killers stalls
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hunt for Koh Tao killers stalls The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police are confident that their investigation and the evidence obtained will help them catch the killers of the two British backpackers who were bludgeoned to death on Monday on the resort island of Koh…
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Prayuth apologises for bikini remark after global outcry
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prayuth apologises for bikini remark after global outcry The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday apologized for his bikini remarks in the face of an international outcry. Britain raised concerns after the junta leader suggested tourists in bikinis could be more vulnerable…
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Death threats, powerful people force Phuket national park chief to resign
PHUKET: Death threats and influential people unhappy with the reclaiming of public land have forced Sirinat National Park Chief Kitiphat Tharapiban to step down after only three months. “There are many reasons that I have to resign. We had many conflicts with powerful people, even though I was doing the right thing,” Mr Kitiphat said. In August, military bodyguards were…
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Three men ambush British motorist in northern Phuket
PHUKET: Three men ambushed a British national and his wife as they slowed their motorbike at a speed bump in northern Phuket last night. “My wife and I were attacked and knocked off our motorcycle at 9:00… on the road that connects Sri Soonthorn Road with the Alan Cook Cricket Ground,” Iain Richardson told the Phuket Gazette. “Three teenagers were…
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Smoke on the water: Boat operators warned of Phuket haze
PHUKET: Boat operators have been warned of limited visibility at sea as hazy skies shroud Phuket following heavy rains and subsequent warm weather. “The haze is a result of recent heavy rainfall combined with high levels of humidity in the atmosphere,” said San Jantharawong, chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office. “In this situation, visibility…
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Phuket and Penang become twin cities
PHUKET: Phuket Town and George Town in Penang, Malaysia, became official twin cities after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Phuket City Hall today. Inspired by the two cities’ long-established historical relationship, the decision was seen as an important move in facilitating the exchange of expertise in areas of tourism, business and cultural heritage (story here). “Both cities have…
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Phuket police hunt mother of dead newborn found in Patong
PHUKET: Police are searching for the mother of a newborn boy whose body was found dumped in a pile of trash in a small street in Patong this morning. Laiad Pongtuan, 55, was scouring through trash while looking for plastics and other recyclables in Soi 8 off Nanai Road, when he came across a large black plastic bag. “When I…
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Man, believed drunk, falls off motorcycle, drowns in ditch
PHUKET: A man drowned last night after falling off his motorcycle into a roadside ditch flooded by recent monsoon rains. Police were called to the scene – opposite a Muslim cemetery in Sakoo, south of Phuket International Airport – where they found the body of Supap Petcharat, 58, lying in the 70-centimeter-deep ditch. His motorcycle was lying on its side…
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DNA test clears British suspect from Koh Tao murders
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community DNA test clears British suspect from Koh Tao murders The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Briton questioned over the murder of two countrymen on Koh Tao on Sunday did not match DNA found on the female victim, police confirmed today. The man, Chrtstopher Alan Ware,…
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Phuket OG269 disaster ushers in B34mn lottery windfall for airport staff
PHUKET: Four people – all staffers working at Phuket International Airport – won government lottery prizes yesterday totaling more than 34 million baht. One of the prize winners, Saowaluck Katekaew, won 4mn baht after choosing the lucky number 269 in memory of the One-Two-Go Flight OG269 disaster that killed 89 people seven years ago to the day on Tuesday. Miss…
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Phuket health officials challenge Chang over Vegetarian Festival ‘beer flags’
PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has filed a complaint against those responsible for emblazoning flags heralding the upcoming Vegetarian Festival with Chang Beer logos. Krit Sakulpat, deputy chief of the PPHO, led a delegation to Phuket City Police Station yesterday to lodge a formal complaint against ThaiBev, the company that produces Chang Beer, and Jui Tui Shrine for…
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K-1 World Max Final is coming to Thailand
PHUKET: The world-renowned Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament – K-1 World Max Final – is coming to Thailand on October 11. During the event, which will be held at the Indoor Athletics Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand’s martial arts fans will witness Buakaw Banchamekgoing battle it out with Enriko Kehl. The event will be telecast live worldwide. Should Buakaw be able…
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Man who hanged 2 dogs named amid online furore
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man who hanged 2 dogs named amid online furore The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have identified a man who allegedly killed his two pet dogs by hanging them from a petrol station’s garage roof beam in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district on Tuesday and…
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Cabinet members required to declare assets by Oct 3
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Cabinet members required to declare assets by Oct 3 The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Members of the new Cabinet are required to declare their assets and liabilities by October 3 – 30 days after having been sworn in on September 4, Worawit Sukboon, deputy secretary-general…
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Koh Tao Murders: Police turn focus to friends of slain man
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Koh Tao Murders: Police turn focus to friends of slain man The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police investigation into the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao last Sunday has shifted from migrant workers to friends of the male victim, while autopsy results have…
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No order to ‘erase’ Thaksin from Phuket textbooks – yet
PHUKET: No orders have been issued to Phuket officials to remove mathayom history textbooks that mark Thaksin Shinawatra, the first prime minister in Thailand’s history to lead an elected government through a full term in office. However, Mr Thaksin has been erased from the history presented in textbooks that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has recently ordered…
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British backpacker arrested for Koh Tao murders
PHUKET: Surat Thani Police have arrested a British tourist suspected to be involved in the murders of fellow Britons Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on Koh Tao late Sunday night, reported Thai news agency PBS. Police named the suspect as Christopher Alanvare, said the report (click here). Mr Alanvare was arrested after resort employees reported seeing him walking near the…
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ICC claim a fortunate place in the T20 final
PHUKET: The semi final playoff between ICC and Thalang was shortened due to a lengthy rain delay and ended with calculators out on the ground and ICC being awarded entry into the Outrigger Twenty20 cup final. After the morning’s friendly match was shortened with waves of bad weather blowing across the Island, Thalang’s captain won the toss and elected to…
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