News
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Heavy rains leave provinces on flood alert
Tropical storm Bebinca has now moved westwards into Myanmar as it continues to weaken but it’s left a trail of floods behind as home and farmland across the the north and north-east as rivers and canals swelled with the heavy rains. Around Petchaburi the situation is still perilous for residents in the wake of the Kaeng Krachan Dam. In Chiang Rai, a large…
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Seaman dies in hotel after taking Viagra
A 58 year old man who worked on fishing boats was found dead in a Sichon, Nakhon Si Thammarat hotel room. The Sichon station chief Pol Col Chokedee Rakwatanapong told Sanook that the man’s name was Suthep, a widower who was often away fishing at sea for extended periods. Sanook reports that Suthep was dead on the floor in the…
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Bangla lady boy caught stealing tourists’ wallets
A lady boy has been taken to Patong Police station after being caught by tuk-tuk and taxi drivers after allegedly stealing tourists’ wallets on Bangla Road early today (August 20). At about 5am this morning, taxi and tuk-tuk drivers were helping to catch a lady boy who had been allegedly stealing wallets from Republic of Czechoslovakia tourists while they were…
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Indonesian forest fires spread smoke into southern Thailand
Smoke from forest fires in Indonesia has begun to affect areas of Thailand’s southern region, including the Hat Yai district of Songkla, where particulate levels are now considered detrimental to health. Smoke from Indonesian forest fires has shrouded much of Songkla province extending out to sea, impacting on visibility for boat operators. Songkla Fisheries Association Head, Suradech Nilubon has issued…
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Thaiger Radio News – Monday
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Minister of Tourism follows up on Phoenix boat tragedy
“We have to be careful about news which might affect tourism.” The Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports, Weerasak Kowsurat, flew down from Bangkok to follow up on the PR mop-up following the Phoenix boat disaster. He spoke to the media at the Phuket Yacht Control Centre (PYCC) at Chalong Bay. Khun Weerasak says, “We have to be careful when…
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TAT article promoting ‘friendly waves’ gets slammed
Bad timing for the TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) after they posted a feature on August 10 that promoted surfing off Phuket’s west coast beaches. Phuket is currently facing a crisis of confidence over the lack of adequate lifeguard services along its west coast beaches, battered annually by heavy seas and deadly rip tides and currents from the south-west monsoon.…
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Private sector proposes southern economic plan to mobile Cabinet
PHOTO: Emulating the French Riviera, but with better beaches. “The Andaman Riviera”? Emulating the famous French Riviera coast is part of a plan to promote the Andaman coastline, which includes Ranong, Phang Nga and Phuket as the star attractions and wrapping up other southern provinces into the new tourist precinct – just a part of recommendations to the mobile cabinet sitting…
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Chinese tourist drowns at Koh Racha
A male Chinese tourist, who ignored red flags, has drowned at Koh Racha yesterday (August 19). Chalong Police were notified at 1.40pm that a tourist was unconscious after being pulled from surf just off the island’s main beach. The tourist was immediately taken on a speedboat back to Chalong Pier. The tourist was later identified as 32 year old Zhang…
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Bangkok drug party busted
Bangkok police have called on the Office of the Narcotics Control Board to help find the source of the narcotics that the 28 suspects allegedly used at a party on Saturday, Wang Thong Lang deputy superintendent Pol Lt-Colonel Chaowarit Ngernchalard said on Sunday. The suspects are in police custody for further interrogation and will be escorted to Criminal Court on…
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Thailand’s household debt
Thailand’s household debt has been on the rise over the past decade, up from an average of 116,681 baht in 2007 to 178,994 baht in 2017, but should be measured with commensurate growth in wages, inflation and the country’s GDP. The figures show that Thailand’s debt for farming is around 16% of the total debt bill. 36% is spent on…
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Spectacular opening for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta
by Ramadani Saputra From Asian Games website… Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo officially opened on Saturday night Asia’s biggest sporting event at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, in a dazzling ceremony that showcased the nation’s traditional cultures. “On behalf of the Indonesian people, we are proud and we are honored to welcome our special guests from 45 countries. With…
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Thaiger Radio News – Sunday
Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere.
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30 more villages in Phayao hit by floods – PM asks Thais to monitor weather
A total of 30 villages in six tambons of Phayao’s Pong district have been whacked by floods yesterday (Saturday). Two other villages in the province’s Chiang Kham district were earlier reported struck by flood damage. Phayao is wedged between Chiang Mai and the Laos border. Pong district chief Sit Wongman said the Khuan and Ngim rivers in his districts had…
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More fake goods seized in Patong
Yesterday (August 17) police and soldiers raided a warehouse in Patong and seized more than 200 counterfeit goods. A team of officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) joined the raid at the warehouse of Lanta Souvenir in Patong’s OTOP Market on Rat-Uthit 200 pi Road. 28 year old Wut Boonkanpai was present and was acting as the shop’s…
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Whale shark sighted off Phuket
A whale shark was sighted off Ao Tue in Koh Racha yesterday (August 17). Videos and pictures posted by a personal facebook page ‘Saran Hassaya’ have been shared widely in social media. Videos and photos were taken yesterday by female tour guide Kristsada Sukjacharee who is also a dive instructor of the ‘Blue Corner’ tour boat company and a volunteer…
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Landslides close the Ranong-Chumpon road
If you’ve ever travelled north or south from Phuket to locations to the north, via Ranong, you’ll know about the ‘long and winding road’ from Ranong to Chumpon. A lot of effort is being put into improving the road to make the route a viable alternative route for buses, van and cars and a new tourist drive which can take…
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Chinese tourists love going local and doing their own bookings – Hotels.com
PHOTO: Jing Daily How much have Chinese millennials (that’s the people born after 1990) increased their spending in the last year? 80%! Research by accommodation booking portal, Hotels.com, reveals that younger Chinese spenders are pushing the boundaries of international travel, increasing their expenditure over the past year by a staggering 80%. Part of the increased expenditure goes to fund social…
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77 reportedly shot in Asian Games crackdown – Amnesty International
From Jakarta Post, via Asia News Network The Asian Games have barely opened in Jakarta. The last thing they need is this explosive claim from Amnesty International. Dozens of people have been shot by the police as part of an escalating crackdown against petty crime in the months leading up to the Asian Games, a human rights organisation alleged on…
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Central Phuket opens on September 10
The new Central Phuket is set to open its doors on September 10. The announcement was made at Centara Grand Beach Resort, also owned by the Central Pattana Group. The concept of the new shopping centre, twice as big as the current Central Festival, is ‘The World Comes To Play’. The new complex will feature 20 of the world’s biggest…
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Students to PM “Cancel the student conduct regulations”
PHOTO: Sa-nguan Khumrungroj/Facebook The Student Union of Thailand is calling on junta leader PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha to cancel the controversial regulations controlling student conduct. Read the report about the ‘moral’ crackdown HERE. Citing a serious infringement on privacy and their rights to political expression, the union, led by activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, submitted a letter asking the Education Ministry…
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Nan, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai report damage from current floods
Weather warnings remain current for 38 Thai provinces affected by tropical storm Bebinka which is currently hovering over northern Vietnam, moving west. Meanwhile its affects are already being felt in the north. Moutain run-off has hit and washed away three sections of the main Chiang Rai-Chiang Mai road early today. The Doi Saket police station in Chiang Rai was alerted at…
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Tourist numbers tumble as Chinese media expose entrenched safety problems
The fallout from July’s tragic boat accident are just now starting to bite as tourists, who would have been about to make a booking around the time the accident happened, decided to book an alternate holiday destination instead. Despite the bravado and PR exercises, many Thai business people are secretly worried about the big drop-off in numbers. The drop in…
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68 illegal migrant workers arrested at Krabi hotel construction site
Officers have arrested 68 illegal migrant workers at a five star hotel construction site near a beach in the main centre of Krabi yesterday (August 17). Officers checked the hotel construction site on Tab Kheak Beach. Officers found 89 workers including 21 Thai and 68 Burmese. All 68 Burmese workers were registered with a previous construction company not the current…
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Coconut trees provide evidence for land ownership case
Coconut trees have saved a 71 rai (11 hectare) patch of park forestland on beautiful Poda Island (8km from Ao Nang) from falling into the hands of the private sector. Evidence was solid enough for the Appeal Court to overturn a ruling that awarded the land ownership to a man. If the plot became privately owned it could possibly fetch…
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Hilton Phuket helping with English lessons for Kamala students
Markus Kosch, general manager of Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, together with hotel management teams, recently visited a local school in Kamala to assist with English lessons for the day whilst providing sponsorship for the school valued at 100,000 baht. The donation was made to the Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation in May 2018 in order to…
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Institute closed for seven days as police break up student gang brawls in BKK
By Khanathit Srihirundaj Bangkok police have held a meeting between representatives of Pathumwan and Uthenthawai colleges today. Yesterday students from their colleges fought on the skywalk near the National Stadium BTS station. Education Ministry officials attended the meeting to help find solutions to the issue of student brawls. The meeting at Pathumwan Police Station was brokered by the deputy chief of…
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Five suspects arrested with illicit drugs
Five drug suspects have been arrested with methamphetamine pills, crystal methamphetamine and kratom. A team of officers led by Capt Teerasak Narasri from the Phuket City Police Station have arrested four suspects including 46 year old Tanet ‘Pok’ Saeton from Phuket at a house in Rassada. Police seized 534.8 grams and a parcel box. He has been charged with illegal…
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Malaysian tourist caught lying to Chiang Mai police
PHOTO: Chiangmai News A Malaysian tourist is in hot water after telling Chiang Mai police that he’d been robbed by a foreigner in the city centre this morning. He’s now been charged with filing a false police complaint. 20 year old Pravin Krishnan was charged early this morning (Friday) less than two hours after lodging the complaint. Police say that he…
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Signs posted warning land encroachers in Rassada
Officers have set up official warning signs in front of a 50 rai plot of land on national reserve forest at Klong Bang Chela – Klong Tajeen in Rassada . The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives had given approval for the Phuket Provincial government to use 50 rai plot of land in the area of the national reserve forest as a…
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