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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MMA enters Phuket
PHUKET: More than 500 people are expected to show up at Phuket’s first MMA gala, and they are in for a treat. “Thai culture understands combat sports. And the Kingdom is on the cusp of accepting MMA with open arms. We’re just trying to give a little push,” explains Ree Webster, the event’s co-organizer,when asked about the motivations behind his…
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Army considers lifting curfew in Phuket
PHUKET: The military is considering lifting the curfew in Phuket and other tourist destinations such as and Pattaya, provided there are no signs of unrest in those areas. The consideration follows National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha being informed of how the nationwide curfew was badly hurting tourism-dependent businesses, NCPO deputy spokesman Col Nattawat Chancharoen…
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Malaysian breath-hold record set for static apnea
PHUKET: Contestants and spectators held their breath for some time during the WeFreedive Suunto Series static apnea event when a new Malaysian record was set on May 25. “This month’s static freediving competition had the feel of a young green season: small and relaxed,” explained Association Internationale pour le Développement de l’Apnée (AIDA) judge Richard Wonka. Despite the small turnout…
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Flight MH370: Doubt raised over whether pings came from missing Malaysia jet
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Doubt raised over whether ‘pings’ came from missing Malaysia jet Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The U.S. Navy described as “speculative and premature” a media report on Thursday that said four acoustic pings at the centre of the search for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner are…
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Thai junta debunks outrage over Facebook outage
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community ‘No policy to block FB’ The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) said yesterday that it had no policy to block social media, after there was brief chaos as Facebook faced technical failure at its Internet gateway. Facebook was…
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10 injured in South hospital bombing
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 10 injured in South hospital bombing The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ten people, including three defence volunteers, were injured yesterday in a motorcycle bomb attack at Pattani’s Khok Pho Hospital, while a subsequent fire damaged dozens of motorcycle parked nearby. The hospital’s director said this…
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Egypt’s Sisi sweeps to victory in presidential vote
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Egypt’s Sisi sweeps to victory in presidential vote The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who toppled Egypt’s first freely elected leader, swept to victory in a presidential election, provisional results showed on Thursday, joining a long line of leaders drawn from…
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Curfew checkpoints on Phuket, but no political reconciliation center
PHUKET: Coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday ordered each of the four Army areas to set up reconciliation centers where people could exchange political views and obtain direct information about the junta. However, the closest center to Phuket is at the Royal Thai Army base in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, to which a Phuket reporter and former island official have already…
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Facebook in Phuket not blocked by Army
PHUKET: Facebook crashing worldwide caused a flurry of tweets in Phuket and Thailand over concern that the popular social media site had been blocked by the junta. Downrightnow.com reported “likely service disruption” across the globe at about 4pm, not isolated incidents in Thailand, as many were worried about. Commanding General of the 41st Military Circle Peerapol Wiriyakul told the Phuket…
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Phuket Police warn over “new’ ATM skim device
PHUKET: Police are warning all ATM users to beware of fake covers fitted to the card-insert slots of cash machines after finding a “new” form of card skimmer fitted to an ATM in Patong yesterday evening. The new device was fitted to a Siam Commercial Bank ATM in front of a 7-Eleven convenience store at Malin Plaza, on Prachanukrh Road,…
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Vietnam meth mule caught with 3.2kg of ice at Krabi Airport
PHUKET: A Vietnamese woman has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 3.2 kilograms of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) into Thailand via Krabi International Airport. Customs Department chief Rakhop Srisuppha-at said that the drugs had an estimated street value of 9 million baht. Mr Rakhop told the press yesterday that Vietnamese national Tran Thi Be Hai, 43, arrived in Krabi…
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Phuket night workers start day shift to survive curfew
PHUKET: Patong nightlife operators, desperate to make up for business lost due to the nationwide curfew, have done the only thing they can do: start the party earlier. “Each venue has adjusted its hours to fit the curfew. Discotheques are now opening at about 4pm,” Weerawit Kurasombat, head of the Patong Entertainment Business Association, told the Phuket Gazette. “While it…
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Obama plans to end US troop presence in Afghanistan by 2016
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Obama plans to end US troop presence in Afghanistan by 2016 Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined a plan to withdraw all but 9,800 American troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and pull out the rest by…
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Thousands of Brazilians against World Cup spending
PHUKET: Police fired tear gas canisters to contain anti-World Cup demonstrators who tried to march to the Brasilia stadium where the football tournament’s trophy was on public display on Tuesday. The protest by more than 1,000 people snarled rush hour traffic in the Brazilian capital adjacent to the Mané Garrincha National Stadium, the most costly stadium built for the 32-nation…
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Army rolls out reconciliation centers; confirms Yingluck free
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Army aims to heal rift The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: To patch up the rifts in society, coup leader Maj Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday ordered the four Army areas to set up reconciliation centres throughout the country. The centres would be forums for people to…
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Rice-pledge agency denies losing 3 million tonnes of rice
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PWO denies losing 3-million tonnes of rice The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The Public Warehouse Organisation yesterday denied that it had lost as much as 3 million tonnes of rice as leaked by an audit committee source to the public, saying a figure was missing…
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Singapore’s ‘worst serial rapist’ gets 37.5 years’ jail, 24 strokes
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Singapore’s ‘worst serial rapist’ gets 37.5 years’ jail, 24 strokes The Straits Times / ANN PHUKET: A 44-year-old serial rapist who spiked his victims’ drinks with sleeping pills in an unprecedented date rape case, was expressionless as he was sentenced to 371/2 years’ jail on Tuesday.…
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20-per-cent drop in tourists
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 20-per-cent drop in tourists The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The arrival of foreign tourists has dropped by 20 per cent following the imposition of martial law, Permanent Secretary for Sports and Tourism Suwat Sidthilaw said yesterday. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Navy chief…
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Fire at South Korea hospital for elderly kills 21
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Fire at hospital for elderly kills 21 in latest major South Korea accident Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A fire at a rural South Korean hospital for chronically ill elderly patients on Wednesday killed 21 people and injured eight in the second major fire this week…
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Phuket curfew reduced to four hours
PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has announced that the curfew period will be reduced to four hours a day. The current curfew still effective tonight, banning all unsanctioned travel on the streets, is in effect from 10pm to 5am. The new curfew hours, from midnight to 4am, will come into effect tomorrow night, May 28. The…
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Video Report: Phuket tourists talk about Thailand’s coup
PHUKET: Five days into Thailand’s coup d’etat, international travel advisories have been flying thick and fast following the military takeover by Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha. But travel advisories are written in dusty offices far from where the real action is taking place, so Phuket Today decided to find out what the international community really thinks about what’s happening here. We headed…
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HiFi gives opening blast at Samui Regatta
PHUKET: The 13th Samui Regatta got underway yesterday with a 23-strong fleet of mainly international boats competing in what has become known as the Tropical Island Regatta. With an impressive IRC fleet lining up to battle it out over five days, the first day proved to be both challenging and satisfying for fans. Light to moderate winds, unusual for Samui…
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Lifeguards back on Phuket beaches, ask PPAO to plan ahead
PHUKET: Lifeguards returned to Phuket beaches today, ending a month-long break after the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization’s (PPAO) 10-month contract with the lifeguard club fell through on April 27 (story here). Waters surrounding the island have become more dangerous with the arrival of the annual southwest monsoon season, and one tourist died during the lifeguard-less month (story here). “I am…
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Grateful Phuket locals praise army
PHUKET: More than 500 locals gathered at Sanam Chai Park this morning to offer roses and letters of thanks to army officers for their hard work. The grateful group of local farmers, students, Reserve Officer Training Corps Students and Civil Defence Volunteers intercepted the officers as they were on their way to meet with Governor Maitri Inthusut at Phuket Provincial…
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Last chance to win a flight over Phuket with the Gazette’s Reader Survey
PHUKET: Don’t miss your chance to win a free airplane ride over Phuket by taking part in the Phuket Gazette’s 20th Anniversary Reader Survey (survey here). The two lucky readers who have a chance to jump into the Gazette airplane and tell the pilot where they want to go – home, office, Phang Nga Bay…* will be determined and announced…
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Taiwanese tuna boat captain breathes easy after Phuket rescue
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police responded to a distress call from a Taiwanese tuna-fishing boat early this morning. The Dong Cheng 988 contacted Marine Police for assistance after Captain Shang-Chih Hsu, 61, suffered a severe asthma attack. The boat was about 37 nautical miles southwest of Phuket. “Mr Shang-Chih had his inhaler, but it wasn’t working,” Lt Col Panya Chaichana of…
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No money to fix caved-in road in Koh Kaew, say officials
PHUKET: A section of a busy road in Koh Kaew has collapsed, but despite a circle of finger-pointing by local officials, no repairs are likely until next year, due to lack of funds. The road, Soi Koh Kaew 33, behind the Isuzu dealership on Thepkrasattri Road, leads to local villages and housing developments and is used as a shortcut to…
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Battle at Donetsk airport; Ukraine leader says no talks with ‘terrorists’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Battle at Donetsk airport; new Ukraine leader says no talks with ‘terrorists’ Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Ukraine launched air strikes and a paratrooper assault against pro-Russian rebels who seized an airport on Monday, as its newly elected leader rejected any talks with “terrorists” and said…
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Experts divided on Jewish Museum killer: was he lone wolf or hitman?
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Experts divided on Jewish Museum killer: was he lone wolf or hitman? Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A gunman who killed three people at Brussels’ Jewish Museum was “cold-blooded and very determined”, Belgian officials said on Monday, leading some security experts to suggest he may have…
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Nigeria military says knows where girls are, rules out force
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Nigeria military says knows where girls are, rules out force Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Nigeria’s military knows where the more than 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram are but has ruled out using force to rescue them, the state news agency quoted Chief of Defence…
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