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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MH370 Search: Firm says finds plane debris in Bay of Bengal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community MH370 Search: Firm says finds plane debris in Bay of Bengal Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A private company said it had found what it believes is wreckage of a plane in the Bay of Bengal that should be investigated as possible debris from the missing…
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What if Phuket’s roads took you?
PHUKET: Over the last decade the number of well-known, and often very well-liked, expats who have perished on Phuket’s deadly roads seems to have increased at an alarming rate. Indeed, the most recent case has given me cause to revisit a topic nobody likes to speak about, yet the failure to address it could lead to some rather horrible consequences…
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Light-fingered Phuket woman undone by iPhone app
PHUKET: Phuket Police used a location app today to track down within 10 minutes a woman who had stolen a Danish tourist’s iPhone. Michael Dybdahl, 51, from Denmark, reported that his iPhone was missing to the Patong Police at 11:30am. “He said a woman visited his room at Bangla House last night, but he could not find his phone after…
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Local flowboarders head to Singapore
PHUKET: Phuket’s rising stars are set to depart our sunny shores for another installment in the new sport of flowboarding (surfing on an artificial wave) when they head to Singapore for the the final round of the Asian FlowJam series at Sentosa Island, Singapore. Locals may know that Annissa Flynn, who won the Asian Women’s surfing trophy in 2012 when…
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Thailand News: Driver runs Bangkok checkpoint, kills 3 police; Storms lash capital; Red shirts set for May rally
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Three police officers killed after young driver loses control of his Pajero SUV The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Three police were killed and three others injured in a crash when a young man drove a sports utility vehicle through a police checkpoint on the outbound…
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Rohingya health crisis in Myanmar after aid groups forced out
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rohingya health crisis in west Myanmar after aid groups forced out Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: As three-month-old Asoma Khatu approached her final, laboured breaths, her neighbour Elia, a 50-year-old former farmer, dug through the strongbox holding some of the last medicines in this camp for…
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Deaths on EU roads halve in a decade
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Deaths on EU roads halve in a decade – report Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Car deaths on Europe’s roads have halved over the last decade, but campaigners say tougher EU laws could prevent many more people from dying needlessly. Figures from the European Transport Safety…
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Russia says Marshall Islands’ nuclear lawsuits ‘baseless’
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Russia says Marshall Islands’ nuclear lawsuits ‘baseless’ Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Russia said on Monday that lawsuits in which the Marshall Islands accused nine nations with nuclear weapons capability of failing in their obligation to negotiate disarmament are “baseless” and would not help rid the…
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Assad seeks re-election as Syrian civil war rages
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Assad seeks re-election as Syrian civil war rages Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared on Monday he would seek re-election in June, defying calls from his opponents to step aside and allow a political solution to the country’s devastating civil war. Assad…
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Local sailors head to the Top of the Gulf Regatta
Leading Phuket yachtsmen Scott Duncanson and Alfie Rowson are travelling to Pattaya this week to compete in the 2014 running of the prestigious Coronation Cup. The royally affiliated regatta is held annually at Ocean Marina, Jomtien, in celebration of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne. Now in its 19th year, the event is unique in that competitors race…
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Short-term solutions underway for perilous Phuket curve
PHUKET: Short-term safety measures are now being implemented to slow down motorists approaching the dangerous “100 bodies curve” and should be completed within a week, confirmed officials. The construction follows a blockade of Chao Fa West Road between Wang Talang Jewelry and Rolly Tasker Sails that was staged on Sunday by villagers, angry about the conditions of the road and…
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PACC anti-graft squad begins investigation of Phuket police extortion allegations
PHUKET: More than 10 officers from the Public-sector Anti Corruption Commission (PACC) are on the island investigating allegations that Chalong Police officers extorted money from the Phuket dive community. The team arrived in Phuket yesterday and have yet to set a date for their departure, the team’s lead investigator, who asked not to be named, told the Phuket Gazette. “We…
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Lifeguards walk off Phuket beaches as PPAO drops ball on contract
PHUKET: Lifeguards abandoned the island’s tourist beaches today after the Phuket Provincial Administration Office (PPAO) failed to break the deadlock surrounding a 22-million-baht lifeguard contract that expired yesterday. “Since the contract has ended, it is no longer our responsibility to patrol the beaches. All 108 lifeguards have quit their jobs,” Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan told the Phuket Gazette…
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Phuket blockade over “100 bodies curve’
PHUKET: A blockade on Chao Fa West Road, lasting nearly three hours, was lifted yesterday afternoon after Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut agreed to have short-term safety measures installed at the dangerous “100 bodies curve” within five days. A temporary barrier, warning lights and safety signs will be erected at the curve, Governor Maitri told the press. “As a long-term solution,…
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Saudi Arabia MERS cases spiral to 339 infected, 10 dead; Egypt marks first
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Saudi Arabia MERS cases spiral to 339 infected, 10 dead; Egypt marks first Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Saudi Arabia confirmed 26 more cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which has killed nearly a third of sufferers, and said 10 more people have died from…
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South Korean PM resigns over government response to ferry disaster
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community South Korean PM resigns over government response to ferry disaster Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won resigned on Sunday over the government’s response to the April 16 ferry disaster. The Sewol ferry sank on a routine trip south from the port…
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Abbas calls Holocaust ‘most heinous crime’ against humanity
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Abbas calls Holocaust ‘most heinous crime’ against humanity Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the Nazi Holocaust “the most heinous crime” against humanity in modern times in a statement released on Sunday, an apparent bid to build bridges with Israel days after…
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Thailand News: Flu kills 50; Pheu Thai disses Prem’s royal move; Pattani slayings afore Krue Se massacre anniversary
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community 50 dead as number of influenza cases jumps dramatically The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Fifty people have been killed by seasonal influenza, which has hit more than 30,000 people this year, prompting the Public Health Ministry to be on alert. Public Health permanent secretary Narong…
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Chinese spies read Australian MPs’ emails for a year: report
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chinese spies read Australian MPs’ emails for a year: report Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A cyber attack on the Australian parliamentary computer network in 2011 may have given Chinese intelligence agencies access to lawmakers’ private emails for an entire year, the Australian Financial Review reported…
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Pian ousted as Chalermluck voted Patong Mayor
PHUKET: Unofficial results are in and Phuket Democrat Chalermluck Kebsab has won the race for the coveted position of Patong Mayor. Ms Chalermluck received a total of 4,390 votes, defeating former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, who garnered 3,330 votes. Kittisan Kuru of the Patong Gao Na (Patong Progress) Party scored a total of 580 votes. Ms Chalermluck, a Phuket native,…
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Phuket teens waive police brutality claim
PHUKET: Two of the three teenagers allegedly struck by police officers investigating the rape of a pregnant woman in Phuket last Sunday night have publicly declared that the officers never struck them. The declaration was made during a public meeting this morning at Provincial Hall in the presence of Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut. “Police did not hit or threaten any…
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Phuket faces no lifeguards on beaches as contract debacle ebbs on
PHUKET: There may be no lifeguards patrolling Phuket beaches on Monday if compromise is not reached between the island’s lifeguard club and Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) over the new, hotly-debated 22-million-baht club budget. Though the current contract expires today (April 27), Phuket Lifeguard Club President Prathaiyut Chuayuan is holding firm to his desire to increase salaries for his staff…
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Hong Kong couples wooed to wed in Phuket
PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Hong Kong office will launch a pilot campaign to lure couples in Hong Kong to legally marry in Phuket. The pilot project alone is expected to generate 124 million baht for the Phuket economy. To introduce the concept, TAT Hong Kong office director Titiporn Manenate took a delegation of leading wedding planners from…
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Road-raged Russian attacks Australian tourist, knocking his teeth out
PHUKET: A Russian national has been charged with attacking an Australian tourist walking down the street with his family on Wednesday night. Police were called to the scene by customers at the nearby Spice House Restaurant on Karon Beach at about 9:30pm, said Maj Theeradech Jiruksa of the Karon Police. The Russian, 27-year-old Evgenii Baturin, had already fled the scene…
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Government calls for more troops in Bangkok as crisis heats up
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Government calls for more troops in Bangkok as crisis heats up Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thailand’s government is to ask the army to deploy more troops in the capital, Bangkok, as fears mount that the country’s lengthy political crisis could move into a more violent…
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Thailand News: Suthep shuns talks; PDRC to regroup; Santika boss jailed over B85mn tax evasion
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Suthep shuns Abhisit move The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A campaign by Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to find a solution to the country’s political deadlock was generally welcomed yesterday although anti-government leader Suthep Thaugsuban appeared to shun his move. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra described…
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Drunk passenger triggers hijack alert on Australian flight to Bali
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Drunk passenger triggers hijack alert on Australian flight to Bali Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The pilot of a Virgin Australia plane flying from Brisbane to the Indonesian holiday island of Bali on Friday reported a hijacking attempt after a passenger tried to enter the cockpit,…
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Thailand OTOP fair in Patong to breach B1bn barrier
PHUKET: The Thailand One Tambon One Product (OTOP) Fair to conclude tomorrow is expected to boost Phuket’s income from OTOP events beyond the billion-baht mark for the year. The Patong event is expected to bring the island’s income from OTOP events for Fiscal 2014 to 1.08 billion baht for the local economy, a 22% increase on sales realized last year,…
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When home is a dangerous place
PHUKET: I was born and raised in Yala, but have lived in Phuket for about three years. Many outsiders think that Yala is horrible because of the violence. My friends in Phuket don’t want to visit me when I go home, and I understand why. There are a lot of negative stories about Yala in the news. Teachers are assaulted,…
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Phuket’s most dangerous job
Saijai Luesup, 48, has been working as the Workplace Safety Department of Phuket Provincial Labor Protection and Welfare Office chief for almost four years. She has a bachelor’s degree in public health from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. PHUKET: Construction sites pose the greatest danger to workers in Phuket. Because of this we are very thorough with our safety inspections, which…
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